the Key to Time?

[karsthotep]

This project is awesome, If this gets off the ground and really procedes with a build for the members to get involved in, I am definately in.  Keep us posted Purp and great work teletran, awesome awesome work.

Karst

[Teletran]

I found some supporting evidence for the key being 6" in what you might call the season 16 bible:

The source of power for both these Guardians resides in neutral territory-- the Centre of Time. It is called the Key to Time and is in the form of six interlocking unequal segments, each of which, pined with the others, forms a perfect cube in the ratio of 6x6x6 units. This cube, this Key, is stolen by an agent of Black and scattered through space and time. Unless this Key can be recovered in a finite time, measured, naturally, not in min¬utes, hours, months or years, then the balance will be destroyed. It is easier to destroy than create; it is easier to kill than give birth; it is easier to de-molish than to build. The Apocalypse will not be instantaneous-- there would be no joy for Black in that. But for millennia worlds and their inhab¬itants would suffer... famine, war, pestilence, de¬spair, until finally they would be destroyed, or, better still, destroy themselves. And for all we know, that is what is happening now.

Not definitive evidence but I think you'll agree fairly compelling.
As a precoution I've put all the mesurements from my tracer plans into an exel document that will allow me to change them all at once if need be

Also it occurs to me that if we make the largest outer face of each segment the top of that segment (outer meaning on the surface of the assembled cube) then we could cast them in open topped moulds, so long as they're kept still and level they should have a reasonably flat top. This is probably the simplest way for an amateur like me to make a transparent shape of this complexity.

[exilea]

I found some supporting evidence for the key being 6" in what you might call the season 16 bible:

Not definitive evidence but I think you'll agree fairly compelling.
As a precoution I've put all the mesurements from my tracer plans into an exel document that will allow me to change them all at once if need be

Also it occurs to me that if we make the largest outer face of each segment the top of that segment (outer meaning on the surface of the assembled cube) then we could cast them in open topped moulds, so long as they're kept still and level they should have a reasonably flat top. This is probably the simplest way for an amateur like me to make a transparent shape of this complexity.

Where did you find that info?

Well, after finally watching Ribos Operation again last night, 6"³ feels correct. If that's the case, what does that bring the Tracer diameter down to?

[Teletran]

I found this in "Doctor Who the seventies" which just goes to show what happens when you look at the petty pictures and ignore the words.

It's a very good reference and I'm strongly considering getting the other two volumes in the series for my birthday assuming I can still afford that new laptop as well.

Ironically the tracer dimensions rounded to the nearest standard imperial units come out as about the same.

[Teletran]

Ironically the tracer dimensions rounded to the nearest standard imperial units come out as about the same.

I should probably explain that a little better, you see because measurements taken from photos aren't exact and the change we're making is relatively small (1: 0.85) the diameter of the tracer is still within the range of 1/2" with a degree of error of about 0.2". We could probably do better if we had more pictures of the two props together.

By the way I've always assumed that the segments where made out of epoxy or something similar do we know what they were actually made of?

[purpleblancmange]

I forgot to give my update on laying my hands on one of the segment props... well, the person that I was speaking to last week now claims that they don't have it anymore. 

This comes as no surprise to me whatsoever as there seems to be a wall of silence from all owning parties surrounding this prop - anyone would think that MI5 are involved!

[Rassilons Rod]

Its a bit like lost "You didn't change your mind did you? You're not gonna tell them are you?"

"Remember: When that guy calls from TR2... you DON'T have a key to time prop..."

[exilea]

Any new developments here?

[willytron]

I forgot to give my update on laying my hands on one of the segment props... well, the person that I was speaking to last week now claims that they don't have it anymore. 

This comes as no surprise to me whatsoever as there seems to be a wall of silence from all owning parties surrounding this prop - anyone would think that MI5 are involved!

When they discovered that we were looking for it, the six segments were separated and scattered throughout time and space.

[Teletran]

Any new developments here?

Well seeing as my tracer plans have been uploaded at a different size to what I had planed (again) I thought I might print them up as a PDF but I don't know how I would go about posting such a beasty.

Since I'm now pretty sure of the dimensions I thought I might start prototyping the tracer, this would effectively be my first physical build but it seems a fairly straight forward prop and I was the one who made the plans so I thought I may as well have a stab at it.

[Teletran]

By the way I've always assumed that the segments where made out of epoxy or something similar do we know what they were actually made of?

anyone?

oh look a little tardis cool

[Darksyde]

Visual Effects designer Dave Havard constructed the six segments of the key in wood. These were then moulded in silicon rubber. Two castings were then made of each segment in clear casting resin. Due to the extreme heat generated by the catalyst for the resin each segment was cast in a number of layers. When held up to the light these layers are visible in each of the segments.

[Teletran]

Is clear casting resin a brand name or a class of materials?
Clearly its a transparent resin which generates an exothermic reaction when catalysed.

By the way does anyone have any idea where I could get parts for my tracer prop? Purple you said you had an idea what the tracer was made of, how does this tally with the plans I've made?

[Darksyde]

Class of material. It's basicly a realy fancy two part epoxy that dries clear. There are far better version on the maker now so I would tend to think you could do it in one poor. The best sourche I've found is Dickblick supplys but the stuff isn't cheep so it's best used on the final product with something else used in every stage to that point. A 2qrt kit runs 80+ dollars after shipping.

[Darksyde]

Hi!

I've been following along this thread and have done a little work on some thing in my spare time. Useing the paper model to star I made up a slot/noth design on a piece that, if it's not too costly, I may have custom acrylic version of the pieces done up. I"ve converted them to PDF from page plus, sorry about the watermark.

What I was wondering if anyone could take a look and double check that my slots and tabs line up as well as they can. They are, or should be 3mm thick/deep as that is the thickness of the acrylic used.

Any thouhts or help are apreciated. Origional Page plus file by request.

http://laurenstephens.net/uploads/441c73fb27.pdf
http://laurenstephens.net/uploads/42b4a19b5f.pdf

(edited for new links, they should display now without needing to be downloaded)