So after more consideration (I seem to be pretty good at sitting around "considerating") I decided the time to paint is not here yet.

I'll want to paint as much as I can at once I think, and since the ALU stuff that's not here yet needs bluing, and since that one panel on the inner dome will get messed up if I paint it before I sand the dome, I'll be holding off for a bit.

Here's the pics mentioned in last night's post...

An early attempt at padding between the two for sanding:





It didn't work out because believe it or not the T-shirt is too thick, and the sleeves were in the way.

I decided to try a bedsheet instead, at my buddy Goose's suggestion:



I'm thiking I'll probably just wear through the sheet with the sander very fast and it won't really be useful, but we'll see.

Here's pics of the inner dome marked:











I used a pencil to mark the cut lines, and a sharpie inside them to marke how big the circles were.

I used the EZ-lock dremel cutting wheels to cut the squares out, which worked like a champ, but I also used all 5 of them ($10) yesterday, mostly cutting the pie panels in the circles...

I pretty much used 3 different methods to cut out the round holes.
I used the widow-maker with both points to scribe the circle almost all the way through on some of the holes near the edge of the dome, then cut across to make the bend-out pie panels.

I also use the widow-maker to scribe, then drilled the tiny holes around the edge of the hole, and then made pie panels.

3rd I actually used a holesaw on the PSIs, but that didn't work well on one, because the bit ran sideways in the hole and I wound up with a mess, which you'll see.

Lastly, when Goose showed up last night I used the widowmaker all the way through the inner dome radar eye hole, since Goose was there to hold it and I could use both hands. the circle was sizzling hot...I burned my thumb on it, just enough where it feels funny but didn't blister.

Here's pics of the aforementioned...

















And finally some pretty shots, after much filing and sanding, followed by more filing and still more filing...







There ya go. All of the holes are cut in the inner and outer domes.

If I had to say which method of cutting the holes is best, I'd probably go with either using the widowmaker all the way through (requiring 2 people) or using it most of the way through and cutting the pie panels. The drilling takes a while (pick up some 10-packs of 1/16" bits at HF if you do this) and several bits, and then once you're done bending the pie panels out, you've still got a nasty edge to file.

OH, LAST BUT NOT LEAST, AND POSSIBLY MOST IMPORTANT, WHEN USING THE WIDOWMAKER, PULL THE DRILL BIT OUT AND USE THE POINT INSTEAD!! the drillbit will cut sideways, meaning your center moves, and thus you start cutting an oval instead of a circle!