So theo and nick dropped by on sunday, and i was marginally more functional, but still feel like i've been run over by a truck today.

status update:

we have thrown an approximately 300g snow ball about as far as i can.

the frame has experienced passive structural failure. (one vertical cracked along a knot next to the tension point.) we do have the extra 2x4 to repair it.

initial testing shows that we need to elevate the front of the 'pult. several theories have been suggested, probably the easiest will be some legs that i'm going to try to cad up angles on today.

the spoon is shaped, and has a coat of (mmmmm styrene.....) stinky bondo on the inside, i'll get a coat on the outside and another on the inside tonight.

(4) 500g cherries (450g of beans plus fabric) are 80% stitched. liner bean bags are done, the plush bag needs to be hand stitched closed(~6" total seam per cherry), and the stems attached.

both the hand and thumb have a layer of paper mache on them, suggestions on another coat/material are appreciated. i'm leaning towards a smeared on coating of wood glue to just plasticize the buggers and make them paintable.

so: before saturday we need to:
*replace the vertical member (disassemble, cut, drill, reassemble, we have the old one as a template)
*build legs
*bondo, sand, paint spoon. (anyone have grey spray primer and metallic paint?)
*finish cherries (involves finding 1 more stem rubber in my garage, sewing bodies shut)

I'm reasonably free evenings and can bring the cherries along wed with needles and thread, and can get another body garage keys if they want to work before i get home from work ~6-630

I'll hopefully get these done today. Going to make coffee, then head up to your place.

Great work guys!

Not sure how rough the surface of the paper mache thumbs are, but if not too rough you could just use high build auto primer (e.g. Duplicolor), give it a good heavy coat, sand, coat, sand, repeat until smooth. If you want to give it a hard coat, the wood glue might work or you could use thin epoxy (painted on with a disposable foam brush).

tell me of this high build primer.....

You can get Dupli-Color at car stores like Checker, the stuff I use is the red, also comes in gray. I've used other cheaper primers, but I really like the Dupli-Color, goes on heavy, dries to sandable very quickly. Let me see if I have a can sitting around so you can get the right stuff if you want.

Dupli-Color Filler Primer High-Build Formula - FP102

You could also use Kilz. I haven't used it myself, but I know some do for a similar effect. Should be more easily available at Home Despot or Menard's.

is kilz or this auto primer goign to give us as much of a skin though? my thougth on glue was building up a little mroe body quickly.

No it won't give you any structure, just cosmetic. I would prime over the glue though if you choose to do that, and probably stating the obvious, but if you use a glue coat (wood or epoxy) you will need to give it a good sand before priming and painting.

Hey, what is the status of the Spoonapult? Any pix or video?

No video yet. Michael & I did significant work on the 'pult last night, though.

The frame is rebuilt and reinforced. (One of the vertical members had cracked during an otherwise-successful weekend test, due to some dramatically crooked & skewed wood grain. The grain of the replacement member is clear and straight, and it's now doubly braced.)

The adjustable elevation mechanism has its wood parts cut to length; notch-cutting, pegging & bolting still to come. The spoon has received three applications of Bondo (very stinky) and is juuuuuuust starting to look like Spoonbridge; there's a bunch of shaping, sanding & painting left to be done on that. There are four fluffy bean-bag cherries mostly finished. The hands, which already had a layer of papier-mache, got an extra coat of glue solution; they'll need to be painted as well.