How to make a round thing without a lathe (plus model making tips)

Step 10 Spray or paint the final top coat

Oops sprayed my thumb, but oh joy... it's finished, and boy doesn't it look trick. Don't get impatient now. All this hard work will go to waste it you handle the finished thing before it is dry. Find some way of propping you work piece up while it is drying. In this case i used a small desk top vice to grip the coat hanger wire, but a hole in the top of a scrap of wood would work just as well. Make the stand or place to rest the piece BEFORE you start spraying. Don't make it anywhere it will get disturbed, and leave it for as long as possible to make sure the paint is really hard and dry. over night should help, somewhere warm would be good... you get the picture.

Woo Hoo, but... this is just the basic shape of my Alethiometer. Theres a whole lot more to be done to make it in to that model... but that is another story and for the full instructions of how to make the Alethiometer and all the templates needed, you can get them at dadcando right here. But then this is only one of the 100s of things you could make using this simple technique.

NOTE: for the glorious paint i just used a can of BRILLIANT metallic paint which in my hardware / DIY store come in both gold and chrome and gives the most outrageous finish, if the surface is nice perfectly smooth, perfect for showing off all those lovely complex curves.

If you make something don't forget to post a picture of it.