Hi, I'm new to the PM forum...
   Presently I am building half and full size Daleks for pleasure and for sale (Not the new series Daleks, or NSDs as they're called, yet though). One of the most difficult parts of the construction process or 'build' is the making of the famous Dalek head dome: the sort of half rounded head bit. These are traditionally made from fibre-glass, using a plaster plug and then a mould - the dome is made then from this mould. The process can take many months to complete - some Dalek builders have taken up to a year to complete the making of the finished head dome. Being a fibre-glass coward, I purchase my head domes from a top builder for about £50 - thus saving a great deal of time and frustration, which leaves more time for Dalek building. Due to the sudden increase in people wanting to build their own Dalek (believe me there are thousands of us out there - and please don't ask why we do this, because we can't seem to find a logical answer), we are presently trying to find new ways of making the Dalek head dome.
   Q: Can anyone suggest ways of making the head dome (its about 20-inches across and ten high) in papier Mache with the aim of obtaining the smoothest and thinnest possible finish? There's lots of electronics to cram inside the dome, so it can't be solid formed. The fibre-glass dome is about 3-4mm in thickness.
   I'd probably make up a dome shaped former as per usual, and make a negative mould using plaster or such material (again I haven't had to do this yet - but its not that difficult), and would appreciate any suggestions involving the negative mould material and finish and the various types of papier mache techniques and finishes possible - so as to make the thinnest, toughest, smoothest (the end product could do with looking like glass) head dome using Papier Mache.
   Also I'd like to put any suggestions onto our own forum: the Project Dalek Forum, if that's OK!
   Thank you all for any suggestions...
   A. J. Dawkins (Dalek builder)