Re Hate to disappoint JB - fireworks are banned in this area
We can actually grow Proteas here and in Aust quite well Graham and I realise you mean they are indigenous. Had one growing in my back yard but it didn't like the clay, and only lasted a year. They grow them commercially in some areas. An SA bloke at our work didn't believe me when I told him they grow here! Had to show him one!

We have a lot of Aust plants which grow well here also (especially gums and wattles). My house is surrounded by Cape Daisies and also have Cape Goosberries growing. Even managed to get a mango growing (till a fungus killed it at about 2ft). Have PawPaws growing on my sun deck and managed to get 5 Pomegranates under way which are about 2yrs old and 2ft high. Quite an unusual spot just here on the coast, - warmer than the rest of Auckland and has beaten Nelson as being the sunniest spot in NZ (not the hottest, that is usually Napier/ Bay Of Plenty).
JB

"I think i saw something about working Torpedoes on utube."
Yep, there are several Martin, there's even a vid somewhere on this site from several months back I think.
Shows the torpedo zotting round the pool walls in a model boat show pond after bouncing off the target ship. Damn! Dud detonator AGAIN😠
A while ago there was also a guy here with vids of firing a torp from his model, a Perkassa I think.
😎

"Ronden Flashbomb"
Now there's an idea👍
I even have a monster 1/24 scale DH Mosquito to deliver it with!😁
Pic shows 19-pound (8.6 kg) Flashbombs being loaded into a photo-reconnaissance De Havilland Mosquito at Melsbroek, Belgium. c.1944
My RC Airship might be a more practical delivery system though😉
The Airfix Mossie is a bit heavyyy!
Cheers, Doug 😎 Your local pyrotechnical maniac 😂🤣😂🤣💥💥💥

Sounds like an old fashioned Ronden Flashbomb is needed to sink a small warship Doug - used to occur with my free flight model aircraft when bored with them - spectacular.............

Hate to disappoint JB - fireworks are banned in this area - too much danger of fire in the fynbos - more like explosion than fire - the speed fire travels in fynbos is incredible and dangerous.........
Only part of the world Proteas etc occur in.

Hi Doug,
You mentioned Torp's,
I think i saw something about working Torpedoes on utube.

Martin555.

Hi Martin,
Yes had thought of spring launching, not so much fun though 😁
Also considered compressed air, like some originals, I still have a box of Sparklets bulbs on the shelf in the workshop. The thyphon thoda has long since disappeared though - as has the whisky ☹️
Decided to reserve those for the two quad torpedo mounts though 😊
10mm alu launch tubes are prepared. The actual mountings and trigger mechanism are a bit trickier though! Got some 8mm O/D alu tube as raw material for the torps.
Also have a set of 3V micro motors which just fit inside the 8mm tube.

BTW: on a recent extended foray into the nether regions of the cellar I found my Knatterboot (Pop pop boat) 😀 While looking for something completely different of course🙄, which I didn't find 🤔
Cheers, Doug 😎

Re - FLEET HQ Munich hereby offers HMS Hotspur 1.35m LoA 1/72, as Trials Ship.

Gonna need some electrical HP to hide that one in smoke!, perhaps a burning wick in a tank of of diesel under the funnels, (bit like the kero lamps on full)😁😂
Guessing about 8-10v and 4 vape coils, - fan forced, - or 4s and 2 Heng Long smoke units (1 each funnel, - aaand we're rolling😀
I'm off to the hammock,- Evenin all,
JB

Doug,
Have you though about spring loaded launchers activated by a servo ? (a bit safer)

Ref:- magicians flash paper.
It would be interesting to know and see some experiments.

Martin555.

"it also sounds like you are going to make Depth charge containers"
I'm already onto that Martin😉
Stern racks are built waiting to be fitted, two throwers are already installed.
Experiments with black powder ignited by redundant glow plugs are intermittently underway. Have also acquired magicians flash paper 💥 for further experiment.
If you happen to notice a large cloud of black smoke on the horizon to the SE from you send a hospital ship please! 💥🔥
😁😎

Jb,
It also sounds like you are going to make Depth charge containers LOL!

Martin555.

"Sounds like we'll be needing an old warship for experiments!😂"
FLEET HQ Munich hereby offers HMS Hotspur 1.35m LoA 1/72, as Trials Ship.
First commissioned August 1965, they don't come much older!
Currently undergoing a SLEP refit and upgrade.
😎

Bet Guy Fawkes was fun in SA!😁
JB

RE - The way these experiments are going
This discussion is getting serious now Martin. Sounds like we'll be needing an old warship for experiments!😂
JB

What used to be fertilizer is now used for mining explosives here JB.
Its very safe to transport - much safer than conventional explosives. That is until its mixed with diesel and a detonator fitted.....
We used to blow up tree stumps with ammonium nitrate fertilizer & diesel fuel - much quicker for land preparation if a little messy. So most nitrates will do the job if required.
Air Force taught us a lot of ways to make things go bang ...........
Even sugar and other seemingly harmless things can be taught to do so............
In the right circumstances even instant coffee can be made to go bang.....
Did you know that most window cleaner liquid of the blue variety is highly inflammable..........
And that powdered aluminum can increase the power of black powder and creates a brilliant flash ............

The way these experiments are going you will all have to build Warships because they are dangerous and full of explosives LOL!

Martin555.

Re -There are ways to get around restrictions JB

Don't know about SA but you can't even buy potassium nitrate for your garden any more since that mc veigh? guy blew up a US building years ago killing lots of kids and adults. A few years back a fertilizer store caught fire in a big plant nursery here. It was small when I first noticed it but it soon got really going, with clouds of black smoke. I'd been reading about the fertilizer ship, the Grandcamp which blew up in the Texas harbour (1947) only a few months before this and it described the colour of the smoke not long before it and another ship blew, killing over 300 destroying the port, and stuff for miles around.

I stayed back about 2km but people were all coming out of businesses and stopping everywhere (it was next to the largest business area on Aucklands north shore) to gawk at it. felt like driving down there and telling them all to bugger off smartly but I was not going near it! About 6 fire trucks turned up but by then it had got huge and real black. It was getting to be a bit worrying but they eventually got it under control. Pretty scary stuff fertilizer!.

Well worth a look on line at the Texas port explosion and the one in Canada where the munitions ship blew up and destroyed Halifax 1917 Unbelievable damage!
JB.

Both saltpetre and vegetable glycerine are readily available here on eBay.

Graham93

Maybe the chemistry teacher could have some ideas on how to produce black smoke and let you have a small quantity of the chemicals.

Martin555.

""""Probably can't buy that here Red, even glycerin is behind the counter now (what's dangerous about glycerin's got me buggered! you can drink the stuff!"""
There are ways to get around restrictions JB - one is ask the chemistry teacher/dept at the local school or the Uni - explain what you want it for or get them involved - be able to get a bit that way - in the early days the king ordered the peasants to p... in the corner of their hovel in winter - then in summer the kings men dug it up - presto - potassium nitrate . So you could also possibly produce your own......
As to glycerine JB - you have heard of nitro glycerine I presume?(excuse all the the sarky bits ) - its only a mixture of nitric acid and glycerine or the stronger version from PN and glycerine. Add clay and you have the Nobels product............
In younger days when going out with a girls school teacher was asked to help her sort out her storeroom . Would you believe on one really rickety shelf glass jars of potassium cyanide and hydrochloric acid stood together- if they had fallen!!!!!!!!! - Instant gas chamber as used in the US..........

Hey that’s a great idea. Would love to visit NZ again, but can you afford my flight ticket, especially with the excess baggage charges? 😂🤣😂

Graham93

You can bring your fireboat over Graham and be standing by on startup😂
JB

JB,

Just be careful with adding diesel, the idea is to produce smoke, not an explosion. 🤣

Graham93

Hi Jb
"a drop or two of diesel"
Will that be followed by a pair of miniature Diesel Engines LOL!

Martin555.

Probably can't buy that here Red, even glycerin is behind the counter now (what's dangerous about glycerin's got me buggered! you can drink the stuff!) You're probably still allowed to blow stuff up in SA (Guy Fawkes is almost dead here now due to restrictions - bloody fun police are killing everything for kids )! Wonder if a drop or two of diesel might work,- at least it would smell the part!😀. Might give it a go!
JB

Re "Dark Smoke" - try a bit of potassium nitrate (salt petre) it burns giving off grey smoke - not much of the SP though unless you have a fireboat handy. Our local chemist stocks it as Salt Petre. Suggest you test it outside the boat - heat the mixture in a spoon or tin with a candle until you get it right......... You could always add a bit of charcoal too but then you are 1/3rd away from gunpowder...........
Possibly the charcoal might work on its own with the baby oil.........

My smoker unit sends up lots of lovely scented white smoke....baby oil.... BUT does anybody know how to make dark grey or even black smoke.....I have tried mixing in amounts of colouring powder addative for cement ( even red) , old car oil, new car oil, old lead based paint, enamel paint but so far no luck......still just white smoke.
Anybody got any sensible suggestions, preferably ones that actually work ?

Re looks like a plumbers nightmare JB
Does a bit Red but the piping is dictated by the outlets on the water jackets. The inlets are T'd from the pump,(now on the front side of the bulkhead,) go round the motors and cross from the outlets to opposite side exits. Was worse before with the large pump where the smoker is now. There are also twin inlets from the stern pickups (extra one for safety and bypassing the pump.

Not a lot of room, as the hull is quite narrow, and I built it with close to original bulkhead positions (and dropped wheelhouse floor which takes up a lot of room). Also minimum number of hatches to keep the look as close as possible. Need to be a contortionist to get at things!
JB

Jb,
It will be interesting to see how she performs.
If you manage to get her higher in the water she will probably run perfectly.

Martin555.

looks like a plumbers nightmare JB - hope you know where all the pipes go and you connected it up properly before the test run - be a shame if you were pumping water into a beautiful boat................
Friend at the old club accidentally ran his launch with the water cooling inlet disconnected - did not take long to fill up - fortunately lots of built in buoyancy - did not do the electronics much good though.........

Smoker fitted with new brass tube exhausts, plumbed up and working. Now waiting for a decent day to try it out on the water. Thinking of swapping the sound units for the new compact all in one versions which are a bit lighter, and will take up less room. Present ones are car sound and light versions with a separate control box and speaker taking up a lot of space. I want to get the exhausts up a bit, as at present they are right on the waterline (boat is a bit heavy and floats above the scale line). New smaller 6v water pump works fine.
JB

RE -Had mine out on the lake today, one of the other boaters saw the smoke and thought it was on fire 😁

That would have been amusing Graham, they might have thought it was a LiPo fire which is quite common these days! If it had been, being a fire boat you could have cooled things down a bit (a foam system would be interesting) 😊 although unfortunately, nothing puts LiPo fires out ☹️, maybe throwing them in a bucket of salt water ,- (best way to discharge old LiPos)
Any positive comments on the smoker?
JB

I bet that made you laugh Graham.

Hope you told them about all the effort that you have put in to it.

Martin555.

JB,

Glad you managed to fit it in. Looking forward to seeing it in action.

Had mine out on the lake today, one of the other boaters saw the smoke and thought it was on fire 😁

Graham93

Won't affect it at all Martin as it has more than enough power with the brushless motors (will do around 12mph flat out ). Only problem is, being a bit heavy, the exhausts and water outlet are just on the waterline at rest, and like all of those early boats with slim bums, the back end is under water even when planing (they plane on the center section, unlike modern boats with wider sterns which support more on the plane, and ride further back) Even when planing the water outlets are under water, as the water tends to wrap around the hull from the mid point.

The smoker is lighter than the original pump, and the new pump is now further forward, so it will be interesting to see if there is any change in the waterline.
JB

JB,
Will you'r HSL still float and if so how will that effect how she performs ?

Martin555.