Blog

a yacht yet to get a name

As usual it is a long interval since last up date but some progress has been made on the Valsheda and I attached some pics that had to be done indoors as it is a bit wet from the sky outside. I have finished the decking and basic painting of hull also started lime planking of deck fittings to bring into line with decking. Have worked out positions of winches on deck and obtained stock of brass rod at a sensible price from a local scrap yard. I have to produce some drawings of winches and get into production and have found someone who can plate them with a bright finish near to stainless steel. The Management of the Bristol Aero Collection has recently sacked me as a volunteer for being too critical of them so I will have more time to get on with the boat and with rising temperatures the garage is a bit more comfortable. With the warmer weather coming I will soon have to think about the manucture of the carbon fibre mast, has anyone else made one and can give me some guidance ? I am thinking of a timber core with a woven fibre tube covering. Also thinking of how to attach main sail to mast.

8 years ago by nasraf

Response

Re: SEAPLANE TENDER, CHANGE OF ESCs

Hi Peter, yes I cool the motors with coils and water pump. I'm not sure if they even get hot as I never tried without them. I work on the theory, 'put everything on you think you might need and if you don't need it you can take it off' I don't prop the motors too high,- rather let them rev higher with less pitch, thereby taking the load off the motors. The motors are 540 45 turns which is sort of 'low gearing, high torque' so they are not straining. I could put on much bigger props and make a speedboat out of it, but it wouldn't look right. Batteries are only 2s 2200 MAh and last for over an hour, so motors aren't sucking many amps. I use 2 12V 385 motors in the MTB with no cooling other than clip on heat sinks and a computer fan blowing air through the boat, and they've been running for years (get that hot you can't touch them) with no probs. Just keep the bushes oiled now and then. These are so cheap they are not worth worrying about. With fans and ready made water cooling plates available these days for ESCs etc there should be no overheating probs, and most ESCs have temp and low voltage sensors and cut out if they get too hot, or with low voltage, (if they cut for temp reasons you know to up your cooling or unload the motors) The modern boat/car ESCs are pretty much plug and play, - auto cell count sensing( LiPos), auto throttle centering etc) Still using a 70's 20A Futaba marine ESC (in the Fairacre launch) which is as good as any similar unit today. Just plug any 12v battery in (no need for cell counting LiPos) and away you go. Was used on 27MhZ but now used on 2.4. Also used an Electronize unit,- nice but huge and makes an annoying fizzing sound going slow so I replaced it. JB

4 years ago by jbkiwi

Blog

Mast assembly

The supplied mast is of white metal and although OK it has a number of minus points for me. 1- The mast does not lend its self to being hinged. 2- It really needs navigation light on top and the supplied casting is not suitable for this. 3- wiring needs to be hidden, not easy with the casting 4- it’s quite heavy Having said all that it’s ok if you don’t want my wish list. So on with the manufacture of a replica, I chose brass as the preferred material because it’s easy to silver and soft solder. The main legs are made from 6mm round tube, which I squeezed in my machine vice to an oval shape to look like the castings, each of the ends were then squeezed again at 90 degrees to allow then to join to the cross mid-section. I made some brass inserts for the hinged end from 2mm brass sheet, which are bent by 25 degrees to allow the hinge mechanism to sit at 90 degrees to the cabin roof, these are drilled and tapped 8BA. These pieces actually block the end of the oval tube and need to have a 2mm slot milled in them to allow the wires to exit the tube; these are soft soldered in place later. Two feet were made from two pieces of 2mm brass plate the base plate being slotted to accept the upright and finally silver soldered together. (A point here for silver soldering is to use as little solder as possible and allow it to flow with the heat around the joint this means that no filing is needed. I find it’s also good practice to quench the part when nearly cool to break the glass like residue of the flux then just steel wool is required to clean the parts). The feet upstands were then drilled 8BA clearance and the base fixing holes drilled the same size. The cross mid-section is made from 1mm brass sheet and is bent through 360 degrees whilst placing a 6mm round bar in the centre to create a hole for the top mast. A small wooden former was used as the piece was pressed together in the machine vice, this was then silver soldered to give stability and then filed to shape. This piece has to accommodate the wires passing through, so again a 2mm slot is milled from each leg location to the centre to create passage up to the top mast. The top mast is just stock tubing which then has a turned top with four 5mm holes machined at 90 degrees to accommodate the LED. This is a 5mm Flat top wide angle LED this will direct the light out of the four holes. Finally the cross piece, again stock tube with small ball finials at each end soft soldered in place and tapped 10 BA for the pulley blocks. All pieces now made, it’s time to assemble the parts using a combination of soft soldering and epoxy resin. The wire that I used was silicon sheaved, and when I soldered the legs to the mid-section and lower hinge piece I made sure there was enough wire to pull through to check if the process had damaged the wire, but it hadn’t. So having soldered the LED, the top was epoxied to the upper tube and the tube epoxied to the mid-section. Finally the mid-section was filled using Milliput but first putting some Vaseline on the wires to avoid them being stuck should I ever have to rewire the unit. Next the cross beam was added and epoxied in place. The bottom of the legs looked plain compared with the cast version so I have made some thin gauge brass covers with mock bolts as per the original. The whole assembly was cleaned up ready for a first coat of etch primer, and white primer, followed later with a final coat of appliance white

5 years ago by mturpin013

Forum

soldering

First rule of soldering is clean it all then clean it again ohh and then clean. Seriously use an abrasive to make sure joint areas are clear of oxides. Presuming your using soft solder get some rosin flux https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Soft-Solder-Paste-Soldering-Flux-Grease-Soldering-Accessories-D01850/111141455814?hash=item19e08c07c6:g:-cYAAOSwnFZXUiS8:rk:13:pf:0 one example. Try and make your joints really good fits. Solder will wick into a close fitting joint. if possible " Tin" the individual parts first that is getting a layer of solder onto the area to be soldered before final assembly. Then try to fix your parts together in some kind of clamp they need to be held still until the solder cools. NEVER cool the joint quickly! Allow it to cool naturally that way the joint will be at its strongest. Make sure your heat source is strong enough the solder should melt and run freely. if your soldering honestly I would use a small butane torch but also I would if possible use hard ( silver) solder since if you chose the right one it is a match to brass and makes the joint look like one piece. Hope this is of some help.

5 years ago by Haverlock

Forum

Shroud for Model Air Boat

Copper will solder well (though it will take some heat!). But unless you use a very light and flimsy gauge it will be very heavy. Brass will solder well - don't know the size of prop you want - may be a bit expensive. You can bend thin sheet round a former to make any diameter shroud. Aluminium tube should do, if you can get an off-cut the size you want. Don't play around with aluminium soldering, which is a specialist job - but small pop rivets will work perfectly... We don't know the size you are interested in, so it's hard to advise on materials. But if your boats are static models, card or thin plastic sheet will be fine. A slice from a plastic squash bottle may fit the bill?

5 years ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

Shroud for Model Air Boat

Thanks for the comments, Ive used the glues, they work, but dont afford much movement. Soldering is my attempt, materials seem to be aluminium, copper or s.

5 years ago by retirement-hobby

Blog

Rudder location, blocking, fabrication

Looking at the proper rudder location, I added some 1/4 triangular hardwood blocking to both sides of the centerboard. Needed blocking to drill through. Was able to pickup the work board and all fit under my drill press to keep the hole plumb. Rudder post will be a 1/4 brass rod with as a bushing. See photo, in hull. Next, I built a rudder substructure assembly which will be covered later with a wood or styrene full size rudder to fit the era. Took some very thin brass and formed it around the post, some brass plate and soldered as seen in photos. Brass heats up and solders well using my soldering station.

5 years ago by Joe727

Blog

Cabin detail part 6 panel light

Cabin detail part 6 panel light The panel light presented a difficult challenge in that I assume the real one has a tubular light fitting in it, difficult in 1/12 scale. However, creating the tube assembly was not difficult using some annealed 1/8” and making a bending jig, (simply a 1/8 grove milled using a ball ended slot drill into a piece of hardwood I formed the tube into the required shape. I used the back of the jig to hold the piece while I filled the tube half way through along it top inside edge @ 45 degrees this is where the LED tube will fit. The LED tube is from one of the new type LED garden light bulb that use a small solar panel to illuminate it during the during dark hours. Smashing the bulb leaves 4 filaments which can be used independently, these are very delicate and need the wires attaching very carefully finally feeding it into the and then after all this fiddling, if it still lights, epoxy it in place. The next job is to make some brackets to fix it to the instrument panel. The bracket was made from 1/8” bore tube and some 0.010” brass shim I drilled some holes in the sheet prior to cutting to size, this was done using only a 1/8” dia centre drill and then enlarged with a clock makers reamer until the tube fitted snugly through this was then soft soldered in place. The whole unit was then epoxied in place on the instrument panel. All the wiring for the panel LEDs can now be completed ready for connection to the random flashing circuit board. (this came as a kit for just £3:90) The circuit board is fastened to the panel with a sub-board made from a scrap piece of ply with PCB supporting pillars in the corners, when this is completed I will post a video of it working. The LEDs on the circuit board are only for testing and will be replaced with the panel LEDs.

5 years ago by mturpin013

Blog

Tin Work

The tin can that I used is from a small tomato paste sauce from the market. Use whatever tin that you would like or can find. Look at my sketch to see how it needs to function and adjust your design to what enclosure is available to you. Lots of ways to do it, just make sure you have these points covered: 1. Method of attaching a fan to push air into the unit. 2. Place for output stack / tube. 3. Method of mounting a wick with heating element attached that can sit above the fluid level. See sketch in previous post. First photo, I cut three holes, each sized to fit the s and fan opening. This tin is thin and easy to poke holes in. I start by marking the opening locations with a marker, them I use a small sharp awl or pin to stare a hole. With hand tools ( power drill will easy shred the can, be careful) I enlarge the holes with small hand drills or reamer, found files, etc, I rotate the tools slowly in the opening and gradually enlarge it to size needed. Then I cut brass tubing to length with a small hand held hobby razor saw. Our in place, apply flux and solder. Once heated properly the solder flows easily.for the larger fan opening, I then used a dremel tool with sanding drum to make a nice round opening. The fan has corner openings for screw mount. Secure with some tiny sheet metal screws. Next I will build an enclosure around the fabpn edge to fit the round can. Might just use silicone caulk. Note, I did not open the can with a can opener, left the ends in place and poured the content out thru the holes made, Yes, it's a bit messy and wasted the sauce, but it's a cheap way to get an tin enclosure. More to come. Please give me feedback, am I being clear enough? Thanks, Cheers, Joe

5 years ago by Joe727

Blog

Sketches finally....

The horizontal tin can design worked well, so I decided to do another and describe the build. First photo shows the original smoker, it uses a vertical mount squirrel cage type CPU fan. The majority of CPU fans are horizontal so I will build a new smoker with the more common horizontal fan. See sketches attached which are a cut section thru the tin can to show the interior. This explains my design with a stopper that holds the wires and wick. Shows the heating element so that it is above the fluid level. The stopper design makes it easy to remove and allow for any maintenance necessary. Fill fluid can be through the stack tube or through the stopper opening. I have been using the stack tube on my first smoker so as to disturb the wick and element wiring less. Please review the drawing and let me know what questions you have. Next I will take photos as I punch opening in the cans and solder the s. Cheers Joe

5 years ago by Joe727

Blog

Rubber stopper wick & element

In the previous post in the video, note that a black rubber stopper is inserted into a soldered to the tin container. Starting with the element again, select proper length of heater wire by applying voltage to lengths as show previous. Crimped wire to one end. Next photo shows a rubber stopper, I use my drill press to drill to straight holes to allow the voltage supply wire to pass through it. Then I put together a wick with a brass rod (1/16") to provide support and to secure it to the stopper. Brass rod with wick is pushed thru the stopper, drill a pilot hole for the brass rod centered in the stopper. See photos, the supply wires will come thru the stopper at each side of the wick. Put one wire through the stopper, then I wrapped the heating element around the wick. This is tricky and took several attempts to get it done cleanly. The supply wire for the end is then fed back through the stopper. This is a weak part of the design as it must run back to the stopper without touching the heater element. it does work, but I will try to improve on this. This entire assembly fits into the tin can and is the correct length to just submerge the bottom portion of the wick and not the wires. I forgot to do a sketch showing a section through this, but will try tomorrow. Joe

5 years ago by Joe727

Blog

Holy SMOKE !! Video, Tin Can Madness

Hello, Experiment with a tin can smoker works great, see video! I will have to sketch this one up so it's clear on what the pieces are. Uses a little cpu squirrel type fan, two s, a rubber stopper and a wick. Could not wait to test, will add detail. Had to shoot this video under a bathroom exhaust fan to avoid potentially setting off smoke alarms. it works! Joe

5 years ago by Joe727

Blog

Build

The heating elements in the hairdryer had two different wire gauges as elements. I removed the lighter gauge thinking they would probably draw less current. I am attempting to use 6 volts as that is what my boat is. 1. First Photo: Took a length of element and stretched it out as shown, started with a longer piece about 8". if you are at 12v probably longer. Use some alligator clip jumpers and attached to one end, ran it to negative terminal of my 6v SLA. Took another jumper and attached to a point on the wire, say about 7". JUST TOUCH the other end to the battery positive to see if it glowed, it did not. So just moved about 3/8" at a time till it glowed - See Photo. CAUTION, make certain you have a nonflammable surface to work on, I used a tile scrap. IT GETS HOT FAST AND WILL BURN, DON'T ASK ME HOW I KNOW. That's why I just touch the terminal till it glows then stop, let it cool for a while. 2. Cut element to length, than take your 16 gauge wire and the crimp tube shown in earlier post. insert both into the tube and crimp it. I used a side cutter and carefully just squeezed enough. Make sure that the element will not pull out. Do the other end. Because I am using only 6 volts, I had flattened out the wire to give me more wraps on the wick. See photo and note. 3. in the lid of the box, I located the fan at one end, the exhaust stack at the other. Drilled a hole matching the fan opening and secured with two screws, drill small pilot holes so as not to crack the plastic. Drill hole to match OD, tube is about 1" long or so. Super glued in place. Excuse the sloppy copper sheet work on the inside of the lid, it was an experiment at the time. I added this a a bit of a heat sheild as the wick and element would sit below this. 4. Next photos show the interior of the box, not the best photos of the process as this was already built.... The mint tin set inside the plastic box was an idea to do two things; first isolate the heating element from the plastic,and two, provide a smaller vessel for the fluid. You may want to just use a metal container instead of the plastic box, again I was just using what I had on hand. The wick is laying in the tin with the element propped up at on end to keep it out of the fluid. Photo shown does not show much fluid in place. This needs some work, but worked for this test. Experiment, just be sure that the lower portion of the wick is in the fluid and the element wire wrap is above the fluid level. For the test, I used some mineral oil and a bit of glycerin, smoked very well. it's late so I will run it and photograph tomorrow. Cheers, Joe (Excuse the Imperial rather than metric)

5 years ago by Joe727

Response

Can't stop adding stuff

Thanks Joe, look forward to that. Been looking at some commercial ones but they're **** expensive and some are too tall to fit in some of my ships. I have several of those small 5V computer fans in my stash, saved from obsolete PCs. I always saved the fans and the PSUs and various cables. The ribbon cables and various connectors can come in very handy, esp. in smaller vessels 😉Also have plastic, alu and s of various gauges up to 10mm. About to experiment with some small ones for model railways. Will have to build box and fan etc round them. Ciao, Doug 😎 PS No sea trials here either, everything frozen for weeks 🤔

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Blog

Reassembly

Continuing on, I finished mounting the light bar, all lights are functioning. For some reason my iPad does not like LEDs and they don't photograph when lit. Made an exhaust stack out of , mitered the top, soldered and painted. Hull dry now so I mounted the superstructure onto the hatch, reinstalled the tow bits, switch and batteries, RX, motor, etc. Getting close to sea trials, maybe this week schedule permitting. Cheers, Joe

5 years ago by Joe727

Forum

Propshaft Lubrication

I use White Lithium Grease in my stuffing tubes and on both plastic and metal gears. I build my own stuffing tubes for my 3/16" shafts using bronze bushings from the local hardware store. They insert into about a 3/8" thereby giving a reservoir for the grease. Does not seem to breakdown at all, has a nice viscosity, does not damage plastics and I have read will tolerate high heat. Local auto parts store sell it for about $6 in a tube that lasts me for years. Just my experience..... Joe

5 years ago by Joe727

Forum

Propshaft Lubrication

I have always used wheel bearing grease. I have a fitted to the prop shaft which is the same diameter as a grease nipple so slides into the grease gun Yours Brian

5 years ago by scout13

Blog

Moving along

Merry Christmas to All! Yesterday I made a brass strap to secure the motor, then aligned the drive shaft and stuffing tube. Tacked tube in place with a gel superglue, will be covered with epoxy later. Used a short piece of aluminum tube to help align the motor and shaft. A coupler will be placed here. Cut some plywood pieces to create keel at the shaft tube. White stuff is marine epoxy by locktite, just enough to set everything. I will then coat and finish this assembly. Finished the day's work by constructing a rudder, no photo yet. Enjoy Christmas! Joe

5 years ago by Joe727

Blog

Day Three

Hi, Using 3mm Baltic birch plywood, I skinned the hull. Used Titebond III wood glue, bent by hand, drilled and tacked in place with small brads. I cut the bottom oversized so it was easier to position, after drying 16 hours I cut the edges flush with the sides using a Japanese pull saw. Built the core for my rudder, see photos, solder my own arm as I did not have one. Used a 3/16" set collar, filed the surface to expose brass and solder a piece brass. Will drill the second hole later. Attached brass plate that will be inside the actual rudder, will build from either plastic or wood. Next, laid out the placement of the stuffing tube, then drilled the hull then I built a motor mount from wood and added some green foam to limit mount vibration and sound transfer. Set the rudder post and block. Time to let everything overnight. Joe

5 years ago by Joe727

Blog

1-35 Scale Schenllboot By TeeJay

Hi all for the second blog report on the schnellboot I am going to go over the rudder a propeller shaft assembly in more detail. The first stage was to make the rudders which were made of brass ,and having taken note of what has been said about the increase in size needed for the kit by other members I have increased the size of the rudders by 50% so that they have more effect and hopefully the boat will be more agile .I fitted 3mm treaded rod on to the rudder and in a 4mm flanged tube to reinforce the brass rod. The second stage was to make and fit 5mm flanged tube in the location for the rudders in the boat, these were made to be above the water line and will be sealed in place to reduce the possibility of leaks. These were fitted to a rudder platform inside the boat which was fitted to the kit moulding for the rubbing strip that runs the length on the boat and secured by making resin blocks which were fitted with computer extension nuts. which were then superglue in place to secure the rudder platform. The rudders were then fitted in place and held in position with the tiller collars which were made from 8mm rod and fitted the tiller arms and locked in place with 3mm computer screws and ni-lock nuts, a connecting plate was then fitted to connect the three tillers together, I also fitted rubberised washers to seal the rudder tubes. The third stage was to make the propeller supports. The centre support was a direct copy of the kit part made of brass and fitted to the kit with a plate and screws (this plate and the rudder plate were made from galvanised steel) and will sealed with resin after the I test the boat for leaks. The port and starboard supports were made by taking the kit parts and cutting them in have along the joint line or mould seam this gave me a template ,which I used to make cross-section segments but I did alter the template by increasing the boss diameter to 10mm and extending the support legs so that the finished support could be fitted through the hull (the picture of these show the mk1 version where I forgot to allow for the 4mm prop shaft which has a 6mm tube) any way the boss of these segments were drilled out with a 7mm drill and a length of 7mm fitted through the boss to assemble the segments, all of which were coated in soldering flux at this stage of the assembly which were riveted at both ends to hold it all together during soldering, after soldering the supports were then filed to the size and shape to resemble the kit parts as close as possible and fitted to the hull using a superglue and talcum powder mix and then I cast resin around the extensions to secure the prop supports in place. The fourth stage is the propeller shaft housing for the centre propeller housing I place a brass rod in a plastic straw and place in position in hull and using resin I sealed the hull with the rod in place this gave me a pilot hole for the centre prop shaft after I removed the brass rod. For the port and starboard shafts I used the kit parts which had hole place when assembled, this when I reinforced the housings ,the centre housing I glue 2mm of plasticard on each side and for the port and starboard I made a shroud which covered the housings which left gaps between the kit part and the brass which was filled by casting resin in the gap this increased the diameter to 10 mm so that there were little chance of breaking throw with the drill and finished these off by fill-in the outside with body filler and sanded to shape and finish . I then drilled through the pilot hole in the housings using very long extended drills and a wheel brace ( if I had use a power drill the heat would have melted the plastic of the kit and may have caused problems) I drill the shaft housings out 6mm them filed them out with 6mm file so that I could insert a length of 6mm . After all this was done I fitted a flanged bush made from 7mm tube and 2mm brass plate turned to 11mm to the ends or the propeller shaft housings. And now it is time I must ask for some help could anyone advise me on the length of propeller shafts, I know I can use a 300mm shaft for the centre shaft, but port and starboard will have to be longer. and I also need advice on selecting the motors, I want to use 4mm prop shaft with 35mm propellers. Any opinions welcome.

6 years ago by teejay

Blog

Rear deck continued

The rear deck has a few features that need to be done to finish the deck. 1) The hatch part needs the magnets putting in to hold it in place, which requires the deck to be milled out to accept the magnets. Having milled the recess out in both the base and the hatch in four places the magnets can be epoxied in the base. Now these have been set in place the upper magnets can be placed on top of the base magnets to get the correct orientation and glued in place, but I made sure to place some silicon baking paper between the magnets so they don’t accidently get stuck together (with epoxy). 2) The handles and recess to lift the decks out have to be milled out. Using a 2 mm slot drill I cut a 10mm x 5mm 1.5 mm deep recess in 4 places. Each recess has two holes drilled in the corners to accept the brass handles which will be epoxied in later 3) There are two drains at the rear of the deck. These were made from a machined piece of tube, which had vee groves milled in one end to accept a 1.5 mm brass rod in each, which were then soldered in place. After some cleaning up of the excess solder the underside was filled in using epoxy resin coloured black (with Graphite) to simulate a dark hole. The ends were then machined flat, polished, and finally epoxied into the deck. 4) Finally the foam tanks need to be secured, once again using round magnets this time , they are sunk into the deck and similarly the opposing magnets are sunk into the base of each foam tank, this gives a real sturdy fastening the tanks jump into position as soon as they are placed near their position. 5) The deck has had a number of clear lacquer coats during manufacture so now for a couple of final coats.

5 years ago by mturpin013

Blog

Tow hook assembly

The white metal fitting has an awful lot of detail on it but lacks definition so some time spent on filling the body to better define the components. The anchor part has six hex dummy bolts cast into the base but I intend to drill these out and then use 8BA brass bolts to secure it to the woodwork. Looking at pictures of the assembly it is obvious that there is a handle arrangement missing so I made this from a piece of brass wire and epoxied in place. The two parts have a linkage to fasten them together so again using brass wire and a piece of scrap tube a linkage was made and holes drilled and tapped to secure the assembly. Finally, a couple of coats of primer followed by a “Gun Metal” finish and the items are finished. A pleasing result, however taking some time to do, now for the circular running rail, and supporting posts to complete this unit.

5 years ago by mturpin013

Forum

Ship rudders

Two wooden pieces, steel rod, each hinge 3mm i/d , shaped with filler and then each hinge covered and the shape made using Strips of five glass and epoxy finishing resin. File to suit. Pins for hinges clevis type 3mm.

5 years ago by Toby

Media

more money than sense

last pictures l posted l painted the wave princess l changed my mind and decided to go for some planking on the decks and cabin roofs l have also done a little bit of tarting up using some brass welding rod and l am quite pleased with the out come so far. these piccys are about a month old now so she has had a god rub down and given six coats of clear varnish. l will post more piccys when l have installed the windows and frames.

6 years ago by jimdogge

Response

BRAVE BORDERER - BRUSHLESS SUMMARY

The only thing you might have to watch out for is back feed from the pump out the aux tube (when moving) if you don't set up the y joints (must be y not T ) to create a venturi effect from the pump side. Doesn't matter standing still but at speed a T junction might reduce the flow as the flows will be fighting each other slightly. The beauty of the twin system is that if you are running a lot at high speed you could turn the pump off to save power. The best place to position water intakes is I have found is directly behind the prop (I usually just squash the slightly, fair it, cut it off at 45 deg and set it to just sit in the prop wash). At lower speeds especially, the prop will help to push water into the tubes rather than just relying on speed alone. Never had a problem with pickups interfering with rudder effectiveness as long as you fair the pickups nicely

6 years ago by jbkiwi

Blog

1-35 scale S100 schennllboot

Hi all for the second blog report on the schenllboot I am going to go over the rudder an propeller shaft assembly in more detail. The first stage was to make the rudders which were made of brass ,and having taken note of what has been said about the increase in size needed for the kit by other members I have increased the size of the rudders by 50% so that they have more effect and hopefully the boat will be more agile .I fitted 3mm treaded rod on to the rudder and in a 4mm flanged tube to reinforce the brass rod. The second stage was to make and fit 5mm flanged tube in the location for the rudders in the boat , these were made to be above the water line and will be sealed in place to reduce the possibility of leaks. These were fitted to a rudder platform inside the boat which was fitted to the kit moulding for the rubbing strip that runs the length on the boat and secured by making resin blocks which were fitted with computer extension nuts .which were then superglue in place to secure the rudder platform. The rudders were then fitted in place and held in position with the tiller collars which were made from 8mm rod and fitted the tiller arms and locked in place with 3mm computer screws and ni-lock nuts, a connecting plate was then fitted to connect the three tillers together, I also fitted rubberised washers to seal the rudder tubes. The third stage was to make the propeller supports. The centre support was a direct copy of the kit part made of brass and fitted to the kit with a plate and screws (this plate and the rudder plate were made from galvanised steel)and will sealed with resin after the I test the boat for leaks. The port and starboard supports were made by taking the kit parts and cutting them in have along the joint line or mould seam this gave me a template ,which I used to make cross-section segments but I did alter the template by increasing the boss diameter to 10mm and extending the support legs so that the finished support could be fitted through the hull (the picture of these show the mk1 version where I forgot to allow for the 4mm prop shaft which has a 6mm tube) any way the boss of these segments were drilled out with a 7mm drill and a length of 7mm fitted through the boss to assemble the segments, all of which were coated in soldering flux at this stage of the assembly which were riveted at both ends to hold it all together during soldering, after soldering the supports were then filed to the size and shape to resemble the kit parts as close as possible and fitted to the hull using a superglue and talcum power mix and then I cast resin around the extensions to secure the prop supports in place. The forth stage is the propeller shaft housing for the centre propeller housing I place a brass rod in a plastic straw and place in position in hull and using resin I sealed the hull with the rod in place this gave me a pilot hole for the centre prop shaft after I removed the brass rod. For the port and starboard shafts I used the kit parts which had hole place when assembled, this when I reinforced the housings ,the centre housing I glue 2mm of plasticard on each side and for the port and starboard I made a shroud which covered the housings which left gaps between the kit part and the brass which was filled by casting resin in the gap this increased the diameter to 10 mm so that there were little chance of breaking throw with the drill and finished these off by fill-in the outside with body filler and sanded to shape and finish . I then drilled through the pilot hole in the housings using very long extended drills and a wheel brace ( if I had use a power drill the heat would have melted the plastic of the kit and may have caused problems) I drill the shaft housings out 6mm them filed them out with 6mm file so that I could insert a length of 6mm . After all this was done I fitted a flanged bush made from 7mm tube and 2mm brass plate turned to 11mm to the ends or the propeller shaft housings. And now it is time I have to ask for some help could any one advise me on the length of propeller shafts , I know I can use a 300mm shaft for the centre shaft but port and starboard will have to be longer . and I also need advice on selecting the motors , I want to use 4mm prop shaft with 35mm propellers. Any opinions welcome.

6 years ago by teejay

Blog

HMS BRAVE BORDERER

The weather has quickly turned colder, giving an excuse to get back to this model. Stripped out much of the interior and the prop. shafts to replace the nylon propellers with brass. These items all needed removing for painting, so decided to paint the hull before reassembly and then moving onto the superstructure. Fortunately, examining similar naval vessels and several U Tube videos, confirmed the hull as light grey, the deck a darker one of the 50 shades of grey and the lower hull below the waterline black. Used thin Tamiya masking tape to define clean colour separations, followed by regular tape, masked the hull into colour sections and sprayed using “rattle” cans. After the colours applied a light overall Matt coat to subdue any shine. The results are satisfactory. Will now reassemble and move onto building the superstructure and the other fittings. Prior to the season closing decided to experiment with my new Flysky Tx/Rx package, shortly to be fitted to this model. This Tx has a servo limiting function, which was hoping could also be used to restrict ESC output. Would like to make the full speed motor response correspond to full Tx control position. Currently can over power the model; which lifts the stern, causing it to come off the plane and then dig the bow in. Was thinking that if full throttle could be set at around 90% forward control movement and 40% sternwards the model would retain adequate performance, but without being overpowered or very sensitive to control lever movement. As the Brave was not available, tried the idea on my Daman Stan 4207 model. This is brushed motor powered and a good performer. Obviously the settings for the Brave will be different, but at least could try to see if the idea would work – it did! This Tx function is easy to use and adjustments can be made whilst the model is on the water. Once the ideal settings are achieved they can be programmed and then retained in the Tx. Will try this on the Brave when back on the water next Spring.

6 years ago by Rowen

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BRAVE BORDERER

I've used small brass shafts in brass bushed tubes with oilers in my MTB and they've lasted for 20yrs of average use, although they get a bit noisy when short of oil. Best would be brass shafts in s with Teflon/Nylon/ bronze etc bushes (a center bush as well if poss - have used these in ic power boats for years with hard steel shafts for the power). Brass is good as it's self lubricating to a degree and with a good quality oil can run quite smoothly and quietly, and is very simple, and when looked after won't corrode like steel or miniature ball or roller bearings (unless stainless).

6 years ago by jbkiwi

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Brass bashin' Chris Craft deck fittings...

Hi folks, I've been filling in spaces in the Vincent epic with making deck fittings for the Chris Craft Special Runabout. I can't find or, probably, afford to get them nickel plated, so I will give the brass fittings to a chum who does casting of white metal, then I can a) get more than one of some and b) burnish them to look like chrome and then lacquer them. I'm assuming there might be a measure of interest in how these are done. I'm afraid I can't tell you how to do these without a lathe, because I've always had or had the use of, a lathe. They can be bought for a fraction of the price of a kit, off ebay. My No 1 son bought a lathe exactly like mine (a Peatol, which is same as the Taig), only on a huge base with a nice big motor, a tool rack to hold every supplied, additional tool they make for it and even the book on how to use it and make even more tools for it, virtually unused, for £200. Similar small lathes can be had for even less. It's the brass that costs these days! Anyway, the trick is to break down the shape to that which can be cut, turned or bent. You can do all those things, so all you need to be able to do is silver solder and soft solder. If you can't yet, learn, sharpish. Silver soldering has enabled to earn a living till I retired. It helped me bring up a family of 5, so it's clearly very useful. I won't describe it in boring detail as these days there's a Youtube for every damned thing if you can tolerate that ghastly delivery that so many of them have. I can't, so I'm happy to answer questions if anyone wants to be told straight what to do. Golden rules....make it totally clean with a Swiss file, have sufficient heat, use the right flux. In silver soldering, just sprinkle the powdered flux on, don't bother making a paste, it'll just fizz and shift your little parts. For this part, one of the various patterns of deck lights/flag pole holders that Chris Craft used, I started by turning the main shape of the bulbous bit to be rather like a thimble. I then cut gaps out of it in the vice with a junior hacksaw, so that it had three legs, oversized for now. Then make a teardrop shape out of 1/16th" sheet and cut a hole in it to match. Why the hole? Well, if this is to cast successfully, I don't need any undercuts or "hooks " in the mould so it has to be hollow. Also, I need to put the light lenses in after it's all finished as these units had riding or nav. lights in them. They also had a small jack staff in the top with a burgee or even a national ensign attached. To make the rather art nouveau-ish back end I made a cardboard pattern of what had to be cut from 1mm brass sheet to be folded, hammered a bit and rolled a bit to fit onto the back of the thimble section. I silver soldered the thimble on first, to make it easy to fit the back rolled and folded bit, which was itself then silver soldered on. After that, it's all down to filing to shape, then as you can see from the pencil lines, cut out the teardrop shaped holes in the back which leave a central spine shape. I would first drill a 3mm hole and then, with the piece in a vice use a dental burr in a minidrill and hand mill it out, but PLEASE make sure it can't slip or you could be the owner of a grooved thumb or worse. Finish with files and papers of various grades. More anon when I do the next bits, although you're already further on than I am! Cheers, Martin

6 years ago by Westquay

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Launch ELAINE,

Keep you outta mischief won' it Colin! 😉 I like the fine adjustment of those burners. Found 'em great for soldering oiler pipes to brass prop tubes- WITHOUT setting fire to the boat 😲 Phew!! Reckon it'll cope with your motor no sweat - YOU might though😁😁 Have heard Santa's coming early this year 😉 He must have a new E-Sled 😁 Now back to the fish cutter gear box!! Cheers, Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

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Complete!

So, having had a few days off during the week when "The Boss" has been at work has given me enough hours to finish The Waveney off! Its been a hard week of making the small bits n bobs from scratch using a combination of balsa, carbon rod, brass rod, plastic tube, plastic sheet etc to make the radar array, antenna mast, extra cockpit details ect. The deck winch was made from large Servo output discs! The RNLI flag printed off Google! This has been followed by alot of detail painting and laquering. Anyway, I think I have just about exhausted as much detail as can be had at this scale and and happy to call completion! Only job to do now is get it in the Hot Tub and add the 2 Kg of ballast to get her on the waterline. On water photos and video to follow in the last update on this thread! as for next projects? I have the Aeronaut Pilot boat sat in the pile and the Fairy huntress 23 plan and wood pack on route from Sarik Hobbies!

6 years ago by Skydive130

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Lifeboat and Davit Completed!

Hi Ed, just kiddin' 😁 Wouldn't need the fiddly bits anyway, made those from and tinned copper wire about 30 years ago 😊 Cheers, Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

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Emerald - ''Round the Word'' ocean racing yacht.

Main Sheet Modification: Yachts of this nature, would be fitted with a Traveller, which would be used to help shape the Main Sail. Also, the route of the main sheet, has a lot of twists and turns to get out of the cabin and up to the Boom. Plus, it has to pass through the tube and bend at its edge. The starting point of the control would be from the cockpit, especially if it is a Single Handed yacht. The ideal place for the traveller, would be on the roof of the cabin. To keep physical disruption to a minimum, I decided to use the original boom running gear pulleys. The termination of the MainSheet would now be at the traveller on the cabin. 1. The cleat was removed from the cockpit, and the eye bolt was replaced by an S hook, screwed to the cockpit deck( see picture 1). 2. A hole was drilled in the cockpit, adjacent to the cabin hatch, and in a direct line with the main Sheet control system. This will allow the main Sheet to pass directly from the cleat. Through the pulley assembly (withought going round the pulley), and straight aft to the cockpit. 3. A was glued into the hole, flush with the cockpit surface and extending inside, towards the mainsheet control system (see pictures 1 and 2). 4. The Traveller was formed from a length of brass rod, (approx 300mm long), formed to the same curve as the cabin roof. Slide the pulley onto the rod so that it runs freely. Make a 90 degree bend at each end, the length of the traveller apart. These 2 legs will pass down into the cabin roof, leaving about 10 mm for the pulley to run from end to end. Plus about 10mm at each end of the rod, which will be bent up against the inside of the roof and glued. (see picture 3 & 4). 5. Mark the cabin roof where the traveller is to be mounted. I chose to mount the traveller directly under the boom pulley. I have made a revised sketch which is taken from the original plans for guidance. See picture 5. Note: make sure the pulley is mounted on the rod between the two bends. 6. Drill the holes in the cabin, pass the ends of the rod through the holes. I put a 10mm piece of wood under the traveller rod, next to the hole. This allows you to hold it securely, while you bend the rod out, on the inside of the cabin. Apply plent of glue or resin to secure it. Do the same at the other end of the rod, and leave to set. With the cockpit removed, and the mainsheet control system in place, take the free end of the main sheet and pass it through the new hole in the cockpit. The cockpit can be secured by the 4 locking pulleys. Now pass the mainsheet through the S hook and up to the boom. Adjust the S hook to suitable angle. When the yacht is rigged, the mainsheet is passed up to the end of the boom pulley, along the boom, over the pulley and down to the traveller pulley. With the tx/ex active, pull the mainsheet right in, and the trim set right out (this allows for final tightening).Secure the mainsheet to the eye of the pulley, ( I use a figure of 8 knot ). Now adjust the trim on the joystick to pull the main Sail tight. Finally, run the servo right out, and back in a few times, to make sure it works properly. Move the boat round so the wind cones from a different angle, and watch the traveller as the sail is pulled in and out. Now you are ready to sail. May your wake be long and straight. Ray 😎

6 years ago by East-RN

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Emerald - ''Round the Word'' ocean racing yacht.

Auto Bailout Modification. 1. I drilled small holes in the lower corners of the cockpit wells, opposite each other. These were then connected together with some small . This was to allow the water to flow from the front cockpit to the rear cockpit. (See pictures 1 and 2). 2. Two more holes were drilled in the rear cockpit, in the outer corners further aft. these were fitted with stubs. These were to take the plastic tube, which runs to the nozzles fitted into the hull (see picture 3 and 4). 3. To ensure the water would not flow into the boat, while stationary, the tubes were run through small eyelets on the under side of the deck(see picture 5). 4. Small holes were drilled in the hull and s were cut and bent, so that they would pass down through the hole in the hull, and lay flush against the hull, with the opening facing aft(see picture 6 and 9). 5. On the outer hull, the tube is built up, and covered in a cone shape, so the tube opening is the widest part of the cone and flush( see picture 7 & 8). 6. When the tubes are fitted to the stubs on the aft cockpit, and the cockpit secured in the yacht, the bale out is complete. Principle: While the boat is still and on an even keel, the cockpit floor is above the waterline, the tubes raise up to the deck level which prevents the water from flowing up and into the yacht. When the yacht starts to move under sail, the water flowing over the outlet nozzle is forced out by the cone, and creates a small vacuum at the nozzle opening, which draws any water in the cockpit through the tube and out through the nozzle. During a gust or strong winds, the yacht will heel over more. This will bring all the cockpit water to the lower side bailout tube, and be drawn out by the vacuum. When the yacht slows, and becomes even keeled, the cockpit will have been emptied. During heavy gusts, I found that the yacht will heel excessively, and if the waves are high enough, the cockpit will take some water over the deck. This is why I fitted the bailout device. So after a long sail in heavy weather, a long cruise back to shore on a broad reach and more even keel, will ensure the cockpit is dry. Happy Cruising

6 years ago by East-RN

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I just had to get it!

Good buy Ed, very similar to mine👍 Maybe a bit heavy for handrails an such, I use a 50 or 25W electric iron with a 1/4" or 1/8" bit respectively. The torch I use for heavier things like brass oilers to brass shaft tubes. Practice makes perfect! Try it on some scrap bits. Have fun, Doug 😎 PS you may find the Missus nicking it to caramelise brown sugar!😊

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Response

54 year old Crash Tender

Ah, old car days, eh? Nothing phased us. Can't touch them now. No idea what it all is under that plastic cover. Spookilly, I've just done a pattern in 1/32nd scale for a Maranello GTO1964. One of my favourite cars messed over by Maranello for Le Mans. Your fish cutter seems to be throwing some problems up, but nuttn' a spot of resin can't fix. I don't buy that propellor blade rumour. We have no decent pics of the thing, but you can clearly enough see there aint no twist in the legs like a prop would have. I've just made mine in brass and simply flattened the tube in the vice to get a similar section and soldered to other tubes. All I have to do is make rings and attach the blocks for the ensign ropes. Also cut and attached the toe strips either side of the decks in Venetian blind slat, some leftovers from decking the Vanity cutter model. Now I need to cut some mahogany and attach to the side of the decks as the rubbing strake. Finaly will be making gutters for the smaller windows (NO frames there) and frames for the wheelhouse windows, then I can paint it. I have decided on white roofs after a peer at the good photos again, where the vents all seem to be white. But non-slip was clearly a pain to clean as the roofs and decks are bloody filthy! Vincent's having a break for a while. Call it my annual leave, which I never normally have. Cheers, Martin

6 years ago by Westquay

Response

Wheels

Great job, and nice clear pic 👍 Thanks Hammer 😊 Now we can see the refinements of your construction. Good stuff. I also use a mini gas torch sometimes, in pistol grip form with adjustable flame. Pizo ignition, dead easy. Get 'em in good cooking accessory shops. Good for soldering oil tubes on brass prop tubes an such. Cooks call them Gourmet Torches and use 'em for their Crème Brulet 😊 Also various electric irons, 50 W with a 1/4" chisel bit for big stuff, standard 25W general purpose, temp controlled 25W,and a mini 1mm bit temp controlled for SMD work. Good for small LEDs etc. Cheers, Doug 😎 PS Also one electric iron 1200W ........ . . . . for ironing shirts! Ugh!! 😡

6 years ago by RNinMunich

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Lady T

Dropping down aft from the boat deck are the tow hooks, why there are two hooks, I have no idea, but that's what is shown on the drawing. Taking the dimensions from the drawing the main part was made up of plasticard and bits of , the two hooks were made from brass sheet and soldered together, the hoop that these run on goes through the superstructure and is fastened with nuts on the inside. To the side of the tow hooks is an exhaust with silencer, this was made out of aluminium on the lathe with bits of , also on this platform are two coal hatches, again made out of plasticard and wood with painted staples as handles.

6 years ago by AlanP

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Fire Boat (crash tender) colours...

Evenin' Martin, just a quick thought before I hit the hay! For the non slip deck paint why don't you cover the deck with a suitable wet and dry paper? 😉 With a bit of luck you might even find some wet n dry the right shade of grey!! Don't know the size / scale you are building but maybe around 120 / 240 would do! Cut to fit, glue it down with a spray glue, I found some in the 'Creative Corner' of a garden centre near me. Also a good source of fine gauge steel, brass, copper, gold and silver wire and nylon thread, and anchor chains😉😊 Then seal with a spray-on flat sealer or varnish, then spray a satin colour you want. Humbrol H129 might be a good substitute for 'Cerrux Deck Grey'. See Model Boat Mayhem for references to Cerrux Grey 😉 I agree the cabin sides are a much lighter shade of grey, almost white. Just ripped all the innards and deck fittings off my PTB. Just got the bare hull and shaft tubes left. Just havin' a wee dram then up the 'apples and pears to Bedfordshire' before I get tempted to sand and paint through the night. it happens sometimes 😲 G'night all, cheers Doug 😎 ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

6 years ago by RNinMunich

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drum sail winch questions...

Haverlock, wouldn't bowsies run the risk of slipping? I was thinking of using (although they would have to be slit first now as I have done all the knot tying I want to)! I guess I should first find where the sail winch servo wants to centre itself, then I can mark the string and put crimps on for the rigging cord. Thanks, folks. Cheers, Martin

6 years ago by Westquay

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Funnel

The funnel was made out of 40mm plastic waste pipe, let into a piece of 3mm plasticard, thin strips of plasticard super glued around to simulate the sections. The hatch at the back made with plasticard, hinges and handles again made out of plasticard. There are four stop cocks at the front, the bodies of these were made out of aluminium on the lathe, with 1mm rod and some hand wheels out of the scrap box. There are four stays to hold the funnel and one at the top that goes to the aft mast, small hand rail knobs were used for this job. The funnel was painted (no it isn't pink, its the flash from the camera that makes it look pink) small to the steam whistle and the whistle made out of a bigger dia tube, a ladder added out of the scrap box and the completed funnel ready for fitting

6 years ago by AlanP

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S 100 Schnellboot RC build

Hi Ron, did you ever try 3 props for comparison? If yours is the 1:35 italeri I don't see any problem with space for 3 shafts. I have an approx 1:35 MTB currently with 2 shafts, 'as seen and bought' next season I propose to fit a 3rd motor and shaft: port and starboard for cruising, switch-in centre motor for "All ahead flank"! BTW: I have a couple of kits for the S100 "Schnellboot, otherwise known as E Boat, E for Enemy😉, one Airfix and one Revell, both 1:72. I intend to fit them with 3 motors as well - 'Plastic Magic' 😁 Motors already sourced from X-Drive, shafts will be home brew from silver steel and with sintered phosphor bronze bearings. "Nothing is impossible", I drive a Toyota 😉😉 Cheers Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

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Cabin windows again

Having remade all the front cabin window frames I then decided to fit the acrylics into the opening (nice tight fit) all done! Or maybe not, someone then said how about “opening windows” it’s been done before. So would opening windows be a problem with water ingress? And would putting foam seals solve this problem? I’m not convinced. Having given the problem some days thought, how about going with the windows as planned which are now 1.5mm thick and inset into the surround. Then fitting an over window frame 1.0mm ply/plasticard with another thinner (1.0mm) acrylic window and hinging this above each window. This would solve the issue of water ingress and also give the appearance of opening front windows. Looking at how one other person approached this, it looks like the hinge was a across the majority of the window top and then a shorter piece the same dia tube at each end with an internal wire for rotation these short pieces are then fitted to the body of the inner window frame. These additional window frames can be added at a later stage and this doesn’t hinder the final finishing of the roof skins. So final fitting and adjustment and then pin and clamp in position the forward roof skins. When these are dry the window frames can be finally trimmed and then pinned into position and checked for fit then removed and then to each one apply the aliphatic glue and fit –pin and clamp in position

6 years ago by mturpin013

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Bristol pilot cutter mascotte

The rudder assembly was made using a 200mm prop shaft squared of on the lower 3/4 of the shaft to allow for secure fixing for the rudder made from three layers of 4mm ply. The rudder was fixed to the shaft using 2ton epoxy and held in place with three pieces of brass strip which are bolted through the rudder The prop tube bearings were cut of the ends and fixed into the hull for the rudder shaft , I have also installed rubber o rings to insure no water can come in through the rudder posts.

6 years ago by kmbcsecretary

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H.M.S. BRAVE BORDERER

Hi Rowen, I have had water cooling on all my patrol boats running at 12Volts, whether brushed or now brushless. For the brushed motors I have used aluminium tube coils with water pickups between the propellers and rudders. I did try water jackets a couple of times but found too much friction loss and therefore lack of flow. For the newer brushless outrunners I use a soldered to a brass plate across the front of the motor fitted between it and motor mounting bracket. I agree with Doug with regards to the disconnection of the red wires on the ESC's. This is now common practice, especially if you have an external receiver battery.

6 years ago by reilly4

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Bristol pilot cutter mascotte

Your boat is beginning to look suspiciously 'Museum Standard'!👍 Yep, shame about Kingston, but can understand why Robin didn't want to build for Frank's kits anymore (or anyone else's for that matter) wouldn't fit in with his No Hectic policy! Re 'tin bashing! Here's a couple of examples of my last attempts from several years ago, from my H Class 1936 destroyer, scale 1/72. I note that they need the years of neglect cleaning off 🤔 I'll pass it off as North Atlantic Convoy duty muck😁 First two pics 20mm Oerlikons, made from 0.5mm brass sheet, 1mm copper for the carriage frames and 1 and 2mm . Guns can elevate 😉 Recoil 'springs' are shrink sleeve, but I now have some suitable real springs. Will try to finish them off when Hotspur comes up for refit completion. Pic 3 is one of the depth charge throwers port side. Core is a 1/4" wood dowel, the rest is 0.5mm brass, tinned copper wire and 2mm for the firing cylinder. I used John Lambert (RIP) plans for both. Pic 4, the thrower on deck and copper wire ladder rails, crewman shanghaied from Monty's 1/72 Airfix 8th Army. A Desert Rat on board! Under the black square is the hole for the aft torpedo mount. Underneath is the speaker for the "Whoop Whoop". That part of the 'deck' is just painted aircraft silk! Must get back into practise now I've got nowt more important to do 😁 Cheers Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

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Devil in the detail!

Hi Doug, Looking at my rudders comparing them to some pics I’ve found online, my rudders are too big and therefore I will reduce them in size, no biggie, 10 minutes work should see that done. Back to the struts. I would have made them from brass, however as my propshafts are in s for the whole length, I feel that the plastic versions I’ve made should be ok for aesthetics as the s seem rigid enough, hopefully no chance of any whip? I’m planning on running this on 2S lipo to give a scale speed, all depends what the watt meters says when I test the motors with props in water. Having the option to go to 3S if needed. I don’t plan on having a great deal of rudder throw and will programme in some expo to soften the rudders throw. Of course, if needed, I am more than happy to make adjustments and incorporate recommendations as given by the lovely people on this forum. it’s still a learning curve for me as I bring 45 years of aircraft experience over to the boat world! if anyone requires any aircraft advice, I’m your man!

6 years ago by Skydive130

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Devil in the detail!

I'm with you there Skydive 👍What Boatshed means is the part of the rudder in front of the stock. Thinks: are you building an Offshore Power Boat or a scale Lifeboat? If the former then follow Boatshed's recommendation. If the latter and the rudder is 'scale' then leave it alone. Any braking effect, which usually is only significant in a fast racing boat model or other fast planing types, can be diminished by reducing the rudder servo throw at the TX. One should also consider how the original behaved, maybe they did 'dig in' maybe not. There has to be a reason why such rudders were developed, and surely not just to annoy modellers 😁 One more minor point that struck me - Ouch 😭 Your prop struts! "not that it provides a huge amount of support but adds to the scale appearance." Even in a model they can be important. To help reduce potential whipping of the propshaft, especially if the model is overpowered. Actually in the originals they were vital, especially in larger vessels. The purpose of these struts, in larger vessels 'A' frames, is to provide support to the end of the shaft which carries the prop weighing several tons and, more important, to carry the bearing for the outer end of the shaft! Actually in the originals the shaft tube, or 'Stuffing Box' would not extend significantly beyond the hull. Thus the strut or A frame was vital for the shaft end bearing, fitted immediately in front of the prop for maximum stability. Attached pics of my HMS Belfast (sorry don't 'ave nutt'n smaller with this feature🤔) show the arrangement. Have witnessed such construction in various shipyards around the world. Last one in UK was the first T45, quite an experience! 😲 In the end she's your boat, if it feels good do it! 😉 I would leave the rudder alone if it is 'as fitted'. 👍 I make my struts and A frames from brass sheet and tube. Cheers Doug 😎 PS Stick with the brass Donnie! 👍

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Response

Devil in the detail!

Some people are 'Gluttons for punishment' Ed 😁😉 Reminds me of the Krick "kit" for my Type 1A U Boat though! Basically it was four 110 x 12 x 3cm planks, a bag of assorted s, two vac formed half shells for the conning tower, instruction book with photos and a plan from which you had to take templates for the hours and hours of sawing, planing and sanding to form the hull shape. Which I later discovered in the Deutsches Museum here (Science and Technology) was wrong!🤔 So out with the plane and sander again! But that was 30 years ago, cheers Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

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Skeg

Skeg Having seen the trouble others have found with the suggested method of production I decided to go straight for the robust version. I did a number of measurements to determine the size and shape of the arm and went for 2mm brass sheet. The tube was machined from 12mm dia brass with tapered ends to 8.5mm and an 8mm bore to suit the tube. Next I machined a 2mm slot the length of the tube to locate the brass arm in. Keeping the pieces spotlessly clean (not forgetting to clean the solder rod as well) the items were fluxed and wired together to keep then in a true vertical position whilst they are silvered soldered. A keen eye on temperature and a light touch and clean flow with the solder is recommended to keep final dressing to a minimum.

6 years ago by mturpin013