Forum

Workshop

I have finally finished the new Shipyard. I had help to do the final build as it came as planks of wood. I painted the floor today which only leaves the outside walls to cover with a second coat. I will try to get a workbench installed before I have to go back home and work. This will be my retirement office when her in doors who must be obeyed says I can have the day off. I am lucky as my testing `lake` is at the bottom of the garden. The Danube.😀 I will buy a few small mas over the next year or so and then, hopefully, have a bit of uninterrupted building time. I have seen the lovely pictures of Colin`s new workshop but I would love to see where others do their work as well and the equipment used.

5 years ago by MouldBuilder

Blog

Speedline 1/48th scale Huntsman

Have started to build. Like all good builders I started with the stand. this comes with the model and Is laser cut from perspex. not easy to photograph!!! The hull has been trimmed and the strips and spray rails have been added. Also the slot for the prop shaft and the hole for the rudder post have been drilled. The final photo Is just to give some scale to the model. The unfinished project In the background Is my Sea Breeze. Cant wait to get to the electrics, I think I'll need a microscope!!!!

10 years ago by jeremy

Blog

20th Scale ELCO 80ft PT boat part 1

Just starting a scratch build of a 20th Scale ELCO 80ft PT boat most likely PT 109 at just over 48ins long and a beam just over 12in. Will try to construct with a combination of and planking construction (planking towards the bow) still need to finish of frames

6 years ago by CB90

Blog

Command Boat 90

Scratch built at 12th scale from pictures and profiles of the internet. The boat was originally built in Sweden a class of fast military assault craft originally developed for the Swedish Navy by Dockstavarvet Speed: 40 knots (74 km/h) Draught: 0.8 m (2 ft 7 in) Length: 15.9 m (52 ft) Overall; 14.9 (48') Complement: 3 (two officers and one engineer); Up to 21 amphibious troops with full equipment Armament: 3 × Browning M2HB ma guns; 1 × Mk 19 grenade launcher; 4 naval mines or 6 depth charges . The Model I was attracted to this boat due to its great performance and maneuverability, this was mainly due to the use of twin water jets as the main propulsion, this is a trade off with efficiency. So my start point was to collect as much information as possible about the boat this involved collecting pictures and profiles of the craft from various sources. http://www.dockstavarvet.se/products/combat-and-patrol-boats/combat-boat-90-h/specification/ Eventually I found some plans of sort :- http://laurell.today/boats/combat/plans.html My Dad was a boat builder in the days of wooden yachts, and had showed me how to make plans and frames from a line drawing. I went about this first by creating a prototype about 24 in long out of light ply. I then created full size plans of the model to be made. Pictures of small prototype finally painted plain green. The Main model Used my computer to print out the frames onto paper, cut them out and used them as templates for the ply ribs. The construction was simple style, with 1.5 mm ply. I tried to build jet drives but failed to produce a effective unit. So reverted to propshafts which worked out well with better control and the boat can spin on it own axis by putting one engine in reverse the other in forward and adjusting the twin rudders. That it for now, hope it was of some interest

6 years ago by CB90

Blog

Speranza 01

Started on the Stringers and s, some of the stringers are Spruce, 1/4" x 1/4" , one cracked on the bow curvature, not immediately it was glued and pinned, but about an hour after, should have laminated these spruce stringers as in 1/8" x 1/4" times 2. Another one has cracked since but they are repairable.. Mixed up a weak solution of PVA and water and painted the rest, hoping this will soften them up and be more pliable. Started on the transom, this is angled with a sharp centre line, but there was a lot of off cuts of Obechie lying around, so it was planked with a curve, first Modelers License applied. A few more dry fits and the bow and transom were assembled up, using stringers as alignment tools, anything will do in these instances even strips of ply. Some of the upper-works combing has been fitted around the transom area. Muddy....

7 years ago by muddy

Blog

Elizabeth

After a long lay-off, not requested or wanted. The call of the sawdust was here again.. Looking back at the Gentlemans Cruiser, i decided to start afresh with its sister ship, Elizabeth. She is a hard construction so was hoping to get her to water in record time. But the gremlins set in when the hull had to be skinned.. The bottom skins did not want to play ball, or maybe it was me on a not so good day, but persevered and then planked the bottom in Obechie 6mm x 3mm, and then fitted the side skins vertical grained, and i must admit they fell on, no grunting and moaning with the hull frame in a half nelson trying to bash home a few pins, it was like hanging wallpaper.. The basic hiull is not as drawing with built up bulkheads but the keel and bulkheads are 5mm ply. s are 3/8" x 1/8" spruce and Obechie, obechie to the outer edges, easier to work.

6 years ago by muddy

Blog

Revell Gato Class Submarine Conversion.

I am about to start the most ambitious project to date. This one will be running alongside the three others currently on the go, The Police Boat which is nearly completed, The Dusseldorf Fire Boat which is well underway and the PTB upgrade. My intention is to change this Revell model into a static dive radio controlled Submarine. I am lucky that Martin555 has agreed to help whenever I get stuck which will be invaluable since he has already almost completed the same. I started by purchasing the model from Amazon for less than £50. I have also purchased the water tight tube for the electronics. I will make the end caps and sealed internal plugs from some 80mm diameter nylon I had at work. It will now come in handy that I am a toolmaker and have a considerable array of mas at my disposal. I will turn the plugs next week and find suitable o rings. I have started to prepare the hull. There is an enormous amount of work required to adjust the standard kit. A lot of cutting and drilling. I have prepared the split lines and glued in the alignment pegs. I have ordered suitable shafts and propellers from the USA. They should be here in a couple of weeks. Next job is to stick the two halves together and start the cutting.

5 years ago by MouldBuilder

Response

Re: Smoker system

JB your exactly right, I got mine from a friend who over time had worked his way through a number of mas until he found his comfort zone (ma) so I was the beneficiary of all the discarded ones most of which are very little used if at all. However as you say work to be done on silencing the pump unit, I have another pump on order to try, I post the results of it and the electrical bit.

4 years ago by mturpin013

Forum

Night Watch

"But I don’t think my wife would appreciate what I had in mind for her!" Ye Gods and little fishes Ken, what sort of tool shop were you in!?😮😁 "She can strip any household item to bits with any dinner knife" Leads to the question; can she put it back together, in working order, with a dinner knife!?😉 Seriously tho folks! More power to your collective elbows Ken👍 Keep your head Ken "whilst all about you are loosing theirs"! Have to admit that, on a slightly different level, several decades ago I made the fatal mistake of buying my second wife a sewing ma for Christmas! Went down like a lead Concorde.🤕 Turned out she was more into anything she could easily turn into cash! That was my second and last experiment with marriage. My 'female companion' of nearly 25 years now 😊 Gisela (girl friend sounds kinda wrong somehow at our age!😉), came with her own basic tool kit and is perfectly capable of mounting shelves, (almost) all the irritating fixes that can occur around the house and even assembling IKEA furniture!! I get only get involved when it comes to electrics / electronics / PC or the HEAVY stuff! Colin; If I needed someone to help me strip down and rebuild an engine I'd have to turn to me dear old Mum. Going on 95 and still going! She spent most of WW2 doing just that for army trucks. Apropos clamps; some of you may remember the Colin / Nerys thread(s) on Workshops a month or so ago, both were building new ones. I posted some pics of mine and commented on the STUFF clogging up my construction bench, including a box of clamps. Since the sort out and clean I can't find the damn box and it's driving me quietly bonkers - now, after turning the place upside-down, soon to develop into screamingly insane! 😜 So come on guys, a joke's a joke! Which of U 'orrible lot has nicked it or hidden it for a bit o fun? 🤔 Ramble ramble ramble ..... 😎

4 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

LATEST SMOKER EXPERIMENTS, REDUCING SIZE & NEW BITS

Re - Hi Jb, The Timeout part of the circuit is set for something like fifteen, twenty seconds Hi Martin, took a few mins to figure that out, quite clever really (the ma, not me😁) Quite a technical little device. Battery might not be as good as I thought but will try charging it and see, (dropped off in voltage today, red lights flashing apparently means low batt) I can always just cut off all the electronics and plug it into my voltage reg with a simple pos and neg wire and run it that way through a remote switch (same as I did with the HSL smoke try out ). JB

4 years ago by jbkiwi

Response

Re: SMOKER (OF SORTS) TESTING IN THE HSL

Is there any reason why fourteen posts under the heading 'My Collection' have been placed in this thread with various titles pertaining to Smokers and Smoke Mas. Very confusing and basically removes a number of posts regarding an excellent collection of models that have now been lost in a completely unrelated thread. If there is a legitimate reason for this which I haven't seen, then I apologise. Nerys

4 years ago by Nerys

Forum

MFA 919D series geared electric motors

Hi Hugh, If they are metal gears yes - a few drops of light ma oil from time to time. Helps to keep 'em quiet as well😉 If nylon or plastic gears NO! But on the shaft bearings / bushes if metal YES! Cheers, Doug 😎

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Response

Re: Exhaust Smoker

Re- following several weeks experimenting, I was going to ask what pump you had Graham but you have answered it here. Seems to work quite well, not sure how mine will go (if they ever arrive) but there are a number of air pumps on line to try. Need something with a bit of grunt to it. I think this little project has been a great example of Kiwi/Anglo cooperation as we have both swapped ideas back and forth to get this result. Graham has refined the electronics and done a great job and I'm pleased that he has taken an interest in my original simple idea, and with his electronics knowledge made it pretty flash. With the greater model boat interest in the UK, I'm sure it will be seen on more models yet and is a device which can be easily adapted to any model - tugs, PT boats, barges etc, - with or without water. The best thing is it can be made very cheaply as against the price of current marine smoke mas. JB

5 years ago by jbkiwi

Forum

Re-purposing an old Hull.

Thank you guys and gals for all your praise. I'm only doing it because I want to share what bit of modelling knowledge I have amassed over my 65 years of modelling, I started with my grandad when I was 5 years old. It seems that the first model that you make should be out of your own head, that way you can change things as you go. That way you enjoy what you make, and are more likely to carry on making. It's fortunate that my grandson is at a forward thinking school who already have a lego club, also a meccanno club. Both of them are well attended and enjoyed. Much better than those stupid electronic games mas. Tomorrow I will find out how well they are getting on with their designs. Cheers Colin.

5 years ago by Colin H

Forum

Aeronaut Pilot Boat

These were cut to size from Vinyl using a Cricut Ma which we already had at home. Very useful for various craft needs. Ron

5 years ago by RonW

Response

Re: YET ANOTHER SMOKER VERSION

Totally agree with you about manners JB - too many "Spare the Rod" idiots in the nanny states......... Even good old Dr Spock admitted he was wrong on his deathbed - children do need discipline and boundaries. Only raised my hand to my own children twice - no need for more - and they grew up to be well mannered likeable people - (which comment comes from friends and colleagues not from myself ). Some children you will never manage - but they will end up in prison eventually anyway as did the one at school with us........... The same is happening to "service" - the PO closes branches/offices as its in most cases no longer viable. More so when Govt decides to pay pensions to Banks instead of PO accounts etc. Our local PO is in a bit of a shambles with post boxes rusting to the extent doors fall off - we could not get one of the few left as there were no spare keys or locks. Hard on the staff as they get the blame when they are trying their best......... We have just had a case ourselves where the manufacturer of a washing ma refused to pay for a lid repair to a top loader under guarantee - as its the 2nd time it broke (seems a very poor design). Suddenly agreed to do so after better half told them she was going to talk to "Tell Peter" a local complaints show........ Remember in the UK phoning a service line for the bank and being told that Christchurch was in New Zealand - not England - by the Indian call centre. Very heated debate followed......And a lesson in Geography for India - believe there is a Christchurch in the US too.

5 years ago by redpmg

Response

Re: YET ANOTHER SMOKER VERSION

You are right about the frustration Graham, still waiting for these pumps which arrived in the country 6 days ago and are supposed to be in transit (probably on a tour of the country😠) As I mentioned, it's only a 40 min drive to the airport from my place, so what's the hold up???😠⚡⚡😠. They should start sending texts to people to give them the option of picking the goods up. Problem is there are too many couriers doing their own thing in their own areas and transferring goods multiple times before they get to the customer. They seem to get to the airport, go through customs, get picked up and taken to a central airport sorting area, bulk courier picks up whatever his company delivers, takes them to their sorting area, another smaller courier picks up and takes them to your local area sorting place, then to another courier (or postie for small packages) to your house. Appears totally inefficient to me, just making work and quad handling everything. Used to take a day to get a letter from o/seas once it arrived in the country. We hardly have a post box now except outside post offices, and they have closed most of them as well, and just have 'agents' (ie service stations/ shops etc) Don't know how they expect older or immobile people to travel miles to post a letter if they don't drive?? Used to be a post box on nearly every corner years ago. I have to drive 2km to the PO to post a letter, (used to just walk 100m till they removed that box a year or so ago.) They want to close our local PO which covers a huge number of people in our area (around 10,000) which is just ridiculous. Banks have also closed all their smaller branches round the country and even removed money mas in some cases, and left people having to travel for hours to the nearest ma or branch. Companies, (like Telcos/power companies) hide in offices and won't talk to you except through a call center in the Philipines or India (even though the company may be 1km away- had that with my new crap Samsung washing ma recently, until I found the local service center number and 'targeted' them,- refused to talk to some Filipino girl who knew nothing, and would ring NZ for info and call you back in 1 or 2 days, - beyond ridiculous!!!😠😠😠 ) You have to get angry to get results these days with large companies, (got results with my washer when I told them I'd put it on the side of the main road with a big sign saying "don't buy this crap")😊😂 JB

5 years ago by jbkiwi

Blog

Fire Monitors Part 1

The white metal items supplied are OK but really don‘t lend themselves to being working items. Graham93 has already completed a version which looks just like the drawing and photos available, and are the best I’ve seen. The bar has been set so here goes, whenever an item like this is been contemplated it’s always good to spend some time in planning a sequence of operations and assessing the problem area’s at the start of the work and if possible dealing with these parts first. Failure of the difficult process doesn’t mean you have wasted work on other parts that are now scrap. I think the most difficult and problematic piece is the pipework that sits at the top and curves round in two halves, this in reality is a casting, however replicating it can be done using brass pipe. Brass pipe can be purchased in annealed form; however my stock wasn’t so the first job was to anneal the tube. Heating to a dull red heat and allowed to cool, this treatment will soften the metal completely. In some books it is suggested that the brass should be quenched in water (which is what I do) after heating but this is to speed up the commercial process, and quenching has no effect on the annealing process. So tube annealed we need some method of retaining its tubular form during bending, in plumbing I use a spring but when you compare wall thickness/dia a spring would have to be mighty strong and so small. An easy alternative is to crimp one end of the tube and put some soldering flux down the tube, follow this by heating with a low temperature blow torch to melt solder and fill the tube, then allow to cool. You now have a soft tube which when bent will hold its shape. That’s the next challenge, the shape, and being able to replicate it twice, so an easy jig is required. Having marked out a scrap piece of hardwood I cut the “U” shape using the band saw and filled a groove along the top edge, this was then placed under my drill press with the appropriate dia bar (this must be calculated accurately as it helps to create the final form) on top of the tube, then just pull gently down (it takes very little force) this jig leave a small amount to finish bend to a complete a circle, the excess length is trimmed off and then I used a piece of hard wood with a small radius on the end to tap the final curve. Next the circle needs to be cut into two pieces I used a small slitting saw in the milling ma. Now it’s time to remove the solder, simply heat up holding in plyers and then shake vigorously to expel the solder. (Make sure you do this on your own and wear safety glasses.) The white metal “main pillar fitting” and the monitors final “exit pipe” will be used in the unit and all that is required is to mount them in the lathe and drill a 4mm hole through each and clean up the casting. Next I cut 4 pieces of 4mm brass pipe; these will form the main water passage. Two more ma turned items are the “pivot post top” that feeds water through the 2 brass pipes into the “junction block” which then feeds into the exit pipe, sounds all very simple? Having made all the components, it’s time to think about fastening them all together. First items to be joined are the “upstand pipe” to the “pivot post top” X 2 also the “feed to exit pipe” and the “junction block” X 2, these four joints are all to be silver soldered. I mounted them in a piece of wood and placed a tight spring brass ring around the upright pipe to stop then sliding down when heated. Having the joints spotlessly clean is paramount, the flux is added, I insert very small pieces of silver solder into the holes at the top cross holes (less is more) a gentle heat, and watch as the flux goes “glassy”, this is closely followed by the solder melting, watching at the lowest point of the joint for the tell-tale shinny liquid metal. No fettling is required so the 4 parts are dipped for 45 minutes in masonry brick cleaner (dilute hydrochloric acid) the parts are now clean and ready for the next soldering activity. See part 2

5 years ago by mturpin013

Forum

Modern fireboat anyone?

Thought the fireboat lovers might like this new model.? A very interesting, solid and capable looking ma.

5 years ago by jbkiwi

Forum

Night Watch

"At breakfast, my friend used to say about his coffee, it is bodensee! informing me that he could see the bottom of the cup, ie Bodensee is clear,... cheek!☹️" I think you mean Dallmayr, but whatever! I can understand that Peter! https://www.dallmayr.com/de/kaffee/ Would not be my first choice, it's too weak, you need to use twice as much to get a decent coffee taste out of it compared to Italian coffees. A chaque un a son goût!😉 I use Lavazzo Espresso Cremoso, Medium Roast #8. Only have to set my ma to half the 'beans' per grind compared with Dallmayr😮😁 Also got Dallmayr chucked out of the office and replaced with Lavazzo. BTW: Passau is an interesting town, full of history and on the confluence of two rivers, (incidentally I've travelled a few times on an ex US Army pontoon bridge inflatable down the Danube through Passau to Austria, great fun😊) but Passau is a long way from the Bodensee! Cheers, Doug 😎

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Response

Re: ELECTRIC EXHAUST SMOKE AND WATER VERSION 2

Re Get the Patent first JB,👍 But how will I stop certain 'reverse engineering experts' 😉 copying it Doug. Perhaps call it a vape ma to put them off the scent😀? 'Thinks' blast! I've already told them how I did it. Never mind, now we'll soon be able to buy one off Ali Express. Once had an idea for a pen with a triangular letter opener on the top end. Years later I went to a pop-up se nic nac sale in a rented warehouse, and guess what was there??!!!☹️ They are obviously employing psychics to walk around jotting down peoples' ideas😮 I also still have 5th form (1968) sketches I did for a hybrid go-kart using a Briggs and Stratton motor driving 2 alternators charging twin 12v batteries driving electric motors on the back wheels with chain reduction drives, WHO KNEW??? JB (the too late inventor)

5 years ago by jbkiwi

Forum

What have I got?

"That is a good model of a Thames lighter and I imagine the boat that started this post was very much like it before the wheelhouse was put on. Is it available as a kit, or just the plan?" It's a standard EeZeBilt 50+ model. That means it's been designed to be cut out of balsa sheet and assembled in the simple EeZeBilt fashion, and the plan has been put out for free download. It's capable of being made at any size or any material, but making it at 16" just nicely uses a single 1m sheet of 1/8"balsa. The idea was to produce simple, quick, cheap model barges so that the tug boys had no excuse not to be pulling a whole string of them. If you want it as a kit, I can send you a .dxf file and you can get someone with a CNC ma to do the cutting for you. Do you have a MakerSpace anywhere near you?

5 years ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

Chris Craft Cobra by Dumas

No Hand stitching. I cut the material and had a friend that has a sewing ma do the sewing. I was very happy in the way it turned out. As for the gold painting it's the same paint I used on the fin. Both the seat are held in place by screws. I wanted to do the side walls the same way, but there's not enough room. The only thing that's holding up the completion is the glassing of the hull.

5 years ago by JBRCfloats

Forum

Are there fairies.

Hi DG. It looks a similar size, but definitely not the one I have. Plus that one has diametrically opposite brushes, whereas mine has three equally spaced brush positions. And I haven't seen the adjustable field windings on any sewing mas vintage or new. Cheers Colin.

5 years ago by Colin H

Forum

Are there fairies.

Western Electric Sewing Ma motor - 1917 according to this ebay sale. https://www.ebay.com/itm/1917-Patent-Date-Western-Electric-Sewing-Ma-Motor-and-Foot-Pedal-AS-IS-/202510137622?nma=true&si=gGDjL1Ld56C2cpOn2TV9HqcjMmY%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557 Probably a field-wound motor of the 'Universal' type - can run off DC or AC. It will be series wound rather than shunt - just like the Taycols. So you could make it reverse if you want to fiddle with the electrics by using the Taycol site circuitry adaptations. It would probably have run off 110v AC, with a rheostat providing speed control, though a rheostat would have given you less power as the speed reduced, so the dual-speed brush system may have been an improvement to give you more power at slower speeds. Here is a picture of an original satisfied customer...!

5 years ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

T.I.D. tug

For all who asked details of my smoke ma. The case in the 1st photo I got from Maplin some years ago, I have also made some for other people using 3mm plastic card, and that works fine, or just buy a plastic lunch box and use that. You will need to secure the mister/fogger to the bottom of the case with silicon, and thread the leads through the side/top,then make a hole for the funnel, I use two different sizes to make it easier to fit in the boat. Next, a cheap! mini fan, and a 3volt source,you can see the 2x1.5v clip in the second photo, I find this is just right for pushing the steam out. Lastly, a source to change the voltage up from 12volt to 24volt, the working voltage of the mister/fogger. Make sure all seams are covered with silicon, as you can see by mine it doesn't have to be pretty to work, and only I see it! I have put a couple of Ebay links of the items I use, as you can see, it is quite inexpensive......so have a go, joe😁 btw..I use a 12volt 2.1ah, and on a full tank of water,(not full, as it won't work when it's full), I get 20mins steaming.If you need anymore info, just ask😮 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DC-DC-4A-Boost-Converter-3V-32V-12V-to-5V-35V-24V-Step-Up-Power-Supply-Module/252676342631 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Ultrasonic-Mist-Maker-Fogger-Water-Fountain-Atomizer-Air-Humidifier-24V/121548443136

5 years ago by Rookysailor

Forum

Work with Balsa wood

If you are bending things like stringers, spray rails etc soak the part you want to bend in a trough (if you have one- wallpapering trough is good) of boiling water for about 4-5 mins, -remove and bend around screws/panel pins set to the radius on a flat board and weight down till dry (long enough pins will let you stack a number of pieces). If you are bending sheet balsa, the softer the better, (across the grain and with it, careful bending across,- snaps easily if too firm or thick) This will also depend on how tight a radius you need, ( if only gradual- like a clinker dinghy) you might get away with firm balsa. 2mmx 10mm wide strips will follow a curve nicely. For a bow with a flare you will need to plank (vert or angled)with soft to med balsa strips (10mmx 2mm or thereabouts)- gives you room to sand and fair. The trick is to feel how the plank likes to lay around a flare with the least stress, and go with that angle if poss. If the hull past the flare is flatish you can use whole sheets to speed things up. For the truest shape, complete planking gives the best result (although a bit time consuming and a bit more sanding involved). JB

5 years ago by jbkiwi

Forum

Are there fairies.

"as you can guess new sowing ma" Can it sow spuds Martin 😁😂 Sorry 😔 😎

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Are there fairies.

Silly boy Martin, I did a similar thing with a scrap ma, but I used a jigsaw blade and it worked perfectly well for about 3 years. Setting the foot about 25thou above the workpiece it cut wood, sheet brass, sheet steel and aluminium. I've now got a bandsaw, picked up at local auction for a tenner. Cheers Colin.

5 years ago by Colin H

Forum

Are there fairies.

Hi Colin, Many years ago In the long and distant past I put a small piece of fret saw blade in an old Singing sowing ma and tried cutting some soft wood, it worked out to be a very expensive experiment. The wife was not happy nether was I, as you can guess new sowing ma. Martin555.

5 years ago by Martin555

Forum

Are there fairies.

Definitely not sewing ma, my other hobby is restoring vintage sewing mas. Local retired electrical engineer thinks it may have been a generator /dynamo. Cheers Colin.

5 years ago by Colin H

Forum

Are there fairies.

Spare space might be for running in reverse Colin, (move a brush to the other side) or maybe for a different speed.? Maybe cancel thoughts on wiper motor, looks like a beast! Might have had drive belts on it at one stage (old converted sewing ma motor?) Industrial ma perhaps? JB

5 years ago by jbkiwi

Response

Re: Lighting and other tweaks ;-)

Hi Steve, Actually Martin told me what the lamp is signalling😉 I know Morse but can't read it very well🤔 In the COMMS systems I designed for naval vessels we had mas to do that for us😁 BTW: all Likes added to my post above should actually be credited to Martin - it's his work not mine! Me? I'm just Adm. SO CCaBW (Senior Officer Chief Cook & Bottle Washer) 😎

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Response

Re: Short video of the first test of the new vacuum table

That was just a quick test, - did have about a 5mm spacer on it, but the one I did for the plane had about 30mm. Depends a lot on how thin the material is as well and you have to allow for trimming. .5 mm would have gone around a lot better. You also have to have holes through the plug as well so it pulls around the plug. The CKD furniture company I worked for (largest in the South Pacific) pioneered round edge vinyl covered table tops in NZ using a big German press which they modified. Germans said the thin Vinyl that the company wanted to use would not work,- took them a year of experimenting and proved them wrong. Ma used a large silicone blanket and oil heated platen.

5 years ago by jbkiwi

Forum

Movies.

Re crossing bars etc, have you seen the videos of the Safehaven marine (Cork) 'Thunder Child' a private companys' effort to make a 'bullet proof' rescue/patrol boat and general purpose rough water boat. Amazing ma!, goes through, over and under anything,- FAST. Would make a good model subject.

5 years ago by jbkiwi

Response

Re: Short video of the first test of the new vacuum table

You never said what plane it was - always wanted a vacuum former - been using a paint removing heat gun to mould 2mm perspex - any thicker - bubbles form . Your ma is interesting to say the least....... The paint strippers get up to quite a temperature - would one of those blowing into a closed box work ?

5 years ago by redpmg

Forum

Movies.

How about "The Eye of The Needle" - Where the "Nadel" is landed by an Eboat in the Essex? marshes - the Eboat looked suspiciously like 102...... Brilliant acting by Donald Sutherland as usual - but the fake start rather spoilt it for me .......... Bit like seeing a pair of ma guns being fired by a Piper Cherokee 180 pretending to be a Messerschmidt 108 Taifun.

5 years ago by redpmg

Forum

Workshop

Just checked Hobby city, (main hobby shop in Auckland) AAAAARGH, some prices- mill drill $450, 24108 miller $2103, 24350 miller, $5398, 27110 micro miller $720, CNC ready miller $7802 ! and these are bare mas which need the 'accessories to be able to do anything with them. A bit beyond my meager finances methinks, could almost buy a Triumph 2000 lathe for that much second hand . (had a quick look and found a Bridgeport power feed mill for $7200. Try- Hobby city.NZ -should get you there. Bet they don't have them in stock and you have to wait 3 months (if you are lucky) Pics of Hobby city owners plane before and after. Decided he'd had enough and turned it into a submarine at high speed. SA guy, previously represented NZ in world precision flying comps (second) shame, very clever guy and nice with it. You never know!

5 years ago by jbkiwi

Forum

Workshop

"Nifty little lathe,- Proxxon- looks German? " Correct! (Richtig😉) https://www.proxxon.com/en/micromot/24150.php The little milling ma is also Proxxon. https://www.proxxon.com/en/micromot/27110.php There's also now a CNC ready version - There wasn't back then 😭😭 https://www.proxxon.com/en/micromot/27112.php Might invest in the MICRO compound table KT-70/CNC-ready! to upgrade my manual job! They have a range of bigger versions as well https://www.proxxon.com/en/micromot/precision-lathe-and-milling-systems.php Not the cheapest around, but built like the proverbial brick "whatsit" house😉 Google / Ebay around, should be able to find some at reasonable prices. Think I paid around €150 for my little lathe back then. The miller around €90. Happy machining folks, don't forget the goggles🤓 Cheers, Doug 😎 PS Odd!? Someone else's pics keep creeping in?? A new phenomenon!😐

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Workshop

My granddad's pal/neighbour had an engineering workshop in his Glasgow tenement flat (ground floor)from 1945 until he passed away in the mid 70s he used to do sub contract work for D&W Hendersons shipyard don't know what the Corperation thought as it was a council house .I remember there being a big Colchester lathe and a milling ma and a pot arc welder,thought I should mention he was single and the house smelt of coolant my grampa used to do a lot of welding for him.

5 years ago by marky

Forum

Workshop

Perfect hobby mas, I'm in the wrong country!. We used to have a lot of small new lathes for sale here in mary outfits for around $1200 NZ but I haven't seen any for a while. I could do with a small lathe especially for boat stuff. We had a Triumph 2000 (lathe not car) and a Bridgeport mill and all the gear when I was in the site services dept in the big woodworking co I worked for. I made good use of those, plus in my workshop I had 2 German RS2000 tool grinding mas which were great for touching up all your router bits and saw/ planer blades etc and a se mill which I reco'd when the other guys didn't want to use it. Made my sons cars' frame and running gear (all 10 speed bike gears modified etc', -everything adjustable for growth) while I was there . Sure great if you have the gear!

5 years ago by jbkiwi

Forum

Workshop

"access to everything" .... even the coffee ma and microwave just round the corner behind the bookcase!😋 And a TV/Monitor attached via HDMI cable to my PC in the other room - so I can hear the "Honks" and keep track of what U Lot are up to😉 😎

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Workshop

I was lucky that when my work was up grading mas if I could carry the old one I would have it and stashed it away for later use ,I got a pillar drill from the jewellery department because it wasn't drilling at 90° got it home and all that was wrong was the table hadn't been squared properly,still keep in contact with my old squad so if anything comes up they let me know they also keep loads of handy off cuts .will post some photos of the workshop interior when I get the gear moved in 👍keeping my fingers crossed a 3D printer might need upgraded😂😂😂or perchance a laser 🤞

5 years ago by marky

Forum

Workshop

I am doing exactly the same as you Doug. I am buying all of the items, including kits and mas, over the next two or three years ready for my retirement move to Hungary. I wish I could bring my factory mas with me. I have a 1 metre CNC machining centre along with a 16 electrode changer CNC spark eroder, Bridgeport mills, J&S grinders and others. I think my shed is a little small and possibly not enough power as the maximum single phase power supply here is only 32A. Small bench mas it is then.😊

5 years ago by MouldBuilder

Forum

Workshop

Looks good Doug. The mas are exactly what I had in mind. We need the mas Martin. You do not.

5 years ago by MouldBuilder

Blog

36'' Thames River Police Launch by Robbob

After the successful build of the ‘Vintage Model Works’ RAF Crash Rescue Tender I was asked by Mike Cummings of VMW if I would undertake to build a prototype of their new model with the aim of checking the construction method and the assembly instructions for accuracy before the kit is put into production. The model is a ‘Thames River Police Launch’ and is based on the original design by Phil Smith for the Veron company, this was a very popular model kit in the late 50’s and 60’s and sold for the princely sum of 43 shillings and tuppence, approximately £2.15 in today’s money but an equivalent cost of £48.50 in 1960. This design has been updated to accommodate electric propulsion and radio control by Colin Smith, the son of the original designer and it has been re-scaled to be 36” in length where the original was 24” which gives much more scope for detailing and provides more ‘hiding room’ for the drive, control systems and all the associated wiring. The kit produced by VMW uses the same construction techniques as the original and the materials are a combination of balsa and plywood both of which a laser and CNC cut for precision. The ply and balsa materials supplied are of very high quality as one would expect from VMW and all the stripwood for the s, rubbing strakes and deck detailing is included, even the dowel required for the mast is in the box, very comprehensive! The kit also includes white metal fittings such as the fairleads and stanchions, and the searchlight and horns. The glazing for the windows comes in the kit too. The instruction sheet supplied is in need of revision as it is largely taken directly from the original as written by Phil Smith and some of the terminology needs updating, for instance the ply bottom and side skins are referred to as ‘strakes’ but I understand that a re-write of the instructions is in hand along with an updated plan showing the best positioning for the motor, prop-shaft, battery, ESC, receiver, rudder and servo. During construction I have added a few additional pieces of ply or balsa as reinforcement or supports and substituted some balsa parts for ply where I thought a stronger material would be better. I also added some hatches to give access to the wiring at the bow and the rudder & servo at the stern but largely I have not gone ‘off plan’ to any extent. The pictures show the model in it’s present state (Nov 2018) and is ready for painting and finishing.

6 years ago by robbob

Forum

EeZeBilts From Keil Kraft

Here is a Shapeoko 2 - my eShapeoko is a similar ma - cutting steel. You will see that you need a decent spindle motor, which is not surprising. But the framework is adequately rigid. I have over-specced what I have to allow for expanding for future use. I would not be surprised to find that a ma which was limited to cutting balsa, plastics, obeche and light ply (which would cover the vast majority of marine modelling) could be sold for less than £100. Unfortunately, there are too few customers to make it worth designing such an item.

5 years ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

EeZeBilts From Keil Kraft

You are right of course - in the UK you would also have to have a safe extractor/collector unit for the fumes/dust - however the US made table top models are self contained - BUT you only have a A3 sized bed whereas ours has an A1 and can take objects up to a foot high for engraving, plus a rotary attachment for glasses , bottles etc. The water cooler is a separate unit which now costs the better part of R10k. Better half had her aluminum tubed Universal 200 re-gassed (they run on CO2 at about 38kv - at 80w so minimal current) and that set her back about R80k some 22 years ago. Pyrex type glass tubes are only about R12k now however. You also keep the lid tightly closed unless you are an idiot - plus they all have a safety switch to shut the laser off if the lid is lifted (which I have seen bypassed). There is always some stray laser beam about and deflection off the bed which does not do one much good. Especially eyesight. So the ma has a thick dark yellow/orange perspex inset on the lid and you should wear safety type glasses the same coloration which act a bit like polarised lens. As a matter of interest ours ran for a year in the spare bedroom - with the extractor unit venting through a french door panel - would be severely frowned upon by 'elf & saveless'.

5 years ago by redpmg

Forum

EeZeBilts From Keil Kraft

"...I'd rather cough up a bit more and know that I could do something with it!.." Quite right! When buying, people need to understand the important features of a product, and with new technology it is easy for the advertisers to conceal these. For a CNC cutter, stiffness is very important, particularly if you are going to cut metal. The ma must not deform appreciably when it puts a strong force on the workpiece. It also needs adequately powerful stepper motors to put that force on. and, of course, it needs to move the cutting head to all parts of the workpiece. I was interested to see that the spec states 'max travel distance' - I would have expected it to say 'max cutting dimensions', and wonder if these are less than the figures quoted. At least we can specify a cutting area ambiguously, so that modellers can understand what they are getting. I would guess that 1ftx1ft cutting area would be fine for most aeromodellers, while 1ftx1yd is more what boat modellers want. But it is easy for an individual to chose. Motor power requirement is harder to define - it depends so much on the leverage designed into the mechanics. Screws have more advantage than belts, for instance. And if you are only count to cut softwoods you can get away with much less power than cutting steel! Usually I would like to see the steppers having between 5000 and 10,000 gf·cm of torque - though that is a 'piece of string'. Rigidity is even harder to estimate. You can get some feel when the seller says that this ma will not cut metals, or 'is an engraving ma'. The other indicator is weight - rigid mas are going to be much more massive. If the frame is light it will bend under stress. Though if you are using a laser...

5 years ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

EeZeBilts From Keil Kraft

My thoughts exactly DG. I'd rather cough up a bit more and know that I could do something with it! (Still got a few bob left in my savings fund😊) Think I'd better get the hang of my 3D printer before lashing out on another ma though! 😎

5 years ago by RNinMunich