Forum

Miss Katherine Tugboat seen in boatyard, Mahone Bay, N.S. Canada

Oh my...basswood was used on the deck s. Sub deck is balsa. The Gunwale will require some helping hands from Don. Donnieboy

4 years ago by Ronald

Response

Re: SEAPLANE TENDER, CHANGE OF ESCs

Hi Peter, yes I cool the motors with brass tube 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 s 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

Response

Re: Arctic Convoy

Doug ,May bite the bullet and deviate away from static ,with any luck tems I made for the decks were accurate 😅 proof of the pudding will be tomorrow when I test fit them.

4 years ago by marky

Forum

Drawing the Miss Katherine

I was a welder fitter for ten years, knowing this tug was built in 1959, they would not have cnc, plasma arc cutters, or other modern construction components. Keep it simple I am saying to my self. I see in the photos of the hull, s were about 12” wide and welded. The s are not curved as you would see with steamed wooden planks.

5 years ago by Ronald

Forum

LATEST SMOKER, E-CIG ELEMENT

Thanks Martin at this stage just a little curious about the smoker. Could be an interesting project for later, but have enough on my at the moment. Ian

5 years ago by Elsrickle

Blog

Deck Fittings

Have decided rather than the follow the instruction to build each section. I am going to build most of the deck fittings before going further in the build. Some of the instruction are a bit vague and the drawing is not to scale, it will be easier to place items if already assembled. Have also made the small steps for access to superstructure from the deck as the drawing does not show any. Made with some old railing wire and plastic card chequered . Saw them on an old photo of the Sir Lancelot which was of the same class. Have fitted smoke generator in funnel and also fitted 2mm studs on base of funnel for better fixing to superstructure. The funnel is made from plastic drain pipe same diameter as the styrene pieces. The loudspeaker box will be fitted in the stern below the wooden slats where the ships boat sits this one is for the steam sound generator. As I didn’t like the printed sheets for fish pond and hatches have made them from strips of walnut and lime wood the same with the trawl boards. Fishpond will also be used as battery cover and front hatch will be the removable cover for the power on/off switch, the superstructure hatch is the cover over the steam whistle loudspeaker which will be fitted in the superstructure.

5 years ago by Elsrickle

Forum

Drawing the Miss Katherine

Hi Ron - recycled cereal packets we use for mock ups - cant get much cheaper than that - the card is strong enough - thinner card material does not always give the "true" picture as we have found out at our cost a bit too late on commercial jobs. The 1kg corn flake type boxes yield a good quantity locally - found another use for yard of biscuit boxes too - ideal for holding balsa planks - as are neon/led tube light cardboard boxes........... You really are getting along with Miss Katherine - a very good job you are making of it as well - most impressed. Are you going to the hull ? If you have a local print shop who do Litho printing - (they usually throw the s away after one use) - ideal for plating - and a dressmakers wheel used on the wrong side makes rivets if you need those at all. Weld seams should be easy enough scribed with a ball point pen or knitting needle from the wrong side. Cardboard also works but not nearly as well.

5 years ago by redpmg

Blog

Fire Monitors Part 2

Some thought has to be given how to hold all these remaining parts, firstly I need to make sure that I can replicate an upward incline since there won’t be any up and down movement, only rotation. Here comes another jig, a simple block of ½ inch hardwood with the angle cut at 200 and the corner removed to allow all the soldering to take place. Carefully marking out a centre line I used small brass pins to hold the pre silver soldered pipes in position on the flat sides. I now used some clamps to hold the brass pipes in place, check all the alignments then flux is applied. Very gently apply the heat with a soldering iron until the solder flows, it’s important to tack both ends of each pipe first on each side as at this stage the set-up is delicate to say the least and can be dislodged very easily. Then follow round to complete the joints making sure you don’t overheat the whole assembly and melting the parts already soldered. Next I need to test for leakage, if all OK I can carry on to fettle the joints, I don’t use files or abrasive paper to do this I only use a scalpel to remove any excess solder it’s so easy and better results are achieved. This also applies to cleaning up the white metal fittings; the main posts need to have a better base with some sort of fastening arrangement made, so an aluminium piece is machined up with three holes for fastening to the roof, this was then epoxied to the main post. The next job is to make the handles, for this I used some 3mm which I cut some slices off with a slitting saw. In its raw state it is hard and needs annealing before bending. The pieces were all cut to length and then drilled in a jig to ensure all the pieces were exactly the same, I can now leave a drill in both the end holes which keeps the pieces together while they are placed in the machine vice with a piece of round bar at the back to give a nice radius. The handles need a cross bar with “knobs on” so a little bit of machining and then the assembly can be done. The handles are soft soldered in place at the correct distance; I now need to drill and tap 10 BA the main body pipes to hold the handles in place. When these are assembled they will be put together with some epoxy on the screws and between the faces. Whilst using the epoxy I can glue the white metal exit pipe in place, this now completes the assembly. Next a coat of etch primer followed by a coat of grey primer then finally bright red, these will be left to fully dry before I attempt looking at the rotary system

5 years ago by mturpin013

Response

Re: SEAPLANE TENDER STAND ADDITION

Hi All. Interesting debate😉 All I can say is that my experience with lithium grease, whatever the colour, is that it will over time cake and stick to the walls of the tube. Had similar experience using it in car wheel bearings ☹️ Seems to be due to the nature of lithium, i.e. s, which slide over each other to provide the 'lubrication effect'. But it don't last. Eventually the stuff dries out and the s stick together. Coagulation 😭 I now use Gear-Flon, a PTFE/TEFLON grease from Dupont. Bought mine from Krick here in Germany. I squish it in under pressure with an oversize syringe.😉 You can also find it on Amazon etc. https://www.amazon.de/GEAR-FLON-Hochleistungsfett-mit-Teflon/dp/B00UI0AS40?language=en_GB Cheers, Doug 😎 PS To JB: I also inject some into ball races, until it extrudes from the other side, before fitting them!😉 PPS: Almost forgot😮 I also fit a dished oil saver washer between the shaft tube and the thrust washer. A habit I got into while still using oils for shaft lubricants.

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

My secret boat

'Portmeirion s.' Alice is too busy roofing the shed today to worry about Chateau Briand, Anyway, cooking is my department. Apple pie being made at the moment from our own garden apples. Six of them, first we've ever had off the tree. Nerys

5 years ago by Nerys

Forum

My secret boat

"complete with Portmeirion s" Do you unship the s whilst paddling Nerys, or is Alice paddling the galley alongside you whilst whipping up a Châteaux Briand!?😋😋 Nice drop of Châteauxneuf-du-Tap to wash it down perhaps? 😁 Bon appétit Nerys, 😎

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

My secret boat

A dresser complete with Portmeirion s, Lovely it is, going down the river. I paddle it, like a coracle. Nerys

5 years ago by Nerys

Forum

Sea Commander.

Exactamente Dodgy 👍 Martin is also correct. Point 2 was discussed a few days ago in a similar thread. The earth wire should be soldered or clamped to the prop tube of earth though. A loose connection like a croc clip can itself be a source of interference; so called "Metal to metal noise". That's also why I don't like all metal UJs for the prop shaft. Even 1:1 ships can suffer from problems with earthing s! In the mid nineties I designed a COMMS system for a series of glass fibre minesweepers. Against my better judgement the yard decide to use vertical whip antennae for the HF radios. A vertical monopole whip antenna needs a good earth to act as it's counterpoise. "No problem " said the yard "We'll let a copper earth into the keel." After launching and a few weeks of fitting out and trials they complained that the HF comm efficiency and range was deteriorating. We tested all our radios, ATU and cabling and all was OK. Then we sent a diver down to inspect the earth . He came up and said "It looks like Chantilly lace!" Red faces at the yard and they coughed up for the Crossed Dipole antenna (with it's own built in counterpoise and ATU) which I wanted to fit in the first place 😉 Cheers, Doug 😎

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Sea Commander.

1 - MacGregor radios had a non-industry-standard IF. So you may have problems sourcing a suitable pair of crystals. 2 - Having a single Earth point was a standard interference suppression requirement. This used to be provided by connecting the negative side of the circuit to a in contact with the water, or, for convenience, the prop tube...

5 years ago by DodgyGeezer

Response

Re: Detailing the pilot house and 2nd lash up

"I’ll use clear hatch tape like I use on my sailboats. " Fair enough. Just a thought though- When faced with the same problem sealing the perspex pressure hull cover of my Type 1A U-Boat I used a circular section silicon rubber gasket. The hull is made of solid wood so using a mini drill / engraving tool, and a ball ended 3mm mill bit, I cut a half round slot all round the hull. Following a line previously marked out with tems. The tool came with a neat gadget to put just behind the chuck to help maintain a constant depth of cut, which was about half the width of the silicon ring. The slot is slightly wider than the ring and "fills up" when the ring is squashed into it by the cover. The cover is held down with wings nuts, and then nyloc nuts, on studs which are Loctited into the steel keel. On a surface ship neodymium magnets would probably do the job. I used silicon and magnets plus two 3mm threaded dummy fuel filler caps to hold down and seal the stern deck on my Sea Scout. End of ramble - just a few ideas. Cheers, Doug 😎

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. Machine used a large silicone blanket and oil heated n.

5 years ago by jbkiwi

Forum

Movies.

I have found a few good movies in the last few years which show some good wartime (and later) small boat action. 'They Were Expendable' (great PT movie with John Wayne) 'A twist Of Sand' (great RTTL med action in the early scenes, - (Richard Johnson, Honor Blackman Roy Dotrice ) 'The sea shall not have them' (Michael Redgrave, Dirk Bogarde). I also have a Beta copy of another med movie called MTB which is set in Malta but can't play it any more due to my beta player being destroyed years ago. It is about HTTLs based in Malta, not about MTBs as you might think. Of course there is the PT109 movie which most people have seen. There must be a lot of old movies around with ASR boats, MTBs etc which are obscure and need to be watched to find content, -just came across 'A Twist Of Sand' on Youtube a few weeks ago and only watched it because I saw boats while skipping through it. Found 'The Sea Shall Not have Them' because I found the old book in a second hand book shop, and it mentioned the movie, and had s from the movie as well. Anyone else found anything of this nature, ?( I know there are plenty of warship movies but not many on small boats)

5 years ago by jbkiwi

Blog

Evolution

Hi Guys, I did say it is a wacky project and it's Taking shape now, so if you thought the Steampunk Pike was mad, well this is darn right crazy. Eye sockets made and fitted. Some Bone lets made with different textures on them. You can now see why I am on medication LOL! Martin555.

5 years ago by Martin555

Forum

EeZeBilts From Keil Kraft

Now we are on the home straight! We have a drawing, a reasonable structure, and we can start pulling out the detail. It's at this stage that I usually confuse myself completely, since I will make numerous slight alterations to put bulkheads and formers in better positions for several reasons - internal layout, better strength and balance.... and I end up with several dozen slightly different hull designs, each of which are slightly incompatible with numerous slightly different bulkheads, and I then lose track of which parts go with which others... However, here are some examples of the output from this stage. The superstructure base(fig32) is going to have to be made from parts as I mentioned earlier. The bulkheads (fig33) can now all be drawn with their slots and tabs, ready for assembling into the classic egg-box on the sub-deck (fig34). The front formers and the keel are taken off the drawing, again with tabs drawn (fig35)... There will be quite a number of other parts to be drawn and made - the transom and other flat sections of the stern, the triangular bulkheads under the subdeck, the trapezoid s which go to make up the funnel and mast, and other details like the anchor well. Almost all of these parts will be uninteresting rectangles with dimensions taken off the drawing, so I am not going to list them all down here. The full set of parts, however, will be needed when it comes to the cutting stage, because we will be trying to get as little wastage as possible from the balsa, and sneaking little triangular formers into all available gaps on the sheets. I will take a bit of a break now, because I need to get the water-jets delivered before doing the final stern design - and I am running short of balsa, so I will need more of that! I may cut a few parts on a sheet of 1/8" inch as an illustration. To do this you simply arrange the parts you want into a 4"x36" rectangle, load the cutter with a 4"x35" balsa sheet and send a file describing the parts to the cutter over a USB link. We will cover the software used and the stages of converting the drawing file to cutting instructions at that point...

5 years ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

EeZeBilts From Keil Kraft

Hi Nerys, It only sounds complicated as this is at a design stage. When it actually comes to making it you will have plans that you cut out and use as tems, and with simple instructions you will find it easy to build. Honestly. Martin555.

5 years ago by Martin555

Forum

EeZeBilts From Keil Kraft

"...C01 this was made without any drawings/plans..." Really? I'm amazed! I would have thought you would have to have sketched out something - if only tems for the bulkheads and keel....?

5 years ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

What could this Hull be for?

Hi Peter, Phil seems to have a lot on his , what with his theatre work and blogging an' all! Don't think he made any attempt to produce anything commercially. Tried to find a mention in his blogs of where he got his Brede kit. Unsuccessfully☹️ Good luck with yours 🤞 Cheers, Doug 😎

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Blog

Billing Andrea Gail

Had to make a motor stand for the Graupner 400 brushed motor . Took quit a while to line up & glue in place .Used Brass 2 brass s silver soldered to make a 90 & drilled holes for 2.5 mm motor screws . I have a Deans Marine speed control that's older than me but works well on 6 volts . P/S the guy with the fish isn't me & I can't edit to put a me photo in

5 years ago by GARTH

Response

Re: Steampunk Pike.

As you wish Red. But if you're serious about building Memo's Nautilus you ain't gonna find more info and advice than on that disc. And that straight from the Disney horse's mouth. Confusing is that sometimes they mention DVD and sometimes CD!? Happy trawling the Net, I did too, but didn't find a more comprehensive collection of info and data than that. Lots of vague plans, but then what? Material: "Wood seems an odd material to make a submarine from - so where do you go from there..........." My U25 hull is made from four 3cm planks of wood. Lots of carving and checking with tems and swearing. Then wood sealer, more sanding 🤔 primer, three coats of resin based RAL 7035 paint. Brush quick or your brush will stick to the hull😭 Later spraying upper and lower hull with appropriate Revell enamels, light grey and mid/dark grey respectively. No ingress of water or other damage incurred over the last 25 or so years.😊 Advantage is better thermal insulation from the cold water surrounding the hull than with thin plastic. "plastic does not like the "African" sun much"! For several days now we have had temperatures of 35 to 40°C, new record for Germany in June was set yesterday☀️. Expected to climb further to a new record peak on Sunday!😎 I note that today, and the foreseeable/forecast-able future Cape has temperatures of around 13 to 15°C. I remember being in Jo'burg/Pretoria some years ago towards the end of November. We went to the Zoo with temperature around 35°C and while refreshing ourselves sitting outside the cafe there were astounded to to witness the arrival of a class of young school kids and a Father Christmas wearing the full red arctic outfit with hat and beard. I started melting just looking at him 😂 During my time in Cape Town and Simonstown, also shortly before Christmas, the temperatures were a very comfortable 25 to 30°C. Where are you? Of course various plastics deform at various temperatures, so 'Taste and Try Before You Buy'. (With thanks to Savoy Brown - see attached Utube clip😉) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNyzrOM5RR4 Check the specs of the type of plastic you are considering buying for your build. Some are specially developed I believe for minimal deformation at higher temperatures. BTW: Joburgsailor seems to do all right with the materials he uses under the African sun👍 See his blogs and post on this site about his magnificent MEKO frigate. (A ship class I also worked on for other countries!) Whatever floats your boat Red 😊 have fun doing it, that's what it's all really about! Cheers, Doug 😎 BTW; wish we had your grocery prices here🤔 85US$ = about €75. Which is around 20 or 15% of my monthly grocery bill of around €400-500!

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Hintsand tips - Decals made easy

If anyone is looking for a cheap easy way to make any decals of photos name s, designs etc, here is an idea you might find useful. I use a waterslide decal paper on which you can print anything you design, draw etc on your inkjet printer. I buy this paper from a company in Australia for around $30 NZ for 10 A4 sheets. You can buy clear or white. What you do is just print your design, photo, text etc onto the paper (plastic waterslide coated), let the ink dry, spray with either a clear lacquer or Helmar clear (the best), allow to dry, trim,soak in warm water as usual and apply. This material is quite tough and will not tear easily and you can spray lacquer over it to seal it on the model. It is a similar stuff as sold by Testors in a kit but is a lot more cost effective. I've included some examples of decals I've made for my boats and planes . For small decals you can cut a small piece a bit bigger than your design, print your picture on A4 to see where it will come on the page, sellotape the piece of decal paper over the print, (tape horizontally top and bottom) put the page back in the printer with the same orientation as is was, and print onto your decal. This saves wasting a whole sheet of decal paper which cannot be re used. If you find a nice clear sharp design it will come out nicely on the decal

5 years ago by jbkiwi

Blog

Puffer build continues

Fitting of bulwark cappings, deck angle s , bulwark strengtheners. I want to weather this model has anybody got some good tips please.

5 years ago by davejw

Blog

Fitting shafts and motors

I have spent the last couple of sessions preparing and fitting the prop shafts, mounts and pump . First was to prepare the wood profiles, paint with sanding sealer and then prime them. They look a lot neater sprayed grey than just plain ply wood. I checked the two motors and found that the suppressor was not of the correct value. I removed it and replaced with the normal 47nf capacitor across the terminals and 10nf from each terminal to the casing. I then connected the wires to the terminals. I built the assemblies, fitted the motors and placed then in the hull. I then inserted the shafts and connected them to the motors via solid connectors. I prefer solid drive connectors where possible as I believe this should reduce vibration which is often introduced through universal joints. When I was happy with the alignment, I glued the shafts in place with Acrylate. I then fitted and glued the water intake pipe also with Acrylate. Next came the pump . This also has the rudder servo secured to it. After assembly, this was also glued to the hull. Next job was to fit the rear deck support and the bead on the outside which will eventually hold the rubber fender strip. The pencil taped to the flat stick at a distance of 12mm was used to mark the outside of the hull similar to marking the deck support line before. It was now time to prepare the two deck levels. Strengthening braces of ply wood were fitted all around. This has resulted in quite a strong unit. The instructions say that the fitting of the decks is next. I think they have forgotten all of the working features of this build. If the decks are glued now, there is no room for fitting in all of the gadgets. I will wait until I know what is required. Next time I will start the preparation of the cabin. This part contains most of the fire monitor servos and piping, radar and search lights plus general lighting. Very busy.

5 years ago by MouldBuilder

Blog

The Battery Box & Power Switch

I wanted to install a main power switch on the model so that the battery could be pre-installed and connected ready for the lake but at the same time the battery needed to be easily replaceable at the lakeside. The problem I faced was where I could fit and conceal a switch for this, and have it easily accessible too. The answer, I decided, was to disguise the switch as a cabin feature that I intended to include in the model detailing anyway, and the boats steering wheel was the ideal candidate. I started by sketching out a design that would incorporate a battery box and switch as a complete sub-assembly and with a workable design I began by constructing the battery box from 3mm ply. The switch mounting was formed from 1.2mm aluminium for which I made up a card tem to determine the right size and angle of bends required to obtain the ‘slope’ of the top panel. Once formed and drilled the switch was fixed to another ply panel on one end of the box and fixed in place with screws. I found the XT60 connector mounting PCB on the Hobbyking site and it is perfect for my needs so the alloy mounting was drilled with clearance holes for the connecting pins and the heat shrink tubing that further insulates the soldered connections, and the PCB is fixed to the with a couple of M3 screws and nuts. The switch is rated at 12v 25A and I disassembled it to remove the operating toggle so that I could remove the taper on the shaft and reduce it to a 4mm diameter to take a brass tube that forms the new steering column. The plastic steering wheel was picked up from the SHG stand at the Thornbury model show and is a perfect scale for the boat and it’s a perfect fit inside the brass tube too. The switch contacts were bent to give some clearance for the wiring. A cautionary note with these switches, don’t solder any wires directly to them as the heat from the iron will also melt and deform the plastic case too. This causes the internal contacts to move and lose their firm ‘snap’ contact and potentially compromise the switch rating. I discovered this very quickly but thankfully I had ordered two switches, as they are not expensive, so I had an immediate replacement that was then wired with spade connectors. The switch assembly was finished with another XT60 connector that mates with the power cable that goes back to the ESC via a 15A blade fuse. The whole switch and battery assembly is fixed to the deck floor with three woodscrews and so the whole assembly is removable for maintenance or modification if required. When I glazed the cabin I made the port sliding window movable (but with an end retaining stop) so that I could quickly access the ‘Steering Wheel’ switch without having to remove the cabin from the boat. A battery change will involve that but as the whole cabin is retained by six small but very powerful neodymium magnets this is very quick and simple matter anyway. The whole battery box and switch will later be ‘boxed in’ with a false control panel with a throttle control and dials, and this will also be on magnetic retainers, with the battery section as a separate removable part for an easy battery change. All of these features I had considered and planned at an early stage and so implementing them was quite straightforward.🤔🤓 Getting closer to completion now, along with the control panel cover I need to re-shape the brass rudder and also fix the waterline tape problem that has really annoyed me!😡 More on that in a later update.😁

5 years ago by robbob

Blog

part 2

The base has been enlarged in the new model. The vertical base has been enlarged so that the guided rollers can also be mounted on this .

5 years ago by maersk-topper

Forum

Rivets

Martin , forgot to ask if you were using it on s or direct to hull. If litho, plastic, or thin card s you can use a dressmakers wheel from the back - I have two of different size wheels for different spacing - they are pretty cheap so I would not advise trying to borrow you know who's , That would be much quicker to do. Agree with Dodgy - Chinese pins are much softer - trying to use so called office pins from China found they bent easily

5 years ago by redpmg

Blog

Soykils (Brooklyn for Circles)

In 1856, Constellation had two 10 shell guns mounted bow and stern as "pivots" or shifting guns. To make shifting them easier, and prevent them tearing up the deck, sectional iron s were screwed down to the deck, a bit like model rail-road track, these were referred to as "circles" or "gun circles." What pattern was actually used on Constellation is so far unknown. The museum folks think there was just a basic circle under each gun, but I think they've interpreted the name a little too literally, as I can find very few examples where just a single simple circle was used. I decided to base the model on the more complicated patterns I found in photos and a diagram in the Navy's 1852 manual: Preparation of Vessels of War for Battle. I cut the circles from 1/32" (.5mm) sheet styrene, painted black, and glued to the deck with gel CA. Both guns on the model sit on access hatches that don't correspond to any actual hatch, so the bow circles, especially, had to accommodate the seam of the hatch.

5 years ago by Jerry Todd

Forum

CNC boat kits...?

Hi. This machine is called the Ox, a full set of s, anodised in black, is on sale at Oozenest at half price, I am building it bit by bit as I do not have funds for a kit. All parts are sourced in the UK, either from Oozenest, s, extrusion some bolts and other Ox specific parts, Arduino Uno and CNC shield, the rest, Nema 23s, Toshiba motor drivers, bolts, some extrusions, 30 wheels, spacers etc from WE Do 3D Printing in Sheffield. Control will be via Arduino Uno and CNC shield, with Toshiba 5 amp drivers on a 24 volt PSU. This machine can be made as big as you want just by increasing the length of the extrusions, which consist of 20 x 80, 20 x 60, and 20 x 40 V slot. Mine will have a footprint of 750mm x 550mm, which will give me a build area of around 380mm x 650mm. Big enough for me, I have very little space and I am going to have to sell a couple of 3D printers to make room. I will be using GRBL firmware, Designspark Mechanical for design, DXF2Gcode for converting and Universal G code sender to cut. I don't anticipate needing a bigger machine as I cannot lift big models any more so 600 mm long will do me. I have not thought about work holding and my designs, If I manage to get ant sorted that work, will be there for anyone to use.I have not fully mastered the art of CAD yet, I learned Tech Drawing on a drawing board with T square and compass. This weekend will be a laugh as I am going to get the electrics sorted, I have mastered Marlin, used in 3D printing, and I have been laboring on the misapprehension that CNC would be the same, so it's teach meself GRBL time! https://ooznest.co.uk/product/ox-cnc-aluminium-s/ https://shop.wedo3dprinting.com/ Please note, I have nothing to do with the suppliers I have linked to other than as a satisfied customer...

5 years ago by Nickthesteam

Blog

Steering Mechanism

I thought of a few ideas on how to make the rudder servo controlled. However I thought i would stick to using the chain drive. You can see from the pics I manufactured a square tube with a slot in the top. From wood made a block that would slide freely inside the tube. I anchored the chain to either side of the block using ring nails. A drive pin was put through the slot into the block. The servo and drive mechanism fitted onto a base which fits into the hull. Four pulleys were fitted to deck and plastic straws used as guides. Effectively this works like the real thing.

5 years ago by Hillro

Blog

Hull Details

To make the hull look like it made from riveted s, I d the hull using card cut as required and glued to the base hull using Waterproof PVA glue. Then the rubbing stakes fitted. To simulate the rivets I used brass round headed pins hammered into the hull. This was done to the water line. The rudder was made from brass, etc. The Puffer used a tiller type rudder hung over the stern. The drive mechanism was chain from the wheel house. More details later. A prop tube was fitted. The hull was then undercoated, top coated with red and black gloss.

5 years ago by Hillro

Blog

The Mast

The mast on the drawing supplied with the kit is rather simplistic and I want to reproduce the mast in a more authentic style so with reference to the NMM ‘photos of the museum boat I set about modelling it. The timber mast is held on the cabin roof in a metal socket and I produced this from some 6mm & 7mm brass tube and some brass bar for the base. The tubes were cut to length and assembled onto a brass bar which was previously drilled to take a 3mm bolt with some flux paste between the parts and a nut and bolt used to clamp the parts together. This was all silver soldered together, the bar cut off and the temporary bolt removed and the base reduced to a circular form by filing and the piece cleaned and polished. The mast is a short length of 6mm dowel with one end turned down to 5mm to fit inside the brass base tube. The mast head is formed from some obeche hardwood shaped to replicate the original with a 6mm hole bored through the base piece to take the 6mm dowel mast. I used a spare 6mm porthole that I had surplus to a previous project as a supporting flange that also adds an interesting detail to the mast. Lastly a fillet was added between the mast and the base and the whole piece was then finished with a few coats of Teak stain. A filed down the head of a 3mm bolt so that it would fit into the brass tube and superglued in place before glueing the dowel mast into the base. A plasticard disc was made to fit between the mast base and the roof and reinforcing fitted to the inside of the roof for the securing wing nut to bear on. The light fitting is standard part available from various suppliers, mine came from RB Model in Poland along with some other brass fittings for this boat. All of the tall fittings on the roof will be made to be removable for safe storage and transport. Next up...the Searchlight.😁

5 years ago by robbob

Blog

Detailing the cabin – Part 1.

All the glazing on the cabin is fixed except for the forward windows on each side which are on runners for the crew to slide open. The glazing supplied in the kit for these sliding windows is 1mm Perspex so I made some runners by laminating two strips of 1.5mm obeche strip, one of which was shaped beforehand to be narrower and thus forming a rebate for the window to run in. The upper and lower runners for each side were made in this way. All the runners were then given a couple of coats of Teak stain before they were epoxied to the cabin sides, a temporary window tem was used to get the spacing and positioning correct during this stage. A vertical piece was also made, with a rebate too, as an end stop which was also fixed in place. The tem was then used to produce the actual windows which both have a handle glued to the outer rear edge with canopy glue and both run very well but with sufficient friction in the runners to hold them in although I will fit a removable retaining pin at the ends of the runners to prevent them from sliding out completely 😠. The two white metal navigation lights supplied in the kit were painted with some metallic silver acrylic and the lenses painted red and green, these fix onto some obeche pieces fashioned and formed to complete the lights, then both were Teak stained and epoxied to the top window runners. In part 2 I will tackle the handrails for the cabin roof 😁.

5 years ago by robbob

Forum

Soldering

Many moons ago when I worked in the shipyards we used something similar on a much larger scale with the holes 2"dia these massive slabs of steel were used to bend bulb bar and hold s flat for welding they were called dogging s or tables depending on the size (I think dogging has a different connertation now a days) .the tables or s were used with bars which were called dogs .good luck with the rest of the soldering😐😐

5 years ago by marky

Blog

Preparing the frames for the hull

The drawings came with the hull profiles to scale so I photocopied them enough times to when cut out gave a tem for each one. I decided to build the hull upside down so I marked out the tems to allow for this and to allow the frames to be cut when the hull is complete. The frames were made from 4mm Birch Plywood. Tems glued to the plywood and cut out using a scroll saw.The interiors of the frame were also cut out where there was sufficient material to allow a 10mm web. A 50x75mm batten was marked out from the drawing for the frame positions. frames had blocks glued to them to allow the fixing of them to the batten. The keel was also cut out from 4mm plywood and glued to the frames.

5 years ago by Hillro

Blog

Manufacturing of Paddles

I started with the paddles. Main reason was that I was not sure the final product would work. I ordered all the brass parts using eBay and google. Tems were photo copied from the drawing (paddle frames) and stuck to 1/32 brass sheet. Centre punched all the points that needed to be drilled. Holes drilled used a jewellers saw to cut out the frames and finish off using files. I had not done anything like this before but patience was need to replace all the broken blades. I note that the saw came with 120 blades. I then made all the paddles, the spider gear, etc using soft soldering technique. The wheels were then assembled and tested. small adjustments had to be made with a file as some of the paddles were fouling each other. Disassembled them and painted them using car spray paint. I was quite pleased with the paddles so could start thinking about the tug hull. ,

5 years ago by Hillro

Blog

Shop/Refrigerator

Not much, happening this time of year. The shop doesn't have heat, so things like batteries that shouldn't be left in the cold come in the house, and the shop which seems to stay at or near 40°f/4°c, become an annex to our refrigerator. Now and then we get a warm day or three, and I open the doors because it's actually warmer outside than in, but more often than not what gets done is for other folks, and not the models. Spring is about a month off, but we'll likely get get some warmer days before that and I have been doodling some thoughts on what to address on all three models when the opportunity appears. On Constellation that's chains, pinrails, and getting the mizzen bracing working - a fairlead got some epoxy in it and needs to be cleared. I also want to get into some details like railings on the mast tops, and the bands that the futtocks attach to on the masts. if you don't know what that is, just wait and it'll be explained.

5 years ago by Jerry Todd

Blog

Wheel Boxes

Done a load of work around the wheel boxes this week (as well has finishing the other Deck hatch as the parts had arrived). Started with a blanking where we drew on the curve of the wheel box as well as the height of the side boxes. steamed 2 thin strips of wood into shape and glues them to the s. Then glued the 2 preformed wheel box shapes to the s. Once dry, using the preformed boxes cut out 2 wheel box fronts, marked up where the slots are going to go (not skilled enough to cut the required 10 slots so gone for 5 instead). Once cut out and shaped, glued into place and at the same time removed the extra material from the blacking to form the backs of the wheel boxes and side boxes. once all of that was dry, cut out of balsa wood the 4 side boxes (2 each side, front and rear), glued together, shaped to fit and then fitted to the backing and wheel box arches. We found that the Wheelhouse platform was actually slightly too big (port and starboard wise) so cut into the platform slightly do the wheel boxes etc fit, looks better and once all fitted together will be fine. Next thing to do is the steps over the 2 wheel boxes, so ordered some more wood strips to do that. once all that is done, seal and paint the boxes. Also on the plan for this coming week is to mark out and cut the deck holes for the battery, steam generator and other bits and bobs 🤞

5 years ago by barryskeates