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    Blog
    105ft Motor Minesweeper
    I am currently fiddling about with 3D
    printer
    s and as it is high time I built another boat I am going to combine the two hobbies and make the decks superstructure and some fittings on my 3D
    printer
    s, a Prusa i3 Mk2S and a Tronxy X5S. So far the results are encouraging. The model is based on a 105ft Motor Minesweeper, a wooden harbour/coastal sweeper. About 300 were built and saw service throughout WW2. My example carries the LL magnetic influence sweep but proved under powered for the task and many were converted to carry an acoustic 'kango' hammer for dealing with acoustic mines.
    6 years ago by Nickthesteam
    Blog
    Superstructure
    Have at last almost finished the superstructure, just the mizzen sail and funnel emblem to make and fit. All lighting system done fitted and with multi pin plug for lights and JR plug for d/f motor. Loudspeaker is for the ships horn. Decking is done same as main deck and wheelhouse done with planking same as forecastle front. Hard to see but small figure in wheelhouse at the helm. Funnel is fitted with smoke generator. Main mast same as foremast made in sections on
    printer
    just so both would match.
    4 years ago by Elsrickle
    Blog
    Searchlight
    The last gadget to be added to complete the Crash Tender refit is the searchlight. The body is made from a short piece of 15mm copper water pipe. A domed piece of copper soldered to one end closes off the body. The tube is just the right size to take a 1W LED and lens. The front cap was made from a ring of copper cut from a Yorkshire fitting which slides over the body of the light. Two small nuts (8BA) soldered 180 degrees apart on the circumference of the body provide mounting and pivot points. The body is mounted to a U shaped brass bracket which in turn is soldered to a brass tube. In addition to being able to rotate the searchlight, I wanted the challenge of making it elevate. A mechanism mounted under the wheelhouse roof provides both the rotation and elevation mechanics. A small servo provides the rotation function. Two plastic gears, salvaged from a defunct inkjet
    printer
    , couple the servo to the brass searchlight mounting tube. The gear ratio gives the searchlight a rotation of 270 degrees. To provide the elevation function, a pushrod passes through the centre of the searchlight mounting tube. As this pushrod is moved up and down, it adjusts the elevation of the light via a wire connected to an arm on one of the searchlight pivots. The pushrod is hollow and tapped with an M2 thread. A length of M2 studding threaded into the end of the pushrod is rotated by a small stepper motor. As the motor rotates the studding pushes or pulls on the pushrod, thus elevating the light. A small scratch built electronic module converts the demand from a receiver channel into step commends for the stepper motor. The motor was salvaged from an old floppy disk drive. The completed assembly was primed and then painted with Tamiya Gunmetal Grey. The LED is driven from an RC switch and constant current source and is quite bright, even in full sunlight. Graham93
    4 years ago by Graham93
    Response
    Re: Oceanic refit
    Hi Ian just seen your query. It is the qidi x pro
    printer
    that I’m using.had no problems with it, comes quickly from amazon. As this is the my first dealing with it I’m impressed I can set it to print a selection of small model in two different colours at the same time. Have made Nav light board with red inside and black outside by merging the two. Can scale down or up a model to the size required. I work with easy cad it is quite simple to make models on. Their after sales service for advice in operating it is really good. I’m extremely happy with mine. Any other queries let me know I’ll help if I can Ian
    4 years ago by Elsrickle
    Response
    Re: Oceanic refit
    Thanks Elsrickle Been thinking of a
    printer
    for some time, maybe this will focus the mind on the challenge. Me thinks Letter to Santa is in order Ian
    4 years ago by ikseno99
    Response
    Re: Oceanic refit
    Sounds like it going to be an interesting refit, looking forward to it. Good idea about the
    printer
    just recently purchased one myself. Great useful item once you get the hang of designing the parts, plenty items can be made. Elsrickle
    4 years ago by Elsrickle
    Blog
    Oceanic refit
    Well here goes the first steps of Oceanic's refit. She is around 40 years old, ABS hull with a wood / ply superstructure with transfers for the topsides detail!! There are a couple of motors, unidentified make, a pair of 2mm shafts with a couple of plastic three bladed props and a singe barn door rudder. So far research has thrown up that the original ship is still active. Photos and articles tell me she runs 4 bladed Variable Pitch Props in Fixed Korts with three rudders. One on each Kort and one midships, which could be a Becker Flap Type! As i have no details of the model a tank test has been expedited to estimate the load she will carry. Five cans of beans and the Superstructure and she is not far off. So I have around 2 kg to play with. Sounds a lot, but still need to keep the imagination in check, if nothing else to spare the wallet any undue pain!! First stab at a build list is attached as a starter for ten for my Christmas Wish List Plus i am thinking of adding a 3d
    printer
    as this baby is 1:87 so bits will be harder to find, so best start making a few myself!! More as I progress guys. Ian
    4 years ago by ikseno99
    Blog
    Winch detail
    As you can see this is made mostly with
    printer
    but am sure could be made with wood or plastic. The base has a slot 8mm wide by 5mm thick a hole 1.8mm goes through it and the sliding motor mount 1.5mm wire is used as guide and holds the mount in place the wire is also held in position with the small keeper block. The mount must be able to slide freely with no tight spots. Pictures show wire in base and on mount. Next chain drum and drive disc have 2.1mm hole all the way through for 2mm brass shaft the 3mm hole drill 10mm deep in drive drum at motor end. The motor then gets fitted on sliding platform. On drive drum face drill 2 holes 6mm Dia and 3mm deep, 180 degs apart for magnets. These are then glued in with a bed of epoxy adhesive as in photo, where the 2mm shaft goes through drill a recess 5mm Dia and 2mm deep for cable drum retaining ring. Also drill a hole 1.5mm Dia about 5mm from end of motor side of drum and tap for M2 grub screw for holding motor shaft. Now fix drum on to motor. At chain drum side cut a thin piece of tin and glue to face of drum this I used super glue and a mall brass nail fitted for a bit of extra security as in photo. Two 1mm holes drilled through the centre length of the drum very close to the outside diameter and clear of centre shaft. A piece of copper wire can be fed through one hole the chain link fed through the copper wire and the wire is fed through the other hole then the two twisted together or soldered to hold chain in centre of drum. Now 2mm brass rod is pushed through the drum ( I fitted 2 x 2mm flat washers at this point between mounting bracket and chain drum to ensure the drum did not rub on bracket) making sure sure the drum spins very freely the rod is pushed through the hole in the motor drum until it meets the motor shaft then push hard to slide the motor to end stop. Now slowly push motor forward towards the chain drum (fully open gap between drum 7-10mm) when fully home fit holding sleeve on brass rod at outside of bracket and tighten grub screw this should give the correct length for rod. Now push motor back to end and make sure shaft is still in motor drum. If not adjust until it is still in shaft Next push chain drum back against washers and shaft pushed towards motor make a saw cut in brass rod to mark drum position now remove shaft and make a brass ring to fit tightly on saw cut on shaft and solder then clean all solder from chain drum side of shaft refit and check drum still runs freely adjust as required when sure cut off brass rod as photo The base I made is 120 x 50mm x 5mm, chain drum 30mm x 25mm Dia, mountings were 28mm high x20mm wide. Will continue with linkage setup next. Any questions or ideas please feel free to let me know.
    4 years ago by Elsrickle
    Blog
    Mast lights
    As I wanted to install lights in foremast and had trouble trying to drill the centre of the doweling in one piece. I decided to try a hollow section mast. This is in five sections with 4mm thin brass tubing a firm push fit. The length of these sections was determined by where the mast rings are positioned. Which enabled the joints to be hidden.The mast rings are glued only on the top side of the ring and a strengthener fitted below the deck to hold the mast in position. Lights are fitted and wired through the sections one wire used for ovolt of mast lights and one wire used for ovolt of deck lights. Wiring has two plugs at end for connecting to main cabling under the deck. The mast is then assembled and when installed all the rigging at the various rings will hold the mast firmly in position. This style of fitting means the mast can always be removed for lamp replacement if required. Although I made the mast on my
    printer
    it could always be done this way using short pieces of doweling which are easier to drill though the centre.
    4 years ago by Elsrickle
    Response
    Re: 40'' Seaplane Tender, new build Z 7.1
    Re - SHoneT happens JB😭 Probably do that next time Doug, had this stuff already so didn't want it to go to waste. Not really happy with the windows in general, (wobbly painting hand) and just to P me off, I found a big rack of fine ABS strips (all shapes, textures and sizes) at the big LHS which would have been good for framing the square windows. Unless you have a
    printer
    to turn out some scale surrounds it's just the good old brush, unless there's a better way.? Just thought of something re decal paper,- use the white paper, do a dark background, draw light frame outlines, print and cut out, (why didn't I think of that before I did it, I have a heap of white to use!) might give it a try. "Oh the pain, the pain' !! JB
    5 years ago by jbkiwi
    Forum
    Workshop
    I was lucky that when my work was up grading machines 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 90Β° 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 πŸ‘keeping my fingers crossed a 3D
    printer
    might need upgradedπŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚or perchance a laser 🀞
    5 years ago by marky
    Response
    Re: clyde puffer
    Yes I should give details just wanted to get back to the build, scratch built plank on frame with wood I have to see how cheap I can build it. No plans as such just side elevation and photos off the net so not true scale 31 inc long 8.5 inch beam some detail from my 3d
    printer
    , planks ripped from softwood and pickled until I could form the bends and left to dry before fitting, electric power and will fit brass prop after sea trials. This is the first boat I have built since I was 16 years old now 73!!!!!! been into model aircraft but this is more relaxing at least they come home in one piece.πŸ˜€πŸ˜€
    5 years ago by billhook301
    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 machine though! 😎
    5 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    Water Jets
    Anyone out there with a 3d
    printer
    ? - a website called cults3d.com is giving away a free design for a water jet. looks pretty good https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/various/water-jet-propulsion-system-janikabalin
    5 years ago by redpmg
    Forum
    Water Jets
    DG - sorry - not picking on you - assumed you had a
    printer
    . Trouble is with favours is the time taken - only when favours are owed can you put pressure on..........
    5 years ago by redpmg
    Forum
    Water Jets
    "...DG if you have a 3d
    printer
    you must have the design software for it too - otherwise its useless ..." I said I 'can get one printed'. Dodgy Geezers can call in favours from all sorts of places! And not only plastic deposition machines either - stereo lithography or selective laser sintering (if you want to 3-D print in tungsten) would be available through university contacts. As would design modification...Though, given how long it took me to get a pair of rather specialist gears lapped the last time I wanted a set, I would match RN's comment in saying that I wouldn't hold my breath!
    5 years ago by DodgyGeezer
    Forum
    Water Jets
    DG if you have a 3d
    printer
    you must have the design software for it too - otherwise its useless - unless you are only ever going to make other peoples designs - very easy to add stuff & modify designs if you know how - friend has one - manipulates its faster than I do Corel - but its purely commercial for him - so no freebies . unfortunately ...........
    5 years ago by redpmg
    Blog
    40'' Seaplane Tender, new build U
    Cabin partly painted, (tops to paint), mast painted with LED riding light fitted. Second sound unit turned up and both now fitted and working, (with as near as I can find to Detroit 4-53s as fitted to this boat, in the programmed choices). Inner hull in cockpit and some interior painted and steering servo fitted. Props painted bronze (art acrylic metallic). Still waiting for shaft collars for the motor end of the shafts and some nice little shaft oiler cans (far easier than trying to make them). They have arrived in the country so shouldn't be too long. Off to get some paint tomorrow for the cabin tops and deck, also I have to fit the cockpit side battens which I've already stained and cut. Once the cabin's painted I can fit the windows and grab rails as the stanchions have arrived from CMB. Going to make a quick vid later, showing the sound units operating etc. Still have bow roller and a number of smaller details to go, such as tidying the waterline with a black boot topping and making the name decals (if my
    printer
    stops mucking about, - almost time for a new one)! Also have to do the nav, cabin and stern lights, ( have ordered a small adjustable voltage reg to adjust lights. Remote switch for lights is already fitted.
    5 years ago by jbkiwi
    Forum
    Water Jets
    Thanks for the tip Red, Have downloaded the files, will be a half way sensible πŸ˜‰ test project for my
    printer
    πŸ‘ Doug 😎
    5 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    EeZeBilts From Keil Kraft
    This was my first
    printer
    LOL! Martin555.
    5 years ago by Martin555
    Forum
    EeZeBilts From Keil Kraft
    My first
    printer
    was an ICL line
    printer
    , in 1979 http://www.chilton-computing.org.uk/gallery/ral/orig/r18088l.jpg Rather like this one, but orange, since I was working on an ICL 2900 system https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICL_2900_Series
    5 years ago by DodgyGeezer
    Forum
    EeZeBilts From Keil Kraft
    I am looking forward to it tremendously. I have just been looking at the EeZeBuilt web site and I particularly like Neptune. Will have to see if I can slot her in to my building list, the only snag is I don't have a
    printer
    so I will have to figure something out. Martin.
    5 years ago by Martin555
    Blog
    The Instrument Panel.
    I decided that an instrument panel would enhance the appearance of the β€˜Steering Wheel’ power switch so I made up a panel to go around the switch onto which I could put some dials and a throttle control. In my previous blog update I discounted using the very nice but pricey BECC transfers and looked for an alternative, Doug (RNinMunich) kindly sent me a .pdf of some instruments but the resolution was very poor when printed out. So after a bit of Googling I found a picture of some real commercially made instruments that was quite high resolution, and importantly, printed very nicely even when scaled down to the sizes I needed. I used a premium glossy photo paper in my Canon Pixma
    printer
    for this. The panel was made from some 2.0mm ply from the scrap box with the edges bevelled for neatness and after two coats of Teak stain they were ready to have the dials applied. The dials were cut out from the printed sheet as best as possible with a new scalpel blade, not easy I might add, as they are so small that you can’t really make a continuous circular cut so it was a case of nibbling round the edges until it was an acceptable shape. That was a test for my old eyes πŸ€“ I can tell you. The edges of the dials were blackened with a black β€˜Sharpie’ pen before sticking down onto the panel with a light smear of canopy glue. The throttle control is just an offcut of Obeche carved and shaped and with a short piece of styrene tube and a pin head for the lever, painted in gunmetal grey it doesn’t look too bad. I used a small white ball headed pin in the final assembly. The instrument panel was given two coats of satin lacquer to protect the dials before the throttle control was stuck down and then the whole piece glued down onto the battery cover, and I also painted the aluminium switch panel black so it was less conspicuous through the slot. I had arranged the height of the wheel so that the battery cover can only be removed with the switch on the off position as a safety consideration. Also there’s room inside the battery box for a low voltage alarm attached to the battery balance connector too. Viewed through the cabin window the instrument panel looks quite acceptable and it all helps to disguise the purpose of the steering wheel and the switch can be accessed easily through the sliding cabin window without removing the cabin. Quite pleased with that 😁
    5 years ago by robbob
    Forum
    Where are they?
    ... and colour laser
    printer
    s on Friday evening when you have a 120 page system description to print in 3 originals and the courier is already stomping up and down outside! 😠 Been there - had that!πŸ€” 😎
    5 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    Workshop
    It's alive, we have power all machinery now wired in, only the lighting to do now .managed to get an old bobbin sander(allegedly obsolete) that was being replaced by a newer version and a box of assorted bobbins free gratis from my old work ,don't know if it will make my boats any better but better of in the shed than in a skip. Waiting for a laser or 3D
    printer
    to become obsolete soonπŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚
    5 years ago by marky
    Forum
    3D Printing.
    HI Martin - think a lot of modellers buy cowl vents, guns . bollards , lifebelts , anchors etc , and for instance when building liners or similar large ships you find you have to make several hundred of the same item , easiest is to cast them from an original - so the 3d
    printer
    is just another tool - the same way the Laser is. What has made a real difference is the computer assisted drawing programs like Corel and Autocad . Without them the 3d
    printer
    s & Lasers would be useless. In Corel and most others for instance you can zoom in to a drawing up to 45,000%. Gives you spurious accuracy as you could never actually cut that closely. Our laser for instance the cutline is about .3mm so when cutting small items you actually have to increase the size of the cutfile at narrow sections to allow for the width of the cut .
    5 years ago by redpmg
    Forum
    3D Printing.
    Me too NickπŸ‘ I have a 3D
    printer
    , wrapped up in a bin bag to keep it clean for the last two years! Haven't had the time (or guts?πŸ€”) to even calibrate it yet πŸ˜” A 'step by step' Blog in the 'How To' section of the site would be great. I'm certain it would have many highly interested followers. Looking forward to it enormouslyπŸ˜€ All the best, Doug 😎 Maybe you can teach an Old (Sea) Dog new tricks!
    5 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    CNC boat kits...?
    "....I am sure that you will end up with a lot of customers when see these...." While it is, of course, quite reasonable to charge for materials and time, I am looking forward to a future where the base patterns for a model boat kit will be available for free off the Web. You can download a lot of free patterns already, but I haven't seen anything I would call a 'real boat kit'. CNC cutters and 3-D
    printer
    s are already available at most schools, and local councils now operate 'MakerSpace' workshops where this kit is made available to the public. Hobbyist designers could turn out the cutting files - all a modeller would need to do would be to buy the sheets of wood and feed them into the machine to have a kit coming out the other side. Not too sure how to do fibreglass hulls, though...
    5 years ago by DodgyGeezer
    Forum
    3D Printing.
    There is still a range of skills involved, drawing up parts for printing, I use Designspark Mechanical , preparing the cad files for printing with a slicing program, setting up the
    printer
    and fettling the printed parts. I re made all the resin fittings and printed the superstructure parts for my MMS. I have also used wood for capping rails, doors etc and the results are well worth the effort. So, in answer to the question, I don't think it will remove the traditional modelling skill set, but it will add extra skills to out modelling arsenal. It will enable folk to make their own fittings at low cost, and at the end of the day if we end up with a creation we are proud of we can't really knock it. Photos show some MMS fittings and a Footy yacht hull being made...
    5 years ago by Nickthesteam
    Forum
    CNC boat kits...?
    It is easier than you would think. I only got into 3D printing 2 years ago, once you see how it works the rest is easy. Main difference between a CNC router and a 3D
    printer
    is that a 3D
    printer
    adds material to make an object and a CNC router removes material.
    5 years ago by Nickthesteam
    Forum
    3D Printing.
    Now that is an interesting question indeed, Martin! In the "One to One" scale world, I have in my lifetime watched the steady march of machines taking over what i would describe as "Hand Skills" I have memories of being a trainee mechanical engineer and spending some time in a heavy machine shop and watching this guy "Knock on a cut" with a hide mallet. Just ease the lock nut and a tap with the mallet and he could put on a couple of thou! Today it is all CNC and robotics. The skill being in the machine maker, the software designer and the guys & gals that programme them. Now I am not going to dare to say who is more skilled the guy with his mallet or the guy who uses the software. They are both skilful in their own right. So if we turn that on its head and apply that to 3D printing. Software driven accurate 3D modelling against hand and eye skills. That is for you hardened purists to argue over. However I do just wonder if it may be a way forward for us to attract the next generation of modeller away from their X Box or similar to a laptop and
    printer
    to make a modern model with a 3D
    printer
    . Was it such a heinous crime against modelling when Vac Formed parts arrived or heaven forbid Glass Fibre Hulls. I have a friend who uses a CNC milling rig to make the plugs for his gun turret silicon rubber moulds he uses to cast resin ones from. Is this not verbally the same? For me the choice will be what is the best way to make the part I need. When a logical engineering decision is reached, just get on with it and make a great model to be proud of. Great question Martin 555 am sure this will create loads of responses and run for ever
    5 years ago by ikseno99
    Forum
    Hintsand tips - Decals made easy
    If anyone is looking for a cheap easy way to make any decals of photos name plates, 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
    Forum
    Model Boat crew....
    It is amazing what these 3D
    printer
    s can do "modern technology " Martin.
    5 years ago by Martin555
    Response
    Re: WTC/Sub Driver.
    Hi Mouldbuilder, Unfortunately I didn't make a log of this build but if required I could explain most of the build. The kit that I put together is :- Revell 1/72 scale US Navy Gato Submarine (05047) length 132.0cm My model looks a little different as I decided to add the extra limber holes along the sides. The prop shafts are 2mm inner shafts with a 4mm outer the length that I have fitted is 8" but I would definitely go more for 7" as it is very tight when fitting the universal joints, I purchased them from eBay. As I have said if you do decide to make one I can explain more on how I fitted the drive shafts. The photos show the flood holes that I cut in the underside of the hull, The other photos a just to show the other holes. As I do no have a
    printer
    I had to think of a way to transfer the holes.(again explain later if required) I hope this helps you decide. Martin.
    5 years ago by Martin555
    Forum
    Motor, speed controller
    Thought of building a simple Springer type tug as a rescue boat as there is no club locally - so sail on my own. Tried using my old Lindbergh tug quite often, can handle bad weather and has a surprising amount of power from a 7 pole (old
    printer
    ) motor, but the pointy bow makes it difficult for rescues although it has worked from time to time. Any ideas on how to control the motors on a springer from a single speed controller as ESC,s are not only difficult to obtain they are also b..... expensive here. Perhaps I should try servo switching as I have a large stockpile of those. Have two ideal 380 motors , shafts props etc from a RTR toy type but of course the Radio/ ESC is not very much use beside being the multi channel 27 mhz type which even my cellphone (mobile) interferes with
    5 years ago by redpmg
    Forum
    Look for a simple balsa build
    Having owned a laser cutter for nearly 10 years , I have found that most old hand drawn plans are inaccurate and a lot of the old die cut kit parts are not only inaccurate but in most cases the bulkheads for instance are asymmetrical. When making a model you have to first correct the bulkheads etc (not difficult using Corel) and then cut a prototype to determine what further errors there are. Back to the drawing board to correct those, and then a further test cut etc. In the early days it would take about 6 versions to correct all the errors , but with experience have now whittled it down to about 3 as areas likely to have errors can be anticipated. There is also the difficulty of for instance "3mm" thick material that can vary from about 2.7mm to 3.4mm and that can mean parts don't fit. Having said that I have cut most of the EezEbilt models from the site and the errors are minor besides being balsa they are easy to correct especially using water-resistant quick drying PVA glue. With enlarged versions you have to correct the slots etc so its easy enough to check on Corel for any inaccuracies. (That is one of the beauties of digital plans - you can produce a model at any size you choose). Most Lasers use dxf CAD files which Corel converts for you either way importing or exporting. One of the drawbacks my partner and I see is that in CAD drawings a curve is represented by a large number of straight lines which makes for a very large file. In Corel a curve is simply a curve and hence a much smaller file. PDF files are very problematic for most modellers as for instance two files imported from the same source can vary in size dramatically and you then have parts that don't match. The same applies to printing pdf plans in parts on an A4
    printer
    - the pages very often don't line up. JPG files are much less of a problem as sizes go. My personal feeling is that the mismatch of parts is probably due to the use of pdf files with their associated problems. Some
    printer
    s unfortunately do not allow you to adjust sizes other than in a rudimentary fashion.
    5 years ago by redpmg
    Forum
    Look for a simple balsa build
    "....Curlew, the top was short...." That's very surprising. It's an original KK, and I would have measured directly from an image of the die-cut parts. Are you sure that you printed the plans out correctly, with no 'scale' or 'fit to page' on your
    printer
    ? That can alter the scale at which things are printed, which is why there is an inch scale on each page. Perhaps you could provide me with some measurements so that I can trace any error? That boat is a very small one - too small for standard R/C unless you want to perform some complicated modelling. It is a good starter boat to teach the rudiments of making a hull, and perhaps sailing on a pond. At only 10 3/4 inches it's not really suitable for a big lake. The Curlew has a push-in two-roof cabin superstructure. By 'top' do you mean the forward cabin roof, the rear cabin roof, or the complete superstructure? Or do you mean the two deck parts? I would like to correct any problems.
    5 years ago by DodgyGeezer
    Forum
    CNC boat kits...?
    I guess I could make mounts for small spindle motors on the 3D
    printer
    . How is the cutting tool held in place? Do you use just a rigid coupler with grubscrews or a minature collet system?
    5 years ago by Nickthesteam
    Forum
    CNC boat kits...?
    My plan is to trace PDF files into DSM and output as DXF, or work up my own drawings. I have DXF to G code so I guess I could deal with your files. When finished, my OX will be used for all sorts, cutting aluminium is a must, Daughter has demanded name plaques for her horses stable, she reckons her horsey pals will pay for nice carved name plaques so who am I to argue! ply and balsa cutting will be essential and possibly light brass sheet, hence my first choice of the 900 Watt DeWalt router. I may well end up with an arsenal of spindles/routers and eventually a laser head. I am using the CNC shield for now but the intention is to use a Rumba board, a versatile Arduino mega 2560 based board with loads of output options more commonly used on 3D
    printer
    s, I have upgraded 2 of my
    printer
    s with them already. Like 3D
    printer
    s, the options for modifying/tweaking are endless. I will be fitting endstops, but I may use TMC 2130 drivers, which do not need endstops, as soon as they detect a substancial increase in current they switch off. My Mk3 Prusa has them, certainly reduces the ammount of wiring! I have a notion to draw up some plans for a series of warship boats at rc able size, ie, 47ft Whaler, Skimming Dish FML Cheverton Launch etc, interesting boats but rarely seen actually on the water as working models. I have a milling machine so a plentiful supply of milling cutters is available for a range of jobs.
    5 years ago by Nickthesteam
    Forum
    CNC boat kits...?
    Hi, I am in the process of building an Openbuilds Ox machine. So far I have built the gantry and Z axis. The drivers for the Nema 23 motors should arrive on Saturday so I can spend the bank holiday weekend fiddling about with the electrics. I will use a Dewalt 900Watt router for the spindle so there will be enough power to cut aluminium sheet. I have been using 3D
    printer
    s tobuild a minesweeper with great success so a CNC router will add to mt arsenal...
    5 years ago by Nickthesteam
    Forum
    Model Boat crew....
    I may have not made it clear but when I say you can make figures in Make Human they only exist in the computer (not physical items). All the programs make things on screen only but between them you can end up making a file that you can load onto a 3d
    printer
    and make the physical item. I had a go at it and then left it . I would now have to start the learning curve again. (Edit) I just thought you probably mean physically do the sculpting. I guess with the right skills that would work. My mistake. Les
    5 years ago by lesfac
    Forum
    Model Boat crew....
    If you have access to a 3d
    printer
    ,maybe at your local library,you can down load free from thingyverse,a couple I have had done Popeye 4"high and Captain Haddock 4" including base .these were both printed at my local library,with Popeye costing 50p and Captain H costing 75p.
    5 years ago by marky
    Blog
    Rear deck test
    So while 2nd layer of gunwhale stringers glue is setting on 46” boat I thought I’d do some renovations on the recently acquired 36” boat, starting with the rear deck. This will be a useful practice for when the 46” boat needs doing. The original deck was painted white and was screwed down. I’m replacing it with a planked deck, some removable foam tanks, hose & deck hatch with brass handles. The foam tanks need to be removable to get at the screws to lift the deck (access to rudders &servo) here’s where we are up to. Deck is planked with recess for hatch. The cross hatch grid for the foam tanks was made on my 3D
    printer
    and once painted will be OK. I’ll make the brass connectors for the hose on my lathe, and the hatch needs a recess milled out for the handles. The hose I have is a bit of corrugated plastic probably from Lego. We’ll see how all this comes out and adjust for the 46” boat in due course. πŸ‘
    5 years ago by Harvey Kitten
    Blog
    Paddle Tug Iona - the hull
    So... here is a compressed build blog of my paddle tug Iona... and I'm playing catch-up as the vessel is 95% complete and has been sailed already, but there may be some interest in what I've done. Iona was scratch-built off plan and has turned out to be the cheapest build so far out of 3 I've made, mainly because I was able to source materials from the leftovers box! it's a 'mixed-media' boat 😜using traditional methods of plank on frame hull, with paddles made on my 3D
    printer
    , and other parts turned on the lathe. So starting with the hull, frames were drawn out, transferred to some scrap 9mm ply and cut out on my bandsaw, along with the keel. These were assembled on a build board with some right angle brackets / measuring tools and test fitted before being stuck in place with epoxy. This was quite difficult as the shape of the hull is critical and comes right at the start of the build. I did remake 1 frame to correct alignment. The deck stringers need to bend in 2 directions, so some steaming with a carpet steam cleaner attached to some tubes worked and the wood clamped in place to dry. Outboard sponsons (?) were fitted to make a frame for the paddle boxes to fit on. Then a large sheet of ply forms the bottom of the hull, and the only job left to complete was the (tedious) planking. This was my 1st plank on frame ship... and it took ages. I think it came out reasonably OK but I'm not a perfectionist and I know if I'd spent more time it could be better... but I didn't! Next blog will feature building the paddle boxes and superstructure.πŸ€“
    5 years ago by Harvey Kitten
    Blog
    PS Iona - paddles
    I decided to build the paddles on my 3D
    printer
    , working off the plan rather than building in brass as this should be much quicker... should be! Feeling confident I designed ver 1 & printed it out... and scratched my head a lot to see how this was going to fit together. So ver 2 was much better and almost looked like it would work. Ver 3... same etc. Ver 4 πŸ‘ This would assemble looking like paddles. I decided against feathering paddles having talked to a few paddle steamer builders - it seemed more complicated, used slightly more battery power and in 1:36 scale would make little difference to performance. Having built one now I would probably make a few changes but it looks and performs ok. The assembled paddle is attached to a 4mm stainless steel drive shaft with brass bushes. I have recently added some pins to ensure they don't come loose on the lake.πŸ€“
    5 years ago by Harvey Kitten
    Forum
    CNC boat kits...?
    Which is where laser cutting leaps to the fore with a tool diameter around 0.1 mm. The Cyclone is a pcb cutter which uses a taper-point tool so there is no offset. The goal is to mount a laser rather than a Dremel. Point taken on the smaller parts . My initial thought was that, with a larger platform, you could cut multiple parts from a larger piece of material in one pass. Unfortunately, you can't walk away from a laser cutter to let it get on with things as you can with a 3D
    printer
    . You are looking at a potential bonfire and the bigger the job, the longer you have to stand and watch it.
    5 years ago by Delboy
    Forum
    Smoke generator
    I made them myself (and engine mounts, battery mounts etc...) on my 3D
    printer
    . I printed a solid version to line up the motors then replaced those with the flexible ones afterwards.
    5 years ago by landie
    Response
    105ft Motor Minesweeper
    Great job.Looks like with the 3D
    printer
    you will have the boat finished a lot quicker than I can.Nice to be able to use modern technology for your build.The details so far look good.Will look forward to more details being added.
    6 years ago by Donnieboy
    Forum
    Port holes
    That was Wayne Mark. 'Midlife'. He was threatening to buy a third (!) 3D
    printer
    so I expect his missus shot him 😲 We all warned him to print some Kevlar armour first! Last I heard of him was several months ago when he asked me for some Tiger tank (printed for for his LC!!) sound-files. I emailed him a batch but never got a reply πŸ€” How's it goin' Matey? All the best, Doug 😎
    6 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    Inspiration for beautiful boat builders ;-)
    '87/'88? I was here then as well, since Oct. '85. Where were you working? I don't ppo poo 3D printing. I have to admit that I've had a 3D
    printer
    for 2 years now and haven't even calibrated it yet πŸ€” Haven't had a real need that drove me to it yet, will come eventually I hope. Cheers, Doug 😎
    6 years ago by RNinMunich


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