Model Boat Mayhem
The Shipyard ( Dry Dock ): Builds & Questions => Working Vessels => Topic started by: Tafelspitz on February 25, 2017, 03:39:10 pm
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Well, my Imara kit finally arrived today :}
As I promised earlier, I'm gonna try and keep a building blog in this here thread.
Today was unpacking day and oh my dog, where are all these parts, bits and pieces supposed to go eventually... what have I gotten myself into? ok2
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No plans or instructions ? looks interesting {:-{
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Love it and will watch with great interest :-))
I guess you've gone for twin props?
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Will be atching. thanks to Irishcarguy I've got a kit myself. Will be starting it next winter.
John
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No plans or instructions ? looks interesting {:-{
Yes, there are plans and instructions. Otherwise I'd be completely lost :embarrassed:
Love it and will watch with great interest :-))
I guess you've gone for twin props?
Thank you! Yes, it's the twin prop version with a twin steam engine for better maneuverability.
Speaking of the steam engine, I just unboxed it and had a closer look at the parts. Very exciting and a wonderful piece of engineering. Brings the golden age of steam into the 21st century O0
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Good evening....may we call you Tafel?
The Imara kit is certainly a complex build assembly and a number of beautifully completed models are available on the WEB for reference and inspiration :-))
Opening up the world of controlling two reversible twin cylinder steam engines [PICCOLO] will pose many questions, however a number of members here will openly offer helpful constructive advice O0...... Regner model steam components are world renown ;) ....... for quality in their respective ranges
One interestingly point is there appears to be an individual de-oiler/condenser [REG40453] per engine :o........
The boiler water, or gas tank capacity will dictate run times and hence oiler water discharge requirements
Many will look forward to your build and do not hesitate to ask any questions......
Derek
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Very nice, this will be interesting to follow
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Good evening....may we call you Tafel?
Hello Derek, and thank you for stopping by!
You may also call me Dominik, or Dom, which is my real life name ;)
Opening up the world of controlling two reversible twin cylinder steam engines [PICCOLO] will pose many questions, however a number of members here will openly offer helpful constructive advice O0
Yes, that will certainly be an interesting point once I get there. Shhhhh, can you hear an RC kit with a proportional mixer coming up somewhere in the not too distant future? %%
One interestingly point is there appears to be an individual de-oiler/condenser [REG40453] per engine :o ........
Yes, there are indeed two of these, and according to the manual that came with the kit, that's the way it is supposed to be. Is that unusual?
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Hi Dom,
The pewter castings look very nice indeed. I hope they have no 'stepping' and that the mould lines are minimal. It makes cleaning up so much easier.
A tip for filing or 'fettling' pewter and white metal is to rub some talc into the teeth of the file first as this helps prevent them from getting clogged up with pewter that you then have to pick out unless you have a file rake.
This will be another good topic to follow in the late Winter and into Spring. I hope that the Summer will be fine for when you get her on the water for ballast and running tests.
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The pewter castings look very nice indeed. I hope they have no 'stepping' and that the mould lines are minimal. It makes cleaning up so much easier.
Well, most of them look decent enough, but the A-Frames for the prop shafts have some substantional mould lines. I cleaned them up using my Dremel and a rotary polishing tool, but there are some areas I couldn't reach with it that are going to need some manual attention.
[/size]A tip for filing or 'fettling' pewter and white metal is to rub some talc into the teeth of the file first as this helps prevent them from getting clogged up with pewter that you then have to pick out unless you have a file rake. [/size]
Some very useful advice there, thank you! I just added baby powder to my shopping list :-))
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I did it, I just drilled the first couple of holes. Scary stuff :o
The two A-frames have very tiny supports and they aren't of equal size (probably due to substantial mould lines which had to be removed), so the holes for the screws are a tight fit. I'll probably need to get smaller diameter screws to get them in unconstrained. The supplied batch is 3,5 mm-somethingish (I suppose some weird english imperial screw size ok2 ), so I will probably get some 3,0 mm screws which will get me some more wiggle room.
So far I have only drilled one of the four holes to put things tentatively together.
Drilling the holes for the drive shafts into the GFK hull was a breeze with the Dremel milling cutter.
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Just a short update (as a lengthy note I just wrote has been eaten by the forum I'm afraid >:-o ).
Bought a couple of accessories today but some more are needed since the shop I went to didn't have everything I had on my list.
In the dry docks nothing much has happened, I rubbed her bottom down a bit but some more work and body filler is still needed.
I shortened the lower rudder support to the needed length. This mould is a bit misshapen, to say the least, and will need some rubbing once installed in place.
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Thanks keep it going :-))
I'm a bit disappointed with the lack of quality of the Caldercraft fittings. How hard can it be to make these :((
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One problem with these older kits is that the moulds tend to wear out and are not refreshed so the fittings lose their definition. With things like the keel extension as shown above I prefer to use the supplied fitting as a pattern and fabricate a copy in something more robust such as brass. I also discard things like immensely heavy white metal rudders and fabricate a replacement in brass with stuck on plywood or metal strip detail. If the rudder needs to be contoured then make the basic plate in brass and build up the shape with car filler. The result is much lighter.
Colin
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I'm a bit disappointed with the lack of quality of the Caldercraft fittings. How hard can it be to make these :((
Yeah, well. All in all they don't look so bad, it's just with these couple of bigger (and mechanically important) parts, maybe I just had an unlucky batch. However, there are some other, um, difficulties, of which I will tell you in a minute.
With things like the keel extension as shown above I prefer to use the supplied fitting as a pattern and fabricate a copy in something more robust such as brass. I also discard things like immensely heavy white metal rudders and fabricate a replacement in brass with stuck on plywood or metal strip detail.
Thank you for your input (and for your immensely helpful review from back when which I frequently refer to O0 ).
I agree that the keel extension may benefit from a replacement and I already ordered some stuff to give it a try. I ordered a piece of brass and a needle roller bearing for the rudder axle. I'm not sure whether I'll come up with something useful with that stuff, but in case of failure I still have the original parts.
I don't see the problem with the rudder blade and in fact like the heavy build of that thing. I bought a couple of high torque servos anyway, so this shouldn't be an issue as long as it runs smoothly in its supports.
As for the drive shaft support A-frames - they are all over the place, shape-wise. When I first tentatively mounted them, there was a difference of approx. 6 mm when measured from the stern. This will not do.
I mounted them onto a piece of scrap wood, carefully warmed them with a hair dryer to make the metal a bit soft and then carefully, softly bent it like Beckham (see image below).
I proceeded likewise for the other A-frame, albeit in the opposite direction.
After two rounds of re-mounting, measuring and more bending, they were almost spot-on, if slightly bent. But that's the price I have to pay to have the propellers in perfect symmetry {:-{
I then tentatively mounted the rudder support plate and determined the place for the upper hole in the hull. Difficult place to drill since it's slanting and so close to the vertical part of the keel. I used an extended Dremel drill to bore a pilot hole and then drilled from the other (upper) side downwards. The result was perfect, I'm glad (and prowd) to report :P
Caldercraft fail intermezzo: the rudder parts bag came with a note (see below): Important: Rudder tube is now BRASS.
What they failed to mention, however, is that said rudder tube also doesn't fit the rudder shaft. It simply doesn't. Because it is too small. The rudder shaft is 5,0 mm in diameter and the rudder tube, which, important, is now in brass, only has 4,8 mm inner diameter <*<
Off to the hardware store I went to buy an appropriate 5,0 mm id brass tube which actually fits the rudder shaft.
So if you're about to build the Imara yourself, you may want to double check the inner diameter of your supplied rudder tube.
In the picture below you can see the rudder, the supplied and the home made rudder tube. Note the slightly different sizes.
After I had this little nuisance out of the way I had to manufacture a wooden support for the upper part of the rudder tube since this part no longer seems to be part of the kit (it used to be a white metal part, but I've read other building blogs where they also noted that this part was MIA. No big deal. A wooden block is presumably more solid, anyway.
After I had everything in place (and in the right size), I shortened the screws for the drive shaft supports accordingly and glue-screwed them in place. Likewise the rudder tube and its wooden support. The epoxy is hardening as I type this %%
The white metal parts are now coated with white primer, in case you wonder.
Next step will be mounting the drive shafts and aligning them with the steam engine...
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Sorry, double post.
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Moulds will degrade due to undercuts and rough handling and especially under extremes of heat (casting white metal) or chemical burn (Casting resins). Moulds never wear equally and so while it is possible to have several negatives survive, they will degrade eventually.
If RTV rubber is used for casting white metal, the mould may even have split causing cracks to show on the castings surfaces as RTV for white metal casting is brittle and ghastly, but cheaper to use than a vulcanised mould. This requires a press, mould can and special rubber blanks in silicone (If the originals are made from styrene or similar low temperature) and also organinc rubber, and so is expesive to set up tough there are mould makers around who can do the job for you.
Production moulds should be replaced when the negatives start to wear or rubber that will form hollows in the casting pulls out leaving a solid metal or resin casting. This is infact counter productive as the costs of material increases affecting the cost of a product and thus profit.
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Production moulds should be replaced when the negatives start to wear or rubber that will form hollows in the casting pulls out leaving a solid metal or resin casting. This is infact counter productive as the costs of material increases affecting the cost of a product and thus profit.
Do tell that the guys at CalderCraft :-)
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Are there any fellow Imara builders reading this? If you built the Imara recently or not too long ago: can you confirm that, contrary to what the instruction manual says, the plans are now actually in full size and to scale?
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Just got a package with some more bits and pieces. Will be a busy weekend :}
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A nice example I found
https://charlesmccrossan.smugmug.com/Ships-and-Shipping/Models/Model-Tugs-and-Workboats/i-ZPqdpc5/A
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Oh yes, she's definitely a beauty! O0
Now, I have a question about some spray paint I just bought for the GFK hull, not sure if it's suitable for this purpose. If you please kindly follow me to this topic (http://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,57545.0.html) :-)
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I made some minor progress lately. The drive shafts are now glued in place, and I finally bought myself a drill press. Wanted one of these for a long time anyway.
Next up is the mount for the steam engines.
Oh, and guys... I need some help with the propellers, please. I just can't figure out which part of the drive shaft goes where. See picture below. There's a washer, a nut and a ring with a socket screw. I guess the nut and washer goes at the propeller end and the ring/socket screw at the other end? :o
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Yes, that's about it. The nut is a locknut against the prop. The washer seals the outboard end of the shaft and the ring with socket secures the inboard end of the shaft
Colin
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Gotcha. Thanks, Colin!
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Just to qualify my previous post. I am assuming that the tube goes through the hole in the A frame and doesn't terminate just outside the hull with an exposed length of shaft going to the A frame.
It is important that the thrust is taken on the end of the tube and transmitted to the hull. With an exposed shaft the nut should lock against the prop and the washer and ring should be between the A frame and the tube against the end of the tube and used to position the shaft so that there is a small gap between the A frame and the prop locknut. Then the A frame just acts as a bearing and does not take the thrust.
Either way, there should also be something to secure the shaft inside the hull to stop it pulling out or placing strain on the motor bearings when going astern.
Colin
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Some more pics for you
:-))
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/272585825424
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Just to qualify my previous post. I am assuming that the tube goes through the hole in the A frame and doesn't terminate just outside the hull with an exposed length of shaft going to the A frame.
Yes, the tube goes all the way through the A frame and to the propeller. I successfully fitted the propellers accordingly :-))
Now I need to align and mount the steam engine to the prop shafts. Not too easy (for me at least) with the hull slanting in all directions.
Some more pics for you :-)) https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/272585825424 (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/272585825424)
Nice, thanks! :-)
Yesterday I inquired at Model Sounds Inc. about their ShockWave2 Sound module. Shipping to Switzerland is $53, which is a bit more than I anticipated. But fortunately the Swiss Franc is strong compared to the Canadian $ and so it seems to be affordable after all. That would bring the total cost of the module to approx. CAD$ 243. That's roughly 182 Swiss Francs or £148 for you UK guys ok2
Oh, and another thing: I put her stand together O0
It's not yet glazed, but will be soon. I'll probably go for a dark mahogany glazing (and perhaps a brass name plate). Wel'll see.
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Made some progress in the last couple of days: built the pedestal for the steam aggregates and glued it into the hull.
In hindsight it would have been easier (and actually more straightforward) if I mounted the aggregates first and after that the wooden support for the drive shafts. Ah well, learning as I go %)
Anyway, the aggregates are of corse removable, they're secured with 4 screws each that go into drive-in nuts on the bottom side of the pedestal plate.
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Fantastic
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Thank you :-)
Picking up on Colin's suggestion, I made a rudder support plate out of brass. It's maybe a bit clunkier than the white metal one but on the plus side it holds a needle roller bearing.
I took a picture with them side by side.
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You have made a good job of the rudder support , Just as a observation the needle roller bearing will not be turning very much and the environment that it is in you will have to keep plenty of lubrication there I have a feeling that it might start to jam if grit gets in so you might find the rudder fouls .
just my thoughts you can tell me to take a running jump I will understand
David
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David,
you may well have a point there, I haven't thought of that. Will have to keep an eye on it if and when pond yuck gets into it and what it does.
Yours is probably good advice to keep it well lubricated.
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While the epoxy for the supports of the stern electronics plate is setting, I'm thinking about a possible layout for the steam engine parts (boiler, condensers, gas tank).
Although I can't finalise anything until I'm 100% sure where the funnel is going to sit, I need to order a couple of supplemental steam pipes for making the connections.
I guess there's still room left for the battery and some other stuff (three electric pumps, for instance :D )
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Dom....as you progress, you will find the following very useful for manufacturing your own self bent tube spools
Du-Bro tube benders for both 1/8" and 5/32" OD tube.....also suitable for 3 mm and 4 mm OD hard metric sized tubes
Manufacturing small tube bends in 3D is an art O0....some say for every 1" of correctly bent tube.....[maybe you have used 12" of material]
Refillable gas torch is great for soldering tube connections and annealing tube prior to bending
Are you aware that plumbers soft solder may be suitable for exhaust tubes, however steam lines from the boiler to the engine should be joined preferably via silver solder or high temperature soft solder
There a number of threads here on MBM about soldering
Derek
PS......
1. your engine bed is good that you have a raised lip around the edges, as oscillator's tend to spray a little sloshy water about..... :o
2. what type of electric driven water pumps are you considering?
3. please remember that the gas tank should be made easily removable [for filling outside of the hull]
4. you may wish to research a little in the actual recommended placement of the gas tank to the boiler may be critical with respect to temperature gradients especially with the cooler ambient temperatures in Europe
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Derek,
many thanks for your tips and considerations! Mucho helpful :-))
Are you aware that plumbers soft solder may be suitable for exhaust tubes, however steam lines from the boiler to the engine should be joined preferably via silver solder or high temperature soft solder
Actually I intend to use pre-soldered (ready-made) tubing which is available in different lengths from the manufacturer. This has 'only' to be bent in the right shape.
2. what type of electric driven water pumps are you considering?
One is a bilge pump, two is a gear type pump for a fire monitor (I like having one of these for scaring people off the pond :embarrassed: ) and three is a small peristaltic pump for a cooling water outlet simulation.
3. please remember that the gas tank should be made easily removable [for filling outside of the hull]
4. you may wish to research a little in the actual recommended placement of the gas tank to the boiler may be critical with respect to temperature gradients especially with the cooler ambient temperatures in Europe
Actually, I'm just considering discarding the tank and going with small gas cartridges instead. This would make the whole re-filling procedure redundant. Also, I'm looking at an automated gas flow regulator (http://shop-holzapfeldampf.ch/contents/de-ch/p9422.html) (link destination is in german).
Any thoughts on this?
Thanks,
Dom
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The first rudder and keel extension plate fitting test. Everything seems to fit nicely. The rudder got some coats of red oxide and I like the color :-)
Inside the hull I made a plate for the servos and other electronics. At the front end it is held in place by a strong magnet, let-in flush, but I will probably still add an additional mechanical clamp for good measure.
Now I'm thinking about how to mount the three servos, which will be the next step.
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Dom......the photograph suggests the servo plate may be ''MDF" type board......unless it is the type specially listed as OK for bathroom/laundry and moisture....best avoid it O0
Most MDF board material will swell >>:-( when exposed to moisture even if painted or varnished
Marine grade ply is a suitable alternative......and will accept paint or varnish without issue
Derek
PS......if your engine plate is the same MDF material it will be best to also replace this with marine grade ply sheet
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I use paxolin
Can drill and tap it superglue it and waterproof
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Agree with Derek - don't use MDF if that is what it is.
Colin
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Oh :o
Yes, the servo plate is indeed MDF. Thanks for the heads up, guys!
The engine plate is made out of plywood, fortunately. Only the two small supports beneath it are MDF as is the drive shaft / servo plate support...
These will have to go, then, I'm afraid <:(
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You guys probably saved my bacon there by advising me not to use MDF O0
Still, this gives me a bit of a headache now since I have to remove the drive shaft/servo plate support plate which is also MDF, lest it swells and misalignes the drive shafts. We can't have that now, can we.
So this thing has to go by way of the Dremel mill. Of course I just glued in an additional cross-support the day before %)
Anyway, once that thing is gone, it will be replaced by this cross-beam (see image below, not yet painted).
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I milled out the dreaded MDF support plate <:(
It was a messy and somewhat difficult job, but I got it done eventually. I had to be extra careful not to damage any other structures or the hull.
Anyway, now I'm already in the process of re-assembly.
in the pictures below you can see the new and improved (as in: plywood) servo plate and the new crossbeams replacing the old MDF plate.
And the peristaltic pump for the cooling water simulation just arrived ok2
I wonder where the cooling water outlet should go. Any suggestions?
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Dom....please give us the heads up on the detail and supplier of the baby peristaltic pump......at a controlled speed this will simulate the characteristics of a steam driven piston pump :-))
[Many years ago, I supervised the 'shock testing' <*< of the Dutch Bredel peristaltic pump for our first Australian Collins Class submarine build......it was in the original equipment build from Kockumms {Malmo}]
Derek
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Derek,
The peristaltic pump is a WPM1 from Welco (www.welco.net (http://www.welco.net/product/wpm.html)).
They have many different sized models and you can configure them to your needs (motor voltage, tube size and so on).
The WPM1 draws approx. 0,3A at 12V.
Dom
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Thanks Dom....that is a very interesting WEB site
If the image below is your pump, it would appear that you have chosen a silicone pump tube from the broad and exotic range of tube materials available
The life of any peristaltic tube is only relative to the number of pulsations, the pressure & the medium .......& that the pump tube is mechanically deformed & closed/stressed when not in use
An advantage of this pump is that it appears that you could simply disable the pump outer shell...& remove the rotor when not used
If this is the case, you could expect a lifetime of operation based upon the frequency of operation of a model ship over a given time period
Please keep us posted with your pump installation & progress
Derek
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Just a minor update and a lousy picture of yesterday's work.
Prepared the crossbeam which will hold the electronics plate by means of some strong magnets. The magnets in the electronics plate are not yet glued in, that will be today's task.
I also made a servo plate for the two steam engine servos.
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The servo plates are now done and got their first coat of paint, as did the backside of the electronics plate with its 5 magnets.
Next step will be a rough layout of all the stuff that will be mounted on the electronics plate:
- Servos
- Receiver
- Electronic switches (pending)
- Sound board
- Peristaltic pump
- Gear pump
- DC/DC converter 12V --> 6V (pending)
- DC/DC converter 12V --> 3V (pending)
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The servo plate is taking on shape. I have mounted the two servo seats and the seat for the peristaltic pump.
Tonight I will test mount the servos.
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Some progress with the servo plate.
Mounted the Servos and the rods, also there's some bits and pieces to see where they may go eventually (peristaltic pump, gear pump, sound module).
No receiver yet, but it's practically clear where it will go.
I still need some more bits and parts, but there's enough room on the plate for everything, it seems. O0
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:-))
Some more pictures to grab here
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MODEL-TUG-BOAT-IMARA-/112356720275?hash=item1a28fb7e93:g:5dUAAOSwXYtY4VLT
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Some more progress with the servo plate. What's still missing is the DC/DC board which will convert and distribute the 12V from the battery to 12V, 6V and 3V for the different appliances.
I got a waterproof housing for the receiver in place, but no receiver yet :D
And there are three power switches for the RC for switching the pumps and the light.
I also made a plate for the boiler and condensers, but I can't glue it in yet since i still don't know where exactly the funnel is going to be %)
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Just cooling off the soldering iron after soldering the DC/DC board which converts and distributes the 12V from the battery (pending) to +12V, +6V, and +3,3V for the receiver, pumps, light, sound board and whatever I may come up with during the build ;)
It's already tested and working fine :-))
There's a dedicated row of pins for every one of the 3 different voltages (+) and one for the ground (-). The pins can either be soldered to or plugged.
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The DC/DC-board is now complete and ready for use. There's a second, dedicated 6V DC/DC-converter for the receiver and everything is fitted onto a small plywood seat which can be velcroed to the servo plate. Ready for making all these connections and the servo plate starts to look kinda busy :}
I also started planking the boiler and I have to confess that this isn't my favorite task so far, as you may be able to tell when looking closely at the picture (please don't ok2 ). But what needs to be done needs to be done, I guess.
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Some very neat and very nice work being done there. :-))
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Dom.....
I am sure in is in your longer term planning, but how will control the two standard servos for speed/direction of each engine....simultaneously & individually?
I understand that Robbe market a 'Navy' version transmitter with two side by side [twin stick] independent controls,........but not sure of other possibilities as marketed
Derek
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Some very neat and very nice work being done there. :-))
Thank you, Brian!
I am sure in is in your longer term planning, but how will control the two standard servos for speed/direction of each engine....simultaneously & individually?
Derek, I'm looking into this RC set from Graupner (https://youtu.be/9l3eq8c2nUY) (mz-24 PRO). It has lots of mixers and stuff and I'm sure programming a mixer for the engines / rudder action may be accomplished with this.
Yesterday I mounted the boiler parts on their seat and test mounted the deck boards to get an idea of how things may eventually look inside the hull.
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I decided to go with the supplied keel extension, after all. I fitted it with a plain bearing to lessen the friction. After covering the whole thing with car body filler and sanding it down, I think the result is kinda pleasing.
The rudder is now firmly in place and the inside part of the stern keel section is filled / sealed with epoxy.
Apart from that, I drilled a couple of holes into the keel for the lugs that will supply the two pumps.
And then there are a couple of holes and lugs in the shell plate: one is the outlet for the cooling water simulation, and the other is the outlet for the bilge pump.
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Looking good, can I please ask what the white glue holding the propshafts and rudder support is, car body filler? Looks more like a silicone type glue.
Thanks
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Yes, it's car body filler. It's the first time I'm working with that stuff, but I like it. It smells kinda nasty until dry, but it's very easy to sculpt and sand.
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PLEASE put some P40 over that filler on the inside of the hull car body filler HAS NO STRUCTURAL strength at all it can crack under vibration.Others will jump on the bandwagn here and say it works for me TRUST me I do know what I am talking about here
Dave
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PLEASE put some P40 over that filler on the inside of the hull car body filler HAS NO STRUCTURAL strength at all it can crack under vibration.
Dave, thank you for the heads up. I intended to cover the filled joints of the drive shafts with some epoxy soaked glass fibre. May I ask what you mean by 'P40' as I couldn't find anything on the net (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P40) about that?
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What Dave is suggesting is Isopon P40 it's a fibreglass based filler http://www.halfords.com/motoring/paints-body-repair/fillers-preparation/davids-isopon-p40-glass-fibre-repair-paste-600ml (http://www.halfords.com/motoring/paints-body-repair/fillers-preparation/davids-isopon-p40-glass-fibre-repair-paste-600ml)
hope that helps
Paul
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Gotcha. Thanks, Paul!
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I am just loving this post and your work, I also go along with the comments with regard to the car body filler.
I use Milliput two part epoxy putty for most of my filling and fixing, as it is like a putty, you can smooth it with water so less sanding, can be drilled and more, have a look at there Webb site www.milliput.com
Fred
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Thank you, Fred, I think I've used that putty before and I think they got this stuff in our local hardware store. Will check it out next time I'm there :-))
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Here are the two water outlets for the cooling water and the bilge pump from the outside. Being a tug, the Imara has a rather high water line, meaning that the distance between the deck and the water line is kinda small. Therefore I guess that the water outlets will sit only approx. 2-3 cm above the water.
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Tried something I've never done before: steam bending wooden bands for the deck support. One of the bands cracked slightly, but I think I can still use it (provided they actually stay in shape after cooling and drying :} ) since the crack is on the side that will be glued into the notch.
I have no idea what kind of wood this is, but it gave off a slightly unpleasant smell during steaming. Anyway, I wonder what the result of my bending attempt will look like tomorrow. Stay tuned ok2
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Give "Windowlene" it works treat ,spray on let it soak in then bend simple. :-))
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I found steaming costly and messy
I've been soaking wood overnight and then forming it
Then let it dry out in the required shape
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Well well, the bow side bands turned out almost perfect. The stern ones will need some additional treatment, though. I will try T33cno's suggestion and soaking them over night :-))
Glueing in the first of the bent suppport beams. I'm a bit short of big clamps, so it will be one beam after the other.
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Well, it turns out that I wasn't very successful with the soaking method, after all. After soaking the wood over night, it just cracked when I tried to bend it. But never mind, I will solve this problem in a different way that won't involve bending.
Anyway, while the glue of the second bow band settles, I did some more soldering on the servo / electronics plate. I don't think it's much of a secret that I'm a bit more capable with the soldering iron than I'm at bending wood {-)
Also, I finally went and bought (mail ordered) the RC set and it should arrive tomorrow or on thursday. Then I can complete the board and smoke test everything.
BTW I now covered the car body filler parts with glass fibre and epoxy as some of you guys advised. It's not very pretty in places but it sure adds security and stability.
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If its only support beams why not put several cuts part way through to take the resistance out of it?
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Yes, that's what I'll probably end up doing :-))
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Well, well, well. I guess Santa was a bit early this year and he brought with him a nice RC set :embarrassed:
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Reading what Stavros said about P38 being prone to vibration, I will try some other methods to secure my deckwales as well.
Your work with the epoxy and matt is quite tidy as is your filling around the keel/dead water area :-))
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Your work with the epoxy and matt is quite tidy as is your filling around the keel/dead water area :-))
Thank you! It still needs some more sanding, though.
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Been working on her entrails again. The servo plate is now almost finished. Added the receiver and had to relocate some parts because the receiver is bigger than anticipated with all the plugs inserted.
Put in a couple of 6V 4,2Ah batteries connected in series to give 12V.
I also fitted the bilge pump. And this got me thinking... looking at Brian Robert's Imara build from this thread (http://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,15584.msg175624.html#msg175624), I realized that she sits really, really low in the water and that the wash may come up to the designated bilge pump outlet, which will then lead water straight down into the pump and hull. So I probably better lead the bilge pump outlet someplace higher, over the deck level (a sailor figure working with a hose comes to mind).
I can then use the lower hole either as a second cooling water outlet (no problem with that being flushed over occasionally) or as a decoy.
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Could I ask how you arrived at selecting those steam engines for motive power?
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This is the steam engine that Krick, the German re-seller, is recommending. See here: http://www.krickshop.de/Produkte/Funktionsmodelle/Schiffsmodelle-mit-Funktion/Imara-Zweischr-Baukasten.htm?a=article&ProdNr=27012&p=73#productdetails-csr (http://www.krickshop.de/Produkte/Funktionsmodelle/Schiffsmodelle-mit-Funktion/Imara-Zweischr-Baukasten.htm?a=article&ProdNr=27012&p=73#productdetails-csr)
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Interesting can't wait for the maiden voyage
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Using the Sailor with hose idea will be attractive and a novel idea.
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Interesting can't wait for the maiden voyage
Thanks, me too :-)
Using the Sailor with hose idea will be attractive and a novel idea.
Yes, I think I'll keep this idea in mind. Any ideas where to find some sailor figures, preferably made from plastic? I'm not sure I like the provided white metal figures.
Meanwhile, here's a short video from the first test of the cooling water pump (https://www.dropbox.com/s/jeg0ruonc623orq/2017-05-03%2017.21.48.mp4?dl=0). I have integrated a potentiometer to the pump to regulate the water flow once she's on the pond.
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Yesterday my Imara saw her first dip in the tub for a leak test and ballast evaluation. After putting everything into the hull, I determined that:
1. No leaks (good job with the filler and epoxy, obviously)
2. I will need an additional 4-5 kg of ballast to get her down to the waterline. Finally I can put some of my spare gold bullions to good use {-)
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Would love to see the steam plant running in that test tank :-))
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Yeah, me either... but alas, the steam engine is not yet ready. Before I can install it and bend the tubing for the connections, I need to know the exact location of the funnel. I'm afraid this will take some time still.
But I have a picture of the steam engine with the (now attached) gas regulator valve. Made the connecting tube for it the other day.
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Now that the innards are almost complete, it's time to wrap up this building phase and go a step further.
After unscrambling and taming the tubing by way of some pieces of pvc tube I'm now ready to mount the crossbeams. Before fitting the stern crossbeam, I will perform another ballast test. After the beams and deck are in place, it will be much harder to fit additional ballast, should there need be. i have now 5 kg of lead pellets for the purpose.
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Time to wrap up the work on the servo plate. I filled the stern keel section with about 1,5 kg of lead, all the way listening to Led Zeppelin's "Mothership" album %%
Lead trivia alert:
Did you know that the english words for plumbing and plumber derive from the days of old when the plumbing actually was made out of lead (latin: plumbum)?
As we all know today, this was (and still is) a bad idea as lead is kinda poisonous. This is also why we don't sweeten the wine with lead acetate any more :-X
Also, did you know that the Mythbusters once built a baloon made entirely from lead (https://youtu.be/HZSkM-QEeUg) and it actually floated? Still not actually a led Zeppelin, but probably as close as it gets O0
Anyway, the lead in my Imara is safely tucked away under a sheet of glassfibre and polyester resin. I coated/soaked the lead balls with resin first to secure them inside the hull.
After the resin set somewhat, it was time to insert the servo plate for good and glue in the last one of the crossbeams.
Although it will still be possible to move the servo plate somewhat (this is why I mounted it with magnets), it will need some effort and fiddling to do so once the deck is in place. But basically, in case of an electrical emergency, it should - at least in theory- be possible to access most of the stuff that is mounted on it.
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Your a brave man I always need to adjust the lead once the boat is in the "big" pond rather than the test tub (bath).
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Bravery has nothing to do with it. It's simply the fact that I won't have access to the stern keel section after the deck is in place.
But there will still be need for adjusment later. I'm gonna need approx. 4-5 kg of ballast in total.
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Did you know that the english words for plumbing and plumber derive from the days of old when the plumbing actually was made out of lead (latin: plumbum)?
As we all know today, this was (and still is) a bad idea as lead is kinda poisonous. This is also why we don't sweeten the wine with lead acetate any more
Up to about 10 years ago when they replaced the pipes with plastic, all our mains water came through lead pipes.
The water company had real fun trying to connect the water meter to it...
Lance
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Nice build, can I ask where you get the lead shot from? Thanks
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Thank you! The lead shot is from a local store here in Switzerland (which is presumably of little use to you, I'm afraid): http://www.plomben.ch/bleiteile.htm
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Hello gang :-)
After a couple of weeks away (been on a vacation in Sweden - among other things, we visited the Vasa museum in Stockholm. That thing would make a great build, if you're into historic model ships, that is. I'm not ok2 ), it's now all hands on deck again - glueing in the deck after sanding it to shape and filling the pores.
And should I ever get behind the strange behaviour regarding font size in this forum, I buy a round.
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I must admit that glueing in the aft part of the deck felt a tad scary. From now on, access to the innards is strongly limited and it won't be easy to fix or amend something, should the need arise :o
Anyway, the deck is now firmly in place and the gap between the deck and bulwarks is all filled up with car body filler. Jeez, that stuff smells evil.
Any advice on how to smoothen the bulwarks above the deck? The manual advises levelling with car body filler and then sanding, but I wonder if there's an easier way? How are you guys doing it?
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I have found the best way to treat the uneven side of the bulwarks is to line them with thin material. My preference is to use 0.5mm birch ply but others have used styrene fixed with thick superglue.
Colin
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Must admit I have used the bodyfiller method it's messy but effective.
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The problem with body filler, as I see it, is that that stuff hardens so fast I don't have enough time to neatly scrape it in place all around. I wonder if there's something similar with a slightly longer workability time.
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Body filler takes a lot of effort to smooth down to a level surrface. I have used the lining method on two boats and it is much, much easier. Plus it gives a better flat finish.
Colin
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OK, thanks, Colin, I will consider the lining method. Sounds like a good alternative, although I can't just see how this works at the bow and stern section where the bulwarks are considerably bent in three dimensions.
BTW, Colin, in your Imara build review from back when you wrote something along the line "I simply gave it two coats of resin which had a similar effect" (quote from top of my head). Do you remember and if so, could you elaborate a bit on that?
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You would need to make a template from thin cardboard and transfer this to a sheet of styrene
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So
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Portgarth-volume-2/i-DS9HQMd/0/19eac1c4/L/IMG_1040-L.jpg)
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When I made Imara I did use resin. Laid the hull on its sides and at angles for the bow and upright for the stern and used the self levelling of the resin to do the job. It worked reasonably well but on subsequent models I found that lining did a neater job. Obviously you do need to do it in sections to avoid having to make complex curves in the templates .
Colin
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Gotcha. Thank you guys, I will look into it :-))
I hope my local hardware store has 0,5mm styrene plates. I do know they have the 3mm kind.
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Another question for you guys concerning the holes for the anchors: the instructions states one should drill the holes and fit the white metal hawse, and in goes the anchor. But there doesn't seem to be any kind of pipe envisaged. I'm afraid that the model can and will draw water through the anchor hawse.
I thought of glueing in small plastic beakers or a short piece of plastic tube, which would probably be the obvoious solution.
Any suggestions?
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I went for the styrene lining method, at first. I even succeeded at cutting some pieces in the right shape. Alas, I got frustrated since the sheets came off the day after. Probably took the wrong kind of glue.
Car body filler to the rescue. Although you guys are right, it took a lot of effort and I couldn't get it down to an even, level surface. Plus, the new batch of body filler is darker and slightly softer (almost rubberish) and won't sand as smooth as the other one from Graupner. Oh well. Some frustration goes with every build, I guess {:-{
After spending the better part of a day sanding, it was time to cut some holes for stem bar and anchor hawses.
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Hello fellow shipmates
I need some help, if you've built the Imara or have access to one.
Building the aft section where the two bollards sit, I can't make out which part they're sitting on. The descriptions don't indicate any measurements, and the plans are not to scale >>:-(
I have two almost identical plates, one is 25 x 9 mm and the other one is 28,5 x 13 mm. My guess is it's the smaller one, but I really can't be sure.
It's part #46 on the plan pics below, indicated with red arrows on the picture of the ply.
Also, if anyone has any detailed pictures of the plate with the gratings (parts #24 - 28) and how exactly this is built, I'd greatly appreciate it.
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Here's my Imara.
Any help ?
ken
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Thanks, but I'm afraid this isn't detailled enough. If you could take some close-ups from the section in question and / or measure the size of the small bollards plate, I'd appreciate it and I'd also owe you a beer or twenty ;)
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I'm afraid the model is long gone and all I have are the build pictures you see.
There is a build blog on here if you have the time to go through it, but I feel that the accuracy that you require may not be found in this builders repetois. :}
I have been looking back through the site and cannot find my build, but there are other builds where you might find the information you are looking for.
Hope this helps
ken
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Thanks, Ken!
I will sift through the pictures on here and on another forum, maybe I can solve this problem.
Or hopefully maybe somebody else with the Imara may show up and points me in the right direction.
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Anything useful here? - http://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/Gallery/Imara/index.htm
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Thank you, Martin.
Unfortunately also way too little detail on these pics.
One thing I figured out now is that, contrary to the description, the gratings seem to be made from laser cut plywood instead of white metal. Why Caldercraft didn't bother updating the descriptions and the plans is beyond me, though.
Still need to figure out the size of the small bollards plate.
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OK, I think I got it sorted. I found a picture in another forum that shows the aft part I'm interested in. After some measuring and interpolating, I came to the conclusion that it must be the bigger of the two parts, after all.
http://modeltugforum.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1222.0;attach=15886;image
Thank you!
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I must have dozens of photos of the Imara, but no good ones of the aft deck.... :((
A few from the web:
(http://www.imarablog.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/brians-imara-6.jpg)
(http://www.hobbiesguinea.es/759-1483-thickbox/caldercraft-7012-imara-harbour-tug-boat-length-1105-mm.jpg)
(http://www.modelboats.co.uk/sites/2/images/member_albums/137922/539193.jpg)
(http://www.jotika-ltd.com/CKitPics/LRG/Imara_01_07_lrg.jpg)
(http://www.wicksteedparkmbc.com/uploads/1/1/7/3/11739964/1295030_orig.jpg)
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Thanks, Martin! Some nice and useful stuff there.
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All the cutouts cut out. Now she's almost ready for her first coat of primer and paint. First mate already inspecting his future vessel :police: But I suggest he better not quit his current day job yet ok2
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Agent Orange, or: The Paint Job from Hell
Done some painting over the weekend.
The first round of white metal fittings - filing them took lots of patience and time, but they turned out very well. Two coats of primer and two coats of Tamiya black.
I then went to painting the deck and the inner bulwarks. Applying two or three coats of primer worked like a charm. After the primer was dry, the proverbial poop started hitting the fan, however. My rattle can of orange-red (or Agent Orange, as I soon started to dub it), was very problematic. First of, the color hue was not exactly what I anticipated - too red. And the paint itself was horrible. I can only assume that they sold me an ancient can - and I swear on my grandmothers grave that I gave it a thorough shake - because what exited the can was a mixture of dry powder and messy, sluggish paint. Mostly it was just dry, orange powder >>:-(
Unfortunately I didn't notice this right away and I ended up painting-powdering the whole deck with that horrible dust-can.
After the mess was dry, I could wipe most of the powder right off with a dry cloth. The sticky, sluggish parts of the paint, not so much.
The good news is, it took me all evening yesterday to remove this messy Agent Orange - sanding, wiping - both dry and with ethanol to get an acceptable surface again. I just realized I started this sentence with "the good news is". I have no idea, why I did that... {:-{ :(( >:-o >>:-(
Anyway, she's now ready for another coat of fresh (in every sense of the word) and nicer hue of paint %)
The image below shows her in all her messy glory.
So much for buying paint in a speciality shop <*<
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Whew, what a difference a decent can o' paint makes. She's now properly painted and although I wasn't able to remove all and the last part of the dusty, sticky old Agent Orange, the result is not perfect (my sanding job around the inner bulwarks also wasn't, as the primer mercilessly revealed), but somehow natural looking in a slightly almost kinda weathered way, if you know what I mean.
Next up is carefully covering the top part of the hull and then priming and painting the lower part. I hope this works out less painfully. At least I learned one important lesson with Agent Orange: always test drive a new can of paint {:-{
The shots below show her after applying the new and proper orange (traffic orange, as it is called for one reason or another). I also included a somewhat wider shot for your viewing pleasure as to get a glimpse into my working space ;)
Oh, and I brush painted some gratings, which won't be needed anytime soon, but just because I felt like it {-)
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I must have dozens of photos of the Imara, but no good ones of the aft deck.... :((
A few from the web:
(http://www.imarablog.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/brians-imara-6.jpg)
(http://www.hobbiesguinea.es/759-1483-thickbox/caldercraft-7012-imara-harbour-tug-boat-length-1105-mm.jpg)
(http://www.modelboats.co.uk/sites/2/images/member_albums/137922/539193.jpg)
(http://www.jotika-ltd.com/CKitPics/LRG/Imara_01_07_lrg.jpg)
(http://www.wicksteedparkmbc.com/uploads/1/1/7/3/11739964/1295030_orig.jpg)
I recognise the second picture down as the aft end of old member, Neil's Imara, but built as Perseverance, driven by 2 cheddar steam engines. I know it as his, because he put the aft cabin wrong way round, just to wind up the purists and rivet counters.......irreverent bar manager that he is at times.....but much to his chagrin, no one ever noticed, {-) {-)
Jim.
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She has come a long way and looks a treat :-)) I think you can get away with a certain level of 'crud' representing the crew maintaining what needed to be done to make their vessel earn it's keep and little else.
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Never having studied an Imara build %)....why do some examples depict the AFT lengths of the steering chain box casing of larger section than the FWD sections?......also in another image here we see :o a multitude of eye bolt lugs/eyes......atop of this larger section...
Derek
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She has come a long way and looks a treat :-)) I think you can get away with a certain level of 'crud' representing the crew maintaining what needed to be done to make their vessel earn it's keep and little else.
Yes, you got a point there. While it may serve as an excuse - after all, my skills (and sometimes also my patience, I must admit) are somewhat limited, even if I aim for perfection - I do think that you can actually be too fusspotty with a build. After all, as you correctly point out, real ships are hardly prestine if you look at them: sloppy paint jobs and welds prevail.
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Never having studied an Imara build %) ....why do some examples depict the AFT lengths of the steering chain box casing of larger section than the FWD sections?......also in another image here we see :o a multitude of eye bolt lugs/eyes......atop of this larger section...
Derek
The larger section will be to cover the spring that is normally fitted in the steering linkage.
Jim
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....why do some examples depict the AFT lengths of the steering chain box casing of larger section than the FWD sections?......also in another image here we see :o a multitude of eye bolt lugs/eyes......atop of this larger section...
Hi Derek
This is what the plan of the aft section with the chain boxes looks like.
Cheers,
Dom
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I don't believe this. I had another stinker of a rattle can <:(
Bought two cans of brownish red oxide for the lower part of the hull. The first one worked like a charm, but the second one started behaving a bit like that dreadful can of Agent Orange: dry powder exiting the can. I can only assume that one of the two cans was sitting in the shop for too long and part of the solvent evaporated. I always give all the cans a very thorough and vigorous shake, this can't be the problem (and the first one was OK, as I said).
Well, not much of a problem, provided that I can get my hands on a proper can {:-{
I don't know if you can see it on the pictures below, most of the color is from the good, first can but the white patches is from the bad one where the dry color didn't stick.
This really can't be true.
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I can only echo my sentiment from earlier: what a difference a proper can of paint makes. Today I bought not one but two cans of brownish red (or is that reddish brown? :-) ), just to be sure, for good measure.
And what can I say: mucho better - like a can of spray paint ought to behave. The result was accordingly convincing. This time I left some of the rough, powdery patches from the earlier Can of Death in place on purpose to give it that slightly rusty, weathered look that I came to like from the Orange Disaster last week. I think it looks the part.
Next up is determining her waterline (talkum powder is at hand) and spray painting the upper part of the hull in Tamiya Black.
I also got some pots of paint and started hand painting some of the fittings. I like doing that - it's almost meditational. And I can listen to some good music or to an audiobook or twenty {-)
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Revell do some good colours, I bought some to paint an Albacore some years back and the acrylics were a delight to use.
Re the rattle cans, did you buy them from the same shop? If so, I would avoid them and find another stockist, not always easy I know.
Your hull looks good :-))
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Thank you!
Nay, the two cans were from different shops and they're not even from the same manufacturer. My guess is that these two colors are not exactly bestsellers and sat on the shelf for too long... but I wonder. There's no exp date on any of the cans, nor a lot number or anything. How does one keep track of one's cans, age-wise?
Anyway, for the black paint job I have Tamiya rattle cans and I'm positive that they won't cause me any trouble. And after that it will primarily be hand painting.
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After cleaning and polishing the hull, I noticed that there were some parts on the A-frames where the color wouldn't stick, probably due to a layer of powder from the bad can. Will have to amend this, but right now it's raining and I can't go outside for this until our lawn has dried up.
In the meantime, I made a nifty waterline tool to draw the, you guessed it, waterline. This gave me a good excuse to finally tidy up my workbench a bit.
On the coloring front, I tried a little bit of weathering on some kind of hatch. What do you think?
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If you just have a small area to touch up then squirt some of the spray paint into the can cap and use a soft brush. Usually blends in very well I have found.
Colin
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Brilliant idea, Colin. Thanks!
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Tamiya rattle cans may be small and expensive, but they sure are of good quality. I used up two cans of matte black on the upper section of the hull.
Unfortunately the masking tape came off a bit in places which led to a less than perfect line. Some manual amendment necessary.
I think she slowly starts to look like a ship ;)
Now as for the white waterline, I think some of you guys tend to use some kind of adhesive band for this?
Any recommendations?
Thanks!
Dom
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Mask with Tamya tape paint along the edge with your Base colour, black for the top tape and red for the bottom then any paint bleed will not show, over paint in white.
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Mask with Tamya tape paint along the edge with your Base colour, black for the top tape and red for the bottom then any paint bleed will not show, over paint in white.
Thank you, but I'm afraid I don't get exactly what you mean. Could you please elaborate a bit?
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OK, the problem you described with the "bleed" of paint is caused by the paint creeping under the masking tape. If you apply the tape then paint along the edge (black and red in your case) then the "bleed will be the same colour as the hull. When you paint your white line you will not experience any bleed and the white line on removal of the tape will be crisp and sharp.
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Ah, now I got it. Sorry for being
thick slow. Great, I will try this. Thank you! 8)
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I have always used pin stripe for the boot line, I go to my local Auto paint suppler.
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I have always used pin stripe for the boot line, I go to my local Aoto paint suppler.
Thanks! I also considered this, but I couldn't get ahold on any auto paint suppliers in the area. I think I'll go with the masking and painting option.
I have painted up a small dummy made from an old toy car for some practicing. The tamiya masking tape should arrive by way of mail today.
In the meantime I glued the aft deck plankings in place and mounted the wash ports (or whatever they are called) to the bulwark. Also some more fittings built and painted.
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Hi Tafelspitz
Your boat is looking good, do you have a sign manufacturer near you? if you have then they some times they have scrap vinyl that they may be willing to let you have.
fred
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Thanks, Fred! Good idea :-))
BTW, is that the Imara on your avatar?
BTW, on another note I learned that Cyanacrylate super glue dissolves Tamiya paint. Who would have thought.
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Hi Tafelspitz
No it is the Perseverance from 1803, back in the early 90's I got a hull from S.W.M Models along with a set of templates, and now that I have been retired for the last three years i now have the time to start working on her, I am also working on a Mobile Model Marine Lady "T" along side her.
I used to be into Model Submarines but I was left a Tug by an old friend and that started my off on tug's.
I all most forgot to say I always get my red oxide and grey undercoat and any body filler I need from my local auto body shop suppler. as it works out cheaper than getting it from the model shop or from Halfords.
All the best
Fred
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Some more progress on the deck planking and some work done on the hatch. In the meantime I'm drawing the white waterline, fingers crossed that it will turn out well.
And just because I had the SLR camera out, a nice shot of the engine for your viewing pleasure :-)
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They will work well for you :-)) No stalling and lots of power with four cylinders I am sure.
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:-))
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OK, the problem you described with the "bleed" of paint is caused by the paint creeping under the masking tape. If you apply the tape then paint along the edge (black and red in your case) then the "bleed will be the same colour as the hull. When you paint your white line you will not experience any bleed and the white line on removal of the tape will be crisp and sharp.
I don't now whether you guys get my occasional song references or not, but during the last week or so I was down to the waterline ok2
It took some effort, not least 5 (count 'em, five) coats of white until I was completely satisfied with the covering. Thanks to steam up's advice, which was well worth following, I ended up with only minimal bleeding of the white color, namely around some of the rivets, which was amended in no time at all :-))
I think the white waterline makes all the difference in the world as far as the paint job is concerned. Well worth the effort.
The line is a tad slanted in some places, bit I doubt anyone will notice once she's on the pond.
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Railing time.
All the railing parts are sanded, rounded and primed.
And the steam engines are again mounted in their place. Also, I tried to apply some weathering to the deck.
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Some more minor progress. Painted the railings black, and the hatch is now completed. Glued in the bollards.
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Great progress :-))....certainly looking forward to the chapter on the steam installation O0........ Derek
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Thanks Derek! Looking forward to steamin' her up as well. Will take some time, though. So many things to do, so little time.
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Nice to see the progress, love to see that hull under steam power.
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Thanks!
Today I finished the railings. Pictures show the progress, glueing them in place, sanding the connections and connecting the lower stern section with the upper one using some Milliputty, and finally covering it up in black.
Next up manufacturing of the bulwark stanchions (hence the dremel tool at hand) :-)
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She gets better all the time :-)) The paint problems were an ordeal and I hope they are over now.
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Thank you! :-)
This is just a small update after I finished the stanchions. I will need to amend the black paint in some small places that got chipped away during the installation process. No big deal.
The stanchions were hand painted. I like hand painting, it has a calming and almost therapeutic effect :-)
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Last weekend I made myself a paintbox for spray painting (priming) fittings, parts and pieces. It also makes carrying the stuff outside and back easier.
Plus It gave me something to test run my new Proxxon circular saw :}
Up on the table is the next batch of white metal fittings.
One of the next tasks will be sanding and fitting the two parts of the upper structure. For some reason, that's something I keep procrastinating.
Anyway, next week will be off since we're on vacation. See you guys the week after the next.
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Hey guys and gals,
after a great vacation in the Swiss mountains (done some hiking and photographing), I'm back at the build.
Some minor progress today: added some fittings and sanded the machine house in shape. I'm not impressed with the mould quality of this part as it has (had) some thick seams on the side along the rivets.
I had to sand these all down and fill the gap with car body filler.
Speaking of sanding - I also got myself a small Proxxon Disc Sander. Nice addition to the workshop :-)
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Do you know about the block of crepe you can get to clean the sanding disk ,this gives you a lot longer disk life.
Axminster Tools do them I think .
David
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Do you know about the block of crepe you can get to clean the sanding disk ,this gives you a lot longer disk life.
Axminster Tools do them I think .
David
a piece of rubber sole of a shoe is also great for cleaning disks and cheaper
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Do you know about the block of crepe you can get to clean the sanding disk ,this gives you a lot longer disk life.
Thank you for the advice, I didn't know that. Good idea!
I did some major sanding today, albeit not with the disc sander. I rubbed down the main structure (the main house, or whatever you call it in english). This was a messy piece of work but I eventually got it done.
Sanding is not my favorite job, but hey, somebody needs to do it 8)
And now, ladies and gents, drumroll please: I finally know where the funnel is going to be located. This is important because it decides where the funnel of the steam engine will sit and I can now finally install the board with the steam engine :-))
My guess is that within this month you may be able to witness a test run of the steam engine. Stay tuned :police:
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I hate it how this forum software automagically changes the font size of ones posts sometimes >>:-( <*<
Sorry about that. I have no idea how to change it back to a legible font size.
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It's a problem we seem to be getting these days.
I have altered the text above for you. You only have 30 mins to 'modify' any letter, once it's typed.
ken
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Thank you, Ken! I owe you a beer and a half.
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Do......what is the ID on the oval shaped glass/plastic shaped chimney from the kit?.........
I cannot see the material listing for the Krick boiler chimney, is it grey painted brass?.....or aluminium?
Either way the temperature of the actual boiler chimney tube I expect would be about 100 + degrees C.....
Are you OK temperature wise for clearance?...
Derek
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what is the ID on the oval shaped glass/plastic shaped chimney from the kit?
Derek, I think it is aluminium. There should be enough clearance around it for the temperature to not be an issue.
The ID of the oval chimney is 4, it's made from GRP.
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Phew! One thing you don't want is a saggy funnel %% Seriously though, I am looking forward to see your first trial steam up with the plant in situ.
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Me too
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Slowly getting there, boys. Besides working on Imara, I made a Cross-Cut Sled for my circular saw today. Most useful accessory indeed :-))
After that, I was able to make some woodwork which will keep the plant (and the gas cartridge) in place while still easily removable for service.
I also cut out the hole in the roof of the superstructure for the funnel. Since Imara's funnel is not symmetrical at the base, I had to turn the plant slightly so that the exhaust tube sits in the center of the funnel.
I will probably clad the inside of the funnel with epoxy to prevent it from sagging and then paint it with stove enamel which I have sitting around from the smoker BBQ.
I also made the connecting tubes from the plant to the oscillators, but I still have to solder the end fittings. That's a job for tomorrow.
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Another step towards steaming up the boat. I have now all the connections made, both gas and steam.
There was a small ordeal with one of the connections I made earlier, though. The pipe that leads from the boiler to the gas regulator valve somehow wouldn't hold. Turns out I used a wrong locknut. Since I got the valve from a different vendor than the boiler, they're using a differently threaded system that isn't quite compatible. So I had to unsolder the fitting and replace the nut. But after that I realized that the fitting and the nut aren't compatible. So I had to unsolder yet again and replace the fitting with a small adaptor tube and the correct fitting ;D
After I had sorted it all out, everything turned out to fit nicely, at last.
Next step will be leak testing all the gas pipes and connections to make sure everything is, well, leak-proof (gonna use some soap and water). We don't want any gas leaks inside the vessel :embarrassed:
If everything goes well, I expect the first trial steam up this weekend. Keep your fingers crossed.
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You have an audience waiting to see the big day looking great
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Today was the Big Day, I steamed her up for the first time. Everything went well and I filmed it not with one, not with two, but with three HD cameras for your viewing pleasure.
Now if I only knew how to use iMovie to edit it {:-{
I guess I need to watch some tutorials on youtube first to get me started. Stay tuned.
Some things I learned during the steam-up:
- One of the machines is running slower. I suspect the inner nut on the propshaft is a bit too tight. Should be easy to amend.
- One of the machines has a slightly runny valve. I guess I need to tighten the top screw a tad.
- The portside propeller is running in the wrong direction. I need to reprogram the servo control on the rc.
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Looking forward to seeing this beauty in full flow.
Stewart
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Alright, ladies and Gentlemen. I made a short (approx. 5 minutes) video of the steam-up. Here it is in high definition (https://www.dropbox.com/s/q6a80zra2zk612a/IMARASteamB.mp4?dl=0) but beware, it's over 500 MB.
Let me know what you think :-)
If you have a fast connection, you may download a better quality file here (https://www.dropbox.com/s/3xjuqht4jubj990/IMARASteam.mp4?dl=1).
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Well congratulations on her first steaming Dom.....[I used the first download link]
The engine speed control is very realistic [stdb engine 4:44 minutes] displays extremely smooth engine speed control :-))
I am sure you will find even greater control with the a load on the propellers [hull in water]
We did see a wisp of steam from the Port engine a few times......I would not be concerned....this is totally normal
I am also sure the manufacturers instructions will talk about using a greater flow of steam oil, and journal lubricating during initial running ...bed in of the mating faces etc......
Sit back & have a beer......Derek
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Thanks for your encouraging words, Derek!
It sure is fun to see some pieces finally falling into place.
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Looks great get it in the water lol
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Thanks :-)
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Looks fantastic! One of our club members has one and the size of it never fails to amaze me. As does the weight!
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Thank you. Yes, she's quite a big lady ok2
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After letting off some steam, I'm back in the electronics lab with some first LED soldering. This is the first time I use SMD LEDs, they're quite tiny and need a steady hand soldering. One has also to be very careful not to overheat them and protect them from static electricity. Fortunately soldering is an art I master quite well. But they're worth the effort, I like the warm white light they emit. It fits the epoch and represents tungsten bulbs well enough.
I also made the connections to the super structures for light, sound, the fan and a reserve function.
Also some more bits and pieces in production for the windlass, and so on.
Sometimes I have the feeling I'm a bit all over the place with my build, but if this part A dries and part B sets, I can make part Z :-)
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Lovey job and a splendid video of her working pretty well given its her first run, so the issues you had won't difficult to fix, and with some running in like what Derek says, she'lll be a beaut.
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Hullo Dom.....even the designers of the model kit can get it over zealous :o .....
That Fwd hatch cover has too many screw down dog nuts ...the Stdb & port side are shown with 3 per side......but you cannot tighten them as they hit each other
Just a thought....maybe a little patch work......but you could consider removing the centre pair...[or in reality, 4 dogs I would have thought adequate :-)) ]
Derek
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Lovey job and a splendid video of her working pretty well given its her first run, so the issues you had won't difficult to fix, and with some running in like what Derek says, she'lll be a beaut.
Thank you!
That Fwd hatch cover has too many screw down dog nuts ...the Stdb & port side are shown with 3 per side......but you cannot tighten them as they hit each other
Hey Derek, yes, you're absolutely right and of corse I also noticed that. But since all the pictures of Imara out there show it that way, and since the cover isn't a functional part anyway, I thought so what {-)
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BTW, what are you guys using for gluing styrene parts to wood? This is the second time one of my styrene parts came apart. Neither super glue nor araldite seem to do the job :o
And yes I'm always sanding and cleaning with ethanol to remove dust and grease.
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Deluxe materials FUSION.
I agree about the hatch if it don’t look right it ain’t {-)
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Deluxe materials FUSION.
Thank you, that stuff looks interesting. Only problem, they don't ship outside the UK.
But I will check for something similar to get locally.
Please note! Cannot be sent overseas. Can only be sent UK MAINLAND
EDIT: OK, I found something similar. Thanx again!
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Why buy from Uk? There are dealers else where
http://www.oupsmodel.com/308_deluxe-materials (http://www.oupsmodel.com/308_deluxe-materials)
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Today I filed and sanded all the parts and pieces for the windlass. What a tedious job :P
And meanwhile I programmed a mixer function for the rudder / steam engine. It's not yet perfect, but I'm still learning.
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I've seen more subdued '80 Disco lighting than that Transmitter!!! :o
BTW: How many times did you jab yourself with the needle file when filing the winch?! O0
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Yes, the transmitter is quite colorful, isn't it? But it has many possibilities. Alas, it's not always easy to wrap your head around the programming functions. I guess some of the timers may come in handy as gauges for water and gas filling levels.
Oh, and I didn't jab myself with the file. Should I have? :}
BTW, I noticed that my kit is missing the 2,4 mm steel rod used for axles for the winch. I guess my local hardware store should carry these...
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I turned my full attention to the bow section. While the paint on the windlass parts cures (sorry for the really crappy picture), I finished the small cabin construction (whatever it is called). Except I could't locate the door handles yet amongst the gazillion of white metal parts. They will turn up eventually, I guess. If not, I can always make my own.
I also drilled a couple of holes into the deck for the wires of the small cabin, the mast, and the anchor chain. There will be a short stub of tube underneath for the chain to go in.
I made a small construction from some scrap wood to paint and weather the anchor chains :-)
Next step will be assembling the windlass.
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Notice anything different?
I had the lettering made in three different sizes: big, too big and way too big. So I went with the big one. The Dar-Es-Salaam I also had made is way too big to fit. I will leave it out (don't like that too much, anyway).
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Made some progress on the bow area. While the winch itself is almost done, I will have to re-do the rustall weathering since I'm not satisfied with the way it looks. The anchor chains are still in the weathering shop.
I also made the resistor bank for the bow section lights (mast lights and interior of the small cabin).
Speaking of the small cabin, there's a problem with the light I haven't considered. Since I made the bent roof from styrene, the light is shining through, showing off my nasty paint shop beneath the top layer of paint. While the roof looks good without the light, it looks nasty and ugly with the light on. I will probably renounce the light in this cabin since it's already glued in place and there's no easy way to fix this. Oh well. You learn something the hard way every now and then ;D
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Do you guys think two coats of black paint and then covering it in white again would make the plastic roof impermeable to the light?
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Yes...It would certainly help stop the light showing through .. I've done this many times on my own models.
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Brilliant, thank you, Terry. I'll try this, then.
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You could line it with Aluminium foil :-))
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Yes, that would definitely do the trick. But it would also not be as easy now with the cabin glued in and the vent mounted to the roof {:-{
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Some assorted work being done. The light-leaky roof first painted with two coats of black and now I'm in the process of painting it white again. It will take another 3-4 coats until it will be uniformly white again. The roof used to be 1 mm plasticard, now it's probably double that thickness :}
Also, rusting the anchor chains is taking progress as you may (or may not) see on my sh!tty tablet photograph. I really need to bring the SLR camera to the shop more often.
And then, finally, I started work on the smaller deck structure. This will be spray painted white after the doors and window frames are in place. Since this is made from sturdy GFK there won't be any light shining through. Still, I may give the inside a coat of black for good measure.
The hole in the roof is for the wires of the rear navigation light which, incidentally and strangely, does not sit in the middle.
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I also made the resistor bank for the bow section lights (mast lights and interior of the small cabin).
Speaking of the small cabin, there's a problem with the light I haven't considered. Since I made the bent roof from styrene, the light is shining through, showing off my nasty paint shop beneath the top layer of paint. While the roof looks good without the light, it looks nasty and ugly with the light on. I will probably renounce the light in this cabin since it's already glued in place and there's no easy way to fix this. Oh well. You learn something the hard way every now and then ;D
I use bulbs for cabins and wheelhouse. They have a very warm light. LEDs have this strong white light. I had the same problem with the N. Loredana. The LEDs I used where to white and I ended up putting some dark color on them till only a little bit of light came through.
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You can buy small warm white LEDs these days, I have some in my fishery cruiser model. I used the white ones for the Nav lights.
Colin
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Ye, my LEDs are of the warm white kind. Nothing wrong with them. The problem was only due to the roof not being dense enough. After adding two coats of black, everything is ok now O0
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I had the same problem with the superstructure deck lights shining through the boat deck overhead. I used some black insulating tape to cure it.
Colin
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Here we go again, filing another batch of white metal parts for the engine house structure. It isn't as arduous and boring a task if you can spread it out throughout the build.
The deck house is now ready for priming and painting. To prevent the light of shining through, I will give the inside a coat or two of black. Lesson learned 8)
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So much satisfaction O0
Have you even considered what next :-)
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You mean "what next" as in "after I finished this build"? Not really... I guess this one will occupy me for another year or so.
Only the flying spaghetti monster knows what happens then ok2
But if I'm going to build another ship (that's an if, not a when), it most probably won't be steam driven. The Resolve would be tempting, but I'm not sure I'd want to go with another CalderCraft kit. A somewhat more modern vessel with bow thruster would also be nice.
I don't know. I'll cross that bridge once I'm down at the river, I guess.
In any case, don't quote me on anything {-)
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Dom...
We see the Talcum powder plastic bottle and Talcum on your work paper ...are you using this as an anti caking/anti clogging medium on your files when cleaning the soft white metal components?
Derek
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Yes, that's correct. I got that brilliant piece of advice from ballastanksian awhile back.
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Tonight was another soldering session. I made a resistor bank for the machine house lights (two interior lights and one position light on the roof).
I glued the two interior LEDs directly to the electronics board which itself will be mounted on the inside of the roof.
Let there be light :D
As soon as the weather allows it, I will rattle can spray the machine house.
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With regard to your leds shining through plasticard.
I am now using A paint from Vallejo model paints in their Metal Colors range. The colour I have used is 'silver', this paint is very high in powdered aluminium so has reflective properties. I paint on two coats of it and then overpaint that with the colour of the actual item -white for my particular application. It seems to work quite well for me, I use it on floodlight fixtures. The led is embedded in resin which is the shape of the floodlight, so the whole thing becomes luminous when lit. The Vallejo has at the moment has done the trick of letting it shine just through the front 'lens'
Edit: its also acrylic so goes on by brush and clean up is ordinary water, a second application can be done in as little as 20 minutes as well.
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Thank you, Brian!
Although I don't have any more plasticard structures, that's something to consider in the future and I have saved the link to Vallejo model paints for further use :-))
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And what was I up to in the last couple of days? Well, for one, spray painting the machine house despite the cold and nasty weather. Since the paint won't dry very well outside I bit the bullet and moved the paintery inside my workshop. Oh well.
The windlass and the anchor chains are now installed. I think the rust job on them is not too bad. It looks even a tad better in real life than on the pictures.
And then I started work on the tow rope guards. I soaked the wood stripes in ammonium hydroxide (ammonia solution) to soften the lignin. Worked a treat, but if you ever try this be extra careful and only do it outside wearing gloves and safety glasses.
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Fiat lux, let there be light. The 3 SMD LEDs in and on on top of the rear building in action. The windows will be matted a bit and some "ornaments" are not yet painted in their eventual color, but it gives a good impression of what it is going to look.
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Progress is slow but steady. Rope guards are taking shape, but since I don't have enough clamps I have to draw out the gluing. I guess I should add some more clamps to my christmas wish list ok2
Anyway, also some more detail added to the machine house (painted the latches and the air vents, added door handles).
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Hey guys, I'm still alive and kicking, although work was a bit slow over the holidays.
Who would have thought that these rope guard rails were that much work :-)
But now I'm almost done, painting was a bit laborious with two colors and two coats each, but slow and steady will do it.
Pictures show the progress so far. After the paint is dry and the supports are glued in place, I will then apply some weathering.
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Looking good!
Colin
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Thanks, Colin!
The rope guard rails are finally done and done. They were not difficult by any standards, just surprisingly complex to make with bending, glueing, painting, fitting... but very satisfying.
Now up to some more white metal parts. The stern capstan... this got to be the worst moulds so far. Lots of stepping, mould lines and foul edges and corners. No way to file this to perfection. I will have to wind a rope around it when finished to conceal part of the imperfections (https://www.cosgan.de/images/smilie/boese/a030.gif)
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Ooh, that is a sickly baby isn't it Dom. I can see the metal has crystalised and the mould was probably scalding hot when that was cast. Better in resin in my opinion. She's looking a top class model, and like the cabin with all the rivets and rounded plates :-))
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Yes, but fortunately this seems to be the worst part of the kit. Everything else I've seen so far looks OK.
But the package with the capstan parts is a t'urd. Even the frame is bent out of shape. But I guess once bent back, filed and painted, it's gonna look OK.
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Ask them to send you a replacement.
Colin
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Some exciting news: I made myself a late little christmas present and got an Ultimaker 2+ 3D-printer %%
This will allow me (among other things) to replace some of the more cumbersome parts that came with the Imara kit with plastic printed 3D parts ok2
I already test ran it with a couple of things I found online (some cool battered oil barrels and a wooden barrel, see pics).
Today I got a bit adventurous and tested my skills at 3D designing... with an easy initial part which is the aft oil tank of the ship. I made it from 2 parts that are supposed to fit together with a triangular guide.
Fits perfectly, but I will have to re-print it again because of a couple of imperfections due to me not calibrating the print bed properly before printing.
Anyway, looking forward to doing some of the fittings in 3D. The refrigerator and the water tanks come to mind :-)
Can you tell I'm excited? :police:
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I would also be excited it I could get quality like that..
Looks great. :-))
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Thanks :-)
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Beautiful work. I am very jealous... %)
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Thank you, Footski! :-)
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The second time around, the aft oil tank came out much better after properly calibrating the printer bed plate. No more warping of the corners.
Also, I 3D printed the large water tank that will eventually sit somewhere on the main upper structure. Of course this ain't no very challenging part to print as it's basically just a square block of plastic, but it was still fun to make instead of the wooden parts provided with the kit {-)
However, I got a bit more adventurous yesterday and CAD-designed the wooden aft rope crate. Took me about an hour and a half to design according to the plans. This will be a bit more challenging to print as the top section contains some overhanging of the top boards, which is by nature a bit difficult to print. I will probably have to try-and-error some printer settings to print it OK.
I intend to print it with wood filament to give it a, well, wooden look. You guys (and gals) will be the first to know how it turns out. Watch this space :-)
Anyway, the aft capstan is also work in progress, pictures showing assorted parts in different states (primed, first coat of color etc).
Also you can see some 3D printed "battered barrels" I was talking about in an earlier post.
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Printing the rope crate in woody filament didn't turn out well and I had to abort the print after the bottom layers. The woody filament is apparently a bit too brittle for this delicate structure.
I then went with the standard filament that came with the printer. This turned out very well. It took about five hours to print. There are some rough edges I will need to sand and of course I will yet have to cut away the brim around the bottom (this is being built to prevent warping of the build when it is cooling down).
I guess after sanding and painting, it will look good :-)
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Rope crate now cleaned and sanded, feet attached and ready for priming and painting :police:
The oil tank is also glued together and ready for a slab of paint. Showing these two parts in situ. What do you think?
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Unless you planned to keep the crate unpainted, you chose right to re print it in the other polymer and you can paint something to look like wood with a little effort and a pallette of brown paints.
All in all, you have printed some crisp pieces that should last for longer without joints that might split over time due to damp ingress etc.
The seas's the limit for you now :-))
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Yes, I'm definitely gonna paint it. In fact, it is now already primed. We'll see what I can do with my color palette and the weathering kit :-)
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Dom....some of these discrete rust weathering is superb :-)) ............ Derek
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Thank you, Derek! My "rust" is a combination consisting of Rustall and Raw Sienna acryllic paint.
Incidentally, I just have to ask: you do know that you can take screenshots very easily and conveniently directly from your computer without the need of a camera, right? (https://www.cosgan.de/images/smilie/verschiedene/a015.gif)
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Yes Dom.........nice rust......"our Martin has preached & constantly reminds me in the virtues of 'screenshots very easily and conveniently directly from your computer without the need of a camera'
However in my aging years ......I find chewing a bone sometimes nicer than a steak dinner :-X
Derek
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After some painting and aging, the rope crate is now finished along with the capstan and the oil tank. Aft deck is slowly taking shape.
I have no idea what the wooden barrel is for, but I liked it so much that I decided to keep it around :-)
I guess I need to make some ropes soon (ropeway kit is at hand but not yet built).
Incidentally, I've uploaded my 3D designs to Thingiverse (https://www.thingiverse.com/search?q=imara&sa=&dwh=315a6ecb6ada0d3) (and intent do do so with future part designs), just in case somebody is interested in them in the future. There's nothing wrong with the parts from the kit, but it gives you an alternative ok2
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As the work on the aft deck section continues, I have one more water pump to cover.
Not sure if I ever showed you the bilge pump outlet. It's the bent black tube and I hope that it won't see too much usage once on the pond.
Picking up on an idea I had earlier, I intend to have a sailor with a water hose that can spray some water off the boat.
I designed and printed a fire hydrant like structure. It is hollow so I can thread the hose through the opening and down below deck to the pump.
Question for you guys and gals: as I'd like the hose to be black or darkish brown, does silicone rubber take on Acrylic paints?
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I finally mounted the rudder linkage cover grate and will leave the aft section be for now. Moving on to the main structure.
Doors and window frames need yet some processing, then I will have to cut and drill some holes.
Once again it is a pity that the plans are not to scale, it would be so helpful if I could take measurements directly from them.
But then it would be too easy, I guess %%
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I think you'll find that nothing will stick to your silicone tube.
Ian.
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You will find it very difficult if not impossible to get anything to stick to silicone, be that paint or glue. The answer is obvious. Check out ebay in the car spares section for coloured silicone hose, yours looks to be 6mm so it is readily available for windscreen washers, comes in many colours so you could have red, black, brown blue etc. Apparently those hatchback car customisers use it by the truckload for tarting up their car engines.
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Thanks for the heads-up, guys.
I will look for some coloured silicone tubing, then :-))
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I had a quick look for silicone paint and silicone based paints but found nothing but tools made of silicone!
Pre coloured hose is a good idea :-))
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Thank you :-)
I shall go out into the wild wide web in search for some pre colored silicone tubing.
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Not too much work done recently, but now I started work on the large structure. Drilling holes for windows and doors and gratings.
Again, the plans are of limited help but I guess I will get there eventually. Identifying all of the correct white metal parts is also a challenge since some stuff has been changed since the plans and the manual went in print back when. But it's all part of the fun, I keep telling me :}
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Miss me a lot recently? :}
Had some other stuff coming up, like setting up a new computer after the old one died a hardware failure death. Glad I had everything backed up properly. Do back up your stuff, friends.
Anyway, back in the shop I cut out all of the windows and other openings. Glued in some of the window frames and noticed that not all of them had exactly the same size, so I'm left with some gaps. Some car body filler coming up. I already missed that stuff :D
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Not much time lately, so here's just a tiny update.
Window frames are now glued in, filled and sanded.
I started to make a couple of wooden parts to mount the funnel. I will also need some wooden framework for the speaker and the air intake fan (next up on this channel, stay tuned {-) [size=78%]). Now that the temperatures are up I can then start spray painting stuff again [/size] :D
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Lovely work :-))
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Thanks! :-)
The funnel will be removable for... whatever reason there may arise. It is mounted by means of three 3mm screws. The wooden parts are going to be glaced later.
After that I tested a new gadged, the circle cutter. The hole will hold the speaker. Worked like a charm and produced a perfectly clean and circular hole. Recommended :-))
After cutting the planks that will hold the speaker plate I called it a day. Next time I will glue them in. A small frame for the air intake fan is also still missing.
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It looks like you could cut rings with that tool as well.
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Yes, that's correct. There's also an extension arm that allows you to cut holes up to approx. 30 cm, but my drill press is not large enough for it.
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Test fitting the speaker after mounting the wooden frame. The speaker will sound through the portholes on the upside of the engine housing while the hull serves as sound box :-)
The steam oscillators are just beneath the speaker, so it may need some shielding as they tend to spray oil and water around as they run.
The doors are primed and ready for glueing. In fact they're already glued to the structure but I haven't got a picture to prove it. :police:
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Doors are in place and also the vent grilles on both sides.
The single vent on the port side covers the small 12V air intake fan.
Funnel is not yet sanded, I just put it on there to show what it will eventually look like. Soon it will be time for priming and painting.
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In your first photo why is their a vent cowl stuck on top of the companionway on the starboard side? This is the strangest place I've ever seen one, surely if air was needed here, just open the door in the companionway!
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Good question, Brian.
I have no idea and all I can say is "it's in the plans" and practically all of the other Imara models on the web (https://www.google.ch/search?rlz=1C1GGRV_enCH752CH753&biw=1369&bih=878&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=V7QHW4ObN-yEgAb7uLw4&q=imara+tug&oq=imara+tug&gs_l=img.3..0j0i24k1l3.59145.60931.0.61101.9.9.0.0.0.0.103.660.8j1.9.0....0...1c.1.64.img..0.9.644...0i67k1j0i10i67k1j0i10k1j0i8i30k1j0i30k1.0.i0QOGUrkLA8#imgrc=kuNELzsODD7g_M:) also have it :-)
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Hmmm, could be a confusion by the person who drew up the plans methinks! I found this photo of Imara (which was renamed Perseverance) There is a cowl vent shown but it clearly rises from the deck next to the companionway, slightly to the front and port side of it. Above the companionway you can see the ships bell, which would be hung on the fore part of the superstructure - you wouldn't see this if there was a cowl sprouting from the companionway.
But you are correct in that every model of the ship on Google has the cowl vent on the 'shed' :}
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You can purchase silicone hose in black.
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You can purchase silicone hose in black.
Yes, I'm onto it, thank you!
Anyway, I designed and 3D-printed some door hinges to go with all of the doors and I think they fit the model well and add a touch of reality. They will need a slab of weathering here and there to simulate old grease and stuff, but for now I'll let them be. Door handles not yet added.
Inside the cabin, I mounted the fan and the speaker. Ah and yes, it's spray painted white with two coats of clear varnish.
While the superglue cured, I car body filled the seams of the funnel, but I don't have a picture of that yet.
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That's all very neat Tafelspitz, you are making a superb job of the model.
Colin
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Thank you, Colin!
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With the Pillow fan, are you pulling in air for combustion?...if so, this is actually typical of coal fired boilers where fans pressurised the boiler spaces by a few PSI over atmosphere to aid combustion
So you may need to provide some shim trunking from around the fan 's round cowling, down toward the boiler gas burner area location......
A consequence of not doing this is that the air that the fan draws in will be lost to atmosphere out of the portlights or any air spaces between the deck & the superstructure
The second consequence of no direct air trunking is that the boiler burner will need to draw substantial amounts of free air [oxygen] to maintain combustion....the only way to achieve this is to have a great number of portlights or mesh grill's & doors open
Remember a gas flame with insufficient oxygen will burn with a yellow flame, where as all of your trials without the superstructure fitted yielded a bluish flame at the burner....when you fit a superstructure, you may loose the ability to see the flame >>:-(
Shim brass of 0.003" thick is an excellent material to use for trunking......it folds well, cut easily with kitchen scissors, and all joints can be soft soldered to make a rigid trunking
[it also returns you to your school days of developing shapes from paper of cardboard %)]
Derek
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Your rope cradle has inspired me.
I think I need one. I'll have a go at it at 1/50.
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Your rope cradle has inspired me.
I think I need one. I'll have a go at it at 1/50.
You may download the file here (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2791221) at Thingiverse if you want and scale it to your needs. At 1/50 you may want to print it with a smaller nozzle size (0,25mm), though.
With the Pillow fan, are you pulling in air for combustion?
(...)
So you may need to provide some shim trunking from around the fan 's round cowling, down toward the boiler gas burner area location
(...)
Derek,
yes, the fan is intended to help keep the fire burning :-)
Actually I was planning on keeping things simple. I will go with either of three possible scenarios:
- Using only the fan
- Keep the windows and portholes open
- Keep the windows and portholes open + using the fan
I guess after test running the machine with the structure in place once the funnel is installed, I will see what is needed. I can then use tape to close and open the windows.
Shim trunking would be only the last resort if everything else failed...
Dom
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Thanks Tafelspitz, that's very generous of you.
I'll try one next time I have an order from Shapeways. Unfortunately the postage costs to NZ mean that I need to order several items at once to keep costs down.
In the meantime I might try to make a similar cradle from styrene strip.
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Having just caught up with your build I have to say she's a beauty - great work Dom. :-))
Regards,
Ray.
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Thank you, Ray!
While I'm quite happy with the overall result, I wish that I had a bit more experience and skill (and yes, patience) when some detail work is concerned.
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Funnel time :-)
After sanding and filling (and sanding again) I now glued in the base plate which then will screw to the roof of the cabin.
I glazed the inside of the funnel with a coat of epoxy for added stability, to prevent the structure from sagging with the hot exhaust fumes from the steam engine. It took ages for the epoxy to cure and I had to constantly keep the funnel in a rotary motion for almost an hour until it was viscose enough to let it sit alone. <*< But it was worth the effort as it left me with a smooth and uniform surface.
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I glued in the top of the funnel. A very heavy piece of white metal, which isn't necessarily what one likes to sit so far up above the water line. But there you have it.
After filling and sanding some more, it is now ready for priming and spray painting.
While the primer cures, I test ran the sound module with the speaker. Holy god, that thing is LOUD! I probably scared all the cats away and almost busted the window of my workshop {-) Let's hope I'm not gonna drain the lake with that honker :-)
Dom
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Finally it was time for a slab of paint. Perfect conditions outside for spray painting: nice and warm and not too windy. Only the occasional bug sitting onto the wet paint %)
Test fitting the painted funnel onto the upper structure and everything fits nicely. I also drilled holes and glued in the rig lugs.
Next up: filing and sanding a bunch of white metal parts. May be a while until the next update.
Dom
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Something about the appearance of the funnel bugged me, so I amended it with a white band between the buff and black. I think this makes all the difference in the world, doesn't it?
I moved the hull up into my office to free some space on the workbench since I'm now mostly working on the main upper structure.
Speaking of which, this also needs a resistor bank for the lights. The bank holds resistors for 6 warm white LEDs, one red and one green navigation light LED.
Although I probably won't need all 6 white lights, I like to have some spares. You never know O0
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Interior lights are working. I marked the pins for the red and green LEDs with red and green color so I will remember where to connect them when the time comes (they need different resistors from the whilte LEDs). Yes, I know I'm a genius {-)
I fettled and sanded another batch of white metal parts. Some of them go to the funnel and some are bits and pieces for the cabin.
I noticed that one of four beams that will hold the small platforms beneath the life boats is misshapen, so I replaced it with a 3D print.
Some other smaller white metal parts will also be replaced with 3D prints - the door handles and some latches, for instance.
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A batch of fresh door handles and latches cooling down after the print.
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Door handles are now glued to the doors. They're small and tiny but I think they look the part.
I then started assembling the evaporator. --> Any suggestions on the color scheme for this part? What would this have looked like?
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Slowly outfitting the funnel. The 4,5mm o.d. aluminium tubing for the pipes was missing from the kit (as is the 6mm one), but not a great deal. Or so you'd think. All hardware stores and model shops only carry 4 or 5mm tubes. I then went with a 4mm brass tubing since the holes in the white metal clamps are on the small side anyway (due to missaligned mouldings, it seems). The steam whistle is also made from the 4mm brass tube. I cut the lip with the dremel cutting disk and filed/sanded it until smooth.
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Just as a funny side note, this is what she looked like one year ago (to the exact day, on June 18 2017). I think she came a long way, but the road is still long and winding :police:
(http://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=57420.0;attach=174676;image)
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The whistle looks good as does your pipework. You did right to get the 4mm pipe I reckon.
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Thank you! :-)
The electric parts (light board, fan and speaker) are now connected. I tryed to tidy the wiring a bit by using drinking straws. Alas, one piece came loose after soldering. I need to try another glue for that task, it seems. So far I've tryed Zap-a-gap and Deluxe Fusion.
Outfitting of the funnel and cabin also taking place. The deck extension beams for the life boats are now glued in place as well.
The... portholes? Scuttles? What do you call these in english? (Heck, I don't even know what to call them in German {-) ). Anyway, I had to re-print the latches for these a tad smaller cuz they wouldn't fit. They're still on the print bed, waiting to be collected.
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I know the round openings in the hull are scuttles, but so are the holes in the deck for access and coaling etc. A question for those on Mayhem with greater knowledge.
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The hull openings are scuttle portholes. Those in the deck are scuttle coal hatches. Just namings.
Colin
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So then let's just wait and see if something hatches. If so it then probably also scuttles :police:
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Another batch of white metal parts filed, sanded and cleaned. Ready for primer. There is so much detail stuff on the cabin alone it's almost a bit overwhelming. But one step after the other, I guess.
Once again, the plans are of not much help, not being in scale. But at least I can get a rough idea of what goes whereish.
I'm also glad about all of the pictures of finished Imaras floating about on the net to clarify this and that and also to get inspirations about colors for different parts :-)
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Because I otherwise have a bit of a boring task at hand (cutting lengths of wire for some grates), I decided to fill the test tub (aka our bath tub) and give her a Steam Up for testing purposes.
I'm happy to report that it all went very well. The aggregates are running smooth and the water stayed outside :-)
I thought maybe you'd like to watch her, too, so I uploaded a short video of the even (https://youtu.be/30-n7xsN0Do)t to YouTube. Have fun and let me know what you think!
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Nice!! She' s a real beauty and I look forward to seeing her on the water. :-))
Hama
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Goodness Dom...I know I have mentioned some time back..... ;) ...but those engines tick over at low speed & start-up beautifully :-))...,. Derek
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Nice!! She' s a real beauty and I look forward to seeing her on the water. :-))
Hama
Thank you, Hama! Still a long way to go but at least she floats already :-)
Goodness Dom...I know I have mentioned some time back..... ;) ...but those engines tick over at low speed & start-up beautifully :-)) ...,. Derek
Yes, Derek, and you were right that the water resistance would smooth things even more than back when I test ran her in the dry dock.
BTW, I also put on the cabin structure (not on the video) to see whether this would affect the performance of the gas burner, which it didn't at all. Next time I will try it with the windows covered.
Dom
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The towing hook is painted (but not yet weathered) and glued in place. No actual towing going to take place with this white metal part, though.
Cutting and sanding the brass rods for the grates was a lot of tedious work, but they're all done and painted now.
Rope guard rails are starting to take shape. When I drilled the holes for the latter I bored into one of the wires leading to the speaker underneath. D'oh! %)
I ran out of stanchion bases, so I 3D-printed a couple more. I love that printer :police:
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Installing the rope guard rails after giving them a coat of paint or six. Incidentally, the Tamiya brand of spray paint must no longer be sold here in Switzerland due to environmental and health issues, so I switched to Revell.
When drilling the holes for the guard rails, the plastic chipped a bit in some places and I had to use filler to mend the flaws.
The lower water tank is almost finished but not yet glued in place.
Also building and preparing some more bits and parts to help procrastinate building the wooden cabin ok2
I'm sure I got the wooden steering gear box wrong, but for the life of me I couldn't figure out how this part is meant to be. Neither the plans nor pics from the web were of any help so I decided to ad lib that part a bit. Looks a bit (too) creative maybe, but after sanding and filling, we'll see what it looks like.
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I don't know, but that steering gear box is a bit of a mess. So I sat down and replicated it with the CAD program. Will print it tomorrow, I hope it fits the white metal front.
I'm not much of a wood worker :((
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I printed a prototype of the gear box and it fits nicely. However, I noticed that there's very limited space between the flagstaff and the funnel since the deck is shorter than it should be according to the plans ( I remember reading that other Imara builders ran into the same problem).
I guess I'm going to shorten the gear box a bit, lest the steering wheel sits right next to the funnel %)
The rope guards are now securely glued in place and paint has been applied to the joints. Speaker re-mounted below deck.
Some woodwork for the cabin is also looming. Provided I can figure out what goes where. Help! {:-{
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I finally bought a sorter box to sort all the small white metal parts. Speaking of which, I filed and grated another batch of these.
The steering gear box is assembled and ready for priming and painting.
Cut, sanded and glued the wooden platforms for the life boats with a little help from a piece of adhesive tape to get the spaces even.
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I applied some weathering to the life boat platforms (still a bit wet on the photo).
The large cowl vents are made from the white metal parts from the kit (upper half and the handles) plus some custom made (i.e. CAD made and 3D-printed) bases glued together and filled/sanded with car body filler.
Some other parts and bits now waiting to be primed and painted. It's a bit too hot to spray paint outside, will have to wait until it cools down a bit.
I also bought (ordered) myself an airbrush set which partially arrived today. I guess this will take some practicing before I can and will use it on the model :police:
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Dom....
Just a general question on the Imara........why did she have a steering station aft of the funnel? %)
Is this some form of emergency steerage?......with a large enclosed bridge, one would have thought the Skipper & steerage was performed from there?
Derek
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Good question, Derek, and I wondered that myself. I can only assume that it has been used for manoeuvres like backing up since otherwise from the bridge the quite large funnel would have obstructed aft visibility quite a lot, I guess.
But then I'm only an inland landlubber and I'm sure there are more knowledgeable lads and gals on this forum who might shed some light on the subject ok2
Dom
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There is this Facebook group... https://www.facebook.com/groups/RMASPortsmoth/ dedicated to crew and dockyard workers of the ships. Somebody there should be able to answer the question about her. You will have to join the group but that's as easy as just clicking the blue button.
The link works even though they have left the 'U' out of portsmouth!
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Thanks, Brian!
Maybe somebody with a Facebook-Account can inquire there :-)
Dom
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The parts are now primed. Looking at some example pics on the net for possible color schemes. It's kind of interesting how many different looking Imaras there are out there. No two seem to be looking alike :police:
One of the next steps will be building the cabin. Some wooden parts cut out but not yet sanded. Everything is supposed to fit together, something like so.... Wish me luck :embarrassed:
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There are some times when one needs to take a short break from model building and appreciate some other things.
Like the Lunar Eclipse last night. I set up my camera on the roof of our garden pergola and took some pictures of the event.
We also saw the ISS when it was passing by at around 22:34. What a spectacular view it was!
(In case you're interested, shot with Sony A99II with Minolta 500/F8 and Sigma 70-200/F2,8)
(https://www.dropbox.com/s/3bx2xtvp40kmaz2/DSC04495.jpg?raw=1)
Moon and Mars
(https://www.dropbox.com/s/g3279qdgg9zz1xy/DSC04439.jpg?raw=1)
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That's some great shots you got of the moon their! :-))
Unfortunately the we had thunder storms and rain were I live in the UK last night so I missed it. :(( <:(
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Great pictures! But as Dreadnought says, it coincided with the temporary(!) end of our heatwave and was not visible from much of the UK, a real shame.
Colin
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Thanks, guys! Bummer you couldn't witness it {:-{
Here's a couple more from when it started and when it ended.
(https://www.dropbox.com/s/6pxguiu5cxnbkll/DSC04396_DxO.jpg?raw=1)
(https://www.dropbox.com/s/4ywaq6qg56jfic5/DSC04514_DxO.jpg?raw=1)
(https://www.dropbox.com/s/s7w5z59i3uyii4s/DSC04559_DxO.jpg?raw=1)
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Back on topic :police:
I painted the wheel and the wheel gear box. Also painted the fire hydrants and the fire buckets. I use Tamiya brass polish for the fire hydrants and for the screw knobs on the wheel. Looks awesome (better in real life than on the pictures).
The tapered flagstaff (it's not really a FLAGstaff actually, but the translator always turns up with that expression) is 3D-printed from two parts bolted and glued together. Not yet filled and sanded. This pole was supposed to be made from a piece of round timber, but since I don't have a lathe... well, I could have used the drill and sanding paper, of course. But since I do have the 3D printer, why not go down that route.
I'm even considering making the main mast this way, probably from 5 parts, all tapered in the right way and glued together with a piece of steel peg between them for stability and guidance. It's also supposed to have a small crease along its length for the lamp wires. I'm not sure they will print, though. Tall structures like that are a bit difficult to print.
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Awesome work Tafelspitz.The twin steam engines really set this model apart.Even Caldercraft anticipated most would only ever fit one,hence the single screw version.
I am a little surprised at the poor quality of some the fittings.Having spent a good number of years doing period ship modelling,I regard Caldercraft as one of the best kit manufacturers in that field.
Regards
Nigel
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Thanks, Nigel!
Having no other kits to compare this one to, it's hard to tell how the Imara compares to other kits.
But to put things a bit into perspective, though: the kit contains literally hundreds of fittings and most of them are OK. It's just about 3 or 4 pieces so far that suffer from really bad quality (the life boat support beam and the aft capstan come to mind), with a hand full of others suffering from more or less missaligned mouldings. This is of more concern with smaller parts since the relative error is much bigger in these. You can only file and sand so much on tiny parts. I can easily replace some of these with 3D-prints (like the stanchion bases and latches), but not everybody has this opportunity.
That said, I think the overall quality of the kit is quite good. The moulds may have suffered a bit from wear and tear over time, but it's far from bad. I would buy it again.
Me not being very experienced in model building is another big factor. I have learned a lot so far (not least from this forum) and given the opportunity to start over, I would do a lot of things differently now. The build also gave me a good excuse to upgrade my shop with some nifty tools. Amongst the things I bought in the last year or so are a drill press, circular saw, disc sander and now an airbrush kit :}
Dom
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Poor quality fittings do sometimes get through 'quality control. However, the manufacturer should replace them free of charge on request.
It is also true that some white metal moulds have passed their 'use by' date when they should have been recast from the masters.
Colin
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I couldn't resist and printed two of the parts for the mast (the middle two of four). This took about 2 hours and despite my skepticism turned out well. I don't know yet if my calculations and CAD conversions added up, the parts are still cooling down. Will check that out tomorrow.
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You are doing a fab job there Dom! The lifeboat platforms and steering box are lovely pieces. If the metal parts are cast in a centrifugal mould then the misalignment is often caused by the mould being spun too fast. Moulds will indeed harden and erode over time becoming very hard in extreme cases especially in the centre reservoir area. Mould replacement needs keeping on top of, and if the company has their own press then isn't too expensive to do unless they are using very large moulds.
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Thank you, Sir! :-)
Interesting insights into the moulding technique. I had no idea how this was done. Seems to be an art in itself O0
Dom
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Yes, part art, part science! I have cast 10 kilos of white metal model parts in the last two days. That is a lot of figure strips and vehicle parts in 1:300th :-)
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10 kilos %% Wow. You wouldn't happen to have a couple of pictures to show, would you?
While I'm waiting for the airbrush kit to arrive, I decided to clean up my workbench a bit. While I always try to maintain a certain level of tidiness, there's always some stuff cumulating over time.
I thought I might as well give you a small tour of my workshop while I'm at it :-)
I have an old closet where I store some tools and also the parts of the model kit that are yet to be built, painted, glued... and also some other bobs and pieces I have no idea where else to put.
You can see my ever growing collection of glue, the weathering kit (weatherall, rustall, and scenic rust, amongst other things).
In another compartment I keep my Dremel kit, circular saw, lab power supply, drills and what not.
We also keep a big refrigerator in one corner of this room which prevents me from expanding all the way to the right, but that's not necessarily a bad thing :}
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Meanwhile, all 5 parts of the mast are printed. They came out very well, I only had to re-print one part once because the groove was not deep enough. Had to quickly go back to the drawing board.
I printed the parts in Tough PLA, a new material that is as easy to print as regular PLA but stronger and less brittle.
The segments have holes in them to better align them with short rods and also to improve mechanical stability at the joints.
Glued everything together and I think it came out pretty straight. Only the top element seems to be slightly slanting, but I may be able to amend that by heating and bending it slightly.
Some filling and sanding will be necessary, of corse.
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That is a tidy way of doing the mast Dom. I will take a picture of some castings next week.
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I just inaugurated my new airbrush kit and the spraying cabin. I guess there's a steep learning curve in using this tool properly, but already i think from these two easy parts that I used as guinea pigs that the surface gets a lot more even than with anything I ever could achieve using brushes.
The flagstaff is now painted and glued in place, as are the fire hydrants and the aft steering box.
I also spray painted the upper water tank (using up my supply of Tamiya rattle cans) and encountered a small problem when a bug decided to land on the wet surface %)
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The superstructure is looking really sharp,super work Dom.I recently downloaded the free emachineshop CAD software from Shapeways site with the idea of having a few parts printed by them.Been too busy building the big bits to have a go with it yet.It seems fairly simplistic,but that suits me.Last time I used CAD was at college in the late 80's and that was with one of the first 3D modeling programmes.
I had hoped some of the items might be listed on the shapeways inventory,they may be,but gave up for now when I had spent 3 hours trolling through stuff %)
Regards
Nigel
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Nigel,
I don't know emachineshop CAD, but will check it out one of these days... I'm using TinkerCAD, which is also free and it runs in your web browser. So no need to install any programs. It was the only program that I could use from the go. Ostensibly it's fairly simplistic, but it's also powerful and, most importantly, intuitive to use - at least for me. You can't do organic models (like faces and stuff), but for mechanical and geometrical parts it's pretty easy to use.
I only knew my way around 2D vector graphics (CorelDraw, Inkscape and the like) and apart from the additional dimension, I felt right at home with TinkerCAD. I also test ran some other programs (can't remember their names) but was all but lost.
In the dry-dock today, I painted the inside of the large cowl vents (using a paintbrush since I didn't knew how to to mask it off for airbrushing).
When soldering resistors, I always put the lengths of "legs" that I cut away aside to use them for wire bridges. They came in handy today for making some handles for the fire buckets. I bent them around a 9mm drill and using needle-nosed pliers, I bent the ends to fit into the bucket holes.
I then filled the buckets with some epoxy with a faint bluish tint to emulate water.
Dom
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So Dom says.......'then filled the buckets with some epoxy with a faint bluish tint to emulate water' ...
With the warm weather you are experiencing the evaporation may be a little high....so that is why [on ships] they fill the buckets with sand
Scale sand?.... %) maybe try a model train supplies shop .....just put a small heaped dusting over the epoxy.....then the finest wisp of a Polyurathane spray to seal the top surface [with your new airbrush]
Derek
_________________
PS...that is a very snazzy model sized vacuum spray booth...... :-))
1. is it a commercially produced unit?
2. does it connect to a domestic vacuum cleaner?
3. can you get a miniature Lazy Suzan rotatable table for it?
[If the answer to each is yes, this would then alow your neighbour Danielle [also from Switzerland] to spray paint in her kitchen {-)
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With the warm weather you are experiencing the evaporation may be a little high....so that is why [on ships] they fill the buckets with sand
Sand... I never would have thought of that. But of course, now that you mention it, it makes perfect sense, Derek O0
(Also for the crew to stub out their fags, I assume :} )
PS...that is a very snazzy model sized vacuum spray booth...... :-))
Thank you, Sir!
1. is it a commercially produced unit?
2. does it connect to a domestic vacuum cleaner?
3. can you get a miniature Lazy Suzan rotatable table for it?
1.: Yes, it is indeed. This is where I got it (https://www.conrad.ch/de/airbrush-absauganlage-206465-206465.html).
2.: No, it comes with its own blower which connects to a length of flexible tubing. I simply hang the latter out the window when in use. The whole thing is a tad bulkier than I have anticipated, but I stow it away under the table (next to the airbrush compressor) when not in use.
BTW, I would also highly and strongly advise against using a vacuum cleaner to aspirate any flammable fumes like from spray painting!
3.: You can't see it very well on the picture I posted above because it is black, but there's one inside the cabin under the round(ish) piece of paper. It comes with the booth.
Dom
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Sand.
So I went to the local grocery store and beelined to the pet food corner to grab a pack of bird sand. After sieving a portion through a tea sieve to get rid of the larger seashell and cuttlebone fragments, I was left with some fine grained sand. I used clear canopy glue to glue the sand on top of the epoxy. The sand may be a bit on the light side, color wise, but once the glue cures, it should darken things a bit. At least that is my theory %)
Since I got one bucket too many, I left that one with "water" for the crew to swab the deck.
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A dab of thinned paint (sand coloured mon naturel :} ) will finish those buckets off nicely. I love what you are acheiveing Dom :-))
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Brilliant idea! I will see to that tomorrow. I have still about 1,998 kg of sand left for some color tests {-)
And thank you, in general, for encouraging me. That really means a lot to me!
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I wouldn't trust that Fireman Freddy....you know the old story, 'that most Fireman were pyromaniac's as youngsters'.... don't you O0
1. So if sand is silica, why not try adding a table spoon [from the 1,998 kg of sand left for some color tests] and mix it with another table spoon of common salt, then sprinkle this into a little red bucket........then pour a teaspoon of strong tea from your teacup........let it evaporate & the sandy tannin colour will remain {-)
If you are happy with the colour...try the next logical step
2. mix 1 tablespoon of sifted silica + 1 tablespoon of common salt + 1/2 a table spoon of sugar....then sprinkle this into a little red bucket........then pour a teaspoon of strong tea from your teacup........let it evaporate & the sandy tannin colour will remain {-)
The sugar when evaporating and whilst returning to it's original crystalline state will also coat each of the silica and salt granules as a binder & stick the mass as one :-))....so no need for polyurathane spray
Derek
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Thank you for you suggestions, guys! :-)
A dab of paint was indeed all it took to darken things up.
Dom
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Another batch of white metal parts grated, filed and sanded.
This lot contains pulleys for the steering chain, some parts for the mast and a couple of assorted bits and pieces.
I also gave the mast a first tentative sanding. I have not yet decided on the best sequence to fit everything together without one job getting in the way of the next (wires, lamps, filling, sanding, painting, soldering, fitting the fittings et cetera). I guess I will actually have to sit down and make a plan to figure this out.
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I'm getting pretty good at making tapered masts with my 3D printer. The yard for the main mast was a bit challenging as it is rather delicate.
First I tried to print it in only two parts, but at 4mm at the base and 2,5 mm at the top with 7,5 mm height each and a 1,5 mm bore, that was just pushing it. After approx. 5 cm height, the print failed. The parts were just too delicate and labile. So back to the drawing board and breaking up the yarn into 4 pieces of about 3,75 cm each.
Printing all four parts simultaneously at a relatively low speed to give the material enough time to cool down between layers did the trick. Using the tried and tested method of inserting a length of 1,5 mm steel rod for additional strength between the parts left me with a minimum of filling and sanding.
Apart from this, I'm painting and fitting the parts for the steering linkage and some other stuff. I darkened the steering chain using Ballistol brass dye. If I only knew about this method back when I painted the anchor chains %)
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Steering linkage chain is now complete. I noticed a small problem... the pulleys for the chain will be in the way of the life boat davits... as they are supposed to line up with the small flagstaff mast thing. They will end up offset a bit, no other way of doing this now, I'm afraid. As noticed earlier, the deck structure is a bit shorter than it is supposed to be according to the plans and layouts. Oh well, not a big deal, but a bit annoying none the less.
The yarn is ready for priming. I'm waiting for some thin copper wire (0,1mm) for the mast lights that I have ordered. The wire I bought some months ago turned out to be too thick for this job (0,3mm) since I need to fit 6 wires into the mast (well, technically I could use only 4, but that would make the soldering a bit too complicated with the tiny SMD LEDs I'm using).
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Once again I found myself replicating some white metal parts from the kit with the 3D printer. This time I went for the lamp pedestals. There was nothing wrong with the white metal parts this time, but since I'm going to fit the lanterns with SMD LEDs, I was a bit afraid that the white metal base, being conductive, may short my circuit. So better safe than sorry and go with plastic. The prints turned out very well and I already designed them with a 4 mm hole for the SMD LED. They will need some minor sanding to rid them of the ripples from the print.
Meanwhile on the mast, I pulled in the six copper wires and secured them with super glue. Next up will be filling and sanding the wire groove.
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Some more progress on the mast. The wire groove is now filled and sanded and everything glued together.
I made two small mistakes, though. The super glue on the lowest ring cured before I got it aligned the right way, so the four lugs are not symmetrically positioned. Not a big deal since this ring doesn't hold any cables, only some kind of bolts. And second, I put on the yard mast the wrong way around, so the small gap in the white metal cleat is facing up instead of down. Also not a biggie, just a bit irritating %)
And when was the last time you had a great idea that felt like a, well, really brilliant idea on paper at the time but turned out to be kinda stupid in practice? Well, I just had one of these today when I thought it was a good idea to protect the tiny and delicate copper wires for the lamps from physical stress by sticking them between two pieces of duct tape. Yes, stupid, I know (now) <*< I eventually got them out of the sticky mess and I sure hope they are still OK {:-{
Next up priming and painting and then fitting the lights.
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Hey guys, what's cooking? :}
After two weeks of vacation at the German North Sea I'm back in the shop. Airbrushing the mast, worked a treat. The base is not yet painted (green) and after that it needs a couple coats of matte varnish.
Unfortunately the wires for the topmost lantern broke off right at the mast from manipulating them a bit too often... bummer. No way to fix this now. And just as I was in the process of protecting the points where the wires exit the mast with a drop of glue. Oh well, if I'm not mistaken, the topmost light would only be lit if she was towing, right?
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Mast is done :-))
After painting, varnishing and fitting the lamps I gave the lights a test run. As mentioned above, the topmost light ain't working because I accidentally broke the delicate wires. But as the thirt light would only be lit when towing, this actually adds a touch of realism ok2
After test fitting the mast and making the electric connections to the resistor board below deck, it was showtime: Using a line laser, I aligned the mast and then glued it in place.
I think she slowly starts to look like a ship, don't you think?
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D#mnit, the forum software just ate a quite lengthy post of mine... I really should remember to copy my texts before hitting the send button >>:-(
Anyway, I went on with the captain's wardroom (or whatever this is called) and the kitchen. Must have been a rather cramped space on the real vessel.
After sanding all of the parts I tentatively put them together with some tape to see what goes where. Since the plans are of not much help there, I pulled some pictures from other Imara builds off the web, that helped a lot.
I think this is how it's supposed to fit together. Strange thing is that the front wall seems to be a tad too long. Since everything else seems to fit quite well, this makes me wonder.
Maybe I'll give it another thought and a head scratch or two after a good night's sleep.
After that it's glazin' and gluin' time...
Dom
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Hi Dom......
The front wall [bulkhead] is a width not a length.....so if I understand correctly I think the sides of the structure [my red lines] should be parallel, running forward & aft
Derek
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Hi Derek
Yes, you're right, essentially. Only that it isn't all that easy, since the front bulkhead is slightly bent and slanted and everything is (obviously) supposed to fit the tiled floor board and the dedicated spacing in the deck panel. Taking everything into account, it kinda fits the way I just put it together, except the front wall is approx. 3 mm too wide, even after bending and slanting (https://www.cosgan.de/images/smilie/konfus/a015.gif)
Dom
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This is where being a modeller comes in instead of just an assembler. If all the rest fits OK and the front is too big then just trim it to fit.
Jim
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You're spot on there, Jim.
It's just that I like to sort things out for sure before I trim it off only to later realize that this part was supposed to go somewhere else :-)
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Glazing the parts for the captain's wardroom and kitchen.
As for the checkered tile floor, my first idea with blue masking tape was a bit too cumbersome, so I went with plan B and used some wider if cruder masking tape. Cut the lines with a scalpel and peeled off every other tile.
I then gave it another spray of white to prevent the black paint from sipping under the tape and then finally a couple layers of black.
Turned out OK, it checks out ok2
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For the salon floor of my Imara, I Googled tile floor photographs and downloaded a checkerboard style in tan and white that looked appropriate. I adjusted its size for the boat scale with Photoshop and printed it out as a photograph on 8 x 10 photopaper, trimmed to fit and viola, looked great with a minimum of effort. Bottom line however is that when the cabin is finished you can only see the floor through the cabin door that I installed partially open. Oh well, it was fun
Regards; George
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That's an inventive way for making the tiled floor, George. I'd thought you'd see more of the floor through doors and windows, but oh well. It was kinda fun making.
I sidestepped to the hand rail of the reeling, which is supposed to be made from 2x3 mm wooden beams and apparently bent in shape... not my special area of expertise. There must be another way.
So I used the deck board as a stencil and drew its outline to a piece of paper and did the same thing again but after measuring 3 mm inside the line. This left me with a nice pencil drawing of the railing I need.
After scanning the drawing I filled the outline with black and imported it into the CAD program to add the 3d dimension and prepare it for 3D printing.
Turns out the print is a perfect match for the deck. All it needs now is a coat of wooden brown color :-)
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That looks like it will be a very nice handrail. Were you able to include the slotted underside to align the stanchions? I used the supplied slotted stock for my hand rails after repairing splits in about half of it that came from packing and shipping. Instead of trying to bend the stock which is virtually impossible without breaking, I cut a 45 degree miter at each of the forward corners and glued the corners. It worked out pretty well and the slotted stock allowed easy alignment of the stanchion tops.
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Looking good, George! Thank you for the pic, I'm always a sucker for close-up images of finished Imaras, as they are tremendously helpful.
As for your question, no, I didn't include the slotted underside. I considered implementing recesses for the stanchion tops but then scraped it. I guess I'll just drill some small holes through the deck and into the handrail to align it.
How did you treat the stanchion tops for the handrail, btw? As far as I can see, they all come with bulbous tops.
Dom
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I'm not sure I totally understand your question, but I'll give it a try. There are 2 types of stanchions. The one with the bulbous top and hole is for the upper railing and the stair railings and the wire railing goes through the top and the middle holes. The stanchion for the lower railing has pins on the top and bottom. The top pin fits into the railing slot and the bottom pin fits into the deck. In both cases the fatter end of the stanchion goes into the deck. The stanchion on the left in the photo is for the upper railing and the right, the lower. If this is not your question, ask again; old age is creeping up.
Regards; George
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Thanks, George, that was exactly my question. But as far as I can see, I only got the first type of stanchions you describe (the bulbous type for two sets of wire) :o
Looks like I'll have to sift through the contents of my kit again to see if I missed something.
Dom
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All clear... the stanchions are there, mixed together with the bulbous ones. Didn't notice there were two different kinds before :-))
And I just realised that I could print the handrail from fibre wood filament, which will give it a wood-like appearance after sanding and glazing.
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I forgot, there is a third smaller stanchion with only the top hole that is used for the stairs and railing to the funnel platform. You should also have more stanchions than you need depending on your choice of placement. I used about 3.5 mm on the sides which was close to the print and 3 mm on the forward side of the cabin, which gave a good proportional placement. When you get to threading the wire in the railings there are also a few tricks. Have fun.
Regards; George
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Yes, the stanchions for the funnel platform I have already identified and separated. Thank you.
As for threading the wire, I was thinking about pre-bending it with some nails on a template.
Dom
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Dom,
I have found when fitting railings at this sort of scale that it is best to have no more than one bend in each length of wire, otherwise you are forever trying to get everything straight and in alignment.
Then hide the joints in plain sight. If you look at the first photo below you can see that a short section of railing above the bollards is slightly thicker than the rest of the rail. This is thin aluminium tube sleeved over the joint between the wires and is virtually unnoticeable especially as the bollards tend to draw the eye. You can put these joints anywhere they will draw the least attention. It does make things a lot easier. The second photo shows the railings being assembled. I drilled the holes for the stanchions and set everything up and then used solder paint for the joints. I could then withdraw each section for painting and then subsequently gluing back into place.
An alternative to aluminium tube are tube beads for jewellry making, they look like this and come in various sizes:
https://www.pandahall.com/p-1630095-304-stainless-steel-tube-beads-stainless-steel-color-15x1-5mm.html?areaType=NormalArea&p=1&i=17&paLb=List
I didn't need templates, I just used long nosed pliers to make the bends.
Do keep posting on your impressive build.
Colin
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That sounds like sound advice, Colin. Thank you. I will be looking for tube beads :-))
My wooden handrail just off the printer. All it needs now is some minor sanding and two coats of glazing.
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I just learned that after sanding, the 3D-print from wood filament looks just like a regular piece of timber - pretty cool!
I have drilled the holes for the stanchions and put things tentatively together. Looks good in my book. Not yet sure whether to leave the brass stanchions as they are or give them a coat of paint. I'm open for suggestions there :police:
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Looks good but paint the stanchions white. They would never be brass colour in real life.
Colin
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That's looking very good Dom. Before you start gluing anything, I would suggest you sort out the wire railing. I used brass rod since it is easier to form than the steel rod in the kit, but 1 mm rod is a very tight fit through the center stanchion holes and once the rod is bent more than just the side curves you can't slide the stanchions around. Even the side curves cause binding when aligning the rods. I ended up using three pieces and joined them inside of the corner stanchion joint. Brass also solders much easier than the supplied rod. The top slotted rail made alignment a lot easier. As far as color, do what you like; it's your boat.
Regards; George
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That's a fabulous solution to the top rail.I have spent 20 years building period ship models and even mastered the 'dark art' of bending Ebony,probably the hardest timber on the planet to bend and I would say you could not bend that top rail in that tight arc even using any easy to bend timber like Pear.You would just end up with too much deformation of the rails cross section with such a tight bend,The only way would have been to laminate several square section strips edge to edge after bending each one separately.
Regards
Nigel
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As George says, brass is a much better option for the rail. You can open out the stanchion holes slightly with a drill or needle file to give flexibility.
Colin
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Looks good but paint the stanchions white. They would never be brass colour in real life.
Yup, I guess you're right. I think I'll go with white, after all.
That's a fabulous solution to the top rail.[...] and I would say you could not bend that top rail in that tight arc even using any easy to bend timber like Pear.
Thank you, Nigel.
That's what I figured when I was looking at them sharp bends. Glad you confirmed my suspicion and I'm quite happy with the result so far.
Before you start gluing anything, I would suggest you sort out the wire railing. I used brass rod since it is easier to form than the steel rod in the kit, but 1 mm rod is a very tight fit through the center stanchion holes and once the rod is bent more than just the side curves you can't slide the stanchions around.
Thanks, George! I just double checked and the rod from my kit is in fact all brass, and it also fits neatly and easily through the stanchion holes. My presumption would be that you may have had an older kit from a couple of years back, as it seems they have changed some materials over time. Your deck board also looks slightly different from mine, which would confirm my theory.
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I've now glued the deck to the structure and treated it with weatherall.
The rails are primed, painted and varnished. Showing them tentatively in place on the picture below, but I will not glue it in place before I have built the cabin. Speaking of which, trying on some furniture (a raw 3D printed table and fridge in this case).
First mate checking out his new and glazed handrail :police:
Dom
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Railings look very good. Well done.
Colin
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Dom....
I imagine the actual Imara would have had a 32 volt battery backup system, together with a small steam turbine generator set...
So with a cold ship, the only power available would be the battery 32V system...[essentially for lighting]
What were the generator supply voltages?....110V or 240V?
[just wondering for the refrigerator?, or if a refrigerator was actually in the Bridge area?]........Derek
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Railings look very good. Well done.
Thank you, Colin!
What were the generator supply voltages?....110V or 240V?
[just wondering for the refrigerator?, or if a refrigerator was actually in the Bridge area?]........Derek
Derek, I don't know about the voltages on the actual vessel, but according to the plans of the kit, there's supposedly a refrigerator in the captain's den. Don't know about its operating principle, but it may as well have been a gas driven absorption refrigerator for all we know.
The one from the kit is provided from wood panels, however, and I don't like that mainly because of the wooden texture %)
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BTW, I had to glue the wire railings to the stanchions instead of soldering. The heat would have melted the handrail which needed to be in place for alignment %)
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Started building the shack. Some sanding needed as I go, but I don't glue anything to the deck as of yet so I can trim the parts as needed.
After that I'll just have to glaze over the seams.
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While sorting out the next batch of wooden parts I need for the kitchen, I realised that I somehow overlooked that the deck actually was supposed to be made from two layers of wood :o
Oh well, too late for that now and I don't think anyone will notice or miss the second layer :police:
Anyway, sanding and glazing some parts for the sink unit and cupboards.
By the way, any ideas what the strange parts in the third picture are for? Can't figure it out. Any help would be appreciated.
Dom
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Cradles for the ship's boat?
Regards
Ray
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These are the deck brackets for the side companion ways of the superstructure (front and back).
Regards
Wilhelm
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Ah, you mean parts #62 and 63 on the plan?
Thanks!
Dom
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Yup, parts #62 & 63. I am working on an Imara too. Thanks for your build log.
Regards
Wilhelm
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I am working on an Imara too.
Aaaah, a fellow Imara builder :embarrassed: %%
Would you like to show us some pics of your build?
Dom
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Hi Dom,
So far I have done only basic work on the hull and preparing some of the building modules. Painting the hull and most of the bigger parts has to wait until spring time. I hate painting inside the house and it is way too cold in Canada right now for this job. {:-{ So far very few items have actually been mounted on the superstructure.
Did your kit come with brass stanchions, mine are all white metal?
Regards
Wilhelm
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Did your kit come with brass stanchions, mine are all white metal?
That looks all very neat, Wilhelm! Thank you for posting your pics. I like your personal touches like the map on the wall in the cabin!
Yes, my kit came with brass stanchions, but I understand that they used to be white metal in older kits. Maybe yours is from an older batch? I would suggest you either contact your supplier for replacement or get some brass ones from somewhere else and discard the white metal ones as they sure bend very easily {:-{
Dom
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Hi Dom,
my kit must be one of the older ones, no brass stanchions and no laser cut wood. I just ordered the brass stanchions from Cornwall Model Boats in England. Let's see how it goes.
Regards
Wilhelm
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Did you get an older kit from your seller or did you just buy it some time ago? Just wondering.
And just as a reminder, should you ever want some of my 3D parts for your kit (to either have them printed or print them yourself), feel free to download them from thingiverse (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2791221).
Dom
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Hi Dom,
And thanks for your generous offer. I might get in contact with you concerning your door hinges which I really like.
I did buy the kit about a year ago not knowing about the changes and improvements. Oh well, in the end it is not a big deal, you win some and loose some.
Anyway, I will keep an eye on the progress of your build. Well done so far!
Regards
Wilhelm
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Tea time, everybody!
Tea got a bit dark, I reckon :embarrassed:
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That's brilliant! :-))
I love the detail!! :-))
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Thanks!
The fridge is empty and non-functional, though :-)
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I found some nice stands for my Vallejo bottles and Revell thinners and cleaners on Thingiverse which I printed over the weekend. Adds a neat and tidy touch to the workbench :-))
Model wise I started building the rails for the stairs to the main deck. Although I'm rather good at electronics soldering (if I may say so myself), I have zero practice in soldering brass stanchions. I think it shows (https://www.cosgan.de/images/smilie/konfus/d050.gif) Some tidying up with the file will be necessary.
Inspired by Wilhelm's build, I added an Africa map to the captain's wardroom wall. Filling, sanding and touching up the corners of the cabin is also high on top of the to do list.
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Oh, I just forgot... I also designed a foot for the binnacle. The kit comes with a white metal base, which is OK but I don't have the correct diameter tube for the pipe that goes between the foot and the actual binnacle, so I fired up the CAD and made one. The plans and descriptions do not provide any measurements, so I had to guess the hight from a picture I took at a maritime museum in Husum, Germany, while on vacation there. I printed it in black PLA because I want to fit an LED to illuminate the binnacle from the inside. The black color will help preventing any light leakage through the walls of the foot. I try not to repeat any previous mistakes %)
Binnacle not yet filed and sanded, just popped it onto the base as proof of concept.
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Hi Dom,
your railings and your binnacle are looking pretty good. I like your 3D printing skills.
The weather gods were kind to me and I could paint many parts of the main superstructure and could almost finish it. I hope you are not offended if I attach a view pictures . By all means, I don't intend to hijack your excellent build log.
Kind Regards
Wilhelm
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I hope you are not offended if I attach a view pictures . By all means, I don't intend to hijack your excellent build log.
Au contraire, Wilhelm, I'm always glad to see pictures of other Imaras. Not least so I can refer to them with my own build. Keep 'em coming :-))
Wow, so much progress on your upper structure. Looking very good indeed!
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The binnacle is now finally done. I mixed and matched some of the white metal from the kit with 3D printed parts from my own making to get the result I wanted.
I still couldn't find a convincing and satisfying dark brown "wood" color, so I primed the base with a mixture of Revell wood brown (way too light for my taste) with some Revell "rust". This got me there somehow but I still used wood glazing afterwards. I'll have to check out Vallejo colors to see if they have something convincing.
Anyway, I painted the binnacle top with Tamiya brass polish and used the two red and green "iron balls" from the kit, but without the collar because they would just kinda stick out on the side, but actually they would be mounted on top of some "wings", so I designed and printed a new collar that would also fit the compass. Today I fitted the base with an LED to illuminate the compass inside the binnacle from below.
The images show the evolutionary building process.
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Hi Dom,
simply amazing.
Wilhelm
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Thanks, Wilhelm!
Except my compass rose looks a bit like a kindergarten drawing :-X But then again, I guess it won't be much of an eye-catcher inside the binnacle. Still, I like your compass rose way better. Looks like you just printed one from a photograph?
Dom
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Yes, I copied a compass rose from the internet to photopaper, cut it with a pair of scissors and applied clear spray paint. Nevertheless, the illuminated binnacle is a great idea and you did a fine job.
Regards
Wilhelm
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Today I soldered the SMD LEDs for the interior lights and the red and green navigation lights. The latter are the smallest pieces of electronics that I ever have put a soldering iron to :-)
With only 3 x 1,5 mm they are rather tiny and delicate indeed. I used 0,3 mm enameled copper wire for the connection. It's considerably sturdier than the 0,1 mm wire that I had to use for the mast lights, but I will still be a ble to conceal it well inside the structure.
This gives a total of 5 lights for the cabins and bridge (two warm white interior lights, one warm white light inside the binnacle, and one red and green position light, respectively.
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Wow those LEDs are really small! :-))
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Yes, they are, aren't they? They are only about half as "big" as the warm white ones. Didn't realize it until I started soldering the other day.
But now this is done and I glued the stairs and railing into place. Next up is the woodwork for the bridge.
As a side project, I started weathering some fender tires. They're still fresh and shiny, this will not do :-) I will apply several coats of Deadflat from the Rustall set until they look old and worn and then work my way up from there with rust, moss, stains, and what not.
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Some more work done:
For the lamp wires, I milled channels into the lower part of the bridge deck. This will ensure that I can glue the top part of the deck flush onto it. At least that is the intention. I must confess that I didn't think this completely through. But I will deal with the wires once I have all of the parts ready :embarrassed:
The lower part of the deck is now also filled, primed and painted white. Although it takes ages with the airbrush, it gives a neat finish. And I can paint no matter what the weather outside.
The boxes for the position lights are also assembled, sanded, filled, primed and painted white. Next off will be painting the inside red and green, respectively.
The railing boards for the bridge are filled, sanded and glazed.
The fender wheels got a coat of flat and some dirt pigments. Not yet finished as I intend to experiment with some washes (rust, moss, dirt).
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I used Vallejo liquid mask to protect the edges of the position light boxes before airbrushing the insides red / green. I had no previous experience with this stuff safe for a youtube tutorial. It turned out well enough, but i still had to amend a couple of spots where the color managed to penetrate the rim. Still, it's a nice option to have for masking difficult areas.
All they need now is a small hole for the wires and a coat of varnish.
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Test running the position lights and flush-mounting the wires for all the lamps. Binnacle is now glued to the bridge deck and its wires will also fit the groove in the board below.
After that it's all clamps on deck; the two pieces of the bridge deck are joined with the wires sandwiched in between.
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A new batch of white metal parts plus the 3D-printed upper water tank are now ready for priming and painting. I also made a couple of lampshades for the kitchen and the wardroom.
The telegraphs need some dials - I sketched them up in Inkscape and printed them. The dials are rather tiny, but at least "STOP" and a couple of other signs are still legible :-)
I wish I would have made the same with the compass rose %) Too late for that now.
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Dials are glued into the telegraphs. Levers and varnishing next up.
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Hi Dom,
the dials are looking great. :-)) :-))
Regards
Wilhelm
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Hullo Dom.......are the Telegraphs repeaters for the Bridge Wings?.......Derek............[getting thirsty for some steaming O0 ]
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Thanks, guys! :-)
Derek, not exactly bridge wings. But she does have one set of telegraph and speaking tube on either side of the helm.
I will have to polish the Mr.Metal brass color with a cotton bud to make it shine and then preserve it with a coat of clear metal gloss varnish.
Dom
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Hi Dom,
I just finished the control panel with the shockwave2 sound module.
Wilhelm
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Looks impressive, Wilhelm! What are these counters for? They look like time bomb displays in movies :o
Dom
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Hi Dom,
Sorry to disappoint you, these are DVM's (Digital Volt Meters) to check the voltage of the port and starboard batteries. The one on the left hand side checks the output voltage of the UBEC for the Rx..
I am still waiting for warmer weather in order to paint the hull. >>:-( >>:-(
Regards
Wilhelm
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Ah, volt meters, nifty! :-))
Some more painting and weathering done: lampshades, telegraphs, helm, upper water tank with some rather rusty plumbing. Also a piece of brass tube with copper finish. This will contain the wires and will run inside the cabin.
Dom
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Bridge railing cut and glued. Unfortunately the glue didn't hold the one corner in place (me taking off the duct tape too early may also have been part of the problem %) )
Will have to tear it apart and firmly glue in place again.
The rail on top will once again be 3D printed and is already work in progress. Also in preparation are the six pillars that will support the bridge deck.
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She’s looking so crisp :-)) :-)
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Thank you, Sir! Just don't you go a-lookin' too closely :embarrassed:
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Voila, the bridge railing from the 3D printer. After sanding and glazing I glued it to the balustrade along with the decorative strip.
The four brass pillars will support the bridge deck. I wrapped the connection with copper wire and added a drop of superglue to hold everything in place.
The white parts of the bridge deck still need some touching up. Also still to-do are the doors to the captain's lair and the kitchen.
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What plastic did you use? :-)
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Martin,
I used colorFabb woodfill filament. It's PLA with 30% of wood fibre. After sanding, it looks and feels almost like an ordinary piece of timber.
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Beautiful build ... But (I have to ask!) what modelling use is the sieve in post #391? %%
Andy
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Andy,
Good question! I use the sieve for washing and rinsing the white metal parts after filing them :-)
Dom
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Been watching your build for some time now - great work. Are you happy with the props you chose? 65mm?
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Thank you! The propellers are 75 mm four bladed - they're what Krick recommend on their web page for steam propulsion.
If you're going with electric motors, they're recommending 65 mm three bladed.
Can't say much about them so far, though. Only had her running in the tub once so far :-) But they produced lots of wash when pushed.
Dom
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Been watching your build (again, great work) while doing research on my next build - a Marie Felling. The hulls are the same, or at least that's what I've read. I can see several of the metal fittings are the same as well. Mine will be electric and most likely go with a 65mm prop. Was looking at the same set you have, but also considering the solid brass props. But not sure if the performance/aesthetics difference is worth the 100% increase in price %)
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Dom......this is an interesting scenario......
"The propellers are 75 mm four bladed - they're what Krick recommend on their web page for steam propulsion. If you're going with electric motors, they're recommending 65 mm three bladed." :o
This is sort of back to front to conventional engineering ....[99%] of propellers for steam applications have a higher [or more aggressive] pitch ratio to diameter over electric drive
Derek
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(...)also considering the solid brass props. But not sure if the performance/aesthetics difference is worth the 100% increase in price %)
That hull effectively looks exactly like the Imara's. Didn't know that there was another model based on her hull out there. Interesting. Please do keep us updated on your build!
I just took a shot from her rear end (I know, not a very polite thing to do with a lady ok2 ). Maybe this helps for your decision process. Unfortunately you can also see how very damn sloppy her water line is in that area :(( This is actually very embarrassing (https://www.cosgan.de/images/smilie/traurig/a055.gif)
This is sort of back to front to conventional engineering ....[99%] of propellers for steam applications have a higher [or more aggressive] pitch ratio to diameter over electric drive
Interesting fact, Derek! I would have thought that with steam engines, having a much slower rotary speed than electric motors, bigger propellers would make perfect sense.
Dom
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These are Googled images of the Marie Felling. She was built by the same company as the Imara. She operated out of Mombasa harbor from the late 1920's into I believe late 70s/early 80s. I know showing a ladies backside could be considered bad form - but in this case we could be considered like a doctor, right :embarrassed:
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Dom.....I was not questioning the recommendation by Krick ..vis ...steam or electric, and the option for alternate propellers.......however if the steam powered prototypical has large 4 blade propellers, then an electric powered model could also remain as prototypical with large 4 bladed propellers and use a speed controller to achieve suitable shaft speeds :-))
It is acknowledged that when the model Imara was first produced, larger current capacity electric speed controllers would have been limited to the likes of Bobs Boards {-) so this may have influenced the Krick recommendations?......any thoughts?
So we see that the Marie Felling appears to have used the same Builders hull design & build, however her steam machinery may have been different?
The other possibility is her intended location just below the equator & higher temperatures may have dictated the steam plant require more air and hence the extra pair of very large air intake ventilators just behind the bridge....being over & above those fitted to the Imara etc
Derek
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It's almost time to marry the bridge with the main structure. Lower water tank is finished and glued in place.
The pillars are also painted and rusted and waiting to be put in place. Wiring is sorted and threaded through the deck. After the bridge deck is glued in place, I can then thread the short piece of "copper" tube which will contain the wires from below.
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:-)) :-)) :-)) Great. I am looking forward to the next set of pictures.
We did have a warmer day last week and I could paint the Deck, today back to 0 Celsius. Maybe it is getting better next week.
Regards
Wilhelm
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You need some chess men for the crew. %%
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Luis over at Shapeways makes several 1/32 merchant crew that would look right at home on your Imara.
https://www.shapeways.com/product/Y7VC4SDNY/1-32-merchant-navy-crew-set-1-5?optionId=60914838&li=marketplace (https://www.shapeways.com/product/Y7VC4SDNY/1-32-merchant-navy-crew-set-1-5?optionId=60914838&li=marketplace)
I bought a few from him and like the quality. He's doing some of the work in house, so the prices are better too.
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:-)) :-)) :-)) Great. I am looking forward to the next set of pictures.
Thank you, Wilhelm. You won't have to be waiting long for the next set of pictures, as you will see below :-)
You need some chess men for the crew. %%
That's a good idea for putting this tile floor to some good use :}
Luis over at Shapeways makes several 1/32 merchant crew that would look right at home on your Imara.
Thank you for the link! However, I have already a whole crew of sailors standing by for the maiden voyage :-))
Just washing the glue off of my fingers after marrying the bridge deck with the main structure. After the glue cures I will need to do some touching up here and there and of course there's still yet some decorative strips and stuff like that missing.
One thing after the other...
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I fed the wires into the tube and made the electric connections to the resistor bank at the underside of the superstructure. The wires there are still a bit of a mess and I will have to disentangle them a bit before continuing :-)
But I'm happy to report that all the lights are lit (kitchen, captain's den, green and red position light, and binnacle).
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Impressive!
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Thank you! :-)
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Hi Dom,
keep up the good work. Great progress. :-))
Wilhelm
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Started my build of the Marie Felling over at RCGroups:
[url][/https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?3291877-Marie-Fellingurl]
Hopfully I can build it nearly as well as your Imara!
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Thank you, guys! :-)
And I shall follow your Marie Felling build, that looks interesting!
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I think I still owe you a picture of the wire salad I made with all of the connections from the lamps. Here you go!
Otherwise I've been busy with a small side project that hasn't got anything to do with model boats. I've always been a fan of MYST, the puzzle computer game.
I love the cover artwork from the soundtrack CD album (see picture below) so I went and recreated the steam-punky cogwheel and logo in CAD and made a 3D-print of it.
After some filling and painting it now makes a nice prop for the bookshelf.
I shall now return to the Imara build at hand :}
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Hi Dom,
you better draw some nice schematics of your "wire salad". In a couple of years you ask yourself what did I do...…. just my experience. It also helps if you decide to sell the model some day.
Kind Regards
Wilhelm
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Sound advice there, Wilhelm!
Lower wooden band around the cabin is now in place.
I almost forgot the doors to the cabin and kitchen. Cutting and glueing the windows was a bit messy... the canopy glue cures crystal clear but one still can see the mess I made <*<
Door hinges will be painted brass.
Speaking of brass: I never quite liked the brass colored evaporator. Now that I got the whole range of Vallejo metal colors, I decided to go with "Dull Aluminium". Picture showing coat one of two :-)
Dom
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Hi Dom,
looking good. Everything is coming together quick now. O0
Yup, no matter what, if you use canopy glue or something else, you can see the smallest mess in the windows.
I am still waiting for parts from the UK to finish the IMARA. I am also looking for three scale figures (1/16) for my Lobster boat. Any advice?
Anyway, I am looking forward to your next report.
Wilhelm
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It's been a while and I haven't done as much in the last couple of weeks, but still some progress on the bridge and stack.
Thought I'd show you a couple of pictures of the progress.
While drilling the holes for the funnel platform, some of the plastic chipped away since I forgot to cover it with a piece of adhesive tape. Some minor repair work necessary there. Fortunately I still have some paint left in that Tamiya sand color spray can, since they're no longer available over here in Switzerland.
Next up are the stairs leading up to the bridge, after which I can complete the railings.
I'm still mulling over the decision what color to use for the steam whistle and fog horn. They're painted black as for now, but maybe I'd rather go with some metallic color. Brass? Dull aluminium? Steel? Any suggestions, guys? (https://www.cosgan.de/images/smilie/konfus/a015.gif)
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Completely un-scientific it appears that the Marie Felling (built by the same company) may have had a shiny brass whistle. And, again in my opinion this picture of the Perseverance the whistle doesn't appear to be black. However (and this is where my opinion becomes totally useless %) ) the ship's bell in both pictures does not appear to be brass. I took note that the engine telegraph on the Marie Felling is not brass, but more of an shinny steel or aluminum in color.
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Brilliant. Thanks a lot! :-))
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Moving on to the stairs and railings to the bridge. After assembling and painting the stairs, I realized that they turned out turds. Part of it is me *cking up, of corse, but it's also due to the white metal parts not lining up properly. So naturally I'm blaming it all on the white metal parts ;D
I found some stairs on Thingiverse for the Titanic that I could modify slightly to fit my needs. Off to the printer they went. Perfect replacement :-))
The railings are also bent and soldered. Everything is now waiting for a lick of paint which I will probably do later this week.
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Looking really good. One day you will finish this model!
Colin
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Thank you, Colin!
If I keep up my pace, this one day will be in late September 3054 {-)
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After painting and varnishing the stairs and railings, I glued everything in place.
Also the helm and some other pieces of the bridge are now glued firmly in place. I guess she starts to look like a ship.
Next up are probably the life boats and davits. This is going to be interesting.
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Wow that is beautiful work :-))
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I couldn't agree more and so realistic - congratulations on the build to date :-))
Regards,
Ray.
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Why, thank you guys! (https://www.cosgan.de/images/smilie/verschiedene/s015.gif)
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Yes, absolutely superb work as usual.
Colin
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Thank you! I really appreciate all of your encouraging words!
I have a small subsequent delivery in the form of the upper water tank. Finished many moons ago, it is now also glued in place. :-)
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Another fine example of your work. I like the way you have added the suggestion of rust to the pipe exit hole and below the inspection plate.
Regards,
Ray.
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Yes, it's an old and leaky, slightly rusty thing they probably got from a second-hand dockyard in Dar es Salaam ;)
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Excellent :-))
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Thanks! :-)
I was just browsing through my remaining collection of white metal parts, identifying the ones I'm gonna need next, when I stumbled upon these ten (10) strange threaded V-rods.
No idea where they are supposed to go, couldn't identify them on the plans and they also do not look familiar. Any ideas, guesses, tips or hints regarding what they are and where they're supposed to go? (https://www.cosgan.de/images/midi/konfus/e035.gif)
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separated each by each. perhaps paired for casting ?
Ralph
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Hi Dom,
they represent the mounting bolts for the davits (you would have to split the V's into two bolts). I threw them away and used real mounting bolts.
Regards
Wilhelm
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Aaah, that makes sense O0
Thank you guys!
Dom
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An excellent model you have created, the detailing is first rate. I am really envious of your 3D printing skills.
Looking forward to the sea trials .
Regards Phil
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Thank you very much for your kind words, Phil.
And say hi to Edinburgh. I love Scotland O0
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Wow what a beautiful build, I wish I had found this six months ago, I will go back to start and read it right through, I'm approx three quarters way through my Imara, and I think I will pick up a lot of tips from your build log,
best regards John,
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Thanks! :-)
I was just browsing through my remaining collection of white metal parts, identifying the ones I'm gonna need next, when I stumbled upon these ten (10) strange threaded V-rods.
No idea where they are supposed to go, couldn't identify them on the plans and they also do not look familiar. Any ideas, guesses, tips or hints regarding what they are and where they're supposed to go? (https://www.cosgan.de/images/midi/konfus/e035.gif)
I used them on my Imara, here are a couple pics,
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Wow what a beautiful build, I wish I had found this six months ago, I will go back to start and read it right through, I'm approx three quarters way through my Imara, and I think I will pick up a lot of tips from your build log,
best regards John,
Thanks, John! Glad you like it.
And thank you for the pics. Looking awesome! I got a bunch of real 2mm nuts and bolts now for the task :-)
Please do show us some more pictures of your build! I'm always curious and interested in other Imaras.
Dom
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Thank you Dom, I suppose I should start a catch up log, here is a pic of where I am at at the present, but please be aware that I have used lots of builders license, I have looked at a lot of Imara's on the internet and almost all look different in some ways, also the plans and instructions dont help much, thanks once again,
best regards John,
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Yes, the plans and instructions aren't of much help, unfortunately. I long ago abandoned the instructions and only use the plans as a means to identify what goes where.
Your Imara looks very neat and I think we're approximately at the same build stage.
Davits filled and partly sanded, foots fitted with bolts and nuts and hanging out to dry.
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The davits are now painted and being glued in place.
Also painting the.... hoists? Or what do you call those little pulleys? Where the lifeboats will be hanging from :-)
Next up will be the lifeboats. That's going to be interesting.
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Looking good Dom. I am in contact with model slipway about my next model, the "Maggie M."
Regards
Wilhelm
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Dom...
Those pulley or sheeve blocks you show in your image 4417 appear as 2 fall [2:1] and 3 fall [3:1] were I believe wooden pulleys in steel hoops
So as difficult as it may sound, the pulley rings would be wooden coloured with contrasting paint on the externals........possibly the same colour as the chimney
This then begs the question of the davit posts?........they too could have been the same chimney colour
The examples sheeve blocks you show appear to be electroless nickle plated which is extremely difficult to remove, or get any chemical or paint to adhere to the surface >>:-(
Wooden pulley disks can be purchased or manufactured, brass strip could be used to form the hoop
Only way to establish actuals for the period & type of vessel life boats is research %)
PS......if the davit arms were the same colour as the chimney, then mast/flag pole just aft of the auxiliary ships wheel would also be the same chimney colour
Derek
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Looking good Dom. I am in contact with model slipway about my next model, the "Maggie M."
Oh, that also looks like an interesting model with lots of detail :-))
Those pulley or sheeve blocks you show in your image 4417 appear as 2 fall [2:1] and 3 fall [3:1] were I believe wooden pulleys in steel hoops
Ah, that explains a lot. Thank you for the clarification, Derek!
I was wondering about the materials they were made from, but somehow couldn't be bothered witd actually doing some research. I figured they were made of some sort of metal, so I went with "Burnt Iron" from the Vallejo metal range colors. That's what you can see in the picture above - the pulleys are actually white matal parts.
I don't think the (wooden) pulleys will be visible after rigging, so I'm not going to bother with coloring them differently from the hoops.
This then begs the question of the davit posts?........they too could have been the same chimney colour
...if the davit arms were the same colour as the chimney, then mast/flag pole just aft of the auxiliary ships wheel would also be the same chimney colour
Yes, you're absolutely right in that I took some liberties in my color scheme as I'm not aiming for perfect accuracy. I think the funnel would actually have been blueish, according to the manual anyway, but I didn't like that so went with buff instead. A lot of parts I just go with the color that seems right to me rather than what it probably was ok2
Dom
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Rigged up the funnel and the davits today.
I guess the lifeboats are next. But I have no idea where to start. Cutting them free from their vacuum forms, I guess.
Dom
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Your model is turning out to be a beauty - absolutely stunning :-))
I'm sure you will make a great job of her lifeboats.
Regards,
Ray.
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Looking absolutely superb Dom. The lifeboats offer an opportunity to take the model to new heights.
As I mentioned in my original review, the boats are steel and therefore flush sided so no need to plank them. I chose to leave both of mine open to give the opportunity to provide internal detail and fittings (not very good photo below - you will do better).
There is lots of information online about ships lifeboats and the way they were rigged and handled.
Colin
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Thank you, guys! :-)
Colin, your model is still a sight to behold. And your review is also still plenty helpful :-))
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It's nowhere near as good as yours though Dom!
Colin
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Nonsense, Colin.
Anyway, lifeboats: Let's dig right in. The ABS vacuum forms are quite thin and light, which makes them easy to cut. After I figured out what goes where, I cut everything free and put it tentatively together.
After the glue cured, I used a sharp knife to remove excess plastic and then sanded it down.
Some car body filler and a couple of hours of rubbing down later, this left me with two smooth lifeboats. Who would have thought :-)
I cut the sitting boards from plasticard. I cut the small holes that will later hold the supports for the grab lines.
The orange supports are 3D printed and make work quite a bit easier :-)
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I didn't want the lifeboats to be white, so I mixed some buff / light sand color into the white for the hull. The interior was supposed to be a bit darker, so I used the light sand right from the bottle, but I think the whole thing looks a bit odd.
I sanded the plasticard benches with coarse sand paper to simulate wood grain and then applied some wood color magic courtesy of Vallejo.
But today was a bad day for painting. After airbrushing the green top color, the masking tape ripped the base color and varnish right off >>:-( >>:-( >>:-(
I will sleep over this (maybe a couple of nights) and then decide whether to try to repair the damage or start over with a different color altogether.
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I finally found the courage to repair and rectify the damage done by the three times cursed masking tape.
Airbrushed the interior with a fresh coat of light sand and then patched the dark green with a very small brush and a somewhat steady hand. I think it turned out well considering the circumstances.
After this has cured properly I'm gonna apply a couple coats of varnish before carrying on with the grab lines, oars and stuff.
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Disaster averted - leaving it alone for a while is half the battle - looking good again :-))
Regards,
Ray.
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Thanks, Ray. Yes, you're absolutely right - sometimes it's best to forget it for a while and then look at it with fresh energy from a different angle. This sure helped in this case.
On with the boats, manufacturing about 40 tiny lugs from 0,3 mm copper wire for the grab lines. Bending the wire around a piece of 1 mm brass rod. Glued them in place with slow curing super glue.
Dom
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On with the boats, manufacturing about 40 tiny lugs from 0,3 mm copper wire for the grab lines. Bending the wire around a piece of 1 mm brass rod. Glued them in place with slow curing super glue.
Dom
Great solution! That one is definitely going in my 'good ideas' book :-))
Regards,
Ray.
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Only some minor progress over the last couple of weeks. Lots of other things coming into the way, but I probably got some building days ahead :-)
Done some rigging on the mast, I think it's looking quite good so far.
3D-printed some tiny bits that are supposed to be lifeboat rations (biscuits and water presumably). They're still raw and waiting for some sanding and a lick of paint.
I also made a couple of lifeboat tarpaulins but as I'm gonna leave the boats open, they're rolled up for stowing.
Next up is painting the oars and I also need to create a pair of smaller (wooden) lifeboat pedestals for the actual build. The ones I have so fare were only for building and painting purposes.
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Stunning detail. Excellent work.
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Great to see some tension in the wires Dom :-)) ....
We see you have working turnbuckles, but did you solder the wire twists/twirlers to maintain the tensions?
Best wished for the coming season
Derek
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Stunning detail. Excellent work.
Thank you!
We see you have working turnbuckles, but did you solder the wire twists/twirlers to maintain the tensions?
Derek, the turnbuckles are mere white metal props without function :}
And the "wires" are pieces of black Billing Boats rigging thread. I secured the twisted ends with a drop of superglue. It was not easy to get the right tension so as not to bend the mast and on the other hand not have slack lines, but after two or three trials I got it done.
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Great work. Looks like you're almost in the home stretch.
I've just re-read this thread from the beginning again and i've saved a lot of your photos for 'how to' reference on my future projects. Thanks.
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Thanks, Steve! I'm glad you find some of the pictures useful. I'm also always glad to find reference pics in other building blogs.
Lifeboats are finally done. The ration cans turned out nicely and after putting everything in place I did some weathering.
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Dom, that's a beautiful model you're putting together. Just read your post about getting the right tension in the rigging. If a model mast is self supporting and the rigging is just "for show" as it were, then I use shirring elastic rather than thread or cord - easy to tension and has enough give to absorb any pondside knocks without damage. It's lasted over 20 years on my Yorkshireman without going slack although I do store the model in a box so UV damage will be minimal.
Keep up the good work
Ralph :-))
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Very good idea there, Ralph, and something I will definitely keep in mind.
Dom
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Hi Dom,
everything is looking great. :-)) :-)) :-))
I just started working on the "Maggie M".
Wilhelm
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Thank you, Wilhelm! be sure to show us some pics of your Maggie sometime.
I got the boats installed and rigged. Next up will be the gantry on the bridge and then some bits and bobs on deck that yet have to be finished. Like Steve Mahoney said a couple of days ago, it looks like I'm on the home stretch. I guess I will be able to sail her for the first time come spring or summer :police: Friends of ours have a swimming pool and they said I can use it for a test run or three. That would be really cool.
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Now that the boats are rigged up to the davits they look even more realistic - lovely work :-))
Regards,
Ray.
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Thank you, Ray. Appreciate your feedback!
I built the gantry over the last couple of days. I realized that the Vallejo airbrush primer and paints don't stick to the brass and steel rods too well. So I went back to the Revell rattle can primer for the undercoat. After that the Vallejo paint works OK. You learn something new every day %% Anyway - somehow I seem to have run out of 3 x 1,5 mm wooden beams. So I just made my own to measure on the 3D printer and then painted them with Vallejo's "old and new wood effects".The superstructure is now almost completed, safe for a couple of small details like lifebuoys and emergency axes and some figurines. I think it is now time to once again marry the superstructure and the hull to complete the rest.Still some ways to go but she definitely starts to look like a boat :-)
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Regarding the paint problem on the brass /steel - I usually use 400 grit wet 'n dry (used dry) to give it a good key for the primer and paint to adhere to.
Anyway, you've still managed to get another great job done there :-))
Regards,
Ray.
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Regarding the paint problem on the brass /steel - I usually use 400 grit wet 'n dry (used dry) to give it a good key for the primer and paint to adhere to.
Thanks for the hint, that would probably help. In the meantime I have found a great airbrush primer for metal and plastic. It's by a German company and so far I'm very happy with it. it flows and airbrushes with ease and I think the paint really sticks to it as it should. Pity I haven't found out about this earlier.
I now built the ropewalk and experimented with a couple of different yarns to make some rope. It's quite fun.Also, the last batch of white metal parts is now filed, sanded, primed (with the metal primer mentioned above), painted and somewhat weathered.Everything falls in place neatly and in the next step I will put everything together.
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It's been a while since I put her two parts together. Today I hauled her hull down into my dungeon to start completion of the last couple of details. Well, there's still some work ahead, but I'm getting there.I think she looks quite impressive so far. Although there are some things I made and painted some time ago that I would like to amend, modify or change altogether. We will see.
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Fender time. And I just noticed the old lady got a bit dusty over time :o Time for a wipe with a wet towel I guess.
Thanks Wilhelm for the tip with the eyebolts and rings :-))
Dom
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A mighty fine old Lady
Wilhelm
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Excellent result. It's definitely going to need a glass case.
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Thank you guys.
A glass case... definitely something to ponder over. That would solve the dust problem.
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Excellent build.
In Your IMG_4783; What Figures are they, in the three packs? What Scale? What Manufacturer?
Thank You.
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In Your IMG_4783; What Figures are they, in the three packs? What Scale? What Manufacturer?
They're Preiser Figurines: https://www.preiserfiguren.de (https://www.preiserfiguren.de/Mine)
Mine are 1:32 and from the "steeplejacks" series (which is most probably a bit of a mistranslation, as "industrial workers" would be a better fitting translation from the german "Industriearbeiter").
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Thank You for the information on the Preiser Figurines; appreciated.
This is one of my favourite builds; great tutorial to help with my Tug.
A couple of more questions;
On the Grab Ropes, on the Lifeboats, what did You use to simulate the little Cork Floats? are they just black tubing cut to small lengths?
Could I ask You to post a closeup photo of the Foredeck Anchor Winch?
Thank You.
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On the Grab Ropes, on the Lifeboats, what did You use to simulate the little Cork Floats? are they just black tubing cut to small lengths?
Yes, they're short pieces of shrinkable tubing, cut to lenght with a scalpel.
Could I ask You to post a closeup photo of the Foredeck Anchor Winch?
Here you go. Hope this helps!
Incidently, is anyone else experiencing weird behaviour of the message editor here on the forum? I mean even more than usual %) What with weird font sizes, line breaks et cetera.... it's a bit cumbersome to get the formatting right.
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Editor an probably a browser update.... {:-{
Love the winch color scheme.... rust look particularly real! :-))
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The weathering on the chain looks amazing :-))
I recognize some of the “extra parts” I got in my Marie Felling winch kit. %)
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Thanks guys!
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Sometimes there's good news and some bad news.On the bright side, I airbrushed the propellers and got the color to match the one from the hull almost exactly. I used two parts of Vallejo 70.605 German Red Brown and one part of 71.085 Ferrari Red. I'm writing this for anyone who may be looking for a nice antifoul red but also for me as a kind of record should I ever need it again.I gave them a couple layers of varnish today and now leaving them sitting there for a couple of days to cure.
On the downside, while shaking one of the color bottles it slipped my hand and took one of those lids right off. No big harm done fortunately but after glueing it back in place the superglue worked its infamous magic by clouding the surrounding black paint. Although I knew this would happen I failed to protect the paint with some duct tape... it is a bit of a nuisance and something I will need to amend later.
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All done with the propellers and the color is an almost perfect match to the hull.
I started making the steering chain and steering spring boxes. Some additional weathering to follow.
The water hose is now threaded through the hydrant (a 3D printed part from many moons ago). I intend to lead the hose to a sailor on deck who will then be able to splash some water on unexpecting spectators. Mwahahahahaaaaah, world domination! <insert evil laughter>Ahem. Please excuse me now while I retreat to take my medicine :}
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only the background unmasked the model :-))
Ralph
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only the background unmasked the model :-))
Ralph
I have to agree - that is one beautifully built tug :-))
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Thank you very much, Gentlemen!
Dom
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Time to populate the ship with some more details and figurines. I got another batch of Preiser figurines (shhhhh, they're actually railroad figurines - don't tell anyone!) ;) One of them was wielding a pickaxe which does no good on a ship. I picked off the pickaxe and replaced it with a small mop that I built from an iron rod and some thread. Now pickaxe guy has got a new duty and will be moping the deck. Lick of paint for the mop handle pending :-) Slowly getting there, some more details and minor paint jobs missing. I so wish I could put her in that swimming pool at our friend's house but alas, due to the Virus lockdown we're all confined to our own houses for the time being. Maybe I'll put her in the tub one of these days for some balancing and testing.
Dom
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Hey guys
Any suggestions regarding transportation of the ship from the car to the pond and back again?
Dom
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Firstly, what a beautiful build you have achieved over the last few months since I have been away Dom! I love every part of that ad I salute you sir :-))
Just a thought for the figures: If you have done this then ignore me, but did you pin the figures to the model? I ask because knocks and bangs at any point between getting her into and out of the car, into and out of the water and occasional bumps while sailing might dislodge one of the crew (They'll strike for better conditions!!!)
For transportation, people often obtain or make a trolley that breakdown or fold up so it fits neatly into your vehicle. I have seen the metal four wheel trolley (I was recommended to get one with a car like steering as this is more stable around corners), one made with Wheelchair wheels and numerous ones with rubber wheels, shopping trolley wheels or other. Try and get a good balance between weight and strength.
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Not the most easily steered, but you might find a newer one.
Mine came from our daughter. Getting rid of it when she stopped providing family day care. %%
Space below for Tx. batteries, tools etc.
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Firstly, what a beautiful build you have achieved over the last few months since I have been away Dom! I love every part of that ad I salute you sir :-))
Why, thank you very much!
Just a thought for the figures: If you have done this then ignore me, but did you pin the figures to the model?
Sound advise there. While I did not literally pin them to the model - I was considering drilling into the feet and into the deck and using small pieces of metal rod for pins, but then dropped the idea). But I used Araldite epoxy to glue them down. Where they're standing on plastic I bored into the surface to give the glue something to grip on to. That should do the trick I guess.
For transportation, people often obtain or make a trolley that breakdown or fold up so it fits neatly into your vehicle. I have seen the metal four wheel trolley (I was recommended to get one with a car like steering as this is more stable around corners), one made with Wheelchair wheels and numerous ones with rubber wheels, shopping trolley wheels or other. Try and get a good balance between weight and strength.
Not the most easily steered, but you might find a newer one.
Mine came from our daughter. Getting rid of it when she stopped providing family day care. %%
Space below for Tx. batteries, tools etc.
Thank you, guys, for your insights and recommendations. I will be on the lookout for something useful.Not that I can go near the pond anytime soon what with the current Virus situation, but one needs to be ready.Neat set of wheels you got there Brian :-))
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Almost done, only some minute details missing %%
One of these days I will do a proper photo shooting outside in the sunlight.
I put her in the tub again for some balancing (she needs yet more weight in her bow) and a short test run. Everything seems to be working: lights, peristaltic pump, water pump (note the hose guy portside stern), sound fx (that thing is LOUD) and also the steam engine. I made a short movie from yet another break-in dry test run and uploaded it to youtube for your viewing pleasure (https://youtu.be/fmm5fqFaOsA). Sorry for the vertical video, I usually don't shoot this way but my mind was probably somewehre else... {:-{
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So much detail that really is a fantastic build :-))
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Hi Dom,
Excellent. :-)) :-)) :-)) Your steam engine seems to work great.
Wilhelm
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Beautiful clack-clack-clack-clack sound of her engines Dom..... :-)) .......again superd low speed speed control that will only be further enhanced with the water loading on the propellers
The audible sound will also be reduced in water as the engine sound instead of rolling around the hull, will be partially adsorbed from hull into the water
Looking forward to watching your Imara on the water
Derek
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Thanks guys! :embarrassed:
Yes, Derek, you're right that in the water the engines do run a lot smoother. I had her running in the tub for a couple of minutes and it made a huge difference.
Dom
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like the videos, don´t forget detail images on the pondvideos :-) please
Ralph
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I inherited an old coaster wagon from a friend of mine who used to cart his kids around with it :-)
That should get the transportation problem sorted. Slowly transforming it into a moving cradle for the steaming lady.The drawbar was a bit messed up so I'm in the process of prototyping a new connector that can easily be detached by way of simply plugging a splint. Makes loading it into the car much easier than fumbling with a screw and a wing nut.The green part is only a conceptual print. Once I'm satisfied it will be printed with a sturdy carbon fibre filament.
Dom
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Almost done. I will add a small "doorstop" for the bow keel to prevent it from sitting too far to the drawbar.I'm almost a bit prowd of my self designed and printed quick releasing drawbar attachment :D Now, if only the weather was a bit better, I could haul her to that test pool at our friend's for her maiden test voyage %)
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Hello folks :-)
Finally, the moment we all have been waiting for: Mayden Voyage! :police: The weather was fine, winds were low, sun was beating down and the pool at our friends' was ready for her mayden voyage.See a very short movie of the incident on Youtube (https://youtu.be/lRpAJ00l-D0). A friend of ours was kindly sailing her while I was taking the movie, so the guy you can see shortly ain't me ok2
Everything went well so far, except the bilge pump started running after a couple of minutes due to some condensation from the steam engine triggering the leak sensor. I will have to amend the placement of the sensor to prevent that from happening.And I had to remove some buckshot from her bow because she was sitting a bit too far down at first.Steering her was a bit tricky as space was quite limited in the pool, but I think with some practice (and a bigger pond) it should be OK.
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My heartiest congratulations Tafelspitz, your 3 1/2 years of dedicated model work has finally paid off.
She's looking fantastic, even in confined waters - well impressed :-))
Regards,
Ray.
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Hi Dom,
congratulations, one fine looking "Imara". I hope you can sail her in a pond or lake pretty soon.
Great job.
Wilhelm
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Bravo Dom :-)) ........she is superb on the water.....and the handling appears fine.....[obviously a few Children also think so!]...............
Would be interesting to understand how you have your radio control settings/functionality for the fwd/astern + speed/speed of both engines
Derek
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Thank you very much, Ray, Wilhelm and Derek :-) Yes, looking forward to sail her in a bigger pond within the next couple of days. I just wanted the first time to be in a confined environment without too many spectators.This gave me the opportunity get everything prepared slowly and meticulously.
Would be interesting to understand how you have your radio control settings/functionality for the fwd/astern + speed/speed of both engines
Well, using the sophisticatd programming abilities of my RC kit I set it up in a way that both engines are controlled by the same channel and also proportionately by the rudder channel.So when moving straight forward / backward (please forgive me for not using the correct nautical terms for the sake of clarity [primarily mine, that is ok2 ]) both engines will get the same amount of steam.When steering left, the left engine will get proportiionally less steam and at the very leftmost position of the controller will even start to move in the opposite direction.
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Finally... first time in the wild on the Pond!
Taking advantage of the nice, warm weather I gathered a friend of mine and my parents and dragged them to the pond. The setting sun was great for taking a couple of pictures.The second image shows my Dad at the helm and me pal on the left watching her.Everything went absolutely smoothly and she's a beauty on the water, methinks :-) Steering needs a bit getting used to but with some practice she's quite agile. I set the timer to half an hour and that's as long as the water for the steam engine lasts (with some reserve, of course).After that it's back to shore :-)
Cheers!Dom
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Well worth the wait.
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Hi Dom,
nice to see that you shared the moment with your parents! :-))
Great boat and nice pictures, an all around success.
Wilhelm
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Thank you, guys! :police:
Dom
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Beautiful!! Well done :-))
Hama
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Looks just great Dom, worth all that care and effort you put in. You can be really proud of her.
Colin
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Thank you Hama and Colin! :-)
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She looks beautiful on the water. Great pictures. Great job.
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Great looking tug! Looks some fine in the water. And you built a nice transport system. Well done. :-))
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Thank you guys! :police:
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What a thoroughly enjoyable build diary and such an exceptional result! Love how you incorporated the 3D printing in so well. You've provided me with a lot of inspiration and ideas!
Thanks,
Phil
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I have discovered this thread late, but it was a really interesting read.
Congratulations for the successful build and thank you for posting so many details.
Have you run the ship lately? How does the Regner steam plant perform?
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What a thoroughly enjoyable build diary and such an exceptional result! Love how you incorporated the 3D printing in so well. You've provided me with a lot of inspiration and ideas!
I have discovered this thread late, but it was a really interesting read.
Congratulations for the successful build and thank you for posting so many details.
Very late answering these, please forgive me :-X
Thank you very much for your kind words, and you're welcome!
Have you run the ship lately? How does the Regner steam plant perform?
Ashamed to say that so far I have only sailed her once... but I intend to do so more often come this spring and summer.
Also, I'm looking forward to another build (https://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=67920.new#new). Will you follow me? :-)
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Taking advantage of the nice and warm weather, the old lady enjoyed a dip in the pond last weekend.2 x approx. 30 minutes, that is, two boiler fillings of water. It would probably last longer, but better safe than sorry.
Two short clips on Youtube:
Clip 1 (https://youtu.be/injKZHsjDHg)
Clip 2 (https://youtu.be/URy715BrMCs) (a friend of mine was at the helm while I was filming and he got a bit carried away with the sound module :D )
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Congratulations, it is beautiful and looks great against the greenery at the lake!
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Thank you! :police: