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[Arrow5]

Gosh I wish I had money.

[Perkasaman2]

Any news on the price of the kit?

[carlmt]

Any news on the price of the kit?

Was working through that this weekend.
£415 + VAT and post.
Will give a detailed introduction to the kit later this week, once we have sorted the 'necessaries' out with Martin 
 
'Expressions of interest' gladly taken, but no orders just yet.  Just a couple of things to sort out with the bank and then we will be good to go.  We were told all should be sorted in the next 48 hours this evening 

[BFSMP]

It all looks very professional and workmanlike Carl.

And a very superb looking kit and model indeed.

I wish your venture very much success, especially all of the hard and extensive time and work that you have put into it.

Well done,

Jim

[Norseman]

We are now up to the 'cardboard prototype proof of concept' stage where a half sized (1:192) frame model is made to confirm ideas and shape, before progressing to forming a plug for the hull and having the superstructure parts laser cut.

It has taken 2 months of drawing to get to this point and I estimate another month of drawing is left. Then it is on to producing all the moulds for the fittings and getting the etched brass sheets made.

Hi Carl
Well you wrote that way back in January 2011 and you made it all sound so easy. Huge congratulations on your stamina and bringing it all to fruition: The Labours of Hercules were dull compared to this


Regards Dave

[carlmt]

It all looks very professional and workmanlike Carl.

And a very superb looking kit and model indeed.

I wish your venture very much success, especially all of the hard and extensive time and work that you have put into it.

Well done,

Jim

Thank you for your kind words and encouragement Jim - they are really appreciated     I just hope anyone who does buy the kit enjoys it.  It isn't the easiest r/c kit in the world and some experience wouldn't go amiss, but I have tried to put the instructions into some kind of logical sequence and those, combined with the 2D and 3D drawings should help guide the modeller along.
At the end of the day, I am only at the other end of the ether if anyone does have problems.  Email questions would be quicker to answer than phone as I still have to hold down a day-job!

[carlmt]

Hi Carl
Well you wrote that way back in January 2011 and you made it all sound so easy. Huge congratulations on your stamina and bringing it all to fruition: The Labours of Hercules were dull compared to this


Regards Dave

Jeeeze Dave!!! Nigh on 6 years!!!!!! I knew it had been a long time but I really didn't realise it had been THAT long  .  Mind you, the whole process has been a massive learning curve for me (and expensive!!!!!) and I don't think that future kits will take as long.
Thanks for sticking with me mate     I still have a hankering to sort out the Kalakala.....I just wish I hadn't lost all my drawings when I had the disc crash.  Bear with me..........

[carlmt]

Spent all day in the workshop today burning styrene sheets.  When running a laser cutting machine, it has to be supervised at all times in case of fire.  This is a very real danger as the fumes given off can spontaneously combust and if you are not watching the machine you could kiss goodbye to 4 grand!!!
All went well - managed to cut probably 2/3rds of all the required sheets for the 5 kits.
However, at the end of the day a cleaning routine has to be gone through.  This involves cleaning the mirrors, lens and bed of the machine.  Unfortunately, when I took the head unit apart to clean it, the lens dropped out in shattered parts!!! I knew it was damaged - it had been so since the machine was installed and we were waiting on a new lens being delivered.  However, now it is actually in bits it means the machine cannot be used!!!     Oh well, a trip up to Halifax on Thursday for me then - the supplier will not send the lens through the post as it is very delicate and costs £75!!!    As I need it tout suite, I will have to fetch it myself  .
 
Anyroad - here are a few smudges of what we have been doing today:
 

 

 

 
 

[Mad Scientist]

Since you mentioned Kalakala, here are a few drawings: http://www.kalakala.org/vesseltour/At-A-Glance.html

I think they show what the ship would have looked like had she been converted into a stationary attraction.

There must be more-detailed drawings somewhere in the Puget Sound area. This looks like a good place to start the search: http://pugetmaritime.org/research.htm - note the the Ships Plans Research Inquiries form.

Tom

[ballastanksian]

I hope that the installation of your new lense will not be too difficult. I remember a carpenter friend of mine saying about fitting planer blades that it can take seconds or an hour depending on the day you are having.

The sheets look crisp (in an accurate way and not a scorched way:O) Carl.

[Brian60]

Those styrene sheets look crisp and clean Carl. I've been experimenting with my laser this week, trying to get some ball park speed and power settings for different thicknesses. Of course now its working my wife has suddenly decided she (substitute me for she! she has no idea!) should be able to use it to make craft stuff for sale!

Your lens is probably replaced under warranty but there are several sellers of spares that work out cheaper. Is the lens a 12mm/18mm/22mm? Check out www.lightobject.com

[carlmt]

Since you mentioned Kalakala, here are a few drawings: http://www.kalakala.org/vesseltour/At-A-Glance.html

I think they show what the ship would have looked like had she been converted into a stationary attraction.

There must be more-detailed drawings somewhere in the Puget Sound area. This looks like a good place to start the search: http://pugetmaritime.org/research.htm - note the the Ships Plans Research Inquiries form.

Tom

Thank you Tom - Will take a closer look this weekend 
 

[carlmt]

Re the laser cut sheets - it took a fair while to find the right power and speed settings to get a clean cut, but we got there in the end.  There are so many variables that there is no 'fixed' setting. Ambient temperature, cooling water temperature and mirror/lens cleanliness as well as different manufacturers of the styrene sheets can all play havoc with the settings.  Was speaking with HPC Laser (the suppliers of our machine) yesterday and they confirm that a test cut should be run each time before putting the actual job through the machine.
 
Good news too - picked up our new lens yesterday. No cost as it was broken before they delivered the machine.  Unfortunately, warranty doesn't cover things like lenses and mirrors as these can be broken by the user.  SO - back to burning plastic!!!! 

[carlmt]

Tomorrow is the Mobile Marine Models Christmas Cracker show!!
 
If you are in the area, why not drop by?  We will be there with our prototype and a boxed kit of the Free Enterprise V for folk to take a look at - to see what they will be getting for their money!!!
 
Come and say Hi 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

[barriew]

Carl


Congratulations on reaching this point. The kit looks superb - just wish I wasn't so far from Lincoln so I could see it in real life.
I hope you sell all your first run at the weekend.


Barrie

[BFSMP]

BOOOTYFUL.

as we say in Narfolk.

It looks absolutely superb and so professional.

Jim.

[ballastanksian]

And with a really useful stout box for putting stuff in after you have built the model:O)

I agree with BFSMP, that is a well presented kit and up there with the other manufacturers for packaging (from what I have seen about).

[grendel]

just a thought, what about including a couple of styrene supports cut to shape for the hull to fit inside the box, turning it into a transport case.
Grendel

[ballastanksian]

I wonder if you can cut expanded polystyrene in a laser cutter?

[carlmt]

I wonder if you can cut expanded polystyrene in a laser cutter?

What a cracking idea chaps!!!
 
Need to check about the expanded polystyrene, but from memory I think it is possible.......
 
Bearing in mind that the laser (well, mine particularly) can only cut in 2D, I think maybe 4 shaped blocks under the hull, one around the bow and one around the stern may do the job of holding the hull in the box securely.

[ballastanksian]

Assuming you can use standard polystyrene, you can get 8x4 sheets from the builders merchants for a reasonable price. I supose the biggest consideration (apart from the effect it will have on your cutter) is, will the extra bits affect my overheads and thus kit price? Perhaps a printed template for the customer to cut his own might be a solution? I like Grendel's idea bestest if it is practical for you Carl.

[carlmt]

The laser cutter has been busy this past week!!!
 
A short video of it cutting a sheet of 1mm styrene for the kit:
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYBOUm7VZHQ
 
 

[Leaky Bottom]

Is there a reason why the laser cutter jumps from cutting one peice then goes to a entirely different component then cuts a a few sections then on to another peice?

[Brian60]

Is there a reason why the laser cutter jumps from cutting one peice then goes to a entirely different component then cuts a a few sections then on to another peice?

There are a couple of reasons why they do this, primarily its the way the cutter interprets the software from the computer. Depending on the software, RDWorks for instance you can use the settings to link each cut piece in the order you wish. So that it can cut the windows in one piece and then cut the outer line. Then move on to the windows in the next pieces and then cut the outer line.

This isn't possible in Coreldraw/laser software because it works using layers. Using this so far I have sussed you can do similar in that you can put the windows in layer 1, then the outer cut on layer 2 etc etc, the laser then works through the layers starting at 1 until the last layer.

Check out youtube there are loads of instructional videos that show the process. But as Carl has the laser working is the best way for styrene in that no one area is getting too hot and melting the edges from being worked too long.

[carlmt]

Brian is spot on!!
 
In the main, the software (Lasercut 5.3 on our machine) works out an efficient path but I refine this further to avoid overheating the styrene.  Our software uses colours as opposed to layers but the same principle.  Further, I find that if I introduce a few more 'tabs' to hold the parts into the carrier sheet, then there is also no distortion.  If I was to allow the laser to cut a long line - say over 50mm - without a break, then the heat build up is so great that the styrene starts to twist away from the heat source.
 
You will notice toward the end of the video that the machine speeds up but doesn't seem to actually cut anything.  In fact, what it is doing is etching the panel lines into the surface of the styrene sheet to give the impression of the wooden doors in the superstructure.  It is known as a 'kiss-cut' and is the laser on a high speed but low setting, so instead of cutting right through the sheet, it only scores the surface.  I can see this being an excellent way of scribing deck planks into ply sheets (as well as styrene) - the laser 'burning' the surface may be a good impression of caulking.  When I get a bit of time, I will have a play with that idea...........