Topic: Xrad's Steam Launch (Read 13307 times)

xrad · « **on:** April 12, 2013, 07:33:52 pm »

Latest project among many steamers:

4 foot steam launch 1/6 scale.

Hull: 48 inch Fiberglass weave. Produced by Orion Mouldings in england. Anthony Fildes does excellent work at a very fair price including shipping. All frames, decks, and klinker woodwork by me.

Engine: Mildura twin from Aussy land. Was all beat up. needed a bunch of parsts machined by me, bearings resized, crank machined, and every hole drilled and tapped for english (most were stripped out). Much fiddling to get the timing to a sweet spot as the engine liked to run better in one direction v the other. The crank was reversed so the engine fits the right way in my boat. all timing done as well as I can...took many nights. Slide valves fixed and now runs well at ~100 rpm at 20-30 psi.

Boiler is a copper can with 10 pig tail loops underneath. I re-engineered it and rebrazed it. It took a while as someone had used soft solder and cleaning that off was a PITA. The pigtails were all in contact and the heat blew through from one end and out the other. I capped the back end of the pigtails and spread the pigtails a few mm each so more surface area for heat escaping sideways. Steam time from cold water to 65 psi is 8 min down from 15. Additional work to housing to maintain heat. It will maintain 30 psi while providing 100-150 rpms engine speed.Boiler hydro tested by me to 150 psi and held pressure for 6 hours.

Injector pump: Very nice design. Worked Ok when I got it. Needed the usual valve polishing and all new seals and 4 new cylinder through rods and new nuts and bolts. now Runs great and self primes.

Hand pump standard off ebay. Works very well.

Base plate: brass square brazed and tapped for each component. 4 inch wide with stainless plates on top.

Condenser: Built by me. exhaust tube larger than engine outlets. receives the overflow from site glass and steam pump. Fills up after about 30 min of running, and the overflow will empty into exhust catch can and evaporate through the boiler. Side valve lets me empty it at will.

Fittings: sourced from several locations in USA and England. Burner fittings from Jerry at Clevedon Steam. All metal, no ceramic. Great guy to work with. Model Engineering in Fla. for all stainless scale bolts, washers, nuts.

Circlip · « **Reply #1 on:** April 12, 2013, 09:52:10 pm »

Very brave, "Brasing" a previously soft soldered boiler.

Regards Ian.

pettyofficernick · « **Reply #2 on:** April 12, 2013, 10:14:57 pm »

Interesting bit o kit you have there. How did you remove every trace of soft solder?
Regards,
Nick.

xrad · « **Reply #3 on:** April 13, 2013, 12:05:00 am »

The original boiler was silver soldered. Someone else got their hands on the boiler and attempted to repair several sections at the boiler tank ends. It amounted to low temp solder over-top of high temp solder.
I torched the tank until the soft solder flowed easily and brushed it and blew it off. Then, wire brushed the tank ends at joints until only bright copper showed with a little silver solder left. Then brazed each seam to bright red with much flux and new silver solder.
Is there any soft solder left? Minute amounts I suppose. But it did not leak at 150psi which is well over my 65 psi blow off. It was probably actually a higher pressure as my hand pump was very stiff and the needle on my gauge was now off the scale.

PS: how long do I suffer these 'verifications'??

xrad · « **Reply #4 on:** April 13, 2013, 01:41:34 am »

Correction: steams up in 6 minutes with new tank of iso.
you might enjoy this vid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wWb5GQl-pw&feature=youtu.be

vnkiwi · « **Reply #5 on:** April 13, 2013, 02:43:49 am »

Xrad, very nice boat and plant.
Well done
Wish i had your skills
cheers
vnkiwi

derekwarner · « **Reply #6 on:** April 13, 2013, 02:54:46 am »

Hi xrad........
Nice rework to the vessel & steam package & interesting video

...........I have not seen an injector make up pump in a model marine application

Where is the rudder?

The WEB verifications will only last until a few more postings......please post more images........Derek

xrad · « **Reply #7 on:** April 14, 2013, 12:23:38 am »

Thanks for compliments, fellas!
Rudder was just hewn from a old dried piece of wild cherry firewood from my yard. Clamped cut planks soon to be finished.
As far as I know, injector pumps were quite common on old steamers, either drawing from fresh water or condensed tanks depending if hull in fresh or salt water. Sometimes using salt water.. depending on boiler material. Mine is a hair bigger than scal, but smallest I could find that was a true stand alone pump (v axle type pump or venturi injector). It will fill the boiler in 10-20 seconds depending on available pressure.

Thanks Derek for the 'verification' note!

eddiesolo · « **Reply #8 on:** April 14, 2013, 12:51:55 am »

Beautiful skills and a wonderful boat. The vid is great a lovely sound to her.
Si:)

xrad · « **Reply #9 on:** April 14, 2013, 03:10:51 pm »

Thanks Eddiesolo!
Some more pics. The last one is of the engine. Look at the center bearing, It has a brass U shaped flange which was added as the thrust bearing, working both forwards and in reverse.

pic of part of my shop. just some of the tools needed to build these little models...

sometimes I am neat, sometimes not so much. My launch is shipshape, but mostly hand laid and sometimes a little rough around the edges. Decking in 4 parts and removeable, hence the rough fit at the frames.

xrad · « **Reply #10 on:** April 15, 2013, 12:32:02 am »

As a side note on the thrust bearing: I machined the crank slightly, and the bearing blocks, so that there is about 0.25mm of fore/aft crank movement. Then I bent and machined the stiff brass sheet to fit where it is. the brass sheet is proud of the bearing block on either side by about .25 mm or slightly less (don;t remember what measurement I used). There is just enough play in the eccentric links that everything can shift when the initial thrust hits the crank (forwards or reverse) until the ship catches up and gets moving a little. If I put my finger tip on the prop hub I can just press it in about .25mm . At this point, the standard nylon thrust washer just in front of the propeller will really take the hard hits.

As an alternate to this, I have in the past machined a sliding pin which passes through the rear piece of the flex coupler. It also passes through a longitudinal groove in the driveshaft. the shaft is free to slide a bit forward and back.

The prop is scaled to ~21 inches. I bought a 4inch 3 blade rivabo brand and hand trimmed it to correct size. Also changed the blade profile to more era appropriate. I get the old look on chains and props by the 9v battery trick. get a plastic tub and add a few tablespoons of salt until it tastes like the ocean. The get some braided real copper wire. wrap a bit of the prop and connect to one battery terminal, and the other terminal wire(with a few inches exposed to salt)goes into the water. One way works better, you can tell by the bubbles. twenty minutes and a few wire positon changes later , you will really age your prop.

Bronze oillite bearings used at either end of 'stuffing' box. HArbor models supplies some great parts:
http://www.harbormodels.com/
Great email contact and fast shippers.

eddiesolo · « **Reply #11 on:** April 15, 2013, 11:20:52 am »

Some good tips there, the aging prop is a good one. I think a workshop should be untidy at times, afterall...it be a man's domian

Wonderful pictures.

Si:)

xrad · « **Reply #12 on:** April 23, 2013, 01:33:57 am »

A few more hours of my life into the rudder. Went with a simple silver soldered hinge system. 3 hinges with one rod down the middle. all scratch from brass scrap. still need to trim the bolts after I treat the holes. Threaded rod with one nut below and two locked above keeps rod and rudder in place. I may add a 2 tube spacers to complete the look.....

Need to trim the bolts; plenty of prop clearance side to side...nice! Also have to build up the heel and heel pintle so I don't hook a cod!

A shot of the smoke stack. added a manual boiler relief valve(copper pipe up chimney). The whistle is off ebay and works very well. Yes, I know I need a pickle bath, but I like the grungy work boat look. Seems like the skipper made some repairs on the fly........

xrad · « **Reply #13 on:** June 22, 2013, 10:58:31 pm »

Engine running like a champ!! Very slow and smooth in forward, slightly hesitant in reverse, but best I can get her. Mostly all done on the big stuff except pilot controls and RC install. Have to make a small sail....
Skipper is unhappy with me because I promised a launch at start of summer.....
All copper water tank under the gas tank. Two feeds to the pumps. Water tank has internal baffles. Working blocks and tackle.
enjoy..

steam up · « **Reply #14 on:** June 22, 2013, 11:04:20 pm »

Video please

xrad · « **Reply #15 on:** June 22, 2013, 11:13:27 pm »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wWb5GQl-pw&feature=youtu.be
same vid as before...I may have some time in the tub soon...

derekwarner · « **Reply #16 on:** June 22, 2013, 11:16:24 pm »

An unfortunate part of life sometimes xrad.......is that the Commander in Chief is not happy with progress

...however I think you have achieved quite a bit

.....looking forward to the video on the water .........
Two feed pumps........brilliant....

...that would have to comply with the new UK model boiler rules.....what is the capacity of the on-board makeup water tank?
With the working block & tackle positioned as such I can just see the scale crew lifting of a cylinder head

......Derek

xrad · « **Reply #17 on:** June 23, 2013, 07:03:42 pm »

Boiler holds about 750ml 3/4 full. The reserve tank holds at least a liter. Have to do some accurate measurements some day....and of course have to balance the boat...
The steamp pump fills it in 30 sec or less. Hand pump speedy too.

xrad · « **Reply #18 on:** June 23, 2013, 09:56:30 pm »

OK, here is water video x2
not yet ballasted so leans to one side a wee bit.
high pitch is thrust bearing, heard at high rpms...probably be less if she was not tied to the dock....
videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAiorRn6wXY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvY77-JA5VQ

SailorGreg · « **Reply #19 on:** June 24, 2013, 07:36:24 am »

Great job! I'm very impressed with the boat and the steam plant, but mostly that you get to run your boat in the bathroom! If I tried that I think my boatbuilding days, and possibly my life, would be over

I can't see how you control the rudder. Is there a tiller to be added?

Looking forward to more news, and the maiden voyage.

Greg

steam up · « **Reply #20 on:** June 24, 2013, 08:55:07 am »

Love the work boat atmosphere about the boat some crates of whisky I think

.

BarryM · « **Reply #21 on:** June 24, 2013, 11:44:50 am »

"The prop is scaled to ~21 inches. I bought a 4inch 3 blade rivabo brand and hand trimmed it to correct size. Also changed the blade profile to more era appropriate. I get the old look on chains and props by the 9v battery trick. get a plastic tub and add a few tablespoons of salt until it tastes like the ocean. The get some braided real copper wire. wrap a bit of the prop and connect to one battery terminal, and the other terminal wire(with a few inches exposed to salt)goes into the water. One way works better, you can tell by the bubbles. twenty minutes and a few wire positon changes later , you will really age your prop."
Before the sound of exploding batteries with dead shorts is heard, will you conform that you are speaking about 9V. PP9 batteries as used in smoke alarms etc., rather than anything larger?
Regards,
Barry M

xrad · « **Reply #22 on:** June 24, 2013, 02:31:08 pm »

Thanks fellas!
Yes, plenty O whiskey, working on a few wood barrels .

Yes the wife was not pleased as it is a brand new tub. Rudder arms, chain, and wheel to be added soon. Back up tiller stowed.

yes. small 9v. They get a little warm, that's all.

derekwarner · « **Reply #23 on:** June 24, 2013, 11:58:46 pm »

Well.....if this is your whiskey barrel as shown below on the bench

....you will need two.......for better balance

......Derek

xrad · « **Reply #24 on:** June 25, 2013, 01:40:48 am »

yep...one for each arm!
That was a 10$ ebay made in china oak barrel...a hair too big for 1/6 scale..charred on inside so smells very sweet. I will find a use for it..

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Author Topic: Xrad's Steam Launch (Read 13307 times)