Model Boat Mayhem
The Shipyard ( Dry Dock ): Builds & Questions => Working Vessels => Topic started by: radiojoe on October 19, 2020, 04:50:36 pm
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I thought I'd move the build log here the under correct group, I put a copy of the Puffer drawings I posted in Bella's build log [ https://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,65481.msg702929.html#msg702929 ] as a reminder of what I'm attempting to scratch build, a bundle of wood is due tomorrow from Slec and I've made a start by cutting out the keel from the one sheet of ply I had that was large enough and found a board in the garage just right for the build slip, I'm known for building quite fast but I think this one will take some time as I'm just feeling my way with the hull shape and cladding, all good fun though. :-))
Joe
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This will be a good one - good luck with the build Joe :-))
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Oh good, here we go! O0 O0
Greg
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Will be watching Joe :-))
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The VIC 27 restoration website has some cracking photos of her out the water in Crinan, with VIC32 on the slip behind her also at one point. Good source of photos / inspiration if you didn't find it already.
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Thanks for your interest guys, Auld Reekie was in a bit of a state but it's great to see these old vessels and steam locos being restored for the future I hope they leave the dents in her hull, gives her character.
Joe.
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Just an update today, I've been working on marking and cutting out the frames, I'm going to profile the edges as much as I can before final assembly and finish the profiling once it's glued together, I've also cut out most of the notches for the stringers on each frame, I just hope I've got them all in the right places.
Joe.
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This is the first dry assembly trial, so far so good, I'm holding off spending 70 odd quid for the running gear till I'm more confident with completing the hull, I've no problem with the superstructure not much different to a Springer really, but I'm quite happy with it so far.
Joe.
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Took the plunge and glued the hull framing together and fitted some of the stringers etc. tomorrow I'll fit the curved stringer pieces at the bow and stern.
Joe.
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A few more pieces added to the framework, Whilst I always enjoy building boats of any kind this hull is taking me just out of my comfort zone which is not a bad thing, it kind of makes it even more enjoyable.
Joe
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Looking good Joe! :-))
I only got this far with my scratch build attempt......
(https://i.ibb.co/JRwx3yp/My-Puffer5.jpg) (https://ibb.co/2718ZsM)
(https://i.ibb.co/fqX8qVQ/My-Puffer3.jpg) (https://ibb.co/q7D07Lx)
(https://i.ibb.co/D4tktp4/My-Puffer4.jpg) (https://ibb.co/4W7M7dW)
(https://i.ibb.co/q1X4B73/My-Puffer2.jpg) (https://ibb.co/C0NXBm3)
(https://i.ibb.co/3hxsX9c/My-Puffer1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/XJn4Brt)
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Just a little paint and a few fittings Martin and it will be ready for next years Mayhem (No 19 willing) :-))
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Thanks Martin, couldn't you skim and fair with body filler, I doubt I'll get away with mine without some of the lovely stuff, modellers licence init. %%
Joe
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Long admired your work Joe particularly your warships. I've done quite a bit of scratch building in wood. So to spur you on here are a few shots of one I made earlier :-))
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Thank you Dougal, Now that's impressive work mate and a tough act to follow, but I'll be doing my best.
Joe.
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Before I got too carried away with the hull I started thinking about the rudder setup, as the rudder stock is outside the hull a sideways mounted tiller wasn't going to work, so the tiller would have to be along the center line, a long tiller would require a lot of through so would need an elongated servo arm, after some thought I settled on a micro servo in the tiller flat to keep the tiller short, so to get it clear in my old brain I did a mockup of the tiller flat to work out the geometry after a bit of trail and error I found the siting for the servo that give me the optimum 45 degree throughs, I then cut out the servo mount hole as it's easier to get at now, later I'll cut away most of the top stern former to give access to the rudder gear, I should have done this before assembly but hey this boats all trail and error %% .
Joe.
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This is the rudder setup on my small Slipway puffer.
Jim
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I plan on having the tiller concealed inside the hull it will pass though a slot in the transom, I know the Puffers had a chain linkage from the wheelhouse but I not going that far. %%
Joe.
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The cladding has gone quite well so far so I'm feeling a lot more confident about completing the hull, I'm taking a card template of each section and assessing the best direction for the grain to make the curves, where I can't use a clamp I use a strut off the ceiling or a couple of pins, once the cladding is done the larger panels will have some more stiffening fillets on the inside.
Joe
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I plan on having the tiller concealed inside the hull it will pass though a slot in the transom, I know the Puffers had a chain linkage from the wheelhouse but I not going that far. %%
Joe.
Hi Joe ,
Some years ago I scratch built a near scale Puffer " SKYLIGHT " which had a steam plant installed, like you I puzzled over how to make the steering rudder near scale and hidden, the model was built at 1/2" to 1 foot giving a 33" model.
At the time SKYLIGHT was lying rotting away in Watt dry dock in Greenock, fortunately the stern was still visible and the steering chains gave me the idea to simulate the working of the rudder, like the original in first pic.
I made the tiller by fixing 2- bosses to the stern with holes in to take 3/32" brass rod with the rudder fixed to it, the tiller arm was operated by brass chain sliding in 5/32" copper tube and ran the chain around small pulley wheels as the original and attached to a servo below deck, hidden when the top boiler house and wheel house was fitted this worked very well and I think one of the Mini type servos would work well on your model, so just an idea if it would work for you.
Final resting place for SKYLIGHT before being Brocken up, note the angle that the Puffer is lying at, contrary to belief the hull on Puffers was not flat but had a 4 deg slope from the keel to the outside of the boat on both sides.
Hope this is of some help and interest to you.
George.
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Thanks for the information George, although I have kind of sorted out the rudder control I'm keeping an open mind till I get to that stage, the good thing about scratch building ids being able to adapt as you build, great model by the way.
Joe
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The hard part is done now, well hard for me at any rate, the lofting lugs need to be cut off next, and the bulwarks will be fitted after the decks, very happy with how it's going now not quite as shapely as a GRP hull but once a couple of strakes are added and the hull painted oxide and black she may pass muster, need to make a cradle now the slip is finished with then I can add the internal stiffeners to the mid section.
Joe.
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Looks great Joe you have done a lovely job on the hull :-))
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Thanks Mark, Trimmed off the lofting lugs and fitted the stiffeners to the mid section then gave the whole interior a coat of sealer, It feels strong and light, just ordered all the running gear now the main part of the hull is done, the rest of the build I'm quite confident about as it's similar to things I've done before, while researching the puffers I hadn't realized that so many were build and how they differed although they were all recognized as Puffers/Vics so it gives me a bit of license to do a bit of my own thing, really enjoying this one.
Joe.
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Looking good Joe - how long is she? She looks 28-30". Have you considered ballasting, as a stout hull like that might need a bit of weight to get down to her marks. Don't want to do yourself a mischief trying to lift her in and out!
Greg
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Good guess Greg, she's 28" OA and 7.25" beam so far the hull only weighs 495 grams so should take a sizable 12 volt Pb battery that should push her along at a slow scale speed and will be the major part of the ballast, I use slings to launch boats these days because bending down and launching by hand I'd probably end in the water myself %%
so now I'm pre fitting the decks while waiting for the running gear etc. and maybe get the bulwarks prepared.
Joe.
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Looking good Joe!
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Thank you Martin :-))
Joe.
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Question Joe..... i know this is only a mock up, but won't this setup give you unequal throws?
(https://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=65809.0;attach=205449;image)
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Hi Martin, as you can see by the other two photos with the servo horn at that angle with the servo centred it give equal throws well near enough, but not sure yet whether I'll use this method it was just an experiment
Joe.
(https://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=65809.0;attach=205451;image)
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:-))
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I've been pottering with the rudder today, and thought a brass one would be best, I've used a brass tube for the stock and cut a slot for the rudder blade to fit in and then soldered in place I think this will be stronger than just soldering a butt joint on to a solid stock, and then as the blade is only 0.5mm I thickened it by laminating some 0.5mm styrene each side, and the running gear arrived this afternoon so the shaft will be next to fit.
Joe.
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So yesterday I was just going to fit the shaft but got carried away and did the motor /ESC etc. and remembered just before bonding the shaft to fit a greaser, today I started bonding the decks down, I think I need to get a new radio system my old Saturn 6 is playing up a bit, it is twenty odd years old, when trying out the set up the motor kept stopping and starting like it was loosing the signal then I tried a cheap 2 channel wheel radio and it ran perfectly, the Saturn 6 is running four models so a new one with a few RX's is on the cards ho well Christmas is coming ;)
Joe.
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Joe
loving your build of the puffer, this is one thats on my mind to build from an old magazine so it interesting to watch all your build methods, keep up the good work to the very end O0
Trucker
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So yesterday I was just going to fit the shaft but got carried away and did the motor /ESC etc. and remembered just before bonding the shaft to fit a greaser, today I started bonding the decks down, I think I need to get a new radio system my old Saturn 6 is playing up a bit, it is twenty odd years old, when trying out the set up the motor kept stopping and starting like it was loosing the signal then I tried a cheap 2 channel wheel radio and it ran perfectly, the Saturn 6 is running four models so a new one with a few RX's is on the cards ho well Christmas is coming ;)
Are you sure your radio issue isn't just a dodgy contact? On the old Planet T5s the battery contacts weren't terribly "springy" and over time they tended to lose their pressure on the batteries, leading to just the sort of intermittent operation you describe. Probably worth a quick check and a gentle bending of the contacts to place more force on the battery ends.
The puffer is coming along nicely. In the water by Christmas??
Greg
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Thanks Trucker, yes interesting little boats hope you get around to building one :-))
Great minds think alike Greg, I had checked all the batteries on the Saturn Tx. all seems to be ok and the indicator lights were steady, I have since tried the Tx on the Huntsman that uses the same system and it worked ok so I think it might be the Saturn Rx I used in the puffer that may be at fault the lights on the Rx and the ESC go out and on again, I also tried bonding the Rx again, but the ESC runs fine on an old wheel RC,. wifey's been asking what I want for Christmas so a nice up to date RC system will do nicely.
I must admit the Puffer is coming along better than I had thought after my initial concerns about cladding the hull, although the detailing will take time, Main deck on this morning and port side bulwarks this afternoon, even found a funnel for her (denture tablet tube) at 1:30 it's about 2 foot dia I'm guessing close enough.
Joe.
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Finished fitting the bulwarks, and I've been thinking on how to mount the rudder so thought I would pre fit it while it was still fresh in my mind, as you can see I've changed my mind about the concealed tiller arm I was inspired by George's (ooyah/2) chain set up so I hope he doesn't mind if I do something similar, it does look more authentic, next up is the access upstands, I've also been pondering a Scottish sounding name for the Puffer, I've come up with LOCH DOON %) Then I discovered it is an actual Loch in Carrick, I may well go with that.
Joe.
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Joe ,
A P.M. sent
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I prepared the mast by putting a reasonable taper on it and fitted it though the deck and notched it over the keel so the mast is self supporting and the shrouds will not need to be tensioned that much, not all things go to plan having previously done the battery stowage I realized with the mast in place I could not get the battery in, as usual the simplest solutions are best and I just notched the bottom of the mast to clear the battery, so the mast will still be able to be glued in place, also did the access upstands, next will be all the fiddley bulwark support webs, once these are done I think I'll get the whole hull primed with two coats of primer one grey to show up all the blemishes that I'm sure will be many, once these are dealt with I'll prime it with red oxide.
joe.
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Bulwark supports and shroud plates done, next is the bulwark capping and I fit a couple of steps up to the aft deck before the first primmer coat.
Joe.
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HI Joe looking good.
Stan. :-)) :-)) :-)) :-))
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Thank you Stan, hope the knee is getting better. :-))
Joe.
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Bit more done today, bulwark capping and various strakes, I must emphasize it is not any particular Puffer just my version from various photos so Puffer-ish, I wasn't happy with the Hawse holes at the bow I realized I'd made them too large so I'm busy now making collars for them out of styrene to close the holes to more scale like.
Joe.
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Thats a lovely job on the capping Joe..thats such a difficult job on any build. Love it mate and looking forward to the next update :-))
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Definitely has the air of a Puffer. Lie it a lot. Congratulations. :-)) :-)) :-)) :-))
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Not sure why you aren't happy with the hawse holes Joe. They look fine to me. I somehow doubt you are going to be troubled by water entering through them, unless you are planning some very adventurous sailing! %%
Coming along very nicely. And it's great to do a freelance model when you can add as much or as little as you like. Nobody can say you've got it wrong because you are the designer and builder and by definition you are correct! :-))
Greg
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Thanks for your comments and encouragement guys, the hawes holes were 10mm that I realised after cutting them equated to approx a foot in dia. seemed a bit too large to me, a small error but things like that bug me so a made some collars to go both sides of the holes and closes them to 6mm or 7 to 8 inches that is more pleasing to my eyes, you're right about freelancing it's great fun and having managed to get the hull done I am now settling into the best part of the build for me superstructure and detailing, I don't plan on having her in the water before the Spring and lets hope this horrible time will coming to an end, so I'm trying to take my time and enjoy building over the Winter months, so give me a lot of time to do more detailing, I was just going to paint the decks but now think I'll plank the aft deck and foc'sle so I ordered some Tanganyka 4mm x0.5mm but before that I'll still get the hull primed and mask off the aft deck and I'll do the foc'sle deck on 0,8mm ply sub deck, then the cargo hold cover and the engine room/wheelhouse, that should keep me busy for a while. %)
Joe.
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I keep thinking of things that could be spray primed along with the hull today I thought the rudder servo mount could be done and then thought of the Tabernacle, I've attempted to make this look as though the mast could be lowered even though it goes through to the keel also fitted the Foc'sle sub deck that will be glued in place after planking.
Joe.
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Joe ,
The Tabernacle looks fine here is a pic of the original one on the Skylight wreck.
George.
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Thanks George, That's actually a lot more lightly built than I would have thought, I'm glad I used the thinner ply now. :-))
Joe.
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I had planned on getting the hull primed but the weather has not been that good for spraying, I like to spray paint in the garden it makes so much mess in the garage, no matter there's plenty of other bits to get on with so I started the hold cover that will obviously be removeable for access the plan is to have it covered with a tarpaulin, then the foc'sle companion way popped in my head and I went off in a bit of a tangent and made it while I was thinking of it, after talking to a friend who has first hand knowledge of the Clyde Puffers I've decided not to plank the aft deck instead it will be painted with a suitable deck paint that I'll decide later.
Joe.
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Hi Joe
Great to see you back at it!
I really like that colour green on the companionway, it looks brilliant. What colour will the deck be? I’m no expert on the puffers but do like the look of them.
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Joe ,
You could make the LOO next.
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Yeah I planned on making one of those but mine will be on the foc'sle port side.
Joe.
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hi joe
the build is coming long real fast. :-)) its probably just my ignorance but, i notice you have waterproofed the inside or the outside of the hull what do you plan on using to make it water tight..
Trucker
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Hi Trucker the interior has been coated thoughout with Aliphatic resin that is water proof once cured, the outside will get several coats of primer and a finishing paint for the amount I sail that will be fine.
Joe.
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ah i see :-)) top job, i think i was expecting you to drape a sheeting of fiber glass cloth over it
Trucker
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A bit more done to the hold cover after this is painted I'll attempt to make a fitted tarp cover that will be tied down to the support webs that's the plan anyway, Just started to make the Thunderbox that will be sited on the foc'sle port side, I won't be attempting to weather or age the Puffer when she's finished for two reasons 1 I'm not very good at it and would most likely botch it up and 2 refer to number 1, instead she'll be representing a Puffer just out of preservation a bit like Auld Reekie next year.
Joe.
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Lovely clean building there Joe - well until you make the thunder box {-) Great work mate :-))
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Very nice work. Don't worry about weathering, I prefer to see a boat as it was when new than with unrealistic looking weathering.
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Sorry Joe, I'm a bit late to the party but couldn't resist having a good read of your progress so far.
I appreciate people being modest, but in your case, it was unecessary as we know of old the skills and experience you have from the yacht build at least! I saw the tube in the background of one photo (I think we are all a bit nosey!) and thought; 'that's the funnel waiting it's turn for processing'.
With regard to weathering, the art is to make sure the basis is sound, so most modellers seal the initial paintwork with gloss varnish giving a hard surface to work on, and also (If you use a chemical/thinner proof varnish) you can strip any weathering off that you don't like. Also, like with your rudder experiments, using old models. or painting up a bit of ply the way you would your hull, and then testing weathering materials/techniques on that means that until you are happy, your vessel remains in tip top condition.
But, at the end of the day, it's your model Joe, and with or without poo streaks down the gunnals, it will be a superb model.
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Thanks as always for your interest guys,, The weather this morning was reasonable for spraying in the garden so I got the first primmer coat on the hull and hold cover. while waiting for it to dry I made the hold cover Tarp and painted the hold cover and Thunderbox, fitting the Tarp was a bit tricky but I'm quite pleased with the outcome, Priming the hull was always going to show up any slight gaps/ holes etc. but I was relieved to see there was less that I had thought, next a good rub down and then some coats of "Red Oxide" well Halfords red primer anyway, the rest of the boat will be brush painted as I'm not looking for a pristine finish, these vessels were rough and ready and probably their crews were likewise.
Joe.
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Looks like you're quite handy with a sewing machine Joe - or did you sub-contract the hold cover? Looks very neat either way!
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Fantastic work and very inspiring too.
A puffer is a model (amongst many others) that I would like to build one day. I have a set of plans, now all I need is some timber and the time.
Bookmarked and following with great interest :-))
Will
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Thanks guys, Greg believe it or not I probably use the sawing machine more than the wife, the cover is mk2 I mucked the first one up by trying to sew end panels in then realised it wasn't really necessary, simple solutions are usually best.
Joe.
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Over the last few years I've built up a collection of molds and castings of fittings I've made in various scales, If I ever mixed up too much resin for the items I was molding I would use it up by filling previous molds rather than just dumping it so over time this has resulted in a collection of castings some of which can be used for different scales, a fairlead for instance can be a large fairlead on a small scale or a small fairlead on a large scale, in the case of the puffer I think I can get away with the fairleads they don't look too far off scale, but the two sizes of bollards I had weren't suitable so I had a rummage though my spares box and found an old plastic bollard that was just right I've no idea where it came from, so I took a mold off of it and now have the puffers bollards, The hull is now rubbed down and ready for the "Red Oxide" coating I've installed the rudder at this stage as this can be primed at the same time just need some reasonable weather now.
Joe.
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Before I go too far with the deck/hull painting I wanted to satisfy myself that the chain steering would work ok, so I did a pre fit to test it, the roller guides were made by a friend who has a lathe and the skill to use it, I would probably have made something in plastic that may or may not have worked but these brass ones are far superior to that, so after a very fiddly couple of hours I had it working I tried two sizes of chain but the smaller chain worked the smoothest, I'm happy that the rudder setup works satisfactorily now I can carry on with the second priming well when the weather allows that is.
Joe.
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:o Joe's building this thing faster than I can read the posts! {-)
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{-) {-) {-) {-)
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Wow that rudder system is amazing I really like things like that - simple but effective. Your mate must be good with a lathe O0
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The cludgie is a nice detail. I've been admiring your steering chain. Trying to do this myself last few weeks, my chain is a bit too weak (parts too easy), I can't lay my hands on a couple of little extension springs either -were they raided from something?
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That chain steering is awesome, loving all the details you're putting into this.
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Thanks, RST the chain is from Caldercraft quite strong for it's size, I bought a box of assorted springs a couple of years ago and I used one I thought would be the right tension and made two smaller springs out it, it was quite a good buy from e-bay 300 various springs for £7 they've been useful on several occasions.
Joe.
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Carrying on with some sub assembly's till I can get a few more coats of primer on the hull, so I did the planking on the foc'sle deck and the crews skylight this assembly will be glued in place after painting the main deck and bulwarks, just about to start the engine room that will also house the smoke generator, as you need to access the top of the generator to refill, the plan is to have the wheelhouse removable as the fan will be under the wheelhouse floor and it can be filled though the fan, I think this is a better idea than having to remove the generator every time or trying to refill though the funnel.
Joe.
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Once I got the engine/boiler room shell put together, remembering to drill the holes for the portholes before assembly, I started to fit the smoke generator, but then thought better of if, it's not that heavy but it dose weigh 220 grams so it would be better as low as possible previously I had thought of fitting it just forward of the steering servo but it covered the shaft greaser, then I realized it didn't have to be fixed it could just sit on a couple of bearers and the copper extension would hold it in place when passed though the roof into the funnel so that was the job for today.
Joe.
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It's got a bit too cold out to spray paint in the garden, so I decided to brush paint the rest, I was going to spray red primer on the hull that would be the colour under the water line as I've done on all my warships, but given the type of boat the Puffer is I really don't want it to look too posh a finish so brush painting should do ok, so more acrylic paint on order, now carrying on with the engine room.
Joe.
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The steering is a study of model engineering Joe :-)) It's great when the real system can be scaled down and it still works!
Brilliant work as per usual.
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Thanks Ian,
I spent several hours over the last couple of days cutting out all the windows in the wheelhouse before gluing it together using 0.8mm ply, the wheelhouse is double skinned so twice the windows to cut out, quite tedious so I was glad when this job was done, the double skin has spacers between the skins so after panting the glazing can be slid in place without the need the glue so no chance of fogging or smudging then the roof can be fitted, I've made the roof as a removable unit so I have access to the wheelhouse interior so if I ever find some 55mm crew figures other than German or American military I can install them.
Joe.
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You're a clever bloke Joe :-))
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Well thanks Ian but I'm sure I've seen this glazing method or something similar before, not sure whether it was on Mayhem or somewhere on tinternet.
Joe
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Well thanks Ian but I'm sure I've seen this glazing method or something similar before, not sure whether it was on Mayhem or somewhere on tinternet.
Joe
That glazing method is great Joe, first time i have seen it done like that :-))
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The windows on the "Seekadette" are done in a similar fashion :-))
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Thanks Terry that's not a name I'm familiar with but I'm sure I've seen the method somewhere.
Today I did the first floatation test loaded with the battery/smoke gen and some lead which all came to 2.3 pounds she's sill quite high on the water line and needs to be lowered about 15mm so quite a lot more ballast needed, on the plus side she was dry inside after a half hour float, In between painting I've been making the funnel out of a Steradent tube.
Joe.
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A bit more painting done and I'm kind of glad I brush painted now as I think it looks a bit more rough and ready Puffer like, also foc'sle deck glued down.
Joe.
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Wow Joe that is looking amazing :-))
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Nice paint job!
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Suddenly she springs to life! Amazing the difference a coat of paint makes. Looking extremely pufferish Joe, good job.
Greg
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It's looking very good Joe :-))
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Thanks for the comments guys, Companion way and cudgey glued in place along with the bollards, chain steering now installed and thoroughly tested a little light oil in the tubes smoothed the action I think it will look better when the chains tarnish a bit, thought about the coal scuttles while doing the chains so made them next.
Joe.
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I've had a change of mind on the battery as she needs a fair amount of ballast I'll be using a 12 volt Pb battery instead of the 3s lipo ,so I've ordered a suitable size Pb battery it means the capacity will be less at 1.2 ah but should be ample for the time I spend sailing, being a slow chugger she wont need a high battery performance plus a Pb battery being stored fully charged it's always ready for an impromptu sailing rather than having to charge the lipo for a couple of hours.
Joe.
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I thought the winter on the Clyde must be very cold so just for a bit of fun this is the first item in the wheelhouse.
joe.
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I've been adding some detail to the wheelhouse, I've not glued the funnel yet as I'm waiting on a couple of cowl vents for the top of the boiler room behind the funnel, I was going to try and make these but couldn't find any thing suitable laying around the workshop to adapt, I want hollow cowls to get some air into the smoke generator so I've ordered the ones that come in two halves plus some stanchions for around the aft deck.
Joe.
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Joe,
I love your sense of imagination, I bet that the Puffer men would have loved a stove in the wheel house, that along with the heat from the boiler room below you would find the whole crew in the wheel house in the winter.
I have never seen a Puffer with a stove in the wheel house nor a chimney up thro' the roof, with your type of build you can let your imagination run riot, a sky light above the crews quarters, the owners would Never allow that.
I look forward to seeing what your imagination comes up with, great build.
George.
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I like that stove and the little chimney.
Did the puffers have any sort of heating in real life?
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Not in the wheel house.
George.
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{-) %% well I did say it was Puffer-ish.
Joe.
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Wonderful job there Joe. You carry on pimping your puffer, next the 60w speakers {-) {-) {-) {-)
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Very nice Joe, especially liking the rivet detail looks very convincing ! interested to hear what technique you use ?
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Hi Dougal, speakers playing bagpipes music, erm maybe not {-) {-) .
Zippy the rivet detail is formed before painting by tiny drops of PVA glue applied with a piece of wire, a bit tedious but actually more effective than I had thought.
The vent cowls etc came yesterday so I've been fitting those today the two on top the boiler room I used two spare brass portholes for the flanges, the one on the foc-sle was too low so I used the stem off a spare one to make it higher.
Joe
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It's coming along really well Joe :-))
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Thanks Dave, A bit more done today funnel and stays and the vent cowls, started fitting out the wheelhouse loosely based on a photo from a puffer wheelhouse not sure which one, and did the foc-sle vent cowl.
Joe
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Getting back into the build today hoping you all had a good Christmas, I've been playing around with my new Radiolink T8FB system a present from swmbo along with 3 receivers, installed in Puffer first, have to say for a RC system under £100 it has a superb glitchless action and all 8 channels can be programmed via a downloaded phone app, My old Saturn 6 was getting glitchy so I'll use the other 2 Rx's in Brocklesby and Hunters Moon H31, I made a start on the steam winch and tested the smoke gen installation, I think it will be better out side, I can't run it too long inside the workshop smells of eucalyptus.
Joe.
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Just finished my version of the steam winch, I didn't have any gear wheels to hand so I thought as my Puffer represents a Puffer just out of restoration she would come under todays Heath and Safety rules so on my winch all the "workings" are under a safety guard %) or to put it another way I cheated a bit :embarrassed: next I think I'll tackle the railings around the aft deck.
Joe
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Such lovely clean work Joe - That Puffer is just getting better and better!
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What he said!! ⬆️⬆️⬆️
Will
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Thanks for the kind comments, well I've done the railings , fiddley but actually easier than I'd thought, originally I was going to fabricate them out of brass rod soldered together but then decided to get some Caldercraft stanchions glad I did now I could never have matched that effect, next I tackle the brass fittings for the mast/derrick and rigging.
Happy and much better new year to everyone on Mayhem. Joe.
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I was pondering on making the fittings for the mast/derrick and as I sometimes do went off on a bit a tangent and made the anchor derrick just as I finished it I remembered I had some double sheave blocks left over from a Model Slipway tug, a botched kit I bought cheap and rebuilt the blocks were in the box with some other bits, the kit was 1:48 so I guess the blocks are too, maybe a little over scale for the Puffer but don't look too bad and I've got enough of them to do the mast derrick rigging so lucky I remembered them and even more amazing I could actually find them.
Joe.
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Most things on ships are well built so large tackle won't look out of place.
She looks fab, and a brush paint job is just right. I doubt any Puffer ever saw anything more sophisticated than a big brush or maybe a roller in later years!
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Thanks Ian,
After some thought I made a start on the mast/derrick fittings, mainly thinking how to tackle the gooseneck, I've opted for a fairly simple design that dose what it's supposed to and should look reasonable after being painted, also the upper mast shroud fittings, looking though a few photo's of Puffers I noticed quite a few had samson posts each side of the foc-sle so taking a break from the brass work I made a couple of posts and fitted them, simple job but worth doing I think.
Joe
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I love seeing this sort of thing. A nice bit of model engineering.
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Mast and derrick final fit and rigging, Not saying it's 100% correct but I'm happy with the look of it, next I make and fit various bits of detail as I think of them.
Joe
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The sails are too big.... and backwards.... and.... er.... hold a minute! Forget that! :embarrassed:
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{-) {-) {-) {-) {-) good one Martin
Joe
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I love seeing this sort of thing. A nice bit of model engineering.
I agree thats nice brasswork :-))
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Looking really good now Joe :-))
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The sails foxed me for a moment Joe! I know puffer captains were profit cost conscious, but saving money on coal and spending his savings all on new sails?
Lovely work matey :-))
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Great job Joe :-))
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Thanks for your interest guys, Ian, I hadn't noticed the sails in that photo till Martins comment I wondered what he meant till I scrolled back, sometimes when you take photos you don't see the whole picture.
Joe.
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I've been pottering about with some bits of detail similar to things I've seen in various photos, I thought I'd give the crew some charts not that it will do them much good down here in Gosport and come to think of it there's no crew at the moment, I have been looking for some Puffer men aprox 55mm but no luck any of you guys know of any or Trawler crew would do, all I've found so far is Germans GI's and aircrew.
Joe.
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I've been pottering about with some bits of detail similar to things I've seen in various photos, I thought I'd give the crew some charts not that it will do them much good down here in Gosport and come to think of it there's no crew at the moment, I have been looking for some Puffer men aprox 55mm but no luck any of you guys know of any or Trawler crew would do, all I've found so far is Germans GI's and aircrew.
Joe.
Cornwall Model boats stock resin cast figures by CMK Czech Master fittings. They have several figures intended as railway crew but some are suitable as crew from the era of your puffer. They are 1/35 scale, I have a couple on my ST Cruiser and I just checked one out its 55mm high. These figures are not cheap but are highly detailed and crisp castings.
Jim
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Thanks Jim I'll check them out I don't know how I missed them at CMB it's usually my first port of call for any thing boaty though boat fittings are quite tedious to trawl though.
Joe.
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Joe....just in case some Dingbat rivet counter was about :o ......[an image to suit all years] .......Derek
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Hi Derek that's the good thing about a Puffer that's been restored and was completed in 2004 %) the boats old but the oil drums aren't %% {-) {-)
Joe.
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OK....well done Joe :-)) ..........[in OZ we had a television advertisement ....oil's ain't oils Sol' ...a couple of Gangsters from the 40's]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7TUiMCeils (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7TUiMCeils) ......[it was for Castrol GTX] ....always stays in your mind when you see a drum of Castrol
Derek
....PS..better lash them back to the boiler house room wall...don't em running about :-X
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Hi Derek Had to laugh at that ad when he throws the cigar in his mouth, reminded me of when I was a teen me and the lads would try to act all cool and throw a ciggy in our mouth to impress the girls cause if you missed you looked a right dork {-) .
You are quite right about lashing the drums though :-))
Joe
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Loving it Joe, the thing with puffers is the amount (all be it small) of detail you can add, it becomes like a Giles cartoon you see the first image but then as you look closer you find all the little things (like your charts----when will you add the small pencil).
So you will need the compulsory bicycle on the hatch cover.... {-) {-) {-) {-)
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Thanks Phil, a Bicycle I'll have to think about that one %%
done a couple more bits the grating/seat over the steering gear and the nav lights, every time I get to the nav lights on various builds I ponder whether to have them working or not and again for the amount they would be used I deemed it just wasn't worth the effort so these are just for show.
Joe
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Just remembered to make the crews stove flue, Phil mentioned a bicycle and I've seen a few puffer photos with a bike somewhere on board, so just for the fun of it I thought I'd have a go at making one, well it does resembles a bike I'll see what it looks like after painting just don't ask about the wheel pokes %%
Joe.
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Excellent :-)) :-))
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Excellent :-)) :-))
Isn't it just :-)) A great addition and I thought I had patience - a fantastic build Joe.
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:-)) just awsome for me, hope you continue with this build blog
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Love the bike, the rest is not half bad as well. :-))
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Thanks for your comments guys, A couple more pics of the bike painted and on board not sure yet whether to tie it or secure it with spots of glue, sometimes even thread looks over scale, just started to make an anchor.
Joe
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And there we were expecting you to say 'Well someone told me about a bike kit in this scale' and off you go and make a top quality bike from scratch!!
I love the effort and imagination you are putting into this build. It is nice to be able to free roam about a project rather than worry about the placement of small vents and those funny weird shaped bollards that a certain class of warship had.
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Phil mentioned a bicycle and I've seen a few puffer photos with a bike somewhere on board, so just for the fun of it I thought I'd have a go at making one, well it does resembles a bike I'll see what it looks like after painting just don't ask about the wheel spokes %%
Joe.
Joe to show the spokes fit an acetate disc into the wheel and score the spokes with the point of a knife (best done before fitting the disc into the wheel). This should be enough at this scale. If they don't show up that well then rub a little gray paint into the scores.
Jim
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Thanks Ian (the cheque's in the post) {-)
Thanks for the suggestion Jim that could work, where I've finally placed the bike the wheels don't show up that much.
Finished the anchor and placed on board, I thought the bike looked best tucked in by the oil drums,, and made a leccy/fusey type box on the aft of the boiler room, a bit of nonsense but it adds a bit of interest.
Joe.
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Love it Joe, its all in the detail O0 O0 O0 O0
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Cheers Phil,
The wheel house looked a bit empty so as I had a few scraps of mahogany left over from my build of Bella I thought I'd have a bit of fun and add a some more detail, what Puffer skipper doesn't like a mug of tea with a wee dram of the amber nectar in it %)
Joe
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It's coming on very well Joe
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Thanks Dave,
She's nearing completion now so I thought it was about time she had her name as she's not a model for any particular Puffer I didn't want to use a name like Vital Spark or Auld Reekie so I originally thought of a tongue in cheek name like Loch Doon and I then found out it is an actual Loch in Scotland and a rather pretty one at that so that's what she's called, still got to do the ballasting and get a row boat to stow on the hatch and a couple of crew, I guess it will be some months before she can go on trails so for now she'll have to join the other shelf queens. {-)
Joe
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Looking very nice Joe :-))
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Excellent Joe, you definitely need to put the year on the puffer somewhere (for posterity) though :embarrassed:
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That's not a bad idea Phil, maybe a miniature plaque somewhere.
Joe.
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HI Joe this is how my models are finished.
Stan.
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Stan you sure make more of your cradles that I do, very nice mate.
as well as putting the date completed inside, on this Puffer I put a little plaque under the ladder so as not stand out too much.
Joe.
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Hi Joe Puffer looks good all we need now is to get back sailing in some shape or form. I do hope we can can back fully by 2022 we have missed so much.
Stan
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Amen to that Stan, although I was hoping it may have been this year , hmm maybe not :((
Joe
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Finally got round to the ballasting, I had some bits and pieces of lead mainly some bullet heads left over from my shooting days that I was going to cast into ingots plus a friend gave me just over a kilo of lead shot so I tried the lead shot in bags of 200g and they stayed firmly in place between the frames so I thought I'll just use the lead shot, she took 620g aft to get the stern down and the other 400g below the foc-sle that wasn't enough so another 485g of the cast ingots to get her looking about right and trimmed who'd have thought it 1.5 kilos and an all up weight of a tad over 5 kilos, I've kept the bow slightly high like most of the Puffers in photos seem to be, also tried out my new radio while in the water that works so much better than my old set, she responds so well and you can almost "feel" the weight of her if that makes sense, just a couple of crew and a row boat to get fairly pricy items but it would add to the finished Puffer.
Joe.
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Interesting Joe. There are already 'Haptic' gaming controllers that have feedback to the joysticks, so maybe you have unwittingly got feedback from the receiver via your transmitter?
What a lovely Puffer Joe. I fancy building one myself (one day when some other projects are done %% ) I have driven around and over Loch Doune and it is a lovely part of the world.
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Hi Joe,
Your Puffer is looking good, it's a bit high at the bow when they were running dry the bow always had a bit in the water other wise they became difficult to steer.
Here are 2- pics of puffers running dry.
Starlight going back down river after discharging load of gravel at the Broomilaw and the Ardfern returning dry for another load.Most of the puffers had tilting masts to allow them to get below 3- bridges going into the city, one or two even had tilting funnels
George.
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Hi Ian, yes I have a couple of joysticks with feed back and very good they are too, It wouldn't surprise me if Rc systems get feed back eventually after all some already have battery level info from the model, what I meant by Feel the weight is she takes a few seconds to get moving when the throttle is opened and takes a while to come to a stop when the motor is shut down, quite realistic really.
Hi George, yeah I think you are right, I prefer to see them laden anyway, just found a half kilo lump of lead pipe in the garage and hammered it flat I'll use this to lower the bow nearer the water line which lets face it is a guess anyway but it seems to look ok, as the bow is lowered the stern comes up a bit so it will need more ballast there also, I've said it before it always amazes me the buoyancy of these small model boats.
Joe.
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Update on the ballasting, I've added another 460g under the foc-sle and another 120g to the stern, this puts the bow still slightly up but 52 mm under the surface, looks like at least May or June before she can go on trials but she's been great fun to build.
Can't think of anything to build next but I expect something will come to mind, in the mean time I've been busy with one of my other pastimes paint by numbers I've done a few now and was given another three at Christmas of which one is finished, if it's of any interest here's a photo of it.
Joe.
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I don't normally fit sound to my boats mainly because they are usually some distance when sailing them so you wouldn't hear them or you would have to have them so loud it wouldn't be realistic, having said that I happened to see a unit at the Component shop at a reasonable price and represented a single cylinder steam engine, just needed a speaker and be plugged into the Rx and the ESC plugged into the unit, it's powered by the BEC, ok it's simulated sound but not too bad, gives a chuff that increases with the throttle, I used two speakers from an old laptop fitted each side of the boiler house and cut out a grille each side so not to muffle the sound too much, I think it's just loud enough for the size of the Puffer not brilliant but adds a little more interest. I'm quite chuffed with it %) sorry about that folks {-)
Joe
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hi Joe,
One thing about your sound system, model steam plants don't make the sound off a Puffer.
Your sound should be Chuffed -Chuffed.
George.
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Yeah that's just what it dose George, chuff chuff chuff that matches the throttle setting nothing else, would have been nice with a whistle but it wasn't expensive just a bit of fun really.
Joe.
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This vintage of Puffers would not have chuffed. Although the term 'Puffer' was used right up to last days of their service (when they were diesel-powered coasters), only the original single-cylinder steam-engine powered vessels that exhausted to atmosphere would actually make a sound similar to a locomotive. By the time this class was introduced, they were fitted with two-cylinder compound engines exhausting to a condenser. Thus, externally, little sound would have been heard. Listen to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugtq1oshqDQ and then imagine how much of that sound have penetrated the hull?
BM
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It's like I said "Just a bit of fun really"
Joe.
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I spent a pleasant hour down the lakes this morning for my Puffers trials although it was a beautiful day we had the cross winds and surface chop often associated with Walpole Park, no matter she handled the conditions very well, speed at full throttle was ample for a Puffer and a comfortable cruise at half throttle, the chain steering performed as it should and gave a nice tight turn at hard over, now the cons. the smoke gen dose draw a lot from the battery and after a little over 10 minutes I could hear a change in the motor when switching the smoke gen on and of, even so she was still running after half an hour but I brought her in while she still had power, one good thing she was dry inside,I did have my trusty old Springer Gopha Girl in the car just for peace of mind, I'd like to get a bit more run time so as the Pb battery is only 1.2 Ah I'll see if I can fit my spare 3s lipo as a first step, I tried it on the bench and it seemed fine with no discernable change in the motor when the smoke gen is used and the lipo is 5000 mAh so should give me at least twice the run time, the only thing I have against lipo's is I tend to go for a sail on an adhoc basis and with the lipo being in storage charge you have to remember to charge them the night before or early in the morning, I suppose I could get a 12 volt nimh battery of the same capacity, I see how the lipo performs first, Only got one photo the sun had darkened my specs and the phone screen looked black so I guess I was lucky to get one she was about 30 feet from the side so I've cropped it.
Joe
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lovely boat joe... wonderful job
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:-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-))
Greg
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What a lovely boat, superb.
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Great work Joe
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Thanks for your comments guys, always appreciated
Joe.
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Hi Joe,
Great work. I have a 1/48 scale puffer hull I am starting to build. From what I can see from your construction & photos of other’s builds it appears the deck has no camber. Am I mistaken?
Tx,
Bill
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Love it Joe!
.... we need a video .... <*<
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Hi Bill The main deck has a bit of camber on it about 3mm so if she gets any water on the deck it will run out the freeing ports, The raised aft deck has a very slight camber forward but tapers to nil at the stern hope this helps.
Hi Martin, The weather here has not been good enough for sailing for some time now, so I'm patiently waiting for some ideal conditions for her second sail with the 3s lipo in place of the small 12 volt PB battery and hope to get a video of that.
Joe.
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Thanks Joe.
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Another question Joe.
What is the purpose of the cylindrical tank on the engine room roof and the square one on the aft bulkhead of the wheelhouse?
We’re having a lively speculative discussion on this side of the pond.
Bill
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The tank on the roof is for water and if you mean the red box on the aft of the wheelhouse it's a fuse box type thing, both using a bit of modelers licence to add interest.
Joe
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Thanks Joe. You have provided another explanation to our debate.
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Your puffers look great! Hoping to join the fray of those of us who didn't build from a kit so far.
Rich
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Thanks Rich, coming from an accomplished modeller as your self I'll take that as a compliment.
Joe.
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Excellent project,I love the outcome. The boat looks perfect.
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Excellent project,I love the outcome. The boat looks perfect.
Hi Ian-C Thanks for your comment and your interest.
Joe
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Hi Joe! I am so pleased to see you are about, and I hope hale and hearty :-)) How are the model railways going? I recall you were dabbling with them when we last conflabbed. Happy new year to you and yours!
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Hi there Ian, Yah still about thanks, hope you're keeping well, the 10 or12 years after retirement spent building boats/ships were most enjoyable but I soon realized it was the planning and building of them that I enjoyed rather than the sailing of them so I found I was running out of space to keep them especially the large naval ships, I've sold all the warships except the last one I built HMS Brocklesby I put so much into her I just couldn't part with her she's still on her shelf I get her down to dust her off and charge her up now and then just in case I get the urge to take her for a sail, trouble is at nearly 80 I'm finding it more difficult to get heavy boats down stairs to the car and from the car to the lake etc. so the 7 boats I still have have become shelf queens, these days I find it more relaxing pottering with my railway not bothered by weather or the time of the year, ho I have been twittering on a bit so Happy New Year to you and all on Mayhem.
Regards Joe