Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length.

[MichaelK]

Hi snoopdog,
I'm going down almost the exact same road (river?)
Looking foward to your sucesses.
I just bought a Minature Steam boiler (Australian) plus bits and pieces etc,from all over the globe!  I hope to get it boiled up in a month or so.
Just have to learn how to silver solder, bend copper tube, find out why the b.....y thing won't work.....,  ( all the usual things on a new unknown project.
Lookig foward to the whole project, actually.
Mick

[SNOOPDOG32]

Hi Mick
Im still getting all the bits together  still a few to collect though hope i can make a start on the plant soon 

Good luck with your project also post a few pics as you go  they are a helpfull bunch in the "burnt finger section"

ED

[SNOOPDOG32]

Found some boiler lagging on polly engineering site its 2mm ceramic is this the correct one for under the timber lagging ?
on the same subject what size brass banding do you use ?
i see most use mahonany planking for lagging what thickness is best? 

ED

[gondolier88]

Hi Ed,

2mm will be fine.

Your other questions are really personal preference and not really important. As a guide I would suggest 6mm brass bands and 8mm x 1.2-1.5mm mahogany lagging, though your local model shop will probably stock Sapelle as opposed to Mahogany, look the same though.

Greg

[SNOOPDOG32]

Thanks again Greg
   Trouble is dont have a local model shop any more got to get most things online now
   
    Does anyone know were i can get a reasonable priced steam control valve for the radio control
   found them on the polly site but they are out of stock been looking on various sites but can only find
  this one and its twice the price 

   http://www.rdgtools.co.uk/acatalog/Models_and_Steam_Fittings.html     Looks nice though

   ED

[SNOOPDOG32]

Thanks for everyones help and advise so far  my shoping list is alot shorter now and most items now ordered
hope i will be able to start soon  bound to have more questions as i go just want to get it right !!

ED

[Reg Hinnant]

It sounds like there are several of us going up the same creek.  each in a different part of the world........Waiting on my TRV1A delivery also.
Snoopdog have you decided on or found a control valve?

[SNOOPDOG32]

Hi Reg only ones i found are these two both  seem a bit pricey though

 http://www.rdgtools.co.uk/acatalog/Models_and_Steam_Fittings.html

http://www.kramer-steam.ch/joomla/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=51

Polly engineering do one but awaiting stock its only £17

what boat you going to build ?

[Reg Hinnant]

Well I'm like you. All the pretty metal work needs an open launch.
I like the look of Kingston Moldings 45" Yacht Tender (without the cabin)
Nat Herreshoff designed some good looking steam launches around 1880/90 but that requires some real digging for plans.
I don't care for the Elliott Bay or Diana type.
How bout you??

[SNOOPDOG32]

Agree with you about that cabin does not look nice same with the krick victoria looks a lot better without
i am thinking of getting a solent by metcalf mouldings but use a timber deck and no canopy you have to be inspired by Bernards launches

http://freespace.virgin.net/metcalf.mouldings/solent.htm

something like the one "steam launch nearly ready" its on page 3 near the bottom

ED

[Reg Hinnant]

Those look good too.
Bernhards craftmanship is amazing. He is a true artist!
I am torn between his style (elbow fittings w straight pipe everywhere) vs something like what Red Noir was building in his post.(all brass pipe with 90 deg bends & flange pipe ends)
There is currently a Titanic lifeboat for sale on US Ebay. This is one of the hulls that Bernhard has used as well as what Red Noir was going to use.
Reg

[Reg Hinnant]

Red Noir's thread
http://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=22074.0
New thread on building up a TRV1A
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1333359

[SNOOPDOG32]

Yes i have seen those lifeboat conversions both very nice
I read somewhere that bends are better for the flow of steam dot know if thats right i am sure someone will tell us
they have been very helpfull to me in the steam section  
Keep in touch with your build cant wait to make a start on mine still collecting parts and will have to finally decide on a hull

ED

thanks for the links 

[kiwimodeller]

Reg & Ed, I have a Kingston Mouldings River Queen which is powered by the Graham Industries VR1A single cylinder engine. It performs very well and looks good on the water so I think the TVR1A twin cylinder engine might be more powerful than is needed for this hull. Certainly you would not need to run it at full throttle. I know Bernhard is running twin cylinder Graham and Monahan engines in River Queen hulls but the Solent hull is bigger and might be better for the twin cylinder engine. I recently part built a Kingston 1912 Yacht Tender for a friend and fitted a P M Research V twin oscillator. It performs really well, steers good and handles quite big waves so it would be a good choice too as would one of the Windermere launch hulls. Plenty to choose from, you just have to start on another as soon as the first is finished!    Cheers, Ian.

[Circlip]

I read somewhere that bends are better for the flow of steam dot know if thats right i am sure someone will tell us

  Technically a swept bend, the greater the radius the better, is the best for any media, be it gas or liquid, to flow. In our "Toy" sizes it don't make much difference.

 Some of us "Of an age" used to spend hours "Gas flowing" the ports on or motorbike engines and "achieved" a perceived performance increase.

 PM research cast stick elbows won't make much difference apart from looks.

  Regards  Ian.

[SNOOPDOG32]

Thanks to both Ians have decided now to go for the solent hull its a good size as well  and thanks for the tuding advice

ED

[SNOOPDOG32]

Sorry ment to say tubing not tuding
ED

[kiwimodeller]

Hi, can somebody tell me about the pricing of the Kramer valve? If you go to the pricing page it says CHF (Swiss francs?) 61.60 including MwSt. Is this some form of tax and if so do they charge the tax when they export? A price conversion to Pounds or Dollars would be fine. Thanks, Ian.

[geoff p]

@Kiwimodeller,  61,6 Swiss francs = 39.6119 GBP according to XE.com.

I have XE.com/ucc universal currency calculator bookmarked because I find it very useful, especially when members suggest suppliers in several different countries.

Geoff

[kiwimodeller]

Thanks for that, it makes the Polly Engineering one at 17pounds sound good but they apparently are out of stockk at present. Cheers, Ian.

[SNOOPDOG32]

YEP out of stock awaiting delivery is what i was told give them a coule of weeks and try again 

ED

[SNOOPDOG32]

Been trying to order a solent hull from metcalf mouldings for a few weeks but have not had any reply by email or phone
Is this company still trading!
Does anyone now of any other hulls or hull/ plans for something like the solent want an open launch/workboat style hull around 45" length !!

ED

[kiwimodeller]

Ed, try ordering it from Models by Design www.modelsbydesign.co.uk My understanding is that they now own the moulds for all the Metcalf models except a few that he now sells as complete kits and the Solent is definitely listed on their website. I would happily order a hull from them if only I could find a way to get it here that did not cost more than the price of the hull! Cheers, Ian.

[SNOOPDOG32]

Thanks once again Ian had a look and will be making an order for one  frustrating as i want to get started got the engine ,boiler
gas tank waiting on a few bits and pieces so not a lot i can do at the moment

Cheers
ED

[Reg Hinnant]

I'm in the same boat as kiwimodeller. Any hulls shipped from the UK usually have more postage costs than the hull price. 
I am going to try to find someone who wants to buy a hull & see if they can be shipped together, one inside the other to split the shipping costs.
Not many steam launch fiberglass hulls available here in the states.