Print

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

[CERES]

 :) :)Hi everyone,I am just completing my very first R/C boat which is the Models Slipway's "Clyde Puffer".
What can you recommend I use for ballast which obviously includes all the radio gubbins. Having checked the price of Fishing Weights I was shocked at the price. Limited budget of a pension does not justify me in spending this amont of money, so I am looking to alternatives. I had thought of a bag of small nails whcih would certainly weight more. Any help will be very much appreciated as always. Regards Ceres.

[barriew]

You can use nails - but they really need to be sealed in resin to prevent rust. If you have a friendly garage or tyre fitter, you may be able to get hold of some of the lead weights they remove from wheels before re-balancing - it depends how much they can get from the scrap man

I bought a roll of lead flashing from the DIY store - not cheap but should probably see me through all the models I am likely to build!

Barrie

[DickyD]

Try local roofers, plumbers etc for scrap lead sheet. 

[Ghost in the shell]

You can use nails - but they really need to be sealed in resin to prevent rust. If you have a friendly garage or tyre fitter, you may be able to get hold of some of the lead weights they remove from wheels before re-balancing - it depends how much they can get from the scrap man

I bought a roll of lead flashing from the DIY store - not cheap but should probably see me through all the models I am likely to build!

Barrie

EEC regulation now means they're steel!

lead flashing is still good to use, just dont let the vicar see you!

[Colin H]

One route as yet unexplored try The Muzzle Loaders Association Of Great Britain, Google MLAGB.

If there is a range near you they may let you dig the sand back stop for free. This will provide pounds of lead for very little effort I.E. a .577 black powder rifle will use just over a pound of lead to make 12 bullets and due to the low velocity they are to be found close to the surface.

Most back stops have to be cleared once a year to prevent fliers and the clubs have to pay for this work to be done.

Colin H.

[alan colson]

Batteries, it must be useful ballast, you can't get any power out of nails or lead. Try a heavier battery and you can spend longer at the lake, that's my advice.

[boatmadman]

another use for batteries - if you have a dud sla, use that for ballast!

[alan colson]

Don't be tight, use a good battery, no useful power from duff cells.

[Shipmate60]

I must concur with the last few posts.
Lead/acid Batteries.
They are removable to model to model so one set will do all and gives a useful reserve of electrical power.

Bob

[boatmadman]

Tight? lol - no, I was meaning if you have a battery that has packed up, and you already have enough power in the boat, why not make use of the weight of the dud battery?

[Bunkerbarge]

Tight? lol - no, I was meaning if you have a battery that has packed up, and you already have enough power in the boat, why not make use of the weight of the dud battery?

Because it might leak acid into your boat at some time in the future.

[Stan]

 :)Hi Guys  Reference lead for ballast.  The going rate for scrap lead is around £1000 per ton.  It may be hard to obtain scrap for ballast use. New sheet lead used by plumbers for roof flashing is very expensive. If you want to buy sheet lead go for a heavy grade, normally sheet lead is sold in poundage, 3lb sheet lead and upwards. :)

[Telstar]

Hi How about a ballast tank. A suitable container (tank) with a reversable pump, the type used by the IC boys to pump fuel into and out of their models. Put the boat in the water pump in water to the waterline and sail. stop the boat pump out the water then lift out a lighter model.

Cheers

[Colin Bishop]

Water ballast is frequently used in large models. However, for smaller ones you may not find it is "heavy" enough as it is the same density as the surrounding lake! Lead is the best option but you can sometimes come across other stuff such as the hydraulic pistons in car brakes which provide nice cylindrical lumps of ballast. In fact it is quite surprising what you can find if you look around.

[Ghost in the shell]

The club barge in the PMBC has two tanks, one fore, one aft, water enters the hull via inlets in the base of the hull, expelling air through a pipe with a valve on it.  put model in the water with valve open, allow tanks to fill then close valve.  with no way out for the air, the ship can't get any deeper.  tp remove model from water, open valve and lift out, allowing water to escape and air to come in through the outlrt. 

however on a model like the Happy Hunter or a Neptun, or for that matter the slipway 1/72 puffer, just make the ballast out of batteries and gear and trim with lead

[FullLeatherJacket]

Dud SLA? Bags of nails? Ballast tank? Are you lot SERIOUS??

This model is 350mm long.........that's about one foot (twelve inches) in old money............

http://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/Modellers/Dave/1ndex.htm

Two gnat's nadgers in a flea's jockstrap (emptied AND washed first) will be more than adequate. In truth, about 50g of lead flashing did mine. 5p?

FLJ

[Shipmate60]

You are right FLJ, I should have read it properly, thought it was the bigger one.

Bob

[CERES]

 :) :) :) :)Many thanks to you all for your suggestions and a special thank you to FLJ , I'll shall pop along to my nearest scrap merchant or tyre shop.  :) :)Ceres.

[alan colson]

O.K. FLJ this maybe a small model and not need much ballast, but I still believe useful power, put some lights on it and add a few AA cells to run them, winter is coming it'll soon be dark early, but we can keep running with the navigation lights.

[portside II]

Two gnat's nadgers in a flea's jockstrap (emptied AND washed first)

our lass has just read your post and is rolling around on the floor laughing.
daz

[catengineman]

Two gnat's nadgers in a flea's jockstrap (emptied AND washed first)

our lass has just read your post and is rolling around on the floor laughing.
daz

If I have read the post correctly then the owner is retired and therefore "may have" poor eyes which would mean that collecting the afore mentioned articles could be a tad difficult?  ::)

[bigH]

   My cat just volunteered to supply 'em, as many as you can carry in a hollowed out pinhead for a penny       

[tobyker]

If you look around on waste ground you can often find old car batteries left by dumb dumpers. These are very useful as they provide
 
1. Acid for cleaning up after silver soldering,
2. lead for ballast
3. If you take the top off carefully, a useful "bench tidy for storing screwdrivers etc.

I suppose collecting these batteries will get you brownie points from the greenies for recycling, but you risk prosecution from the H&S lot for playing with acid and lead.

Many years ago, motorcycling down the Thames embankment, I almost ran over a roll of lead flashing which must have dropped off a builder's van. By the time I'd turned around and got back to it a bus had run over it, which made it a lot easier to carry on the m/c seat behind me.

[tigertiger]

Many years ago, motorcycling down the Thames embankment, I almost ran over a roll of lead flashing which must have dropped off a builder's van. By the time I'd turned around and got back to it a bus had run over it, which made it a lot easier to carry on the m/c seat behind me.

Fell off the back of a lorry then I suppose...

Ahhemm 

[tobyker]

Gawds troof mate!