thibaultron

Fantastic!

I'm glad you told us this took 5 years! If, you had done all this in the last couple of weeks, I would have given up modeling, and sat in a corner jibbering for the rest of my life! 😆. Great work!

I finished a print of my Santa Fe Oil Bunker Insert, for a Bachmann 2-8-0 steam locomotive. The Santa Fe bought another railroad, and inherited several locomotives. The Bachmann model is close to some of the 2-8-0 locomotives they acquired. The biggest differences, are that the sand dome was different, and they were converted from being coal fired to oil fired. The Santa Fe had oil bunkers that would sit into the coal bunker, for this type of conversion, and a drawing of one is the basis for the model. I originally drew the oil bunker and printed it out using Shapeways. It took a few revisions but I had a good model. Then I found new information showing that my guess as to rivet spacing was wrong. I had spaced the rivets along the tank seems about half the correct spacing (i.e. 1.5” instead of the correct 3”). So, I redrew it with these rivets at the correct spacing. By now I had purchased a 3D printer of my own, and tried out the new drawing in it. It came out only fair, but proved that the printer could do the job. The main fault was that the rear wall of the bunker was distorting as the weight of the cantilevered model and forces from pulling the model from the film after each layer was printed had started to pull the model out of shape. Some of the other lower parts also suffered from this. I redrew the model with support platforms that were attached via thin walls to these areas, and reprinted the bunker. This print just finished, and is a vast improvement! There is still a little bowing at the very top of the rear wall, not along the whole wall. And there is a slight distortion at the cutouts that give clearance over the model’s coal bunker rear lip. There was some damage to the rear wall when I removed the platforms, so I will have to thin the attachment walls to help with the problem. I also need to make those attachment walls a little taller, to give me more room to use the razor saw to cut them off. This version, of the model is useable though. Since I have the printer, I’ll make final corrections and print out a new model, to actually put on the loco tender. Here are a couple of graphics showing the present model. The smaller pieces are at a 45-degree angle as the model will be printed at this angle to increase the resolution of the fine details. The model was printed at a 35um layer height, to match the 35um pixel size of my printer screen. If I printed it flat, my printer leaves some visible lines between some layers, and doing it at 45 eliminates this problem. In addition, printing it flat may rip the model off the build plate when it starts printing the top of the tank. It would also probably bow the top from the forces of detaching that large area from the film, after each layer is created. This picture shows the attachment walls of the platforms. The long overhang of the platforms is so any distortion in them will be stabilized when the printing of the bunker itself is started. Here are a couple of graphics of the supported model. In the first one you can see the small parts attached to the main body by small sprues. This works for the Shapeways prints (in fact it is required as otherwise each part would be a separate print, with each one incurring its own setup fee!). With the finished print these broke off while I was removing the supports. In the next print I’ll just let them sit level and not attached to the bunker itself. This shows a side view of the supported model. The leftmost “Tower” has the two oil fill covers and the crew’s drinking water tank. The next part over, is the new sand dome. The next two are the tool boxes that sit on either side of the bunker at the front of the tender. At the far right, attached to the front of the bunker, is a sandbox used by the fireman to occasionally throw a little sand in the firebox to help clean out the boiler tubes. The attachments under the sandbox are supports, not part of the finished model. Here are two pictures of the finished print. Each rivet is only a 1.5” hemisphere, full scale. In 1/87.1 scale they are 0.017” or 0.44mm in diameter and 0.22mm in height. So, the new resin printers give you fine detail! After I removed the supports the next two photos show the attached rear platform. You can see the slight bow in the top of the rear bunker wall in the second photo. The last set of pictures are with the bunker and toolboxes installed on the tender. The only modification that is needed to the tender, is to remove the separate coal load casting, which is attached with a screw. This picture shows the front of the tender. The color of the printed part, in this shot, is close to the actual color. The next photos are under shop lighting, not flash, like this one. The shop lighting shows the rivets a bit better. I have to check, I think I have the tool boxes on the correct sides, but they may be reversed. The hole just to the left of the sand box, is where the Crew Water Bottle goes. I did not install the water tank and oil fill covers for these shots, they need a little sanding, and I will do that later. The next two pictures are of either side of the installed bunker. You can see a divot at the rear of the bunker, where one of part supports broke off. This problem will not affect the next version, as all the small parts will be printed, unattached to the bunker. After taking these pictures, I noticed that the cutouts for clearing the tender coal bunker rear wall are a little too tall. I’ll have to fix this. The little spots you see running along the center length of the bunker top, are stanchion bases for the handrails. I’ll make these out of brass rod, for the final model. I also plan to design and print a bending jig for the rails. The last photo is the rear wall of the bunker. You can see the section that broke off, while I was removing the platform. It has taken me a long long time to draw up this bunker model, and I could have probably hand built one in the time I spent on this, but I can now use the drawing as a basis for other types of locomotive models that need the same conversion. I have another Bachmann 2-10-0 that will need a variant of this tank, and at least one brass locomotive.

I would guess they were gilded, covered in gold leaf. They would lay some sort of adhesive/varnish on the wood, then place gold leaf sheets on the wet whatever, burnish it down then varnish over it to seal it. So they were not solid gold, but covered in a very thin gold coating.

I don't know if this is an original chuck, but it is a standard 3-jaw type. 3-jaws have 2 sets of jaws, these for holding larger pieces by clamping on the outside of the piece, and another set that step in the opposite direction (hiighest level toward the center) for holding smaller pieces on the outside and hollow pieces on the inside. If you don't have the other set of jaws for this chuck, you, unfortunately need to buy a new chuck. The jaws on 4 jaw chucks are reversible, so only one set is needed. The advantage of a 4-jaw is that it can hold non-round pieces, as well as round ones. The disadvantage is you have to manually center each piece. A 3-jaw automatically centers round stock. The tradeoff of the 3-jaw, is that it does not perfectly center the piece. If you need the part perfectly centered, you need the 4-jawYou really need both types to get full use of your lathe.

Yes a zinc blend. They are delicate in order to break sacrificially, rather than have the rest of your lathe break, if a problem occurs. Head stock gears and housings, or the cross slide internals, are a lot harder to replace, if a tool jams in the work. Still they will last a long time in service, as long as this does not occur. When adjusting them, place a piece of paper between each gear and the next, then tighten the mounting bolt. If you run them closely meshed they will wear quickly. The slop will not mater during cutting, as the slack will be taken up when you start the cut. Repeatability is the watchword. As long as everything works the same each time, great precision in gear mesh makes no difference. I highly recommend buying the Atlas lathe manual. While it is written for the larger lathe, the functions all scale.

Sorry 14 volts for a 12 volt lead acid.

What type of battery? If lead acid, they charge to about 14. Other types I don't know.

Just wire both motors to it, reversing the wiring on one, if you have counter rotating propellers. Certainly your motors don't draw more than 20A each, unless you want to melt the boat.

Chris; I must have missed this in your prior builds. What do you mean by sealing the parts?

Guys, these were going to be 1/32 to 1/64th scale figures! Many of the things you pointed out would be hard to see on a 1/6th scale figure!

Here in the US, drywall has a paper surface that you can paint on directly. You still need to tape the joints, and screw/nail holes, though.

In the UK, I think it is called drywall.

Can you show us a graphic of the supported model, the one with the supports that you sent to the printer (like the example for a cannon below)? We may be able to help you with how they are placed.

If the wiring in the boat has a problem, then you are right back at the start. That is why I am recommending assembling the equipment outside the boat to begin with. I think the receiver only needs 6 volts. You can wire up a cheap battery pack to run it during testing.

James: If there are any plastic parts in one of these kits (present and previous), please do not use that type of oil. It can attack the plastic parts, over time! Use an oil designed for the model railroad hobby. These are plastic safe. Labelle makes oils and grease for the plastic loco parts. Four valves per cylinder has been quite common for automotive engines, for a long time. Gives better flow, for the new pollution standards, and more power for the engine.

No, setup the new TX/RX, with one new servo, outside the boat, and test it that way, first, to insure it works that way. Then hook up the ESC. Once everything works outside the boat, start putting them in the boat one component at a time. If the system fails when the one is installed, check the wiring for that part.

buy a cheap servo to start testing with.

Ordered my kit. It has a long lead time end of July to end of August. Ordered the Torpedo loading crew figures also. Shorter lead time, about 2 weeks.

About 35 years ago I attended my first Nationals with the RC Warship Combat Club (we had radio controlled warships with radio controlled BB guns on them and each team tried to sink the other side's ships). Well we were on one of the reflecting ponds at a former Worlds Fair site. There was a nearby building with a glass outside elevator. Very time the elevator moved my steering servo gliched, and I lost control until the elevator stopped!. Not a good thing! That night the boat worked perfectly at the hotel. In desperation it took a 3 foot long twisted shielded pair cable I had in my tool box and replaced the servo wiring with that. I left the whole thing coiled up in the hull. The next day the ship worked perfectly! I left it that way all week. I took it out and reinstalled the old wiring when I got home, and the boat worked perfectly for the next two years. The combat is not as destructive as it sounds. All the electronics were in watertight and BB proof boxes, and the plywood ribs withstood the abuse. The only thing we had to do was periodically replace the silkspan covered 1/32nd balsa skin. Generally once or twice a year, if I attended every event I could (one week long Nationals, and 4 or 5 weekend long events). We also had mesh armor on the inside of the ribs to protect the equipment, but still allow water to come in through the holes. There was also one bilge pump, that had a restricted outlet. As long as it kept up, the boat stayed above the water. We did this in shallow water, so we could retrieved sunken, or out of control models. I participated for 15 years, and no one ever lost a model.

When it arrives, start by just hooking the receiver and one new servo out of the boat, and see if that is stable. Then take the servos out of the boat, and add them one at a time. If everything is OK, hook up the ESC, without the motors attached, etc. Once everything works out of the boat, recheck all your wiring, and start putting the equipment back in the boat, one item at a time. If something fails during this, look at the last thing you hooked up.

Not in my workshop, but at my computer. I broke one hip 25 years ago, and had the other replaced two years ago. Sitting in any desk chair was very painful for my legs after a half hour or so, and I would have to get up and sit in my recliner, or lay down. Any chair with a regular cushion had the same effect. I saw a review of a chair like this one and bought one to try out. I can sit for hours at the computer now! I spend a lot of time at my computer, drafting various things for my models, so this chair has been great. https://www.staples.com/union-scale-flexfit-hyken-ergonomic-mesh-swivel-task-chair-black-un59460/product_990119

disconnect the motor controllers.

Before you give up, take the boat to a hobby shop and ask them for help. Most of them have at least one RC Airplane guy, that may be able to help you.