Jolley Roger

Well, my first, self designed, 3D print...
 
The first step was reducing them in SW to 1/32 scale.....

Five parts scaled by just clicking a few buttons with the mouse..... Saved as .STL files which converted them to mesh files..... Then loaded into Lychee Slicer...

Everything set to automatic, supports, angles with Anti-aliasing turned off.. A simple draft print.... What's happening here is the grey parts are fine, the red part has errors that Lychee is unable to fix... So while it was printing, (3.5 hrs) I went back into SW and stepped thru the compressor center section and fixed the error... But, Lychee fixed enough of it to allow it to print...
Once Lychee does it's thing it created the slice files for the printer and copied them to a USB stick which gets plugged into the printer for printing.... Now there is no connection to the printer from the computer so I was following along on the computer watching the progress as it printed... the white layers in the pic is the print progress at this point, just a bit over half way.... (about 3/5ths done)
 
And a printer view...
 

And when it finished printing....

Next step is to wash and cure them.... so the build plate goes into the Wash N Cure machine for a 6 minute alcohol bath and a 10 minute drying period before they are separated from the build plate....
 
Dried, ready to separate....

Separated from the build plate and from each other ready for curing....

4 minutes curing time, which is a bit long, I just wanted to make sure, 2 minutes should be sufficient...
 
So lets see how they turned out... Are they going to mate up? How much detail came thru....
 
I'll let the pics speak for themselves, remember this was a draft print, just to see if it actually works as expected...




And yeah fragile, you have to be careful in how you handle them, they break fairly easily....

 
Well, most of the detail came thru, but at 1/32 scale you do need to adjust your design for greater thickness for strength or be very very careful when you handle them.... I need to adjust the mating parts so they fit easier in the future, but overall, I think it is a success!
 
A little fine tuning and I can work with this especially if I'm careful in how I set up Lychee slicer... The print settings I used are the generic ones for Anycubic Basic Resin that came with the printer...
 
Overall I'm very very pleased....
 
Tell me what you guys think and don't be bashful, everything is welcome at this point....
 
EG

Well a final update on the Aft Compressor Frame....
 
Except for a bit of fitment tweaking she's done....
 
Top...

Showing the top mount which also functions as a compressor pressure relief valve when installed and the 12 stage air bleed port on the right, (that triangular boss) and the capped cool air taps on both sides... The one on the right usually has an elbow for connection to the environmental cooling system while installed on the F-86...
 
Left Side...

The left side motor mount in the center and on the right of that is the anti icing bleed port which is uncapped and the oil intake poet from the oil filter to the rear bearings...
Bottom...

No motor mount on the bottom, what you see on the bottom is the Oil Scavenge port, this pulls the oil out of the bottom of the frame and it flows to the Oil Cooler....
 
Right Side...

And on the right side there is little in the way of connections...
 
3/4 Rear View...

The back side view of course shows the Burner Can flanges and three pressure dump ports... which ones are open depends on the aircraft it is installed in... The F-86 only had one open on the right side which has a dump valve connected to it which would open and dump the compressor pressure when the engine was shut down or there was an inflight engine compressor fire, (usually happened during a compressor stall if the airflow was interrupted long enough to allow the flame to burn back into the compressor... Opening the port created a negative pressure situation  causing the fuel-air mix to dump causing the fire to lose it source of fuel)
 
3/4 Front View...

Not much new to see here just completing the all-round views...  What I need to do now is reduce the size of the mating rings so the out-facing ones will be a few thousandths smaller than the in-facing ones to make sure they fit together when they come off the printer and are cleaned and finally cured....
 
Five weeks to get this far, but it is getting easier as I remember how to do things in Solidworks.... From what I can gather the rest of the sections should be a bit easier, not as much detail to recreate....
 
Anyway, should be ready for test printing in a couple of hours barring any major disasters...
 
Onwards my friends....
 
And thank you for following this excursion in fantasy....
 
EG

Thanks Ken, trying to get it as close to the real shapes as possible....
 
Yesterday? a 50 mile round trip to the hospital for a stupid covid test! yeah, nothing but a covid test... They called me at home that evening to do the pre-op interview.... Just Wonderful....
The state of medicine today....
 
I added the injector port bosses to the mixture chamber profiles and the vent bosses to the back of the firewall....
Take a look, what do you guys think?
 
Injector Port Bosses...

I still have the two bosses to add to the right and several more, but they should be fairly easy....
 
Anyway, I been spending my time in detail finishing...

 
I had to re-draw the mounts for their supports and filleting to get them shaped properly... I also added some color differential to show the machined surfaces, it doesn't do anything for the physical geometry, but makes for a much nicer picture presentation...
 
Onwards my friends...

Can't do that... It probably won't be test printed till after I get back... 
 
I noticed a little thing in one of the HD pictures which caused a little bit of investigation and resulted in the Aft Compressor Frame being rebuilt, now on version 3....
 
I had the profile of the mixture chambers all wrong....
 
This is what was...

This is what it is now... (much more accurate)

That looks a LOT better....
 
Onwards my friends... now for the details....
 
EG

I would quit flyin as well, better to float than flambé.... At the pressures, flow rates and temps these things run at I'm surprised we don't lose a lot more of them than we do....
 
The Burner Cans on the J-47 are round and flanged at both ends...

The Deflectors, (which are those sheet metal parts that direct the flow from the cans into the turbine nozzles) are separate parts installed behind the turbine firewall..... (fortunately I don't have to model those as they are inside the turbine casing)
 
Flow Deflectors....

These things are amazing pieces of engineering... Most aren't aware but that most of them for their massive size and the amounts of thrust they produce are made of mostly sheet metal welded together....
 
Well anyway, I'm almost done with the Rear Compressor Frame...


I built an entire test piece to figure out the best way to get the Injector Chambers modeled.... It was interesting for a while but I finally sussed it out...
 
So now all I have to do is some intermediate ports and details like the injector plates then the ubiquitous fillets that are all over the place.... Here's a rear 3/4 image of where she stands now....

Well I'm hoping that I get to do a first print before I go into the hosp... But I think it will have to wait till I get back home....
 
Making progress.. Onwards...
 
EG

Small update...
 
Aft Compressor Frame...
 
Just the basic shape to build the details on, I think I've gotten an idea on how to do it....

Front flange to the back firewall, it seems like it is a tube and everything else forms off of that....
 
Back Side...

As you can see I already put the bolt head detail on the front flange to match the center casing... The back side of the firewall has eight flanges to mate with the Burner Cans... how they go together is the flanges meet and there is a clamp that locks each can to the firewall... what I'm going to do when it comes time is create the matching flange on the Cans and then model the clamp as a ring that slips over the flange on the firewall... This will give me the necessary separate burner cans with a center support structure like the real engine shows... Another interesting thing, there are no bolts in the firewall...  The rim of the firewall is nothing but a circular flange where the airframe firewall mounts with bolted clamps... That keeps the burner section isolated from the mixture chambers in the aft Compressor frame....
 
The rest is figuring out the external contours of the various chambers inside the frame....I'm also going to have to figure a way to step down the center section so when it's extruded out to meet the turbine nozzle section it can expand back out to it's 3 foot diameter... Thus giving the burner cans room to be their normal size in relation to everything else...
 
This is why it's time to do a test print on the five section already modeled... (when the aft frame is done)
 
Anyway, Onwards....

Thanks Jolley...
 
Well, it's scheduled for Monday, be home Tuesday... A simple overnighter... I go in for the Pre-Op on Friday... Everyone thinks it's no big deal... Kind reassuring in a way...
 
Not sure if it's going to work out, once I get the aft compressor frame sussed out, then comes the first print test.... Only five basic parts, but if they won't print then I'll have to figure out why....
Keep your fingers crossed...
 
EG

All the best with the upcoming procedure Egilman.
Absolute stunning work, don't think I have ever seen anybody in the aircraft modelling community do something similar, so looking forward to the printed prototype.
If you ever make this available to buy, i'm first in line🙂, i've got a Wolfpack F-86(basically a reboxed Kinetic) in the stash and a proper engine will make it so much better!

All the best with the upcoming procedure Egilman.
Absolute stunning work, don't think I have ever seen anybody in the aircraft modelling community do something similar, so looking forward to the printed prototype.
If you ever make this available to buy, i'm first in line🙂, i've got a Wolfpack F-86(basically a reboxed Kinetic) in the stash and a proper engine will make it so much better!

All the best with the upcoming procedure Egilman.
Absolute stunning work, don't think I have ever seen anybody in the aircraft modelling community do something similar, so looking forward to the printed prototype.
If you ever make this available to buy, i'm first in line🙂, i've got a Wolfpack F-86(basically a reboxed Kinetic) in the stash and a proper engine will make it so much better!

All the best with the upcoming procedure Egilman.
Absolute stunning work, don't think I have ever seen anybody in the aircraft modelling community do something similar, so looking forward to the printed prototype.
If you ever make this available to buy, i'm first in line🙂, i've got a Wolfpack F-86(basically a reboxed Kinetic) in the stash and a proper engine will make it so much better!

All the best with the upcoming procedure Egilman.
Absolute stunning work, don't think I have ever seen anybody in the aircraft modelling community do something similar, so looking forward to the printed prototype.
If you ever make this available to buy, i'm first in line🙂, i've got a Wolfpack F-86(basically a reboxed Kinetic) in the stash and a proper engine will make it so much better!

All the best with the upcoming procedure Egilman.
Absolute stunning work, don't think I have ever seen anybody in the aircraft modelling community do something similar, so looking forward to the printed prototype.
If you ever make this available to buy, i'm first in line🙂, i've got a Wolfpack F-86(basically a reboxed Kinetic) in the stash and a proper engine will make it so much better!

All the best with the upcoming procedure Egilman.
Absolute stunning work, don't think I have ever seen anybody in the aircraft modelling community do something similar, so looking forward to the printed prototype.
If you ever make this available to buy, i'm first in line🙂, i've got a Wolfpack F-86(basically a reboxed Kinetic) in the stash and a proper engine will make it so much better!

OK, little update.
 
Designs for Indefatigable are now about 85% complete. The pictures shown are of the pre-prototype, so looks very rough as usual, as many parts have been glued, ripped off and new parts added in place - and is built for part checking only (just like Sphinx). There are still a few mistakes on this prototype model, so does not entirely reflect the final designs.
 
I have also included a drawing I did of the basic outline of what I think Indy would have looked like during most of her career. The only concession I have made is keeping the forecastle timberheads, rather than berthing up this area, with the decision based purely on aesthetics (plus the plans show this anyway.
 
What I did change is the quarter bulwarks. I know she had 7 gun ports per side and three (with spare chase port) at the bow, so the 7th port had to be worked in, and this meant altering the bulwarks to the same height. I have placed the additional 12 pounder long chase guns right at the front, as I could not see Pellew being chased, more the chaser...
 
I have tried to keep the poop profile as low as I can. Pellew didn't even want the poop at all, and would have been happy to have his cabin on the main gun deck and Indy fitted with sloop like quarter badges (would have looked odd..). With this in mind, I have kept the poop profile to a minimum, as I am sure Pellew would not have requested anything that would have increased windage. I will add 'iron stanchions' to this area, and that's it.
 
I have the bow area to design, which will be the last of the main areas, and then I need to do all the photo etched parts. (Oh, and of course, a figurehead and stern decoration - which will be minimal). For the first time, I decided to go with laser cut and engraved columns for in between all lights/windows, and I am very happy with how they turned out. Channels are made by laminating three patterns together, a wider and thicker centre and not so wide and thinner top and bottom.
 
You will be able to build this without the open slots in the decks if you so wish, they are not mandatory. The stand is 4mm acetate and a 2mm duel colour engraved nameplate.
 
ETA - Forgot to mention, I have moved the poop skylight back by 3 beams, as I realised it was too close the edge of the poop, so it is now over the great cabin, and not in the position shown.

Anyway a very short update, I've finished the main compressor case and am getting ready to start the aft Frame...
 

Got the bolt rings on and spaced properly, and the air bleed bosses are done.... I'm now where I was when I started to rebuild this....
 
I'm going to have to study the aft frame for a bit to try and figure out how best to build it.... it's going to be a challenge...
 
Onwards....

Ok, another small update....
 
I wound up reworking the compressor body again... Those pesky detail pics!!! I went to put the bolts on the flanges and found that none of them line up where they should be in relation to the grooves... (isn't that always the way?)
 
So I spent a bit of time finding accurate pics to get the groove pattern down and then the bolt pattern and yes they both have a variable spacing pattern....
 
Real life...

My approximation of the above...

Both patterns get narrower and closer together the closer to the aft end as they go... It was the dickens to find images that show this clean enough to measure...
Here is a closeup...

Getting closer....

Anyway I'll keep plugging along and eventually It will be done....
 
Thank you for following along and all the compliments... It's appreciated...
 
 
 

Oh, I forgot... A word about aftermarket upgrade product support....
 
Several week ago when I started this and was working on the cockpit, I opened my Eduard cockpit interior set and found that there was a packing error on Eduard's part... they packed the wrong fret #2 for the set.....
 
I looked around for another set available on the net and none were available and looked at Eduard's store to see that the set #32643 F-86F-30 Interior had been discontinued and has been for over a year.... So, as a last ditch effort to get the parts, before I launch into more esoteric solutions, I contacted Eduard's customer support... I explained the problem and included a pic of what I received...
 
And I'm here to tell you, it was four days over the weekend before they responded and I was beginning to have my doubts when they responded that it was no problem, just provide them my shipping address and they will ship out the correct fret in 7 days.... That's right, a single part they haven't had in stock for over a year.... Ok, I thanked them profusely...
 
Well it arrived yesterday...

Fret #2 containing the parts for the  canopy frame and seat....
 
THAT my friends is how customer service should be handled... How many other companies out there will make up a single part from a discontinued line to resolve a packing error that is over 10 years old?
 
THIS is the way it aught to be but so seldom is...
 
Kudos to Eduard, they KNOW how to take care of their customers.... (right up there with Krakken Hobbies in my book)
 
Great respect for them and will recommend them to everyone as a trustworthy part and kit supplier... (and very happy to say it)
 
EG

Update:
 
The last few days have been a bit hectic with RL intruding in a big way... but I've been muddling along trying to make progress...
 
Last update I left you here....

The basic barrel of the center section roughly modeled... Next step are the side flanges....

Split in half down the middle with 3/8ths bolts holding the halves together... Seems simple to model, but looks can be deceiving.... (one of the most difficult things I've modeled yet)
 
I went thru three complete rebuilds of the center section until I arrived at something I think is passable....

The issue is the 3/4" fillet from the side of the tube to the flange, you notice how the grooves cast into the casing follow the curve of the fillet? And to make it easier, {chuckle} the grooves are different sizes requiring slightly different treatment for each different size... But I got it figured out.... (still learning as I go)

Any way, that is now how it looks, built completely different than the first image I posted.... I'm almost back to where I was with version 1.... A few required surface details and I'll be figuring out the maze of the aft compressor frame...
 
And real life is going to put a crimp on my style in the near future...  So if I'm not around for a few days/week or so, rest easy that I expect to be back soon.... (although the Admiral is a bit worried) But we gotta pay for the excesses of our youth.... The surgeon assures me that I'm not going anywhere... (but they always hedge their bets when they say that)
 
I figure in a week or so we will be spinning the medical roulette wheel, such is life on the backside of life's hill....
 
Anyway I will be posting till I go.... So don't worry I'm not going anywhere...
 
EG
 
And of course signing off with an image of the current assembly status..... (might make this my build log sig {chuckle})

KONIEC 🙂
 
 

The build has commenced! As mentioned at the start I had cut out the base board and glued it onto some dense fibre board and cut this to size and painted the perimeter border white.  My new fixative spray arrived earlier today, so everything was given a coat to help protect the printing.  I did some easy laminating first; some parts (like the tower gallery bases need to be thicker than the rest of the parts so you need to score a fold line and glue them together first.  These have been left to dry flattened between some heavy books.  Others building card models have recommended Canopy glue and it does seem to work very well - almost too well in fact, it grabs very quickly!
 
I very quickly decided I need to pinch one of my daughters homework folders to keep everything safe and flat, away from accidental spillages and the like, as card doesn't clean up so easily as plastic when you spill your tea/coffee/beer...  plus it helped me to organise the instructions and parts into the "Tower of Doom" and the Keeper's house.
 
First stage is to assemble the main tower, but first there is the 'option' to use some windows to provide some 3D relief rather than just the printed windows on the outside of the tower.  There are optional windows provided to do this if you wish.  Looking at this I thought why stop at recessed windows?  So I set to make my own Lintels and Sills for the windows, by cutting out little strips from the same card, gluing these on in the position of the printed versions.  (Fortunately remembering to log on the reverse the location of actual windows and 'blanks' - a rarity for me the think of such things in advance!)
 
At the end of that process there where some faint remains of the printed black lines I didn't want to see, so I painted the outside in Acrylic white.  I finished off the session with attaching the hidden fixing strips and cutting out the saw-tooth tabs ready for assembling the tower, but I will leave that for the next session when everything is dry.

And a note...
 
The start of the Compressor main body....

Just roughing out the basic shape before adding the details...
 
Onwards....
 
EG

Well an update... Compressor Section forward frame....
 
Scaled to full size and straightened...

Cropped HD view of the left side section.... (of course scaled to full size for measuring)

Front compressor frame modeled...

Outside of a few mounting bosses and the aft bolt pattern, it's just about done.....
Backside...

And yes, those are brass screen caps for the internal vents, they are actually colored like that on the real deal...
Detail shot...

In a day or two I will be starting the center compressor section... 
 
Onwards my friends....
 
EG

Islands, not much to see, (nothing but a stamped piece of sheet aluminum) but perform a very vital task...

I created the basic shapes and included the holes common to all of them... I'll add the rest for each individual when it's time to add the peripheral details...
In place on the Intake Plenum...

And a closeup...

The grooves are plate stiffeners and the side holes are for fastening the plate to the sectors... The hole near the leading edge provides the access to the leading edge of the vanes for the de-icing system....
 
I have one more minor part to add to the back, a set of four spacers to space the Plenum away from the Front Compressor Frame to account for the lip of the islands overhanging the rear.... Once it is completed, it's on to the Compressor....
 
And as typical, another view of the assembly at this stage.... (a more fore end view this time)
 
She's coming along....
 
EG
 
 
 

Homage to an earlier time in my life when I could only work in ink, pencil and paper...
Isometric Projection...

Hidden line view....