Broad Ambition - The Model

[grendel]

today I had a delivery, a big long parcel of piano wire, 1m lengths of 0.8mm piano wire, this will make the hinge pins on the small piano hinges. this evening I have installed the pins into the small hinges replacing the stainless steel pins I used to hold them together at the ends. this process uses a drill to spin the wire - helping keep it straight in the hinge while inserting it, and with a cut end it clears the hole as it goes.

Anyway I decided I would video the last one as I fitted the pin

 

[grendel]

Well tonight was a busy one, no work on the models, but I have backed up this thread to 10 word documents, some are over 14mb.

I used to have a single word document, but once it got bigger than 90mb I was finding I couldnt open the file properly and see all the pictures - it had grown to over 1130 pages of pictures and text, so instead I decided to make the files smaller this time.

next I need to tidy up the documents - resize the pictures to fit the pages, etc.

[grendel]

This weekend something different, a boat trolly for moving the model(s) around. It will also be useful for moving my camping gear at Salhouse. anyway some pictures later, I have been welding doing metalwork, woodwork.

I popped out to the diy shop, bought a whole sheet of hardwood ply (a whole 8 foot by 4 foot sheet was £1 cheaper than a 4 foot by 2 foot piece).

the wood has been doubled up to 1" thick, and shortened to 42" x 24" the metal box sections have had 10mm bolts welded into the ends for the axles (wing nuts will be used to hold on the wheels so they will be removable) I found some nice pneumatic rubber tyres on plastic rims a few years back at he boot fair, these will make good wheels, with some plastic spacers that are printing as I type.

[grendel]

right, its built now, and time for the piccies. the good thing is it is now a blank canvas, things can be added such as supports for the model to sit in.

the added bonus is its big enough to take both models side by side, and at a pinch it will carry my camping gear to the campsite at salhouse. 

I did screw the two pieces of ply together around the edge, though the through bolts should hold it anyway. 

I re-used the pull bar I had on an old trolley, this has a wheel castor connecting it to the trolley.

the only question is will it steer, as all the wheels are fixed, thinking about it prams steer ok.

[grendel]

I am hoping to stick some paint on tomorrow (weather permitting) lidl's had some metal paint in white and black that I bought a tin of each, so it mat get a couple of coats of that. just to weather proof it - even though it is made of exterior ply, I might need to put it under cover tonight as its not looking too bright outside, so it doesnt get wet before its painted.

[ExSurveyor]

I bet as a kid your go carts were the dogs dangly bits

[grendel]

last night it was going to rain, the trolley was too big to go in the greenhouse, so I got a coat of paint on it - good thing too as this morning the drizzle started as I wandered round the boot fair, still its sunny out there now so I will be popping out to put another coat on.

[grendel]

this mornings work has been making a couple of handrail stanchions, I have made a jig for drilling them.

 

[grendel]

well now got a second coat of paint on, its now in the sun baking.

[grendel]

Well I wasnt happy not having steering, so I have just spent the last couple of hours outside, I removed the front wheels, welded an extra steering linkage to the square tube, added an extra bar to help support the axles as they are now only supported by 1 bolt, moved the pull bar to the end of a centre steering bar and added some stops. all that is needed now is a couple (or one) linkages to connect it all up.

[grendel]

found some aluminium tubing, cut it to length, flattened the ends and drilled 3 holes, we now have steering

[ZimbiIV]

Powered I hope.

paul 

[grendel]

I considered it, I had one of the sets of wheels on the rotovator, and I did consider mounting that at the front, but then it would not have fitted in the car.

I do have an old scooter motor and wheel, so I could rig up some sort of drive if I wanted.

[grendel]

So tonights progress was a single brass handrail support, to make it easier, I have made some tools, apart from the jig for drilling the hole, I have shaped 2 lathe bits to cut the radiuses onto the handrail supports as a pair they create the rounded knob at the end. and just for completeness here is my little lathe, bought brand new in the late 1970's, it has probably had more use now making parts for the models, than ever before, though I did repair my van propshaft with it once.

[grendel]

Well I only got 1 more handrail support made tonight, I did however find a new tool for creating one of the shapes, a router bit can be used to create the round shape at the end, I am still having problems with the inner shape as ythe cutter doesnt seem to cut well, so I will have to try and resharpen that one.

[grendel]

The handrail support count is up to 14 now, I reckon there is enough brass left on this first 300mm bar to do a couple more (dont worry I have some more bars (3 more 10mm bars and 2 x 1/2"). at this moment in time I dont know if I will do both models with brass or use the 3d printed ones for the first model and the brass for #2.

I can however say that I have finally managed to sharpen the tool for the inside curve (between the ball end and the collar) and I can cut that section with the one tool now (rather than roughing it out, then shaping the curve. here I show the end view of the tool bit that does this job.

[Wyndham]

I've only recently registered here but have followed the progress of this build since the beginning, your skills and patience are admirable.

I work in precision engineering, using CAD CAM software and CNC machines every day. If you encounter a problem and think I could help, please ask. I'm not saying I will be able to help....... but then again I'm not sure there's a problem you can't overcome.

[grendel]

Thanks for the Offer Wyndham, if it can be solved in CAD I can usually manage (ex drawing office manager here) if I can draw it I can usually 3D print it, if not I can probably machine it on my little Unimat., but if I do get stuck dont worry I will yell.

[grendel]

well we are up to 16 handrail supports now (one I did last night didnt come out right), so I have made a couple more this morning.

[grendel]

up to 17 now. 1 more to go for 1 complete set.

[grendel]

well i got the 18th done, and am tapping a thread onto some of them so they will fix the rails in place, in doing this I broke one by trying too hard, so another will be made in the morning.

[grendel]

well another one done to replace the broken one, I think I will make a couple of spares, so I can have 3 threaded ones on the front rails and 2 on the back, the others will just sit through the holes. so 10 threaded ones with the longer shanks needed.

I have 7 threaded so far, 1 ready for threading, so just 2 more to make.

[grendel]

pictures later, but another handrail support done, yesterday I started work on the hull with the filler, today sanding - and more filler, this is to hide the joins in the planks and any blemishes on he hull, with the sun directly overhead its easy to spot the blemishes.

[grendel]

the chip shape when using the home shaped tool is quite interesting, it looks a bit like tinsel forming. here are some of the pictures of the filling of the dinks and bumps in the hull of model #2. the filling and sanding will continue until I am happy, sanding starts at 120 grit, goes through 240, 800, to 1500. then uses a sanding cloth, at 3000 grit, this should get a perfect finish for the sealing and painting.

[grendel]

some work now done, its all coming together now, but will have to wait until next weekend for the next round of filling / sanding