Drive chain (again)

[kiwimodeller]

Hi Guys, Having watched several threads about links and cranks etc to drive my sternwheel I have decided that making a prototypical drive is beyond me and that I will have to resort to chain drive. Having decided this I read back through lots of older posts, several of which had links to various websites of suppliers of chain and sprockets. I like the idea of the plastic chain listed on some of these sites (.1227 pitch) but am wondering if anybody has tried running plastic chain on a larger paddler with steam power? It is relatively inexpensive so I guess I could give it a try and if it proves unreliable I could change to steel sprockets and chain but as usual I thought I would check out the collective wisdom on here first. Cheers, Ian.

[derekwarner_decoy]

Hi PD's....Ian....Stuart Badger ran the 0.1227" 'nylon' chain with from memory a pair of Puffins...in his PS Reliant....again from memory his only issue was securing the small 'nylon' pinion to the engine shaft

As you will be aware the 316 stainless chain & pinion sets are horrifically expensive  ......

Derek

[R.G.Y.]

Most readers of this site know I am a cheap skate & always look for a recycaling option.
So would the plastic ball chain used on blinds work. R.G.Y.

[kiwimodeller]

I had thought that securing the sprockets might be a problem, one of the websites talks about the sprockets being a press fit on the shafts and that they can be cross pinned if neccessary so I took it from that that they do not have grub screws in them. A pity because there are some spoked sprockets available which would not look too bad against the wheel. I guess it would be possible to run the nylon chain on steel sprockets? I had not thought of stainless chain Derek so had not gone looking for it. I guess it makes sense but I would like to find something around the 3mm pitch which the 1227 is. I have 5mm chain in Waimarie but she is a bit bigger and there is plenty of room, I think it would look oversize in the sternwheeler. I am thinking I will have to have a countershaft so that means two chains and four sprockets. I had looked at various sorts of non - conventional chain R G Y but I was worried that they might slip with the torque of the steam engine. I do remember Eddie saying in one of the posts about cranks and links that he had built something with chain drive so I will go back through the old posts again. Cheers, Ian.

[derekwarner_decoy]

Hi PD's..... ....one of the things that disturbed me was that the baby acetyl 0.1227" pitch chain has a ultimate load rating of only 0.9 kg...so my concern was if a wheel became weed bound ........good by chain... ....thats OK as it can be simply snapped back together

But  what happens if you loose motion & you vessel is drifting out into deeper water & finally over the horizon  ...I was too scared to contemplate it

Now the small Parts people have that pressed Ladder chain that is far less costly.....but is non prototypical....certainly 4"pitch simple roller chain was used on our early [1800's] OZ side paddlers ...so from a stand off scale the 0.1227" pitch roller chain should look convincing at any scale around 1:24 to 1:32 ....be it side or stern wheel

Derek......