Irish Royal Mail Steamer Connaught build

[Stuart Badger]

I've started the paddle wheels - so here's the first part of the saga!
I am using PVC for the components as it's strong, light and very easy to machine and cement. I was going to make the rims in sections but decided to cut them out in one piece as I can simulate the riveted together sections by laying on thin strips of embossed plasticard.

The Hubs were machined on the lathe from 60mm dia PVC and are 'dished' at 8 degrees on their opposite faces and drilled for a 5mm shaft.

The spokes presented a bit of a challenge. I have a drawing in plan view of the wheels which, of course gives all the important dimensions - but I have no side elevation view. So I used the photos Mike took at the Science museum and drew up what I think is as close as I can get. I then made a brass 'pattern and drilled the float pivot hole and one spoke hub fastening hole to Imm dia. I then sandwiched 5 sheets of 1.5mm PVC together using double sided tape and laying the pattern on the sheets 6 times I drilled through the holes in the spoke pattern and used 24 1mm dia brass pins to locate the sheets together so that they won't move when I cut out the spokes on the bandsaw. By laying the pattern on the sheets at each pair of pin's location I scribed around the pattern and using it as a guide, drilled 5mm holes to give the radius at the corners of the spokes where appropriate.

When I have cut the spokes out I shall use longer pins to hold them all together in a block so that I can file and finish them.

More later

Stuart

[mjt60a]

The deckhouse and skylights are amazing, this will be a work of art, I'm sure

[Stuart Badger]

Thanks Mike - and THANK YOU once again for taking those photos, I really would be lost without them.

Stuart

[Stuart Badger]

I spent last night cutting out and sanding up the spokes - all 56 of them!
Here is the method I'm using to make the 'meat' of the wheels.
I made a jig with a 5mm (shaft size) hole in the centre and marked for the outer and inner rim, the spoke attachment hole for the hub (14 holes drilled 1mm) and the pivot point diameter. As I need to build 2 OUTSIDE wheels and 2 INSIDE wheels the pivot point holes have to be drilled in two positions on the jig to build a left hand or right hand wheel (marked A & B on the jig) this is because the part of the spoke with the pivot point on is raked back from the main spoke.

I retained the rings on the jig in the correct centred position with double sided tape and then using 1mm brass pins in the drilled holes in the jig to locate the spokes I glued and fitted the spokes to the rims.

The only problem with using PVC is that the glue is quite thick and you cannot be mean with it - so there will be a little cleaning up to do later.

The pictures should be self explanatory but do ask if it's not clear I have included my watch in the last picture to give you an idea of the size of the wheels.(the glue's set so it's off to do wheel number 2!).

All the best

Stuart

[djcf]

Looking good, Stuart, a bit different to the usual 7 or 8 spoke wheels on smaller sidewheelers. A couple of questions, how did you accurately cut out the rims, and is the PVC sheet (as opposed to plasticard) available at modelling shops?
Enjoying your build thread, the deckhouses looking great 
Clark

[derekwarner_decoy]

Hi PD's....as many will know I am of Irish convict background & .....but Stuart .......I cannot visualise  the under & over lapping of the paddle spokes on the center hub? ..........still a great thread in its infancy ....... ......Derek

[Stuart Badger]

Clark - the PVC sheet is easily available from industrial plastics suppliers - it glues together with the sort of cement that plumbers use as it's the same material as domestic plastic plumbing!

I cut the rings using a dividing head on my milling machine - BUT - in the past I got just as good results by making a turntable that sat on the bandsaw table. By fixing the material to the turntable at the right distance from the blade you can slowly rotate it to produce  an accurate ring - you do of course have to have one break in the ring to get the blade through. Otherwise I would make the rings in segments.

Derek - the reason the spokes all overlap at the moment is that they have not yet been cut to their final length - I will do this on the jig once the cement has gone hard in about 24 hours. They will be 'free' of each other once the 8 degree angle has been bent in them at the inner rim position.

[Stuart Badger]

The next stage in the construction of the wheels is to mount them on the hubs. I first bent all the spokes to an 8 degree angle starting from the point at which they intersect the inner 'ring'. To do this I simply cut an angled template and clamped the junction of the spoke and ring in the vice while I bent the spoke.

Once the spokes were at the correct angle I made another little jig which , when pinned to the 2 holes in each spoke gave me the true lenth of the spoke so that it sits snugly centred against the dished recess on either side of the hub. Using this as a guide I snipped off the excess length on each spoke.

The hub was mounted on the main jig and adjusted so that it was truly vertical (using a Stanly blade as a wedge) I had mounted 3 long dowels to the jig equally spaced at the outer diameter of the outer wheel ring to ensure that the ring (and wheel) were concentric with the hub. When the wheel is mounted on the hub any 'lean' on the wheel can be adjusted by measuring the height of the ring at each pin.

Once completely happy with the fit I will glue the spokes to the hub and drill another 2 holes in each spoke at the hub and use dome headed brass pins to provide a mechanical fixing and simulate the real wheel's riveted hub. - I hope the pics are self explanatory.

There will be a slightly longer gap to the next post as I have to now make 128 float pivot supports (28 with an actuating arm), 28 wooden paddle floats, 28 horizontal braces, 28 angled vertical braces and about 256 embossed plastic rivet doublers! and that's before I make a start on the feathering machinery - fun this modelling lark isn't it!

all the best

Stuart,

[Eddy Matthews]

Magnificent as always Stuart!!

Mind I don't envy you having to cut out all those bits!

Regards
Eddy

[Stuart Badger]

Thanks Eddy - I'm really enjoying making these. I got one wheel assembled today - another tomorrow and I may even get the bracing fitted too.

Stuart

[Talisman]

You make it look to easy Stuart 

Great work, looking forward to see how you go about producing your hull - Note book and sharp pencil at the ready here.
Regards,
Kim

[waldenmodels]

That looks excellent, Stuart! I dread building these in 1:250

[Stuart Badger]

Thanks for the comments all! By the way, criticsism as well as approval IS appreciated.

I don't envy you Oliver - they are difficult enough in large scale - let alone 1/250th!

At the moment I am fitting all the braces and rivet detail. I feel I should let you all into a secret, last night I got the second wheel together. I sat back and thought coo! they're nice, and went to get a celebratory glass of Ouzo. It was then I noticed that I had produced 2 right hand wheels! RATS! I spent till 4 in the morning disbonding superglue and rejigging the whole thing - which is why I'm a tad behind with the build.

That'll teach me to be cocky!

All the best

Stuart

[Talisman]

Stuart, if it makes you feel any better i did exactly the same thing with my Talisman wheels and then again with my new wheels... You think i would learn 

[Stuart Badger]

YUP! -that DOES make me feel better - shall we start a club for one sided paddle steamers? 

Stuart