Irish Royal Mail Steamer Connaught build

[Eddy Matthews]

A short video showing the feathering mechanism on Stuarts Connaught wheel can be seen in our Downloads area: http://www.paddleducks.co.uk/smf/index.php?action=downloads;sa=view;down=324

Regards
Eddy

[mjt60a]

Wow, that's fantastic!!!

[Stuart Badger]

Thanks Mick - all down to your photos!

Stuart

[pete]

Stuart, - that is exceptional.
Well done.

[Tug--Kenny]

I have made a video of the wheel operating with the feathering - but I have to consult our Guru to see how to upload it or reduce the file size. So for now - just pics

All the best

Stuart

What can I say that's not being thought now. Fantastic work there, Stuart.

We are all keen to see the movie. You could stick it up on "You Tube" and post a reference here. Pretty please. 

Cheers

Ken

[Stuart Badger]

Ken - Pete thanks very much

The movie is in the uploads area, see about 3 posts above.

All the best

Stuart - (on to the funnels!)

[Stuart Badger]

Hi PDs - Funnels!

The weather vane (see pic) I made is now repaired so I can get on with the funnels.

Connaught's funnels are complicated - and there are 4 of them. You can see in the picture that the funnels are raked back 9 degrees but the top of the deck level casing and the top of the funnel itself are horizontal. The funnel cap is flared and there is a conical collar bridging the gap between casing and funnel.
I decided to make the funnels in 15thou copper - plastic pipe is heavier and getting the sizes I wanted proved to be impossible here. However, I found a plans tube thats inner diameter was exactly the same as the outer diameter as the casing and the cardboard tube inside Greek kitchen towel is the same diameter as the inner diameter of the funnel. I cut the top off of these tubes at a 9 degree angle and inserted a piece of rolled paper inside them, I marked the paper where it overlapped and cut it so that I had a piece the same length as the circumference.  I then replaced the paper in the tube and carefully marked the angle of the top of the tube around the paper to produce a pattern or development that I could lay on the copper and cut around.
Having cut the shapes out of the copper I then annealed them with a blow torch in preparation for rolling the funnels and casings.
Rolling metal is an easy technique and one well worth trying. I laid the copper on an old mouse mat (anything with a degree of 'give' will do the job) and then using a piece of round steel (always about 3/4 of the size you want to achieve) I rolled it backwards and forwards exerting pressure as I rolled. The more pressure you exert the tighter the roll. I have yet to solder the funnels together.
The rolled but unsoldered casing was placed inside a spare piece of the plans tube and packed with thin paper until the two edges met perfectly. A thin strip of copper was placed over the joint and having coated the surfaces with flux I used a small torch (you could just as well use a soldering iron on material this thin) to get the copper hot enough for solder to flow under the strip and into the joint.

You can see the four casings with their pattern. Tomorrow I will solder up the funnels and start to think about producing the casing collars and flaired funnel tops.

All the best

Stuart

[Eddy Matthews]

Doesn't it look so easy when you see someone who knows what their doing do it? I think I would just end up with so many bits of scrap copper!

My only concern is how the heck your going to transport this to our Paddler Day next year! 

Eddy

[Stuart Badger]

Hi PDs
I got a little further with the funnels today. the picture with the components so far shows the rings turned from PVC to keep the funnel and casing centered, the casings themselves and the funnels and tops. I've sort of 'dry assembled' one - bear in mind it should be raked back so that the casing top and funnel top are horizontal. Walden models has kindly done me a development of the angled casing top so I will cut those out tonight.
Most of today was taken up with producing the flaired tops. I am quite pleased with them as it's the first time I have tried spinning copper on the lathe - but I will NOT be doing it again. It is frankly dangerous.
The basic principle is to produce a male form of the shape you want which is mounted in the chuck of the lathe. (I made mine from Oak) the annealed copper sheet is fixed to the face of the form with screws. One then uses a round nosed tool to force the spinning metal over the form to replicate its shape.
The metal work hardens very quickly and has to be removed, re-annealed and replaced on the form to complete the operation.
Well, I frightened myself, it's VERY easy for your hand to slip because of the force you need to apply and razor sharp copper spinning at a few hundred RPM inches from your face and hands is NOT to be recommended. I had 9 attempts and finally got 4 useable ones - after which I had a VERY stiff drink!. If you want to have a go I suggest you enlist the help of someone who is used to the process.

Next time I'm going to vacuum form components like this - the worst that can happen would be a nasty suck!

All the best

Stuart

[djcf]

Hi Stuart,
Are all these funnels going to be "smoking" on your model?

[Stuart Badger]

I'd love to have four funnels billowing thick smoke!

The trouble is I can't afford the sort of prices wanted for smoke generators so I might have a go at making one (or 4!) myself. But I do like BLACK smoke - not this woofty white perfumed baby fog that purports to pass for smoke on models!

All the best

Stuart

[waldenmodels]

Didn't I read somewhere here about a model that was actually coal fired? C'mon Stuart, might as well go all the way

Cheers,

Oliver

[steamboatmodel]

I'd love to have four funnels billowing thick smoke!
The trouble is I can't afford the sort of prices wanted for smoke generators so I might have a go at making one (or 4!) myself. But I do like BLACK smoke - not this woofty white perfumed baby fog that purports to pass for smoke on models!
All the best
Stuart

When I was working at Building Maintenance we face heavy fines if we produced Black Smoke. Not just the company but us operators too. Bunker C, the wrong air mixture and clogged nozzles will do it every time. That's why I preferred the graveyard shift your goofs didn't show.
Regards,
Gerald.

[Stuart Badger]

Yup!

I'm just old enough to remember the days of gas light, milkmen with horse drawn delivery carts, steam trains, coal fires and industrial smog so bad that bus conductors walked ahead of the bus with a powerful torch!

I only want to make a little smoke - honest!

Stuart

[steamboatmodel]

Yup!
I'm just old enough to remember the days of gas light, milkmen with horse drawn delivery carts, steam trains, coal fires and industrial smog so bad that bus conductors walked ahead of the bus with a powerful torch!
I only want to make a little smoke - honest! Stuart

I don't remember gas Light, Milkmen with horse drawn delivery carts, I do remember the Milk, Bread and Ice wagons, also the fruit and Veggie man. One of my Uncles drove the last milk wagons in Toronto, the then brought three of them home which we used for years as a playhouses. The last Horse drawn wagon was what we called the "Shinnie Man" who collected rags and bones. Smog I don't remember that bad, but I do remember all the Mothers running to get the wash off the lines (wet or dry) when the brickyards fired up. We also had a Man who pushed a cart around with a grinding wheel on it that was treadle powered, he did all kinds of sharpening. Now he smoked a pipe that gave off lots of black smelly smoke. With the steam trains I don't really remember the changeover.
Regards,
Gerald.