A Paddle tug in Oregon

[PeeWee]

Hi,
I like the steam winch, it certainly looks the part.  how much running time are you hoping the tank will supply?
As always looking forward to the next instalment. 

[mogogear]

  how much running time are you hoping the tank will supply?

Thanks...With a #5 jet and a 8 oz  230 gm cartridge of full gas , with the attenuator - 2 hours +++  of actual steaming is not out of the question.. I will need to come in as usual for oiler refill and manning the boiler pump and water tank - so every 20 minutes back at the dock to check under the hood( bonnet)

[marinemole]

Haven't been down to Lachie's workshop to photograph the Flying Scotsman but he visited me a couple of hours ago and brought up his original build album. He built the model from the drawings in Phil Thomas's book 'British Steam Tugs'. He has some other photographs but mostly side views and no deck detail.

He has elected to build the structure in question with a plain back but I notice from the blowups what look like a couple of rods sticking up, one of which possibly has a wheel on top? I'll investigate further when I get a chance.

Also when time allows I'll scan the rest of the build and publish on PD.

Andy

[marinemole]

Lachie had some photographs of the original ship which he is sure came direct from Phil Thomas. He apparently used to bend Phil's ear frequently. As always with source material of this type I am unsure of the provenance and copyright status. If anyone suspects that I am out of line posting these pictures please advise and I will remove from Photobucket.

Andy

[mogogear]

My thanks to you Andy and please convey the same to Lachie on my behalf. Wonderful shots especially the black and whites.

 A general question: I see in one of the build photos the unpainted superstructure is metallic. My superstructure is the same- and indeed a skin of what appears to be aluminium. In fact mine has printing on it as if it were news print but made of this metal?
 

Is this a common material to use in the UK and elsewhere? I use card stock and styrene , wood etc - but this discovery caught me off guard and you picture once again reminded me of my surprise

This shot shows some of it and the printing may just be paper over the aluminium sheet that is underneath--any way?

[marinemole]

 A general question: I see in one of the build photos the unpainted superstructure is metallic. My superstructure is the same- and indeed a skin of what appears to be aluminium. In fact mine has printing on it as if it were news print but made of this metal?
 

Is this a common material to use in the UK and elsewhere? I use card stock and styrene , wood etc - but this discovery caught me off guard and you picture once again reminded me of my surprise

This shot shows some of it and the printing may just be paper over the aluminium sheet that is underneath--any way?

The material is 'Litho Plate' used extensively for Offset Litho printing and is, as you say, aluminium.

Definition: Offset lithography is a process used for printing on a flat surface, using printing plates. An image is transferred to a printing plate, which can be made of a variety of materials such as metal or paper. The plate is then chemically treated so that only image areas (such as type, colors, shapes and other elements) will accept ink. Water and ink is applied to the plate. Because of the chemical treatment, ink only "sticks" to the image areas, which reject the water. Areas without images reject the ink. The plate is then rolled onto a rubber cylinder applying the inked area, and in turn the rubber cylinder (or "blanket") applies the image to the paper. The system is "offset" because the plate does not come in direct contact with the paper, which preserves the quality of the plate.

Lachie uses it extensively but I believe that he acquired a stock of unused plates so no print on his plating.

He has a series of dressmaker's wheels which he uses to impress rivet detail on the material. Just run the wheel along a straight edge on the reverse of the plate and Hey Presto.....rivets.

http://www.julytextilesandcrafts.co.uk/julytextilesandcrafts/prod_448575-Dressmakers-traditional-tracing-wheel-with-wooden-handle.html

Andy

[mogogear]

Good to know I am not crazy then. I have loads of thin aluminum sheathing as I used to make and produce ultra light back packing stoves and windscreens and sold through some on line sites.

Wa La - MOGOGEAR Fire Fly stoves ( no longer produced)



For scale- the stove is made from the bottom of Redbull drink cans- stove weighs 5.5gm and will boil a .5L of water in 8 minutes on 20ml of meths...Those were fun days...

[mogogear]

Back to paddle tugs........ Here is the latest small steps in the shop

Finished up the more small assorted deck details and my first airbrushing...    then    small learning curve but all is better now. Also machined a new S/S section of rod to connect the paddle shafts together. Drive gears are also in place now with a 3:1 ratio and pump plumbing all done!

Sorry the following shots were by  phone camera











All for now--making a new rudder as the old one had no lower skeg contact and so pretty vulnerable to damage- and it was made from wood- a new brass rudder and shaft and skeg extension is underway and the last few details prior to test steaming the power plant "( like make the steam feed line for the convoluted journey from the throttle gate valve on the boiler to the oiler- it is kind of a twisty trip!!

Till then PD's

[derekwarner_decoy]

Hi PD's...... ....am I missing something Mo in the visual translation? 

The towing hitch.....is it finally supported only by two bolted connections of the angular hoop back into the thin plating aft of the boiler chimney stack? 

Looks pretty suspect to me........ ....but......I like the chimney steam tube work & even the BSB colour scheme  ......Derek

[mogogear]

I love to make you check things out Derek..if it passes your eye - all is SHIP SHAPE

No worries

The two small screws you see are actually about 2cm long and epoxied in through the solid wood base that the stack sits on- If you look closely there is a center eyelet with about 1.5cm that the hook also bolts through. It is shanked into the wood with epoxy as well. That eyelet is also soldered to the brass hoop.

The stack base is attached from the raised deck platform with 3 X 2cm screws and attached fore with 2 X  2.5cm screws to the rear wall of the center housing. The only bit to yet get in place is adding some pis and or some sort of catch system so the whole superstructure does not get at some odd angle and be jerked off the whole of the hull. Again the blessing is that the stack base is solid wood except for the hole drilled to accept the stack.

Will all this be strong enough..? Maybe not- I also realized a little too late for now that my rear companionway was a touch too tall and might catch on a tow line- so I added the arced brass hand bar across the companionway slide roof to help it slide under the line better- a good theory - again - we will see what happens in action

Thanks for keeping me on my toes The Eppelton Hall lives not too far South -I want to be respectful

[mogogear]

A few more things done....

An  anchor, an anchor davit and a chain roller - all brass- the davit can be stowed- just need a bit of line and a harness or fitting of some sort





A rudder was made as the old one was wood and kind of cobbled together- so old and new side by



and with the skeg in place- not the prettiest skeg but should keep the bumps off the bottom of it. The original rudder was only held in place by the rudder tube-- looked pretty vulnerable... so had to add the brass   

[PeeWee]

Hi Greg,

Making good progress,  i like the metal work on the rudder 

[mogogear]

This should wake Derek up--

back to the boiler

I made a steam line dryer / almost super heater ( not really) to fit in the stack. As the Cheddar boiler  has a refill feed tube that also passes through the center of the exit flue- I decided to take the vertical route instead of looping around said feed tube at the end of the flue return. Harder to write that show. Ultimately this will allow for me to remove the entire steam line with out disassembling the boiler in the process. I view that as a plus for now. Things change..

I just need to notch the stack to fit over- and lag the steam line on either side of the stack...Notice that the pressure gauge syphion also loops around the steam line at the  steam dome take off.







Cheers I think

[derekwarner_decoy]

Hi PD's..... .....looking good Mo.....but two questions.......

1. is there sufficient dip in the gauge syphon tube to get the steam to condense...as we should not subject the gauge mechanism to the pulsations of wet steam?

2. Is that a 90 degree clack [check] valve onto the boiler for the feed water from the make up pump?........does the check valve hold tight against the boiler pressure?

Keep up the good work........ .......Derek

[mogogear]

Here is a couple of answers to good questions Derek.

Pressure gauge location and routing reworked ( it is now visible with the superstructure in place through the rear engine grating), lagging all painted, stack repainted, a the SV blow off pipe turned on the lathe and soldered pipe in place.

Also made the last small exhaust pipe to the condenser ( will connect up with a small bit of hi-temp silicone tube). Only a return pipe to the stack left to do...same silicone connections at the ends.

Yes the 90 degree check valve works very well and has been tested prior to installation with my feed pump supplying the load!!







Good night