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| Constellation a 1:36 scale RC model | ||
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| JerryTodd |
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  Registered Member #1987 Joined: Wed Dec 21 2011, 04:06amPosts: 71 | After the Port Expo click an image to see a larger version - backspace to return The St Michaels event was moved from the end of May to the first weekend in October in conjunction with their Small-Craft Festival. By the time the weekend came along, a hurricane was blowing up the coast and the event was cancelled because of the flooding it caused. In the meantime, I worked on a few things... Then the 2016 Baltimore Port Expo was rained out as well, though they had built a deeper pool this year. There's something to look forward to next time anyway. The winch drums I made back in 2011 were lost in the move, and still haven't been found. I used the card & wood "test drum" last sail, but I needed a proper set, so I got some thin plastic sheet to make the flanges, cut some new styrene drums, and tried bolting the whole thing together. I actually added two drums for the fores'l and mains'l tacks, making the drums taller.   Concerned with this pulling the assembly to one side, I put a Delrin bearing block on the fairlead plates for the drums to slide against without it all pulling off to one side.   I had a hard time getting the ballast bolted on at Baltimore; I never did get the aft rod all the way in, and the battery hatch lid was askew the whole time. To facilitate that, I added some wood to her cradle to place the ballast so everything would be held and lined up to make attaching the ballast easier.  The bulwarks had mahogany end-boardsfore, aft, and at the entry ports. As far as I was able to find out, they were just wood slabs except for those at the entry ports. What I'm told are her originals since she was built, are in the museum at the real ship.  I made and stained some bass sheet and temporarily glued them on for the Port Expo, but I want to make the carved ones for the entry ports. So I traced a photo of the original boards and scaled it to the model. I didn't have any material that I could carve at this size, like boxwood, so I printed the image on a color printer and pasted them to the plain basswood boards.   I made the Spencer mast steps for the fore and main from my go-to piece of copper sheet...   ...and started making the forward opening bulwarks. The ship had a portion of her bulwarks foreward and aft, divided up into panels that could be folded, or removed, so the pivot guns had a clear field of fire. The ship still had the forward "folding bulwarks" in place when she came to Baltimore from Boston in 1955. They were removed as "not being something the frigate would have had" and the bronze hinges were tossed into the hold with the hammock stanchions mentioned above. The panels were held up by iron rods that hooked over an eye in the waterway, much like a hasp for a padlock.   I wasn't going to make all these little panels functional as I was afraid they'd constantly get snagged and bumped, and I'd be repairing them constantly; so I made the panels combined into a single unit, implied the hinged with card-stock and eyes. These eventually would get epoxied in place with brass rod drifts to reinforce them.   I started making hatch gratings for the fore and aft ammunition hatches, the galley hatch, and the main hatch. I had cut the pin rails you see in the picture some time ago, but wasn't having much luck with the turned posts that held them up.   The main hatch got a ledge installed while the plywood "temporary cover" was framed out and given a lip to hook under that ledge forward. At some poin some form of latch will get installed aft to hold it down, but for now it just sits there.    I opted to simplify the main hatch grating and not do the 7 by 4 arrangement with the corners open for companionways, but just do 7 full-width gratings with spacer beams. Three ships boats will sit on this hatch, and I intend to put a little vignette of figures doing some chore with sea-chests or boxes behind the boats - one of these boxes will disguise the latch that holds down the hatch-cover. The gratings were glued to the framed plywood hatch-cover and sits flush with the top of the combing when in place.   My goal now was to make the model ready to sail in open water, so she could sail in the Miles River at St Michaels this October, instead of bumping around the bottom of the pool again. With the above things done, I got into rigging. This time she'd fly her royals as well as t'gallants, and her courses if I could manage it. I made a big change in how the squares would be braced. I originally was going to brace the fore course and tops'l yards on one winch; the main course and tops'l yards, with the cross-jack on the mizzen on the other winch. I decided to reduce that to only bracing the tops'l yard of all three masts; main and mizzen on one winch, and the fore mast on the other. Here a cut-a-way drawing of the model shows the routing of the braces and sheets as well as it's internal lay-out.  The first problem was I wasn't happy with my new winch drums. They had gaps between the drum and flange that would snag the braces and cause problems. I searched again for the missing set, but still couldn't find them. Until I could solve this, I opted to link all three yards as before and run them from one winch with the "testing drum" I had used before. As the event date drew close, I wasn't ready, and there was another issue. It was really not possible for me to get the model into the pool at Baltimore by myself. Getting it from the car to the shoreline and into the Miles River and back again would be pretty much impossible by myself as well, and I couldn't count on having help. I needed a launch cart. Next up: Bedframes and Launch-Carts [ Edited Tue Jan 10 2017, 04:53am ] | ||
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| JerryTodd |
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| Registered Member #1987 Joined: Wed Dec 21 2011, 04:06amPosts: 71 | Bed Frames and Launch Carts click an image to see a larger version - backspace to return Constellation is a big model. Tip of the bowsprit to the end of the driver boom is 8 feet. On her ballast, sitting on the floor, she's just shy of 5 feet tall. She's got a beam of 13-5/8" and her main yard will be about 32 inches with the stored stuns'l booms on it. Completed, with running gear and ballast she'll weight between 105-115 pounds. Not the biggest model of her sort, she's as big as I thought I could get to fit in my SUV. When you're dealing with models of such size, transport, launching, and retrieving is a big part of the model even before construction starts. If you can't get it to the water, it's not going to do any sailing. I got a lot of helpful information, and learned a lot from the models of Steel, Chapman & Hutchinson and the folks that own their models. The cloth for the sails, the servos, the bar/tube ballast as opposed to a fin, plus mods and improvements made by owners I met thought RCGroups forums. So, when it came to a cart for transporting and launching, I figured on following that lead as well. Why reinvent the wheel?  Ok, that's a bit much, but it's a neat photo and I couldn't resist. Anyway, here's Ray, a regular at RCGroups, launching his Surprise on the cart that came with the kit. It's basically a plastic handtruck with a big wooden cradle attached at the bottom.   Dan, another fella at RCGroups owns the SC&H Cruiser class brig and also started out with the same cart supplied with the kit.  You may have noticed a couple of things with the handtruck cart right off. When you lean the cart back to move it, it puts you in the rig where things can break, poke you in the eye, etc. Ray also said that the inflated wheels and wooden cradle made the thing float. When you launched or recovered the model, you had to keep a hold on the cart or it would float and fall over, it made things much more complicated. While the cart itself can be broken down, it's still bulky and takes quite a bit of space, not to mention the time to assemble and disassemble it. Dan addressed the leaning problem this by angling things so the handle leaned back from the model, but you can see, with the model up-right on the ground, you practically have to bend in half to lean the cart enough to move it. It also doesn't break down so much.  So Dan ditched the cradle on the original cart, laid the cart down, put a handle with a wheel at the top, now front, and basically made it into a boat trailer.    I initially was considering a handtruck type cart, because I thought it would work at low bulkheads, docks, or floating piers. When you think about it you find this really isn't practical, especially when you trying to retrieve the model, and it's exacerbated even more if it's windy and choppy. Even this clever idea using an aluminum extension ladder isn't really as workable as it may, at first, appear. try to figure out how you stop being the counter-weight to go and handle the model before it bashes itself to pieces - you're looking at lugging a hundred pounds or so of sandbags around with you.  There's a few boat-trailer type carts around, and it now being obvious that was the best idea for me, I started doodling plans. Most of what I've seen are wood or PVC pipe, which had the floating problem and lacked strength. I had a old steel L-angle bed frame laying about, and figured that would make a cart that was strong, small for it's strength, and certainly wouldn't float. So I went to my 3D software and cobbled this monstrosity out.  The idea was a channel of two facing L-angles that would support the entire model by it's ballast on a cross-piece of L-angle supporting an axle rod with a couple of 9" grocery cart wheels. The rest of the frame would support the model and serve as guides when retrieving the model. I looked at this beast and though of my 16' day-sailor sitting on it's trailer just outside the house and thought - IT doesn't need all that frame-work and it weighs more than 4 times as much and travels on the highway! So I lost the excessive framing and figured since the channel is holding the weight of the model, all I need is something for it to lean against with some padding on it. That reduced the idea to this:  That's about as simple as it gets. No rollers, wheels, bearings, or anything special. Then, while digging through the hard-drive for something else, I came across this pic of the 1:24 scale brig Killingworth on basically the same sort of cart. Though he has some guide wheels on it - it basically confirms what I came up with as workable. So, now with a plan, it was time to saw steel!  Holy carp, I'm so glad I didn't go with the first idea! I don't know what sort of steel bed frames are made of, but that stuff eats reciprocating-saw blades. Cutting one piece took all the teeth off my two used blades, and the next two pieces ate the teeth on two new blades I bought. After those three, I gave up cutting any more of the stuff without a cutting wheel on my arm-saw or grinder.   I maged to cut the two channel pieces and the axle support piece; drill them, bolt them together, and use wire clamp u-bolts to hold the axle-rod on. The wheels came from ACE Hardware online for about $14 for the pair. There's washers on either side of each wheel, and a hole in the end of the axle for a hitch pin which allows me to pop the wheels off or on very quickly without tools. A bit of flat-bar I had was cut in half to make diagonal supports for the axle so the cart wouldn't rack.   Unable to cut any more bed frame, I used chunks of 2x4 at the ends to stabilize the ends of the channel, provide a mount for the handle, and act as skids. I used an old flag-pole holder to hold the handle which is a bit of closet pole rod about 55" long with a 3/4" dowel for a T-handle, and a couple of turk's heads to reenforce it.   The thing got serveral coats of blue paint, and the handle was painted white. The uprights are just some 3/4" white pine bolted to the axle bar and padded with pipe insulation.   It looks like it'll do the job. It certainly made it easier to move the model around. what's more, since I intend to ballast Macedonian in the same manner, the cart will work with her as well.  Next step is to actually launch the boat with it. But there's still some work to do before that. [ Edited Thu Aug 10 2017, 03:11am ] | ||
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| JerryTodd |
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| Registered Member #1987 Joined: Wed Dec 21 2011, 04:06amPosts: 71 | Really Sailing click an image to see a larger version - backspace to return I didn't get the model ready in time for St Michaels, and didn't go to the event. But I still wanted to sail the model before it got cold, and it was getting toward the end of October, so I kept at it. I rigged the braces routing them as they would be on the finished model.  While bracing the yards around, I found the cheap fuzzy string I was using caused too much friction and made the winch over-work. I walked-up several 12 foot lengths of line made from the Dacron sail thread that the model's permanent rigging will be made of and things ran much more smoothly.   Check out this exciting brace video! I wanted to bend on the courses, but for them to work I needed to insert a rod into the bottom hem of the sail to act like a Bentinck boom, and I didn't have any long or strong enough. Aside from that, I was ready to sail.  I had a list of goals for this sail:
Collapsed the rig and gingerly got the model into the car. There's no room for anyone or anything else, but she fit. Note the launch-cart broken down to the left of the model.  Took the boat to the Rock Creek boat ramp down the street from Mark's house. He brought his grand-kids and his Son of Erin re-rigged as a gaff-headed sloop. I got the model re-rigged and ready, then rolled her down the very steep hill to the water.  I set up the camera on the tripod to video and launched the boat. The one problem with the cart was the tendency of the model to try and slide off of it. I'm going to install a small ramp that will catch the edge of the PVC caps and hold the model up on the cart. The ramp had broken concrete in the water so that folk's trailer wheels wouldn't sink in the silt, but that was a bit rough for me trying to push the cart in.   I turned the model around and the wind took her out into the creek. She sailed beautifully, better than I expected. Even so I got a lump in my throat every time a gust made her heel. We spent a couple of hours sailing the two models around the creek in the sometimes fluky wind. I did forget one thing, extra batteries for my camera, and after the initial launching video and a couple of stills, they died. Most of the video Mark took with his phone, and a lot of the stills are video captures.         A quick pose of a happy boy and his boat, then to see about getting her back onto the launch-cart. I recovered her on the beach side instead of the ramp to avoid all the broken concrete. Recovery went as smooth as silk. The cart's channel took hold of the ballast tube and guided the model right on-board. I was much more careful than I needed to be, but I was making sure she didn't bump out of the channel and try to turn.    So here's a 16 minute video of launching, sailing, and retrieving the model that day. So, the test results:
The day was a great success. Everything worked, nothing broke, and the model is finally, really, a sailing ship. Next up: Winter Plans [ Edited Sat Jan 28 2017, 08:23pm ] | ||
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| JerryTodd |
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| Registered Member #1987 Joined: Wed Dec 21 2011, 04:06amPosts: 71 | Winter Plans click and image for a larger version - backspace to return I ordered in some aircraft plywood and made a new set of winch drums. Everything I've used AP on so far has remained stable and solid, so I'm hoping that holds true for these. They're not only glued, but I reused the through bolts and servo attachments from the last set. The flanges are 1/32" ply and the drums are 1/8". The drums are actually smaller now since I'm only bracing the tops'l yards, but that bottom flange on both of drum is still large so it can reach the Delrin bearing block mounted on the fairlead plate.    I also ordered a bunch of eye-pins and installed the jack-stays on all the yards that still lacked them, which was most of them actually.  I built up the aft folding bulwarks. Instead of making separate parts as I did forward, I built these up right on the model.    All three tops'l yards have wood-lined iron collar parrels and trusses. Here's the actual fore and main collars back when the restoration was underway. I'm told they're original to the ship's construction. I drew up what I'm trying to make.   Using some of my copper sheet I made an attempt that looked like it was going to work, but when I was trying to clean up some of the excess solder, the tubing just popped off. It wasn't strong enough for a working model, so I have to figure out another approach.   The forward bulwark assembies were epoxied on and pinned with brass rod.  Then the rod keepers were installed fore-and-aft.   And that's were things were as of the end of 2016. There's no heat in my shop, in fact we use it as an extension of the refrigerator over the winter. So not a lot can get done unless we get a couple of warm days. Some items I want to work on indoors or during those occasional warm days over the winter include;
Regarding the sails... The royals and t'gallants will be removable. There will basically be hooks on the halyards and sheets so I can easily remove the upper sails, yards and all, to fit sailing conditions. As mentioned above, a rod will be inserted into the bottom hem of the courses and act as a Bentinck boom. This will allow me to set courses without having to devise machinery to work tacks and sheets. This rod needs to be removable though, because if the wind's a bit much, I want to be able to bunt and clew up the courses to shorten sail. Basically I'll be able to reduce the model down to the rig she carried on her first sail; tops'ls, driver, and jib. If it's blowing too hard for that, she simply won't get sailed that day. I've made the fore and main Spencer sails. They'll probably be brailed-up when she sails, but can be shook out for display. Sheeting them isn't worth the effort, they're loose footed and there's the main and mizzen stays running right through either of them - getting the clew over those stays would require more levitation that I care to devise. I didn't mention that I did install a servo-stretcher on the sail-arm servo that controls the driver and heads'ls. It was in operation during the models most recent sail and worked great. It increases the servo's travel from 90° to as much as 180° and also allows adjusting the center position. If you don't have a transmitter that allows such programming and want to use a 3-arm sheeter like I do - get yourself a Servo-Stretcher from Servo City. The 3-arm sheeter needs a little refining. I plan to mount sheaves for the sheets on the arms, and use some sort of screw or friction thing for the sheet ends that will allow easier adjustments.  I think 2017 is the year this thing may actually get finished - knock-on-wood. [ Edited Sat Jan 28 2017, 08:29pm ] | ||
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| aew |
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aew   Registered Member #1929 Joined: Wed Nov 30 2011, 03:05pmPosts: 2926 | Slow up Jerry, I've just figured out how your three-arm sheeter works! Those servo extenders are pricey items, I think I'd now use that as an excuse to use an Arduino - but not in 2011. The sliding servos are a neat trick - and nicely engineered too. | ||
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| JerryTodd |
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| Registered Member #1987 Joined: Wed Dec 21 2011, 04:06amPosts: 71 | Don't worry, the logs up-to-date and won't go any faster than me now.  Servo-Stretchers are about $20 and Constellation uses just one, as will Macedonian. I got them in October 2015 because Pride of Baltimore uses two 3-arm-sheeters and 90° travel wasn't gonna cut it. I have no clue what Arduino's go for, plus whatever else it would require to achieve the same result with it. Transmitters that allow programming servos, like the Spektrum Dx7 start around $300 or more. I have a lowly little Dx6, so that wasn't really an option for me. | ||
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| aew |
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| aew Registered Member #1929 Joined: Wed Nov 30 2011, 03:05pmPosts: 2926 | My transmitter and receiver (6ch)cost around £25 and is programable. It's supposedly capable of 120% travel but I had to take a file and a sharp knife to the joysticks to get the standard 1mS (90 degree) range. You can get an Arduino now for £4 which is about $5 Takes up more room than your extender though!  | ||
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| aew |
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| aew Registered Member #1929 Joined: Wed Nov 30 2011, 03:05pmPosts: 2926 | Well I'm now up to date. Quite a work of engineering as well as conventional modelling. | ||
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| JerryTodd |
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| Registered Member #1987 Joined: Wed Dec 21 2011, 04:06amPosts: 71 | well, we got some warm days here and there, but just before christmas I used them to make a little shelf thing for the bathroom... and more recently to start making a pair of built-ins for either side of the fireplace in our den. (the blue cabinets in this rendering).  Poor old Constellation sits on her cart, unrigged, and rolled out on the driveway to make room for me to work. But we'll get more weather over the next couple of weeks warm enough to allow paint and glue to dry, and she'll get some attention again. | ||
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| JerryTodd |
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| Registered Member #1987 Joined: Wed Dec 21 2011, 04:06amPosts: 71 | place holder [ Edited Mon Feb 20 2017, 04:50am ] | ||
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