Model Engineers seem to have more time off than the rest of us. That’s the only reason I can see that this years Midlands Model Engineering Show runs from Friday to Tuesday. Even that’s a reduction, it used to be good for 10 days !
This means that setting up the boat club stand has to happen on Thursday night. Pretty early too, it’s a case of get home from work and head straight out there. Good job the exhibition site is only 10 minutes drive away.
Anyway we’re showing the Blue Boat, Puffer & African Queen. The rest of the stand is chocka with models and looks really good in a jumbled sort of way. It’s certainly colourful with not a grey boat to be seen.
It’s good to see The Blue Boat on the stand. After 40 years it it’s looking really good up there.
If you are going, look out for me on the Saturday & Sunday when I’ll be the one hanging around hoping to talk to people.
Showing posts with label 40 Year Old Boat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 40 Year Old Boat. Show all posts
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Monday, May 08, 2006
Stuff from the scrap box
Still trying to improve the radio range on the 40- year old boat (It really needs a name) I’ve managed to use one of those bits that we all keep thinking it will come in useful one day.
I rescued the aerial from a cheap radio controlled toy. It’s been sitting in my pen pot for years. I’ve used it for clearing nozzles a few times. Now with the addition of a base (spare end of a transmitter control stick) and some K&S brass tube we have a whip aerial. The prototype had two of these but I’ve only got enough wire for one at present. If I source some more it will get the second.
The aerial has been wired in to the loop antenna already fitted. Hopefully this addition and some suppression on the motor will mean we can control the boat properly from the other side of the lake.
I rescued the aerial from a cheap radio controlled toy. It’s been sitting in my pen pot for years. I’ve used it for clearing nozzles a few times. Now with the addition of a base (spare end of a transmitter control stick) and some K&S brass tube we have a whip aerial. The prototype had two of these but I’ve only got enough wire for one at present. If I source some more it will get the second.
The aerial has been wired in to the loop antenna already fitted. Hopefully this addition and some suppression on the motor will mean we can control the boat properly from the other side of the lake.
Sunday, January 08, 2006
After 40 years, it sails !
The 40 year old boat makes it to the water. And it was great. No nasty sinking and good performance. Worth the wait. Considering the history of this model it was magic to see it buzzing around and creating a wake.
The only problem was that initially the motor worked intermitantly. Sometimes fine, sometimes it just sat an buzzed. I noticed that the sterring servo was kicking when the motor should be running and re-routed the aerial wire toward the front of the boat.
This helped but when I fed the wire out of the side and wrapped it around the "handle" on top performace was perfect. There are a number of aerials on the prototype and it looks like these are going to have to be more than deceorative.
Time to fit the details.
The only problem was that initially the motor worked intermitantly. Sometimes fine, sometimes it just sat an buzzed. I noticed that the sterring servo was kicking when the motor should be running and re-routed the aerial wire toward the front of the boat.
This helped but when I fed the wire out of the side and wrapped it around the "handle" on top performace was perfect. There are a number of aerials on the prototype and it looks like these are going to have to be more than deceorative.
Time to fit the details.
Sunday, January 01, 2006
The 40 year old boat project
Let me introduce possibly the oldest model boat never to have sailed in anger.
40 years ago this month a plan appear in Model Maker magazine for a Vosper boat. My Dad liked the look of it and started to build himself a model.
The boat was 2/3rds complete and then work stopped. For years it lived in various unsuitable places including a shed drawer. Amazingly it survived reasonably intact.
A couple of years ago the model found an indoor home and has since been restored and nearly finished. One of the jobs I have carried out over the Christmas period is to spray the main colours. This is a bigger job than it should be as my Badger 200 airbrush doesn't really push out enough paint for a job this size. The results are OK though.
The motor and radio gear are now fitted, something that couldn't have been contemplated in the 1960's with radio control costing many weeks wages for a single channel !
All that's left to do is for the finishing touches to be applied and the ice to melt on the local boating lake. Once we have the maiden voyage I'll post some more pics.
40 years ago this month a plan appear in Model Maker magazine for a Vosper boat. My Dad liked the look of it and started to build himself a model.
The boat was 2/3rds complete and then work stopped. For years it lived in various unsuitable places including a shed drawer. Amazingly it survived reasonably intact.
A couple of years ago the model found an indoor home and has since been restored and nearly finished. One of the jobs I have carried out over the Christmas period is to spray the main colours. This is a bigger job than it should be as my Badger 200 airbrush doesn't really push out enough paint for a job this size. The results are OK though.
The motor and radio gear are now fitted, something that couldn't have been contemplated in the 1960's with radio control costing many weeks wages for a single channel !
All that's left to do is for the finishing touches to be applied and the ice to melt on the local boating lake. Once we have the maiden voyage I'll post some more pics.
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