Topic: My RC live steam tugboat / icebreaker (Read 67382 times)

Bernhard · « **Reply #100 on:** April 06, 2009, 06:39:56 am »

GREATTTTT .....YOU HAVE DON A GREAT JOB WITH THIS,,,,,,,FIRST CLASS PHOTOS TO

REGARDS BERNHARD

Bunkerbarge · « **Reply #101 on:** April 06, 2009, 08:51:46 am »

Beautiful on the water. That first shot looks very authentic and the low angle gives it a great sense of realism.

ronkh · « **Reply #102 on:** April 06, 2009, 10:30:25 am »

Brilliant!

kno3 · « **Reply #103 on:** April 06, 2009, 03:25:54 pm »

Thaks guys, I almost got my camera in the water trying to take the pictures.

Bunkerbarge · « **Reply #104 on:** April 07, 2009, 07:55:26 am »

Those low angles always produce the best most realistic shots but you have to be carefull with your camera! A waterproof one might be a good idea such as the Olympus Stylus 770SW type or later versions.

kno3 · « **Reply #105 on:** April 16, 2009, 03:39:27 pm »

Hi!

Another film of the tug:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdoQ8Haun4k

kno3 · « **Reply #106 on:** October 26, 2009, 08:57:46 pm »

Back with some news!

I have decided to make some changes to the tug. Been working on a new smoke stack lately and here are some pics.

Made it from brass tubing, 40 mm diameter and some sheet brass, all soldered together:

Then made a steam whistle (seen on the thread with the new engine too). The particular thing about it is that it's made using only 3 different diameters of brass pipe. Quite easy to do at home without specialized tools:

Fitting the smoke stack:

The finished stack, with whistle and exhaust steam pipe (either for the safety valve, or for the engine exhaust, haven't yet decided what to run through it).

Gyula · « **Reply #107 on:** October 27, 2009, 08:55:19 am »

Nice job

Can you give some details for the whistle?

kno3 · « **Reply #108 on:** October 27, 2009, 10:16:21 am »

Sure. I have used 3, 4, 5 and 6 mm pipes. 3 for the steam pipe, 6 for the whistle body, and 4 & 5 for making the inner steam channel and lip.
I have forgotten to take pictures with the unassembled parts, but it's really easy to build. Let me know if you need more info.

By the way, here is a video test of the new set-up:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv1SFV-0ONA

derekwarner · « **Reply #109 on:** October 27, 2009, 10:29:52 am »

Hi kno3....we can clearly see the substantial increase in the funnel diameter......what prompted the need for change?.......

Why have you chosen external chinmey flat black?...........have you yet attempted to polish the associated brass tubes?...but it is really important to spray the internal of the chimney flat black

OK.......

I like the way you have taken the steam plant out in your home dockyard & run a temporary steam line to the whistle

1) I too would be very interested in the manufacturing detail of your steam whistle construction ...as comercially produced units are way TOO large........& the dimension/proportions you have displayed look

2) do you take the steam source/supply prior to the Winfried lubricator?
3) what type of steam valve do you use for this function?

......regards Derek

Bunkerbarge · « **Reply #110 on:** October 27, 2009, 10:59:00 am »

I think the whistle is open to interpretation and there are probably a number of ways of achieveing a credible model. Mine is a copper pipe into it with a short section of brass tube slid over it. The cap on top was cut from a brass handrail mount and the lever was fabricated from a piece of thin brass plate, held in place by an old brass BA screw. The hole was cut with a triangular file into the face of the brass tube. I gave it a coat of tamiya clear smoke, which accentuates the shadows nicely and it will get a dusting of matt black 'soot' when the funnel is finished along with a cord from the valve handle to the bridge.

kno3 · « **Reply #111 on:** October 27, 2009, 11:17:04 am »

Bunkerbarge:
Is you whistle working with steam or just static? Seems very small, that's why I'm asking. I agree, there are many ways to make it. Mine is a compromise between scale looks and function. I would have liked to make it even shorter to look more realistic, but then the pitch would have been absurdly high.

Derek:
I have this new smoke stack because I have installed the new steam plant in the tugboat. You can see here how it fits:

And a pic of the steam plant outside of the boat, where you can see how the whistle is connected:

Click here for the large resolution version http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2766/4044613088_6ae19911b1_b.jpg

I happen to like this flat black and it is a really tough paint (car exhaust paint from VHT), and to me it suits the boat. I didn't spray the inside of the chimney though, didn't think about that. I guess it will blacken over time anyway

The brass parts of the smoke stack are polished with a metal brush.

The steam source for the whistle is taken directly from the boiler, as you can see in the high resolution pic. I have used a special Regner whistle valve, which I have modified (changed the M5x0,5 thread on the bottom to M6x0,75, to fit the boiler).

It's hard to describe the manufacturing of the whistle in writing. I am going to try to make a drawing or maybe take detail pics when I make a new whistle.

muduck · « **Reply #112 on:** October 27, 2009, 11:48:24 am »

What a great build.....love the detail..

Bunkerbarge · « **Reply #113 on:** October 27, 2009, 12:31:04 pm »

Yes, sorry, I should have mentioned mine is only a static version, it doesn't actually function. I agree with what you say about a balance between tone and realism and I think you've just about got the compromise spot on there.

I decided mine was complicated enough without adding any further 'bells' and 'whistles', excuse the pun!

Bernhard · « **Reply #114 on:** October 28, 2009, 07:44:07 am »

hi .......looks reale good,,,,cant be better,and with the new plant in ,,it cant be better....i use a wilesco whistle in my African queen,,,works fine,,,

Bernhard

kno3 · « **Reply #115 on:** October 28, 2009, 11:10:54 am »

Nice! But I can't recognize the Wilesco whistle. You changed it a lot.
By the way, what boiler and engine are those?

Bernhard · « **Reply #116 on:** October 28, 2009, 04:27:03 pm »

hi Thanks...the boiler is made by Macsteam..the enginen is from the 1930ties,,,,i use a drain valve to the whistle and a littel spring,,

kno3 · « **Reply #117 on:** October 28, 2009, 07:12:25 pm »

Interesting boiler. Does it have vertical fire tubes inside? What kind of burner?

Is it a special order, as I can't find it on Maccsteam's website?

Bernhard · « **Reply #118 on:** October 28, 2009, 09:46:03 pm »

hi...........no it is made just as i ask Mike to do,,,in the size i wont...he do boilers just as you like them,,,,,,,it is a,,ceramic burner
,,,,,just the streight tubes you can see..........he is real nice fast and make them to a faire price,,,,,,,,,,ok

kno3 · « **Reply #119 on:** November 12, 2010, 02:48:16 pm »

Looks like I have forgotten to add the latest developments to this topic...

You probably got used by now to me making steam plants for this tug, so here is yet another one (the dark green one seen previously proved to be a bit too heavy for this little hull). Made using a Saito boiler, a Stuart v-twin engine, a Regner gas tank, a Cheddar lubricator and a Maccsteam burner. Is it international enough?

The base, chimney, pipes, condenser are home-made.

2010-06-26 001 by -kno3-2, on Flickr

2010-06-26 005 by -kno3-2, on Flickr

011 by -kno3-2, on Flickr

kno3 · « **Reply #120 on:** November 12, 2010, 02:50:59 pm »

Here are some more pictures of the tug in it's current configuration. There is (yet another!) smoke stack. This time it is made from aluminium, to be light. I have re-used the brass base, whistle and exhaust pipe from the older one. Also mounted a new steam scale propeller from Propshop.

2010-10-10 006 by -kno3-2, on Flickr

2010-10-10 007 by -kno3-2, on Flickr

rathikrishna · « **Reply #121 on:** November 12, 2010, 03:09:31 pm »

Good evening..and GOOOOOODDDDDDDD.......its an AWESOME WORK...............OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH.......may i save some photos of you Sir...?

gondolier88 · « **Reply #122 on:** November 12, 2010, 03:12:17 pm »

It gets better every time!!! That is a very neat and compact plant.

Greg

kno3 · « **Reply #123 on:** November 12, 2010, 03:49:54 pm »

Sure, you can save them for personal use.
And thanks guys!

KBIO · « **Reply #124 on:** November 12, 2010, 07:48:49 pm »

Good evening!

A hell of a good job KNO3!

Congratulations!

Coper & wood looks nice to my eyes!

If I can make a remark; be carefull with the type of condenser , you are building. It will store the water, cool it down but due to its shape , this water may cause back pressure on the outlet of your engine & thus decrease tremandlously its efficiency.
You may try it but if you have any problem, think of it. And get a vertical condenser (Cheddar type with tangantial inlet is very smart) . In fact, passed the warming up of the installation, the steam wil escape and generate very few condensation.
A friend of mine has run a pipe all along his boat ,underneath, to catch the water back in a tank and to re-inject into the boiler. The water laying in the pipe was enough to have the engine loosing lot of power. The steam could not exaust easily. It has taken a while before we found out! Keep in mind that steam exaust must be free and a bit of vaccum there would be the top! But this is another story to engineer it!

Regards!

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Author Topic: My RC live steam tugboat / icebreaker (Read 67382 times)

Bernhard

ronkh

kno3

kno3

kno3

Gyula

kno3

kno3

Bernhard

kno3

Bernhard

kno3

Bernhard

kno3

kno3

rathikrishna

kno3

KBIO