AMBULANCE LAUNCH FLYING CHRISTINE.

Norseman wrote:

I'd like to see that diorama Neil, and that hearth is so practical for work and for safety I think too.

Also I really liked Scalloways suggestion of a seperate masterclass thread for soldering methods

Dave

Is that so you can learn NOT to pick up the acid brush by the brisels.



Peter

Yes Peter - also to learn not to brush the back of my hand against it when putting the solder back. The brush got me coming and going

Dave

Norseman wrote:

Yes Peter - also to learn not to brush the back of my hand against it when putting the solder back. The brush got me coming and going

Dave

stop winging is was only weak sulfuric acid I missed with the gas torch/iron



Peter

nhp651 wrote:

they've moved even nearer now to me, but this is the stuff and this was where I bought mine from yonks ago.


I use a seivert brazing torch as well..worth every penny of what I paid for it.


neil.

[url=http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Soldering-Mat-Pad-Brick-Board-Brazing-Hearth-/120799566544?_trksid=p3284.m263&_trkparms=algo%3DSIC%26its%3DI%26itu%3DUCI%252BIA%252BUA%252BFICS%252BUFI%26otn%3D21%26pmod%3D260898624510%26ps%3D54

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Soldering-Mat-Pad-Brick-Board-Brazing-Hearth-/120799566544?_trksid=p3284.m263&_trkparms=algo%3DSIC%26its%3DI%26itu%3DUCI%252BIA%252BUA%252BFICS%252BUFI%26otn%3D21%26pmod%3D260898624510%26ps%3D54[/quote[/url]]

How is it held together ?

thanks

Peter

hi peter...it's not really. you just but up the pieces of brick to make the hearth. I have some large pieces which I can prop one up with at right angles to the other, and some smaller brickette pieces which I put around small pieces that I am soldering to catch the heat from passing through. if I need the long back board piece I prop it up with some old batteries..the stuff is so good that even direct heat on one side to white hot, will not transfer through to the other side making it easy to prop the stuff up with weigthy items.



the two brickettes of it in the 1st pic below are about 50mm square.















Being able to place the bricks anywhere makes for easier arrangement of the "portable hearth" for soldering larger items together.

Thanks for that mine arrived today very quick delivery, I don't know how they can do next day box it for £13, I have been looking for something like this as I keep setting fire to wood at 3am and set the fire alarm of that is linked the the burglar alarm so then everyone gets a bit.

Peter

tell me how you like it Peter.....have always found it excellent to use.

neil.

Hi Neil / Peter

Simon at Heatresistant says

'Some people just leave them leaned up against each other and some use either fire cement or a silicone to fix them together'

I understand fire cement but silicone? am I misunderstanding what Simon means?

Dave

I wouldn't glue them together dave.....

if you leave them free standing it gives you any amount of options for soldering, and then they store flat in a box till next time you want to solder away.

I have made some progress but am a bit shy at the moment taking some photos..posssibly by tuesday some thing to show.

However On thursday morning I ordered my propellors for the working boat from Prop Shop.....O always go to them, and sod the expense..they are always beautifully made and really superb quality and service.....ordered on Thursday, the main Man told me he was making some of the ones I wanted 42mm M4 3 blade fast scale props....and they arived through the door this morning....cannot beat that for service. and here they are.



have also ordered my lettering St Johns Ambulance logos and special flags from BECC, by email on thursday morning, and Colin from BECC emailed me back to ask when I wanted them........also fantastic product and superb one off commission service.

thanks guys...you are special!!!



also shown is my tapping M4 threads on some stainless for the prop shafts.....exposed end to the outside of the boat of course, lol

Enjoyed the lesson in silver soldering Neil, will have to get myself some of them there fire bricks.



Get some soft jaws in that vice before you ruin that prop shaft



By the way, theres a fellow on Mayhem wants some help on prop shafts and such but not from you



Alan

cheeky munkee

I thought you had a lathe? why do the shaft by hand ? it's to much like hard work doing them by hand.



Peter

not for me peter....tried it once with a laithe and had threaded half the b***** bar before I could stop the thing.............takes me a few minutes with a stock and die........my laithe is purely for shaping brass fittings I'm afraid.........I know my limitations, lol

Now comes the bit I have been putting off for a while.......not because I make a c*** up of it, but just because it is a time consuming process........but in the end worth it.

Many modellers post on forums about the best glues to use to stick their "glazing" sheet to the window frame without getting glue runs or frosting or both...........I came up with one answer a few years ago when building a model Arun lofeboat for a man in Eire.............I use double sided sticking tape..........not any old stuff, but one I found in a card craft shop..........

This stuff is waterproof and sticks like th preverbial to a blanket. In the past I have used it to stick fittings down to decks even, doors all sorts of stuff.......it's micro thin and super strong....it has even stuck firmly......the wire mess (used to repair car bodies with a polyester filler ) into a steam driven tug that I built.when I needed the mesh to allow air into the superstructure............

and by using double sided tape to stick the glazing to the window frame and then the whole thing to the superstructure.....absolutely no glue runs, no frosting no mess or frustration...........it was even used on my Clyde that attempted the Loch Ness run.

so here goes, a photographic record of the job.



The raw materials.the frames, window glazing ( i also used some opaque glazing for one boat and clear for another.) the red roll is the 2 sided sticky tape it.......... comes in different widths.









placing the tape onto the inside face of the window frame frady for taking a glazing insert.











Glazing insert installed onto the first side of the sticky tape. the other side, once the backing has been taken off ( the pink layer that can be seen) the window can be stuck to the cabin side..hey presto.....no mess.









the other window frames are a little fifferent in that the first layer of sticky tape is placed onto the outer edrim of the frame only, and the glazing is added to that frame to the full size of the frame.....then another layer of sticky tape is added to the glazing around the perimeter of the frame for the glazing to stick to the superstructure...........please remember that the clue is microns thick so the thinner the glazing the less noticable it is when stuck to the cabin side.











frames stuck to the darkened glazing.











And stuck to the clear glazing using the same method.











and this is the brand of tape I used.









honestly it's as easy and mess free as that, lol



Now, how can I suggest that method to the prat on Mayhem, lol

from neil

"Now, how can I suggest that method to the prat on Mayhem, lol"



Use it to stick his big Gob shut, good test



by the way where do you buy the tape ill get my self some I made some ally windows some time ago and was wondering what to use on them.

also hand when milling stick the bit down then spray with IPA, Isopropyl alcohol http://mistralni.co.uk/catalogue/product/52/IPA-Isopropyl-alcohol-Propan-2-ol-BP

very handy in the workshop cleans all sorts the evaporates away and leaves no resadue.



Peter



Peter

cheers for that tip Peter will have to look out for that.

I wanted some alcohol a little while ago for something ( can't remember now what for though) and the chemists in the area wouldn't sell it, and my doctor wouldn't give me a script for it when he found it was for model making, lol.

thanks.

the tape, I bought from a small craft and card shop, but it is readily available usually in the "craft shops" that you find in garden centres....if you can't find any let me know what width and I'll get you some from down the road and send it off.

neil.

I get a lot of stuff of this firm http://mistralni.co.uk/ I buy IPA by the Gallon use for cleaning all the time, getting eng blue off, Pre and after soldering to get rid of flux , even give a bottle to wife for cleaning sticky labels off shoes and cleaning stanless steel.they do Acetone as well



thank you for the offer



PETER

Nice one Neil, I usually use canopy glue that dries clear, but I will go for this method in future.

I have a crafty wife (in more ways than one ) and I am sure I have seen that tape in here cupboard



Alan

well, I said I'd have some photos for the build early this week......she's now almost ready...just a few minor jobs to do and then wash her free of dust, lol and put away till next spring.......get the other one engined up and will give us something to do on christmas day, lol

































the ubiquitous EXPOSED SHAFTS...............so talked about on Mayhem, lol

Neil, I wouldn't even waste your energy even thinking about that wally - he isnt worth the effort.
I like the double sided tape idea - I use it a lot little squares on a sheet of melamine board and
I attach all the tiny parts in 1/96 scale which need painting and also for soldering things but you
have to be quick with the soldering iron or the tape starts to melt, but its great for keeping things
in position. I made the lattice masts on a destroyer - its clear tape so you can stick it on the plan
stick the 1mm angle brass to it and you can see exactly what you are doing - some of the parts
were only about 5 mm long so it was the only way to do it.

Geoff

I'd never thought about it for using like that geoff.....great idea......I need to soft solder some multi rails for a little boat I've made for my other daughter....will use that method. as the raiuls are too thin to use silver solder in the temperature that I have at the moment.

cheers, neil.

It looks very nice Neil and the colour scheme suits it.

Exposed shafts



Alan

Neil,

It may be just the angle of your photograph, or maybe Flying Christine had them changed, but the shape of the front windows seems rather strange. This is a photo of ST206 in Hendon museum - they look quite a bit different shape to me.



Barrie

I think I know what you mean, barrie, as they dip down on the top inner corners..........but when you look at them in the flesh, they seam to be straight.............a bit of a puzzle really as I drew them out on the cabin frame at the time......I've been lookinhg at them since I fitted them, and might in the end take them off and make new ones for thwe Guernsey boat...the ones on my daughter's can stay......but in fact they are the ones that show the problem even worse than the display boat........I'll sit and stare at it for a few days and them probably rip them off for new ones, lol.

cheers, neil.

well, been waiting for my motors to arrive and couldn't finish the well deck tray bottoms until the motors had been fitted, as they protrude above deck level, only to be concealed by the engine covers,

so here they are, fitted.

mounted in steel motor mounts and mounted onto wooden beds. the shafts have been fitted, with silicon tube thrust washers on both ends of the shafts between uni couplings and tubes and propeller and "P" brackets.



The beam on the side of the boat just forward of the end of the uni joint has been ground away to accomodate the motor....it fits very tightly to the side of the boat.

















motors are then fitted.

















Deck boards have been cut out to take the motors.

















Combings were then fitted around the access holes to take the engine covers.













and then the engine covers are fitted, (removeable)

















A little bit of detailing in the cockpit area,











and then finally on to ballasting and checking for leaks through the tubes and shafts.The tubes were packed with a mix of vaseline and carbon powder to give a thoroughly watertight mix.























and lastly, I always have the RNLI on standby for if my model gets in trouble











the model sat in the bath for nearly 3 hours this evening, and not a drop of water made it up the tubes and shafts..........result.. Just got to wire it all up now and wait for the graphics to come from BECC, and daughter and I can go sailing......yippeee.

Those motors are a tight fit Neil, but it looks good.

Not sure about the little life boat, does it come as a kit



Alan

Like a V8 in an MG Midget, lol.the lifeboat is a beauty...Ilook at it every time I have a bath and it gives me inspiration, LOL

well, I suppose it did....I had to put the shipswheel, searchlight and mast into the right places..came as a bit of a problem for some dunderhead such as me...but I managed it....luckily there were no propeller shafts to fit....that was the saving grace, lol

That motor concealment is very sweet Neil

Dave

looking great, I see you have a life boat instead of a duck in the bath, I use to like a Duck in the bath but my hips are not what they used to be:P



Peter

Hi Neil thats one fine looking model!

What made you shy away from the brushless idea? I wonder

phil winks wrote:

What made you shy away from the brushless idea? I wonder

i thought I was going down that path too, phill until they arrived from steve tranter so thought I'd give them a go...if they not up to what I want, i'll try brushless.

neil.

Gawd Neil, you have got me in trouble again......'Are we ever going to go out?' shouts SWMBO.......Better go, but I will be back!!!!

sorry about that barry..you'd better not read what comes next on the lifeboat build, lol........we start putting them together from next tuesday, lol

The model that I made for the charity in Guernsey, now seems as though it might be surplus to requirements, lol...........but here it is finished.























































.

very nice work Neil just a shame about the hoo haa with the charity manager rendering her surplus to requirements

Very smart.
I could quite fancy something like that myself.

I cannot say the words that came from my mouth this morning,...................needless to say the eejit hasn't returned my emails, but he has read them, I know that.



trouble with this boat is, unless someone is good at repairs it's fit for sod all because the cabin and well deck is fixed solid into the boat without any access for motors etc....it's basically a dead duck.god am I seathing.

A beautiful job Neil. Surely there is someone at the charity with half a brain who can make things right???

well, I copied the email I sent it to his boss....who made the deal with me 20 months ago in front of a lot of people.....so |I reckon he'll have the last say......but it has soured it for me, now.......don't want to go there I feel so upset...........in the past 36 months I have spent over 500 quid on two models for them and over 700 hours work free of charge.......and it's a typical corporate wiz kid who has welched on the deal..........I have even made a plug for a grp collecting box with a model of the Flying christine on top of the box to go in the moulding at their wish and this tosser hasn't shown one jot of effin interest in it at all.

I shall say no more on the issue as it's getting me upset as I write.

neil.

sorry to here about your predicament neil the same thing has just happened to me with the beam trawler , after having it sitting in his office for the past 3 weeks my boss has decided that he doesn't want it, think the look on my face said it all mate so i know just how your feeling neil

what planet do these people think they are on, andy.they are a disgrace, I'm sorry to say.

neil.

Hi i am a new member to the forum,

read with interest your build of the flying christine111 and now christine 1, So sad to hear that we won't see her here in guernsey

along side you outstanding work of the christine111, due to some idiot whos only intrested in his own agender

We sail and display our lifeboats and a christine 2 to raise funds for the rnli and for the st johns ambulance rescue.

would love to know if she is for sale so we can R/C (got an old boy here who specilizes in transforming statics in to rc models)here and get her on our pond and stick her on display, and stick it back in the face of the idiot with a nice press release to go along side.

Hi njh.........she finally made her way to Guernsey........the director stepped in ( having been away from guernsey on business) when the rumpous began, and they took delivery of her a couple of months back, to go on show with the other two that they have, to make the set of 3, so she is now with the St Johns Ambulance.

I made a second one at the time for my daughter which is radio controlled, but I doubt whether she would sell that seeing her old dad made it for her.

sorry.

neil.

:DHi nph

Good to hear there was a good ending to the story, not all over here are muppets

looks like we will have to build one from scratch, who had the old photos and clipings was it Buz or from the St johns?

just starting the build of the Euphryne Kendal a barrnet class which was stationed here in the 60's & 70's,

any info on the barrnet class would be handy

So glad about the christine 1, have to go up and have a look at here

Hi, when I made the second boat I took grp moulds of the hull and superstructure......................I then gave them to a chap called Steve Tranter at this company........ http://www.modelboatbits.com/



if you contact him he'll make you a set of mouldings for the FC1......save a lot of time.



the dusty boat in the pics above were made from a set.

neil.

That brings back some memories.

I went to Guernsey on a school journey for a fortnight many years ago (1950's) and met a local hero whose name I think was Dan Blanchflower ?  and his boat was called The Flying Christine.

I would love to see some pictures of his craft as sadly my plastic Box Brownie failed to capture it!

Bob.

Hi Guest,

Very nice indeed.
Excellent work.
Well done.