3D Parts Development for possible T-3 Tanker Project - 1/144

[BB62vet]

I have finished the re-design of a slightly different small deck davit that I had corrupted the original file last week. So, here are design pix of the two different davits in order to see the comparison of the two:
Small Stores Davit -

Cane Fender Davit -

Basically, these are both the same size, but differently configured in construction.
I hope to get a print session going on the re-designed cane fender davit possibly tomorrow afternoon or Friday.

Hank

[Fliger747]

Hank:

Your wireless mouse was communicating your lack of support for the Brandon Group back to their allies in the "Old Country" and was ordered to block your project. A MODEL tanker was not considered sufficiently "Green".

Looking forward to the keel laying and hull construction. I think you will find this will go easier than the modifications you did to the NJ kit hull! Easier to build from scratch than having to knock down half the house first. The tanker does have a few challenges from deck camber and sheer (combined).

I trust you are now recovered from Turkey Coma!

Tom

[BB62vet]

Hank: Your wireless mouse was communicating your lack of support for the Brandon Group back to their allies in the "Old Country" and was ordered to block your project. A MODEL tanker was not considered sufficiently "Green".
Looking forward to the keel laying and hull construction. I think you will find this will go easier than the modifications you did to the NJ kit hull! Easier to build from scratch than having to knock down half the house first. The tanker does have a few challenges from deck camber and sheer (combined).
I trust you are now recovered from Turkey Coma!Tom

Tom,
Well, I will admit that the "turkey lazies" have set in - hard to get motivated on a chilly, somewhat cloudy day with Admiralty projects hovering about. "tis the season"!!!

Monday, the replacement mouse is due to arrive - so, both computers will be back in order. I may just leave the old one here on my office computer as it seems to be very reliable. Yes, I'm sure that the Brandon Effect will "sweep the land" - NOT!!! Actually, I'm pretty sure that the tankers get very "green" in high seas - as some photos indicate.

Got a bunch of parts cleaned up - the kingposts are ok - one still has a shadow of a distortion on the ladder, but not enough to worry. However, the hollowed shaft needs a bit of further hollowing to fit the metal insert so I may end up reprinting them both anyhow. I thought I had oversized the hole enough but perhaps shrinkage is at play - George Kastanza knows shrinkage!! Here's a picture of the latest amidship kingposts (stbd post shown) -

One of my 12" floodlamp fixtures will be mounted on the top of each post.


Hank

[Iceman 29]

I advise you to hollow out your masts to be able to slide a metal rod "piano wire" style.

Some of mine have bent gently over time because of the rigging. That's the problem with resin.

[BB62vet]

Pascal,
Thanks - Yes, I did hollow out the kingposts - however, I'll have to open up the opening inside perhaps another 0.5mm dia. in order for the metal tube inserts to fit. This initial set was a bit too small to allow them to be inserted. But yes, you are correct - the resin has a tendency to bend over time. I figured that the metal tube can also perform the function of the center "pin" for located the part when it's time to install on the deck.

Hank

[DrPR]

Just curious - is the cured resin hard enough to drill out the hole in the posts?

Phil

[Fliger747]

A good discussion on masting. Piano wire is good, I ended up using some very small doweling I had available. If the "bone" is a bit undersize, swath it in Epoxy and reinsert, and yes the post extending is a good deck anchor. It would be convenient to have a good, stiff, long reamer to clean the bore.

I am questioning about printing the two pole masts for Poseidon or using more traditional methods with printed addons.

Cheers: Tom

[Iceman 29]

Just curious - is the cured resin hard enough to drill out the hole in the posts?

Phil

It is not recommended to drill the resin, it usually breaks. Resin reacts a bit like brass, without its solidity, the bit tends to get stuck and it breaks th� piece.

Enlarging an existing hole is possible by using several drills of very close size, you must drill by hand very gently. It is always a delicate operation that I avoid doing.

I did not test drilling at very high speed as for brass. But it might melt the resin.

[BB62vet]

DrPR - Regarding Iceman's reply:

I agree 100% with his assessment of how resin reacts to being "tampered with" after curing. Actually, it isn't easy to mess with it at all. Cutting the rafts apart after printing can be dicey as well as you never know where the resin will break even when using a sprue cutter to separate the rafts.

I will use a tiny drill bit to drill a hole for the floodlamp pin at the top cap of each kingpost. And if that isn't large enough go up 0.1mm in dia. until the pin fits ok. But, very carefully. I am reprinting those parts today in an upright position so they will take all day (10+ hours) to print. Also printing redesigned Cane Fender Davits and the 35' boat booms - upright this time, as well. I managed to break off a couple eyebolts on the last set of horizontal prints, so handling is tedious with these parts once they've printed.

I do recall that I drilled a couple holes in one of the various parts I've printed and that came out so-so the first time (learning experience) and very well the 2nd time starting small and moving up in bit diameter each time until you get the hole to the size needed. That was the 5" gun mount for my LSM/R build where I am using a Model Monkey (Shapeways) gun mount - luckily, I had an extra as a backup part. Resin parts are TOTALLY different from styrene plastic parts and that fact is something you find out usually at the wrong time!

Hank

[Fliger747]

The inside of a mast or Kingpost can remain goopy in a thicker section. I don't know how far the curing light reaches, also since the parts are printed upside down this creates an issue with having the free resin drain. For my fairly thin booms I had best results as printing it as a tube, open at both ends and then inserting a reinforcement.

Opportunities for improved construction, also many limitations to work around!

[BB62vet]

The inside of a mast or Kingpost can remain goopy in a thicker section. I don't know how far the curing light reaches, also since the parts are printed upside down this creates an issue with having the free resin drain. For my fairly thin booms I had best results as printing it as a tube, open at both ends and then inserting a reinforcement.
Opportunities for improved construction, also many limitations to work around!

Tom,
That's a consideration - I didn't seem too see a problem with the posts oriented at an angle, but these being straight up/down very well might present a problem - pipe cleaners for swabbing out and then letting them sit under the drying fan at a slight angle might let any unfinished resin drain from the center opening. We shall see....

Hank

[BB62vet]

The King Posts, boat booms, and davits all printed well - once the posts were removed from the supports I went ahead and cleaned the hollow core out with a pipe cleaner and then inserted an alum tube that was sized for that dia. opening - sort of like a 3D Resin colonoscopy Only in this case the tube remains inside............ I left all the parts under the fan to dry out overnight and am now UV curing.

Here are a few photos of the printer and how things are oriented:

These parts have reached just about the horizontal limits of my printer in an upright position rather than angled.

This shows the parts after removing the upper platen from the printer for removal, etc.

The Kingposts after having their center core colonoscopy - the tube will not come out and that's OK as I want to use the end as a "pin" for installation. Those tubes will keep the resin part from curvature, etc.

Hank

[Fliger747]

I had the same issue with my medical procedure and ended up taking it home with me. Those look good Hank! What I do like about printing masts is being able to include the obligatory ladders, brackets, padeyes etc. Picked up a couple of more sizes of piano wire on the way home today.

Not sure about cross trees at present but have some ideas.

Cheers: Tom

[BB62vet]

I had the same issue with my medical procedure and ended up taking it home with me. Those look good Hank! What I do like about printing masts is being able to include the obligatory ladders, brackets, padeyes etc. Picked up a couple of more sizes of piano wire on the way home today.
Not sure about cross trees at present but have some ideas. Cheers: Tom

I will need to print a couple more for the after set of kingposts (identical) but also one of these has a ladder end that has somewhat bulged at the bottom, so that will need to be reprinted. This week I've been working some on the LSM/R and also designing new cargo handling pieces -

Also, a small 2 dog door -

These are smaller W.T. doors on pump enclosure structures amidships. I've also drawn a left-hand version as these doors were located back-to-back. Whether or not these small blocks will actually print is unknown - they may end up no more than a blob as they are barely 1/8" dia. or so (if that!) - we shall see.

Here is a photo of two of the 30" dia. raised oil tight hatches that I've painted -

Testimony that the Rapid Black resin really does a great job on details - these are 5.3mm in dia. (3/16"), so quite tiny in size.


Hank

[Fliger747]

Nice job on the pressure cookers! Should keep the fleet flush with fresh mashed potatoes.

Still discovering things about hollow tubes, they tend to clog with some detritus, but at the end of the wash process, blow them out, clearing them nicely. Latest idea on the arms is to print them separately and have the stub at the base printed with the hole to run a supporting wire run through as a continuous support.

Eventually we will have resins with better structural properties.

Cheers: Tom

[BB62vet]

Thanks, Tom!!

Unfortunately, the doors & blocks failed to print satisfactorily, so I redesigned this-n-that and will go out and do round 2 of printing - see what happens this time!! As we've stated before, it usually takes at least 2 design mods to get a part to print correctly and in a usable state.

Hank

[BB62vet]

Doors did print ok, but tending to curl - so, I'll again add some thickness and reprint. Blocks a mixed bag - still working on the triple block design & orientation. However, the 16" cargo blocks did print well - here are a few photos of the recent parts design/production:

16" Cargo Blocks, Raised WTHatch, and Boat Boom Rest

Small Stores Davit & 6x6 Raised WT Hatch

Getting ready for another print session this afternoon, so small gains amid the losses

Hank

[Iceman 29]

Nice pieces, Hank!

I avoid exposing the parts to UV light for too long, 2 minutes max is enough, and it is necessary to detach them from the supports that it sometimes brings stress on the parts by hardening. But that doesn't prevent it from bending a little. You have to store the unpainted parts away from daylight.

I've done some doors lately, I put them in the uv lamp for one or two minutes to harden them a little bit on the surface, if it bends after a few days when I have to paint them, I run them a little bit under hot water from the tap to put it back flat, then to keep the shape, then I run them quickly under very cold water, it keeps its flat shape at that moment.

[BB62vet]

Pascal,

Thanks very much!!! I had completely forgotten about how to store the parts So, tomorrow I'll do some rearranging of parts boxes and get things removed from supports and put away in cabinets until I need them - quite a task as I have three different models going (more or less). But, good advice and timely!!

[BB62vet]

Today, taking The Iceman's advice, I took most of the afternoon cleaning parts and removing supports, doing a bit of primer spraying, and getting most of the T-3 parts I've printed into a large parts box and put into a cabinet and out of the light -

Also, I printed 2 ea. of my 5 ton & 10 ton cargo booms and angled at 75� from vertical, they took 11 hr + to print, but came out nicely and I have them drying with inserted .38mm dia. piano wire inserts in each one. There is shrinkage in these parts as my original hollow dia. was .85mm and a .81mm wire would not fit. I made the bottom boom connector pieces separate and they all printed nicely, as well. I plan to develop several boom end attachments in a separate DSM file depending on how I actually display the model and which boom will be handling the refueling rig & hose, etc. They will fit over the upper end of the boom.

Next week will be back to work on the LSM/R and T-3 development will go on hiatus. Maybe I can hint around that The Admiral should do likewise....but very, very carefully!

Hank