Revell Type IX C (U505 Late) 1/72nd

[salmon]

I now have the electronics in hand! Yeah! Time to break out soldering iron.

[salmon]

Making ballast for the sub, I may over do it, but I have done it this way since I started. Usually I use potter's clay, but it was packed and since moving to this house, I cannot find it. The benefits to potter's clay is it dries hard, but can be made soft by placing it in water. This clay I used does not harden, so I knew I would have a chance to make it bend or get out of shape when transferring it to a board.
A clear sheet of cellophane is placed down first. Clay is pressed into the keel.


Once pressed in good. it is pulled out and laid down on a board. I had some scrap melamine board from a shelf I put in. A frame is build around the clay pieces. Measured out 10 ounces of lead as a starting point for this sub.


Plaster of paris is poured over the clay and filled to the top. Once set, I put the plaster mold in the oven at 175 degrees Fahrenheit and let heat overnight. This softened the clay and dried out the mold. If you have a lot of moisture, when you pour the lead, there is a lot of sputtering, bubbling, and flying of hot molten metal as the heat from the lead creates steam. Once out of the oven I removed the clay with a wooden skewer. Unfortunately because the clay is not hard when placed on the board I could not press it down to secure it. So when the plaster was poured, the pieces moved. Parts got too close to the edge and broke when I removed the clay. I will need to secure the sides on before I pour in the lead.


The lead is placed into the hot pot (these steps are done outside - well ventilated).


I place the mold over a bucket filled with water. This is done as a safety precaution. If something goes awry, I can quickly push it so it drops into the water. The lead is poured in.

[salmon]

The lead ingot is cut into sections so I can move or adjust as needed for trimming.


I went to assemble the SubDriver, but I do not have any micro servos, did I use them all up or are they packed? Doesn't matter, I need some now. So, those are on order.

[southern or]

It's really coming along there.

[salmon]

Thank you. It has been slower than I would like, but life happens. Hopefully, I will be able to spend a little more time on it in the coming weeks.
Peace,
Tom

[southern or]

Thank you. It has been slower than I would like, but life happens. Hopefully, I will be able to spend a little more time on it in the coming weeks.
Peace,
Tom

Funny how that works. You're at least getting to it more then I seem to be.

[salmon]

Did a little work on the engine compartment by installing the servos. The one end of the servo's tabs is removed and the unit is siliconed in.


Also worked on the installation of the float valve. The valve is mounted to the cross brace on a small styrene pad. I removed the periscope tubes (it is not needed now, before it was to keep the alignment of parts). The openings left were beveled to allow air to escape.


Now all that looked simple, but I broke both cross braces and it was several hours of playing around. Even with all the contemplating, I still missed things. Like the piece at the end of the tube that the hose connects to, the hull cross beam needed trimming. I also swath float would not drop all the way because of the manifold towards the bow. Sheesh.


Once adjustments were made, I tested the float to see if it dropped enough to open. I attached a hose and sucked in air. Tilted the deck upright and there is enough travel. whew.

[salmon]

I know I said I would build OOB (Out Of Box), but a compelling argument was made that the decals supplied were wrong. I ordered a set of decals from AMP. Great communications and speedy shipping. The problem was with our (U.S. of A.) postal system.



The tear fortunately missed the decals, whew.

[steveuk]

Great thread. A type IX is on my list of builds. You are doing an amazing job fitting yours out - I can't believe you even found space for a working torpedo system!

[salmon]

Thank you Steve. Not convinced I will get the torpedoes working, time will tell.

[steveuk]

Have you done any kitchen sink type test firing of them yet?

[salmon]

No, not yet. Maybe I can tell Tina I am going to give the dog a bath, then test the torpedoes there, Hmmmm. Got me thinking. I am joking of course, but these are David Merriman's torpedo launcher, so I feel pretty confident they will work. Still, it would be fun to play just a little, "Hey honey, does the dog need a bath?" (I will get back to you on the results).

[steveuk]

Yeah ....absolutely... lets see the range on these.

[salmon]

I have been hemming and hawing over the internals of the Sub-Driver. How do I keep the switch up high so the magnet can be swiped against the deck?
One of my many times sitting and not accomplishing a thing, I had an idea. I will try to explain it.


I made this non-scale crayon drawing to hopefully help. The idea is the frame is attached to the top of the tube. The switch can slide into the frame and there is a little block at the end that will hold it in place. The block will fit between the wires soldered to the solder pads.




If this works, maybe the leveler can be setup the same?!

[bob_eissler]

Here is what I did:

Just RTVed it to the top of the tube. Works, easy, may not be permanent but is easily changeable. BTW, I started my build this winter copying after you, got ahead of you and am now side tracked working on a flying sub.