1/20 Project дельфин, 3D printed

[eckloss]

Welded the lower sections together and am now reinforcing with some glass cloth. Test fit for the wet batteries and sizing up a cylinder.

[bob the builder]

Erich,


Are you running those LiPo's wet?

[eckloss]

Bob,

Yes, they are. I've piddled with wet batteries a bit over the past few years and found that the Venom hard case lipos work just fine with a smear of silicone along the seams and some slabbed on the area where the cables come out. Only issue I've ever had is corrosion on the power leads. But that's easily maintainable.

[bob the builder]

You should be fine, provided the cases don't get nicked or dinged during their life. If the packaging gets punctured, lithium and water tend to make things awfully exciting!

[eckloss]

I just completed the second printing of the boat and all its components. In some cases I changed the layer height. I added infill for rigidity and thickened the walls to give me more wiggle room when sanding down the surface. Before I assemble it all I will test each piece for leakage. At the pool earlier this month in Shrewsbury with SubComEast I noticed bubbles coming from a couple certain areas. Can't have that.

Click to enlarge:

[bob the builder]

Holy cow! What were your print settings, Erich? That's a lot of time and a lot of plastic! Sounds like it will be bulletproof now!

[eckloss]

Bob,

Most was at 0.20, with 50% infill and 1.2mm walls. Overkill, maybe, but I'd rather not take any chances.

[eckloss]

Cylinder from Bob at OTW arrived today. Very quick turnaround time on this special order unit. As always, absolute top quality goods. Now the work begins in earnest.

[bob the builder]

Super-clean build, Erich! Looking forward to more progress!

Bob

[eckloss]

Worked on the upper hull section yesterday. Got it sanded, filled, and primed. The sections were welded together with Bondene, then reinforced with CA, and finally reinforced with fiberglass tape and resin. The joints were first touched up with Bondo and finally with touch-up putty. Several coats of filler primer and lots of sanding later, the results are below. (shown is a comparison of the raw print next to the finished product)

[salmon]

Erich,
do you want that prop I printed for you?
If so email me an address.
Peace,
Tom

[sam reichart]

Wow... nice finish Erich.

[eckloss]

Tom,

Will you be attending the Carmel run this year?

[salmon]

It is too close to school starting. One day, God willing, I will make it one of these years.