PVC WTC

[Rogue Sub]

Steve,
Sealing the top is very

Steve,
Sealing the top is very simply. I cut out a top from another piece of pipe and siliconed is on to the top. That way I could have easy access to the main guts during more serious maintenance. It was actually pretty easy to get on and off and the whole thing stayed dry past 10 feet of water.

Dont get me wrong the endcaps worked really well. I used a pair of channel lock plier to tighten the caps down for a run and they never let a single drop of water in. It just didnt enjoy having to use a pair of pliers to get the thing open. I also didnt leave enough room between the battery and the servo glued to the cap. This would cause the wires to tangle sometimes.

AS for source of materials. Im not sure if McMaster-Carr will do the UK but its worth a try. Pvc is always cheap and so easy to turn. Im using deralin because its stronger and hydroscopic. It is also a bit pricey. O-rings are always a pain to find yet alone figure out which size you need. Im luck in that being a submarine mechanic I have access to all sorts of o-ring sizes.

[steveuk]

. O-rings are always a

. O-rings are always a pain to find yet alone figure out which size you need. Im luck in that being a submarine mechanic I have access to all sorts of o-ring sizes.

...lucky guy!


Thanks for explaining the removable wtc section. So do you plan to keep to that idea on the refit, or are you tempted to use the whole equipment tray fixed to the removable stern cap method

[Guest]

O-rings-

http://www.polymax.co.uk/Catalogue%20Pr ... -Rings.htm

For endcap material,

O-rings-

http://www.polymax.co.uk/Catalogue%20Pr ... -Rings.htm

For endcap material, you can use just about any plastic sheet, pvc, lexan/polycarbonate, acrylic, acetal etc.

This place is pretty good for PVC sheet-

http://www.directplasticsonline.co.uk/home.php?cat=3674

Andy

[Rogue Sub]

as of right now the

as of right now the plan is to use two removable trays, one attatched to each end cap. But... If i find that it would be extremely convienent to make one... Ill do it. I already have the lid from the other one sitting around anyway but i dont think it will be necesarry.

[steveuk]

Andy, that is so incredibly

Andy, that is so incredibly usefull to me!. Thanks so much for that. I feel that my own home-made wtc's are now within reach.
That 'O' ring shop is brilliant!!! (click - quickly added to 'my favourites')
Cheers mate.
The PVC sheet seems quite pricey, but I have an idea for the end caps - if it works this will be the final part of the jigsaw. My plan is to make up a basic end cap pattern and make a silicone mould for producing rough end caps. Then I can turn these down accurately using my mini lathe. The material - a mixture of polyester resin/polyester putty. I've tried this before and they mix well together - the resultant resin material has qualities of both constituent parts.

And Nuke Power, glad you have shown it is possible to make your own home made tube type wtc's.

It sure is great to get help when we hit an obstacle.

[Rogue Sub]

Well steve your gonna love

Well steve your gonna love this then

Another day = More progress!!!

The end caps are done and hot off the lathe! One word Deralin! These are by far the best caps I have. Hands down. The stuff was exspensive but beautiful. ANd i can make a few caps out of it. I think it is worth it in the end if your gonna make your own. So i put together the aft assembly with exception of the seals and drive shaft.




Ohhhh looks good!




So much room!

[Rogue Sub]

almost forgot heres a quick

almost forgot heres a quick compare shot. Oh yeah improvement on the way at an affordable level!

[steveuk]

Ouuuu, good. ..Looks proffesional! http://www.subcommittee.com/forum/icon_cool.gif

Ouuuu, good. ..Looks proffesional!

Very cool. Yes I'm impressed. Still home made but it looks far superior to the store bought plumbing screw caps!

Functional is good, but functional and smart is better.

[Rogue Sub]

Im happy with this but

Im happy with this but im not sure how im going to do the front one. This setup is good for a short run but, the fwd one is going to need to be a a bit longer. Perhaps a T shaped piece of aluminum would do the trick. It does need to support the fwd servo for the bow planes and the battery to boot. Im also considering making and external charging connection so I can charge it without removing the endcaps.

[steveuk]

Perhaps a T shaped piece

Perhaps a T shaped piece of aluminum would do the trick. It does need to support the fwd servo for the bow planes and the battery to boot.

In some setups I have seen disks or half disks just smaller than the internal dia of the tube attatched to the middle of the shelf which helps support the weight of the battery.

[Rogue Sub]

oh thats good!! Now i

oh thats good!! Now i just have to make it BLAH

[Guest]

The PVC sheet seems quite

The PVC sheet seems quite pricey, but I have an idea for the end caps - if it works this will be the final part of the jigsaw. My plan is to make up a basic end cap pattern and make a silicone mould for producing rough end caps.

I agree that plastic is very expensive, but it does machine nicely, and it's tough,flexible and resistant to moisture.

Plastic offcuts can be picked up very cheaply, but you need to be near a plastics outlet to benefit from this usually.

The resin idea will work, but I think you'll be happier with PVC, lexan or acetal caps in the long run. Polyester filler is just resin mixed with talc, and it does tend to absorb water over time, and I tend to find that polyester resin is rather brittle when it isn't mixed with glass.

You could mix some resin up with some fine ground glass, that would be very tough.

Andy

[steveuk]

The PVC sheet seems quite

The PVC sheet seems quite pricey, but I have an idea for the end caps - if it works this will be the final part of the jigsaw. My plan is to make up a basic end cap pattern and make a silicone mould for producing rough end caps.

The resin idea will work, but I think you'll be happier with PVC, lexan or acetal caps in the long run. Polyester filler is just resin mixed with talc, and it does tend to absorb water over time, and I tend to find that polyester resin is rather brittle when it isn't mixed with glass.

Point taken. I will keep my beady eyes open and see if I can spot somewhere locally where I can pick up some offcuts.

[Rogue Sub]

Well today was good. Made

Well today was good. Made the forward bracket and found out i had ample room. So .... i used the space to make something ive been wanting to try. I put the apc (stern planes) on an unused channel and the used the available radio channel (im using a 4 channel) to control the apc angle. Basiclly i can control the trimming of my apc on the go and if need be i can manipulate the apc angle to operate the planes( a little delay).

Enjoy

[steveuk]

I put the apc (stern

I put the apc (stern planes) on an unused channel and the used the available radio channel (im using a 4 channel) to control the apc angle. Basiclly i can control the trimming of my apc on the go and if need be i can manipulate the apc angle to operate the planes( a little delay).

That's a neat little concept you got there. Fine tuning the installation angle of the apc via the radio. I like it.