Project 641 Foxtrot Update

[herrmill]

Re: Project 641 Foxtrot Update

Another update from David:

[i]Lots of work done on the FOXTROT sail today -- all of it internal]

Happy New Year!

[herrmill]

Re: Project 641 Foxtrot Update

Some new pics from David of today's work on the bridge.

[herrmill]

Re: Project 641 Foxtrot Update

And here are shots of Rick's prototype for retract mechanism for the bow planes based on what he's done earlier for Kilo. Fox retract is shown on the right of the Kilo's & in the second photo.

Last is of the shaft housings that will be molded in the hull.

[herrmill]

Re: Project 641 Foxtrot Update

Here's David's latest installment as be begins work on a new SubDriver WTC designed specifically for the Fox.

[i]OK, guys, here's another look at the work I'm doing on the FOXTROT project. I have every confidence that you will have no problem following along, as I'm fond of observing to others]http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p292/herrmill/Subs/005-1.jpg[/img]

Desperate situations demand desperate measures! The damn Taig lathe belt broke last week and I can't do any heavy turning with it till the replacement belt arrives. I've been making do with rubber bands ... that's right, rubber-bands! ... but when the time came today to turn a RenShape master of the FOXTROT motor bulkhead, sized to fit a 2.5" Lexan cylinder, the Taig was simply not up to it.

So, I put the little drill press on its side, pressed a gel-cell battery into service as the foundation of a tool rest, chucked up a 1/4-20 machine-bolt used to hold the work, and spun a hunk of RenShape into shape. It isn't pretty, boys and girls, but it works!



OSHA standards?! ... we don't need no stinking OSHA standard!



Using the shop drawing I prepared of the FOXTROT SubDriver motor bulkhead to guide me as I took the work to the critical diameters.



Turning work on the drill press... err ... lath requires the insertion of a good firm mandrel through the work -- that was accomplished by drilling a hole through the center of a RenShape blank hacked out on the band saw, taping the hole for a 1/4-20 bolt, inserting the bolt, and making things fast at each end so the mandrel can't rotate within the work. Then its a simple matter to spin the work and do your worst.

This is a close-up of the shop drawing of the proposed FOXTROT motor bulkhead. The trick was to come up with a three-motor arrangement. It turned out that a motor bulkhead sized to fit a 2.5" cylinder would be big enough to accommodate three 280 sized motors. And the good news was that these motors -- employing the German formula]http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p292/herrmill/Subs/015.jpg[/img]

Showing off the ass-end of Rick's magnificent hull -- this is the business end where the three propellers swing in the breeze. Above, you see some of the components that go into the WTC/SubDriver that will be developed specifically for Rick's FOXTROT. The one unique item, to what will in all other characteristics be a 'standard' 2.5" SubDriver, is the use of the three-motor motor bulkhead -- seen here in the form of a tooling master. Tonight the first half of that rubber tool is curing -- tomorrow morning will see creation of the second half of that tool, And by late afternoon I'll have some pre-production cast resin parts in hand.

Tomorrow night I'll have the first pre-production FOXTROT SubDriver in hand.



The SubDriver I'm producing is but one option for the eventual FOXTROT customer]

[greenman407]

Re: Project 641 Foxtrot Update

herrmil, your work on the sail and bow planes retract mech. is truly a work of art.

[herrmill]

Re: Project 641 Foxtrot Update

Thanks for your comments but this isn't my work, its the talent of Rick Palumbo of RPM Tech. He & David Meriman have teamed together to get this kit to market & its their work featured in the photos. As you'll see from the start of the thread, I'm simply passing along news of the kit as its being developed.

[thor]

Re: Project 641 Foxtrot Update

Not exactly the safest way to use a drill press, but if you must may I suggest the use of the following product:

http://www.grizzly.com/products/H8071

[emspaul]

Re: Project 641 Foxtrot Update

I have one of these and it works quite well.
And it is a hell of a lot safer than the way you are using that drill press

[herrmill]

Re: Project 641 Foxtrot Update

True in many ways but at least the work's done. Am certain David's Taig will be back in action soon.

Appreciate the input, gents, but lets try to keep the discussion back on the kit. Thanks.

[emspaul]

Re: Project 641 Foxtrot Update

Herrmill,
My post is right on.
The Kit is looking pretty good, But there are some younger people viewer`s on this board.
And showing them something like that is not one of the best things to do.
Safety first.

[Guest]

Re: Project 641 Foxtrot Update

I have one of these and it works quite well.
And it is a hell of a lot safer than the way you are using that drill press

No its not ideal, but working horizontally gives a lot more control than vertically, the thing shown on the grizzly website looks more dangerous to me as you dont have so much control. The only difference between the two setups is the risk that the block on top of the battery might slip, and then the tool will fall away from the workpiece, no more dangerous than a woodworking lathe, probably less so.

Also younger people on here shouldnt have access to any machinery unless supervised. I wonder how many folks on here have a Drill, mill or lathe and are actually trained how to use them? and not just metal work at school

Anyway back to topic.

[Guest]

Re: Project 641 Foxtrot Update

Ditto Albion. I would think that the tool rest was glued onto the battery, it's what I would have done.

[herrmill]

Re: Project 641 Foxtrot Update - Test Shots

Here are the test shots from David's tooling for the upcoming kit. There's not much of a cabel report today, but plenty of photos to show what modeling craftsmanship looks like.

After seeing these, I fully understand why RPM Tech chose David to do the fitting package for the Fox. His attention to detail & accuracy is superb, & its no wonder that David has been doing fittings & other detailed parts like this for just about every US-based supplier of model submarines over the years.

[herrmill]

Re: Project 641 Foxtrot Update - Dive Planes & Pitch Mechanism

And here are a few that came in from Rick today of the prototype dive planes & pitch mechanism.

[herrmill]

Re: Project 641 Foxtrot Update

Rick has the tooling from David & is making molds. Here are some pics of the retracting scope work & molds for the Fox as well as the pending 1/6 Neger which will be released shortly.