The WWCC still runs the Kent cruisers and the torp guns continue to work well for us. Seems to be a pretty robust design as far as I can see. No further work has been done to develop as I'm focused more on rotating guns at the moment. Have fun!
Thanks for the data sheet. That's what was missing before. Good to hear the torpedoes are still working well. How is development of rotating cannons going? I would be glad to share my experience if it would help.
Thanks! I just finished my first one. Based on the experience, I have a few comments and suggestions. First, I was not thrilled by the #10-32 threaded inserts for the endcaps. I have not had great success with gluing metal to 3d-printed plastic using ABS slurry, epoxy, loctite, or any other adhesive. It held in my tests, up to 90PSI. But I would feel much better using endcaps with simple 1/8NPT threads. I have never had a printed thread fail under pressure, which is more than I can say for the glued fittings on some of my other cannons. Second, I was not a fan of the o-ring-and-gasket assembly this design uses in place of a buna ball. It is too many extra parts, leak points, and failure points to be worth the effort. I threw them out and substituted a simple 1/2in buna ball for mine. This was very simple to do I just threaded the actuator rod #5-40 on both ends, screwed one end into the actuator piston, and screwed the other end into the buna ball. I drilled the buna ball by hand, and between the spring force and the flexibility of the buna rubber, it had no problems sealing. Third, would it be possible to add a 1/4-20 threaded hole to the bottom of the valve body, concentric with the 1/2in up-tube hole? This is an ideal location for a high-strength mounting screw, giving a clear mounting point directly on the axis of turret rotation, and also being easy to drill since it's the same diameter and axis as the up-tube hole. example: Fourth, could you post the exact dimensions of the o-ring seal you're using? I can measure with calipers, but any 3d printer invokes at least a little error. Overall I am very impressed with my tests so far. The cannon makes a very satisfying bang and doesn't have any leaks. Also of interest, the accumulator works out to almost exactly 1cu.in per inch of length, which makes sizing for different cannons very easy.
Thanks for the feedback Kotori. Any improvements are welcome. The WWCC made 6 of these cruisers, and I believe most are still battle ready. They are considered a club resource, and so they are often neglected. So far they have been somewhat resilient for the abuse they've taken.
