DKM Prinz Eugen, first build (IRCWCC)

Discussion in 'Warship Builds' started by Fridge, Jan 21, 2020.

  1. NASAAN101

    NASAAN101 Well-Known Member

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    hey Fridge,
    She's looking great :D I so went that little lady :D
    Nikki
     
  2. Fridge

    Fridge Active Member

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    It's been a while. The scare put college into an online-only environment, but finals are done and I've been slacking on updates. I've gotten what I can done on Prinz every weekend since spring break but haven't posted updates on it, I'm running through my photos and texts to upload all the pictures I can to my computer, will try to post everything I can tonight.
     
  3. Fridge

    Fridge Active Member

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    The rudder and shaft placement were finalized, I needed to make sure that the motor and drive shaft were aligned properly, so I made a motor mount out of aluminum. Not my prettiest work, but will do the job. It's bent and cut, sits above the water channel, has good height clearance so I trust water will flow underneath it.
    IMG_20200404_162734_01.jpg
    I cut back a bit of hull and fiberglassed it to get the prop fit correct, needed to drop the skeg a bit but also shaped the hull upwards with the dremel to fit, reinforced it. The prop shaft was aligned with a universal adapter I was lent, used it to make sure the prop shaft and motor would be as close as possible. Then I epoxied the shaft into place with a two part waterproof epoxy, thinned it a bit, and set the ship at an angle to have it act like a ramp for the water to flow down.
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    I had to rethink my pump placement, decided to make a diamond for the pump to set in, the outlet point is pretty much exactly where I needed it to go. I reworked this later, don't have a picture of it, but it's now twice as tall just around the pump and stays in place when the motor spins up, the torque doesn't dislodge the pump at all, I would still like a mount point to make it secure eventually. I'm a bit paranoid about parts shifting around from building planes.
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    The rudder post was gooped down and leveled, The rudder was checked and dremeled slightly along with the propeller to make sure they are as close as possible to one another. It was mentioned afterwards that I should've probably placed the rudder shaft a little further towards the center of the rudder to increase rudder area covering the prop, I'll rework it later if it needs it. I bought Kort props but I forgot to get set screws, I just retrieved a drill and tap set for metric set screws, will use that for this and some other set points later.
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    Filled the water channel. Made wooden templates and covered them in cellophane wrap to prevent sticking, and filled the space underneath with an expanding foam to rough shape and size. I shaped it using a bandsaw blade, and I've been covering it with thinned epoxy to fill all the airspace and get it a smooth surface for water to flow. The back turned out much better than the front, apparently this stuff performs best in hot weather.
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    Each rib was sanded on the tops, and the subdeck's bottom was sanded on the contact points. The subdeck was glued down with Titebond III, and the nails were punched down flush with the deck. (One punched too far, I should probably fill it with something.)
    IMG_20200512_133925623.jpg
    I had help epoxying the seam between the subdeck and the hull. Ted showed me how by lining the whole thing with tape, inverting it, and injecting thinned epoxy to the full rim with a needle syringe to create a watertight seal. The thinner made some tape peel in places, had a fiasco getting the bow tape and some of the center starboard sections to stay in place. It ran back from the bow onto deck insert section, I had to carve it out with an x-acto and sand excessively to get it to look natural again, but currently it's fairly watertight, I sanded the full rim of the fiberglass hull to sit flush with the subdeck, the whole thing is now smooth to the touch. I'm working to fill the little imperfections and waterproof the rim with West System.
    IMG_20200520_211848211.jpg
    This is where I'm at as of now. The future plan is to cut the turret rings out of PVC, drill the placement holes, and sand down the deck for the final fit to the subdeck, then epoxy to seal. In the stern, I'm going to work at carving away some of the rear epoxy to get better clearance for the rudder servo, cut down the post for the needed height, and connect the rudder to the servo.
     
    Last edited: May 20, 2020
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  4. Fridge

    Fridge Active Member

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    A little nighttime update.

    Got the servo mount down, some carving to get to fit and a bit of epoxy to seal, the mount's stuck down solid. I understand pushrods and have the bits laying around so I used them, may end up moving the servo side clevises more towards the center to get the rudder throw a bit less, currently traveling ~55 degrees each direction, and the rudder isn't centered, need to fix the rudder shaft flat.
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    Drilled holes into the deck, took rough measurements from the blueprints, copied the points onto painters tape (also was hoping to prevent wood from splintering around the drill spot,) and tried my best to get the drill bit to not travel at first. Holes aren't quite centered but the barbettes are a bit bigger ID than the hole's diameter, I can fix the fit with the dremel once glued down. Gave the deck a good two coats of epoxy, one thinned to let it soak into the wood and the second for a smooth finish. The barbettes were made from some PVC end caps that matched the OD I needed, cut with a coping saw and sanded by hand to level. The turrets just barely touch the inside diameter.
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    This is where she sits right now, The next plan of action is to get the guns planned, the wiring planned, extensions, connectors, and harnesses soldered, and hope that the mail delivers more parts here at a reasonable time.
    IMG_20200601_114740898.jpg
     
    Last edited: Jun 1, 2020
  5. Fridge

    Fridge Active Member

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    A lot of soldering was done two weeks ago. I'm used to LiPos, so that's what I'm sticking with for now. Got a good deal on batteries when they were on sale, 2S 5Ah LiPos with 40C discharge. All my batteries were converted from their original plugs to xt-60's for charging convenience. Double wall shrink wrap, and failing that, liquid electrical tape were used to seal the solder joints to deter water. The little batteries are my transmitter batteries, they needed to be converted to xt-30 to fit in the radio, and the shrink wrap was cut open to install a balance connector to actually get them to charge on my charger. I took a lot of detailed pictures regarding these little batteries, and if there's interest, I can post a write-up on how I converted these 2S 4Ah Spektrum-ready LiPos for chargers that require a balance lead to charge.
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    All the 3-pin runs were planned and extensions were placed, and the foam was carved to create recesses to place the batteries into. Ted pushes color-coding with shrink-wrap or labels to keep track of wiring and I see the merit of it, so the connectors are colored; ESC = green shrink wrap (green for go/gas,) servo = red shrink wrap (red for rudder.)
    The plan was to use the main power from batteries to run everything in the ship, my receivers and the servos can run off up to 9V so the BEC wire can pulled from the ESC. I still need a board to come in to be able to get everything hooked up and for precise lengths for power extensions, I will wait for that to arrive before soldering. I didn't realize I did this until after I soldered and heat shrink'd bullet connectors to the ESC (I was running through the motions to solder brushless connectors) so I need to make adapters for that later if I have some sort of failure and need to borrow parts.
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    On the stern side, the coupling was finally installed, a direct drive 550. The shaft itself was actually a hair larger than the brass insert's diameter, took some fine sanding and the fit was just right. Flatted and used loctite on all the moving parts screws.
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    As for the prop, I finally got around to adding a set screw into it. I originally ordered the prop from Prop Shop as 1/8", didn't realize that meant it would be threaded. :( 1.5mm sewing machine set screws fit perfectly into a 3mm tap set, and the screws come in packs of 100 for around $9. If anybody needs some set screws, let me know. :) Flatted the shaft, and loctite'd every screw on the exterior and rudder assembly.
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    Finished up with the turret rings, spraypainted them before sticking down with a matte paint, need to repaint the interior of the rings as I chewed the paint a bit with a sanding drum when trying to get the deck hole to full size.
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    Next steps are to get the pump exit planned, the placeholder pump is going to be used until mine arrives. The deck tie-downs need to be planned and mounted. I need to cut some wood for a bottle holder and a C-Board/receiver mount. If the mail is fast enough, I'll get solenoids mounted and start running tubing. If not, I may start adventuring into superstructure until gun parts arrive.
     
    Last edited: Jun 14, 2020
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  6. Fridge

    Fridge Active Member

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    Took a month, but there's a lot of visual progress this time!

    Firstly, electronics. The wiring for everything to and from the board (except solenoids) has been made and hooked up. The battery plugs are set up in parallel, so the batteries should be powering at 7.4v with 10Ah across two batteries. Really happy with how clean the wiring seems to be so far. The board and receiver are mounted with a type of plastic-to-plastic connection velcro. Solenoids have been fitted with xt-30's and metal Parker press-to-lock fittings from a local place that sells them individually.
    IMG_20200711_143304_01.jpg IMG_20200711_143332_01.jpg IMG_20200706_145539_01.jpg
    Took a BC C-board and my receivers and waterproofed them with 4 coats of silicon conformal coating. The stuff's neat in that it glows under a UV light, and I happen to have a UV bulb.
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    Still haven't gotten to the deck mounting, but it's planned to use screws on the front and back hatches, and magnets for the center hatch. Also decided to wait a bit to see how the pump outlet should go, so I started the superstructure build. Tried using yoga block foam at first, I'm not used to it like balsa. Ended up using some 3/8" thick and 5/8" thick planks I had from other projects and cut hollow sections to shape from the blueprints I'm working with. Took some wooden spheres from a hobby lobby, a small dowel, and some dremeling and drilling to make rangefinders. Some trips over to my uncle's to borrow his workshop and a couple trips to Ted's came to this. Pretty happy with it so far.
    IMG_20200716_115310394.jpg IMG_20200718_150834726.jpg IMG_20200718_150843554.jpg
    With full super and battery/bottle, she's coming around 9 to 9 1/2 pounds, weighed for the waterline at 13 pounds so I'm hoping the weight will be close to there once fully built. Crossing my fingers that guns will be ready to mount over the weekend.

    Hope y'all that went had fun at Nats, looking forward to seeing the videos from it!
     
    Last edited: Jul 20, 2020
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  7. Beaver

    Beaver 2020 Rookie of the Year Admiral (Supporter)

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    Very nice work dude!!
     
  8. ZARUBA1987

    ZARUBA1987 Well-Known Member

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    Matt coming along great. Are u installing test switches for your guns ?
     
  9. Fridge

    Fridge Active Member

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    Thank you very much! The time on the scroll saw and 1" belt sander is really paying off. :D
    Unsure. I have a 3-switch test board for the guns, but I don't see an easy-to-access place under the main hatch for the board. If we find a spot then we'll use them, but if not, I guess I could unplug a solenoid on duals and use the radio to test them individually, right?
     
  10. ZARUBA1987

    ZARUBA1987 Well-Known Member

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    You could just unplug and use the controller. I used my controller on my first go it works. But believe me if you install test switches you will appreciate them pond side. Placement is key We will find a spot. I feel like under a turret might work out well near your c board
     
  11. ZARUBA1987

    ZARUBA1987 Well-Known Member

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    Fridge lock and load. Just finished your guns. McMaster Carr order came in top em off with 5” SS barrels E7DAA684-C915-4048-876C-2501344867B1.jpeg
     
  12. Fridge

    Fridge Active Member

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    I've been bad about regular updates, but the seeing the ship from last month to today and how much progress there's been is really neat. Nevertheless, here's what I've gotten done.

    I wanted to be finished up with the superstructure, so I made everything for it, sans funnel. Going to need to get creative with how to make a float from the smokestack work. Brass rods and tubes were used for the masts. The upper masts on each were made to be detachable from the main super for ease of travel. Not super happy with some of the Epoxy finish on the exposed wood decks, but it'll have to do.
    IMG_20200809_131611.jpg IMG_20200808_141556_01.jpg
    It all got a couple coats of West System and then a couple coats of paint. If I had thought ahead, I'd have painted the sections and then glued them. Instead, I had a lot of fun with painter's tape. It's hard to tell, and I don't have good pictures of them, but the stern and bow decks are screwed into place. Made some screw down points that were scabbed onto the sub-deck, then drilled holes on the deck after marking the screw heads with sharpie and transferring it to the deck, worked oddly well. Allen key button heads hold the forward and rear decks in place. Still working on a magnetic solution for the center hatch.
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    Made a standoff for test switches, waterproofed the wood and the board itself, and mounted to the bow section, underneath A turret. Still incredibly happy with how clean the wiring is compared to past plane builds.
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    Recently I've painted a plane for fun and had been making up secondary barrels while waiting for parts to arrive.
    IMG_20200819_155635842.jpg IMG_20200821_150145986.jpg
    Still haven't gotten to making mounts and mounting guns, but John's guns work great from testing. I just got the regulator and bottle in this week, so I'll work on arming her in the upcoming week.
     
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  13. NASAAN101

    NASAAN101 Well-Known Member

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    hey Fridge,
    She's looking great. I so went that little lady.
    Nikki
     
  14. pba

    pba Active Member

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    Stringer looks wider than 1/8 inch
     
  15. Fridge

    Fridge Active Member

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    The stringer's the horizontal one, right? I think I had it at 1/4" thick when I first cut the fiberglass. I filed the stringer to match the 1/8" wood backer I stuck behind it, but I may have gotten sloppy on the cleanup, I can check over the weekend. Thank you for pointing it out.
     
  16. Fridge

    Fridge Active Member

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    Mr. "once in a blue moon" is back to deliver updates in bulk. School's slowed down progress, but I've been working at it every weekend I can, and the build has been going in all sorts of directions since last update. The pictures I have don't cover everything, I'll try to recount everything here that's been done so far.

    The guns are (somewhat) mounted. The uptubes have a mount point near the T made of wood and the magazines have a screw-down. I need to mount something to the deck to hold the barrels and aim the guns. The magazines were impossible to put in or take out of the stern, so the back subdeck brace (the same one I moved before... should've just left it out I guess) was cut out of the hull. Planning to add two more screws to the back deck to help keep hull rigidity and to prevent the hull sagging outward. Couldn't come up with an easy place for solenoids to set horizontally so they're vertical. I should've preplanned guns and CO2 before electrical, live and learn. The armor (shower pan liner) was later cut and attached to the rib backers.
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    Drag shafts and props were installed. Used epoxy to attach the shaft supports and bondo to attach shafts to the hull. They're filed by hand to shape. The rod is stainless steel 1/8" rod that I threaded, and the drag props are screwed onto the shaft. I made a big mistake and threaded the ends of the rods AFTER they were bondo'd. Ended up using the thread die with a torque wrench, worked surprising well with two sets of hands.
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    One float test with duct tape later showed me that I was dangerously tippy, I'm glad I didn't have to go for a swim in the pond. After looking at the ship list, I realized that the boat was almost 2 pounds under scale weight 14.85 lbs. and more than 3 pounds under max 16.34 lbs. I can't read! Gutted the ship, cut out some of the center waterchanneling, and added two pounds of tire weights to the centermost section of the ship as ballast. Now sitting at 15 lbs 8 oz, no more aggressive rocking.
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    What I don't have pictures of at the moment are the pump outlet and the superstructure. But they're done! I'm really happy with the super especially, disappointed that I don't have pictures of it.

    As of right now, I think all that's left to do is make something to hold the barrels, sheet the ship, and paint the hull. I'm seriously excited to get her on the water when she's completed and have her ready for the Turkey Shoot. Until then, French baguette SS is getting 3D printed for John, and I have planning to do for this winter. A package sailed into port recently.
    IMG_20200925_111311_01.jpg
     
  17. ZARUBA1987

    ZARUBA1987 Well-Known Member

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    This PE is a beast.
     
  18. Fridge

    Fridge Active Member

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    Took all week to make sheeting. Learned how to sheet, I now get why hulls with weird shapes would be a pain to sheet. Pretty proud of the work done, sheeting stayed on solid with some help from a roller smoothing it down to the hull contour.
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    Played with some spray paint, made up some hull camouflage. Needs some touchup, but looks pretty cool. Will add the red hull after final weighing and leveling in the water. Also it's a (really blurry) showcase of the finalized super!
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    All that's left now (other than MORE PAINT!) is to make cutouts for the barrels in the 3D-printed turrets, add turret mounts to hold down to the barbettes, and make barrel mounts that hold the guns where they need to be aimed. Sea trials tomorrow.
     
    Last edited: Oct 24, 2020
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  19. Nibbles1

    Nibbles1 Well-Known Member

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    @Fridge

    Wow! So much progress! I remember when it was just a hull!
     
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  20. ZARUBA1987

    ZARUBA1987 Well-Known Member

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    She is a work of art. Matt is a hell of a craftsman. I have never seen a rookie boat so nice
     
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