After multiple delays the I-400 hull molds are finished, about a year late. I should be able to start production this weekend - the weather is supposed to be warm and dry so I can fiberglass on our roofed front porch. The hulls will be made at a rate of 1 per weekend, weather permitting, due to my outside work area. However, Kim's starting a month-long acting course in New York State in mid-June so I can move production to the basement and ramp up production after she leaves. I have 5 orders: 1 for Jay (NABS/NATCF), 2 for Bryan and Chase (OAF), and 2 for David (Florida). I'm making 2 for me. After those hulls are finished I'll either take more orders or offer the molds for sale. There will be 4 parts: upper and lower hull sections, hangar and conning tower. The buyer will have to glass the tower to the hangar roof. (I can do it at extra cost.) There are quite a few difficult angles to glass around so these hulls cannot be laid up quickly and are labour intensive. I'll wait until I've made the first one to set a sale price. It will be at least $10 more than the $110 BC Liberty hull, which is one piece and an easy hull to produce. Bob
Just send us a e-mail Bob, I would like my Tower and Hanger glassed together if possible, thanks. I can paypal you the money as soon as you have a total for me. |Thanks for all your hard work! Bryan
Who was the Florida one for Bob, I asked you last year about one, but thought you had decided not to ship outside of Canada. If it's me, let me know the total, and I will get a Int Postal Money order sent out.
David, The Florida one is for you though I thought your request last year was for 2. Shipping is no problem with this hull because it's short enough to send by Canada Post air mail, which is cheaper than courier services and eliminates the hassles involved in lack of shipping insurance and cross border "brokerage fees". The next hull I plan to make (for the Abdiel/Manxman fast minelayers) is also short enough to send by air mail. I will no longer make hulls over 460' LOA. In 144th scale that's the longest that Canada Post will accept for shipping, allowing another inch or so for packaging. Bob
Hi Bob, yes I wanted 2, Frank the fellow that got your Russian light cruiser, and parked all his other boats now, he loves that little boat also wants one. As soon as you know the total for 2, let me know know and I will get it sent out to you. Will go nice with the Nagato I plan on making after Nats. Do you accept Paypal now Bob? Thanks
Bob, My email is absolutek@gmail.com when you have a quote ready. I'll probably have mine shipped together with Bryans if he is agreeable to that as well. --Chase
Bob, let me know when one is done and I will take a few pics and post them for all the world to see. J
Bob, How did the hull making go? Do you have one yet?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ??????????????????????????????? Not that I'm over anxious or anything
Two layers of gelcoat were applied to the mold Saturday AM and PM. I found that one container of resin had solidified (it was a year old) and there wasn't enough of the good quality resin left in the other can to complete the hull components. Rather than mix in some much thicker Can. Tire resin I deicded not to proceed and will buy new resin today. This will be a pain to lay up with fiberglass due to the narrow slots for catapult and box keel. Weather permitting the hull components and conning tower will be done by Wednesday. I'm not happy with the gelcoat defect repairs in the hangar mold and will have another go at it. If necessary a new hangar mold will be made from the repaired and prepped 2002 plug. Bob
I worked on the I-400 hangar mold for 3 hours last night, sanding down the excess gelcoat applied to fill damaged spots from the first (and only) pull of a hangar 8 years ago, and waxing the repaired mold. It'll be gelcoated this evening and all four I-400 molds will be glassed Saturday: conning tower, hangar, upper and lower hulls. (The hangar and conning tower molds were made in 2002 to provide more accurate parts for my BC hull.) By Sunday I should have the first of the new I-400s, which will go to real-life submariner Jay Jennings. His recommendation is to use ballast tanks in the bow and stern, instead of amidships where I put the saddle tanks in my modified BC I-400 hull. I'd made a bad decision using saddle tanks - that left too little room amidships for the main battery, which had to be of low capacity and stand upright between the ballast tanks. The battery being upright instead of sideways on the bottom of the hull was a major factor in the model's instability when turning quickly or under way in anything but a millpond calm. Jay's other improvement will be to make a triangular x-section battery of rechargable AA cells that can sit partly recessed in the box keel. That'll help keep the center of gravity low. With Kim away for the next month I should be able to complete the present I-400 orders (4) before she returns and I can no longer make hulls in the basement. After July 10 production will be weather dependent but the plan is too do a second run of 4-6 hulls during the summer. Bob
Bob, We who want to become members of the RC Naval Combat Submarine Service want to thank you for taking charge of a project that would have otherwise taken a REALLY long time to complete and for the time and effort you have/are putting into the plugs and molds. J
Thanks J, Tomorrow morning I'll glass the first set of I-400 components. I'll probably keep the first I-400 because it 'll be the trial lay-up to determine the best way to deal with the complex shapes, especially in the hangar. Subsequent subs might be a little lighter topside. I'll produce them as fast as I can over the next 4 weeks. My plan is to build the first I-400 as a submerging convoy ship but the construction rules for convoy and armed subs have to be modified. We can't cut out the lower watertight hulls and sheet them because the balsa will probably fail by 3'-4' depth. Making the ballast tanks penetrable is the most practical way to sink a sub model, while the rest of the lower hull is impenetrable and the upper free-flooding hull is penetrable. The sheeted ballast tanks won't crush becasue they'll be flooded. My previous I-400 would capsize if one amidship ballast tank was holed and sink if the hit was high on the tank. In any case the sub could no longer maneuver. If the now exposed opposite saddle tank was penetrated the sunk would sink for sure. If we follow your suggestion of bow and stern ballast tanks a hit on either will cause that end of the sub to sink, putting the hull in a vertical position, if not completely submerged. End of the battle for the sub, which should be counted as sunk even if still partly afloat. I posted a long proposal for sub combat and construction rules on the IRCWCC website years ago (2003 or 2004?); hope they're archived. Bob
Success! The first of the new I-400's was pulled from the molds yesterday. It has 4 components: conning tower, hangar, upper and lower hulls. I'm hoping Jay can post some photos - our Kodak EasyShare program has stopped working. Construction of #2 will start tonight and the plan is to produce one I-400 per week until the first run of 6 is complete. Bob
Can do Bob. I am looking forward to seeing the finished product. We can schedule a time for pics. I have some CO2 capsules I would like you to look at as well to see if there are adapters for them. J
J, Let's plan on getting together Wednesday evening. Between gelcoating and glassing I-400 #2, walking the dogs and going to the gym I won't be free tonight or Tuesday PM. #2 comes out of the molds Wednesday. Bob
I-400 production is on hold until I get a new supply of gelcoat, the gelcoat I bought last week being defective. I first used it Monday night to start I-400 #2 but in the morning found it had shrivelled and detached from the molds. This is the first time in 14 years of hull making that this has happened. I rechecked the catalyst /gelcoat measurements on the mixing containers to confirm they were at 1.5% catalyst and tried again last night. After 4 hours the gelcoat began shrivelling up and detached again. I won't be able to start the second I-400 until next week, which means I can make only 4 instead of 6 before my wife returns and I'm no longer allowed to make hulls in the basement. Once Kim returns it's hit and miss as to whether the weather allows glassing on the roofed deck. I'll commit to making five more I-400s by mid-July, of which 2 will go to David Ranier, 1 to Jay Jennings, and 2 to OAF members. After that I have to move on to other projects and hope Ralph Coles can take over production. These are time-consuming pieces to make, taking a lot longer than a simple hull like a Liberty Ship that costs $110. For example, the conning tower and hangar are separate pieces that have to be glassed together and the seam filled and sanded, the hangar shape is very complex and the lower hull is narrow, deep and tricky to lay up. Due to the time required a set of upper and lower hulls, conning tower and hangar will cost $130US. I'll announce when Ralph can start another run of I-400s. If he cannot do it the molds will be offered for sale. Bob
Bob I am ok with a hull that has NO Gel-Coat, if that would help, it is not required for me so you could continue to make without the jel-coat . Bryan
I can do without the Gel-coat likewise if it will make things easier/cheaper for you. --Chase (OAF Member)
Bryan and Chase, I can make the parts without gelcoat but still have to apply an initial layer of resin to smooth out some sharp angles the matt has to go around. For that reason omitting the gelcoat will not speed up construction. I'll buy a new can of gelcoat at noon today and resume I-400 production Sunday night when I get back from New Brunswick. I have #3 and #4 allocated to you and hope to have them finished by July 2. Bob
