Seaview

[greenman407]

Todays activities were centered around moving the WTC supports to their new locations. While I was at it, I shaved their height down by 1/8"-3/16" to get the WTC/Subdriver to sit lower in the sub. Im hoping that this will translate into a little more freeboard. I cant move it down too low as then there would be no room for the lead weight. Any weight that I had double stacked had to be reconfigured and spread out. I need to make two more WTC supports for the rear portion of the WTC that is 3&1/2" in diameter.
While I was at this juncture of cutting the new piece of tube for the WTC, I thought, nows the time to Maximize this thing for maximum freeboard. Lets stuff all the lexan tube in here that we can. There is some empty space between the Battery WTC and the Subdriver. I thought about moving the whole thing forward and filling up all the space to the rear with a lengthened subdriver for the greatest floatation. I thought about it and then decided not to proceed. For one reason, if I moved the ballast tank forward, it would throw off the balance front to rear. After measuring it , its already 2" further forward than I would normally put it. I originally put it there because of the large internal volume of the huge nose and also because I was using a 6 cell NIMH up front without a WTC to hold it. The second reason is that the more floatation that you have, the more lead weight and coresponding foam that you need. Im out of room for any more of that.

[greenman407]

Alright! I got another 3&1/2" tube in the mail today. Also the motors are mounted but Im spending some extra time to get good alignment for the 1/8" shaft seals. I bought a small vice as well to help me bend and construct the custom equipment trays that the Seaview and the Albacore and the type 23 are going to need.

[crazygary]

Nice!!

Way to go!!

[greenman407]

Here it is. The hole saws worked great and the Forestner bits tidied it up. We can go from there.

[greenman407]

Thanks Guys, Thanks Dave. I wont need to glue anything now, except the two endcaps back to back. I worked on the twin motor bulkhead today, machining out motor holes and drilling pushrod holes and stuff. More later.

[alad61]

Sometimes things will jump up and bite us. I started to put the lexan tubes together using CA. It was going well and I was sealing up all the seams inside and out. I left it alone to cure. When I came back there were all these stress cracks thru the new tube. Apparently the tube couldnt stand the stress.

Mark the cracking isn't from stress so much as it is from heat. You've got to remember that ca works by chemical polymization and most chemical reactions cause heat. The more ca you put down in one setting the more residual heat you'll get as a result. That reaction on certain products eg your clear tube will give you the crazing and cracking. Maybe a bit of ca as a spot weld with a stronger more flexible glue/sealer applied after the ca has set.

[crazygary]

"Thanks for the visual", M!!

Go get 'em, Greenman!!!

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Dave, which do you recommend using? Cast Acrylic tubing or Impact resistant Polycarbonate?

Acrylic is CRAP!!!!!!! Only suitable for display cases and little else. Cast is better than extruded -- but the comparison is like differentiating between a greasy fart and a fart with lumps in it. Crap-on-a-stick!

Lexan (polycarbonate). Or, in a pinch, clear PVC.

Pay the extra bucks and you'll never go wrong.

M

[greenman407]

Thanks Gary. Heres what Im going to do, now that Ive had time to think about it. Instead of throwing away the three inch cylinder, Ill just cut it off and cap it. Ill take a three inch cap and a 3&1/2" cap and glue them together ,back to back, and use it to join the two cylinders. So all I need to do is order another piece of 3&1/2" tube. Ill run the ballast servo wire thru the two caps. So the two sections will be connected but not glued. Yeah....that.
I just ordered two new speed controls for it. ONWARD! ALL AHEAD FLANK is going to take on a whole new meaning.

[crazygary]

Weld On makes an adhesive that should work well with lexan tubing, or, polycarbonates in general!
Take a peek at this website for the rundown:

https://www.eplastics.com

I just found it through my search engine and am passing it on to you!
Hope this is what you need!

[greenman407]

Dave, which do you recommend using? Cast Acrylic tubing or Impact resistant Polycarbonate?

[greenman407]

All the sealing of the seams is not done yet. Im afraid that its just going to shatter.

[trout]

I have read somewhere it might be a reaction with the CA that caused the crazing. Not sure where these bits of information comes from, but the person working with it had a fan to circulate the air and keep the fumes from attacking the tube. Sorry, I can not find the source. Maybe someone else might be able to confirm or call me crazy, oh wait that is Gary's name.

You could wrap some waterproof tape or electrical tape to prevent any leaking.

[greenman407]

Sometimes things will jump up and bite us. I started to put the lexan tubes together using CA. It was going well and I was sealing up all the seams inside and out. I left it alone to cure. When I came back there were all these stress cracks thru the new tube.
Apparently the tube couldnt stand the stress. I would say that the time and effort required to try and get the new tube off of the old one to start again would be too much. What now?
Well the tube that I ordered was called High Impact Polycarbonate tubing. Now I will order the more expensive variety of tube for both the three inch and the 3&1/2". Also I will use CA to tack it together but I will use 3M brand marine sealer to finish it so that there is less stress. So, it will take longer than I thought it would because I have to start over and fabricate a new three inch to graft on to but I dont give up so easily.

[greenman407]

Gary, thanks for the offer. Yes thats a cheap Radio Shack heat gun I was using to help bend the styrene spacers. It works well.....................so far.