My 3D Printed HL-Hunley Build

[rwtdiver]

The hull sections are complete and ready to be joined up! The overall length turned out to be 43" (1002.20 mm) as mention before I had to add an addition 2.5" (63.50 mm) section to the length to accommodate the MSD I am using! All in all I am quite pleased with the printed structure at this point!



Now I can move onto the rest of the smaller components to complete the build up.

Rob
"Firemen can stand the heat"

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

OK! Thank you so much David! That MSD that you gave is finally going to be put to use! I very much appreciate not only your generous gift, but the time and your expertise to make operate! If the Hunley turns out like I hope it will (thanks to you) I might be able to lose the newbie label!!:-)) NAH! I still have so much more to learn!!

Thank you again David!

Rob
"Firemen can stand the heat"

We're all newbie's in this game, Rob.

[rwtdiver]

Yup. that leads to the suction side of the LPB.

OK! Thank you so much David! That MSD that you gave is finally going to be put to use! I very much appreciate not only your generous gift, but the time and your expertise to make operate! If the Hunley turns out like I hope it will (thanks to you) I might be able to lose the newbie label!!:-)) NAH! I still have so much more to learn!!

Thank you again David!

Rob
"Firemen can stand the heat"

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

David,

Is this the port side nipple you are referring to?



One end of the tube to this nipple and the other goes up to the snorkel?

Rob
"Firemen can stand the heat"

Yup. that leads to the suction side of the LPB.

[rwtdiver]

David,

Is this the port side nipple you are referring to?



One end of the tube to this nipple and the other goes up to the snorkel?

Rob
"Firemen can stand the heat"

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

David! Thank you so much for your time here!

Let me make be sure I understand you. (this seems to simple) The clear 1/8" tubing I have runs from one of the snorkel tubes (from the snorkel box) into just one hole inside the ballast tank & maybe attached to the brass conduit line. The pump (white wires) are connected to the power and the servo type wire is plugged into one of the RX (receiver) ports to operate the pump, and that's it!?



It can't be this simple! I have to be missing something!? What is the LPB?

Rob
"Firemen can stand the heat"

As long as that clear flexible hose is making up to the after ballast bulkhead port nipple, you're good to go. The starboard nipple discharges straight into the ballast tank.

[rwtdiver]

The LPB takes a suction on one of the HUNLEY 'snorkel tubes' -- that's air in (the long flexible tube coming out of of the ballast tank flood-drain holes). The LPB discharges right into the ballast tank, blowing it dry. Your MSD is already rigged to blow the ballast tank with the LPB. Just shunt around the installed safety float-valve -- that's only used if you use a snorkel.

David

David! Thank you so much for your time here!

Let me make be sure I understand you. (this seems to simple) The clear 1/8" tubing I have runs from one of the snorkel tubes (from the snorkel box) into just one hole inside the ballast tank & maybe attached to the brass conduit line. The pump (white wires) are connected to the power and the servo type wire is plugged into one of the RX (receiver) ports to operate the pump, and that's it!?



It can't be this simple! I have to be missing something!? What is the LPB?

Rob
"Firemen can stand the heat"

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

The LPB takes a suction on one of the HUNLEY 'snorkel tubes' -- that's air in (the long flexible tube coming out of of the ballast tank flood-drain holes). The LPB discharges right into the ballast tank, blowing it dry. Your MSD is already rigged to blow the ballast tank with the LPB. Just shunt around the installed safety float-valve -- that's only used if you use a snorkel.

David

[rwtdiver]

No room for the snorkel. Abandon SAS. Go Snort or gas only.




David

Thank you David! I found on of Bobs videos on the 3D printed Hunley build, it showed how he hooked up a tube to one of the deck snorkels!



That looks simple enough! The part that I do not understand is where the other end of this snorkel tube is attached!?



The photo on the right shows the ballast tank bulkhead, and on that bulkhead is two very small brass tube coming in from the pump section with no connections!



Looking at Bobs photo it shows the other end of the snorkel tube running to the inside of the ballast tank through one of the drain holes in the bottom of the ballast tank. From there I can not tell what line (tube) is connect to!? I am just having a real hard time (age related I am sure) HA HA understanding these SD, MSD and there total operation!? I guess that is why all 5 of my other submarine builds and there WTC have ALL been surface runners..



Sorry to be such a pest! For all you newbies out there that think this hobby is simple! Rethink your thinking before you jump in! Take the time to learn it inside and out!!

Rob
"Firemen can stand the heat"

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

This will actually be the first (the 1:77 scale Nautilus will be the second) real ballast system subs I have built! The other five where basic surface runners and possible dynamic divers at best! With this information in mind and me being somewhat of a newbie, I will need some help with the plumbing on the Hunley!



With the Hunley we really do not have a sail as per say. The picture showing the upper hull section with the square access hole for the snorkel box and the two snorkel tubes is the only access to the outside of the sub, except for the two hatches one forward and one aft. Looking at the plumbing that came with the MSD I am just not sure what I need to do!?

Any advice and help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Rob
"Firemen can stand the heat"

No room for the snorkel. Abandon SAS. Go Snort or gas only.




David

[rwtdiver]

This will actually be the first (the 1:77 scale Nautilus will be the second) real ballast system subs I have built! The other five where basic surface runners and possible dynamic divers at best! With this information in mind and me being somewhat of a newbie, I will need some help with the plumbing on the Hunley!



With the Hunley we really do not have a sail as per say. The picture showing the upper hull section with the square access hole for the snorkel box and the two snorkel tubes is the only access to the outside of the sub, except for the two hatches one forward and one aft. Looking at the plumbing that came with the MSD I am just not sure what I need to do!?

Any advice and help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Rob
"Firemen can stand the heat"

[rwtdiver]

The major hull components are all printed out. In order to use the MSD that I am using on the Hunley I had to cut 2" from the ballast portion of the cylinder. I also had to add an additional 2.5"section to the center of the hull.





Next in the process will be to fabricate the top portion of the hull. I still have more small parts to print out.

Rob
"Firemen can stand the heat"

[rwtdiver]

Making more progress on the Hunley build! I have the main portion of the hull almost completed! The 2.5" MSD that I got from David M. was to long to fit into the hull as it is. David brought up the point that the ballast portion of the MSD was more capacity than the Hunley needed.

To help in making the MSD fit, I cut a full 2" off of the ballast portion of the cylinder.



I do not have the stern section completed yet, so until I have I won't know if the 2" that I took out will be enough to allow the MSD to fit. If I need additional space I can fabricate a smaller section of the main hull to make the difference required. A 2" added hull section will not take away from the overall scale of the Hunley!

Rob
"Firemen can stand the heat"

[rwtdiver]

Still making head way on the Hunley! I have four complete sections of the hull completed.



Just three more complete sections to go and the main hull structure will be complete! I have a total of 86 hours into the hull at this point. So far each section is looking great!

Rob
"Firemen can stand the heat"

[rwtdiver]

My own build and test actually proved that the pitch control was perfectly fine during submerged runs. I was really surprised.

Bob

Hi Bob!

I did see both videos you have out on the Hunley. And based on the one that you showed in your pool I would be very happy with those results you had. I just can't say enough about the files you put up on this boat! It will rank right up there with the Astute and the Redoutable files. Could not be more pleased!

I purchased a 512 page hard copy book by Brian Hicks called the "Sea of Darkness". It is a complete history on the HL-Hunley from design all the way through it's recovery!

I am looking forward to building this boat, and I will do my best to finish it out right!! Thanks for your input Bob!

Rob
"Firemen can stand the heat"