Launch mechanisms?

[Monahan Steam Models]

Wow - stunning work - great craftsmanship.

Thanks John. I enjoyed watching your torpedo launch video the other day. Very cool.

Cheers,
Nick

[Slats]

Wow - stunning work - great craftsmanship.

[Monahan Steam Models]

Here’s the update for the bow plane mechanism. The linear pushrod assembly is supported by two bushings that drop into the half round reliefs in the kits bulkhead bow moldings. So no modification needed to the original parts and they don’t need to be glued in place. It only take about 1/4-5/16” if linear pushrod travel in either direction from neutral to move the planes from 0 degrees or horizontal to down 45 or up 45 degrees. Very smooth and effortless in actuation. It is coupled to the WTC by magnets.

Nick

[Monahan Steam Models]

Spent the morning screwing around with the hybrid ballast tank design. It became obvious that I needed to get back to the forward launch tube assembly and pick up where I left off there.

The starboard side launch tubes were mostly designed and built. The port side was left as is from the start of the project. I spent some time catching the port side up to the current version of the starboard side tube assembly. Before completely finishing that work, (which is mostly done except for the detail parts) I finally focused my time on the bow plane mechanism.

I have been putting this off for some time. Today was the day to deal with it. Perhaps the timing was right. Utilizing the Arkmodel’s existing molded features, (keeping with the design tradition of this build) I decided to use the half elliptical holes molded into each bow half as a bushing support for the bow plane pushrod assembly.

The pushrod assembly slides linearly fore and aft in the bushings placed in each molded in bulkhead. The bow plane shaft has a lever arm with a slot to transfer linear motion of the bow plane pushrod assembly to the rotational motion of the bow plane shaft lever arm via a pin and slot mechanism. Very little pushrod movement translates into significant bow plane angle movement.

Overall happy with the design and with it’s simplicity and compactness. Now I can get back to figuring out the rest of the hybrid WTC.

Hope this helps others building the Arkmodel type VIIC.

[TINFISH]

I found a couple in China but then found one (bottom end tap) in California. It's on its way.
Thanks Nick,
Mike

[Monahan Steam Models]

All good data Nick. Where can one get a M4.5-.5 tap? McMaster Carr only has M4.5-7.5
Thanks,
Mike

Mike,

The taps that I had in the tool box were purchased more then a decade ago from my tooling supplier when I was still producing commercial products. I did however recently search for more filler valves (as I somehow misplaced the bin containing 100’s of these somewhere buried in the shop) and a number of valves and taps popped up on EBay, so I grabbed some more from there. I did look at McMaster first but found the same answer you did. Nothing... If the EBay search doesn’t yield you results, try Western Tool and Supply in northern California. They were one of my old tooling suppliers when I was still operating the production machine shop.

Hope this helps,

Nick

[TINFISH]

All good data Nick. Where can one get a M4.5-.5 tap? McMaster Carr only has M4.5-7.5
Thanks,
Mike

[redboat219]

In the words of the Sommelier in John Wick 2.

[Monahan Steam Models]

Great find. Neat simple mechanism. Very cool

[redboat219]

Interesting mechanism https://youtu.be/qCxco6227xo .

maybe this could be incorporated into a torpedo launcher.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

All of this gas torpedo work is directly thanks to David’s work and his sharing of knowledge just to be clear. With out his sharing of how to do it, this would have never happened.

Your acknowledgement of my work is much appreciated Nick. Like you I believe attribution is a moral obligation of those in the lead -- we must always acknowledge the inventors who came before us, as it is their work and findings that informs our work.

I learned what I know about gas propelled weapons from Mike Dorey who, in his time, made every effort to publicize his work and demonstrate his achievements at seminars and regattas.

The top dogs in this game -- guys like you and me -- are but gears in the machine. Technology is a collaborative endeavor. There are few lone wolves out there.

David

[Monahan Steam Models]

All of this gas torpedo work is directly thanks to David’s work and his sharing of knowledge just to be clear. With out his sharing of how to do it, this would have never happened.

[Monahan Steam Models]

Nice job Nick! Question: do the fish only eat the prop driven torpedoes? if so, it might be the vibrations..Lol - BG

Thanks BG! Not sure. It’s 40 degrees F out currently and most of those b@$tard fish are down deep for the winter. The temperature isn’t ideal for testing gas weapons as the propellant pressure is directly affected by temperature. Most of thIs testing is to prove the mechanical design. Would be interesting to see how they bite when the weather warms up

[Bob Gato]

Nice job Nick! Question: do the fish only eat the prop driven torpedoes? if so, it might be the vibrations..Lol - BG

[Monahan Steam Models]

Short video testing a new nozzle on the gas torpedoes today. The propellant tank was only partially filled for this test. This was done to limit the distance it would travel. Video link below.

https://youtu.be/ULWa1IpdBuM

Here is a brief demonstration of charging the gas torpedo outside of the launch tube while the launch tube piston is installed on the torpedo’s tail fins and sealed on the outlet nozzle. The TIG welding glove on my left hand is to keep from getting freezer burn from the liquid propellant while being transferred into the torpedo. After the torpedo is charged, it is loaded into the test launch tube. This is the same process when loading the weapons into the actual boat’s launcher.

https://youtu.be/ykJ3dDg1FbA

And just for the hell of it, here’s a video removing the launch piston on a fully charged torpedo.

https://youtu.be/0W1vBoYl1_8

Hopefully next time I will have something a bit more substantial to share. It would be great to finally take a video of the torpedoes being launched out of the starboard launch tube assembly. Haven’t had a chance to get that on film yet in a wet test demonstration. Would be neat to load one tube with a electric eel and the other tube with a gas eel. Maybe I can find sometime tomorrow to get that done either before or after the Dive Tribe meeting!

Nick