Jessie The Jeep Posted May 25, 2013 Author Share Posted May 25, 2013 (edited) The anemometer is on hold until I get a few more odds and ends together, though I did get some bearings through the post the other day. I need the truck back to work out required RPM etc, before I can really get down to it. So let's make some other stuff. This time pyrotechnics! Well, dummy ones for my M8 flare pistol. I found some steel tube a bit smaller than the pistol barrel, and the first effort was printer paper wrapped around and glued with Pritt. A bit wrinkly, but the technique worked reasonably well for a dummy flare cartridge, including the crimped over end. Coloured end caps were copied from pictures of original 1940's flares and printed out on to card last night. There seems to have been a number of different styles, so I've copied two of them. Edited October 21, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted May 25, 2013 Author Share Posted May 25, 2013 (edited) The first proper version used brown wrapping paper first, then to add thickness, buff printer paper. It worked well, but the buff showed where it was crimped over. The next try used the brown/buff combination, but the buff layers were set back from the end so they wouldn't show when crimped. Edited October 21, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted May 25, 2013 Author Share Posted May 25, 2013 (edited) Below, the first three cartridges made, and just needing the paper/glue to harden before they can be trimmed to length. The only things they are lacking are an external label, which I haven't done the graphics for yet, and coloured bands painting around the ends of the cartridges. I'll be making an open rack for the truck to store "Ready to use" flares with the ends exposed so they can be seen and identified, and a locker for additional spare flares in a "Safe" condition. The brass or aluminium igniter ends wouldn't be seen, so I won't have to make them, except for perhaps a couple on display out of the rack. Edited October 21, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted May 27, 2013 Author Share Posted May 27, 2013 (edited) Labels for the flares were copied from a wartime original, with the codes and lot numbers changed for the various different colour combinations of flares. They were printed onto brown wrapping paper and cut to size. Edited October 21, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted May 27, 2013 Author Share Posted May 27, 2013 (edited) The first four cartridges then had the labels attached with Pritt. I'm quite pleased with the results. The next job was to paint the recognition bands around the tops of the cartridges, to signify the colour and number of stars. Edited October 21, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted May 27, 2013 Author Share Posted May 27, 2013 (edited) One short cartridge was made to fit inside the barrel of the M8 pistol. This needs to be short because of the steel bar welded across the inside to deactivate the pistol. This doesn't need painting because only the end of the cartridge is visible. Edited October 21, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon_M Posted May 27, 2013 Share Posted May 27, 2013 Maybe you need a couple of sets of these: http://g503.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=83&t=217289 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted May 27, 2013 Author Share Posted May 27, 2013 No, a bit bright for the inside of the truck. I'll be looking to make a navigator's type chair, with OD canvas covering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_bish Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 One short cartridge was made to fit inside the barrel of the M8 pistol. This needs to be short because of the steel bar welded across the inside to deactivate the pistol. This doesn't need painting because only the end of the cartridge is visible. These look fantastic. Nice work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted June 16, 2013 Author Share Posted June 16, 2013 (edited) I Got back from the Great North Fly In earlier this evening after a great weekend. Saturday was pretty windy, limiting the flying to some degree, but today made up for it. 'Beepbeep' also turned up with his Dodge, which I was beginning to think was imagined! but no, it was real after all. Edited October 21, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted June 17, 2013 Author Share Posted June 17, 2013 After the weekend away telling people the anemometer wasn't working yet, I decided it was time it was. Some 6mm steel bar had a thread tapped on the end for a retaining nut which will hold the cup in place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted June 17, 2013 Author Share Posted June 17, 2013 (edited) Each of the three arms was welded to two central nuts, forming the hub of the anemometer head. The nuts in the hub allow the head to be screwed onto the mast allowing easy storage inside the truck during transport. Edited October 21, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted June 17, 2013 Author Share Posted June 17, 2013 (edited) The mast is a 1 inch steel tube, high enough that the astro-dome shouldn't interfere with airflow to the anemometer. It bolts down to a fixing plate on the truck roof. Edited October 21, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted June 17, 2013 Author Share Posted June 17, 2013 (edited) The anemometer almost complete, and just needing painting and connecting up to the instrument on the meteorological panel. Edited October 21, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted June 17, 2013 Author Share Posted June 17, 2013 (edited) The bottom of the mast ends with the 6mm steel rod. This needs either gearing or a belt drive across to the instrument panel. This video is a repeat of the still images, and some video of the anemometer turning for the first time, in the light breeze this afternoon. Edited October 21, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonP Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 Wow, great! Quality ice cream scoops I see!! :cheesy: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted June 22, 2013 Author Share Posted June 22, 2013 (edited) With a load of flares now made, they needed somewhere to go. I'd made some more paper tubes, like the cartridges, which would hold the cartridges in the rack. Fortunately I found a hole saw exactly the same size as the paper tubes. The tubes were glued into the wooden front of the rack at a slight upward angle so the flares wouldn't slide out. The bottom front of the tubes was a little proud of the surface due to the angle they were mounted at, so these were trimmed and sanded flush once dry. Edited October 21, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted June 22, 2013 Author Share Posted June 22, 2013 (edited) Inside the rack, some 1/4 inch square strip held the rear of the tubes at the correct height and some 1/4 ply formed a back to the tubes. The flares stick out of the front of the rack by about 1 inch to allow the coloured bands to be seen, and to give something to hold to allow them to be removed. Edited October 21, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted June 22, 2013 Author Share Posted June 22, 2013 (edited) Once the edges had been sanded, some 1/2 inch ply brackets were added to the read of the rack to allow it to be screwed to the side of the truck. I still need to make a small rack to hold the flare pistol. Edited October 21, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted June 22, 2013 Author Share Posted June 22, 2013 Yesterday I also made a trial belt drive for the anemometer, to test out pulley ratios. Part of this can be seen in the pictures above. Of course it was flat calm yesterday, so I had no idea if it would work. Today, the wind picked up, but it seems reluctant to move as the required tension on the belt is causing too much fiction in the drive shafts. So today I ordered some small bearings and some bevel gears to make a geared drive, which was my original plan for the system. Based on the experiments with the belt, I'm gearing up the speed at the dial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
private mw Posted June 22, 2013 Share Posted June 22, 2013 brilliant work you have so much patience has i said before steve. i believe if i shut you in a garage with a wheelbarrow 4 newspapers some angle iron and a welder you could create a armoured tank ! just like the A team could ! :cheesy: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted June 22, 2013 Author Share Posted June 22, 2013 That sounds like a challenge! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted June 29, 2013 Author Share Posted June 29, 2013 (edited) By the end of the week, the bearings and bevel gears had arrived. The bevel gear set is from the transmission of an R/C car. The bearings should help to reduce friction on both the new horizontal drive shaft and the vertical drive down to the dial. Edited October 21, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted June 29, 2013 Author Share Posted June 29, 2013 (edited) The new gear drive was installed today. Even with the bearings, there's still some friction in the system, a little from the grease in the bearings, but mostly from the flexi-drive cable bending around into the back of the windspeed gauge. Edited October 21, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted June 29, 2013 Author Share Posted June 29, 2013 (edited) The new system is fairly neat, but another day with little wind in the street means it is untested, except by hand. The street is surrounded by tall trees, and being at the lower end of the street, it is fairly sheltered, even when there's a gale blowing. Edited October 21, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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