Model yacht masts

[Eddie Price 1Participant @eddieprice1]

I am scratch building a model yacht and am having difficulty locating aluminium tubing for a mast. I need something 7-8 mm diameter and 1043mm long. Most of the standard stuff is only 1000mm. I suppose I could join two pieces, but would prefer not to. Can anyone point me in the right direction.

While I am here I suppose I will also want sail cloth. What is the best material to use for a yacht about 750 mm long  with a 1043 mm long mast.

 Thanks

Eddie Price 

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Try…………………."SAILS ETC"

Tel ……01376 570583

[TelstarParticipant @telstar]

Hi Eddie   A coulpe of sites to visit both do Ally up to 2M ( one is the same as Bob’s post)

http://www.nylet.com

http://www.sailsetc.com/parspar.htm

cheers Tom

[Tony HadleyParticipant @tonyhadley]

Eddie,

I have always obtained my yachting ‘bits’ from Housemartin sails — 0151 609 1339

http://www.housemartinsails.co.uk

Regards Tony.

[Eddie Price 1Participant @eddieprice1]

Thanks guys. Nylet and sailsetc seem to have everything that I will need. I tried Housemartinsails and got gibberish. Don’t know why. I use Mozilla Firefox browser so it may be incompatible.

I am building from the instructions given in the form of a book "Build Your Own Radio-Controlled Yacht" by Bryn Heveldt. I have almost completed the hull (about 750 mm long) and had started to look around for mast/boom material.The book suggested the local diy store, but I didn’t think B&Q would have such things! The one thing that scares me a bit is casting the lead ballast. Has anyone done this? I have made a pattern and am presently drying off a plaster cast mold in the oven. It is a two part mold and I have yet to take it apart. Assuming I manage to do this, the book tells me to melt some lead in a tin can and pour it into the mold. I have done a bit of research on the internet and I have come across all sorts of dire warnings about lead reacting with water, so I don’t know. Any tips?

Eddie Price 

[Len OchiltreeParticipant @lenochiltree67043]

Hi Eddie,

As a Plumber in my previous life,I used a lot of molten lead.

You seem to be doing things the right way in drying your mould thoroughly,just be extra cautious when pouring, and wear old clothes and cover up well,and wear goggles or better still a face mask.

When you are melting the lead,a scum will float on the top,scrape this off with a DRY stick.

Regards,

Len.

[Tony HadleyParticipant @tonyhadley]

Hi Eddie,

Sorry you didn’t have any luck with Housemartin, however the link worked fine when I tested it again.

Another excellent Supplier of model yacht bits is PJ Sails — 01202 744101 http://www.pjsails.co.uk. Peter still offers a 36" restricted class hull — the Bambino, and one of the new Jif 65 class hulls. These are in addition to all his other goodies.

Good luck, Tony.

[TelstarParticipant @telstar]

Hi Eddie

As Len says do be careful handeling molten lead. 

I bought a cheap stainless steel milk pan, £2.50 at a pound shop to melt the lead in, I dont like trying to hold tin cans etc with pliers etc. Also I use an old spoon, its handel wedged into a a piece of pipe to lift off the scum.  To do the work outdoors I fire up a small charcoal barbi. and stick the pan on that, straight on the fire with no grill etc. keeps the fumes out of the house.

With your mold. If you have problems with it coming apart and have to redo it, Do one half and let it go off then coat the surface where the two halfs meet with a fairly strong soapy solution (I use washing up liquid with some water and paint the surface liberally with that) then put in the second half of your plaster. I usually seperate the mold before it is absolutley dry then warm it as you are in a warm dry place.

Post some pics of your boat

Cheers Tom

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Tom…………………You got ripped off there, me old fruit!……..£2.50…..in a Pound shop?

I make my moulds out of wood…………..I use a coarse burr in the vertical drill and grind a half mould shape out and cast the weight twice, then bolt them together and use filler on the joint….when assembled on the keel

Bob

[Eddie Price 1Participant @eddieprice1]

Thanks Tom for the tip about washing up liquid. I managed to make a lead wieght, but it was too light at about 830g instead of 1300g, and it was a great struggle separating the two halves of the mould. So I am having to make another. I must admit the tin can and a pair of pipe grips was not the best way to handle molten lead. I think I will look out for a cheap saucepan. I am currently in the process of making a new mould. I think your idea of shaping a piece of wood is great Bob, but having gone to the trouble of making a new pattern on my lathe using balsa, I think I will stick with the plaster of paris. This time I have checked the volume of the pattern and it comes out at 114cc, so with the density of lead at 11.3 g/cc I should get 1288 g – I hope.

I must take some photographs and start an album.

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

I have added a keel weight mould photo to …"My Boats"  gallery …….if it is of any interest

Bob

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Eddie

Be aware of which cheap saucepan you buy as the melting point on some cheap metals is lower than the melting point of lead.

Len

I didn’t know that you used to be a plumber… snap so did I….my worst experience as wiping a joint on a hot water cylinder, being upside down in a space no bigger than a loaf of bread really turned me off being one of the building trade elite.

Paul

[Eddie Price 1Participant @eddieprice1]

Well I have managed to make my keel weight. It came out at 1285g. Not bad, quite close to the 1288g that I estimated. I ended up using my tin can, but with a better handle to hold it. The camping gas stove proved to be sufficient to melt the lead.

So now I can get on with the rest of the boat, and of course the mast. I have discovered that the model shop in Hereford has 1m lengths of aluminium tube with about 0.5mm walls, or thereabouts. I thought this would have been too thin, but looking at a onemetre web site I see that their masts at about 1.8m long are typically 0.7mm wall thickness, so I presume the thin wall tubes are okay. 

Eddie 

[Eric Moffat 1Participant @ericmoffat1]

G’day Eddie,

I’m a bit late with my advice, but next time you melt lead for a fin weight I recommend you don’t bother.

I found the easier & more accurate (for weight) method, is to  use the mould to make a hollow fibreglass shape then fill it with previously weighed lead shot . you can either attach it to the fin, or make the entire fin of the same material and include the weight part as part of the unit.

perhaps better late than never,

Regards

Eric Moffat

[Eddie Price 1Participant @eddieprice1]

Thanks for the tip Eric. Perhaps next time. For my racing sparrow I ended up melting lead in a tin can over my camping gaz stove. I must say pouring lead shot into a fibre glass mould sounds much less hazardous.

Eddie Price 

[Eddie Price 1Participant @eddieprice1]

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