Yes another Clyde Puffer

[Fred Ellis 1Participant @fredellis1]

Hi One & All

Jim as they say just take your time and all will be reviled, I also have been thinking that when I start work on the 1/24 puffer I may go down the chain route, as for this one it will be the rod above deck.

Well the pen – sheet and hot water did not work for me, so I have gone back old school, brown paper and string (LOL) I have taken a strip of brown paper roiled it into a tube (could not find a tube the size that I needed) used super glue to fix all the ends, again used brown paper for all the funnel rings.

Just hope it looks O.K when finished.

Fred

[Fred Ellis 1Participant @fredellis1]

Hi One & All

O.K this is not one of my builds, the builder was the late Harry Fox, this is the puffer that started me off on my Love of puffers,.

Harry was one of the founders of the AMS he was in fact the first editor of the InDepth the inhouse mag of the AMS, it was at the first Greenwich Model Boat show that he gave me this model.

Fred

 

 

 

 

[James Hill 5Participant @jameshill5]

Hi Fred,

That’s a great little model. I love the washing line. It’s quirky little things like that that you can add to a model that makes it that bit different to others. How old is the model? Looks like it has an age to it.

Jim.

[Fred Ellis 1Participant @fredellis1]

Thank you Jim, yes she is old I think it must have been some time in the early 90’s that the show took place, as I meet my wife in 1997 and I had her for some time before then.

Harry did like to have some point out of the ordinary, he did a Fireman Sam fireboat and many others, would love to know were they are now.

Fred

[Len Morris 2Participant @lenmorris2]

That’s a nice model Fred.  Enough detail to make it interesting and looking weathered just like a Puffer should.  It looks large as well.  Can we have a look inside?

Hope you’ve sorted your funnel.  If not you could try rolling up a bit of beer can.  Just wonder if someone might organise a Puffer rally this summer.  It would give all the current Puffer builders motivation to get finished in time. 🙂

Len

[mmcp42Participant @mmcp42]

@Len

I’m a long way behind everyone else – but I’d love to attend a Puffer rally

any ideas on a likely venues?

(excited? moi?) 🙂

cheers

Mike

[Stephen GarradParticipant @stephengarrad28964]

Better make it next year!!!

Stephen

[Fred Ellis 1Participant @fredellis1]

Morning to you All

Thank you for all your comments on Harrys Puffer.

Len she is not that large in fact she is 15 x 4 inches and total empty inside,

I do like the idea of the beer can will have to ask the son if he can let me have one of his soft drinks cans, as we are both teetotal, as for the funnel I have used brown paper, by the time I put the bands and steam pipes onto it, it should look right.

Puffer Rally now that would be some thing, I am unable to make any events as I am my wife’s career.

How many Puffer do we have and were in the country are we? I am in East Sussex and a member of Crowborough Club.

Fred

 

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

Lovely model Fred, at 15″ that would make it around 1/50th scale, certainly an unusual scale.

Just a thought on the subject of funnel material, it is frequently worth looking at plastic plumbing pipe offcuts.  That’s what I used for one of mine.  Having said that I know of another modeller who did the same in a steam powered model but he didn’t lag the flue so it melted the funnel!

[James Hill 5Participant @jameshill5]

Nice detail on the funnel Richard.

Looking at all the cable supports is a task on it’s own. Not something I’m looking forward to later on.

As to where we are in the country Fred. I live just outside Fleet in Hampshire and have done for most of my life and am approaching 82. I belong to the Basingstoke model boat club, about 10 miles away but would have to rely on family to get me there as I don’t have a car anymore. Things change I’m afraid.

I’m going to have a bash at putting some pictures of my builds on the Gallery if I can work out how to do it……not being that good at computers etc.

Jim.

[Fred Ellis 1Participant @fredellis1]

Good Morning Richard

Yes Harry did go in for the unusual, I did have a look at my offcuts and I only had 22mm pipe, the smoke stack for this one is only 1/2″ O/D( can not get my head around this metric).

Thank you for the photos that you have put up, it has made me rethink my effort as I now realise that it is more detailed than I thought.

Richard it has all ways been a dream of mine to have a steam puffer or tug, but in the end I now know that it will all ways just be a dream, I read you article in Model Boats and dream.

Fred

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

Jim,  Thanks for the comments.  In the posting window there is an icon on the far right that looks like little mountains with a sun.  Click on that and it opens another window where you can drag your pictures.  It will then automatically insert the picture at wherever you left the cursor in the post.  Once you’ve done it you will find it very straightforward.  I’m not sure what the file size limit is here but keeping it to a .jpg and around 500 kb is more than enough for a forum post.

Fred, There is always a possibility of picking up a second hand one and refurbish, restore, repair etc. to get yourself a steam model.  Prices seem to be falling nowadays so it is worth keeping your eyes open, as sadly more of us pass away and our collections are sold off by family members.  If you ever need a hand identifying or evaluating something always feel free to ask.  What is it that puts you off, the cost?, the build?, accesibility of suitable water?

[Stephen GarradParticipant @stephengarrad28964]

I’m thinking that one of the wife’s Steradent tubes is about right for the funnel, when I get that far.!

I’m in Gloucestershire & could travel but not too far that it would be overnight, but I cant see my puffer will be afloat this year.

Stephen

 

[James Hill 5Participant @jameshill5]

Hi Stephen,

My build is certainly going to be a long one as well. Although at the moment I’m not sailing anything, I just enjoy the challenge of making something.

Always nice to see where we all are in the country….. or world!

Jim.

[Stephen GarradParticipant @stephengarrad28964]

Hi Jim

I’m enjoying the build as much as I do sailing earlier models. I bought a fiberglass puffer hull on ebay, the rest will be scratch built. I’m lucky that we have the Glos & Sharpness canal a mile from home & 1/2 dozen or so members of the Glos model boat club meet Tues & Fri pms for a natter and sail, though not every time in this weather. I usually take my lifeboat or narrowboat for a run. It will be a while before a puffer is seen on the Glos & Sharpness canal I think.

Stephen

[Fred Ellis 1Participant @fredellis1]

Hi One & All

This morning I tried out for the first time, making rivets with PVA glue. I think that they may be to big in the end, just have to wait to see how it look when they are dry. if they are wrong then I will try the small needle

Fred

[Fred Ellis 1Participant @fredellis1]

Hi One & All

I have been thinking this over and was wondering just what you think?

What if I was to use some tin foil, if I was to make a jig by drilling some holes into a strip of sheet, glue a backing on to the strip, tape the tin foil over the strip then rub the foil so that it fills the holes, I just need to work out how to make the rivet head oval.

Fred

[James Hill 5Participant @jameshill5]

Hi Fred,

When doing the rivets that I’ve applied so far, I used a pounce wheel, suggested by Richard on the reverse side of the card I was using. If you look back in the posts you’ll see I used a material that I applied using a cocktail stick. That way you could make the rivet heads whatever size you wanted. Don’t forget , once on the water any rivetting would be difficult to see.  I’m sure you’ll sort it out.

Jim.

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

Fred, As Jim mentioned the pounce wheel is an effective method of adding rivet heads.  On the funnel above I ran a pounce wheel down the edge of some heavy paper then cut the strip off and glued it to the funnel to make butt straps type joints.  If you don’t have pounce wheels or cannot get them you can use either a clock gear wheel or something similar and make one.  There are plenty on Ebay though:

Pounce Wheel

This is the funnel straps:

They are also a very useful tool to create canvas covers from heavy tin foil, the type used to seal AC ducting

[Fred Ellis 1Participant @fredellis1]

Hi

Thank you for all your advice,

Jim & Richard thank you for your memory jog I have one some were in one of my work box’s, I got it way back when Nelson had both eye’s.

New funnel on it’s way

Fred

[Fred Ellis 1Participant @fredellis1]

Hi One & All

I have now fixed the rear deck, and primed the wheelhouse, also fixed the freeing ports along with the rudder servo, I have gone with a mini servo and the control rod has been run along the rear deck to the rudder. in time the funnel will be Black with a Red topping, as for the wheelhouse I think I will use a light cream, ( I have a tin of light cream)

Fred

[James Hill 5Participant @jameshill5]

Hi Fred,

That’s coming along nicely. Really starting to look like a Puffer. Your’s is slightly different to mine in that my plan shows the funnel in front of the wheelhouse.

I’ve managed to get the rudder working using the electrics ( which surprised me ) as I usually get stuck and have to start asking questions. I’ve changed the motor to an MTroniks M500 so need to adjust the motor mount accordingly.  I was going to fit an M600 but nobody seems to have them anymore, even Mtroniks themselves.

Once that’s done, I can carry on fitting the rest of the electrics in their place and varnish the inside of the hull. Then on with building.

Jim.

[Fred Ellis 1Participant @fredellis1]

Hi

Jim that it good news that you now have a working rudder, still have to finish fitting the servo, I must say that you seem to have got all the electrics sorted, all I know about mine is that the motor is an old one from Hunters systems so it could be a 380 as it’s that small, as for the ESC I think that I have a quickstart 10/60 in one of the box’s that I can use.

As for the wheel house I am just making it as I go along.

Looking forward to seeing how yours progresses

Fred

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

Gents, Just happened to come across this today and thought you puffer types might find it intersting:

 

Puffer Steering Gear

 

And if you go to the Scottish Maritime Museum page on Flickr and put Puffer in the search feild there are lots of really interesting pictures.

[Len Morris 2Participant @lenmorris2]

Looking good Fred.  I’m sure you’ll be floating soon!

Excellent picture of the steering gear Richard.  Looks like a real leg chopper!

Len. 🙂

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