Thursday 16 June 2011

Paddle Steamer Progress


I'm sure Isambard Kingdom Brunel floated a model of the Great Eastern in his bath just to check it's buoyancy...didn't he? The 12 volt electric motor is from a soviet made Lada car and it has been mated to cut down electric screwdriver gearbox (with metal epicyclical/planetary gears no less!) and then through the bevel gears of a hand drill, it has been tested and works beautifully, it needs installing for propper into the boat now so I need to fit wooden bearers into the hull so I can screw down the parts. Btw I'm not sure how much it will end up looking like a Murray river steamer! I've got some ideas of my own i want to try out.

Parts used in the drive train so far;

12 volt car windscreen washer motor (USSR made)
Radio knob for motor to geabox shaft coupling
Half an eletric scredriver gearbox
Electric screwdriver allen key bit
1" long surgical tubing
Nut from a surgical tubing gland that happened to have the same thread as..
A handrill minus the chuck and handles
12" of M6 studding
The wire levers removed from 8 clip board clips (Paddle wheel spokes)
Tin from the rim of a chocolate tin (Paddles)
8mm Nylon tubing.
Various M6 nuts and bolts

Cost so far-- I need to replace my hand drill! Have seen one for £6.

No comments:

Post a Comment