1:72 Complete Iowa Battleship 16"-50 cal Turret with interior down to the magazine

[Vic Balshaw]

Sorry to hear this, its a bugger of a virus. Hope you don't get it too bad and your recovery is swift ans not lingering. Maybe take time out to dream up your next project.

 

[BertUS]

Yeah damned virus, but quick recovery and you can do angway something

 

[Builder 2010]

Thanks Guys!

COVID update!

I had two days of low fever and yucky head, and the rest of the week was basically nothing. It's lile the weakest head cold I've ever had. I took the full 40 pill dose of Mulnapivir, have no cough and basically no symptoms, but I'm still testing POSITIVE which means I'm still sleeping upstairs or hybrinating in the sun room binge watching all my stuff that my spouse doesn't dig as much. Moral of the story: double-boosted people with COVID doesn't get very sick.

 

[Builder 2010]

While I'm still testing positive (apparently that can go on for weeks), I have no symptoms, feel fine and in day 13. According to guidelines I can join civilized society, but should continue to mask when with others. I can live with that.

So I finally got back in the shop yesterday and printed some stuff. The air bottle print was mostly a failure. I didn't have enough robust support at the base and some of the bottlws formed in the upper part of the print (which is unusual) while the part closest to the build plate was missing. I've reset the supports and will reprint the lot and get some more good ones. Only the ones on the foreground will be seen. Those on the shelf where it wraps around the back of the turret will be out of view.

i got beautiful bolt detail on the reprints of the elevation gear tilting box. These are now very usable. This shows quite dramatically the differences in print quality based on where you put the supports. You are always balancing supports in the places to support a good print and keeping the away from details that will suffer from the support removal.

I also found that I was missing one of the B-ends and had too many of one hand and not enough of the other since the guns are both right and left handed driven by which side the powder trunk lies. So I'm reprinting some of these too.

Again, here's a completed elevation system.

As for the other end... the connection between the elevating screw and the gun slide, I needed to come up with something that was both articulated and robust enough. I re-printed some of the screws to make the upper end a bit thicker to take up more space in the milled groove I made, and to add a little more mass into which I would drill the mounting pin hole.

I decided to install a piece of 1/16" brass tubing which has a 1/32" i.d.. I epoxied (J-B Weld) this into the gun slide resin since the drilled holes weaken the walls significantly. I will then removed the tubing up the middle of the milled slot and insert the screw in the space created. I will use a 1/32" piece of Phos-bronze as the hinge pin. Unfortunately, the upper end of the screw is not wide enough to support the 1/16" brass tube and will be just holding the 1/32 wire. When I left them last night the J-B Weld was curing. I intially tried using Bondic, but it couldn't handle the stress of the diamond burr I was attempting to use to remove the center brass section.

J-B Weld, for the uninitiated, is an epoxy that has metub and it's my go-to cement when I really want to be sure about the joint's integrity. I used it to hold piece of 0.010" piano wire struts to my Missouri and Essex antenna mast builds.

The screws will be attached to the guns first. The guns will be assembled to their trunnions while threading the screw bottom end into the tilting box. It will be a tricky assembly operation because you can't reach into the pan deck when the guns are in place. I've been assembling this part in my mind and visualizing trouble. When I visualize trouble, it's usually there.

I pulled a revised pan deck bottom plate off the printer this morning that was successful. This print is without the traverse gear, which I also successfully printed yesterday that will be installed as separate components. They weren't forming correctly as integral parts of the pan deck plate. Sometimes trying to be too clever creates even more work.

I had my 77th birthday and don't feel a day over 76. Oher than COVID, I'm holding up pretty well and my modeling has never been better.

 

[SaparotRob]

Well, if you can't join civilized society, you are welcome here.

 

[Wurger]

 

[Builder 2010]

Thanks!

Short session... The powder flat print finished last night. The results are... perplexing. I thought I've had pretty much experienced every weird result in the technology, but clearly I was wrong. The powder flat printed in its entirety and then some. I'm very used to having parts of the job not printing or printing, but delaminating when a support lets go. This time the printer printed a whole bunch of stuff that wasn't there. And I don't know how this can happen. I don't know what the mechanism is to create this.

Here was the original drawing. Notice there is no massive rib running down the middle.

And here's the setup on the printer. It's a massive part and is simply the largest the printer can handle in the X-Y direction. There's some more height possible. I printed with the open cutaway on the plate side. If I do reprint I will put the cutaway on the finishing side. All the red area is out of the print zone and will not print. As it was the Wham Bam spring build plate holds like crazy and the missing raft makes no difference in the outcome.

And here's what happened. What the heck is that massive rib doing there? Where did it come from? Why is the top surface so regular? It's almost like it was drawn that way, but I didn't draw it.

I can remove it with the Dremel and router so I can save the part. The part of the lower wall that broke out occured during support removal and I will just enlarge the cutaway area and, again, save the part. It used a ton of resin and took many hours and I'd rather not reprint if I don't have to. On the printer right now is the revised electric deck and it too is a big complex part. I'm hoping that the creation of this artifact is not a technical failure occuring in the machine's logic or in the LCD screen.

The other thing I did today was attempt to get those brass bushings fitted. The J-B Weld failed also when trying to remove the center section possibly from vibration and/or heat. In one case, I added thin CA and got it cut. In the second, the inner part remained and the outer part came out and was re-glued as above. On the third, the resin around the outer opening broke apart and failed. I was able to rebuild this with some phos-bronze pins and then layers of Bondic which I reshaped. I then drilled it directly for the 1/32" rod that will serve as the axle.

In my attempt to re-glue the outer brass pieces with thin CA, thee CA filled the hole. I was successfully able to drill the CA out with the 1/32" carbide drill. In the last one, the darn drill broke almost through the job and the carbide chunk is embedded. You can't drill out carbide with carbide. I will have to remove the brass entirely and will probably have to rebuild the lug with pins and Bondic as I did before.

Using Bondic and pins is very similar to what dentists use to build up a broken tooth if you're not getting a full crown. In fact, the resin's almost the same stuff. That entire corner (arrow) was built up. You have to apply the Bondic is a series of layers curing each with the 405nm UV laser. When properly supported it's as strong as the substrate.

 

[Vic Balshaw]

 

[BertUS]

That beam, it's looks like a glitch in your digital thing. I don't know, but think your loading your files onto a USB stick and then trasnfer it to the printer.? Maybe the file is kinda corrupt. Can you check into your slider program, layer by layer if you seen the same beam?

It looks like something you printed before and it's your deck file

But really, it's a huge part and maybe you should printed in a angle so the resin can fled out of the part during the proces

Ow, I understand your had your birthday? If so, congrats

 

[Wurger]

 

[Builder 2010]

Thanks for the birthday wish.
I was able to surgically remove the "growth" that permeated the powder flat. There's still more work to do to make the surfaces appear as if nothing was ever there, but I made a good start. I also cleaned up the cutaway some more, but more work needs to be done there too.

The electric deck print was perfectly formed with no weird shapes. That elminates any systemic problems like the LCD failing. I can use this electric deck as is, but I think i'm going to reprint since it's just using resin. I just ordered another kilo of gray and the Siraya Tenacious. The Tenacious lasts a long time since I'm only usng 15% per mix. The correct version (#3) has more partitiions and the floor openings closed.

Just for fun I stacked up some of the completed decks to get an estimate of how big it's going to be. It will be about 11" high depending on the attitude of the guns. I'm making the case interior one inch taller than the highest point. It will be dark in the shadow areas which is why the entire inside will be LED lit.

There's an interesting product out there which uses an induction coil and little LED modules that pick up the induced current and wirelessly light the LEDs. I thought about using the method since wiring up the central column (very prototypical I might add) adds significant complication to the build. But the range is only 15 cm, and the closer you get to that number the dimmer the LEDs would be. It would cost about $70 USD, which isn't a show stopper, but I was concerned about the light output. I don't just want illuminated spots like lighting model headlights or running lights. I need LEDs that will produce lumens to light other surfaces. For that I will go with my standby LED surface mount units that produce gobs of light.

I finished up the addition of the elevating screws. I removed the brass with the broken carbide bit, did my Bondic magic and drilled it with the 1/32 bit. I also fixed another gun the same way and now have three guns with the lead screws attached. I'm going to paint them this way, although I thought about putting it togeher after painting the gun slide. I'm still open to people to sway me one way or the other.

Some pins aren't exactly square but it makes absolutely no difference in how they're going to be used. The only have to adjust once since the guns are at fixed positions.

Here's the first screw installed.

And here are the three guns. Notice the handedness of the three guns.

I believe that if I can estimate the correct angle of the tilting box, I can insert the screw into the box and then drop the gun into the trunnions. There will be limited access throught the cutaway. Then there are the partitions that will get inserted from the top of the gun girders and seated onto the pan deck floor. Once the partitions are in, none of the elevating gear will be accessible. I'm making at least the first two transparent so you'll see into the pan deck interior through the partitions. Or at least that's how I'm imagining it now.

 

[Vic Balshaw]

Very impressed and when you say the whole unit is about 11" high, then that detail is super impressive.

 

[Wurger]

 

[BertUS]

When you put it together, you got a really good view of the installation, especcially for People who didn't see it in real or be in the navy. I'm glad to hear the printer is working well, so the file could be corrupt

 

[Crimea_River]

Amazing details.

 

[Builder 2010]

Thanks Guys.

I got a perfect print of the center gun alcove with all its neat details. I made four just in case I wrecked it in support removal. All the supports on the criticla details are light ones and should come off without damaging anything.

I haven't de-supported them yet, but will do that tomorrow.

The ring gear print cleaned up perfectly! it's a gem and really showcases what hi-res 3D printing can bring to the model building hobby. My only mistake was using too few sides on the circular interpolation. I'm switching to 96 segments in the future. 48 is too few on large diameter parts.

This shows how nicely the remade pinions engage with the ring gear. They mesh because I used the same pitch angle for both drawings.

While that was so successul, my re-print of the more complicated electric deck was a total failure. Almost anything that could go wrong did. Supports broke, partitiions were half-formed. Walls were perforated, floor delaminated badly, etc. It went right into the trash. I'm glad I kept the last iteration. I can scratch-build the missing partitions. I never throw a bag print away until I get a good replacement.

I also just reprinted the upper projectile deck core. This one's a bit marginal, but I will be able to salvage it. I got a new load of resin, so if I have to do it again, I can. I have three other files to print and the printing is complete. None of them are multi-hour monsters. I could theoretically print them all in one day. The three files are: reprint air bottles systems on the powder flat outer ring, 16" shell arrays for the outer ring on the projectile decks, and a bunch of odds and ends punch list items. I plan on taking a photo of all the parts shown in one place. It would be a mind-blower.

The end of the print phase of the project is definitely near. I would really like to do some painting this week since the humidity and temps are supposed to be ideal.
I'm also scheduling a 3D scanning session with a friend who has a hi-res scanner. I'm going to have him scan me (or him) in various poses that the crew would take to run the various turret operations. I've studied the thing for so long I can put myself in most of the poses that would be realistic entirely from memory.

I'm not looking for a highly detailed human figures since that would have me attempting to sculpt clothing and facial features, both of which are way out of my comfort zone. Instead, I just want human-looking figures in correct poses to show the scale of the machinery. That I believe we can pull off successfully. I suppose I could give the scans to companies (Read Oak) who know how to do this stuff and have them create highly detailed figures, but the cost is a show stopper. I am donating this project to the Big J and any extra cost I incur is mine.

 

[Vic Balshaw]

Sure looks good from my rabbit hole.

 

[BertUS]

Nice prints, man and bummer that the electric deck didn't want to print. Maybe you can try to save the file under a new name and take a fresh USB to try it again

 

[Wurger]

 

[Builder 2010]

Thanks guys! The previous electric deck will work. As you'll see in this post I've begun restoration of the pan deck and will do the same to the electric deck. Both will work.

A milestone day! The final print job is going on the machine today and will be a short 1.5 hour one. I finished the last two drawings today; the turret interior periscope and the vent structure in the side passageway. I'm still doing the restoration work on the pan deck and the electric deck, but that will be done by friday. I'm estimating that painting, partition cutting and cylindrical wall creation will happen next week. That may extend for a week or two more. We're heading to Maui for a nice long vacation from my retirement (which is an endless vacation) in mid-September for 14 days. Really it's a well-earned change of scenery.

First of all, here's how the finished center gun alcove will fit into the turret. The print, as I noted before de-supporting, was a beauty.

I will be painting all these compartment details BEFORE assembly. I had to add floor plates to the cut out ares of the gun girder to simulate the single floor plate on the turret. The Takom model was wide open in this area and needed closing up a bit to support the sighting stations. I also have to add a styrene sheet on the officer's booth portion of the turret since this too was plated in the prototype.

I did a test fit of the sight station to a) see if it aligned well with the flooring and b) if I could get the now-larger part into the model with the turret closed up. I could, just barely. This pic was taken before the floor was installed.

The last two parts to draw were the interior portion of the two turret periscopes and the vent structure. The exterior periscope portion is a Takom kit part. This interior part will have to be glued on the clear acrylic roof part that I haven't cut yet. I found some good photos of it so the model is reasonably accurate.

The last part I'm going to print was the vent units that are prominent in the side passage. There are other ventilation structures in the turret, but I'm not modeling them. I'm also...at this moment... not planning on modeling the circuit boxes and wiring that's on the back turret wall. I may change my mind again.

Here's what the FINAL PRINT looks like on the slicer. As I've noted many times, resin printers don't care how much stuff is on the plate. It doesn't affect print time one jot unless what you add is taller. Height determines number of layers which in turn determines print time. FDM printers DO care about number of objects since they're created one string at a time. So I really loaded up this run with all the punch list items. This includes the acess ladders from the rear gun compartment to the pan deck. This is used by primer man to get down to his duty station. I've added some separate floor hatchs which I will place in strategic locations. It has the missing air bottle from the first level projectile flat, the periscopes and finally those vents.

I started the restoration of the projectile deck. I filled the small damages and restored the opening for one of the access hatches. I have to rebuild the lower wall under one of the scuttle openings. I'm cutting some shaped styrene sheet to back up that large space and will then either use epoxy with micro-ballons for filler or more Bondic. Bondic on UV resin is marvelous since it's the same material and binds and blends flawlessly. I'm going to have to use thing sheet since I don't want to elevate the Ofc's Booth massive print's install height.

So dear readers, we'll be enterning a new phase... constuction. The printing was a massive undertaking. I have almost 1,000 files in the turret sub-directory, split between drawings, screen prints and imported reference material.

I'll be posting later today with today's output. Stay tuned.