goldneagle
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Glad you are back safe. Thank you for your service. I look forward to seeing your project progress.
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Steel Soldiers now has a few new forums, read more about it at: New Munitions Forums!
Scratchbuilt 1/8 scale M915A1
- Thread starter BrassBuilder
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BrassBuilder
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Getting into too thin category. I think I used .032" aluminum strips to keep the spacing between the fins uniform. I think I have some .025 around that I'll use instead.Heyy! Welcome back!! How about aluminum foil, pop cans, beer cans for different thicknesses of aluminum stock! Cheap and readily available is always nice! Great to see you back and on the build!or pop whatever your choice!
![[thumbzup]](https://www.steelsoldiers.com/images/smilies/icon_smile_thumzup.gif "Thumbs Up [thumbzup]"){kind=icon}
Starting to make the new fins. Hoping to get a bunch more run this weekend. I want to start building!
Mike
BrassBuilder
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No update yet but I am working on this. Been having issues with my photo etch operation that has been driving me up the wall. Without going into a great many technical details (unless anyone is familiar with photo etch processes...), the last batch of photo resist film I received was bad....and it came all the way from China...and they are dragging their feet on replacing it. I bought some more from a US supplier (surprisingly, almost the same price that I was paying for the China stuff) and it is much better. It took me a few tries to get a system down that works because it seems like every batch of film has its own temperament on how it wants to be applied. But now I am waiting for a larger roll to make its way here because the small "try it and see what you think" roll I got didn't last too long.
So...yeah....waiting on supplies.
Mike
So...yeah....waiting on supplies.
Mike
Howdy!! Great to hear about the "PROGRESS"!!! Any one want to get into a political rant?? ha ha, Anyways great to hear you have sourced some good supplies from the "Good Ole USA"!!! It is time we try to source what we can from home and holler really loud when we can't get them from here and suggest that we do!!
I can't wait to see how your radiator is progressing.
Dennis
I can't wait to see how your radiator is progressing.
Dennis
BrassBuilder
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Hey Dennis,
Yeah...I was buying the film from a US supplier for awhile and then they just up and stopped stocking it, so I went the China route. I was searching around after this last fiasco and I found a company in NC. The thing is, they aren't too much more expensive than getting it from China, the delivery is faster, and the product is a lot better. I'm hoping to get a bunch of parts etched out over the next month. I'm busy the next two weekends, so not much will be getting done. I just want to get this radiator done so I can work on something else. Probably the engine next....might work on the suspension. Not sure yet.
Mike
Yeah...I was buying the film from a US supplier for awhile and then they just up and stopped stocking it, so I went the China route. I was searching around after this last fiasco and I found a company in NC. The thing is, they aren't too much more expensive than getting it from China, the delivery is faster, and the product is a lot better. I'm hoping to get a bunch of parts etched out over the next month. I'm busy the next two weekends, so not much will be getting done. I just want to get this radiator done so I can work on something else. Probably the engine next....might work on the suspension. Not sure yet.
Mike
BrassBuilder
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Hey Everyone!
This project isn't dead...just haven't had any time to work on it. After I got back from Afghanistan, the Army decided it was a good idea to send me to Germany for a couple of weeks on a project. Then I had a bunch of weekends tied up with work...and I have a shop in town that we have been doing some extensive remodeling.
But anyway...I did find some time a couple of months ago to build a new jig to build the radiator. I used some 1" 80/20 extruded aluminum rail. I want to tweak it a bit and then I think I will be rolling. I have all the pieces made to get this built....I just need to find some time
Hoping to get back to this in the next couple of months.
Mike
This project isn't dead...just haven't had any time to work on it. After I got back from Afghanistan, the Army decided it was a good idea to send me to Germany for a couple of weeks on a project. Then I had a bunch of weekends tied up with work...and I have a shop in town that we have been doing some extensive remodeling.
But anyway...I did find some time a couple of months ago to build a new jig to build the radiator. I used some 1" 80/20 extruded aluminum rail. I want to tweak it a bit and then I think I will be rolling. I have all the pieces made to get this built....I just need to find some time
Hoping to get back to this in the next couple of months.
Mike
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Thanks for keepin us in the loop! Amazing what you are accomplishing.
God bless
Tony
God bless
Tony
BrassBuilder
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I might toss the radiator aside and go onto something else so I can get some progress. I just cannot for the life of me get a small enough amount of solder put in place. The space between the fins fill up with too much solder. The stuff I have is 1/32" but I don't know the melting temp of it. I can build this thing in a matter of a week if I could just get the solder to go where I want it. I'm going to try once more this week and if it doesn't go to my satisfaction level....I'm moving on. But....I kind of need the radiator to make sure the front end goes together correctly.
This is about the 4th or 5th try on it in the last couple of months....hence no pics.
Mike
This is about the 4th or 5th try on it in the last couple of months....hence no pics.
Mike
R Racing
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It may not be doable. But could you clamp the pieces together and then wave solder it together ?? By the way hats off for the work you do !!!!
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Mike, cant imagine the patience and skill it takes to do what you are doin. Have you thought about silfloss solder? Too big? Sometimes the big break through is on the next attempt. Thanks for sharing.
God bless
Tony
God bless
Tony
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As the others have said - Keep up the good work.
Addressing your recent "failures", please post some pics of the faulty assemblies and you might get some surprisingly useful suggestions and advise. Some have already been given on the fly, but putting eyes on the problem might help.
IMHO
Carry on.
John
Addressing your recent "failures", please post some pics of the faulty assemblies and you might get some surprisingly useful suggestions and advise. Some have already been given on the fly, but putting eyes on the problem might help.
IMHO
Carry on.
John
BrassBuilder
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Thanks John! I will do that sometime!
I know I haven't posted in a while, but the project is far from dead. I started over on the radiator (again) and made all new fins....only to decide that if I made the slots through the fins a little narrower it will help my ability to get a nice clean solder joint. I need to make the slots thinner than the finished goal because the acid will eat past the mask a bit. I think I mentioned somewhere that I have around 7000 solder joints so having nice tight joints is definitely good.
I was hoping to get a pretty good start on this at Christmas but now we are going to put a new basement under our house next year and I need to start emptying the basement of my machine shop....and there is a lot of stuff. I am going to keep a couple of benches so that hopefully I can get some modeling time in before the project kicks in gear.
Plus I just got another load in for my surplus business that I need to start going through.....sighs.....
Mike
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Thanks for the update!!! Good luck with the basement.
God bless,
Tony
God bless,
Tony
earnie
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any updates on this cool project
BrassBuilder
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No updates. I'd been thinking about getting back here but never seem to find the time. I got the basement project mostly done and have a huge area for the machine shop. Unfortunately, the surplus business is taking off and that eats up valuable free time.
But I have a list of "to do" items that I need to get done....I need to get the workbenches repainted and installed in the machine shop of the basement. And I need to get the CNC lathe and mill back together....and get all the tools put away....find my microscope for the delicate work....get all the raw stock put away....but I did find the jig I built to build the radiator so that's at least something.
The parts that I have done are sitting on a shelf in my office at work and needless to say, the parts are like a magnet to visitors that come into my office. I mean....it is kind of hard to miss a 36" M915 cab and frame sitting on a shelf at eye level
Mike
BrassBuilder
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Well....got the workbenches repainted and put back in. Moving forward anyway.
Also took on a part time job to get a few extra bucks each week. Sighs....
Also took on a part time job to get a few extra bucks each week. Sighs....
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Curious if you have any new photos of the work shop or the build??? Glad to hear that you're still pluggin along!
A suggestion for the load for your 5 ton: a tank!
For the Awesome Sauce that this project is!
Always fun to log in and see this thread when an update notification arrives!
I think part of the fun is the effort of that pesky radiator!
You will have much satisfaction when you build it to your standards.
Dennis
For the Awesome Sauce that this project is!
Always fun to log in and see this thread when an update notification arrives!
I think part of the fun is the effort of that pesky radiator!
You will have much satisfaction when you build it to your standards.
Dennis
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do you sell them? i would love model of my truck.
BrassBuilder
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Hey...quick update and to answer a question or two....
1. The load....I need to get the truck done first! LOL. Honestly, when I first started in on scratchbuilding, I was going to build an M88 recovery vehicle. I even took a few hundred pics and measurements and started building the tracks. I figured I better start with something a little simpler....I ended up building a M416 trailer that the shop had on location. I did finish that and if I can find the pics, I'll post a build thread on it.
2. Sorry TMG....I don't sell anything. If I do anything with my stuff, I'll probably donate it to the military museum in Pierre, SD or to the VA in Sioux Falls, SD.
3. My workbenches are buried and I couldn't get a decent pic....which leads to #4...
4. Tired of the surplus business and tired of managing ebay auctions and tired of working 80-90 hours between 4 jobs. Decided to close up the surplus business and start back on building models. I'm scrapping out around 200 computer servers and I have a huge stack of empty cases right square in front of the work benches. Once the weather warms up and I can get my car trailer out of storage, I'll get all of that hauled out of the basement.
Stay tuned....
Mike
1. The load....I need to get the truck done first! LOL. Honestly, when I first started in on scratchbuilding, I was going to build an M88 recovery vehicle. I even took a few hundred pics and measurements and started building the tracks. I figured I better start with something a little simpler....I ended up building a M416 trailer that the shop had on location. I did finish that and if I can find the pics, I'll post a build thread on it.
2. Sorry TMG....I don't sell anything. If I do anything with my stuff, I'll probably donate it to the military museum in Pierre, SD or to the VA in Sioux Falls, SD.
3. My workbenches are buried and I couldn't get a decent pic....which leads to #4...
4. Tired of the surplus business and tired of managing ebay auctions and tired of working 80-90 hours between 4 jobs. Decided to close up the surplus business and start back on building models. I'm scrapping out around 200 computer servers and I have a huge stack of empty cases right square in front of the work benches. Once the weather warms up and I can get my car trailer out of storage, I'll get all of that hauled out of the basement.
Stay tuned....
Mike