Steam Punk - The "Aston"-ishing Steamer

[MaxHeadroom]

Talking with friends about and looking into the net about "Steam Punk" I'd an idea to recycle an old kit from my youth.
Steam punk is a fascinating theme for a modelbuilder, 'cause it let your fantasy free (in a certain frame).
Copper, brass, leather, steam engines, cogwheels, hydraulics and so one can be used, it's based in the victorian age of industrial revolution and uses techniques of modern times with the resources of the mid/late 19th century.
Funny!

And this is the old kit, I use for:


Now I present you the first pictures.
This was the (more or less) shattered base:


Extending the frame and showing the 6 tires to make a 6-wheeler of:


What the hell is this for?


What for? Of course for making the boiler:


To be continued.

Norbert

[Brian da Basher]

Seems like you chose the perfect vehicle for the Steam Punk treatment.

I'm looking forward to seeing where you take this!

Brian da Basher

[Old Wombat]

PLUS you get to use useful elements like aether & phlogiston!





n.b: Although both well & truly debunked by the end of the 19^th Century they do seem to get a good run in the Steam Punk genre.

[GTX_Admin]

Watching closely.

[MaxHeadroom]

Now I have constructed the condensation-unit between the boiler and the passenger-compartement.
The slots of the condensing unit were the slots of the kit's original Aston Martin bonnet/hood.


And now a preview of the next steps:

The two tanks (one for water, one for oil) are made of a syringe, each containing (in scale) 250 litre/65 gal. (US)/55 gal. (UK) approximately.


Norbert

[Buzzbomb]

Yes sir !!!!

I really like where this is heading.. Has a sort of Dick Darstardly feel to it out of Wacky Racers.

[Queeg]

Definitely like the 6 wheel layout, neat idea.

[Brian da Basher]

Definitely like the 6 wheel layout, neat idea.

I've got to agree! Genius thinking, that!

Brian da Basher

[MaxHeadroom]

The need for a double-axis (-axle?) at the stern is obviously, I think.
Cause we have two tanks, together with a filling of roundabout 500 kg, the lightweight-frame of the sports-steamer needs support.
So I was forced to find a solution to spread the load.
The result is a 6-wheeler.

Everytime, when I build a model coming out of my fantasy, I count in the physics!
It's necessary.
Therefore, I will never build a carrier-Luftschiff, because of the massive discrepancy of the size of the "balloon" and the "payload".
Nevertheless, I like the idea of a carrier-Zeppelin and the examples, I have seen in some modelbuilder-boards!

Norbert

[MaxHeadroom]

The Aston-ishing steamer is still in progress!

Here an overviev (status: an hour ago):

I'd added a panel at the front, a bracing between the stern and the passenger compartement and the rear suspension.

And now a closer view:

You can see the bracing, I'd maked a T-profile to strengthen it.
To create the rear suspension, I'd built two new, longer packages of leaf-springs.
Because of the fact longer packages of leaf-springs are softer than shorter ones, I'd added one more layer to compensate the greater softness.
The drive will be made of connecting rods like a steam-locomotive. That makes it necessary to prevent a independent suspension, so I'd created a collectively suspension of the two rear axles.
The whole construction was made of plastic sheets of different thicknesses to make it realistic.
I'd recycled the original friction-dampers (friction-shock-absorbers).
A locomotive doesn't need a suspension like a car with springs, because of the stiff and plain tracks. That makes driving by rods easy. Now, the rear suspension of my steamer allows to connect both wheels at each sides by simple stiff rods.
The connection between the steamengine and the rear suspensionsystem by rods will be a bit difficult, but I will find a logical solution.
I'm thinking of movable, two-piece rods for both of the sides of the car, each of the two halfs connected by springs and shock absorbers.

Norbert

[jcf]

Why not use a geared drive?, or chain drive which was used on steam autos.

http://www.gearedsteam.com/index.html

... of course rod drive was used as in the De Dion Bouton Trepardeoux Quadracycle. 
http://www.steamcar.net/z-christies.html


http://www.steamcar.net/index.html

[MaxHeadroom]

A geared drive or a chain drive, jcf?
Why not use such drive?
If I will be honest; I must confess, I didn't have thought about these alternatives.
But... 
(Maybe a chain drive between engine and rear suspension system will be realistic. I will think about.)

Thank you,

Norbert

P.S.: thx for the links!

[elmayerle]

If I was going for a futuristic look, I'm be tempted to do something with a steam-powered electric drive (either a direct driven generator or a steam-turbine-generator package) and electric motors on all wheels.  For what you're doing, I'd argue for a chain drive with proper oiling system and protections against a broken chain.

[uncle les]

I like..  I like a lot.  :)

[Brian da Basher]

I like..  I like a lot.  :)

I couldn't agree more. I really like those springs, too. Nice touch, Norbert!

Brian da Basher

[MaxHeadroom]

@ elmayerle:
What do you mean by "protection against a broken chain"?
I never ever have heard about a protection against ripped up chains.

(I only can imagine two extra-tiny dwarfs having ultra-fast reactions living in boxes at each side of the frame , pushing the emergency-clutch-buttons and grabbing the loose ends of the teared drive-chain. )

So, I think, I better will realize the drive-rod-system.

Thx to all others, liking my project.

Norbert

[elmayerle]

Presumably a chain guard that keeps a broken chain from flailing around as it falls off.  Generally I'd see it as a piece of sheet metal between the chain and more delicate pieces or people.  It could also make it more difficult for something kicked up from the roadway surface from hitting and damaging the chain.

[MaxHeadroom]

Thx, elmayerle, I think now I know what you mean.

I remember a capsuled gearwheels-drivechain-system from the past.
Like this:

(a 1969 50 ccm Kreidler Florett)

Norbert

[raafif]

a chain-guard makes sense but ..... is not "cool".  Far sexier to see the chain going round at speed & slinging some oil about like I've seen at a vintage racer outing. :)

[MaxHeadroom]

You'll bet, raafif!

Norbert

[MaxHeadroom]

And now for two (or 2 and a half) steps more.

I'd problems by creating the wheels:
a) because I haven't 6 tires of the same size and
b) because i wasn't sure about the design of the rims, although I have 6 spoke-rims of the same sort.
but I can't use them - they are too weak for connecting rods. They are good for usual cars, but not for a rod driven steam-car!
Scratchbuilding some steam-locomotive-like rims, my skills are not advanced enough for.
The sollution was: disc rims.
So, I didn't use the spoke-rims at the front wheels either...

...look yourself:

On the left (from a verrry ooold GDR-kit) a front wheel.
The problem was the much too wide drilling. I'd widen it up, inserted some pieces of round plastic stick and drilled a new hole for the Aston-axle.
Building the disc-rims, my skills to create a profile like at real rims are too poor.
Like this:

So I simply made the disc, added some spacers to the inner side (see at the right) and then, I create the outsides (in the middle):
Spigots for the rods (red) and in opposite of each spigot ballance weights to prevent the imballance just like at a real wheel of a steamlocomotive.
In the center, I have build a hub, complete with a (six-cornered) nut as a central lock (honed down by a file and holded with my own sausage-like fingers. ).

I hope, you like (although it's simplicity).
 
But I have also found an answer for the 2nd and half problem.
How to paint the "Aston-ishing Steamer"?
This is the answer:

This is the locomotive of the "Flying Scotsman".
I confess, this not a victorian-age painting, the period of steampunk is settled in, because the A-3-locomotive was used from 1923 on, but I think, the style of the A 3's painting is oldfashioned enough and it's lovely!!! I like it very much.

Norbert

[MaxHeadroom]

And now for the most important part: the mechanics of the drive (pistonrods and connecting rods).
First a view of the making of:


And this is the actual status:

Above the rods-system for the right side and below for the left side.
Both sides also in the correct geometry!
You see the needles with the tiny pinheads? I'm thinking of using the pinheads with some few millimeters of the needles as riveted bolts.
I won't simply glue the parts, because I like to keep the drive and the wheels movable!

Next step will be giving the parts a cover with primer and then the final colour like at the Flying Scotsman.

Norbert


Btw.:
Please grant a question of understanding related to the words "color"/"colour".
I know, both versions means the german "Farbe". But why the different look; 1st with a single "o", 2nd with "ou"?
I've seen both version in BE and in AE, so I think the difference is not related by these both versions of the english language.
Please help me!
I want to understand!

N.

[jcf]

Color is the American English spelling of 'colour', but it was also used in Britain, along with other variations,
before the standardization of spelling.

In the US it is one of several words formerly spelled with an 'ou' that were simplified in the 19th
century by Noah Webster, amongst others. In the same period many words that had ended 're'
had the two letters reversed to 'er' i.e. centre vs. center, metre vs. meter etc.

Either version is correct and neither is phonetic in terms of pronunciation.   

p.s. Nice drive linkages, are you going to do the valve linkages next? 

[MaxHeadroom]

Thx a lot jcf for your friendly comment about my rod-system.
Sure, valves and tubes and so on will follow, but the drive was very important and I'd thought, I was forced to create it as realistic as possible.
The valves and the tubes and the whatever, for me grants a greater "artistical freedom" (in german: "künstlerische Freiheit").


And thx a lot for your linguistic explaination!
I see, there a sometimes two different orthographic versions with the same meaning and the same sound.
Interestingly they both are valid in BE as well as in AE (and in Australia, NZ, Belize, RSA, and so on?).

Same here in Germany: 
Some years ago (roundabout 10), we were the victim (in my opinion) of a orthographic reform; "Delfin" instead of "Delphin" (eng.:, "dolphin"), "Majonäse" instead of "Mayonnaise" (engl.: "mayonnaise/salad cream") and many more - the orthography of the centuries old historic roots raped by the simple sound of the word. Horrible!
And sometimes they have divided 2-words-words into 2 single words, what makes a total different meaning... let me give an example: "weitergeben" to "weiter geben".
Before the reform there was the 2-words-word AND the 2 single words perfect: "weitergeben" means "giving from one's hand into an other's hand", or a company to the next generation of the owner's family and so on. But "weiter geben" simply means "to continue giving something" like "will you continue to give informations about xy to me?".
Now after the reform we can't see the meaning just by reading by the word/-s, we are forced to find out the meaning by the context of the sentence/the text.

Now the joke; the TOTALLY TRUE joke:
After many very loud protests from the people and from journalists and authors and many other groups, the "society of german language" said: "Now, we have an official new version... but if you like you can use the old one, it won't be a mistake."

Pestilence and cholera to the reformers!!

Norbert


end of off-topic (?)

[Weaver]

That rod system is awesome: well done! 

Re the language thing, BE and AE versions of these words may be acceptable nowadays (mostly because spellcheckers default to AE) in practice, but how far they're acceptable depends who you're asking. When I was at school in the UK (up to mid 1980s):

"Color" was considered flat wrong: use it and you'd lose a mark for incorrect spelling.

"Centre" was only considered correct for the middle of a circle, while "center" was correct for a place, i.e. The Computer Center.

"Metre" was only considered correct for the measuring unit equal to 100cm, while "meter" was correct for a measuring device, i.e. an electricity meter.

a chain-guard makes sense but ..... is not "cool".  Far sexier to see the chain going round at speed & slinging some oil about like I've seen at a vintage racer outing. :)

Having been hit in the back by a broken motorcycle chain that went through it's plastic "chain guard" like it wasn't there, I can assure you that proper chain guards are much cooler than bruises.

[jcf]

"Color" was considered flat wrong: use it and you'd lose a mark for incorrect spelling.

... and the converse is true in the US. 

Having started my school years in Canada and then moving to the US, I got to
experience both sides. Just bloody glad I'm not dyslexic, 'twould have been hell.
 


 

[MaxHeadroom]

Well done, indeed!

I'm not kidding! Me, myself and I are also thinking I have done it in a pretty way, because it was my first job of this scratchbuilding-kind.
I wanted to present a proper result to you.
The longer I do modelbuilding, the more I learn, the more I have the courage to try out, the more I LIKE to try out because I see my improved skills small step, by small step.
(Since ever I am a "master of extemporization" [ask my mom, my friend, my wife/-s, my daughter, my old friends...] - but then it was in a muuuch bigger scale . For example: my first/divorced wife once said: "someone can dump a lorry-load of ordinary scrap in front of our house's door and 3, 2, 1... you have build a working frigde out of". She was right - almost. )


And thank you for the linguistic informations - I like to learn continuously!
I'm interested in many, many things: history, handcraft, techniques, languages, philosophy, politics, literature, film/cinema/TV, computer and computing, internet, military (arms, tactics, stategy, casus belli, vehicles, vessels, airplanes,...), oldtimer (vintage cars, bikes, trucks), old furniture (I love woodwork!) and sooo muuuch more!
In my opinion someone is mentally dead who doesn't have leastways ONE theme of interest and likes to learn about.

Norbert

[Camthalion]

looking good

[MaxHeadroom]

After putting the primer on, I'd created the tubes for steam and water between boiler, condenser and piston:

Note: the "tubes" are only sticked into the holes without glue.
Later, it will look better!

And these are the tubes for the right side of the vehicle:

Please excuse the bad focus; it depends on the small size of the parts.

Norbert

[Kerick]

Will you be leaving the tubes natural copper color or painting them?

[MaxHeadroom]

Natural copper!
It's steampunk, kerick... so copper is part of the steampunk-philosophy.
I will paint some few parts with brass-color and will use wood (real wood) as well as leather (real leather)!
I think, it will harmonize to the paint scheme of the Flying Scotsman.

Btw.: You see the parts for the right side shining red a bit...; I have marked them by a red-inked waterproof pen to keep left and right apart and not to confound.

Norbert

[jcf]

Coming along nicely.  :)

I do have to ask why you have included a condenser on your car, as it would
reduce the engine output. Condensers were not usual practice on steam land
vehicles. 

[MaxHeadroom]

No problem, jcf, and thank you for the question:
I used a condenser because a steamlocomotive has stored usually 4 times more water than coal or oil; and tons of both!
My steamer has only 2 tanks of 250 litre each for the oil and the water, so the relation is 1 to 1 and not 4 to 1.
That means I need a more or less closed circle for the water to recycle the steam back to water to extend the range before I'm forced to refill oil and -especially- water.
(I have to confess, I hadn't looked how the steam-car-builders of the early 20th century -e.g. the Stanley-Company- had managed the water-oil-relation during time of production, so my model comes totally out of my mind and imagination.)

Norbert

[MaxHeadroom]

Short before the finish:

O.k, without the wheels, the drive, some parts of the "cockpit", some small parts, a light shadowing and, most important, the final painting by gloss clear-paint...:





To prevent an over-pressure at the watertank (because of the hot condensed water coming back into the tank) you see an extra valve (red, at the rear end) on top of the tank.

I hope you like the color-scheme of the Flying Scotsman, transformed to the steam car. :)

Norbert

[GTX_Admin]

Looking good!

[MaxHeadroom]

A movable drive?

Yes, gentlemen, a movable drive (in 3 steps):





First I intend to made some more photographs to create an animated gif-file...
Can I upload an anim-gif here at BTS?

And now my thoughts to the guy with the steamer:

First I was thinking about giving a new styling to the figure of the british WW 2 soldier in the plasticbag: in mayor, hand him a long coat to wear.
Then, a few days ago, a friend from DMMB.info sent me some parts and some figures and so the "Landser" in his long coat will be converted into a civilian and the "Tommy" in the bag can wait until further mission.

Norbert

[finsrin]

When I see builds this good :)
It makes me consider switching to knitting or jigsaw puzzles.

[MaxHeadroom]

Thx a lot, Finsrin!!

You make me blush!

Remind, dear friend; for knitting, you need knitting skills and to play with jigsaw puzzles, you're much too old, I think - keep on modelling!
Do, try, make mistakes, do and try again, take the time you need and do and try!
Ask, and you will get help!
Use you eyes to "steal" from others..., and again: ask, do, try, make mistakes, take the time you need and once you will see: it's easy!

Your sincerely,

Norbert

[MaxHeadroom]

First works at the driver's figure:


In details:
- Transplanting the (skin-) head of the british soldier from the plastic bag.
- Giving a pipe into the hand holding the lapel/revers of the coat.
- Removing Reichsadler and "Gott mit uns"-motto from the belt's lock.
- Cutting off the epaulettes from the shoulders.
- Giving heels to the shoes. (I wonder if the Wehrmacht had have shoes without heels!?)
- "Buying" a Bowler in a hat shop.
- Sawing off the skull's top and placing the Bowler.
- Glueing on a mustache and kind of goatee.

But now I'm horrified about the need to mix a real good colour to paint the skin!

Norbert

[Brian da Basher]

I really like how you modified that figure, Norbert!

The pipe & bowler really came out well.

As for the paint, use a pale flesh tone and you can't go wrong. Rumor is all those steam engines led to quite a cloudy atmosphere. I don't recall seeing many tan steampunk people while looking at some artwork on the net.

Brian da Basher

[MaxHeadroom]

Now, the steamer and the driver are ready built.

STOP!
A little dirt and/or dust must be applied to the car and the driver needs also a little finish (look below).

Enjoy the pics of the details - the final presentation will follow when I will have made a nice base for the ensemble (in addition, there will come a suitcase and a bucket):

O.k., the fender at the driver's side (right-hand steering) is a bit out of direction, I know.
And the glasses of the headlights are turned a bit, but they are since I have built the Aston the first time decades ago.












(With a taillight made of original taillight-plastic!)


- Eyes, brows, mustache and goatee.
- Pale-dark folds/wrinkles at/in the coat.
- Collar and cuffs must be coated by matt-clear color, because it should look like flecked fur. (Ivory with black and brown)
- The coat will get some shining parts, because it's not a new one.
- The belt's lock and the buttons are "made" of brass.
- Polished ankleboots with pale black soles.
- The worse was colouring the lips; I don't want to give the driver some kind of bright-red pin-up-girl-lips... I think, I got it the right way.

Norbert

[Kerick]

I would say you got it perfect!

[GTX_Admin]

I would say you got it perfect!

Ditto

[raafif]

fantastic ! great job :)

I like the covers on the front wheels - who's garbage-cans were raided for those ?

[Weaver]

That looks awesome: well done. The driver is very good too.

[MaxHeadroom]

Wow! Thank you dear friends!
Your friendly words makes me feel warm and satisfied.
(But, to be honest: I didn't it perfect - I only did it the best way I can. My skills are able to grow much more than the actual status!)

@ raafif: They aren't made of carbage-can covers!
The complete front-wheels are from a verrry ooold kit of GDR-origin ("DDR" - east germany, if someone remembers). If I don't do a mistake, it must be a from a model of a hot rod.
I'm not kidding! The national people's-own GDR-plastic-model-factory had have a hot rod in it's program!!
I still have the frame of the hot rod in my sample box.

Norbert

[elmayerle]

Gorgeous car and figure: I can just hear it chuffing along the road.

They did a hot rod?  Was it an "American-style" hot rod or a hot-rodded locally-produced car?

[MaxHeadroom]

I think, it was american-style, elmayerle, and not a Trabant or Wartburg hot rod.

Norbert

[Antonio Sobral]

Great concept of a lean mean steampunk machine :)

[elmayerle]

I think, it was american-style, elmayerle, and not a Trabant or Wartburg hot rod.

The mind boggles at the thought of a hot-rod version of either of those.  OTOH, it would be an interesting challenge; I'd love to see what George Barris or Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, or someone of similar artistic ability, could've done with either of those.

[MaxHeadroom]

Words of acclaim by Antonio Sobral!!

I feel honoured, Antonio; thank you very much!
When I will have applied some dirt and/or dust, it will looks much less artificial and toy-like - I will show then.

Btw, Antonio, I've seen you and your presentation at SMC, Eindhoven, NL in 2013. I was impressed.

Norbert

[Antonio Sobral]

Hi Norbert

Thanks for the nice words, but I do not think I deserve them :)

I did not attend the SMC in Eindhoven, NL in 2013.
The last time I was in Eindhoven was more than 10 years ago,when I was working for Philips.

Could have been perhaps somebody with a name identical to mine?

[MaxHeadroom]

Ooops, I have taken a look to the old topics of 2013's SMC-Exhibition... it must be Fernando Ruiz from Spain.
But, if I remember right, your name is also well known in the modelbuilder's world.

Please excuse my mistake.

Norbert