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Mercedes Benz SSKL, Matchbox 1:32 plus scratchbuilt and 3d printed bits!


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The fact I have been quiet since my last post is deceptive. I have been trying (without much luck, it has to be said) to print a decent set of the redesigned hubs!

 

The redesign was simple enough, thicken up the front so it doesn't bend and that's about it. Then I tried to access Chitubox and it wouldn't open. I spent almost 2 days trying to find out how to sort out the issue. Apparently something, somewhere, had changed the settings and I kept getting a message to install a graphics card with ANGLE 2.0 or higher, (or something, I'm no computer techie!) but it has been running perfectly with the card I have up to this point! In the end I gave up, uninstalled Chitubox, and installed Lychee Slicer. Problem solved!

  However they don't want to print!

 

Effort no. 1

 

51208307506_32e5c01d8e.jpg

 

that's a fail then! All the failures were right at the joints of the supports so I thickened those up.

 

51207594962_b804ea0159.jpg

 

At least they're printing now. I even found out how thin this will go...

 

Lychee has a "mini support" option and these are 0.3mm!

 

51209071229_0d8c43c77c.jpg

 

They're meant for internal supports but I thought I'd try them anyway. They mostly failed, probably due to the length, but at least I know they're doable.

 

I started with the layer exposure at 5 secs and then 6 and 6.5 and got no further

 

51208508173_07acfa009e.jpg

 

I would say it's supports, but I had one print almost perfectly on the very first effort - 1 out of 7, all cloned! So maybe not.....

 

Anyway, I have now run the new file through the Lychee file checker which automatically repairs any errors on the 3D design, and am currently printing that at 7 secs. If it fails again I will add more supports around the edges. The one good thing has been that the altered knock-offs printed well first time. I thinned them (from .75mm to .6mm), narrowed the splines, and added a cut out to the rear face to help with mounting them. I just added a sphere to a plane behind the rear face and cut it out, giving me a domed indent.

 

51208508273_5720c28cf3.jpg

 

Here is a comparison with the original.

 

51208514008_af48696b4f.jpg

 

I just checked the latest print.

 

51209547110_faebff4e50.jpg

 

It's much better but still not right so it looks as though the supports will need upgrading. That's a job for tomorrow then!

 

Thanks for looking in, and stay safe!

 

Ian

 

 

 

 

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3 hours ago, Brandy said:

The fact I have been quiet since my last post is deceptive. I have been trying (without much luck, it has to be said) to print a decent set of the redesigned hubs!

 

The redesign was simple enough, thicken up the front so it doesn't bend and that's about it. Then I tried to access Chitubox and it wouldn't open. I spent almost 2 days trying to find out how to sort out the issue. Apparently something, somewhere, had changed the settings and I kept getting a message to install a graphics card with ANGLE 2.0 or higher, (or something, I'm no computer techie!) but it has been running perfectly with the card I have up to this point! In the end I gave up, uninstalled Chitubox, and installed Lychee Slicer. Problem solved!

  However they don't want to print!

 

Effort no. 1

 

51208307506_32e5c01d8e.jpg

 

that's a fail then! All the failures were right at the joints of the supports so I thickened those up.

 

51207594962_b804ea0159.jpg

 

At least they're printing now. I even found out how thin this will go...

 

Lychee has a "mini support" option and these are 0.3mm!

 

51209071229_0d8c43c77c.jpg

 

They're meant for internal supports but I thought I'd try them anyway. They mostly failed, probably due to the length, but at least I know they're doable.

 

I started with the layer exposure at 5 secs and then 6 and 6.5 and got no further

 

51208508173_07acfa009e.jpg

 

I would say it's supports, but I had one print almost perfectly on the very first effort - 1 out of 7, all cloned! So maybe not.....

 

Anyway, I have now run the new file through the Lychee file checker which automatically repairs any errors on the 3D design, and am currently printing that at 7 secs. If it fails again I will add more supports around the edges. The one good thing has been that the altered knock-offs printed well first time. I thinned them (from .75mm to .6mm), narrowed the splines, and added a cut out to the rear face to help with mounting them. I just added a sphere to a plane behind the rear face and cut it out, giving me a domed indent.

 

51208508273_5720c28cf3.jpg

 

Here is a comparison with the original.

 

51208514008_af48696b4f.jpg

 

I just checked the latest print.

 

https://flic.kr/p/2m2djf3

 

It's much better but still not right so it looks as though the supports will need upgrading. That's a job for tomorrow then!

 

Thanks for looking in, and stay safe!

 

Ian

 

 

 

 

 

I think you're as stubborn as I am, so, you'll try - and manage imho - to solve that problem.

Keep up the good work :)

 

 

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Ian, have you contacted Chitubox support?    I had to contact them a while back when an updated version refused to cooperate, and they sent me an updated update within 24 hours.

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2 hours ago, hendie said:

Ian, have you contacted Chitubox support?    I had to contact them a while back when an updated version refused to cooperate, and they sent me an updated update within 24 hours.

I posted a question on the support forum but haven't heard anything. To be honest, I quite like Lychee now, so they've lost one customer here!

 

Ian

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the saga continues....

 

After thinking about it a while I revisited the Fusion file. I enlarged the gaps to 0.3mm and thickened the discs to 0.15mm for the centre one and 0.2mm for the rear face. (The same as the redesigned front).

 I also redid the supports. I had figured that since these were hanging, the "top" halves wouldn't need supports, but what appeared to be happening was that as they dried out after washing the thin discs warped as they were now no longer hanging as they had been when being printed. I added some light supports to the "upper" edges and printed again with 0.05mm lift height and 6 seconds exposure.

 

51214581256_669d67b6fc.jpg

 

Much better! They weren't all straight in the middle like this one, but most were, and the gaps were not filled with resin. I also realised that if I cured them with the discs touching they would stick together. It should have been obvious but it had not occured to me before!

To solve that I cut some small strips of .025mm Evergreen strip and inserted those in the gaps to separate the discs.

 

51214797793_fdf1963e3b.jpg

 

and once cured the plastic spacers pulled out easily with no damage to the resin. I was left with.....

 

 

51213866722_ccc6e862de.jpg

 

6 useable hubs! :D:thumbsup:

 

One or two have a small resin block on the very top but it's not deep and basically acted as a spacer. It should be easily removed with a microsaw.

The hub reprint is hereby declared completed!

 

Thanks for looking in, and stay safe!

 

 

Ian

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I actually have 8 hubs that can be used so I have a couple spare, which is always useful!

I have now removed them all from the supports and given them a blast of gloss black.

 

A little nest of black hubs...

 

51215747494_b52bf9c73b.jpg

 

Ian

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Progress is being made on this, albeit very slowly. I have to admit that threading these is mojo sapping, to say the least. It takes a couple of hours for each row of spokes, at least the rear two rows anyway, so I have set myself a target of one row of spokes whenever I have a couple of hours to spare. The reason is not that it is particularly difficult, but there is not much thickness in the rims for the CA to grip, and it is very easy to pop an already fitted spoke loose while trying to fit another one into the slot in the hub. Having said that, I am improving my technique and they are not popping out as much now, plus I have ordered some more medium Zap CA as I have a feeling my CA may be not quite up to the job. At first I was having a lot of trouble with the first row, and the rim kept popping out of the jig. I solved that by fitting half of the first row all at once, just one end secured, but all threaded in the hub and out the other side. That gave it a lot more stability and made the job a lot less frustrating.

As of now I have the back 2 rows done on 2 wheels. I will do the back rows on all 6 wheels, then the front row on all 6 as that is far easier. That way I get all the difficult stuff out of the way first!

 

51249321105_a835daf76f.jpg

 

This one shows a slight nick out of the hub which I only noticed when I saw the pic. It isn't noticeable to the naked eye.

 

51249321135_d90057c895.jpg

 

Slowly but surely...

 

Thanks for looking in, stay safe!

On that last note, here in Abu Dhabi we have an app which shows whether or not we have been vaccinated, and when our last test was. From tomorrow, a green app is required to enter bars, restaurants, shopping malls, beaches, pools, etc. It will be green if vaccinated (2nd shot over 28 days prior) and a negative test within 30 days. If vaccinated less than 28 days prior, a negative test will keep the app green for 14 days, if not vaccinated green for 3 days. Not sure how they will track tourists vaccination status as they will need it too!

 

Ian

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  • 1 month later...

Hi again everyone!

I've spent the last 2 weeks quarantined in my apartment with Covid, which although it meant I felt crappy a lot of the time, it did give me 2 weeks to work on the wheels. As a result, I can now announce that all 6 wheels are complete as far as fitting the spokes!

It was a slow and frustrating job. The frustration mainly a result of the CA accelerator seeping into neighbouring holes and curing the CA before the line was even pulled taut. I got around that by just doing half a row at a time then leaving it overnight for the accelerator to evaporate. It made it a slow, but much less frustrating, job.


So here we are with all 6 done.

 

51346984122_34b9712e01_c.jpg

 

The black one is the first version. The hub distorted slightly as it wasn't thick enough at the edges, but it won't be visible under another wheel, so that will be the lower of the 2 rear mounted spares.

 

With some paint on.

 

51348456479_a1557defc0_c.jpg

 

51347941233_6dc4f71a0b_c.jpg

 

51347711321_6c5b92afac_c.jpg

 

It's been a lot of work, and a long, slow, road, but I'm very pleased with how they've turned out. Certainly a huge improvement over the kit parts!

 

Tomorrow I will drill the rims and fit the inflation valves, then the tyres can be fitted and the wheels are done!

 

After I painted the wheels, I decided to bite the bullet and start the correction on the front axle/crossmember. The stub axles should be in line with the crossmember as viewed from above, but the kit has the  wheels mounted slightly too far rearwards. I removed the crossmember then cut the brake drums off with a micro saw. The brake drums were then drilled at their centre points and a piece of brass rod inserted to give a positive mounting. Crossmember drilled also, and now waiting for it all to set up nice and hard before I drill the crossmember and refit the brake drums with new back plates. This would have been a lot easier if I'd done it when I fitted the drums in the first place. Oh well!

 

51346984092_4d6c76384b_c.jpg

 

I'm finally beginning to get the idea that this may actually be finished soon. Not VERY soon, but soon!

 

Thanks for looking in, and stay safe!

 

Ian

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Not good to hear you have had Covid Ian, but great that you have got through it OK. I know a few people that have had it and it seems it can make one feel pretty crappy at best. I think I might have had it last April (2020) but can't be sure. I know I felt grim for a couple of weeks, so who knows.

 

Fantastic work on those spokes. Sounds like your version of finishing soon is similar to mine - the not very bit!

 

Terry

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Well, the wheels turned out well, but don't you just know that for everything that goes well, something will turn pear-shaped.

Despite measuring and trial fitting multiple times, when I went to try the tyres on the rims I found this

 

51351316480_e644aa8f55_c.jpg

 

No, that's not a reflection, it's a gap. About 1/2mm all the way around! I have no idea how it happened as the tyres fitted perfectly when I test fitted them on the rims. The rims do match the plans, so that leaves me with 2 options: print new tyres (not going to happen!) or cut a slice out and glue them again!

 

In for a penny.....

 

With a new blade inserted I bit the bullet and sliced a tyre. Then it was a case of cutting off thin slice after thin slice (I know, I could work out the reduction with maths, but I left school too long ago to remember how!) and trial fitting as I went. Eventually I got a decent fit (and almost level edges!) and glued them together with CA. Gator's Grip was then run around the joint to fill any gaps, and smoothed over with my finger to remove any excess.

 

That left this.

 

51351039419_53b1b22142_c.jpg

 

It's not perfectly aligned, but this is more a proof of concept than anything else. If it works, and I can hide the joint, then I can redo it later to ensure a perfect match. If it doesn't work....I have no clue what I'll do!

 

After that I decided to do something positive, so I drilled holes in all 6 rims and added a small length of 0.3mm nickel-silver rod to represent the inflation valves.

 

51349568632_fd5e5b0698_c.jpg

 

New brake backplates have also been made for the front wheels, paint applied, and pics will be posted tomorrow once I have the assemblies together.

 

That's it for now. Have a good evening and stay safe!

 

Ian

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Ian, it's entirely probable that the wheel rims shrunk over time.  I found that happen with my printed window frames on Pegasus .

Initially they were just a gnats wotsits oversize to fit in the gap, but after a few days they slotted in perfectly

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I am glad you have been recovering Ian, I wonder every time I get a cough/headache/dose-of-the-gallops whether it is the Chinobug

 

The wheels are b-looming marvellous, making my James Bond DB5 even less likely to hit the club table after seeing the way your spokes put the kit things to shame.

 

 

 

 

Wanders off thinking the miracle modelling toy isnt so bomb proof after all, the bits shrink.


Normally my own personal pro

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Absolutely demonic persistence in getting those hubs sorted Ian - I absolutely love the resulting spoked creations.

22 hours ago, hendie said:

Ian, it's entirely probable that the wheel rims shrunk over time. 

I'd agree with Alan here Ian. I think such shrinkage can happen on thinner unbraced parts in particular using the standard Elegoo resin. Making a required part slightly larger than required can help with such sensitive fits to parts from other sources, but we're all just  learning this technology  through trial and error as we go along aren't we? 😀

 

Hope you're feeling better now btw.

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On 8/2/2021 at 2:06 AM, hendie said:

Ian, it's entirely probable that the wheel rims shrunk over time.  I found that happen with my printed window frames on Pegasus .

Initially they were just a gnats wotsits oversize to fit in the gap, but after a few days they slotted in perfectly

 

23 hours ago, perdu said:

I am glad you have been recovering Ian, I wonder every time I get a cough/headache/dose-of-the-gallops whether it is the Chinobug

 

The wheels are b-looming marvellous, making my James Bond DB5 even less likely to hit the club table after seeing the way your spokes put the kit things to shame.

 

 

 

 

Wanders off thinking the miracle modelling toy isnt so bomb proof after all, the bits shrink.


Normally my own personal pro

 

23 hours ago, Kevin Aris said:

wow thats nice, love the wire wheels

 

 

11 hours ago, Kevin Aris said:

could room temperature affect the tyres sizes, 

 

10 hours ago, TheBaron said:

Absolutely demonic persistence in getting those hubs sorted Ian - I absolutely love the resulting spoked creations.

I'd agree with Alan here Ian. I think such shrinkage can happen on thinner unbraced parts in particular using the standard Elegoo resin. Making a required part slightly larger than required can help with such sensitive fits to parts from other sources, but we're all just  learning this technology  through trial and error as we go along aren't we? 😀

 

Hope you're feeling better now btw.

 

Thanks for the feedback folks! I think it could be a combination of two things. As I mentioned, the rims do match the drawings I have, so they are at least in scale with the rest of the model. Another thing to consider is that the tyres as moulded have a lip around the inner edge to locate in the slot in the rims. I left that on when I did the initial trial fit so it could be that it hid what became an obvious gap once I removed it. I think that is more likely, or maybe that combined with slight shrinkage. My reasoning that it is not just about shrinkage is this:

 

51354898934_481944983d_c.jpg

 

The new rims match the kit ones almost perfectly, and...

 

51355157130_cc14766d54_c.jpg

 

That's quite a difference in tyre size! In fact here is the chunk I removed

 

51354368013_bd6b6fcf2b_c.jpg

 

In conclusion, I would say the kit tyres are simply too big!

 

All the tyres have now been "shrunk" , I think I'll get away with that route. I glued them together with CA initially, then added Gator's Grip to any gaps. Once that's fully cured I will add a smear of PPP to remove any slight lip and spray with Vallejo tyre black.

 

On another note, I also glued on the new brake back plates, completely forgetting when I clamped them, that the paint was still soft.

 

51354141826_3aa7d2b7c8_c.jpg

 

I'm not sure if those marks will buff out. If not, I have some tricky masking to do!

 

That's it for today, back to work this afternoon.

 

Thanks for looking in, and stay safe!

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Well, they didn't buff out and masking was required. Fortunately I hadn't reset the circle cutter after I cut the new backplates so I just cut two circles in Tamiya masking tape and used the outside pieces to mask off the outer edges of the brake drums. After respraying they were drilled and had brass pins added.

 Today I reattached the crossmember and added the new brake drum assemblies. Some aluminium rod provided the basic materiel for steering mechanism parts, which were bent, squished, and filed to shape before getting a coat of white paint. Those were also attached this afternoon meaning I have actually made some progress today!

 

Here's where we sit as of tonight. (Tyres are still been "tweaked" and should be ready soon.)

 

51369825756_6ca0db93ff_c.jpg

 

51370560034_ddf8d76c3a_c.jpg

 

51369066877_814cb0f391_c.jpg

 

51370050928_1d63ea4d8b_c.jpg

 

51369825666_338f5d04ac_c.jpg

 

More importantly, the stub axles are now aligned correctly with the crossmember!

 

51369066802_9be341fafc_c.jpg

 

The rest of the steering assembly will wait until close to the end of the build as I will only break it all off if I fit it now. Next job is to finish the tyres and mount them on the rims, then it will be the turn of the radiator and bonnet side panels.

 

Thanks for looking in, stay safe!

 

Ian

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Done!

Finally the epic saga of the spoked wheels has come to an end. I must admit though, I'm extremely chuffed at how they've turned out. Well worth the effort, most certainly, but not something I'll be doing again any time soon!

 

51376072154_cff34d1e42_c.jpg

 

51376344085_ef046bfdf9_c.jpg

 

Onwards!

 

Before the bonnet sides can be attached the exhaust and radiator had to go on.

Exhaust clamps were made from an old soft drinks can and it was reattached. 

 

51375338446_6338524e7c_c.jpg

 

51374574772_caf41ec21a_c.jpg

 

I'm not sure the rear one is correct but it's better than nothing!

 

 

The radiator has been stripped and repainted since last we saw it here, so a new decal was added and the stone guard was reattached. Then it was glued in position. The side panels were used to ensure correct fit. What was I thinking? Correct FIT??? How silly of me to assume they would actually fit!

 

51376072179_fc9c1c9867_c.jpg

 

Anyway, they'll do for now to keep the rad upright while the glue sets, then I can look into adding plastic to the front of the side pieces, sanding the bottom edges to fit, and probably repainting the whole lot! If I do have to repaint it all, I may remove the moulded on bonnet strap and make a new one.

 

Anyway, enough for now. Thanks for looking in and stay safe!

 

Ian

 

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