Russian Typhoon Submarine

Part 1b - Bow planes and associated hardware (continued)

	The next step in manufacturing the bow plane retract mechanism was to connect the linkage to the Clippard piston. I used 4/40 threaded Clevis connectors and threaded stainless steel rod. The connector on the piston was made from a piece of brass strip that was bent 90° and then drilled for the piston rod and the stainless steel rods.
The mechanism is just sitting in the lower hull at this point because I have two (2) more pieces to manufacture from a brass strip. These will be soldered to the bow plane shafts, and be able to slide through the 3/16" rod connectors. A closer view will be provided during/after they are made.
	I spent the better part of the morning trying to figure out how these last 2 pieces were going to work. Yup, you guessed it, I screwed up more than once! First, I used my Dremel® cutting tool to make a slit in the brass tubing. That worked fine! I then cut 2 pieces of brass strip ... drilled the holes ... soldered them in place ... put the whole mechanism back into the submarine ... and discovered the retract mechanism worked fine. The problem was the bow planes would not work because the plane shafts would not rotate. Additionally, the slit in the plane rod was cut too long thus providing too much play. Back to the drawing board!
I again used my Dremel® cutting tool to make a slit in the brass tubing, but this time only about ½" long. Just enough to hold the brass strip. The brass strip, now only ¾" in length instead of the prior 1½", was then soldered to the plane rod. After ensuring the mechanism would now work, I manufactured the other side. I think there may have to be additional modifications, but for now, they are working. I´ll know more about this in the future after my piston and servo rod are connected.
	I decided to re-manufacture these two (2) pieces for a third time! The reason ... because when the bow planes were retracted (inside the hull), there was no way to keep them lined up with the slit in the coupling. As a result, they would bind up when I tried to extend them again. I needed another piece of brass to remain in the slit. Here, I have soldered another piece of brass thus connecting the two together.
I think this design will finally work. I grinded the necessary curve and even smoothed out some of the solder before testing it. If this proves to be too weak, I´ll have to get a wider piece of brass and manufacture them as one solid piece.
	Here, you can see both sides finished and installed with the bow plane rods retracted. Notice the angled piece of brass just above the CO2 bottle. It will be connected to the piston rod and will be operated by the piston. When the piston rod is extended, the bow planes will be retracted.
Here, you can see both sides finished and installed with the bow plane rods extended. Again, notice the angled piece of brass just above the CO2 bottle. When the piston rod is at rest (spring return), the bow planes will be extended. I´m designing the system in this fashion so as to not use electricity (battery power) or CO2 gas for most of the day at the lake. Next Step - Part 1c - Bow planes and associated hardware (continued)

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