Starting to work with metal?

[novocaine]

Give me a couple of days and ill try to pull out some engineering plans for him to go over of a simple rc car design. He can then modify them as he wants and maybe build some of the parts from plastic with simple hand tools (funny enough wood and plastic can be worked in a similar way) talk to him about a simple aluminium plate chassis (grp would be better as it provides some flex) he can cut with a saw and learn about marking out on. Will also teach him a bit about tolerences.

 

[Trevanion]

You should combine his interest in metal and your interest in wood.

 

[Chris152]

That would be brilliant if you can find them, novocaine. Thank you.
Trevanion - that's a thing of beauty! I remember when I started learning about aesthetics and art, having a chat with my dad about it and he told me that he found beauty in precision machining, I didn't really know what he was talking about then. But I sort of do now, and my boy seems to have inherited his granddad's passion - he actually gets excited about a well-made nut and bolt and will fiddle with them endlessly. I'd imagine there's a huge amount of work in that plane and again, not so sure it'd maintain his enthusiasm without the intention to use it - and I'm not sure the fact I'd use it would quite get him through the build! We'll see...

 

[Dibs-h]

Hi Chris,

A bit late to this thread. It kind of reminds me somewhat of my journey.

School - Maths & Physics, yes. Especially the Applied side of maths. Or called Mechanics these days. LOL

Cad - AutoCad, they probably won't use it in school but it's the premier tool in industry - so would definitely suggest getting to grips with that. The learning curve isn't as steep as you might think.

Currently going on Uni open days for my lad for Mech Eng courses at Uni and the thing I am noticing a lot of in the labs are 3D printers. Appreciate it isn't metal but might be something to look at. You don't have to spend tons to get a reasonable one.

Radio control models (and dismantling half of the household appliances to figure out how they worked LOL ) got me into it.

After Uni, even if he doesn't go into it - imo - it's one of the most universal degrees that can open doors for him into a multitude of careers.

Drop me a PM re: autocad.

HIH

Dibs

 

[Chris152]

Many thanks, Dibs - pm sent! C

 

[novocaine]

Morning Chris
You got me thinking about where the Mardave mini worked out.
a quick google popped this up, if you have a look round you'll see they sell a kit of parts for you to build a chassis for.
add radio gear and a steering servo and you are off to the races.

https://www.mardave.co.uk/rc-cars/1-12-oval

I'll still look at drawing up plans, based on this style of kit though and if you keep the wheel base the same you can get shells on ebay to suit.

I dug my old mini kit out yesterday, it's had a lot of changes over the years and my 6 year old is showing an interest so it might get a new set of cells and be taken for a spin again fairly soon, I'd have to go back 20 something years to the last time I took a serious interest in it and a lot has moved on since then.

 

[Chris152]

My worry with getting a kit like that is that he'd build it and that'd be that, off to the races, as you say - and completely forget about trying to figure and build from scratch! He really wants to start cutting and shaping metal on a project of his own, so the more there is for him to make (within reason), the better and a kit might short-circuit that? They really are great fun - when he got the one he still has (Hornet off-roader) we marked out a figure of 8 track in the garden for racing with a neighbour. That was a good Christmas, especially for the dads. :ho2

 

[novocaine]

a fair comment.
I'd still work with the Mardave style for it mind, they do a kit of parts that you make your own chassis for which I think includes stuff like stand offs, steering ball joints and arms, servo savers, wheel hubs etc. all stuff that you could make with the right tools but is teeny and fiddle and pointless to make yourself. he then gets to build the chassis, motor and rear axle mounts, steering frame, maybe the rear axle (pretty easy little turning job) and build it all up to the right scale so an existing shell fits over it, or, if he school has one, he can built his own bung and vac form his own shell for it. you'd still need to buy wheels and tyres, radio gear and ESC etc.

not found the designs yet, still digging through the mire that is my archive between work.

 

[Chris152]

I'd still work with the Mardave style for it mind, they do a kit of parts that you make your own chassis for which I think includes stuff like stand offs, steering ball joints and arms, servo savers, wheel hubs etc. all stuff that you could make with the right tools but is teeny and fiddle and pointless to make yourself.

I think this is precisely what I need to get clear so I can advise him - what is and isn't do-able. I can't find that kind of kit, they seem to be pretty much everything except the electronics - maybe things have changed? But I wonder if it'd be a good idea to buy something like this:
https://www.mardave.co.uk/rc-cars/oval- ... 109-detail
or this (cheaper = good)
http://www.kamtec.co.uk/epages/BT4645.s ... 446%5B4%5D
and then decide which parts he can remake (/even alter?) in metal, and use the parts from the kit that he can't? He'd then have something to copy exactly. He's keen to have a go at the body himself, so we'd need to look into that - it'd be somewhere he can do his own design.

 

[novocaine]

https://www.mardave.co.uk/rc-cars/94-detail

this one perhaps.

muchos cheaper and also Mardave (note, Kamtec are sort of frowned on as cheap inferior knock offs, not that it really matters).

for reference only. heres what I have from Mardave (it's got to be 20 years old now and still works, it's been bashed about and rebuilt so many times and it's insane how quick it is, I think I'll be purchasing a battery for it and letting the lad loose with it fairly soon)
it matches my car

so simply on the inside.

 

[Chris152]

Brilliant! I'll get him to take a look when he gets back and put an order in. I did search that site but obviously not well enough. Is yours a Mk1 Golf? He thinks they're great - that and Nissan 350z (and a few others...). Definitely get the battery sorted!
Thanks.

 

[novocaine]

It is. here's it's big brother.

IMG_5571 by David Rees, on Flickr

if you go down that route I won't look for the files as it's going to give him everything he needs to start measuring and drawing up his own parts.

have a search on ebay for lexen shell. he'll find every car he's ever wanted is out there somewhere. making his own shell is a great idea as well.

 

[Chris152]

perfect match! ha, i wonder if they do a VW Transporter, not quite so exciting I guess...

 

[Chris152]

Still not hit the 'buy' button - the only issue with the kit is that he really wanted to make to 1:8 scale. He could get the kit and measure the parts, then upscale to make his own, but that'd mean buying again for all the parts he can't make - and it looks like everything gets more expensive once it's 1:8, and harder to find. I think we'll go with the kit but just needs to make his mind up. Or make all the parts himself!

 

[novocaine]

1:8 is crazy large for a first build and pretty useless unless you have a club to run it at. you don't get much in the way of normal vehicles in that scale either, most are rock crawlers and offroaders (great until you flip it or drive it in to the sea).

the joy of 1:10 or 1:12 is it'll fit in a back pack and you can go find a car park or playground to run it at.

Parts are also crazy cheap in comparison so he can fiddle to his hearts content.

Shame I'm up north, I'd have let him have a play with the goof so he can see how crazy it can be and how much he could do with it even with minimal tools.

 

[Chris152]

Ok, decision made, we're going to get the kit, arriving in a couple of days! There's something about scale that matters to him, which I think I sort of understand (if he could, he'd be building a full-size car ) so we've agreed that he'll look at the kit and decide whether or not he can upscale just about everything (he may need to simplify things, but that'd be good if it gets him making decisions about what can and can't be done) and if not, go with it at 1:12. Either way, the kit'll get built, so win-win.