Spline Weights - Too heavy & Costly to delivery

Discussion in 'Boat Design' started by chomchan, Oct 28, 2005.

  1. chomchan
    Joined: Oct 2005
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    Location: Thailand

    chomchan Junior Member

    I am living in Thailand. It is very difficult to find drafting stores who sell spline weights. I only find some common drafting tools here. I do need them for designing course but to order from US is very expensive in term of delivery cost since they are very heavy ('cause I need 10pcs). Do I have any alternative choice or any other material that I can find locally? Need some suggestions.
     
  2. Sean Herron
    Joined: May 2004
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    Location: Richmond, BC, CA.

    Sean Herron Senior Member

    Make Em...

    Hello...

    Complicated - carve your duck shape in wood - seal with varnish - coat with PVA or Vaseline - suspend in a box and cast into plaster - when set - drill indexing holes thru side and then cut the works in half and pull out the wood - regrease the mold and put back together with threaded rod and nuts thru indexing holes - mix up some lead bird shot and epoxy and pour it in - when set - split the mold and pull out your new spline duck - hit the bottom with a belt sander and glue on some rubber gasket material or felt and trim off with knife - paint - cast another...

    Not complicated - go get some plastic project boxes from local electronics supply - fill with lead bird shot - gasket rubber or felt glued to one side to form bottom...

    You figure out what sort of finger you want - cast can be drilled and tapped or simply glued - project box requires threaded rod and nuts...

    Shape wise - remember you want the weight in the head and a broad tail to support the beak - WHAT...

    Cheers...

    SH.
     
  3. chomchan
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    chomchan Junior Member

    Not complicated

    Thanks SH!!!

    I wound go for no-complicated solution as you mentioned. Could you recommend the box size and finger material/size? is 6"x1-1/2" x1-1/2" Okay?
     
  4. Sean Herron
    Joined: May 2004
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    Location: Richmond, BC, CA.

    Sean Herron Senior Member

    More Muck...

    Hello...

    Just play about - get your splines first - then some boxes and a bag of lead shot - then a bunch of threaded brass rod - a fine toothed hack saw and nuts - and play a bit - repeat that which works - sometimes its good to have various sizes - heavy for the middle of the spline and smaller towards ends - no rules - more intuition...

    See http://riverswest.org/RiversWest/Gallery/Dan's%20Lead%20Pour/Danleadpourgallery.htm

    Casting lead is a bit toxic - shot in epoxy is too but an easier solution...

    Good luck
     

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  5. Sean Herron
    Joined: May 2004
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    Location: Richmond, BC, CA.

    Sean Herron Senior Member

    More Muck....

    Hello...

    Another guy at my shop had his art school kid use the schools vacuum former to form a tray of moulds over wood forms - he then put this in sand to keep it stable and cast shot and epoxy into them and then band sawed them out - nice smooth plastic surface...

    That would be all the ideas I have - or have seen tried - its fun really - don't 'pay the man' - this is something YOU can do with a little bird shot and some goop...:)

    Cheers...

    SH.
     

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  6. Sean Herron
    Joined: May 2004
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    Location: Richmond, BC, CA.

    Sean Herron Senior Member

    Now Here We Go - Free Info...

    Hello yet again...

    I remember having to get by with my old project box spline weights and I still use them on a loft - but real lead ducks are an 'object of desire'...

    I found you a site - see http://www.get-outside.com/ducks.htm ...

    Cheers and good night - I am about to fall out of my chair...

    SH
     

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  7. chomchan
    Joined: Oct 2005
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    chomchan Junior Member

    Thank you very much for your reply!

    Now I'm playing with Acrylic board. It look just like duck but square edge and glue it by hot glue. I'll post the picture when I finish. It might not nice like lead casting tho.
     
  8. chomchan
    Joined: Oct 2005
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    Location: Thailand

    chomchan Junior Member

    AutoCAD drawing

    As SH mentioned about

    http://www.get-outside.com/ducks.htm

    The lead casting ducks look nicer than my Acylic-box duck. I tried to estimate the size of that duck and casting mold from above website by rastering image onto AutoCAD. Then I drew a set of drawing.

    I share .DWG file here. If anyone wants to make your own duck, just download and try. I will try to make my own ducks too. Let's see how it works.
     

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  9. chandler
    Joined: Mar 2004
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    Location: U.s. Maine

    chandler Senior Member

    Make a clay duck or whale to the shape you like. mix up a batch of durabond drywall compound, wrap the clay duck in seranwrap, fill a large deep tupperware container with compound set your duck in the soup, let it harden,remove, and you have a mold. Should last for 20 or 30 castings. Get some lead from the local tire store. Used tire weights. Melt em in a cast iron pot over propane pour in lead and voila...Don't use felt on the bottom, use neoprene or the ever popular walmart jar opening matl.
    So you got any of that stuff in Thailand??
     
  10. chomchan
    Joined: Oct 2005
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    Location: Thailand

    chomchan Junior Member

    Sound nice and easy, Chandler!

    But now I got wood and tools already. I am about cutting the mold today.
    Thank you very much for your suggestion.
     
  11. SplineWeights
    Joined: Apr 2005
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    Location: California

    SplineWeights Junior Member

    I have fail proof instructions on how to make Spline Weights

    If you are having a hard time finding spline weights you can use my instructions to make your own... step-by-step
    www.splineweights.com
     
  12. Sean Herron
    Joined: May 2004
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    Location: Richmond, BC, CA.

    Sean Herron Senior Member

    LOAD OF MUCK FOR A BUCK...

    Make your own - if you cannot - you cannot build a boat - so there - all is lost - you are a failure...

    your father and mother were too...

    SH.
     
  13. SplineWeights
    Joined: Apr 2005
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    Location: California

    SplineWeights Junior Member

    Sean Herron Why are you so rude?

    Dude, why are you so rude? Are you so immature that you can't hold your temper over the littlest thing. There are some things more important in life and its called maturity. Unlike you I am sure that your parents are wonderful
     
  14. CET
    Joined: Sep 2005
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    Location: Utah

    CET Senior Member

    LOL! Been drinkin', have we?

    FWIW - I bought the instructions from Splineweights.com for $8 and they are great.
     

  15. SplineWeights
    Joined: Apr 2005
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    Location: California

    SplineWeights Junior Member

    Thanks for the endorsement

    Thanks for the endorsement CET. Have you started your weights yet? I hope they come out great for you.
    Darryl
     
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