Comet tow cable ?

[Derek Attree]

Hi Fellow Comet builders
Does any one know how long the tow cable should be to do the
correct figure of 8 stowage.

I can not find any info on the length any where.


Thanks

Derek

Ps been making a few more bits pictures to follow later this week

[Stephen White]

Derek, I'm away until next week but will check the user handbooks when I get back. You could go onto www.missinglynx.com and ask. Dick Taylor is the guy who is most likely to know. Ex RTR colleague of mine. Good luck. Stephen

[Derek Attree]

Hi Stephen
Thanks I can wait till next week.
If any one else knows that would be great too
Also the correct way of stowing it would help as the photos in the walk round book
are not that clear.

It is so much easier to find out about German Armour

Derek

[phil fitzpatrick]

Hi Derek
Do you have the Book Armor photo gallery no 20
title
British Cruiser Tank A34 Comet by Dick Taylor and Chris Hughes.
Lots of detail pictures of the Comet stowage.
Some pictures from the Comet at Portola valley CA show cables in detail,but wording in
text.
"The vehicle tow cables came in a number of different styles as did the shackles and
towing eyes."
it goes on to say"It was most common,indeed official to wrap the cablesarround the lights in a figure of 8 and the sturdy brackets were fitted outside of each light to
allow this to happen"
In another photo it shows the central bracket at the edge of the nose plate to prevent
the cables falling forward and becoming foweled.
It goes on to say that in the photo of this tank although stowed in a figure of eight it was stowed incorrectly and not allowing this to happen because the figure of 8 is the
wrong way round.
It is significant that the bulk of the war time photographs in the book show the cables
in an oval where it can then rest on this central bracket.and if the loops are not attached to the shackles they just flop over which then makes it look like a figure of
eight.
There is also various stowage on the front in the middle of the tow rope oval.
One photo with the tow ropes connected at the rear shackles and round the exhaust
covers.
The book shows 2 types of tow rope,2 types of shackle,but the loops were just the cable
loop not with the metal eye in it.
No mention of length sorry.
But it does look like these boys had no time for the Bull S**t either
There was nothing in my other book the Chief Inspector of fighting vehicles COMET 1
Handbook November 1945.Mostly mechanical details,excellent book.
Cheers
Phil

[Derek Attree]

Hi Phil
Yes I have the book by Dick Taylor and as you say its not clear
what the length of the cable should be, hence my question.
The one supplied in the kit is way to short to wrap like the photos.
I wrapped same cable I have at home round the brackets on the model last night
like the photo in the book and it measured 52 inches which is 5 Foot in old money
when I measured it.
If that is correct it would mean that the full size cable would be 30 foot long
eg 6 X 5ft to scale it up to full size.

This seems a bit on the long size to me.

I am hoping that Stephen will have the info at home some where.

Regards

Derek

[phil fitzpatrick]

Hi Derek remember now that you have just jogged my memory.
I had 2 more cables made so that they wrapped around properly and they were a lot longer.
If you look at my pictures you will see the new cables on the front and one of the
original Armortek ones connected to the right hand rear shackle and running straight
along the mud guard,I put this one on because I saw a photo with one stowed this way and
with the 2 on the front.
So you can imagine the difference in size from that picture.
I think they must have been quite long on the front.
The more accurate info will be interesting.
Cheers
Phil

[Stephen White]

Derek

The British wartime tanks had a standard tow rope, designated in that imaginative way of the British Army as "Rope, Towing Mk IV". (I believe the Churchill had a bespoke cable buit the Mk IV was common to most other late war tanks).

It consisted of two 30ft lengths of 7/8inch cable (22mm?) which were doubled over into 15ft lengths. The free ends were bound and spliced around steel eyes and usually fitted with the S type quick release fasteners (see photos below). The other ends were looped and bound over steel eyes and joined by a pear shaped metal ring of about 3/4in thickness of steel. The S fasteners were sometimes cut off.

I've attached the best photos available of wartime stowage on Celerity, a 3 RTR Comet, driven by Trp Pannell, which is the Comet I'll eventually get around to completing. I'm in contact with his son, Dr Steve Pannell, who has accumulated a wonderful record of the tank's progress through NW Europe in the last days of the war.

One of the quick release fasteners is attached to the left front bollard for ready use, the other is seen on the right of the glacis plate.

The second photo is also a 3RTR vehicle.









Best regards

Stephen

[Derek Attree]

Thanks for the post Stephen
I am not sure I understand fully (Sorry )
Was it a doubled up cable then and the lengths are 15ft either side of the splice.

The diameter of that cable at 1:6 scale would be 3.6 mm.

The length of 30 ft works out to 58 inches length and that is close to the 51 inches
I had calculated.

Not sure why they used short lengths and joined it in the middle though...so British...

Also did they carry 1 or 2 cables ?

Do you have drawing of the S hook thing ?

Thanks again for your help I think I can get on now...

Derek

[Derek Attree]

Hi Guys
I found a picture on another modeling site

http://images.eurekaxxl.com/products/er ... 546-04.jpg

Why have The middle splice and why the ring to join them.

Is each 15 ft part either side of the ring and is it 30ft for the 2 when joined
by the ring........ Or is each part either side of the join ring 30 ft.



Derek

[Stephen White]

Derek - please excuse my amateur powerpoint skills (long may they remain amateur):



Stephen

[Derek Attree]

Hi Stephen
Thanks all clear now.
Just noticed the link I put in my previous post had been blocked

Derek

[Tim Page]

Hi all, Ive made my cable set this evening, but now wondering if i made it correctly.
I bought a 3.2m length of 3mm steel cable & cut it in half.
I then made each of these into a loop with a single eye at each end but linked together by the pear shaped joiner which I made from the D ring off an old dogs collar.

My question is this:
Should there be just one eye at each end or two?
Some of the pix i've seem look like there are a total of 4 free ends with eyes, but was not sure from your sketch.

One other thing, Does anyone have any tips for weathering the tow ropes?
Ive tried some track coloured paint but this returns to shiny if the paint rubs off. I don't want if rusty and i think it is stainless steel cable. Any suggestions?

Cheers
Tim

[Steve Norris]

Hi Tim
Don't know the how the cable was built up but you could try a blow torch to blue the cable
Regards
Steve

[Nigel Martin]

Tim,
Re: weathering. I use vinegar on the Armortek cables supplied with the kit. Leave them to soak over night, that takes the shine off and dulls them down, you can then apply washes as and if desired. I would advise trying it first on a piece of scrap cable to see whether its the type of finish you want. If the D rings are made of steel they might be prone to some surface rust?
Nigel

[Derek Attree]

Hi Tim
You need one loop at each end as in Stephens drawing.
I must admit that I still have not made mine
I have all the parts ready but have been too busy at work and on several model boat projects but will get round to it at some time.
As of today the comet still hasn't ever moved under its own power.
Sort of lost interest to be honest.
Due to some health issues that are on going.

Regards

Derek