Adam's Panzer III build

[Adam Osga]

After working for about 12 days straight, I finally got to sit down and make a bit of progress this weekend. She's starting to come together again! I'm now working on the upper sections of the tank; lining everything up, loctiting everything together, filling holes, sanding, painting etc.







I actually have quite a large spray booth yet the parts make it look so small.

[Adam Osga]

So, it's finally tank weather again down here in Houston (it's getting hot) so I am trying to get the electronics installed and setup. I have the drive system going in the correct direction and am using the single stick method. However I am hearing something in the drive train that probably should not be there. I took a video and will post below. I did take the gear cases off to see if I could see anything rubbing but both sides look completely clean. FYI, per the instructions, I have no grease on the gears.

I have no idea how to post a video here but I managed to post on youtube.



Any guidance is appreciated.

Adam

Edit: maybe I need to get some differential marking compound to see if the gears are meshing properly?

[Phil Woollard]

Sounds like the drive motor gears are dry and tight, and maybe fighting each other, check the tx set-up and maybe go back to the simple two stick operation just to eliminate the latter, some grease would help, when you take a look at the gears you may see some evidence. If no grease is used it's basically metal on metal! Phil.

[Vince Cutajar]

Just to bump your post.

Does the noise come from both sides of the tank or just one side? Do you get that noise with the tracks off also?

Vince

[Robert E Morey]

Nice looking P3 Adam. So satisfying when the tracks go on for the first drive. True milestone.

I cannot tell if that noise is metal rubbing or electric motor noise. The motors have a reduction drive gearbox which will make some noise. As long as nothing is rubbing the hull (main sprocket or sprocket drive gear) you should be ok.
Best regards,
Bob

[Brian Ostlind]

Yes so awesome!

[Adam Osga]

Well, life got pretty busy but I finally got a bit of time to get some work done.

[Oli Dainton]

I know what you mean, only just getting back to mine recently too.

Looking good!

[Adam Osga]

Wow, do I miss my little sherline milling machine. I wish I hadn't sold it years ago, it may be time to get another benchtop mill. Getting the side hatches to line up is a pain with a file especially when I had to remove a bit over a millimeter from the base of the hinge. One alone took a couple of hours. Maybe I'll just get a benchtop sander or something, I may go shopping tomorrow...

Still, it's nice to have the time to tinker on the tank again!

[Tom Miller]

Hi Adam,
I too had to remove some metal to get those doors to fit right. Fortunately I have a small mill and lathe I bought specifically to build Armortek models. I highly recommend the line of machines offered by Little Machine Shop https://littlemachineshop.com/. I have had the machines for about a year and for the price, they are accurate and durable. I bought many of the accessories they offer and they all work great. Their service is second to none and they are in the USA. Let me know if you would like any more info on the machines I have. Check out the pictures of my Panzer III and my machines in my build log.
Keep up the good work, your tank looks great.
Tom

[Tom Miller]

Hi Again,
Just noticed the machine pictures are not in the Panzer log so here they are.

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[Adam Osga]

I've been looking at those from Little Machine Shop. I've also been eyeing the PM-25MV and MicroLux. All seem to be highly regarded but the PM-25MV is just a bit bigger and may offer me a bit more versatility in the future. But I haven't decided yet for sure. The HiTorque does seem to be an amazing value though.

Which mill model do you have (it's too fuzzy for my eyes zooming in)?

[Tom Miller]

I bought the 5550 with the long table.

[Tom Miller]

Hi Adam,
I followed your lead and bought the same paint booth you have. What a great addition to the shop. Much better than painting outside.
In the pictures you will see a turntable (lazy Suzanne) I bought on ebay. Really great for getting to all sides of parts. It is 11" in diameter. I bought some 12" diameter cake plates on Amazon to keep it clean.
Also notice the vent system. I found the fitting with the flat end that fits under the garage door or in a window on Amazon. Beats punching holes in the wall. The table I got at Home Depot. It cranks up and down so I can paint standing up or sitting down. It also has wheels so I can move it around the shop or outside on nice days.
Thanks for the info on the booth.
Tom

[Adam Osga]

Very nice. I’m finally one step closer to actually building a garage and will have an actual workshop soon! Plans are approved and on to permitting.