Brian.. Posted June 29, 2017 Author Share Posted June 29, 2017 Good question, Brady, and the hardest part of the build. Basically the robot's big belly gets in the way. A few of us will sympathise. I can safely say that a real Iron Fireman would never have been able to get into that stooped shovelling position. If you look at the metal version you will see that the designer "cheated" by running the shovel handle through the body. I didn't want to do this, so had to swing the arm out to clear the belly. I sat for hours trying different poses and settled for this compromise. I had to cheat by flattening the inside of the left arm to keep it tight to the body, I also had to move the shoulders further forward otherwise he would have needed long arms like a spider. Take a standard robot and connect the hands with a stick you'll see the problem: to get the angle the arms have to twist in three different directions. By turning the head and body to the left, the pose looks a bit more like the original. Stability was never an issue. Thanks to Oz for the glowing coals suggestion. I may need to put a light in that head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
festival Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 Nice creation Brian. Being I have a few firefighter friends, I may have to order a few........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyman Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 Yes, the original design was intended for a 2D plane. Right now I am looking at my ashtray from the front and it looks perfectly fine. But when I turn 90 degrees and look at him head on, it looks awkward. No way could the Iron Fireman have held that pose IRL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marco Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 Nice work Brian, The glowing coals are cool ! Marco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robothut Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 Love it Brian, a very good walker also. Now for the smoker in the shovel for smoldering embers effect. Or what the heck just make the shovel a ash tray and put a cigerette butt in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian.. Posted June 29, 2017 Author Share Posted June 29, 2017 What smoker unit would you recommend, John? (No, not Marlboroughs) I can go up to 4 AAA cells. Or 2xAA and a 9v. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nasa Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 NIce job Brian.....also love the embers lighting up.....congrats! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robothut Posted June 30, 2017 Share Posted June 30, 2017 There are smoker units made for trains that kick out tons of smoke and would work at 6 volts and up but they have a tank that you fill with the smoke fluid and so they are not good for toys that might not be sitting level as they would leak. Then there are all the fog and nebulizer type devices out right now, most work from 5 volt USB so they would work from a 6 volts also. But again you have a tank or container and this time it would be filled with water. A water spill with a plastic robot might not be a problem. They sell them real small for automotive use and they have a more or less sealed tank but it could be tricky plumbing the mist from the nebulizer to where you want the smoke effect since they do not use a fan to move the mist, nebulizer work differently. So now you are back to the old school oil burner type smoker of all the vintage toys. Buying junker toys that smoked is the easiest way to get one and rebuild it and recharge it with new low smell smoker fluid like sold for trains. The OLD Smoky trains also sold as Puf Puf trains and many other names can be found as junkers on eaby they are normally 4.5 volt "3 cell" but they would work just fine on 6 volts. But you have the bellows to deal with. I would not bother doing that I would just use a Micro 5 volt fan. The fan will move more air than you want so you will have to place a wall with a small hole in it or some other way to cut the air flow back. And lastly you may recall the smoking paper craft rocket ship I did back when E cig had just come out. I also did a fireman robot build for Jay B that used the E cig heater and fluid cartridge. Again a small fan will move the air or bellows. The thing that is different about the E cig units is unlike normal smoking toys that have the heater ON all the time even when the toy is not smoking the E cig you give power when you want smoke, they draw a sit load of current so you do not want them on all the time or you can kiss your battery's good by. So now your back to the old school oil burner system again, and finding then in old junk toys is the easy way to go. Yes you can build one but designing a chamber to hold the smoke fluid and cotton wool that does not leak is tricky and then you still have to wick that cotton wool up to the heater. Constantine wire of the right gauge could be tricky to find, I do not know as I have not looked. seems like lots of work unless you plan to build a lot of smoking toys , then it might be worth designing and building. The biggest problem with the smoker that is used in the repro smoking robot's , well there are two problems. First the oil chamber with the cotton wool is way to small, look at any of the old school smokers and the biggest part of the smoker is the holding tank. and second the piston that is used to push the smoke out should have be set up to push the air past the heater then to the output hole, the repo does not , it pushes the air to the output hole and if your lucky you might get some smoke from the heater mixed in. That design could have been changed real easy with out getting any bigger , the air from the piston could have been forced to pass over the heater by just adding a blocking wall. The piston is hollow so that could have been a storage area for more smoke fluid and cotton wool. Ok I have said too much, sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian.. Posted June 30, 2017 Author Share Posted June 30, 2017 Thanks John. A comprehensive answer that will keep me occupied. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roboz Posted June 30, 2017 Share Posted June 30, 2017 Maybe instead of smoke you do a small blower/bellows & puff out powder like the lantern robot If you could color the talc powder black that would be even better. Messy dirt coal soot ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyman Posted June 30, 2017 Share Posted June 30, 2017 There goes Mr. Rigg, turning it up to 11 again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robothut Posted June 30, 2017 Share Posted June 30, 2017 Well I kind of lean towards a shovel that is a incense burner, smoke for hours with glowing coals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roboto Posted June 30, 2017 Share Posted June 30, 2017 What a great looking and working with lit coals on shovel Iron Fireman!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinplate6 Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 I don't know if this is a help, but here is a giant-sized version, probably stood outside the factory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Toyman Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 Wow Brian, that's so cool!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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