Schooner Altair by KeithAug - Scale 1:32 - 1931 - Finished

[Bedford]

I love this hull, it's just beautiful and the white just adds to the whole effect. Well done as usual.

[Wintergreen]

Hi Keith!

 

I had a subscription for one of the magz about classic boats for several years. I find these classics just so beautiful to look at and yours is no exception.

 

The deck structures are really coming along nicely. I think the key to success in regards of Mahogany, is the finish. Enough coats to fill every little crevice (or wood structure or what its called) to get an absolutely smooth surface is a must. If one fails in that the appearance will be dull and a bit dirty. The gentleman I bought our blue water sailing yacht from did not have time to varnish the interior teak more than once when he built the boat. It looks horrific.

 

Also Chucks paintwork is extraordinary even though he uses regular brushes. Several thin coats instead of a couple of thick ones.

 

Keep up the good work!

[KeithAug]

Thank you Bedford.

 

Hello Wintergreen, thanks for visiting my build. Its good to get feedback from a fellow yachtsman.

 

Today was the last day of building for a few days. A 50th wedding anaversary to go to and the brother in law and wife then arriving from Arizona. I think they will find the temperature difference a bit extreme.

 

Returning to the build. In trepidation I decided to take my rather powerful DIY drill to the hull. I needed to mount the portholes - 7 in total - 4 starboard and 3 port, this required the boring of .250 inch dia holes by .250 inch deep.

 

I wanted to get the positioning spot on so I used a card template which I transferred from side to side.

 

 

The holes were drilled slightly undersize and finished off with emery cloth glued to a piece of dowel. The previously made portholes (covered earlier) were glued in place with ca.

 

 

I also finished off mounting the screw. The "A" frame was glued into the hull and the mounting plates pinned in place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[allanyed]

Keith

You continue to impress.   After seeing your newest post I had to go back to the beginning and start over. Sort of like re-reading a favorite novel a second or third time or watching a favorite movie like the Godfather for the umpteenth time, just never gets old. 

 

Allan

[John Allen]

Keith,

 

Just gets better!

[captainbob]

WOW, what courage to drill those portholes.  Fine job.

 

Bob

[KeithAug]

Alan / John

 

Thank you.

 

Bob

 

Thank you - Not brave - I know mistakes can be fixed.

[Jim Lad]

She just continues to look betterer and betterer, Keith!  

 

John

[KeithAug]

Thank you John

[Julie Mo]

Roger,

 

Your explanation of mahogany types makes a lot of sense. I have used "modern" mahogany with mixed results. What I have found recently is that dark wood antique furniture is out of fashion and that auctions are selling it for a song. A great source of quality wood if you are prepared to put a bit of work into cleaning it up and ripping it to size.

Roger is correct when he says real mahogany is Honduras mahogany.  It's often called genuine mahogany.  More common these days is African mahogany.  It's darker and a bit inconsistent in how it finishes.  While Honduras mahogany finishes to a deep lustre, African mahogany can look almost dead and getting the right wood can be hit or miss.  Another substitute for mahogany is sapele.  It's in the mahogany family and can finish beautifully.  When freshly cut, it is fairly light in color but once you apply a finish it darkens considerably.  Honduras mahogany and sapele both impart a chatoyance when finished.  It tricks the eye into seeing depth and is fascinating to look at from different angles.

 

I think the problem with mahogany in model building is it is an open pore wood and, when magnified, the pores look abnormally large.  This can be partially resolved with a filler and a good finish but close inspection may still show the large pores.  I did an experiment with French polishing on Honduras mahogany and it turned out gorgeous, though I don't remember how the pores looked up close.  But the nice thing about French polishing is the pores are filled with a slurry of mahogany dust and shellac which is what helps make the finish so beautiful.

 

Keith, your model is coming along beautifully!  It's compelling me to get serious about Endeavour but I have so much else that has to be done.  Your mention of outdoor temperature made me realize that further north of here, winters create a great time to do indoor work.  But here in Florida, winter is the best time to do outdoor work.

 

As always, thank you for sharing your build photos.  Keep 'em coming!

[KeithAug]

Hello Julie

 

Thank you for the comments.  Maybe you need to plan shipbuilding for the summer months.

[KeithAug]

Today I got on with a bit of brass work.

 

Under the stern are 3 discharge pipes.

 

 

I made a start on a bit of detail at the bow.

 

A small hole had to be drilled parallel to the hole in the bulwark for the jib boom. The fore topmast stay passes through this hole. The angles are a bit complex so I decided to take drilling easy using a pin vice.

 

 

I also made and attached the dolphin striker and the 2 outriggers for the martingales.

 

 

Obliquely angled holes pass through the bulwark to take the martingales. I decided to line these with brass tubes to give a crisp edge. Again I drilled using the pin vice and corrected the angle using a round needle file. It took an age to get the angles correct. I should have done this before painting as now touching up will be necessary. You live and learn!

 

 

I used brass rod to make sure the tubes were correctly aligned while glueing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jim Lad]

More delightful work, Keith!

 

John

[KeithAug]

Thank you John.

[KeithAug]

The holes in the bulwark through which the martingales pass turned out quite neatly, so I was pleased that i went to the trouble of using a brass sleeve.

 

 

I spent most of the day making the turnbuckles for the martingales.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[KeithAug]

Hello Members

 

I am seeking some advice from those of you familiar with classic yacht or similar rigging. The plans for Altair show the forestay shroud starting at a turnbuckle that lies alongside the foot of the jib boom. From here the stay passes through the bulwark at the bow and on to the forward end of the jib boom. It then continues upwards to the head of the foremast. The issue I have is with the plan detail at the forward end of the jib boom. The plan shows the stay entering the bottom of vertical hole at the end of the boom, then passing through the boom before heading back at an angle of 60 deg to the mast head (see diagram). Clearly this is impractical as the forces imparted by tightening the turnbuckle would be all but completely dissipated by the geometry of the cable / hole. My guess is that some form of pulley is mounted at the front of the jib boom to maximise the transmission of tensile force to the forestay. However I am guessing. Do any of you know the usual or correct arrangement?

 

 

 

[Jim Lad]

I don't know about racing yachts, Keith, but it was quite common on commercial craft to have a sheave set into the middle of the spar to lead a stay around.

 

John

[KeithAug]

Thanks John. That seems to be the most sensible solution and has the benefit that it will look right. I'll go with it.

[KeithAug]

My time has been much diverted so progress has been slow.

 

I decided to make the bowsprit but only had square section timber available. I have a 4 jaw independent chuck but changing over from the 3 jaw chuck is very tedious and I wanted to find a quick solution to holding square section stock for masts and spars. The primary requirement was to hold and drive the square section stock while turning the diameter at the opposite end.

 

I made a wooden hub with concentric bore diameters. The concentric diameters being made in a single operation using a step drill. The square section of the timber goes into the nearest across corners diameter hole. A piece of sting provides the drive and the tape takes up any slack in the fit.

 

 

I installed the hawsepipes. The upper ends were filed to the correct length and angle using wooden guides temporally held in place by double sided tape.

 

 

 

I mounted the bowsprit foot on the deck. The bolts holding the foot down are reading glasses repair screws - from ebay. 

 

Edited January 30, 2017 by KeithAug

[Landlocked123]

Hi Keith,

 

Did you make the bow sprit foot? If so, would you please share how you did it? Thanks.

 

Best,

John

[Jim Lad]

Yet more beautiful blacksmithing, Keith!

 

John

[michael mott]

Keith that is a clever chuck, I will save that for another day. The bowsprit looks great sitting in that gorgeous foot.

 

Michael

[Bedford]

Hi Keith,

 

Did you make the bow sprit foot? If so, would you please share how you did it? Thanks.

 

Best,

John

John, he did make it and the process is detailed earlier in this thread. It shouldn't be too hard for you to find.

[KeithAug]

John - the foot detail is covered on page 8.

[John Allen]

Keith,

 

Your Altair is turning into a masterpiece your metal work and components are excellent. 

[Landlocked123]

Keith,

 

All I say is fantastic! The winch is quite fabulous as well. You have my kudos.

 

Best,

John

[KeithAug]

Thank you all for your kind comments and likes

 

Following John's (Jim Lad) suggestion I mounted a sheave at the head of the bowsprit.

I then finish off the other detail using bits of brass wire, tube and turned bar.

 

 

I also made and fitted the reinforcing plates at the top of the hawsepipes.

 

 

The mahogany for the bowsprit is light in colour and my best effort in correcting this involved 2 coats of Georgian Mahogany stain followed by 2 coats of Walnut. Not quite dark enough yet though!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

[KeithAug]

Cleats and Pulley Blocks:-

 

On the inside of the bulwarks are cleats for attaching the fenders. 5 per side. They are fairly simple with a single central mount.

 

 

I decided to have a go at making the pulley blocks. I have not made wooden pulley blocks before and decided it was worth having a try. The fall back position is buying them. Altair has single double and triple pulleys and I decided that 2 or possibly 3 sizes would cover the range needed. I started by sketching out the designs. 

 

 

I decided to start with the middle sized pulley block 0.2 x 0.3 inch. I need a number so decided to build them as a single unit which would allow 1,2 and 3 pulley versions to be parted off as required.

 

I started by slotting mahogany and then cutting strips to the width of the finished pulley. I made a mistake on one of the slots - adding up becomes more difficult with age!!!!! I also cut the square block from which the walls of the pulleys would be formed.

 

 

I drilled the square block to take the pulley spindle. This was a step too far as the drill was much too flexible and wandered off. Next time I will drill the spindle hole once the pulley has been formed and separated off.

 

 

The wall section were slit off from the drilled block, and assembly commenced using PVA glue.

 

 

Once the assembly was complete shaping commenced. I made a concave sanding block to assist control of the shaping operation.

 

 

The assembly is now sanded to shape and awaiting further operations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[KeithAug]

Today I spent much of the time cutting 3" x 2" x 8 foot lengths of timber to repair the lounge floor. As a reward I finished a 2 pulley block. In terms of size it was a case of the ridiculous to the sublime!!!!!

 

The pin is a standard 20mm dressmakers pin.

 

 

 

 

[Jim Lad]

The block looks excellent Keith - only a few dozen more to go.  

 

John