Restoration of Bassett Lowke "Albertic" by michael mott - FINISHED - Scale 1:100

[michael mott]

John thanks I am working on a new base for the clamps I want something a little more positive and rigid the little plates that hold the clamps are a bit fiddly.

 

Joe the clamps I made are similar in their function to these little machinists clamps clamps from Lee Valley

 

Michael

[WackoWolf]

Oh, my fault I thought you bought them from Lee Valley. The ones that the link goes to I have myself, I bought them from there about a year ago myself. Thank you for getting back to me.

[druxey]

Very adroitly restored, Michael. Too bad you can't do that as quickly with your leg! Hopefully it's healing without infection. 

 

I was wondering if parallel pliers would have assisted in straightening the stair carriage.

[michael mott]

 

I was wondering if parallel pliers would have assisted in straightening the stair carriage.

Druxey all the parallel pliers I have seen have been rather beefy regarding the jaws. I found that the very fine 5 inch needle nose that I have worked very well at getting in between the steps. the pliers are completely smooth inside the jaws so they do not mark the metal that is being gripped.

 

 

I cannot remember when I purchased them but it must be at least 30 years ago and they still seem good as new and there are a ton of squeezes on them.

 

Michael

[captainbob]

Nice modification.  The parallel clamp is much better than the alligator clips.  Well done.  Now I need to do something like that.

 

Bob

[Mirabell61]

Good fix of the stairway parts and positioning for soldering. Are you going to going to torch solder ?

 

 

Nils

[druxey]

Snap! I have an identical pair of pliers of about the same vintage. They are useful.

[popeye the sailor]

I have one of those helping hands too...........that's a really good idea!    good you will be able to save the ladder     it might have been tough to try and make another matching one

[michael mott]

Had a really good look at the funnels today regarding the color of the white star line, The funnels on the model are quite grubby and there are a lot of little chips and dirt marks, they have definitely been repainted at some time. They are the only parts of the ship that are painted the funnel color. The repaint was fairly sloppy over the gold bands. I am considering completely repainting the funnels. 

 

The website I linked has some interesting comments about the color of the funnels of the white star line.

 

What do the members think about this particular issue?

 

Michael 

[Jim Lad]

That's an interesting discussion regarding White Star funnel colour, Michael.  What the writer says regarding light affecting apparent colour can easily be seen in the first post of your build log.  In the overall photo of the model, the funnels appear to be two different colours!

 

A couple of other aspects not mentioned by the writer are:

 

• Colours could change if the shipping company contracted to another paint manufacturer for its paint supply - especially with a non standard colour like 'buff'.

• The actual colour could vary from ship to ship depending on whether the Master and First Mate were prone to have the paint used 'out of the can' or whether they had their own special recipes for a 'better' colour.

Notwithstanding the above, though, you are still restoring the model, and so in my humble opinion really need to repaint the funnels to the original colour of the model and not to some other colour now thought to be correct.

 

John

[michael mott]

 

Notwithstanding the above, though, you are still restoring the model, and so in my humble opinion really need to repaint the funnels to the original colour of the model and not to some other colour now thought to be correct.

John Yes I hear what you are saying. I found the comments about the lack of authentic information relating to the original White star color, interesting all the same.

 

Because the paint on the funnels on the model are really quite rough, and the fall chipped the paint off in a few spots. I think that matching a hue that when dry is as close a match to what is on them at the moment. Then I can clean them up and repaint them. The big question is to take them to the Bassett Lowke finish or the repainted finish.

 

Michael 

[druxey]

Can you carefully remove a little of the overpaint and determine the original paint color beneath? If you can do that and then match that color, I would be strongly tempted to strip the funnels and paint them to imitate the original finish. ('Author's intention', as it were.) This is especially true if the overpainting was poorly executed. Of course, you will keep a photographic record of the different stages if you decide to do so. A standard Kodak color card included in the photographs will help calibrate color when viewed later.

[WackoWolf]

I like druxey idea. But it still comes down to having it look like it did before the fall and also your the BOSS.

[michael mott]

 

Good fix of the stairway parts and positioning for soldering. Are you going to going to torch solder ?

Nils, the soldering on this model all appears to be soft solder. I have an electronic Weller soldering station with adjustable temp settings, so I will be using it.

 

 

This is especially true if the overpainting was poorly executed. Of course, you will keep a photographic record of the different stages if you decide to do so. A standard Kodak color card included in the photographs will help calibrate color when viewed later.

The overpainting was very poorly done, there are heavy brush strokes, with the color laid on horizontally on the upper band and vertically on the lower portion. The paint is also uneven around the gold bands. I will do the color trials when the light is even later in the day. Oh and by the way the folk who you recommended for the Humbrol paint were very efficient and I have the paint already.

 

Again thank you to all who are interested in this project and who have shown it by visiting.

 

Michael

 

[popeye the sailor]

I found this site while building the Titanic

 

http://titanic-model.com/paint/

 

there are articles that discuss the white star buff

[michael mott]

Version 2 of the third hand device, I raided the scrap metal pile, and with a bit of cutting, milling, and Lathe work, came up with a more controllable fixture. Gerald's tools are definitely an inspiration to make better tooling. The clamps are easily removed, and different jaws are able to be inserted.  All the rest of the materials are left over bits or salvaged material. The anodized aluminum for the clamps is the same material that I used for Maria's lee boards

 

 

The small 4x40 clamp screws are made from some 11 tooth brass pinion stock.

 

 

The top thumb screws are 1/4 x 28 made from some 3/8 brass rod.

The side rotation lock screws are 4x40 and also made from 3/8 brass rod.

 

 

The bottom lock screws are also 1/4 x 28 and are locked with some 1/8th rod

 

 

 

Here is a simple drawing, it was mostly a concept drawing and it was followed for the 1" diameter rotating elements

 

 

soldering tool.pdf

 

Michael

 

 

[hexnut]

You have been doing great work all along, but that fixture is truly beautiful. 

 

If you felt like going into production, the MOMA (museum of modern art) store in NYC has a "product submission" form-- https://store.moma.org/museum/moma/MoMACustomerContactUsView?storeId=10001&catalogId=10451&langId=-1

 

You could pitch it as: "High-end maker fixture for soldering, positioning and accurate fabrication, or unique display stand for jewelry and miniatures"...   Either way,  really cool!

[usedtosail]

Yes, modern art is what went through my mind when I saw the pictures. That is a great looking jig and I bet it works even better than it looks.

[druxey]

It certainly is a gorgeous piece of 'art'. Would a knurled screw on the side of the cylindrical body, instead of the one needing a tommy bar underneath, be more easily accessible?

[michael mott]

Thanks for the thoughts about the fixture being art.

 

Druxey, and interesting thought. The current design was something that developed as a result of the bottom locking screw being on the bottom instead of the side, and the difficulty of reaching in under the unit in the upright position. Like all tools this one is a work in progress.  The use of it will no doubt induce further refinements. The first being the way the the horizontal bar is mounted.

 

Unlike the commercial one I chose to mount the bar with a support at each end. In retrospect perhaps a central support, and higher off the base would be a better design.

 

The old saying that "form follows function" is clearly being compromised in the present design....... I'm workin' on it.

 

Michael

[cog]

I wouldn't know about the central support, it would  make turning easier, if you would use a limb like construction as for the arms. Since you get more sides "underneath", you could use three locking screws, which could be used depending on the position of the limb, or the most accessable position of the locking screw. It would give the somewhat heavy limb a bit of (counter) ballance ... just a thought  ...

 

I love the design, it has a very solid quality about it ...

[wefalck]

Only discovered this most interesting thread today ...  

 

Did you actually resolve your wire-rope problem for the funnel-stays ? There are also tinned copper-wires on the market. Wouldn't know about a source in CND, but here is one in the UK to show what I mean: http://wires.co.uk/acatalog/cu_tinned.html. In this way you don't need to think about painting it in a silver colour.

 

Very much much like your soldering stand. You knocked this up in no time. Would take me days at least. I also have one of those useless stands with a loupe on. Everyone seems to have, so I had to have one too and almost never use it. One thought: wouldn't the large clamps not be a rather effective heat sink, making soldering difficult ? At least aluminium is probably better than some other metals.

 

BTW, you may be interested in the Web-Site on the restauration of the ship-yard model of the last austro-hungarian passenger-steamer KAISER FRANZ JOSEPH I (1912), which was undertaken by a friend of mine: http://kaiserfranzjoseph.de/. The site is in German, but has a lot of interesting pictures on it. A similar project is the restoration of the model of the pre-WWI tanker BRITISH EARL: http://forum.arbeitskreis-historischer-schiffbau.de/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=1136 (but it may be that one can see this only as member).

[michael mott]

 

Did you actually resolve your wire-rope problem for the funnel-stays

Wefalck, I have not resolved it yet I am getting the brass wire on Monday, I have to maintain the same color as the other wires.

 

Regarding the soldering station. I am thinking about some jaws as heat sinks and some not.

 

Thanks for the links I will have a look when I get back from the city later tonight.

 

Carl thanks for your feedback on the fixture.

 

Here is the latest version Mark 3

I made a different base that is a little wider front to back, this one a scrap of fiddle-back Maple I will use the birds eye for some other tool down the road.

 

 

 

 

 

This new configuration allows for all the screws to be tightened by hand without the Tommy bar, it also has the advantage of being able to now rotate the set up by loosening the central screws .

 

Michael

 

PS The doc says my shin is healing well but I am not quite out of the woods yet.

 

 

[druxey]

Glad healing continues well, Michael. Love the classy wood base on Mark III.

[FriedClams]

Hello Michael,

 

Looks like an interesting challenge. I look forward to watching your restoration.

 

Gary

[michael mott]

Druxey thanks for your kind comment.

 

Gary, thanks for dropping by.

 

This evening I used the new third hand to aid in soldering the aft stairs back together, it took a little while to get the hang of adjusting the fixture, but the control is super, I am pleased with the operational aspects of it.

 

Did not take any pics of the actual soldering but after washing it off I used the fixed stairs to reshape the starboard handrail, the port handrail is still fixed to the lifeboat deck.

 

So from here

 

 

to here

 

 

Michael

[Mirabell61]

Druxey thanks for your kind comment.

 

Gary, thanks for dropping by.

 

This evening I used the new third hand to aid in soldering the aft stairs back together, it took a little while to get the hang of adjusting the fixture, but the control is super, I am pleased with the operational aspects of it.

 

Did not take any pics of the actual soldering but after washing it off I used the fixed stairs to reshape the starboard handrail, the port handrail is still fixed to the lifeboat deck.

 

So from here

 

aft stairs 1296.JPG

 

to here

 

aft stairs repair.JPG

 

Michael

 

Michael,

 

a beautiful fix on that stair, good soldering job !  

 

Nils

[michael mott]

Thanks Nils

 

today I spent some time straightening out the twisted port side sheet metalwork immediately below the boat deck. I used a combination of finger pressure and used the mill drill as an arbor press. I made a small brass yoke for the job.

 

By using the wide mill vice I was able to flatten most of the rotated twist

 

 

Then using the yoke I was able to take out the kinks that were in the vertical direction.

 

 

 

I am going to clean it up I noticed that the paint flaked off easily as if there was no primer on the raw metal.

 

 

The next task was to make some special clamps so that the boat deck can be re-glued to the ship. The deck is curved following the lines of the hull so the infrastructure will need to accommodate this aspect. The first part was to make a clamp fixture that attached to the hull, these are large U shaped wood pieces that are covered with 1/8th felt on the bottom and the starboard side to give a large contact on the base and starboard sides. These U shaped clamps have a 3/4 x 3/4 angle attached so that a horizontal bar can be adjusted to match the elevation needed for the boat deck.

 

 

The horizontal bar will get some additional elements that will form a series of supports under the boat deck. I am still working out the best way to accomplish this

 

The bar is locked with some 10x24 screws

 

 

Michael 

 

 

 

[michael mott]

Thank you to all the visitors.

 

I spent the rest of the afternoon making the top units, they were sliced off some 1 1/2 x 3/4x 1/8th thick scrap channel from the scrap box. The screws are 8x32 and the top wood is 1/4 x 1/2 x 3" Jellutong.

 

 

 

 

The fracture line is visible at the moment on the dry run assembly, when it is finally tweaked ready for glue the line will hardly be visible.

 

 

Have started to do some mix testing for the bottom paint color, it is also a simple way to fill the slight indents with paint

 

Michael 

Edited November 7, 2016 by michael mott

[captainbob]

So you designed and created the tool to repair the part.  That's engineering at it's best.  Well done.

 

Bob