Young America by EdT - FINISHED - extreme clipper 1853

[EdT]

Thank you for these comments and for all the "likes".

 

Yes the iron strapping was an anti-hogging measure.  There were others - the heavy band of bilge ceiling, weight reduction at the ends of the ship by increasing spacing between frames and use of smaller timbers, massive keelsons, setting the foremast further aft, etc. 

 

Hogging was certainly agravated by swells passing under the ship but a more fundemental cause was the very narrow lines at the bow and stern.  This greatly reduced the flotation area of the hull at these ends and this put constant stress on the ends - even without waves.  The long fine-lined clippers were more susceptable to this than many other types.  The problem was never completely overcome in wooden ships.

 

Ed

[SJSoane]

 

It is always a pleasure to see your work under construction....

 

Mark

[Sailor1234567890]

You mentioned that the hull feels stronger. Does the strapping make it feel a lot more solid than a similar hull without strapping? How different does it feel?

[EdT]

Thanks, Mark.  I feel the same way about your work.

 

Sailor, I don't think the model strapping is adding any strength to the hull.   With the frames secured only at the keel and at the ribband at the top, they were subject to a lot of movement when sanding etc. With the added wood members - the clamps and the bilge ceiling - this has been eliminated on that side and to some extent on both sides.  Fore and aft frame movement is, of course, completely eliminated with all these longitudinal members. It is also much harder to deflect the hull shape along the top as well.  There's nothing too surprising in this, but I am just glad to be through that stage when it is easier to cause damage - especially when the hull has to be inverted. 

 

Sorry if I mislead you on the strapping.  I'd say on the model its purely ornamental.

 

Ed

Edited February 26, 2014 by EdT

[the learner]

Ed, fantastic work on the strapping! as always the master perfectionist

[harvey1847]

Incroyable Ed! (as always)...

 

But, I have a silly question,,, How you marked the pencil lines for the strapping? To mark a line on a plain surface looks "easy" but to do it inside the hull with curves in two directions seams a titanic work to do. Any trick for that? A flexible plastic rule or what?

 

Those iron straps remind me the way Seppings or Symonds (do not remember) used to reinforce the hull with diagonal and massive pieces of timber.

 

Best wishes!

 

 

Daniel.

[EdT]

Thanks, Guys.

 

Daniel, I cut a 45 deg triangle out of flexible card, laid one edge along the leelson and used it to mark the lines.

 

I believe it was Seppings who promoted the use of doagonal bracing in HM hulls.

 

Ed

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 47 – Bilge and Floor Ceiling

 

The first picture shows the 8” thick bilge ceiling being extended up the underside of the lower deck clamp.  The clamp would have been edge bolted down into these thick members.  With the clamps and frames they formed a sort of girder over the length of the hull to combat hogging.

 

 

I mentioned earlier that these 8” x 8” bilge ceiling members required some serious clamping to close their joints.  The next picture shows some remodeled clamps used to assist in this work.

 

 

In these clamps the old jaws were replaced with stronger versions.  I used the strongest wood I could find in my old scraps collection.  The dark colored jaws are black walnut and the lighter ones hickory from and old axe handle.  The walnut clamps had the ends of their jaws narrowed down to fit between the frames from the outside.  The next picture shows a pair of these being used to close up a joint.

 

 

Up near the deck clamp, soft pine wedges could be used to close the joints as shown in the next picture.

 

 

The next picture shows the hull inverted so the epoxy bolts on the outside could be sanded off – to help save my hands when working from the outside.  There are many more of these bolts to add as the bilge ceiling progresses.

 

 

The next picture shows the first few strakes of 4” thick floor ceiling installed.  The contortions from the convex to the concave hull shape made this interesting at the ends.

 

 

All of this 4” and 8” thick ceiling was of hard pine, so I am using Castello for it.  Pear is being used for all oak.  The next picture shows a strake being installed using .021" pleating pins in tight drilled holes to hold it in place when glued.

 

 

The dark area is wet from washing off glue from between the strakes.  One edge of these planks is coated with dark brown latex paint (before ripping) and dark glue has been used on that face.  Plain yellow glue was used on the frames and washed off from the outside between the frames with a wet toothbrush.  In the next picture the floor ceiling has been completed down to the limber channel.

 

 

Several stealers had to be installed so the final strake would be parallel to the keelson.  The next picture shows the limber channel.

 

 

When this picture was taken, the planking had been leveled out with rifflers and some sanding.  Bolts were then installed at the ends of each plank.  Each plank will next be treenailed at every frame.  Can’t wait.

 

 

 Ed

[newbuilder101]

Beautiful clean work - and such symmetry! That's a lot of tree-nailing coming up!

[dgbot]

Great work. You and your custom made clamps are driving me crazy.

David B

[Scoot]

Do you enjoy what you're doing Ed? It looks like you enjoy what you're doing.

Nice skills, nice patience, nice stuff.

 

Scoot

Edited March 7, 2014 by Scoot

[Remcohe]

Beautifully executed Ed!

 

Remco

[Maury S]

Treenails...now is the time to find an apprentice.

Maury

[mtaylor]

Lovely work, Ed.   Treenails?  I don't envy you on that one.

[dgbot]

I hate to say this but I think you have gone off the deep end.  good luck.

David B

[allanyed]

Ed,

You continue to amaze.  Treenailing is good to get one into a meditative state.   Sort of like zoning out while driving and you have no recollection whatsoever of the previous 10 or 20 km.  You look at the hull and think, when did I put in those last 100 treenails????   I WISH it was like that.

Allan

[EdT]

Thanks, everyone, for the comments and "likes" - and thanks for the thoughts about treenailing and my mental state. The tedium of treenailing his highly overrated. Two sessions in the last two days and it is 3/4 done - as is the copper bolting of the bilge ceiling - and all those members are now intalled. Pics in a day or two, when he starboard ceiling work will be complete.

 

Ed

[clipper]

What an incredible master class in model ship building. I love clippers but I could never achieve such perfection in this field. Wonderful build Ed.

Tony

[dgbot]

At Manitowoc the topic of treenailing always comes up.  And my response is it is always up to the individual.  If the scale allows it go ahead if it will enhance the model.  But if done incorrectly or out of scale I have seen to many caeses of maritime measles destroy a good model.

David B

[EdT]

David,

 

Modelling of fasteners is an interesting topic. I agree that modeling decisions rest with the individual. If this were not so, I wuld be doing something else. I am afraid my approach to fasteners may be outside of the mainstream in that symmetry and aesthetics in model fasteners are not primary drivers for me. These ships were densely peppered with fasteners of different types in apparently random patterns. They would not make award winning models. Choices must be made. Since my main area of interest is in structures, I personally lean toward authenticity in fasteners - not that this can be fully achieved. I accept that the random effect will be criticized. Its a personal taste.

 

YA's ceiling treenails are .020" bamboo - scale 1 1/2" at 1:72. The 1" iron bolts and blunts made from copper wire or monfilament are about the same size. Some bolts were/are larger. Since they are generally riveted, the ends would be larger at the surface. As an example of bolt density, if I remember correctly there were 18 1" bols in each hanging knee. I do not forsee being able to install all of those and generally install fewer than the full authentic number.

 

I hope this helps explain what I am doing.

 

Ed

Edited March 8, 2014 by EdT

[dgbot]

Yes it does you are following actual buidling practice as opposed to the stylized look.  I would love to see your finished model at Manitowoc when you are finshed.

David B

[EdT]

Scoot,

 

Sorry I missed your question.  The answer is yes.

 

Ed

[dvm27]

Respectfully, I would counter that your attention to details such as realistic fastening is exactly what award winning models should be about. Note the trend in aircraft and railroad modelling with regards to weathering and realistic finishes.

[EdT]

Thank you, Greg.  Nice to hear.

 

Ed

[AnobiumPunctatum]

Really wonderful Ed

[Bugra]

Amazing work done well again Ed. Really inspriational log you're doing. Thanks for sharing again! And congratulations.

 

Bugra.

[jml1083]

Respectfully, I would counter that your attention to details such as realistic fastening is exactly what award winning models should be about. Note the trend in aircraft and railroad modelling with regards to weathering and realistic finishes.

 

Ed,

 

I have to second what Greg says. I can't imagine anyone who understands how these ships were really built having anything but the highest praise for the quality and accuracy of your work. In my opinion your work raises the bar for the rest of us. Whether we consciously realize it or not, we all build to a certain standard, an ideal we hope to achieve. A critical part of this is knowing what that ideal looks like. I think we now know and I thank you for that.

[EdT]

Thank you all for your comments and "likes".

 

Jim, I really appreciate your vote of confidence and Greg's comment as well. After I decided to maximize the modelling of fasteners, particularly structural bolts, on Naiad, I struggled a lot trying to turn the chaos of bolt placement into some semblance of orderly appearance - in vain I am afraid. So, I needed to come to terms with the appearance - and I have - with no regrets. I am probably overly sensitive to what some may make of the appearance - but I must say, there have been no negative comments to date.

 

Again, thanks.

 

Ed

[dgbot]

Be proud of what you have done.  As far as I am concerned your model would win a gold immediately. It is frefreshing to see actual practice as opposed to stylized.

David B

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 48 – Starboard Ceiling Treenailing and Bolting

 

In the first picture, the floor ceiling planking is installed except for Treenailing.  The thicker bilge ceiling above it  has been completed up to the underside of the lower deck clamp, except for the bolting.

 

 

 

While the last few strakes of bilge ceiling were being installed both the bolting and treenailing was begun.  The next picture shows some of these fasteners installed.

 

 

The copper wire bolts in the thicker ceiling show as bright dots in this picture.  They were iron bolts driven through each frame and riveted flush inside and out.  Before finish is applied these will be blackened.  This section of floor planking below the thicker strakes has been treenailed and some sanding has begun.  The butt ends of these planks were secured with iron blunts, represented here by black monofilament CA glued in.

 

All of the tree nailing was completed in three sessions that included making the treenail strips from bamboo skewers.  In the next picture one of these .020” strips has been dipped in glue and is being inserted into a predrilled hole.

 

 

The holes are just large enough for a slip fit.  After pressing to the bottom of the hole using the clippers, the strip is cut off as shown below, the new end is sharpened with a razor blade and the process is repeated a few hundred times.

 

 

The excess glue is washed off with clean water.  When dry the nail heads are filed off flush as shown below.

 

 

The planking was then sanded with 120-grit followed by 220-grit paper and then buffed with Scotchbrite as shown below.

 

 

The next picture shows the area at the stern after these steps.

 

 

The next picture shows a section of the ceiling after all of the treenailing was installed and the planking sanded and buffed. 

 

 

The wire bolting of the thicker strakes is only partially complete on the right side of this picture. The treenails are not too pronounced in this picture, but they will “pop out” and be more visible when finish is applied later.  The iron bolts at the butts are quite visible here.  The copper bolts into the top of the keelson at the lower margin of the picture were copper and will not be blacked.

 

All of the ceiling work on the starboard side is now complete.  The next step will be to sand down the bolts on the outside of the frames and then move on to the ceiling on the port side.

 

 Ed

Edited March 9, 2014 by EdT