thibaultron

Beautifully crafted model, Justin!

I think I got enough off the windows to be satisfied.   I thought about the vacuum too,  I have a micro-vacuum at work with variable speed.  Or maybe a can compressed air with a tube.   In the end, what was laying around proved just as useful.  

Looking great.   If you decide the dust has to really go...  do you have a small tube you could attach to a small vacuum like small computer vac or car vac?  I wouldn't use a full size vacuum as the suction would probably pull the model apart.

Not much today as I spent most of the day tending to kids and trying to put together a form of homeschooling that isn't concerned with ships and small bits of wood.   Apparently reading and math are important pre-requisites.  
 
I did manage to tackle my annoying dust problem.   After poking around in my assorted bits-and-bobs container, and after trying a few prototypes that were WAY over designed I ended up just bending a micro-brush into a 45° and found that to be a perfect solution.  Luckily this model is designed to be able to lift the hatch off to see the interior details, so...
 
Before
 
After
 
It took four in total...   of course the little brush tips won't load up on very much sawdust, so two a piece per window isn't bad.  Especially when 400 brushes cost something like $10.  Glad to have finally found a use for them
 
 
 

really great progress Yves......the sleeping quarters and galley looks awesome  

Yes, very true. You described the mechanism very well. Here is a picture to illustrate the concept: 
 

 
Yves

This is going to be a great addition Yves.
 
I have a question though.
In US subs it was the practice to replace the used fuel space with sea water in order to maintain almost the same total displacement as the fuel was used up on patrol. Was  this also done in U-Boats? If so then there would probably be seawater on the bottom of the tank and fuel floating on it. I would think they would be different colors. 

The next compartment is the Control room. All these compartments are linked to each other by the fuel tanks located underneath. It is therefore essential to build them almost at the same time for a perfect continuity. Thus, I started the Control room which is probably the most ambitious project as you will see.
 
The lower level of the Control Room is composed of: Front Fuel tank....Main Ballast....Rear Fuel tank. Of course, Trumpeter did not see the need to represent any of these three sections and instead gave us a "semi" container for the periscope mechanism and well, and a few bulkheads. The result is a pale approximation of what this compartment is about.
 
So, let's look at how we can improve on the kit: 

I decided to build a pressure hull and to install in it, the three tanks referenced earlier. I am using a lid from a NEST packaging (cut in half, to represent the convex bulkheads facing the fuel tanks. Tat lid is exactly of the right diameter and fits perfectly against the Trumpeter bulkheads. It does take a lot of fine tuning and adjustments to make it work, but I think I managed to create something that looks realistic. The pressure hull is made with a sheet of 0.5 mm thick, 16 cm long and about 11.5 cm wide.

Above, you can see the front section of the rear fuel tank (extension of what is around the rear batteries compartment). From the other side, this is what we have: 
With both convex bulkheads installed and the resin poured in the rear fuel tank:  

Of course, the level of fuel matches the level we saw in the previous compartment: 

The main ballast structure requires a lot of work, cutting and sanding to bring it to something slightly more prototypical: 

Everything is glued under the control room floor. A tube (left on the picture) is added to represent the well of the attack periscope. That detail is missing from the Trumpeter kit (anybody surprised ?)
 
The main ballast is painted with anti-fouling color: 

And the pressure hull is slightly opened to show the intricacies of the main ballast structure: 

Next step: glue the control room floor and start populating the rear bulkhead with all its details, before installing the front bulkhead and pouring resin in the front fuel tank. 
 
The main ballast will also have some water "poured" into it, for extra realism.
 
Yves 
 
 

I have been doing some experiments with some acrylic resin. I am mildly happy with the results. As some of you who are following closely the development of that insanity know,  I am trying to replicate the fuel tanks located on each side and under the control room and spanning into the living quarters modules, around the batteries compartments. Because we are using that resin on a delicate plastic model, the Polyester resin with its fast polymerization cannot be used: the heat generated during the hardening reaction is simply too much for the plastic parts surrounding the resin.
 
Therefore, I decided to go with Acrylic resin which presents a certain number of good points when compared to the polyester resin: 
- Less toxic
- Less stinky
- Almost no heat during the reaction
- More affordable
- Crystal clear
- Compatible with Acrylic paints
- Long working time (40 minutes)
- Easier to clean (alcohol or soap)
- Very small shrinking once hardened.
 
The only drawbacks I noticed are the following: 
- Extremely temperature sensitive
- Need to mix perfect 1:1 ratio
- Mixing time of at least 3-4 minutes (no less)
- Very long to harden (24 hours to 48 hours at high temperature).
 
What I am using is this product: 

My first attempt was not perfect but gave a very realistic results (even more realistic than when perfect): 
 

The top surface has a lot of small bubbles mimicking the motion of the fuel into the tank, while the submarine is under way. When I did the first attempt, the temperature during the mixing of the resin was a little bit too low (they recommend 72-78). Mixing the resin during 4 minutes created some tiny air bubbles that had a hard time getting to the surface and disappearing. As you can see, the mold is nothing more than two pieces of scotch tape to prevent the resin from running away. Once the resin is cured, the tape is removed and we have a perfect wall of fuel in the tank.
 
Yves

Thanks for the replies gentlemen.
 
Ah, so “shock” heat is the thing. I guess what concerns me is the scale. These things are TINY, 24 gauge wire and about 1/32”  inside diameter. I guess I just need to jump in and get some practice.
 
How does one go about getting these “tiny flakes” of solder?
 
No concerns about my cookie sheets. I am the Ship’s Cook and Bottle Washer around here. Plus, there is Teflon coated aluminum foil and silicone baking mats.
 

Probably nothing good, no doubt. But it shows you're thinking.  
 
In theory, yes, if the oven is hot enough, the solder ought to melt. The question is whether it would flow into the joint.  I'm not entirely sure whether the flux you would use would do its job, though, depending upon the type you were using. The biggest problem you'd have would be getting the solder to flow into the joint because, in an oven, everything would heat up at the same temperature at the same time, and probably relatively slowly, causing your flux to burn off and the metal to oxidize before your solder melts and flows. And, if it does work, you may find all your rings soldered to your wife's cookie sheet at the end of the exercise! 
 
The way soldering is supposed to work, solder is drawn towards the heat. You put a chip of silver solder on top of the fluxed joint and apply heat beneath it and, if all goes well and the moon is in the correct phase, the little chip melts and is magically sucked down into the microscopically tight space between the two surfaces and they are invisibly brazed together. If everything heats up at the same rate, there's no "hotter area" for the solder to be drawn to and your molten solder probably just spreads out all over the top of the piece and not into the seam as you want. And, as mentioned, using an oven, you're using a whole lot of energy to solder a tiny little jump ring.
 
You want to focus on silver soldering, which is more useful in modeling than "tin/lead" soldering (non-lead "lead" solder is now common.) A soldering gun or iron can be used for tin/lead soldering, but, while I solder electronic connections with a soldering gun, I use silver solder when I'm not concerned about electrical connectivity, but rather with the strength of the joint, as in modeling.  For silver soldering, you'll need a jeweler's torch to obtain sufficient heat. (A "resistance" soldering rig can also be used, but that's quite an expensive proposition for a beginner.) Smith's Little Torch is one "industry standard" model, although one can make-do with a small butane torch, as well. (Silvers soldering requires way more than 450 degree heat.) 
 
Silver soldering requires a learning curve. It's not hard to do well enough, but it takes practice and experience to do it really well. YouTube is full of jewelry-making instructional videos about silver soldering, which is what you want to watch. In the jewelry trade, the small rings and eyebolts you want to make are called "jump rings," so you might want to search for "making jump rings." Many community colleges have adult education programs in jewelry making and enrolling in one of these is a good way to get training in proper soldering techniques. (The same goes for picking up techniques for working with wire, shaping small metal parts, and sawing shapes with a jeweler's bench saw, all pretty much essential skills for advanced kit building or scratch building.)
 
 
Here's one very general modeling video which might be helpful in getting started.  
 
 
 

A theoretical question. I have a bunch of rings and eyebolts that need soldered, and I have never done silver solder before. Electronics and plumbing I can do, but this seems very small and fiddly. Kind of intimidating, to be honest.
 
What would happen, do you think, if I prepped my rings with flux and solder, put them on a cookie sheet, for example, and popped them into the oven at 450 degrees....the listed “melting point” of my solder... left them for a few minutes, and then pulled them back out to cool? Has anyone ever tried it?

Key word here is "almost,"   I may have a trick or two up my sleeve ;).   I may also be delusional...
 

it's almost impossible to do once the model shell is closed up.   I'm sure someone has been able to overcome this,  but I've not read anything to confirm this.   the only thing to do is make sure they are clean when the hull is closed........my big peeve too    you did well in not doing the windows.......the contrast is detail.  the one thing I love about this medium,  is that wood is a bare canvas.  it is up to you to add in the little bits that add to the looks of your model........love the black strapping and the nail rivets....and the even spacing    looks superb!

Oh man...   I haven't even tried yet, waiting until ALL the sanding I could possibly have to do is done.   Just knowing it is there is making me feel nuts enough!   I can't imagine how Ill actually get it out.   Im thinking Ill start with a blast of compressed air, but worried that might make it worse!  Was also up in the middle of the night going back through the process wondering what I could do (next time) to prevent it.    Such is life in quarantine.  

Really nice work Justin. I like the contrast also it adds some depth to the overall picture. I feel your pain about the sawdust I would have lost my mind by now trying to get rid of it.

You do remarkable work on this model, so clean and precise. I really like the finish applied to the wood.
Can't wait to find out more.

Today I started the detail work.   After clipping out the brass bits, filling them down a touch and blackening I started the "riveting" work.  I also assembled the hatch door and rudder.  Ive skipped a few steps in the instructions as it seemed like it would be a hugely problematic to try and finish this thing with those delicate oars sticking out the sides.  I feel similar about the rudder, so Ill likely leave it until the end to attach.
 
I chose to leave the brass nail heads unblackened for no real reason other than that I just liked it better.  The contrast is pleasing to me.   Similarly, I also chose not to paint the window work black as is shown in the photos.  


One supremely annoying problem I have though is the fine sawdust accumulation on the glazing of the windows.   If I had taken a bit more care I probably could have avoided this problem, of course now its looking pretty impossible to get it totally off the interior of the glazing.   I will be creating some kind of armature window wiping thing...   ugh.   Its fear this is one mishap that will drive me nuts.  Its already making me crazy...  I find Im incessantly blowing on it, knowing full well the dust is on the inside.   

 

the model is coming along splendidly........looks very nice.   love the hue of an old cask  

Oops.   Thanks.   Wasn't trying to promote it, just direct some eyes at yet another bizarre depiction of this mystery vessel.   

Indeed! Once upon a time it was a place to find real deals. Now it is a wasteland of people who think that they should sell second-hand merchandise for the same price (or more) as a new item. People -- get a clue!! 😑

Hi, Justin.
 
Yes, Crown Model and Woodenkit are both on the naughty list, as described in the topic linked to previously, so I had to remove the link in your post (no worries). You are doing a fantastic job on the MK version -- the finish looks particularly nice.
 
Cheers!

Indeed he does say its Pear or Alder.  So there you have it.  
 
As for the Chinese kit, I mean "curious" as in its interesting to see, not interesting to buy ;).    Even if I hadn't already gotten the MK kit, I HATE buying things from overseas on Ebay.   In fact, Ebay is one of the lat places on the internet that Ill buy something.   It used to be a wonderland, but Ive lost my taste for it ever since it became a low-grade amazon. 

Right.   Thats where the kit I have is from.   I mention that in Post #1.   

Crafty Sailor ( https://craftysailor.com/ ) should have them in stock. They are also a sponsor here.