steamschooner

Well, It's been awhile since I posted a update. I have not gotten a lot done is why  Have been working on the boat davits but nothing to show yet. Did manage to put together the spot light mounted on the wheel house roof. First picture is of spotlight parts and the inside wheelhouse control. This is how the spotlight looks like on the cabin top. sorry for the dark picture.

Just got done making some fire buckets for my project now I need a rack to put them in.

Early on ( not early enough ) with my build I realized I had better think about how I was going to mount this when finished.  I had not made any provisions for this either. On the same lines I had not intended to out fit the engine room. Since I did outfit the engine room I thought well might as well add a couple LED lights. I do not how much it will help in being able to see down into that space. I want to mount the switch  and battery some where outside the display case and in the base board. As for placement of the pedestals I had to have access on the inside of the hull. This is what I got.I played around on the lathe and turned these brass blobs  Had a friend mill the keel slots for me. Now I need to find a nice piece of wood for the top of the base. It will be layered I am thinking.

Thanks for stopping by John,  I did spend some time in the shipyard the last few days. I put together two storage lockers that will be placed on the main deck just forward of the cabin.

Since I now have boats built for my project, it follows that I will need boat davits. The only info I have on these is what I can pick out in the photos I have. These are some shots of what I came up with. I still need to add cleats, limit strap and a collar for locking in place. I have temporary pins in pivot points at this time. Every thing will get cleaned up and blackened.

Well, It's been awhile since I posted a update. I have not gotten a lot done is why  Have been working on the boat davits but nothing to show yet. Did manage to put together the spot light mounted on the wheel house roof. First picture is of spotlight parts and the inside wheelhouse control. This is how the spotlight looks like on the cabin top. sorry for the dark picture.

Thanks for stopping by John,  I did spend some time in the shipyard the last few days. I put together two storage lockers that will be placed on the main deck just forward of the cabin.

Since I now have boats built for my project, it follows that I will need boat davits. The only info I have on these is what I can pick out in the photos I have. These are some shots of what I came up with. I still need to add cleats, limit strap and a collar for locking in place. I have temporary pins in pivot points at this time. Every thing will get cleaned up and blackened.

Thanks for stopping by John,  I did spend some time in the shipyard the last few days. I put together two storage lockers that will be placed on the main deck just forward of the cabin.

Early on ( not early enough ) with my build I realized I had better think about how I was going to mount this when finished.  I had not made any provisions for this either. On the same lines I had not intended to out fit the engine room. Since I did outfit the engine room I thought well might as well add a couple LED lights. I do not how much it will help in being able to see down into that space. I want to mount the switch  and battery some where outside the display case and in the base board. As for placement of the pedestals I had to have access on the inside of the hull. This is what I got.I played around on the lathe and turned these brass blobs  Had a friend mill the keel slots for me. Now I need to find a nice piece of wood for the top of the base. It will be layered I am thinking.

Well, It's been awhile since I posted a update. I have not gotten a lot done is why  Have been working on the boat davits but nothing to show yet. Did manage to put together the spot light mounted on the wheel house roof. First picture is of spotlight parts and the inside wheelhouse control. This is how the spotlight looks like on the cabin top. sorry for the dark picture.

Well, It's been awhile since I posted a update. I have not gotten a lot done is why  Have been working on the boat davits but nothing to show yet. Did manage to put together the spot light mounted on the wheel house roof. First picture is of spotlight parts and the inside wheelhouse control. This is how the spotlight looks like on the cabin top. sorry for the dark picture.

Thanks for stopping by John,  I did spend some time in the shipyard the last few days. I put together two storage lockers that will be placed on the main deck just forward of the cabin.

Well, It's been awhile since I posted a update. I have not gotten a lot done is why  Have been working on the boat davits but nothing to show yet. Did manage to put together the spot light mounted on the wheel house roof. First picture is of spotlight parts and the inside wheelhouse control. This is how the spotlight looks like on the cabin top. sorry for the dark picture.

Thanks for stopping by John,  I did spend some time in the shipyard the last few days. I put together two storage lockers that will be placed on the main deck just forward of the cabin.

OK I couldn't resist! I just had to get those deck frilly edge bits on and despite quite a lot of CA gel on my fingers I think it looks, well pretty I suppose !!!! The decoration, not my fingers that is.
 
 
 

I decided to leave the pretty bits until later and so I progressed with the 'Texas' and the pilot house trying very hard to follow Kurt's instructions on how to modify the latter to make it more realistic. I hope he will be pleased with my efforts. I had to purchase a 'steering wheel' as the kit did not account for modifications and didn't include one. I also made up a stove but it really doesn't show. You can see I did do the pretty bits on these!! Those stairs going up to the pilot house were a real challenge and I have to admit it did take me three attempts before getting it anything like square but I think they look OK now.
 
She now looks more like a paddle steamer but there is still lots to do, maybe get the side decorations on next.
 
 

little update....
 
the first of the six machine room skylights (dry fit), not quite complete...
 
Nils
 

 
 

On a very foggy August 11, 1897 night off the coast of Maine the Howard W. Middleton was searching for a protected cove inside Richmond Island.  GPS not being what it is today, it hit a rock off of Higgins Beach, Scarborough, Maine and has spent the rest of its days there.  Today the wreck is visible at low tide and often pieces of coal appear in the ever changing sands.  I have been modeling off and on for over 30 years and have always wanted to build the Middleton but a scratch model always seemed a bit out of reach.  During my research over the years I contacted the Philadelphia Maritime Museum (the Middleton was built at Coopers Point, NJ across the river from Philadelphia) and they put me in touch with an individual (Edward Brownlee) who was interested in coastal schooners of the 1800's.  After much correspondence, Edward drew up plans of the Middleton from the original Admeasurement dated April 23, 1883.  With actual plans in hand and semi-retirement "availability" I started the model several years ago.
 
Plans from Admeasurement
 



 
August 20, 1897 - Middleton off Higgins Beach, Maine
 
 

 
Middleton Today
 


 
Model Begins Nov 2013
 


 
She was a centerboard tern

 
Planking complete/ready for painting - March 2014
 


 
Hull Painted - April 2014
 


 
Building Deck Houses - July/Dec 2014
 




 
Middleton coal fills holds
 
This one's a bit too large...

Brought down to scale...

Holds filled with scale coal from Middleton cargo...


 
 
Masting and decking - March/Sept 2015
 







 
Rudder, Fife Rails/belay pins, capstan - Nov 2015/Feb 2016
 


 


 
Bowsprit and Jib Boom - March/April 2016
 



 
 

Well, I started the week off with a major mistake.  I had hoped to finish the engine this week but, while adding the spreaders to the paddlewheel flanges, I realized that I had them reversed on the port side.  The inboard flange was on the outside and outboard on the inside.  It was pretty frustrating heating and desoldering the blackened parts with the spokes in place.  I always lightly peen the end of the bolts so that the nuts won't back off over time.  Makes for a secure hold but impossible to ever disassemble without cutting the heads off.  After finally resoldering the flanges and burning some of the spokes, I noticed that the notches on the after edges of the ends of the spokes were now on the wrong side.  I spent a good part of the week making new spokes and I'll have to wait for a new batch of 00-90 screws to arrive.
 
 

 

 
 
After several attempts at different methods to make the chimney segments, I finally came up with a method that works well.  The tubes taper upward by less than a degree which allows each one to fit tightly inside the one above.  Using AutoCAD, I calculated the the upper and lower radii and the angled sides of the plates needed for the segment.  I added 1/8 inch on one side for overlap.  Printed on label paper and applied to the brass, I cut out the .01 thick plates.  As long as the rigth edge lined up with the inner line on the left, the shape came out accurately.  The individual segments mated perfectly giving me a nice straight tube.  I was able to make four segments in less than thirty minutes.  Unfortunately, I ran out of brass before I could make a complete tube. 
 
Kevin's drawing of Heroine's chimney.

 
Paper patterns for the chimney segments.  The edges look straight but, the sides taper less than 1 degree and the top and bottom have a extremely large radius (152.36 inches for the bottom 149.86 inches for the top)

 

 

 

 

update...
 
been building the two bases for the machine-room skylights, above the engine room shaft, that bear each six ventilation skylight housings with again each 6 panel flaps. So that will be in total 36 opening flaps with each 4 round light openings  ( 36 flaps x 4 = 144 "portholes")
This surely will take some time from now on.
The flaps will be made from 8 mm wide brass strip, and the "portholes" like I usualy do it...
 
Nils
 

 
sample of this detail borrowed of a card build model from the web.....
 
 

 
 

 
trying for the right hole pattern (4 holes) per panel.
The upper 4 ones look OK.
The hole-frames are made from shortend hollow rivets and soldered on to the panel
 
 

 
 

 
The green tape is for preventing the bottom ventshaft rings to slip off and get lost
 

Hi Lawrence,
 
thank you for your nice words, I`m meanwhile still at the boats deck and doing the coamings for the superstructure it`s planking with pencil caulking at the edges, on 2 mm wide 0.6 mm thick srtips
 
Nils
 

 
The hights of the vents, above deck, still need to be adjusted later on
 
 

 
 

 
The three aft winches will be in approximately these positions
 
 

 
here planking of the aft boats deck has taken place ( no fairing done to it yet )

Hello Everybody,
 
Sorry for the lull in posting, I'm still playing catch up on the second model and progress has slowed on the first.  I've also been wiped out with Ragweed alergies for the last two weeks.  I'd rather have the flu!
 
I was able to assemble the pilot house and notch the roof trusses in place. 
 
Cathead, I wonder as well how the original was done.  This method seems to work but it is only as guess.  With the trusses notched in place, they seem very rigid although I wonder if I should have added two more vertical timbers midway between the center and the ends.  I'm with you about the poor stewards that had to deal with the chamber pots.
 
Yes Kurt, I wish you could have been here as well.  I'm also dissappointed that I will have to miss the NRG conference this year as well.  I will miss seeing everybody. 
 
WackoWolf, thanks for the comment,  except for the ragweed, everthing is fine, just a little slow with Heroine 1.  I think things will pick up this next week so I should have much more to post.  I'll be taking a break from the Glass Wreck on the weekends so I should have some time for posting.
 
Steven,  I wish I had the time to do a build log of Serce as well.  The shape of the reconstruction has evolved a bit and we'd like to get the info out there.  Maybe when the Heroines are done I can post what I have.  I hope no one minds that I put up two photos of the model.  I was a little light on Steamboat photos.
 
 
The pilot house.  The four moulded panels were milled and the planking added.  This is only a test fit.  It will sit slightly higher when the hurricane deck is planked and canvassed.

 

 
Test fit of the roof trusses.

 
 
Two photos of the Serce Limani vessel (Glass Wreck) 11th  Century Byzantine Merchant vessel.  Possible preview for future Build log.

 

Bob, Super job on your build, she looks wonderful.

Bob, Super job on your build, she looks wonderful.