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SawdustDave

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  1. SawdustDave
    Closing shop in a state of total confusion. It's too darned late, and I'm just too tired to figure it out tonight. Using the gun deck plans provided by the museum, I laid out and cut the opening for the next hatch with companionways. The plans show this to be much wider (port to starboard) than the two previous companionways on each side of the capstan.....and having a large middle area of four grating panels. Also, the stairs running from fore to aft. So I decided to check it out using the Google Street View tour for the first time.....really cool. I'm really enjoying the tour until I come to the area I just cut out on my model....And THAT is when I fell out of my chair! Very clearly, the companionway openings are the same size as the other two I previously completed, and the stairs are running port to starboard, just like the others. Blew my mind! Lights out!
  2. SawdustDave
    Great work on the ships boats Jon. You're making me want to pull away from the ship and begin building her boats. They can be a ton of fun for sure. Ever travel North on I-95? Drop by the shop if you're ever passing through Lumberton.
  3. SawdustDave
    Bilge pumps installed....
  4. SawdustDave
    Jesse - After a few feudal attempts, at creating the round pump heads, I went shopping and found a set of ladies beads in the jewelry department at WalMart. The individual beads were a perfect size....just needed a coat of brilliant gold spray paint. The other four parts of each head are simply a short piece of copper tube for the spout, a white vinyl cut out for the tops, and a brass washer for the base. Note, I did have to create a very small brass washer for the bead to sit on above the larger brass washer base. As for the frames and mechanical structure.... all wood and black wire. This is truly the kind of scale modeling I enjoy most of all. Cheers
  5. SawdustDave
    Bilge pump handles completed.... Since the bilge pumps are mounted on a slightly raised section of deck, I was able to create this as an off-ship module. Not sure it could have been done on board. The handles are now ready to be attached in a "stowed" position, and then I will glue the module in place. Just now looking at this photo, I am considering trimming the stretcher boards serving as the base of each "A" frame.... leaving a small block footprint on each leg. Probably not....
  6. SawdustDave
    A little surprised, these bilge pumps didn't take nearly as long as I thought they would. Still have to create the handles, which will be displayed in the folded position as seen in the previous posting. The two pump heads on the opposite side of the main mast are almost ready.
  7. SawdustDave
    Been pondering the bilge pumps for a long time....still not sure how I'll tackle this interesting challenge. Playing around with a few ideas right now. This should be fun.
  8. SawdustDave
    Gun deck companionways....... So, this morning, I managed to install the two companionways on each side of the gun deck capstan. And also the first coming and gratings just outside the pantry panels surrounding the mizzen mast..... This last photo reminds me there is a lot of dust to be cleaned up on the gun deck.
  9. SawdustDave
    Now THAT is exactly what I was hoping to hear Russ.... because that is where I really want to go. All that polished brass just didn't fit my logic meter.
  10. SawdustDave
    Thanks for your info Jon. Guess that pretty much answers the question, huh?
  11. SawdustDave
    Question for the experts.... Were the ropes and stanchions installed around the companionway comings on the original ship, or were they installed to protect the public tourists roaming around? Trying to decide whether to include them on my model. Cheers
  12. SawdustDave
    While creating the gun deck capstan, I went ahead and created the spar deck unit since they have the same radius dimensions. Coming up with a way to add the copper top was a challenge. Note, I have not stained the one on the right. After staining, it will take several coats of clear poly to get the high luster finish.
  13. SawdustDave
    GUN DECK PROGRESS REPORT.... First step in moving forward with the development of the gun deck details is tear some things up.... right? So, I began with cutting out the the aft companionway openings on each side of the capstan. Once the rectangular openings were surgically removed, I used a mortising bit (seen here) to remove the 1/4" keel former to the exact depth needed to insert a false deck below for the stairs to land on. Note the template sketches placed further forward for the other two larger passages. Coaming frames and stairs...... No stain has been applied at this point. Note the black pattern used to create the stair stringers.
  14. SawdustDave
    Installed chairs, table, and dresser cabinet this morning. Clear poly dried overnight gave a nice pop to the wood grain. I did settle on using tinfoil for the mirror (Viewed from three feet above, it works fine).
  15. SawdustDave
    "Large upright?" Piet? If you're talking about the piano.... not gonna happen.
  16. SawdustDave
    Here's the dresser cabinet. Haven't decided just how I will treat the mirror at this point. Playing around with tin foil but not sure I'll go there. The dark stain did a pretty good job of highlighting the details of the drawers and doors. Thinking I'll hit it with a thin coat of clear poly tomorrow.
  17. SawdustDave
    GOT IT BILL.... Perfect! Three top drawers and three lower doors with arched panels. Thanks for your help. Also, thanking Ken for his suggestion.
  18. SawdustDave
    I have no idea what the front of this side cabinet looks like.... can't find a frontal view online. Anyone have a photo?
  19. SawdustDave
    Captain's table and chairs....... I took a couple days break after rigging all those cannons and returned on Friday not knowing where to begin next.... decided the furnishings of the Captain's study would be a great change of pace. First, the table and 8 chairs.... Having built dozens of real chairs over the years as a woodworker, these are the smallest I have ever attempted. These two pics are simply to share the approach I took. Pics taken before assembling those last three units. The chairs are very simple 4-piece construction. The backs, along with the front leg frames, are actually carved from faux wood vinyl with the stretcher rails are carved into each piece. Note that I did not attempt to add stretcher rails from the back legs to the front legs, nor the center stretcher from side to side. Note to the users.... Do not lean back too far in these chairs! The two carved pieces are attached with the seat piece, then the black seat cover added. I still plan to wipe on a light stain after I clean up some of the rough edges. I'll take a shot of the wall cabinet unit once I figure out how to build it. Cheers
  20. SawdustDave
  21. SawdustDave
    GUN DECK CANNONS - UPDATE.... After 150 hours (logged build time), I am happy to report "completion" for the installation of all 30 of the gun deck cannons. Although still slightly over sized, the smaller rigging blocks turned out noticeably closer to scale on the port side guns. "Close enough for horse shoes." as the old saying goes. Haven't decided where I will now begin building out all the gun deck details. Either have some fun with the little furnishings within the captain's study, or go for the bowsprit instillation. Just happy to finally be at this stage of moving forward.
  22. SawdustDave
    Playing catch-up on your Connie Tom..... kinda' speechless at this point. So much to take in, and so well done. I am really happy to know I will have your amazing work as a reference when I eventually get to the more advanced stages. Beautiful work my friend. Dave
  23. SawdustDave
    GUN DECK PROGRESS.... First, thanks Piet, Mark, and Patrick.... and all the mates who keep popping in. I should note that it quickly became obvious to me that the blocks used to rig the long guns seen here, now mounted on the starboard side, are noticeably out of scale....too large. I did consider scraping the attempt but decided, the rigging will never be seen once the spar decking is added to cover about 70% toward the port side. I plan to leave roughly 30% of the spar deck along the port side as a cutaway revealing the gun deck details below. Here's where we are now.... Having said that, since the port side guns will be visible through the cutaway deck, I have spent the last two days working on developing rigging that will be more in scale....i.e., smaller blocks and hooks. The biggest challenge was creating blocks that I could drill the double sheaves into.... solution - hard rock maple. Seen below, the new rigging shows the comparison of the over sized blocks used on the starboard side guns. Note, I also went to a slightly smaller rope, and created hooks from brass wire, which I will paint black.
  24. SawdustDave
    CANNON RIGGING PROGRESS..... After logging over 60 hours since June 1, here is a quick report on the development of gun deck cannons..... Turned, cleaned up, inserted pins, and painted all 30 of the 24 pound long guns. Mounted 15 finished guns onto previously built carriages. Created block and tackle rigging for 15 modules.... now ready for installing to starboard side. A couple of notes regarding the rigging seen below.... Since these guns will be seen from the planned cutaway of the spar deck, I have chosen a couple of trade offs regarding the rigging details.... (GUILTY AS CHARGED) The blocks are attached directly to the carriage with a wire pin - omitting the hook and ring.... and likewise, the double sheave blocks have wire hooks attached directly - omitting the two-piece hook/ring. Seen here, those hooks have not yet been sharpened and bent into their hook shape. Finally, note the ring on the restraining rope is attached directly to the carriage with a single hook attached directly to each end. These trade offs, I must admit, I completely failed in creating the scaled rigging of all those omitted hooks and rings within a reasonable time considering I will be rigging thirty of these cannon installations within my live time (hahahaha)
  25. SawdustDave
    Casting long guns.... Yes I did play around with casting these 24 pounders Greg. It can be done, but my experience was another train wreck. Injecting the two part mix into the mold and then removing the casting to find air voids and imperfections was very frustrating. Part of the problem being that my "Smooth On" liquids are rather old and have been sitting on the shelf several months. Part A is fine but the Part B has gotten too thick and doesn't mix very well. I managed to get a half dozen usable cannons from a dozen attempts before my mold began to suffer and break down. Hoping the mold I created for the shorter carronades will be more successful. The good news is, as of this morning, I have already created fifteen good long guns on the lathe.... with practice, they do get easier....plus the quality just gets better with each new turning. I may even throw out a couple of the first guns. We'll wait and see how they come out after painting.

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