SawdustDave

I was never happy with Mr. Crispy Toes so I have made two new crew members.  Small items, like the head and feet, were added after the torso was baked and then epoxied in place.  The captain has prohibitted drinking in bed so I have my sailor sleeping with his hands behind his head.  His buddy up top is holding a mug of ale.
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

Hi Pete:
Not only is your workmanship extremely excellent, and your model is super nice, I'm thinking "What a fun little boat to own!" I think you should consider scaling her up to 1/1 and go for it.

Not much progress to show over the last few weeks.  Spring has finally arrived so the model does not get as much attention as it desires.
 
I decided to install the string at the waist and the forecastle and quarter deck clamps.  The string at the waist is a single row of planking with its lower surface forming the top of the gun port and its upper surface forming the top of the bulwark. It continues fore as the forecastle clamp and aft as the lower quarter deck clamp.  Hook scarves are used throughout. The apparent decorative element at the fore end of the quarter deck clamp will actually be used to help lock in the spirketing.   
 

 

 
The upper quarter deck clamp has simple butt joints.  In the pictures is appears that the lower edge of the string overhangs the gun port.  It actually is flush with the top of the port.
 

 
I encountered two problems.  First, I measured the height of the clamp at the stem incorrectly and had to replace it.  On the picture you can see a faint pencil line indicating where the clamp was originally positioned.  The second problem has the potential to be more serious.  I have two rows of planking with the top edge just coming up to the bottom of the aft port opening.  David's layout shows the planking runs above the level of the port with a chock connecting the planks fore and aft of the port.  At this point it is too late to change the port.  I think I measured the port height off David's mylar and the clamp height off the NMM plans.  Hopefully it will all work out OK.  The key is that the top of the opening is below the top of the deck beams.
 

 

 
 

The upper deck planking has been installed and the first bit of sanding is complete.  It still needs more scraping and find sanding.  I used 3" holly for the planking throughout.  The binding strake would have been inset into the deck beams but since that detail is not visible I do not model it.  After looking at a lot of models, I decided to only plank the port side and the midline plank.  I wanted to be able to look into the lower deck cabins and so I only installed decking between the binding strake and the midline and the four outside strakes.  The central planks are fairly straightforward.  The open area in front of the foremast step for the bowsprit step.  The plank located by the well has not been glued in so that can be removed during installation of the bitts.  The plank edges were "caulked" with a pencil.  The treenails are bamboo, drawn down to a #77 drill and inserted into a #76 hole.  I prefer to pressure fit these rather than use glue.  The finish will bind them all together.  The blotchy color on the pictures is not real.  I had just washed the deck off for the pictures and did not give the wood sufficient time to dry.  Compare the color contrast between the inner and outer planking.  This all came from the same billet of holly.
 

 

 

 

 

I have made and installed the waterways.  On this deck the waterway looks like a chair resting on its back.  To make the shape I took an old Dremel chisel blade and carved the shape into the end of the blade with thin cut-off discs.  The scraper was then cleaned up with a Swiss file.
 

 
I forgot to take pictures until I was almost finished, so I will describe the sequence.  I used drafting paper to make a template of the inside of the hull.  This was transferred to 5" thick stock and the segment was roughly cut out.  The waterway is only 4" thick but I made the stock over-thick in case I made an error with the scraper and gouged the surface.  The outer edge was then fit to the interior of the hull and the scarf was cut.  I used the scraper to scribe the inner edge of the waterway.  A sanding disc cut away the excess material on the inner edge and the scraper was used to form the top edge.  Various grits of sand paper smoothed everything out.  I was more concerned with a fair line on the inner edge since the spirketing will hide the outer edge of the waterway.  I started at the bow and worked aft.  After the first plank was installed, I made the next two planks, gluing them together at the scarf before installing them on the deck.
 

 
Finally, I made the aft plank.  The next three photos show the sequence of fabrication of the plank.
 

 

 

 
 
These photos show the waterway installed.
 

 

 

The spirketting and the quickwork have been installed.  The spirketting is installed top and butt fashion, just like the outer rows of deck planking.  It is 3" thick and the top edge of the upper row is champhered .  The quick work is 2" thick and extends to the edge of the sill lining.  I have not finalized the size of the hawse holes yet, so this area is not finished.  Both the quickwork and the spirketting are treenailed to every frame.  There is a single bolt at the butts and two bolts under each gun port.  I was unhappy with the appearance of the bolts and so removed as many as I could without damaging the planking.  I dyed some treenails with archival ink and used them instead of blackened brass for the bolts.  The appearance is much cleaner, as can be seen in the photos.  Compare the appearance of the brass with the dyed wood.  Unfortunately, the rest of the brass bolts are in for keeps.
 
I then applied a coat of Watco's, let it soak in for 30' and wiped everything down.  The next day I sanded it with 600 grit and put on a second very thin coat of finish.  The striations in the holly decking are in the wood and did not sand or scrape out. The lighting was poor so I did not have the opportunity to take before and after the finish pictures.  

Pete, Ben, Greg and John thanks for support.  I hope to get a little modeling time this weekend but I also have two water gardens that need cleaning.  Maybe it will rain and I'll be forced to stay inside!

Ed and David, thanks for your comments.  Mike, the anchor stock planking gives extra strength to the decking.  It is also used in some of the ceiling planking as well as the wales for the same reason.  See page 6 of the log.

I have this strange world view that every body know this ship     since I'm mostly posing on a rather small forum where 5 people are building it.
 
For those that don't this is a picture of the original model, showing what I am trying to achieve.
 
 

 
Best,
Michiel

What was done before part 4:
 
Lighting
 
 

 

 

 

 
 

 

since I got a head start on the scratch built boat,  I thought I'd get started on the plastic one.    I got an idea to compare this boat with the one from the trawler build.   there is a slight difference at the bow stem, but otherwise,  the two look very close.
 

 

 
a small impression at the skeg,  is the only difference .   the third pair of ribs were added to the scratch build.
 

 

 
the fourth pair were set up......being careful that both sides are done the same way
 

 
planking the plastic boat was just as I remembered it................there were times where my fingers were fused to the boat.........but I sanded it as I went along,  so you'd never know it  
 

 
the last ribs were added to the scratch built one.......adding an extra one to control the planking's turn at the bow.
 

 

 
time to finish up on the planking........and then plank the other plastic boat,  while I was at it.   how many other ship's boats are going to come out of the closet?
 

 
soon........both plastic boats were done
 

 

 
the scratch built one was removed from the jig.  it needs to be fared now......I need to see if I have any more of that thin planking.   I want to use basswood......but I might use the Annegre
 

 
I also tried to cut the wider ribs in half........this met with limited results.   I can still cement the pieces back together,   once I figure out which ones go where ?!?!
 

Very nice start Rich....I do envy you living right there in Portsmouth where you can visit her.
I go to sleep each night looking at her docked in her glass case beside my bed.
Dave

Thanks Geoff, She's coming along and should be quite the looker when she is done
 
Hi Jay, Its great varnish, they do make a matte finish, it's actually spelled Epifanes , ( my bad ) the varnish brings out the wood grain, and makes it pop.
 
Thank you Russ, I am pleased with the finish on this one ,
 
Thanks Michael, she's a beauty
 
Best Regards,
Pete

Hello,
 
Fresh start is sometimes a good thing, the new forum looks much nicer and already while attaching "new" pictures it's evident that usability is improved.
 
Anyway, I'll try to recapture my log so far with five pictures of reaching the main stages, which I consider to be checking what's inside of timbering set (the fun part), completing framing, planking, deck support structures, carvings and current situation.
 
I must warn that there's slow phase in my build at the moment -- plastic models (not ships!) are taking more time than wooden ones, and I intend to build road bike wheel set before summer as well -- but I know myself and I'll return to this build eventually.  I'm mainly posting this first post already now mainly to say I'm OK with the full reset.
 
(My La Belle (1684) build is on hold, and I'll resume its log once I actually continue working on it.)
 
Pasi

Piet, This build is blowing my mind. Just amazing sir.
Dave

I'm running into some problems with this one.  The paper is just not holding the masts as well as I would like.  I'm leaning towards restarting.  The problem with this scale is glue builds up fast and it's becoming a mess.  I've learned a lot though and I have a few ideas I'd like to implement with it.  I'll redo the hull in paper because I like the detail.  I'll paint it with Testors paint instead of the heavy acrylic so the paint will be thinner and more uniform.  I will leave a piece of wood inside below the deck to glue the masts into.  I will still use the wire masts as that worked out great during a test fit despite the weakness of the paper.  I still think a decent ship at this scale is possible.  I just have to get over the learning curve.  

Thanks for dropping in Andy and your like.  Stay safe !!
 
While I am waiting to start turning the pulleys I started to prep for the next possible projects like mines, torpedoes and the dingy.  Ah yes, the dingy - - - that'll be a challenge.  I had to find the drawings for the mines and the dingy and print them out so that I have the measurements and the lines for them.
 
Then I figured I might as well make the attaching hardware for the antenna wires and the antenna wire lead-in tube to lead the antenna wires down to the radio room.
I also made the DF antenna and mounted on the forward shield of the bridge tub.
 
Then I made the small flag poles at the bow, the stern and on the aft part of the con, right behind the snorkel exhaust pipe.
 
I also painted the gantries in the standard light greay.  Touchups for the rest of the boat will be done much later.
 
At this time it was 1730 hrs and I had to feed my koi carp, they were about to jump out and drag my wife in 
 
Below are a few pics of the current status.  Yeah, my build dock is a little messy, just too lazy to clean it up for the pics or carrying the whole thing outside.  I'll do that at the appropriate time when all the gantries are completed.
 

This is a bow shot showing the small flagpole for the ensign.  The DF antenna is difficult to see on this picture.  The gantry is still loosely stuck into the deck.  I'll wait with permanently cementing them in till all the pulleys and tackle cabling is on.
 

This is a stern shot showing the stern flagpole and the main flagpole on the aft con, right behind the snorkel exhaust pipe.  That one is also difficult to see on this shot.  The aft gantry is also just loosely stuck into the deck.  Yeah, the propellers also need to be made yet.
 

This is the conning tower looking aft.  Here you can see the DF antenna, it's kinda obscured by the bell.  Also the antenna lead-in pipe.  The antenna support cables will be fastened to the bridge structure and the antenna wire is laced to that.
 
Cheers,
 

Let's see, what did we do today - - - oh yeah, I mowed both the front and back lawns in the morning.  The weather was nice, not too warm and not too cold, a nice 80 F.
 
Well, I thought it was time to cement the dingy tackle handwheels to the aft lower con.  But first I had to mask that part to make it ready for the flat black paint.  So I put the handwheels on the deck next to the con for safe keeping and started to mask with Testors masking tape.  
 
Now it came time to cement these little buggers to the con - - - but - - - where are they ????  They were no longer on the deck where i put them.  My guess is that in doing the masking I inadvertently nocked them off the deck.  I looked on the build dock, nothing.  Then on hands and knees on the floor, still nothing.  Then - - - about a few feet away and behind from where I worked I found one   Okay, now at least I didn't have to make two again.  But I didn't give up and expanded my search area and - - - found number two, this time about 6 feet away near where my VOC ship build dock is.  Pffffhhh - - - and that's not the Dutch pfffff but a sigh of relief.
 
Okay, I mixed up some 1 minute epoxy cement and cemented these escapees to the con.  And while I had some mixed epoxy cement I also cemented the front and rear gantry boom securing fixtures to the deck.
 
In the meantime the handwheels were secure enough that I wanted to give that area one coat of flat black paint before going off to lunch.
 
After lunch I put a second coat of paint on and removed the masking tape.  It came out pretty good but may need some more flat black, will see tomorrow.  
 
I also managed to drill a few holes through the deck for the boom tackle cables to go through so I can demonstrate the operation of loading torpedoes or whatever.  
 
I also primed the rest of the tackle hardware and made a few more pulley pins.
 
Here is a picture of the handwheels on the painted con, at least we can see them here
 

The reason for the black paint is that that area gets rather hot when running "trimmed."  i.e. when snorkeling.  That thick pipe is the shroud with the thinner pipe in it you see sticking up is the engine exhaust.  The actual exhaust pipe is here shown stowed but can be moved out for demonstration purposes.  The outside of the crew hatch, shown here in the closed position, is also painted black but that'll come tomorrow, maybe.
 
Now I also have to find a light fixture to stick in the gap you see. 
 
Cheers, 

My thanks to all who came to visit and liked my posts.
 
Today was another doctor visit day and with doctor "Bendover" the proctologist.  I'm kidding of course, his name is not Bendover but Ritter.  We had good news and just keep on trucking   
 
This afternoon I made the dingy tackle handwheels that'll be cemented to the port aft side of the conning tower where the engine exhaust pipe comes up for snorkeling.  I have a photo of the location but the exposure is such that the black painted handwheels do not show.  But I do have a copy of a drawing so yuns get the idea where they are located on the boat.
 
It was a little tricky soldering 0.1 mm  brass wire to the 0.8 mm brass rod that I made into a ring of 5.5 mm OD.  But with enough small heat sinks it worked okay.
 
I also sprayed primer on the gantries and some of the attaching hardware.  The rest of the hardware like the pulley brackets and so will wait till tomorrow after I mow the lawn.
 
Well, that's it for now, pics below.
 

This photo was taken at the commissioning of the O19 where I was present at the ripe old age of 4.  You can't see the handwheels because they blend in with the black paint but they are located under the light fixture cutout.  The drawing below will show it better.
 

This drawing shows clearly where these handwheels are located and you can even see how the cables run.
 

This show how I secured the 0.1 mm brass wire to the 0.8 mm brass ring.  This steel office clamp also served as a heat-sink.  To solder the cross spoke I used a second clamp, it was kinda getting crowded and had to crank the heat up on the soldering iron.  
 

This shows the completed handwheels.  Don't forget that this is extreme magnification and shows all the little scratches and solder I was not able to clean away.
 

This shows the torpedo loading boom secured to it's securing fixture that'll be cemented to the deck.  It's now also painted as we speak. 
 

This is an extreme close-up of the boom secured to the deck fixture.
 
Cheers,

Again my thanks to all who visited and clicked the like button.
 
After some much needed yard work, at least needed according to my dear bride Gwen, the Admiral, I decided to spend some time in the dockyard, after lunch that is.
 
I continued with the mines and made a new one but this time without the loading endcap.  I tried to leave the sinker on and managed to make it come out okay.  The final shaping was done by hand off the lathe.  The endcap will be made from basswood, that'll give me a better opportunity for the attaching bolts.
 
Talking about these bolts. yesterday I mentioned that I won't even try making the heads hexagonal to mimic bolt heads but the temptation was just too great so I tried it with one small brass nail.  Hmmmm, it is actually possible after all   I need to file the nail shank down to 0.5 mm or smaller and the head will shape up nicely to less then 1 mm.  This revelation excites me and am looking forward to the results.  I now have two mines out of prototype and can proceed with the actual models.  I'm asking myself, why am I doing all this extra work - - - just cement some brass rods in it and no one will be the wiser - - - problem now is that I know I can make them, and so does Gwen, the Admiral, and all y'all too 
 
I also made the two U channels for inside the mine tubes for the mines to ride in when loading.  They are made from 0.1 brass shim stock and measure 0.5 mm high and 2 mm wide.  This is according to my scale and checking it for fit it should work.
 
I have also received the brass rods for the pulleys !!!!!!            "Jan", the shipping clerk, did a great job packing them !!!   Sooooh, I can now start making the pulleys but want to finish the mines first, hope yuns don't mind 
 
Okay, here are a few pics of today's work.  I did not make pics of the real mines I made this p.m. they are pretty much the same as the prototypes, except much better looking.
 

These are the U channels for inside the mine tubes, the mines have rollers on the sides that slide in these channels when loading.  There are also brackets 90 degrees away from the rollers that keep the mines centered inside the tubes as well as part of the locking system.  There is a lot of hardware on these things, but I don't know yet how far I'm going with it.
I don't know yet what kind of cement I should use.  The tubes are Styrene and these are brass.  First thought is epoxy because I need some time to position them properly.  Any thoughts from the Styrene experts will be welcome. 
 

This is the tool I used to bend the slivers of brass shim, 4 mm wide that I had to trim down after they were bend.  I first had to grind the ends of the tool flat and straight to remove the abuse from a gezillion years of use   Hey, it works and that's the main thing.
 

This is the prototype bolt-head I made as a try-out project.  The hex-head is not easy to see in this pic, the next one is slightly better.  I do need some higher magnification then the 3X I have, all this is done by guessing, counting strokes with the file and rotating the clamping pliers 60 degrees each time.  On the next pic you can see that I have to file one side some more, but this is only a prototype.
 

A better picture of the "bolt" for the loading cap.
 
Cheers,

Hi Piet, Just discovering this amazing project for the first time. First impression...."This has got to be a kit, posted in the wrong build log category."
Absolutely amazing detail. Thanks for the pleasure of seeing your work.
Dave

First of all my thanks to all who visited and your likes, much appreciated.
 
Continued today with dressing the mines and fitting them in the bin.  It's a tight fit but I can move them in and out okay.  After I was happy with that task working out okay I added the arming switches to the sinkers.  The trigger cords still need to be finished but that'll be done Sunday and then I can paint them and call it done
 
It was a short day for me because I first had to go to the DIY store and buy a new lawn sprinkler head and after lunch I decided to make dinner.  Ran down to the local green grocer and bought nice root veggies and organically grown tomatoes.   Then off to the butcher and got me a nice chunk of beef.  I planned making a Belgian style beef stew with a good dark Belgian beer - yummo!!!
Gwen was happy she didn't have to cook ad it came out just great.
 
Okay, I did make a few pics of one mine inside its bin but they are still not painted.
 

This shows one of the mines fitted inside its bin. 
 

Another angle of the mine inside its bin, you can also see part of the arming cable.  The other end is hooked to the side of the bin and as the mine is dropped down it pulls the switch lever that arms the system.  Rather ingenious.
 
Cheers,

Hello again every one and thanks for visiting and your like votes.
 
The mine saga is close to coming to an end, hurray   I cemented most all of the hardware on with two part epoxy and started cleaning it up.
I also cemented the tracks in the mine tube on the sub.  There is still adjustments to be made to make them slide down into the bin but that'll have to wait till the weekend.
 
I also made 10 of the 3 mm pulleys, another hurray!     I managed to snap one drill bit though, a # 68.  No matter how slow I fed the drill this brass is tough and the drill snagged enough to make it fgo beyond it's design limits    .  I'll just blame it on junky Chinese drills    I got the broken part out after I made two pulleys. 
Sooooh I sharpened the broken drill bit by hand and eye with a diamond file and it worked okay for the rest of the pulleys - - - being extra careful.
 
I tried fitting one of the mines in the bin and it would only go half way in so I need to file the fake "roller guides" some more.  Once I get them to slide in nice and easy they'll be painted a dark grey to offset them with the rest of the boat.
 
Well, this is it for today.  A few pics below for my archive and your viewing pleasure.
 

I cut a strip of plastic that fits snug between the two U channel tracks inside the mine bin.  I think they are close to 180 degrees to each other.  I'll have to adjust the mine sliders to make them fit.  I used two part epoxy cement.
 

This shows two mines - now with all the hardware on them except for the arming switch which will be done after the mines fit.
 

This shows all ten of the 3 mm pulleys.  As yuns can see I made the pulley pin holes rather small and had the reduce the diameter of the brass nails I am using for them.  I believe this is closer to scale then using those 1 mm nails.  These are 0.4 mm in diameter.
 
Cheers,

Hello again and today was rather productive and enjoyable.  It's nice when things work and fall into place without any snags.  
 
Started out in the morning finalizing the parts for the dingy loading boom.  I had to install the few 3 mm pulleys in their brackets and secure the pins.  Then I made the cable shackles a bit smaller yet to see if the cables still go around them and it worked.
 
I whipped two of the cables that I put around the shackles and secured them with nail polish.  So I thought why not assemble the whole blooming thing!  It only took about half an hour for the boom and rigging was completed  
 
Then I heard some thunder and figured to quickly mow the backyard before the rain.  Then I had some lunch, read the mail and ventured back into the garage aka the dockyard.  I took a few pics of the assembled loading boom and discovered I had reversed the boom cable and the loading cable, so I quickly re routed them, no prob, done in a few minutes.
 
With the success in making the shackles smaller I now also made the ones for the forward torpedo loading boom smaller and what a difference that makes.  I "quickly" whipped the cables around them and prepped a few more parts for the forward boom.  By that time the grass was dry enough to finish mowing the southside of the backyard.  I don't like to mow when it's whet, I'm using an electric mower and one never knows - - -  
 
By that time it was time to call it quits and downloaded the pics and put them in my O19 file.
 
Okay, here are a few pics of todays work.
 

This shows the whipping of one of the shackles.
 

Here are all the parts laid out for the dingy loading boom on top of the drawing.
 

Here is a side view of the dingy loading boom, sorry about the camera movement.
 

A shot from the rear.
 

Looking straight forward through the torpedo loading gantry at the dingy boom.  It's getting busy.
 

A close-up of the dingy loading boom.  I had to hang some weight on the loading hook to keep the cables taught.
 

A look kinda from above.  I had to stand on a small ladder here. 
 
Cheers,
 

This has come a long way from when you started. It has turn out to be a very Beautiful build with all the detail a person could want. Thank you very much for sharing this with all of us here on MSW. Keep the pictures coming.