Jack12477

Today, the second coat of gloss white applied to the hull. She'l need some more wet sanding and a final coat. Here are the results

Thanks Mark, Nigel, and Alan.  I'll try to get a look at those sources, but they don't sound like they refer to merchant ships from the mid 1800's.  At any rate, I've committed myself to following the Dunbrody plans, whether or not they're historically accurate.

I don't know Mobbsie........perhaps I should have used the red primer    
 
it was a good day yesterday......it was supposed to rain,  but it held off for the day time hours.   it decided to rain when I went to work though.......made for a soggy evening at the airport     oh well..........it could have been snow  >shrug<
    I didn't get too much done......but I did get a second coat of filler on the Tree Boat.   it was sanded and given another coat of white primer.   taking a quick look at the hull,  I'd say it's somewhere around 90 % ready.......maybe just a little more fiddling,  and it should be ready for rub and cap rails.
 

 

 
the white under the light......such a terrible sight!  I swear........to stare.........is such a blinding glare!  perhaps if I used the primer red,   there wouldn't be so much glare,  if I used it instead.  
 

 

 

The sheer excellence of your woodwork and metal work makes this one of the most enjoyable logs on MSW. It looks like this could be a working model with the proper engine.

I finally completed the paddle wheels to the point I can start tying the drive train to the engine.  This week I was able to get most of the pittman/crosshead assembly done.  Just the feedwater pump and reach rods to finish before moving onto the boilers.
 
 
U-joints for the reach rods.

 

 
Crosshead slides.

 
Testing the fit of the crosshead and end of the pittman.

 

 

 
Pittman ends freshly milled.

 
 
Straps soldered to pittman ends.

 
Finished pittman strap with bearing, wedge and keys before blackening.

 

 
 
After blackening with bolts added.

 
Flywheel end of pittman.

 
Crosshead end of pittman.

 

 

 

What, me object?  Heaven forbid. 
 
Bob

And here are the seat cushions. They were carved from some pear stock 3" thick. The piping along the edges was some fine line left over from another model. It was applied using acrylic matt medium. Had I used white glue, it would have dissolved when I painted the cushions with acrylic paint. I may deepen their color.
 
Experiments with 'gold' are beginning to yield promising results. More soon.

Thanks Druxey.  I thought the same thing about the direction of the scarphs, based on my reading of the Desmond and Crothers books.  However, this is just one of the discrepancies I've discovered between the Dunbrody plans and those books, so I'm planning on following these plans.
 
 
Thanks Owen.  I've taken a lot of measurements from the plans to build a Table of Scantlings.  If you're interested send me a PM and I'll forward the Excel file to you.  Similarly, if you want any of the drawings I've done in TurboCad I'd be happy to share them with you.
 
 
 
 
Thanks Nigel.  That's a very interesting point, since as you say the ship was built in Quebec.  However, the naval architect (Colin Mudie) who designed the Dunbrody replica ship was working from scantlings and survey documents only, so it may also be that this is his interpretation of how the ship was actually built.  If you can recommend any books on French and/or British ship design from the 19th century I'd be very interested.
 
 
 
 
Thanks Nigel.  I think showing and explaining the steps helps the reader understand the process I'm following (right or wrong), and hopefully will prompt someone to point out a different or better way of doing something, which I would greatly appreciate.

Lovely detail, Ed. (This should not be repetitive like those ship's boats ... ;-) )

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 155 – Channel Deadeyes 1
 
The next major task on the model is to fit out the channels with deadeyes, chains, bindings and backing (preventer) plates.  You may notice in these posts that some of the terminology diverges from what most of us are used to – namely British RN usage.  I am trying very hard to use 19th Century American terms, gleaned mostly from texts from the period.
 
So, the first step is to make the 16” chain deadeyes for the fore and main mast lower shrouds.  There are 24 of these required at this stage.  For dimensions of this type of rigging component, I am relying largely on James Lees book, unless other specific references can be found.  The deadeye dimensions thus used are thickness slightly larger than half the diameter and holes located at one-half the radius.
 
In the first picture, a square of boxwood has been chucked in the lathe, partially turned to the 16” (.222”) diameter, and rounded at the end.
 

 
I tried Castelo and pear for these but ultimately went with the harder European Boxwood – from a stock of slightly off-color material that I have and designate as Boxwood ‘B’.  This left a minimum of fuzz and chips on the turnings.  The cutter in the picture was rounded on both sides of the center for the 16” deadeye rounding.  The brass stop on the cross-feed lathe rails was used to set the depth of cut.  In the next picture, the rounding on three deadeyes has been cut and the cut point for the fourth located.
 

 
The deadeye thickness was set with the z-axis calibration wheel on the lathe.  After the first three deadeyes are finished and parted off, the cutter will be indexed for the next three from the fourth cut shown.  Three is about the maximum for this unsupported turning.  In the next picture the grooves for the iron bindings (strops) are being cut using another special cutter sized to fit the iron ring.
 

 
These grooves were centered and cut to depth by eye.  The next step was to sand and polish each deadeye before parting as shown in the next picture.
 

 
This was done with sanding and polishing sticks.  The polished deadeye was then parted off as shown in the next picture.
 

 
The last picture shows three parted off deadeyes.
 

 
The nibs left from the parting will be removed in the drilling step – to be described in the next post.
 
 
Ed

Beautiful work Ed! 

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 154 – Quarter Davits
 
It seems like a while since the last post.  Progress has been slowed by research, documentation and drafting for the rigging.  However, about a week ago the last of the four boats was completed and since then the quarter davits have been made and fitted.  The first picture shows the completed 22’ cutter that will be secured to the starboard davits.
 

 
The 6 sweeps were made from drawn bamboo flattened at one end.
 
The quarter davits were secured outside the hull just aft of the main channels.  The forward davits were supported by the channels.  The aft pair were held by iron brackets.  One of these and its bolt is shown in the next picture.
 

 
This is a top bracket – longer to account for the inward slope of the sides.  The lower brackets are shorter with a hole only in the top.  All were made from the brass rectangular section shown in the picture.  In the next picture a lower bracket is being installed.
 

 
The rails were mortised to fit these.  The next picture shows the top end of one of the davits in the lathe after cleanup of the solder and rounding of the top bearing.
 

 
The ends were fashioned by the method used for the poop handrail stanchions.  The next picture shows one of these shaped.
 

 
After cutting to size, this davit was fitted as shown in the next picture.
 

 
The next picture shows both starboard davits fitted with their hooks installed.
 

 
The last picture shows all four davits.
 

 
These will probably be blackened to simulate iron, but I have not decided.  They appear black in one of the photos.  I will probably put these into storage with the boat until later.  There is quite a bit of rigging to be installed along the rails that will best be done with maximum access.  The above picture shows a break in the belaying pins that extends almost the length of the boats.  Pins forward of the six at the forward end of the space will extend uninterrupted all the way to the cargo opening and virtually all will be used.  There were a lot of sails on one of these ships.  A half dozen square sails per mast, an equal number of studding sails on the forward masts, plus quite a few fore and aft sails.  While I do not intend to install sails, I do plan to install most of their rigging, excluding most of the studding sail rigging and other items like staysail sheets.  I expect access to be an issue.
 
Ed
 

that's some good work there Michael      the only place I know of around these parts that has something close to that would be HobbyTown.......darn place moved a town away.  they use to be in the same mall as Hobby Lobby......made it very convenient.   HobbyTown carries the Plastruct line of building plastics,  and they have quite a selection.......they also carry a lot of brass and HO related stuff.   gonna have to hunt them down someday  
 
Hobby Lobby does carry a few things,  but not as extensive..........they don't carry a lot of brass and metal stuff either.  stairs and stairwells are interesting...
.......there are many different types used in ship building.   I wonder if tulle could be used as well?   I did it this way,  only because the ladder was a molded part....the treads were solid.  I matched them up to the upper fore deck landing....now I need to make a railing for it.  I was in the process of doing just that when I got the phone call.  I have to work tonight,  but I took the week end off    {Mo' playtime for me....Ha.....Ha!}
 
I've been on the ladder  'kick'  for a while now.  perhaps it's my subconscious telling me I need to reach new heights.    
 
thanks Bob.........I hope to get more done today.  the weather seems to be a bit better than was forecast........perhaps I should put a move on the tree boat hull and get it squared away.   thanks for the good word  

Hi Denis there is a great material for open metal treads it is an aluminum sheet for sculpting I used some for these steps
 

 

 
Michael

OK........here goes.    The windows were a trial to trim.........took a lot of fitting to get them to go into place.   the rest of them are in now.....I just need to clean the 'glass' to get my finger prints off 'em.  I still had a strip of the thin planking that I had painted brown.......I used it for the lower structure railings.   I ran some along the helm room as well.   to answer your question Mobbsie,  I used CA to cement the stanchions in place.   wrapping the lashing along the top wasn't bad......it was when I lashed each stanchion along the bottom....a few of them came loose.  they didn't lose their position though,  the luck was on my side.  as for the canvas covering the railings,  the texture might be better seen in these pictures.   I got a small roll of this material in a kit,  but it wasn't enough to do all of the sails.   I'll  substitute another fabric to make the sails for that ship,  and I'll use this stuff for small tasks
 

 

 

 
for the ladder that will lead to the fore deck,  I wanted to put some of that metal HO train sheeting on the treads.   it would give it the appearance of a 'no slip' finish.   I cut a narrow strip up into short pieces........I didn't use these,  since they all are too short.......I cut some others.
 

 
they are sitting on what I'm going to use for the roof of the helm room.   I'm not going to go crazy and make a visor for it,  but I will make it look interesting.   I began to add some color to the anchor winch
 

 
the last thing I did was to add the tread coverings on the ladder.   it wasn't too bad to do.
 

 

 

 
I hope to do more tomorrow........I have to work at the airport again.   it'll be nice though.......I have the Wally work week off.   home for the week end!  
 
 

I love the "canvas" on the railing, Denis.   Very well done.

well......I did it to myself again........wrote out this big post to answer all your questions and a huge thank you for all the kind comments.......and I hit the wrong button!    it's all gone!~    had a good night at the airport,  in spite of the fact I had to work........but I made the best of it  
 
again.....thanks to you all for the kind comments and to those who hit the like button     I definitely will be checking out that product Bob.......I like the bottle and the applicator,   better than the Testor's bottle.
 
I used CA on the railings Mobbsie.........it was OK at first,  until I started to lash the bottoms of the stanchions...a few came loose then.   luckily,  it was not enough to knock them out of alignment.
 
glad I could make you smile John  
 
thanks Pat....glad I could make you smile too.    I'm beginning to outfit the helm room......figured I'd let you know  
 
any time we can share info and techniques Piet.......it's a win / win!    which reminds me........I gotta make some of those metal pulleys.  reviewing some of your work is a must!  
 
I'll explain more in this next update. {now if I can hit the post button without botching it}

If you want something to glue clear acetate to wood without it misting up try this http://www.ebay.com/itm/Deluxe-Materials-AD55-Glue-N-Glaze-Glue-/231851041327?hash=item35fb66222f:g:p7kAAOSwjVVVkwHO
 
I use it on all sorts you can even use it to make a window in a small space check out the video

thanks Mobbsie.........yes,  I'm feeling better     appreciate the concern.   your not missing too much......I've been bouncing around on two projects at the moment.   even if I had a room with nine tables.........I could still only work on one at a time  
 
               I'd be saddened if you didn't follow along  
 
 
to get something going yesterday,  I started off by painting the other window frames.  the ladder and the anchor winch also got a coat of paint
 

 
a few days ago,  I painted a strip of sail material with white primer.   this cloth had a good canvas look to it.
 

 
after trimming it and cutting it down to a usable width,  it was sewn to the upper aft deck railing
 

 
along the bottom edge,  it was then sewn to each of the stanchions.   from here it was brought out to the porch,  where it got another couple coats of white primer
 

 
some of the stanchions were still movable........I was worried that they may have shifted on me.......but it wasn't the case. 
     it was then dry fitted back onto the model.
 

 

 
the doors were cemented in place at this time.    the ship's wheel was also cemented in place.   I won't be going too crazy in here,  but I have a few bits to add to it.
 

 
the binnacle was painted......I added some height to it as well
 

 
I settled on the window maker to cement the frames to the clear cello.   I'm hoping that the adhesion is strong enough
 

 
cutting and trimming them isn't too bad.........that is,  until I got to the point of fitting them in the helm room.   it's a tight fit, so I'll have to trim them some more to get them to fit better.   I did get the first of six in place so far..........
 

 
still much more to go Mobbsie..........got some scratch building in mind    should get more interesting from here.

thanks Piet...I've been lucky {if you can call it that}  these last couple of weeks.   I haven't had to work at my part time job.  it's given me more time to devote to my builds.   this week is going to be a busy one.......the night guy is out sick,  and I'm going to be covering a couple nights.   I took the weekend off at wally for the admiral's birthday though,  so that should even it out.  thanks for the kind word  
 
 
I did do a little bit over the week end.......rare for me to do modeling during the Wally work week.   usually,  I'm too tired,  but this was a small bit of progress,  and I was curious to see how it would look.   while I was working on the two doors for the helm room,  I painted most the window frames.   I would need two for the doors.
 

 
the thresholds were added to the doors......sanded a bit more,  and then painted.   I was trying to find the cello that would not cloud up,  using CA.......but I must have used it up.   I gave up the search and used the window maker to cement the cello in place on the doors.   seeing that the lip of the frames were as thick,  as the wood that I used,  they were cemented in afterwards.   the rest of the frames,  I'm going to have to cement the cello on and trim them.
 

 
I didn't fill in the bottom opening.......liking the looks of them in the last dry fit,  I'll see if this will cause a problem now that I added the thickness of the cello.   
 

 

 
the one thing I do need to be careful about though,  is the alignment of the window openings.
 

Hi,
 
Thank you Bensid54 and David.  The type of Bamboo I'm using is Yellow Grove.
So far so good.  This type has a nice flat spot which is allowing me to make some nice wide planks which will come in handy for spiling. 
 
Walter
 

 

 
 

That would actually be a great idea.......use the thicker stuff first.  That is how I taught my son to make rope.  He kept breaking the smaller lines until he got used to it.
 
 
Actually I was thinking of making a video...just have to convince my kids to shoot the video.    Ultimately I would like to offer my new rope walk to the masses some day....but there is a learning curve and you must get the feel for it.   The "feel" has a lot to do with it.  Something I think only a video could most easily convey.    I cant even get them to take out the garbage so its just one of those things on the "to-do List". 
 
Chuck

Thats the issue...I usually just tie it to the three/four hooks of my rope walk and spin it in the opposite direction.  It unlays and then after that it lays up in the other direction.    Just like that I now have left handed thread to make my right handed rope.  All in one step.
 
As it unlays initially.... the rope walk end is actually walked back...or the gap between the two actually gets wider. Before closing up again as it begins to twist in the other direction and tighten.   I dont do it ahead of time as you mentioned.   But I suppose you would have to in order to wound it up on those spools for the machine.
 
The mono thread comes in limited colors....I really dont use it for my rope.   I just know its out there.
 
DMC is the ultimate best stuff readily available for rope making.   The only draw back is that it has to be dyed.  I used it initially before deciding that I didnt have the time to dye all of the rope I sold.  It is all right handed.   If I wasnt selling 1000's of feet of rope each month I would still be using it.   It great stuff and I never minded dyeing it for just my own use.  
 
Rit dye is what I used.  It comes in many colors...great stuff.
 
Both lefty and righty ropes.
 

Some progress while I wait for various 'gilding' materials to arrive. The coach benches are made and installed. For the moment the forward and aft coach bulkheads are temporarily slotted into position and still removable.
 
The plan of the coach indicates a locker lid aft. The benches were cushioned for the benefit of the Lord Commissioners' backsides, so these are next. I'll model them based on the ones seen in Prince Frederick's barge

Just in case - Rub n' buff has several shades of gold. 
If you are afraid that gold will prevent seeing fine details, bitumen
patina liquid can be used to bring it up.
Here is an example of it used (not on gold though)