Jack12477

Dear friends,

I wish you Merry Christmas and a happy New Year 2015.

Best regards
Doris

BTW, during previous weeks I made a new model - Chebec 1:80/plastic model by Imai, and today I have just finished it. This build was primarily relaxation and enjoyment for me. Here is a thread, you can have a look, if you want:
 
http://modelforum.cz/viewtopic.php?f=177&t=89590&start=45
 

Now aren't you glad you're not doing an Allison V-12, Michael?     That is some beyond wonderful metal work.  And, doing the wrist pin end that way might have uses for other things... I'm filing it away.

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 102 – Planking and Wales continued
 
With the announcement of the forthcoming book(s) on this model, I’ve got to keep my nose to the grindstone – giving up some of the leisure I enjoyed before making the book decision.  So much to do, so little time.
 
In the first picture the wale upper strake around the stern has been installed.
 

 
All of the wale planks are 6” x 6”.  This first strake transitions in thickness from the 4” common plank thickness.  In the next picture the first full thickness wale plank has been fitted around the stern and is being levelled off with a file.
 

 
Some of this levelling was required on all planking but especially around these curves.  The planks were slightly oversized to allow for this.  This wale plank borders right on the “knuckle” – a transition point in the aft hull shape.  Planking below this will butt into this strake as shown in the next picture.
 

 
The two strakes shown above will be pared down to half width after gluing.  There are chocks between the stern timbers to allow the ends of the lower strakes to be bolted.  Lacking documented practice, I have assumed that these planks would be cut into the last circumferential wale plank as shown below.
 

 
This was the common practice for the ends of planks that butted into another plank where the angle would require excessive tapering of the planks.  Maintaining a minimum of one-half the width and cutting into the margin plank as shown above would permit these joints to be caulked.  This could not be done with a full taper on the planks.
 
Additional planks have been added in the next picture.
 

 
In this picture the surface is being sanded with 220-grit paper in preparation for treenailing.  In the next picture additional strakes on either side have been boiled and clamped in place to dry.
 

 
These planks do not have the extreme curvature of the circumferential planks but do curve up at the ends and twist to follow the hull shape.
 
The last picture shows the starboard planking while the ship was uprighted for some dimensional checks – and for inspection by Christmas visitors.
 

 
A lot of exterior planking remains to be done – down below the waterline on this side and a few strakes below the channels on the port side.  There are about 20 strakes in the wale itself plus some diminishing strakes and common plank below that on this side.
 
  
Ed
 

This was the sequence for the top end shaping.
 
the first shots showing the rotational shaping in the lathe using the chuck as a vice while moving the cutter back and forth.
 

 

 

 

 
Next using a rat tail file to finish off the shape
 

 
after filing but before final clean up.
 

 
ready to assemble
 

 
Michael

I finished prepping the other rod this evening Also forgot to post the pic of how the big end was split. I used the slitting saw in the lathe.
 

 
I also turned up a pin out of steel to slip the wrist pin hole onto so that i could use the lathe as a shaper.
I used a round nosed tool bit sideways and moved the carriage back and forth as the top end was rotated incrementally by hand to shape the top round.
The first one is fixed to the piston I forgot to take pics of the shaping I will set that up for the second one tomorrow.
 

 

 
 
Michael
 
 

Thank you all for you kind comments regarding the notes on the way I go about drilling holes. and thanks for all the folk who liked it.
 
Pressing on with the con-rods the first order of business was to make a brass split holder for some of the following operations this was made from 2 pieces of 1/4 x 3/4 inch bar stock before I drilled and reamed the 1/8th hole through the joint I added two small slivers of .0015 shim stock to spread the bars so that when the con rod which  is 1/8th is placed between them the allen head cap screws will have that .0015 missing so that the bars squeeze the shaft of the con rod holding it firmly.
 
The first three picture show the stage 2 of shaping the rods the round ends have now been reduced to the correct width.
 

 

 

 

 
The next operation was to drill the holes for the split big end these are clearance for 0x80 bolts
 

 
After the holes were drilled the assembly was taken back to the lathe for the slitting saw to cut the big end into the two parts. they are temporarily held together for drilling out to .156" for the bushing. here they have been drilled and the hole for the wrist pin followed by indexing 1.004" (I'm not sure how it got to be 1.004" I'm just following the drawings)
 

 
The area marked in blue is to remind me that I will need to shape the keeper later and remove that areas marked with some files using a hard button to ensure that the curvature is maintained. I also need to turn up some steel bolts for the big end, and make the split bush, I will do this by soft soldering a couple of bars together then turn the bushing in the lathe then unsolder them ready to fit the rods.
 

 
removed from the jig so that I can get the second one to the same stage.
 
I'm tired time for a nap.
 
Michael
 

 
 

Jud this is what surprised me the most as well, I am following the same practice as many of the model engines that have been built by the model engine builders and the most important thing is to make sure that the cylinder liner is well polished when using the O rings which is opposite to using cast iron rings. There are a number of tutorials for making cast iron rings down to 3/8th diameter but it takes a bit of practice and some really good cast iron bar stock to be able to make them successfully.  
 
JKLee and Omega
Yes it is a different area of modelwork but basically one only needs to focus on the task at hand and break it down into incremental chunks small chunks I admit. The way I see it is that each time we change materials or scales we encounter new challenges and have to consider using different tools for some tasks.
 
Remco the short answer is no, that said I think that the basic issue with drilling small holes is one of sequences.
 
1)  When drilling into wood with very small drills 1/32 and down to the small #'s 60-80 the wood is not a consistent homogenous material, it is organic and full of subtly different hardness's and textures and this is I believe the main reason for breaking the bits when using a drill press or milling machine, the other issue is the speed of rotation of the bit, the smaller the bit the higher the speed the machine needs to run, this is counter intuitive to the way we use them by hand in pin vices which is technically a snails pace by comparison. I think the difference is that when using a hand held pin vise we use much less pressure and can "feel" the drill cutting, remember our fingertips are one of the most sensitive parts of our bodies with the possibly the most nerve endings. 
 
2) When drilling metal the key is to ensure that the start is exactly centered, and I mean exactly, this can only be accomplished by using a centre drill to spot the centre first my centre drill for the small drills cost me $27 for a tiny 1/8 shank centre drill this means the for every hole I have to do a number of things first decide on where the hole is going to be, this entails laying out the position on the material and fixing the material solidly to the drill press or mill, I tend to use the numbers and not a centre punched divot, by that I mean indexing from two or more sides depending on the shape, the centre drill takes the place of the punched divot.
 
3) The way I index is to use an  edge finder or centre finder to set the datum on at least two edges then I can simply set the dials on the table to 0 and them index them to the two coordinates x and y that is the centre of the hole, I do this regardless of the size of the piece I am drilling, it is a habit. The quill of the mill also has a dial so that I can set the tip of the drill to 0 at the surface that way I know how deep my hole will be if I am not going all the way through. if I am going all the way through I sometime use some wast material as a support so that the drill does not catch and snag on exit one of the biggest causes of broken drills in the smaller sizes, the other is the drill bending because the start was off centre from the centre axis of the rotation of the drill as it gets deeper the bending forces increase often snapping the drill.
 
4) The next important thing regarding wood or metal is ensuring that the drill flutes do not get clogged with the material what you are removing out of the hole, it has to go somewhere so raising the drill out of the hole frequently allows it to escape (this is usually centrifugal force that throws it off the drill) sometime the material is "gummy" some brass and some aluminum can be this way and so a lubricant (Varsol or Paraffin works well) is needed to keep the bit slippery, a cutting oil for steel. Obviously one doesn't need the lubricant on wood but it can clog the bit even more quickly than metal, so small "pecks" (frequent raising of the drill to clear the wood off the drill) a small fine stiff brush can be very helpful to clear this debris out of the flutes.
 
The last thing to remember is the depth to diameter ration of the hole deep holes are more difficult to drill for all the above reasons
Finally use the best quality drills you can afford and I always use a centre drill to spot the hole, this means that if I am drilling a number of holes I can drill all the centre spots first (following all the numbers on the index map drawing) then go back and follow all the numbers again with the drill this is the fastest way when I an drilling multiple holes to the same depth. Or I can change the drill from the centre drill to the hole size drill with each cut, it depends on what I am drilling and for what purpose I choose which way to go.
 
I hope this answers your question.
 
All of what I just said applies to using a drill press mainly, and also ensuring that the work is rigid (clamped in some way is also very important) when working freehand or using a hand held drilling devise drill or Dremel type tool similar conditions apply but they are not quite the same, and I take my hat off to all the steady hands out there, drilling treenail holes. I cringe when I read of using a # 70+ drill bit by hand.
 
 
Omega actually this really applies to your Ingomar yacht model 
 
 
Michael

Not only is it "another world of modelling", but it's beyond comprehension just how difficult it is to do what Michael's doing. Truly a job for the seriously skilled!

First bit of planking is done with Swiss Pear.   Just the counter so far.  I've hung the stern post and rudder blank for position and to make sure I made the hole right.
 
There will be a bit of ebony trim over the exposed yellowheart after the rest of the planking goes one.  And "above" the counter and below the lights I'll be putting in the shaped trim strip after the rest of the stern has been planked.
 
All in all, I'm pretty pleased.

Holiday's over....back to the never ending ratlines!

My shipyard is idle today as we get ready to host 40 guests for a Christmas party. I'm 16 months into this build and I've learned a lot from all of you...that's a nice Christmas present!

I have got the gearbox to the point where I can now move on to the driving portion of this engine namely the pistons and associated gubbins.
 

 

 

 
First I needed to machine up some blank pistons these are .311" (7.89mm) in diameter and .372" (9.52mm) high
 
these were then set into a fixture to drill the wrist pin holes and to machine the squarish hole inside.
 

 

 
they are fiddly little things to work with, popping the O ring on is easy getting the ring off is another story.
 

 

 
they slide up and down nicely in the cylinder head.
 

 
 
Merry Christmas everyone
 
michael

Thank you Alistair
 
Red is a very transparent color to paint with.   If you use thin coats it will be somewhat transparent.  I have many more coats and more sanding to get it where I want but it will most likely have some transparency.
 
I found some workshop time....so I finished planking the starboard side.  Its a big milestone but then I look at the port side and have to repeat the entire process, including the square tuck   But it all worked out very well.   Once the other side is finished I can start treenailing.  
 

 

 

 

 

 
 

So I've been running those extra lines so I have the sheets to trim up the sails and those down haul lines to trim down the sails. in reviewing the pin diagrams I totally had enough space on the rails, the instructions just watered down the rigging a little bit by not including these lines. so, since I've been doing twice the planned running rigging I got stalled tonight as I am out of .15 line! fortunately my shop should be able to get it in for me but it will take me till after Christmas which is a bummer because I had hoped to be finishing up while Im off this week. SO close!

So a funny thing happened in the shipyard this weekend, I started early on Friday  and was cranking along, next thing you know Sunday rolls around (I had some sleep in between) the boat was finished and I had failed to take progress pictures.  Overall i would say the instructions through this final patch were solid, the only issue I had was it called for thread sizes that I didn't have, the black supplied with the kit only comes in two sizes and I don't think they match up with the sizes called for in the instructions. 
 
The hook on the backstay
 

 
Anchor and forward area
 

 
The traveller ring
 

 
The full boat + stand
 





 
And a quick pic of my next project, I hope I have the chops for it, time will tell, but I will take my time, review logs and try to focus on quality and perfection.  All kidding aside I think it's a 2 to 3 year project for me, so thats where you will be able to find me.
 

 
Thanks to all of the the folks the followed, commented and liked on this build, it's always more fun when people chime in or give you a thumbs up.  Kudos to Chuck Passaro for fantastic little boat design, a lot of feeling and life in this little model, two thumbs up.

Todays visit to the ship yard is brought to you by the word "mistakes".  I made all the chainplates and attached the eyes then mounted them to the boat, after I looked at it I realized that I h ad mounted them equal and fore of the mast instead of equal and aft of the mast
 

 
I pulled the front two off, filled the holes with putty and stained it then drilled new holes aft of the mast and remounted the chainplates. "Doh" number one of the day
 
I rigged the shrouds with the deadeyes and ran the lanyards to connect the chainplate deadeyes and shroud deadeyes.  Everything was going well and I called it a day and cleaned up when I realized I had used the wrong size thread for the shrouds.  I used the .012 black thread instead of the .021
 

 
"Doh" number two of the day it's all good though, I'll cut off all of the rigging I've done and redo it with the proper thread, at the same time I will redo two of the chainplates that sit too high above the cap rail.  
 
One thing I think I will deviate from the instructions when I rebuild them is to have the join of the wires that Chuck shows on top of the deadeye near the side or the bottom, it will be less obvious.

Here's a better shot:
 
At my advanced age it takes quite a while for the neurons to bring the "learned photography tricks" out of archival storage and into current active memory . In the old days of film photography when you needed to cut the light output from the electronic flash you could use a white handkerchief and drape it over the flash unit. In the case above I folded the handkerchief twice so I had two layers of cloth to diffuse the light output. Worked pretty good.

Well, some progress. I decided to leave the thwarts as specified in the instructions but enlarged the mast thwart a little. Sorry the lighting is dark, these point and shoot digital camera don't have a way of cutting the flash output. When I use the built-in flash at this close range it completely washes out the image.
 

Thanks for the likes.
 
I used a trick I employed when filing up connecting rods on my model steam locomotive, and that is to use a hardened button as a filing guide.
 

 

 

 
The top of the handle ended up being hand filed I had originally intended to turn it in the lathe by holding the lever in the four jaw chuck, it caught and bent so after straightening it I used needle files sandpaper and steel wool to clean it up.
 

 
Michael

Greg, Mark, Carl and Mark thanks for your encouraging comments about my work, and again to all who have appreciated it quietly.
 
Moving forward to the control of the clutch I have started to make the forward reverse lever. This lever will need to have some ability to be adjusted.To give just the right amount of pressure to the clutch spring. The geometry of the fulcrum points is critical.
 
The strength of the coil spring is also one of the items that might need a few reworks to get right as well. The whole physics of springs and their construction is no doubt a science, but from my practical point of reference, a trial and error method will have to suffice. So I will see if it works.
 
I rummaged through the scrap box until I found the right bit of brass to cut the lever out of. I used the vernier height gauge to lay out the shape, then pre-drilled all the holes while it was rectangular this makes it much easier to get them square to each other.
 

 
the cutting was done with a fine blade in the jewelers saw. I have already started to file the surfaces to the final shape.
 

 
The keeper rods are now set into the gearbox these were turned up from some free machining 1/8th inch hex stock, at first I left the heads as a hex bolt but they were too big and interfered with the pressure collar. so turned them into cheesehead screws. the spring was wound from some .020 music wire, I used the number drill series of drills as the arbor to find the correct size to finish up with a 3/16th internal bore the third attempt produced the correct diameter, it was a number 21 drill.
 

 
The lower pivot point to which the lever connect to will be mounted on the back wall of the oil pan below the prop shaft, and will be able to be threaded forwards and backwards to give the adjustment.
 

 
There will be a connecting link from the lever to the clamp on top of the clamp ring.
 
Michael
 
 

● Poop Bulkhead: A few things have made me rethink my approach to the remaining deck planking. The boxwood strips I received vary in thickness between .031"-.050". I think it would be difficult to sand the planks flat without damaging the coamings that are supposed to be glued to the main deck beforehand. Also, the kit supplied gratings do not have a tight fit when assembled and the holes are too large according to the plans. I'm working on a solution for both and will post the results hopefully soon. Meanwhile here is a photo of the Poop Bulkhead. I made a photocopy of the diamond pattern shown in the manual and used the kit supplied 1/16" white tape around the edge, with half its width showing. I left some room for the planking to run under the door as well.
 

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 101 – Planking and Wales
 
To conveniently work on the planking below the channels, the hull was inverted as shown in the first picture
 

 
The toptimbers are no longer as vulnerable with the planking installed up to the top so there is minimal risk of damage.  I still use carpet padding as a precaution and have tied the hull down to keep from pushing it off the bench.
 
The next picture shows some of the planking installed at the bow.
 

 
The hull is marked with pencil lines to show the extent of the wale and the load waterline.  I have highlighted the lower edge of the wale in red and the lwl in blue.
 
The wale is 6” thick and there are roughly 20 strakes of 6” wide planks from top to bottom.  The top strake transitions from the 4” common  to the 6” wale planking two strakes below the lower channels.  That break in thickness can be seen in these pictures.  The next picture is a close-up of the “hooding ends.”
 

 
The wale planks are pared down to match the depth of the rabbet.  The treenails are hard bamboo (old garden stakes) – very hard and very dark.  The grain flecks and the color variation in the maple planks is a bit distracting, but all of this planking will be painted.
 
The planking around the stern was done concurrently with that shown above. In the next picture the second strake below the planksheer rail has been curved and is clamped to dry.
 

 
Each of these is boiled for over an hour, clamped as shown below and left overnight to dry.  It can then be glued with a similar clamping arrangement.  This is really a one-step-per-day process.
 
The last picture shows the three strakes below the rail – levelled off but not yet finish sanded.
 

 
 
The next strake will be the transition strake to the wale thickness.  There may be one more circumferential strake  - at the "knuckle" - but the planks below will butt into the last of these.  The ends of the the planks below will bolt into the supporting chocks between the stern timbers.  The chock around the helm port has not yet been fitted.
 
Space is left for the main rail.   The area between this and the lower rail will be decorated with a bas-relief eagle and some s-curved vines.  The words “Young America” then “New York” will be lettered below the lower rail on these lower three planks..
 
  
Ed

Here's a better shot:
 
At my advanced age it takes quite a while for the neurons to bring the "learned photography tricks" out of archival storage and into current active memory . In the old days of film photography when you needed to cut the light output from the electronic flash you could use a white handkerchief and drape it over the flash unit. In the case above I folded the handkerchief twice so I had two layers of cloth to diffuse the light output. Worked pretty good.

I use the Dremel Workstation as a  drill press. It's available thru MicroMark http://www.micromark.com/dremel-workstation,8556.html  Dremel has collets that take even the smallest drill bits. Mine works fine for model work.

ditto mine !