Jack12477

Hi Mobbsie, just discovered your build log. Think I will pull up a stool or barrel and join the others. Looks like an interesting launch.

Congratulations Dan on completing her. She's a magnificent model. Glad I got the opportunity to see it up close at NRG Mystic.

Sam,
The mirrors can be a bit fiddly...  ok.. a lot fiddly.  What one does is put a piece of cash register receipt over the target mirror.  Say, we need to check #1 (the one at the tube).  The paper gets taped to mirror #2.  The tube if fired at very low power such that it leaves a small burn mark on the paper.  #1 is then adjusted to the burn mark it dead center in #2 at close range and also at maximum range.  Rinse, repeat until it's perfect than goto the next mirror.  
 
Hmm... I haven't had any success with popcorn because the beam just burns a hole in the bag of Orville Redenbacher's.  :D   Besides, the average microwave puts out more power than this machine.

Hi Guys,
 
Thanks for your comments and likes gents, very much appreciated.
 
As I have already said in my last post that I was experimenting with an Ebonizing solution and I would like to share my findings.
 
The solution is as easy as breathing to set up, there are two parts which make up the process, firstly there is the Tea, this is a standard tea mix and either loose or tea bags can be used.
 
My made my Tea using 4 x Teabags put into an old coffee jar and hot water from the tap, this was then set aside to brew giving an occasional shake up.
 
The Ebonizer is a solution made from Distilled White Malt Vinegar and fine Wire Wool, place a good quantity of the wire wool into a jar and fill with the Vinegar,  after a couple of hours bubbles start to form within the wire wool, this is the start of the chemical reaction, don't worry it's not explosive and although a gas is produced it's totally harmless. Set the solution to one side and forget for a couple of days.
 
It is possible to speed the process up by removing the wire wool after a couple of days, place some old rags in an old ice cream tub and cover with paper, place the wire wool onto the paper and let it oxidise ( rust ). When a good covering of rust has formed replace the wire wool back into the solution and allow to steep for another five days or until the wire wool has disappeared.
 
Your solution will now have become brown in colour, it is now ready for decanting, using the neck of a plastic bottle, another jar and a coffee filter, place the filter into the top of the plastic bottle and put it into the jar, pour the solution into the filter and allow to drain.
 
Your Ebonizer is now ready to use but it will mature over the next few days. Depending on the amount of Tanning in the wood you want to stain you may have to soak the wood in the tea, if this is the case allow a day for the tea to soak in, remove and allow this to dry. To Ebonize the wood pour the solution into a tub and place the wood into it. The depth of colour depends on what you are after and the time left to soak, a longer soak will result in a darker colour.
 
If you want an aged look to your wood just soak without the tea until you achieve the desired look.
 
It is recommended that all work on the wood be completed before staining as the stain is very much on the surface, I'm now doing a check to see what the penetration is after a few days of soaking.
 
I hope that you can understand the process and that my explanation is clear, if you have any questions please ask.
 
I have a few pictures with my results.
 
The first picture is of the solution after six days, the wire wool has all but disappeared

 
Both the Tea and Ebonizer with some examples

 
Samples, the three pieces on the left have not been soaked in tea and the Tanning is quite low
Far Left to Right= Lime, Walnut and finally Swiss Pear.

 
Second Part, the three samples on the right have been soaked in tea so the Tanning is higher
Far Right to Left= Lime, Walnut and finally Swiss Pear.

 
The next picture is Swiss Pear after about a four hour soak, very little penetration.

 
So there we are, an alternative to Ebony, some experimentation on your part will be required to meet your needs. The finer the Wire Wool the better it melts and it can be washed in soapy water to remove it's preservatives to also help to speed up the process.
 
I will pass on my result for the long soak when their ready.
 
Give it a go gents, it's safer than using Ebony and you'll be helping safe the planet.
 
Be Good
 
 

Hi Guys,
 
Its been a while since my last post but thankfully the festivities are almost over and I am able to get back into it.
 
All problems are solved on the domestic front, cars fixed, toilets working again, TV's all sorted so the boss is happy again and that makes me a happy chappie.
 
Since my last post the first planking is now done, I didn't post any progress pics mainly because I was so embarrassed with the result, it honestly looked like a real dogs dinner with so many patches and fill-ins, believe me it was a mess. I have filled and sanded down and given a single coat of diluted PVA, so as far as the second planking is concerned and although it's only Lime I will be using it to practice on in readiness for the final planking which will be Swiss Pear.
I am studying Keith Harris's tutorial on planking and am determined to get it right so Wayne, I'm coming your way.
 
 
I was given a link into ebonizing wood by Grant and so am in the process of making up an experimental batch, I want the Sheer Rail to be Ebony and I want it in one piece, but as Ebony is the devil to try and bend and I would be trying to bend a 10mm x 4mm piece, it's not going to happen so an alternative is needed.
 
OK, I have some pics, they are of the completed 1st planking with filler, except for inside the boat which will be in full view once the bulkheads are removed. As I have said guys, apologies for not posting progress shots. 
 
The first two pics are of the inside of the boat which as you can see is looking ok.
 

 

 
Now we come to the dogs dinner, almost more filler than wood.
 

 

 

 

 
So thats it for now, next job is to put a couple of rows of planking at the top and the Garboard planks then take a few measurements, my heads starting to hurt already.
 
Sorry it's not much gents, hopefully it will get better.
 
Be Good
 
mobbsie
 
 
 

Hi Guys,
 
Mike, Have you discovered what distorted the hull in the first place and if so would it not be possible to un-do and re-do, glue can be undone by using Isopropyl Alcohol for the wood glue and Acetone for C.A., if you could take it back you may be able to straighten it out. It all just depends on how far you've got with her.
 
Per, your right about the boat being short, she's only 59 cm in length but she is triple planked, the first planking is Walnut followed by Lime and then Walnut again for the final planking, I intend to make the final planking Swiss Pear as I don't want to use any paint where I don't need to.
 
At the moment I'm having a nightmare with the first planking, as you say Walnut is pretty stubborn and I'll be honest it's going to look like a dogs dinner. The only saving grace is that a lot of the bad stuff wont be seen, the important planks are above the deck as these will be in full view when the bulkheads are removed, thankfully they are ok.
 
Progress has been slowed somewhat due to the time of year and the up and coming festivities,  plus I've had a few problems that have needed to be sorted out, things like getting my car repaired after a truck took the back end off whilst it was parked up outside my house, then I've had T.V. trouble, my Wi-Fi box packed up, then my viewing card burned out, the end result is that I'm getting it in the neck from the boss to get it all fixed, still nearly there.
 
So please be patient with me and hopefully a pictorial update will come soon I hope.
 
Be Good
 
mobbsie

Mobbsie, nice start as I stood up for the first part. lol, now I am sitting with my own cup of joe. Since this is a fairly small hull kit,I would have replaced the stubborn walnut planking with basswood or boxwood. I guess it is a double planked hull?! Looking forward to next episode.
 
Hmm, so it wasn't doubleplanked. I found several builts on youtube, some shorter other longer.

I'd like to follow along, too. Gonna hang with Mark, Grant and  the rest of the gang.

I hope you don't mind if I pull up a chair also.  Looks interesting.

Cracker's, welcome aboard my friend, your not alone with the morning coffee, the day just doesn't start right without it.
 
Be Good
 
mobbsie

Hi Guys,
 
Well here we are, back on familiar ground with a kit build although there is an awful lot on this boat that needs to be scratched. 
 
The Armed Launch was used by different navies during the 19th century, approx. 10 metres in length it was armed with different size guns, one large cannon at the bow and two small swivel guns at the stern.
 
These boats were used for coastal patrols or in escort services, they also demonstrated their wartime capabilities in surprise actions by attacking craft in trouble, anchored up or in the roads. 
 
The model is triple planked with the first planking on full show on the inboard, this planking is Walnut, the second planking is for strength and is Lime, the last planking should be Walnut but I want to change this to Swiss Pear, I want a bare wood finish if possible and I want to keep the paint away from the main parts of the boat.
 
I started with the keel by cutting two 3mm rabbits, I'm not too sure if this was the right thing to do but it's done and so I have to make it work.
 
With the rabbits cut I dry fitted the bulkheads, the top 2/3rds will be removed when the planking is completed, these were then glued into place and the alignment deck put in position, this deck plays no part in the final boat, it's purely to keep the bulkheads square whilst planking.
 
I started the first planking (Walnut) and have so far got just about halfway and so it continues, care has to taken as this first layer is on full show apart from the bow section.
 
I hope all that follow this build will enjoy the trip and please feel free to offer any advice / comments along the way.
 
Some pictures
 
First up the obligatory kit shots 
 
 

 
The Keel in my clamp showing a Rabbit

 
Bulkheads dry fitted

 
Bow block attached and alignment deck in place

 
The first three rows on both sides

 

 
Not very exciting at the moment is it.
 
I'm not right upto-date with the pictures but they would only be more of the same planking so that it for now, I will post again when I have more progress, that will be a bit slow due to the time of year and the Admirals just do jobs.
 
Please feel free to make any comments guys.
 
Be Good
 
mobbsie
 
 

I touched up the paint around the head rails and planks and here is how it came out. I am pretty happy with the look.
 

 

 

 

 
What I was not happy about was the look of those canvas gun port covers, especially the way the edges showed. I tried a few things and came up with a solution that I like a lot. I pushed them into the gun ports, and they look as if they were fastened on the inside of the ports, which they may have been. Here is how they came out:
 

 
One small issue is that they are not glued in, only pressed in. The sail cloth with glue is pretty stiff so they have a spring to them that is holding them in place. I would hate to pull them out and try to get them back in place with some glue on the edges, but I may do that in the future. For now I am going to leave them as is.
 
As always, any suggestions are most welcome.

Congratulations Dan on completing her. She's a magnificent model. Glad I got the opportunity to see it up close at NRG Mystic.

Build Log 15 – Final Details
 
Hi and Happy New Year to all, and thanks as ever for the likes and comments.
 
This will be the last installment of this build log, covering the final details that add another level of interest to the model.  Many of these are elements that can be changed at the discretion of the captain, so I used as my guide the photographs taken at the time of the sinking.
 
The first detail was the wires for the short wave radio antenna.  These do not show up very well in photographs since they are so thin.  On the plans they are shown, but not separated from the mast support wires.  Close examination of various photographs show that not all of these wires were installed on the actual ship.  Presumably the antenna wires changed as the radio was upgraded during the life of the ship.
 

 
There is a cylindrical structure on the starboard side of the Sun Deck just aft of the Command Deck area.  Several wires lead to it so, although it is never identified, it is clearly part of the radio system.
 

 
Without any clear guide, I decided to include three wires for the antenna.  Two lead from near the top of the mast to thin poles at the aft ends, port and starboard, on the Lido Deck.  The antenna wires are separated from the poles by short lines with three insulators.  These were made by mixing white paint with white glue, then attaching small drops to the line with a toothpick.  Several coats were needed since the glue shrinks as it dries and had to be filled out again.
 

 
The third line runs from a bit lower on the mast to the top of the funnel.  All three lines are then connected to the radio fitting with vertical lines.  All of the radio wires were made from fine embroidery linen in an off-white tone.  I tried several other materials and colors, but this gave the best look, in my opinion.  It is light enough to show up in most light, but thin enough not to be overpowering.
 

 
In photographs of the ship taken on different days, there appear or disappear various sets of canvas railing cloths to protect the passengers from sea spray.  These were hung on the outside of the railings and laced to them.  On the day of the sinking there were railing cloths up to the level of the boat deck and around the command deck.
 

 
I modeled the cloths with stiffened batik fabric cut to fit and glued against the appropriate railings.  Unfortunately, once everything was dry the fabric proved too transparent, and had to be given a coat of opaque white acrylic.  But the glue proved too strong and I risked damage to the rails, so the first ones had to be hand painted on the model, while I could paint later ones before installation.  Live and learn, eh? 
 


 
I was surprised at how much of a visual difference the cloths made to the overall appearance of the model, especially when viewed from amidships.  Here are before and after photos.
 


 
The passengers were also protected from the weather and sun by canvas awnings supported by metal frames, although no photo shows the awnings spread.  Perhaps that was only done in port.  The simple frames on the Lido deck are mostly hidden behind the lifeboats, so I did not model them, but the aft taffrail deck was set up with a large awning over a complicated and interesting metal frame.  It would be a nice element to include.
 
  The frame was made up of four flat arches of differing widths set across the deck and tilting down from forward to aft.  They were connected to each other with a straight bar running along the centerline. 
 

 
For the model the frames were bent up from 0.030” brass rod.  Getting them to fit predrilled holes in the deck and still have the correct arch took a lot of trials and even more errors.  Once they were shaped the problems first started.  I planned to solder them together in a jig, then electroplate them in chrome.  I was spectacularly unsuccessful.  Once soldered in the jig, the assembly bent and/or came apart as it was removed.  Several times.  Metalworking skills are not my strong suit.  I never even attempted electroplating.  The final solution was to mount the arches on the model with the connecting bar attached with small dots of epoxy.  Once everything was set in place the deck was protected with a piece of paper toweling and the brass was hand painted with primer then silver acrylic paint.  Happily, it turned out to be quite strong and convincingly metallic.     
 

 
Some small details were added around the ship.  A dozen green storage bins were scattered around, a searchlight was installed on the aft end of the Promenade Deck near the third class pool, and photoetched life preserver rings were mounted outside of the railing cloths on the boat deck.  Ensign staffs were mounted at the extreme bow and stern.  All of these give the model a bit more 'texture' and realism.
 
It was finally time, a year after laying the keel, to hang the flag on the ship and get her ready for launch.  It was made in my usual way by printing out a skewed image of the flag.  At this scale the material was silkspan, which is transparent enough that I did not have to print the reverse side.  It was hung on a halyard running from the tip of a gaff to a cleat on the base of the mast, then misted with water and gently curled. 
 

 
There was one final detail to attend to.  You may have noticed in earlier photographs of the first and second class pools that a clock was mounted on the overhang at the forward end of each area.
 

 
I made them up from 1/10” o.d. brass tubing filled with a wooden dowel.  After flush sanding the wood the brass bezel was chamfered on a sanding belt. The wooden face was painted white.  Tiny black dots for the numbers were touched on with the tip of a sharpened toothpick.  With my finest 10/0 brush the hands were put on. The extreme close-up photos show that I was less than perfect, but with the entire clock being less than 1/8" in diameter, I have reached the limits of my talents. 
 


 
The clocks are set to 11:05 p.m.  In five minutes the lives of Linda Morgan’s parents, sister, and dozens of others will end and she will be thrust into unwanted publicity.  In just five minutes.
 
But for now, in miniature, she sails off the workbench to the customer.  
 


 
I hope you liked the journey despite my sometimes clunky sense of humor.  I will post a photo tour of the finished model when I can.  Until then . . . 
 
Be well
 
Dan
 
 

Mark
Those mirrors look like little buggers to adjust! Do they give targets or anything to help?
And the big question, with the upgrade can you fill a house full of popcorn from space with it?
Sam

Tom, not sure if that will ever happen especially when I create more work for myself. I finished off the gundeck side walls and cut and trimmed all the gun ports for now. I have seen two color versions of the side walls, one green and one white. I assume both are correct for different time periods. I am favoring the white to match the gun strip down the road unless informed otherwise.
 
I then moved onto the main hatch and fabricated the frame structure using various sized wood strips. I then set it on the hull framework measured twice using the mast center points and saw that beams went through grate openings. I checked various images that I could find and the walk around clearly shows the beams under the frame work of the main hatch. I understand that the model kit did not intend the gundeck to be finished out so I am sure this structure was not considered.
Here is the main hatch started

 
Here is a close up detail while in progress.

 
Here is the main hatch finished up set in place and ready to be stained for the bright finish.

 
Now back to doing some critical surgery on the hull beams.
 
 
 

In the Captain's Lounge Questions/Instructions section someone started a Tips on Photographing Models topic.  One of the posters, Maturin, posted a "refreshing viewpoint" as one responder phrased it. So in keeping with Maturin's request, I will digress a bit and post some photos of my work area and jigs.
 
I picked up this nice razor (blade) saw and micro mitre box from MicroMark some time ago. Works nicely except the mitre box is so tiny it is difficult to hold while also holding down the wood to be cut. I find the tool is great for making repetitive cuts. (and yes in spite of the "broken" blade pieces it cuts just fine - the saw blade is a razor blade with saw teeth).
 
So I decide to build a jig to hold the mitre box. I picked some 1/4" x 3" poplar cut to the exact length of the mitre box (came out to a piece 2 1/2" x 3 1/2"), then using my Veritas (Lee Valley) micro router plane I slowly made a dado to hold the mitre box. Once the depth and width were cut I capped of the ends with 1/4" x 1/4" basswood strips to lock the mitre box into the dado (side to side). Then I added another piece of 1/4" poplar cut-down to just over 1" in width and to the length of the entire jig with end caps. Clued it to one edge to act as a "bench hook". Now it locks onto the edge of the table without resorting to clamps which get in the way with such a small tool.

 
I also decided to make a couple of small portable table tops, borrowing on one I saw in a previous post by Jay Modeler12 (at least I think that's where I got it - I downloaded his photo but lost the back link to where it came from). At any rate I made a few embellishments to his design.  I made two tables - one is 12" x 12" and the other is 12" x 24", both are made from 1/2" Nordic birch plywood pre-cuts I picked up in Michaels craft store (I find the pre-cuts cheaper and easier that cutting down a larger piece). I added a couple of hold-downs to both. The magnets are strip magnets with a peel-off sticky I got in Lowes. Also added some short pieces of 3/4" PVC plumbing pipe to act as holders for small scraps of wood. The green pad you see in the photos is one of those OLFA brand rotary cutting mats you can purchase in JoAnns or Michaels or most any craft goods store
 
The smaller table:
 

 
The larger table:
 

 
I find both sizes useful, the large one has the advantage of more work space laterally. Both fit nicely on my two workbenches.
 
I hope some of our newer members find these useful in their modeling efforts.

Update:
 
Moving on, I decided to skip the numbered steps and do things out of sequence. The small boat that sits above the deck was next - the parts list said it was wood preformed boat to be planked with 0.6 mm walnut/mahogany veneer - turns out the made some changes without updating the parts lists - the preformed boat is diecast white metal and quite heavy.  In 20-20 hindsight I should have grabbed the cans of model spray paint and just painted it but I followed the plans and planked it.  Had to used Medium gap filling CA. Photos follow :
 

 
Of course it also came with a pre-cast metal rudder assemby and the pivots were pre-cast on the boats stern so some of the wood trip, like the stern post, could not be added.
 
After completing the deck boat, I moved on to the hatches, which seemed like a simple task at first. But trying to read the "picture book" was challenging. After cutting out the 4 pieces that made up the front, back and sides, the challenge was to determine if the sides go inside the front and back strips or outside the front and back strips.  Well made a mistake twice and had to get out the isopropyl.  Also determining where to place the roof rail(s) was a fun challenge. Old eyes don't focus too well on picture that show the item at an angle rather than straight on.
 
Pictures of the finished hatches follow
 

 
Temporarily installed on the deck - not glued down
 

In the Captain's Lounge Questions/Instructions section someone started a Tips on Photographing Models topic.  One of the posters, Maturin, posted a "refreshing viewpoint" as one responder phrased it. So in keeping with Maturin's request, I will digress a bit and post some photos of my work area and jigs.
 
I picked up this nice razor (blade) saw and micro mitre box from MicroMark some time ago. Works nicely except the mitre box is so tiny it is difficult to hold while also holding down the wood to be cut. I find the tool is great for making repetitive cuts. (and yes in spite of the "broken" blade pieces it cuts just fine - the saw blade is a razor blade with saw teeth).
 
So I decide to build a jig to hold the mitre box. I picked some 1/4" x 3" poplar cut to the exact length of the mitre box (came out to a piece 2 1/2" x 3 1/2"), then using my Veritas (Lee Valley) micro router plane I slowly made a dado to hold the mitre box. Once the depth and width were cut I capped of the ends with 1/4" x 1/4" basswood strips to lock the mitre box into the dado (side to side). Then I added another piece of 1/4" poplar cut-down to just over 1" in width and to the length of the entire jig with end caps. Clued it to one edge to act as a "bench hook". Now it locks onto the edge of the table without resorting to clamps which get in the way with such a small tool.

 
I also decided to make a couple of small portable table tops, borrowing on one I saw in a previous post by Jay Modeler12 (at least I think that's where I got it - I downloaded his photo but lost the back link to where it came from). At any rate I made a few embellishments to his design.  I made two tables - one is 12" x 12" and the other is 12" x 24", both are made from 1/2" Nordic birch plywood pre-cuts I picked up in Michaels craft store (I find the pre-cuts cheaper and easier that cutting down a larger piece). I added a couple of hold-downs to both. The magnets are strip magnets with a peel-off sticky I got in Lowes. Also added some short pieces of 3/4" PVC plumbing pipe to act as holders for small scraps of wood. The green pad you see in the photos is one of those OLFA brand rotary cutting mats you can purchase in JoAnns or Michaels or most any craft goods store
 
The smaller table:
 

 
The larger table:
 

 
I find both sizes useful, the large one has the advantage of more work space laterally. Both fit nicely on my two workbenches.
 
I hope some of our newer members find these useful in their modeling efforts.

Update:
 
Moving on, I decided to skip the numbered steps and do things out of sequence. The small boat that sits above the deck was next - the parts list said it was wood preformed boat to be planked with 0.6 mm walnut/mahogany veneer - turns out the made some changes without updating the parts lists - the preformed boat is diecast white metal and quite heavy.  In 20-20 hindsight I should have grabbed the cans of model spray paint and just painted it but I followed the plans and planked it.  Had to used Medium gap filling CA. Photos follow :
 

 
Of course it also came with a pre-cast metal rudder assemby and the pivots were pre-cast on the boats stern so some of the wood trip, like the stern post, could not be added.
 
After completing the deck boat, I moved on to the hatches, which seemed like a simple task at first. But trying to read the "picture book" was challenging. After cutting out the 4 pieces that made up the front, back and sides, the challenge was to determine if the sides go inside the front and back strips or outside the front and back strips.  Well made a mistake twice and had to get out the isopropyl.  Also determining where to place the roof rail(s) was a fun challenge. Old eyes don't focus too well on picture that show the item at an angle rather than straight on.
 
Pictures of the finished hatches follow
 

 
Temporarily installed on the deck - not glued down
 

Update:
 
Moving on, I decided to skip the numbered steps and do things out of sequence. The small boat that sits above the deck was next - the parts list said it was wood preformed boat to be planked with 0.6 mm walnut/mahogany veneer - turns out the made some changes without updating the parts lists - the preformed boat is diecast white metal and quite heavy.  In 20-20 hindsight I should have grabbed the cans of model spray paint and just painted it but I followed the plans and planked it.  Had to used Medium gap filling CA. Photos follow :
 

 
Of course it also came with a pre-cast metal rudder assemby and the pivots were pre-cast on the boats stern so some of the wood trip, like the stern post, could not be added.
 
After completing the deck boat, I moved on to the hatches, which seemed like a simple task at first. But trying to read the "picture book" was challenging. After cutting out the 4 pieces that made up the front, back and sides, the challenge was to determine if the sides go inside the front and back strips or outside the front and back strips.  Well made a mistake twice and had to get out the isopropyl.  Also determining where to place the roof rail(s) was a fun challenge. Old eyes don't focus too well on picture that show the item at an angle rather than straight on.
 
Pictures of the finished hatches follow
 

 
Temporarily installed on the deck - not glued down
 

...............
 
( you know for your self what kind of words I want to wright )
 
Sjors

Thanks Sjors. I think that I do.
 
Bob

I love the crisp, professional style of both wood and metal work in this build. 
 
Question: How were the hull and deck planks attached, and do you plan to simulate that in any way?
 
As for the uneven planking widths, you see the same thing in drawings of Bertrand. Builders pretty clearly just used whatever they could find and afford.
 
Thanks for the update, I've been looking forward to your return. Happy New Year!

Interesting kludge on the cam frame! Your note about available widths of deck planking is interesting as well, Glenn. And your work is impeccable, as usual.