Jack12477

Thanks Michael and Carl for the salute.
 
Yes, they tell me that being a grand-parent is like picking the fruit out of the cake ;-)
Needless to say, the little one is adorable. 

Before I called it a day, I decided that cleaning was a good idea.
 
This is how it stands now. Two more strakes to go and after that it is time for some frames. Well...actually more like 'L'-shaped supports than frames. (note to self - dig out that compass timber you have out in the garage...)
 

Michael,
 
Again a very lovely build, looks even better than your previous ... if at all possible ... especially when one considers the scale you are building at ...
 
Cheers
 
P.s. Don't forget to buy the alcohol to disolve the shellac ...

A week ...!!! That will be hard on my patience ... this build takes away the dread for the day ...have been looking forward to it's development ... such a stunning execution of technique ... marvelous result ...

Beautiful work as usual Druxey, a pleasure to watch a master at work.
 
Ben

It looks great Druxey. When I think that I would build something similar next winter, I start shivering. 
 
Regards,
Siggi

This will be the last update for a few days: the frames have now all been bent in. I'll be back in a week or so. Thank you all for following and liking this log.

Sorry I'm very late to the party.
 
Wonderful work and excellent explanations - thanks for sharing this!

Whatever league you and Remco are in, the rest of us are huge fans. You guys hit it out of the park every time (sorry...baseball season is upon us again).

Looks fantastic, Micheal, in keeping with all of your work.  Thanks for the additional data on the clamps.  I will surely be trying these out - probablt smaller versions.  Thanks.
 
Ed

build part 36
 
I have begun working on the aft deck substucture, I will build this deck as a sheet that can be finished off the boat then glued in. I have also lowered the aft end of the floorboards.
 

 
I am thinking of having some gentlemanly fun with the small lazarette
 
For now I am going to leave the deck with a couple of coats of Tung oil.
 

 
Michael
 
 
 
 

Thanks everybody for the comments and likes they are appreciated.
 
Ed thanks for the tip regarding the shellac I shall see if I can locate some the next time I am in the city.
 
I am pleased that you like the clamps. here is a drawing of the ones I have made they can obviously be fabricated to a lot of sizes.
 

 
small hook clamps.pdf
 

 
The smaller ones in the top left will be followed up with some more using 2x56 threaded steel rod or even 1x72.
 
The spring version which I made first is not as useful, and more difficult to place I found. I am converting them all to the spacer type. I had thought about using some square rod in order to keep the rod aligned with the wood block, however in some cases it would be difficult to get them into tight spots. the ability to rotate the block adds a lot of flexibility.
 

 
and with some different spacers, The hex brass stock is rounded on the ends to be easier on the fingers.
 

 
Michael

Very well done!!!!!  

Hello Everyone,
 
Normally I like to do a final sanding and a coat of W-O-P before posting. Today I'm just too excited as I have finally finished all the deck planking. Much of it was done with the aid of Dewalt Trigger Clamps. As space became tight I reverted to using wedges cut from 1/16" basswood or scrap boxwood sheet. The wedges allow for as much pressure as needed to close gaps. PVA was used throughout. The Bulwarks where masked of to prevent any damage to the red paint. As you can see in the photos, I have started sanding the starboard side. There is much more to do so I will spend the next day or two finishing up. Will post some photos once the W-O-P is applied. Yippee!
 

 

Great job on your boat Popeye!
 
Greg H.

Hi Denis
 
Love those windows and the Q-Tips sound like a great idea.
 
Jingle Bells is coming along nicely... I still don't know how you can juggle so many builds at the same time. I struggle with just one!
 
All the best.
 
Cheers
 
Patrick

Carl, I like that first boat

Stunning workmanship on the flywheels, I am curious about the difference with the fabrication of the boiler wall and the doors, I see that you build the doors as solid integral pieces, is this because of a definitive lack of actual evidence for their design or to just act as representative elements?
 
Michael

Great explanation, Glenn. I'm quite happy to be refuted so convincingly! It certainly makes Heroine an even more special "transitional form" in the evolution of river boats.

Fantastic work.

That sounds very convincing, Glenn. The discussion and process of arriving at this conclusion I found most interesting.

Thanks John, Ken, George and druxey,
 
 
Yes druxey, I'm more confident now that we have four boilers. I've seen so many references to Western river steamboats having two or three boilers but then we found sources pointing to early riverboats having four or five boilers. We've recently discovered that on the earlier vessels, single flue boilers were common but not very efficient. By the end of the 1830s, two flue boilers were becoming the norm. The increased efficiency allowed fewer boilers. I think most references to boilers are from the 1840s and later and don't consider the single flue boilers. Adam Kane's thesis on steamboat machinery includes an interesting table in the appendix that gives the engine and boiler specifications for several early steamers. It is interesting because instead of referring to number of boilers, it refers to number of flues. Although there is some difference in the size of the flues, four boilers with one flue each produces about the same volume of steam as two boilers with two flues each. Kevin has put together a list of several early riverboats that he has researched in government documents and it appears that most of the early boats had four boilers or more. Finally, the most convincing piece of evidence is the contract for the Yellowstone. A single centerline engine identical in size to Heroine's, similar sized flywheel and stroke and from the same period. The contract calls for four boilers 36 inches in diameter and 16 feet long. We know heroine's boilers were 34 inches in diameter and the sixteen foot length fits perfectly between two sets of doubled deck beams. I was really at a loss before but I feel pretty sure that we have it right now.
 
Glenn

Nicely done......have fun with the serving machine....after a while you will wonder what all of the fuss is about.  Serving is easy enough and it adds a great deal to the models look.   Yours is certainly looking good.

Looking good, Bob!

Nice start to the rigging Bob.  That's the part I like the best too.