Piet

Thank you John, yes, I'm rather pleased with how it's shaping up, even when scrutinizing it close up.
 
The shipyard was closed today for work but I managed to make hinges for two of the lower con doors.  They even have latches that work.
I also managed to cement two elevation racks to one of the AA guns but they need some work before I show them to you.
 
So this'll be a short post with a few pics.
 

This shows the back side of the forward door with all the parts to necessary to hang the door.  I had to cut and install a small piece of 1 mm brass tube for the latch, which is just a piece of 0.5 brass rod bend as shown.  I had to bend the last bend after putting it the tube     The hinge pintels are made from 0.15 mm brass sheet and 1 mm brass tube with 0.5 mm brass pins for hinge pins.  Everything was cemented using CA glue.
The latch shown here is the wrong size brass rod, I made it from the correct rod when I couldn't get it through the little tube.  Me "domkop," but so what - - - pfffffffff as the Dutch say, at least I had a laugh about it all by myself        
 

This shot shows the now completed forward door hung into the frame and is latched close.  Okay, sorry I didn't show it hinged open, some other day when all three doors are done and hung.  It still looks kinda untidy but the light grey paint will hide all of the dirty smudges     Everything works quite easily.
 

This picture shows the center door also installed into the frame and is latched.  This door too works as advertised 
Yes, there is a gap between the deck and the conning tower side plates.  This is to allow water to drain out when surfacing.  The entire conning tower fills with water except for the command center, which is hidden from view by the side plates but is in the center of the conning tower.  Quite a few pages ago I have actually posted a few photos of that structure when the boat was being build.
 
Cheers,

As is my custom I like to recognize all those who "silently" visit my dockyard.  Thank you all for dropping in and leaving your much appreciated "like."  Please keep coming back anytime, there is always fresh coffee and cake and cookies, perhaps even a good Belgian or Dutch beer   
 
@ Anthony: Thank you Anthony for your very astute questions and observations.  Yes, these pre WW II subs and those that were build during and just after that war were not very hydrodynamicaly designed.  They all had a lot of "stuff" sticking out everywhere.  The con, an exposed deck gun, railings, loading booms, rivet heads etc., etc.  The max submerged speed for the O19 was 9 knots but could only sustain that speed for 30 minutes before the batteries gave out.
The thinking at that time was that they are mainly surface vessels that had the ability to submerge for a limited time and a limited depth.
What is generally not known is that the German naval engineers designed and build a revolutionary submarine, the Type 21.  That sub was at least a decade ahead of it's time.  It could move faster submerged then many escort vessels protecting the convoys.  It could fire their torpedoes faster then any other sub for decades to come and dive to over one thousand feet.  It was a technical and hydrodynamic wonder.  Fortunately for the allies Hitler's Nazi war machine could only send two of these subs into the Atlantic when war ended.
Yes, I keep shaking my head when looking at the progress of my model, seeing all those drag inducing things on the boat.  But I'm looking with today's eyes knowing a little more about hydrodinamics and aerodynamics.  It all has to do with the evolution in technology.  How do you keep a sub submerged for long periods of time before running out of of breathable air.  Oxygen generators, fresh water makers,  etc.  How can you increase the submerged speed?
The same evolution can be seen in aircraft design and actually there are many similarities between aircraft and submarines..  
 
Well, let me get off my soap box. When it comes to aircraft I can talk for hours but thanks for the questions and visiting.
 
@ Popeye: Thank you my friend for your compliments.
 
@ Sjors: Following in silence is good, I see your like votes    I also follow your builds in silence, very impressive!  Wilton Feyenoord eh?  I visit so once in a while via Google earth, brings back memories.  You know, there is very little difference between kit building and scratch building.  As long as you have as et of drawings and some pictures it's just a matter of transferring the drawings to wood and cut each part out and glue it together      But thanks for your compliments and dropping in so once in a while, you are most welcome anytime.  Now you can go back and be a silent observer, I can feel you breathing down my neck        and that's a good thing!
 
Did not do much today.  I had a dentist appointment - - - again - - - this morning and it was freezing in the garage.  I did manage to spend a few hours there after lunch though.
I made the snorkel exhaust pipe guard and cemented that on the guide pipe.  It still needs flat black paint.
Then I started with the lower con door hinges.  Managed one set for one door, very tricky stuff, it's so tiny.   I think that I'll do one door at a time, that way I can learn what not to do and improve on the method I am employing.
 
Oh yeah, I also made the AA gun elevation racks.  Next step will be to cement them on and add the little square thingies to the top of the pedestal and some other details such as the wheels and the brackets that come out of the square thingies.  
I looked on the internet with model train part outfits but did not find any control wheels of the size I need.  Those listed with a size were too large and many others did not specify size.  I'll have to send them a message and ask if they have four spoke control wheel of 5 mm diameter.  But then again, I have already made four of them and are acceptable to use.
 
I really looking forward in finishing the con so I can start with the main deck but I'm taking it slow, no rush, it's a labor of love and not a sprint.
 
Thanks agin everyone for visiting and
 
Cheers,
 
 

Got the first carriage stained and some more parts added!! Slowly getting there!!
 
 
AL
 

 

 

 

 

Hey Popeye, nice piece of work on the planking !!!  Bravo.   Yes, lacquer doesn't like humdedity.  When I was painting airplanes in New Jersey I had to use a retarder when spray painting, which is not really that good for the durability of the paint but one has to do what one has to do.  
Other then that, I do like the end result with lacquer though, 16 coats hand rubbed !!!  Although it's now superseded by much better paints. 
 
You gonna buy some more of that lovely lumber?  It really makes the model outstanding.
 
Cheers,

Thanks Toni, E&T, David and John.
 
Toni, I made a Scraper :
 

 

 
I've made all four Upper and Lower Cheeks. The upper ones have a more pronounced curve in the forward arm, and also a scarf joint for the Hair Bracket which continues to the top of the stem :
 

 

 
  Danny

Thanks once again for the "likes" and the nice comments to Robin, Brian, Piet, Ben, Popeye, Michael, Nils and Mohamad. Always appreciated .
 
Head Works - Cheeks
 
I've started work on one of the most interesting and complex parts of the build - the work around the Head of the ship.
 
First thing to do was remove the forward support which holds the hull in position on the baseboard. It doesn't really get in the way as such, but work on the lower cheek especially is a lot easier without it being in the way and there was the problem of it pulling the Knee of the Head out of position as work commenced in this area. I hadn't used the aft support for a long time - before the rudder was installed actually - so I had to move it backward a bit.
 
This starts off with making the Lower and Upper Cheeks, which laterally brace the Knee of the Head. It's quite tricky to get the inner faces to mate up with the Knee and the curvature of the hull. A card template was used to get the inner faces somewhere near right, but my first attempt still resulted in a failure. The second go was spot on .
 
The main problem is that there is a substantial bevel on the inner face where it curves around the hull to allow the forward part of the cheek to run at the correct angle on the knee. It took me a couple of hours to sort it out, but at least I now know where I'm going with the other three.
 
The forward part of the cheek also has a slight upward curvature, so I made the piece from thicker stock and sanded that into it. You may be able to see this in the next pic against an unshaped blank :
 

 
Two moldings were scraped into the outer face :
 

 
  Danny

Hello everybody and my sincerest thanks for all who visited and clicked like.
 
So today I had to remake a few of the 3 mm pulley brackets for the dingy loading boom.  They are all still in the rough state and require a LOT of filing to produce the final product.  I'm afraid that I have to leave them a little larger then scale otherwise they cannot be handled.
We are definitely not going to do 0.1 0r 0.005 millimeters    Even so, I'll try to make them as small as possible so that I can still drill the holes for the hooks and the pulley sheaf pins.  This'll be a try as I go project, that's why the extra brackets - - - yeah, my mammy didn't raise a dummy 
 
Here are a few pics of today's status.
 

Here I have laid-out all the pulley brackets in the same order as the dingy boom arrangement shows.  The 2 top ones are for te load pulleys.  I made a spare for each one just in case I screw up.
The middle four are for the idler pulleys and the bottom one is for the hook that holds the dingy or whatever is needed to be hoisted.
 

This shows how I intend to hook-up the top idler pulley.  This particular method is employed in aircraft control cabling.  The "ball end" is crimped to the cable with a special tool.  They may not have had this system before WW II and could have used a brass soldering system with regular steel cables.  The other end of the cable is attached to a thimble that's bolted to the boom.  I'll try come up with simulated thimble and a hook.  I like the idea of having everything in a quick disconnect method.
 

This shows the bracket that's hooked to the top or end of the boom.  When you look at the sketch on the top picture the ends above and below the pulley will be the most trying parts to model.  I just need to have enough material for a hole to attach a hook to the top end and a "ball end" on the lower part.
 

This is shows the top end of the boom with the load pulley.  I'll use a hook to attach it to the boom and a bal-end on the bottom instead of a thimble. 
 
Cheers,

Thanks to everyone for visiting and your likes, it's really appreciated.  This sounds like a broken record but I want to show my appreciation, if only through words.
 
Hey Popeye, surprise is coming babe      I lucked out making the prototype, wonders will never cease.  Even at this "large" scale of 1:50 the details can be rater small.  I know how big some of these things can be and then divide by 50 and wow - - - that small???    
 
Okay, the surprise is the "come-along" ratchet device to raise and lower the boom.  Once I figured out how to make it I started making all the parts and pieces.  Sorry, I did not make a picture of all these parts before assembling them, got too engrossed in getting it all together.
It also actually works     No, I didn't make the racheting part but when I fasten a "cable" to it I can rotate it and actually make the boom go up or down and that should be good enough for a demo.  I'll try to make the second one a little smaller, if that works then I may make a third one to replace this prototype.  I'll have to wait till me left index finger heals some 
 
I also completed all the 6 mm pulley brackets and a few hooks.  I think it was a very productive day and I'm a happy camper.
 
I also tried making a thimble and got one that looks like it but is not the pretties thing though.  But, it's just a prototype for me to see if I can make one at this scale and the answer is - - - probably not.  I may have to think of something else that looks better at this scale.  I used a 1 mm brass tube and bend it into a thimble shape.  Then ground off the outside till I had a U formed shape that actually looks like a thimble but it's too big for scale.  I may just have to use a thin brass rod and cement the "cable" to it, making belief that it's a thimble.  No, you cannot just bend a cable around a pin and seized or spliced together like you do with hemp rope.  Steel cable needs a larger diameter in the bend, that's why a thimble is needed and then it can be seized when it comes around.  My guess is that they used at least 5 mm steel cable.
 
Well, here are a few pics for all yuns to see what we have accomplished. 
 

This shows the "come-along" ratchet fully assembled and ready to receive the cable.  The hook is just temporary so i can hang it to the swivel attachment on top of the port side gantry post.  As you can see it's about half my thumbnail, not counting the ratchet handle and I have small, slender fingers.
 

This shows the "come-along" hooked to its swivel attachment bracket.
 

These are all the 6 mm pulley brackets, one is already installed to the gantry, and the two triangular interconnect brackets for the "come-along" with the 3 mm pulley brackets.  One for the rear and one for the front.
 

This is the prototype thimble, not very good looking up close.
 
Cheers. 

Hello everybody and my sincerest thanks for all who visited and clicked like.
 
So today I had to remake a few of the 3 mm pulley brackets for the dingy loading boom.  They are all still in the rough state and require a LOT of filing to produce the final product.  I'm afraid that I have to leave them a little larger then scale otherwise they cannot be handled.
We are definitely not going to do 0.1 0r 0.005 millimeters    Even so, I'll try to make them as small as possible so that I can still drill the holes for the hooks and the pulley sheaf pins.  This'll be a try as I go project, that's why the extra brackets - - - yeah, my mammy didn't raise a dummy 
 
Here are a few pics of today's status.
 

Here I have laid-out all the pulley brackets in the same order as the dingy boom arrangement shows.  The 2 top ones are for te load pulleys.  I made a spare for each one just in case I screw up.
The middle four are for the idler pulleys and the bottom one is for the hook that holds the dingy or whatever is needed to be hoisted.
 

This shows how I intend to hook-up the top idler pulley.  This particular method is employed in aircraft control cabling.  The "ball end" is crimped to the cable with a special tool.  They may not have had this system before WW II and could have used a brass soldering system with regular steel cables.  The other end of the cable is attached to a thimble that's bolted to the boom.  I'll try come up with simulated thimble and a hook.  I like the idea of having everything in a quick disconnect method.
 

This shows the bracket that's hooked to the top or end of the boom.  When you look at the sketch on the top picture the ends above and below the pulley will be the most trying parts to model.  I just need to have enough material for a hole to attach a hook to the top end and a "ball end" on the lower part.
 

This is shows the top end of the boom with the load pulley.  I'll use a hook to attach it to the boom and a bal-end on the bottom instead of a thimble. 
 
Cheers,

Thanks to everyone for visiting and your likes, it's really appreciated.  This sounds like a broken record but I want to show my appreciation, if only through words.
 
Hey Popeye, surprise is coming babe      I lucked out making the prototype, wonders will never cease.  Even at this "large" scale of 1:50 the details can be rater small.  I know how big some of these things can be and then divide by 50 and wow - - - that small???    
 
Okay, the surprise is the "come-along" ratchet device to raise and lower the boom.  Once I figured out how to make it I started making all the parts and pieces.  Sorry, I did not make a picture of all these parts before assembling them, got too engrossed in getting it all together.
It also actually works     No, I didn't make the racheting part but when I fasten a "cable" to it I can rotate it and actually make the boom go up or down and that should be good enough for a demo.  I'll try to make the second one a little smaller, if that works then I may make a third one to replace this prototype.  I'll have to wait till me left index finger heals some 
 
I also completed all the 6 mm pulley brackets and a few hooks.  I think it was a very productive day and I'm a happy camper.
 
I also tried making a thimble and got one that looks like it but is not the pretties thing though.  But, it's just a prototype for me to see if I can make one at this scale and the answer is - - - probably not.  I may have to think of something else that looks better at this scale.  I used a 1 mm brass tube and bend it into a thimble shape.  Then ground off the outside till I had a U formed shape that actually looks like a thimble but it's too big for scale.  I may just have to use a thin brass rod and cement the "cable" to it, making belief that it's a thimble.  No, you cannot just bend a cable around a pin and seized or spliced together like you do with hemp rope.  Steel cable needs a larger diameter in the bend, that's why a thimble is needed and then it can be seized when it comes around.  My guess is that they used at least 5 mm steel cable.
 
Well, here are a few pics for all yuns to see what we have accomplished. 
 

This shows the "come-along" ratchet fully assembled and ready to receive the cable.  The hook is just temporary so i can hang it to the swivel attachment on top of the port side gantry post.  As you can see it's about half my thumbnail, not counting the ratchet handle and I have small, slender fingers.
 

This shows the "come-along" hooked to its swivel attachment bracket.
 

These are all the 6 mm pulley brackets, one is already installed to the gantry, and the two triangular interconnect brackets for the "come-along" with the 3 mm pulley brackets.  One for the rear and one for the front.
 

This is the prototype thimble, not very good looking up close.
 
Cheers. 

Hoi Hans,
 
 
Yup, and Mulo too!  I like to forget those years, real stressful for me.
 
Cheers,

Hello everybody and my sincerest thanks for all who visited and clicked like.
 
So today I had to remake a few of the 3 mm pulley brackets for the dingy loading boom.  They are all still in the rough state and require a LOT of filing to produce the final product.  I'm afraid that I have to leave them a little larger then scale otherwise they cannot be handled.
We are definitely not going to do 0.1 0r 0.005 millimeters    Even so, I'll try to make them as small as possible so that I can still drill the holes for the hooks and the pulley sheaf pins.  This'll be a try as I go project, that's why the extra brackets - - - yeah, my mammy didn't raise a dummy 
 
Here are a few pics of today's status.
 

Here I have laid-out all the pulley brackets in the same order as the dingy boom arrangement shows.  The 2 top ones are for te load pulleys.  I made a spare for each one just in case I screw up.
The middle four are for the idler pulleys and the bottom one is for the hook that holds the dingy or whatever is needed to be hoisted.
 

This shows how I intend to hook-up the top idler pulley.  This particular method is employed in aircraft control cabling.  The "ball end" is crimped to the cable with a special tool.  They may not have had this system before WW II and could have used a brass soldering system with regular steel cables.  The other end of the cable is attached to a thimble that's bolted to the boom.  I'll try come up with simulated thimble and a hook.  I like the idea of having everything in a quick disconnect method.
 

This shows the bracket that's hooked to the top or end of the boom.  When you look at the sketch on the top picture the ends above and below the pulley will be the most trying parts to model.  I just need to have enough material for a hole to attach a hook to the top end and a "ball end" on the lower part.
 

This is shows the top end of the boom with the load pulley.  I'll use a hook to attach it to the boom and a bal-end on the bottom instead of a thimble. 
 
Cheers,

Thanks to everyone for visiting and your likes, it's really appreciated.  This sounds like a broken record but I want to show my appreciation, if only through words.
 
Hey Popeye, surprise is coming babe      I lucked out making the prototype, wonders will never cease.  Even at this "large" scale of 1:50 the details can be rater small.  I know how big some of these things can be and then divide by 50 and wow - - - that small???    
 
Okay, the surprise is the "come-along" ratchet device to raise and lower the boom.  Once I figured out how to make it I started making all the parts and pieces.  Sorry, I did not make a picture of all these parts before assembling them, got too engrossed in getting it all together.
It also actually works     No, I didn't make the racheting part but when I fasten a "cable" to it I can rotate it and actually make the boom go up or down and that should be good enough for a demo.  I'll try to make the second one a little smaller, if that works then I may make a third one to replace this prototype.  I'll have to wait till me left index finger heals some 
 
I also completed all the 6 mm pulley brackets and a few hooks.  I think it was a very productive day and I'm a happy camper.
 
I also tried making a thimble and got one that looks like it but is not the pretties thing though.  But, it's just a prototype for me to see if I can make one at this scale and the answer is - - - probably not.  I may have to think of something else that looks better at this scale.  I used a 1 mm brass tube and bend it into a thimble shape.  Then ground off the outside till I had a U formed shape that actually looks like a thimble but it's too big for scale.  I may just have to use a thin brass rod and cement the "cable" to it, making belief that it's a thimble.  No, you cannot just bend a cable around a pin and seized or spliced together like you do with hemp rope.  Steel cable needs a larger diameter in the bend, that's why a thimble is needed and then it can be seized when it comes around.  My guess is that they used at least 5 mm steel cable.
 
Well, here are a few pics for all yuns to see what we have accomplished. 
 

This shows the "come-along" ratchet fully assembled and ready to receive the cable.  The hook is just temporary so i can hang it to the swivel attachment on top of the port side gantry post.  As you can see it's about half my thumbnail, not counting the ratchet handle and I have small, slender fingers.
 

This shows the "come-along" hooked to its swivel attachment bracket.
 

These are all the 6 mm pulley brackets, one is already installed to the gantry, and the two triangular interconnect brackets for the "come-along" with the 3 mm pulley brackets.  One for the rear and one for the front.
 

This is the prototype thimble, not very good looking up close.
 
Cheers. 

Hello everybody and my sincerest thanks for all who visited and clicked like.
 
So today I had to remake a few of the 3 mm pulley brackets for the dingy loading boom.  They are all still in the rough state and require a LOT of filing to produce the final product.  I'm afraid that I have to leave them a little larger then scale otherwise they cannot be handled.
We are definitely not going to do 0.1 0r 0.005 millimeters    Even so, I'll try to make them as small as possible so that I can still drill the holes for the hooks and the pulley sheaf pins.  This'll be a try as I go project, that's why the extra brackets - - - yeah, my mammy didn't raise a dummy 
 
Here are a few pics of today's status.
 

Here I have laid-out all the pulley brackets in the same order as the dingy boom arrangement shows.  The 2 top ones are for te load pulleys.  I made a spare for each one just in case I screw up.
The middle four are for the idler pulleys and the bottom one is for the hook that holds the dingy or whatever is needed to be hoisted.
 

This shows how I intend to hook-up the top idler pulley.  This particular method is employed in aircraft control cabling.  The "ball end" is crimped to the cable with a special tool.  They may not have had this system before WW II and could have used a brass soldering system with regular steel cables.  The other end of the cable is attached to a thimble that's bolted to the boom.  I'll try come up with simulated thimble and a hook.  I like the idea of having everything in a quick disconnect method.
 

This shows the bracket that's hooked to the top or end of the boom.  When you look at the sketch on the top picture the ends above and below the pulley will be the most trying parts to model.  I just need to have enough material for a hole to attach a hook to the top end and a "ball end" on the lower part.
 

This is shows the top end of the boom with the load pulley.  I'll use a hook to attach it to the boom and a bal-end on the bottom instead of a thimble. 
 
Cheers,

Hello everybody and my sincerest thanks for all who visited and clicked like.
 
So today I had to remake a few of the 3 mm pulley brackets for the dingy loading boom.  They are all still in the rough state and require a LOT of filing to produce the final product.  I'm afraid that I have to leave them a little larger then scale otherwise they cannot be handled.
We are definitely not going to do 0.1 0r 0.005 millimeters    Even so, I'll try to make them as small as possible so that I can still drill the holes for the hooks and the pulley sheaf pins.  This'll be a try as I go project, that's why the extra brackets - - - yeah, my mammy didn't raise a dummy 
 
Here are a few pics of today's status.
 

Here I have laid-out all the pulley brackets in the same order as the dingy boom arrangement shows.  The 2 top ones are for te load pulleys.  I made a spare for each one just in case I screw up.
The middle four are for the idler pulleys and the bottom one is for the hook that holds the dingy or whatever is needed to be hoisted.
 

This shows how I intend to hook-up the top idler pulley.  This particular method is employed in aircraft control cabling.  The "ball end" is crimped to the cable with a special tool.  They may not have had this system before WW II and could have used a brass soldering system with regular steel cables.  The other end of the cable is attached to a thimble that's bolted to the boom.  I'll try come up with simulated thimble and a hook.  I like the idea of having everything in a quick disconnect method.
 

This shows the bracket that's hooked to the top or end of the boom.  When you look at the sketch on the top picture the ends above and below the pulley will be the most trying parts to model.  I just need to have enough material for a hole to attach a hook to the top end and a "ball end" on the lower part.
 

This is shows the top end of the boom with the load pulley.  I'll use a hook to attach it to the boom and a bal-end on the bottom instead of a thimble. 
 
Cheers,

WOW, I'm overwhelmed by all the likes and your very kind responses, thank you all.
 
Hoi Remco, no, I did not shove a rod into the tube because i already knew that it would be too bulky for the scale.  Even a 0.5 mm tube would be too big.  I just wanted to see if it would work and indeed to make the real thing I need to fill the tube with something and this case a rod would be the best instead of the traditional sand.  A life size thimble is about 12 mm at its widest point, now divide it by 50 and we come to a very improbably small size to work with.
I used a modified round jawed pair of pliers and the collapse is not that serious, I could even tap it back some into its round shape.  
This pair of pliers have round conical jaws so I can bend all kinds of different radii. I modified the tips by carefully grinding them to much smaller diameter.
 
This miniature stuff is taking its toll on my fingers though     but that's why I let my fingernails grow a little larger then usual for a man.  It acts like a more solid guide then my poor skin 
 
Hi Daniel, thank you for your kind words, I appreciate it.   Well, instead of hanging a torpedo on the aft gantry I figured to hang a mine on it dangling over the side where the mine tubes are.  It'll be too busy with a torpedo and the dingy so close to each other.
 
Hey Popeye,  wow, what accolades, thanks!!!  I need to be careful now that I don't get a swelled head with all those compliments     but I'll fight that - - - nah - keep them cards and letters coming, I love it when people appreciate my work and it spurs me on to do better.
 
Actually no, after I drew out the "come-along" assembly I already figured it would work.  Sub boy??  No, actually my field was up in the air, airplanes, where instead my father loved it below sea level   
That day when he left to sail with the fleet to battle the Jap navy he made me promise not to seek a career at sea.  Well, he already knew that I loved airplanes and wanted to become an aircraft engineer and pilot.  Even with all the roadblocks thrown in my path, I, in a way, fulfilled my promise to him, which makes me very happy.  
 
Today we didn't accomplish much.  I accompanied Gwen to the doctor for her back and other things.  She finally decided to seek some medical attention.  Ever since we moved to Florida we didn't have a "family" doctor and this was a good excuse to find one so I also signed up for the general aches and pains.  
 
I did start with the 3 mm pulley brackets for the dingy boom.  This will REALLY challenge my ability to make all that stuff to scale.  When yuns get a message from Admiral Gwen that I ran off into the boondocks screaming and tearing my hair out, you'll understand      I already screwed up one part and have to redo it.  There were some strong words used like "domkop," and "idiot."  But so what, I just laugh and shake my head. Tomorrow is another day and a fresh start.  My brass junk pile is mounting up 
 
Well, that's it for tonight.  I'll be editing some posts where the pictures disappeared.
 
Cheers, 

After spending some time on my previous post I'm running late for my beauty sleep 
In any case, I like to report that I managed to plate the port side deck structure.  Took me about four hours though.
Here are the pics with a few from the original build of the real boat.
 

Forward part. I even added a strip between the dive planes and the deck torpedo door opening as shown in one of the pics in a previous post.  I had to remove a piece of the plating on the bow.  I forgot that I still needed to replace some decking plywood that I had to remove in order to install the dive planes.  Well, that's done and the glue is curing.
 

A close up of the torpedo door opening with the deck top reenforcement. I followed a photo from the boatbuilder.
 

This is the boat builder's photo I used to mimic the top of the torp opening.
 

A stern view of the plated deck structure.
 

This construction picture shows how the ballast tank and mine compartment frames look like.  They are bolted to steel clips that are fastened to the pressure hull skin plates.  I don't know if they are welded on or riveted when the skin was riveted on.  The deck structure frames are also fastened in like fashion to these clips,
 

This is a pic of a pressure hull skin assembly.  Here you can see the rivet patterns to parts of the hull frames and the clips for the ballast tank frames.
 

A top view of the center of the pressure hull.  Rivet patterns are clearly visible here.  You can also see that the ballast tank frames are rather skinny.
 

This is a photo of the stern area showing the stern torpedo tubes.  But note the pressure hull skin plates being fastened with temporary holders ready to be riveted to the frames.
 
Cheers,

I had to take a few days away from the ship yard but had already a few pics made of the progress on the port side.  I'm ready to plate the side of the deck structure and hopefully can complete the port side in the next few days.
Looking at the attached photos from the original shipyard pics, the rivets do look pretty good.  Perhaps the smaller size may look okay on the boat.  I may just have to order a gezillion of them 
 

3/4 side view port side.
 

Close-up view of the port bow.  Comparing this with some of the original factory shots I think I'm close with the pattern of the plates.  There is still some detail work to be added.  
 

3/4 stern view looking forward
 

Bow view port side.  I had to make the water drainage slit in the forward bow, just above and forward of the torpedo doors, came out quite nice.
 

A profile pic, ready for Ken's profile section.
 

Bow shot just before her launch in 1938.  A great help for detail work.
 

A photo of the crew in front of the bow at the dockyard.  My father is on it.
 

Ready for the launch, 1938.  Good pic to help me in the hull plate pattern and rivets. 
 

Great shot from the stern, ready for the launch, 1938.  A shame it's so small and the protective steel girders around the dive planes and rudder. Well, they needed to protect all that during the launch but it's not much help to me in looking for the details.
 

This is the O 20 just before her launch.  The O 20 is the sister of the O 19.  I like this shot for the excellent detail of the hull plating and rivets.  At least it's large enough to really see the details.
 
Cheers,
 
 

Hello friends, and thank you all for the likes, really appreciate your votes of confidence.
 
Well, in the meantime I have started with the prop shaft fairings.  I made them from basswood.  I forgot again to make a few pics of them before glueing them to the hull, for shame.
I had to guess at where to drill the holes for the prop shafts but by carefully eyeballing it they came out right on the money, lucky me 
To ensure their proper location I cemented them to the hull with the prop shaft assemblies installed and pinned to the rudder hinge brace/keel with two-way epoxy cement with three dowel pins.  After the cement was cured I faired them in with the hull using wood filler and after that was cured overnight I sanded everything into the proper shape.  Hurray for wood filler/putty.
 
So, now I am at the spot where I have to glue the paper hull plates on.  I can't install the prop shaft bearing housing/dive plane braces until that area is plated.  This requires me to look at a bunch of old photos of the O 19 and O 20 to see where the seems are so I can at least come close to the actual boat.  I think this phase of the build will be a lot of fun to finally cover the "ugly" outside and actually see the real boat emerge.
 
The Admiral (Gwen) asked me when I was going to put the conning tower on.  I think after all the below the deck area is completed.  I need to have the model off the build board and upside down for most of that work and the con will be in the way.
 
Okay, I took a few pics of the prop shaft fairings.
 

Port view of the completed prop shaft fairing piece.  I also made the bottom rudder hinge bracket and epoxy cemented that to the rudder hinge/keel with two brass nails for good measure 
I'm happy with the results.
 

Starboard view of prop shaft fairing piece. 
 

Top view of prop shaft fairing pieces. 
 

Both prop shaft assemblies temporarily installed to check for fit.  There is some additional trimming and shimming needed but that'll come after the "steel" hull plates are glued on.  I also installed a small piece of copper tubing in the rudder hinge/keel for the rudder hinge pin.  Hmmm, that'll be fun project 
 

A close-up look of the prop shaft assembly loosely installed.  
 

Head on view.  As you can see there is some adjusting and shimming needed.
 

A shot looking aft.
 
Cheers    

Thanks everyone for your like votes, much appreciated!
 
Hello John, thanks for looking in and your most kind comment.  Yes, I guess this part of the build is perhaps the most complex of all.  Although I am not even thinking about the deck launch torpedoes, the deck gun and the A A guns.  I'm taking it one section at a time. 
 
I was able to work a few more hours on the boat and made the diagonal braces for the prop shaft bearing housing.  I also shaped the outboard dive plane hinge braces and installed two dowels in each.
 
Nothing is assembled yet because there is still some fine-tuning and adjustments to be made.
I need to figure out what steps need to be taken first and in what order I need to proceed from here.  Many small and not so small details to do and I don't want to get caught in having to remove something or try to work around something that's in the way just because of being impatient or not thinking ahead  
 
I may use two part epoxy cement to fasten this assembly to the hull for extra strength and it allows me some time to position it in the correct place. 
 
The pics below may not show much difference with the ones in the previous post but some of the parts are new and some are remade because I was not satisfied with them.
 
Okay here are some pics with comments.
 

Stern end view.  The new diagonal braces are pinned and glued to the prop shaft bearing housing and so are the small horizontal braces but the whole assembly is still temporarily stuck on and hanging by the prop shafts through the bulkhead.  The two outer dive plane braces are also still temporarily stuck to the bearing housing.  They will most like be the last to be cemented to the bearing housing.  Some metal work is yet to be done to them like the net cutters at the leading edge and the dive plane hinge receptacle.
 

Top view. The pencil marks on the dive plane hinge braces are areas that need to be removed for the brass plates for the plane hinge receptacles.  I may use two part epoxy cement for that.  I may do the same with the net cutters at the leading edge.  btw, these braces are made by glueing three layers of 1 mm plywood, they are nice and strong. 
 

Another view from the top.  You can see a hole in the trailing edge of the diagonal brace, that's for a dowel to attach it to the hull.  I also need to make a fairing for the area behind where the prop shaft comes out of the hull.  I will most likely do that with all this stuff off of the boat, that's another reason for waiting.  btw, that brass strip on the right side of the rudder hinge/keel is for the rudder hinge fixture and will be cemented to the bottom of that assembly.  Some of the wood still to be removed.
 

Port side view.  The dowel hole in the diagonal brace is now easily visible.
 

Close-up shot.  I have already shaped the inboard braces for better hydrodynamic performance    
 

Looking aft on the starboard side.  The diagonal brace still needs to be hydrodynamicaly shaped, it was still in the process of glue curing.
 
Cheers 

Hello friends, it's been a semi productive day today.  I say 'semi' because I am also in the process of writing a bunch of recipes to be included in a cookbook that'll be produced by our financial advisor.  Most are old Dutch and Belgian recipes I remember my mother and grandmother used to make and a few from my home town, Surabaya, Indonesia (the former Dutch East Indies).
 
The new dive plane hinge braces turned out great. much better then the previous ones.  They still need finishing and fine tuning.  I also need to put the net cutter teeth on them and the hinge sockets.  
 
The challenging part was drilling the holes in the end bulkheads for the prop shafts.  There was not enough space for my small Proxxon hand tool and the flex shaft could not hold the drill bits I needed.  So, I took my long 1/8 inch aircraft drill and voila, I could at least drill a 1/8 inch hole, it was a start.  But now what?  
Okay, I took a #19 drill bit, 0.166 inch, which is a tad larger then the 5/32 inch shaft housing.  I tried to rotate it by hand but that was VERY slow going and uncomfortable to my delicate fingers.  I got myself a small pair of pliers and rotated the drill bitt that way while putting pressure on it with my left hand thumb.  It worked and I got through 
Yeah, yeah, I know, I should have drilled these holes before assembling the frame to the hull.  
 
Next step is to measure the length of the diagonal side brace between the prop shaft bearing housing and the hull and cut it out.  I don'y know if I can use dowels on both ends of this brace, I may have to drill diagonally through it at the hull side and then insert the dowels.  I like to secure the prop shaft rather well because that whole assembly sticks outside the hull and is rather vulnerable.  But all of these details will work out as well.  I have over 60 years of mechanical experience to fall back on 
 
Well, here are a few pics that'll tell the story.
 

I calculated that the distance from the bottom of the bearing housing is 38 mm from the base line of the boat, which is the surface of my build dock.  This assures also that the prop shaft is parallel to the waterline as well as the base line, i.e. the build dock. The dive plane hinge brace is seen head-on.  Looking it this pic I think I'll taper the rudder / keel brace aft a little more.  It looks kinda fat in the rear.  That bullet looking thingy you see standing up on the build board is the propeller hub for the port side assembly, still in the works.  You can also see the "difficult" hole I had to "worry" through.  I also need to fair in the part where the shaft comes out of the hull.  I need to "sculpt" a piece of basswood  for that.  Another thing I should have done some time ago.  Ah, those little jobs that were easy to do are now more difficult, but that keeps the old grey matter active 
 

Another shot almost straight on.  
 

A seagull's eye view of the assembly temporarily in place.  I also temporarily stuck the previous dive plane hinge brace on.  Below it you see the new one.  To the right you'll see the large drill bit I worried through the bulkhead.  I also filed a small copper tube to a sharp end and used that as a round chisel.   It kinda worked but didn't use it on the port side.  Aft of the assembly you see a small rectangular piece, that'll be for the diagonal brace.
 

Another view from diagonally above.  I may have to shorten the prop hub some to allow enough space for the dive plane in front of the hinge.
 

Looking aft at the assembly without the diagonal brace, which is waiting to be made.  Still a lot of work in detailing to be done.  
 
Cheers     

Hello friends,
 
I had some time today to do some work on the boat.  Last week I glued up three small pieces of 1 mm plywood to make the dive plane hinge supports and cut them out according to the sketch I made.
 
Today I made the dowels to fasten support struts from the screw shaft bearing housing to the hull and the dive plane hinge supports to the prop shaft bearing housing.  There is one more support strut from the bearing housing that runs diagonally up to the hull.  I have not shaped them yet, still pondering when to do that.  I'll most likely have to build a jig to locate this whole assembly correctly.  Everything is measured from the base plane, which is in my case the build board.
 
I drilled the dowel holes and proceeded to assemble these parst on the starboard side when I discovered that the dive plane hinge support piece was angled inboard too much.  Soooooh, scratch two pieces of work and remake them.  Yeah, they are currently glued up and curing under a few steel bucking bars. 
Tomorrow I'll finish shaping them and dry check on the boat.  
 
I got tired of pulling the bamboo skewer sticks through my drill index to reduce them in size.  So I devised another method that worked a lot faster.  I mounted the skewer in my Proxxon hand tool and placed it between two pieces of sand paper.  Wow, that worked a lot faster but I had to watch out because it has a tendency to take too much off at the tip.  Pics below show my mad method 
 
Pics below of the progress or lack thereof.
 

Skewer mounted in Proxxon hand tool.  see what I mean with the end?  Most of the skewer was usable though.
 

Ready to put between sandpaper.
 

Sanding the skewer.
 

Ready to dril holes for the dowels in prop shaft bearing housing for the dive plane brace.  
 

Ready to dril holes for dowels in prop shaft bearing housing for the support strut to the hull.
 

Ready to dril dowel holes in the dive plane hinge brace.
 

Both the prop shaft bearing housing support brace to the hull and the dive plane hinge support brace are doweled and temporarily attached to the prop shaft bearing housing.  Here I already noticed the potential problem.  What does one say under these circumstances?  Well, first I scolded myself, "you dumb @%*$ - - -"   Tomorrow is another day with some hot and sticky weather.
 
Cheers, 

Today I moved to the stern area and started to make the propeller shaft bearing housing and the prop shafts.  Next will be the dive-plane support.  That'll be attached to the prop shaft bearing housing, which in turn is supported by two struts to the hull.
 
Before I can start with the dive planes, rudder and propellers I'll need to take some time off the builds to  clean the house a little, do some laundry and cook a few dishes my wife likes.  She is driving back from Pittsburgh, PA this coming Thursday.  900 miles in 13 hours.  72 years young!      There is a problem though, there is rain expected on most of the route and she dreads rain when driving.  Wish her well.
 

This shows both the port and starboard side prop shaft assemblies.  I used oak dowel and turned it down to the scale size of 10 mm diameter.  The same for the propeller blade hub.  The total length of the housing and hub 38 mm.  I used my Unimat DB 200 lathe to turn them and drill the holes.   I used copper tubing for the shaft housing and for the shaft itself, which is inside the housing tube.  Sorry, for got making pics of the turning process and also the part layout.  I placed the assembly on a paper cut-out for the dive plane support.
 
I also glued and pinned the rudder hinge and keel assembly, so I can now also make the rudder.
 
Cheers,

This morning I ventured into the shipyard (garage) and tackled the net cutters on the trim vanes.  I also cemented the paper covering on the vanes.
I used "Liquitex" glazing medium for the glue and semi finish.  This stuff is used by artists when painting pictures with acrylic paint.  I don't use the stuff for my paintings, I like the good old oil paints or watercolors.  Although acrylic paints have their place in the art world.
 
In any case, when fully set I can lightly sand it to smooth out the brush marks and dull it some.  In this case it really doesn't matter because the boat will be painted anyway in the colors when placed into service by the K M (Koninklijke Marine, Royal Navy) in 1939.
 
The one vane actuator on the port side needs a "repair,"  the hinge pin hole is a tad too large.  I need to plug the hole and re-drill it.  No biggie.  I'm glad it works and looking okay
 
So, now the boat has some teeth 
 

As you can see I used brass shim to make the teeth.  It's made in two parts, one strip with the width of the vane and curved to match.  The teeth part is also made from the same shim stock with a "foot" bend at 90 degrees and the teeth cut into the other part.  It was then soldered to the base strip and final fit to the leading edge of the vane.
The teeth assy was glued to the vane with CA glue.
 
Cheers,

First of all, thanks fellows for your likes, appreciate it.
 
With the admiral temporarily in another harbor, the daughter's place near Pittsburgh, PA ,  there are a few domestic chores I need to do now.  I had some time this p.m. to go to the shipyard (garage) and do some more work on the trim vanes.  I completed the moving mechanism and temporarily installed them for workability and fit.
 
Nothing was cemented yet but they seem to work as advertised !  My biggest concern is the main swivel pin.  I cannot CA glue them before putting the main swivel piece on them, they have to be installed together, it's a space problem.  Sooooo,what to do and not glue the swivel to the hull frame.  A head scratcher for sure.  I'll have to sleep on it and hopefully Mrs Sandman will give me a dream with a solution.
Ooooh wait, I have some plastic sheet that any glue wont stick to, I'll slip a strip of that stuff under the swivel piece, worth a shot.
 
Well, I really can't install the vanes yet, they need to be covered first with paper to simulate steel and then the net / cable cutter on the leading edge.  Hmmm, another interesting project and will make it out of some brass sheet stock.
 
It looks like that before I can even permanently install them with the protective triangular thingies on the sides ( ) I must first cement the fake steel plating to the bow end of the boat to at least behind the trim vanes.
 
Okay, here are a few pics of the last two day's work.
 

These are all the parts to install the trim vanes except for the main swivel pin.  The copper tube in the lower vane is actually just shoved onto a 1.5 mm brass pin that I CA'd into the vane.  That copper tube will be CA's into the main swivel allowing the vane to rotate.  The top vane assy shows it as extended and the lower one as retracted.
 

Here I have temporarily installed both trim vanes.  I had to cut slots in the upper "longerons" to gain access for a drill.  Unfortunately the drill bit was just a little short so I completed the hole depth by clamping the drill bit in a small vice-grip plier and by rotating this I got a good 7 to 8 mm hole for the pin.
 

Even though this pic is a little out of focus but the aim was to show the main swivel and the swivel pin.
 

This shows the trim vanes extended.   I am aware that the main swivel on the port side needs to be sanded down some to bring the vane closer to the hull.  Actually, there are several things that still need attention.
 

This is the starboard vane retracted.  The port vane is also retracted but can't be see, you'll have to take my word for it.     Yeah, there is some damage to the side plates.  That's due to having to cut a slot into the deck support frame located behind the pencil line.  However, it'll be covered with the paper fake steel plates.  At least it begins to kinda look like the actual photo.
 
Cheers