Matle

In functional boat and ship models, many modelers use brass props made of stamped blades soldered to machined hubs. Nicer props, having a more realistic shape, are made by casting in brass or bronze. The process used for these is lost wax, or investment, casting. Usually, the waxes are made by injecting wax into a rubber mold; the rubber molds can be made from a carved or machined master.
 
Should you need a unique prop design, you’ll need to commission a master and a mold; don’t forget to allow for casting shrink when you specify the master! Need a left and a right? Twice the masters and molds.
 
Another option? 3D print the waxes- no need for masters, no rubber molds, and complete freedom to scale and mirror the design.
BTW: You can also machine the waxes on a 5-axis mill… but that’s another challenge.
 
But if you can create a 3D CAD model of the prop, and don’t mind machining the bore yourself, you can use very convenient 3D printing services like Shapeways to source your own custom props.
 
In this example, I made some props for Monterey Clipper fishing boats, using the Yuba-Hicks “weed cutter” design that many of these boats carried. While it’s possible to draw a convincing prop from scratch with some basic knowledge of prop blade shape, I had the benefit of the original factory drawing to work from:

 
CAD rendering of the design:

 
Raw cast bronze prop from Shapeways-  2.5” diameter:

 
From the same CAD model, a 2.25” opposite hand prop (on left):

 
Machining the bore and threads on my lathe:

 
Prop with a 3D printed Hicks engine model:

 
The 2.25” prop went on this 1:8 scale model Monterey:

Put a pin in this one - Confederacy is completed !  I wrapped it up earlier this week than  I thought this evening - here are the latest photos.  I think the area I want to improve the most with the next build is metal work - my anchor bands look a bit chunky.  Johann is an inspiration in that area.  But overall very satisfied with the build and the enjoyment it gave me over the last 8 years.  Thanks again for all of the support/encouragement and comments.  And thank you Chuck for second to none plans and guidance with this build.  

Thanks Michael and Mark - both of those questions will be answered soon.  Im a big fan of photographing your model - thats how I noticed a molding off the quarter gallery in the second shot crooked - its fixed.  I really have issues with CA and won't use it on future builds unless absolutely necessary.  I may have a second go at those anchor bands this weekend - they are an eyesore to me - cutting them thinner would make a big difference and not an issue to re rig them to the knightsheads.  

Attached are the most recent photos of our Shipcrafter Team's, "USS St  Louis", City Class Ironclad model which primarily consist of a successful "dry-fit" of our partially completed brass paddlewheel with several of its thicker assembly jig boards still attached. When completed, it will include a "birdsnest" of thin rod cross-bracing between the four inner rings and all 17 "buckets". The actual paddle boards ("buckets") are inside of the larger paddlewheel ring (one is attached by its "U-bolts") as shown in the close-up photo. We are now working on framing for the skylight which covers the paddlewheel axle bellcrank and "pittman" arm attachment which penetrate the Hurricane deck. This demonstration allowed us to properly locate the two paddlewheel suppout ramps to achieve the correct paddlewheel axle location fore & aft while simultaneously achieving its proper vertical location which determined the depth of "bucket" penetration into the river water. Note that the paddlewheel is not in the center of its wheelhouse but further aft than center to achieve, in combination with the feed ramp, a smoother water flow to the wheel per "Pooks" original specifications. The starboard side of Hurricane deck houses have been roofed & sided, sliding windows are in place and the structural framing for the small attached sheds are also visible. Our brass models of the wheelbarrows for coal handling are based on late 1800's versions used for iron steamships. The 1:24 scale of this model allows us an exceptional amount of fine detail.
 
johnhoward

DROMON UNPLUGGED!
 
After two years and 5 months since I started planning it, and a year and seven months since I began building, the dromon has finally come off its plug. It was with heart in mouth that I undid the screws that held it in place and carefully jiggled it back and forth to free it up. I was concerned that the cling wrap might not have done its job properly, that glue might have seeped through and stuck the hull to the plug, with possibly disastrous results. But no ominous cracking or splintering sounds, and with a minimum of manoeuvring, the hull came away cleanly!
 

 

 

 

 

 
I had already completed the stand so the newly free hull had something to support it safely. I'd hoped that putting gold paint on the stand would make it look like it was made of gold, but it didn't. What it did look like was gilded wood, which in my opinion is just as good and just as typical of Byzantium.
 

 

 The plug formed a support and and helped protect her from damage. Now she's off it, I have to be a lot more careful to keep her safe from cats and small children (both are risks where we live!). 
 
It was interesting to find that many of the frames had fragments of a thin skin of glue adhering to them, where it had been pressed up against the inner face of the clingwrap and dried, and I needed to crack them off to tidy the inside up. I'm not going to bother with being too thorough getting rid of them, as they'll be hidden by the deck planking anyway.
 
Turning the ship right way up for the first time without the plug and its supporting substructure makes evident for the first time the slim elegant shape of what is effectively a bloody great 90 foot rowing boat.
 

 

 
Removing the clutter at the top by trimming the frames that were sticking up above the gunwales made the shape more elegant still.
 

 

 
And to give some idea of just how thin the planking is, here is the ship with the light behind it - you can see right through the planks! (Note; this also made evident some gaps I hadn't seen when it was on the plug, so I have some more filling to do. But it's really not as bad as it looks in the photo - the light shining behind makes even the tiniest gaps look enormous). And she's so light!  - 70 grams, or 2.4 ounces. I know that there's more to add to her before she's complete, which will make her somewhat heavier, but she will still be very lightweight, as is appropriate for a vessel powered only by human muscle.
 
My temporary (or perhaps I should say one-time) clamps work a treat counteracting the springy frames' tendency to push the sides outwards. The clamps are just held there by friction so I can take them off and put them back on as I work on the rest of the ship. 

 
I won't be able to take them off permanently till I have glued at least a reasonable number of deck beams in place to hold the sides of the hull in, but first I have to do a fair bit of mucking around within the hull, as otherwise the deck beams will get in the way of what I want to do.
 
My next task is to put in a new frame between every pair that are currently in place - due to lack of space I'd only been able to put in every second frame while she was on the plug, so now she needs the rest of them installed. (I've got the new frames already made and bent roughly to the correct curve. But if as I plan to, I soak them before gluing and clamping them in place, I think they'll lose whatever shape they previously had, and will take on the shape of the vessel itself as they dry. So I suppose I might as well not have bothered to bend them in the first place. But that's all part of the learning experience.)
 
Then I have to put in the mast steps, plus the frames to hold the lower oars in position (and I'm still not certain how I'm going to do that). And on and on after that. There's a lot in the sequencing, to avoid painting myself into a corner. 
 
But I'm very pleased with how she's turned out. She's just beautiful!
 
Steven
 
 

Thanks for the likes, everyone. Much appreciated.
 
 
 
Well, I was right; the in-between frames straightened out when I put them in water. So all that work at the beginning of the build went to waste. I'll know better next time (if I'm ever misguided enough to try this kind of build again!).
 
But it made them flexible enough to bend to shape and clamp in place with the tiny clothes-pegs I once bought from an art/craft shop on the off-chance I'd use them one day. So here are the first two in place.
 

 
And another few. I had to leave some spaces blank for the time being. The one-time clamp got in the way for two of them, and another broke when I bent it (so I have to soak another one to go in its place - but I have several extras I set aside in case this happened.)
 

 

 
Tomorrow's Father's Day - the kids will be over, so I may not get any shipbuilding done - but I've got a whole lot of frames in soak for when I next get the time. In the meantime I'm listening to Paul McCartney's Ram album which my lovely wife gave me as an early Father's Day prezzie.
 
Steven

Thanks everyone for the likes and comments. They're greatly appreciated.
 
I got some time free to work on the ship after the family get-together. Making good progress. Here are a couple of photos with all the pegs in use at once.
 

 

 
Once the glue is dry I'll be free to re-use the pegs to clamp the rest of the intermediate frames in place. However, it looks like I'll have to make more of them - I've had a larger breakage rate than I'd expected when bending them into position.
 
Hi Druxey,
 
One of the problems with wooden pegs is that they get glued to the frames if you're not careful. Plastic coated bulldog clips sound worth getting - could you post a photo so I can know what to look for? Does your wife remember where she got them (what town/shop)? If I can get hold of them, would you like me to buy some for you as well?
 
Steven

Thinking of my next project and how to make things simpler with rigging, I decided to make a small and simple serving machine after Chuck`s and Domanoff`s ideas.
 
Also I wanted to try a motorized version of the unit, and because I had already necessary gears & a small gearmotor available, it was a simple and cheap project. To have the machine easy controllable I used a Chinese motor controller, which indeed controls the speed from zero to max speed maintaining good torque also with minimum speed: http://www.ebay.com/itm/DC12V-DC36V-10A-Motor-Speed-Control-PWM-HHO-RC-Controller-12V-24V-/321976981771?hash=item4af752d90b:g:bbAAAOSwKtlWmLik
 
And to have both hands free when using the machine, I also utilized a foot swith to start and stop the unit:
 

 
 
All wooden parts were made of 5 mm aircraft quality plywood. Gears are module 1, 40 teeth ones, with driving gear at the motor shaft having 11 teeth. Motor is some old toy motor with 12 V supply and 330 RPM output speed. All axles are 6 mm brass rod, with 6/10 mm ball bearings.
 

 

 

 
 
To be able to make some seizings also with the machine, I added a small clamp where a loop or block to be handled, can be attached. It is easy to install to the rotary axle with only 2 screws when necessary:
 

 

 
And if it proves to be better to operate the machine only manually, the motor can be completely dismantled or only the driving gear taken away, because it is only attached with two small screws on the motor driving axle.
 
I really hope that this little machine makes my life a bit easier when the time comes to start rigging with all the numerous servings, seizings etc.

I am as speechless as this is flawless. Thank you for sharing!

I am as speechless as this is flawless. Thank you for sharing!

I'm more than 1/4 way through the planking now. It's not as tidy as I'd like - I've learnt a lot of lessons during the process about proper preparation of the substructure (i.e. getting all the frames at exactly the same level) which I didn't do this time. I first cut grooves in the plug for the frames, then I changed my mind and decided to get rid of the grooves and have the frames stand out proud of the plug - which is what I should have done in the first place.
 
But because I couldn't cut the grooves precisely enough to the same depth with a handsaw they were all at slightly different depths and even after smoothing off the plug some of the frames still sit in the remnants of the grooves, while others sit fully proud of the plug. So I end up with wobbly planks.
 
I've fixed that to a certain degree using filler made from white glue and wood dust. But I should have used dust from the (pine) planks instead of re-using the stuff from the (plane tree) frames and wales, because the colour of the filler doesn't match the planks. Not a big problem - I'm going to paint the bottom of the ship black to simulate pitch or tar, and the sides will be red and yellow, as befits the Imperial dromon.
 
Five planks (plus garboards) in place:
 


 
Another problem that has arisen is that the planks seem to tilt somewhat, so the edge of the new plank is a little higher than the edge of the previous one. I think this is because I've been using push pins to hold the planks in place as the glue dries. The pins push on only one side of the plank, so no matter how careful I am, it tilts a little. I can  sand this smooth, but it offends me that I couldn't get it right first time. I'll have to find a better method of holding the planks in place.
 
Putting the sixth in place:
 


 
By the way, with the last plank so close to the wale, the flanges of the push pins were getting in the way, so I trimmed off one side of each flange and it fitted well. Dunno what I'm going to do with the last plank - nowhere for the pin to go - maybe I'll just have to hold the plank in place with my fingers till the glue dries . . .
 
But if I ever make another dromon (fat chance!) I'll know what mistakes to avoid. All part of life's rich tapestry.
 
I've also done preliminary painting on my two figures. Haven't sanded fully enough (a fact that isn't obvious until you take a detailed close-up photo) and I have yet to paint faces and the guardsman's hair, add shading etc etc , but it's starting to look good.
 

 
Steven
 
 

I am as speechless as this is flawless. Thank you for sharing!

I am as speechless as this is flawless. Thank you for sharing!

A lot of effort for such small progress...............
 
I made a few more fittings for the masts.
 
I turned the 4 winches for the lower spiders, 2 winches per mast,  fairly straightforward turning task. The winches started as 1/4 inch brass bar and are approximately 1/4 inch long.

I then needed to make the 16 cleats that fit on to the 4 spiders - these are quite small and involve turning and drilling balls of a little less than .100 inch diameter on a stem of .040 diameter by .200 long. I made the form tool for the ball out of a broken centre drill. The balls / stem components stared as .125 brass bar. Cuts had to be small to prevent breakage - typically .005" (on radius) for initial cuts reducing to .002" for finishing.
 


I drilled the hole through the balls on the mill - using a centre drill followed by a .030" twist drill. All balls were drilled on a single setting using a magnet on the vice jaws as an end stop. The balls were drilled while still attached to the bar and parted off with a slitting saw thereafter.
 

The initial ball / stem took about 3/4 hour to make. At the end of the run for 16 I was making them in a little over 10 minutes.

The cross member of the cleat was wire, cut glued and then filed to length. The aluminium plate in the photo has a small hole and this was slotted over each end of the wire as a filing guide. The thickness of the plate giving the required arm length of the cleat.
 

 
 The end result will look something like this.

Indeed rigols - I've seen them made in a few logs on the forums on shipmodelinfo, where they make mostly modern boats, maybe you can find ideas there? Etching or casting would maybe work?
 
Here is another view: Mariefred alongside quay in Mariefred
I see darker pixels indicating carvings or reliefs inside them, but not more than that - how large would these things be on your model?
 
 
Edit: I found a picture where you can see some detail, taken after the fire in 1980 before rebuild (you can search digitalmuseum.se for hundreds of old pics by the way):
https://digitaltmuseum.se/011015402462/fo124957dia/media?i=291&aq=owner%3A"S-SMM"+text%3A"mariefred"

Indeed rigols - I've seen them made in a few logs on the forums on shipmodelinfo, where they make mostly modern boats, maybe you can find ideas there? Etching or casting would maybe work?
 
Here is another view: Mariefred alongside quay in Mariefred
I see darker pixels indicating carvings or reliefs inside them, but not more than that - how large would these things be on your model?
 
 
Edit: I found a picture where you can see some detail, taken after the fire in 1980 before rebuild (you can search digitalmuseum.se for hundreds of old pics by the way):
https://digitaltmuseum.se/011015402462/fo124957dia/media?i=291&aq=owner%3A"S-SMM"+text%3A"mariefred"

Indeed rigols - I've seen them made in a few logs on the forums on shipmodelinfo, where they make mostly modern boats, maybe you can find ideas there? Etching or casting would maybe work?
 
Here is another view: Mariefred alongside quay in Mariefred
I see darker pixels indicating carvings or reliefs inside them, but not more than that - how large would these things be on your model?
 
 
Edit: I found a picture where you can see some detail, taken after the fire in 1980 before rebuild (you can search digitalmuseum.se for hundreds of old pics by the way):
https://digitaltmuseum.se/011015402462/fo124957dia/media?i=291&aq=owner%3A"S-SMM"+text%3A"mariefred"

Hi Bob,
great progress on the aft deck house....
 
Nils

I just strolled right in... might have changed since I moved but I got similar responces when I was living there. I think people just don't know about the place, it's a bit of an oasis, only minutes from the busiest areas of the city (this goes for Skeppsholmen too ). As a sidenote, this is where the Stockholm tar came from, the name of the place means "Tar isle". 
 
It does might be tricky to access the "parking lots" though, as they are usually fenced - but maybe one can get close enough for pics?
 
 

She's parked on Beckholmen over the winter, if you are downtown someday (I used to stroll there, lots of old vessels to look on). Don't live in Stockholm anymore, so can't go and help out

I just strolled right in... might have changed since I moved but I got similar responces when I was living there. I think people just don't know about the place, it's a bit of an oasis, only minutes from the busiest areas of the city (this goes for Skeppsholmen too ). As a sidenote, this is where the Stockholm tar came from, the name of the place means "Tar isle". 
 
It does might be tricky to access the "parking lots" though, as they are usually fenced - but maybe one can get close enough for pics?
 
 

I just strolled right in... might have changed since I moved but I got similar responces when I was living there. I think people just don't know about the place, it's a bit of an oasis, only minutes from the busiest areas of the city (this goes for Skeppsholmen too ). As a sidenote, this is where the Stockholm tar came from, the name of the place means "Tar isle". 
 
It does might be tricky to access the "parking lots" though, as they are usually fenced - but maybe one can get close enough for pics?
 
 

I just strolled right in... might have changed since I moved but I got similar responces when I was living there. I think people just don't know about the place, it's a bit of an oasis, only minutes from the busiest areas of the city (this goes for Skeppsholmen too ). As a sidenote, this is where the Stockholm tar came from, the name of the place means "Tar isle". 
 
It does might be tricky to access the "parking lots" though, as they are usually fenced - but maybe one can get close enough for pics?
 
 

She's parked on Beckholmen over the winter, if you are downtown someday (I used to stroll there, lots of old vessels to look on). Don't live in Stockholm anymore, so can't go and help out

She's parked on Beckholmen over the winter, if you are downtown someday (I used to stroll there, lots of old vessels to look on). Don't live in Stockholm anymore, so can't go and help out