NMBROOK

John I know I'm completely bonkers.
 
Steve what kind of lathe do you have?
 
Screw cutting is easy if you unplug the machine and are using brass or free machining steel.
 
here is a bit of SBS of union building. I used the dremel with a small stone to add some relief to the tap. By locking the rotation of the quill and clamping the dremel in the vice I was able to take very small cuts by indexing in the grinding stone and raising and lowering the tap in the quill because the depth of the amount of threads in the union I did not need to make the relief very long. this really helped to make the threading more smooth.
 

 
threading the blank nut
 

 
threaded 3/32 deep"
 

 
filing the flats
 

 
polished ready to part off
 

 
male part threaded and bored 3/32"
 

 
parted off onto the shank end of the #42 drill(.093) I used the drill as a support because the wall thickness is around .010"
 

 
the two halves are sweated to their respective pipes. and threaded together
 

 
uncoupled
 

 
thank you for all the likes, I lost count so thank you for that.
 
Michael
 
 
 
 
 

This evening I had to give the union a run.
First order was to set up the change gears on the Myford lathe to cut 80 threads per inch, then did some test cuts with a freshly ground cutter on some brass.
 
then turned down some 1/4 inch drill rod to .138" which is the size of the major diameter of a #6 machine screw then turning everything by hand(I unplugged the lathe) and taking .001" cuts threaded the shaft, polished it up with a leather strop. Hardened and tempered it then ground three flats with the diamond stone.
 

 
next I turned up the brass nut, and threaded it after the threading was done the clearance hole wad drilled through and then it was parted off.
 

 
Next the male part was threaded and tested with the tapped nut and  .0005" reduction threading cuts until the nut wound on to the thread easily.
 

 
The male part was then parted off and slipped onto the end of some 3/32 tube.
 

 
A couple of tiny refinements and it will work just fine.
 
michael
 
 

The testing of various ways of dealing with the small fittings is now completed for the most part,
 

 
and the final model parts in scale are coming together well. That said I am contemplating the false union at the junction with the cylinder and wondering if I can actually make one that works as a real union. Cutting a thread on some 1/8th diameter is not a problem usually the standard thread in imperial being a 5x40 the only problem is that at this scale that is an extremely coarse thread.
 
The elements are now in scale and the tubing is 3/32.
 

 

 

 
I am thinking that if I can make a thread cutter that will cut say 5x80 then that would be a much better size for the union, the concern that I have is if the whole lot were soldered together then separating the cylinder from the crankcase would be problematic, because there would be too much piping hanging off the cylinder and therefore easy to damage. In making the union actually work like a union it eliminates that problem.
 
The saga continues.
 
Thanks to all who are following along and commenting, providing useful tips, and for the likes.
 
I am happy that some of the methods I am using are useful to some of you. it is the least I can do for all the knowledge I have gained from you all who share your methods and tips.
 
Michael
 
 

Hi Carl, I agree with your thoughts, I think that if I keep things consistent and have a good general flow then I should be OK.
I can push a fair bit of water through the .093 holes with a good pump and since I am not going to be running this engine for long stretches I am confident that I will be able to get enough cooling.
 
Thanks Druxey, I do have the small set of coils spring pipe bender that I purchased some time ago but they only work for gentle curves, I have done some more experiments with the styrene rod as a filler as suggested By Bob. The combination of the heavy walled brass tube benders that are bored to the pipe size plus filling the tubes with the styrene have greatly improved the quality of tight elbows. The styrene gets trapped and a quick play of the propane torch over the elbow pops most of the styrene out then after removing the blobs at each end of the bent tube a little more heat and the residue flames off, leaving a good bend and flow through.
 
Thank you Mike, Mark, Steve , and Nils for your very complimentary comments. A sincere thanks to all who have shown their appreciation by pressing the like button.
 
I am continuing with the experiments with the various shapes and components for the piping and valves. I am gathering a fair collection of bits for the spare bits box. The parts to the extreme bottom left hand corner are the present iteration, that i am working with. the hex sections have been filed instead of adding in some sections of hex stock this eliminated the need for threads etc and is quick enough to do with a few strokes of the fine file.
 

 
I filled the four mounting holes with some 00x90 threaded rod and soft soldered them in place because they won't work with the new configuration that is not quite there yet but is getting close.
 

 
I have been sorting out the stack of elements and seeing how to create the look of a number of parts screwed together but really being a solid fancy tube. here there ore the vertical part of the pump the valve to bleed off any air then the anti hammer bulb. it is bored out to accept some 1/8th inch copper pipe for the bottom elbow, and a .093 hole for the tee off to the upper union that connects the piping to the water jacket as in the one on the real engine. I am using the 1/4 inch brass rod that I purchased at home depot, this rod is nice to machine and not very expensive. By using the collet chuck instead of the three jaw I can shift the brass out as I complete each element. the collet has 6 slotted sections as part of its design which makes it easy to line up to file the hex sections.
 

 
I silver soldered the tee to the bulb section, not as good as some soldering I have seen but acceptable, in this instance.
 

 
Michael
 
 
 

Wow! those files are pricey Druxey.
 
the saga of the water-pump continues.
I am not happy with the sizes of things and also the elbow is causing the crankcase to be raised off the sump.
 

 
Mass confusion and general mayhem
 

 
A number of different experiments with heavy walled tube convinced me that it is easier to bend the heavy tube than to work at drilling 90 degree holes through elbows any other way.
 
That said I have come to the conclusion that all model locomotive engineers already know and i also knew it as well and that is one cannot scale nature, a molecule of water is a molecule of water and that is the fact of life. it also became a realization that I would not be able to get enough water through the water-jacket with a scale model pump for the same reason that nature is not scale-able.
 
I was able to make the pump open and close with a .093 ball bearing similar to a clack valve but being realistic demonstrated to me that this approach would not work to deliver the volume of water needed to cool the head(heat cannot be scaled either. (Nigel you already knew this too)
 
As there are two other places wher piping enters the water jacket I have decided to continue to make a scale operating water pump from the outside appearances but the actual path of the water will be through the other piping and will use a hidden pump that will be able to deliver the needed volumes. Disappointing in one sense, but that is the way the world works sometimes.
 
experiments
 

 
Now that I am on a new track I will be able to make the pump look correct, I have already done this with regard to the operation of the pistons and cylinders insider the engine and working to keep the exterior looking like hwe real engine.
 
I have developed a couple of new tools for bending the parts of the piping.
 

 
The elbow is first turned to include some flanged areas at each end, then annealed and slipped into the brass bending tools
 

 
I marked the center of the elbow with a felt pen and closed the two parts.
 

 
did the bend
 

 
after a few tries I am pleased that this method will work
 
 
 
michael
 
 
 

Ok. JP... START THE BUILD LOG!!!!!! 

Just a quick heads up to EuromodeI fanboys...I found an Easter greetings email  from the manufacturer this weekend. Nice gesture, I thought and a sneaky way to direct you to the website which is offering another discounted sale.
I started my Le Renommee so someone kick my behind to kickstart my build log...LOL.....
 
JP

Some photographs ... Thanks
Dimitris
 
 

Hello , the booms and gafs are in position, except little jib boom . Some progress photos. I used a big pillow to focus on the ship.   Good night.
 
 

Hello everyone! Just finish the foremast boom and do a little job at foremast gaff. Have a great night. Some photos.
Dimitris.
 

Hello guys !! After a long absence from  my build due to workload , I finally manage to finish it.
Thank you for your support. I will post some photos to the gallery.
 
Dimitris
 
 
 

And the last once.
Thank you
Dimitris71

And some more...

And another 10 Photos.

Hello to all . This is my first wooden ship build. I started at 4th of march and i would like to show you the evolution of the construction. Here  are some photos.

Been going over your build Nigel and you're doing a marvelous job on her. I wish you luck with your move and look forward to you getting started back up.
 
Cheers

Thanks very much Nigel. Although I am not totally satisfied with parts of the build I will continue on. I am looking forward to you resuming your fabulous work.
 
/Mark

Hi Kester & Nigel ! great to hear from ye both .  Thanks for the confirmation Kester.. looks like the Mast Rest for the Fore Mast is out !! I'll have to create a Mast Hoop Anti Fallin' Downer Device though.. to be known as (cue sinister music)  'The Device' !!     
Oh and as you gathered I'll not be doing sails on this build 
 
Thanks for the Rudder bits compliment Nigel   though I fear I may have given ye all the impression that there are Huge advances on Ballahoo when in reality you'd hardly even see some of it unless there was a big Photoshop created Red Arrow pointing to it ..  
 
Got another small bit done today.. I drilled and sanded out a 'Rectangular' hole in the Rudder to take the tiller (bet ye are all breathless with anticipation to see that eh?  ) and I cleaned up the scuffed paintwork around the rudder fittings too !
 
Photos Soon I Promise   
 
All The Very Best Folks
 
Eamonn
 
Thanks Too For All The 'Likes' .. Always Much Appreciated !! 

Thanks Jim and Sjors, appreciate the kind words, it was a long time coming and still needs some more sanding to get it where I want it to be.  I'm going to wait for some warm weather as I find it quite relaxing sitting outside with a suitable beverage sanding, and theres no push to rush it.
 
Gunports
 
Cracking on with the gunports.  This seems to be yet another problematic area with this kit, and here was my approach to hopefully assist other builders of this kit (My thanks to Ray who first trod this path and whose shoulders I'm standing on).  The instructions are no help here, and the plans inaccurate.  I used the AOTS extensively to estimate as best I can the dimensions, and this required plenty of tinkering.  The supplied template is a waste of time as it forces the ports to be square, rather than the bottom cill following the sheer of the deck.
 
Bulkheads 10, 11 & 12 are key to laying out the ports as these bulkheads dictate the positions of gunports 7, 8 & 9.  Not mention in the instructions/plans is that gunports 8 & 9 are spaced farther apart than all the others, which are equidistant.
 
The arrows indicate the edge of bulkheads indicating the potential extremities of the ports, 7 & 8 are 30mm apart, 8 & 9 37mm.  The remaining ports were then marked to be 30mm apart (which does actually match the supplied template).  The edge of the plank was used to determine the appropriate height.
 

 
This resulted in two problems, the first was expected, the second not.  I had suspected that the gunport 1 would interfere with bulkead 4, and had build up additional material so this could be cut away without (hopefully) critically weakend the structure.  
 
The unexpected problem came with gunport 2 and bulkhead 5 as these coincide.
 

 
I was determined  to have equally spaced ports, so resorted to some emergency surgery, basically cut some spare 5mm ply cut approximately to shape and inserted between the bulwarks and against bulkhead 5 - the same approach taken before planking for bulkhead 4.  Plenty of glue was used to secure this as strongly as possible.
 

 
Once dry, the ports were cut and fully and trimmed to approximate shape.  First picture is gunport 1 (showing how much of the bulkhead is compromised), followed by ports 1 & 2 showing the same
 

 
Finally the overall shot showing how alignment looks, still work to do here but starting to look like a ship rather than a bathtub!  All ports are 30mm apart, except for the aforementioned 8&9.  I'm a happy camper.
 

 
 

Cheers Guys for the comments and likes, its nice to share a journey with friends.
 
Sjors/Mobbsie - its not an exact replica of me, I had to scale down the pecs to fit 
 
Well, a major milestone arrived slowly. Finally the first planking is complete.  This time the bow presented me a few problems to solve, all self inflicted because I've deviated from the kit.  Because I had decided to customize the bow so I could fit the bowsprit through rather than sitting in a notch on the stem, it essentially took away any anchor points for the fo'c'sle bulwark.  The solution I used was to shape some balsa blocks to the appropriate shape and temporarily mount on top of the bow filler blocks, this allowed the planks to be given the appropriate curvature (after soaking) and then securely glued edge on the plank above and below (Hoepfully this will also provide some protection during upcoming phases).  To ensure that the top of the bulwark has the right shape for the plansheer, I needed to shape the uppermost strips lower edge to key onto the plank below.  Because this strip would be the most susceptible to damage, I used one pre-shaped strip curved completely around the bow.  The bow on this ship looks deceptively simple but has some tricky curves, but even in this rough state the lines seem to be showing through very pleasingly.  Note that the two shaper blocks are very slightly different height which gives the illusion that the top strip is not level, but it is....I must have checked it a million times.
 

 
A scaled copy from the AOTS Diana book to get the correct shape of the bow and many diagrams cross referenced
 

 
Finally a technique I found very helpful, but unfortunately not until I was nearly done.  To keep planks edge on during planking I built these little 'U' shaped pegs out of some extra lime strip (the length of the slot is slightly deeper than the width of a strip) which can be used in many places to help keep strips edge on in some the tricky curving areas at the bow.  The uppermost strip is only approximately shaped at this point, I want to wait until the deck is on the determine final dimensions.  In the waist, I once again deviated from the instructions and carried the planking 2mm above the top of the  bulkheads rather than stopping at the top as indicated in the instructions to allow for the thickness of the 1mm false deck and 1mm deck planking.  Any excess should be easy to remove if necessary.
 

Bit of a diversion while I continue to wait for some more Limewood from CMB.
 
I had planned to replace the plywood false keel stem with boxwood, originally I was going to simply cut out the replacement shape.  However, I though this would be a good opportunity to do a little 'scratch' building to give me a flavour for it.  I followed the diagrams in the AOTS book, although simplified them slightly (using enlarged scans as pseudo plans while reconciling key dimensions back to the kit to ensure things stay in line).  Took quite a  few days to do (a full framed ship would clearly be out of the question for me!), its certainly not up to Chuck's standard but overall I was really happy with the result for a first attempt.  I lightly used a pencil to highlight the seams to a small degree without wanting to overdo this.  Unfortunately, I suspect I will be painting over 75% of this, but it was great experience.  
 
I rounded of and tapered the knee of the head using approximate guidance from the FFM book 1.  I think this should be tapered more, but I stopped where I did because it resulted in a nice snug fit for the figurehead I plan to use, any more would have resulted in gaps.  I rounded the leading edge, and will wait to cut the gammoning slot until I'm confident of the placement of the head rail features.  You can see the comparison below between the supplied Diana figurehead which is clearly made to straddle a 5mm knee and result in gaps.  I purchased the figure head from Syren when I bought the kit.
 

 
Everything in place (dry fitted for now). Took some adjustment to ensure I the bowsprit would sit correctly and clear the figurehead.
 

 
Also have addressed the lower counter at the stern.  I got quite aggressive and cut back the transition between the lower counter and the planking to ensure this drops and sweeps forward as it appears to in the AOTS book.  I'm only going to use 1 set of the lower counter shapers
 

 
Premade a lower counter sheet which I though might work better than simple planking.  Looks like some adjustment will be needed as the keel former extends into the hole for the rudder.  I've got my approach laid out for the upper counter and stern fascia which will probably deviate from what the kit suggests...but thats a story for a future post 
 

Have started the gunport linings, this will be slow.  Fine tuning the ports so they align appropriately is the order of the day.  The technique I'm using is to first install the lower cills, and to ensure that the cills are horizontal athwart-ship am using a strip of wood to ensure it sits flat on both sides.  Lots of double checking to ensure that position is correct.  Once lower cill is fixed, the upper is glued using an appropriately sized spacer to keep upper and lower cills parallel.  Side linings added last.  
 

 
And finally, happy Spring everyone!  I keep mentioning waiting for warmer weather to get some good sanding done on the hull.....well, this is the scene this morning, looks like I'm still waiting....
 

I am so thankful, since my retirement, I shall never have to move again in my lifetime. Unfortunate to have your buyer let you down.... That's a beal bummer for sure.

Beautiful planking. So is the rest but the planking is what caught my eye. Great job.

Hello Shipmates, I do thank you all for visiting my build log and also for your likes. :)
The portholes that I purchased by rbmodels have arrived today. I installed 2 of them to see how they look like. I will appreciate any comments and suggestions.
 
 
Kind Regards
Dimitris