KeithAug
-
Posts
3,845 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Gallery
Events
Everything posted by KeithAug
-
Hi Nils Re vents for post WW1 liners. I have seen then made using a shaped plug which is pressed into a circular die. The vents are usually made from copper with many annealing steps to avoid work hardening and splitting. The tubes are than soldered on and the hole is cut from the inside of the tube. I am planning to have a go at this method later on in my current build....... just for the experience!- 2,625 replies
-
- 6
-
-
- kaiser wilhelm der grosse
- passenger steamer
- (and 1 more)
-
Julie / Tom Thank you for your feedback. I feel I should be getting on quicker but unfortunately other time commitments seem to be getting in the way.
-
I had a go at the hawsepipe today. The complication is the plate as it exits the hull which is oval in form. This could have been tricky and I wanted it to be neat. The solution in the end proved to be simple and quick to make. I started with a length of .200 inch diameter brass rod. I drilled out the rod on the lathe to the diameter of the hawsepipe. I then measured the angle the hawsepipe made with the hull at its exit point and set up the bar at this angle in the mill. I then lopped off the end using a slitting saw. The next operation was to solder the hawsepipe into the brass rod while still set up in the milling vice. I then indexed the slitting saw down and repeated the cut. With a bit of buffing the job was done.
- 882 replies
-
- 15
-
-
I though I'd better finish and mount the rudder. I needed to drill the holes to take the rudder pivot - a more complicated job than might be expected as I will explain. I started by marking the position of the hole at the back of the keel. I used tape to mark out the angle and get the right distance from the hull (.200 inch). I carefully drilled an undersized hole by hand, stopping frequently to check the drilling angles (alignment along the axis of the hull as well as parallel to the back of the keel) I then started to widen out the hole with some miniature square section broaches - a birthday present from the wife. Finally finishing to size with a round needle file. A bit complicated but the result was a hole that was exactly right in both size and alignment. Drilling the top pivot hole was done through the lower hole. The drill bit was much too short for this but I stuck the drill bit in a tube to give it the required length. The pivot was cut from brass tube and the rudder mounted as a test fit - it worked fine. I then did a bit of brass bashing to create the rudder strengthening strips - they are about 1 inch x 1/8 inch - fastened in place by 4 rivets.
- 882 replies
-
- 15
-
-
Exceptional work Toly. I am very impressed.
-
Hi Julie I had a go at steaming and bending the .010 inch mahogany planks. It sort of worked but I don't think I'd use this method. I think David B's post is the way to go.
-
Hi Julie. I agree it is a dinghy / tender and not a lifeboat. I have scrapped more than a few attempts in the past, learning what works is part of the fun. How thin did you make the planks. I was cutting some mahogany planks recently and mistakenly made a plank .010 inch thick. It behaved more like paper than wood. I'm away at the moment but I'll have a go at bending it when I get home and let you know the result.
-
Julie Most of the rudders on sailing ships were built solid from very heavy timbers - and even then they failed. Cutty Sark is a good example:- Cutty Sark lost her rudder in heavy seas in the Indian Ocean when racing Thermopylae with a cargo of China tea. The accident meant Thermopylae beat her back to London by 7 days. Endeavour being of metal construction probably did have a fabricated rudder.
-
Julie - you might want to see the rest before stealing anything! So here is how it developed. I started to sand the rudder down to its final form but part way through the process I started to feel the larger pieces of mahogany were looking a bit monolithic and hence out of scale. I did like the pin stripes and I think I will bank this for a future date. So decided to use what I had as the core of the rudder and clad it as I had done with Endeavour. I started by laying two strips either side of the leading edge. I seemed to have created some sort of bug!!!!!!! I then laid more strips across the rudder, parallel to the waterline. Another weird creature was born!!!!!!! 27 pieces per side = 54. Plus the 17 core parts = 71 parts in total. After a lot of sanding.......... The next step is to make and attach the 2 strengthening plates - one either side of the rudder and then buff the rudder with fine sandpaper before painting with poly.
- 882 replies
-
- 11
-
-
The rudder............ Sometimes I have to question my sanity. I managed to make the rudder (excluding the strengthening plates) from 71 separate pieces. Excessive by any stretch of the imagination! This did include a bit of experimentation but that only added a few bits to the total. I started with a card template made to the profile on the plans.This was positioned on the hull and adjusted to fit. I also made a template of the rear of the keel (immediately in front of the rudder) so that I could get the varying thicknesses correct. My starting point was to find a brass tube from which to make the pivot. Around the tube I constructed a beam which would ultimately form the front edge of the rudder - thus far 5 parts. I attached the template to the beam and shaped it to the profile of the keel. It always looks better to me to have the grain on the rudder running in the same direction as the hull planks. Also I like including a bit of detail (interest) into the rudder. I thought I'd have a go at some pin stripes. I started to question my approach at this point - thus far 17 parts. More to follow.....
-
Alex - a really fascinating build that I have been following silently for a while. I look forward to future posts. In terms of tubing this link may be of interest...... http://www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk/acatalog/Assorted_Selections.html I'm not sure they ship to your part of the world but they do seem to send to most countries. Their assorted metal tubes come in handy for making a lot of fittings.
-
And finally the capping rail is complete and ready for final sanding. I put the outer edge of the rail in as a series of short lengths - approx 30cm long - 3 per side. This felt easier to manage than glueing and clamping the whole thing in one go. I finished with a very slight dip where the stern rail joined the side rail. I tried to ignore it but failed. I then tried to fill the indent by overlaying it with infill planks and then sanding back. I still wasn't happy - so eventually I cut it out. And replaced it......... I then tried to ignore that it didn't match the other side. I failed so had to replace the good side as well. Eventually all was done. I think next I'll have a go at the rudder.
- 882 replies
-
- 13
-
-
Great Job John.
-
Thank you Nils - not quite on the scale of your Kaiser but quite satisfying never the less. Loved your screws - which prompted me to have a go on Altair. I made a little more progress on the capping rail along the length of the hull. At about .300 inch wide the rail was much too stiff to bend to follow the curvature of the deck edge. I was pretty certain I would be able to bend a rail of half the thickness and so decided to make the width from two planks. I had the option of trying to lay up the rail on top of the plan but decided to form the rail by mounting it directly on the bulwark. Having cut mahogany strip (.080 x .300 inch) I needed to round the edges. I was considering making a scraper in the form of a "U" and using this on the plank edge to generate the half round...............however i hit upon a simpler solution....................the back of the knife blade. Mounting the half rail on top of the ribs necessitated drilling and pining the rail to secure it in place while the PVA dried. I did have slip and a break which required repair. So far so good!
- 882 replies
-
- 12
-
-
Julie - good luck - its always worth trying and sometimes it works better than expected.
-
Hello Julie Teakdecking Systems don't offer caulking guns small enough. Gulliver's shipping supplies is the best source. They can be found at Lilliput Lane, Littlehampton. Hi David - thanks for the comments, i have to make it simple or I make a mess of it.
-
I so enjoyed the process of wiping on the poly that I had to force myself to stop after 7 coats. I might have to do more later!!! With the hull sealed I turned it over and started to think about adding the capping rail to the bulwarks. The rail is .080 inch thick and at the stern it varies considerably in width. I started with the stern. I produced a template by pressing a sheet of paper on to the bulwark and then used this to size the 3 planks from which the stern rail would be cut. I needed to shape the 3 sections as one so I mounted them onto a scrap piece of MDF with double sided tape.This was then sanded using the disc and spindle sanders. Once sanded the 3 parts were removed from the backing and offered up to bulwark - no further adjustment was necessary but the edges were rounded with sandpaper by hand. The 3 pieces were then glued together before the assembly was glued to the bulwark using PVA. The stem capping piece will be made in the same way but from 2 pieces.
-
Julie Your plan seems quite adventurous. If the waterline band is to look parallel when viewed from the side it has to be much wider at the stern (and a little wider at the bow) to compensate for the hull curvature. I think you could do a planked waterline of a few planks width but it would take a lot of shaping of the planks.
-
Julie I think I may have said that I contemplated diagonal planking. The thought I had was to lay the plank immediately in front of the rudder first - following the natural line of the keel at that position - this is in the other direction from that you are considering - not that it matters but you might want to consider the pros and cons. You also might like to try a few trial planks at the position of maximum beam - these planks will have to describe a shallow "S" shape and this should be quite an interesting planking exercise.
-
Julie I found the rudder profile didn't blend very smoothly with the hull and keel which to me looked wrong. I adjusted the shape slightly as per photos.
-
I finished the winch and a couple of minor deck fittings. The winch base was made from brass sheet and eyelets. The holes were accurately drilled on the mill. The winch was test assembled before painting. Then painted with enamel paint - grey undercoat and then gloss black A couple of other simple items were made on the lathe and mill. The hand-wheel was recovered from a pocket watch - one of a diminishing supply of such items in my odds and ends box. The winch components were superglued together. The fore deck components are photographed arranged in their relative positions.
- 882 replies
-
- 13
-
-
Hello Julie I have never tried lacquer but I must give it a go some time. Although its slow I am quite enjoying the process of applying the wipe on poly. The finish is very pleasing and I can always make progress on other stuff while I am waiting. I'm watching your build with interest and wait to see how your 2nd planking options develop?
-
I am doing one coat of poly a day. Now on coat 4. Meanwhile I have made a bit of progress on the winch. The plan detail on the winch is basic and I also think its not very representative of the real thing. Unfortunately the internet didn't come up with much additional information so I had to resort to a bit of intuition. Because the winch is painted black I didn't have to bother much about the choice of materials so I used bits from my scrap box. One enhancement to the plan was the winch motor which now has a finned body - cut from a sprocket recovered from a dead printer. The fins do appear to be present on the original. The winch has both rope and chain drives. I made these from hex section brass bar. The chain sprocket was simulated by drilling 6 radial holes using a centre drill and then filing a groove across the holes on the lathe (while rotating). The hex bar provided the reference surfaces for equi-spacing the radial holes. The winch isn't anywhere near finished but its shaping up reasonably well.
- 882 replies
-
- 10
-
-
Hello Michael Fife yachts were quite traditional even in 1931. I think the use of brass for the foot reflects the traditional / quality approach that Fife took to its Yachts built for "Gentlemen". The following quote from Wikipedia is enlightening: Like the schooner Altair (1931), many of the cruisers echo his turn of the century designs such as Cicely (1902) or Susanne (1906); similarly there were few fundamental differences in his ketch designs spanning this era. Perceived by some as anachronistic, these yachts were considered by many to represent some of the greatest refinements of the auxiliary cruising yacht ever achieved.
-
Hi Bedford I removed the machine marks with 400 grit wet and dry and then buffed the foot on the polishing wheel for about 4 minutes. The polishing wheel was primed with fine finish polishing compound. Keith
Our Emblem ®
