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Cathead

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Everything posted by Cathead

  1. Cathead
    I have been working on the deck fittings.Below, you see the deck with all holes drilled for the metal fittings (rings, bits, etc.): And here you see most of the fittings test-placed (unglued) to get a sense of the deck's layout. Many of these will have small blocks; I'm trying to decide whether I should tie those in before gluing down the fittings, or afterward. Another source of annoyance in this kit: these metal fittings have "pins" meant to fit into the deck holes, but many of them are too thick or long. For example, the stanchions which will hold safety lines have pins nearly the width of the rails, as shown in the blurry photo below. I've drilled smaller pilots holes, but am reluctant to drill any wider for fear of splitting the rail. So I may have to file down all these tiny parts to fit proper holes. I've also had this problem with the plates and other hull fittings; their pins are so long that holes drilled in the rails would go right through. As it is, I've been desperately careful drilling pilot holes sideways through these rails without poking through. So I've been spending lots of time filing down the pins on these fittings to be narrower and pointier so I can drive them into the wood and have them hold more securely. It's been very fiddly work but I think it'll come out ok. As this is the first rigged ship I've ever attempted, I don't know if this kind of thing or normal, or unique to the Corel kit. Are there any thoughts on whether to pre-rig blocks to the rings, or do it after gluing the rings in? Anything else I should be considering at this stage?
  2. Cathead
    For anyone in central Missouri, I will be displaying the Bertrand and several other models at the Tigercon 2016 model show in Columbia, Missouri tomorrow (Saturday November 5). I apologize for the very late warning, it somehow never occurred to me that it might be of interest to anyone here, but there are a few folks from Missouri on the forum so I thought I'd mention it.
  3. Cathead
    Mike, you've done a fine job. I appreciate your build log, too, as it's helped me better understand a kit I may well want to build myself one day. One question, forgive me if I missed the answer earlier: did you treat the lines with anything to help keep them from sagging over time? Otherwise, hearty congratulations. I'll miss following along on this. I need to get moving on my current project so I can go back to another steamboat myself.
  4. Cathead
    Kurt, I remember at some point you posting a great photo of a fire-bucket rack on a steamboat. Or was it someone else posted it, and you just explained it? Either way it was a really illustrative photo, if you know what I'm talking about and where to find it. Mike, I did something similar with the boats for Bertrand: I wasn't happy with hollow shells either, so added wooden thwarts, tillers, rudders, etc. I think both mine and yours gained a lot from the modifications.
  5. Cathead
    Clarence, for whatever it's worth, that article lists the boat solely as the "Monroe" (not "City of"), and Way's Packet Directory also lists the "Monroe" as being a sternwheeler that operated on the Ouchita late in its life. Although, just to throw a little more fog into the mix, that online article claims that Ouchita-operating Monroe was built in Pittsburg (sic) while the Way's Monroe is listed as built in Wheeling. I think I'd trust the latter over the online article which may or may not know what it's talking about. I certainly don't think it affects your model's interest in any way, it'll be a really neat build no matter what. Given that Fryant himself lists his plans as being for a fictional boat, I'm not sure it's worth trying to tie them too strongly to any given prototype. As for the fuel, the Monroe in Way's was built 1886 and sank 1915, and certainly by the later end of that period I wouldn't be surprised if it had been converted to coal even if originally built for wood. Wood became a dear commodity along the rivers as the regions were deforested due to high demand, and coal was much more energy-dense (same reason railroads converted over). I don't think I can help you much on the small boats. My understanding was that most steamboats in the core riverboat era didn't carry "lifeboats" in the marine sense of the word, just a couple small yawls for general-purpose use. There was no direct provision for passenger safety. I don't know when/if that changed; I could see different practices developing as the 20th century got underway. I suspect Kurt or Captain Bob would know more.
  6. Cathead
    Erik, I lost my father the same way. It's wonderful that your models could be shared with him.
  7. Cathead
    From Bob's link: That explains the discrepancy. This will be a neat project regardless, and I'm looking forward to it.
  8. Cathead
    I wonder if the Fryant plans are for one of the three "Monroe"s known to be built? One was a centerwheel ferry, one was a sidewheeler, but the third was a sternwheeler that operated on the Ouchita River, built in 1886. The photo in that link looks pretty similar to your plans.
  9. Cathead
    Oops, I just posted the same link in Clarence's build log. Looks like his plans are for a different, sternwheel City of Monroe, though.
  10. Cathead
    Oh, that's interesting, I thought you were building this one (a sidewheeler). It's the only City of Monroe listed in Way's Packet Directory. Do the plans give any information about their prototype?
  11. Cathead
    Yes, Carl, you're right; I bought the kit with the full intention of making do with what it contained, and learning what that was like. I think it's been a good experience teaching me more about different wood types and quality, which can only be learned by experience, really.
  12. Cathead
    I did some quick research and she's a fine-looking boat. I'm looking forward to this. How did you choose this one in particular?
  13. Cathead
    I don't think I have any specific advice or info to offer, but I'm looking forward to this!
  14. Cathead
    Looking real nice, Mike. You should be very proud.
  15. Cathead
    Many sympathies, but she's still looking great.
  16. Cathead
    Glenn, all the extra detail you put in is a great reference for future work. I'm already thinking ahead to a possible Arabia scratchbuild and this log is really helping me fill in some mental gaps in knowledge. Thanks so much for sharing.
  17. Cathead
    I've finally finished the hull planking, and am fairly pleased with the outcome. I decided to give "accurate" planking at the bow a shot after all, and with much trial and error produced an acceptable result: I really don't like the planking wood provided in this kit. I don't know what it is, I think something tropical, but it's very coarse-grained and splits really easily. It does not take bending well; over and over again as I tried to apply even a gentle edge-bend after thorough soaking, it split length-ways rather than take any curve. But I persevered and finished the hull with virtually no wood to spare. I had tried to apply Chuck's no-soak bending method, using a hair dryer, but this wood wouldn't take it. I had to soak each piece and gently bend it, often repeating this several times, to get the curve needed, and I think I broke two or three for every successful piece. But I really do think it came out reasonably: The stern was, of course, more straightforward, but I used this side to continue practicing proper stealer use. I kept all my joints on a strict pattern and restricted almost all of them to real bulkhead locations. The result is fairly pleasing to me. The camera, of course, highlights every slight gap between planks, but none of that is visible from more than 6" away in person. I've been working on this hull for so long now that it's going to feel strange to change focus and start on other aspects of the build. I'm hoping to start putting more time in again; the last few months have been especially busy between a vacation, the start of a new job, and the always-busy fall season on our farm. If winter ever arrives here in Missouri (it's still over 80 F), this build will start progressing again. Thanks for checking in on me.
  18. Cathead
    Thanks, Glenn. I haven't stopped this build, I promise, it's just been a very busy stretch for me. I think I'll be able to post an update next weekend, showing what I've been up to on the port side planking.
  19. Cathead
    Wait, so Heroine's pilot house was accessed only from below, not from the hurricane deck? That's also different from later practice. I wonder why? Looks great as always, thanks so much for sharing all this.
  20. Cathead
    Looks real nice, Mike. A fine model.
  21. Cathead
    Glenn, Thanks for the detail on shaping your trusses; it's interesting how much force the upper beam placed on the lower. When I built Bertrand, I bent my upper beam in place on the model so that the entire structure of the hull or cabin was there to push back against the curve. I wonder if the original builders did something similar; building the frames in place instead of pre-assembling them? Isn't that how older buildings were constructed, with pre-built roof frames being a relatively modern invention? I think your method produces an excellent model, as it allows you precise accuracy in the curve; at a model scale even the slightest variation shows up as "wrong" whereas in the real thing there could probably have been a bit more tolerance. Just a thought, I don't know much about this. As for the outhouse, I do see the port-side hole, thank you. It's really interesting that they didn't provide more facilities for cabin passengers (I assume you meant "passengers on the boiler deck" unless Heroine has a second deck of cabins above this one?). I feel sorry for the steward who had to empty two large chamber pots from the boiler deck every morning. It does seem to work out nicely that the main deck outhouse has a staircase leading right to it from the boiler deck, and that it's essentially isolated from the engine room and working areas, which would allow cabin passengers (even ladies) to reach the facilities with minimal contact with crew, machinery, cargo, and deck passengers. On the later boats, with outhouses on the boiler deck, I've wondered what the "lower classes" did; were they allowed up on the boiler deck with the "better classes" to use the facilities, or what? That's enough taking this thread off the rails again. Think of Heroine as archaeopteryx, the steamboat with feathers.
  22. Cathead
    Bob, I agree. As a geologist by background, Heroine keeps reminding me of a transitional fossil, an unusual lifeform that helps us better understand evolution. Heroine certainly fits that role as a link between early rivercraft and the apex of riverboat design.
  23. Cathead
    I love the precision curves the machine-cutting makes. Produces a really clean run of the hurricane deck, much nicer than my hand-bent attempts. I just noticed, did Heroine not have outhouses hanging off the stern like most later boats? Where were the facilities?
  24. Cathead
    Nicely done!
  25. Cathead
    Really nice, Mike. I've been away on vacation and was looking forward to catching up on your progress.

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