Cathead

I've begun building the piston engines. These are a challenge, as I know I won't be able to duplicate them exactly, but want to produce a reasonable approximation. I'm also dedicated to doing so with whatever scrap materials I already have on hand to keep costs down. To review what the original engines looked like, visit this post in my planning thread with photos from the museum. I began by digging out some styrene tubing and wooden dowels. I needed to produce a concentric structure with the outer ring protruding from an inner surface, so I nested two styrene tubes and a dowel: Next I needed to start the main piping coming out from each quadrant of the cylinder, so cut some smaller styrene tubing at a 45 degree angle with a hand saw, glued them up in elbows, and used a slab of wooden dowel to simulate the joining surfaces of these pipes: After painting, I glued all this together and extended the piping above the joining surface. Here you can also see the end structure for which I used the nested tubing/dowels: I then cut some wooden slats to form the structures connecting these pipes. These were higher on one side and lower on the other, reflecting the way that steam was pumped in and around these piston engines: I then cut some tiny squares of styrene to simulate the bolt/washer assemblies on the cylinder ends, painted everything so far, and put it on the cylinder timbers as a test-display: And here's a broader view of the two assemblages so far. Lots of piping and structure yet to add, but I like how it's coming together so far. The thick Model Shipways black paint does a reasonable job of blending the wood and styrene into a single surface texture and I'll probably use a bit of pastel weathering when I've finished assembly. I've been on a mental block about starting these for a while, as machinery is my least favorite subject, but I think these are decent. The piping sticks out farther to either side than the real thing, but that's the nature of using the tubing I had on hand, and it's only noticeable to someone really carefully comparing this to the real thing. Thanks for reading.

As a followup to Phil's post on clothespins (or clothes pegs as they say in the old Empire), here's an easy way to modify these handy tools to produce a much stronger clamp. I post this with Phil's blessing after an exchange of private messages. Start with a regular clothespin (bottom). Disassemble it and reverse the metal spring as shown, flipping both wooden pieces so that the smooth side faces inward (middle). Reassemble so it looks like the top example. It can be fussy to get the second side in under the spring; I lift the spring with a fingernail, wedge the narrow end of the other wooden piece under it, then lever the piece along until the spring falls into place. The result is a smooth-nosed clamp that has far more holding pressure than the original, and exerts that pressure right at the tip rather than some distance in. This makes it far easier to clamp things in narrow spaces. I suggest getting a variety of clothespin sizes, as the smaller ones can have a very narrow opening range when you do this, while the larger/longer ones have both a wider clamping range and more strength. I use far more of this style than I do unaltered clothespins.

Carl, that hadn't occurred to me but is quite sensible. Thanks!

Thank you for sharing this beautiful model and taking the time to write and photograph your build so carefully. I have really enjoyed it.

Bob, Yes, I finally decided to just ignore the missing piece. I agree with you that it was almost certainly there, but as I couldn't determine what it might have looked like, it didn't make sense to invent it. And it's a detail no one will miss without it being pointed out. I didn't even notice it until recently even after all my live and digital studying of the preserved timbers. Part of my concern about "leaving it open" is the subsequent need to properly fill in all sorts of internal details that I don't have much guidance on. But since everything above the main deck is speculative anyway, I guess I have leeway to, well, speculate.

The cylinder timber assemblies are essentially done. Here they are test-placed on the hull, using a dowel to align both sides. In reality there wouldn't be an axle running all the way across, but I have it set up this way at the moment to ensure that both sides are aligned. Here's a closeup of some details (see photos in the last post for the real thing): Below is a closeup of the real pillow block (the metal brackets holding the axles to the timbers). I decided I wasn't capable of making an exact replica and went for a reasonable facsimile instead. To make these, I traced the outlines of multiple blocks in a single sheet of wood, drilled & filed the axle holes, and only then cut each one to length. This made it easier to get the holes aligned properly and lessened the chance of cracking the wood. Then I carefully cut and filed the final shape. Below is a staged photo of the process, from a basic block at bottom left to a screwed-up block at bottom right (got the hole off-center) to four decent ones above. To make the metal rods holding the different timbers together, I carefully drilled out the holes in sequence, then used blackened metal wire for the rods. I made the little iron face plates (or whatever the right term is) by cutting a strip of styrene most of the way, leaving the end attached to the sheet for ease of handling. I then painted it black, drilled holes along the length, and cut a series of tiny squares centered on each hole: I then slid these onto the rods, which was tricky between timbers. I positioned them in the middle of each gap, painted the remaining cut surfaces, then applied a dab of CA to each one and slid it down into place: And here's another view of the test-fit assembly: The inboard timbers are based on the measurements and photos I took at the museum so are pretty close to accurate. The outboard timbers (the squarish pile at the edge of each guard) are my own design, as I have no information regarding how these were done on Arabia. None of the excavation photos show these timbers intact. I found one drawing in a reference book of a similar style, and it makes sense to me as a design. The inboard timbers have to with stand the back and forth pounding of the cylinders, so have long braces in either direction. The outboard ones just have to hold up the wheel, there's really no back and forth stress there. So I decided a simple design made the most sense. These will be barely visible anyway unless I decide to leave one side of the model open. I'll probably work on building the engines next, so I can finalize the assembly of this section. When all the machinery is finished I'll be able to lay out the rest of the deck and determine exactly where the superstructure will go, meaning I can determine what portions of the deck to plank and which will be hidden. I had intended to build this as a "closed" model, but doing the detailed work on the cylinder timbers is making me question that and wonder whether to leave one side open. This also affects the level of detail with which I build the paddle wheels. Will they be mostly hidden within the hull, or exposed to view behind open framing? To be lazy/efficient, or obsessive/interesting? Thanks for reading. Hopefully the build continues to be more interesting as we get into the above-decks work.

Nicely done.

Looks nice. One question: it appears that there are two joints amidships at the same location; curious why those aren't staggered? Or is it an optical illusion from the photo?

I have used heavier bond paper for sails with good results in my opinion. I use artists' pastels to color my paper sails.

I'm now working on the cylinder timbers, the pair of large timber frameworks that support the piston engine and paddle wheel on each side of the boat. A full original set is on display at the museum. although the tight quarters and large size made it very difficult to photograph the entire assembly in one view: Thus, for reference, here's the drawing I made of these based on measurements and photos taken at the museum. I've printed these out at scale and used them as a template for the model: Each set of cylinder timbers consists of a larger assembly that extends to support the wheel, and a smaller assembly that supports the other side of the piston engine but is much shorter. Here's a view from the engine end, looking toward the stern. The (port) wheel is on the view's right, so the assembly to the right is the big one, while the one to the left is the smaller one that only supports the engine. I hope that's clear. And here's what I've built so far. I started by carefully cutting the thickest angled piece under the engine and using that to define where each of the larger beams went. From there, I'm slowly filling in the shorter support blocks. I'm building both sets of timber assemblies at the same time to ensure that they match, even though it really doesn't matter since they don't connect across the boat in any way. I just think it's helping me make them correctly to do it together (and reduces the redundant feel of starting over on the second one after finishing the first). Current status of one set (the other looks the same) next to a template: I've now run into an interesting problem that I hadn't noticed before. Both the large and small sides have wooden braces at the stern end that angle down from the thick cylinder timber to act as a counter-brace (these are on the right side of the drawings posted above). On the large assembly, they simply butt up against the timber end with a metal bracket connecting the two, and what looks like a simple mortise on the lower one: But on the short assembly, there's a strange quirk about the connection between the timber and the brace: In the image above, notice how the brace (on the left) meets the timber (right) well below the latter's top surface. Moreover, the large vertical bolt that ties all this together is too long by maybe 4-6", what looks like about the same gap (outlined in red). And from above, you can see that there's a notch in the timber. So was there some kind of extra wooden brace that extended from a notch in the timber, over the top of the brace, different from how the other two worked? I don't know if that explanation and question is clear; I'm sure I suffer from the curse of knowledge from studying this so much. But if that makes sense, does anyone have any ideas? I can't see any evidence for how such a brace would have been shaped if it had existed, and am somewhat reluctant to add something that isn't there in the recovered assembly. But it seems strange to me and I'm just curious about thoughts on this very esoteric question. Working on these has been a nice change from planking; I'm glad I tackled this next. Thanks for reading.

Or the German equivalent, wieauchimmeresheißt.

The hull is finished! After sanding to an acceptable texture, I primed and painted it using Model Shipways primer and white, thinned and with several coats. This sealed off any remaining tiny gaps nicely but the planking can still be seen. I rebuilt the rudder to get proportions I found more pleasing, and painted that too. It won't actually be installed until much later, but it's done. And two more views of the hull from bow and stern: I had intended to plank the main deck next, but changed my mind. I'm going to build the cylinder timbers and wheel supports next, because those will inform how I lay out the deck and superstructure. Plus, I've dealt with enough planking for now. Thanks for reading!

I'm self-employed; there's no such thing as sick leave. Enjoy it while you got it! Nice work on the guns.

With regards to the last few planks where clamps will no longer reach the bulkheads: this is where the old advice to ensure that each plank is pre-bent to fit really comes into play. I'm no pro, but what has worked very well for me on multiple models is to soak the given plank and hold it in place with my fingers while using a hair-dryer to quickly "set" its shape. This may take several rounds, but the dryer works quickly enough that clamps aren't really necessary. Once the plank is bent to its shape, any final shaping can be done, then it can be set in place with glue and held in with fingers. Even basic wood glue will set within a couple minutes under finger pressure, meaning you don't really need clamps if you've done the work ahead of time to ensure that the plank isn't trying to spring out of its slot. You can also try laying a loose piece of wood across the plank and fitting a rubber band or other strap around the hull to hold that loose piece down as a sort of "floating clamp". A thicker block can help if the band is held away from the hull by the keel or other protrusion. And the thicker it is, the more pressure is on the plank as the band stretches around it.

And even Normal Rockwell painted selfies..

You should be proud to display her. I particularly like how the sails came out.

You're definitely right that the proportions of this kit are out of whack. The figures will add a really nice touch, though.

Thanks, Bob. Though, actually, compared to building every single full-hull frame from scratch for Bertrand, this has been a relative breeze. I do agree that having the real thing for comparison is both exciting and daunting. I'm slightly dreading the machinery for that very reason, as (a) machinery is not really my strong point and (b) having the real machinery on display in a museum makes the standard for accuracy awfully high. There are some interesting questions there that I'll get to once the deck is planked.

I've made slow progress on some unphotogenic work, mainly filling in the myriad little gaps in planking between every deck beam extending out to support the guards. This took forever, as each little piece had to be cut and filed to shape given the odd angles of the hull, particularly at bow and stern. They're not all quite straight or perfect, but some judicious wood filler and filing took care of that, and they'll be almost invisible on the finished model once the decking is installed and they're tucked in the shadows under the guards. I didn't bother to take a photo of this as it really isn't very interesting. It took a long time, but a couple interesting soccer games over the weekend helped me keep plugging away. Beforehand, now that the hull was planked, I made a basic support jig that allowed the hull to be clamped into my handy rotating work stand: Unlike a sailing ship, these riverboats had little to no external keel, so there's nowhere to attach such a work stand to. I really like having my models on a rotating stand like this, because it allows me to choose the right angle for any given job and often makes the work a lot more ergonomic. Thus I made and screwed this into the hull; it's nice and solid. Although this setup is rough and ugly, I measured the screw holes in the hull to be exactly where I'd want them for the final display stand. So I'll be able to mount this properly once the work is done. It already made filling all the planking gaps much easier because I could tilt the model as-needed to see each gap. Also, as there were questions about the rudder, here's my rudder next to the original: Now that they're truly side by side, it seems that I got a few proportions slightly off. Some of this can be solved by a bit more sanding. I may end up redoing this, using the photo pair above as a better guide. I won't attach this until near the end of the project, so it's not of immediate concern. It is neat to compare the model and original side by side like this, I'll try to do a few more photos. Next up, I'll take the jig back off the hull and do a final sanding. Once I'm happy with it surface, I'll go ahead and paint it. Then it's on to deck planking. Thanks for reading.

One Corel kit was enough. Terrible instructions, shoddy materials, inaccurate design.

I agree, very nice.

Thanks for sharing this, Kurt. I appreciated the change to read about Mr. Hensley, his life, and his models. I've never been to this library, but it sounds a very worthwhile visit. We've been trying to find time to take an overnight trip to St. Louis, so this will certainly add to the list.

Of course, Mike! You're already a steamboat veteran given your excellent Chaperon.

At the rate you people are starting build logs for this kit, I'm about ready to figure out how to design and offer another riverboat kit to give more options given the apparent interest.

I dunno, Mark, buy a cheap tablet, prop it up, and set the display to rotate...