Cathead

Cool, it's been a while since someone tackled Chaperon, the best riverboat kit out there. Looking forward to your progress. 

Gsdpic,
 
Thanks for the comment.   I appreciate it...   But in this case it is an optical illusion.  As I go I measure each bulkhead to insure each one is exactly 13/16 apart.  In addition I have a triangular ruler that I put in the slots to insure all is straight. 
I have been down that road before with uneven bulkheads.    If they are not exact you will keep paying for that mistake over and over again throughout the build.   It keeps coming back to cause problems.  
 
Do not hesitate to question anything you see in this build.   I am sure you will see errors that hopefully I can correct before it is to late.    Here is a picture of my ruler in the slots as a triple check of the alignment.
 
 
 

 
 

Yvevidal,
 
Welcome aboard....   Glad to have to follow along.
 
A few more bulkheads installed - 10 out of 29 so about 1/3 the way home.    I have to say these bulkhead fit very nicely into the keel.   There is a little slop in the connection so you will need some sort of square to keep the bulkheads straight.   A little slop is easily accounted for  with a metal square and a whole lot easier than having to file each bulkhead in order for it to fit into the keel.
 
In my case I used an angle plate to insure the bulkhead was square to the keel, but that is probably overkill.    Any square block will do the trick.   I have even seen some folks use the lego blocks or metal corner braces.. they are cheap and very square edges..
 

 
 
 

Just completed the Secret Vessel "Morel".  What I call a "quick win" as it only took a couple months to complete.  For those of you who have not seen the Morel model, I recommend you check it out.   It is a quirky little model that is easy to build but looks really neat.   And a definite break from the usual year long builds of most models.
 
Anyway, Now it is time to put my "big boy pants on" and take on the Chaperon. 
 
I am by no means an expert builder - average at best, but as they say - the journey is the destination.   And I do enjoy the journey ..... or the build in this case.
I would like to say thanks to all who have built, and supplied excellent build logs, that have gone before me with the Chaperon model.   There have been some excellent Chaperon builds - I would say museum quality.  I will be shamelessly borrowing (stealing) some of the best ideas from those logs as I build my model.   I am still too new at building models to have many original ideas of my own.    My build will by no means compare to those who have gone before me, but I will have fun.   
 
With that in mind I will start right in with the unboxing....  Most people can just skip over this section unless you really are interested in the box contents.
 

 
There are 27 sheets of laser cut basswood.
 

 
Note on this sheet and others some of the boards have lines etched in them...  With this model they are to simulate planking.    Not sure if my model is odd or not, but to me those lines seem very thin (faint).   They look like after a coat of primer and paint they would be completely filled in.    We will see what happens when I get to that stage, but right off the bat this model may get (shall we say) "interesting".
 

 

 

 
 

 
 
Included with the last laser cut sheet is one large photo-etched brass sheet.
 

 
 
pins, eyelets, and some nylon line.....  Will probably not use this line as it seems to be pretty cheap.
 

 
 
 
A couple of britannia  life boats and assortment of other britannia parts.

 
 
An assortment of single and double wooden blocks
 

 
 
An assortment of wood strips and dowel rods for the build

 
Inventory list of all included parts
A 12 page manual with a brief history of the Chaperon and the build instructions.
 
12 sheets identifying each item on the laser cut wood pieces and photo-etched brass sheet.

 
Not shown, but included are 5 large plan sheets depicting the various stages of the build
 
On to the build....
 
As with most builds that are larger than the wood sheets, we start by gluing the keel made up of three 3/16 pieces.    The joints between the three pieces (under the weights) are reinforced with small reinforcement pieces (B1 & B2).   The ruler was used to help keep the keel straight.    As you can see, this is going to be a big ship.
 

 
With the glue dry and the weights removed you can see the reinforcement pieces (B1 & B2).    There are a pair of them on each side of the keel.   Each of the 29 bulkhead slots have been labeled to help keep track of the bulkheads as they are installed.
 

 
As so we begin the process of laying the bulkheads.   Be sure to remove all the laser charred marks on each bulkhead before installation to insure the glue gets a good grip on the wood.   I mention this now and will not mention it again, but that goes for all the laser cut parts.    Char marks need to be removed from each piece throughout the entire build.      Instructions say to start with the middle bulkheads and work your way out to the bow and stern.    This will take awhile as you need to insure each bulkhead is square and need to wait for the glue to dry before moving on to the next bulkhead.   It is going to take a few days to get all 29 bulkhead installed.
 

 

Furnishing the Boiler Deck continues…
 

 
Assuring wall framing is plumb on a curved deck. 
 


Hog Framing placed through the boiler deck. 
 


Cutting in the Stern Windows. 
 


Stern Windows in place. 
 


Windows and Doors for the State Rooms. 
 

 
Only nine more of these walls for this deck. I will paint these and place the glazing in the widows before gluing them in place. Construction is a bit tedious given the window alignment and board and batten siding. Servers hours required for each state room. But that’s what we live for, right. 🤪
 
Its all about the detail. 
 
Cheers 🍻 
 
 

OK, shut down the site, we're done here. We've reached the model singularity.

Very late to this party but just have to add my awe and thanks for sharing this. It's giving me some inspiration for future projects.

Interesting question. I also suspect there are differing views in membership on whether they'd prefer to watch a video or view still photos. If nothing else, video results in further demands on members, whether on their internet quality (my rural American internet sometimes struggles to load large photos on MSW, much less play video, and I'd bet that's true for some international members as well) or their personal space (does having a video play out loud or having to find earbuds cause problems?).
 
I think my instinct would be to avoid using video alone unless it's a really relevant way to show something; text and photos are a much more accessible default.

good catch--it does look like the bulkhead needs fairing.  because you are exactly right that the last bend was extra-hard.  I'll look at palnking stealers tutorials too,  thanks!
Jon

I’ve spent the past couple of weeks working on cabin interior details, including planking the cabin decks and walls, installing benches, the fireplace, and the little staircase from the upper deck.  I’m using a clear satin spar urethane to finish most surfaces, except for the staircase on which I used a Minwax golden oak stain.  The Statenjacht was used mostly for inland waterway transport in the Dutch Republic of VIP passengers, hence the luxury red padding on the benches and the fancy fireplace.  This has been very relaxing and enjoyable, and I’m happy with how it’s going at this early stage 😊🇳🇱

I have been busy in the engine room.  Newspaper accounts indicate that Thistle had a crew cabin for the deckhands, fireman and engineer in the engine room just like Yukon steamboats.  The work area with the gauges &c. follows what Moyie currently has. I used Midwest 1/64 birch plywood for the walls.  A couple coats of paint and then I scribed the wood to make it look like individual planks. The engine room still has a long way to go with additional equipment and the overhead piping. I also need to add the stern brace and chains and the steering "rope" before enclosing the engine room and adding the boiler a/k/a saloon a/k/a promenade deck.  Local period newspaper accounts referred to the boiler deck as either the promenade or saloon deck - never the boiler deck.

 
I added the stern panel and affixed the sternwheel before I could proceed further.  That single stern panel was the height of the main deck (8') and the better part of the promenade deck (7') except the top part of the toilet area will still be added. My next steps will include adding the rest of the paddlewheel braces and hog chains. I will use dry transfer lettering for all of Thistle's nameplates at the end of the build.

 
 

I decided to fill the plankshear gap by placing a wider strip along the side, and the shape it:
 
the plankshear is still wider than it should be but I'll have to live with it.  Looking at the profile view, (pic 3), it's about the best i can do.  I don't have power tools to cut wood, so it's just me, an exacto blade, and sandpaper.
 

Brian, with punches don't you only get the single hole and not a hole within a hole? When making the gun tracks for the Tennessee I tried using a large punch for the outside diameter and a smaller bunch to cut the inner diameter but it was impossible for me to cut the two with a consistent ring width. 

Another small circle cutting trick when working in thin/soft materials is to use either a circle punch or disc cutter. Circle punches are what leathersmiths use but they work great on cardstock too (ebay search: circle punch).
 
I have been drooling over the swanstrom disc cutters (they make other shape cutters too) for a while.....
https://www.riogrande.com/searchresults#q=disc cutter&t=products&sort=relevancy&layout=card&numberOfResults=36
 
There are swanstrom knock-offs available but alas, I still use punches for small circles...... =(  LOL 

Birchwood Casey Brass Black and a compass circle cutter. Lynn, use the MSW search engine to find discussions on brass blackening, there are several. 
 

 

 
https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Compass-Circle-Circular-Cutting/dp/B08FRRV2ZT/ref=asc_df_B08FRRV2ZT/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=475864778819&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9216951676649442914&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9017387&hvtargid=pla-1125028214835&psc=1

Great idea about using tape when drilling the smaller holes. Thanks, and I will remember that.
 
Ok, now for my next two questions:
1) Instructions say to paint the brass eyebolts and belaying pins.  I tried to paint the eyebolts black, but the paint just rubbed off, and left a couple black specks where I installed the eyebolts.  How do i paint these tiny brass pieces?   (I strung the eyebolts on a needle, painted them, but the paint flaked off as soon as I started working with them!)
2) It also says to cut the "mast coat" from a piece of manila folder.  How do you all cut a perfect circle, with another perfect circle inside it?
 
See below for my unpainted eyebolts and very raggedy mast coat.   Any suggestions would be helpful!
This is what I am trying to achieve...

 
This is what I ended up with...  arrgghh, not so good!

 

Sure. I added the condenser too. You can see the drain cocks underneath.
 

 
And here is a shot from above, for completeness.
 

 
 

Thanks very much Alan. I could build you one, but I wouldn't want to deprive you of all the fun building your own. What scale do you need?
 
Today I glued the drain cocks into place. I also made the two rails, drilled the holes in the stove for them, blackened them, and glued them in place. I then glued the pulleys to their shafts and glued the small pulley shaft into the chimney. There is a bracket that holds up the shaft behind the pulley which I glued to the side of the stove. The spit is not glued to anything so I was able to adjust the size of the chain until I had a good fit then add it to the pulleys. I held the ends of the chain together with a loop of wire, which is hidden under the small pulley.
 

 
That completes the construction of the stove itself. I will do some weathering on it at some point. I am now painting and constructing the base for the stove. Once that is finished I'll start on the riding bitts, then the beams and carlings for the display.

I have started the final assembly for the stove itself. I glued the stack to the top and the brackets for the spit arms to the sides. I also glued the brackets for the pot arms inside the stove and added the pot arms. The two grates are also now glued in place.
 

 
I have the pulleys ready to install with the chain, but first I need to add the drain cocks. I first made simple handles for these by soldering two pieces of brass rod together but then I tried making them a little fancier by hammering both ends of a small brass rod flat and rounding off the edges with a file. I then soldered these to another small piece of brass rod and painted them black. You can see them here in the drain cocks with the rest of the parts to be installed.
 

 
I have also been designing how I want to display the stove. I am making an iron base from a piece of basswood sheet which will sit on three beams, between the riding bitt standards. I will also have the riding bitt pins and cross piece on the aft side of the aft beam. I don't have enough pear wood left to make all three beams so I just ordered some 1x3 inch blocks for them. I am also thinking about the next component model so I bought enough for it too, if I decide to go ahead with it.

Brian & Pat,
Thanks for all the help. I'm pretty sure that the aft ventilation funnels were intended to service the engine room. I think we had to relocate them from Ashley's drawing because they went directly into a wall or doorway on the gun deck. This is not too surprising because he probably only had old photos to determine funnel locations since the Hurricane deck didn't survive the USS Cairo recovery.
The next mystery I'm going to reinvestigate is the Auxiliary Steam Engine and PTO Shaft , depicted on Ashley's HSR Sheet 28 drawing, and located in the chine, and which I suspect was used, as we modeled it on our USS St. Louis, to power the capstan. It may also have powered high pressure water pumps, which were specified in the HSR, but which I have never located.
In 2014, I questioned Elizabeth Joyner, USS Cairo Museum Curator, about this Auxiliary Steam Engine, and she recalled that :"they actually found it in the wreckage, but lost it during recovery",so Ashley's drawing records it "as location Unknown", and his drawing of it seems to come from the US National Archives, but I was never able to confirm this. I think Ashley's drawing is probably reliable because the outline he shows of the chine is unique to the "City Class" ironclads. I have never seen this on any other USS Cairo models but it would be hidden below the gun deck and behind upper and lower chine armor plates.
We'll need some help on this one!
 
JOHNHOWARD
 
 
 
 

Glad to hear the info was of use.  I am sorry that I was not able to provide a summary of all the info I had collected here myself, but 'life' is getting in the way at the moment.  Thanks John for posting this.
 
cheers
 
Pat

Johnhoward, what great information! This definitely clears up the nonexistence of the hatches over the fire room. Thank you so much Pat. 
 
I’m still trying to dig up more information on the hatchways between the hog chain supports, but I am almost convinced that the aft ventilation funnels on Cairo were located inboard of the hog chain supports and not outboard like the plans show. I’ve even gone so far as to set up my camera at the similar angle as the original photograph and located the funnels where they are in the photograph in relation to the supports and chimneys and they definitely look to inboard. I’ve still got some playing around to do with this, but I should have some resolution soon. 
 
-Brian

"Slag & Ash Removal on Coal Fired Ironclads" with Firerooms Located Deep in their Hull such as the USS Cairo and USS St. Louis
 
For those of us who have been following our search for an answer to this question since about 2017, I think Pat has really "Nailed it" by finding the attached document:
"No 1866" entitled "ASH HANDLING" which was presented at the Annual Meeting, New York, December 4 to 7, 1922 of "The American Society 0f Mechanical Engineers."     
(Specifically refer to the sections highlighted in yellow and in particular: Paragraph 6 under MARINE PRACTICE.)
 
I am extremely indebted to "Pat" for his excellent research effort in finding this document and all the numerous  others he has provided regarding "coaling operations" in the late 19th Century, which after a more thorough review, may change some of the earlier modeling decisions we reached on coaling the "USS St. Louis" Ironclad. .
However,I am now totally convinced that the attached document fully confirms the method of "slag & ash removal via a bucket hoisted thru the ventilation funnels in the fire-room, onto the Hurricane Deck, transportation to the lee side deck edge via wheelbarrow and down over the upper casement armor plating in a metal chute, into the river."  (This was referred to as the "OLD WAY" in paragraph 6.)
 
Thanks again, Pat,
JOHNHOWARD 

I agree with Keith on common minimum Forstner bit sizes. 
For smaller sizes I would just ensure you use tape on the wood and drill through it, cut at high speed with a really sharp bit, and don't put pressure on the drill. Let it do the drilling without extra pressure.
 
Actually these are the rules for bigger holes in wood too. 😃 
 
BrianK

I worked on the doors.  I discovered there are two sizes of the rectangular doors.  I tried to stain the plywood doors but I didn’t like the results.  I applied deck planking to the doors but I didn’t like how that was working out either. I picked up a 1/32 inch (0.8 mm) piece of birch plywood at Menards (they have a hobby wood section).  I finished the birch with a sealer, nutmeg stain, and many thin coats of finish.  I glued the doors to the back of the birch plywood.
 


 
I drilled holes to define the corners of the windows (smaller holes work better).  I got a couple divots when while processing the doors.   I found a piece of nylon screen (from a window screen patch kit) and glued them to the back of the doors for the windows. 

 

 
I drilled holes for the eyebolts with a pin vice.  I put a ring on the eyebolt with a dot of glue on the tip and pushed them in, I bent the pins over because the pins weren't a little loose.  I glued a brace (kit scrap) on the back of each door and glued the assembly in the doorways.

 

 
I planned on gluing the double doors in place.  I couldn’t figure out how the brass hinge pieces worked until I looked at other logs to see how the hinge should work.  They are folded over to make a hoop of the narrow section, each hinge is two pieces with a pin through the hoops.  My skill with tiny components isn’t very good so I decided to make it less complicated and apply a single brass piece as a decorative hinge.