Cathead

That's where I put mine, too. There are several logs, you can find them by searching that forum for appropriate key words.

That's where I put mine, too. There are several logs, you can find them by searching that forum for appropriate key words.

Captains Log: Note to future self: 
Self, remember how you decided to make your own sails and found the earliest blueprints then didn't use PPPPPP? Lest you have forgotten, you didn't bother to check the scale of your prints and then had to manually convert all the original measurements of each 46 sails to metric (hopefully you've learned how to read a ruler, or we've finally come to our senses and moved to metric) then had to redraw and cut the templates so you could then cut out each sail twice? Don't make that mistake again dummy. 

I appreciate your advice, and I did ask!
 
That being said I took Keith’s advice on the next few planks and soaked much longer, the curve of the bow is a lot nicer and I’m going to forge ahead  as now there’s just a small area that will need some filler and will be covered with the second layer of planking. 
 
thank you anyway though!

Way to go, Lynn. Nice job!

Thanks for the kind words!  I ended up drilling the holes before reading your post about the Forster drill.  I will have to look that one up.  Meanwhile, I practiced on a block of wood till I felt comfortable with my drill.   I ended up drilling with a small bit, then increased in size, and finally with the mast-sized bit.   i was struggling with getting the right angle, but my physical therapist friend lent me her "tractograph" (apparently its used to measure knee and foot angles), and it worked out well!  See below, but I am quite happy with both masts, after just dry fitting them into the holes!  It's not perfect, but close enough for me!
 
Thanks Brian, this sounds like a cool tool!  Let me know how you like it!
 
I used a combination of your suggestions!  I'll have to clean up one of the mast holes, since the drill left a couple of splinters, but its not bad, and some sanding will fix it.  Thanks for your instructions, I appreciate it!
 

I'm no expert at drilling holes straight. On my NRG capstan I used this drill jig from Lee Valley and still didn't get it right:
 

 
Here are two thoughts on simple homemade jigs:
 
1) Set up a slab of wood at the angle you want to drill at, so that the drill body can just slide down it. Make the foot of the jig small enough to fit on the deck.
 
2) Take a solid block of wood and drill a mast-sized hole through it at the correct angle. Then set the block on the deck and slide the drill bit into it; this will hold the bit at the right angle. 
 
If you want to do it without a jig, here's another suggestion. Drill the hole straight down, or at a somewhat shallower angle than you need, but do it with a smaller bit than the final hole. Then use a curved or round file to widen the hole to the right dimension, shaping the sides of the widened hole to represent the correct angle. No matter what, I'd alter Keith's suggestion and advise using a slightly smaller bit rather than a slightly larger bit, because you can always widen and shape the hole just as you look but a too-wide hole will make the mast loose.
 
I realize that writing out physical tasks makes them hard to understand. If you're not sure what I mean, I can try to whip up a drawing.

That's a pretty strong kink. If it were me I'd redo it (you asked!), but it's your model and many issues like that end up being far less noticeable on the finished model than during construction.
 
As for soaking, I've rarely needed to soak a whole ship-length plank. It really only needs to curve significantly at bow and stern, so you can soak one end and then the other; it doesn't matter if the middle gets wet. I use an old rain-gauge tube.

Thank you potash and the likes too.
 
I finished the spit support arms and made the pot arms that go inside the stove opening. I again used boxwood for the arms themselves and brass rod for the bottom vertical piece and the brackets that these fit into that will be glued to the inside walls of the stove. I painted these pieces black but have not assembled them yet. I also gave the condenser a couple of coats of copper enamel.
 

 
I then made the pulleys for the chain drive for the spit. I again used boxwood that I turned in the lathe and used the cut off tool to make the slot for the chain. I used a half round file to open up the slot at the edges then parted off the disks. I put the large (driven) pulley into the mill.  where I cut the four curved slots. I cut these on both sides but not all the way through so the disk has more strength. I drilled holes for the axles and will now make the bracket that holds the drive pulley up.
 

 

Got the rub rail installed and am ready to prime the hull. I'm considering using the airbrush vs. canned primer. Canned would certainly be easier, but if I go that route I will order the same primer as the designer used, as I was not happy with the last session using the stuff I have. I tend to get somewhat paralyzed by such decisions. . .
 
Built the first companion as another delaying tactic, simple but difficult, if you know what I mean:
 

 
I had missed the door; it is not mentioned in the instructions and is not shown here. I can't find a picture in the manual showing this item, but I have painted the piece white and will add before storing this item away to add to the deck in the future.

Completed Railings at the top of the Grand Stairway. 
 

 

 

 

 
Cheers 🍻 

I thought that I should finish adding all of the features onto the exterior of the hull before I installed the cannons to prevent the possibility of knocking them out of position. I fitted the doors for the oar ports and ventilation scuttles. The photoetch hinges supplied with the kit were the wrong scale so I had to make new ones on the 3D printer but these pieces were right at the limit of what can be printed and lack definition.

 

 
I added the fenders and sea steps which were milled out of maple. I marked out the position of the various rails and quarterdeck plansheer. I painted the various coloured stripes on the side of the hull before installing the rails. The rails were milled out of maple. I used maple to replace the cast pieces that were included in the kit as I was not keen on the profile and I also wanted these to be exposed wood.

 

 

 

 
Next up I tackled the channels. Again I was looking to expose the wood finish so I had to swap out the kit supplied walnut for maple. The channels had to be rebuilt anyway as I had fiddled with the location of the gunports which meant the supplied pieces could not be salvaged. I used some dowels to create dummy masts which allowed me to run a line to approximate the position of the shrouds. I then located the position of the deadeyes on the channels so that they didn't clash with the location of the gunports. I noticed that the standard practice is to notch the channels to accommodate the deadeye strops. I decided that it would be easier to mill a slot in the channels rather than fumble about with cover strips. I gave the edge of the channels a simple profile using a scraper. The channels were fixed into the hull by pins drilled into the vertical surface.
 

 

 

 
The number of kit supplied knees that are used to support the channels was insufficient. I needed six for each of the main and fore channels and three for the mizzen channels which meant I had to have a total of thirty. I ended up remaking all of these for consistency. I used some brass strip which I cut to length then rounded and bent the ends. I drilled a hole to allow for a nail to fasten them to the hull. I affixed a strip of styrene painted black to the underside of the channel to approximate a tee plate.
 

 

 

 
Like some of the other Artois class builders on this site I had a problem trying to use deadeye strops provided with the kit. The opening is located at the bottom of the strop and the strop itself has been blackened which meant that it was very hard to achieve an adequate solder joint. This weak joint would be at risk of failing once you put any tension on the middle links. For the 5mm deadeyes I ended up using some 0.58mm diameter black annealed wire which I bent around a nail to form a loop and then worked around the deadeye. I cleaned this up with a file at the joint so that it could be soldered. For the 3mm deadeyes I found some photoetch blackened strops from HiS Models that were a lot easier and faster to use.
 

 

 

I located and fixed the preventer links and toe links. There are not the correct number of toe links included in the kit so I had to construct four additional ones using 0.5mm diameter brass wire and some brass strip. A few weeks later I discovered that they had included an additional four of these in a separate bag attached to the photoetch for the ships wheel.
 

 

 

 

 
I foolishly followed the kit plans and added 4 deadeyes to the fore channel despite being aware that there are only 3 shown on the AOTSD drawings, the NMM documentation and the contemporary models. It was not a good idea but I am not going to dwell on it now and will decide how to deal with it at a later date.

I formed the middle links from 0.5mm brass rod. I measured the distance from the strop to the toe link and pre-bent them around two nails set apart at the same distance before fixing them in place. I tried soldering these to form a closed loop but that proved too difficult as access to the back of the link was limited and the solder was ending up everywhere.

 

 
I fashioned the gunport lids out of some maple strip. I milled a recess around the edge to form a lip then added the photoetch hinges and eyebolts fashioned from 0.41mm diameter black annealed wire wrapped around a 0.5mm rod.
 

 

 

 

 
I added various eyebolts and sheaves but I suspect there are a few missing bits and pieces to still add however the hull has progressed far enough that it now resembles a ship and means that I have no option but to start on the dreaded cannons.
 

 

 
 

Thanks Keith.  Yes, it is a pity about the rivets, but perhaps some rainy Sunday, I'll put them on - or not.
 
 
Hello Keith.  The extreme light angle really makes them pop out for sure.  Very nice Farmall tractor you have there.  What year is it and did you do the restoration yourself?  Do you show it off at county fairs and such?  A family story with it?   OK, I'm done asking questions.  Thanks for the nice words on the boat Keith.
 
 
Thank you so much Ken, I appreciate it.
 
 
Hi Mike.  If I find any glue globs, I'll do as I always do and cover them up with something - a coil of rope maybe.  Once a model is done, I don't point viewers to its short comings if they haven't already found it on their own.  Thanks for the nice comment Mike.
 
 
Thanks Wefalck.  Using styrene does solve many problems such as crispness in the final look and material flexibility.  All period boats were painted, so with that decision made for me, choosing styrene for these thin ribs was easy.  I will give your diamond burr suggestion for the tires a try.  The material is quite soft and has a tendency to tear rather than cut.  LZ Models in Ireland produces a set of resin wheels as an upgrade for the kit but after shipping to North America, it costs almost as much as the kit itself.
 
 
Thanks to all for the likes and for taking a look.
 
Gary

Greetings fellow modelers
 
I have a short progress report on the Rangeley boat, but first I'd like to share a recently completed plastic model.  I thought you might be interested in this, because if you're like me, sometimes it's refreshing to work on a project that is outside your usual modeling interest and medium.  Typically, I work on one model at a time, but to break out of a modeling malaise, a small model like this which is inexpensive and can be completed in a few days, is just the ticket.
 
Case VAI 1942 – 1955 by Thunder Model 1:35   It's marketed toward military modelers and typically sells around $25 U.S. or less.
 
At around 70 parts, it goes together quickly and easily with only a few fiddly spots.  It took more time to paint than build.  All I added was ignition wiring and I modified the steering linkage to cock the front wheels.
 
It's about 3.5” (9 CM) in length – and who doesn't like a little red tractor?
 

 

 
A minor complaint of the kit is the silicone tires have seam flash that is difficult to remove.
 

 
 
Back to the Rangeley.
 
The ribs have been installed and I began by brush painting the interior of the hull gray.  I added a little orange into the mix to remove some of that chalky look and to warm it up a bit.  Normally, I would not paint first and then glue pieces to it, because it isn't secure, and the part will pop off at the slightest excuse and take the paint with it.  But this boat has many ribs (61), and they are placed closely together which would make painting the hull after they are installed difficult, even with an airbrush.  I was concerned about too little paint getting under the ribs and/or pooling in other places as a result of trying to get full coverage.  And once the bottom board and the gunwales are installed, the ribs will be secure and won't be going anywhere.
 
The ribs are styrene strip .023” (.56mm) x .043” (1.1mm) and in 1:18 they are a very close match to the full size 11/16” (17.5mm) x 3/8” (9.5mm) material. They were airbrushed on three sides with the same gray.
 

 
 
The ribs were placed with the help of a few simple made tools.  The first was a square made of heavy paper.  This showed me when the ribs were out of square across the breadth of the hull.
 

 
 
A squared stand with hanging tabs, helped in checking rib plumb.  This worked well at the center portion of the hull but became quite useless as I advanced closer to the stems.
 

 
 
And a little spacer to assist in placing the next rib.  Again, this also worked great until I approached the stems at which time the working area became too tight and too steep.
 

 

 
In the photo above, you can see I wasn't terribly concerned about slopping on the CA at the keel, because the entire length the keel will be covered with bottom boards.  The same is true at the top of the shear as it will be hidden by the gunwale, although I did apply the glue at this location with greater care.  But the length between those two points, where the ribs lay across the laps, I wanted to look as pristine as I could make it.  A big shiny glob of glue there is unacceptable.  It did not turn out pristine, but it turned out to my satisfaction.
 

 
The process in attaching each rib went like this.  With the spacer in place, the center of the rib was glued down hard with CA to the keel.  Then the underside of one of the free ends was wiped with a swab wet with PVA and then pushed down to the hull while at the same time pushing against the spacer.  Repeat on the other free end.  After the PVA dried, the ends of the ribs were reinforced with CA at the shear where the gunwale will be placed.  Easy, but monotonous in the extreme.
 

 
As is true of most things like this, you develop a workflow and fall into a rhythm as you proceed that improves the quality and speed of the work. Unfortunately, that only happened as the last rib went on.
 

 
Defeated by creep, only 58 of the 61 ribs made it onto the boat.  But who's counting.  
 

 
Thanks for stopping to take a look.
 
Gary
 
 

Boiler Cat Walk access…
 

 
As I was contemplating 🤔 The companion ways and staircases, I realized there was no access to the Boiler Cat Walk or Forward Cabins on the Main Deck. Upon closer inspection of the drawing I found the “ladder” to the cat walk. Very strange this was not in the instructions. Oh wait, there were no instructions. Attention to detail does matter. 🤨
 

 

 



 
So I conjured up a couple of ladders 🪜 Turns out to be a great little detail next to the wood pile. 😎
 
Moving on to the Boiler Deck with its Saloon and State Rooms. Of course, we don’t want to forget those Railings…
 
Cheers 🍻

Superstructure framing (port side)
 

 
As for the port side, I want to leave the Engine Room and Paddle Wheel visible. 
 

 

 



 
Created see thru walls with clear plastic, retrieved from the recycle bin ♻️ 😎
 


port side superstructure framing completed. 
 


Visible Engine Room
 

 
Paddle Wheel structure visible. 
 

 
We will leave a light on for you. 😆
 
 

Building the ventilation windows was an interesting job.  I finally got to use the x-axis part of my drill press.  I bought the Vanda-Lay Acra Mill about a year ago and so far I’ve mostly used it as a fixed platform for my Dremel tool.  I made a drill press table with clamps (not knowing how I’d actually use the x-axis part).
 
My clamps worked – barely (I already have a new design in mind).  Since I had to clamp the work piece, I could only use a portion of the x-axis travel so I had to reverse the piece to continue the drill spacing.
 
I glued each ventilation window frame together to ensure my drilling aligned the top and bottom beams of the frame. 
 

 
I made a couple mistakes when I had to reverse the piece to complete the drilling, it took me a couple tries to figure out my process. 
 

Eric, thank you for responding. Great suggestions.
 
 I suggested making the hole slightly larger for fine adjustment knowing that the mast would need to be shimmed for its final position. This is the way I did it because I knew there was no way I was going to be able drill the hole accurately. By slightly larger I meant a tenth of an inch. 

When all else fails, (1) Form follows function, and (2) what technology was available when these vessels were active.
 
(1) ash disposal was a routine and constant job for crews on all vessels fueled with solid fuels.  The boilers could not wait for a convenient time to dispose of ash.  In preparing for action the black gang would likely clean fires and dispose of ash.  Removing hurricane deck ventilators every time furnace grates were cleaned would seem to be doing things the hard way and could expose the crew to unnecessary hazard.
 
Fine ash particles would fall thru the furnace grates into the ash pit.  These were unlikely to require immediate disposal.  The problem was the larger clinkers that plugged furnace grates and blocked combustion air.
 
The ash disposal openings on coal fired Lake Freighters are small, 6in +- round holes in the side of the vessel. Indistinguishable from other openings.
 
(2) By far the most convenient ash disposal solution was a hydraulic ash gun that lifted a slurry from the boiler deck to a level above the waterline, and over the side.  Ash guns used on coal fired Lake Freighters were capable of using HP water to eject large clinkers.  When were these simple machines invented and first used?
 
We know that these gunboats had an unlimited supply of water, direct from the river, and powerful steam pumps to pressurize it.
 
Once ash was lifted above the waterline either hydraulically or mechanically is could be sluiced overboard with readily available HP water.  The ash disposal opening in the hull or casemate would be small enough not to show up on old photos.
 
Roger
 
 
 
 

I'm no expert at drilling holes straight. On my NRG capstan I used this drill jig from Lee Valley and still didn't get it right:
 

 
Here are two thoughts on simple homemade jigs:
 
1) Set up a slab of wood at the angle you want to drill at, so that the drill body can just slide down it. Make the foot of the jig small enough to fit on the deck.
 
2) Take a solid block of wood and drill a mast-sized hole through it at the correct angle. Then set the block on the deck and slide the drill bit into it; this will hold the bit at the right angle. 
 
If you want to do it without a jig, here's another suggestion. Drill the hole straight down, or at a somewhat shallower angle than you need, but do it with a smaller bit than the final hole. Then use a curved or round file to widen the hole to the right dimension, shaping the sides of the widened hole to represent the correct angle. No matter what, I'd alter Keith's suggestion and advise using a slightly smaller bit rather than a slightly larger bit, because you can always widen and shape the hole just as you look but a too-wide hole will make the mast loose.
 
I realize that writing out physical tasks makes them hard to understand. If you're not sure what I mean, I can try to whip up a drawing.

Lynn, also. a Forstner bit is a much better drill than the normal metal drills. There's much less tear out with a Forstner but they are more expensive. You should be able to buy one the size of your mast diameter or if you can afford it spring for a set and be done with it. 
 
 Any time one of us has suggested a tool to help you along, you've been Jonny on the spot to buy it. That's why I disagree with your statement "I consider myself a casual modeler". The casual modeler would use an inadequate tool to try and get the job done. You're far more than a casual builder. If you were casual about this hobby I wouldn't be following you in your journey. 

Brian, thank you for the heads up on the slicer. I watched the vid, looks like a good product. Its kinda spendy for a max cutting thickness of 1/4 x 3/8. I'm looking forward to reading your review when you've had a chance to use it. In the vid he's cutting basswood, I'm eager to know how it works cutting oak. 

Lynn,
 
Loving your updates. The stanchions look great.
 
I love my NWSL chopper too and use it frequently for thin stock. I want to let you know there is a new tool in town that you and others might want to look at. It just came on the market a few weeks ago. The Canadian team at Ultimation just released their chopper called the "Slicer". The problem it solves is that its custom replaceable blades have only one chamfered side (most blades are chamfered on both sides) so you can get dead straight cuts on the stock on the straight side. It also cuts on an integrated replaceable self-healing cutting mat.
 
I ordered mine a few days ago and will let you know how it works if you are interested..... 
 
Here is the link:
I have no financial interest in the company. https://ultimation.ca/products/slicer
 
BrianK

Still hurting some, but getting better.  Thanks for asking.
 
So I'm on to the next issue, and need to enlist the help of MSW!   I've figured out the mast rake angle, but how do I go about drilling this?   I don't trust my "freehand & eyeball" method shown below!  🤪
Any suggestions on how to make a proper jig?  And how far into the hull do I drill?