Cathead

Yep, occupational hazard. Bandaids are a must have in the tool box. Don’t want blood stains on the decks. No worries, it’s just a scratch. 😆

Boiler Deck edging and guard… 
 

 
Also adding the vertical Timbers on the superstructure, engine room and Wheel House. 
 
Baby steps, in it for the long haul. Steady as she goes… 🍻

Hi Everyone -
 
I have some exciting news: this week I acquired SeaWatch Books from @BobF! I've been a long-time customer of SeaWatch and was sorry to hear that Bob was retiring. I reached out and after a long discussion decided that I'd step in and acquire the company and inventory. I want to thank Bob and Cathy both for allowing me to carry the mantle and build on what they have started. I promise to continue the tradition of and commitment to quality books that are beautiful, informative, and important to the ship modeling community.
 
The first thing I will be doing is moving the store to a true e-commerce platform. This will make for a much better shopping experience and improve on the fulfillment and ordering issues that I know some have experienced in the past. I am currently in the process of finalizing the new store and will be integrating with the fulfillment center in the days ahead. Hopefully, we'll be up and running in the next week or two. In the meantime, please feel free to register at www.seawatchbooks.com to receive a 20% off coupon for when we launch.
 
A little bit about me:
 
Besides being Sonofasonofasailor here on MSW, my name in the real world is Mike Ellison. I have been building models since my youth starting with plastic kits (my first ship model was USS Enterprise, which I built at the age of 14). But, as is often the case with modeling, life intervened and college, professional, and family obligations took center stage for many years. I returned to modeling about 10 years ago and am a member of the Ship Model Society of New Jersey.
 
I graduated from Syracuse University in upstate New York in 1994 with degrees in Finance and Marketing. It was here where I met my wife Caroline and we got married a few years after graduating. After starting a career on Wall St., I had an opportunity to join my father in launching and building a marketing research firm, which has grown to nearly 100 people in New York City. My father is largely retired from the business and I continue to build and grow that company.
 
My wife and I reside in New Jersey and are soon to be empty-nesters. My oldest son is a sophomore at Skidmore College and my daughter will be going to Connecticut College in the fall. 
 
I am truly looking forward to building SeaWatch Books and continue to serve the ship modeling community. If you have any questions or ideas on how we can improve on our service, please email us at support@seawatchbooks.com.
 
Thanks,
Mike
 
 

Lynn, most of us are right there with you. The goalpost never get closer, experience only increases our desire to reach the next level. 

Thank you Keith and Eric, for your perspectives!  I was thinking somewhat along those lines, thinking the "casual viewer" wouldn't notice much difference if they didn't look too closely!  And all my friends who would see this are definitely "casual viewers"!  (And at this point in my skill level, I consider myself a "casual modeler" as well!)   I'd love to get to the point where I could make beautiful, metal hinges that looked great, as well as plating with rivets, and gorgeously sanded wood!  But its just not there yet, so the optical illusion will have to do (and i like the parts about the modeler giving the viewer a "gentle nudge" and that it can look cool from a normal viewing distance!)
I was a bit scared to confess my deception, and hoping MSW wouldn't throw me out for it, but both your comments make me feel happy!  I actually like how its turned out, and I'm learning much that will help me in the future!  Thank you both again!

I agree with Keith, and to go even farther, at times in modeling (as in other art) it can work better to do something that isn't right but that looks right, and sometimes looks more right than the accurate choice. Think of it like a painter giving someone a skin tone that, up close, is inhuman but presents just the right coloration from a normal viewing distance.
 
To put it another way, sometimes it's worth doing something wrong but well (good-looking glued-on paper hinges) rather than right but poorly (sloppy or out of scale metal hinges). 
 
To put it yet another way, by the time someone looks close enough to "judge" your paper hinges, they'll also be close enough to see that the copper plating doesn't have rivets, that the wood grain is coarse, etc., none of which matter in the least, any more than that looking too closely at a painting reveals brush strokes rather than the pores of the subject's skin. What matters is that you like the outcome, it looks cool from a normal viewing distance, and you file away some new ideas and skills for the next project.

Have fun! There's extra incentive now that she's been found.

Yes, it's a nice surprise to discover that (I still remember my first time). It's amazing how sturdy they get - much stronger than one would expect from looking at them.
 
 
One of the drawbacks of plywood keels. I prefer solid wood. Still, most people seem to manage.  
 
Steven

Thanks for the input Steven and Cathead. Cathead, I have had a couple of joints come apart when handling also. So far I have put some glue back into the joints and its worked. I am finding as I put more pieces on the ship the more sturdy it gets.
 
I am now installing some veneer on to the dragon head and down on to the keel of the ship.  
 

 

I agree with Keith, and to go even farther, at times in modeling (as in other art) it can work better to do something that isn't right but that looks right, and sometimes looks more right than the accurate choice. Think of it like a painter giving someone a skin tone that, up close, is inhuman but presents just the right coloration from a normal viewing distance.
 
To put it another way, sometimes it's worth doing something wrong but well (good-looking glued-on paper hinges) rather than right but poorly (sloppy or out of scale metal hinges). 
 
To put it yet another way, by the time someone looks close enough to "judge" your paper hinges, they'll also be close enough to see that the copper plating doesn't have rivets, that the wood grain is coarse, etc., none of which matter in the least, any more than that looking too closely at a painting reveals brush strokes rather than the pores of the subject's skin. What matters is that you like the outcome, it looks cool from a normal viewing distance, and you file away some new ideas and skills for the next project.

Boiler Deck Furnishings…
 

 
Began framing for the State Rooms and Saloon. 
 


Like the Main Deck, the framing will all have to be plumb along a slightly curved deck. 🤨
 

 
Installed transom over the Grand Stairway. 
 

 

 
Preparing framing for the railing at the head of the Grand Stairway. Of course these are curved railings. 🤨
 

 
Railings placed…
 


Basswood .03 x .02 wood strips will be used for the railing stanchions. 
 


 

 
 

 
Cut rail cap from 1/32” Cherry sheet. 
 

 

 
I think 🤔 this is going to work. I’ll give it a final buffing tomorrow and try staining. About 3 hours for this little piece of work. 🤨 This is getting to be serious work now. 😆 Later…
 
Cheers 🍻 
 
 
 

Here's yet another approach to ash removal. Bertrand (1865) didn't have ash wells within the hull, but rather a brick-lined trough that ran from under the fireboxes out to a hole in one guard. It appears that ashes were simply shoveled into this trough and then swept/shoved overboard, never passing through the hull. This is shown in the archeological drawings and recreated on my model as shown below:
 

 
Obviously this wouldn't work for the ironclads, since their boiler room is below the waterline. But I thought it would contribute to the broader discussion.

Lynn, a lot of modeling is illusion, tricking the viewers mind into seeing something that's not really there. The viewers mind expects to see something, modelers give the viewers mind a gentle nudge and voila, the thing is there as plain as day. 
 
 Your pintles and gudgeons while not perfect, at viewing distance they'll be noted by the casual viewer's eye/mind and the viewer will move on to make other observations none the wiser.
 
  I do hope and pray you heal soon. 

I tried to make the pintles and gudgeons for the rudder, using the brass strip supplied.  It was much too difficult, given I'm still in pain, and my fingers couldn't deal with the tiny size.  Then I read another instruction that said I could use paper!  So I cut small strips from a manila folder, painted the strips black, and tried to form the pintles/gudgeons from that.  Again, no such luck.  I could create the hinge, but found it impossible to attach to the rudder (probably because my notches in the rudder weren't big enough).  So I did the next best thing... I cheated!   And I am ok with it!   
I simply glued the tiny painted strips onto the rudder, making it LOOK LIKE they are actual hinges!
 
 
If I felt better, I would re-do this, but right now, its better for my mental health to just move on!  BTW, 3rd day at the chiropractor seems to have helped quite a bit, and I'm hopeful next week will bring more relief!  
 

 

1)   With the barrel completed, the next step is to build the drumhead assembly.  The drumhead is a short cylindrically shaped part that has 6 holes around the circumference for the capstan bars to insert.  The bars are used to turn the capstan barrel.  The drumhead is shaped like a snare drum (duh!).  The plans and practicum call for the drumhead to be made from 4 semicircular slices of wood, with the recesses for the capstan bars cut out using a razor saw and various chisels and X-Acto blades.  There is a square hole in the lower drumhead which fits onto a square extension from the top of the capstan barrel. I gave it a try and soon realized there had to be a better way.  Or at least an EASIER way!  I cut out two pieces of boxwood for the upper and lower part of the drumhead.  I then cut some stock that was as thick as the 6 holes for the capstan bars were tall.  I cut out pie-slice shaped pieces and glued them to the lower drumhead part.  When the upper part is added, the result is a finished drumhead with 6 perfectly shaped and spaced holes.  The first photo shows Toni’s parts for the drumhead.  The second two are my initial attempt.  The rest are the sequence I used to make the part.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Here's yet another approach to ash removal. Bertrand (1865) didn't have ash wells within the hull, but rather a brick-lined trough that ran from under the fireboxes out to a hole in one guard. It appears that ashes were simply shoveled into this trough and then swept/shoved overboard, never passing through the hull. This is shown in the archeological drawings and recreated on my model as shown below:
 

 
Obviously this wouldn't work for the ironclads, since their boiler room is below the waterline. But I thought it would contribute to the broader discussion.

A practical solution would have involved a mechanical hoist that raised ashes to main deck level.  The ashes could then have been dumped into a gutter like Eric shows on his model and sluiced overboard with high pressure water. This hypothetical solution has the benefit of not requiring use of technology that might not of existed at the time.
 
Roger

Here's yet another approach to ash removal. Bertrand (1865) didn't have ash wells within the hull, but rather a brick-lined trough that ran from under the fireboxes out to a hole in one guard. It appears that ashes were simply shoveled into this trough and then swept/shoved overboard, never passing through the hull. This is shown in the archeological drawings and recreated on my model as shown below:
 

 
Obviously this wouldn't work for the ironclads, since their boiler room is below the waterline. But I thought it would contribute to the broader discussion.

Here's yet another approach to ash removal. Bertrand (1865) didn't have ash wells within the hull, but rather a brick-lined trough that ran from under the fireboxes out to a hole in one guard. It appears that ashes were simply shoveled into this trough and then swept/shoved overboard, never passing through the hull. This is shown in the archeological drawings and recreated on my model as shown below:
 

 
Obviously this wouldn't work for the ironclads, since their boiler room is below the waterline. But I thought it would contribute to the broader discussion.

Thanks Steven, I have now!  Thank you for that.
 
Warm thanks, too, to everyone who contacted me with messages of sympathy and support.  Much appreciated and very valuable to me at a difficult time.
 
So, as I was saying.......
I have reviewed Oseberg as she is and I find good news and less good news.
I had commenced the clinker planking, having decided that “my” overlap would be a thick 1mm
Easy decision, but how do I do that precisely and repeatable?
+
   
the current state of play:  both garboard strakes fitted with scarf joint between the two ( precut) parts of each strake
(just for reference, the clamps are  merely parked where they are)


i have added a second full strake on one side, using a method which I have not seen before, so probably worth describing ( even if only to give you a larf)
I aimed to scribe my fat 1mm overlap on the garboard strake.  
 
First attempt was using compasses, of which as a former Engineer I have a modest plethora.  None of them were designed to work or be rigid with a 1 mm gap.
Most were designed to use a lead about 2.5 mm dia, sharpened to a chisel point by arcane methods known (only) to draughtspeople.  However sharp the lead it gave a bad result!
 
I then remembered cutting thin styrene sheet using a hard pin pushed through a balsa sheet with a ply edge guide.
So postage stamp size bit if hard 1/8 balsa with a length of thin ply sticking down 2mm to slide along the edge of the plank to be marked.  
Lay it on its back and put a strip of fat 1mm width against the shoulder.  
Push pin through touching the strip
replace pin with 0.5mm drawing pencil lead and adjust till it barely protrudes ( or if you prefer - till it sticks out a wee bit)
Viola! You have a cunning device which marks a fat 1mm from an edge
 
And yes, it works only when the curvature of the edge is very gentle.
And also yes, this concept can be developed to work with sharper curves, both concave and convex - but no need here.
 
So the  edges of both garboard strakes are clearly marked with the overlap.
A cardinal principle of my build is that I don’t want glue anywhere but in a joint, because it would require clean-up.  IMHO even a careful clean up of a wood glue is likely to afffect any subsequent finish, so I aim to avoid that by removing the possibility of glue being squooged out of joints.
 
My strakes will be fixed by heat-activated wood glue.
I believe  it would be helpful to know Exactly where the glue is, so I mixed acrylic paint with  neat PVA wood glue ( I seem to remember it was an umber)

Like this
 
i had masked to the pencil line with fine masking tape and applied two coats of the coloured glue
 
Reason for that type of colour - the future holds dark staining of some sort - and any accidents of a generally wood-like hue should be unobtrusive.
 
The less good news
On careful inspection, I found that a part of the glued strake is not stuck.  
I’m not downcast, however because:
I activated the heat sensitive adhesive with a full size family steam iron I cannot be sure that these areas were ever stuck - this was nearly 18 months ago. I have since been given not one, but two neat little devices intended for applying delicate heat shrink film to model aircraft ( airplanes to American friends) photos to follow Please feel free to guide me in matters of technique or writing style.  
I have written at length in this post to catch up with where the ship sits today, and because the PVA/ acrylic ( or watercolour) trick may help someone else.
 
andrew

Here's yet another approach to ash removal. Bertrand (1865) didn't have ash wells within the hull, but rather a brick-lined trough that ran from under the fireboxes out to a hole in one guard. It appears that ashes were simply shoveled into this trough and then swept/shoved overboard, never passing through the hull. This is shown in the archeological drawings and recreated on my model as shown below:
 

 
Obviously this wouldn't work for the ironclads, since their boiler room is below the waterline. But I thought it would contribute to the broader discussion.

Here's yet another approach to ash removal. Bertrand (1865) didn't have ash wells within the hull, but rather a brick-lined trough that ran from under the fireboxes out to a hole in one guard. It appears that ashes were simply shoveled into this trough and then swept/shoved overboard, never passing through the hull. This is shown in the archeological drawings and recreated on my model as shown below:
 

 
Obviously this wouldn't work for the ironclads, since their boiler room is below the waterline. But I thought it would contribute to the broader discussion.

Back to the build. I started on the quarter galleries. I was not looking forward to this as I knew the result would be somewhat compromised. I started from the bottom up using the upper counter as my springing off point and utilising the kit supplied parts which I shaped using the dremel. I added some of the photo etch and cast decorative elements. When it came to the window section I found the kit supplied template gave an awkward geometry and the line of the window sills was off quite dramatically. I had to resort to the CAD again and drew up a replacement piece which I 3d printed. This was then clad with walnut to form the pilasters ready to receive the windows. Having already established the geometry in the CAD program it was relatively easy to model the window frames. Two false windows and one vision panel. These were 3d printed, glazed then glued in place.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 
I 3d printed the various mouldings for the galleries. I have now got my hands on a scraper tool that has some good profiles. Once I obtain some boxwood I will theoretically be able to fashion those out of timber which I think would look better.
 

 

 

 
I was dutifully trimming the excess material from the kit supplied decorative swags until I realised that I had been given two starboard pieces. I had to resort to the CAD and 3D printed route again which was disappointing as the results are lacking the definition of the cast parts. I added the other decorative elements and constructed the top rail.
 

 

 
Time to attach the rear fascia. Because I had laminated on so many layers to build this up it was a lot less flexible than I had anticipated. I needed to construct some temporary works to try and hold the curve while the glue set. I also added another couple of inboard upstands to allow for more contact area for the glue. I still imagine that one day it will eventually let go with a loud twang sound.
 

 

 

 
I added a veneer of planks to the inboard side and that is the major portion of the stern with quarterdeck galleries complete. The whole assembly sits too high. I wish I could just grab it and slide it down 4 or 5mm.
 

 

 

Mark,  pretty much a safe assumption. From my research and the picture below it shows the top of the boiler tubes were pretty much even with the Gun Deck level.  These boats drew about six feet of water putting the waterline just about a foot below the knuckle of the casements, and the majority of the boiler below the waterline with maybe the exception of the top foot or so. 
 

 
-Brian

Steamships burning solid fuel have existed on the Great Lakes into recent times.  One still sails; SS Badger on Lake Michigan.  For the past 130 years or so, fuel of choice has been coal. Therefore, Great Lakes experience may differ from your river boats if they burned wood.
 
A typical Great Lakes marine boiler was fitted with three cylindrical furnaces.  Each of these furnaces was cleaned once per four hour shift.  This involved raking the fire from the furnace onto the fire plates in front of the boiler and raking the clinkers aside. The clinkers were hosed down and shoveled into the ash gun.  The ash gun used high pressure water  to lift the clinkers over the side.
 
If the gunboats burned wood exclusively it is certainly possible that crews did not have to deal with clinkers that would plug furnace grates.   Also, the boats that Alan Bates wrote about, unlike the gunboats, carried their boilers at or above main deck level so that the pipe through the bottom of the hull could work.
 
On the other hand, ash guns were simple machines without moving parts, and the doctor would have supplied high pressure water.  The ash gun was nothing more than a receptacle with a high pressure water pipe and a discharge pipe over the side.  The discharge was above the waterline to prevent water from being siphoned aboard.
 
Roger