xken

Interesting, Ken.  On British ships the balls on the standard compass are usually referred to as 'Kelvin's balls' after Lord Kelvin, the inventor of the (more properly called) quadrantal correctors.  Also on British ships, the port ball is usually red and the starboard one green! 
 
John

Every boat I have been on (fresh water guy - they are all boats) the compensator balls were red and green.  On one tug they were labeled with white paint, the appropriate Port or Starboard.  I think it was a joke that remained for years.  I built a model of that tug for the owner and was very tempted to label the balls on the model's binnacle like the prototype's.
Kurt

Just adding more bits and pieces on the Nav. deck. Over the holidays Evan stopped by and shared that the red oval was the data recorder for the ship that would be recovered if the ship ever sank. The the binnacle with the magnetic compass is in the center with the two rust colored spheres on either side of it. Evan said that these are referred to as "the Captain's balls". I also found out that I had the two tripod units in the wrong locations and have them switched now. He indicated that the plans provided are close; but refitting over the years have added and moved certain items so I should use photos as more accurate than the plans for fittings. 
 

 
Now to tackle the tiny signal lights on the main mast.
  

John, Thank you! Here is a quick "In Progress" showing the painted fixtures with ladders and railing panted. One lesson I have learned is that whenever possible do the spay painting first and then add the ladders to avoid excessive paint build up. I still have more details to add and these so far are just press fitted in place. Once all are completed only then will I add the deck railing to avoid damage. The horn is painted gray and just set in place for now. For a sense of scale the diagonal braces are .020" brass wire. 
 

 

 
Now off to the dentist for my bi annual cleaning. Maybe she will sharpen them up for turkey day.   
 

Just a quick update for Dan. I received the railings and ladders and the railing will work THANKS DAN for your help! Once I saw the size of the railings and ladders I decided the first thing I needed was a new 25 watt soldering iron and then machined the tip to a point to work with tiny drops of solder one at a time. Here is a picture of the tip.
 

 
Next was my first attempt at PE parts this tiny. I picked the easy ones first; the round ones and soldered them to the edges and the top rail edges. I then soldered a length of ladder with one edge on a stanchion and soldered them together; then soldered the other side and cleaned with acetone. I then cut the top two rungs of the ladder away for the opening at the top of the ladder between the rails. Needless to say I have some cleanup and adjusting to do after seeing the pictures, but I am very glad that they are the correct size.
 

 

 
Now back to making the rest of the deck fixtures.

Thanks you all for your kind words. No secret to painting just patience and a couple of tips mentioned above. I am waiting for the PE ladders and railing to show up so I started the deck fixtures for the navigation deck which is quite busy on the real ship.
 
Here is an "In Progress" update. I first made the two communication domes and the one with the deck needs both a ladder and railing. I then moved onto the main mast, also known as the "Christmas Tree" per Evan. The challenge here is soldering the various components at this small scale. As usual I made sure that there was mechanical interlocks as best that could be done. The main mast started with a 3/32" rod turned down to 1/16" for the upper section. The real mast hinges at the second small platform for clearance to go under some bridges. This assembly required a great deal of patience and thinking ahead for each next move when soldering so as not to loosen a previous soldered part. The thin bracing bracing wire is .005" brass rod. I still need to add ladders and railing this as well. The assembly will be painted white below the hinge point and flat black above. I will also need to add the various colors of the mast signal lights which will be super tiny. 
 
I also added a picture of the stabilizing fin that has one on each side. They pivot in and out.
 

 
 

 

 

 

 
Now back to making more fixtures for this deck.
 
 
 

I finally ordered one sheet of rails(3501) and inclined ladders(3535) after not receiving any response from Tom's Modelworks and thanks to a reply from Dan. I also decided after finishing both the bow thruster and side stabilizing fins to paint the hull in order to add railing and main deck structures. First I painted the red stripe area masking from the top of the stripe up over the main deck. Once the red dried over night I taped off the red stripe with 1/4" masking tape matching the top edge. Then masked off the bottom to paint the blue and let it dry overnight. Next came the bottom burgundy.
 
Using spray cans I warmed the cans under hot water and then shaking each time until I could not feel any temperature change. This does two things; it increases the spray pressure and warms the paint for better atomizing for spraying. Repeated the warming process between coats. I sprayed light coats so as to not bleed under the tape and this provides a clean crisp line when finished.
 
I still need to paint the forward bow shield white and then the entire hull will be sprayed with a matte finish to even out all the finishes. 
Here are a couple of pictures.

 

 

 
Next I will start on the various deck fixtures based upon pictures supplied by Evan until the rails and ladders get here.

Happy 242nd Birthday to all Marines! Semper Fi to those who fly!

Just working away on small details for the hull and tower. Also had a big surprise; Evan's ship has been rescheduled for the shipyard refitting to January, so Evan flew home from Dubai just in time for his wife's birthday and will be here until January. The company wants him to be the Captain that takes the ship in for refitting and oversee the work.
Here are the rudder components and the rudder will be able to be turned when finished.

 

 

 
Next I added the Maresk logo to the stack.  
 

 
Yes they have a swimming pool halfway up the tower.

 
Here is a sequence of the bow thruster with the challenge being the 3/16" diameter propeller. 
 

 

 

 
This was a tricky operation; turning down a locating pin without hitting the blade.
 

 
Wood shims were used to center the propeller on center in the slip ring to hold in place while being soldered.
 

 
The thruster motor is reversible so the propeller is on the port side only. Drilling the hole through the bow was a slow and careful process to get a tight fit for the 1/4" brass tube and then cutting and careful filing to get both sides to match hull surface.

 
Next I will work on the stabilizing fins that are recessed in the hull 12" back from the nose of the bow. Will try to have them movable as well. Still no word from Tom's Modelworks on the rail sizes. 

Just adding more bits and pieces on the Nav. deck. Over the holidays Evan stopped by and shared that the red oval was the data recorder for the ship that would be recovered if the ship ever sank. The the binnacle with the magnetic compass is in the center with the two rust colored spheres on either side of it. Evan said that these are referred to as "the Captain's balls". I also found out that I had the two tripod units in the wrong locations and have them switched now. He indicated that the plans provided are close; but refitting over the years have added and moved certain items so I should use photos as more accurate than the plans for fittings. 
 

 
Now to tackle the tiny signal lights on the main mast.
  

Just adding more bits and pieces on the Nav. deck. Over the holidays Evan stopped by and shared that the red oval was the data recorder for the ship that would be recovered if the ship ever sank. The the binnacle with the magnetic compass is in the center with the two rust colored spheres on either side of it. Evan said that these are referred to as "the Captain's balls". I also found out that I had the two tripod units in the wrong locations and have them switched now. He indicated that the plans provided are close; but refitting over the years have added and moved certain items so I should use photos as more accurate than the plans for fittings. 
 

 
Now to tackle the tiny signal lights on the main mast.
  

Tom, looking great now to do some "Yard Work"!

Just adding more bits and pieces on the Nav. deck. Over the holidays Evan stopped by and shared that the red oval was the data recorder for the ship that would be recovered if the ship ever sank. The the binnacle with the magnetic compass is in the center with the two rust colored spheres on either side of it. Evan said that these are referred to as "the Captain's balls". I also found out that I had the two tripod units in the wrong locations and have them switched now. He indicated that the plans provided are close; but refitting over the years have added and moved certain items so I should use photos as more accurate than the plans for fittings. 
 

 
Now to tackle the tiny signal lights on the main mast.
  

Just adding more bits and pieces on the Nav. deck. Over the holidays Evan stopped by and shared that the red oval was the data recorder for the ship that would be recovered if the ship ever sank. The the binnacle with the magnetic compass is in the center with the two rust colored spheres on either side of it. Evan said that these are referred to as "the Captain's balls". I also found out that I had the two tripod units in the wrong locations and have them switched now. He indicated that the plans provided are close; but refitting over the years have added and moved certain items so I should use photos as more accurate than the plans for fittings. 
 

 
Now to tackle the tiny signal lights on the main mast.
  

Just adding more bits and pieces on the Nav. deck. Over the holidays Evan stopped by and shared that the red oval was the data recorder for the ship that would be recovered if the ship ever sank. The the binnacle with the magnetic compass is in the center with the two rust colored spheres on either side of it. Evan said that these are referred to as "the Captain's balls". I also found out that I had the two tripod units in the wrong locations and have them switched now. He indicated that the plans provided are close; but refitting over the years have added and moved certain items so I should use photos as more accurate than the plans for fittings. 
 

 
Now to tackle the tiny signal lights on the main mast.
  

Just adding more bits and pieces on the Nav. deck. Over the holidays Evan stopped by and shared that the red oval was the data recorder for the ship that would be recovered if the ship ever sank. The the binnacle with the magnetic compass is in the center with the two rust colored spheres on either side of it. Evan said that these are referred to as "the Captain's balls". I also found out that I had the two tripod units in the wrong locations and have them switched now. He indicated that the plans provided are close; but refitting over the years have added and moved certain items so I should use photos as more accurate than the plans for fittings. 
 

 
Now to tackle the tiny signal lights on the main mast.
  

Just adding more bits and pieces on the Nav. deck. Over the holidays Evan stopped by and shared that the red oval was the data recorder for the ship that would be recovered if the ship ever sank. The the binnacle with the magnetic compass is in the center with the two rust colored spheres on either side of it. Evan said that these are referred to as "the Captain's balls". I also found out that I had the two tripod units in the wrong locations and have them switched now. He indicated that the plans provided are close; but refitting over the years have added and moved certain items so I should use photos as more accurate than the plans for fittings. 
 

 
Now to tackle the tiny signal lights on the main mast.
  

Tom, looking great now to do some "Yard Work"!

Just adding more bits and pieces on the Nav. deck. Over the holidays Evan stopped by and shared that the red oval was the data recorder for the ship that would be recovered if the ship ever sank. The the binnacle with the magnetic compass is in the center with the two rust colored spheres on either side of it. Evan said that these are referred to as "the Captain's balls". I also found out that I had the two tripod units in the wrong locations and have them switched now. He indicated that the plans provided are close; but refitting over the years have added and moved certain items so I should use photos as more accurate than the plans for fittings. 
 

 
Now to tackle the tiny signal lights on the main mast.
  

John, Thank you! Here is a quick "In Progress" showing the painted fixtures with ladders and railing panted. One lesson I have learned is that whenever possible do the spay painting first and then add the ladders to avoid excessive paint build up. I still have more details to add and these so far are just press fitted in place. Once all are completed only then will I add the deck railing to avoid damage. The horn is painted gray and just set in place for now. For a sense of scale the diagonal braces are .020" brass wire. 
 

 

 
Now off to the dentist for my bi annual cleaning. Maybe she will sharpen them up for turkey day.   
 

Just a quick update for Dan. I received the railings and ladders and the railing will work THANKS DAN for your help! Once I saw the size of the railings and ladders I decided the first thing I needed was a new 25 watt soldering iron and then machined the tip to a point to work with tiny drops of solder one at a time. Here is a picture of the tip.
 

 
Next was my first attempt at PE parts this tiny. I picked the easy ones first; the round ones and soldered them to the edges and the top rail edges. I then soldered a length of ladder with one edge on a stanchion and soldered them together; then soldered the other side and cleaned with acetone. I then cut the top two rungs of the ladder away for the opening at the top of the ladder between the rails. Needless to say I have some cleanup and adjusting to do after seeing the pictures, but I am very glad that they are the correct size.
 

 

 
Now back to making the rest of the deck fixtures.

Just adding more bits and pieces on the Nav. deck. Over the holidays Evan stopped by and shared that the red oval was the data recorder for the ship that would be recovered if the ship ever sank. The the binnacle with the magnetic compass is in the center with the two rust colored spheres on either side of it. Evan said that these are referred to as "the Captain's balls". I also found out that I had the two tripod units in the wrong locations and have them switched now. He indicated that the plans provided are close; but refitting over the years have added and moved certain items so I should use photos as more accurate than the plans for fittings. 
 

 
Now to tackle the tiny signal lights on the main mast.
  

Just adding more bits and pieces on the Nav. deck. Over the holidays Evan stopped by and shared that the red oval was the data recorder for the ship that would be recovered if the ship ever sank. The the binnacle with the magnetic compass is in the center with the two rust colored spheres on either side of it. Evan said that these are referred to as "the Captain's balls". I also found out that I had the two tripod units in the wrong locations and have them switched now. He indicated that the plans provided are close; but refitting over the years have added and moved certain items so I should use photos as more accurate than the plans for fittings. 
 

 
Now to tackle the tiny signal lights on the main mast.
  

Just adding more bits and pieces on the Nav. deck. Over the holidays Evan stopped by and shared that the red oval was the data recorder for the ship that would be recovered if the ship ever sank. The the binnacle with the magnetic compass is in the center with the two rust colored spheres on either side of it. Evan said that these are referred to as "the Captain's balls". I also found out that I had the two tripod units in the wrong locations and have them switched now. He indicated that the plans provided are close; but refitting over the years have added and moved certain items so I should use photos as more accurate than the plans for fittings. 
 

 
Now to tackle the tiny signal lights on the main mast.
  

John, Thank you! Here is a quick "In Progress" showing the painted fixtures with ladders and railing panted. One lesson I have learned is that whenever possible do the spay painting first and then add the ladders to avoid excessive paint build up. I still have more details to add and these so far are just press fitted in place. Once all are completed only then will I add the deck railing to avoid damage. The horn is painted gray and just set in place for now. For a sense of scale the diagonal braces are .020" brass wire. 
 

 

 
Now off to the dentist for my bi annual cleaning. Maybe she will sharpen them up for turkey day.