dgbot

hi al
the proxxon is variable speed from 5000-20000rpm......I didn't look at the speed setting! it was probably on its lowest setting of 5k.
the milling cutter is 2mm diameter......one of those used in the electronics industry as sold on amazon.........box of eight I think for about £10.
they are pretty good for our purposes and give a nice clean cut.
 
the jig was pretty simple to make....max 10 minutes work.....then let the glue dry!
 
the important thing is its very controllable and it keeps my fingers away from rapidly spinning hss.
 
the timber was cut on the byrnes saw and I did think about cutting the rabbet on the same.....but came to the conclusion the mill was safer.
 
shall be fitting the limber strakes today and drilling lots of holes for treenails!
 
cheers....mick

SELF-ADHESIVE COPPER STIPS & WOOD VENEER
 
Simple, custom battery holder with switch.
 
I have zero experience with electronics or model lighting so this made things easier. I picked a 3mm red LED and a 3V battery to light a lantern. Start with making a small box that fits the battery snug. Cut two strips of copper tape and adhere them to the inside surface of the box. Make sure you drill a small hole in the bottom to be able to insert a toothpick in and push out the battery. Next cut the copper on each side into an 'L' shape, leaving one side long and the other the length of the box. Add a thin copper strip to to the cut down side, making sure to not have any part of the two touching. These become the switch.

 
Next, cut a void out of another piece of veneer and glue it on top of the side with two strips, leaving two squares of copper exposed. Cut a thin strip of veneer that will easily fit in this void and put a piece of copper strip on the end. Make it big enough to contact both copper spots(the other part of the switch). Then glue another piece of veneer to sandwich on top. Bend over and glue the copper legs to the box face, scrape off the self adhesive and paint, if desired. Next, tape down the ends of the wire to each side of the box with copper tape. Paint, if desired. Make sure the copper on the strip faces the copper on the box.

 
To turn on, simply insert wood strip, copper to copper. Pull out to turn off. This can be adapted to fit whatever size battery you need and can easily be disguised into a part of your model and/or stand.

Amitious is not the phrase I am thinking of at the moment. Nils.  In the future I would like to try my hand at a model of the USS United States at my normal scale.  And I am saving everything you are doing.  I wil shamlessly use your methods to build it.  Your log should be a book on how to build a 20c ship.  I merely just save it and drool every now and then.  
David B

Amitious is not the phrase I am thinking of at the moment. Nils.  In the future I would like to try my hand at a model of the USS United States at my normal scale.  And I am saving everything you are doing.  I wil shamlessly use your methods to build it.  Your log should be a book on how to build a 20c ship.  I merely just save it and drool every now and then.  
David B

Hello again. I have planked the transom, and have added a couple strakes to the test side. I have decided for certain the planking pattern, and will implement it on the other side (port) after I finish the strake I am working on. Planking will be pretty straight forward. I will update again when I reach some milestone, but it might be a while. After planking is coppering, but that will come when it comes. I have come to feel like my phantom looks more boat like. I guess she just earned more respect from me, because I made her a cradle of sorts .




Thanks for any responses, they are always welcome! Until next time !

Another small update - after tweaking that lower deck a little more,I glued it down. I had some nice brass moulding left over from a previous build,so I formed it to fit the edge of the deck & glued it on. Then I decided to make some small knees to go under the rear edge of the deck at the top of the columns. they are simply 2x5 walnut with a radius filed in them & painted gold to match the columns. They are shown on the plans,but are not part of the castings. After clamping the fascia in place the lower railings line up nicely with the outer edge of the moulding.
 

 

 

 
Mark

I never thought it would take so long to get the shop set up. But I am just now coming to that point when I can move about and get things done.
 
It will still be a while before I can devote any serious time to the build but I am happy to report I have her in a place she won't be forgotten.
 

 
I have great plans for her.

American riverboats weren't confined to the major rivers; there were many smaller, obscure craft that worked the tributaries. In my home state of Missouri, several rivers feeding the large Missouri River were themselves large enough to support steamboat traffic deep into the Ozark Hills, such as the Gasconade and Osage rivers.
 
This page from the Miller County Museum & Historical Society, in central-south Missouri, has a series of interesting photographs of small steamboats that worked the Osage River. One of these little boats seems like an interesting scratchbuild project to me someday, particularly the J.R. Wells which I find quite attractive. Adding to the interest, the Wells and several other boats were actually built in Miller County, not in the major steamboat yards along the faraway Upper Ohio, making them truly indigenous boats.
 
There's also a great story about the first steamboat to penetrate the remote Ozark region:

 
 
I think some of you would enjoy reading this page and looking at the images of obscure but interesting steamboats from Missouri.

Looking super nice, Nils.  And that's a great fix on the shroud.
 
Regarding the camera, is is the problem the built in memory chip or the removable card?   I've had my SIM card fail and just replaced it.

Update....
 
I am having some trouble with my digital camera, the additional memory chip is not accepted any more, and I do`nt know why. So the camera`s regular built in memory capacity only lasts for 4 pics. At least that still works. Will need to look out for a new camera after so many years and thousands of pics done with it...
 
 
except for the last piece of railing (was about 25 cm too short of material) I have now the railings on the promenade deck. 
The forward rounded pieces were tricky, because of the outcuts for two stairs and the walkway. The top handrails are made from 1 x 1 mm brass U-profile and glued on with CA. I intend to put a thin strip of mahagony 0,6 x 1,5 mm on the upper side of the handrails later on.
 
I`m most pleased and happy that the oversstressed stb. side shrouds needed not be redone ! (recent accident)
with a little  trick they could still be spaned properly, a piece of a 1mm diam. round pin was shoved under the shroud wires on top of the spreader plate, before they round the mast. Now  there is only one starbord backstay to be redone.
 
Nils
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
the painting of the railings is momentary only in those areas where there is not so good accsess at a later stage
 
 

 
refastening of the shrouds by means of a horizontal steel pin on the spreader platform

Drilling out and shaping the rings that the elevation screws will be in. Sanding toothpicks down to make the elevation screws. Drilling small holes & gluing metal eyebolts for the breech line rings. Haven't completed these steps on all the carronades yet but showed the pics for the few that I have so far.
 
Making & painting the sleds, pics coming......   Also have to make lugs & add them to the bottom of each carronade.
 
Jesse
 
 

I am glad that you are proceeding well Elijah.  One of the things that Bob talks about in his talks about spiling and planking is use the wood that will work the best.  This makes the job easier.  Thankfully you have a hull that is not too extreme like an apple bow or exteme drag.
David B

Beautiful work, Glenn.   Sorry that the metalwork is over for now.   Everything is very crisp and clean and well fitted.  Ah..well worth the wait for the weekly update.  

Didn't hurt at all, Druxey.  The embarrassing thing is that it took someone else to point it out to me.  That is the beauty of MSW.  We are a community that really cares for the quality of work presented.  

Thanks Buck, Nils and for all the likes.
 
I finished up with the planking above the waterline as well as the planksheer on the fore and aft decks. Now comes the process of planking the decks. I took a bit of time also on getting the transom fine tuned a little better, it looked a little wonky.
 

Hi Greg
   I'm pulling up a seat and watching the build!
   May I offer a quick suggestion. Go to youtube and view two tutorials. Your patience will be rewarded, they are from two of the best modellers I've ever seen and the tutorials are very professionally done. They are all in Japanese with no subtitles but that really makes no difference. 
 'Custom SP-16' --> a really outstanding tutorial on the IJN battle cruiser KONGO- juuuuuust take a look.
 'Bandai Space Cruiser Yamato' again JUUUUST take a look, your patience will be richly rewarded. 
   These guys are super ninjas when it comes to detailing and solving problems that occur with the model kit and detract from important details. Even if you do not personally pick up any new tips the results these guys achieve is phenominal and inspirational.
  thanks
   Steve

First of all,thanks Nils & Michael for your nice comments.
 
Keith - I have circled the areas where the lower deck overhangs the lower windows. I will do some more checking,but I don`t think I am too far off.
 

 

 
Mark

Waterway worries
 
Panama Canal expansion brings about new challenges for pilots, tug operators
- See more at: http://digitaledition.chicagotribune.com/tribune/article_popover.aspx?guid=2fb0c10a-05e0-48e0-9597-8cb124a65d8f#sthash.tZLKjblD.dpuf
By Juan Zamorano and Peter Orsi
Associated Press
ON LAKE MIRAFLORES, Panama — Waiting to guide a cargo carrier toward the Panama Canal's southern locks, Benjamin Russo gazed from his tugboat at another vessel headed north toward the Caribbean Sea.
At 650 feet long and loaded with automobiles, it was a massive ship. Yet, it pales in comparison to the so-called New Panamax behemoths, up to 1,200 feet in length, which within days will begin transiting the waterway. 
I remember watching a special about Pilots being helicoptered to large freighters near the mouth of the Columbia River and this sounds ust as dangerous.
David B
 
 

Amitious is not the phrase I am thinking of at the moment. Nils.  In the future I would like to try my hand at a model of the USS United States at my normal scale.  And I am saving everything you are doing.  I wil shamlessly use your methods to build it.  Your log should be a book on how to build a 20c ship.  I merely just save it and drool every now and then.  
David B

I am sorry to see this happen Pat.  Thankfully you were able to repair the damge and at the same time not go totally mad with grief.  I have felt that way many times over the years.
David B

Nice job of plankng.  A natural finnish will really show it off.  But I am partial to painting myself.  As I did on my model.
 
The model is a littlee rough at the moment because of neglect and my model being tossed into a box, but you can see the paint scheme I use for the the hull.



I will be very happy when I can get back to it and clean it up and repair the rough handling it has.
I have seen these models colored in wood and painted.  But the choice will be up to and what you are comfortable with
 
David B

Waterway worries
 
Panama Canal expansion brings about new challenges for pilots, tug operators
- See more at: http://digitaledition.chicagotribune.com/tribune/article_popover.aspx?guid=2fb0c10a-05e0-48e0-9597-8cb124a65d8f#sthash.tZLKjblD.dpuf
By Juan Zamorano and Peter Orsi
Associated Press
ON LAKE MIRAFLORES, Panama — Waiting to guide a cargo carrier toward the Panama Canal's southern locks, Benjamin Russo gazed from his tugboat at another vessel headed north toward the Caribbean Sea.
At 650 feet long and loaded with automobiles, it was a massive ship. Yet, it pales in comparison to the so-called New Panamax behemoths, up to 1,200 feet in length, which within days will begin transiting the waterway. 
I remember watching a special about Pilots being helicoptered to large freighters near the mouth of the Columbia River and this sounds ust as dangerous.
David B
 
 

Hmmm... yeah. On second thought aluminum may not be my best option. Thanks a lot mates. I will study other options now!!!

Hello all. Update.
 
Worked the metallic parts in the bow.
 
I fixed these parts like this. With thew upper part level with the top part of the keel.
 

 

 
Then I realize they were too low. No room for the anchors holes.
 


 
Then I looked more closely and saw that they should be higher: The top part in line with the back of the neck of the figure.
 
I unglued them and fixed in their new position
 

 

 

 
They look better now.
 
I painted them black and then drybrushed the gold so that some of the black showed out. I like the "old" effect.
 
Thanks for watching!!!
 
Ulises
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Hello all.
Finally the dreaded part 112 is done!!!
 
I am happy with it although it has its flaws. As you can see there is some unevenness here and there. I'm gonna' have to live with that.
 
As you can see here, the instructions say to use several 2x2 woods to fill the space and then shape accordingly. I decided to use a piece of balsa instead.

 
Here I am making a shape with cardboard of the profile.

 

 

 

 

 
Planking starts. Due to the nature of the shape and the difficulty to properly clamp these planks, I decided to use contact cement
to do this job. Worked wonderfully. I also changed the size of the planks from .5 x 4 mm to .5 x 3mm.
 

 

 
Making sure both sides of that part will be at the same height.
 

 

 
Both parts are finished and painted. Here is starboard
 

 
When finished, I noticed some spots that were a bit bouncy, meaning they were not very well glued. And I was undecided about what color to use here. I decided to give a coat of CA to the entire area and then paint it black, to match the color of the wales. Unfortunately, the paint I used to paint the wales became unusable so I used a different paint, and it shows when looking closely.
 
General view of the ship at this moment
 

 
Thanks for watching, mates.
 
All the best.
 
PD We celebrate mother's day today. Best wishes to all moms here, either members or members' mom.
 
Ulises