gjdale

Great work Mark - that is truly Liliputian detail.

Dashboard and Lighting Having decided that I wanted to light the dashboard, I decided it would be a good idea to make it removable in case a light needed to be replaced down track. Rather than using screws or pins to hold the dash in place, I decided to use some rare earth magnets. Making up a light box was fairly simple, using some scrap pieces of ply and a cardboard backing. The light box was painted white and given a gloss finish to help reflect the light. Two 3v lights will be used as shown here. I also made the light box itself removable, although I did elect to use screws to secure this one. In the picture below, you can see the light box in place, and on either edge of the photo is a spacer block with a rare earth magnet epoxied in place. There is a matching pair on the mating face of the dashboard. I decided to replace the kit-supplied walnut dashboard with one made from some Redheart that I had left over from a previous build. This is to match the cockpit sides that will likewise be made from Redheart planks instead of the kit supplied plywood. I used the kit piece as a template to get the overall shape. I also used the supplied dashboard decal to locate the positions of the gauges and knobs/switches – although I added a couple of extra knobs based on some photos of the real boat. I have already made new instrument bezels (way back in January last year), and I have acquired some nice looking knobs/switches from MACK products. Here is a picture of the (empty) dashboard in place. It will be finished when the cockpit sides etc are done, but was needed now to ensure that the steering and light fittings would all work as planned. I have also installed all of the deck frames in preparation for closing up the decks with more Sintra sheeting. Here are a few shots of overall progress, including a couple showing the electronics housings temporarily in place. I’m still thinking about making these removable to make connections/replacements easier down track. Next up, the cockpit sides.....

Thanks again everyone for the kind comments and all of the 'likes'. Steering Column Mk 2 The best laid plans….. When I did a test fit with the dashboard in place, it became obvious that my brilliant feat of engineering was not going to work. The joined section of square tubing was going to be too long to fit in the space available and shortening the joined section provided too much play in the joint. Back to the drawing board. After sleeping on the problem I decided on a different approach – one that I cannot take any credit for as I simply modified slightly an approach I’d seen taken by someone else. In the end, it was far simpler and took far less time, and best of all – it works! I started by making a couple of small jigs to hold the two sections of steering shaft rod. I did this by tack-gluing two pieces of scrap wood together and then drilling a 1/8” hole directly down the centre, along the join line. I then separated the pieces, glued the two shaft sections in place with CA glue, and filed a 20mm section half-way through each. The two shaft sections were then removed from the jig and cleaned up of glue residue: These two pieces are then able to interlock within the steering column tube, shown here with the joint just poking out for illustration. The lower half was then positioned in the boat, and held in place with a wheel collar. The removable dashboard (more about that later) was then fitted, the chrome steering column tube slipped in place, and the top steering shaft section inserted and mated. Finally, the steering wheel was screwed into place (remember that this is only for test purposes – a new wheel assembly will be made in due course). Once I was satisfied with the assembly, it was disassembled and the lower shaft was fitted with its sprocket and chain to the servo. This won’t be coming out again now! Continued next post...

Wonderful work Antony, looking quite superb.

You might want to consider replacing the motor mount blocks with something other than balsa. I used some scraps of pine for mine - just felt a little more secure for holding the mounting screws. I just noticed that in the two pics above, your steering column support appears on different sides - starboard side in the top pic, and port side on the bottom pic. The starboard side is correct.

Sorry to hear of the cumulative error problem Toni. However, it does nor detract from the beauty of your model in any way and I doubt that any of us would have noticed had you not told us. Red wine helps in these situations too!

Wow! She's looking just stunning Mobbsie. I love the extra little touches you've applied to make her uniquely yours.

Thanks everyone for looking in, your kind words, and valued advice. I have been super busy with work the last couple of weeks, so not much time in the shipyard until this weekend. Once I was happy that all the glue joints were going to hold, I painted the whole of the interior with a coat of epoxy finishing resin, thinned to the consistency of paint with Methylated Spirits (denatured alcohol for my American friends). Several days later, a coat of red oxide primer was sprayed over the entire interior, giving the whole boat an immediate face-lift: Steering Column The next job was to finalise the design and construction of the steering column. Because of the set-up I am using to make the steering wheel turn when the rudder is turned, it will be necessary to install this equipment before closing up the hull. However, if I installed the steering column as a single piece, I could see it causing problems during the remainder of the build. I needed to come up with a design that would see the lower half of the steering column permanently mounted, while the upper half would be removable. It would also have to engage in such a way that the turning moment was transferred from lower half to upper half. My solution was to make use of the fact that brass tubing is manufactured in such a way that each size telescopes inside the next size up. Both halves of the steering column are made from 1/8” diameter rod (brass on the lower half and stainless steel on the upper half). I then soldered a 1/8” square section brass tube, 10mm long to the ends to be joined. I then took a piece of 5/32” square section brass tube, 20mm long and soldered this over the lower half, such that the previously soldered 1/8” section fitted inside for half the length. This then created a mating “socket" for the upper half. The top end of the upper half was then threaded (using my newly acquired, oh so expensive 5-40 HSS Die, and my home-made die holder). This then screws into the Steering wheel, which had a 5-40 thread tapped through the centre. This is a temporary arrangement as I plan to remake the steering wheel in brass later on, but is sufficient to prove the concept of the removable steering shaft. The upper half of the steering column also has an outer sleeve of polished chrome (kit supplied). Here is a shot of all the components (minus the drive gear, which will be fiited on mounting permanently): And here is a shot of how it all goes together: And finally, a shot of it test-mounted in the boat: I have also installed some plastic tubing to help with electrical cable runs (no pics yet). The next job will be to complete the dashboard as I need to work out the lighting and run the wiring for it. I plan to make the dashboard removable as well, in case a light fitting needs replacing.

Hamilton, There is a tutorial on silver soldering in the NRG database: http://modelshipworldforum.com/resources/materials_and_tools/SilverSolderTutorial.pdf Hope this helps.

In Pat's book, he recommends using Milliput (a two part epoxy putty). I'm going to use that but haven't got that far yet. Pat recommends not using Bondo as it sometimes has difficulty adhering to plastics.

Congratulations Danny, another masterpiece completed. So what's next? Enquiring minds want to know.

Lovely work Bob - always so crisp and neat.

I think that's a wise decision to wait for the book Paul - it's got some great advice, especially for those of us new to this form of modelling. It also suggests a few different build sequences to those described in the instructions. I've certainly found it invaluable so far. Interesting comment about fibreglass/resin reacting with the Sintra. I don't recall reading that in the instructions but will have another check. There was certainly no reaction between the resin and the Sintra on the inside of the hull. I guess it always pays to do a test on some scrap material before diving in with the finished product!

Having read the same comments about the Sintra (plastic) opening up at the seams, I'm planning to fibreglass the exterior of the bottom as well. The instructions claim you don't need to, but I think I'll err on the side of caution with this. And I have also painted the interior with a diluted coat of finishing resin - finishing resin diluted with what I believe you call denatured alcohol in the US, or Methylated Spirits (Metho) over here. The advice from the guy in my local hobby shop was to add just enough Metho to make the resin the consistency of paint. I had no problem following his advice, but haven't given it a water-tight test yet.

I'm new to this myself, but the advice I received was to go for a 2.4Ghz radio system (they seem to be the "standard" these days). Unless you're planning on adding "extras" a simple two channel, or three channel system will suffice. (Three channels will allow you to add lighting if you want). A simple "pistol grip" controller, like those used for RC cars, is great for this basic setup. With your Electronic Speed Control (ESC), if you ensure it has BEC (Battery Eliminating Circuit) it will save you having to run a separate battery for the Receiver (it will then be powered by the main battery). There is good basic "how to" guide on electrical stuff over at the rcgroups forum: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=783582 Hope this helps.

That was a bit of bad luck Jerry, but a nice recovery as we'd expect from you!

Hi Trasboat (do you have a real name?), I'm building this same kit, so we might be able to help each other out along the way. Lots of "firsts" for me on this one too! I'm a very slow builder (lots of other demands on my time), so it won't take long for you to catch up and overtake me. There's a link to my build log in my signature block below if you're interested. I've learned a few lessons already!

Glad to hear it was just a trick of the camera Jerry.

Could be a trick of the camera Jerry, but Elijah is right - the keel definitely appears to have a bend in the photos above.

I'm glad to see you decided to start a log on your Bluenose build Jerry, and very pleased to hear of the improvement in your medical condition. I'll tag along too as a Bluenose of some description is on my "one of these days" list. Just remember to take your time and enjoy the journey!

There is a great tutorial over on the rcgroups website: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=329811 Which Dumas kit are you building?

Great news Aydin. Customer service like that is hard to find these days. I'm sure they now have one more loyal customer, and through your recommends, likely several more. Good to hear the wrist is healing - enjoy the football vacation.

Thanks Thomas, Tom - thanks for stopping by. Yes, there is a little room for adjustment and the photo might not show it very well, but the aim is to have the rudder as a continuation of the line of the prop shaft. In the end, I think the aft lower edge of the rudder will be just below the prop blades. I'll still be trying to avoid any form of grounding or collision! As the saying goes, a collision at sea can ruin your entire day!

Thanks Mark, you're absolutely right - had it been wood, it would have been a no-brainer. Not being used to working with plastic, the mind just wasn't clutched in to the same wavelength. Gerhard - there are more scratches and 'divots' than you can see in the photos. The whole hull will receive a skim coat of auto body filler, which will also address all of those little imperfections (and the not-so-little ones as well) The aim will be to have a near-perfect smooth and faired hull before planking proper begins.

Thanks for all the kind comments and the 'likes' folks. At last, I have a bit of an update... Side Underplanking The last couple of weekends have been spent doing battle with the underplanking on the sides of the hull. Similar to the bottom, the side underplanking uses four sheets of Sintra (expanded core PVC). There are two sheets per side, with one sheet running from Frame 4 aft, and the other from Frame 4 forward. The aft sheets are installed first, and then the forward sheets. The forward sheets need a little shaping to fit snugly in the overhang of the bottom sheet, and they also overlap at the stem. The instructions say to use CA glue to attach these four sheets, beginning with the aft sheet on each side. They offer no further advice about coping with the compound curves in each direction. Even Pat Matthews’ excellent book offers little further advice, although I was relieved to read that even he found installing these panels “just a bit awkward”. CA glue and I just don’t seem to get along. I have become sensitised to it, and it doesn’t take much exposure to give me flu-like symptoms for the next three days, even with the so-called ‘odourless’ varieties. When I do use it, I wear an appropriate mask to try and prevent the symptoms. Add to that, I must be the only person in the world who has trouble getting CA glue to hold. On my first attempt to glue one of the aft panels, it just popped right off again, even after using a liberal amount of ‘kicker’. So, I decided to do this job using 5-minute epoxy instead. The next issue was trying to clamp the pieces in place while the glue set and cured. There are so many compound curves on the hull, finding a way to clamp successfully takes a lot of thought and much trial and error. I ended up gluing just along the bottom edge and allowing that to fully cure before bending it to shape around the hull and gluing the top edge, sometimes in two or more sections. I even managed to snap one of the aft panels using this method, but a bit of extra epoxy and some additional sanding later on recovered that oops. The front panels were even more fun and clamping all but impossible. However, I persevered and found a way. Just as I thought I was done, the epoxy gave way and the last front panel sprang away again. After much cursing, I was chatting on Skype with Mobbsie and he asked me if I could clamp the piece in place without glue and then apply heat to relieve the stress in the plastic and hence prevent it from trying to spring back. Doh! The obvious solution was right under my nose, but until I had that conversation, it hadn’t occurred to me. So, I did exactly that. I clamped the piece in place and gently applied hot air from my heat gun. In no time at all the piece had taken the basic shape and I was able to glue it up again without it trying to fight me all the way. Thanks Mobbsie! But the fun wasn’t over yet. As I was sanding the excess plastic and glue, both forward panels separated again at the bow. A few more rude words, a quick application from the heat gun, and yet more epoxy, and we were back in business. Once the glue had cured, I finished removing most of the excess plastic using a sanding drum in the Dremel rotary tool, and then finishing with a hand sanding block to achieve a flush upper surface, a sharp chine, and a reasonable looking stem. A couple of balsa filler blocks are required at the lower end of the stem, and these are easily sanded to shape when cleaning up the rest. There a few 'divots' in the plastic sheeting from where I was a little over-zealous with the sanding drum, but these will be filled and sanded again before the outer planking is applied. In conclusion, the job would have been a whole lot easier if I had thought of using the heat gun to assist the shaping in the first instance. It would have been nice if the instructions had included that hint, but perhaps there was an assumption of knowledge there. Not much to show for two weekends worth of work, but here are a couple of pictures to bring the log up to date. The next task will be to run some tubing for the wiring for the lights, and then give the interior a coat of Finish Resin as a sealer. That may be a little while coming as I have a pretty busy week and weekend ahead.