gjdale

Just outstanding Ed!

Congratulations on a very fine build Carl. What's next (after the Admiral's "honey-do" list that is)?

Lovely work John!

Nice to see you back in the shipyard Wayne. I look forward to more progress on this lovely little model.

Thanks very much Marc and Boyd. The reason there hasn't been an update in a while is that I've been sorting out plans for running gear and electrics/electronics, inlcuding making a working steering wheel, and lights that can be switched on remotely. I've been guided by some very helpful folks on the RC Groups forum, as well as by an exceptionally helpful guy who owns the last remaining real hobby shop in captivity here in Canberra. Consequently I've been slowly acquiring a variety of additional bits and pieces, and as Boyd correctly points out, I need to sort out their positioning in the boat before restricting access. I received the last of those components yesterday, so should be right to proceed. All I need now is that other priceless commodity - time!

Some more great work there Mobbsie - once again blazing the trail for the rest of the group coming along behind. Your other two builds might just slow you down enough for us to do a little catching up!

Ah! The problem with reality is that there's no background music............... Hope to see you back in the shipyard soon Andy.

I've been away for the last couple of weeks, but did finally manage to get some shipyard time in this weekend. When last we met, I had decided to go ahead with the Deck Clamp Bolts. Here are a few pics of the final product – the pics appear somewhat streaky as the Wipe-on Poly was still wet when the pics were taken. With this job out of the way, it was time to make a start on construction of the Shell Room......... Shell Room Construction Construction of the Shell Room begins with the fitting of the lower support beams, made from 5/16” square Pear, across the Floor Riders, with cross beams added in situ to ensure a proper fit. Once the glue had dried, the frame assembly was removed from the model for further construction and fit-out. The next step was to install the deck planks. These are made from Holly, 1/16” x 1/8”. I opted to simulate caulking using black paper as I wanted to see how this would look, knowing that once the assembly was completed, this deck would hardly be visible. I also added treenails, using the drill and fill method as described previously. In the above photo, you may notice three filled holes towards the left hand end (one in each beam). This was where I incorrectly transferred one measurement before drilling. I have filled the incorrect holes with a mixture of Pear sawdust and diluted PVA. Once the assembly is complete, these will be barely visible, so I’m going to live with it. I've also just noticed that a couple of "treenails" in the Holly decking have come adrift and need replacing...... The pillars to support the shell racks were the next to be made. No particular rocket science here, but a great job for the Sherline Mill after cutting the blanks on the Byrnes saw. I constructed a small jig to hold all 18 pieces, then cut the dados (which are 2mm deep) in two passes of 1 mm each, using a 5/64” end mill cutter. The only issue I had in this job was caused by operator error when I failed to ensure that the cutter was securely held in the mill. The net result was that I destroyed half of my blanks in one pass. No biggie – just whipped up some more blanks on the Byrnes saw and replaced the duds. (Did I mention I love my Byrnes saw?.........and my Sherline Mill?) The pillars were also drilled in each end to take one end of a 1.5mm diameter brass locating pin (to match the holes drilled in the support beams). Finally, here is an overall shot of all the components of the shell room. The Shells themselves are ¼” diameter beads – they may be just a tad undersize, so I’m holding off on drilling out the shell racks until I find out whether I can source some slightly larger beads of the same type.

Sweet!

Nice work Ken - I just knew you'd be a natural in this medium!

Great "how to" on the iron work Danny. And I guess a great "how to" on carving figureheads as well - ask Janos to do it! Seriously though, the figurehead looks great and is another example of this great community helping each other out. Kudos to Janos.

Great to see you back Paul. I look forward to the resumption of your magnificent build.

Lovely job on the yawl Ken. Looking forward to the next addition to the miniature fleet.

You're off to a great start Ken - no surprise here!

Lovely work Mobbsie. I can't wait to get back to the shipyard to catch up.

Great work Daniel - they look terrific.

Just lovely Bob. Up to your usual high standard I see!

Hey Jack, I sent that last one while having breakfast. My morning ritual - breakfast while reading the latest on MSW. It doesn't get much better than this!

Very nice indeed Sjors - you'll be in the rigging in no time!

That's looking just fantastic Jack - well done mate!

Thanks for the correction fellas.

She sure is looking good Mark.

Looking mighty fine Bob!

Keith, I'm no expert and would be happy to stand corrected on this.

Jim, Liver of Sulphur (LoS) will not blacken brass. It is great for using on copper, and has the distinct advantage of being able to be applied in situ on the model, with the excess being washed off and not effecting the surrounding timber. For brass you need a different solution. Birchwood Casey Brass Black is a good choice for this and can be found at most gunsmith supply shops. This, however, cannot be applied in situ on the model. For either brass or copper, you need to ensure that any protective film is removed (fine sandpaper is good for this) and that the parts are thoroughly cleaned before blackening using either white vinegar (muriatic acid), or acetone.