gjdale

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 170 – Rigging Cleats 1
 
Most of the work to be done before embarking on masts and rigging is to install a variety of rigging connection points to the decks and hull.  There are two sizes of cleats on the model.  They are being made by two different methods.  I will start first with the smaller 9" long cleats.
 
There are a few dozen of these, too many and too small for me to consider fabricating them in pieces, so they were sliced off the milled brass section shown in the first photo.
 

 
In the next picture a 9" square rod (1/8" actual) has been aligned on the milling plate, clamped, and is having a shallow, concave groove milled in the top.
 

 
Next, the piece was inverted and the sides milled to form the rough fina,l stepped, "T" shape.
 

 
The piece was then rounded and refined by filing before slicing off the cleats.  The slicing is being done as shown below using a thin slotting saw blade and a sacrificial wood fence.
 

 
This method allows the small pieces to be cut to a precise thickness – in this case about 3" (.030" actual).  The individual cleats were then rounded by filing and polished as shown below.
 

 
The brass cleats were then blackened and finally inserted in drilled holes with a small drop of CA to keep them in place – shown below.
 

 
The next picture shows the small cleats installed on the poop deck.  These will eventually secure some of the lighter mizzen rigging.
 

 
The next picture shows cleats on the forecastle.  These are duplicated on the port side and will belay the jib sheets.
 

 
In the next part, the larger 12" cleats for the lower sails' sheets and tacks will be described.
 
 
Ed

End of Build Day 32. 
4 hours today.
109 hours into build in total.   I just wanted to play a little bit with the upholstery (dry-fit) just out of curiosity. This is the status at the moment. Thanks for watching.      

Great to see you back Sarah. I'll look forward to following along with this one.

Could you post a link for the planes Please. Would like to check them out myself. Everyday is Christmas for me LOL

Little update....
 
Am just starting with fitting the aft part of the (raw and dryfit) boats deck into the metal framework. The lower portion of the aft mast also is fitted in place. The deck is of 0,8 mm thick 3-layer ply, and will be planked with 0,8 x 2mm pine planks with "pencil edge caulking", same as the promenade deck
 
Nils
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

Ok last post for tonight!
Then I used the needle trick and put a nice super fine line of glue down the middle of the stem before adhering it to the false keel.



 
I also did the same for the keel and the false keel.


 
By the way, since only the very edge of the false keel is tapered and the keel and stem are not they can lay on something flat to ensure false keel is exactly aligned with the keel and stem. (The engineer had a fever the last few days so since it took my brain a good 3 minutes to figure it out I figured anyone who hadn't had their coffee yet wouldn't mind the tip)
 

 
Ok the feeling of sawdust under my fingernails was nearly as missed as sharing with you guys!
 

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome - you have no idea how much I've missed contributing. 
 
Ok so it looked like lots of people got super excited and jumped in without showing their tapering....so I just kinda winged it - the Mr. was working at light speed so I was just copying what he did really - except better
I started by making a template for the beard line.



 
Then I was really careful to remove 1/32 from each side of the false keel so that it was even on both sides (2/32=1/16 - thank you fractional calipers)

Hi all, I know, a 2 year absence is completely unacceptable! When we got to the new home the room intended to be the model room was too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter, so what did we do? We had to move (kinda joking, we moved for other reasons) but now we are getting situated in the new place and have been itching to get back to modeling. The Mr. and I decided to get our feet wet doing a model with "good" instructions (thanks Chuck). So without further ado, I bring you my build log!

I started by cutting out the false keel, keel and stem. Then I didn't remember what a bearding line was so while the Mr. looked it up I got on here typed to say hi and took a couple pics. I'm gonna go sand some scorch marks now and then taper below my beard line (women with boats have beard lines too!)
 


 
So the Mr. came back and let me know that the lightly etched line was indeed the beard line - and that I needed to be careful because lots of folks were breaking their false keels and stems. He also saw that many people had sanded off the laser cutting stains while everything was all together still so I went and did that. It looks way nicer in each of the after shots.
Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

 
And finally all of the sheets sanded (both sides)
 

End of Build Day 31. 
3 hours today.
105 hours into build in total.   This is the status after today. Tomorrow I hope I can proceed more with deck details. Thanks for watching.    

Moulding of bridge (#230 and #231). Their edges are visible hence I had to file and sand the edges in order to get rid of the burn marks caused by laser cuts. These edges will also have to be rounded. Here is the process:
 
The moulds need to be bent, too. For example as it stands, the bigger piece looks like this:
 

 
Bent:
 

 
Dry fit after bending:
 

 
.. and finally glued in place.
 
Here is a demonstration of filing away the burn marks. This is the smaller piece:
 
Before:
 

 
In progress:
 

 
After rounding the edges:
 

 
Both parts glued in place:
 

Dashboard section:
 

 
The two pieces on either side look and are identical, however they will need to be trimmed to different shapes to fit on the deck, since left and right side of the dashboard have different heights. 
 
But first, there is some extensive bending to be done for these pieces. Wetting and using plank bender is almost a must to accomplish it without breaking the pieces:
 

 

 
I used a pair of clamps to let them dry in shape:
 

 
... and in place:
 

Build day 31 - Sanding and more deck components
 
I continue with fine sanding and then the plan is to assemble more mahogany deck components. The reason why I did not include them to the sanding process is that I thought it would be better to sand them individually and glue afterwards since they form bumps and bulge over the flat surface, otherwise would make sanding process more painful.
 
For 240 grade sanding of the deck I use this sanding sealer:
 

 
Sanding sealer brushed and waiting to dry:
 

 

 
After waiting for about 30-40 mins (as instructed) I sanded the deck using 240 grade.

Thanks Tom,
 
I've been avidly reading through a bunch of logs and "how-to"s over on the RC Groups site. Plenty of good advice there, as well as some great examples. Even though I've never done it before, I'm pretty confident that I'll be able to make a reasonable job of it. Worst case - sand it all back to bare wood again and go the epoxy resin route instead.

Thanks Bob and Tom.
 
Tom - yes, the hull will be fibre glassed. This will be a first for me, so stay tuned!

Thanks very much Bug, Popeye, Lawrence, Rusty and all the "Likes".
 
A minor update this week....
 
Deck Planking
 
Planking the deck has presented no particular problem thus far. The instructions direct you to alternate a caulking strip with a plank, but I found it easier to laminate one of each together and then shape and fit as a single unit. The only tricky part of shaping was the last plank on either side around the side of the cockpit, which just took a little time and patience to ensure a good fit. The ends of the planks were trimmed close to the forward end of the cockpit and then taken closer still with a sanding drum in the rotary tool, before finishing by hand.  Once all the planking is complete, the surface will be sanded level such that all caulking strips will be level with the planks (at the moment they stand just a little proud). Not bad for a day’s work! There will be a brief hiatus for a couple of weeks as I’ll be travelling with work.
 

 
 

Today we are takng Isabella back home to mum and dad with her completed ship model. She is very proud of her accomplishment and wants mum and dad to see it.
 
Thank you to all of you who commented in this thread. She was very excited to see that people from Australia, the USA, Canada and Great Britain, would be interested in her ship. It has opened up a whole new world to her and I am grateful for your support.
 
Lastly, I highly recommend building a model with a child. It is such a special feeling watching her keen interest in building sometiing like this.
 
Thanks again,
Bill

Hi All,
 
A bit more progress, some wins, some losses and some draws.  My modelling time lately has been very limited only managing to sneak in an hour here and there and most of that has been spent on the hull; which is taking its toll on both my enthusiasm and enjoyment.  I’ll cover that below.
 
The first photo covers the last of the lower hull attachments; these being the bilge keels and the rudder mount (part K2).
 

 
 
The keels are in 2 halves with one side being full size with a dotted fold line along the top third of the keel.  The corresponding part has a thin section and a lower section. The thin section is glued to the area above the dotted line and the larger section is joined only on the top edge.  This forms a ‘Y’ shape with the top of the Y being glued to the hull.
 
The first of the losses, my lack of experience totally messed up the first one I did.  I didn’t do the second one although having one under my belt I reckon the second one would be more acceptable but decisions need to be made. 
 
1. Carry on and have crap bilge keels on a so so hull
2 Make a new pair either with paper or Evergreen styrene
3 Forget them and continue on.
 
I choose the 3rd option as need to get off the lower hull and back to paper modelling before I throw a wobbly.  I may go back down the track and fabricate new ones but will see.  I have accepted not having them on at this point.
 
The small K2 rudder mount was formed with no problems.  Being a combination of a tube and a cone I won’t go into detail as these were covered earlier.  Posted the photo for no other reason than I had a win when it slipped over the rudder top perfectly.
 

 
 
 
Okay here is the hull which has eaten into my limited modelling time for weeks now.  First off the part alignment, size, fit etc of the skins were spot on and any issues were with me, so hats off to the publisher.  Also surprising was the stern skins which I thought would be the hardest part with all the curves, slits and cuts turned out the easiest parts to fit.
 
Secondly it was almost a given that I would end up filling and painting the lower hull and I accepted that and was happy enough to do.  I am 2 for 2 for lower hull filling and painting LOL  I have something else I will try for the 3 hull attempt before I turn to plastic models LOL
 

 
 
Okay the skins were fitted, badly, and then given a brushed on coat of Humbrols Matt Cote to seal the surface and toughen it up a bit.  What to use to fill in the hollows, dents and depressions?  Plastic model filler should work…another loss.  The model shop had run out of Tamiya putty but had the Humbrol equivalent.
 
I don’t know if I got a bad tube or not but it would squeeze out nice grey smooth filler followed by spurts of black oily liquid so couldn’t get a good flow going.  The stuff also went off so quick I didn’t have time to smooth and work it out and worse still it turned as hard as concrete.  Fine I guess for hard plastic not so good for flexible paper <sigh>
 
Okay not using plasterers seam putty again as per the Bismarck as it has far too much moisture in it so tried Polycell skim filler.  This worked okay but still has a fair bit of moisture so some buckling did occur but dried back again okay.  Spread it on in multiple thin layers, building up the surface before sanding.  Of course it sands really well.  After sanding and blowing and brushing off the dust I continued to skim on more filler before sanding again.
 
After doing this like 3 times and each time thinking it was spot on I would come back to it at a different time of day and a different light and see a whole new range of marks etc really put the dampeners on my mood.
 
I had to take stock and assess what I am really trying to achieve here.  Am I after a smooth flawless hull like a plastic model from a paper and plaster material or am I trying to get my initial muck-up into a presentable state to continue?  I jumped on line and checked out some completed paper models I really admire and whose hulls have been applied flawlessly without resorting to remedial work and guess what, although perfect they still had a particular look to them associated with paper models. 
 
That was the decider for me, I want to paper model not body work! So another coat of Humbrol Matt Cote was brushed on followed by fitting the prop shaft fairings and the supports from the previous post.  Because of my body work I had to trim the supports slightly but no issues.    After all my hard work with the prop tubes they are totally hidden once the props go on LOL. Typical, my best work is fully hidden and my worst is on full view to the world!
 
 
 
The lower hull end is insight.  I masked up the edges of the upper hull where upper hull skins fit but didn’t bother fully covering the upper area as nothing to be affected by over spray.  I know I should paint the lighter red hull before doing the black boot top but I have a plan to make masking the boot top easier so did that first.
 
Got the airbrush out for the first time in I don’t know how many years and mixed up Tamiya Flat Black acrylic at a 2:1 paint to thinners ratio and sprayed at around the 15 psi mark.  It sprayed beautifully with this set up.
 

 
 
I am hoping I can get the red done tomorrow but will see.
 
 
 
I know this post sounds like a long winded whinge and whine and that I am down but I just need to cut, fold, glue, bend, whatever, some paper not endless body work.  Again even that wouldn’t be so bad if I had stacks of free time but I am so close to getting back at it I can taste it Lol
 
Cheers
Slog

So here is the finished model of the boat ,showing the left,the right,the front and the back of the boat.
 

 

 

 

 

 
Here is me with my boat
 

 
PS. thank you for all the  nice comments and for all the support even when the boat parts would't go together.
 
Isabella

The shipyard is reopening!  I attached the channels, although they have no finish yet.  As I hate metalwork, I've yet to complete the chainplates.  I drilled the hawse holes and formed the parts for the catheads.  They are next up to be installed.  Last, I wanted to add a mainsheet horse, but wasn't sure the size.  In the end I just made it as long as the partial planking on the cabin roof is wide.  I'm still procrastinating with the swivel guns.

Oh Sherry! I'm so sorry to hear of that. The only consolation I can give is that wood is very forgiving and very repairable. You might recall that Danny had a similar oops with his Vulture a while back and managed to create an undetectable repair job.
 
Good luck with the repairs - I'm sure you'll get plenty of advice if you need it.

Congratulations on reaching such a significant milestone Gary. She looks superb!

So if we see a sharp rise in the cost of all things Syren, we'll know why!

It may be slow Mike, but it sure is beautiful! Great work.

Second day and still no instructions Haaaaaarrrrrrrr
 
The next photo shows the hull and stern quarters ready to assemble. We put six cannons on the gun deck and assembled and glued the ship's wheel which is shown in place.
 

 
Next we have the stern section glued to the hull and further deck pieces glued in place.
 

 
I am having lots of fun putting this together. I hope you like it.
 
There is no plank to walk prisoners to the deep blue sea so we are going to add our own plank.
 
Isabella
 
More to follow.................

It has been a while since my last postings.  Summer is always very busy and leaves little time for modeling.
 
I built the forecastle hatch coamings and gratings.  These are made like the ones on the upper deck except the scantlings are all smaller.  When making hatch coamings, it it much easier to build the grating first and make the hatch fit the grating.  Needless to say I made two sets of hatches.  
 

 

 
Before there was any more detail to knock loose, I decided to apply the horseshoes and dovetail plates.  These are from Greg's photoetch set.  They were cut off the sprue and their outline was drawn onto the hull.  Using an 11 blade, I make a light impression just inside the pencilled outline.  Then I cut away the inner area with a 3mm chisel.  The bolts are blackened brass wire.  I enlarged the holes in the plates to a 75 drill bit to accomodate the wire.  The plates were then epoxied to the hull.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
I will be applying minimal planking to the forecastle deck.  The waterway was made by taking a template of the outline of the bulwark and then cutting out a piece of costello to fit.  The rebate was hand cut.