mojofilter

I know I'm kinda jumping around a bit but I built a caddy for the old Prestolite torch.  Cleaned everything up a bit.  The Admiral is not thrilled at having the thing in her dining room - I'll wheel it into a dark corner and sneak it out when I need to.  It's not the fire and flame - she is a silversmith - it's just that the shipyard looks like it's taking over . . .
 
 

Can't seem to rotate the picture.
 
I'll be making a lot of parts of brass.  Silver soldered.   Here is an attempt at a stanchion. 
 

It's 18 gauge so it's probably out of scale.  The rings are 20 gauge - I'll try some smaller material.
Only 51 more of these
 
 
 
 

Great to see another America starting up.  I'll pull up a chair and watch.  She's a beautiful ship and hope you have fun with her.
 
- Tim

Some more metal work.
Mainmast top

 

 
 
Bowsprit/Jib boom collar

 
Soldered

... with lugs

Experimenting with bulwark angle iron (er, brass)
 

 

I know I'm kinda jumping around a bit but I built a caddy for the old Prestolite torch.  Cleaned everything up a bit.  The Admiral is not thrilled at having the thing in her dining room - I'll wheel it into a dark corner and sneak it out when I need to.  It's not the fire and flame - she is a silversmith - it's just that the shipyard looks like it's taking over . . .
 
 

Can't seem to rotate the picture.
 
I'll be making a lot of parts of brass.  Silver soldered.   Here is an attempt at a stanchion. 
 

It's 18 gauge so it's probably out of scale.  The rings are 20 gauge - I'll try some smaller material.
Only 51 more of these
 
 
 
 

Two things - I am working on the deck fixtures; deck houses, mast coats, pumps, windlass etc. in order to define mitered borders around these for decking.  Looking at stock of pictures of the real ship (thanks again Nenad!), I don't see mitered decking trim at the base of the deck houses.  At least not the modern version.  Was there?
 
The other question is skylights - certainly one on the poop deck house, either 6 or 8 lights.  One on the aft deck house?  Or two?
I saw somewhere here the use of real glass for the lights.  Microscope cover slide.  Incredibly thin at 0.007".
My first attempts were with a regular glass cutter.  shattered shards.  A search showed to use a carbide tipped scribe with gentle, consistent pressure.  Viola!! (the French version).  The secret is to apply a drop of isopropyl alcohol.
 

Some more metal work.
Mainmast top

 

 
 
Bowsprit/Jib boom collar

 
Soldered

... with lugs

Experimenting with bulwark angle iron (er, brass)
 

 

Some more metal work.
Mainmast top

 

 
 
Bowsprit/Jib boom collar

 
Soldered

... with lugs

Experimenting with bulwark angle iron (er, brass)
 

 

Two things - I am working on the deck fixtures; deck houses, mast coats, pumps, windlass etc. in order to define mitered borders around these for decking.  Looking at stock of pictures of the real ship (thanks again Nenad!), I don't see mitered decking trim at the base of the deck houses.  At least not the modern version.  Was there?
 
The other question is skylights - certainly one on the poop deck house, either 6 or 8 lights.  One on the aft deck house?  Or two?
I saw somewhere here the use of real glass for the lights.  Microscope cover slide.  Incredibly thin at 0.007".
My first attempts were with a regular glass cutter.  shattered shards.  A search showed to use a carbide tipped scribe with gentle, consistent pressure.  Viola!! (the French version).  The secret is to apply a drop of isopropyl alcohol.
 

Great to see another America starting up.  I'll pull up a chair and watch.  She's a beautiful ship and hope you have fun with her.
 
- Tim

Thanks all for the likes.   Two more assemblies done.  The top one has the pads for the foremast and skylight; the bottom one is the pad where the capstan goes.  I have one more like the bottom one in this picture for the main mast, then i need to figure out the framing around the companionway and cockpit, which looks more complex.  These little things are fun to figure out and make, though I am sure progress will slow during the week.

Hi Ed - looks to be a 4-fluke carbide end mill?  Regular metal cutting?  What RPM?  Doesn't appear you have any tear-out issues.  Remind me what kind of wood this is?
Thanks,
 
- Tim

Hi Tim,
 
Cutter is 4-fluke but I most likely HSS, I'd have to check, but HSS is fine for wood.  Speed is up at or near the top of the Sherline range - 2500 to 3000?  Wood is Castello.  
 
Ed

Hi Ed - looks to be a 4-fluke carbide end mill?  Regular metal cutting?  What RPM?  Doesn't appear you have any tear-out issues.  Remind me what kind of wood this is?
Thanks,
 
- Tim

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 247 – Lower Fore Yard 1
 
One of the nice things about this stage of the project is that many directions may be taken in the construction.  I could, and will, be ploughing on with the shrouds, stays, and ratlines on all three lower and top masts, but for my own sanity and for the interest of those following this log, other work is on the agenda.
 
One of these directions is the square yards for the masts now installed.  Apart from being different work, this will open up other areas, like the standing and running rigging for these yards.  But before yards can be fitted, they must be made.  A lot of work is involved.  The spars themselves are straightforward, but making the array of yard fittings – trusses, cheek blocks, cloverleaf sheet blocks, studdingsail ironwork, etc. - will be a major task, some of these parts will be "mass produced" and some fabricated one yard at a time.  Making and fitting out the 18 square yards is the largest of the remaining tasks to complete the model.
 
The lower fore yard was the first to be made.  In the first picture, the yard is shown with its structural ironwork – the bands that hold this "made" yard together – plus some bands that had to be fitted first, like the sling band, the truss bands and the fairlead bands that go between structural bands.
 

 
This yard and the main yard are "made" from two pieces joined by a long scarph.  The fore yard was 82' long and 22' in diameter at the center.  The main yard was slightly larger.  This size yard would most likely have been an assembly of two trees, perhaps more.  Both these yards will be made yards on the model.  The next picture shows two scarphed pieces before assembly.
 

 
These pieces were made wide enough to be used for both the fore and main yards.  After gluing up and squaring, they will be slit to form the squares for the two yards.  The next picture shows the scarf been milled in a plank wide enough to produce the two pieces shown above.
 
 
 
The angle of the scarph is only about 2.5 degrees.  The Sherline tilting table was used.  In the picture most of the surface has been milled.  To complete the work the clamp will be relocated to an already milled location.  The next picture shows the final milling step.
 

 
A 3/8" diameter end mill was used.  With the tilting table this is a simple milling task - once the correct lip depth has been set at both ends of the joint.  In the next picture the milled plank has been slit in two and is being glued together with dark glue.
 

 
In the next picture the glued-up piece is being planed to level and square one side.
 

 
This piece was then passed through the thickness sander to level both sides and reduce it to the size of the larger main yard.
 
 
This will then be slit and one piece further reduced to the size of the slightly smaller fore yard, which will then be shaped.
 
Ed

I use an acetylene/air torch and silver solder.  Takes practice.  In many (most?) cases tin/lead rosin core solder and a good pencil tip soldering iron is fine.
Which ever method you use, cleanliness is the most important factor in the quality of your bond.
2c
 
- Tim

Hi Gary -
 
Just found your log.  I shall pull up a chair and watch if I may.  I built the Mamoli America POB at 1:66 scale.  I passed on the Bluejacket because they said it was a solid carved hull.  Didn't know it was sliced like this.  Intriguing.  1:48 will be nice.
If I may offer a couple of suggestions,  take a look at Syren Ship Model's (www.syrenshipmodelcompany.com) boxwood rigging blocks and their selection of scale rope.  Both are superior items (especially compared to what came in the Mamoli kit).  Their rope is fuzz-free and came in black, which I used for shroud rigging, and tan for the rest of the standing rigging.
I also bought their serving machine for serving the shroud lines.  Cheap and works like a charm.
I would highly recommend coppering the hull.  I used adhesive backed copper tape and a ponce wheel to simulate rivets.  Probably not exactly true to the original plates but it looked pretty good.  There are a couple of books that I mentioned in my log - don't quite remember the titles but they had some good drawings and paintings, and even some actual photographs.
Do you plan on doing sails?
Anyway, your work looks fantastic!!  Please keep it up and post pictures.  I can't wait.
 
- Tim

I use an acetylene/air torch and silver solder.  Takes practice.  In many (most?) cases tin/lead rosin core solder and a good pencil tip soldering iron is fine.
Which ever method you use, cleanliness is the most important factor in the quality of your bond.
2c
 
- Tim

Two things - I am working on the deck fixtures; deck houses, mast coats, pumps, windlass etc. in order to define mitered borders around these for decking.  Looking at stock of pictures of the real ship (thanks again Nenad!), I don't see mitered decking trim at the base of the deck houses.  At least not the modern version.  Was there?
 
The other question is skylights - certainly one on the poop deck house, either 6 or 8 lights.  One on the aft deck house?  Or two?
I saw somewhere here the use of real glass for the lights.  Microscope cover slide.  Incredibly thin at 0.007".
My first attempts were with a regular glass cutter.  shattered shards.  A search showed to use a carbide tipped scribe with gentle, consistent pressure.  Viola!! (the French version).  The secret is to apply a drop of isopropyl alcohol.
 

Thanks ragrove - next time I have her off the jig I'll snap some pics.
Thanks Hamilton - I try to keep it fun, mainly by not thinking about the magnitude of this undertaking.
I've got a few pics here...
I'm gonna do the main deck first.  Gluing down - nobody breath . . .

As I mentioned I'm going to do the bulwarks in solid brass, simulating the 5' by 15' iron plates.  Don't quite know how to cut them out yet.
I've seen cross section drawings of the bulwarks where there is the bulwark itself, attached at the lower edge to an iron sheer strake.  I thought I'd just extend the brass down below the top of the timber strakes and attach the brass to the bulkheads.  I need help on how to treat the transition from the main deck bulwark, forward to the sides of the fore deck, and aft around the poop.  Pictures of the iron work in these areas would be nice.
m
Building some of the deck furniture so that I can miter around their base.  The aft deck house still needs some trim paint.



Still need to glue down the fore deck.  In spite of my efforts. it is still trying to curl up like a potato chip.  I need to figure out what the aft edge of the deck attaches to.
I think the main rail is supposed to run from the top of the lower bulwark, straight onto the fore deck and poop deck (??).
 
- Tim
 

Nenad - A while back on keelhauled's log, you posted:
 
"Marc, if you are interested, I could send you a link to my Gdrive where is my collection of CS photos ( couple od hundreads)
Edited June 30, 2015 by Nenad"
 
Do you still have this link available?
Thanks,
 
- Tim

Hamilton, the deck house panels are etched brass that I painted flat white.  I scraped off the paint around the port holes.  They are not accurate according to Campbell plans or Longbridge book.  I think they look OK so I don't really care.  They come in a strip that I cut apart, between which I inserted walnut strips (can't find teak).
 
Hof, Looks like these pictures were before the topgallant rail was applied?  Is the brass strip one piece?  Is it a solid strip from the deck to the underside of the topgallant rail?  And from the knighthead to the poop?  Looks like it ends back there somewhere?
The warped fore deck: I live in New Mexico and we have very low humidity - we can use evaporative (swamp) coolers effectively.  The laminated plywood of the fore deck is not happy with the fluctuations though. It looks like the aft end of the deck runs to the fore side of the WCs and attaches there?
Again, beautiful execution, even at this early stage!  Thanks for the pics!
 
- Tim

Thanks Nenad!  A treasure trove!

Nenad - A while back on keelhauled's log, you posted:
 
"Marc, if you are interested, I could send you a link to my Gdrive where is my collection of CS photos ( couple od hundreads)
Edited June 30, 2015 by Nenad"
 
Do you still have this link available?
Thanks,
 
- Tim

Thanks ragrove - next time I have her off the jig I'll snap some pics.
Thanks Hamilton - I try to keep it fun, mainly by not thinking about the magnitude of this undertaking.
I've got a few pics here...
I'm gonna do the main deck first.  Gluing down - nobody breath . . .

As I mentioned I'm going to do the bulwarks in solid brass, simulating the 5' by 15' iron plates.  Don't quite know how to cut them out yet.
I've seen cross section drawings of the bulwarks where there is the bulwark itself, attached at the lower edge to an iron sheer strake.  I thought I'd just extend the brass down below the top of the timber strakes and attach the brass to the bulkheads.  I need help on how to treat the transition from the main deck bulwark, forward to the sides of the fore deck, and aft around the poop.  Pictures of the iron work in these areas would be nice.
m
Building some of the deck furniture so that I can miter around their base.  The aft deck house still needs some trim paint.



Still need to glue down the fore deck.  In spite of my efforts. it is still trying to curl up like a potato chip.  I need to figure out what the aft edge of the deck attaches to.
I think the main rail is supposed to run from the top of the lower bulwark, straight onto the fore deck and poop deck (??).
 
- Tim
 

Hamilton, the deck house panels are etched brass that I painted flat white.  I scraped off the paint around the port holes.  They are not accurate according to Campbell plans or Longbridge book.  I think they look OK so I don't really care.  They come in a strip that I cut apart, between which I inserted walnut strips (can't find teak).
 
Hof, Looks like these pictures were before the topgallant rail was applied?  Is the brass strip one piece?  Is it a solid strip from the deck to the underside of the topgallant rail?  And from the knighthead to the poop?  Looks like it ends back there somewhere?
The warped fore deck: I live in New Mexico and we have very low humidity - we can use evaporative (swamp) coolers effectively.  The laminated plywood of the fore deck is not happy with the fluctuations though. It looks like the aft end of the deck runs to the fore side of the WCs and attaches there?
Again, beautiful execution, even at this early stage!  Thanks for the pics!
 
- Tim