leclaire

I'm giddy with joy for you, what a fantastic experience! I've been there, but only the standard public access. So grateful you documented and shared your inside scoop. Also thank your wife for the photo including you; I don't know quite why, but attaching a face to online "friends" is particularly meaningful after the past few years.

Engine Room Skylights…




Starboard Skylight completed. Working on the port side. 😜

Onwards… 😎
 

I can relate to this, the only time I've considered scratch building is to build a subject that doesn't have a decent kit.   I find there's enough scratch building that occurs in building a kit to satisfy that need.   Joshua

Please remember that not everyone has the time, inclination or workshop space to produce the parts needed to scratch build. 
 
I know I don't. That's why I'm happy to work on quality kits. I sometimes feel that there are folks on MSW that look down both on kits, and those that build them. 

In the beginning I swore that I would never start a new project until the current one was finished. I was able to complete my first build (Occre Albatros) alright but then things went off the rails in a hurry. Now in progress are Niagara (MSW), Chaperon (MSW) and the gunboat Philadelphia (also from MSW). I can't even begin to look at the various model manufacturers websites out there in fear that another "just have to have" will appear.
 
Bob

Hello again Everyone,
 
I'm back with a short update. Not a whole lot has been done lately, Unfortunately I have been spending a lot of build time on research and not much building, but I want to make sure that I get things right.
 
Most of the work as of lately has been small projects. I started off with making some of the hammocks. My plan is to cover most of the hammock racks with a tarp, but leave a few exposed for details and some of the racks empty to show other details.
 
I started by using a small square of sail cloth and some rubber screen spline,

 
I glued one side of the cloth to the spline and rolled it up to cover the entire spline.

 
Next, the assembly was folded in half and glued together.

 
Finally, I tied the sides together and added a little weathering to give each one a unique look.

 
This was the first batch. I made up about 40 of these and I will get them installed in the hammock racks, once I get them built.
 
Up next was the stationaries (best guess at what these were called, since they were pretty unique to these vessels). These were were used as attachment points for the hammock racks, chimney support cables, canopies and numerous other purposes. They were pretty straight forward to build, I just used 3mm square mahogany stock cut to length. I added strips of heat shrink to simulate the caps and small eyebolts to the tops for anchor points of the various attachments.

 
During my research and many hours of staring at old (and new) photographs, I discovered that I missed part of the metal plating on the bollards. These look to be added to prevent wear of the timbers from the shoring ropes. I just simulated these with some aluminum tape and wrapped them around the corners.

 
 
Another redo on the build were the deck hatches on the forward deck. I ran across a photo from the salvage of the Cairo that showed great detail of the hatches. Unfortunately, most of these were located on the gun deck, inside the casements and it was too late to go back in a fix my error. However, there were three hatches located on the forward deck, just in front of each cannon. I can find no other information on what happened to the hatch in the picture below. From what I can recall, it is not on the boat itself and I do not remember if it is in the museum or not. However, the picture gives good detail of what they looked like so I rebuilt the three that I had access to.
 
Original hatch from the recovery.




 
New hatch in place along with the redone bollards.

 
Another small install were the eyebolts placed on the deck.


 
Overall view of the forward deck with the bollards, hatches and eyebolts.

 

 
I was having a difficult time trying to figure out how to build the base sockets for the davits. I had initially tried making these from wood, but I couldn't seem to get a consistent size on them. I finally tried making a triangle out of Milliput and cutting the pieces from that. I drilled out the center for the anchor point as well as the three bolt holes that secure them to the casements.

 
I then put a piece of aluminum tubing for the anchor point and then simulated the rivets with small styrene, in the same way that I did the rivets for the armor plating.

 
One down, seven more to go.

 
All eight completed.

 
 
I finished up the fairleads that I started a while back. I had intended to do this back when I initially built them, but it was one of those things that I forgot about until I was looking at the pictures, and realized, oh yeah, I need to do that. To get the rounded effect, I took some 1/8" styrene tubing, split it in half, and contoured the deck to fit in position. I added some small nails for the bolt points and glued everything into position.

 
More nails were added to show other mounting points.

 
Then the gaps filled in and everything painted up.

 
A little touchup paint and some weathering.

 
I also went ahead and added the port side upper cannon doors and rigged them up.

 
Finally, one area of research that has taken up most of time lately was trying to figure out if there was a hatchway from the Hurricane Deck to the Gun Deck below, located between the hog chain supports. To me this definitely looks to be some sort of access and my justification it is that it looks to be constructed similarly and painted in the same scheme as the forward skylight, the long narrow windows, black exterior and white interior. What else could it be? Another deciding factor was the location of the hatchway. If it was indeed located where it is shown, it would place the inboard side of the hatchway wall directly in line with the exterior wall of the boiler room. They could have placed a ladder on the outside boiler room wall with easy access to the hatchway above and not be in the way of foot traffic on the gun deck.
 
Well after I searched and searched for any information on this and coming up empty, I made the decision to go ahead and build it up as described. Previously, I had built these up on the off chance that I could find information on them, and since I went through the effort of building them, I was going to go ahead and use them. With that being said, I put my model on a table in the middle of the room to try and get the same view angle of the model as the photograph that was taken of the Cairo way back when. I did this to try and get the proper location of the hatchway in relation to the supports as well as get the proper location of the funnels. The HSR plans show the funnels located just outboard of the hog chain supports and directly between them. This is definitely an error on the plans. From the snip below I have circled the hatchway in red, and just forward of that you can see the portside funnel, and it shows it to be forward of the forward hog chain support. When I aligned my view angle up on my model with the photograph, this position was correct. So armed with this information, I am placing the hatchway between the hog chain supports and moving the funnel forward of the supports  and slightly outboard so that there is clearance enough for the funnel to rotate a full 360 degrees with out encountering any obstacles. This is my decision and I am sticking with it.

 
Location of the hatchway to the Gun Deck.

Hatchway in place. Note how the walls line up and provide a perfect place to mount a ladder inside.

I am happy with my decision, and di believe that I am on the right path with this one.

 
That is all for this update, hopefully I can make better progress for next time now that my hatchway obstacle is out of the way. I am going to continue to work on the starboard hatch and build up the ladders and get them in place. Then, hopefully I can get started on building the hammock nets.
 
Thank you all for stopping by and liking my work, and I look forward to any additional comments you might have about my decision on the hatchways.
 
-Brian
 
Oh yeah, and the overall view as she sits today.

Isn't it nice to have a choice? 🙂

Cathead,
Thanks for the information.  I will check out yours and Brian's latest builds.   As I have said earlier, I am somewhat new to this so I have a lot to learn.
 
It has been a few days since I last got a change to work on the ship.   At this point I have completed fairing bow parts 1A P/S and bulkheads 1 through 5.   The supplied etched lines on these part are pretty accurate.   As trimming progresses be sure to verify the angle with a piece of planking to insure the planks will have a good gluing surface..    Also completed was the fairing of the stern parts 29A/B and 28A/B on both the starboard and port sides.   As before this is pretty easily verified as you trim will a piece of planking.
 
Box sections:

 

 
Stern sections...  In the pictures they look to be a bit cock-eyed...   They are somewhat, but not as much as what is shown in the pictures.   Earlier when I repaired the stern section, I thought I had it square, but somehow in the clamping process a little bit of tilt came on.    I have dry fitted the decks above and from what I can tell, the very slight tilt either goes away or is not noticable.   
 
Having said that, I may still try to dampen the last part of the keel and try to get it back to square.   I have had issues on other models when the keel/bulkheads are not true.   It is an error that can really keep coming back to bite you throughout the entire build if you are not careful.    We'll see what happens.
 

 

 
Now the part that really terrorizes me....  As others have done I decided to use a 3 prong Tee nut and bolt for the stand.   As such it has to be done at this phase.    Below show the two blocks made to insert between the bulkheads with the bolts.
 
   
 
Main scary part of this process for me (at my still level) is cutting the two bulkheads where the blocks will be inserted.   The part to be cut out is shown in red below.   To strengthen the area a little bit before the cut I added a few strips of wood.    Basically the bulkhead will be cut down to the added strips and the block inserted.   Once the block is inserted and glued, the area will be far stronger than before, but during the cutting process, I easily could see me breaking what was left of the keel.

 
Anyway, I had a lot of fear for nothing.... with a fine tooth saw and a little patience, I was able to pretty easily cut out the section of the keel and insert the block without breaking the keel.   Below show the first block inserted and drying.   Tomorrow I will take on the other block.   As I do not have the final stand for the ship, with some scrap wood I will build a temporary stand to hold the hull while the decks are built.   That is the beauty of the Tee nut and bolt - easy access to take the ship on or off the stand.
 
 

 
 
Below will be the temporary stand for construction.   Basically one 1"x8" board on the bottom and two 1"x3" boards on top leaving a slot in the middle for the keel.   Bottom board is a little longer than the top boards to allow for construction of the paddle wheels at the stern.  I have drilled the holes and verified the ship will sit properly in the stand.    Ship will not be actually bolted to the stand until after the hull is planked. 
 

 

With the finished model being 50" inches, shipping would be an issue and quite expensive so I may end up donating to a local VFW or similar. They can always raffle it off or what ever they could do with it. I've donated a Victory model to my local city Library and donated a Montanes tall ship model to our local hospital that held a silent auction and used the proceeds for some new equipment. But, we'll see.   

Oh, dear. You have it bad. Fortunately there is no model intervention or recovery group in your area.

I have been busy in the engine room.  Newspaper accounts indicate that Thistle had a crew cabin for the deckhands, fireman and engineer in the engine room just like Yukon steamboats.  The work area with the gauges &c. follows what Moyie currently has. I used Midwest 1/64 birch plywood for the walls.  A couple coats of paint and then I scribed the wood to make it look like individual planks. The engine room still has a long way to go with additional equipment and the overhead piping. I also need to add the stern brace and chains and the steering "rope" before enclosing the engine room and adding the boiler a/k/a saloon a/k/a promenade deck.  Local period newspaper accounts referred to the boiler deck as either the promenade or saloon deck - never the boiler deck.

 
I added the stern panel and affixed the sternwheel before I could proceed further.  That single stern panel was the height of the main deck (8') and the better part of the promenade deck (7') except the top part of the toilet area will still be added. My next steps will include adding the rest of the paddlewheel braces and hog chains. I will use dry transfer lettering for all of Thistle's nameplates at the end of the build.

 
 

The vessel  “Święty Jerzy” (eng. “Saint George”) was an admiral ship of the Polish fleet in the 3rd decade of the 17th century, so it can be said she was an indirect opponent of the Swedish “Vasa” of 1628 in the struggle between the two then belligerent nations.
 
She took a major part in the battle of Oliwa in 1627, capturing by boarding the opponent admiral ship “Tigern” (eng. “Tiger”). The following year, in a retaliatory land-borne attack on the fleet base, led personally by the Swedish king, she was smashed, set on fire and eventually sunk by heavy artillery – large calibre demi-cannons (24-pdrs). Perhaps rather short operational story, nevertheless quite intensive (detailed descriptions of both epic fights have survived).
 
Ultimately, the intention is to build wooden scale model, and a 3-D reconstruction in Rhinoceros is currently underway. The starting point is the two extant fleet’s inventories and contemporary iconography of the battle, mainly a painting made only a few years after the battle.
 
While many details are sourced – of necessity – from various depictions and written works, I have also tried to retain the general layout of the ship as depicted in the painting of the battle, such as the large counter with a bas-relief (or painting) associated with the ship’s name and the low-lying gunroom (entirely below the gun deck). Given the rather low sternpost, this implies that the rudder must have been operated from the level of the gun deck, and not (as usual?) in the steerage located one level higher.
 

 
Swedish, Polish and Dutch ships at the Battle of Oliwa 1627; painting by Adolf Boy, contemporary resident of the fleet base
 
 
Local documents of legal nature suggest that the ship was built using a skeleton technique (as opposed to the shell method), and I have made efforts to shape the underwater body of the hull so that it could be achieved by most of the known skeleton methods (as can be derived from contemporary Iberian, French and English works on shipbuilding). At the same time the assumption was made no scale drawings on paper in the construction process were made, only true-scale tracing on the shipyard platform/ground.
 
On the other hand, it is believed that ships built in the southern Baltic area had many features in common (structural, decorative, rigging) with other ships built in the north of the continent, as exemplified by the Dutch built Swedish “Vasa”, Dutch manuscript (mainly on rigging) of around 1650 or the Dutch monumental work on shipbuilding by Witsen, so masterfully interpreted by Ab Hoving. As a result, in contrast to the conceptual features of the ship (hull shape), these are the main sources used for the reconstruction of structural and rigging elements, besides the Scandinavian early 17th century contracts for building men-of-war and the French works containing data on timber scantlings (largely Atlantic-oriented “Construction des Vaisseaux du Roy” of 1691).
 
Some visualisations of the 3-D model in the present (unfinished) state:
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Cheers,
Waldemar

Here's yet another approach to ash removal. Bertrand (1865) didn't have ash wells within the hull, but rather a brick-lined trough that ran from under the fireboxes out to a hole in one guard. It appears that ashes were simply shoveled into this trough and then swept/shoved overboard, never passing through the hull. This is shown in the archeological drawings and recreated on my model as shown below:
 

 
Obviously this wouldn't work for the ironclads, since their boiler room is below the waterline. But I thought it would contribute to the broader discussion.

Hello again everyone,
 
I am back with a brief update. The past few weeks have been spent building and then rebuilding due to finding out more details on the high-res picture that I discovered.
 
Starting off, I built up the forward skylight. I constructed the basic frames from 1/16" basswood strips.

 

 
Then I installed some mesh underneath, which I assumed would provide some protection from drunk crew members falling through when the hatch windows were open. Actually was thinking that it was to somewhat protect the crew on the Gun Deck from flying shrapnel during battles.

 
Once I had the basic frames built up, I painted it up and made the window hatches. These were made from .040 square styrene strips backed by clear plastic. This was definitely a tedious process, cutting all the tiny pieces and sanding them to fit just perfectly.

 
Once they were completed, they were then temp installed in place.

 
Once the forward skylight was done, I moved on to the center skylight. Again with the tedium, I measured out and started building the 16 windows that make up the central skylight, This area was used a ventilation for the boiler area below. The funnels on the Hurricane deck could be directed into the wind to force cooler air down below and these skylight hatches could be opened to allow the hot air from the boiler to vent out. 19th century air conditioning. 

 

 
 

 
One down 15 more to go. 

 
Needless to say, building up all these windows got old really fast. So, I put my little pea brain to work trying to come up with a better, more efficient way to do this. While I pondered a solution, I happened by the Admirals craft room where she was hard at work making stencils for T-shirt on her Cricut. Then it hit me! I wonder...
 
So I inquired with the Admiral as to what types of material could that Cricut cut? Here response was, "pretty much anything you need". Well that really got the wheels to turning, and it just so happened that I had some white 0.020 styrene sheets laying around that I thought would work perfectly for the window frames. So I got a crash course in the Cricut canvass, which is a simplified CAD program and went to work. I measured out the the widow widths and entered everything into the program and away she went. 

 
The end result was perfect window frames. All built in the program and cut in less time that it took for me to put together one the other way.

 

 
So I took the frames and sandwiched a piece of clear styrene between two of them and started making up the windows.

 
It was at about this time that another idea hit me. I was going to have to paint the tops of these windows black to match the rest of the deck and not stand out like a sore thumb. So I commenced to painting the first one and found out real quick that this was going to take way too much work and not come out like I wanted them to. So it was on to Amazon for some black .020 styrene and back to the Cricut.

 
This made thing so much easier.

 

 
Putting in the hinges.

 
In place on the deck.

 
Before getting them fully installed I propped some of them open with prop-rods. Since I was not able to dig up any information on this area of the boat, I followed the HSR plans for this part as I did for the forward skylight.

 
These windows worked out so well, I continued on with the hatches over the paddlewheel cranks. Same methods as before, I sandwiched a clear piece of styrene between a black and white frame and mounted them in place.

 
First one tested for fit. Since I assumed that these would have been opened manually, none of the pictures show any rigging going to them otherwise, I installed a handle on each one to help open it for ventilation. 

 
Port side all installed, hinges added and a little weathering to see how it looks.

 
It was at this point when I found the high-res picture of the Cairo and things slowed to a crawl. The Admiral and I were watching a Civil War documentary on the History Channel and they just so happened to have a segment on Iron Clad Gunboats. Well they also had the photograph of the Cairo on there and as they were showing it, I noticed a few details that I had not seen before. I hit the pause button, slow rewind and forward staring at the picture. There were details that I had not seen in the many version of this picture that I had downloaded from the internet. So I figured that there had to be a better version than the ones I had out there, so to the Web I went. Now I know that I said that I found the picture, but I really have to give the credit to the Admiral, she is actually the one that found the high-res version that I have been using lately. So when I mean things slowed to a crawl, the literally did. I spent endless hours staring at the new photo pouring over details I was not able to see before. One of those details was the forward skylight, I had totally gotten it wrong, and so did the HSR.
 
From the below screen shot you can see the skylight is made up of only two panels on each side and not three. The port forward hatch looks to be fully open while the starboard and both aft hatches are only partially open.  You can just make out the frame lines on the port aft hatch that show that they had long narrow panes in them and not a divided lite style like the HSR plans. So I decided to go about rebuilding my first version.

 
I started with a frame much like version 1. Borrowed the Admirals Cricut once more to make the window frames.

 
And constructed version 2. I have to say that a lot of work went into version 1, but I like version 2 much better.

 
Next up was a newly discovered feature that I have been discussing at length with Johnhoward over on the St. Louis build. I mentioned this feature in an earlier post (#462) of what looks to be a deck access hatch from the Hurricane Deck to the Gun Deck below. Well I decided to go ahead and build these up, since it would make sense that there would be some sort of access the lower deck to aid in resupply, as well as add a easier way for the crew to scramble below deck during battles. I am still in the research phase of this part, but I wanted to see how they looked and if it made sense to have these.
 
The side walls have been cut out.

 
Structure complete, minus the hatch window.

 
Hatches in their proposed location.

 
Hatch window constructed the same as the others on the skylights.

 
I am going to hold off on painting these until I can uncover more info on their actual existence. Seems like they would be, according to the picture, but we'll see.
 
Last up was the construction of the davits and anchors.
The anchors were pretty much straight forward. I purchased a couple of 38mm Corel anchors from Model Expo a while back and figured they would work perfectly for the scale of this build. They were standard, wooden stock anchors that I converted to iron stock ones, more like what was aboard these Iron Clads.
 
Some of the mold seams have been filed away and the iron stock was made from brass wire and beads.

 
The shackles I made out of brass wire as well, just hammered flat on the ends and bent to shape.

 
The finished anchors, minus paint.

 
Finally the davits were constructed. These were made from 1/8" aluminum rod. I started by drilling a pilot hole in one end of the rod to receive the eyebolt to form the ring for the blocks.

 
I then tapered the end to almost a point by chucking the rod in my drill and using a fine file to the desired taper.

 
Then I made up a jig to get all eight davits a consistent radius on their bend.

 

 

 
Next up was the support brackets. I started off making these out of 1/16" aluminum tube for the supports and 1/8" ID tubing for the collars. I made up another jig to keep the angles consistent and then after several failed attempts to solder the support rods to the collars, I finally gave up.

 
Version 2 of these, I decided to go with styrene rod and tubing. This method worked so much better and with a dab of CA I was well on my way with a solid joint between the collars and supports.

 
All eight completed davits, ready for paint.

 
Now it is on to getting the anchors and davits painted up. I still have more research to do on the access hatches and I will start working on the hammock nets. Hopefully I will have those completed by next update.
 
As always, thank you all for stopping by and liking my work as well as all the kind comments and input.
 
-Brian
 

There are indeed some extremely talented lady ship modelers here. (Look up Toni and Doris!) Although we cannot possibly replace your father, we can provide hints and help when requested. You'll find this a very supportive community, Welcome aboard!

Bdgiantman2, I appreciate your input on this. The technique you described I am not very familiar with, but it does sound interesting. It would make great use of old sails, and who knows, some old sails could have been used as the covers for the hammocks.
 
 
 
I think that I have finally figured out how I am going to go about building my hammock nets. I believe that I will be following the model outlined in Chappelle’s book The American Sailing Navy. On page 476, Chappelle shows three versions from 1800 to 1865. The latest one, 1828-1865 will be what I am going to model mine after. This version has stanchions covered with wooden panels on the inside and wooden staves on the outsides along with a wooden top rail.
 
I will have two stanchions placed between the stationaries, and the hammock net will run from the forwardmost stationary to the second to last one (9th Stationary) on both sides. I will not place a hammock net between the 9th and 10th stationary as a way to give the crew access to the ship’s boats. It's unclear if the Cairo was built this way since the ships boats are covering this area, but the pictures of the other City-Class Ironclads have different variations of access to them, so I used my builders liberties to go with the one I thought fit best. The stanchions will be elevated about 6” (1/8” scaled at 1:48) to allow for rain water run off and stowage of spare lumber and other items. (Thank you Roger P. for the info on that little detail). I will also add wooden runners down the middle of the stanchions with gaps between them to support the hammocks and provide air flow  to help keep the hammocks dry. Once these are built out, I am going to simulate some of them being filled with a canvas cover, a couple I will leave uncovered to show the stowed hammocks and a couple more I will leave empty, to show the construction details. This is the plan anyway. I may dive off into and find that I have bitten off more than I can chew and have to reconsider my ideas. We’ll see how it goes. Stay tuned.
 
The below drawing is my interpretation of how I will construct the nets.
 

 
-Brian

Thought I would pass this very interesting document which I came across while visiting the Varnum Memorial Armory in East Greenwich RI recently.
It is a letter requesting safe passage from the Barbary States for the brig Lucy Ann of East Greenwich dated February 13, 1804 and signed by President Thomas Jefferson and co-signed by Secretary of State James Madison.  It was explained to me that the cut curved top of this document was used to proved the authenticity of the document.  Not sure exactly how this worked.  I guess the inspecting party had the missing top half.
 
The Varnum Armory is a very interesting place.  The museum is small but is very compact with great relics from the Revolution and Civil War (Gettysburg) in particular.  The museum is free and the guides were very friendly and knowledgeable.  A great way to spend an afternoon!

Thanks, John, for your continued support.
 
Mark, Thanks for your comments. I have period specific "colourized" steamboat photos with a red orange that I will try when I get to paint the fire pumps and possibly the pipes. Otherwise, I really have no idea what colour they were.  
 
I have preliminarily completed the sternwheel.  I need to adjust the shaft length and do paint and other touch-up before it is complete.  For the time being, I just laid it on the pillow blocks. The square on the shaft is an eccentric.  Bates and others had two different type eccentrics. I went with the type that had an offset circle and a strap. I will attach the rods to them later.

 
A top-down view of the same.  

 
After this is finished, I will probably start on the stationaries and the hog braces. 

I would like to give a progress report on the sternwheel.  Alan Bates Cyclopedium is an exceptional source that I used in this process.
 
I drafted a copy of the sternwheel for my template.  The arms and wood circle are 1/16 basswood, the flange 1/32 basswood and the "iron" circles are Evergreen plastic.  I put the template in a clear plastic sleeve and then glued the parts together.  It looked like this during the process.  
 

 
One of the three finished wheels ...

 
I may still add in bolts, need to account for the shaft and clean it up.
 
I am getting started on the 16 buckets (planks).  I have yet to start the shaft although I had already completed the pillow blocks.  I expect to paint it the same oxide red as the main deck. 
 
As an aside, I have been researching historic 1890s house paint colours for later use.  The original paint chips are the only true period colours that I can find. [ The original grey in the Winneconne Steamboat House is the exception] Ironically, the shipbuilders - Ryan Bros., started their careers in Oshkosh as house builders.  So logically, they were exposed to these colours as they built their "ships". I am wondering if I should use a Red Vermillion on the manual hand fire pump and pipes.  Comments?
 
 
 

Decided to redo some of the rigging..  Just too many thick lines.  I removed some of the thicker lines to where now only the Lower Shrouds, lower forestay, and lower backstays are rigged with the thicker line.   All other higher rigging was replaced with the thin rigging line.    Both halyards remained the thicker line as I figured the thicker line would be easier on sailors hands raising/lowering the sails.
 

 
 
Starting working on the oar rack and oars.   Pretty straight forward,,, that is if you follow the directions... Directions call for the first 1/2 of the oar to be square and then rounded off going into the blade.   Foolish me, I just assumed I knew what an oar looked like - that being round all the way from the handle.   Did not notice the first part was supposed to be square until I had finished them...  But,, to me an oar should be round...  You decide how you like your oars.
 

 

 
And how they will eventually look on the boat
 

 
Started working on the storage rack...  Not much to it.   Model does not include anything to put into the storage rack.   Rather then just leave it empty hanging from the awning structure, I figured maybe put some simple poles...  Just to have something.   A more experienced modeler would probably build some kind of weapon to tool to go into the storage rack,,,  but our crew just put poles in the rack.
 

 
and how it will eventually look hanging from the awning structure.
 

 

 
Next was the awning beams and stanchions.   Instructions call to cut a notch in each beam and stanchion to better interlock them together.  On the actual boat that was done to insure a strong joint, but in my model world that just was not going to look right.   I practiced on some spare wood cutting notches and joining two perpendicular pieces of wood.   I just could not make it look good.   Main issue is trying to get the two notches to match up completely.   If it is not exact, it just did not look right.   Thus I took the easy way out and just glued the awning beams directly on top of each stanchion.   I suppose not realistic, but a whole lot easier and looks much better that if I had attempted to notch each  beam and stanchion.   The additional 1/8 inch height on the awning did not really matter anyway.
 

 

 
 
On to the battens...  Instruction say the battens are installed last as it would be very difficult to do the rigging with the battens in place.   That may be, but with the rigging in place, the battens are no easy task either.   Especially the two enter battens down the middle of the boat.   Since the oar rack (1/2" wide) is mounted on these two center battens, you have to get these battens exactly 1/2" apart.   The also have to run very straight from fore to aft or they will really look off when sighting down the boat.    This is not easy task with the rigging in place positioning them one at a time and gluing in place.
 
I found the easiest way to insure a perfect fit is to assemble the two battens along with the oar rack off the boat.   This will insure the oar rack will fit exactly between the two battens.  The oar rack will hold the two battens together.    That way, when the glue dries, just pick up the structure and glue it on the awning.   Below shows the process.    There are two temporary spacer pieces of wood at each end to insure the correct spacing
 

 
 
Remaining shots show close up of some of the rigging....  Not that I am any kind of an expert on rigging...  I HATE RIGGING.....just do not have the skill or patience for it.. and it shows in my build  🙂
 

 

 

 

 
 
 

I have completed the boiler and auxiliary feed pumps.  These are also an amalgam of several different sources rather than a reproduction of a single source.  I did not do duplex pumps like the Marine Iron Works photos but stayed with the simplex layout on several other photos. I have no idea which type Thistle had as both appear to have been common at that time.  

 
I also completed a General Electric Curtis Turbine Generating Set dynamo circa 1908.  Thistle had electric added during 1901 maintenance.  The other common alternative would have been a piston driven dynamo not unlike the one on the S. S. Moyie. Again, no idea which was actually used. I will add the wiring and conduit pipe later.

 
There are several other hand pumps, levers &c. that need to yet be built.  I will hold on these as I want to complete the sternwheel first. Crawford/Thistle had several sternwheels over its life.  I will use the 1910 Paul L. photos as a guide as this is closer to the date of the model than say the J. H. Crawford photo from 1894 - 1898. Several other local steamboats referred to "heavy weather" sternwheels.  It is possible that Thistle used one of these, as Thistle was known to run backwards, using the sternwheel to break up ice. 

Hello again everyone,
 
I just realized that I have not posted any updates on my build this month. Time just got away from me and I have been concentrating more on building than the build log.
 
So here is what has happened since last time.
 
I have finally started work on the Hurricane Deck features, mainly the wheel house and its additional attachments, such as the store rooms, showers and latrines.
 
First in, was mounting the main wheel house structure that I had previously built in the last update. All of the remaining aft  structures are built around this one.
 
Next up were the side skylights over the paddlewheel cranks. I think these served a dual purpose. One was for lighting and the other to help cool the officers quarters, given their locations.
 
I started off with a simple framework.

 
Added the dividers.

 
Installed some screen mesh and painted them up. Then the port side was temp installed.

 
Overhead view showing the cranks below.

 
I then completed the starboard side and both were then mounted in place. After they were installed, I marked off the area where the showers and other buildings were going to be located.

 
Next up was the aft building. There is no real documentation on what these structures were used for, with the exception of some references that say there were showers located on the Hurricane Deck and that water from the paddle wheel was somehow collected and plumbed to be heated for crew showers as well as "flush" the latrines. I'm an not sure how all of this was done and I was not able to find any information on how this was plumbed up to work, so no details were put into the internal parts of these building.
 
Another part of this build I struggled with was the curvature of the roof on the two main buildings on the fore and aft of the wheel house. The HSR plans for Cairo show the roof to be flat. I am not sure if these were drawn this way due to lack of information or what. From the only existing picture of the Cairo it is really hard to tell since it gets extremely grainy when you zoom in a good bit. It would stand to make sense that the roof would have a bow to it to shed rainwater. Also, in the pictures of this structure on the Mound City, Baron DeKalb (St. Louis), Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Carondelet, they all have bowed roofs on them. Majority rules, so this is the style that I went with.
 
The main forms for the walls of the aft building.

 
Temp installed in their location to get the curvature of the wheel house right.

 
Framing of the doors.

 
Rough forms for the doors and widow dividers.

 
Side window dividers going in.

 
Building up the doors.

 
Completed doors and windows.

 
Some of the outside planking going on, to give it a nice finish.

 

 
Slather a coat of paint on the sides and a bit of weathering.

 
Structure set in place.

 
and a little more weathering. At this point I am just paying around with the weathering to see what technique I like. Once everything is completed, I'll go back and put more effort into it. I just like practicing up as I go along.

 
The fore building was built in the same manner as the aft one, with the exception that there are side buildings that extend from the port and starboard side of this one.

 
Construction of the starboard side building.

 

 
The port side was built exactly like the starboard side. They were both painted up and glued in place.

 
Next was the installation of the ladders to access the top of the wheel house.

 
Starboard ladder complete.

 
More important features on the starboard side, the latrine.

 

 

 

 
I wanted to show a little detail on this part, since this area was described in documentation as being the latrines. My story goes that there was a sailor that ate something that didn't agree with him so he left the door open afterwards as a courtesy to the next occupant.

 
Then it was time to tarpaper the roof of the structures. I did this in the same method as would have been done on most steamboats of the time. Silk span was cut to a scale 4' wide (scaled down to 1" in 1:48) and secured in place with watered down ModPodge. The overlapping tar seams were simulated as well.

 
All trimmed up and ready for paint.

 
And all painted.

 
Port ladder going in.

 
Building of the port side latrine. Since I detailed the starboard side, I left this one simplified with the door closed.

 
All structures painted up and a bit of weathering.

 
Here is another area that is hard to find info on. Research has turned up zero information detailing these hatch covers over the aft skylights. The HSR as well as the Bob Hill plans show this area as open which would leave everything below exposed to the elements. I have studied some of the pictures that show this area somewhat, but again zooming in makes things very grainy, so it is hard to tell if these covers are one long cover or several hatches. For the time being, I am going to go with separate hatch covers until I can uncover something that proves me wrong.
 

 
Hatch covers completed and the base trim installed.

 
Painting the trim.

 
Then it was on to one of the more tedious jobs, marking the deck nails. When you look at the actual Cairo in Vicksburg, many of the deck nails are still embedded in the beams of the bow. From what it looks like, the deck boards were nailed to every beam, but at 1:48 scale I thought that this would look a tad bit cluttered and messy, so with my build I went with every-other beam.  

 

 
Simulated nails on the wheel house structure.

 
Lastly, it was on to the funnels. These provided a way to direct fresh air to the gun deck below, to help clear out gun smoke, cooling during the summer months. They also helped remove some of the heat created from the boilers, cook stove as well as removing odors from the occasional smelly sailor.
I made these from 12mm clear acrylic tubing. I had originally wanted to heat the tubing to form the bend, but after several failed attempts I decided on my second method. On my first attempts, when I would heat the tubing, I wasn't able to keep the plastic from bunching up on the inside of the turn. This seemed to be a little too tight of a turn so I decided to cut the tubing at a 45 degree angle, fill the bend with Milliput and sand the outer bend to for the curve. Once it was sanded down, I drilled out the center of the Milliput to where only a thin layer was left on the inside, enough to maintain the structure of the funnel, but not enough to block the opening.  

 

 
I used the last bit of copper sheets on the chimneys, so instead of using that material for the funnel flares, I used some heavy card stock. 

 
More simulated rivets with aluminum tape.

 
Completed funnels.

 
 
That is it for this update. I am currently working on the forward and center skylights, but I haven't downloaded those pictures as of yet, so they will be on my next update. Hopefully it won't be as long of a wait. I am still researching these a bit due to the fact that I am having trouble finding out how they were built.
 
Until next time, thank you all for visiting, the likes and the kind words. Be safe and stay well.
 
-Brian
 
 

I have finally completed the two poppit engines.  They are about an inch long each.
 

 
The left engine is fully open so the arm on the sternwheel will be at 3 or 9 o'clock.  The right engine is fully closed so it will be at 6 or 12 o'clock. 
 
I used photos from steamboats.com, The Machinery of Western River Steamboats by Colliery Engineer Company (circa 1900), a photo of a Mason engine and Marine Iron Works of Chicago as a guide. The result is an amalgam engine rather than a duplication of any.  As Bates noted, the study of engines is a study onto itself.
 
I used Evergreen styrene, Plastruct ABS and some small wire in the construction.  Herein lies a tale of why it took so long.  Part of the time was simply making something that looked correct in scale and detail. The bigger part was finally finding a glue or solvent to use.  The final solvent is Pastruct Plastic Weld which seems to be methyl-ethyl-ketone (MEK). That MEK quickly melts the plastic to create the bond. A little goes a long way and is not forgiving in either time or placement. Before that, I made several models that literally would fall apart.  I now have a debris filed littered with those unsuccessful attempts.   
 
I am now moving on to the boiler and auxiliary feed pumps.  I trust that will not take as long as the engines did.

Brian, a good start. If your craftsmanship on this project is anyway near as good as your Chaperon, it will turn out great.
 
Bob

In the beginning I swore that I would never start a new project until the current one was finished. I was able to complete my first build (Occre Albatros) alright but then things went off the rails in a hurry. Now in progress are Niagara (MSW), Chaperon (MSW) and the gunboat Philadelphia (also from MSW). I can't even begin to look at the various model manufacturers websites out there in fear that another "just have to have" will appear.
 
Bob