mandolinut
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Everything posted by mandolinut
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Worked a bit more on my crane assembly today. Added the hydraulic pistons and a few extra hydraulic lines as seen in original photos. I felt more like a watch maker. This is good touch therapy for these 76-year-old hands. About halfway there for the crane. A project within a project. Love it.
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I finished adding the Micro Krystal Clear to the bow portholes in anticipation to gluing down the deck. The product works as advertised leaving a glass like porthole. Showing one of the portholes finished. Also showing two of the nose bulb observation portholes, one glazed and on not glazed. I will do the same for the decompression chamber. Also working on the crane which I believe is a rite of passage for any Calypso builder. Many parts that have to fit correctly. Here it is dry fitted. Need to paint the crane and then add a number of the pullies for the cable. I see the hull needs more paint. d
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I received my order of Micro Krystal Klear and tried it out on one of the forward portholes. Backed up the porthole with clear acetate taped down on the inside. As described, it looks like milk when applied (see photo) but dries clear and looks quite good. I will now do the other portholes including those portholes for the decompression chamber and viewing ports on the front bulb. Also working on assembling the crane which is interesting.
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Back on the workbench today gathering parts for the aft crane that use to launch the mini sub. Looking at the instructions and finding the various parts is much like doing a jigsaw puzzle where you look through 500 pieces to find the piece or pieces you are looking for. Note to future builders: the upper crane assembly (2 parts) has a long rectangular plastic spacer in between them. This unfortunately does not show up in the plans. See photo. I then glued the three pieces together and drilled out a number of holes in the various areas where a small wire will pass through and act as an axle for the various pulleys.
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Calypso got her "wings" today. The pilot house curved fairings are a very nice and distinguishing feature , so once again, my ship is starting to look more like Calypso. Before soaking and bending the curved panels, I painted what would become the inside which would be very difficult to do once they were attached. I also found a reference photo of the pilot house showing some triangular supports under the ledge of the front windows, so I added that touch. Still needs lots of sanding, filling and painting to do everywhere but now I have something to work with. https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ui=2&ik=48cf900c02&attid=0.1&permmsgid=msg-a:r6079218091197136571&th=195ba95540840bda&view=fimg&fur=ip&permmsgid=msg-a:r6079218091197136571&sz=s0-l75-ft&attbid=ANGjdJ-M4PhdspjzcahzdweQBNmODbfnYZz00ouBhNJwLJeU_WoEEdtuSNGGfttE2_lnvi5VuJEkkWSdBhCwEzoPdmF090TeaHVE9pnfEtdQih4r__IFR4j1VG54zZo&disp=emb&realattid=ii_m8jaccpy0&zw
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In anticipation of gluing down the forward deck, I added basswood strips along the upper edge to have more of a gluing surface area for the deck. Also added some cross pieces for the same reason. Without these wood strips there would be very little ABS to glue the deck down. Also painted and added doors (not included) for what would be an entrance to the forward cabins. I still need to add clear liquid plastic to the forward port holes before attaching the deck.
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Thankyou Alan. I am warming up for the foredeck and lower cabin roof tops.
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I had fun adding deck planking to the wheelhouse roof and the upper cabin roof today. At this point they are not glued down. Feeling good as the ship is starting to look more like Calypso.
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Making some progress on Calypso. Really enjoying this journey. Added some grab rails to the sides of the upper and lower cabins port and starboard and also to the steps of the wheelhouse. Also added flooring and paint to the interior of the wheelhouse. Trying to decide how much detail to add to the interior. It would be very hard to see. Painted the steps leading to the wheelhouse before gluing on the outer fairing. Started working on the ship's funnel which I usually call the smokestack. Everything still needs a lot of clean up, sanding and more paint.
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I have decided to plank the entire foredeck and cabin deck and placing the structures on top rather than cut all of the deck planking around the fixed surface structures. I am therefore anticipating transferring the graphics which are laser engraved on the top surface showing the placement of so many structures onto the bottom (backside) so I know where everything should be placed once the graphics are covered with planking. Same for the roof of the pilot house. I also began building the stairway to the pilothouses and the related supports. Now to add the middle step and front fairing.
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The roof tops and cabins are just sitting in place, not glued. I 've been working on priming, painting and sanding the wheelhouse and cabin structure behind it. Also added the molded plastic window details to the wheelhouse. I see from this photo I need to do additional sanding around the roof of the wheelhouse and cabins where I added trim to encircle the deck planking yet to be added. Also needs some filing inside some of the wheelhouse windows.
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Here is a link. They were "Bud Nosen" from Midwest. Bud Nosen Basswood Strips, 1/16" x 1/4", 50-Pack I suggest roughing up (sanding) the ABS plastic hull to prepare it for glueing the wood strips. I used Gorilla Super glue from the local home store which worked great. Gorilla Glue Super Glue 15g Bottle Net Content Quantity 1 - Walmart.com I used my fingers to hold the wood in place until the glue set up, about 15 seconds. On a few of the strips near the deck, I placed the wood strips in boiling water (cookie sheet) and let them dry in place while mechanically clamped over the curved hull. As you get closer to the water line there is less curve and no need to prebend. Hope this helps.
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Had fun today building the wheelhouse. Getting the windows all lined up was a little challenging which is a good thing. Also drilled and added the bolt heads on the bow. Having a pair of calipers was helpful for spacing the bolts. Also made the cradle for the decompression chamber.
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I feel a bit embarrassed. As I looked at the parts list in various languages I stopped at the bottom of the GB (English). A few pages later the list picked up again with the higher numbers so problem mentioned above is resolved. While in the window and door mode, constructed the upper cabins, reinforced in the corners. Also started work on the decompression chamber by adding square scraps of wood to the top surface as shown in the plans. Bent some wire for the grab bars and attached. Also added handles for the entry hatch as shown in the plans. Finished with a coat of primer. I began sorting out numerous parts for the aft crane.
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"Thanks for sharing your experience." Thank you for your comment bowwild.
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Have any of you previous Calypso builders had a hard time identifying part numbers and therefore parts in the pictorial directions? I was looking at the crane parts today and could not identify many of the parts based on the numbers shown. I see part numbers like 735 but the index in the back of the instructions have no such part number and many other part numbers do not show up. Is there a complete parts list that may have not been packed in my kit? Any advice would be appreciated. Patrick
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Hi Don, I am starting to build the crane and other deck hardware. I have a big question and favor to ask. The plans show part numbers for the various crane parts. Some are obvious like the plastic molded parts. Others, I have no idea. In the kit you had, was there a complete parts list matching numbers from the instructions with various parts? All I have is the back of the instruction booklet with a very partial list with no numbers to match the numbers in the plans. Thank you. Patrick
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Thankyou Don, I ordered and received the helicopter you used. I may modify the tail section to look more like Calypso's. Previous Calypso builds by you and others have been my lifeline and inspiration. I glued up the lower cabins today and reinforced the corners and am quite happy with the results. Starting to look like Calypso.
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Today, I wanted to insure the upper forward deck, and the upper stern deck will line up. I dry fitted the lower cabins with painter's tape. Slowly sanded down the lower deck cabin wall tops until the two upper decks lined up. In addition, I added a cross piece under the forward aft upper deck to allow the two decks to interlock and align. This is thinking ahead since there is much more work to do on the lower deck and rails.
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Today, I bent small pieces of copper wire at 90 degree angles to form door latches. Predrilled the doors for a tight fit and painted the result. Thanks to Xristo's Calypso build for the latch and lock ideas. I believe they add a nice touch.
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Thankyou. That is helpful.
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Added the doors and portholes and after light sanding, another coat of paint. Inspired by other people's posts, added door hinges made from copper wire.
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If you want any help, I'll be happy to help as best I can. Hello Xristos, Thanks for your offer to help. I have added the doors and port holes to the main deck structures. I really like the added detail you have of the door hinges and door latches. I was thinking of using small pieces of copper wire for the hinges (your thoughts?) but am stumped regarding the door latches. Yours look great. I would appreciate if you could share your ideas. Patrick
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I have had good results in the past using Home Depot's acrylic sample paints. Lots of colors to choose from. The white choice was interesting. They have about 50 shades of white. I settled on one, believe it or not, just named "white". When held next to "Ultra Pure White", this tint is just enough off white to fit my taste. I went with a satin finish. Added a first coat to my rails, lower cabin sides, and upper hull. Enjoying the process. Will add bottom paint to the hull next and finish off with the black..
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