coxswain

Hi there,
 
planning, thinking, planning......  Actually I had enough form planning and decide to begin the work with important thing wich will needed, however the plan ends.
The crane need over 100 pulleys, often 3mm width with different diameters. So it is woth to invest in a selfmade formtool for the lathe.
 
From a piece of Silversteel I get with the Mill, several Files and at the end with a hand-lapper  the folloing Shape.

Simply hardened

 
It makes now these nice pulleys

Not really perfect on the right side, but I'll have plenty of pieces to do and learn the right adjustments.
Probably the last pulley will be perfect 🙂
 

Hi guys , 
thanks for your interest. 
Indeed, it will be a big challenge for me but i‘m not worried about the machining part ( i‘ve build successful a full functional crane before ) 
More complicated for me should be the more water based topics like balancing 
, ballast tanks,   etc. 
 
 
 

Hi there,
 
after a short break of 26 years I've restart the build of the floating crane Enak. Based on plans  I've bought in 1993 the Build begans with the hull.
The beginning with plywood and balsa wood  was easy and the hull became quickly swimable.
But after this first success I have to realise that I'm not able to build the mechanics for the crane. No skills and no tools are on board. 
But actually I've get the needed skills in machining metal (I'm an autodidactic amateur, not a pro) I give it another try.
 
 
The actual state is
the hull is still water proof
three graupner rudder propellers mounted. I'm very excited if the will work or must replace them.
Electronics are not uptodate and will replaced.
Motors eventually too. May be with slow outrunners to save space.
 
Next steps will be saturate the wood with liquid epoxy to avoid swelling and build a slip.
 
 
The hull will be the single peace of wood. The deck and the cranes structure will be complete in metal.
 
 
regards
Ralf
 
 
 

The pequot was built in 1909 by the New York Shipsbuilding company in Camden, New Jersey with the name
General Samuel M.Mills and first commissioned as an Army mine layer.
She was driven by two compound- expansion 2 cylinder coal fired steam reciprocal engines which generated 900 horsepower.
the length was 166' and beam of 32' with a draft of 13' she displaced 1106 tons.
October 12, 1908 the keels for the Mills and Schofield where laid on the same day,
 
My build wil be based on the Mills/ later Pequot from 1908/1909 and the hull is constructed of wood 
with wood planking, later i wil make simulated steel plates with the bolts etc ( hull)
the main deck cabins wil also have simulates steel plates , but the upper cabins wil be in wood as constructed in 1909.
some photo of the building of the Mills /Pequot, and my frame work as it are now .
i need more wood filling at the stern an some more fairing of the hull befor planking.
 
svein erik.
 
 

Hi all,
 
After waiting a ridiculous 12 weeks my Card model locomotive has finally arrived   . Yayyyyyyy  . No blame can be attached to the Publisher, as they sent the kit within 2 days of receipt of the order - either the ship carrying it needed more rowers, or (more likely) it's been sitting in Australian Customs for most of that time. The worst part was that I could only track the package as far as the Polish dockyard, then it disappeared until it showed up on my doorstep. Ah well, I had a few things to keep me occupied while I waited  .
 
This kit is by Modelik from Poland. They publish a large range of (mostly) European rail kits in three scales - 1:25, 1:45 and a couple of 1:87 (I guess more of the latter may be coming soon) along with Aircraft, Ships, Armour, Vehicles and Buildings. Laser-cut parts are available for a lot of the kits. From my initial observations the kit is quite nicely detailed, although no "weathering" has been printed on. They suggest you do your own with pastels or paint if you wish, as well as super-detailing if that's your go. The cardstock it's printed on is good quality, and the instruction pictures are easy to understand and follow. Written instructions are only in Polish, so Google Translate gets a workout. Service, as previously mentioned was good although they need to use a faster ship   . Postage from Poland (as always) is a bit of a killer - it came to more than the kits themselves. I also bought two carriages to accompany the one I got earlier from Fenten's in Brisbane :


 
On to the model. This is a 2-6-6-4 configuration, meaning that there are 2 bogie wheels at the front followed by two sets of 6 driving wheels and a 4-wheel bogie at the rear - a total of 18 wheels. Information about the loco can be found HERE. The original was a bit over 18 metres long and 4.3 metres tall, making it the largest steam locomotive built in Europe. They were built between 1931 and 1943.
 
The model is a whopping 730mm long from buffer to buffer. Parts come in 24 A3 size sheets, with an additional 5 sheets of Templates. I'm not sure how many sheets of Laser-cut there are, as I forgot to order them with my original purchase (or perhaps they were unavailable at the time, I don't remember). This has caused a real headache, as it seems I bought the LAST kit that Modelik had available - it's no longer listed in their catalogue, and neither is the laser-cut kit. When I first opened the package there were quite a few laser-cut sheets, but it turns out that they were for the two extra carriages. I didn't actually realise my mistake until I'd laminated one complete side of the main frame (12 pieces in total) to 0.65mm card and cut the lot out. At the time I thought it very odd that these parts weren't in the laser-cut pack. Laminating the amount needed for this kit by hand would take forever, as the card I'm using is quite dense and isn't easy to cut.
 
What to do? I went back on the Interweb and found two other sites that listed the laser-cut kit as available - Yay! I'd almost finalised the order transaction - my finger was actually hovering over the "Confirm" button when a thought hit me. The price seemed way too low. So I double-checked my order and found I'd almost bought the 1:45 scale version! Damn!!
 
So I checked out the other site (JadarHobby), and sure enough they had a kit available - in 1:25 scale. Bewdy!! I immediately ordered it from them. They also send it via Air Freight and quote a delivery time of 2 - 5 days! We'll see.
 
Here are some pics of the cover and some of the parts :





 
I also bought the Decal set and about 5,000 laser-cut rivets and bolt heads :



Last things I did was scan and save all the sheets to files and make my customary "Part Finder" Spreadsheet which helps find each part on the corresponding sheet MUCH easier. Well worth the couple of hours it took to make :

 
Danny

Hello
This is russian gun  of the end of the 18th century - the beginning of the 19th century, just for the  tender "Avos"

Testing time....... I have created test battle station to work on the artillery rigging. I have chosen this picture as a reference and will do the tackles like this. 

This is my interpretation in the scale. The breeching rope is easy. For tackles I use 2x 2mm single blocks with hook strap. The brass eyelets will be replaced by nicer ones on the ship. I run the rope several times through the eyes for tackle hooks and secure in the middle of the tackle. This partialy hides the blocks which is good and I think this is not very common on the models. I like it lot. What do you think? 
 
 
 
 

Bowsprit shrouds
 

I have spent the better part of 10 days fairing the hull. It has been hard work. Some observations:
 
1) This hull is a monster. Not only is it large, it is very heavy.I have often worked in my lap in the past. That is barely possible here.
 
2) There are a very large number of bulkheads ( a very good idea), and they are relatively wide, providing a large surface area to be sanded. It simply takes  a lot of time.
 
3) I have faired  the hull well enough (I think) to run a fair batten for the gunport framing, but I likely will do another sanding of the the full hull when I do the fairing of the gunport framing and add the stern framing.
 
Chuck: I  have a question going forward. The laser cut parts for the curved forward portion of the port framing are not the same length for the top and bottom, seemingly contrary to the plans and the model. Am I missing something?
 
Bob

Hello
Here is working on the lifeboat
 

Starting work on the ship,I first glued the 2 halves of the bulkhead former together & glued the stem & keel in place.  Next,all the bulkheads were removed from the plywood sheets & test fitted along with the lowest gun deck,which serves as a good stiffener.  Everything is dry fitted for now to see how everything lines up.  Everything fit together nicely with only a few swipes with a file in a few spots.  Sighting down the sides,I don`t see any bumps or dips in the edges of the bulkheads,which is a first for me!  I must say the laser cutting seems to be spot on everywhere & even the edges are only a light brown,instead of burned black - I am very impressed with the kit so far.
 

 

 

 

 

 
Mark
 
 

Priming, Hull Paint, Waterline, Keel, Stem Post, Stern Post
 
I learned a lot about painting.  Actually I remembered most of it from the past, but it came rushing back while painting the hull.
 
I suck at painting.
 
Spray, brush, you name it, I am no good at it.  So here goes...
 
I felt that I did an OK job getting the hull ready to paint.  I figured after a coat of primer I'd notice a few spots to fix.  Let me tell you, painting the hull showed me how wrong I was.  My hull has many more imperfections than I would like to admit to.  I'm letting many of them go since they will not be visible on display, but they are there!
 
I did a couple of primer coats using a white spray primer.

 
You may have noticed that I forgot a step.  I need to refer to that manual more often.  I should have installed the keel, stem post, and stern post first.  To get there, I needed to take care of my display needs.
 
I purchased the optional stanchions and display board.  Both are exceptional.  I knew the keel would need to be removed where the stanchions are located.  They recommend and send 3 stanchions for the Portland, but I want to try only 2.  My thought is I could set it up for 2 and add the third later if needed. 
 
I pulled out the display board and decided how I wanted the boat to sit on it.  I drilled holes for the stanchions. 

 
I used my string to find the center of the hull.  I set the boat on the stanchions where I wanted it to sit, lining up the center as close as possible.  I then pushed a screw up through the stanchion to mark where the hole would need to be drilled in the hull.  I drilled that 1 hole on the center line, and mounted it to the base.  I aligned the 2nd hole, and marked it with the tip of a screw through the stanchion.  I unscrewed the hull, adjusted the 2nd mark to the center line, and drilled the 2nd hole.

 
I remounted it all to see the results.  Check out that display board.  It is really top notch.

 
I'm sorry I didn't take any photos bending the wood around the bow, but I followed the manual and here's what I ended up with.  Using the plans, I tried to have this part meet the keel where the thickness changes.  I don't remember the exact measurements, but the keel is the same thickness until it approaches the bow, where it thins out a bit.

I knew the keel would need to be cut out for the stanchions, so I added the first piece.

 
I added the keel between the 2 stanchion holes, and the keel post.


Using a sanding block, I sanded this area so the keel smoothly rounded the bow.  I left the bow part thicker than the plans show.  I may need to resand it later, but I wanted a bit if insurance just in case.  You can see the final product below:


 
I used calipers to measure where the waterline is on both ends of the boat and marked the hull at those locations.

 
I needed a flat area to do this work, so I used the kitchen island.  I liked John's use of a large mirror, but if you saw me you would understand why there are no large mirrors at my house.

 
Using my highly professional Norm-O-Matic waterline marker, version 2.0, I lined my pencil to the mark on the bow.

 
The pencil did not align at the stern.
 

 
I added the necessary shim to raise the stern to the correct height.

 
That did it.

 
The next step was to make sure the port and starboard heights were the same.  I used the square and made necessary adjustments.  I went by the deck height.  It worked out alright.



 
I drew the line around the hull.  Be careful around the sponsons.  It felt tricky.

 
If I took a photo of both sides of the boat, the waterline looks "off" a bit.  But I think it's because of how I built the sponsons.  Not really noticeable, but it's there.
 
I think the first place I heard about Tamiya tape was on Dan's Portland page.  Then John mentioned it also.  So, I decided to buy some from Amazon.  Worth every penny!  I don't know how others do the waterline thing, but my thought was to use the tape to cover the line I drew, then mark the line again for cutting.  It turns out that the Tamiya tape is kind of see through!
 


 
So, using a fresh X-Acto blade, I carefully trimmed the tape at the marked waterline.

 
I do not have a photo, but I added a 2nd layer of tape below the first so I wouldn't have any slip ups.  So here's the first coat of red, hand painted with the paint I got from BlueJacket.  Another plug for them.  It is really nice paint.

 
A bit of sanding and a 2nd coat.

 
More sanding, a third coat, and remove the tape!  I have a touch up or two to take care of, but in display mode, I'm accepting my work as it appears.

Thanks as always! 
 
 
 
 

Using the same jig process as I used above, I drilled a hole in the back of the Quoin for the handle for each of the gun carriages.  The BlueJacket kit does not come with a handle as the expectation is to not get down to this level of detail on the build (but, I am modifying the kit to some extent) and I felt a Belaying Pin would work perfectly as the handle.  The pins in the kit are 1/4", which are a little too long for this purpose.  So, I purchased 3/16" Belaying Pins from another supplier and they worked perfectly.  The handle part is about 3/32", which to scale is 9".  As a prototype, I finished one of the 32 guns.  Also, below the Quoin you will see the fitting for the Train Tackle.  I will have to drill that hole by hand on the carriages since it is located just above the rear truck.  Here is the prototype:

I made some progress with the gunport frames. They are all done now and faired flush with the bulkheads. Next thing will be the stern.  Looking forward to that.
Matthias

Hi all, 
 
Well, I'm the proud owner of a 1941 South bend model A lathe! 
 
It has some wear, but so would anyone born in 1941!
 

 
I'm the forth owner.  The third owner bought it three years ago, but never set it up and ran it.  The the machine never ventured past the suburbs of DC.  Even have the original shipping info.
 

 
It needs some cleaning and surface rust removed on the tooling, but the gears and the gear box are clean- no chips in the gears of the box.  Everything works as it should and was well lubricated.  Just VERY dirty and in need of a good cleaning, new oil and probably new felts in the wipers.
 
Lots and lots of tooling included as well as several options were ordered with lathe. Even came with the 2nd owner's machinist tool box.  The tool box was also full of tools, micrometers, gauges, etc.  There were three boxes full of tooling and a box full of cutting bits.
 

His Union record book and certificate were still in one of the drawers

 

So, although the lathe was extremely heavy (between 300-400 pounds), two people were able to move it.  I was lucky a good friend was available as was his truck.  Saved me from trying to figure out how to get it in and out of my wife's SUV.  For me, it was VERY heavy.  I used my legs and saved my back.  The tools and tool box are heavy enough to bend my table.  In fact, the chucks actually deformed the surface.  Oh well, who cares.. I've got a lathe!!!  Now I just need to learn to run it.  Now I need to turn my focus back to the ship!
 
I need to focus on the rigging!!!  Ignore the lathe... focus on rigging... ignore the lathe ...ignore the lathe...
Did I mention that I got a lathe!!!
 
 
 
 

The work has stopped for a couple of weeks. Finally I underwent corrective surgery on the righthand. But before it, I was just able to comple some things.
As said I am trying tio finish all on the gun deck.
 

And the waterpumps..
 

 
 



Then the frontmasttop
 

 

And finally the gunport hinges. I am working on a method to build them easily in quantity, production line like..

 
I hope to start building again in a couple of weeks. Have a nice weekend!

Well. it would be an understatement to say I am overwhelmed by all these most generous comments.  It is also nice to hear from those who have been regular but silent followers.  I wish I could individually  thank everyone for the more than 35 comments and 50+ likes after the last post.  Every one of them is well appreciated.  Perhaps one more photo would not be amiss.
 

Thanks again, everyone, for all your support throughout the project.
 
Ed
 
 

Second attempt with bobstay turned out much better. 

The rudder tillers from thin ropes look also much better! 

And the whole ship 

Hi everyone - this will be my build of the Vanguard by Model Shipways.  This kit was made by Model Shipways for a short time under license from Amati.  Included in the kit are 20 plan sheets,27 laser cut wood sheets of various woods,11 sheets of etched brass,along with all the usual fittings,plus a lot of cast metal items.  All the rigging line is on Mantua spools & looks to be of decent quality,although I may replace some of it with Syren rope depending on the application. The rigging blocks look to be above average quality,but I will still probably use Syren blocks.  Copper tape is provided for coppering the hull rather than individual copper plates. Also,all the guns are cast metal instead of turned brass. As I understand,the Amati version has the gun carriages made of metal but my kit provides wood carriages. There is a LOT of strip wood plus a large handful of walnut dowels. This appears to be a high quality kit & should be fun to build!
 
A few pics of the contents.......
 

 

 

 

 

 
Mark 
P.S. - please let me know if the link below works........took me about 6 tries
 
 
 
 
 

Re my comments above about drilling holes under the channels for the deadeyes, I used the right size (short) drill on an angle and then angled in the bottom of the chain plate.  Worked OK, but some distortion of the rods that I couldn't fix.  I did that on the side that won't be visible.
 
Then I just bit the bullet and used a 1/16 inch drill straight down, which gave a hole a bit too large, but since I was reinforcing these by bending the other wire under the channel, worked fine.  A picture of that below.
 
Regards,
David

Ahoy! Well; got tied up with stuff, but here's a update for the ratline's work. I'll try to get the upper ratlines worked on later and post those also. As I had said before these are slow going as the model is so fragile but persistence pays off and will keep on a tying them knots. 





Their not perfect but look ok, will post more updates as soon as I can.
 
Here's a site for civil war clip art which is free...Enjoy!
https://etc.usf.edu/clipart/galleries/158-1861-1865-civil-war-naval-battles

Thanks guys!
 
I did look into utilising the gun port framing for Speedy, but it would have left the bulwark sides too thick, being planked both sides. I could have reduced the thickness of the bulkheads above deck level, but we're talking less than 2mm thick, coupled with the fact that the horizontal;l and vertical frames need to slot into each other, meaning the thickness in the slotted areas would be around 1mm. This tolerance would be intolerable (!). I would get so many complaints and/or requests for replacement broken parts. So, the gun port/bulwark patterns are laser cut in ply, much stronger and safer in this instance, and better for scale appearance once they are planked inside and out.
 
Bristol and all larger kits will have the new gun port designs incorporated into the hull framing, however. I did this for a 72nd development of Hermione around three years' ago, quite an enjoyable and easy build.. 

I hope Chris dont mind me reposting one of his photos of the construction of the Amati Victory. In comparison with the 20 year old HMS Diana kit, just look how he have reinvented kitdesign. 
 
Yes I agree fully that the cutting out gunports are one of the tasks that would really benefit from being simplified. 
 
 
 

Nice idea, but I have little interest in steam. If I do a US subject, due to the amount of time and money required for the development, it needs to be very well known, popular, and detailed. Three masts and no funnel. But this is in the future, I have another five kits lined up before that.

I've now pretty much finished all the deck structures and fittings.  Pictures here of all that.
 
Some comments on sequence.  I'm not exactly sure why, but I chose to go ahead and do the stern deadeyes early, which was a relief when I installed the curved stern railing.  I'm not sure I'd have been able to avoid mangling it if I'd done them in the manual sequence, which is during the rigging stage.
 
Speaking of those, the manual and drawings show a way to create the chain plate from wire, and then fix it to the deck below the deadeyes, which is conceptually fine for those in the middle of the hull if you have a 3 inch long .75mm drill bit -- mine are shorter, and I'm not sure they exist.  I may still do it by drilling on an angle.  It still looks like a flimsy fixing for the tension on the deadeyes, so I'm going to reinforce them to the bottom of the channel. 
 
But there's no clear way shown to attach the ones on the stern that you see here -- so I improvised by creating a sort of wire "plug" on the deadeye and gluing that into the hole.  I'll do the ones on either side of the hull next, as I won't want to try to maneuver those into place with masts and yards up (which is the way the manual would have you do it).
 
The other improvisation is the small front railing between the ladders.  I lost one of the stanchions on the floor somewhere, and of course Mantua provides no spares.  So I had to fashion the two rear stanchions out of wire.
 
Before I get to the rigging, I need to build the lifeboats and mount them, which is the next step.
 
Regards,
David