capnharv2

Thanks for the compliments and likes everyone.  Update - the head gratings are completed - they took me longer than I expected to get all of the spacing accurate. I should have the seats of ease and the false rails mounted soon.  

 

The hurricane deck is on. 

Had a 2-3 month absence from the shipyard while camping in Florida. Now I am back at work on the Chaperon.  Here are the 2 latest photos.

Hello to everybody !!!
 
At first i want to thank you for your kind care and support
 
There are several reasons I did not post a while.
 
At first - puppy is demanding some of my free time, and if she is alone almost all day, I feel she is unhappy if I at the evening go down to workshop and left her alone again. Workshop is for now forbidden space for her for many reasons. Last couple of days I tried to test her, spending some hours in workshop working on my side "play-project" inspired by Chinese Ivory Balls
 
igranje.mp4
 
And test run well, so I think soon I will be back to Her Majesty. Rhea is 7 months old now, and she sleep when I am down in workshop.

The second - some extra time I had to spend in office, some extra time visiting doctors, and I want badly to spend some time more with my daughter before she left Serbia forever at Summer/Autumn. My cataract is on early stage, so eventually surgery is planed at February 2018 with further medical consultations. Some other medical research are running through (nothing serious), so my free time drop by drop - gone
 
The third - After almost two years my Admiral passed, I entered to particular complicated stage of my personal life starting some kind of relationship, also time demanding ... 
 
The fourth - to admit -  sometime I am just lazy, and still thinking how to resolve my boats
 
I really hope to return soon

I did not want to use the printed deck and instead cut out the mahogany to fit with the planked deck.  Borge used the same technique but was smart enough to cut the deck plan into four parts.  I thought I could do it one piece, but you guessed it, I ended up with four pieces.  However, the glue lines didn't show and an insert was placed to repair a split section.
 

 


Before filling in the defects, I experimented with stains. The mahogany was a rather dull brown and I wanted  the beauty of red mahogany.
The red mahogany stain (upper of four) gave the color I wanted.
 


However that left the defects in the deck to be filled. 
 
I learned from refinishing our real boat that sanding lightly with emory paper in a slury of varnish (acrylic poly dries too fast) fill the gaps with stained sawdust for a uniform appearance.  Attempting this before staining means the repaired areas will not take up the stain.
 

 

One can gain additional filler by staining identical scrap wood and using the sawdust.
 

The result after 10 to 12 coats of acrylic polyurethane.
 

The mahogany deck inserts before and after staining and finishing.
 

Update :
 
here we have the captain, just behind the the stb. bridge bulwark. He is proudly watching his baby plough the Atlantic, as the bow wake browses by. This little figurine, together with the gentleman and the two lady passengers in conversation two decks below, I`m proud to posess. They are a gorgious gift from MSW member "TLC", who saw that I was on the look for certain figurines in scale 1:144 or 1:160 N-gauge, specialy  the captain, and he so kindly merged the make of these with a young Bulgarian artist, who was producing miniature dolls and dollhouse articles. She herewith, first time attempted, custom made,  to do a long time searched for captain for the KWdG, and I know she did a top job on it.
Many thanks again at this ocasion to "TLC" and the young artist...
Now is the time to have these figurines boarding and placed on board at exponated positions.
 
Also today I received the etched brass wheels from "M.Z. Modellbau", Manfred Zinneckers webshop and they are correct in size and look top, so the telemotors could be completed, installed, and the hydraulics connected thereto. The bridge crew is now complete and doing its job...
 
Nils
 

Captain in scale 1:144 with moustarch and in his Norddeutscher Lloyd uniform....
 

the litte group of passengers, two ladies in their 1900- 1910 fashions in conversation with the gent at the railing on the forward promenade deck
 

one of the two telemotors after completion...
 

the little Revell color can for scaling
 
 

the nautical crew at work, hopefully they bring her safe to the port of destination
 

 
 

 
 

Part 12 – Knightheads
 
It has been almost 2 weeks since my last post.  The delay comes from two things: a lot of non-modeling activities and responsibilities; and a lot of time spent trying to work through the correct process for the next elements of the Kathryn build.
 
Part 11 dealt with the complexity of the stern timbering and my questions on how to proceed.  In addition to these questions, I was also a little perplexed about installing the knightheads – but these are simpler than the stern timbers, so I decided to tackle them first.
 
Before working on the knightheads or the stern timbers, I thought it would be a good idea to mark off the location of the deck clamps on each side of the model.  The clamps are 5-1/2” x 2-3/4”.  The drawings show the height of the bottom of the deck, so I measured down from this value for each frame and used the tools in the following photo to mark the lower edge of the deck clamp on each frame.
 
                        
 
The height gauge could be set to the nearest 1/1000, so I calculated the measurement to this value and used a straightedge to mark the bottom of the clamp on each frame, as in the following photo.
 
                        
 
I set the height gauge to the appropriate value, laid the small straightedge against the lower edge of the gauge, and marked the line using a .003 pencil.
 
In marking the clamp positions, it became apparent that the wires holding the temporary ribbands in place would interfere with the installation of the clamps.  Since ribbands needed to stay in place until after the clamps were installed, it was necessary to move the ribbands to a better position.  The solution was to install a full ribband lower down the hull from the original ribband and then, after removing the original ribband, to install a partial ribband on the forward frames – lower than the clamps, but high enough to achieve the correct fairing of the hull.
 
                        
 
The knightheads are 22” x 4”, and are tapered to fit against the inner stem (apron) at an angle that supports the side planks.  In reviewing the drawings of Kathryn, I didn’t see any other point of attachment for the knightheads, and I felt that this tapered edge wouldn’t provide much strength to the knightheads.  This question and the associated confusion on my part caused a delay of several days, so I finally asked a couple of friends who are very knowledgeable about skipjacks and Chesapeake workboats in general.  The answer was very instructive, and I thought I’d share the entire answer:
 
“by the time they were edge nailed to the apron, sandwiched between the sheer clamp and side planking, and notched into the front end of the covering board (sheer-plank) and king plank, and supported outboard by the log-rail and by the breast-hook(s) between them (often one under the sprit and/or one on top of the sprit.) they became a pretty formidable structure.
 
i learned that their function was to support the bowsprit against sideways forces in the same way as the partners support the mast.  also the extra thickness, and the nails therein, helped reinforce the bow planking against getting stove in and sprung out in the days of thick ice on the bay, and the hawse hole reinforcement was helpful too.
 
back in the old days (1995) when i helped rebuild thomas clyde they removed the knight heads. they then made a new apron and all new planking but no new knight heads - i was appalled and dismayed but them good-old-boys told me they din't really do nothin' and they rotted out fast.  as i was new on the job and my only expertise came from reading howard chapelle the night before, i backed off and the boat is still floating.  [doesn't look as nice though.  and we really did have any bad ice since then - and if we had they would have stayed in port anyway.]”
 
So with my questions answered I made the knightheads.  After the appropriate plank was milled it needed to be tapered to match the lay of the planks (based on the position of the ribbands).  The disk sander was set at the maximum angle and the taper was sanded into the knighthead plank.
 
                        
 
This initial shaping didn’t provide enough angle, so the final tapering was done using a fine stump cutter on a rotary tool.
 
                        
 
The following photo shows the starboard knighthead ready for installation.
 
                        
 
I tired several approaches to clamping the knightheads for gluing to the inner stem (apron), but the angle made this difficult.  I settled for using a couple of spots of medium viscosity CA glue in addition to the PVA glue.  After holding the knighthead in place for about a minute, the CA then acted as a ‘clamp’ until the PVA finished curing.
 
                        
 
The following photos show the knightheads installed.
 
                        
 
                        
 
In order to provide some additional strength on the model, 1/32” brass rod was used as structural bolts through the knightheads and into the inner stem, and was epoxied in place.
 
                        
 
Some progress has also been made on the stern timbers, and will be covered in the next post.
 
Thanks everyone!
 

Hi Carabrente,
 
There are many ways to add a riser for the column. I choose to do the riser in 4 aluminium parts 1,000 inch thick.
the first is screwed to the column
the second and the third are in sandwiched between the first and forth
the forth one ties all the 4 blocks together
Last the base is screwed to the column

Finished up the topmast ratlines and and then started on the ladders. I am assuming that there are ladders on each mast up from the crosstrees. What I am not sure of is how they are attached at the lower cross tree. Are they just attached at the lower eyebolts or if there is a block and tackle to tighten the ladder as it stretches over time? I cannot seem to find a detail that shows the lower end of the ladder. Hopefully someone can share the answer. 
 

 

Now to make a couple of more ladders.

Don't forget to neutralize it when your done bleaching. I believe baking soda is the preferred neutralizer.
 
Rebecca Whitman's book "Brightwork" recommends a thick paste of oxalic acid crystals in hot water.
 
But I've given up on bleaching wood. My new toerails are iroko. I'll post pics when I get them installed.
 
Harvey

Yep. Makes sense to me. I'll be getting there someday. . .
 
Harvey

How do you like AYC for shipmodeling Chuck? I've heard that it's an oily wood and can be hard to glue. But it's a wonderful wood for carving-I've made numberboards for our boat using Alaskan Yellow Cedar, and it was great to work with-reminded me of a softer boxwood. I plan to carve trailboards for Amie using AYC.
 
Thanks,
 
Harvey

Don't forget to neutralize it when your done bleaching. I believe baking soda is the preferred neutralizer.
 
Rebecca Whitman's book "Brightwork" recommends a thick paste of oxalic acid crystals in hot water.
 
But I've given up on bleaching wood. My new toerails are iroko. I'll post pics when I get them installed.
 
Harvey

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 210 - Mainstay
 
Once the main shrouds were installed the main stay was next.  Like the lower shrouds and the forestay, this was 10 ½" rope.  The first picture shows the main shrouds in place and tensioned, and the mainstay rigged so the served areas could be marked out.
 

 
The shackled bullseyes and eyebolts through the main deck beams were installed earlier.  In the next picture the stay has been served and leathered and is rigged to allow the glue on the leathering to dry in position before painting.
 

 
The stay is clamped where a collar seizing will be placed after the stay is secured at the fore ends.  In the next picture the first seizing at the lower port end has been tied.
 

 
The lower ends of the stay are served as well as the collar at the top.  In the next picture frapping turns to the first seizing on the port side are being made with the aid of a sewing needle.
 

 
The next picture shows the four seizings on each leg completed.
 
 
 
I was very pleased that the stay clears the chafing battens on the mast by about six inches and is just inside the sheet bitts, so I may not install the spreader that was used if needed to keep the stays outside the mast.  The smaller bullseyes inside and just aft of those for the main stay will anchor the main topmast stay and will hopefully fit as well as the first.
 
The last picture shows the completed main stay with the collar seizing applied below the top.
 

 
The sheer poles have yet to be installed on the main shrouds and the lanyards are still dangling loose.
 
 
Ed

Thanks for all the likes.
 
Greg, I am going to build a cradle to display the model.
 
And now for the update.  All of the square frames are installed.  She is starting to look like a ship.  This week I will work on cutting out all of the half frames and cant and hawse timbers.  I also need to figure out the best way to make the transom timbers as well.
 
Anyways, here are the pictures.

Don't forget to neutralize it when your done bleaching. I believe baking soda is the preferred neutralizer.
 
Rebecca Whitman's book "Brightwork" recommends a thick paste of oxalic acid crystals in hot water.
 
But I've given up on bleaching wood. My new toerails are iroko. I'll post pics when I get them installed.
 
Harvey

Don't forget to neutralize it when your done bleaching. I believe baking soda is the preferred neutralizer.
 
Rebecca Whitman's book "Brightwork" recommends a thick paste of oxalic acid crystals in hot water.
 
But I've given up on bleaching wood. My new toerails are iroko. I'll post pics when I get them installed.
 
Harvey

Don't forget to neutralize it when your done bleaching. I believe baking soda is the preferred neutralizer.
 
Rebecca Whitman's book "Brightwork" recommends a thick paste of oxalic acid crystals in hot water.
 
But I've given up on bleaching wood. My new toerails are iroko. I'll post pics when I get them installed.
 
Harvey

Don't forget to neutralize it when your done bleaching. I believe baking soda is the preferred neutralizer.
 
Rebecca Whitman's book "Brightwork" recommends a thick paste of oxalic acid crystals in hot water.
 
But I've given up on bleaching wood. My new toerails are iroko. I'll post pics when I get them installed.
 
Harvey

Pinnace
Now I will concentrate on one boat at a time. The pinnace is the first. The plans call for 1/64” thick footlings but don’t specify their width. The US Navy plans show these are 5” x 1” or about 1/16” x 1/64” but the kit does not provide 1/64” wood stock. Using the Byrnes saw and some of the kit wood stock (I forget which size I used), that was easily remedied. I painted the cut pieces first and then glued them into place using 1/32” wide spacers.

I have moved on to the topmast shroud lines; pretty much the same with the exception of the sheer poles which I used 1/32" rod which does not bend under shroud line tautness when tightening. The staves at the top were added and I used clamping tweezers to hold the lines flat while glue set. I also used a threaded line as a reference point while tightening the shrouds so as not to pull the masts out of alignment. I made sure the mast were tightly fitted at the deck when fitting them to the deck; however the top masts are indexed at the top and are more subject to moving when adding the shroud lines.
 
I am also adding the top mast stay lines while also working on the ratlines. This way I can move back and forth while waiting for glue to set.
 

 

 

Shroud lines in place; no staining until the end of the rigging is accomplished for all shrouds and ratlines.

 
 
Now back to rigging.

The fourth production

 

 

 

 

Thanks Dan and Mark for your attention.
 
"Fascinating to say the least.  How long did it that the CNC to make the figurehead?"
 
Some areas that not carved by maching need secondary processing, it took me total about 18-20 hours to complete a primary processing- 0.8mm millcut/0.05mm stepover.
 

The keel is now in 4  or 5 parts and extensive milling has been worked almost completely.
Both extremities are taper but only at the height of the frames to allow the external planking to fit flush with the keel.
The keel beams are not tapered they remain full.
I am beginning to fit the ''lock beam'' above the frames.
When this part will be completed, beams will be assembled.
The fitting of the beams on the keel is done at this stage because it is easier to manipulate just a part of the frame instead of the entire frame.

Well... I'm not breaking any speed build records here but I have made some progress. deck planks on, trimmed & stained. I kept fiddling with the hull finish to the point that you can no longer see the plank lines through the paint... not what I had intended but at this point, I have a fairly decent shape and it has enough slight imperfections so as not to look like a fiberglass hull and not so much that it looks like a botched model. 
 
I had resigned myself to the idea that I'll need to put a new mahogany veneer on the transom so I figured I'd paint the one that's on there and see how I liked that look... and I like it... I think I'm going to keep the paint the same color as the hull.