AnobiumPunctatum

I can only second Marcs words. Your logs are really helpful

I can only second Marcs words. Your logs are really helpful

I can only second Marcs words. Your logs are really helpful

I can only second Marcs words. Your logs are really helpful

Chuck,
Your logs are one of those that set the standards for tutorials.     Beautiful smithy work.

Today I've finished the drawing work for the frames. 55 frames and 26 cant frames are a lot stuff, which I have to build now.
 
The following picture shows frame 10a for example.
 

 
Now I have to clean up my work room and prepare the building board. I hope I've nothing forgotten so that I can make sawdust and start the build of my model

Today I've finished the drawing work for the frames. 55 frames and 26 cant frames are a lot stuff, which I have to build now.
 
The following picture shows frame 10a for example.
 

 
Now I have to clean up my work room and prepare the building board. I hope I've nothing forgotten so that I can make sawdust and start the build of my model

Today I've finished the drawing work for the frames. 55 frames and 26 cant frames are a lot stuff, which I have to build now.
 
The following picture shows frame 10a for example.
 

 
Now I have to clean up my work room and prepare the building board. I hope I've nothing forgotten so that I can make sawdust and start the build of my model

Today I've finished the drawing work for the frames. 55 frames and 26 cant frames are a lot stuff, which I have to build now.
 
The following picture shows frame 10a for example.
 

 
Now I have to clean up my work room and prepare the building board. I hope I've nothing forgotten so that I can make sawdust and start the build of my model

The channels are in and I added the eyebolts to the exterior of the hull.  I also drilled the scuppers which was pretty straight forward.  Then I started to fabricate the plates for the backstays.   These were made using 1/64" x 3/32" brass strips.   The K&S strips are soft and can be filed easily to shape.  You can see the progression of steps used to make them.  There will be three chainplates on each side of the hull.
 
I started by drilling the hole at the bottom and rounding it off.
 
Then I used a round file to notch the strips on both sides as shown in step two.  This will be the top of the chain plate where it gets thinner.
 
In step three I used a flat file to extend that thinner portion on top so I could bend it into a loop like making an eyebolt.
 
Step four is where I cut off the top excess strip and tapered the bottom portion so it got slightly narrower as it worked its way to the top.
 
The last two examples show the chainplate completed with the thin portion of the brass on top bent into a loop.  This will get a hooked tackle when it comes time to rig the back stays.   I used small little brass pins....you know the ones...they come in every kit and I have a whole bunch of them.
 
Next its on to the deadeyes and chainplates for the channels.  Its really the same procedure to make those except we will add a stroped deadeye to the top of each.
 
The outboard details are almost all complete.  Once the deadeyes are completed there is only the rudder and fixed block on the stem.  Then we finish up inboard!!!!
 

 

 

Young America 1853 – POB 1:96
Part 34 – Main Deck Finishing
 
After all the deck planking was installed, it had to be leveled off and finished.  Regardless of how well the plywood bulkheads and the added under-deck supports are faired off beforehand, it will be necessary to level off the planking using a combination of filing with flat rifflers and/or sanding with coarse (say 120-grit) paper.  If you are building the model, I hope you will pay more attention to the bulkhead fairing work than I did.  My fairing could have been a bit more thorough.  The deck has some waviness, but only those permitted to touch it will notice.  Regardless of the perfection of the bulkhead fairing, it will be prudent to start with heavier deck planks – say 4 ½” thick vs. the final 3 ½”.
 
The first picture shows some 220-grit finish sanding being done after all the irregularities between planks were leveled out using a flat riffler.
 

 
I used this model to experiment with deck finish.  On the larger model, beeswax thinned with turpentine was used on all unpainted wood – after more extensive sanding and polishing.  After sanding with 220-grit, I finished this decking with water based, acrylic sanding sealer thinned to about 50% with water – two coats, each sanded smooth – 220-grit then 320-grit.  The planking was then coated with acrylic gloss artists’ varnish.  Two coats, thinned, each sanded with 320-grit and then rubbed with Scotchbrite® grey then white grades.  This left a silky satin finish on the deck.  Simulated deck fastenings were embossed after the first coat of varnish.  I used a piece of syringe tubing for this and felt that the varnished surface would better resist pulling out small plugs.
 
Deck fastenings on these ships were normally iron spikes driven into counter-bored holes that were later filled with wood plugs that usually matched the decking.  The next picture shows the embossing in progress.
 

 
For this work a length of syringe was held in a pin vise that could then be lightly tapped with a hammer.  I was very careful to emboss all fastenings directly over bulkheads or other under-deck supports to avoid the possibility of breaking the planks.  I used a light pencil line across the deck for each row, then alternated fastenings on either side of the line.
 
The next picture shows the tools used for this.
 

 
The syringe tubing had an OD of about 1 ½” and a sharp bevel was stoned around its end.  I used a scriber point to flare out the end slightly to avoid plugs being jammed in and pulled out.  The second pin vise shown was fitted with a small drill to use for cleaning out the end of the syringe as it became fouled.
 
After this embossing work, the deck was sanded with 320-grit paper and rubbed out with Scotchbrite®  in preparation for the final varnish coat.  This was then applied, left to dry, sanded with 320-grit, and finally rubbed out with grey then white grades of Scotchbrite®.  This left a polished sheen on the deck as shown in the next picture.
 

 
I felt that the acrylic varnish worked out quite well.  It dried hard enough to be rubbed out and polished to the sheen I was looking for.  Below is a picture of some of the finishing materials and brushes used on the model.
 

 
The finish used on the decks was Liquitex® High Gloss Varnish applied with the flat synthetic brushes shown.   High gloss finishes contain no flatting agents so they can be rubbed out to the desired sheen without being limited by the dulling agents used in semi-gloss or matte finishes.  The Scotchbrite® pads mentioned above were used for this and are shown in the picture.  The black Golden Fluid Acrylic® shown in the picture was used on the hull finish – to be described later.
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 125 – Helm
 
First, thank you, Bob.  Gross exaggeration, of course, but much appreciated nonetheless.
 
The term helm refers to all the equipment and structures associated with the rudder.  Unlike earlier ships where the wheel operated a tiller that turned the rudder by means of a system of ropes and sheaves, most ships of the clipper era used gear driven machinery to rotate the rudder.  It is most likely that Young America used a mechanism consisting of reversed thread worm gears that drove a collar at the top of the rudder post.  Gearing of this type had more mechanical advantage and resisted reverse forces generated by pressure on the rudder.  Wheels could therefore be single and smaller even though the ships were larger and faster.  Higher speeds put more stress on the rudder.
 
I did not intend to model the rudder machinery, given the scale and the fact that it is enclosed from view. (The small wheel was enough of a challenge for me.)  However, the lower part of the heavy machine base that supported the gearing would be visible because the rudder enclosure is open at the bottom.  The first picture shows the rudder shaft and a brass turning that models the lower part of the cast iron machine base.
 

 
In the next picture the rudder head has been shortened and the iron base blackened.
 

 
The base was simply glued to the deck using medium viscosity CA.  The next picture shows the completed helm enclosure waiting for the wheel.
 

 
The enclosure is fixed temporarily to the deck on wire pins into the corner posts.  This will allow the helm - with the fragile wheel - to be left off the model where it will be safe from damage as other work proceeds. 
 
In the next picture the wheel axle has been fitted into a solid block inside the enclosure and two small grated platforms have been installed to help keep the helmsman’s feet dry.
 

 
The helm enclosure was made by the same methods used on the other deck structures so I will not describe that here.  The last picture shows the completed helm with the wheel fitted.
 

 
I was fortunate to be able to use some grating left over from the 1:96 Victory model – just enough for the two raised platforms.  I will cover making the wheel in the next part.
 
 
Ed
 

I've taken the first step in the deck planking process. I made and installed the margin planks and waterway. I am doing the deck planking in holly, so the the margin planks were done with holly sheet and strip. The bow sections were cut from holly sheet, using card templates. The remaining sections were done by edge bending holly strip. The small pieces at the stern were shaped and beveled to fit. The waterway was made from 1/32" square strip that was rounded and painted red before installation.
 
I also painted black the areas under the gratings and skylight. Finally, before moving on to the deck planking itself, I drilled holes for the bulwark eyebolts and ringbolts. This was done now to avoid interference during drilling from the deck structures that will be installed prior to deck planking. The eyebolts were installed now. The ringbolts will be done at the time that the guns are installed and rigged.
 
Bob
 
 
 
 
 

Rigging progress update....
 
No attempt to describe the rigging sequence here, as Chuck P will be doing a much better job in that area in his continued development of his Cheerful build log.
 
Following his plan sheets and calling on him for a few clarifications along the way, I have managed to arrive at this point of being approximately 80% rigged.

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Next, I will rig the shrouds and begin the hateful task of tying rat lines.
Then, the yards.... already built.
Then, anchors, and flags, and name plate....
Then, display base.
Then I have to finish up the little decoy ship.
 
Much to do yet, but I think I will make it before my December 4th deadline.

......
 
                            an affectionate greeting to all   rekon54

Thank you John, Ben, David and Greg.
 
All the frames have been assembled, now I can start fitting them to the keel.
 
I started by gluing the three Deadflat frames together, using spacers and Fillers of the appropriate thickness :
 

 

 
Then I set the assembly up on the board, using the acrylic square I built for Vulture's frames. A little bit of finessing on the slots for the keel was needed to get a good tight fit. The board and square, and also the two temporary supports, ensure that each frame goes up correctly :
 

 

 
  Danny

I made an error in the building sequence and I should have installed the main mastpartner earlier. Now I got a bit into trouble getting it in at this stage. I had to take a shortcut and omitted half lapping the carlings under the deck beam. After the gratings are installed this won't be visible, but I'm confessing this error anyway :-)
 
Getting the pump tubes right was a bit of trial and error but after not to much work they were in place without to much hassle, I guess I was lucky today. I added iron bands at the end of the tubes from thin paper.
 

 

 

 

 
Remco
 

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 124 – Skylights
 
There were two glazed skylights on the poop deck that provided light and sometimes ventilation to the cabin deck below.  The two completed skylights are shown below.
 

 
The frames for the lights were made of interlocking parts with lap joints cut on the milling machine using a 1/32” bit in the setup shown below.
 

 
Slots were milled to one-half depth in a 3” thick pear blank, then sliced to size with a thin slotting saw blade on the Preac saw as shown below.
 

 
Slots for one long side/mullion and two short sides/mullions were milled into the blank.  The next two pictures show the frame assembly.  My shaky hands required the parts to be held in place for this work.  I used sticky side up masking tape for this as shown.
 

 
The next picture shows the finished frame before final overall sizing and sanding.
 

 
The paneled walls for the skylights were made by the same method used for the companions, then painted white and fitted with natural wood corner posts.  Both frames and a ridge rafter have been positioned on the aft skylight enclosure in the next picture.
 

 
In the last picture the frames have been glued to the enclosure and protective brass wire bars and wire hinges added.
 

 
After dropping this last frame into the cabin deck and fishing it out twice, I added the masking tape.  This forward skylight was constructed with one side open, held up by two small wood supports.  In this picture the after skylight has had beeswax/turpentine finish applied.
 
 
Ed

Hi Anthony,
 
sorry for the late reply.
 
I'am still learning how to develop the cant frames. Last month I got a copy of the Shipbuilders Repsoitory. I hope that I will fid there some new information. In the moment I am working the frame drawings for my second project. After starting the build of my sloop I will also continue the drawing work for the cutter project.

Young America 1853 – POB 1:96
Part 32 – Waterways, Binding Strakes, Margin Planks
 
Before deck planking could be extended out to the sides, the waterways, binding strakes and margin planks needed to be installed.  I worked on all these things concurrently – partly to break the monotony of deck planking and also to fill the time it took glued planks to dry.
 
The first picture shows the blue waterway is installed on the starboard side.
 

 
Installation of these members on the POB version is identical to the installation on the framed model and is covered in detail in the book and to a lesser extent on the 1:72 blog.
 
The next picture shows the binding strakes being installed.  I made these structural members with Castello to distinguish them from the ordinary holly deck plank.  These members are also joined at the ends with hook scarphs.
 

 
The next picture shows these members and some of the holly margin planking installed at the bow.
 

 
Deck planking at the bow has begun in this picture.  Planks have been notched as necessary to fit around the installed Samson post.  In the next picture a barrette file is being used to clean up the inside edge of the margin plank on the port side.
 

 
The next picture shows all three members installed on both sides of the forward hull.
 

 
After the planks were installed, they were cut out to allow room for the bowsprit to fit against the forward bulkhead below the deck,
 

 
Installing the planks then cutting the opening ensures that the strakes will be aligned.  Of course all this forward planking will be covered by the forecastle.
 
The next picture shows the decking approaching the margin planks at the side.
 

 
Each plank is cut into the margin plank at one-half of its width.  The planks were tapered back to the point of the next cutting.  This process will be covered in the next part.
 
In the last picture the planking is being levelled out with a flat riffler prior to sanding.
 

 
The straight, parallel strakes of decking were continued outward until the gaps at the margin plank were completely closed.  This final fitting will be covered in part 33.
 
 
Ed

I'm getting there - 10 frames glued together, 7 left to go. To hold each frame in position I use double-sided tape to stick it to the template, and then hair clips to keep the joint tight until it dries. Like I did with the full model, I'm using scarph joints in the port side and chocks in the open starboard side :
 

 

 
  Danny

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 123 – Companions
 
Once the three ladderways into the lower decks were installed, the companion structures over these three hatchways could be constructed.  Before describing construction the completed two aft of the main mast are shown in the first picture.
 

 
All three structures are similar, with entry doors and a sliding panel to close them off when not in use.  They are fairly intricate structures.  In the one to the left in the picture the doors and sliding cap have been left open.  Unfinished wood on these has been finished with beeswax/turpentine.
 
The first step in making these is shown in the next picture.  The side and forward walls are paneled.  The first step in making the paneling was to trim long pieces with thin horizontal strips. 
 

 
The total thickness of these laminates is about 2 ½” (.035” act.).  These pieces were then cut to fit the coamings and trimmed out as shown below.
 

 
In the next picture one of these is being fitted into the rabbet on one of the head ledges.
 

 
When the three sides were  trimmed to size, they were painted white, fitted with natural wood corner posts and installed on the coamings as shown below.
 

 
Additional internal members and the outer roof planks were then added as shown in the next picture.
 

 
Next, the remaining roof planks, excluding the slide rails, were installed and painted blue.
 

 
The rails, door jambs, door and a closing cross piece were then added as shown below.
 

 
One of the sliding caps that were made to fit over the rails is shown in the picture.
 
The last picture shows the companion over the forward hatch.  The double-door entry to each of these was fitted with very simple brass wire hardware.
 

 
Next will be the two skylights on the poop deck.
 
 
Ed
 

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 122 – Ladderways
 
With the two larger deck cabins constructed, it was time to turn to the several smaller deck structures.  These include three companionways, two skylights, two small lockers at the forecastle break and the paneled housing for the rudder mechanism.  I thought this work would be the next logical step, before moving on to the several fife rails and the machinery – the windlass, bilge pump, capstans and wheel.
 
In preparation for making and placing ladders and stairs – work that must be done before constructing the companion structures – I had to finally decide the time period to base the model on.  Young America had a long life – 30 years.  Changes were made.  I had tentatively decided to aim for the period after installation of the Howes double topsails (1854) and after pole masts were installed above the topmasts (1860’s?).  Apart from my interest in these features, the two existing photographs of the ship were taken after these modifications.  These photos are the best primary data source available and I spend a lot of time going over them with a magnifying glass.  The photos clearly show two features that differ from the basis I initially used for the drawings and model.  First, the entryway is shown well aft, adjacent to the mizzen mast.  Also, there is a large area of each upper bulwark removed astride the main hatch.  This was undoubtedly to facilitate loading and unloading cargo.  The first picture shows the modification of the bulwarks to incorporate this feature.
 

 
This change also required modifications to the pin rails to move belayed rigging clear of this area.  The next picture shows me cutting the new entryway on the starboard side.  The pin rails in this area were also cut out.
 

 
The decision was now irrevocable, so I can stop thinking about it.  The next picture shows the completed entryways.
 

 
 The method I use for stairs and ladders was fully described in Naiad, Vol II and to some extent in earlier posts.  I use a milling machine to precisely set the angle, depth, and spacing of the treads on the stringers.  The first picture shows this in progress.
 

 
Mirror images of the cuts need to be made.  The stringer material is 4” thick and the slots are cut 2” deep and 9” apart.  The blade is about 2 ½” thick.  I used a 4” (actual) diameter blade so the work will clear the underside of the motor.  You can see by the shortness of the last two cuts that I ran into the column on the mill – but there was still enough material to make all of the 25 degree stairs.  The ladders at the entryway were 15 degrees.  This piece was then ripped into stringer pairs.
 
The next picture shows a pair with treads being fitted.
 

 
After installing the first two as shown, I fitted the other stringer and then slid in the remaining treads.  The next picture shows the finished assembly being sanded to even out the treads.
 

 
The next picture shows a stair assembly fitted into the aft main deck hatch.  There are three of these companion hatchways.
 

 
The last picture shows six of the nine ladder assemblies installed. 
 

 
There is also one into the forward hatch and two at the forecastle break.  These last two were made but will not be installed until the windlass is in place.  With this work done, the companionway enclsores can be constructed – next time.
 
 
Ed
 
 
 

Thank you Greg and Albert .
 
In case you thought I hadn't been doing much lately (yeah, a bit of "life" did get in the way ) I've cut all the frame pieces. Who'd have thought there were THIS many just for a little cross-section :
 

 
  Danny

Hi, yesterday I visited my friend Aldo, you showed the photos of the model that has just finished