Dan Vadas

Capstans
 
The start of the Capstans. There are two of them - the Lower Capstan on the Upper Deck, and the Upper Capstan on the Quarterdeck above it. They are joined together between decks to work as one. I'm using English Box for all the components - some of them are quite small and require a very good timber.
 
The Lower Capstan Barrel has 10 flats milled into it to take 5 Whelps, and the Upper Capstan has 12 flats and 6 whelps. I decided to turn and mill both together for ease of setting up. They will be separated between decks for installation purposes.
 
I used the Dividing Attachment on my Sherline mill to cut the flats :
 

 

 
Then I turned down the centre portion :
 

 

 
I've also started making the Whelps. The ones for the Upper and Lower Capstans are of different sizes, there is also a corresponding difference in angles. I'm also using the Mill to cut the angles, with the aid of the Tilting Table :
 

 
  Danny

Thanks for looking in Christian. BTW - there are four eyebolts immediately either side of the Main Mast and three on each side adjacent to it that should also be drilled and fitted before any work begins on the Pump Cranks. I'll drill these now and show you the updates later.
 
Hi all,
 
The final part of the Chain Pump setup - I've glued in the Pillars at the aft ends of the cranks. I was bumping and bending the aft ends of the cranks quite a bit, so I figured it was time to stabilize the whole structure. This meant fitting the 3rd Quarterdeck Beam as well :
 

 

 
My Aft Hatch is a little out of alignment - it's actually 2mm too short. I knew this a while ago - the problem is much further down. The Lower Well was slightly too far forward (2mm to be precise) and things further upwards had to be shifted to accommodate this. I'm not about to rip up two decks to fix an otherwise minor error properly .
 
  Danny

Thanks to Ben, Geoff, Adrieke, David, John and Shaz .
 
 
They already have : Proxxon Right-Angle Drill . Unfortunately, I don't own one - yet.
 
 
In round figures - NONE . The last time I can remember breaking a drill bit was when I tried to go just a bit too far up a piece of round bar in my lathe - that was about 6 months ago .
 
 
Concretor (32 years), Industrial Painter, Forklift Driver and Truck Driver (last 13 years). Model building is my escape from all that .
 
 
Shaz, I'm coming from the exact same place as you - I knew nothing about REAL ships either until I joined MSW. I started out with just making Kits as per instructions (some a bit better than others), found MSW and all the guys who REALLY know ships, bought a few books recommended by them and went on from there to Kit-bashing and now Scratchbuilding. It's been a great learning experience, and I'm STILL learning every day - and will be until the day comes when I can no longer do this hobby for whatever reason (death of old age probably ).
 
  Danny

Thanks Janos and Joe .
 
To those other Swan builders (and anyone else for that matter) who intend fitting Guns to their ship I STRONGLY advise that you drill the holes for the Breeching Rope and Port Tackle Eyebolts BEFORE you add too much Upper Deck "furniture". This can get a bit awkward if you don't :
 

 
  Danny

Forward Stanchions, Cistern Hood and Pump Dale
 
Hi all,
 
The last few things for the Pump Assemblies (almost) - I've made the Forward support Stanchions, the port side Cistern Hood and the Pump Dale for the same side. None will be fitted to the starboard side.
 
The Stanchions support the forward ends of the Cranks :
 

 

 
The Cistern Hood is made from 1mm thick side pieces and 0.35mm boards over the top :
 

 

 
The Pump Dale is a removable item on the real ship - it would be a constant trip hazard otherwise. It is made from four pieces of 0.5mm thick timber, and attaches to the cistern via a board which can be lifted upwards :
 

 

 

 

 
  Danny

Yeah John, I'm pretty happy with the amount of work I did this weekend - especially with how detailed all this is .
 
Hi all,
 
The last couple of things for the Pumps - two Bungs, complete with handles, and the Latch that secures the Cistern Hood :
 

 

 
  Danny

Thank you very much for the kind comments Eric and Frank .
 
Continuing on with the Capstan, the next job was to finish shaping the Whelps. Looking from above they form a wedge shape, with the outer edge 2" thicker than the inner. To cut these angles I made a wedge-shaped block of scrap timber which I lightly PVA'd to the underside of the piece that I'd Milled the faces to. I cut one edge on all 11 pieces, then I used Isopropyl to remove the wedge, let the alcohol evaporate thoroughly, and glued it back to the opposite side to cut the other angle :
 

 

 

 

 
After cutting them all to length I set the saw blade to protrude just 0.25mm above the bed. I carefully marked the positions of two of the Chock Scarphs in one each of the Upper and Lower Whelps (there is a slight difference in them), set the fence to the first cut and did all of them. Then I reset the fence for the other 3 measurements and cut all the remaining ones :
 

 
The two on the left in the pic above have only been cut on the saw. The two on the right have had the Mortices cut into them. I used a #11 Xacto to cut the angles - they were quite easy to do, owing to the saw cuts.
 
Another pic showing the wedge-shapes of the whelps :
 

 
  Danny

YES PLEASE - all your Tutorials on how you make those (words fail me - brilliant, superb, etc etc) Carving moldings were lost in the Crash. We'd love to see your method again - along with all the other great tips you had on before.
 
By the way - your English is very good ... a lot better than my Czech (I don't know one word of Czech ).
 
  Danny

How To Add Pictures in your Posts and PMs
 
1. Open the Edit Box by clicking the "Edit" at the bottom of the Post :
 

 
2. Click on the "Full Editor" button :
 

 
3. Click on the "Choose Files" button :
 

 
This will open a Dialog Box to your Computer Files. Select the picture file you want to add and click "Save" (or "Open") to upload the picture.
 
4. Place the Cursor where you want the picture added. You can use the Icons (circled) to position it on the line :
 

 
5. Click on the "Add to Post" text under the Thumbnail of the picture. This adds the Attachment Code into the message at the position you selected :
 

 
6. You can add more Text after the picture if you want, or add more pictures (limit of 8 per Post).
 

 
 
7. Click on the "Submit" button. You can use the "Preview" button to make sure your layout is OK before clicking Submit. If you need to Edit your Post again simply restart the process by clicking on "Edit" again. You MUST use the "Full Editor" to post extra Pictures.
 

 
A view of the completed Post with Text and Picture Added :
 

.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS TUTORIAL IS FROM THE PREVIOUS VERSION OF MSW AND NO LONGER WORKS AS DESCRIBED. AN UPDATED VERSION WILL BE POSTED SHORTLY.

Capstans
 
The start of the Capstans. There are two of them - the Lower Capstan on the Upper Deck, and the Upper Capstan on the Quarterdeck above it. They are joined together between decks to work as one. I'm using English Box for all the components - some of them are quite small and require a very good timber.
 
The Lower Capstan Barrel has 10 flats milled into it to take 5 Whelps, and the Upper Capstan has 12 flats and 6 whelps. I decided to turn and mill both together for ease of setting up. They will be separated between decks for installation purposes.
 
I used the Dividing Attachment on my Sherline mill to cut the flats :
 

 

 
Then I turned down the centre portion :
 

 

 
I've also started making the Whelps. The ones for the Upper and Lower Capstans are of different sizes, there is also a corresponding difference in angles. I'm also using the Mill to cut the angles, with the aid of the Tilting Table :
 

 
  Danny

All under control John - there's not much aft of here until I get to the Lower Capstan (my next job, and one I've been looking forward to .
 
Janos - your methods may well work, but they sound like too much hard work for this situation (and I'm with John - I'd probably set MY ship on fire as well ). Thanks for the tips, and I'll use them if I have to - these ones drilled FAIRLY easily, although a couple are done on a bit of an angle ... easily corrected when I fit the eyebolts.
 
Christian (et al Swan Builders) - here are the eyebolts holes I mentioned earlier. TFFM mention them a few steps further down the track (9.33 and 9.34 - would have been a lot better earlier on before the Pumps   ) :
 

 

 
The ones adjacent to the Main Mast Partners will be "sort of" the same on all the other Swans - Vulture's partners are on an angle rather than parallel to the centre line. I've done a bit of my own "shipwrighting" here - the eyebolts would have to be drilled into the Partner Carlings, which is what I've done. I've also placed each one on a Ledge.
 
  Danny

Capstans
 
The start of the Capstans. There are two of them - the Lower Capstan on the Upper Deck, and the Upper Capstan on the Quarterdeck above it. They are joined together between decks to work as one. I'm using English Box for all the components - some of them are quite small and require a very good timber.
 
The Lower Capstan Barrel has 10 flats milled into it to take 5 Whelps, and the Upper Capstan has 12 flats and 6 whelps. I decided to turn and mill both together for ease of setting up. They will be separated between decks for installation purposes.
 
I used the Dividing Attachment on my Sherline mill to cut the flats :
 

 

 
Then I turned down the centre portion :
 

 

 
I've also started making the Whelps. The ones for the Upper and Lower Capstans are of different sizes, there is also a corresponding difference in angles. I'm also using the Mill to cut the angles, with the aid of the Tilting Table :
 

 
  Danny

Capstans
 
The start of the Capstans. There are two of them - the Lower Capstan on the Upper Deck, and the Upper Capstan on the Quarterdeck above it. They are joined together between decks to work as one. I'm using English Box for all the components - some of them are quite small and require a very good timber.
 
The Lower Capstan Barrel has 10 flats milled into it to take 5 Whelps, and the Upper Capstan has 12 flats and 6 whelps. I decided to turn and mill both together for ease of setting up. They will be separated between decks for installation purposes.
 
I used the Dividing Attachment on my Sherline mill to cut the flats :
 

 

 
Then I turned down the centre portion :
 

 

 
I've also started making the Whelps. The ones for the Upper and Lower Capstans are of different sizes, there is also a corresponding difference in angles. I'm also using the Mill to cut the angles, with the aid of the Tilting Table :
 

 
  Danny

Capstans
 
The start of the Capstans. There are two of them - the Lower Capstan on the Upper Deck, and the Upper Capstan on the Quarterdeck above it. They are joined together between decks to work as one. I'm using English Box for all the components - some of them are quite small and require a very good timber.
 
The Lower Capstan Barrel has 10 flats milled into it to take 5 Whelps, and the Upper Capstan has 12 flats and 6 whelps. I decided to turn and mill both together for ease of setting up. They will be separated between decks for installation purposes.
 
I used the Dividing Attachment on my Sherline mill to cut the flats :
 

 

 
Then I turned down the centre portion :
 

 

 
I've also started making the Whelps. The ones for the Upper and Lower Capstans are of different sizes, there is also a corresponding difference in angles. I'm also using the Mill to cut the angles, with the aid of the Tilting Table :
 

 
  Danny

Thank you for your comments, Danny and Sjors.
To Danny:  No problem to explain how I create this or that. I usually take some pics (sometimes videos) from the process - it is better to understand the tutorial and description.
 
After two days of careful work i have finished the capstan - it is made according to plans from the book Anatomy of Royal Caroline.

I used wood (nut), card and self-adhesive foils (with wooden and gilded look - for the star on the top). The nail heads are created with thick colour ( gun metal + flat black - mini acrylic paint from Tamiya). For application I use a metal tip from micro-pencil (0,3mm).
 



 

YES PLEASE - all your Tutorials on how you make those (words fail me - brilliant, superb, etc etc) Carving moldings were lost in the Crash. We'd love to see your method again - along with all the other great tips you had on before.
 
By the way - your English is very good ... a lot better than my Czech (I don't know one word of Czech ).
 
  Danny

Hi all,
 
I've had several requests to show how I built some special clamps that come in particularly useful if you are building a Fully Framed hull. They could also come in handy for other more "conventional" builds.
 
 

 
 
There are three types of Clamp :
 
1. The first goes between Frames to hold internal or external planks.
2. "Spreader" clamps that hold internal planking.
3. Parallel clamps that don't pull two pieces out of line like normal spring clamps have a tendency to do.
 
Full Credit for these clamps goes to EdT (Ed Tosti) - I'm only showing my method of copying his ideas. Ed's are probably of superior quality to mine - I've used a more simplified approach that can be done fairly easily by most builders using common Right-Hand threaded screws.
 
"Between the Frames" Clamps
 
 
In Use :
 
 
These are made from 3/4" x 5/32" (19mm x 4mm) brass machine screws or threaded bar and matching Wing Nuts - I found them at Bunnings, but they should be available at any reasonably good Hardware Store. The other brass part is some thin brass strip - I used 0.5mm. Note that you can use any sizes of screws and strip - I just used whatever I had "on hand" or could buy easily. I wouldn't go much thinner than the 0.5mm strip though - it's plenty strong enough and will fit right down into very narrow gaps between frames.
 
I cut the heads off the screws, cut a 4mm deep slot into the cut-off end and Silver Soldered the two pieces together. Then I drilled a 2.5mm hole to accept the 2mm Pin. A bit of "oversize" makes it a lot easier to push the pin through the hole.
 
The wooden pieces are made from a good hardwood - I used Australian Cherry Ballart because I had quite a bit of it in stock, but any other close-grained hardwood would do the job. A 2mm hole was drilled for the pin - this needs to be a good but "easy" slide-in fit.
 
The only item of note not shown in the pics below is some extra bracing I glued to one face of the larger block - this prevents the wood from splitting when pressure is applied. It strengthens the saw cut (these pics were taken before I had my first "Block Failure"). Note the direction of the grain in the large block.
 
 

 

 
 
 
Spreader Clamps
 
 
In Use :
 
 
These Clamps are particularly useful when you need to clamp planking etc and can't use one of the "Between the Frames" clamps, although they can be used in combination with one of them as shown in the pic above. They work very well anywhere inside a hull. I made these in 4 or 5 different lengths depending on the position in the hull they were to be placed. All parts were interchangeable, so a lot of length combinations could be used - the only difference is in the lengths of the brass tubing, the "heads" and "tails" of the clamps are all identical.
 
I used 4mm x 25mm RH-threaded Stainless Steel Machine Screws, Washers and Nuts (again because I had a lot of them in stock - any other combination around that size would be OK). The "swivels" are made from 1/4" (6.5mm) brass round bar that have been drilled and tapped to accept the screws. 5mm brass tubing of various lengths is the only other thing needed.
 
Again, the wooden pieces are made from a good hardwood. The "head" is drilled to accept the swivel, the "tail" is epoxied to the screw to prevent it from falling out when the clamp is tightened. I sanded the end of the "head" to allow it to pivot when necessary.
 
 

 

 
 
Parallel Clamps
 
 
In Use :
 
 
These clamps are particularly useful when you need to clamp two pieces together without distorting their faces from each other. They also avoid the twisting effect that you can get with G-clamps, but are usually used in similar situations to them.
 
They are made from two pieces of hardwood, 8mm x 11mm x 65mm. The same size Swivels as the "Spreader Clamps" are used, with the same size screws as the "Between the Frames" clamps. Again, use any sizes close to the mark that you can get - it's not all that vital.
 
Here's an Exploded View of the Clamp :
 
 

 
 
And a description of how it goes together is below. Two Swivels are threaded to accept the screws, one is a "clearance" hole drilled right through, and the fourth is a clearance hole drilled part-way into the swivel to act as a "stopper". This one is glued into the timber with Silicone or Epoxy.
 
 

 
 
I made about 18 "Between the Frames" clamps, 10 "Spreader" clamps and 6 "Parallel" clamps - that seems to be adequate.
 
  Danny

There is always hope. Think about it like this, Danny only did kits at one time, just like the rest of us. And now look at where he is, you can do the same, it just takes time and a want to do it. Everyone makes mistakes, but not everyone talks about them. You are no different than anyone else, you have a brain and know how to use it. Give it time you will get there also.

Danny, really?!?! Wow, then there is hope for me yet!!!

Thanks Janos and Joe .
 
To those other Swan builders (and anyone else for that matter) who intend fitting Guns to their ship I STRONGLY advise that you drill the holes for the Breeching Rope and Port Tackle Eyebolts BEFORE you add too much Upper Deck "furniture". This can get a bit awkward if you don't :
 

 
  Danny

Hi Doris,
 
I'd always thought your models were excellent until I clicked on one of the pics above of the carvings in the bow - the High Resolution pic looks ..... INCREDIBLE . That's WAY beyond excellent.
 
  Danny

Hello dear friends!
I appreciate your comments a lot and thank you very much for your kind words. That´s a really pleasure for me.
I feel also happy among our students and must say, that I like my work indeed. I enjoy the teaching when I am able to give them knowledge and useful experience for their life.
A lot of them know about my hobbies and they often come to my office to see, what is new on models ( i show them pics in my computer). Some of them also watch my work on forums from home and occasionally ask me, how i make this or that..... Once I even showed them, how i shape the modelling clay, so i brought it to school and during breaktime i created a small horse - figure for them.
 
And now Royal Caroline and new progress.....
I have completely changed the draft scale to achieve realistic rendition.
http://modelforum.cz/viewtopic.php?f=177&t=68385&start=480#p1436217
A lot of valuable information gives me a top expert and Captain with whom I also cooperated on Sovereign of the seas and HMS Victory.
 


 

Here is a view of most of the framing complete
 

 
 
 
Here I have added the hawse timbers
 

 
 
 
Here I have added the transoms
 

 
 
 
I don't like how the fillers below the first transom turned out, so I am reworking that section and working on the stern timbers now.

Forward Stanchions, Cistern Hood and Pump Dale
 
Hi all,
 
The last few things for the Pump Assemblies (almost) - I've made the Forward support Stanchions, the port side Cistern Hood and the Pump Dale for the same side. None will be fitted to the starboard side.
 
The Stanchions support the forward ends of the Cranks :
 

 

 
The Cistern Hood is made from 1mm thick side pieces and 0.35mm boards over the top :
 

 

 
The Pump Dale is a removable item on the real ship - it would be a constant trip hazard otherwise. It is made from four pieces of 0.5mm thick timber, and attaches to the cistern via a board which can be lifted upwards :
 

 

 

 

 
  Danny

Yeah John, I'm pretty happy with the amount of work I did this weekend - especially with how detailed all this is .
 
Hi all,
 
The last couple of things for the Pumps - two Bungs, complete with handles, and the Latch that secures the Cistern Hood :
 

 

 
  Danny