Lecrenb
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Everything posted by Lecrenb
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OK, all the fiddly bits are mounted on the main and foc's'le decks, and they are essentially complete. I need to make the hatch cover, fo'c's'le deck hand rails, and the platform on the starboard side that was used for swinging the lead. Besides the large items that are plainly seen, there are 30 'wedge keepers(?)' that hold canvas covers in place, 24 ring bolts, 2 deck lights, 8 gooseneck vents, and 6 fuel and fresh water tank filler caps. The black rectangles are bases for the winches which will take me a while longer to build. The small hatch forward on the main deck is access to the sail room, beside it is the freshwater pump. Everything is scratch built, except the 2 bollard fairleads at the stem, the anchor and its' davit. I find it interesting that the chimney for the Quebec heater extends above the foot of the jib sail, so the crew would have to lift the sail over the chimney when tacking... If I wanted to get ahead of myself I could step the masts, but I will move on and complete the poop deck first!
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While trying to install the base of my anchor davit it went skittering across the fo'c's'le deck and down the hawse hole to the depths of the interior! I got it back by holding the ship upside down and giving things a good shake. I did get the part back, and I thought I had been keeping the interior pretty clean, but all the dross in the picture fell out, including a missing fuel filler cap! Fun and games!
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Well spotted and quite right, they are getting another spin on the Dremel! Rregards, Bruce
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Thanks Keith... I bought almost all of the fittings I needed for my HMCS Chicoutimi build from Nick at CMB... most needed modification to be period correct but that was ok. It has been a few years since then and I notice the number of suppliers and selection has gone down, but that is not CMB's fault. Still my go-to supplier! Appreciate your kind comment on drilling the hawse... at least if I mess up wood is easy to fix!! Regards, Bruce
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Some fiddly bits waiting for paint... about half way done! I made the belaying pins using my Dremel and a file...
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Got the port rub rail on, and started some fiddly bits... There are five fairleads that pass through St. Roch's bulwarks... since the flanges are visible on both sides I ordered 10 from Cornwall Model Boats. They are not the correct size so I used my small hobby vise and Zona saw to cut them down and glue them back together with CA... Here is one being test fit to the bow, again use Forstner or brad point bits for drilling clean holes! And here are the pair installed at the bow... How I proceeded to make the hawse... this should be the last of the hole drilling forward of the poop deck! I measured not twice, but three times, off the plans to locate the ends of each hawse pipe, double checking against photos and the model to ensure they are symmetrical on my hull... After drilling the holes straight into the hull I used my 4" round file to set the hole profile. Then my 1/4" styrene tube was fitted... And the pipe marked for cutting... I roughed in the hawse rubber on the deck, and the flange on the hull, and glued the flange to the pipe... Then I filed and sanded the flange to shape, detailed the rubber, and test fit to the hull... one more to make, then paint and they'll be ready for the anchors! Stay tuned for more fiddly bits! Regards, Bruce
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Hi Alan... well spotted! That is the engine exhaust used by the original diesel. St. Roch did not get a funnel until the larger engine was installed in '44.
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My rub rail is made from one single piece of lumber, scaled 4 x 8 inches, each side port and starboard, and a curved section across the stern... These rails fit over top of the chain plates and overlap the lower edges of the fo'c's'le portholes, so the first order of business is to take measurements back from the bow of the model, and notch the rails appropriately... The cutouts are where the portholes line up. The notches are for the foremast chains. Here it is being test fitted to the hull... Then the rail is steamed, bent, clamped to the hull to dry, and painted semi-gloss black. Yes, the main chains pass under the rub rail but over the poop deck wale... Here is the starboard rail glued and clamped in place... The cocktail toothpicks make sure the rail does not encroach over the scupper. The block assemblies transfer clamping pressure down onto the rail. Fingers crossed everything stays in place and I only have minimal cleanup to do tomorrow, then on to the port side! Of interest is this picture of St. Roch showing parts of the main chains. These were not removed when the main mast was taken out in 1944, presumably they were sawn off at the top of the rub rail because the shipwrights did not want to deal with the resulting exposed notches! As always, thanks for looking in and comments are welcome!
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G'day Hamilton... I heard back from the Executive Director, David Jordan. If the visitor services staff is not too busy they are prepared to give you private access to St. Roch's engine room. You should be able to identify the water pump and associated lines that draw water in and discharge it overboard. Just tell them you are Hamilton and are looking for engine cooling details for Bruce LeCren, hopefully they will have time to let you in! Do you have a rough idea of when you might visit? Thanks and regards, Bruce
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I'm now making the chain plates... there are a total of 14; 3 each side of each mast and two main mast preventer stay plates. They are made from simple steel bar stock that bolt flush to the hull, passing behind the rub rail and bolting below it. Turnbuckles that tension the standing rigging bolt to the top of each plate. I derived the lengths of each plate (they are not all the same) by scaling from drawings. The first picture shows the two sets for the foremast, complete with turnbuckle ends I made from solid core solder. I drilled a .020 hole through each assembly then pinned each shackle to its' plate with Grandt Line 1 1/2" scale bolts and washers... The turnbuckles that tension the rigging have fork ends that bolt to the plates, but detailing those while installing the rigging would be a recipe for disaster! I plan on modifying the turnbuckle ends to fit over my 'shackles', so they will look like forked ends. The plates are not straight up and down on the hull, they follow the line of the rigging. I temporarily set the mast and used thread to derive the correct line... in the picture the thread passes down the aft side of the mast to the rear chain plate. And here are the port fore chain plates installed using CA glue. Now to pin them into the hull, then do the other sets and move on to the rub rail, which is the last structural member of the hull! Regards, Bruce
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Thanks very much!
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Hi Hamilton, Thank you very much for your kind offer! The cooling water inlet would be under the superstructure area, where the engine room is located. Probably around the curve of the bilge, no idea port or starboard, but definitely below the water line. I have been down there as well and never noticed anything, but it never crossed my mind back then to look for it! I will let the curator know you're coming, if they unearth anything they can let you know! Regards, Bruce
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Thanks Hamilton... Actually there is a topic I have reached out to the museum curator about, unfortunately with no success so far... There has to be a sea chest or similar in the lower hull to provide cooling water for the engine, but my plans give no reference to this and neither do my photos. Not an urgent requirement, but if you're going to be visiting the museum can you please and thanks take a look at the lower hull for such an opening? Regards, Bruce
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To finish the exterior hull I began with the portholes... these are RB Models 5mm flanged and glazed, exactly what is needed. I scaled the locations of the portholes onto the hull using photos and original plans, and I used a piece of lumber sized to match the rub rail to ensure proper alignment. A Forstner bit is essential to drill the holes as the spurs cut cleanly and do not tear out the wood. Test fitting the portholes... the rub rail will overlap a part of each flange per the original ship. For this reason the fasteners are not evenly spaced around the flange. The portholes come with five holes drilled into the flange. St. Roch has eight fasteners per porthole. I used .032 diameter Grandt Line rivets, their heads superglued around each flange, and filled the unused flange holes. Then the portholes were glazed, the glazing recessed per the actual ship. After painting they were superglued into the hull. Next up is the chain plates, then the rub rail. Thanks for looking in!
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And here is the base complete! 2 oats of clear coat finished it off... St. Roch trying out her new cradles... And my parts from Cornwall Model Boats arrived today... 10 days from the UK is not too shabby! I will have to modify some of them to be period correct, so that work and getting them on the ship are next!
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I was asked to include a picture of my Dremel router, so here it is... It is an attachment that screws onto the end of the Dremel, then add the cutter of choice, set the depth stop, and off you go! Actually I found it easier to mount the cutter with the router off the Dremel, just more room to work around the chuck. I am cutting one of St. Roch's cradles.
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Now I am making cradles for St. Roch to sit on when mounted on the base. I debated on whether or not to use finials, simulate drydock blocks, or copy the mounts used on the original ship in the Vancouver Maritime Museum. In the end I decided to use some pieces of 3/16" thick acrylic I had laying around to make a pair of cradles. First I used my contour shaper to take the hull shapes at each cradle location, about 10" apart. Then I transferred the shapes to graph paper to complete the cradle outlines. Note the forward cradle raises the keel higher than the aft cradle, so the waterline will sit level (St. Roch draws more water aft). Then transferred onto the acrylic sheet... Next I used my Dremel router to cut out the shapes. Patience is key because the acrylic will melt onto the cutter and needs to be frequently cleaned. If you're careful the pattern will come out clean. The picture shows the aft cradle after some filing and a first edge polish after cutting out. "PA" refers to port, aft... so I don't lose track of the cradle orientation. Multiple fittings and adjustments followed... just a little bit of fine shaping each time... Here is the aft cradle test fit to the ship and the base... Now I get to have more fun cutting and fitting the forward cradle... I'll come back here after the base is completed! Regards, Bruce
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Still waiting on parts to arrive from Cornwall Model Boats, I was going to paint the rudders but decided to wait until I had made the cradles since some lower hull touch up will be required then for sure! So it is on to making the display base... I decided to laminate pine strips. It looks similar to the Douglas Fir that St. Roch is made from, and I had a supply of pine offcuts in my shop from other projects. I made my HMCS Chicoutimi base in similar fashion but using oak (Hearts of Oak and all that!), and it is a great way to use up wood that would otherwise be consigned to the fire pit! This picture shows the model sitting on the base, just making sure there is about 3 or 4 inches clearance all around... First I rounded the corners about an inch, just to take off the sharp edge... then I routed a simple Ogee all the way around. The base will have either a glass or acrylic cabinet to protect the model, I haven't decided which yet. Since the thickness of the cabinet material is not known at this point I decided to install cabinet stops around the base edges, instead of routing a groove. Here is that work in progress, once all four pieces are installed I will do a bit of cleanup. I used oak strips, just for a bit of contrast and I thought pine stops might chip easily when taking the cabinet on or off. Next I will move on to making the cradles that St. Roch will sit in. Thanks for looking in!
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Thank you very much everyone for checking in and for watching the video! It was certainly a learning experience for me and I do appreciate all the quality feedback!
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