Captain Poison

Attached are photos of recent activity covering the planning for items to be located on the Hurricane deck for our model of the City-Class Ironclad, "USS St. Louis"..
The first photo depicts a mock-up of the port side "Hog Chain" (Cable) which runs from the forward hull floor frame at station #73, over the two support posts (which extend down to the outboard keels) and then aft down to the hull floor frame at station #21. The mock-up rods will eventually be replaced by continuous cables for the port and starboard "Hog Chains". The "Hog Chains" were obviously required to help support the aft twin hull booms which straddle the paddlewheel and tended to "hog" due to insufficient buoyancy. The path of these "chains" through the lower hull framing is amazingly tight but tends to verify the accuracy of the hull framing drawings.
The second photo represents the first step in a layout of the aft Hurricane deck-house which is incorrectly depicted in most of the existing "USS Cairo" drawings and models because they lack the deck-house roof camber and the Hurricane deck camber. The Hurricane deck camber is already included and when the roof camber is added to this layout, it will clearly intersect the straight ridged wheelhouse roof in an arc (in its plan view) instead of a straight line. In addition, the twin stern facing doors will be replaced by two smaller sliding windows which are all clearly visible in contemporary photos of the "USS St. Louis" (Baron DeKalb).
 
johnhoward

Thanks Antony & Gerhard,
Every comment and opinion on this project helps us plan our next step forward. It is indeed a daunting task and we have accumulated so much information over the past 3 years that we are having trouble finding the time for organizing it in a logical sequence for posting. As I mentioned before we currently have a team of 9 Shipcrafters involved in various aspects of the planning, research, material procurement and actual construction of this model. One member is making TurboCad drawings of any details which require machining or casting whenever existing data is incomplete or incorrect and we are continually updating our "Research Outline" which I posted earlier and which describes any problems we have uncovered with existing data. We willingly share all this information with individual modelers but are not at present planning any total drawing package. Unfortunately, our focus has to be on completion of the model. The attached photos show 8 of 9 participants and the model as of mid-April which we hope to complete next year..
 
johnhoward

Gerhard, Antony,
Thanks for your nice comments. The participants in the photo, left to right, are: Fred Hecker, Tim Jovick, Tom Stahl, Vince Murphy, Howie Smith, Bob Keeler, Dr. Mike Orgel, & Bill Kammermeyer, [Scott Safranski was missing]
Gerhard, I'm not sure I totally understand your question on the City Class funnels but I've attached my reconstruction of the corrected propulsion system schematic (versus Ashley's NPS version) showing the engine steam exhaust entering the boiler water pre-heaters and exiting thru a 2-way valve either aft into the wheelhouse to prevent paddlewheel icing in the Winter or  forward thru the firebox exhaust plenum into the 2 main smoke stacks, not a separate exhaust stack. I think I have also correctly depicted the "Doctor"engine operation and its piping connections in this schematic.
 
By the way, Bob is working on a TurboCad drawing to construct our brass 12-pdr lightweight carriage by re-scaling some un-dimensioned drawings we have, based solely on the known howitzer barrel length dimension. I noticed a nice drawing in the background of your recent carriage model photo and wonder if it has any other actual usable carriage dimensions.
 
johnhoward

Just wanted to post this image of the SanDiego club.  They have a group of 13 building the barge.  Dont they look like they are having lots of fun.   Anyway....things are moving along.  Trying to restock blocks and rope now.  As soon as more Cherry and the new castings arrive I will start cutting more kits.  I hope they dont mind me sharing one of these photos.  But its so nice to see something you worked hard on being enjoyed and built.
 
Chuck
 

At the waist there are five stanchions to support the rough-tree rail and two stanchions for the entering ropes.  In contrast to the forecastle stanchions, these have a U-bracket top instead of a loop.  The U-bracket is drilled for pins to secure the rail.  The rail itself is 2" x 4".  When I was making these I referred to TFFM Vol 2 and thought that I saw each side of the bracket drilled for two pins.  After everything was secured I went back to the drawing and discovered that only one hole is represented.  After about 30 seconds of soul searching I decided that I liked the look of the two holes and left them as is.  I have not decided whether to put a fastener through the holes or not.  The entry stanchions are very similar to the forecastle stanchions, except taller.
 

 

 

 

 
 

The fore channel deadeyes are next.  There are seven 10" deadeyes and three 7" deadeyes.   I wanted a color contrast with the rest of the hull without wanting to stain the wood so they were made of cherry.  Next time I will use a finer grained wood and then stain them.  These were made on the lathe using a jig.  I ground the profile of each deadeye into opposite ends of a piece of sheet brass.  The pictures illustrate the process.  One of the keys to success is to have as little wood protruding from the chuck as possible to prevent deflection of the wood.
 

 

 

 

 
 
The larger deadeyes have a four-piece chain assembly: upper link, middle link, toe (or lower) link and preventer plate.  The smaller deadeyes do not have a preventer plate.  The larger deadeyes have links made of 1.25" iron and the smaller deadeyes have links of 1" iron.  The basis process was to form appropriate sized loops of brass wire and silver solder them.  These are then squeezed around the deadeye, leaving a lower loop through which the middle link will insert.  There is an inward angle on the lower loop but I did not form this until I was ready to install the entire assembly.  The toe link was made similarly, using a nail instead of the deadeye to form the upper curve.  The heights of the lower bolts of the toe links was taken directly from the plans.  The middle link was formed and threaded through the upper and toe links.  Using a heat sink on the two ends of the middle link, the middle link was also silver soldered.
 

 

 
The preventer plates were made from brass strip.  In real practice, these were forged from square bar stock.  To simulate this, I engraved a line down the middle of the plate.  You can just barely make this out in the plates shown below.  The top of the plate has a bend in it to compensate for the thickness of the toe link.  The location of the lower bolt was determined after the entire assembly was finished.
 

 
The final result after blackening and installation of the channel molding and the four preventer bolts.
 

 

 
The shankpainter chain attaches to the hull above the fore channel.  It's purpose is to secure the anchors.  I had some chain left over from a kit which had almost the correct size links (3/4" diameter).  
 

 
The spanshackle ring was made from brass rod.  The curved section was shaped first.  Then the rod was bend to form the side arms.  Finally, the length of the lower arms was determined and the ring was soldered closed after the ring bolt had been threaded on to the ring.  I chose not to add deck planking under the ring so it is installed elevated above the beam the thickness of the deck planking.
 

 

Hi Gaetan - 
 
No, sorry, the vacuum system will not work for an assembled or partially assembled model.  It is a process like vacuum-sealing food.  The wood billet is placed in a plastic bag partially filled with the stabilizing liquid, whether cyano, resin, or other.  Then the remaining air is sucked out and the liquid is forced into the pores of the wood.  This works only for a solid piece of wood.  If you put the model into a bag and evacuated the air, I think you would be in great danger of collapsing the model.
 
Actually, the process for stabilizing an assembled model would use pressure, rather than vacuum.  If anyone wanted to, they could submerge a model in a large container of the stabilizer, seal the container and raise the pressure inside.  As before, the pressure would force the liquid into the pores of the wood.  But I, for one, would not want to experiment using something that I had worked long and hard on, or something as beautiful as your ship is.
 
If you have seen any episode of the knife making show, "Forged in Fire", you have seen stabilized wood, and even stabilized pine cones, used for the handles of the blades that they make.
 
Please don't risk the terrific work that you are doing.  I am really enjoying following along in your build.
 
Dan 

Another  photographic test: Taking pictures with an Ikea $20 LED lamp.
 
On the second deck, there will be 10 windows aft. 6 windows are inside the limit of the frames and the other 4 will be added later. Looking at the plan it is difficult to set the width of the windows,  so I looked at it a different way to set the position of 8 vertical beams.
3 beams are installed : 1 on each wall and the middle one. Then, each half was divided in 3 spaces between beams.
In a global way, these are the only measures  needed to set the vertical beams.
The width for the gun opening is derived from the setting of 2 upper beams.
 

Thank you but in fact it is not a dark background:
After supper, no sun, 1 led light and underexposed of -2 F openings
 
Needed to make a hole much deeper than the  standard drill bit lenght :
So extra long one has been used.
 
Almost everything is fixed  temporary.
Added 2 horizontal  U shape curved beams to hold the vertical beams.
 
The hole for the rudder was did on the milling and then sanded on the oscilating sander. The closer the diameter of the round hole, the better the results.
Similar results could not be achieved with a sanding drum a fraction of the hole diameter.

The first one is a wood square to hold 1 pointer each side of the model ship from. This jig can move from one end to the other. It is use to transfer a height value from 1 side to the other. 1 measure is set 1 side and the other one is set by using a parallel line given by horizontal line of a laser.
 
The second jig is made of high density plastic. Many years ago when I began making tools, steel was always use, later to make the job easier fo the machines, aluminium was used. Today, when a  small rigidity  is needed, plastic is use. It is as easy as to cut in butter. Everything is easier to clean after the job and no liquid is needed   for heat reduction to help and preserve the tool life. For this little cable holder, I took my inspiration from the third picture but made  it a bit less complicated. This holder is made to help to preserve the quality of the mini HDMI camera connector which are very easily bent.
 
The forth picture is a screen from  a program use for photo sessions. Capture One requires a cable between the camera and the laptop but the transfer is very fast in comparison with Lightroom, no cable connector, wifi connection but  a much longer transfer time (a small second in comparison to many seconds).
 
When taking photos, White balance use by the camera is always approximative from auto  to sun, to neon… WB can be the first parameter to adjust on the camera. For a long time, I wanted to get more precision with this parameter. At the end of last year, I got  a meter to measure the quality of the color in Kelvin degrees. Then, choosing ISO and time on  a light meter, aperture (F) is given to use with the flash intensity. Values are then transfered in the camera, photo is taken and transfered in the laptop program. Minor adjustments can be done if required. By adjusting WB right at the beginning of the process, post production of the image is much easier but there are still minor corrections for highlights and this kind of adjustments.

Ratlines completed. The good news: ratlines are not really that hard to do once you get in the rhythm of tying clove hitches; I only have to do them about once a year; Halifax has ratlines only on it's lower shrouds and has only three shrouds per side on each of it's two masts, thereby cutting down the number of knots to be tied. The bad news: doing ratlines is undoubtedly the most tedious, boring and annoying task on any build.
 
Having said all that, they are now done and attention can be turned to the spars and running rigging.
 
Bob

Greg, thanks! I am travelling now, and it is really hard to remember all that without peeking into the TFFM book every time  
 
There is a great shipyard diorama in the same Hamburg museum, which includes various supporting structures used when building the ship. Really worth a visit, if you will ever end up in Hamburg. There are 9 floors in the museum, where few of them are filled with models!

dear all
after multiple trials with the resin, I am finished at last :-) I admit that fishes in the crates look awkward :-)   
next will be the wooden frame and display box.
 
 
 

some more photos of the crew :-)

@cog
Hello Carl,
here I show a comparison of both steering gears.
I think that now it is better
I promise: I will not grumble any more ...

@JOUFF
@cog
Thanks for the kind words.
 
It continues with the construction of the steering gear.
The previous version was also not satisfactory.

Here I show the trial assembly. Only when it can be ensured that everything fits, then the steering gear comes on the ship model.

 

Update :
 
I still had some brass srtipes with fancy decore, I found on Ebay some months ago. Trust they will be stylish right for the Chebec. Now they can come to use on the rail of the poop deck, with a wooden rail on top.
Not mounted yet, just dry fit, to see how it looks....
 
Nils
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

This may vary depending on which country was the ship and whether they were wartime or peace.And surely it was used a light color for lower decks.

This may vary depending on which country was the ship and whether they were wartime or peace.And surely it was used a light color for lower decks.

The standing rigging has now been completed except for the ratlines (leave the best for last ). This last phase included tying off the shroud lanyards, adding the sheer poles and futtock staves to the shrouds, doing the topmast shrouds and futtock shrouds, and doing the topmast backstays.
 
The topmast shrouds are shown as running to single holed fittings of some sort, which I represented with commercial wooden bullseyes. The futtock shrouds were tied to the futtock staves and the shrouds
 
The topmast backstays are shown as running backstays and end in tackles hooked to eyebolts at the deck. I have not tied off the tackles permanently at this point since I'm certain that in my clumsy fashion I will hit them numerous times in the process of tying the ratline knots.
 
On to the ratlines!
 
Bob

Before moving on with the standing rigging, I made the two topmasts and mounted them. The masts were made from dowels with the lower ends filed flat, strip wood pieces added to build up a flat square and a portion filed to an eight sided section. The upper ends were tapered, a shoulder cut in and sheaves drilled in. Fids were run through the square lower section.
 
 I then did the mainstay, the main topmast stay, the fore topmast stay, the jib stay and the jibboom horses.
 
The two mainmast stays run through a double block on the foremast cap and then down through tackles to eyebolts on the deck at the mast. The tackles were not tied off at this time.
 
The fore topmast stay is seized to the mast at it's top and to the jibboom at it's bottom.
 
The jib stay runs from the head of the foremast, through a traveler on the jibboom , then through a sheave on the jibboom, and ends in a tackle attached to an eyebolt on the bowsprit cap. That tackle won't be tied off until later. The traveler was made from a piece of wire, a brass shackle from my stock, and a Syren hook.
 
The horses were made by doing small knots in a piece of line that was then seized to the jibboom end and to eyebolts at the cap.
 
Bob

First, let me wish you all the happiest of holiday seasons and a healthy New Year.
 
I've done two things since my last update: the lower shrouds are now in place, but I haven't tied off the lanyards yet, and probably won't until the stays and backstays are in place; next, I added the forestay with its mouse at the upper end and hearts at the lower end. I did tie off the lanyard for the hearts.The mouse is a very simplified affair made up from a bead glued to the stay and built up and shaped somewhat with glue, then painted black.
 
Next up will be making the topmasts and doing the remaining stays.
 
Bob

Thank you all for your patience and your support.   Been slow going but progress is being made.    
 
I've been planking the gundeck bulwarks, but it's slow going.  Current state is in the photos.  One side done with planking and the other almost there.  Ports are being cleaned up the side that's done.  In the middle of this, I'm also considering how much detail to spend time on in the areas under the fore and stern castles.   When those get planked it will dark.. bitch black for the most part.   So sorting out what I want to do versus what I can do.  I'm leaning towards the "full monty" as such but maybe cut back on the gun rigs to only breeching.   Hahn apparently took lots of shortcuts such as not bothering to plank the area under the stern lights.  The ANCRE Belle Poule shows a lot detail that I'm thinking about.   Decisions, decisions....
 
Sorry for the picture quality.. I'm beginning to think I need a new camera but it could just be batteries.  (Note to self:  restock battery supply).
 

 
 

Here is my representation of the well and shot lockers, came out ok methinks so I may install it in the model.
 
ben

Thanks for all the likes.
 
Im thinking of maybe including the well so I decided to do a size and position check using the TFFM example shown in the book, seems to be a good fit in my hull.
 
ben