Young America - extreme clipper 1853 Part 20 – Keelson/Forward Deadwood
American Clipper Note: In the last part I mentioned Flying Cloud’s record on her 6 passages around Cape Horn from New York to San Francisco before she was retired from that service. These averaged 116 days - 102 days if the last 185 day trip, during which she was dismasted, is discounted. In her long career Young America made the passage 20 times from New York, three times from Liverpool and once from Antwerp, with an average of 118 days per trip – her best from New York being 102 days – her worst, 142 days from Antwerp against persistent headwinds. Her best from Liverpool was 99 days. This was a stunning 30 year performance.
So, back to the model.
The remaining frames forward consist of half-frames and cant frames that bolt through the keelson and deadwood. Since the keelson is bolted atop the square frames, they must be installed first. So, with all of the forward square frames installed, the forward part of the keelson and the forward deadwood can be constructed.
In the last part I showed a picture with two strips representing the two tiers of the keelson. The forward section of the lower tier – the keelson proper – houses the forward model mounting bolt. In the first picture a 4-40 nut has been filed down to fit a mortise in the keelson and is being epoxied in place.
The next picture shows the mounting bolt screwed up through the keel, filler and into the nut in the keelson. It is protected from screwing in further by of the larger diameter shoulder butting against the bottom of the keel.
The above picture was taken after installing the first section of the keelson. Before that could be done it had to be fitted to the apron at its forward end. At its aft end there is a large scarph joint with the next segment. Both halves of this joint were made before setting the forward segment. The joint is shown below.
In all keel and keelson joints the face of the joint slanted downward in the aft direction. This is one good reason for installing the keelson from fore to aft.
The next picture shows the lower keelson being glued over the filler and the forward square frames. The picture shows the joint with the second lower segment, but that piece is still loose in the picture. The wet spots are from washing off excess glue.
The installed piece was then “bolted” down into the keel with copper wire bolts. That process is described below. The bolts have been filed off flush in the next picture.
The next picture shows the first section of the forward deadwood being fitted. The pattern is still attached. The keelson and the deadwood is sided the same as the keel – 16”.
The last picture shows the insertion of the copper bolts to secure the piece of deadwood.
This piece has already been glued in, but the process being used for the bolts will also add strength to the model joint. First holes are drilled at a size that will allow a slip fit for the 22-gauge wire being used. This wire is pre-stretched to stress harden it. The holes in this case are about 1” deep, so the bolts are about a scale 6 feet long. The bolts are dipped in 5-minute epoxy and pushed into the hole. They are then moved in and out, removed and dipped in epoxy again, reinserted and again moved in and out. This distributes epoxy throughout the hole. These bolts will not come out. When the epoxy hardens the bolts are clipped and filed off flush.
As additional members are added, they are bolted in a similar way with bolts as long as my drill bits permit. Later, additional bolts will be driven like this, through the forward part of the stem into the apron and deadwood. The keelson bolts are installed in like manner.
In the next part, the forward upper tier of the keelson and the remaining forward deadwood will be constructed.
I enjoyed building my Cs in just under 3 months.....I hyper detailed her and set her in a diorama of a factual event...getting her jurry rigged rudder replaced.
I'm afraid the progress on my Cutty Sark model is minimal. I'm a man of many hobbies and little time (that is to say, little time left, as I'm approaching 74). But I made myself a schedule so that all hobbies get their fair share from now on and to speed things up I bought myself a computer controlled milling machine (Stepcraft 420 from Germany). I bought it as a building kit and I'm assembling it at this moment.
Some time ago I uploaded a number of Cutty Sark photos, taken in the nineteen eighties, to Skydrive. They contain numerous shots of the bulwarks. You can find them here.
Some time ago I uploaded a number of Cutty Sark photos, taken in the nineteen eighties, to Skydrive. They contain numerous shots of the bulwarks. You can find them here.
Some time ago I uploaded a number of Cutty Sark photos, taken in the nineteen eighties, to Skydrive. They contain numerous shots of the bulwarks. You can find them here.
The lines on Cutty Sark's hull can be explained as follows (see drawing, which -by the way- is not exactly to scale):
The 1st line from above is the outside of the top gallant rail (varnished brown)
The 2nd line is the outside of the main rail (also varnished brown)
The 3rd line is the sheer plank moulding (painted white)
The battens on the former Muntz Metal sheathing may have been there to reinforce the sheathing. Anyway, they were not replaced during the reconstruction.
Lou van Wijhe reacted to EdT in Young America 1853 by EdT - FINISHED - extreme clipper
Lou van Wijhe got a reaction from popeye the sailor in Cutty Sark by NenadM
Lou van Wijhe got a reaction from NenadM in Cutty Sark by NenadM
Lou van Wijhe got a reaction from Piet in Cutty Sark by NenadM
Lou van Wijhe got a reaction from mtaylor in Cutty Sark by NenadM