rtropp

I haven't experimented with off-model edge-bending, Nigel. I've seen Chuck's results and they do look very good. I wonder if there will be a tendency for them to 'spring' later on, after a year or two? Similarly, how easy would it be to edge-bend a complex 'S' shaped wale plank accurately, such as shown here?

The idea is to prebend the plank off the model Druxey,I totally agree that bending as you lay the planks is fraught with problems.Chuck uses a hair dryer,Dr Mike uses an iron or a toaster!Prebending the planks removes any inbuilt stresses and prevents problems later on.
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

With all due respect, Nigel, while one can edge-bend a plank to a degree, the ideal is as Joel states; "The plank should set onto the hull with no stress, totally relaxed". It imparts a good deal of stress to edge set a plank more than a few degrees. Heat and moisture can help, for sure, but I wouldn't want to attempt edge-setting planks around a bluff bow. I tried that on an early model of mine and, after a few days, the result looked like clinker planking, except it was supposed to be carvel!

Hi Fish
 
I disagree with David,you can edge bend planking and many builders far more experienced than myself have shown techniques for doing this.I have even successfully edge bent Ebony.
 
The odd stealer was using in planking of many full size vessels,however,if you want to emulate the planking on contemporary models,then stealers are undesirable as they were very rarely used on these models.
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel.

Ideally one would at least check each plank for width along its edge.  Even those not particularly needing to be cut on a curve still will need a bit of tapering, which is what spiling is, matching the width and shape of each plank to its place on the hull.
You can bend a plank in or out, twist it, or bend it up and down (edge set) but not more than two of those at a time.  Since you have to bend in or out and twist in most places, that leaves cutting on the curve for the up and down.
Stealers and drop planks are used when the difference in width of the hull at that point becomes either impossible or difficult to account for merely by changing the width of the plank, in other words, when spiling will no longer work with the plank stock available, or when the plank would diminish to near nothing.
Remember, the plank should set onto the hull with no stress, totally relaxed, as smoothly as a baby's butt.  Stealers, drop planks and spiling help you achieve that.

In David Antscherl's primer on planking, on page three he states the following: "By now you will realise that virtually all the planking will need to be cut to shape, as you cannot edge set a plank.".
 
It would seem to me that based on the method he describes it would be beneficial to spile every plank on the hull...is this correct? On the previous page he describes how to create a stealer plank, shouldn't that be unnecessary if you are spiling? Are there instances of planks common to the every model that do not require spiling?

Mark,
I had a similar need for transferring the hawse pipes.  My difficulty was that comparing the curve length to the "straight" length showed a difference.
 

 
The purple line is rotated to allow comparison to the green line.
 
My difficulty was that on the Syren, I could not find the hawse holes depicted on a top down view.
Let me know if my logic is wrong...:-)
 
Richard

I built the mast partners based upon those shown on Ed Tosti's Naiad practicum. I extended the partner for the main mast to allow for the elm tree pumps. With the installation of these I was able to proceed with the planking. I decided to deck most of the starboard side. This still leaves plenty of visibility to the berth deck. I used the equivalent of ¾" pins on the planks and a 4 plank repeat. Caulking was done by heavily rubbing all sides of the planks with #2 graphite. I found graphite sticks for artwork on Amazon and these work much better than just a pencil.


The image below shows the planking pattern and pins.





I put the the test cannon and carronade both forward and amidships to test the fit.









Once the planking was completed, I started work on the bow. The first step for this was the installation of the catheads. I turned brass down for the sheaves then mounted them into the cathead ends. I notched then handrail partially to allow the bottom of the cathead to be flush with the outside of the rail. This will facilitate the installation of the bow beams.

The image below shows the brass sheaves prior to removing them from the lathe. I sized them to be slightly proud of the top of the cathead.





Here is a shot of the catheads installed in the bow.





Lastly, here is a detail shot of the sheaves mounted in the cathead.

Very nice Sal,
Mine is going slowly. lots of rework and it helps to review yours and the others as I go.
Happy New year,
Richard 

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 132 – Forward Lockers
 
There were two forward lockers that abutted the forecastle breast beam and the bulwarks at the side.  The enclosure on the port side was evidently (also?) used as a toilet.  These were undoubtedly used to stow gear that needed more protection than that afforded under the open forecastle.
 
With the windlass permanently installed, these enclosures could be constructed and the ladder ways between them and the windlass also installed.  In the first picture a panel of siding has been edge glued and is being fitted between the rails of the port bulwark.
 

 
 
After fitting, the panel would be cut off square to size.  These would most likely have been made using tongued-and-grooved planks maybe 2½” thick.  To accentuate the plank joints, the edges were rounded before edge gluing – as was done for all the other deck structures.
 
The next picture shows some pieces in assembly.
 
 

 
Although the workshop is in the basement, I get very bright sunlight through the windows this time of year – hence some overexposure in some of the pics.  In the next picture the end walls have been fitted and the fore-and-aft wall with the door is being test fit.
 

 
In the next picture the wall has been installed, the roof has been planked and is being smoothed out.
 

 
The flat faced curved riffler is being used for this.  Note that door hardware was installed prior to setting the wall.  In the next picture the edges of the roof planks are being pared flush with the chisel.
 

 
The next picture shows both enclosures installed.
 

 
The ladder way on the starboard side is also installed and the glue on some decking for the port ladder is drying.  In the last picture the second ladder way has been installed and roof planking on both enclosures painted.
 

 
 
 
Ed

Martin, if you ever saw my feeble attempt at carving you would understand completely.
 
There are two ladders between the upper and lower decks.  The fore ladder is located under the fore hatch and the aft is uncovered because it is protected by the quarter deck.  In order to install the fore ladder, I had to pry off the fore hatch.  The ladders are simple structures.  The key is NOT to do what I did and reverse the direction of the treads.    With the hatch replaced, it is almost impossible to see the ladder.
 

 

 

 
There are two range cleats in the upper deck bulwarks for the fore braces and the main course tacks.  These are fastened through the side of the ship by two bolts.  I considered doing this except the bolts would have gone through the frieze.
 

 
The knees to the gangboards are also installed into the upper deck bulwarks.  The aft knee is for the fixed gangway and the five fore knees are for the gangboards.  The aft knee has an athwartship arm of 2'9" and the other knees have an athwartship arm of 1'5".  
 

 

 
 
 
 

At this point, all that was necessary was to pop the side frames off the stern timbers and apply new ones that extended the full depth of the timber.  An exterior stop will be applied after the window has been installed.  Thanks again, Danny.
 
The rudder trunk extends from the fore face of the stern post to just aft of the opening for the rudder.  There is a gap between it and the center window.  It is trapezoidal in shape.  Because of the angles involved and the shape of the lower counter, templates were used to get the correct shapes for the pieces.
 

 

 
Lockers ran the length of the aft wall of the cabin.  They are deep enough to provide additional seating space.  On Atalanta there are two tiers of lockers and a shelf above the upper locker below the level of the window sill.  I have chosen to model only the port lockers, leaving the starboard framing open.
 
The first step was to develop a template for the profile of the lockers and counter.  This was taken off the plan.  The lowest vertical element was made first.  Paper templates were made for each piece of the assembly.  I glued the vertical stiles onto the template and then installed the horizontal slats.  After it was dry, I peeled off the paper and glued in the recessed panel.  A cleat was installed on the blind side to stiffen it and give a wider gluing surface.  Finally, it was glued in place.  The horizontal element needs to be supported at the stern timbers.  I inserted wedges between the timbers to provide a gluing surface.  In the pictures it appears that they are not at the same height or angle.  This is an optical illusion which is occurring because the deck curves but the locker is horizontal.  
 
I had a choice at this point to either make a functional locker door and frame or simply make one piece and draw the door in with an #11 blade.  I chose the latter.  This actually makes the outline of the door stand out better than if I had made it in two pieces.  Be sure to carry the incision around the fore edge of the door.  It barely shows until the finish is applied.  I toyed with the idea of having one of the lockers open and filled with rolls of maps but decided against.  None of the other rooms have elements that would have been brought on board (with the exception of the hammocks) so for consistency I left the lockers closed.  I will not furnish the space for the same reason.
 

 

 
The second vertical element starts approximately two inches behind the edge of the door.  The panels are shorter because of the rudder trunk.  I have also installed the interior upper counter plank to act as a gluing surface later.
 

 
The second horizontal element is installed, followed by the third vertical element and the shelf.  Because of the height, the third vertical element has no ornamentation.  The last two pictures show how the outline of the door stands out after a finish is applied.  I still need to install hinges.  In the last picture, the angles still look "off".  This again is a function of the sloping floor and the horizontal locker door, combined with the angles of the hull planking and my bad photography skills.  In real life it looks correct.
 

 

 
 

Thanks again for all the kind words and "likes".  Some more progress to report....
 
Swivel Guns and Channels
 
The Swivel Guns were made from 1/4” square Ebony stock, turned on the lathe and once again using the compound slide to achieve the taper. The only difficulty encountered was due to the very small size (19mm long and 3.8mm in diameter at the widest point, narrowing to 2mm at the narrowest).  I copied the plan into my CAD program and painstakingly took off measurements for all the re-inforce rings............and then cut them by eye!
 
The mounting yoke is a “U-shape” atop a central pedestal.  To manufacture these, I hammered flat some 1.5mm diameter brass wire and then formed it around a 5/32” (4mm) brass rod. It was then transferred to a wooden dowel of the same diameter, squeezed tight, and then a 0.8mm hole was drilled right through the brass and dowel to take the subsequent “axle” pin for the guns. The piece was then removed from the dowel, the ends trimmed as close as possible to the cross-holes, and a 1.5mm diameter brass rod “handle” was then silver soldered to the base of the “U-shape”.  The “handle” was left extra long for ease of handling.
 
The swivel gun handle was formed by bending a piece of 0.8mm diameter copper wire to 90-degrees and then placing a “blob” of silver solder on the end.  Again, the part was left extra long for ease of handling.  Here is a photo of all the manufactured parts of the swivel gun prior to blackening of the metal components.
 

 
The pedestals for the Swivel guns were made from3/16” square Pear stock. First the corners were chamfered with a miniature plane to create an octagonal section, and then the end was drilled to receive the mounting yoke stem. The pedestals were then notched to fit over the cap rails, and finally a strip of black paper was added to simulate an iron band around the top.
 
The channels were cut from 1/16” thick Castello Boxwood, with 1/16” wide notches cut on the mill. A cut-out was also shaped to fit around the Swivel gun pedestals.
 
The Swivel guns were then assembled by epoxying the handle into a pre-drilled hole in the base of the gun, and inserting a 0.8mm copper wire through the yoke and the gun. This was epoxied in place, and once dry, the ends of the copper wire were snipped close and filed back to the just proud of the yoke surface. Some of the blackening had by this stage rubbed off, so I tried an experiment of blackening "in-situ" with Jax Pewter Black.  I have become a big fan of this product, ever since I discovered (read somewhere, can't remember where) that it is best used undiluted and applied with a paint brush (after the usual cleaning routine). It is then rinsed with distilled water. On this occasion, I washed (ie with a paintbrush) all of the metal parts again with vinegar, washed again with water, then painted on the Pewter Black again, and washed with water.  It seems to have worked well and had no adverse effect on the Ebony timber.
 
Here is a shot of all of these components, including the now assembled swivel guns. These will not be mounted in their pedestals until the build is finished, in order to protect them from clumsy hands!
 

 
Finally, here is a close-up “zoom and crop” of a completed Swivel gun – complete with scarred iron-work!
 

 
Next up, Deadeyes and Chain Plates…..

Thank you all for the kind comments.
 
The Internal Planking is completed up to the level of the lower deck. I'm using Castello Boxwood for all the planking.
 
This pic shows the lower and upper Deck Clamps. These are in "Top and Butt" configuration, sometimes referred to as "Anchor Stock Planking". The clamps are 4" (scale) thick at the top, thinning to 3" at the bottom of each pair. They are 14" wide at the widest point, tapering to 6" at the narrowest  :
 

 
More of the "special" planks. Starting nearest the keel is the 4 1/2" thick Inner Limber Strake, followed by the 3" Outer Limber Strake. Next set is the "Thickstuff over the floorheads" - the central strake is 4 1/2" thick and the two either side of it are 3". Further up are the "Thickstuff at the first futtock head" which are the same thicknesses as the previous set. I'm laying the first of the 2" thick regular "Ceiling Planks" in this pic :
 

 
All the port side internal planking completed. The starboard side only gets the Limber Strakes and Deck Clamps :
 

 
Treenailing has begun. I'm using 0.55mm bamboo which has been stained black :
 

 
  Danny

Another photos 
 

 

 

 

Hope you have all had a good holiday and new year.
 
I have a question about the stanchions supporting the top rail.  On page 46it seems to give two dimenisions for the wire, 22 gauge at the top right of the page then, further down, 28 gauge.
 
Am I missing something,
 
Thanks,
Richard

+ few other

Instalation of hanging knees.

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 131 – Belaying Pins
 
Actual modeling work on Young America has been slow through the holiday period, but I have been putting a lot of effort into research on her rigging and the development of a detailed rigging list with specs for all the lines.  This has been a slow process because rigging was undergoing constant change through the life of the ship – for example moving to the use of iron for many attachments and rigging lines (chain, wire) as well.  Also, sources on sizes, where they exist, vary.  This work will go on for some time.
 
As this “paperwork” has progressed, it has thrown off a variety of diverting questions as to how many (small) parts will be made – for example shackles, iron strapped blocks, gin blocks, etc.  I decided to tackle iron belaying pins as a side project, but one that arises soon in the construction.
 
Model belaying pins often suffer from poor proportionality – generally being too large – especially the wooden variety.  I am determined that the 250 or so of these on the YA model will not suffer from this, so I began work on making these.
 
This started with the use of brass tubing to create a steady rest around a brass rod so these could be turned in the lathe.  This did not work well on the .032” brass rod needed for these.  The next step was to try filing these in the lathe using the simple hardwood guide shown in the first picture.
 

 
The block was stepped and shaped to the pin outline.  A v-shaped groove was cut on the lathe centerline to contain the brass rod.  The next picture shows some filing in progress.
 

 
The results were not too bad – as far as being proportional at least.  The first few made this way are shown below.
 

 
While these are about the right size there is variation in their shapes that needed to be eliminated.  A few of these have been blackened to simulate the iron of the originals.
 
I decided that a much more accurate filing guide was needed and decided to make it to fit in a lathe tailstock chuck – and also to make it robust so it would not bend or break as 250 of these pins were made.  In the first picture a ¼” brass rod is being indicated in the 4-jaw lathe chuck so a deep .032”center hole could be very accurately drilled.
 

 
A small center drill in the tailstock chuck was then used to spot the center.  The .032" hole was then drilled to about .6 inches.  The rod was the transferred to the milling machine for cutting the belaying pin profile.
 

 
To cut the profile, a very accurate CAD drawing of the pin profile was made showing the precise cutting depths and positions so these could be set using the mill's calibration wheels.  In the next picture the guide has been set up in a tailstock chuck and the brass rod passed through the headstock drill chuck and into the guide.
 

 
With the rod contained in the guide the profile could be filed with the lathe running.  In the next picture a round file is being used to shape the concave handle curves.
 

 
The diameter of the lower part of the pin is about 1½” (.021” actual).  This is being filed down with a flat file in the next picture.
 

 
As each of the first few pins were made the guide itself was filed to refine the convex curves of the pin handle that were not easily cut on the mill.  Some of the first few pins are shown in the next picture.
 

 
These look better and should be satisfactory.  They will be mostly hidden by rope coils. Some more polish may help with the blackening and these should get better with practice.  These took less than 5 minutes each.  This will get tedious so I am interspersing it with other work need to complete the deck detailing.
 
 
Ed

The next items to make are the windows themselves.  Since these are not structural I made them simply by edge gluing rather than finger jointing the stiles and rails.  Also, the mullions are not half-lapped but are simply edge glued as well.  The glass is mica.  I was very surprised how well the glue adheres to the mica.  The first picture shows the sequence of construction.  First a template is made of the window opening.  The stiles and rails are glued to the template.  The mullions are then added.  The template is peeled off the framework and mica is put in place.  Finally, the inner frame and mullions are added.  The center opening was not glazed as it looks directly into the back of the rudder trunk.
 

 
The windows are glued in place. The small gaps will be hidden under the munions and decorative moldings.  The discoloration of the wood of the upper and lower counter is from internal finish seeping out between the planks.  This will not be a problem after the external structure has a coat of finish.
 

 

 
The munions are trim boards between the windows which hide all of the internal structural components.  External to this, the plans show a column with acanthus leaves.  I cannot tell from the plans whether the leaves are carved or painted.  This will be added when the rest of the stern is completed.  One of the central munions is not the same shape as the other five.  After careful consideration and a few choice words I determined that the only way to correct the problem would be to rebuild the entire stern.  And that wasn't going to happen!  It looks worse in the photo than in real life.  Once the decorative trims and columns are added I do not think it will be very visible (except to me).
 
These windows open inwards.  There is a quarter round sill which acts as a stop to prevent the window from opening outward.  
 

Very nice Sal,
Mine is going slowly. lots of rework and it helps to review yours and the others as I go.
Happy New year,
Richard 

Very nice Sal,
Mine is going slowly. lots of rework and it helps to review yours and the others as I go.
Happy New year,
Richard 

Very nice Sal,
Mine is going slowly. lots of rework and it helps to review yours and the others as I go.
Happy New year,
Richard 

Very nice Sal,
Mine is going slowly. lots of rework and it helps to review yours and the others as I go.
Happy New year,
Richard 

A bit of an update.  First off, here's hull "right-side up".... I'm liking the way she looks.
 

 
I removed some of the build board material around the transom area to give me some working room. If you'll go back to previous pictures, the transom is actually glued to the build board.   When I removed the board, I found some problems with the transom.  Not a show stopper or a big problem.   Some fairing/sanding and maybe removal/replacement of some of the small framing will fix it nicely.  Once fixed, I can continue on with the planking and build up of the transom.
 

 
I also finally took a good look at the interior.  I held off sanding and fairing it because I knew my planking clamps were going to cause <ahem> issues, shall we say.   Now is also the time to fair it out and fix any problems.  I'm not seeing any serious problems, just a lot of sanding and fairing.  So this area, along with the transom is being attended to.  I also wanted to get this out of the way at this point as when I install the galleries, stern windows, etc. removing the sanding dust would be a real problem if I waited to sand until they were done.  Another reason is, I don't want to damage anything with the handling needed during sanding. 
 

 
I have to admit I'm pretty damn happy right now.  The problems are not as bad as I thought they'd be and overall, looking pretty good.