Decoyman

As you may have noticed I have not made any posts for a while. Pressure of work and now a new job have all made work on my chaloupe nigh on impossible, sadly. I do have some progress which I have not yet reported on and in which you might be interested.
 
Since my last post I have faired the frames as far as possible. Here are a couple of photos:
 
 
 
However at this stage I began to think something was wrong.... It took me a while, but after much fiddling trying to get the keel, stem and stern posts aligned to each other and square to the mould, I realised that the mould itself was not true. This photo shows the problem:
 

 
I think that the stack of MDF laminates was able to slide sideways at the point while the glue was still wet and I was tightening the clamps. I considered sanding the sides square, but concluded that this would only lead to a misshapen mould. So I made a new one, taking more care this time to ensure everything was aligned properly.
 
Here are the two moulds side-by-side. The differences are not obvious, but the second one is unquestionably more accurate.
 

 
Because I had not glued anything to anything else at this stage (with the exception of the floors and futtocks making up each individual frame) I was able to unpin everything from the old mould and re-fix it to the new one. Although the frames had been made over the old mould they fit the new one well enough, so in the end there was not much other than the mould to redo.
 
  
 
So now I was able to make proper forward progress with the transom. You can see the top piece in the picture with all the frames above. This pinned nicely to the back of the sternpost and square to the mould. The next step was to fix two pieces of thin (1.5 mm) ply, roughly profiled to the shape of half the transom, to each side of the stern post, tucked under the top piece. These were pinned in place until the glue was dry. The outer profile was sanded using a round sanding stick running across the last few frames. The outer surface of each side of the transom was boarded with 5 x 1 mm cherry and again the ends were sanded to the correct profile.
 
 
 
The final pieces of progress are the two wales. These needed spiling to the correct longitudinal shape and then profiling in section using a scraper filed into a piece of scrap brass. Once they were soaked and curved to the right plan form they could be glued in place. At this point the framework is strong enough to remove from the mould as you can see.
 
       
 
And that is nearly as far as I have got to date. I have made the two garboard strakes, but they are not finished yet or fitted. Hopefully I will get some more time soon!
 
Thanks for reading.
 
Rob
 
 

Thanks for the advice chaps!
 
I'm thinking about Ron's test suggestion and, short of making another mould, I haven't thought of a quick way yet.
 
I don't know if I mentioned it before, but I have polished the surface of the mould with a wax-based spray. Hopefully this will help too, however I don't want it too waxy since it might affect the surface of the ribs.
 
The instructions suggest that a frame inadvertently glued to the mould can be freed by giving it a sharp tap with a hammer against a block of wood placed alongside the frame. I think this might be my first test.
 
In the meantime I have been making the 'spine' of the boat; that is: the keel, the stem, the sternpost, the apron, the deadwood and the knee. This took two goes: the first keel was too long and I had already cut the rebate for the sternpost, so I couldn't shorten it. I had made the half-lapped joint between the stem and keel, but nothing else. This at least was good practice for the second attempt! I think the keel was too long because the paper pattern, which I glued to the cherry blank, stretched when it was wet with the glue.
 
The second time I made two changes: I left the keel over length at the stern to start with so it could be cut down later, and I cut a mortice for the sternpost, rather than a rebate since this looked more in line with the prototype illustrations (despite the drawings, which show a rebate).
 
This project is a big learning exercise for me, especially with the use of my new Byrnes table saw (thank you again MSW!). I have no thicknesser yet, so I am reliant on the fine blade in the saw to get a good, parallel-sided finish on the wood. In practice this means that the widest I can make a plank is about 24 mm, cutting from both sides. Fortunately this is just enough for the curve of the apron.
 
The first image shows all the blanks rough cut and roughly in the right relationship. As many of the straight cuts as possible have been made with the table saw. The remainder will be cut using a fretsaw.
 

 
The next picture shows the stern components after they have been cut and sanded to the right profile. I made a rudimentary 'bobbin' sander with a piece of MDF with a hole fixed to the bed of my pillar drill and a sanding drum in the chuck. It's actually very effective and accurate. I use this for all the concave curves and a hand sanding block with a shooting board for the convex and straight faces.
 
 
 
I fixed the apron to the stem and keel prior to cutting out the inner curve. This was because I thought such a thin piece of partially-crossgrained timber might break when I tried to cut it or sand it. Fixing it to the other members made it stronger.
 

 
Finally some shots of all the components assembled and sanded. No too shabby for a beginner!
 

 
When the glue was well dried I offered the whole thing up to the mould, only to find that the mould was marginally too long. I assume this was for the same reason as the keel being over-length: the paper patterns stretching when glued. My solution is to sand off the back face of the transom. I'll let you all know how I get on in my next report!
 
Rob

I am getting close to finishing the initial fabrication of the frames. In the next couple of pictures you can see all the frames across the keelson finished and then the futtocks added to the rearmost crutches.
 
 
 
Unfortunately I noticed that the keelson had acquired a pronounced downward curve (upward in the photos since the mould is inverted).
 
  
 
I wasn't happy to leave it like it was, so I stripped off all the frames - they were only pinned in place - and then planed off the first MDF layer from the mould down to the veneer leaf.
 

 
At this point it became clear that the whole mould was slightly curved, probably because I didn't clamp it to a flat surface when it was drying. Nothing serious, just slightly annoying! I was able to sand the veneer slightly more in the middle until the top surface was flat. Then I added a strip of cherry the same plan profile as the keelson, as thick as the distance between the top of the keelson and the lowest waterline and with a curve at the stern end. Once this was glued down I fixed 4 mm deep strips of veneer each side to set clean lines for the bottom of the mould (the MDF tends to flake off). Now I have a straight base for the keelson.
 
    
 
Next I cut a new layer of MDF in two pieces to fit around the keelson trough and, once the glue was dry, planed and sanded it to shape. Another couple of coats of varnish to stop the frame glue sticking and job done! A nice straight keelson ready for the frames to be re-fitted.
 
     
 
Rob

Jeronimo,
 
I saw your log and the photos of the finished boat - fantastic work. I hope mine is somewhere near as good (although I have my doubts… we'll see).
 
Aykutansin,
 
Thanks for the encouragement - do you have a build log of your own?
 
Here are some more photos of progress to date. I've set the keelson in its recess in the mould and started adding the frames. The instructions suggest pinning through the frames. I decided to use push-pins. A big benefit is that they can be removed more easily once the frames are finished (you don't want to miss a pin after adding the planking - removing the shell from the mould would be a bit difficult…). Another advantage is that lifting a pin slightly allows the frame to be adjusted laterally until its position is perfect.
 
 
 
I'm using apple for the frames as well as the keelson. Slicing it up into 2 x 2 mm pieces results in incredibly smooth faces straight from the saw. I give them a rub-down with 400 grit wet and dry used dry then soak them overnight. The first picture above shows all the pieces cut up: there are 30 of them, corresponding to 30 frames, each strip is 300 mm long. The second picture shows a set of timbers for a typical frame - a long piece for the floor and two shorter pieces for the futtocks.
 
The following pictures show steps in adding the frames to the mould with the keelson in place. Interestingly nothing is glued yet. The keelson is intended to remain loose until the hull is removed from the mould, at which time it will be pinned and glued in place. Initially I soaked the wood in hot water, but I found I broke quite a few pieces trying to bend them round the sharp curve between the floor and the sides, so I added some household ammonia to the water. I am now having more success, but this may be because a] I'm getting better at forming the bends or b] I've left the wood to soak for longer or c] I tried microwaving the container with the ammonia solution before taking the wood out. Anyway it seems to be going OK!
 
     
 
In the first three images the floors are being added; in the last three I am starting to add the futtocks. The darker pieces have been added later and are still wet.
 
 
Rob

Like an ageing theater actor, this is the model's last farewell tour and final appearance on this log. Thanks for dropping by! See you again after publication date....

Thank you Albert, Louie, Cog and EJ_L,
your kind words are always good for a poor modeler´s soul.
Thanks also for the likes.
 
For a year I am working on the five boats for the French corvette.
Now they are ready and here at the end some pictures of all five.
I hope you like them.

 

 

What has left is the “key” of the shackle.
You might find your way to represent that “key” but following the above method, you have to consider at least the diameter of the holes of the shackles. It’s rather rare to find something to look like nail…3-4 mm long and with less than 0,50 mm in diameter.
 
Thankfully I recalled a tip from another mate some years before.
For those who are not familiar with the inner of a pc, the processor has one of its surfaces full of pins. What I did, is to set up a small fire in my backyard and take the last offer of an Athlon processor….
Then I collected many and ready for use “keys” for my shackles.
For those who will follow the same tip, you will find that many of those pins come out with some lead on their head. Don’t panic. Just keep them with a tweezers over a lighter's flame…

 
....................................................
 
That’s all mates. I hope at least I have inspired you and I’m sorry if you get tired with the use of English language... 
 
Many thanks

Great topic.  As I visit the many websites of kit manufacturers and distributors I see an abundance of model of ships with sails.  I would like to see more kits of ships built after the golden age of sails.  The early steam ship era represents a large population of ships that would be interesting as models.  The first monitors, tugs, trawlers, riverboats, etc., would all be very interesting kits to build.
 
I am not a ship historian, but I think that the early steam era would provide some great models.

Steven,
 
Try pre-drilling the holes just ever so slightly smaller than the pins.  I found that works pretty good.

Well, folks, we've come to the conclusion of this log. The Greenwich Hospital barge is about to row off, colors flying. Thanks to all who have looked in, 'liked', commented, complimented and discussed her. It's been quite the experience. I really appreciate the support of this electronic community over the past months. Thanks to each and every one of you, world-wide. 
 
So, what's next, I wonder?

3/8" is 1 cm not 1 mm?

Hi Druxey. Superb model, which I have been following avidly.
 
I think cylinder glass in some form was available much earlier than the early 20th century. Many Georgian and Victorian houses over here have quite large panes of glass in them. I look after this building: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claremont_(country_house),where the original glass panes are substantial. I'd be happy to measure some for you, if it would help. This website: http://www.sashwindowslondon.org.uk/info/history-of-glass-manufacture.html has a potted history of glass referencing cylinder glass, polished plate glass, etc as available at the time of the Greenwich barge.
 
Best wishes
 
Rob

CAPTAIN PHILLIPS’ PATENT CAPSTAN
 
To this point, my build log has included detailed notes about my research into Franklin's ships, and is largely a mirror of my blog, Building HMS Terror. While I know some followers have enjoyed my research notes (thanks for all the kind words of encouragement), others find them tedious, and recreating them here every time I finish a part has become quite time consuming. 
 
 
For the remainder of my build log, I've decided to do something a little different, and keep this primarily as a photo essay of my build. I'll continue to post research notes, but those will only appear on my blog. This change will also allow me to post a few more photos here, for those who want to see more wood and metal. 
 
 
So, with that formality out of the way, here is my attempt to build plans and a model of an 1839 era improved capstan. For those interested in the historical research I conducted, please consult my blog!
 
 

An 1839 era Phillips, capstan, as I believe it may have been 
configured for use on HMS Erebus and Terror.
 

Cutting the capstan components on an Epilogue laser cutter. 
 

The completed pieces. 
 

Vellum was added to enhance the joints of the capstan.
 

The assembled capstan before sanding. 
 

Sanded to shape. 
 

Drilling the bolt locations. 
 

The completed drumhead. Some Phillips' capstan models 
show lined sockets, so I added boxwood liners. 
I admit that it was primarily an aesthetic choice. 
 

I cut the drumhead plate from an unused pipe fitting which I flared to the right size. 
 

I filed a lip into the plate by hand. 
 

I cut the pawl rim (ring) out of brass plate using a jeweler's coping saw.
 

I filed each stop by hand, after carefully scoring the brass
 

The pawl rims were each made from pipe fittings flared to the precise diameter. 
 

The pawl rim prior to soldering and sanding. 
 

The piece following soldering. I used  copper solder for the first
time on this piece - despite being very dirty, it worked well. 
 

To maintain the proper curvature, I cut the pawls from a copper fitting. 
 

The pawls cut roughly to length. 
 

Bolt holes were drilled before shaping. 
 

Each pawl was filed and shaped by hand. 
 

The completed pawl rim (ring) and pawls.
Two traits unique to Phillips' capstans can 
be seen here. First, the pawl rim was bolted through
each stop, rather than in the spaces.
Second, Phillips' capstans had between six and 
eight pawls, while earlier models typically had four. 
 

The pawlhead. 
 

The completed pawlhead with the top plate soldered in place.
Contemporary models show that the pawlheads on 
Phillips' capstans were made entirely of iron. 
 

Dry fitting the metal pieces. The pawls need some thinning here. 
 

Pieces prior to finishing and assembly. 
 

Blackening the metal parts. 
 

The metal pieces after blackening, buffing, and sealing 
(I use Krylon matte coat as a sealer). 
 

The completed capstan. The wooden pieces have been
treated with Minwax wipe-on poly. 
 
Detail of the pawl rim and pawls. 
 

The drumhead (the drop pins indicate it is in direct-drive mode).
 

Detail of the lower drop pins and drumhead plate (I couldn't find scale
chain small enough to model that feature). 
 

Mini-Crozier inspects his capstan, recalling his good times with  Parry. 

3/8" is 1 cm not 1 mm?

Nothing more at the moment, I'm afraid - it's a long time since I sat through a seminar on historic glass! Sorry.
 
Rob

Hi Druxey. Superb model, which I have been following avidly.
 
I think cylinder glass in some form was available much earlier than the early 20th century. Many Georgian and Victorian houses over here have quite large panes of glass in them. I look after this building: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claremont_(country_house),where the original glass panes are substantial. I'd be happy to measure some for you, if it would help. This website: http://www.sashwindowslondon.org.uk/info/history-of-glass-manufacture.html has a potted history of glass referencing cylinder glass, polished plate glass, etc as available at the time of the Greenwich barge.
 
Best wishes
 
Rob

For the coachwork there are numerous repetitive ornamental mouldings. The first of these to produce is a five-reeded column. This is ⅛" wide, so it was tricky to work. I used a micro-milling cutter (Proxxon) on my mill using an x-y table to incrementally cut reeds into the stock. Also required were columnar capitals. Again, two different micro-milling cutters were used. One was a flat-bottomed cutter, the other a very small ball cutter. These produced a fair imitation of the design. 
 
The millwork is gradually being built up on the pattern piece. The pattern will be integrated into the coach, as the assembly will be painted when completed. The outer corners still need to be bevelled. Each column consists of three pieces. The reeds are stopped; that is to say, they do not extend the whole length of the column. Plain pieces of stock are grafted on the top and bottom to produce the effect of stopped reeding. In addition, there are small fielded panels in the column bases. These were cut in using a scalpel and a micro chisel. The panels in the doors and on either side were added using stock a scale ⅜" thick. 

Hi Druxey. Superb model, which I have been following avidly.
 
I think cylinder glass in some form was available much earlier than the early 20th century. Many Georgian and Victorian houses over here have quite large panes of glass in them. I look after this building: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claremont_(country_house),where the original glass panes are substantial. I'd be happy to measure some for you, if it would help. This website: http://www.sashwindowslondon.org.uk/info/history-of-glass-manufacture.html has a potted history of glass referencing cylinder glass, polished plate glass, etc as available at the time of the Greenwich barge.
 
Best wishes
 
Rob

Nothing more at the moment, I'm afraid - it's a long time since I sat through a seminar on historic glass! Sorry.
 
Rob

Nothing more at the moment, I'm afraid - it's a long time since I sat through a seminar on historic glass! Sorry.
 
Rob

Hi Druxey. Superb model, which I have been following avidly.
 
I think cylinder glass in some form was available much earlier than the early 20th century. Many Georgian and Victorian houses over here have quite large panes of glass in them. I look after this building: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claremont_(country_house),where the original glass panes are substantial. I'd be happy to measure some for you, if it would help. This website: http://www.sashwindowslondon.org.uk/info/history-of-glass-manufacture.html has a potted history of glass referencing cylinder glass, polished plate glass, etc as available at the time of the Greenwich barge.
 
Best wishes
 
Rob

Hi Druxey. Superb model, which I have been following avidly.
 
I think cylinder glass in some form was available much earlier than the early 20th century. Many Georgian and Victorian houses over here have quite large panes of glass in them. I look after this building: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claremont_(country_house),where the original glass panes are substantial. I'd be happy to measure some for you, if it would help. This website: http://www.sashwindowslondon.org.uk/info/history-of-glass-manufacture.html has a potted history of glass referencing cylinder glass, polished plate glass, etc as available at the time of the Greenwich barge.
 
Best wishes
 
Rob

Hi Druxey. Superb model, which I have been following avidly.
 
I think cylinder glass in some form was available much earlier than the early 20th century. Many Georgian and Victorian houses over here have quite large panes of glass in them. I look after this building: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claremont_(country_house),where the original glass panes are substantial. I'd be happy to measure some for you, if it would help. This website: http://www.sashwindowslondon.org.uk/info/history-of-glass-manufacture.html has a potted history of glass referencing cylinder glass, polished plate glass, etc as available at the time of the Greenwich barge.
 
Best wishes
 
Rob

Hi Druxey. Superb model, which I have been following avidly.
 
I think cylinder glass in some form was available much earlier than the early 20th century. Many Georgian and Victorian houses over here have quite large panes of glass in them. I look after this building: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claremont_(country_house),where the original glass panes are substantial. I'd be happy to measure some for you, if it would help. This website: http://www.sashwindowslondon.org.uk/info/history-of-glass-manufacture.html has a potted history of glass referencing cylinder glass, polished plate glass, etc as available at the time of the Greenwich barge.
 
Best wishes
 
Rob

Thank you all again for your kind comments and likes. You made me feel inspired enough to find time to do a bit more!
 
I have made and fitted the first strake of planking either side of the keel. This is the first time I have attempted spiling of planking. So far it's OK... I have had to remake one strake through impatience, and the fit of each is not quite as perfect as I would like. The following photos show the garboard strakes being glued in place. I will post some more once I have several done.
 
  
 
The last photo shows the stern. You can see the ends of both strakes and the tick marks I put on the frames to define the widths of the planks. You can also see the stern planking, where I was a bit dim with the choice of wood! It's all cherry, but the first three planks are noticeably different in colour. I am hoping I can tone the variation down when I apply a finish.
 

 
In case anyone is wondering I emphasised the joints between planks by rubbing both edges with a 2B pencil before glueing them in position. I think it's reasonably subtle.
 
Another thing worth mentioning, since I don't remember finding this point made anywhere else, is how to measure the tick marks quickly and easily. Most people cut strips of paper to the length of the frame between the keel and the wale, which is what I did as well. However it is usually suggested that the next step is a diminishing grid: a 'fan' of lines drawn from a common point and with the other ends set out equally along a straight line. Sufficient line are drawn so that the number of gaps between lines is the same as the intended number of strakes of planking. The idea is that you lay your strip of paper across the grid at a position where the ends of the paper just touch the outermost parts of the fan. You then mark off along the strip the intersections between the lines of the fan and the edge of the strip. This gives you a strip subdivided equally by the number of strakes. It works fine, providing you keep your strip parallel to the line used originally to set out the fan ends. If you put the strip at an angle then the spacing will vary.
 
I prefer to use a simple sheet of lined paper - it can be graph paper with a square grid, but ordinary ruled notebook paper works just as well. You need to place your paper strip at an angle across the lines such that each end is exactly on a line and the number of spaces between the two lines at the ends of the strip equals the number of strakes. then mark off the intersections as before and the strip will be evenly divided. Both methods are similar, but my method is quicker, because you don't need to make the diminishing grid, and there is a little less opportunity for error.
 
Rob