gieb8688

Bonjour, suite du grand mat.
 
Isalbert
 

Hi, some pictures of the construction of the mainmast

Hello, Some pictures of the old lost forum.
 
Isalbert

Thank you Robin.
 
Here now some pictures with the ship at his final place and with lights on 
In reality the light is not so bright, that comes at the pictures because I had the shutter of the camera open from 1-4 sec. But it's bright enough that you could see most parts inside (also the rest of the dust )
 
Regards,
Siggi

It's been a while.
 
I was working on Victory, but then I was sent my new designs for the Prince in laser cut and PE parts, so I figuered I'd build up the prince hull first, so that I can courier the hull over to Amati. They will then get a very good carver to make all new carvings for the model, have them cast, and then send me back the hull and loose catings. I can then continue, and finally finish the Prince!
 
When the prince is with Amati, I shall complete the Victory drawings/plans/instructions, which should be no later than Summer.
 
I know Amati are keen to finalise both Prince and Victory, and I am hoping Victory will be ready for release either late this year or very early next.
 
I have attached a couple of pics of Prince in progress. I have just completed the first planking. I re-done the designs to include three more main bulkheads, (almost) full length decks from lover gun deck upwards, and the new gun port designs that are now intergeral to the hull, rather than the 1mm ply gun port patterns of the old design.

Wow, this build log is now at an end... I never thought it would happen.  I kept a work journal and the final tally for the actual working time (not counting research) was 785 hours over 13 1/2 months.  I can no longer use the excuse it is my first wooden ship build!  Good thing it is only a hobby or that would really put the pressure on!     Here are a couple of pics of the final product.  I will have more pics in the completed kit section.
 


 
Thank you all for your help, support and kind words.  This would not have been possible with out MSW.  Now on to building a case and thinking about which ship to build next.   I will  post some pics of the case and the "final resting place" for my Constellation when I get to that point.
 
In the mean time I will be following and learning from everyone here.  Thank you again and happy modelling.
Tom

The masts are complete !
 
Make all the platforms, painted, rope around it, blocks on it, deadeyes in place,and more of that funny stuff.
Bowsprit also complete and on it.
And of course everything is dry fit as far that it is possible.
Also make the catheads ( forget that totally !!   )
Next thing to do a few things that I forget on the hull and stern .
The I will start making the shrouds.
I know, I have to put the hammock braces and netting on it.
I will do that later because I let the netting white.
And I'm afraid that they are dirty when i put them on at this moment.
And I make the hammock netting on the table and will place them in one piece.......
 
So Piet, you see that I have done a little bit more.
I have to work for a living and not retired yet !
That will take 7 years and 9 months from now......    
 
Sjors
 
 
 

Deck work almost finished. Mast building underway.

I uploaded this to the wrong section.  My apologies. I'll add the masting and rigging photos as I progress.

Thanks for the likes and kind comments. I have decided to have a small update on my way to finishing second planking (below the wales anyway). It seems like a small step but in fact it has been a rather large effort getting this planking done. I'm going to take a bit of break before I post again.
 
Happy New Year to you all!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
and it just never seems to end...
 

Build Log 15 – Final Details
 
Hi and Happy New Year to all, and thanks as ever for the likes and comments.
 
This will be the last installment of this build log, covering the final details that add another level of interest to the model.  Many of these are elements that can be changed at the discretion of the captain, so I used as my guide the photographs taken at the time of the sinking.
 
The first detail was the wires for the short wave radio antenna.  These do not show up very well in photographs since they are so thin.  On the plans they are shown, but not separated from the mast support wires.  Close examination of various photographs show that not all of these wires were installed on the actual ship.  Presumably the antenna wires changed as the radio was upgraded during the life of the ship.
 

 
There is a cylindrical structure on the starboard side of the Sun Deck just aft of the Command Deck area.  Several wires lead to it so, although it is never identified, it is clearly part of the radio system.
 

 
Without any clear guide, I decided to include three wires for the antenna.  Two lead from near the top of the mast to thin poles at the aft ends, port and starboard, on the Lido Deck.  The antenna wires are separated from the poles by short lines with three insulators.  These were made by mixing white paint with white glue, then attaching small drops to the line with a toothpick.  Several coats were needed since the glue shrinks as it dries and had to be filled out again.
 

 
The third line runs from a bit lower on the mast to the top of the funnel.  All three lines are then connected to the radio fitting with vertical lines.  All of the radio wires were made from fine embroidery linen in an off-white tone.  I tried several other materials and colors, but this gave the best look, in my opinion.  It is light enough to show up in most light, but thin enough not to be overpowering.
 

 
In photographs of the ship taken on different days, there appear or disappear various sets of canvas railing cloths to protect the passengers from sea spray.  These were hung on the outside of the railings and laced to them.  On the day of the sinking there were railing cloths up to the level of the boat deck and around the command deck.
 

 
I modeled the cloths with stiffened batik fabric cut to fit and glued against the appropriate railings.  Unfortunately, once everything was dry the fabric proved too transparent, and had to be given a coat of opaque white acrylic.  But the glue proved too strong and I risked damage to the rails, so the first ones had to be hand painted on the model, while I could paint later ones before installation.  Live and learn, eh? 
 


 
I was surprised at how much of a visual difference the cloths made to the overall appearance of the model, especially when viewed from amidships.  Here are before and after photos.
 


 
The passengers were also protected from the weather and sun by canvas awnings supported by metal frames, although no photo shows the awnings spread.  Perhaps that was only done in port.  The simple frames on the Lido deck are mostly hidden behind the lifeboats, so I did not model them, but the aft taffrail deck was set up with a large awning over a complicated and interesting metal frame.  It would be a nice element to include.
 
  The frame was made up of four flat arches of differing widths set across the deck and tilting down from forward to aft.  They were connected to each other with a straight bar running along the centerline. 
 

 
For the model the frames were bent up from 0.030” brass rod.  Getting them to fit predrilled holes in the deck and still have the correct arch took a lot of trials and even more errors.  Once they were shaped the problems first started.  I planned to solder them together in a jig, then electroplate them in chrome.  I was spectacularly unsuccessful.  Once soldered in the jig, the assembly bent and/or came apart as it was removed.  Several times.  Metalworking skills are not my strong suit.  I never even attempted electroplating.  The final solution was to mount the arches on the model with the connecting bar attached with small dots of epoxy.  Once everything was set in place the deck was protected with a piece of paper toweling and the brass was hand painted with primer then silver acrylic paint.  Happily, it turned out to be quite strong and convincingly metallic.     
 

 
Some small details were added around the ship.  A dozen green storage bins were scattered around, a searchlight was installed on the aft end of the Promenade Deck near the third class pool, and photoetched life preserver rings were mounted outside of the railing cloths on the boat deck.  Ensign staffs were mounted at the extreme bow and stern.  All of these give the model a bit more 'texture' and realism.
 
It was finally time, a year after laying the keel, to hang the flag on the ship and get her ready for launch.  It was made in my usual way by printing out a skewed image of the flag.  At this scale the material was silkspan, which is transparent enough that I did not have to print the reverse side.  It was hung on a halyard running from the tip of a gaff to a cleat on the base of the mast, then misted with water and gently curled. 
 

 
There was one final detail to attend to.  You may have noticed in earlier photographs of the first and second class pools that a clock was mounted on the overhang at the forward end of each area.
 

 
I made them up from 1/10” o.d. brass tubing filled with a wooden dowel.  After flush sanding the wood the brass bezel was chamfered on a sanding belt. The wooden face was painted white.  Tiny black dots for the numbers were touched on with the tip of a sharpened toothpick.  With my finest 10/0 brush the hands were put on. The extreme close-up photos show that I was less than perfect, but with the entire clock being less than 1/8" in diameter, I have reached the limits of my talents. 
 


 
The clocks are set to 11:05 p.m.  In five minutes the lives of Linda Morgan’s parents, sister, and dozens of others will end and she will be thrust into unwanted publicity.  In just five minutes.
 
But for now, in miniature, she sails off the workbench to the customer.  
 


 
I hope you liked the journey despite my sometimes clunky sense of humor.  I will post a photo tour of the finished model when I can.  Until then . . . 
 
Be well
 
Dan
 
 

Build log 14 – lookout mast and command deck
 
Thanks, as always, for the likes and comments.  Greg, I’m sorry too that it is coming to an end, but I will be back with another project sometime soon.  Happy that you have been enjoying the voyage.
 
The final major visual component of the ship is the tall mast that supports the lookout post, radar position, and a searchlight platform.  It was also used to hang the radio wires as well as signal and display flags.  As you can see, it reaches way up, to almost three times the height of the funnel.
 

 
From the plans the basic dimensions were taken, as well as the sizes and locations of the radar, lookout, and searchlight stations.  The mast itself is tapered, but seems to have a number of steps, rather than a continuous surface.  The gaff for the flag halyard is shown, but not the large and small yards that cross the mast.  There are a few small fittings whose shape and purpose have yet to be determined. 
 

 
This is the best detailed photo of the mast.  Although the searchlight is hidden behind the cargo crane, the rest of the details are pretty clear, including a horn on the starboard side of the mast below the lookout station, and a small fitting, still unclear, to port.  The two spars can be clearly seen, so their sizes and locations were taken from the photo and not the plans.
 

 
The mast was built up from 6 lengths of thin brass tubing that telescoped into each other, topped by a final section of brass rod.  Where they come together the larger, lower, tubing was tapered so there would not be a distinct step between sections.  These were soldered together to match the plans.   The base was filled with a wooden dowel so a brass rod could be inserted to support the mast on the model.
 
1/8” and 1/16” brass rods made up the spars.  They were given a double taper in the drill press by grinding with a stone wheel in a Dremel.  The high grinding speed achieved by positioning the rotations against each other made quick work of the job.  The surfaces were smoothed with a fine file to prepare them for soldering.  First, a 1/8”  half-round channel was ground across the mast and the lower spar was soldered into it.
 
A second channel, 1/16” wide, was ground into an upper segment for the topmast spar.  Using just a scrap of wood and a few clamps the upper spar was held down on the same plane as the lower spar and soldered into place.
 
Unfortunately, only after everything was solid and true did I review the photo to discover that although the upper spar is mounted to the front of the mast, as if it were a sailing ship, the lower spar mounts to the back of the mast.  This must have been to allow room for the crew to climb an internal ladder to the lookout platform.  I thought that I might have to scrap the mast already made, but I was able to unsolder one of the joints between the two spars and rotate the top 180 degrees, which fixed the problem.
 

 
The lookout station was built up from a flat base with a section of tubing above it. The back ends of both were cut and ground to fit tightly against the mast.  This was detailed with a rim of half-round strip at the top edge, and two small support triangles below.
 
The radar platform has a base made in a similar way, with 4-bar railing wrapped around it and a Bluejacket casting of a radar dish cleaned up and detailed.
 

 
The radar post was too short, according to the photos, so it was removed and a taller shaft was fashioned from plastic tube.  The horn and the other fitting were made up and inserted into holes drilled in the mast below the lookout station.  A tapered brass rod made up the flag gaff.  In the photos I could see a flat tongue that extended out from under the radar platform.  I have seen similar fittings above lookout posts on other ships that do not have radars, so this must have something to do with the lookouts.  Perhaps it provides a way to block the glare of direct sunlight, but I just don’t know.  Perhaps one of you with more experience with liners can fill me in.
 

 
The searchlight platform was constructed in a very similar manner.  I used a casting for the searchlight, adding a bar on top.  The reflector was ground smooth with a round carving bitt, the unpainted white metal making a convincing silver appearance.  The central light source is a tiny nail inserted into a hole in the reflector and touched with black paint for contrast.  The bronze color for the body of the searchlight may not be strictly correct, but it makes the fitting stand out in a way that I like.
 

 
So here is the finished mast, painted and installed.
 

 
At the base of the mast, the forward end of the Sun Deck is separated by a railing and has a number of fittings and structures.  I call it the Command Deck, but this is just my personal notation.  Here is the best photo that I found, which is not too good.  Further enlargement pixillates it and the detail is lost; reduction makes it impossible to see those details.  It is clear that the Command Deck has a different surface than the rest of the decking, but what it is made of is unclear.  On the deck there are six elements in addition to the mast.  First, an oval structure which looks to be surrounded by railing in a position usually reserved for a captain’s post.  In the forward starboard corner is a radar with a flat receiver, seen better in the earlier photo of the mast.  The rest are open for interpretation and speculation. 
 

 
The plans are not much help.  In the deck plan there are just three elements shown with the mast along the centerline.  The captain’s oval shaped station is forward.  Next is a cross in a circle, which from other evidence seems to be a radio direction finder, I think.  Behind the mast is a rectangular fixture whose purpose never became clear, and which never appeared in detail in any photograph.  The deck is shown planked like the rest of the Sun Deck, which is clearly not how it was.
 

 
In profile, the plans show the radar and the radio direction finder, but nothing else.
 

 
I was just going to paint the Command Deck a light grey to match the lifeboat covers until I found this photo.  At first glance, the fact that all of the handrails were at the same height led me to believe that the Command Deck was flush with the level of the Sun Deck.  But then I noticed, in the red circle, that the corner of the deck is raised about a step above the Sun Deck level and built up inside the railings.  This one small view, out of all of the plans and photographs of the ship, was the only indication of this construction detail.  This is why I go back and back to the photographs, and I still get things wrong.
 

 
After making a paper pattern I cut out a sheet of plastic 1mm (8 scale inches) thick and laid it in place inside the railings.   On it are my interpretations of the several elements.  The captain’s post has a telegraph and a binnacle.  The radar sits on a tripod mast.  The radio direction finder was made up from a brass rod and two split rings cut apart and soldered together.  The rest are shaped to match my interpretations of what I can see in the photos.  They match the shapes and sizes, although I am far from certain what their exact nature and functions are.
 

 
With the Command Deck done I could add the shrouds to the mast without them getting in the way.  There are three to each side, with the lowest being the thickest and mounted furthest forward.  Each was secured to the deck under tension with a turnbuckle as seen in the photos.  Since these turnbuckles are less than ¼” tall, I made them up simply, but I think they give a fairly convincing appearance.
 

 
The turnbuckles are secured to the deck with very small eyebolts that still have to be quite strong and secure.  Here is how I made them.  I have explained this in other build logs, but the method works so well that I thought I would go over it again.  I cannot claim that this is entirely my development, just a small improvement over what others have come up with.
 
Soft iron wire is cut into lengths about 1 ½” long.  When I have 20 or so they are held together and bent in the middle to form tight “U” shapes.  The legs of one are slid into the blade slot of a hobby knife handle and tightened.  As long as the legs do not cross each other inside the handle the wire cannot be pulled out easily.  It is the use of the handle that is my new wrinkle.  Not a great advance, but it works for me.
 

 
A drill bitt of the desired inside diameter of the eyebolt is selected and secured upside down in a vise with the shank sticking up about half an inch.  The wire is looped over the bitt.  Pulling back gently to maintain tension, the handle is rotated to start the twist that forms the shank of the eyebolt. 
 

 
The twist is continued, under tension, until the wire tightens around the drill bitt and the twisted shank reaches the head of the handle.  Using the handle allows me to spin up the shank very easily and quickly, much more so than other tools that I have seen used for the same purpose.
 

 
The formed eyebolt can now be slid off the drill bitt and released from the handle.  Once you have the technique down, it takes only a few seconds to make one up from the bent wire to the finished eyebolt.  This one has an i.d. of 0.030” and was made with wire 0.015” thick.  I have made them even smaller, and much larger, using this same method.  To use the eyebolt, the shank is clipped to the desired length and secured in a hole with a drop of glue.  The twists in the wire help the glue grip the shank, forming a very strong rigging point even when the shank is less than 1/8” long.
 

 
I wanted the shrouds to look like steel cable, so that is what I used.  Accu-Flex beading wire is made of multiple stainless steel fibers covered in plastic.  It comes in diameters from 0.024” down to 0.012”, which is thin enough for anything I have ever needed.  A 30 ft. spool is less than $5, and 100 feet is under $10.  It is available in a range of colors and metals to suit any need.  The disadvantage to beading wire is that it is so stiff that any sharp bend in it forms a kink that does not go away.  However, if gently handled it makes very realistic metal cables. 
 

 
To make up a turnbuckle, one end of the wire was threaded through an eyebolt and folded back on itself.  A small section of brass tube was cut and painted, then slid down to form the body.  In larger scales I have further detailed the fitting, but this is so small that it was not necessary.  The excess wire was trimmed off and the shaft of the eyebolt cut to length.
 

 
This first turnbuckle was secured into a hole in the edge of the deck.  On the other side the corresponding eyebolt was installed without the turnbuckle.  I had previously drilled three holes through the mast at the attachment points for the shrouds.  When the eyebolts were set and the glue dry the cable was fed through the appropriate hole in the mast.  A turnbuckle body was slid on and up and the free end of the cable was led through the empty eyebolt.    Pulling up strongly to tension the system the cable was crimped around the eyebolt.  The free end was threaded back up through the turnbuckle body, which was slid down to trap the end without releasing the tension.  Drops of glue secured the second turnbuckle and the excess cable was trimmed.
 
A stay was made up in a similar way from the largest beading wire and run from near the top of the mast to an eyebolt and turnbuckle in the bow.
 
The rigging to the mast was finished with lifts for the spars and the ensign gaff.  The beading wire was too stiff to make tiny knots, so polished threads were used, then painted with steel colored enamel.  Here is the finished and rigged mast.  It is best seen if you click on the photo to enlarge it.
 

 
In the photo you can see some of the lines for the shortwave radio antenna.  In the next segment I will go into them and some of the other penultimate details of the model.
 
Be well
 
Dan
 
 
 
 
 

Build Log 13  -  Cargo cranes
 
Thanks to all who looked in, and for the compliments that I am not sure I deserve.  During construction it felt like I was just muddling through, taking shortcuts that a truly dedicated modeler would avoid.  This is the curse of the commissioned model – it has to get done without spending the rest of my life on it.  Glad you liked the results, though.
 
Next to be detailed was the cargo deck at the bow.  This area contains two deck houses which are mostly companionways and for ventilation; two raised cargo hatches with multi-part covers; and two cargo cranes with four booms and four corresponding winches for the lifting cables.
 
Here is how it looks on the deck plans:
 

 
Photos of the area and the cranes are surprisingly scarce.  With several upper decks looking over the working area I expected to find many photos, as I have seen with other ships.  In fact, I found none of any detail or resolution from that angle.  This is the best that I found, taken from above during the sinking, so I just went with what I could figure out.
 

 
The deck houses are basswood sheathed with plastic, the portholes are my usual tiny grommets, and the watertight doors are photoetched aftermarket items.  The raised cargo hatches are simple wooden platforms topped with plastic sheet.  The hatch seams are scribed into the plastic after painting.  The eight winches are Scott style and are cleaned up and detailed Bluejacket castings.  All of the structures and fittings got margin plank strips in the usual way.
 

 
These are the best photos that I could find of the cranes themselves and the cargo booms.  Not a great deal of detail, but I puzzled out what I could and made educated guesses for the rest. 
 
Based on the number of cables running from the pulleys it looks like the cargo masts are fitted with a single block near the top that connects to a single block on the upper end of the boom.  A similar single block is under the end of the boom, whose cable runs below the boom to a block on the mast near the deck.
 

 
Here is the result.  The booms were built up from brass rod slid through a sleeve of brass tube.  Holes were drilled in the rods near the outer ends for the twisted wire strops of the cargo blocks, also Bluejacket castings.  The booms attach to the mast with a pair of linked eyebolts that allow movement in all directions.
 

 
The mast is a brass tube with a wooden dowel through it.  This allowed me to insert a sturdy brass rod in the bottom to secure it to the deck, and to taper the upper end as seen in the photos.  Three narrow brass bands were sliced off and attached to the mast tube.  These support the photoetched ladder that you can just see mounted on the inner side of the mast.  Plastic support lugs were shaped and attached as seen in the photos, although I do not know what their use was.  Four single blocks were installed at the top and four double blocks at the bottom. 
 

 
The entire structure was topped with a complicated cap which may have some ventilation purpose, or maybe not.  It was pieced together with three discs punched out from plastic sheet and twelve pieces of styrene strip, six in each layer.
 

 
The masts and booms were primed and painted gloss white before being installed in the center of the crowd of deck winches.  Cable of 0.008 polished threads were run through the pulley blocks and around the barrels of the winch heads. 
 

 
Cradles for the booms were made up from “L” angle strips of styrene with hollows for the tips, then installed on top of the curved deck house and the forward bulwark of the Upper Deck house.  The cables were run loosely until the booms were secured in the cradles, then everything was tightened and trimmed.
 
Given the lack of photos, I’m not completely sure that all the details are correct, but I believe that they are as close as reasonably possible.
 

 
At the stern the cargo hatches are smaller and flush with the decks.  Their locations and sizes are shown on the plans but do not show up on any of the photos that I found.  So I made them simply by running strips of margin plank with mitered corners to define the perimeters of the hatch covers.  No need to fill the centers since the eye cannot resolve such small changes in height.
 

 
The cranes for these hatches are complicated assemblies, but very prominent features, so I could not skimp on them.  They are made up from a wide base with a vertical cylindrical post that supports a second smaller platform.  A winch and electric motor on the base raise the “A” frame arm, while a smaller winch and motor control the lifting cable and hook.  At the front of the base is a platform for the winch controls and an electric panel box.
 

 
Here are the two views from the plans which were used to determine the heights and sizes for the various elements of the crane.
 

 
The base was made up from hardwood pieces with two discs of plastic to raise the base above the lip of the deck perimeter.
 

 
The winches and electric motors were made up from various castings that were cut apart, trimmed and refined before small plastic and wood elements were added to match what I thought I saw in the photos.
 

 
A length of aluminum tube was fitted into the base to make the vertical post, and a platform of thin hardwood was drilled and cut to slide down it.  The winches and motors were added, as was the winch control, another Bluejacket casting.  The electrical box was a tiny bit of wood, as was the fitting that housed to the pulleys at the top of the post.  Sorry that this is not a better photo, but I must have been too busy building the crane to check the focus.
 

 
The base and platforms were painted white, as were the railings, while the post, the motors and winches were silver with green and black details.
 

 
The lifting arms are made of brass rods with two cross-members soldered between them to make a strong unit.
 

 
Two other cross members were made up from plastic rod since they would not be under any stress.
 

 
A tripod support, as seen in the photos, was made up from brass wires soldered to a bit of brass strip and painted white.  Cables were run from the winches and a hook hung from the business end.  The final piece was a curved cover for the pulley sheaves at the top of the post.
 

 
Here is this one finished and installed as seen from the other angle.
 
    
 
And here are the four as they look on the completed model.
 

 
Not too many segments left.  The end is in sight.
 
Dan
 
 

Hello all,
Thank you for your comments and likes.
I wish to you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
 
Santa was generous with me this year, I've got two very lovely books (first two pictures) - and now I am taking my time reading them slowly. 
 
Here is another update for my build - last one this year. The easy part is completed, the decorative mouldings and sculptures around those windows still to be done. I will give it a try... next year.
 
Regards,
Alexandru
 
 

The main wales are completed and the hull painted accordingly from the wales down.
 
Next up are the middle wales which run across the hull above the main wales.
 
Vince P.

Working on the main wales. The stock used on these is 7x2mm walnut. This is pretty hard stuff and requires a severe bend and curvature at the bow. I had to use a mechanical bender as well as soaking in ammonia solution and heating to make the bends without splitting the wood. Once the planks were fitted to the hull, holes were drilled and toothpicks inserted for simulating the trennels. After drying, everything will be painted.
 
Vince P.

Thanks again for the interest and the likes.
 
I started building a week or so ago. The start is great, the frames of the boat are perfectly circular, and most are identical in size. There is no real keel, rather two identical ones with notches to hold the frames. Oh, and neither is the keel, as will rotate the boat 45 degrees so that these are not at the lowest point. I want to keep the bottom of the boat open to put in some sensors to detect accumulating water and alarm.
Pictures of course are clearer (hopefully)
 

 

 

In this third picture extra planks were fitted on either side of the "keels" between each set of frames. That enabled me to make the structure very stiff and totally straight, without the need for mounting the boat on a building plank. I guess that only works with symmetrical hulls like subs!
 
Also visible in this last picture is the half-franc from 1963 glued to the keel. I shipbuilding tradition going back centuries and supposed to bring luck - always welcome in submarines.
 

 
Planking the frames is usually where the skill of the builder becomes visible. Not here! It's a real beginners-hull, no stresses, no bending of the planks, no shaping of them. Easiest hull in the universe (and that's good as it's only the second plank of frame I ever did)
 
So far today's update, we're basically in real time now so I'll be slowing down some (and the Xmas holiday is over). The advantage of that is that any suggestions from all of you can be acted upon!
 
Happy New Year,
 
Freek

Jack next time I am in the city i will check out what the Michaels has. there is also a hobby shop close as well.
 
Deon I will give the canopy glue a look.
 
Thanks for all the likes
 
While waiting for the other boat to dry I had one of those moments where I fitted the skylight to the low raised cabin roof. I kept looking at the junction between the two halves of the original cabin, and picked up a chisel and a razor saw.....
 
The went out to the shop to the big bandsaw...
 
before
 

 
after
 

 

 

 
I will need to rework the hatch area but I like the overall design better, it feel a little more elegant and less boxy.
 
Michael
 
 
 

The USS Des Moines class heavy cruiser was the largest heavy cruiser ever built.  It is similar to the Baltimore class except bigger and only 1 stack.  The main difference is the Des Moines class has automatic 8” guns using an encased powder.  These guns did not use bagged powder that was normally used in guns this large.  The guns were capable of about 12 rounds per minute per barrel compared to the Baltimore class at about 6 rounds per minute. 
I am building this model for my dad which served on this ship from 1958-59 and has always wanted a model.  I am finally getting enough time to give it a good go so hopefully it will all work out.   The model is large about 88 inches (around 7.5 feet).  Even at that size the scale is relatively small compared to the scale we traditionally build wooden ships.  The reason I choose this scale is because I just hate working in a smaller scale than this.  So he had a choice this big or no model at all.  
 
The first thing in starting the model was get some plans, most came from the Floating Dry Dock some time ago, scan them and inserted into CAD.  It took a while to get them all sized and aligned properly.  After doing that I found many errors in some of the drawings that took some time to get corrected. 
 
I then worked on getting the false keel and bulkheads printed out and cut up.  The bulkheads that I had reliable information on and was fairly certain were correct; this was not a large enough number to make a sturdy hull.  I then had to work backwards after that to get the shape of the remaining bulkheads.  I did this by drawing in two bulkheads in between the ones I was certain of.  I did all the drawings in CAD; this was a trial and error type of process that took some time.  I then print them out, made a foam board template, temporary gluing them in place and started fairing them out.  After I got some faired out I then used them as a pattern and cut out the bulkheads in plywood and glued in place.  I started at the stern and worked my way up to the bow.  I used ¼” Baltic birch plywood for both the keel and bulkheads.  This was a fairly lengthy process but I am real happy with the results so far.
 
I am presently working on the planking which is going along at a steady pace, just a lot of it.  The planks are fastened to the bulkheads with glue and pin nails using an air nailer.  It works great for this as it will all be filled and covered with a polyester resin.  I am using 1/16” wood for the planking, mostly basswood but some beech was used also.  I had some leftover beech so I used what I could on this then switched to basswood which I have a lot of.  It does not matter what wood is used it will all get covered and painted.  I am hoping to finish the planking sometime after the first of the year.
 
 

Basic starting point
 


Template process
 

working my way forward with making new bulkheads
 

Bulkheads and reinforcing the keel complete, just for size comparison the Arm Virginia Sloop sitting on top
 


Planking to this point
 
 
Don
 
 

Hello Everybody.

Working on the wheelhouse. Lots of work and time but very rewarding.

More work done on the KW88.

Prepare the moulds for laminating. It will be a two part mould. First I will prepare and laminate the first half and after that I will remove the wooden plate and laminate the second half. I have never done this before so it will be exciting. It will take some weeks before I can show the results.

Added registration numbers and did some other jobs on the hull. Next job will be mould-making for wich I bought polyester and other stuff.
 

I started working on the beamtrawler again. In the summer it's just to hot at the attic so I can't build there. I have done some home improvement instead and build some showcases for a friend.
 
I sanded the hull and painted her with epoxy and the sanded her again. She has a babyskin now, soft and smooth. I also made a start with the halfround and the spraydeck.




 

Hello everybody,
 
At this moment I have done a lot of work for this model allready. Lots of work will not be vissible when she is ready but is inevitable to get a realistic model. But how good is the feeling when you have (after all the work) a fysical hull in your hands wich look svery good. On the pictures you see the wooden model of the hull. They call this the plug and I will use this in the future to make a polyester mould arround it so I can make multiple hulls out of it. I do this because I want to make two of the same models and maybe I can sell some hull later to other modelbuilders.
The pictures
 

The templates are ready to trace them on the wood

 
The wood (triplex 3,5mm)
 
All templates traces on the triplex
 

The gluing of the longitudinal cross-sections. I pay attention that they are on the correct line and place according the drawings.

 
And here all the sections together and the top-part glued in places

 
And then with the help of several powertools and a lot of sanding by hand sanding the shape of the hull. I have to do this very carefull so I wont sand to much. Most of the finishing I do by hand because you have more feeling and it gives a better result.

(Okay I admit. The sander was not even turned on. My wife made an ACTION-picture. But you can see I lost weigt tough )
 

And then after a lot of sanding and filling (lots of times) you see the result. Its nice and smooth and ready for further finishing.






Thank you for watching, like-ing and reply-ing. The build is on and more updates will follow soon!
 
Kind regards, Kees

It was a problem to find any drawings but I found a very helpfull guy who gave me a complete set of original drawings printed in scale 1:75. I am so thankfull!!