dvm27

Haha!! I had a great laugh. Is there a little blanket you drap over her at night?

Yes a nice little blanket with plenty full of sweetly illustrated bees ;-)
 
And then I am reading Maya the Bee stories until we both are sound asleep ...
XXXDAn

Lol. This reminds me of one morning I found myself caressing on my lap the recently completed lower planking job in the  hull of my Royal Louis. It felt so good.

Daniel
 
You are setting the 'love your ship' bar very, very high indeed. My ship is very jealous of your ship. Love the views.
 
Steve

Loving your model means MUCH more than only pampering it on ones lap ...
 
 
Even though it can be difficult to be on holidays with the small ones.   - Are we already there? - I have to do pipi! - I am Hungry! - I am bored!   *bitchingaround*   But this has not to be like this! The trick is to get the small ones interested into the trip and get them enthusiastic about it. With a little bit of commitment it is not that tricky ...   ... so I showed my small one the landcape ...     ...explained where I was the day before ...     ... and promised to take her there the day she will be big enough.     Also zoos are a winner ...     ... she especially liked the two rheas.   Or just doing a bit of sport together ...     ... ping-pong was the favorite ...   ... but the most important ...     ... was  ...     ... just to spend time together ...     ... telling stories ...     ... about god the universe and everything ...     ... and both of us already found a good and relaxing sleep together :-)   It is a tough and responsible job to be a good ship-dad, but I hope that I am on the right way, are you too?   Cheers, Daniel

I agree with everything that Augie mentioned in his post.
 
1)  Store you wood at a constant temp and humidity.  Ideally at room temp and around 50% humidity.  My shop is environmentally controlled so I'm adding moisture during the heating season and running dehumidifiers in the summer with the A/C.  You can pick up humidity gages pretty cheaply these days so you may want to consider one.
 
2)  Light and oxygen affects nearly all woods.  Most will darken over time with some like cherry being more susceptible to exposure.  Holly yellows, boxwood picks up a golden tone that varies with each piece, swiss pear darkens too, but not as much as cherry, redheart turns orange, yellowheart darkens to a golden yellow, walnut will lighten, bloodwood darkens just a little, and ebony doesn't change much.  So store milled wood away from direct light or wait to mill it until you are ready to use it.  If color stability is important in your model then use a sealer with a UV inhibitor and resin that doesn't yellow.  Acrylics are known for not yellowing where most others yellow over time.
 
3)  Store your wood sheets flat.  Most wood has internal stresses and the wider the sheet and thinner they are there will be a tendency to curl.  Also wide variances in temp and humidity will increase the curling.  If the humidity is controlled then you should be able to stack the sheets and add some weight to minimize curl.  Suggest that you check the sheets periodically, especially if you have high humidity.  Stacking also minimizes exposure to light and oxygen.  Of course this assumes that the wood was milled from properly dried wood to start with.  Milling green or high moisture content wood is another issue altogether.
 
4)  Stripwood storage is less of an issue, but it should be stored flat and away from light with constant conditions.
 
5)  Just use common sense and inspect your wood storage regularly.
 
Hope this helps.
 
Jeff
HobbyMill

Young America 1853 – POB 1:96
Part 18 – Fairing the Upper Works
 
When the hull was faired earlier, in the inverted position, little attention was paid to the upper works, so the outside of the toptimbers needed some work.  The sanding required to fair the outside of these was light.  The first picture shows this in progress using 220-grit paper on a Softsander® foam pad.
 

 
In the next picture the fairness is being checked with a pine batten.
 

 
The toptimbers were molded 6” at the top.  In the next picture this is being checked with calipers. 
 

 
You can see from the reading that they are still oversized somewhat at .076”.  They would later be faired to the final 6” (.0625”) by sanding the insides – but only after some reinforcing outer planking was in place.  However, it was necessary at this stage to fair the deck “beams” accurately – as shown in the next photo.
 

 
Fairing of the deck was particularly important to avoid waviness in the thin deck planking that would be added later.  In the next picture this is being checked during the sanding process using a pine batten.
 

 
When this work was being done, I did not expect to take this model to much further and consequently spent less time getting the deck line faired than I should have.  I will show the final deck planking later.  While acceptable, more attention at this stage would have yielded a truly beautiful installation of the long, spacious open main deck..
 
With this work completed, the construction of the topside planking and rails could begin.
 
 
Ed
 

If you look at contemporary long boat models, all the windlasses seem to have a curious conical taper at each end.

   I found this too intriguing to pass up, and decided to try duplicating the shape on my lathe. An easy way to chuck up an eight-sided piece in a three jaw chuck is to use a brass sleeve that has a slit cut in it.  This allows the sleeve to compress as the chuck is tightened.  The only drawback to this is whether or not you have brass tubing suitable for the piece you are working on.  The fact that I planned to use this sleeve is also the reason I made the windlass plug as long as it is.


First of all, I needed to center drill the windlass at one end so it could take the tailstock.


The sleeve was then moved to the other end of the piece, and mounted in the lathe.

The only problem I encountered with this procedure, is that I had to be careful not to damage the sharp edges of the four flat surfaces at each end while creating the tapers.

If you go back to the first photo in this particular post, the mortises in the contemporary windlass are offset on adjacent surfaces.  For what it's worth, I found that duplicating that on my windlass made any misalignment problems less obvious.

 
Here are some photos of the windlass and thwarts in position.  However, they still aren't glued in place.  I'd like to get some other procedures done on the model before I commit to that.
BobF
 

Here is a photo of the "iron work" for the boom, bowsprit, and mast.  Rather than using brass flat stock to form the various pieces, I thought I'd try something a little different.  Every fitting was made with slices of brass tubing.  In each case the components were silver soldered together.  I've never done any silver soldering, so this was a new experience for me, and I have to admit that I enjoyed it.  It's quite possible that Stay-Brite would have worked just as well, but I wanted to try something new.

I really lucked out on this procedure.  In every case except one, the inside diameters of the tubing were spot on for the boom, bowsprit and mast locations.  The one exception was the top bracket on the mast, which had a little play at the location where it should be mounted.  I solved that problem by applying some Stay-Brite solder to the inner surface of the ring, and reaming it out.  It really didn't take much to snug up the bracket.
 
BobF

Young America 1853 – POB 1:96
Part 17 – Bottom Planking
 
I have mentioned a number of times that the 1:96 POB version shown in these posts was constructed as a demonstration model for the book (now available from SeaWatch).  After reaching this stage in the build, the text in the book applies equally to both models and the same methods apply to complete either model.  For all of that subsequent work, the 1:72 model was used in the descriptive photos to avoid confusion and the excessive space requirements to show both.  Although I believe the book describes both versions well, I thought that anyone wanting to build the POB version would find the many pictures I was taking useful and interesting.  For that reason (and because I was having fun with this version) I decided to take it to a further state of completion and post pictures of that work here.
 
There is no bottom planking on the fully framed model, but this version would clearly require full planking to cover the bulkheads and spacers.  The first picture shows the first several strakes above the thick garboard being installed.
 

 
I used hard maple for all this planking.  The picture shows typical clamping.  Thumb tacks proved very useful and easy to use on this work.  The soft pine spacers between bulkheads allowed these to be pushed in by hand but some required tapping with a hammer.  The clamps were used to close the planking joints in the very lowest strakes.
 
The next picture shows the planking being levelled off next to the thicker garboard using a flat #0 cut riffler, one of my favorite tools for this kind of work.
 

 
The bottom planking is 4” thick above the garboard.  I ripped the planks to 5” to allow for some smoothing out and some finish sanding.  Since all of the planking on this model would likely be painted or metal sheathed, I dispensed with pre-painting the edges of the planks and the use of dark glue.  The next picture shows some work near midship.
 

 
Drawing pins also work well in the pine substructure as shown in the next picture, but in general I used thumb tacks.  The type with plastic covered heads are best.  With the tapping in and prying out the attrition rate on thumb tacks was high.
 

 
The clamp shown at the stem applies quite a lot of pressure to hold the “hooding ends” tight in the rabbet.
 
As planking begins to proceed upward, additional strakes need to be cut in at the ends so that the planking will eventually match the sheer of the wale above.  I began inserting these - as shown in the following pictures – when the lines of planking began to appear drooped at the ends when viewed from the side.  In the first picture the cutting in point is being marked.
 

 
In the next picture the installed plank is being pared back to one-half its width while preserving a fair line forward.
 

 
In the next picture the partial strake has been fitted and is, itself, being marked for another cut in strake.
 

 
In the next picture that strake is being glued in place.
 

 
Although difficult to see in this last picture, the same process was applying at the stern.
 

 
At about this point, work on the lower planking was discontinued until later and the focus shifted to the upper works where much work awaited.
 
Ed

That's exactly what I did, Danny. I constructed a cross-section of my Swan class Pegasus model. It was a lot of fun and actually fits on a shelf above my desk.
 

Thank you all for the comments and likes.
 
 
Greg, the planks are 5mm by 1.5mm.
 
Here is another update.
 
Alexandru
 
 

Thank you all for the great comments and the likes!
 
Here is another small update with the progress on the forecastle.
 
Regards,
Alexandru

At first glance, the pump brake is an imposing structure with its multiple right angles.  Add to that the need to make the port and starboard brakes look alike. The axletree is made from five segments of 1.5" brass wire.  The vertical connectors are fabricated from 3" square brass rod which has been drilled to accept the axletree segments and shaped with files.  The various pieces were silver soldered together except where the long segment inserts into its fore connecting rod. This allows for fine adjustments in length during the final installation.  Don't forget to insert the wheel!
 

 

 
I am lucky enough to have Admiralty Models' PE set for the Swan class and this includes the wheel components and links of chain.  This is assembled like a bicycle chain, alternating double and single links.  Brass wire was inserted through the holes and the ends peened to secure it.  The picture also shows other components of the PE sheet.  After blackening, the chain look great in person but terrible on camera so I only am showing a top view to demonstrate the linking process.  
 

 

 
As a next step, everything is temporarily assembled to check for gross mistakes.
 

 

 
 
 
 
 

All frames are glued together and on the keel. Now, a hard and long work of sanding.

It has been a long time between posts but I hope to make up for that over the next month.  There is always so much to do in the summer that there is not much time for sitting inside and breathing in sawdust.
 
For months now I keep "hearing" robin's not-too-complementary comment about my lazy sailor.  Of course he was right and so he has been evicted from his bunk and set off to work somewhere where he cannot be seen.    Since his bunk is no longer occupied, I have rolled and tied it to match the other two bunks.  
 
I went back to the plans and David's drawing and reworked the cistern cover.  It looks much better now.
 
The pump axletree is supported at the ends by support brackets.  Most of the Swan class ships used wood standards but Atalanta's plan show a metal bracket instead.  These are bolted to the hatch coamings.  These were made with 1.5" brass wire and tubing.  The parts were then silver soldered.  I have left one end long; this will be inserted into the coaming.  I assume there is a bolt on the underside of the coaming.  They will be blackened.
 

Gun Port Adjustments
 
At this point, I would like to acknowledge the advice/assistance of master modeller Dan Pariser.  
 
After posting my previous progress report, Dan very kindly sent me a PM noting the discrepancies in the heights of the gunport openings.  These are quite obvious in the last two photos of my previous update.  The ports had been constructed according to the drawings, with only the aft port closed on all four sides, and the middle and forward ports being open to the sheer rail.  There may also have been some accumulated error at play here as well. I had been feeling uneasy about this aspect myself, so when it was noted by Dan I just knew I couldn’t leave it as it was.
 
First of all, I made up a rough dummy canon block from some scrap MDF to check the height of the lower edges of the ports:
 

 

 
This showed that the aft port on the starboard side was considerably lower than the others on that side, so I had to extend the height of this port before adding a larger fillet to the bottom of it.  Next, I made up some fillet stock by laminating some scraps of Pear, Yellow Heart and Red Heart:
 

 
Then I cut some fillets roughly to length and then individually sized them to suit each gunport using the Byrnes disc sander:

 
The fillets were then glued in place in their respective gunport. The surrounding area was given a light sand and a coat of Wipe-On Poly to blend with the surrounding area.
 

 

 
Although there remain some visible joints, I think this looks better than the odd sized ports.  With the 20/20 vision of hindsight, these fixes would have been better done prior to the addition of internal and external planking.  Had I done this, the fix would have remained invisible.  Lesson learned.  
 
Thanks again Dan for bringing this to my attention.

I started to prepare the beams with the slots for the strings, the stringers and carts

 

 
 
 
Many Arsenal purists turn up their noses, but willing to give a little 'light to the interior, I prepared the first beam that brings some LEDs in the lower face

 
 
 
and this is the effect obtained:

 

A little progress:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This week, I decided to push ahead and make some more progress. There are so many tiny pieces to cut out!
 
I decided to work on the windlass as that seemed like a good project goal. I got a little ways along and a tiny piece of paper with a bunch of parts on it went missing. I searched high and low, swearing I had just seen it hours before. Next morning, I see it on the armrest of my chair. I must have leaned on it and it stuck to my elbow and got deposited on the chair! I've never had that kind of problem with wooden ship model kit parts. 
 
Well, pressing ahead with my report here. I finished the main part of the windlass barrel, which consisted of approximately 31 parts... A 1/96-scale windlass barrel with 31 parts! Am I crazy? Well... maybe. It was a daunting task, but it actually went by fairly quickly and it IS pretty cool that I only needed scissors and knife and some glue...
 
 
Here's part of the barrel under construction and some other parts too. Sorry about the short depth of field on the macro focus.

 
When you build something, you gotta try it for size on the model immediately. It's a rule. The barrel came out just a tad long, which wouldn't be a problem except that the deck has thin black outlines where the bitts are expected to fit in place. These will show, but the lines won't be very noticeable when it's all done.

 
 
Here's a closeup of the completed windlass barrel assembly before cleaning it up.

 
 
And one of the same assembly after some touch-up painting. Again, I'm using the paints sold by Shipyard, which is fairly opaque, so I could paint it on without losing the black printed details.

 
 
Here's another view of the skylight, gratings and hatch I made last time. I went back and added a piece of fine gauge wire for the handle on the sliding hatch.

 
 
I was on a roll, so why stop? I'd cut mast hoops from brass tubing on my last model and thought about doing the same for the Alert. In the end, I decided to make my own mast hoops from a piece of a brown paper bag. I did this for another model years ago and it worked out great. So, I thought I'd refresh the skill.
 
I used a piece of brass tubing slightly larger than the diameter of the mast and wrapped the paper around it, applying white glue to it throughout the process. Once dry, I used a razor blade to cut thin rings off. It's been a long time since I've done this, and it took many tries to get even, thin slices. But, I managed to get enough for my purposes.

 
 
So, what did I learn in paper ship modeling school this week? There are a lot of frickin' little frickin' tiny little frickin' pieces that have be cut. The hardest part is really looking at the work ahead. Yeah, it's like ship modeling that way. But, once you start, all you have to do is cut, cut, cut and cut and cut and then glue. As long as you keep your head down and don't stop to count how many more pieces you need to cut, projects finish up pretty quickly.
 
Clare

Attaching metal parts, rudders and draught marks on the hull.

Fabulous, Chuck. It's a pretty simple technique to do but not live in front of twenty guys! Your club is lucky to have a mentor like you.

Finally an update from the Flying Dutchman.  I have been busy with domestic chores, some cooking for my wife and other sundry items.  However, I have been able to spend a few hours on and off at the workbench in between.   Some of the work was the same as previously posted thus it made so sense to clutter up the log with same stuff.  
 
I have now completed the conversion of all the canons on the main deck waste area.  I still need to make the tackle hardware for them as well as the tackle.  Plenty of single and double pulleys, hooks and eye bolts.
 
To have a change of pace i started with the starboard side gun deck gun ports.  I made a bunch a few years ago but several are too small for the gun ports so I have to make about 6 new ons and that includes the two at the stern.
I also have to remake the associated hardware - - - hinges!  The previously made hinges are too large in scale - - -  I used 1 mm brass tube for the hinges.  I obtained 1/2 mm brass tubes from Holland via Remco, that'll be mucho better.  That means that I also have to redo all the gunport hinges on the port side   Hey, what's another redo among friends 
 
Okay, here are a few pics.
 

 

 

 

 

 
Cheers,

A minor milepost in the overall build but a major one for me...
 
Six strakes have been added and to check how the tuck planking went, I taped the sternpost into position and took a few extra shots.   Roughly sanded (sorry about the sawdust) and there's some gaps need filling.  Overall, I'm feeling pretty good at this point.  At the stern area, I'm off by about 3" (scale) which could be tolerance buildup or one side was of the transoms was off by that much.  I'm thinking it has more to do with some tolerance buildup and the angle the planks came into tuck.  The bow is about 2" (scale) off.   
 
I do like the way the lines are shaping up with planking.
 
I need to re-mark off the hull and re-check the measurements and then do a few more strakes before putting the garboard back on.  And sand, sand, sand.... <cough><cough>:  Luckily the air filter system I've added to the workshop is doing it's job.
 



 
Comments, questions, abuse is always allowed.  Ok.. maybe not the abuse part... 

That's a clever jig for scoring the rising wood to accept the frames. Part of the fun of using a mill is figuring out the setups. I would make sure the pattern is marked out on top of the rising wood and checked every few passes. Even with the spacer, cumulative error can creep in and the last few mortices could be off by an inch or so.
 
For those without a mill, you can accomplish the same result using a table saw with a .052 or larger blade set to the correct height. The pattern is affixed to the side of the rising wood with rubber cement (or your preference) and successive cuts made. Note - in the photo the sides are also scored.