bhermann

After not being able to do anything on my Bluenose since 4 months I now managed to order a blackening solution and finish the wheelbox. After reading some articles about blackening brass, including the THE BLACKEN-IT TRIALS by E&T, I was under the impression that blackening is a very difficult procedure involving several toxic chemicals which requires meticulous preparation and cleaning work and precise work during the whole process and even then still yielding uncertain results. On top of that the blackening solutions I read about did not seem to be readily available in Europe. Then I found a blackening solution from Germany, saw some tests/instructions on Youtube and ordered a bottle. Just like on Youtube, it worked like a charm. Polish the brass part with steel wool (optional), degrease with acetone, brush on the blackening solution with an old brush, wait a few seconds and watch it turn dark-brown/black. Put more blackening solution on when needed, rinse with water when satisfied. Then it can be buffed, waxed, oiled, or coated with varnish to enhance / preserve the effect. I oiled my wheel tube, see the results on the pictures below.
 
The blackened tube in which the axle of the wheel will sit:

 
 
The almost finished wheel box still without the lid:


 
 
The wheel box with the lid on:

Richard -
 
I like the idea.  I stared a spreadsheet for Bluenose when I was working on the head rigging.  It was more of a historical documentation item at that point than a planning tool, but as I ponder moving forward someday, it would be nice to have everything laid out in a manner that would allow for manipulation of the order, and to mark each line complete as you go through the process. 
 
Bob

Richard -
 
I like the idea.  I stared a spreadsheet for Bluenose when I was working on the head rigging.  It was more of a historical documentation item at that point than a planning tool, but as I ponder moving forward someday, it would be nice to have everything laid out in a manner that would allow for manipulation of the order, and to mark each line complete as you go through the process. 
 
Bob

Richard -
 
I like the idea.  I stared a spreadsheet for Bluenose when I was working on the head rigging.  It was more of a historical documentation item at that point than a planning tool, but as I ponder moving forward someday, it would be nice to have everything laid out in a manner that would allow for manipulation of the order, and to mark each line complete as you go through the process. 
 
Bob

OK here you go...

George, you were correct. After more experimentation last night, I was able to make some nice rope that did not want to untwist. I twisted the individual strands longer than pulled the rope to harden it after it twisted up. I then got brave and tried to make thicker rope from the thinner ropes. The first attempt was a disaster, as I did not twist the individual strand enough. The second attempt, after having to remake the individual ropes again, was better, but still did not look good.
 

 
I quit for the night and this morning I tried it again using a heavier weight. This was a success. I made these ropes with white thread, so I stained them brown by soaking them for a minute in brown shoe polish, wiping off the excess, and letting them dry.
 

 
OK, since I was taking pictures I figured I'd show where I was with the starboard guns. I did more rigging of them after the rope making experiments yesterday and today.
 

Not sure, why everyone wants stitched sails. The stitching and the thread used are grossly out of scale unless you work in say 1:24 or bigger.
 
However, glueing the panels together is an option. Not sure the glue on the tape would be strong enough for the narrow seams in the sails. It is meant for full-surface re-enforcement in picture-mounting and book-binding.

Thanks, everyone.  I appreciate the comments and "likes"
 
To answer your question, Greg, the 1:96 POB model has not reached the state of the framed model.  The picture below was taken a few days ago.  You are correct.  At a point after completion of the framing and deck structural work, the two models converged so virtually the same methods may be used on both to complete them.  You will note in the picture that bottom planking on the POB version has begun.  There is no bottom planking on the framed version.
 
The POB model was built from the beginning using similar methods to the framed model - such as upright construction, similar frame alignment  methods - but from different drawings.
 

 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 118 – Chain Pipes/Catheads/Topgallant Rail
 
Not a great deal of progress to report – just trying to get the model to the scope of volume I of the book.  The first picture shows the second chain pipe being inserted.  These reach down to the hold where the chain was stored.  From these openings the chain was run forward around the winch to the hawse holes.
 

 
In the next picture blanks for the catheads have been fitted.  The fancy rail is cut out where these pass through.  They will bolt through carlings on the inboard ends and into the framing at the side.
 

 
While sheaves were being cut into the catheads the pieces of the forecastle topgallant rail were cut, boiled and put into the fixture shown below to dry.
 

 
The rail will consist of a central bulwark plank with strips attached to the top on either side to simulate a thin top rail – much easier that to bend the 2” rail on its edge.  Sanding and painting make it look like a single rail – much like the multi-part rails along the sides.  In the next picture the rail has been assembled -  including short stanchions on the inside – and is being glued to the fancy rail.
 

 
Paint was scaped from the fancy rail for this.  The topgallant rail was then bolted through the pinholes, finish sanded and painted – as shown in the last picture.
 

 
This picture also shows the finished catheads installed – with their American plaque emblems painted on the ends.
 
Ed

Made a fair-looking waterline using 6mm Tamiya masking tape. Had to freehand the sweep under the stern—a little shaky there. Transfer letters didn’t work, so I printed hull/stern name plates on photo stock; couldn’t get a good color match because I’d chosen to paint the hull midnight blue. Prefab pintles/gudgeons and deadeyes/plates worked well enough, but had to thin the pintles/gudgeons to fit between rudder and sternpost. Mast/boom/gaff dowels were arc-ed; tried to use the convex sides as is while flattening the concave. Used aluminum paint to represent the various metal bands. Masking helped, but opted to freehand most of them—again, a little shaky. Booms and gaffs will get similar treatment.
 
Base is a piece of tile. I rather like it for color and its seascape look.

 
Still, she’s a good-looking model, and I’ve been contentedly entertained for the four months it’s taken to get this far. Having a philosophical nature, I find similarities to the process of aging--accepting, even chuckling at, little setbacks along the way.
 
John

Dave - that's a nice simple jig - and it certainly does the job well.  Looking forward to your log resumption.
 
Bob

STIKER WHEEL FROM A LIGHTER
 
Working on my Cutty Sark, I reached to windlass, and faced with couple of problems
 
first - complex structure, only 2,8 cm long
​second - I deadly want to show teeth on spockets
third - my skills are limited to make teeth by my own
fourth - material I have, or, do not have, and impatience to order something from internet and to wait
 
So, what to do ?
 
Here is goal
 

 
You can see there 3 surfaces with teeth, and 4 surfaces which are smoth
 
Campbell`s plans are accurate, and here is how it is shown on plans
 

 
Watching around me, considering I am insane smoker, and that there is always a couple of lighters around me, I noticed that stiker wheel of lighter has almost same structure as central piece of windlass
 
So, let`s try
 
First, canibalize lighter ( phrase stollen from M.Taylor)
 

 
Drilling hole for future axle, parts get apart, and after that it is easy to move forward with tearing off teeth from wider parts, and thinning them to scale
 
On axle, cemented with CA. Axle is made of famous, almighty BBQ toothpicks
 

 
Next "layer" made of wood, with little circle trench arround for teeth
 

 
Attempt to make teeths with dots of glue ( have to be corrected this days, I was so inpatient to finish ) at the same way I made little rivets on CS
 

 
Checking scale
 

 
Next soft layer of wood, and preparing for second stage
 

 

 
After coloring with black acrylic
 

 

 
I think it will work well, considering how little this is, and also windlass is a half-hidden under fore deck and a bit covered visually by entrance to tween deck
 
After little triming
 

Time for another update.  The deck planking proper has now been started and I must say it seems pretty easy after the hull planking - nice straight pieces of wood to work with for a change!
 
The photos show the present state of play!
 
John
 

 

 

This is probably my last update of my Bluenose log.
I took all the pics for the gallery and here I present some of them. The gallery will be open soon.

I would like to thank you all for replys, comment, likes or just stopping by at my log. THANKS   .

Enjoy the pics.


 

NEEDLES/PINS AND PROTECTIVE NET FOR KITCHEN PIPE
 
Under fore deck on Cutty Sark there is almost hidden pigpen.
 

 
In scale cca 1:100, pigpen is only about 9-10mm high.
 
Two points were significant for me - bars on cage, and a net on door.
 
Bars ... after some experiments with rope (too hairy) and holly telephony and other thinner wires (too soft) solution was in needles/pins
 

 
Ok, this was seen already in variations
 
But ... net ...
 
Great provocation, and a challenge to me from Mark Taylor
 
Whole day I was banging my head where I had seen such a fragile net with so small fields ...
 
A ha - wrong bought protective attachment to kitchen pipe, hanging on wall in workshop direct in front my eyes
 

 
After carefull canibalizing of this, I have got two thinny nets
 
 

 
Frame is made from telephony wire
 
 

 
Fixed with CA, cutted excess of net and fitted with Dremell thing
 

 
Mounted and painted (yes, there is little piggy inside, my first carving attempt)
 

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 117 – Poop Deck/Fancy Rail
 
In the first picture, the aft section of the margin plank is pinned in place against the tops of the stern timbers.
 

 
This piece has a hook scarph on each end.  The rudder post will be cut off later.  This picture also shows the framing of the boomkins and aft mooring bits.  In the next picture the next section of margin plank is being fitted to the hook scarph on the aft section and around the mooring bits.
 

 
In the next picture the poop margin planks have been fitted forward to the breast beam and the aft sections of fancy rail are pinned in place.
 

 
The fancy rail forms a cap over the stern timbers, deck margin plank and the top strakes of planking around the stern.  The coamings for the two skylights are pinned in place for fitting the head ledges.  In the next picture, the poop deck has been planked – leaving open areas to view the cabins underneath – and the skylight coamings are in place.
 

 
The fancy rail has again been pinned in place.  To keep water out of the cabin deck this had to be caulked inside and out.  To have sufficient overlap of the poop margin plank, it was made 15" wide – as on the forecastle.  I stepped these rails down to 12" along the main deck.
 
The next picture shows the painted parts of the fancy rail being installed.
 

 
The step down in breadth on the forward piece can just be seen at the break of the poop in this picture.  I spent quite a bit of time deciding how to handle this fancy rail width issue.  Most midship sections show a narrow rail – about 12" – but I finally decided this would not provide sufficient overlap of the poop and forecastle margin planks.  So, another one of those judgment decisions.
 
The next picture shows the fancy rail fully installed aft of midship. 
 

 
After painting, the sections were glued and pinned.  As the pins were removed, copper wired epoxied bolts were installed down into each toptimber to reinforce the attachment.  The bolts were filed off and the top of the rail received more finish painting.  And the next picture shows it at the bow. 
 

 
The last picture shows the model with the completed fancy rail. 
 

 
I have been looking forward for a long time to the capping off of those toptimbers.
 
Ed

Thanks George. I can't wait for you to start either.
 
Well. here is the white stripe terminated at the quarter galleries. I am glad you got me to do this.
 

 
Assembling and rigging the gun deck cannons continues. Here are the first two, completed with rope coils.
 

 
I made up this jig to make the flat rope coils. I wanted them more oval shaped than round, so I used some brass rod to get the shape. I make the coils so they are close to the top of the rods to make it easier to get them off. I am using Dullcote lacquer to fix the shape of the coils, which is mostly successful. The coils do hold the shape but it takes a small bit of CA to hold them together. These coils are only a couple of turns because I would think the tackle lines wouldn't be really long.
 

 
And here is the present state. I still have to secure the breaching lines on the two right hand cannons and then add the tackles.
 

 
It is too nice a day here to go back into the basement, so maybe later tonight I will get back to it.

OK George, first thing I did last night was mask off the area behind the last gun ports for the white strip. Each side got a first coat. This was after I removed the masking tape on the starboard side for the pilaster extensions.
 

 
Then it was back to those first two cannons for the gun deck. The girl got her first two teeth tonight. I glued the barrels and quoins to the carriages in the little jig I made, then added caps over the trunnions using black paper strips. I glued the guns into place using CA on the pins and white glue under the wheels. I am really happy how well those pins hold the guns in place, as I don't have to worry about them coming loose as I work around them. It is a little tricky getting them in place and flat to the deck, but some gentle bending of the pin gets the job done. Once in place, I drilled holes for the eye bolts on the ends of the breaching ropes and for eye bolts for the side and training tackles. The eye bolts on the breaching ropes were pretty hard to get into the holes, as they are short and wanted to twist in the tweezers. But after many attempts I was able to get them glued in. The other eye bolts were much easier to glue into place as they didn't have any line on them yet. I was then able to hook the tackles to these eye bolts and those on the carriages. This also took some practice as it was hard to keep enough tension on the tackle after the first hook was place while trying to get the second hook in place. Again, after a number of tries it got easier. Once the tackle was tightened the hooks stayed in place nicely. This is the first time I have made these tackles up before installing them and I found it much easier than trying to thread the tackle lines with the blocks already in place. I was also happy to see that I had enough distance between the blocks on the tackles, which was helped by adding the eye bolts towards the center of the area between the gun ports, which is how they are on the real ship today. I was also happy that the angle of the two barrels look about the same. Hopefully this will continue as I put the rest of them in place.
 

 

 

 
I still have to figure out how I want to finish those tackle lines, but I have some ideas I want to try out first. Two down, 14 yet to go.

Thanks George and Tim, and the likes.
 
I finished adding the styrene trim strips to both quarter galleries. I glued most of them with CA glue, using strips of masking tape to hold them, but about half the time the strip would come up when I removed the masking tape.
 

 
I then switched to Hypo cement for these styrene strips, and what a difference. These stayed down after holding them for a few seconds, so no tape was needed. They seem much more secure too. I then used masking tape to extend the tops of the pilasters into the roof block and painted these areas white. I was going to use wood for these extensions but I did not like the way they were raised from the rest of the quarter gallery. Here is the completed port side QG:
 

 

 
I also decided not to extend the white stripe on the side of the hull to the quarter galleries, so they will not extend past the last gun port. I would be open to other opinions on this point, though.
 
Here is the starboard side, which I am still painting the pilaster extensions:
 

 
While that paint is drying, I have started to rig the cannons on the gun deck. I first made a jig to help assemble each cannon before placing them on the gun deck. I have a piece of wood that is the height of the cannon at the gun port, so I can set each cannon up at the same angle. I also have a hole in the base that I can use to drill a hole underneath the carriage for a pin that will go into the deck for each one. I can also use it to judge the size of the breaching rope as I make them. I am using rope I made with the ME rope walk for the breaching lines, which is pretty easy to work with, except that it wants to unravel. I use CA on each end, which also helps me thread it through the ring bolts on the ends and on the carriages. I first seize a ring bolt to one end, then thread the other end through both ring bolts on the carriage, then seize another ring bolt to the other end. I then open up the strands in the middle and slip them over the cascabel of the barrel. I may be making these ropes a little too short, but I will see how they look after I install a couple on the gun deck. here is the jig with a couple of guns in the works:
 

 
I only have 16 of these guns to rig, but working up against the walls of the gun deck will be interesting. I'll have updates of that as I go along.

I used aluminum wire for the gooseneck. Malleable, fairly easy to bore. A thin steel brad will lock in the boom.

I started the planking above the wales.  Tick strips were used to get the width of the planks...both sides line up.  The first section of the strake fit well with a little heat from the bending iron.  The longer next section will be trickier with the bend over the longer run.  If I can't get a good fit, I'll spile the plank.  The shadow between the plank and wale is much more pronounced in the photo.  Some sanding will smooth it out a lot and the second layer of the wale will also hide it.
Maury

Finally I could write, Bluenose is finished     .

Life boats were last piece in puzzle. I replace kits plywood with pearwood, and definitely looks better.

The reason for slow progress is on the last photo      .

I will post photos of finished model in a few days.

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 116 – Bow Decoration
 
Young America's bow decoration is interesting for a number of reasons.  Each side is different.  Just aft of a billet decorated with greenery, the carved figures rest mostly on the waist planking and partially on the base of the billet.  There were no headboards, so it is not clear how these were mounted on the original ship – much less how to mount them on the model -  due to the angle between the two surfaces.  Also, unlike the gilded stern decoration, the figures at the bow were painted in natural colors.  All this, like many other aspects of the ship, is based on Bill Crothers research.
 
After some unsuccessful attempts to fashion a wood base in the angle, I finally decided to sculpt these as six separate pieces, then fit them together on the bow.
The first picture shows the initial figures, sculpted with MagicSculpt® on wax paper taped flat on the pattern sheet.
 

 
The figures are quite small.  The starboard side features a female figure – presumably Liberty – with a shield flanked by draped flags.  On the port side an American Eagle is substituted for the female figure.  Below is the sculpted female figure before any post-hardening refinement.  The points on the flag staffs are thumb tack points.
 

 
The next picture shows some refining of the sculpture using a very small chisel.
 

 
In the next picture the fragile greenery has been lifted off the waxed paper, laid on the billet and touched with a drop or three of thin CA.
 

 
 
Refinement of the greenery was done after being glued on.  In the next picture the three port figures have been fitted and glued on with CA.
 

 
The figures were set into soft sculpting material placed in the angle between the billet and the side, than pushed into a fit.  Some modification of the parts was needed for this.  The sculptures must leave clearance for the square bowsprit to slide in and out.  Excess material was removed.
 
After attachment, the figures were primed with thinned flat black enamel.  The entire hull was given one last coat of acrylic paint and the figures were painted using acrylic gouache.  The next picture shows the starboard decoration.
 

 
The next picture shows the port side.
 

 
The greenery is actually brighter with light highlights than shown in the photos.  The next picture, from dead ahead, shows both sides.  Photos like these and closer ones were very helpful in judging the paint job and suggesting improvements.  The model went back and forth a few times for these.
 

 
The acrylic gouache used for painting the figures dries dead flat, causing an almost two dimensional appearance in the photos – especially in the close ups.  I may give these a coat of semi-gloss medium, perhaps the acrylic sanding sealer I used over the stern lettering.
 
Speaking of that, I received the second order of dry transfers, so I was able to correct the letters that were photo shopped in the last post.  The last picture shows the repaired letters – unadulterated.
 

 
This picture was taken before the final repair on the C.  After repair the dry transfer letters were given a coat of diluted sanding sealer.   I am also quite happy with the final black finish on the hull – shown in this picture.
 
With all this work done, the lower framing was given a last coat of wax, so the model should not have to be inverted again, I hope.  This will allow me to get on with work on the upper deck – cabins, etc.
 
Ed

I've put a hold on the clamps for now. The nails didn't thread deep enough to hold the strain on the clamps so they stripped out. Ill have to redesign them.
 
 Im still working on the sail design but was told to get out of the dinning room for Easter (Admiral's orders). I was losing my patients with them any way. Lots of test pieces and no clear answer yet.
 
The planking is continuing on the Flying Fish slowly but i think it looks good.
 
Boy i leave the room to work on the ship and Misty takes control of my chair.
 
The snow is starting to melt in the north east. Good thing to I was getting cabin fever. With the sun staying up longer it will be harder not to go out side . This may slow down the build a little.

More progress on the quarter galleries, but first - I knew it was going to happen!
 

 
The Sculpey stars were just too fragile. So, I experimented with some 1/16" sheet walnut that I had and was able to make two new stars using wood, which I like much better. I was able to taper the legs like they should be and thin them down to about 3/64".
 

 

 
One of the figure's heads also went missing, but I was able to replace it with a small piece of wood I had left over from the transom trim, after painting it gold.
 
I installed the roof and bottom blocks after giving them a few coats of primer and black paint. After they were installed I started measuring for the headers and sills, and realized the angle at the front between them was too severe. This was caused by the transom being more angled then shown on the plans. Well, I am not going to redo the transom at this point, so I trimmed back the bottom block. I first tried removing it with alcohol, but it would not budge and I didn't want to ruin other pieces in the process, so I took a very sharp scalpel and carved them back in the front. I then used a sanding stick to clean them up.
 

 
You can see there was a little collateral damage to the hull where the front of this piece used to be, but a little filler and paint will take care of that. Now two of the three the supplied windows will work in the opening. The front window is still off in terms of angle, so I will most likely make up new windows to use instead for those.
 
I made up the header and sills for the windows and one trim piece of the top. There should be another trim piece for the bottom. but there is not room for it, so I am leaving it out. I think the gap between the roof block and bottom block is a little too small, but the pieces had to line up with the knuckle in the transom at the bottom and the back of the quarter gallery at the top. I painted the headers, sills, and trim piece and glued them in place, and cleaned up the paint on the bottom block and hull.
 

 

 
I also filed and sanded the fairing pieces into shape, but don't have a picture of them yet. I made them more angled than the current ship has, but they are more like the picture in Chapelle’s book of the 44 gun frigate plans. I painted these last night so I will glue them next. After that I will make the pilasters between the windows and fit the supplied windows, then make the new ones. I am also going to try to adjust the location of the white stripe in front of the quarter galleries.