Altduck

And…another project I’ve been thinking about and working on, the rain gutters which my wife calls the eyebrows 😊. I have the look I’m striving for, now to make a jig so I can produce exactly the same part, 174 times.
 

College starts this August. 

The wonderful distractions of summer (not the least of which is our daughter’s wedding) have slowed progress in the shipyard considerably.  I’m certainly not complaining, just explaining.  Don’t expect my next post anytime soon.
 
Hull planking is maybe (optimistically?) about 2/3rds finished, and there are only a couple of things worth mentioning.
 
The instructions have you do most of the planking with a single, bow to stern, strip of wood, which I did when doing the lower half dozen planks. But I decided that was a bit unwieldy.  I added wood to the middle two bulkheads, and I am doing the rest of the hull with half length planks, alternating where the two half length planks meet.  Much easier.
 
As I think I mentioned previously, the first layer strips provided by OcCre are 2mm thick.  I have a bunch of 1/16th thick strips lying around, and I experimented bending those, and found the difference (1/16” is thinner), while small, to be noticeable when it comes to bending and twisting.  So while the lower hull half-dozen planks are 2mm, the rest of the hull is 1/16", which means I’ll have a bit of sanding to do where the two sizes meet. But I have a lot of sanding to do all over the hull, so that’s nothing new.
 
I sanded and filled (using spackle) the first couple of inches or so of the bow, and then drilled holes for the hawse pipes.  I had to determine where the hawse pipe holes were to be located, something that would have been easier with kit plans rather than just pictures.  The instructions direct drilling the hawse pipe holes 30mm below the white rub rail that runs the length of the hull just below the top of the bulwarks, which meant determining where that rub rail should be. The ship’s plans I found online show a rub rail quite a bit lower than where OcCre locates it, below the trailboards, and with the hawse pipe just below that. Thinking OcCre got it wrong, I took a look at my Frank Hurley book, and found the color photo shown below.  Clearly something changed by the time Endurance reached the ice, and that’s what OcCre depicts.  With the location of the rub rail determined, I decided 30mm below that was far too low for the holes.  Instead I cut out a paper outline of one of the trailboards, and used that as a reference point to determine (somewhat randomly) where I wanted the holes to be.



I also gave myself a bit of a challenge.  I want the anchor chain to run continuously from the anchor stocks, through the hawse pipes, through the holes I drilled  months ago in the forward bulkhead, around the windless to be installed in the open area below the forecastle deck, then through the holes I drilled in the deck just aft of the windless.  No particular reason to make the chain run continuously in a model (a gap inside the hull would never be seen), but it just seemed kind of fun to try this challenge.
 
Before I had more than a plank or two of the upper hull done, I ran the piece of thread seen in the picture above through the holes in the bulkhead.  Then after the bow was significantly planked, I drilled holes for the hawse pipes, with a bit of difficulty ran the thread through those holes, and dry fit the hawse pipes in place.  I then pulled the chain through and determined that it worked!

As time permits, I am slowly making progress on my shipyard.
 
Day 21: More paneling going up for the upper cabinets and workbench. Nothing too spectacular here. I got a late start on this day and it was extremely hot in the barn so I wanted to work on something that I could take advantage of the AC.


 
Day 22: Early start while it was somewhat cool, I finished up on the door construction. Still needs to be trimmed down to fit the opening, but it is done for the most part.

 
Trimming out the door opening .

 
I found this little gem on eBay and had to get it. I think it will set the door off nicely.

 
Making way for the port hole.

 
..and finally the door is hung in place.


All that is needed is to trim out the inside with molding, but that will come later, as will the porthole installation. I first need to get the door sanded and stained. I just wanted to get it installed so that I could hold on to as much AC as possible.
 
Day 23: Time to lay down some flooring.

 
Since this room is in the barn, I wanted to put down something that would withstand the major temperature changes that Texas has to offer. When it is rainy it tends to be a bit humid and the concrete floor of the barn tends to sweat. Even though the room is climate controlled, I didn't want to run the risk of the moisture seeping under the walls, so I went with a vinyl tile flooring. The  tiles have a built in moisture barrier and since they are made of vinyl, they are waterproof. Shouldn't have to worry too much about the moisture with this product.


 
Day 24: My original plan was to completely build the upper cabinets on the wall as well as the lower ones for the workbench. While the Admiral and I were out buying the flooring, she wanted to stop by the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store and see what they had. Usually you can find some good stuff at this place (and sometimes downright cheap), I am forever running across good deals on trim work and other good items. That is actually where I found the windows for my shipyard as well. So we took a stroll through the store and when I got to the back I found a whole kitchen's worth of cabinetry they had just gotten in. Well needless to say, they had more than enough cabinets to do what I needed, and they were half the price of what I had budgeted to build them. They just need a good wiped down, some sanding a a coat of paint to fit my color scheme and I should be good to go.
 
First set going in.


 
Piecing them together.

 
All of the uppers in place.

 
Door installed.

 
Now the lowers going in. I got lucky with some of the lowers. There were several sections with drawers, which are always handy to have.


 
It's all starting to come together. Next on my to do list is to get the cabinets painted up and start working on the benchtop.
 
Thanks for stopping by.
 
-Brian
 
 

Two years, four months; February 2021 to June 2023. That is how long it has been to complete the Constitution. It could have been 6 months shorter, but I let it sit while I was frustrated with planking. I also laid copper on the hull which took a couple of months as well. 
 
I made a jig to make rope hanks on most of the pins on the rail. The kit didn’t come with much thread for overage, but I feel I got enough on there to be more realistic. 
 
 
I have to check my black lines and make sure I haven’t missed anything, but principal work is done. After inspection, all that is missing is to place the ship on its display cradle. Let me know what you think. 
 
My last ship was dedicated to my father, but his spirit helped me finish this model, it is to him I have raised a toast in his absence in the last photo. Thank you to my mother, Cathy for her motivating words and support. Thank you to my wife Joscelyn and my family for putting up with the mess. 

I am wondering, what footprints this girl tries to hide:

Photographed last Sunday in St. Pancras station, London.
 

Regarding downhill adventures, growing up in the 1950's in San Francisco was an adventure. The wheels were old "ball bearings" we'd get from the local auto repair garage or the wrecking yard, the axle was a whittled end of a two by four with nails driven into the end to spread it to a tight fit on the inside of the bearing. Brakes were the heels of your shoes. The teenagers in the photo had fancier brakes... hinged blocks of wood. 
 

The problem is that, if kids don't learn risk awareness at an early age, it will hit the adult even harder and potentially fatally ... you should learn respect of moving things at an early age.

I don't know anything about this application, but if what you want is higher concentrations of acetic acid, try an old time photography supplier.  In the wet lab darkroom days, "Stop Bath" was approx. 2% acetic acid, but the stores stocked 28% acetic acid, and also "Glacial" acetic acid, which was straight anhydrous acetic acid.  You can then dilute it to desired strength for your application.
 
 

I don't know anything about this application, but if what you want is higher concentrations of acetic acid, try an old time photography supplier.  In the wet lab darkroom days, "Stop Bath" was approx. 2% acetic acid, but the stores stocked 28% acetic acid, and also "Glacial" acetic acid, which was straight anhydrous acetic acid.  You can then dilute it to desired strength for your application.
 
 

I don't know anything about this application, but if what you want is higher concentrations of acetic acid, try an old time photography supplier.  In the wet lab darkroom days, "Stop Bath" was approx. 2% acetic acid, but the stores stocked 28% acetic acid, and also "Glacial" acetic acid, which was straight anhydrous acetic acid.  You can then dilute it to desired strength for your application.
 
 

I am getting closer .....mass production of CNC blocks...I apologize for my lack of inventory for so long but we are perfecting the process.  I havent had blocks in stock for months.  It shouldnt be long now.  I want to be able to bring you the best CNC blocks possible at a ridiculously low price.   A lot lower than you might even imagine.   My rope is the cheapest available for the quality and lengths available.   I am hoping to do the same with some superior blocks in Boxwood and Swiss pear.  Automated so I can concentrate on my ship model projects like Speedwell.  I cant tell you how long and hard this R&D process has been.  So many experiments and so many failures.   Successes are few but we learn from every failed batch made.   I wish I could explain what goes into figuring this stuff out.  Lots of time and lots of money.
 
Hot out of the oven before polishing and tumbling.  Sorry for the lack of inventory but it will be so worth the wait it I promise.
 


 

Carbon Tetrachloride itself is non-flammable, and at one time was used in small fire extinguishers.
In a brief search, I couldn't find anything on a 50-50 mix with gasoline, but the authors of the above piece claim it won't burn.
It will, however, damage your liver and kidneys, and other nasty health issues, and if exposed to high enough temps, decompose and release phosgene and hydrogen chloride gasses.
Carbon tet used to be used as a dry cleaning fluid, and other uses, but I think that it's been effectively banned in the US for consumer products.
 

Respect them, don't fear them.  Such good advice, for many things, like, for instance, cars or firearms,
 
Richard

Respect them, don't fear them.  Such good advice, for many things, like, for instance, cars or firearms,
 
Richard

With extra points if it's banned in California.

79 years ago today 5000 vessels took part  in the largest combat landings ever made.   Ships and sailors from MANY countries took part and many made the ultimate sacrifice along with their soldier brothers,  Pics below are from our recent visit May 23 -25, 2023
  
 

I attached the blocks to and around the forestay collar. The larger single blocks will be for the course topping lifts, the smaller ones for the martnets, and the double blocks will accept the buntlines. This same system of blocks will also be added on the main. 

 

Using fine toothed hand saw, the hinges were cut apart. I thought about using my Dremel with a rotary saw or cutting disc, but I realized I couldn’t hold my hand steady enough for a clean cut. A few finishing touches with a file to clean off and smooth the edges, and the hull side hinges and gudgeons were formed.

I actually graduated high school today!! So glad i made it. On to a degree in nautical history!! 

I finally had a few hours to spare and finished the gratings. I used the technique that @allanyed mentioned above, and the results are much better than my previous attempt. The new gratings are to scale too, so look much better. I didn't put in the camber on the ledges; I will attempt that on my next model.
 
I have the sliding table for the saw, so I built a jig to fit it. This made the cuts more precise. No worries about yawing!

 
Old vs. New: Gratings 2.0 now with squarer holes!

 
And here is the final set of hatches and gratings. Maple may not have been the best wood to use because the grain really shows up, but it is still much nicer than the burned up cherry that came with the kit! I am very pleased with the results, and I learned a lot making them!

 

Slowly going knots 😆
 
Finished the ratlines.  All 264 knots.  This finishes the standing rigging on the main mast. I think the mizzen will be next. 


 
Clear skies and sharp tools!
Gabe
 
Dear Artesania Latina,
Seriously…thanks for 1:1 drawings.  I made a copy of the side elevation showing the ratlines and clipped it to the shrouds so I could space them consistently.  Very useful. 

But, don’t get your hopes up…I already see funny things with the mizzen mast. 
- Gabe

 
 
 
 

Hazardous dust is the same whether you breath it in your hobby or at your work. The air filtration on the above mask is good, but equally important to me is knowing that nothing is slipping in through the face seal. This has happened to me, and others, at work (oil & gas construction) and I only noticed it when small particles got into my mouth, which happened more than once. Very small dust particles getting into the lungs would not be noticed.
 
I’m not saying this is a common occurrence, but real-world situations (which includes those at home) can cause a reduction in face seal integrity, therefore, I like having a mask where I can check on this. The reason I posted this here was just to let people know about another product that they can throw into the pot when making their buying decision.
 
 
 
 

For the future, it is easier to make these in part as they were made full size.  Using a method the same or similar to that described by Bernard Frolich in The Art of Ship Modeling  works very nicely if you have a saw like your Byrnes saw.  This is described in earlier posts and the below may help.  The openings varied but were usually more than 2" square and less than 3" square.  The battens and ledges would be the same widths as the opening.  Keep in mind that the battens run fore and aft and the ledges athwartships.  The battens are thinner than the ledges.
 





 
The coamings and head ledges are a different story.  The head ledges often/usually had a camber as did the gratings themselves.  The corners were usually rounded from the top to what would be the top level of the deck planks.  
 

Here are some pics of the Victory middle deck port side with the planking recently removed. As it shows some frames that may be older than the others, I thought pics may be of interest. If anyone knows when these frames might date from, please let us know.
 
Middle Deck. Port side looking towards the stern.
 

 

 
Middle Deck. Port side looking towards the bow.