Elia

After many days cementing these small slats to the deck I finally put the last ones on this morning and added dye where needed.  As far as I'm concerned it looks okay, not great but acceptable. Gwen, the Admiral, says it shows character.  
 
Now I have to make a decision what project I should tackle next.  Hatch hinges?  Torpedo loading gantries?  Mines?  Torpedoes?  Finishing the AA guns?
I guess it'll have to be the hinges.  This'll be slow going - - - I'll be taking my time with this.  Not an easy project  because it's all part of an afterthought.  As mentioned before, I did not plan to make certain things workable but alas, after seeing the model of the O21 I got this wild eyed idea to do something similar.
 
Okay, I took the model outside and shot a bunch of pictures in front of the garage door.  This time I put the boat on two bricks which made for better pics.  I may not post all of them here - - - just too many - - - I got carried away, again.  Well, I kinda like the model as she looks now     
Hope all yuns like them.
 

Starboard side profile
 

Top view from the bow
 

Top view of forward deck from bridge area.
 

Looking aft along the hull from the bow.
 

Looking forward along the hull from the stern.
 

Top view looking forward.
 

Looking forward directly into the stern
 

Top view if the deck looking forward.
 

Looking at the forward deck from the bridge area.
 

Aft deck view towards the aft side of the con.
 

Gwen, the Admiral, took this pic to give all y'all an idea of the size of the model.  I'm 5 feet 8 inches tall.
 
Cheers.

Since my last update I have applied one coat of wipe on poly which darkened the hull to a moderate degree. 
The starboard gun port liners are now cut, painted brown, and installed.         Two trim/molding pieces were fabricated and fixed to the edges of the lower balcony, as well as finishing the remainder of the decorative S braces between the upper and lower balcony.     More decorations were fabricated and added to the stern section.       Now to get busy and make the port side liners for a total of 92 rectangular gun port liners!    

Thank you everyone for the supportive and encouraging comments, and the "likes" It is very much appreciated.
 
Working further on the boom I made a start on the reef comb and bee blocks. the first set of reef combs did not allow for the bee blocks so started a second set the sheave will be 2 1/2 inch scale diameter
 
The first pair clamped into the small saw guide with some wedges so that i could file and sand them at the same time.
 

 
The second set started after cutting the slots first, then using the jewelers saw to fret them out.
 

 
The boom being prepared to glue on the reef comb on the port side
 

 
The come clamped and glued I will drill through the boom and the starboard side after the starboard side is glued on this will ensure that all the holes match well for the pins
 

 
Brrrr its down to -32 tonight.... in like a lion out like a lamb as the old saying goes.
 
Michael

Daniel, Mark, B.E., Nils thanks for stopping by and the kind rematks and thank you for all the "likes'
 
Nils that is a very beautiful looking hull, I shall have to have a look.
 
 
Dan I made my own here near the bottom of the page you can see how I made it. A lot of work for sure but I am reasonably pleased with the results. The simplest way produced the best rope. I did build a rope making machine here but in the end I did not like the results for the fine rope I will revisit the machine but for the time being the larger diameter that I am using I prefer the way I am making it now.
 
I now have to make some more blocks for the boom and associated lines, I can see that the blocks and shackles are going to keep me busy, but at least my newly finished little lathe that I started to build 43 years ago


will be handy now for the small diameter stuff because the Myford only goes so fast.
 

It was a lot of work but it needed to be finished, I am glad I took the time to get it done. it will make turning the small pins and shackle parts that much easier.
 
Michael
 

Today I finished tidying up the work area so that I now can work on either Skipjack or the pilot cutter now that both have their own tables. Rearranging things really does take a while it seems getting some of the model wood out of boxes and onto some additional shelving  makes it so much easier to work.
 

 

 
That done I was able to get the final gluing sorted for the new walls of the cockpit when it is good and set I will work on the top rail. Walter thought it was about time.
 

 

 
The gaff was re-threaded with some of the new rope, a fiddly job, and as I was working I kept thinking about the incredible amount of rigging on Nils' Clipper.
 
Then time to get the boom finished after some final shaping of the jaws, the holes were drilled for the strength bolts and for the slot to accommodate the plate for attaching the tack of the mainsail and the down-haul. because of the length I needed to add a support.
 

 
Once the holes were drilled I began gluing on the leather.
 

 
Then the leather was cut to allow for the wrapping.
 

 

 
after folding down the tabs and the final shaping the jaws end was given a liberal coating of Teak oil.
 

 
Left to right the new lines are the Gaff throat up-haul, peak halliard, jib shroud, gaff throat down-haul. Next I need to make the support for the boom on the mast.
 
Michael
 
 

Well Walter just took delivery of 800feet of 1/2 inch line and some 1 inch cable plus some other line for the rigging and docking he seems rather pleased now that the delivery has finally arrived, he can get on with the boom now.  The 5/8 line will be delivered tomorrow he was assured.
 

 

 
Michael

Thanks again Grant, Allan, Bug, David, Guy and Alex - your comments are very welcome .
 
Allan and David - I'm intending to fully mast and rig the ship (if I live that long ).
 
Entry Steps 
 
There are six Entry Steps per side - I'm only fitting the Port side.
 
To avoid making yet another Molding Scraper (which would have been very difficult to use around the ends of the steps in any case) I've made each step in two pieces using English Box. I used a previously made scraper to shape the lower portions, along with needle files and Xacto knife.
 

 

 

 
The two steps on the black Wales have been stained with Ebony wood stain - real Ebony didn't like my scraper very much, too much chipping out happened when I tried it on a sample piece :
 

 

 
Each step needed a varying degree of bevel sanded into it's inboard face to match the shape of the hull at that point.
 
  Danny

Fenders
 
The Fenders assist in loading the ship, especially from a boat. Barrels could be more easily loaded as the fenders make a smooth run over the rails below :
 

 

 
Unlike the Chesstrees I fitted earlier, the fenders don't play any part of the rigging so I'm only fitting them to the Port side.
 
  Danny

Thanks for the comments on the jigs Remco, Mark, dragzz, Doris, John and Pat. I'd toyed with the idea of using the Mill, but after cutting the first swivel mount in a couple of minutes I figured the jig would work quicker .
 
I've now temporarily glued all the Port side mounts in place and sanded the Sheer into them. Now I'll fit the Starboard ones and sand them horizontally athwartships.
 

 

 
  Danny

Several hours later I've made all the swivel gun mounts to this stage. Next comes some rather tricky ironwork.
 

 
  Danny

And thank you shihawk, Geoff, Christian, Rafael, Spyglass and John .
 
Swivel Gun Mounts
 
There are six Swivel Gun Mounts on the Forecastle and ten on the Quarterdeck. They are octagon shaped on the upper portion, and square on the lower. I used a jig with a "V" cut into it to sand the octagon shapes in :
 

 
A small decorative shoulder was cut into the transitions using an Xacto blade :
 

 
The bottom is quarter-rounded. I used the Byrnes Disc Sander for this :
 

 
The forecastle mounts are all the same length, so I've made all six. The quarterdeck ones are of varying lengths, so I'll make up two at a time.
 

 

 
At this stage I have left the tops of the mounts a little bit long, as they will need to be trimmed to follow the Sheer line longitudinally and are horizontal athwartships.
 
  Danny

Thanks for the compliments Eamonn, Janos, John, Popeye, Maury and Maurino.
 
Janos - yes the darker wood for the handrails is Swiss Pear
 
Maury, I've used the 7 - 10 method for other octagons, but the jig makes it a lot easier as I don't have to keep a careful eye on the lines .
 
Back to work - the Swivel Gun Mounts have a re-enforcing strap to hold the base of the swivel mounts. These are bolted through the timber mounts on the real ship, but I've omitted this detail as the bolt heads would be almost too tiny to see on the model. There is supposed to be an octagonal band around the top as well, but once again I'm not fitting that - I had several attempts at making them using various methods, but none looked satisfactory.
 

 

 
All the Mounts are now permanently fitted. The Swivel Guns themselves won't be fitted until almost at the end of the build.
 

 

 
  Danny

Thanks for the very kind comments.
 
I started working on the sail room, a lot of preparation went into making a jig to cut the mortises for the loovers. After that was set up it was pretty straightforward (I thought, but making the different stanchions with the mortices on the right sides took more than one try....)
 

 

 
The sail room will be made off the model, it's a big 3D jigsaw and I foresee trouble ahead to get the last side in place. But we'll see.
 

 
I also got some fabric to make a couple of sails. I'm wondering if their shouldn't be racks of some sort to store the sails. 
 

 
Remco

Hi all,
 
The hull is finished.  When they rebuilt Lettie, which is what the drawings were taken from, the fore deck was raised to match the poop deck.  That’s why the deck measurement is longer.  They also extended the monkey rail all the way to the bow.  In trying to restore Lettie to original condition I installed the monkey rail around the stern, only up to the step in the deck.
 
I’m going to do something different this time.  I’m going to paint the hull and then install the deck.  On the one hand I won’t have to mask the deck; on the other it will be harder to sand the deck.  Well that’s how we learn.
 
Bob
 

 

 

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 46 –Inboard structural members continued
 
Work on the starboard side, inside of the hull, continued.  The iron strapping on that side is complete, except for a bit of repair work.  The first picture shows the use of an Incra rule taped to the paper cutter to assist in cutting the straps to accurate widths.
 

 
The sheet is first squared up on the cutter and then advanced 1/16” after each cut.  The indexing holes on the rule could be used, but I found this unnecessary and rely on my eye.
 
Below is a picture of strips after slitting on the cutter.
 

 
Fortunately, these straighten out easily and quickly when held in a vise and pulled with pliers.  After that they are blackened with LOS before installing.  They are held in place with copper “riveted bolts” made from 22-gauge copper wire.  These are more like nails, being pushed into a tight hole, then clipped off, then peened over with a small hammer – as shown below.
 

 
Once the strapping was finished, the deck clamps on this side could be installed back to the stern.  The next picture shows a scarph joint being marked on the next piece. 
 
 

 
Initially I fitted the next of these joints on the bench, but identifying them and keeping track became more trouble than doing it in situ – with equivalent results.
 
The next picture shows the right angle Dremel drill boring holes for the through bolts.
 

 
I don’t use this tool much.  It is large and has a good kick when starting, but it is indispensable for drilling “normal” bolt holes down in the hull.  I use it with a Foredom foot pedal speed control, plus the speed contol on the tool to keep the speeds low and to avoid it jumping out of the center-mark.
 

 
The 22-gauge copper wire used for the bolts is a sliding fit in the holes.  An end is dipped in epoxy and pushed through the holes.  The outside is then touched with epoxy and the wire pulled back in.  These bolts are never coming out.  They will be sanded off flush and those that are visible will be blackened later.  Many on this side will be covered with planking.
 
Fastening the deck clamps is pretty easy work, but the 8 x 8 ceiling members at the turn of the bilge are another matter.  The curve of the hull where they are placed can be seen in the next picture.
 

 
These require some serious clamping and long waits for the glue to set.  I usually bolt them in place with the epoxy wherever possible before removing the clamps.
 
I am being extra cautious – as well as authentic – in the bolting through every frame because of the copper plates between the frames and the inboard members.  I don’t trust the glue alone on these joints.  The hull is now becoming extremely rigid.
 
The last picture shows a strake of bilge ceiling being attached toward the stern – intersecting with the lower deck clamp.
 

 
This picture also shows the strapping toward the stern.  Not too much of it is damaged.  I straighten our any problems as each wood member is added.  Most of the strapping on this side will only be visible from outside the hull – through the frames.
 
And so it goes…
 
 Ed

It has been a few weeks since the last update.  Not that much has been accomplished because of that four letter word...work.  I have all of the carlings temporarily installed, as well as the ledges between the carlings.  I am still adjusting the height of the last two deck beams.  The transom knee was made overly thick and now the top of the beams is lower than the top of the knee.  The knee will be sanded down once I am happy with the fair run of the deck. Beam set 16 is completed.  Only six more beams to go!  The bracing across the outer counter timbers has been removed for the pictures.  I decided not to build any more structures that stand proud of the deck until the deck is completed and sanded fair.  The main mast partner kept getting bumped when I was truing the middle part of the deck.  This should make sanding easier.
 

 

 

 

Hi,
 
here is a dry test for checking how it look and fit. I think to show the doors half open, as seen in second image.
 

 

 
next to do are handles and hinges.
 
Alex

This is my "fishing schooner" , built on plans found online ( lettie g. howard ) . We work for a few months...
Mauro

Okay, after reworking the top of the deck slats they are now looking more like slightly weathered teak and as mentioned above, the Admiral likes it very much.  Soooohhhh, I continued cementing the rest of the slats to finish the aft deck.  There is still need for a few touch-ups here and there but overall it doesn't look half bad.
I invite all yuns to give me your thoughts on it, and don't be polite     I can always rip them off and go the boxwood route.
 
Here are the pics I took at 17:00 hours when I punched out of the dockyard for a much needed libation, a cool glass of belgian ale   
 

 

 
Cheers,

Yesterday I have started with guns and I tried to make the first carriage using wood and card. The barrel is casted from metal but I am thinking about making my own from card.










 
Best regards
Doris

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 45 –Inboard members continued, Stern fairing and half-frame bolting continued.
 
American Clipper Historical Note: In 19th Century America, forest resources were plentiful, in fact they seemed limitless.  For these reasons, and due to the immaturity of the American iron industry, ships with wood structures continued to be built throughout the century and into the 20th.  Several domestic species found their way into American-built ships.  White oak, very similar in species to English oak was the primary material used for structural components.  However, the less plentiful but superior species, live oak from forests in the southeastern states, was often specified for critical components.  It was almost 50% stronger than white oak and the shape of the growth lent itself to knees and curved members.  Joshua Humphreys specified live oak for the original American 44-gun frigates and crews from the northern shipyards went south to harvest the requirements.  Another southern species that was widely used in American ships was hard pine, also known as longleaf pine.  This plentiful timber had 90% of the strength of white oak and was roughly the same weight.  Hard pine was used for beams, planking and knees.  White pine, the species most associated with the term “pine,” was lighter, softer and less strong – only about 50% in strength compared to white oak.  It was often used in planking weather decks.  Other species of pine – pitch pine, yellow pine, red pine – were also used.  Another important species was black locust.  Its hardness, straightness and strength – 35% stronger than white oak  - found wide use for treenails and often for pillars.  Various other structural woods were used, but these were the primary species.
 
Young America’s structure was largely white oak – most frames, central sections of the keel and keelson, stem, stern posts, hanging knees.  But it is very probable that a significant number of important members were of live oak – parts of keel and keelson, keelson riders, hooks, some frame timbers.  Hard pine was used for beams, inboard and outboard planking, waterways, deck clamps, binding strakes, lower deck  planking and deadwood.  Lodging knees would have been pitch pine.  Exposed decks were white pine.  Pillars and treenails were locust.  Other decorative works were of other species and will be described later.
 
For the model, I an using Swiss pear wherever oak – white or live – was used.  Hard and pitch pine members will be Castelo.  Weather decks may be holly – not decided.  Most of the work covered so far has been in pear, but Castelo has been evident in the last few posts in the bilge ceiling and deck clamp construction.
 
 
Work described in the last part continued.  In the first picture the deadwood near the sternpost is being smoothed with a #0 cut Grobet riffler after paring with gouges. 
 

 
When the fairing of the aft part of the lower hull was finished, the bolts securing the aft half and cant frames were installed.  The next picture shows this in progress.
 

 
Holes were drilled deep into the keelson/deadwood.  Copper wire dipped in epoxy was then inserted and moved in and out to distribute the glue internally.  The wire was then clipped off as shown.  The stains on the wood in the picture are  from isopropanol used to wash off excess epoxy and has not yet dried.  The heads of the bolts will be sanded off flush and blackened just before the final wood finish is applied.  They were iron.
 
The next picture shows the lower hull after this bolting.  Bolts will be much more visible when black.
 

 
Finish sanding and polishing of these areas will be done later.  The next picture shows the stern framing from directly aft.
 

 
Work inside the hull on the strapping, deck clamps and bilge ceiling continued.  In the next picture a strake is being glued on the upper side of the band.  Strapping below the bilge ceiling has been added.
 

 
One of the lower strakes is being glued in the next picture. 
 

 
After the glue has dried, all of these strakes are bolted through every frame with epoxy at both ends of each bolt.  These bolts, also iron, will be blackened later.
 
This internal work is going to take some time.  I switch between iron strapping and ceiling planks when I can - to battle the tedium of repetitive work – not my strong suit.
 
 
 Ed

Worked on main mast a bit this afternoon.  I understand that the practicum I bought would produce a nice model, but I have been bitten by the "real detailed real metal" bug.  As such, I started working on the main mast band for the futtock shrouds.
 
First, I used the mast to form the loose metal, then I soldered it up and finally added some elongated rings.  I'm not sure how accurate historically this is.
 
I think once painted it will be great.  The instructions say either white or galvanized.  I'm thiking galvanized or black. 
 
If all else fails, I'm creating a story where the ship's blacksmith had kidney stones the day these were made and an apprentice was pressed into service.
 

 
BTW, Two thoughts,
 
1) I notice this isn't the normal way to make rings.  I hope it works out.
2) Am I supposed to clean my work area before making photos?

As indicated, I am painting my metal fixtures with a sem-gloss enamel.  This is because #1, I have had very poor luck with chemicals I have tried, and #2 I think that the semigloss with give them a nice look on the finsihed model.
 
Here are a few straps drying before installation.  After they dry it will be easy to touch up.
 

 
Woody examines the foot ropes on the bow sprint.  I suspect he would like to be sure they are VERY secure.
 

Thanks for the information.  The advantage of what I have now, of course, is that I have it.  I really don't know the difference between "silver solder" and what I am using.  I have noticed I have to get this stuff really hot to work- sometimes if I'm not careful, I end up melting the brass.
 
Anyway, I had a chance to play with the ship a bit more today.
 
First, I tried re-painting my barrel boxes and I added ropes.  I think it looks better and I will probably leave it on the boat.
 

 
Second I continued rigging the bow sprint.  You will notice how my idea of painting everything black really destroys the detail.  As an aside, the dowell for the bow sprint supplied was poplar- a nice straight grained wood, but green in color.  I thought it looked ugly so I painted it black.  Looking back, I would recommend just buying another dowel and leaving it natural color.  That way the details would look better.
 



 
 
I also shaped the base of the mast so they will fit.
 
 

More progress tonight. Now that the deck is planked, the next thing will be the deadeyes and chainplates. My first pass at these was ... bad. Really bad. So, I decided to reengineer the chainplates a bit. Hopefully, this attempt will be better.
 
The important issue is scale. The lower deadeyes and chainplates will all be painted white, but they need to appear in scale. That means everything has to be smaller than what I am used to working with. The chainplate is a simple strap with a loop soldered into its top end. However, there needs to be at least two fastenings for the strap into the hull. At this size and scale, that is a problem. The brass nails I have in stock are too large. So, I have made the strap with its loop and then drilled two holes in the strap into which two pieces of brass wire were soldered. The outer edges of each wire was trimmed and left just proud of the strap to appear like bolt heads. The wires go into the holes in the side of the hull. I will probably add a dab of CA to secure them. Even without glue, they are snug in their holes, but the CA should give some strength as well. 
 
Here are some pics. I still need to clean up the shape of the strap, but it should look okay once the hull is painted. There will be a wooden cap over the edge of the rail hiding that tear out along the edge of the rail. The strap is about 1/32" wide and the holes for the wires are .018" diameter.
 
Questions and comments welcomed.
 
Russ