Elia

Today’s update:
 
I –finally- finished  planking the hull. I am reasonably happy with the result so far, except I noticed there is a problem created by the fact that one of the laser-cut bulkhead (“H”) was not symmetrical to the center line.
I actually noticed when I started to dry fit the bulkheads that bulkhead B was way off center, and I fixed it. But I guess I forgot to verify all of the bulkheads at the time. Kind of weird, because you would expect a great deal of precision with laser-cut parts. I don’t think it will be too noticeable after I finish sanding, we’ll see.
(Note to self: next time you get a model with laser-cut parts, verify they are actually correctly cut).
 
I am now proceeding with the bulwark planking, cutting the scuppers before gluing the bulwark planks. Talking about bulwarks, I pretty much came to the conclusion that I will not use the stanchion extension from the bulkheads, and I will have to replace them all. Several got damaged and the quality of the wood is not great to begin with. So for now I keep them in place as a form as I am gluing the bulwark planking, ensuring that planking is not glued to the existing stanchions. I will then glue the other stanchions, and at the end replace the ones that come from the bulkheads (hope this makes sense)
 
After that, I need to start sanding and preparing for hull painting, after which I will start deck planking. At least that’s the order I have in mind right now. I have been thinking a lot about color scheme for the Ben Latham, and I am thinking of a natural wood color for the deck (not painted), so that’s why I want to paint the waterways first. I know it may not be historically accurate, but I like this approach.
I’m curious to have comments from readers out there.

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 106 – Painting
 
I’ve always preferred to leave models in natural wood, but some of Young America will be painted.  After painting the hull planking above the planksheer, the stern decoration could be painted.  The first phase of that is shown in the first picture.
 

 
All the paints and the sealer being used so far are various types of artist’s acrylics.  The final coats will have some gloss.  Most of the gold stern decoration was painted first upside down – so I could see it and steady my hand.  The lines at the top were finished in the upright position as shown in the next picture.  Then several more inversions to nitpick.
 

 
This was a multi-multi step process – before everything looked reasonably presentable as shown in the next picture.
 

 
The planking below the painted part will also be black – down to the top of the brass sheathing.  I will paint that after completing treenailing.  In the next picture the white main main rail around the stern is being fitted.  Also one of the brass portholes is being test fit.
 

 
In the next picture the stern section of the main rail is being glued in.
 

 
The planking on this side is complete – just enough to anchor the deadeye chains below the lower rail.  The next picture shows the completed planking on the starboard side.
 

 
The planking on this side will be sheathed in “yellow metal” below the waterline.  The unpainted area at the bow is left unpainted to allow gluing of the decoration carvings.  The last picture shows the main deck during painting of the inboard bulwarks - the blue is masking tape to keep paint out of the structural work.
 

 
The sanding and painting of this complex woodwork is real fun – several coats worth.  The paint  accentuates every rough area and crack.  I am not too concerned about the area forward of the large vertical samson post.  It will be covered with the forecastle.  Also, the rack rails – pin rails – that run the full length of the deck will fit up under the upper rail - hiding some of the inboard planking.  The waterway – painted blue – will fit in under the lower rail.  There will be a white cap rail all along the top.
  
Ed

thanks for all the likes and encouragements.
 
Denis it is one of the things I have thought about. the issue would be the size of the tank and the volumes. a good filtering system and small pump might still be the best option, there is lots of time for experimenting.
 
Michael

Hi Carl, I agree with your thoughts, I think that if I keep things consistent and have a good general flow then I should be OK.
I can push a fair bit of water through the .093 holes with a good pump and since I am not going to be running this engine for long stretches I am confident that I will be able to get enough cooling.
 
Thanks Druxey, I do have the small set of coils spring pipe bender that I purchased some time ago but they only work for gentle curves, I have done some more experiments with the styrene rod as a filler as suggested By Bob. The combination of the heavy walled brass tube benders that are bored to the pipe size plus filling the tubes with the styrene have greatly improved the quality of tight elbows. The styrene gets trapped and a quick play of the propane torch over the elbow pops most of the styrene out then after removing the blobs at each end of the bent tube a little more heat and the residue flames off, leaving a good bend and flow through.
 
Thank you Mike, Mark, Steve , and Nils for your very complimentary comments. A sincere thanks to all who have shown their appreciation by pressing the like button.
 
I am continuing with the experiments with the various shapes and components for the piping and valves. I am gathering a fair collection of bits for the spare bits box. The parts to the extreme bottom left hand corner are the present iteration, that i am working with. the hex sections have been filed instead of adding in some sections of hex stock this eliminated the need for threads etc and is quick enough to do with a few strokes of the fine file.
 

 
I filled the four mounting holes with some 00x90 threaded rod and soft soldered them in place because they won't work with the new configuration that is not quite there yet but is getting close.
 

 
I have been sorting out the stack of elements and seeing how to create the look of a number of parts screwed together but really being a solid fancy tube. here there ore the vertical part of the pump the valve to bleed off any air then the anti hammer bulb. it is bored out to accept some 1/8th inch copper pipe for the bottom elbow, and a .093 hole for the tee off to the upper union that connects the piping to the water jacket as in the one on the real engine. I am using the 1/4 inch brass rod that I purchased at home depot, this rod is nice to machine and not very expensive. By using the collet chuck instead of the three jaw I can shift the brass out as I complete each element. the collet has 6 slotted sections as part of its design which makes it easy to line up to file the hex sections.
 

 
I silver soldered the tee to the bulb section, not as good as some soldering I have seen but acceptable, in this instance.
 

 
Michael
 
 
 

Wow! those files are pricey Druxey.
 
the saga of the water-pump continues.
I am not happy with the sizes of things and also the elbow is causing the crankcase to be raised off the sump.
 

 
Mass confusion and general mayhem
 

 
A number of different experiments with heavy walled tube convinced me that it is easier to bend the heavy tube than to work at drilling 90 degree holes through elbows any other way.
 
That said I have come to the conclusion that all model locomotive engineers already know and i also knew it as well and that is one cannot scale nature, a molecule of water is a molecule of water and that is the fact of life. it also became a realization that I would not be able to get enough water through the water-jacket with a scale model pump for the same reason that nature is not scale-able.
 
I was able to make the pump open and close with a .093 ball bearing similar to a clack valve but being realistic demonstrated to me that this approach would not work to deliver the volume of water needed to cool the head(heat cannot be scaled either. (Nigel you already knew this too)
 
As there are two other places wher piping enters the water jacket I have decided to continue to make a scale operating water pump from the outside appearances but the actual path of the water will be through the other piping and will use a hidden pump that will be able to deliver the needed volumes. Disappointing in one sense, but that is the way the world works sometimes.
 
experiments
 

 
Now that I am on a new track I will be able to make the pump look correct, I have already done this with regard to the operation of the pistons and cylinders insider the engine and working to keep the exterior looking like hwe real engine.
 
I have developed a couple of new tools for bending the parts of the piping.
 

 
The elbow is first turned to include some flanged areas at each end, then annealed and slipped into the brass bending tools
 

 
I marked the center of the elbow with a felt pen and closed the two parts.
 

 
did the bend
 

 
after a few tries I am pleased that this method will work
 
 
 
michael
 
 
 

Hi all
 
Rainbow, all of a sudden has turned red! No stress, though. The reason is that I decided to paint the whole hull with a Matt Red colour. This will then be the colour of the hull under the water line. Once I'm satisfied that the paint looks good, I'll the paint the top sides gloss black. Hope this all makes sense.
 
I've also planked the floors onto which the internal bulkheads and accommodation will reside. Some of the bulkheads can be seen temporarily propped up in the photos.
 
Well, overall, progress may be slow, but, it's still heaps of fun, nonetheless.
 
Hope you enjoy the photos.
 
Cheers
 
Patrick

It was some scrap that I had after our contractor did some work in the kitchen, figured I may as well use it for the PT Boat.  Better than tossing it in the trash bin, after all I paid for it!    

​Note: Comments on messy bench are not allowed!    
 
 
At this point the pieced are placed on deck, nothing has been glued at this time.
 
Three overall progress views:
 

 

 

 
 
Cheers,
Tim

Greetings, Happy New Year to all...    
 
I finally made it back to the bench today, thought I would jump ahead to the torpedo tubes for a little fun.  
The first step was to cut the supplied 7/16" brass tubing into four tubes 5" long using a small miter box and a fine-tooth razor saw.  This step didn't sound like very much fun, too many things to go wrong with a miter box cutting a round object.  Instead I used small tubing cutter, this was much faster and provided a much cleaner cut.
 
The next step was to draw a center line the length of each tube, the line was used as a reference point for attaching the various pieces to the tubes.  This was accomplished by laying each tube on the plans and marking the location of each photo etched part with a mechanical pencil.
 
The reinforcing rings were glued to the tube first the the reinforcement plates were added.
 
 

 

 

 

 
The next step was to drill a hole through the through the training gear lug along with a hole into the end of the training gear housing.  At a later point a length of .020 brass rod will be inserted through these holes.
 

 

 

 
Cheers,
Tim

Nils, thank you for your comment and your questions.  I will try to answer your  questions but you will probably have to wait for the book for a usable tutorial.  I have more work to do on this process before I can describe it in a way that others can follow - or recommend it.  I will definitely be doing that for the book.  I have a lot of history with this material and do some things intuitively.  I need to translate all that into words so anyone trying to use the process will not be frustrated - especially if I provide a much better - or different -  description later.
 
However, in response to your questions:  No forms were used.  There are no identical parts in the decoration - mirrored yes, but no two the same.  At a point in the curing cycle, the putty can be rolled into thin strings.  The strings were laid to the shapes of the vines on a developed "true view" print of the decoration on a form shaped like the hull and covered with waxed paper.  Small bits of new putty were added for leaves, etc.  The vines at this stage were still very delicate.  As they hardened they could be adjusted in shape.  When completely cured they carefully were removed from the form and glued to the stern with CA.
 
Hope that helps.
 
Ed

Very slow progress of building deck:
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Matija
 

Nice modest 'selfie', Owen! Your model isn't half bad, either.

Micheal,
 
I don't know at what point in time they became that flexible but  similar pieces boiled for about an hour were nowhere near that pliable.  I can only assume that the wood fibers were completely saturated due to the long time submerged.
 
I am planning to use an acrylic gold paint.  It does not yellow with time as other solvent based binders.  I expect to do this by hand with a 00 brush with some parts dry-brushed to show the relief.  I have started doing some testing for that.  The figures at the bow may be more interesting.  They were completely different on each side and painted in natural life-like colors - according to Crothers.
 
Ed 

Greg,here is a picture of the display case.  These wrap around two corners of the room.  Hannah in the center of the picture with her NRG medal.  To the left is an incomplete model of Amati's Prince which I started back in 1984-ish and never completed because of the inadequacy of the plans.  The reflected ship is Dapper Tom.  I forget which kit manufacturer.
 

 
I have finished the rest of the hull friezes.  Extra material was left around the quarter badge, as I am not sure how this will exactly fit. 

 

Thank you everyone for your kind comments.  I agree, Remco, the frieze changes the whole attitude of the hull.  Druxey, I was surprised that the animate characters look cartoonish on the draught rather than realistic.  However, since my drawing skills are "zip", I went with the frieze as drawn on the draught.  I only hope this was not some cruel joke on the Admiralty by the draftsman.

Here I’ve completed the decorative rail on top of the quarter galleries. My rail, Chucks has 3, has
4 decorative pieces in it  . My curve was a little bolder so it ended up too long for three so I
modified it to make four fit. I’ve decided to leave well enough alone with the windows. They won’t
be installed until much later as there is a lot of sanding and they will just trap dust and debris.
 

 

 
The only thing left to do for now on the galleries is to make the decorative columns. I am waiting
on a .016 kerf saw blade so I can cut flutes down the face of each column. 
 
That will complete chapter 6.
 
That will also catch me up to where Chuck is at right now. That will leave me time to work on
some other models I’ve shoved to the side. Also my daughter is moving to another house next
month and I have a looooooooong “Daddy do” list that will keep me quite busy for the foreseeable
future.
 
I just have to remember how to work at full scale again!  
 
 
 
 

Elia, Mark, Bob, Nigel, Druxey, Carl, Denis, Remco and Mark P, Thank you all for your kind remarks. And to all who used the like button.
 
the last couple of days have been busy with some household stuff and snow removal getting water etc.
 
I have also been beavering away at the water pump.
 
Attempt one ended like this
 

 
attempt two ended like this
 

 
attempt three "this was the turning point" (apologies to the Dinsdale brothers)
 

 
I used the body of the pump to spot the position of the first hole, and because the holes in the pump body were indexed I was then able to use the same index to drill the four holes in the crank case for tapping the 00x90 threads for the mounting screws. I still might make them bolts instead of screws.
 
As each hole was drilled I tapped it straight away. used lots of lubricant and backed the tap out several times for cleaning the swarf.
 

 
using the jewelers saw to cut the slot in the screw.
 

 
assembled on the crank case I now will be able to make the linkage to the eccentric in the backside of the 60T gear the piston in the pump is 1/8th diameter.
 

 
Close up pictures can be brutally honest, I need to set up and make some adjustment on the thickness of the heads of the screws which are 1/16 in diameter, the size of the 00x90 threads are .047" max diameter, the tap drill is a number 62 Drill.
 
The inlet and outlet threads on the water pump are 6x40.
 
Michael
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

After completing all sails ( Fore sail was not the "lucky" one, I need to repeat process 5 times to get good result, but now I can sew them with closed eyes , ha  ) it is now time to put them on model and start the rigging process. I began lashing Main and Fore sails to booms and gaffs with running stitch using 0,1mm line. For rigging the kit thread is useless because it is to thick and stiff, so I replace that with 0.1 , 0.25, 0.5 and 0.75mm thread from Jotika.

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 105 – Planking and Wales continued
 
The exterior planking is now finished – except for treenails.  The next phase of work will involve a lot of disparate tasks to prepare for the work on the main deck.  There is much to be done before that can start.
 
In the last post, I showed the cabin lights being drilled through the outside planking.  The first picture shows the inboard planking on the cabin deck with the holes and two temporary brass ports fitted for size.
 

 
The cabin deck will house 19 cabins, two WC’s and an open central area – plus a staircase from the main deck.  All of this is speculative but very typical of the class.  Cabin finishes were usually quite ornate – no holds barred on fancy woods, gilt, carvings, etc.  I don’t intend to go overboard on this, especially without any historical data, but I expect to panel the partitions, fit built in bedsteads and some cabinetwork.  This will come later but I wanted to make a choice on wood.  I am assuming mahogany and intend to represent it with black walnut as shown above.  It has the look of old Cuban mahogany – to me at least.  except for the above, this will all come later.
 
While the model was upright, the waterways were made and fitted.  In the next picture a forward segment has been boiled for bending and is drying.  These will be pre-fitted with scarphs, but cannot be installed until the bulwark interiors are painted.
 

 
The next picture shows the starboard forward section after drying – just prior to making its joint with the next segment.
 

 
The painting order is dictating events at this stage.  First the outboard planking above the planksheer will be painted black, The white main rail will then be installed, allowing the inboard bulwarks to be painted white.  The blue waterways can then be installed and work can proceed on the main deck – a lot of complications to avoid painting different colors on adjacent areas after assembly.
 
The next picture shows work that is necessary before painting the waist planking.
 

 
The eagle and the vinery on either side are made with epoxy sculpting material.  (I could never manage this in wood.) When cured, the material is very hard, but brittle - so the work is done in two steps.  In the first step the rough sculpting shown above was done on a curved form so the parts could be removed and fit on to the stern without bending. The next picture shows the carving work glued to the starboard side. 
 

 
Once glued down the carvings could then be further refined with small tools as shown below.
 

 
This work mostly involved thinning the greenery to be more delicate.  All of this relief carving will be gilded.
 
The next picture shows the finished planking on the port side.
 

 
The planking to be painted first is above the lower channels.  At this stage those areas are being sealed for final sanding.  Masking tape will keep the paint confined above the planksheer for now.  The stern carvings have been primed with black to make sure the black acrylic adheres to the epoxy.
 
In the last picture the main rail around the stern has been painted as a test and is being fitted into its slot – just temporarily until the surrounding black is painted.
 

 
So – a lot of niggling little tasks to break up the monotony of treenailing – but progress nonetheless.
  
Ed

What an Elegant little model. Very nice work Patrick.
 
Cheers
 
Elia

Thanks for the comments and questions.  Let me try to answer those.
 
Peter, there was no spiling needed on any of the outboard planking and in fact very little on the ship so far.  I am more of a boiler/bender than a spiler, but there was some spiling on Naiad - at least on the waterways forward as I recall - and the method I use for that was covered in  Volume II.  Many of the planks on the YA stern required bending.  That process was mentioned in earlier posts but will be covered more thoroughly in the YA book.  Also, there was some spiling - my style - for the inboard deck transom work.  I may have briefly described that in an earlier post but that too will be covered - as will all the methods used on the model..
 
Micheal, very good question.  Tear-out is an issue, particularly on the backside.  The brad point drill at high speed can eliminate it on the front side but it still occurs on the back side.  I would normally use a block - even to the point of gluing it on - as I may do for the scuppers that  will be drilled through the waterway from the inside - but for these port holes through the outer planking I was not concerned because there will be inboard planking concealing it.  I did drill through the inboard planking from the outside through the outer holes, starting with double thickness inboard plank clamped in place, then after drilling removed it and ripped off the inner face on the circular saw to give a clean surface.  I will show a picture of the inside on the next post.
 
Cheers,
 
Ed

Kirby,
 
It is good to hear from you.  I have just completed three years working 1st at Irving Shibuilding in Halifax NS; and, then at Vancouver Shipbuilding in North Vancouver, BC.  Linda and I have relocated to San Diego, CA and I am currently reestablishing my work shop in the garage.  I will then go back to work on my Newsboy and Fair American  builds.  Please give my best to the North Shore Club members.
 
Regards,
Pete

Hi everyone
 
There's been a lot of work on Rainbow, but ironically, not much to show for it. For instance, I've done lots of prep work and measurements, but, none of that work is visible. However, I have started to paint Rainbow's hull. Initially, I'll use this white enamel, but later, the finishing colours will be black top sides and red under the water (as per the real ship).
 
Hope you enjoy the progress so far.
 
Cheers
 
Patrick

Dimitris,
 
Very very nice result there! That looks very smooth. Beautiful.
 
Cheers
 
Elia

Latest work - on two fronts - Decking and Hull modifications:
 
1) I finally got my special order decking from Pontos just before Xmas - 5 weeks in transit from ROK. They did a fine job on it - a bit yellow in color, but it will work. I'm going to use a spray poly finish on it and that's all. I had originally considered staining, but have ruled that out. Here is a shot of the fwd deck section:
 
2) Fwd Hull Modifications - I'm going to do this by manual method in order to get the lower bow area modified correctly. Here is a shot of the station templates on the hull (mtd in stands and secured to the work surface) before any work is started. They don't fit correctly due to the thickness of the ext. hull needing to be shaved down:
 
That's it for now.
 
Hank