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druxey

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Everything posted by druxey

  1. Thank you for your encouraging words, Joe. Replicating these details is a challenge that I set myself as the prototype is still extant. The cleats and stretchers are now installed.
  2. Today's update be more 'tell' than 'show'. The stretchers for the feet of the rowers are located in notches along the outer sides of the footboards (see photo, courtesy Eberhard). These are rather small items. Each is under ¾" long and the 'tails' 1/64" square. I prepared a length of Castello and cut off ¾" long pieces. These were sandwiched together on edge using PVA glue. (Rubber cement does not have sufficient shear strength for milling operations.) The laminated pieces were then glued to a carrier piece of wood. Held in a machine vise, the profile was carefully machined on the mill. The assembly was then immersed in isopropanol for 24 hours to separate the individual pieces. While this was soaking, a length of wood was prepared for the stretchers. The upper edges of these are chamfered at 45 degrees, as can be seen in the phooto.
  3. Yes, the high quality of construction shows not only in these details, but the state of preservation of this boat for about 170 years.
  4. Thank you, Maury. The two floor boards have been made and installed. Then blessing (and curse!) of having the prototype to refer to is that one sees all kinds of detail not shown on the usual plans. The photographs show a delicate beaded molding along the edges of these boards so, of course, I had to try adding these. First the planks were spiled and cut out. They are a scale 7" wide and 3/4" thick. The moldings were then carefully run. (I had this profile available from a previous open boat model.) the planks have considerable twist at both ends, They were hot water soaked and clipped in place to dry, then glued in permanently.
  5. The keelson is in now. I found that I had to score it fore and aft as the frames rise. Holes were drilled for ringbolts and a blind square mortise cut for the mast step. Next will be to spile and fit the two boards that support the stretchers (footrests) for the rowers.
  6. The aft body floors are now in. Then aftermost four pairs had to be cut from heat pre-bent stock. Next up, the keelson. It is substantial at 2½" x 4½" wide. Although the draught does not show this, photographs kindly supplied by Eberhard of the actual boat interior show this scored down on the floors and futtock heels. As this will not be visible (nor are the drainage holes in the frames) I won't go that far!
  7. The fore body floors are complete and the internal surfaces of the model cleaned up. As in larger vessels, the floors in the aft body will be attached to the aft sides of the futtocks. All these internal details were beautifully recorded and delineated in the American Neptune article, July 1955, by G.B. Rubin de Cervin.
  8. In English, it is called the 'false rail'. The inset panel is very nicely carved, Alex. There is usually a semi-circular notch at the forward end for the boomkin to sit in.
  9. I certainly wipe off any squeeze-out Eberhard, but also re-dampen and scrape later when dry. It's surprising how much more comes off! Thanks for looking in and for any questions.
  10. The first five half-floors for the fore body have been cut and fitted. A nice smooth line for the floor heads is needed as can be seen on the plan view. I'm often asked how my work looks so clean. The answer is time and labor intensive: I dampen surfaces with a wet brush and scrape any last remnants of glue off very carefully using miniature chisels or dental tools. However, for a natural, unpainted surface this is necessary.
  11. Looks like you are getting there. Filling ,rubbing down and repeating is tedious, but the end result is worth taking trouble over.
  12. Painting or staining items before adding them to a model is a good strategy! She's looking very nice indeed.
  13. There is much work yet to do, Eberhard. I'm going as fast as I can while still maintaining quality! The transom is still overheight at this point. All will become clear in time. There is a wash strake yet to go on, interrupted by tholes. It is supported by separate stub toptimbers. However, that is a long way off yet.
  14. If it's a half model...no discussion!
  15. The futtocks are now complete. The S-curved timbers aft were very challenging to bend and fit. Next are the floors. You can see the first midship floor already installed. Floors are in two parts for convenience, as the joints will be covered by the keelson.
  16. If the waterline marking in post #1 is accurate, then the old girl has hogged quite a bit. She'll need some major structural work done before cosmetic surgery.
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