druxey

Nice work.  For a minute there, I thought you were sending your iPhone through the sander.

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 53 – Mast Steps
 
With the ceiling planking finally installed, I could move on to some other, more interesting, work – the mast steps.  The planking and some of the bilge ceiling still needs to have many fastenings installed before the mast steps are permanently fitted, but for a change of pace I decided to make the steps next – installing fastenings concurrently in small doses. 
 
The first picture shows the parts of the foremast step before final fitting.
 

 
The next picture shows the general configuration of these roughed out, unfinished  parts.
 

 
The typical step consists of a cap – as yet unmortised – two side chocks with their grain direction vertical and four knees.  The next picture shows some of the parts of the main and mizzen steps.  I installed a horizontal chock under the cap of the mizzen step to provide additional height for the knees.
 

 
The caps are supported directly on the keelson and the side chocks.  These chocks rest directly on the frames.  I mentioned earlier that the limber channels by which water runs to the pumps are cut on the underside of the frames on these ships, so the step chocks as shown would not block this flow.
 
In the next picture a clamp has been used to hold the chocks against the keelson. Tthe cap was then glued only to the chocks, so the assembly could be removed.  In this picture the cap glue has set and holes for bolts into the chocks are being drilled.
 

 
The cap will next be bolted to the chocks (copper wire epoxied) to secure the connection.  Pin holes to precisely locate the step are also drilled into the keelson and will later be used for bolts.  Below, the foremast step has been pinned in place for fitting and gluing of the knees to the sides.
 

 
One of the knees is being glued in this picture.  The step is still removable.  It can be installed permanently only after the treenailing and bolting of the ceiling planking is finished.  The next picture shows the knees attached.
 

 
In this picture the step assembly had been removed to the bench for the installation of the bolts holding the knees to the side and the simulated bolts through the chocks and the keelson.  The next picture shows the main mast step with the knees glued but not yet bolted to the sides.
 

 
The last picture shows the positions of the steps within the hull.
 

 
Knees are still needed on the mizzen step.  This picture also provides a good view of the extent and shape of the ceiling planking.  At this stage all of the ceiling bolts on both sides are installed, but the Treenailing of the port side has yet to be done.
 
Ed
 
 

Thanks for the vote of confidence Druxey, I shall do my best with the cant frames but I have laid in store some isopropanol anyway.
 
Today I managed to spend a few hours getting the keel bolts installed into the forward rising wood and aft deadwood, it was a little difficult as I don't have a mill but after drilling clearance holes for 6/32 bolts, I then ground down some 6/32 nuts, marked their position and used a small chisel to make the rebates for them. Then I used 5 min epoxy to glue the nuts in place.
Corresponding clearance holes were drilled through the buildboard and 2 inch 6/32 machine screws were cut down to correct length and then tightened up.
Almost ready to start fixing the transoms permently but one more addition to the buildboard is needed.
 
Ben

Lovely work. I do notice, however, that in the photos the blackened surfaces look a bit blotchy. Try buffing with a soft cloth or Q-tip and you should get a nice, even low-sheen finish. Do protect the wood, though, now that the metal is in place.

I use my blackening agent at between 8:1 and 10:1 with deionized water and get good, if slower, results. And no flakiness either. See if that helps.

The waterways and planking are made from basswood.

You could order Jax brass blackening agent from Lacy's in Toronto.

Thank you Remco. I'm still a LONG way off thinking about masts yet Brian   .
 
Fixed Gangway Newel Posts and Railings
 
The last of the Posts and Railings. The railings have an "S" bend in them to allow for the differences in widths of the gangway :
 

 

 

 

 
There is a strap which both reinforces the railing and gives an extra handhold :
 

 

 
  Danny

I use my blackening agent at between 8:1 and 10:1 with deionized water and get good, if slower, results. And no flakiness either. See if that helps.

What you do with modelling clay in small sizes is very, very impressive!

Hello dear friends,
Thank you all very much for your kind words a comments, your support means a lot for me and I appreciate it. I am really pleased you like my work.
 
 
 
Thank you for these beautiful pics, dear Dražen. I know Mile Bijelić models and admire his artistry a lot. I have already downloaded all pics of his Royal Caroline and HMS Prince into my computer for inspiration. I am looking forward to his new project of RC, so if possible, please, send me some pics here: doris.obrucova@seznam.cz
 
******
I am going to make other members and place them on the board, at this scale it is possible to create better details and paintings of faces and clothes.
Yesterday I finished eight tiny pieces of satyr´s heads - these are scuppers for draining the main deck:

 



 






 
Enjoy the pics and have a great time.
Kind regards
Doris
 

Greetings all,
 
The shipyard hasn't been too busy lately, some travelling has been taking up time.
 
However, some progress has been made and I should be able to make lots more dust soon.
 
The skeleton has been glued and reinforced to enable the fairing process to start. I fitted a false deck to stabilize the frames lengthways and fixed false rails to the tops of the frames to give them more strength. Hopefully I won't break any of the ribs.
 
I made up false decks, bulwarks and stern from card so I could check fit and to ensure that the basic shapes for the stern and the quarter galleries look right. I will frame up the stern with the window openings once the fairing is complete and the stern bulwarks are in place.The false bulwarks and stern base will made from 1.5mm ply. The gun deck will be continuous with the bottom of the quarter galleries to keep the lines right.
 
Cheers,
 
David.
 

 
       
 
       
 
 
      
 

Hello, thanks to everyone for the kind comments.
 
Karl
 
 
Upper-Deck
prepared for the installation of the cannons.
 
 
 
 
T e i l  45

IRON WORK
Oliver Lang’s 1845 modifications to Terror’s stern involved a significant amount of iron reinforcement. In my last post, I documented the design of the iron staple knee, which was central to the construction of the propeller well and new rudderpost. However, Lang also added four large iron straps to reinforce the joints between the keel, the rudderpost and the sternpost. These straps were u-shaped and passed between the false keel and the keel, permitting the former to break free in the case of the stern running aground. According to Lang’s notes, the straps appear to have been bolted entirely through the width of the stern to provide extra rigidity. This created an exceptionally strong iron-laced structure, a design which exposed Lang's worry about the ice pressure to be exerted on the Terror’s stern.  
 
The 1845 stern modification plan reveals that the straps were 4 and 1/2 inches wide, with bolts approximately 1 and 1/8th inches in diameter. I estimate, based on bracing and strapping shown on cross section plans of HMS Erebus/Terror and HMS Investigator, that they were ca. 1 to 1.5 inches thick.
 
All of the parts shown below are made from larger brass strips, which were cut, filed, and drilled by hand. The bolts are made from brass straight pins; the heads were filed by hand to scale (2 inches) and soldered into place.  The brass was then blackened to simulate iron. 
 

The foremost strap prior to adding the bolts. 
 
 

The staple knee and remaining straps with bolts soldered in place. The three aft straps would normally look similar to the one on the right, but I've decided only to model the visible portions of the straps (i.e. the portions not buried between the keel and false keel). Each is composed of two parts to be glued on opposite sides of the model. 
 
 

Detail of the newly added bolts.
 
 

 
 

Brass parts soaking in the Blacken-it diluted to 6:1. 
 
 

The finished parts.
 
 

The iron reinforcements in place (dry fit only until the propeller rails are completed).
 
 

Again, just a test to see how they will look when finally installed. 
 

 
 

 
 

 

Thank you everyone for the very kind remarks. and thank you to all of you who added the likes.
 
Owen Welcome and I look forward to some pictures of your build, Do you have any pictures of your grandfathers boat?
 
This evening I started to frame up the companionway and decided to add doors instead of hatch boards.
 
The stops have been glued inplace, tomorrow i will notch out for the hinges and make them as well.
 
also while looking at the compass I wondered about the location and then it came to me in a flash.... a little bit of cutting both wood and metal and this is the configuration, I am much happier with the location, it just did not look right sitting on the deck.
 

 

 

 

 
The block of mahogany is just sitting there at the moment, I am thinking that a couple of curved doors so that there is some access under the binnacle it seems logical, I will think on it while I make the companionway doors.
 
Michael

Today I finished off the cap rail and gave it a coat of Tung oil
 
the first picture shows the continuation of the joints at the corners.
 

 
I used the old pencil lines trick to line things up
 

 
All the pieces glued and doweled.
 

 
Placed back on the boat
 

 

 

 
tomorrow I will get back to the cabin hatch boards.
 
Michael

If you've never done cant frames before, don't be discouraged if you have to take more than one run at them. We all did the first (and sometimes the second) time! You'll be breaking out the isopropanol at some point with the best of us. But, with persistence, you'll win.

Hello, bonding of square frames
 


 

 

 

Hi All,
 
Not much to report on. I have started sanding/fairing the lower portion of the hull. When I do that
I set the hull upside down on a small homemade down draft table to help contain the dust. I place
some wood blocks on the table that are thick enough to keep the tops of the bulwarks from hitting
the table and hopefully protecting them. Then it's just a matter of sanding, checking with some
planking strips, sand some more, etc etc etc.
 

Thank you Russel, Timmo and Kevin.
 
 
Well how about this then Timmo ?
 
Ladderway Railings
 
The Stanchions for the railings are turned from 1.2mm brass wire. They taper from 0.7mm at the top to 1mm at the bottom. The lugs that hold the railings are made from a couple of spare chain links (left over from the pump chains). They are silver soldered to the stanchions - a bit tricky to hold in position, as the double ones are only 1.6mm long and the singles are 0.8mm :
 

 
Here's the coin again - the stanchions are 18mm long :
 

 

 
Fitted to the ship :
 

 

 
  Danny

Very slight but very important progress has been made this week, the buildboard has had all the frame lines scribed into it and the acrylic frames and keel holders have been screwed on.
I used the plan to mark points at all the frame intersections with a sharp awl, the the plan was reversed to do the other side. Then the points were joined using a steel rule and a sharp exacto blade, then graphite was rubbed into the scores and then cleaned off and the surface scraped with a razor to leave a smooth surface. It took several hours but came out matching the plans really well with little deviation.
 
Ben

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 52 – Port side ceiling continued
 
The planking of the floor on the port side continues – dull work, but with some interesting quirks as the planking approaches the keelson.
 
The first picture shows some planking strips sawed off of a wide blank of Castelo – a substitute for real European boxwood.  I am using Castelo wherever hard or yellow pine would have been used on the original.
 

 
These planks are 8” wide and slightly over the 4” thick specification.  This allows some extra thickness for leveling out and sanding the installed planking.  The 4” strips are cut from the 8” thick blank to the left that has been painted with two coats of dark brown acrylic latex paint – ordinary hardware store variety – to simulate the caulked joints between planks.
 
The next picture shows a strake of this planking being installed.
 

 
After the plank is cut and fit, yellow glue is applied to the top of each frame.  Dark glue is then applied to the painted edge of the plank and the butt end.  The plank is then held in place at each frame, drilled and pinned. The pins fit tightly and need to be forced into the smaller holes with pliers to hold the piece until dry.  The holes will later be used for treenails and iron blunts at the butts.  Water is immediately used to brush off excess glue.
 
Because the line of these strakes is closer to the keelson at the fore and aft ends, a number of planks need to be “dropped” so the planking will finish parallel to the keelson at the limber channel.  I started dropping planks after a few of the initial strakes were installed over the full length.  The next few pictures show – very briefly – how the number and positions of the dropped planks were determined,
 

 
The process is conceptually simple but can get confusing in practice.  I will not try to describe it completely here.  As shown in the above picture, the widths of the planks are marked off on a slip of card and numbered from the end.  The number of full strakes to the keelson can then be determined and marked at each point along the hull using the marks on the card.  The distance between the marks can then be used to set the taper from two planks down to one – thus dropping a plank toward the ends.
 
The next picture shows the marks being used to set the point where the next plank will be dropped.  I normally do not drop more than one or two planks in a single strake.
 

 
The plank has already been tapered to half-width at “6”.  It will be notched at the point marked “7”, cut halfway through at that point, then tapered up to full width at the point being marked at  “8”.  The next picture shows the plank that is being marked above being filed to shape – on the unpainted side.
 

 
In the next picture this plank is being installed.
 

 
I hold the plank tight to its neighbor using the pliers as shown in the above picture.  The pin hole location is then center-marked and drilled.  The pliers are then used to push in a pin and secure the plank.
 
In the next picture the aftermost piece in this strake has been tapered to the “drop” point and is being fit into position
 

 
The last picture shows the floor after the installation of this strake.  A few more planks will need to be dropped before getting to the limber strake next to the keelson.  This method was used on the finished starboard side.
 
 

 
I usually recheck remark the drop points after each strake is installed.  I expect the divergence to be fully corrected before installing the last two strakes.
 
I hope this brief explanation has not been to confusing.
 
Ed
 
 

Thanks Theo, John, John, Nils and Edwin.
 
 
Picky, picky .....
 
Quarterdeck Ladderway
 
The last ladderway to be made and fitted is the one for the quarterdeck. This would need to have been removed any time the lower capstan would have been in use.
 
I made it in similar fashion to all the previous ones :
 

 

 

 

 
  Danny

I've been busy on a customers RR project and am catching up a bit. I'm now ready to start putting on the jib boom rigging. As I've mentioned, I'm working stern to bow. This is giving me easy access to the areas I need to attach the stays to. Not sure why books recommend the other way like a real ship. I don't have real live 1/96 people to work for me on there.
 
I'm pretty bust on these RR projects right now, if you want to know anything about the photos let me know.
 
A can't figure out why I can't rotate the photos, I can't even find some that need it in the file!?!
 
By the way, this latest RR work has allowed mew to add a brass casting set up,[jewelery set up]. Once I get it figured out I'll be able to use it for my ship modeling. And heck, I'll make some freaky jewelery too.
 
Bruce

Other pics in a better resolution:

 
 
Best regards
Doris