Aussie048

Hamilton,
 
On my recent visit to the NMM I photographed the model of the ship ship with sweeps. I was intrigued that it is displayed with one of the ship's boats resting on the sweeps. I could imagine the crew manning those sweeps complaining about the extra weight and the crew in the boat wondering why they were going up and down and backwards and forwards! The boat also has the lifting gear from it up to the fore and main yards.
 

 
 
 
 

I've only been doing a few bits and pieces on the ship lately, Last week I made the jib boom, its just temporarily tied in place. Today I made the first set of four stanchions for the handrail on the fore top. I might need to make some sort of jig because they are a bit tricky to keep lined up properly during soldering using these alligator clips. I'm open to suggestions.

Some more shots, the foremast top from the side and underneath.

I've been working on the mainmast this weekend. For the masting I'm using the AOTS drawings which I enlarged to 1:51 scale

Railings continued:
 
Railings on poop deck finished (except staining):

 
Railings on forecastle:
 

 

 

 

 
All railings finished. The stern is glued on only temporarily:
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
Klaus

Poop Bulkhead:
 
There is a saying "a picture tells more than a thousand words". So here are a few "thousand words" about making of the poop bulkhead:
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Klaus

Hi gang.. I've done more on my dinghy..
 
I didn't like the fit of the back seat, so I remade it and added some side seats, looks much better..
 
Cleaned up the CA and all looks well with the clinker finish.
 
I decided to make mine a bit larger than the kit supplied, when looking at the historic sketch and paintings, I decided so, I also havnt noticed more than one boat so just going with this one..
 
In King's sketch he shows a boat on deck that looks about a third of the length of the ship... Mine fits on deck nicely and actually really like the look of it up there.. hmm. Mine works out about a quarter of the ships length. About 4.8 metres at scale..
 
The kit shows to add rings to cap rail and ropes to more rings and to the davits.. Do you lot think I should mount it like shown in instructions?? Thanks ollie

Thanks so much gang. Really happy with the way the baby is coming along. Few bits of ca to clean up.
 
. Unlike the internet which is a disaster, our network is pretty atrocious. Lots of corrosion from the high rainfall I think.. Gonna be a waiting game..
 
Wondering about oarlocks.. What suits this era? Grooves through cap rail or.pins..??
 
Anything else you think I should add? Tie points etc.. Will make some oars... Any inspirations welcome.. Many regards ollie

Then I tried the four braced stantions in place. They are blackened but need a polish up - they look rather uneven at the moment.
 

 
Having got the centre line of the cranks established it was now time to check the lateral position of the pump cisterns. The easiest way was to make the hoods and use their centre lines when fitted to the cisterns.
 
To make the hoods I cut the sides from 0.5mm thick walnut. The edge planking was 1.5mm wide strips of the same material.The sides were made so that they made a sliding fit inside the cisterns. The hoods when complete will rest on the edge planking.
 
I milled a piece of scrap wood to be a snug fit inside the hoods to use as an assembly jig. This piece had a 0.7mm hole drilled in it so that the sides could be lined up using the 0.7mm drill bit. With the sides clamped to the jig I checked that it would still slide inside the cistern then I to planked around the edge.
 

 
The first hood and a cistern were again tried for alignment. Once I am happy with the ride height of the hood I will fit a closure plank on the gap that still exists on both sides (the nearside gap is visible).
 

 
Now it is time to make the second hood. I intend to have a pump with the chain and sprocket visible. Making two hoods means that if I make a complete pig's ear of the chain I can glue the two hoods on and pretend that that was what I intended to do all along!

I am off to Edinburgh for a about 4 days with my wife and will not have Web access. So I thought a quick update was the order of the day.
 
I am now the proud owner of a (second hand) copy of Lees. Now I will have to think up new excuses for getting the rigging wrong.
 
For the end supports for the cranks I decided to use and modify four of the redundant stantions. First I drilled the end pieces of the gratings to take the stantion pins.Then I did a trial fit using temporary pieces of 5mm brass rod to ensure all would line up. In fact I had to slightly elongate the holes to achieve this.
 

 
For the modification I cut a 2mm wide strip of brass shim to make the bases. For each base I drilled a 1mm hole 5mm from the end of the strip. I made a simple jig - a piece of plywood with a 1mm hole 2mm from the edge. The shim was trapped on to the jig using the stantion then the end of the shim bent over the edge of the jig.
 
I made a second jig to bend the 0.5mm wire that would make the brace. This consisted of a piece of scrap aluminium with a hole drilled 9mm from one edge. The wire was insert in the hole, bent towards the edge of the aluminium then bent over the edge. Using a protractor as guide I set the two bends to 45 degrees. This jig ensured that all four braces were identical.
 
At this stage I did not cut off the base or the brace from the source material - this made them easier to hold when soldering.
 

 
Next up I clamped the wooden jig in the vise and soldered the stantion in to the base - making sure the hole was pointing in the right direction!
 
Next using a clothes peg I clamped the brace in place. This only required a touch from the soldering iron to secure both ends.
 

 
The base was then trimmed and its end rounded with a file.
 

The outboard feet were then cut from 8.5 x 1.0mm walnut strip (the grain runs vertically).
 

 
The feet were then glued to the cisterns. I will shape the bottom of the feet after I have varnished them.
 

 
Then a family group photo. I put the cisterns with other bits in the waist to make sure they fit together and that the cisterns remained level. At this stage most of the deck furniture in the photo is still dry fixed.
 
          

Thanks Joe. Nice to know my thinking is not totally off the rails.
 
 
Time to get stuck in to the chain pumps - starting with the cisterns.   I started by preparing some 0.5mm thick strip of walnut with my "contraption". For the sides I produced strip 10mm wide. Along this I scored two groves and rubbed pencil lead in the them. This was to represent the edges of the planking. The strip was then cut in to 17.5mm lengths to make the four sides.    Similarly 4 off pieces 5.2mm by 10mm were cut from the ends (not from the same piece as the sides since the grain does not run in the same direction. Then 2 off pieces 6.5mm by 19mm for the bottoms. Actually I cut these slightly wide then trimmed them back when it was all glued together.   Some other bits that I cut from this wood were 3 pieces 0.5mm square (to reinforce the corners and to make the slides into which the removable end fits) and one piece 0.5mm x 1.5mm to make the ledges on the top of the cistern at each end.     Assembly was by fixing the slides to one end of each side. Next was the corner bracing to the two fixed ends along with a piece of 0.5 x 1.5 x 5.2mm to make the ledge.   Each end was then fixed to one side.     These parts were then glued together and the bottoms were glue on with one end protruding from under the removable end. When dry the bottoms were trimmed to the correct width and the protruding end rounded.   For the inboard end of the cistern the feet were made from 6.5mm lengths of 1.0 x 1.0mm strip. These were glued across the width of the cistern (one per cistern).   The cisterns were then placed in the waist area and the outboard ends were packed with scrap wood until the cisterns were level. Measuring the thickness of the packing gave me the depth of the outboard feet.  

Since my last post, I was able to contact and correspond with a former Long Beach Naval Shipyard project manager who was involved with the final fitting of radar and electronics aboard USS NEW JERSEY prior to her Sept. 1968 departure for WesPac. Richard Landgraff and I have been erstwhile correspondents/battleship enthusiasts since the 80’s and have now re-established contact after quite a few years of absence. Richard spent well over 30 years at LBNSYD working on the IOWAs through the years as the needs of the Navy changed and the ships were in service and out. Currently he is involved with the USS IOWA Museum located at the L.A. Ports.

After an exchange of photos and a critique of my (2nd) mast assembly, Richard made a few observations which I have amended this week:

1) The foremast on NEW JERSEY was removed in 1967 at Philadelphia NSYD and replaced with a 36” diameter lower pole. The current available plans of NJ of this time period do not show the mast correctly. They also show the mast with a starboard side vertical ladder and this is also incorrect. The ladder is mounted on the front face of the mast; I now have photo proof of this thanks to Richard. I have removed the mast from the conning tower, modified (enlarged) the two mast support brackets and replaced (modified) the lower mast pole to achieve the required diameter ( 3/16” @ 1:200 scale) or as near to it as I could make it without major damage to the rest of the assembly. Historical Note - the original IOWA class foremasts were designed to be lowered in order for the ships to pass under the Brooklyn Bridge in New York harbor. If you compare these photos with the prior photos posted a week or so ago you will see the differences in the mast structure. I've also added the wire rope stabilizing stays on either side of the mast extending to the rear of the ECM equipment houses.
 
2) The forward tubular bracing I made for the lowest radar platform is not correct and was modified per Richard's directions to more closely resemble the actual bracing. In addition, side tube bracing that was omitted from the after brace was added. These corrections are not all that evident in my photos below.
 
In addition to the technical knowledge I have learned this week, Richard has also provided me with other snippets of battleship history (namely involving NJ) that probably no one else is aware of. This kind of first-hand lore is slowly but surely disappearing as those associated with battleships and their construction/modification take their final shore leave. I am keeping these items of lore in a separate file as they are related to me in order to hopefully preserve these stories.

One item of interest that I will share is that any photos you see of NEW JERSEY in her late 60's configuration with her 40mm gun tubs up forward of Turret 1 are PRE-deployment photos. Those tubs were removed the day I arrived on board in Sept. 1968 and Richard was supervising the yard crew removing those tubs. We left a couple days later for Westpac.

The photos show the new mast structure with only touch-up painting left to be complete. I will begin work on the 08 Level Conning Station and ULQ-6 antenna arrays next week.
 
Hopefully, I'll be able to "retain" Richard as my own "Dreadnaught Consultant" on this project since his 1st hand knowledge of this ship is so extensive.
 
Hank

Work continues. Anchor chains from windlass to chain pipes. Also got the capstan bars in their rack.

I went to the local Ace hardware store to see if they have the brass tube I think I need for the gantry posts  and the brass rod for the pulleys.  Well yes, they did on both but the rod cost $25 for a 4 foot length and for a max length of 1 foot I need for the pulleys that was a little too steep a price to pay 
Sooooh - - - I'm back to square one on the pulleys.  It's either looking for plastic rod or boxwood.  I'll be shopping at Evergreen or some other places to see if they have short pieces of the size I need and for a reasonable price otherwise it's going to be boxwood.
 
I decided to try making the post where the boom is attached as the drawings and photos show.  After I completed these and stuck them to the deck of the boat they did look okay to me.  So, I'll keep them.
The posts on the other side are smaller in diameter and I also made these today.  
 
I was now in a quandary as to how the cross beam was attached, although I had some idea how I would do it if I were the engineer but thought it better to look for some close-up photos I have in my archives.  Didn't really find much in enough detail but think I figured it out and will proceed from there.  This'll be quite a challenge 
 
I did notice though when browsing through the many pics that the older boats did not use a "come-along" allowing the boom to be raised and lowered.  They had a fixed length of cable and just one pulley at the end of the boom to raise and lower the torpedo.  Other subs seem to have a smaller, portable lift.  I'll stick with the design I have from the original drawings as shown in yesterday's post, with a few minor changes.
 
Okay, I made the four gantry posts today and will try to make a few of the other items.  There's a whole bunch of models here     
 
Here are the pics.
 

This shows the aft gantry posts, just temporarily stuck into the deck.  Eventually they'll be epoxied in.  The port post will have a diagonal brace aft to the deck for extra support. This is just the beginning.  My best bet is to make the complete assembly off the model and cement it into place after it's finished.  
 

This shows the forward gentry posts.  This one will be slightly different because it'll have small extra pieces on top of the crossbeam for antenna wires, at least that's the plan for now.
 
Cheers,
 

More pics of the stern I hope to have it sanded after the weekend and then it will be time to build the mechanics. That is my favourite part because it takes more thinking and creativity.

More progress pictures. Believe it or don't it should look OK when finished I'll do my best to do a good job of blending the wood to have an acceptable look. I have been on another website and picked up some ideas regarding connecting the oars that should make a simpler and better operation. I will be using links and balls from my spare helicopter parts collection to clip the oars on the rowing beam.

More pictures of the progress the stern still needs to be completed.

Hey Shipmates!
 
Got some more stuff done on the ole Hoy.
 
Built and installed the pumps. Now I do not know if these are the correct size.  I can't find a lot of really detailed stuff about this boat.
 
Got the Cat heads installed. Now that was fun......not. they have to fit in 3 planes.  Carved the little tiny tiller. I imagine this was removed when not in use as it is in the way of everything. Both capstans are installed.  Several of the very tiny cleats have been carved and put in place.
 
Now who forgot to tell me how much fun making 1.5 and 1mm single blocks can be? Thought I was gonna loose my mind.  I tried every material including fossil mammoth ivory. Nothing would work. It was so small the drill bit would shatter whatever I was trying to do. So in one of those "What the heck" moments, I soaked a sliver of cherry wood in that thin CA. After a bit of drying the cherry was hard as a rock. I was able to do a decent job making the large block for the anchor tackle and the smaller single block for the jib boom outhaul gun tackle.
 
I have the main mast turned, and carved.  I am saving the top rail for later in the build as my clumsy fingers will need to get in there from time to time.
 
This is not of museum piece but for a first try, I am happy with the way it is looking.
 
Any one know of away to make very tiny blocks please let me know.
 
Thanks Shipys!!       

Thank you Russ I greatly appreciate it
 
Best Regards,
Pete

A little more progress, adding some detail: the block and tackle for the davits, the cowl ventilator, and the bell on the front of the wheel house. This latter feature shows up in some of the photos I have of the ship and not in other pictures. I suspect they found it a nuisance when trying to walk around the front of the pilot house and removed it.
 

 
Tom

Lower shrouds & stays done using Chuck`s rope - very nice rope.
 

 

 

 
/Mark

Started working on the shrouds.
 

 

 

 
/Mark

Thanks Dirk.
 
Hi Ben, Yep I'll probably be able to start laying some planks after I get back from the CT conference.
 
The first step in chapter 4 is to plank the lower counter. I used boxwood strips for this.
The method Chuck describes has the planks wet in water for about 15-20 seconds and
then edge bent and clamped. I probably soaked them for about 45 seconds. A hair dyer
was purloined from the admiral and using the hottest setting the planks were dried. Once
they cooled they were removed from the clamps and there was little spring back.
 

 
Here is the counter planked. The outer edges still need to be faired.
 

I have seen many topics about making flags and sails. on some early galleons and ships of this period, the main sail......and in some cases, other sails as well, are embossed with crosses and crests. I had suggested in the past, to try using your ink jet printer to make flags.....but wasn't too sure how this would apply to the sails. this week......as a spur of the moment, I embarked on such an experiment. I went on line and found lots of images of crests, shields, and stuff. you can also find quite a bit of scroll work there as well. these images can be brought into paint shop to alter and change to your specifications, but for now, I didn't go that far.
 
I used the Testor's decal maker to do this little experiment. on some crosses, the bottom appendage is elongated. now, I used what many would say is an Iron cross, but if you look at it in the mindset of motorcycles and Harley Davidson.....I think you'll forgive me the admiral did some looking as well, and she came up with a couple....one of them I really like. so, in the decal maker program, I sized it and changed the color.
 

 
since the decal sheet is half size, I re-positioned it so it would fall somewhere close to the center of the cloth.....yes....cloth. first, I ran a sheet of paper through. it looks good, but there are some abnormalities with it. I'm thinking that this is the first image....the printing track may have something to do with it. plus the fact that I've done nothing to clean it up.
 

 
now, the cloth that I used is very soft and flimsy....it did bind up the printer a couple of times. I did manage to run it through. I'm hoping that these abnormalities are what I think they are.
 

 
they did clean up to some degree. it may be the type of cloth I used, but printer lines are quite visible through the image. I have some sail cloth from other kits that I can try this on. they are of different textures and a bit stiffer as well. here is the same image on some of the material I got in the Gothenborg kit.
 

 
.....as opposed to using soft cotton cloth
 

 
there are different textures you can use.....here is the cotton cloth I used first {bottom}, the white cloth I got from the Regina kit...stiffer but smooth to the touch {roll on the left}, and the beige cloth I got from the Gothenborg kit {roll on the right}, stiffer than the Regina cloth, and feels like canvas. I won't be using it.......sadly, there isn't enough there to do all of the sails in the kit.
 

 
I haven't gotten farther than this....at this point, the embossed image needs to be sealed onto the sail. I would think that if the image was allowed to dry, the sail perimeters could be drawn and cut out. but, before the sail goes through the rigors of the sewing machine, the sealing process should be done first. the process could be done in a couple of ways:
 
1) you could use decal bonder or some sort of fast drying sealer....anything that does not contain water.
 
2) this would be an experiment in itself.....mixing white glue and alcohol. this would have to be misted a very light coat at a time.....not that you need to give this a very thick coat, but it does need to get into the fabric to be effective.
 
sealing the image should be done in light coats anyway.......saturating it would result in the ink bleeding and creeping. the sail should lay flat for this process, which is the only detriment I see.......not good if you desire billowing sails, but I think shaping may still work. bend to shape.....lay them on a crumpled towel or rippled surface, and give them another coat. preferably, with a flat clear coat of sorts.