tarbrush

Yes I bought a longer 150mm prop shaft assembly, but cut it down to 125.
Dry fitted the steam plant, it has a 5mm output shaft, the prop shaft is 4mm.
The 2 universals fitted in good and everything rotates smoothly. 
 

Continuing on with this build.............

I decided to plank the Queen, well I mean the Billings plastic hull doesn’t look very nautical to me.
I figured boats of that size and at that time would be timber boats.
Anyway, after I have filled and sanded, and then sealer, primer and top coat, I hope you will still be able to tell it is timber planked.
Otherwise I should have saved all my money, time and effort on this job. I mean, will it just look like the plastic hull painted.
Yea I not a big fan of doing any planking, all the calculating, measuring, trimming, sanding and gluing down.
Using 0.5 x 10mm x 1mt strip I got from Float a Boat.
I’m about half way thru this project.
Then I thought I’d do an online search of this boat.
Wow, it Was  a Steel Hull ……………
Anyway, it’s my boat, and I don’t care, it’s going to be a timber boat.

Some information here on the African Queen, or more correctly, the Livingstone.
The African Queen was a 30-foot boat built of riveted sheet iron in 1912 in the United Kingdom.
For service in Africa on the Victoria Nile and Lake Albert where the movie was filmed in 1950.
It was built for the British East Africa Railway and used from 1912 to 1968.
The African Queen was originally named the L.S. Livingston, which had been a working diesel boat for 40 years.
The steam engine was a prop, and the real diesel engine was hidden under crates and other cargo.
It is now docked next to the Holiday Inn in Key Largo, FL.
 

Hi Grant, gjdale, how is your build going, I’m still on the hull planking, not an easy job.
I had to make room for the boilers gas burner, a half round in the floor joist and some of the floor removed.
And yes I drilled holes in the ply plate, to accommodate the screw heads under the Steam Engine base plate.
But I’m finding it a bit disappointing here, very few replies / comments, just Likes like Facebook.
In the old days Forums were very active places.
Maybe they just like Square Riggers here.
 

More good progress there Wayne, and thanks for the heads-up about further tweaks needed to make everything fit properly. My build is having a little break while I’m away on a cycling trip over Easter - four days cycling through the Lachlan Valley area (Koorawatha, Cowra, Canowindra, Eugowra, Goolagong, Grenfell and back to Cowra). Yesterday was a long but enjoyable 85km - we were pretty tired by the time we rolled into town. Beautiful countryside and fabulous weather for it. Getting ready for an even tougher 80km today.
 
Don’t be too disappointed by a lack of responses on your log. There will be fewer people interested in this type of build, but also some people only log on every once in a while to catch up. They will generally only comment if they have something to add to the conversation. A “like” tells you that they are interested in what you are doing even if they have nothing to add. That is a good thing really as it means that your log doesn’t get filled up with a lot of superfluous content. Rest assured that I for one am certainly enjoying following along seeing how you tackle the various problems that inevitably arise. As you have already discovered, the Billings instructions are next to useless, so a degree of difficulty is added from the outset.
 
I look forward to your next instalment. 

Greetings fellow modelers.   Thank you for your comments and likes!
 
 
Here's a short update.  The hull has been cut away from the station form extensions using a 1.25” diameter circular saw chucked into a Dremel rotary tool.  This is a somewhat dicey procedure because the rotating blade is just looking for an excuse to hop from the cut and remove a chunk of sheer strake instead.  But a strong grip on the tool keeps a pinched blade from jumping and makes quick work of the task at hand.  However, I do not recommend this method to sensible modelers.
 

 

 
 
Even though the hull planks were edge glued to each other, I decided to add reinforcing card strips between the station forms, which I glued into place with breathtaking amounts of CA.  Finally, I “painted” the entire interior with a 50/50 water/PVA solution to resist warping caused by humidity swings.
 

 
 
In the previous post I pointed out a few hull planks that were recessed - not flush with the adjacent planks.  I used wood shavings to build them up and then sanded them back.
 

 

 
 
Also, I removed material from the lower hull planks at the keel and stern post.  These planks previously stood proud and are now flush.  A shout-out to John, Andy and Håkan for clearing this matter up for me.  Being primarily a model builder with a secondary interest in boats/ships, my understanding of boat construction at the nuts-and-bolts level on anything larger than an open boat is a bit sketchy.  The knowledge base and ready willingness of MSW members to help, inform and encourage has made every model that I've built on this forum better and more accurate because of that input.  Thank you!
 

 
 
More hull filing/sanding and cleaning up is still needed.  And I've done nothing yet to finish the backbone assembly. 
 

 

 

 
Thanks for stopping by.
 
Be safe and stay well.
 
Gary

Hello everyone,
The planking work on the hull segment is now almost complete. All the visible planks have also been nailed and the black surfaces such as the whales and bulwarks have been painted.
 

 

 

 

 
The template shows the position of the quartergallery and will later be used to precisely position the horizontal sections of the QG. The sets of drawings from the Danish National Archives are very accurately drawn. There are hardly any contradictions between the actual construction plans and the ornamental drawings. This is very helpful.
 

 
Here are the prepared parts for the next construction stages
 

 
The prospectus for the lower gallery windows follows next. It is moulded in advance with moisture and heat.



The first structural elements of the quartergalleries now follow. The curved frame elements form the horizontal structure. On top there will be the fancy moldings. These are curved and also jump back and forth in several positions. That will be fun. The surfaces up to the windows are closed in line with the shape and are later subdivided into individual fields, which are filled with ornamental carvings. The overall composition is very much the French Baroque style and differs a lot from englisch ships of comparable size and age.
 



Matthias

The next part of the boat is the bulwarks.  From looking at other builds, this seems to be the most difficult part of the build.  I can see why so many build logs seem to just end at this point.  I decided to pre-bend the bulwarks in hopes of making it easier later.  I soaked them just briefly in water and used an iron to apply heat while clamped to a small pot.
 

 
I also placed a couple legos under the edge of one side and applied some water and an iron to try and add some twist.
 

 
The instructions show two planks being placed on the bulwarks, but it didn't seem right to only have the two.  It wasn't clear in the instructions but I determined from later pictures that the entire inside edge of the bulwark should be planked.  Having pre-bent them, planking was a bit more challenging than it otherwise would have been.  The instructions call for contact glue but I used white glue without any serious issue.
 

 
I was worried about how many strips I was using, so I trimmed as I went and used the scrap whenever possible.  The trimming was a bit more difficult with the bent bulwarks.  I had to use the corner of the table to have a solid surface .
 

 
Now for the difficult part.  Attaching them.  I used CA glue because white glue was going to take too long to bond.  Initially I was thinking this was going to be impossible and that no amount of bending and twisting would allow them to attach.  Fortunately before I glued anything I noticed that I was trying to fit them backwards.  Make sure you look at the photos carefully.  I tried soaking and bending the bulwarks again which helped a bit.  I did start to have a problem with some bonds coming undone on some of the planking, which was easily fixed with a little CA glue.  I also had one instance when the spring loaded bulwark broke off a bit of planking.
 

 
There was a bit of a gap but at least it is on.  I used a little wood filler to fill the hole, and will sand and re-stain later.
 

 
One side on and the other started.  I started by attaching amidships, then went aft, then forward. 
 

 
I was worried that the aft ends were going to have a gap, but they actually fit ok and needed a little bit of sanding along the edges to come together.  With the bending and twisting there is only a small corner edge that is attached to the deck so I made some white glue and sawdust filler to make more of a bond.  The aft end will need a bit of fine tuning to bring it all together but considering how many seemingly failed attempts there have been, I am happy that they are on.
 

 
I think if I could do things again I would have started at the stern and moved forward as the bow was relatively easy.  I would also consider getting some thinner basswood and making my own bulwarks that are easier to bend and shape and installing them in layers.
 

 
As can be seen there is a bit of damage around the edges of the deck from the install.  I will simply stain over it and leave some of the damage as part of normal the wear and tear.
 

The more I look at the bulwarks less happy I am with them.  I was really hoping that I wouldn't be using any wood filler on this model but here I am.  My plan is to paint and weather much of it so the unsightly filler will be covered in the end. Once again for anyone that may try this in the future, I highly suggest attaching the bulwarks from the stern and working towards the bow.  I was starting to worry that the cap rail may not fit properly with the angle off a bit.  I dry fitted one side and it seemed like they should work out ok with some bending.
 
Installing the stanchions had one tricky part.  There is little guidance on where they actually go.  I marked off their location as best I could using the plans and a ruler.  Many of the stanchions in the drawing are covered by other parts so there was some guess work involved.  I used a strip of paper to mark of the height of bulwark the various locations, then used that to measure out the lengths to cut the stanchions from the wood strip.
 

 

 

 
 

I finally got around to doing a video of the Dromon. Strangely it turned out to be better filming it in artificial light (just the normal overhead fluoros in the room) than using natural light. Clearer, better colour and far fewer reflections fom the transparent surface of the case.
 
Steven
20230703_194350.mp4

Just to alert anybody who was planning to make a display case like mine, I have just discovered (when I shifted the case to a new room and took the opportunity to do a minor repair, for which I had to buy glue) that what I'd thought was clear polycarbonate sheet was actually acryclic. I've edited the posts that describe the process (from #1608 onward) to get rid of the error.
 
And now she's in a new spot, here's a photo of her from two previously undiscovered angles.
 


Pretty cool IMHO.
 
Steven

I love this model Steven, especially in her quasi-diorama - a very nicely displayed model.  Hopefully you won't accidently catch one of those protruding corners in her new home?
 
cheers
 
Pat

Thanks, Druxey, Pat, and those who've added likes. No problem with the corners. It's now encased in its acrylic box again, and the desk that was below it is back in position.

Steven

Start of Planking
 
First step in planking is to plank the lower stern and counter.  Here this is complete, with the tiller hole cut in.  As you can see in the photo, I used 2 different 1/32 strips and they are not the same color.   As is often the case on these things it's much less apparent in person than in the photo but it's still there.  Luckily this is painted white later.
 

 
Next it's on to the first layer of planking the sides with 1/16" x 1/8".  I didn't take a photo in the proper sequence, so I faked it a bit here.  First step is to use the bulwark template as a guide to set the top line of the first plank.   There are marks scored onto the bulkheads in the approximate location of where this line is.   So, you pin the bulwark template to the framing, trying to align to as many of these marks as possible.  Like the instructions say, "more or less".  They won't all align perfectly.  I think it's important to get the elevation and fore-aft alignment correct at both ends, and let the rest fall where it may.   Then you pencil mark the bottom of the template, which will become the top line of the top plank.  
 
I just propped the bulwark template up for the photo here after I already made the first couple of rows, to sort of illustrate the concept.  
 

 
The first planking step complete and roughly sanded, which is the first 6 rows covering the gun port area.  The bottom of this area will roughly be the waterline.  These planks are all sanded down to 80% width at the bow, gradually narrowing from about 3" back.  Then they are flat-bent to fit the bluff bow.  Later planks will use a slightly different bending (edge) according to the instructions.  I'm anxious to see how well this will work, as opposed to true spiling.  
 

 
 

I made a technological mistake and here is the result. I will have to try again.🙂 Meanwhile I am tuning the Proxxon circular saw, a gift for the New Year. Some components are very crude and require some changes. My best regards  

The first option went to the trash can. The form seems to be sheathed well, but it’s impossible to remove the shell. Something hasn’t been done fully probably. Apparently I will have to remake the form, and make it from three parts that can be disassembled.

Work intruded so I had less time than I wanted to move on with the landscape. I was pleased with the results of the experiments on the plaster rock faces so I mixed up some large jars of light grey and dark grey washes and worked on the rocks and cliff faces. I was a bit restrained with the brown accents, only added a very small amount of the beige and then washing it into the greys. 
Tomorrow I will add a base colour to the areas to be grassed. I am still think of what to use for the ramp and path. The kit shows using broken tiles embedded in plaster but that's not how the real thing looks. It looks more like gravel and I also need to add a few shallow steps. I have some gravel like material which I may add to the Mig terrain material and see how that works out. Figures will need to be added before then.



I think that I will need a case to display this safely so I need to finalise the lighting lead out and order the acrylic sheets. This is going to be a heavy piece of work.
 
Thank you all for looking in, the encouragement and helpful comments and likes
 
Alan
 

Progress over the weekend. Bulkheads/Framing in place.

Decided to try scratch building the “Captain Eddy” from the plans seen in this topic thread. Got the keel and the bulkheads drawn at 1:48th scale and have started cutting out the pieces from bass wood.

I just tried weathering the windlass and the knights. Here's the original colour of the windlass:

And here it is after weathering, using the technique described above. I'm quite happy with the result. I might do a little more detail work in the weathering, so it's not all the same colour throughout.

And as I weather different things at different times there's bound to be some variation in the colour of the various parts, but I regard that as a good thing as that's probably what would happen in nature.
 
Steven
 
 

Thanks, Grandpa Phil. That Quickshade is interesting stuff.
 
I've been doing more experimentation with the colour of the weathered wood and I think I've got a result I can be happy with. This time I mixed black and white enamel to duplicate the colour of the weathered timber in our garden (posts, fence palings etc). Then, when I was happy I had the colour right, I painted another sample piece and immediately rubbed it back off, and finally went over it with mineral turps on a brush and wiped again. I did the same thing with my earlier sample piece as well. Here's the result. The one in the foreground in the first photo and on the right in the second is the one I did newly from scratch, the other is the old sample piece I re-painted. Not that much difference, but I think the new one looks better, even though one plank seems to have resisted the paint somewhat. Still, maybe that makes it more interesting. 
  
Knights for the halyards.

For the foremast (which on a lateener is usually the biggest). Note that the base is angled, because the knight follows the slope of the halyard.
  

Dry fitted. I had to keep re-cutting the angle of the base till I got it right.
  
Three knights complete, one for each mast.

And then I realised that because knights basically go all the way down to the keel, the one for the mizzen was wrong - it's out on the poop with no structure beneath it except that of the deck. I'd wondered why why the ship in the pic below has a block at deck level for the mizzen halyard, not a knight. Now I know.

Unfortunately I'd already cut a slot for the mizzen knight in the poop decking, so I had to repair it.

And yes, I finally decided to removed the 'bow brace' from the stempost. As I'd cut into the stempost to locate it, I now have to restore it to shape.
  

Once the glue's dry I'll carve these pieces down flush with the stempost.
 
Steven

Coppering Complete!
 
I was dreading this, but I've got to say it wasn't too bad.  Just didn't try any marathon sessions to get too burned out at one sitting.  Finished up being about 1200-1300 tiles.  Whew!  Couple of coats of shellac to seal some edges and corners to help keep them from peeling.  Now it's on to guns and other deck paraphernalia.
 

 

Copper Plating
 
I seriously considered painting the lower hull with Model Masters Oxidizing Copper Paint.  This stuff has actual copper flake in it and is supposed to patina naturally over time.  Or you can buy an accelerator to make green or blue patina immediately.  I bought a bottle of the paint and painted some samples.  I considered getting the accelerator, but by then I'd decided I didn't think I'd like the way it looked and that I would bite the bullet and go with the copper plating tape in the kit.  
 
I also experimented with this tool.  It's from Artesania Latina.  It comes in kit form, you have to put it together.   It looks promising because it combines fine edge divots, coarser mid plate ones in an alternating pattern, and seam markers.   Theory is you just roll this thing down the tape and make all your marks in one quick pass.  Much Time Saved!   It works, but my main issue with it is that it's VERY hard to keep it going in a straight line keeping things properly aligned.  Really no good way to run it in a guide or straightedge to guide it, that I could come up with at least.  Plus it's got so many sharp points hitting the copper all at once it wants to pull the tape away from the backing and wrap around the wheels.  Maybe this has promise, and someone will figure a better way to use it.  But I'm putting it in a drawer for now and going back to a bit more old school, but tedious method.  
 

 
I made a simple card stock and tape jig, that I can use to produce 9 tiles at a time. Using the straight edge to guide a fine pounce wheel (sewing tool, Excel brand) for one edge and one side of each tile.  Only marking one side and end because the tiles will be overlap jointed.  I made a little wood jig to poke the mid-plate lines.  That part is a bit tedious, but it's fast.  Could probably be made quicker by making a multi-pin stamp, but I've tried making one and can never seem to get all the pins straight and the same length.   Once all the divots are poked, just take a knife and cut each joint, careful to cut just the copper and not the backing.  This gives a really easy to use strip of plates that peel off easily.
 

 
And so it begins.  About 100 plates laid - only about 900 more to go 
 

Miscellaneous Upper Bits
 
Thanks so much for all the likes and comments!  
 
I could easily call this section  "stuff I'm doing to avoid coppering", but officially I'll say getting as much done now that will be OK to turn upside down.
 
Starting with some of the low, non fragile deck bits.  Mast surrounds, grates, capstan bases:
 

 
Adding cap rails, trim, and the little scroll trim bits at the hances.  Plus upper bulwark black painting.  Holding off on painting the tops of the fore and midships cap rails as they will have stanchions and upper rails attached.
 

 
 

 
.  

Deadeyes and Head Works
 
I have done all the deadeyes and chain plates, plus all the gun port doors that sit under the channels.  I put these on now since they are a bit protected by the channels, but will wait until near the end to put on the batch that are out in the open.  Otherwise I'll just knock them off!   This is a sample section:
 

 
Have also fixed the rudder.  I chose to go with copper tape strips for the pintles and gudgeons rather than brass (easier to work with) and some bits of toothpick for the hinges.  
 

 
Next up I went back to the Head Works and bowsprit to get most of that area completed.   Left to do are the more fragile bits like the boomkins and horse rails - will do those and some of the other more wispy stuff last.
 

 

 

Completion
 
Fini!  Well, except for a stern lantern.  The britannia metal one in the kit was about as sad as the quarter gallery parts, so had to be replaced.  Found one the right style and size from Caldercraft and it's winging it's way from the UK so it'll get fitted (along with some cat head lions) when it gets here. 
 
I have not made this a detailed log so I've missed a lot of specific comments on this kit, so I'll try to summarize here.  All in all an enjoyable kit to build for me.  I'd say there were a number of design issues and plan mismatches (none too big) and some part quality (metal) issues that made it necessary to bash and scratch a little bit.  There were a few places where you'd expect a recently designed kit to have some parts laser cut at least a starter but expected you to make from stock.  Not a big deal, but if you expect a lot of hand holding and perfect detail in instructions you could get a bit frustrated.  Not a beginner project!   One nice thing is that where some parts might be a challenge to finish there were ample spares laser cut, and plenty of extra strip stock left over.  I strayed a bit in places like not doing the hammock netting (I hate those things).  Maybe not as accurate, at least not according to plan, but it pleases me.  I also didn't do the ship's boat, but the kit includes one.  It has it hanging from the stern davits, but I didn't like the look of it there, obscuring the stern works.
 
I'm going to take a short breather and build a plastic model of my Miata that I scored at a club raffle, then plow back in with the Shipways Mayflower.  That will be a different sort of challenge as I will rig it, but then I'll escape back into hull model world with the USF Confederacy.
 
Thanks all for the looks, likes, and comments!