ianmajor

Hello Chuck,
 
Drop me a PM so that we can exchange email addresses. I can then use your email address to give you access to my share. You will find the sheet you require there.
 
However I don't think much of Corel's idea of how the headworks should go together. Even with all the instructions it is not clear and produces a poor result. I suspect all the Unicorn builders will agree with this view.
 
I would suggest having a look at Dan Vadas' Vulture log. He gives a very good, illustrated, step by step description of how the headworks go together. The start of his log covering the head works is <here> .     
 
Using Dan's description you should be able to produce a good result without machine tools.
 
Good luck.

E.J.  I have been building the Corel Unicorn. The illustration of it on the box and the illustration on your box show a family likeness. The hull of my model uses the same or similar types of kit wood. I made the hull and varnished it 40 years ago and the colour has matured. The light wood around the gun ports has gone darker and the darker woods have lightened. Personally I like the resultant unpainted effect.  To get the gun port surround colour shown on the box illustration I suspect it was painted.
 
I note you are intending to scratch build replacements for the deck furniture. I agree that is a good idea. I have just "improved" a Corel cannon and managed to get a reasonable result modifying the original parts - doesn't take long. Doing this would make nice little stand alone projects to break up the monotony of planking.  I found most bits of furniture, such as the pump, were best replaced totally.
 
Good luck with your build.

Hello Chuck,
 
Drop me a PM so that we can exchange email addresses. I can then use your email address to give you access to my share. You will find the sheet you require there.
 
However I don't think much of Corel's idea of how the headworks should go together. Even with all the instructions it is not clear and produces a poor result. I suspect all the Unicorn builders will agree with this view.
 
I would suggest having a look at Dan Vadas' Vulture log. He gives a very good, illustrated, step by step description of how the headworks go together. The start of his log covering the head works is <here> .     
 
Using Dan's description you should be able to produce a good result without machine tools.
 
Good luck.

Hello Chuck,
 
Drop me a PM so that we can exchange email addresses. I can then use your email address to give you access to my share. You will find the sheet you require there.
 
However I don't think much of Corel's idea of how the headworks should go together. Even with all the instructions it is not clear and produces a poor result. I suspect all the Unicorn builders will agree with this view.
 
I would suggest having a look at Dan Vadas' Vulture log. He gives a very good, illustrated, step by step description of how the headworks go together. The start of his log covering the head works is <here> .     
 
Using Dan's description you should be able to produce a good result without machine tools.
 
Good luck.

Hello Chuck,
 
Drop me a PM so that we can exchange email addresses. I can then use your email address to give you access to my share. You will find the sheet you require there.
 
However I don't think much of Corel's idea of how the headworks should go together. Even with all the instructions it is not clear and produces a poor result. I suspect all the Unicorn builders will agree with this view.
 
I would suggest having a look at Dan Vadas' Vulture log. He gives a very good, illustrated, step by step description of how the headworks go together. The start of his log covering the head works is <here> .     
 
Using Dan's description you should be able to produce a good result without machine tools.
 
Good luck.

Chuck,
 
I have my plans scanned in on a share drive. If you drop me a PM with your email address I can give you access to them. One thing my instructions are version 1. A later version does exist but sheet 4 is unchanged I believe.

Mike hasn't been on line for few weeks so may not see your request straight away. I have the plans but mine are the original 1974 ones. The Diagrams you specify I don't think have changed. I can easily scan them in and get them to you. I will drop you a PM to compare notes and arrange - no charge, I am sure you would help me out.
 
BTW - Did you know that in the UK one of the most frequently used excuses given by children for not having handed their homework in is "My dog ate it"!

Chuck,
 
I have my plans scanned in on a share drive. If you drop me a PM with your email address I can give you access to them. One thing my instructions are version 1. A later version does exist but sheet 4 is unchanged I believe.

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 164 – Anchor Release Gear/Mounting
 
Like many specific details, the gear used to release Young America’s anchors is not known.  However, I wanted to include it in the model since it does seem to be a pretty important part of the gear.  The type used is typical of the period and is shown in the first picture.
 

 
George Campbell’s work, China Tea Clippers, is a great source of deck detail for ships of the period and was the source for the design of anchor release gear used.  The gear consists of a levered arm that has a spoon-like half cylinder at its outboard end.  In the normal position this device supports a pin from which one end of a short chain is suspended.  The other end of this chain is bolted to the opposite side of the cathead.  When the anchor is suspended before release, this chain holds the anchor’s main shackle which at this stage would be secured to the anchor chain cable.  To release the anchor, the lever inside the bulkhead is raised, allowing the pin at the end to fall free, releasing the short chain and the anchor.
 
The next picture shows the lever with the tubular support at the end soldered on.  Another rod for the release pin has been positioned on the end of the lever.  On the model it will be soldered in place, cut off, and a bolt eye soldered to it.  The three eyebolts that hold the lever to the cathead were threaded on to the shaft before any soldering.
 

 
The next picture shows the short length of chain with a shackle about to be soldered to the release pin. 
 

 
Obviously this will not be a working model.  The next picture shows the assembly in position so holes for the eyebolts and the pin bolt can be spotted.  An opening was cut under the topgallant rail to just pass the inboard end of the lever and the inside eyebolt.
 

 
The next picture shows the assembly blackened, installed and temporarily suspending the wooden stock bower anchor. 
 

 
The next picture shows the iron bar stock anchor blackened and placed on its eventual resting place on the other side – again temporarily.
 

 
Three wood chocks were installed to support each anchor in their stored positions.  These can be seen in the last picture.
 

 
 
Eyebolts with restraining lashings will eventually be fitted to each of the chocks, but that will await final installation along with the chain that will be run over the winch and out the hawse hole on the starboard side.  For now the anchors will go into storage.
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 163 – Bower Anchors 3
 
In the last part the fabrication of what will be the port bower anchor was completed.  That anchor has still to be blackened and mounted.  Work on the starboard anchor went on concurrently and is described in this part.  In the first picture the shaft and arms of that second anchor have been soldered and it has been set up to solder some short lengths of telescoping square tube that will be used to shape the boss for the wood stock.
 

 
The configuration is different from the first iron bar stock anchor.  In the next picture shaping of the fully soldered anchor has just begun.
 

 
On the first anchor the shackle bolt was soldered in place on the finished anchor.  On this anchor the wooden stock must be installed before the shackle so the shackle bolt was threaded into the shackle to avoid soldering with the wood stock in place.  The threaded rod and shackle are shown below.
 

 
The still unshaped anchor is also shown in this picture.  The shackle threads were made with a jeweler’s tap and die. 
 
The next step was to make the wooden stock.  In the next picture one of the two halves is being mortised to fit over the square anchor shaft.
 

 
Before final shaping of the wooden stock, the iron bands were made.  This may appear backward in sequence but I think it is easier to do the final fitting of the bands by light sanding/filing of the wood stock, rather than to precisely size the bands. 
 
To accurately shape the bands a wood form was made to match the anchor stock shape.  This was marked for band location and copper strips were bent around the form at each location.  In the next picture a razor blade is being tapped with a hammer at an angle to cut the overlapped band to precisely size it and form the joint for soldering.
 

 
The next picture shows the band joint (and the cut damage to the wood form).  It was then removed from the wood, soldered, replaced on the wood form and cleaned up with files and abrasive sticks.
 

 
Using the wood form for fitting, clean-up and polishing avoids damage to the actual stock and also keeps it clean of metal dust.  In the next picture the six bands have been fitted.
 

 
Fitting of the bands required light filing sanding of the wooden stock to the point where each band would fit tightly at its final location.  In the above picture the polished bands have been pressed into place, and are ready for blackening.  In the last picture all of the iron parts have been blackened and the anchor is ready for assembly.
 

 
All of the metal parts were pickled in heated white vinegar, polished, soaked in TIVA cleaning solution, and rinsed before treatment.  The copper bands on the stock were brushed liberally with liver of sulfur solution.  When black, the assembly was rinsed in clean water.  The brass anchor and shackle parts were dipped in diluted Birch-Casey brass black, brushed until black, rinsed, buffed with Q-tips, and allowed to dry.
 
The tight fit of the bands on the stock and the stock on the shaft may be sufficient without glue.  I may use a tiny drop of CA on the underside of each band and on the anchor shaft just to be safe.  The anchor shackle will be attached to a soldered chain shackle so will be installed later when those parts are made.
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 162 – Bower Anchors 2
 
Although I worked on the two bower anchors simultaneously, I will stick with the iron bar stock version through to its completion, then post the work on the wooden stock version in one sequence.  Although very similar, there are a number of differences in their construction.  There are a lot of steps to making these, so I will just summarize here.
 
The first picture shows work on the large shackle at the top of the first anchor.
 

 
The shackles on the bower anchors are by far the largest on the ship.  In the picture one of the ends is being flattened to increase its breadth.  It was then drilled for the bolt holes.  The next picture shows the shackle bolted to the top of the anchor shaft.
 

 
A touch of silver solder on one end keeps the bolt in place. 
 
Iron bar stock anchors were coming into use during the YA period.  Some had a simple straight-ended bar.  Some had screwed or pinned balls at the end and most of the later versions featured a right angle bend at the end. I decided on the simple straight bar.  In the next picture the 6” diameter bar stock, with its two 9” bosses, is being turned from a 1/8” brass rod.
 

 
The rod is held on center at the tail end by the drill chuck just lightly tightened.  A file is being used to finish the diameter.  Flexing in long thin turnings like this makes final sizing difficult with cutting tools but the file works fine on the last 10 thousandths or so near the middle.  In the next picture the bar has been finished turning, cut to length and drilled for the forelock that will keep it in place on the anchor shaft.
 

 
In the picture a jeweler’s saw is being used to cut the slot for the forelock.  In the next picture the bar has again been drilled, this time for the eyebolt that will secure the forelock chain.  The eyebolt with chain was then soldered into the hole.
 

 
I am making all eyebolts from twisted wire, in this case the wire was passed through the chain before spinning it up.  The next picture shows all the parts for this anchor, including the forelock.
 

 
I want to blacken the bar assembly and the anchor separately.  The bar will finally be held in by the forelock.  The next picture shows the forelock and the chain connected by a shackle.
 

 
On small shackles like this one the bolt end is simulated by silver soldering a straight brass rod across the ends.  I expect to use this method on the many rigging shackles to come later.  By the period of this ship shackles had largely replaced ringbolts that had to be permanently forged to the eyebolt beforehand.  The beauty of the shackle was that it could be easily fitted and removed.  The method shown above offers no such advantage as will be seen later where shackles are fitted to eyebolts in wood or in rigging.  In the above picture the shackle has been prepared for soldering with both the chain and the forelock threaded onto it.  I used easy solder and a very light pass with the torch to prevent welding the whole array together in one blob.
 
The last picture shows the completed anchor.
 

 
I almost hate to blacken this.
 
Ed

As I have been marking the hull for the lines of the various rails, it looks like I might need to sand back the top of the plywood gunport patterns in the first few centimeters near the bow.  It seems like the patterns sweep up a little high at the bow, and so the area above the drift rail under the forecastle ends up getting higher as you approach the stem.  I took some pictures which hopefully show what I'm trying to describe:
 

 

 
 
Looking at the plans, I think that area should be the same height throughout.  I think it's just a matter of sanding back the plywood pattern a bit near the bow, but before I did, I was wondering if anyone else building the Swan class had this issue?  Also, would it be incorrect to have the uppermost plank in that area cross over the line of the stem?  I'm thinking of doing to so to get the cleanest line just over the stem, rather than try to match up two plank ends on a very rounded part.
 
Thanks in advance!

Wow, time flies.  It's been a while since my last update, but I've made some slow, steady progress.
 
I'm using the hull planking pattern in TFFM.  I've also mentioned that I'm planning to use stains in lieu of paints on the upper hull planking.  The hull between the wales and the friezes will be a darker brown, the friezes blue, and the top of the upper hull/bulwarks will be red using redheart.  Cutting custom planks and ensuring that the planking runs are correct, along with ending the border planks properly so that I can cover any bleeding of the stains from one section to another with the rails is time consuming, to say the least.  It didn't help that my first run above the wales was slightly off, which I didn't see until I had finished most of the second line of planks - it was one of those moments where I considered just dealing with it and moving on, but I'm very glad I removed all the planks and started over.
 
Here are a couple of pictures where I am now.  I've finished the first section of the upper hull planking, and stained that section, which was planked using pear, with General Finishes Antique Oak.  I'm really happy with the richness of the stain.  I was able to get a "walnut" feel without the walnut issues of uneven color, splintering, etc.  I did some tests using a pre-stain conditioner, but I didn't like how it ended up muting the richness of the stain.  Sorry that the pictures are not the greatest, my lighting isn't very good, especially with it being overcast for the last few weeks.
 

 

 
 
The friezes will be stained using General Finishes Blue Stain.  On earlier posts on my log, I had tested it on maple and pear. The maple was too bright, and the pear was a tad too dark.  I tried it on boxwood and like Goldilocks and the three bears, the color was just right.  So, I'm working on that section now.  
 
It's tricky because I decided to add the fixed blocks in the waist.  There is a single block just aft of the third gunport, and a double block just forward of the fifth gunport.  These intersect the planking lines, so more custom planks will need to be cut  to fit around the blocks.  Also complicating matters is that I will be planking the inner bulwarks using redheart, so the outside of the block will be in boxwood and the inside in redheart.
 
To account for the depth of the block, I glued a strip of 1mm boxwood onto a relatively thick piece of redheart.  From there, I used my Byrnes disc sander to get the blocks down to about 7.2mm in length, 2.6mm and 3.5mm in height for the single and double blocks, respectively, and about 3.5mm in depth so that I had something to work with and sand back to.  Then I placed the blocks in my Sherline mill to drill the sheave holes.
 

 

 
 
Was my first time using a mill, and it took a little trial and error to figure out how to work it, but I was really happy with the results.  No way I could drill holes that lined up as perfectly as with the mill.  I can see using the mill a lot for future work to get this type of precision.  I need to clean them up a bit and gouge out a little area between the holes, but they came out pretty well I think.  Hooray for power tools!

WOW! Thank you Captain Al!

Next small update - knife of old man ... ... for the cutting sausage with cucumber slice ... ... to cut of tuna or...  to harpoon to shark  ...
 

 

 

 

 

And the next small update here: one of boxes for fishing lines, several coils of fishing lines, the bottle for water, one more patch on the sail
 

 

 

 

 

Hi Nenad
I`m dreaming, breathing, eating, living frames, I AM FRAMES !
There are a lot more still to make, but the first 31 are done.
 
Hi again to all my visitors, and thank you for your nice likes!
Today I made the next frames, including the first frames for the boilers. They are a little different to the "normal" frames, and need more work and pieces per part.
 
Boiler frame in the jig

 
all 31 frames set to the keels for a test

 
Regards
Gerhard

'Positively final farewell appearance!' So the old theatre posters read. And this is true for the Greenwich Hospital barge. The sub-base has been made and finished, and so is this log. My profound thanks to all who looked in, 'liked' and commented. You are a great world-wide network of craftspeople with whom I am proud to be associated. Happy model-making!
 
Serious enquiries of interest only for acquiring this model are invited.

Nice photo: it should go on the flap or rear of the next volume's dust jacket!

Ed,
 
Beautiful work on the anchors and great to be able to see you next to your developing masterpiece.

Ed,
 
Beautiful work on the anchors and great to be able to see you next to your developing masterpiece.

Ed,
 
Beautiful work on the anchors and great to be able to see you next to your developing masterpiece.

This week I completed the last significant part of the machinery.  We are fortunate to have the feedwater check valve still attached to one of the arms of one of the standpipes.  The valve comes off of the standpipe at about a 45 degree angle.  The probable location of the water line suggests that the valve could not have been on the port-most standpipe but the exact location could not be determined from the remains.  I opted for the inboard port standpipe because it places the valve closest to centerline.  In Alan Bate's Western River Steamboat Encyclopoedium he mentions that one method of preventing breakage in the long steam and water lines was to include a length of pipe with a large radius curve.  This seemed to work well in this location.
 
Standpipe and check valve being lifted from the river.

 

 

 

 
 
Check valve parts fresh from the mill and lathe.

 

 

 

 
 Check valve in place on the standpipe.  The valve had a short foot cast into the bottom of the body.  This indicated the the valve probably sat on a block to support its weight.

 

 

 
Safety valves and steam line from the steam drum to the engine added.  This steam line will be slung from the deck beams of the boiler deck.  I'm leaving the lever and weight off of the safety valve until the boiler deck goes in.  I can only imagine how many times I'd knock it off if I had to work around it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ed,
 
Beautiful work on the anchors and great to be able to see you next to your developing masterpiece.

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 161 – Bower Anchors 1
 
Work on the channel deadeyes and chains has been progressing, but a change of pace was necessary, so I began work on the ship’s anchors. 
 
Like most ships Young America carried several – probably two bower anchors, a smaller stream anchor and an even smaller kedge anchor.  This last was probably small enough to be stowed in one of the forward lockers or below the forecastle so I will not model it.  Over her very long career she carried different types of bower anchors, and very likely more than one type at a time.  The photo taken at San Francisco, probably in the 1860’s shows her swinging a wood stock type from her starboard cathead.  The New York photo, which I believe was taken later, shows a Trotmans anti-fouling type on the port cathead.  These two types span the range of development during the period.  I decided to make one Woodstock and one bar stock – bypassing the Trotmans type for now..
 
The first picture shows the arms of one of these being sawed out of some 1/8” thick brass plate.  This took a while and used a few jeweler saw blades, but it worked well to rough out the pieces using a drawing fragment as a pattern.
 

 
The next picture shows both bower anchors during fitting of the two main pieces.
 

 
The shaft was silver soldered to the arms using copper-phosphorus solder.
 

 
The anchor to the right has been soldered and given a first filling.  This joint took some heat.  I used a full sized propane torch.  I would have used the small oxy-propane torch but was out of O2.
 
In the next picture the side plates that thicken the shaft around the hole for the bar have been soldered on.  The second fluke is set up to be soldered.
 

 
In the next picture the flukes have been soldered on and the holes drilled for the bar and the shackle.
 

 
In this picture the filing and smoothing is well along.  The final anchor, less the bar stock is shown in the next picture.
 

 
This is almost ready for blackening.  I expect to mount this anchor on the port side of the forecastle in roughly the position shown in the last picture and may secure the stream anchor to its shaft.
 

 
These anchors obviously took up a lot of deck space and also added considerable weight to the bow, but this seems to have been where they were stowed.  They were not easy to move around.
 
Ed

Robin, I usually do not let the camera lens wander above my wrists, but for you I make an exception - per your request....
 

 
Please excuse the typical clutter.
 
All the best,
 
Ed
 
ps. should have an update posting shortly.