harvey1847

John, Druxey, Michael, Mark, mij, Daniel and Elia, thank you so much for your comments.  And thanks for all the "Likes" as well.  I hesitated answering the question about why the opposing knees exist since I wasn't sure myself.  Appreciate your input, Danny. 
 
Daniel, as far as the mortises on the sail room are concerned...  I did not use any type of jig.  Just eye-balled the distances.  When it comes to the upper well, I will figure out a better way since there will be louvers on intersecting walls.  I also have some thinner saw blades with me this week and will try cutting the mortises on the Preac rather than free hand.  I am reading Ed Tosti's Naiad Vol. 2 and he has a great way of making ladder stiles.  It would adapt well to these pillars.  All of the bolts inboard are made of 24g brass wire which is blackened in a 1:5 solution of Birchwood Casey brass blackener.  In the US you can buy it from gun shops and even Walmart.  I first mark the locations, then use a punch to set the hole and then drill the hole with a 76 bit.  The punch prevents the drill bit from wandering.  I have fallen in love with resharpened carbide bits.  They are sharper and truer than HSS bits and have an end which fits my medium Dremel collet.  They are also more brittle and since I drill all my holes without a drill press, they are more likely to break of there is any lateral movement during drilling.  The at least two bolts going in to the frames are structural.  The rest are decorative.

Since I couldn't work on my 1:48 scale Triton cross section as much as I would like I decided to make a smaller one in a bottle. I went mostly by memory for the design it is made mostly from card and balsa wood the cannons were turned from bamboo on my drill press all the coloring was done with redwood stain and black Rust-Oleum spray paint sprayed into a jar then thinned (probably a bit too much note the bleeding on one of the cannon carriages) with acetone. I made the model in pieces so that I could fit it threw the neck of the bottle then I assembled it inside the bottle it came out a little crooked but looks OK. I still need to put on some finishing touches on the outside of the bottle before I'm done it took less then two days to to get to this point.
 

First of all, thanks to everyone who visited and your "like" votes.
 
First thing this morning was finishing the *&%$*@ styrene tubes.  I added a few more bands around them on the outside.  After e remake of one I think they'll work for me. They are not the greatest things I have made so far but like I said, they are completely hidden anyhow.At this stage in the game I'm not going to wrap myself around the axle for something that'll never be seen.  They are round and sturdy.
 
I made a few bulkheads for the center and aft parts of the con.  I also cut some 2 X 3 mm planks for the top bracing and 3 X 3 mm beams for the forward framing.  
 
I cemented the two wooden tubes in place for the snorkel exhaust and intake pipes and two of the aft frames.  The sides of the 3 aft frames need to be faired yet because the aft end of the con runs into a point and is also tapered to the top.  The rest of the con sides are perpendicular to the deck.  I'll fair the aft end when they are braced at the top to give them rigidity.
 
Before I can cement the styrene tubes into place I need to make the gun platforms, which means that I most likely have to make the gun pedestal already.  Reason is that I need to know how far down they need to go to determine how long the "cylinder" tube has to be so that the "piston" rod won't pop out.  This in turn will depend how long the gun barrels will be. Confusing - - - 
So, do I now have to make the entire gun assembly?  Hmmmm, more details - - - -      When can I put the con together?????  Mutter - - - mutter - - -grumble - - - grumble​.
 

This is a close-up of the center part of the con, called the command center (I have indicated it with red lines).  It's a heavy structure that can withstand the pressures to the design depth.  This is where the commander and a few other crew members are during the attack phase.  I am using this primarily for structural integrity of the entire con.  Nothing inside will be seen but both ends can be visible on the outside through two doors on the port side.  I'll use styrene for both ends.  No, no, no - - - no lights!
 

This is a photo of the command center during the actual construction of the O 19.  The bands you see running on the outside are to fasten the side plates to.  A pretty husky affair! 
 

This is an overall view of all the "stuff" that'll have to be installed yet.  On this pic everything is just suck into the places where they belong.  
 
 

A view from the stern end.
 
Cheers,

Thanks Greg. Not much, maybe 1/64”. I always over bend them hoping to
compensate for the spring back.
 
Thanks grant. It’s always fun for me to mix in different woods.
 
I’ve milled all the holly needed for the decking and have started laying them.
Again I am using black paper to simulate the caulking. Hopefully later tonight
I well get to the area around the hatch completed.
 

 

Hi everyone,
 
This weekend, I pushed along to finish the aft end of the gundeck (all but ledges). The first photo shows using a caul shaped to the fore and aft camber of the gundeck, which I used to level the beams as I glued them in place. Clamping the beams up to the caul ensured that they are all precisely level on the upper surface, where it counts.
 
I then worked on the carlings. I found an easy way to measure the angle of the end of each carling in a beam, with an angle gauge. i could then use the gauge to set the angle of the miter gauge on the sanding machine, for precise results, and flip it over to reverse the miter gauge and sand the symmetrically opposite carling in the same bay. Systematically working aft and from outboard to the center, I got them all done in a day. I still need to cut mortises for ledges in the carlings before they can be glued. I got progressively better at this as I worked along. The carling fair well fore and aft, with only one joint needing a slight adjustment from my original mortise cuts.
 
I also built the mizen mast core in anticipation of building the partners, and found an easy way to set the diameters at the 4 quarters, using a proportional divider set to two divisions. I set the long legs on the ruler for the total diameter at any point, and then used the short legs to mark off either side of the center line. It saved a lot of time.
 
I made the fore and aft standard fitting up against the wing transom and stern post. It took some fiddling to match angles and cut the slot for the wing transom. But very satisfying after all of these years to see that finishing up the aft deck. You can see on the starboard side of the aft gun deck, my first efforts at working out how a knee would finish up the deck at the rounded aft end. I have no drawings that show what this knee would look like but there has to be one to provide a landing for decking in the corner, before the decking can land on the deck transom. I can't believe that the decking would just land on the inner side of the aftmost frames with no support under it. Does anyone recall seeing a drawing of what happens here?
 
Best wishes,
 
Mark
 
 

HI everyone,
 
Druxey, remco, EdT, Michael, blue ensign, spencerC, thank you for your kind comments. And many apologies for not replying sooner; work is really getting in the way of the shipyard these days! 
 
After finishing up around the main mast, I sat down one day to finish up the mortises in the beams for carlings. I was inspired by Gaetan, who advised me that doing the same thing over and over, and in a logical order, is efficient, meditative, and it improves one's skills. So I told myself I was not leaving the shop until the remaining mortises were cut. It was hours later, but very satisfying to see all of these after a number of years of looking at the deck without mortises. Gaetan was absolutely right in his advice. i processed each step on all beams, then went back to the first for the next step. It build a great rhythm.
 
I then turned my attention to the step for the main capstan. You will see in the photo of the original Admiralty drawing that this was very cryptic. How does a circle sit on the beams, and how does one plank up to the circle? I then came across a photo of the Ajax cut away model, showing the entire gun deck. It showed this step as a raised surface in a rectangular plank. After reviewing Steel, I decided that it was really a central, thicker plank, with thinner planks on either side to make up the width across the two central carlings. You can see the dotted line of the three planks in the Admiralty drawing. The projection at the front of the circle is to provide a surface for the pawls, which pivot from the fore edge of the projection and can be kicked under the capstan when wishing to stop rotation either way (another fun part to make some day).
 
I also remembered from David Antscherl's book that the top surface of the capstan step would have to be parallel to the keel, not parallel to the deck. This is because the capstan turns on an axis perpendicular to the keel, and the aft side would be higher off the deck than the fore side because the deck slopes at this point. Then it made sense that the circle would provide the surface parallel to the keel, and the remainder of the step would be flush with the decking and therefore parallel with the deck, to avoid places to trip when working the capstan. Very ingenious design, when you finally figure out what they were doing.
 
I had fun with the mill making this. First, you see the step sitting in a vise on the tilting table, having one surface milled down at 1 ½ degrees to match the difference between the deck angle and a line parallel to the keel. Then you see the rotating table, with the step mounted on top. I first used a Starrett wiggler on the central hole of the rotating table to align it with the mill spindle. Then I clamped the step on top, using a Starrett wiggler to locate the center of the step circle also under the mill spindle. I then used a mill cutter to cut a perfect circle around the edge, leaving a flat base with a raised circle at the 1 ½ degree angle. I used chisels to clean up the serpentine curve on either side at the fore end.
 
I stole the capstan from midships for the photos. I now need to build the second capstan....
 
Best wishes,
 
Mark
 
 

The last two pictures show the knees installed.
 
 

 

I have made and installed the opposed lodging knees.  Since I did not go into any detail on their construction for the lower deck, let me demonstrate how I made them.  First, I make a template of the knee and saw it out a bit oversized.  The thickness of the blank is about 2.5 times the normal thickness to allow for the curvatures.  I then mark on the blank the areas that will be removed. I use a combination of my Preac saw, Dremel sanding discs and sandpaper to remove the excess material.  The knees are given a final shaping and the bolts are added prior to installation. 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 

A delayed thank you to Maurey and Pavel.  Druxey, the tracks are now installed and, like so many details that we add, are now almost invisible!  But we all know they are there...
 
Beam sets 9 and 10 are in place.  The only unusual items are the opposed lodging knees at the dead flat.  I did not have thick enough wood with me this week to make them, so they will be installed next week.  They will be identical to the ones on the lower deck.  Look at page 10 of this build to see how they are shaped.
 

 

 

My thanks to every one for clicking the "like" button, it's appreciated.
 
Thank you Andy, Anthony, Remco, John and Mark for your comments and advice, wow, much appreciated.
 
@ Andy, the OD is 18 mm for my scale.  That sounds relatively easy, I can do that 
 
@ Anthony, I "heated" it up and wrapped it around a brass tube that gave my styrene tube the correct OD and found no warping.  I also cemented reenforcing strips around three sections in the middle and one strip on the inside all the way on the bottom.  
 
@ Remco, I didn't have 0.3 mm sheet, that would have been ideal though.  I just got the 0.7 sheets in for the deck slats and thought "hey, that would make nice tubes, let's I give it a try, seems nice and sturdy."  Actually my first thought was some heavy drawing paper and thinned glue, like paper mâché , but wanted to try styrene.  When I ordered the 0.7 mm styrene sheet for the deck slats the minimum order was 4 sheets so I could play with one.
 
@ John, well it seems to have worked by using Andy's suggestion, for what I am using it for.  I'll have to try first to move a dummy gun platform through it and see if it works okay.  If not we'll make new ones.  I want it to work for me, I'm not one to give up easy 
 
@ Mark, yes, that was my plan from the start and it would work just fine if the inside is smooth enough for the gun platform to ride against.  But again, the styrene was something I wanted to try for it's smoothness, for the gun platform.
 
I'll have both tubes completed by tomorrow afternoon and find out how they look like.  None of it will be seen anyhow even the top part that sticks out above the gun deck.  There is a low hexagonal box around it, fastened to the deck and I have to also cement the brass strip with the hinges to the top for the pressure lid.  I'll use CA for that.
As long as the gun platform can slide smoothly up and down the tube I'll be a happy camper.
 
In between playing with the styrene I have been cutting some bulkheads for the lower portion of the conning tower.  As mentioned in an earlier post, I want to keep the inside as free from structure as much as possible because there are three doors on the port side.  I like to be able to look inside and see the "stuff" that may have been stored there, like a few cases of good Heineken beer     
For that reason I am kinda building the command center separately and the forward and aft ends are half circles.  I'm thinking of using the styrene for that, it bends nice and is stiff enough.  My 1 mm plywood is too stiff to bend around this tight curves.  There will be vertical beams to support sides and the horizontal gun deck beams.  More work not intended when I started this build but I thought it would add something extra in detail to look inside.
 
Okay, enough of my banter.  Thanks again to all for your input and help.  Let's see what tomorrow brings.
 
Cheers,

Hello and happy Monday! (Written in the morning)
 
After finishing the aft platform for the fish and the spirituous drinks I am moving to do the magazine. I have been thinking a lot during the construction of this platform. With all that amount of pieces and mortises to be done I´m going to “cut” a little bit the project cause I´m not sure if I´ll end it in 2018…
 
Anyway I have redone the magazine plan this morning. The big difference is that I have divided the magazine boxes in four instead of five. I am not sure if I am going to make the cabins so I´ll attach two plans, one with the structure and the other with the beams and the plant of the cabins… I´m much more interested in the structure than the inner rooms.
 
Here is the pdf´s.
 
.- no cabins: Decks_fore_popa_plattform_V02_ok.pdf
 
.- with cabins: Decks_fore_popa_plattform_V02__cabin_ok.pdf
 
Joss here´s the pic about those tricky pieces of the LwDeck clamps. They have been unglued for almost a week and they have held the shape.
 

 

 
 
Monday bloody afternoon Monday! (U2) could be a version..))
 
Afternoon, I have finished the platform. The result is totally awful on the joints. A disaster.
 
 I will repeat the whole piece. Will not work again with that backward method. What works for someone does not always work for everyone. You go totally blind on the visible side. That´s it. That´s the question. To be or not to be… Three days to the trash bin.
 
I want to see the glue going into the carlings and them going into the ledges and the ledges into the beams.
 
Anyway here´s the pics...
 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 

 
I´ll go this way. mortices in a 3x2mm sq timber can be done and I wil work seeing the whole piece from above.
 
 
Daniel.

Hello and happy Monday! (Written in the morning)
 
After finishing the aft platform for the fish and the spirituous drinks I am moving to do the magazine. I have been thinking a lot during the construction of this platform. With all that amount of pieces and mortises to be done I´m going to “cut” a little bit the project cause I´m not sure if I´ll end it in 2018…
 
Anyway I have redone the magazine plan this morning. The big difference is that I have divided the magazine boxes in four instead of five. I am not sure if I am going to make the cabins so I´ll attach two plans, one with the structure and the other with the beams and the plant of the cabins… I´m much more interested in the structure than the inner rooms.
 
Here is the pdf´s.
 
.- no cabins: Decks_fore_popa_plattform_V02_ok.pdf
 
.- with cabins: Decks_fore_popa_plattform_V02__cabin_ok.pdf
 
Joss here´s the pic about those tricky pieces of the LwDeck clamps. They have been unglued for almost a week and they have held the shape.
 

 

 
 
Monday bloody afternoon Monday! (U2) could be a version..))
 
Afternoon, I have finished the platform. The result is totally awful on the joints. A disaster.
 
 I will repeat the whole piece. Will not work again with that backward method. What works for someone does not always work for everyone. You go totally blind on the visible side. That´s it. That´s the question. To be or not to be… Three days to the trash bin.
 
I want to see the glue going into the carlings and them going into the ledges and the ledges into the beams.
 
Anyway here´s the pics...
 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 

 
I´ll go this way. mortices in a 3x2mm sq timber can be done and I wil work seeing the whole piece from above.
 
 
Daniel.

Erecting cant frames
 

 

 

Hello friends,
new photos of the construction progress of the BHR.
 
I wish you all happy holidays.
 
regards Karl
 
 
 
 
T e i l   39

I've worked a lot with styreen and I wouldn't dare taking thick stock heating it to form a tube. the stuff also takes its previous form when heated and it will become thicker. Try this, take thin stock +/- 0.3 mm it is soft enough to form around a dowel glue a second sheet to the joint and take it all the way round and glue this two effectively making two tubes glued together with the joins opposing.
 
Remco

Thanks everyone for visiting and your like votes.
 
@ John (Lad), thank you John and yes, that makes two of us, I am chomping at the bits to get going on the con but these tubes need to be made first though.
 
Talking about tubes, I struggled all day making one lousy tube from styrene *%$@ ☜ mumbling under my breath.
I can do wood, I can do metal, I can do fibreglass, I can do carbon fiber, I even do windows but I'm struggling with styrene.
Can any styrene expert tell me how warm / hot the oven needs to be to soften this stuff so I can form a nice tube over a brass tube?  I tried to make one cold but that obviously didn't work too well - - - duuuuuh

Hi Hi Captains!! And All!
 
Winter has come. Best place to stay our workshops… minus ten today in Soria. Uff!
 
Back here in Madrid and the platform pieces done. All set but not glued.
 
Mark, those tricky pieces have changed a little bit, I´ll post some pics tomorrow. I wanted to do the deck clamp with scarfs so I unglued the stuff and cut the scarfs.
 
Joss, I guess the secret it´s just to let the piece dry and dry. I did leave it for 24 hours and it holds the shape perfectly. Next time I´ll put some wood spacers between the peace and the nails. The pin has “harmed” the timber and I have had to sand it. For the camber beams I will cut them with the scroll saw but for this the steam has worked for me.
 
Here are just two shots of the set

 

 
 

 
Daniel.

Hi Hi Captains!! And All!
 
Winter has come. Best place to stay our workshops… minus ten today in Soria. Uff!
 
Back here in Madrid and the platform pieces done. All set but not glued.
 
Mark, those tricky pieces have changed a little bit, I´ll post some pics tomorrow. I wanted to do the deck clamp with scarfs so I unglued the stuff and cut the scarfs.
 
Joss, I guess the secret it´s just to let the piece dry and dry. I did leave it for 24 hours and it holds the shape perfectly. Next time I´ll put some wood spacers between the peace and the nails. The pin has “harmed” the timber and I have had to sand it. For the camber beams I will cut them with the scroll saw but for this the steam has worked for me.
 
Here are just two shots of the set

 

 
 

 
Daniel.

This is the model as she sits now.

the last 24 hours has been a steep learning curve, learnin to spraypaint, stayed up all night try to get it right, a combination os using a very cheap gun, and the incorrect thinners for the type of paint i am using,also not knowing what im doing hasnt helped, but at last i think i am getting somewhere
 
Lawrence, my reason is that by the time i get to the hull, i might have learnt how to paint

Good morning everyone
 
PE continues, put one bit on, cut another out, drop it, look for it, find it, put it on, the process continues
also changing bits as i proceed, another 4 port holes missed from the kit but show in the book i am following
 

Hello hello!
 
Today is friday, is party here in Spain. The Constitution day.  Three days ahead with the Admiral and the kids around… Worst enemies for a modeler.
 
I have started the aft platform just to “forget” a little bit the tedious work with the limber strakes and the thick stuff. Soon I have realized that only this little platform is a model kit itself… 36 pieces and 58 scarfs… I repeated the lodging knees twice mainly because the scarfs. How I envy you guys with those sherline or proxxon machines!! I´m using an x-acto blade and a rasp.

 

 

 

 
I am using Antony´s (1:36 Victory cross section) method for the platform. To do it backwards. One goes blind. I am not sure how the joints are working in the other side caused I cannot see them and it´s the part that is going visible. Let´s see how it works out. I am using this cause the platform is “flat”. Do not know how will work with the camber beams of the rest of the decks.
                                  
 I have also start with the lower deck clamp to strength the hull in the half of her.
 
The piece is quite tricky. It´s bend it in two directions. First I tape the part with scotch tape (that kind you can write on it with a pencil). Then I drew the pattern. Cut, sanded it and boiled in water for about 15 minutes. Then I let it dried in a sort of jig for 24 hours. It took me two days to glue both in place.
 

 

 

 
I am going for a walk with the sailors and the Admiral.
 
Enjoy the day!
 
Daniel.

Hello hello!
 
Today is friday, is party here in Spain. The Constitution day.  Three days ahead with the Admiral and the kids around… Worst enemies for a modeler.
 
I have started the aft platform just to “forget” a little bit the tedious work with the limber strakes and the thick stuff. Soon I have realized that only this little platform is a model kit itself… 36 pieces and 58 scarfs… I repeated the lodging knees twice mainly because the scarfs. How I envy you guys with those sherline or proxxon machines!! I´m using an x-acto blade and a rasp.

 

 

 

 
I am using Antony´s (1:36 Victory cross section) method for the platform. To do it backwards. One goes blind. I am not sure how the joints are working in the other side caused I cannot see them and it´s the part that is going visible. Let´s see how it works out. I am using this cause the platform is “flat”. Do not know how will work with the camber beams of the rest of the decks.
                                  
 I have also start with the lower deck clamp to strength the hull in the half of her.
 
The piece is quite tricky. It´s bend it in two directions. First I tape the part with scotch tape (that kind you can write on it with a pencil). Then I drew the pattern. Cut, sanded it and boiled in water for about 15 minutes. Then I let it dried in a sort of jig for 24 hours. It took me two days to glue both in place.
 

 

 

 
I am going for a walk with the sailors and the Admiral.
 
Enjoy the day!
 
Daniel.

This is a few more photos of the mast.
 

The mast was made from a maple dowel. These photos show the mast in place on the model.