hexnut

The rigging is progressing quickly, as there are no shrouds. But the backstays are a bit complicated.

And here is the current state of the model. I used pencil to enhance the planking on the outside of the hull as well. 

At this point I added ribs, both to improve the model, but also to help secure the deck more firmly, as the plastic of the ship is unusually thin. 

Testing the colours, and working on the deck. The planks were done with a combination of dry brushing and washing each plank with a different hue. The rest of the details were done with pencil. 

The assembled kit. You can see in the photos the several blocks and dead eyes I made with plastic, that would go with the rigging.  Some additional pins for the rigging were added on the deck. The sails, as mentioned are not good, so I'll make them out of silk, but folded on the yards. 

Hello again! Another tiny and old Heller kit, a small sailing ship representing the Mediterranean "tartane" type. 
The kit is not actually that bad. The yards were unusable and had to be made anew. The mainmast was also changed a bit. the plastic sails were also no good. Other than that I did very few modifications. 
 
 

Incredible!  If it were built right out of the box, we wouldn’t really know what potential there would be with all the intricate modifications you have done.  I could imagine this one in a museum.  With this build log, you give me inspiration for continuing to do modifications with my own plastic ship build!

Standing rigging update
Slow progress. Some parts of the rigging has been done 2 times.
The first time bad, and the second time a little better.
 
(instructions in the kit)

Lower masts almost ready

The hull is only 25 cm (about 10") long
Thanks for following
 

Thanks for the nice comments and likes
 
Started with the standing rigging. The plastic schrouds, deadeyes and blocks from the kit are useless.
 
My deadeyes are home made.
The blocks are leftovers from an Heller kit (Soleil Royal) I built this model a long time ago and kept the leftovers in my parts box. (Lucky me !!)
 
Rigging is done as good as possible.  Scale 1/110 is rather small for my fingers.

Finishing and installing the masts


After washing with soap and water and drying, a primer is applied.

After painting, placement on the deck.
Level the hull in cross length.

Check whether the main mast stands straight (90°)
with a "schietlood" (translation English : plumb bob ??) Just a simple piece of rope and a weight.

 
Masts and bowsprit are in place. And are drying for 24 hours.

Thanks for following

Making the masts and the bowsprit.
This is more work than expected. Unusable parts are removed and replaced. Holes that are not needed are filled and sanded.
 
Bowsprit before

and after
Mast parts before
After 

Work in progress

Thanks for following
 

Thanks for the nice comments,
 
Building and installing the longboat.
Kits parts

Boat build with a "mast"

Hiding the ugly interior under a "tarpaulin"
Ingredients : a piece of paper tissue and lots of CA glue

The tissue is cut to size, pushed in the right place and completely covered with CA glue.

If you do this the first time.
Practice first on another piece The first time the tissue sticks everywhere it should not stick.
 
Longboat supports 

Extra detail
Painted, drybrushed and washed

Tarpaulin tied with rope.

 
Longboat in place and secured with rope.

 

Rigging the cannnons, the helm and the anchor cables on the deck .
 
Cannon rigging in a 1/110 scale... Stressful to me (in my opinion) it took me more then 1 hour for each cannon.

The helm


anchor cabels.
To get these flat on the deck they are glued on deck with ca glue. Carefully applied to a toothpick.


Thanks for following

Painting and weathering of the hull.
 
Painting the ded eyes and chains matt black 

 
washings with diluted light gray, some rust on the chains and a dry brushing of dark gray on the ded eyes.
 
Given that the entire hull and deck are "weathered", the copper sheeting cannot be look new either.
So, how does weathered red copper look like?
No idea at first, then I remembered some rounds of ammunition that I once found near the house where I grew up.
To make a small river deeper, mud had been dug out, and there lay a clip with 5 rounds
Presumably remains of WW 1 or 2.
 Felix has no idea what's going on

At first sight,
It looks pretty much the same
For now I leave the collor this way

used paints :
White wash

And 3 green collors

Cannons are glued on the deck
A plastic plate is glued to the bottom. 
This is so the cannon is glued with the plate and not with the wheels on the deck.
That way you won't see any glue residue on the deck.

Hull painted 

Thanks for following
 
 

The dead eyes.
 
I had 3 options :
The one from the kit (bad idea). Buy new ones (cheating). Or, make them myself.
A first prototype is made.
(On this photo (left of the dedeye) is an error. One support of the railing is too short, this has now been restored)
 

 
Making discs and glue them together (3 discs for each dedey).

Drilling holes 0.7 mm and attach iron wire to them.


And place them on the channels.

Made some stretched sprue for the extra details.

All dedeyes on the channels are ready 

Now the hull can be painted.
Work in progress.

Thanks for following

Thanks for the nice comments and likes.
 
Building the 4 cannons.
Drilling out the barrels

Rebuilding the carriages

Ready for painting.

Carriages are in red, the barrels are mat black and pencil.

ready, not glued on the deck.

 
 
 

Almost forgot, the ship's bell.
Out of the box 

Adjusted

The ship's bell in place

Last whethering on the deck 

 

Now try to make dead eyes and upgrade the cannons

Thanks for following and liking
 
 

Thanks to all for the wonderful comments and input on the trawl winch - I very much appreciate it.  And thanks for the likes and stopping by.
 
Trawl Winch Chain Guard and Aux Winch Head
 

The trawl winch has an auxiliary gypsy head that is smaller than the main head.  It is driven off the main winch shaft via sprocket and roller chain as shown in the plan view drawing.  The chain and sprocket will not be modeled, only the outer guard.
 

The guard that encloses the chain is made up of two sections of sheet metal as shown below.  The drawing will be used as a template for the two sections.

 

I begin by cutting a pattern for the guard from basswood.  The “sheet metal" sections will be glued to this wood pattern.

 

I’m using aluminum cut from the sidewall of a beverage can for the guard.  The material calipers to about .004" or .192” in 1:48.  That is pretty stout and equivalent to about #6 gauge sheet steel, but it will have to do.  I only care about material thickness because one section folds over the other and will reveal an edge being held down by sheet metal screws.  I choose aluminum over something like foil because there are several places where the material is unsupported by the wood pattern and has to be stiff enough to stand on its own.  Here is the aft side glued to the pattern.  The aluminum had to be sanded to remove the coating that is sprayed to the inside of the can.

 

Then the other side is glued on and the edge is wrapped over the top and sides.

 

The thick edge is filed to a thinner profile and cap head style sheet screws with washers are placed along the edge.  The injection-molded screws have a 1/8” long shank, so holes are drilled through the metal and glued into the wood pattern.  The screws are actually holding the aluminum down and the material tends to behave like real sheet metal – tight down under the screws and lifting slightly between them.


 

The color of most machine guards today is yellow – “Safety Yellow" to be exact.  But in the 1920s, decades before OSHA, any color was acceptable if there was in fact a guard in place to paint.  Having worked in industrial environments most of my life, I cringe to think of the working conditions of an earlier time with exposed whirling gears and spinning shafts right out in the open.   How many poor workers just trying to make a living were entangled and maimed due to a single brief moment of inattention?  Heartbreaking.
 

Anyway, this chain guard will be green.
 

Coloring the guard has a couple of steps, but each step is simple.  To begin, the aluminum is sanded for tooth and then cleaned with alcohol.  It is then painted with a rust colored enamel as a base and allowed to thoroughly dry over night.  This base is smooth and I'll explain why I think that is important in a moment.  Next, a coat of uninspiring dull green acrylic paint is applied..  A toothpick is used as a handle.

 

Rather than using a brush or an airbrush, I used a cosmetic sponge for an uneven textured surface.  These sponges have a pretty tight cellular structure and can be bought where women’s makeup is sold.

 

After the acrylic has dried for about an hour, I wet small areas of the paint with water and give it a minute or two to soften the surface.  I then start picking at it with a toothpick to remove chips of the acrylic paint, which reveals the rust colored enamel underneath.  I then apply three different rust colored pigment powders that are mixed with water and brush applied individually to simulate general rusting/streaking.  Black is also applied around the shaft slots to suggest grease sling.

 

Finally, I scrub and blend the pigments (which has already been done in the image above) with one or several of the items shown below - a toothpick, artist stump or one of the excellent modeling swabs from Tamiya.  The pigments I use (Bragdon) have a pressure activated adhesive component that sticks quite tenaciously when scrubbed on and doesn’t require a binder.  So I didn’t apply a clear topcoat.
 

Never sneeze into an open container of pigment.

 

The reason I stated that the enamel base should be smooth is because it provides a textural contrast to the dabbed on acrylic overcoat.  Once the acrylic is chipped off, not only does it leave a slight depression, but it also exposes a different texture layer, which emphasizes that the paint is actually missing and is not just a color illusion.  Glancing sidelight shows this detail to great effect.  And the uneven textured acrylic paint suggests rust might be forming just under the paint surface.  These effects are not that noticeable at 1:48 but in larger scales with thicker paint and greater surface area being covered, they can be quite dramatic.
 

The main idea is to have a base color that will not be affected by modifying a water-soluble upper layer.  There are many techniques for model “paint chipping" and everyone seems to have a favorite.  YouTube has videos on most of them.
 

But if in the end the weathering turns out nasty, I can simply strip off the acrylic paint with water (and the pigments along with it) and leave the basecoat behind - ready for another go.
 

 

 

 

The guard brackets are made from 1.5mm per side styrene angle with glued on injection molded nuts/washers from Grandt Line Products.  Paint and pigment are applied.

 

The aux winch head is made from 3/16” dowel, profiled with needle files, painted and penciled.

 

Glued together.

 

The shaft bearing drool is oil art paint.  The good thing about oil is that it’s still workable days after it is put on  - the bad thing is that it's still workable days after it is put on.

 

The guard isn't glued to the winch yet so double-sided tape is used to hold it in place for the photos.  The crown of the deck will dictate the final placement.
 

I put in some brake shoe attachment point details and brackets to the underside which is impossible to see and therefore rather pointless.  But they are there.
 

I’ve left out a number of details.  The most significant omission is the pinion gear and shaft that would be located a tad to one side and directly below the main shaft.  It connects the bull gear to a drive source.   It would be a challenge at this scale to include and would never be seen. 


 

There are a few things I don’t like about the trawl winch, but they go away when I stop looking at these close-up photos.  So the winch is done and I’m anxious to move on.

 Thanks for looking in.
 
Gary

Hmmm…   The brake rods scale to just over ½” (.57”) in 1:48, and now that I look at them more critically, they do look  -  scrawny.  So I pulled them off, drilled out the hand wheels, brackets, etc. and installed .02” rod as replacements.  This represents a rod with a diameter just under 1” (.96” or 24.38mm) which is more appropriate and I do like the looks of that much better.  Good spot Wefalck and thanks for bringing it to my attention.
 

Here is a before and after:
 

Before

 

And After.   Also I added the clutch control levers.

  
Facebook ?  -  I didn't know that.  I'm one of the few people that doesn't have a Facebook account, so I don't get over there very often.  But I'm glad you found my build log, welcome and thanks for the kind words.
 
 I don’t recall the actual Kelvin value of that LED but 4800k rings a bell.  I usually end up color tinting the LEDs so I like to start with a color that is quite white.  I have found it easier to tint a bright white LED warmer than the other way around.  I color LEDs by applying thinned acrylic paint directly onto the LED lense or by changing the tint of the "glass" that surrounds it.  For this mast light, I painted the LED directly, leaving the fixture glass clear.
 

I agree with you that the color temperature in the photo is too cool - it's also too bright.  For the photo I simply drove the LED at max forward voltage and the intensity of it totally overpowered the tinting I had applied.  On the finished model the LED will be much dimmer and the tinting will be able to reassert its influence - I hope.
 

Thanks for your comment Bedford and for the observation.
 
Gary
 

Thank you Keith, John, Druxey, Tom, Michael and Jim for your nice comments and encouragement - I truly appreciate it.  And thanks for the likes and to those following along quietly.
 
Thanks for the suggestion of the cup burrs Druxey - I didn't know there was such a tool.  I couldn't find one small enough that would have worked in this instance, but I can see where they would come in very handy at other times.  Thanks again and for the link.
 
 
More Winch Stuff
 
Progress on the trawl winch has been slow but inching forward just the same.
 

The drum reels have already been made up from styrene but still needed to have the brake drum reinforcing segments added as shown below.
 

Here is a 3D drawing screen shot of what the real brake drum would look like.  This is my first stab at 3D CAD and the result is rudimentary and crude.  I’ve done isometric projections before but not actual 3D constructions because I haven't found them terribly useful.  But with advancements in 3D printing providing finer, crisper and more affordable parts, it’s an option I want to be prepared to take advantage of  – and the printing technology is getting better all the time.  Services are even available to print in wax for producing lost wax process metal components.  But I’m a little conflicted about computer generating parts for a model, which is sort of strange as I have no problem using injection molded bits and pieces or white metal castings when it’s to my advantage – well, some other time.
 
 

Some detail has been left out (back plate with bolt heads) because my circle cutter won’t go that small and I don't have a punch that size.  The reels and drums were painted with enamel base colors after being cleaned in alcohol.

 

I pushed the reels onto toothpicks and placed them in my portable hand drill to strip off some of the paint thickness and to scratch annular rings into faces of the reel surfaces.  Pigment was applied hear and there.
 
 

I wanted to wrap some wire cable into the reels as a separate piece from the cable and chain on the outer most layer that will travel out to the gallows frame.  This lower cable will be clean and bright so a glimpse of it can be seen below the looser and rougher looking surface wrap when that eventually gets placed.  Having the reel loaded with cable separately allows me to screw-up and rework the cable/chain leading to the gallows frame without having to rewind the reel itself.
 

I’m using 7 strand stainless beading wire with a .019” diameter for the cable.  Due to its stiffness, it resisted my every attempt at winding it onto the reels.  So a simulation was in order.  I first wrapped a strip of .010" styrene sheet repeatedly around the reel to build up the height.  This was glued at every wrap.  I then glued short lengths of the beading wire to a piece of paper (and to each other) in a width that would fit the reel opening.
 
 

The wire slabs were cut to length, pre-bent around a ¼” dowel and popped onto the reels like wrist bracelets.

 

Drum brake bands are made from .010” styrene.

 

The bands are primed flat black enamel and sprinkled with green pigment power while still wet.  Once totally dry, they were lightly sanded with 1500 paper for wear and then glued to the drums.  Every sharp edge on these reel/drum assemblies was rubbed with the side of a #2 pencil.  This helps define the outline of the shape and provides a metallic/chrome sort of sheen.

 

The bracket frame for the hand wheels and clutch levers is glued to the winch frame.  Some injection-molded nut/washers are glued on and the whole thing gets a base coat of black enamel primer.  Several tones of grungy looking pigments are scrubbed in along with light rusting around some of the hardware.

 

The main winch head is made from 1/4" dowel that is placed in the hand drill chuck and profiled with needle files.  It was painted with silver over brown then spun in the drill, scratched with a pick and finally penciled.

 

A washer and nut head is glued to the end of the main shaft.

 

Then winch head is glued on.
 
 

The main shaft, drum reels, bull gear and brake hand wheels are all glued into place.  This winch is far from being done, but here’s what it looks like so far.
 


 
 
 

Still left to do are the clutch shifters/levers; the sheet metal guard cover for the auxiliary winch head, the aux winch head itself; coloring touch-up, and other stuff that I’ve forgotten. 
 

Thanks for looking in.
 
Gary
 
 

Thank you Johann and Hubert for visiting and the for kind comments.  And as always, thanks to all for the likes and stopping by.
 
 
Trawl Winch Continued
 
Work on the trawl winch has been intermittent and slow, but here’s where it stands.
 

Some of the materials for the main section of the winch are shown below.  The round disks that will make up the drum reels were cut from .02” styrene sheet using a paper circle cutter.  The two hand wheels are 1:87 boxcar brake wheels injection molded in Delrin.

 

I decided to change the position of the bull gear from where I had it originally drawn.  The gear has been moved from the end of the shaft to the center and now has a drum reel on either side.  I did this after additional research convinced me this was by far the most common configuration of double drum winches regardless of time period.  Once this fact penetrated my skull, I changed the drawings accordingly as shown below.

 

The drawing below describes how the drum reels are assembled.

 

I used solvent and CA gel to put these reels together - solvent when the pieces could be dry fit and gel where the parts were placed freehand and a brief window for position adjustment was needed.  The shift ring slot will be cut later on.

 

The base frame is made from six pieces of styrene “I” beams.  Cutting templates are drawn and the pieces cut.

 

The base frame construction is simple.

 

The frame is simple, but placing and riveting the corner angle iron plates was time consuming.  I didn’t have any injection molded rivets that were small enough for this application, but the detail is easy to simulate.  A rivet in the 3/4" diameter range was needed, so I heat stretch some plastic sprue frame to the diameter required.  I hold the piece of sprue over a flame and when the middle begins to slump, I pull it apart (stretch it) to a fine thread.  Somewhere along the length of the stretch will be the diameter I need and a one-inch section is found that calipers at .015".  Monofilament fishing line also works great for things like this if the right diameter is in your tackle box.

 

The angle iron (and "I” beam) is styrene strip material from Evergreen.  This structural shape material is a real time-saver if one of their available dimensions matches what you need.  Here I’m using angle that is .060" (1.5mm) per side.  That scales to 2.88" in 1:48 and is close enough to the 3" I was looking for. 
 

Now it’s just a matter of drilling holes into the angle iron, gluing the end of my stretched plastic into the hole and trimming it with a slight reveal sticking out.  I use a piece of brass shim stock as a height gauge to trim them off.  I could round over the heads with fine grit paper - but my sanity is more important.  

 

Some rivets were placed along the upper I-beams.  Bolts and plate washers hold the base frame to the deck.

 

Pillow block bearings are made from copper tube and .010" styrene.  There are two layers of styrene, one under the bearing and another wrapped over the top.  The main shaft is .070” diameter brass rod. 

 

In my parts stash I found this white metal gear.  It is about the correct diameter and thickness for the bull gear so I’m going to use it as such.  I cleaned it up and drilled out the hole for the shaft.  The lower portion didn’t cast very well and is missing teeth, but I’ll rotate that to where it won’t be seen.  A drum reel disc is shown as a relative size comparison.

 

A section of angle iron will be bolted to the I-beam base to support brackets for the brake wheels and clutch engage levers.  The brackets are made from .020” x .040" styrene.  The clutch lever bracket gussets are .010” material.

 
 

I’ve started on the clutch levers and yokes, but there is still a lot left to do - brake pads, pinion shaft, main winch head, frame and sheet metal guard for the auxiliary winch head, etc.  And of course, the coloring and weathering. 

 Thanks for stopping by.
 
Gary

Joseph Conrad and the Otago,  Allen Villiers and the Joseph Conrad?
 

It took me forever to figure out how to rotate a photo and get it posted here.  
 
The below case isn't representative of my "later period." I think I must have done this one sometime around 1980 or so. The case pictured had tenons at the ends of the posts which let into the corners. Way too much work! The table gives it a touch of class. I found the table at a used furniture store. It's a modern piece and didn't cost much.

 
I built this case in the manner described in my previous post. It's of oak and the base plinth is walnut, IIRC. (It was just some scrap I had in the shop.)

Bob...what a wonderful explanation of your experience building your case.
Actually I had the glass cut afterwords, but my measurements were accurate....and I had the glassier read back to me the measurements.  I insisted on accuracy.
 
I used flexible silicone on all the edge and bottom joints.  The top merely sits on the glass with them resting within their grooves.   I will(when the silicone is dry), remove the top, place the model and slide in the right side, then replace the top frame and then the glass.  Once assembled I will then screw into each corner from atop, small brass wood screws to secure it.
 
Here is a pic of the glass in place.
 
Rob

The two front and back pieces of glass will be 31 1/8" X 47 1/2" the sides are 31 1/8" X 16 1/8" and the top is a whopping 15 7/8" X  47 1/2"
 
 
Bob..the case stand is quite stable.  I'll be picking up the glass today and assembling the case.  I will silicone the glass in place on 3 sides...allowing for the right side to be simply slid into the recesses.  The top fram will sit on top with the glass placed within their recesses and then brass screws will be placed at each corner. The top glass rests in recesses cut along the inner edge of the frame.   This way I can remove the top and one side so I can flip the model if need be.   I test fit the model on the case bed to see how well it sits and how it is harmonized with the stand.   Here are some pics with the model on the stand base.
 
Rob