AON

wow!  very impressive.

My back is much better today, just in time for our club meeting tomorrow at Lee Valley Tools in Niagara Falls.

I wonder if I'll find any new toys there this time?

After pondering on it a while (and watching Kenny's video again) I decided on a method to sand the 3'-5" diameter bowsprit clearance hole in the stem post head and bollard frames.   I over thought it, trying to be more accurate I realised I over thought it and my method didn't work so well so it was abandoned mid stream... as will be explained.

First I had to determine the angle of the bowsprit and so brought out my trusty parallel ruler and a protractor.  I found the angle was 30°.

I was going to sand a taper on a dowel from a diameter under the width of the stem post to the finished diameter so I could rotate and feed the sanding plug through the assembly of bollard frames and stem post but in the end I decided to use an undersized dowel and wrap/wood glue a layer of sand paper to it.   Next I layed out a scrap block of wood, drill a hole for the dowel at 30° and clamped this to the table.  I thought I'd slip the dowel into the block which would help me maintain the angle, rotate the dowel/sand paper and sand the profile into the head of the stem post.  The bollard frames were pinned through to each other near their foot so they could rotate.  A clamp located near the top acted as a stopper so they would rest against it in the exact proper location when rotated forward.  I could then open these up and holding/pinching with my fingers while rotating the dowel I'd cut the shape into everything.

Well that didn't work.  My finger pinching idea was not adequate... I needed gorilla fingers to hold it.  The rotating of the sanding stick did not work as it gripped the stem post and caused it to twist the whole frame.  I did manage to start a profile in the head of the stem post but it would wander.

I abandoned the angle guide block and sanded with an in/out or forward/aft motion and this work well but I could not see if I was centred on the stem post head.  I took an HB pencil and coloured the top of the post with graphite to darken it.  As I sanded away the wood and graphite I could see the pencil mark width remaining and determine I was indeed on centre.

I then swung one bollard post up and pinching the one I was able to start a groove in it at the proper angle.  I marked the head of the stem post location onto the bollard frame and sanded it off the model and on the work bench.  I repeated this for the sister frame.

I then glued a second layer of sand paper to the stick over top of the first to increase the diameter., then repeated the sanding operation.  Finally I glued a third layer and after the third sanding routine I was done.

Following are some photos.  The bollard frames are presently glued, pinned and clamped in place.

If only it would be so easy to "get rid" of it.

I use to be able to set a clock to it then there was a period I almost forgot about it.

Now that I have entered the "best years of my life" it has returned to remind me that I am it's bitch and shall submit to it's will... but I am too darned stubborn to give in.

So we dance the dance.

.

Thank you very much.  It was very nice of you to say and think so.

I'm trying my best but it is slow going with many redos.

No progress today as I strained my back shovelling snow this morning.  It may be a couple days to recover.

Black Oxized means they have gone thru a nitride heat treatment process.

Likely surface hardened to keep their gripping edge and nicer to look at.

A very good purchase.

I've decided to follow REE'S Plate VIII as it provides more detail. 

(I am told REE's and STEEL's plates are identical)

I'll need to turn down some 3/4" dowelling to make a 0.641 inch diameter sanding stick (including the thickness of the sand paper).

This will also necessitate the sanding of a slight radius pocket in the inside of both bollard frames.

Meanwhile I shaped and fitted the mating starboard hawse piece.

I feel I may not post again until I have them all nearer to done as posting each step would be repetitive and might be boring.

And spacer chocks continue to be installed back aft at the rate of one or two sets a day...

Spent an hour and a bit this morning working on the rough shaping of the next hawse piece on the port side.  Dry fitted it and it looks darn good to me.

I want to glue and pin the bollard frames in place but need to sand a radius seat on the head of the stem post (stem and apron pieces) that the bowsprit will rest on while I have clear access.  I need to determine the diameter of the bowsprit at this location.

Looked in Ree's Naval Architecture Plate VIII which is a diagram of masts, yards, and the bowsprit, and it measures 3'-5".

Measured (for comparison) on Ree's Plates I and IV and I get 3 ft and 2'-9".

Checked NMM plan J7795 (ZAZ6781) which is a diagram of the main mast and bowsprit for a 74 gun ship and it measures 2'-9".

Measured the space between bollard timbers (which is the thickness of the stem post) at the head and it measures 2'-6".

Now I need to make a decision....   I need to check what size dowels I have to make a sanding stick.

After a busy day today I managed an hour in the shop after supper and got the starboard bollard timber done and both are now dry fitted.

I am quite happy with these.

Marked up the hawse pieces to start shaping but thought I'd best leave any material removal until tomorrow when I am fresh.

Starboard W2 frame installed.

Port Bollard Timber dry fitted.

'nuff for today!

Aft frames adjusted once again.

Spacers continue to be installed.

Work commences at the stem...

Port side Frame W2 installed and Bollard Timbers being prepared.

Was talcom powder mentioned?

Thank you Druxey

I will look at them again in the morning.

First I need to thank all the people that suggested my frame(s) might need adjustment.  It made me take a more critical look over the last little while and I found quite a few needed to go up or down a smidgen.  Took quite a number of walk-aways before I committed to each one.

So now it is done and the filler chocks are being made and installed near the timber heads.

I needed a height gauge and stole the idea of Frankensteining one from someone else's build log (see photo below) and it works wonderfully on the outside.  I find I am going to need to make something for the inside of the frames one day (soon I hope) and have been looking at the one in TFFM Volume one, and at my wood pile.

I have also cut my forward cant frames # W2 and the Hawsepieces and Bollard Timbers that butt to it.  They all need a little work before they get fitted.

So while glued chocks are drying in place back aft I should be busy up forward.

Good afternoon Kevin.

I must say I thoroughly enjoy your videos.

Watching your latest video you show that you use your caliper to scribe lines and then darken them with a pencil to highlight them.

That is exactly how I have been marking the various/varying thicknesses (head and foot) on my aft cant frames!  I thought I was the only one to do this.... now I am wondering if I learnt this from an earlier video of yours!

Thank you for a wonderful series of how to videos.

If I were doing it for real (full size) I'd likely use a short cutting of three strands and splice each end in normally like an eye splice.

One of our local club members showed us that he makes an eye splice in his models he first makes a bevel cut in the end of his rope and glues it to the standing end, then rubbing/rolling the joint between his thumb and finger and when it drys it is a strong eye splice looking jointed rope.

That might work for you.

Try on a piece of scrap.

A short splice would do it.

Below are a couple plates that show a short splice or ... option B: seizing

Found an excellent article on the internet describing how to use the draw plate to make treenails.

As it is published on the WWW readily for anyone to find via Google I hope I am not breaking any rules by posting the link.

https://issuu.com/msbjournal/docs/msbjournal-july-2010

Interesting.

Like anything else I imagine there'd be a point it would need to be replaced.

Hope my wife doesn't read this! 

I believe the CG (centre of gravity) is low enough that this would not normally happen.  So long as the men stood clear to the sides they would survive the recoil.

With the camber of the deck and a calm sea everything helps the gun crew reposition the gun too early.

They need to haul it back away from the gun port to have access to clean, swab, and reload.

Then haul it back out to fire again in record time... back breaking work with ringing in their ears and smoke in their eyes.

Then the normal condition is they would be on a tack, heeled over,  and in rough seas... with someone firing back at them.

Logically the breech rope is a large size to withstand the strain.  The wheels are different sizes front to back to assist in range, compensate for the deck camber, and adjust the CG.

This rope would be wrapped and seized until a better idea was implemented (the ring cast into the cannon to eliminate the need to seize the line)... sort of an ISO2000 concept... constant improvement.

YES

Aren't I the lucky one!  

Just took four frames off the port side and One is back on.  Should have the others all back on tomorrow ... just in time for our meeting on Friday afternoon.

Picked up a (ever so slightly) used draw plate from a wonderful member of our local club this morning. 

I am surprised by the heftiness/weight of this tiny plate and now appreciate the cost of a new plate!

Just glued the last adjusted frame onto the starboard side and will start the port side later tonight.

Thank you Richard.

Reloaded the PDF's!

They are getting affordable and print in Wood/PLA mix that is sandable and can be stained!  That has got me thinking about parts for my build ... i.e. gun carriages?

You need a clean stable enviroment so mine is on top of the low file cabinet in our study (fancy word for where we keep the computer).

I decided on the JGAurora A5 as it has a good size heated bed and print height... good reviews and an active online forum for help.

Done recovering from yet another eye injection, so having rested I've taken another critical look at the frames.

Adjusted (lowered) the set mentioned by Paul and it made a big difference.  I realized I had been focusing on the breadth placement as the top of the frames were cut a little bit longer than necessary.  After measuring from the keel up to the chock split line (top of the lower futtock) it proved the frame should be dropped!

So I learnt something else!

Then I took this new knowledge and decided to lower two other frames a wee bit.... popped off more frames than I intended!

Hope to have this back together properly with spacers by Friday for our next local club meeting.

some updates!

I purchased a 3D printer with the capability to print my cannon in one piece.

I resized the insignia on my CAD model to the original proper size, converted the file to .stl, loaded it into the slicer program, loaded this "gcode" file  into the printer and pushed print.  (Don't I seem smart... it is all smoke and mirrors)

14 hours and 35 minutes later I had a cannon.

I took it to our last club meeting and John, a fellow with years of painting model experience (with 1st place ribbons to prove it) suggested if I gave it two or three light spray paint coats of Beauty Tone Flat Black Enamel Acrylic paint it would eliminate the shininess, bring out the insignia and all my concerns would disappear.

Here it is below with three light coats!  12 hour minimum drying time between coats as he recommended.

I'll be taking it to our club meeting this Friday and then switching it out on by build.

I've tried printing the cannon multiple times (tweaking slicer settings) at 1:64 scale for my other build (HMS Bellerophon) with no success.   So I've ordered smaller extrusion nozzles (0.2 and 0.3 mm versus the 0.4 mm nominal size provided with the machine) in the hopes one will do the job at the reduced scale.  They have been shipped from China.  Now I wait.