Falls of Clyde 1878 by GAW - FINISHED - scale 1:96 - iron 40-frame hull center cross-section

[druxey]

You are making great progress, Gerald, as well as giving us insight into your thinking through the various processes you've developed. Much appreciated!

 

Every best wish for the coming year to you.

[GAW]

February 2017

Fig-57 We have the Main Deck, the Tween Deck, and the Hold Floor. Logicality told me that there had to be a Ladder somewhere to join them all together, so made one and fitted it to the Main Hatch. Who knows if it ever was there, but I felt that it does serve it’s purpose of joining the three levels together.  As can be seen it consists of two lengths of brass angle, drilled to take 020” pins for the steps.  A bit oversize making them two inches in diameter full size, but for me when getting down to this size and detail, if things start to disappear because they are so fine, one will miss them, so better to go a little oversize to show they are there. A personal feeling in this work.

This is a question one has to ask oneself all the time in scratch building.  In this case I feel it is permissible, but had other items been very close by to show up the ‘licence’, then maybe I would have made them more actual scale size - ’010” one inch in diameter.  

 

The pins were silver soldered in place, pin ends filed flush and the angle flat reduced to half it’s width.  This detail was removed from the ship when the tanks were fitted, but there is a ladder down the face of the watertight bulkhead, forward, that looked much like this.  For fitting it was provided with a spot of soft solder at the top and bottom together with where it passed through the Tween Deck Hatchway, and soldered in place with the carbon rod soldering unit.

[GAW]

 

Fig- 58  The Photo was taken on the Falls of Clyde, showing a Deck Beam and the Pillar that supports it in the centre. Of note is the flat forging of the top, that wraps around the bulb iron of the beam, to which it is then riveted with two rivets. At the foot is a ring in the form of a collar and flange, the flange being attached to the angle iron of the beam below with a further two rivets

[GAW]

 

Fig- 59 Here we have the SRHM, set up for single rivet heads, two side by side for the top of the Pillar, and two - one on each side of the flange/collar that forms the base of the Pillar. 

On the model Pillar, a small brass plate is silver soldered to one end of a nickel silver rod, filed to shape, bent to accomodate the bulb iron of the beam and provided with two rivet heads, after which it is tined with a little soft solder, ready to be attached to the beam.

Short Pillars for the Main Deck to the Tween- Deck, and longer ones between the Tween-Deck and the Keel, note Jock the riveter, alway useful to have him around to remind one of the scale. 

[GAW]

Fig- 60 The first 20 Frames in place, complete with Pillars, Ladder, Keel and Stringers and some Plating, which we will cover a little later in the proceedings.  

As may be imagined, having got to this stage - half way -  I was very keen to see if I was on the right track with creating this model centre section, so added some Plating right up to and including a short section of the  Bulwarks, stays and all -  and it looked to me to be OK, I was on the right road.  However, because I had started in the centre and so from now on had to work both fore and aft by adding another ten Frames to each end, most of this Plating became more of a problem than an asset, and was later removed, as we shall see, and refitted in longer lengths.  We learn as we proceed.

 

You may note also that the main hatch is also present on both the Main Deck and Tween-Deck.  This was also removed and remade, and will be covered later, together with the reasons why - a cautionary tale.

[druxey]

I love the attention to detail such as the upper ends of the support pillars, Gerald. It must be nice to have the prototype still available for study!

 

On a slightly different -but related - note; in another thread Cutty Sark is under discussion. I've been wicked enough to suggest that a model of her in frame would be a terrific subject for you. I'll shut up now.

[rwiederrich]

Was the question ever asked....when/how/who made the tooling for this particular build?  Looks like the tooling was designed for multiple replications of the build or similar builds.

 

Rob

[druxey]

Rob: Gerald makes all his own tooling and jigs - superbly.

[albert]

Great work very very nice.

[michael mott]

Beautiful work Gerald, I am as interested in your tooling as the model itself. Do you have more details of the tooling?

 

Michael

[GAW]

Thank you folks, so pleased to have your interest, for more info on the tooling Michael, check out the pages on my web site, where each of the tools is broken down < http://www.wworkshop.net/Falls_of_Clyde/Menu.html> as also the aim of the project.

 

I have not included it here, as I thought the aspect of building the actual ship model to be more in keeping with the web site content.  The making of the tools took about nine weeks to design and create from scratch before any work was started on the model.  Each of the tools has a particular function with respect to producing/modifying the parts for an iron ship, and as such could be used to build any iron or steel ship.  The difference between building an iron ship and a wooden one, is that with timber each item is cut and shaped from a solid block.  With iron the material is already of the required shape - flat - angle iron - and/or bulb iron, but a considerable number of tools are needed to manipulate them to form the parts of an iron ship's hull.  The 20 frame centre section model, took about 11 months to complete, working perhaps on average about 5 or 6 hours a day.

[michael mott]

Gerald, thank you very much for your detailed explanation I shall check out the tooling on your site.

 

Michael

[EdT]

Gerald, I have looked at the tool descriptions on your website a number of times.  The craftsmanship is exquisite.  You did this in 9 weeks?!  I am even more impressed with the design of the tools.  For me, tool design is often a trial and error affair, so I am very impressed with the confidence and skill needed to desigh, then construct these tools and then have them work.  Bravo.

 

Ed

[rwiederrich]

I too checked out your site and am fully impressed.  The tooling is exquisite.  I do have a question.....are you building this model for personal satisfaction or is the build for a wealthy client?  Cuz...if all this effort is merely for self satisfaction...then I'm doubly impressed.

 

Permit me to stand in awe.......

 

Rob 

Edited February 6, 2017 by rwiederrich

[GAW]

To answer you Rob, he would need to be wealthy indeed, and I have met a lot of wealthy clients with the car models, they paid for my bread and butter for 40 years, classic cars are one things and Windjammers another. Consider that last year I completed a 1/15th scale Alfa Monza, a sister (full size) car to the original I used for the model sold last year for $11,990,000.00.  While those trying to save the Falls of Clyde from a watery grave after surviving for 138 years and being unique in the world today, can hardly scratch together, so far, $150,000, of the 1.5 million needed to save her.

The 1/96th scale Falls of Clyde  - all three models of the series, just the first two here so far - I am making for my own entertainment, but when finished, and I need the room for the next project, will be donated to the Clyde Maritime Trust for display in the 3 masted Barque Glenlee, now fully restored, on the Clyde in Scotland.  If we can get the Falls of Clyde back to her birth place on the Clyde, I live in hope - then the models and tools will be located in her.  So one way or another, there WILL be a Falls of Clyde back on the Clyde for the public to see what a fantastic family of ships were once created there.

[rwiederrich]

Amazing story...thank you for sharing.

 

Rob

[alangr4]

Gerald your website and this site continue to provide inspiration to us all.  Thank you for sharing.

 

Thought you and your readers might enjoy the following story about the USS Agerholm model contained in Atlas Obscura.

 

http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/agerholm-model

 

Some parallels to your current build Gerald.  

 

Those State side are probably very familiar with the story (my apologies if I am treading familiar ground).  

 

Alan

[druxey]

Nice link, Alan.

[GAW]

March 2017

Fig- 61 - Here we have the second batch of 20 frames, all made up in the same was as the first batch, excepting that each will have been formed to match it’s own particular aluminium pattern.

[GAW]

Fig- 62 - The Frame Clamp and resistance soldering carbon rod being used to melt the fragment of soft solder placed between the Frame and Plating.

[GAW]

Fig- 63 - Eleven new frames in place and the assembly moved though the Frame Assembly Jig.

[GAW]

Fig- 64 - The Comb Clamps used to hold the Frame set in position, while the tops of the Frames are cut to the required hight.  Each alternate Frame is fitted with two Deck beams that assist in keeping it’s shape after removing from the Frame Making jig. The other Frames, I have made extra long - high - and soft soldered a bar across the top, to help them stay in shape.  Once they have been attached to the Keel and the lower Plating, and the Stringers soldered in place - that is about to take place here, the surplus above the main deck level is removed.

 

As mentioned at the start of this project, when completed it will consist of three models of the Falls of Clyde.  The Half Model, that we have already seen - The centre section being covered here - and a fully rigged waterline model showing her in all her glory, as originally built, a light grey hull, topped in white  at the Forecastle and Poop, with the deck houses and detail painted white framed in mast colour - a dark sandy yellow. 

 

For those interested, this third model that I will cover here in due time, was stated a month ago, the first stages of which can for the next 4 weeks be seen on my web site, at ‘News & Comments’:

< http://www.wworkshop.net/Home_Page_/News%26_Comments.html >

 

For those who winced at all of the tool making required to build this model, the good news is that, other than using my standard model making workshop tools and machines, no new special purpose tooling have so far been required.  In fact I see none, excepting possibly one for tensioning the wire standing rigging, but having got this far with the rigging screws, although they lack threads, I do see a simple way of setting a tension on them. 

 

This is one of the main reasons for making a sample of the possible problem corners before starting on the model it’s self.  Once an item has been made and is sitting in front of you, it will show you a store of possibilities - or not, that cannot - for me at least - be seen with out making an example first.

[druxey]

Thanks for the link to your site, Gerald. Perhaps you could expound on scale turnbuckles when you have time - please!

[albert]

Hello Gerald your metal work is fantastic, bravissimo.

[GAW]

April 2017

Thank you both, your comments are appreciated - patients Druxey, all will be revealed in due time, I still need to prove to myself that they can be made to work, ie, can be tensioned, and for that I need the standing rigging  - we have a long way to go yet.

 

We will be jumping about a bit from time to time as to the sequence of operations and their description of the construction, as we are in this stage.  There are two reasons for this:

One -  Because it being a first time subject, and the first attempt at some of the particular problems were not always the best, and the second attempt is the one demonstrated and recommended.

Two - Because this is a staged model, four stages in all - the centre 20 frames, followed by an additional ten frames added to each end, and the fourth stage being the plating of the lot.  This being so, in some cases it can be better showing and describing a particular part in the second or third stage, rather than the first.

 

Fig- 65 -  With the set of frames assembled to the keel, and the comb clamps attached to the top of the frames, and all aligned as to the radius at the bottoms and sides of the frames, it was found that some slight adjustment was necessary to adjust the position of the deck beams to perfectly aline them, with those already in position.  This was a normal practice in the ship yards of the time, after all they were working and assembling enormous iron frames, that had been built up to match chalk marks on the loft floor, that had them selves been marked out from a  1/4” to the foot half model.  Having read that for the first time, I did not feel too bad, having to adjust a couple of mine.  In full size practice, these were all set out to the good eye of the yard foreman, slight adjustments to the frame shape to match it’s neighbours was dealt with by the use of a heavy sledge hammer in the appropriate place.

[GAW]

Fig- 66  - The slight adjustment of the deck beams here is accomplished by inserting a short length of aluminium bar, between the top of the beam and the underside of the comb clamp, and then applying heat to the soldered joint with the aid of the resistance soldering tip.  With care this can be so set that it will soften the solder sufficient to slide the end of the beam to the right position. and then eyeing the result so all line up correctly.  In full size practice the beam would have been held in place at each side with a couple of bolts, when the correct position was confirmed the riveting would have been completed.

[GAW]

Fig- 67 - Around the edge of the two decks are plates called stringers, on the tween deck, these are notched so that they fit around the frames.  This is very useful in the construction, as it is a positive location for the upper portion of the frames, when the comb clamps are removed. The plates are soldered to the tops of the tween deck beams.  Stringer plates are also fitted around the edge of the main deck, but as the frames do not extent above this, they sit on top of the frames and are soldered to the tops of the main deck beams.

[GAW]

Fig- 68 - A brass angle, provided with the required rivet heads is soft soldered to the out side edge of the main deck stringer plating, this being soldered  to the tops of the main deck beams.  The vertical portion of the angle is then soldered to the top plate of the hull plating called the Sheerstrake, but not at the top, but a double row of rived heads below the top.  The Sheerstrake plating connects - by rivets on the full size hull - each of the frames, to the main deck beams, via the Stringer Plates, and also to the Bulwarks above, hence the two rows of rivet heads above the Stringer Plate and angle.  On a riveted hull such as this, there are IN plates and OUT plates.  The Sheerstrake is an IN plate, meaning that it is riveted directly to the frames.  The one below and the Bulwarks above being OUT plates.  More on this later.

[druxey]

I'm relieved that you didn't use a sledgehammer to align those frames, Gerald! It's always a delight to read about your methods and processes and see the results. And yes, I'll be patient until you reach the turnbuckles.

[rwiederrich]

Fantastic work...coupled with insight and precision.  The thought that went into the fabrication of the tooling let alone the final structure is nothing short of impeccable.

 

Am I mistaken or did you say GAW, that this *version* is for testing procedure and is not the actual model?

 

Rob