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

[GAW]

May 2017

Yes Rob you are slightly mistaken, by that I mean that many of the processes and stages have had to be done a second time, as the first has not always worked out, as is my usual practice - still learning about model making, one should never stop - however the overall creation is still the same one, hopefully improving all the time.  My belief is that there are no such things as problems, what ever you are presented with is a series of answers, the tricky bit is finding the right one the first time.  Some time one can see it as plain as day, but other times one needs to tread slowly in that direction, before finding it is a dead end - which is why one should always tread with care.

[GAW]

Fig- 69 - Here we see the  Stringer plate in place on the Tween deck, together with an angle iron that would be riveted to that and each of the Frames.  Note on the main deck a second angle is riveted to the main deck Stringer plate, the gap between the two being the Scuppers, with the deck planking  butting against the other side.

[GAW]

Fig- 70 - the final nine frames for this project, each tagged and numbered, eight on the left and the ninth in the assembly jig ready to be soldered in place.

[GAW]

Fig- 71 - As each frame is soldered in place at the bottom the assembly is moved through the assembly jig, here the last has taken it’s place.  Forty frames in all was the aim of this project from Frame 40 to Frame 80.  This includes the Main and Mizzen Masts, Crew accommodation  and Galley, together with the Main Hatch and Bilge Pumps.

[GAW]

Fig- 72 - With the last Frames in place the Comb Clamps are attached to aline the tops of the frames, and make final adjustments to the deck beams where required, so that the deck Stringers can be soldered in place, thus now forming a single unit, that will hold it’s self together.

[druxey]

Lovely progress - but why stop now? Seriously, the model is a gem as is.

[GAW]

June 2017

Thank you Druxey, one has to stop somewhere, otherwise one would have a complete hull, and see nothing.  The aim of the project, is to show iron construction, and I considered the centre 40 frames ideal for this, as it encompasses the Main and Mizzen masts, a deck house and the pumps, together with sufficient of the structure to show how it all holds together.

[GAW]

Fig- 73 - I did mention some time back that if I were to build this again, then I would not start in the centre, but at one end and work out from there.  It is at this stage that we see the reason why.  Iron construction, consists of joining lengths of iron together, be it plate, bulb iron or angle iron, the lengths, other than for plate, being of about 40 feet long.  The practice is that there is a minimum distance between these butt joins, in the main it is the distance of two frames, or 4 feet, scale size half an inch. 

 

With the Middle Line Keelson we have on the Falls of Clyde, made up of 4 lengths of angle iron, a centre plate, and a top plate, called a rider plate, each being for the angle irons 40 foot lengths, that of the plates, probably 20 foot long, and each section butt jointed together. However  each joint being 4 feet from the next, as no two joints should be opposite each other, one can see a slight complexity becoming apparent.  Add to this the fact that I started with the centre twenty Frames, which amount to 40 feet, then adding a further 10 Frames - 20 feet - to each end, it would have needed some planning had I thought of it at the start.  However my concern was to get the Frames together, so a short length of Keelson was made up to do just that, then when all 40 Frames were in place, I remove this to make up the full length. As also with the Side Keelson and the Stringers.

The parts are first tinned, then assembled on the Live Soldering Table, and heated with the Carbon Rod soldering unit to make the joints.

[GAW]

Fig- 74 -The Side Keelsons are made up from two lengths of angle iron, riveted to the tops of the frames, and in between these are riveted a series of plates called Intercoastal Plates. I have used licence here, in that I have made them as a single length cut to match the Frames, egg-box fashion, as it was a very convenient way of spacing the frames at the start.  Short sections are now added to complete the assembly, the original brass angles being removed and replaced with longer ones butt joined to match the standard practice.

In full size practice the Intercoastal Plates, would have had short lengths of angle iron cut for riveting them to the Frames on both sides and the ships plating at the bottom, so making a very strong assembly.  As it was impossible to solder these in place, they were not fitted, also they would not have been seen in the finished model.

[GAW]

Fig- 75 - Here can be seen the benefit of the Carbon Rod soldering unit at work, as against the end bit of the modified soldering iron.  With this unit only the very tip is heated and that for the split second necessary to make the previously tinned joint.  It was improved still further at a later stage by making a simple tube of paper, to slip over the exposed part of the rod to insulate it from the rest of the model.

Even with the modified soldering iron bit, it took forever to heat up, and was very cumbersome in such a confined space, with always the possibility of heating and unseating other parts in the process. 

At each point where a longitudinal member, crosses a Frame, a small length of angle iron is riveted to the frame, so the cross member can be held in place by 4 rivets to each frame.  These, it may be remembered were soldered in place while the Frames were being individually made up (Fig-41)

[GAW]

Fig- 76 - The Keelson, Side Keelsons and Bilge Keelsons in place, ready for the side Stringers to be assembled.

[reklein]

This is the first I've looked in on this thread. I'm GOBSMACKED ! !. Incomparable modeling. You've take model building to a new height. Can't say enough. Thank you for your contribution.

[GAW]

Thank you Bill for your generous comments, welcome aboard, hope you enjoy the rest of the trip.

[GAW]

July 2017

Fig- 77- The side Stringers, two on each side, are each formed from two lengths of angle iron riveted together, and run the whole length of the ship.  For the model these have all been run though the modified Single Rivet Head Maker (SRHM) see Fig-39, so that the rivets line up with the Frames. With double angle iron for the Stringer, and an additional short length of angle iron riveted to the side of each Frame where the Stringer crosses it, the connection provides for four rivets at each point.  To assist in the location of the Stringer in the model, a short length of aluminium sheet is cut to represent the spacing and laid against the Bilge Keelson, while soldering the Stringer in place.  Another is used against this to locate the second Stringer higher up the side of the hull until it is soldered in place using the carbon rod resistance soldering unit.

[GAW]

Fig- 78 - This is the inside of the Falls of Clyde hull - and shows the very good condition that she is in for the best part of her, being then, when I took the photos 130 year of age.  At ‘A’ we can see the Stringer passing over a Frame, and the additional short bracket riveted to the back of the Frame and to the Stringer.

At ‘B’ we see a joint on the lower of the two angle iron sections that form the Stringer.  Note that you can actually see then end of the angle iron, this indicates that the joint is ‘Joggled’.  I used licence at this point and made my joints as end to end or Butt joints,  the reason being the making of yet another tool to form the Joggle, on something that on the model, will be next to impossible to see.  However one can see why the Joggle joints was used, even though in the ship yard it made for much additional work.  A Joggle is where the - in this case - the lower angle is double bent to ride over the one that it is to be jointed to.  Thus the rivet here passes through three thicknesses of angle iron to form a solid structure.  With a Butt joint the strength of the joint would be just that of the upper angle iron, for the lower one would be brocken.

In later steel built ships the frames were put thought large machines to Joggle them to accomodate, the Out Plating, as would be the case at ‘C’.  However as we will see at a later stage, and can be seen here, a narrow strip of iron plate is used as a filler piece to accomodate the Out plate, thus giving a firm foundation for riveting the Frame to the Plating, but more on that when we get to the plating.

[GAW]

Fig- 79 - The Hull section with all of the longitudinal members in place.  Here we can see the newly fitted side Stringers, the 4 rivet heads and the additional bracket at each junction of Frame and Stringer.  Having viewed it again now, I can see that I forgot to remove the corners of each of those brackets, however with the plating in place, these are all but invisible, one can forever improves one's work.   These are the brackets that can be seen in Fig-40, in front of Jock the Riveter, together with the Guillotine that produced them.

[GAW]

Fig- 80 - We move now to the deck Stringers and plating.  As can be seen the centre 20 Frames have already been linked together with the cross Stingers, so we are dealing with  just the Stringers for the 10 Frames at each end. In this way one can see what is being done, and how it is at the same time.  Here we see the two plates - actually one with an engraved line across and a hole in the centre - that forms the area where the Main Mast passes through the tween deck.  Again aluminium plates are used to exactly locate the brass plate for soft soldering to the Deck beams.

In all of  my writings, be it on the car miniatures or the ships, my aim is not to show how to build this or that subject, but to show the techniques that can be used to build any subject, hence moving along a seemingly half built model, rather than going from A to Z, which would mean a great deal of rapidity in the writing.

[druxey]

Very informative photo of the hull construction of the prototype, Gerald. I assume that it is the subject that is 130 years old, not the photographer! The model looks terrific.

[GAW]

Not yet Druxey, but at 83 this year, I am well on the way - and it is my aim - always good to have an aim in life.

[druxey]

And long may you have good health, Gerald!

[GAW]

Aug 2017

 

Fig-81 - Here we see the split plates from the tween deck of the Falls of Clyde, although this is actually the underside of the main deck where the Mizzen Mast passes through.  The plates rest on the beams and are riveted to them.  Note the cross Stringers that also cross the deck beams and are riveted to them also, but are butted up to the Mast plates and provided with plates on the underside to join all the parts together.

[GAW]

Fig-82 - The tween deck cross stringers cut and placed ready for soldering to the deck beams, a tiny sliver of soft solder being placed under each, between the beam and stringer for the purpose.  On the white card can be seen two of the many short sections of cut plate, provided with rivet heads on one side, and tinned with soft solder on the other.  These are used where ever the stringers meet to rivet them together.  Note that there are not only cross stringers, but longitudinal stringers at the Bulwarks, plus two others running the full length of the hull on the tween deck, that join together the deck beams.  Where ever stingers meet, they are butt jointed together, with riveted plates on the underside.  On the main deck there are four of these longitudinal stringers riveted to the main deck beams running down the centre.

[GAW]

Fig-83 - The resistance soldering unit, carbon rod being used to heat one of the many stringer joints on the tween deck.  A paper tube wrapped around the carbon rod was found very effective in preventing unwanted contact between the carbon rod the main deck beams.

[GAW]

Fig-84 - The tween deck cross stringers in place

[GAW]

For those who found the special tools that I created for this project of interest - shown in the early stages - than you may also find of interest where the original cam design came from that was used in several of them.  If so check out this months (August) contribution to my web site,   < www.wworkshop.net >   under ‘News and Comments’ & ‘Current Project’ to reveal all.

[GAW]

September 2017

 

Fig-85 - I have  put white card over the tween deck Frames and Stringer, to better show the current work in progress on the main deck. Here we see assembled upside down the Stringer set for the Main Deck, and the riveted plates that hold it all together.  Where Stringers pass over a Deck Beam, they are riveted to it.  Where they butt up against another Stringer crossing it’s path, they are joined together with riveted plates on the underside.

[GAW]

Fig-86- The Stringers have now been put into their rightful places, and where crossing a Deck Beam, have had a thin sliver of soft solder placed between them and bonded together with the aid of the resistance soldering unit - the carbon rod heating tip.  To attach the riveted plates to the underside of the butting Stringers I have made use of a former dental tool, with a flat end set at an angle.  Onto the flat I have placed the joining plate with the rivet heads on the under side, the top side having placed on it a tiny sliver of soft solder.  With this placed under the joint, and the top heated with the carbon rod, the joint is made.  Note the tiny slivers of soft solder on the white card, together with a length of the rivet headed brass strip for the jointing plates.

[GAW]

Fig-87- Heating with the carbon rod resistance soldering unit.  This is switched on by a foot switch, so both hands are free to hold and manipulate the parts.  The unit is also provided with a control to vary the temperature, depending on the thickness of the materials being soldered.  The unit is invaluable for this type of work, where a normal soldering iron would be worst than useless, as the finish requires that no solder should be visible at the soldered joint.

[GAW]

Fig-88- The Falls of Clyde main deck Stringers as seen from below.  Note that although the Deck Planking sites on top of the Beams, it is recessed as it passes over the Stringers - a lot of work for the carpenters of the time.

[rwiederrich]

Your work is considerably amazing.....to what they fabricated.

 

Fantastic work as usual.

 

Rob