Hr. Ms. O 19 1938 by Piet - FINISHED - scale 1:50 - submarine of the Royal Navy Netherlands in service 1939 - 1945

[Piet]

Hi Michael, thanks for dropping in and your comment, much appreciated.  Instead of diluted white glue I sprayed poly urethane on the fabric to seal the cotton and make it a little stiff.  The acrylic paint I used adheres very nicely to it.  I may have overdone it with the poly urethane though, it could have sufficed with one coat.

The real problem is the coarseness of the weave.  If I pile up the paint to fill the small openings between the threads then the flag becomes as stiff as a board and difficult to mold into a wind blown flag.  

If I'm sticking with cloth then I need a much finer weave that is also very thin.  Jan and Mark gave me some ideas and I'll check with Doris as well.

 

I'm so thrilled and happy for you with your beautiful boat, what a joy it must be.

 

Cheers, 

[popeye the sailor]

I tried my hand at embossing sail cloth.  made up the design with the decal maker program {size,  color,  etc}  and ran the cloth through the printer.  perhaps you can create the flags with paint shop and do the same thing.

 

http://wenzelswharftips.wordpress.com/2014/04/29/embossing-sails-part-1/

[Piet]

Thanks Popeye for your input.  Me and Paint shop?  I'm an airplane guy, not a complicated computer program operator      

Yes, I have a very early version of the cheapy paint shop version but never even tried using it.  When i find that very fine weave cloth would I attach it to paper first to prevent the cloth from going every which way?  Would my HP inkjet work?

 

I just went through Doris' Royal Caroline and she has a friend print the flag on a lazer printer on very fine cloth.  She stiffens it with a spray poly.  That's the look I'm after.

Hand painting is possible.  I have done some very fine painting with tempera and oil paints but that was on paper and stiff artist canvas.  

 

I can try to use my printer if the fabric won't give me a problem.

 

Thank you for looking in and your help.  All you guys are just a great bunch.

 

Cheers, 

[SawdustDave]

Been so deeply involved with my little project (thanks for your many visits), it took me a while to catch up from my last visit Piet.

Totally blown away here. Your log is absolutely captivating. You are such a gifted story teller, along with your amazing skills as an artist. I'm thinking it will be a day of celebration, mixed with sadness when you make your final posting and declare the O 19 done.

Along with your many friends I salute your excellence.

 

Dave

[Remcohe]

Piet, regarding the flags I've been thinking. I never tried it but what about really thin plastic card, <0.01", shape it into form and then stick some decals to it. With the decal paper you still have you could make some red and blue stripes (first paint then cut to size). 

 

Remco

[Piet]

Hi Dave, thank you for your most kind words, you make me blush   

Yup, I know that you have been very bust with your magnificent Halve Maen.  I love the little tutorials you add and I shiver with you and taking a deep breath drilling a hole into the deck for the bowsprit.  There are times when fear has to make way to finally doing it.

Yeah, I guess I am a gabber and like to add some extra dialog to the build, it livens it up a little, rather then just telling folks what you have done.

 

Hoi Remco, don't you know that thinking can be dangerous????     Hmmmm, plastic card or brass shim - - - both could work with decals or paint directly to them.  Your paper idea also has merit.  I can also paint directly on the paper with gouache or acrylic paint.  It's also easier to mask off the lines.  When the gouache is dry the paper can be wetted and shaped.  It's worth a try but like I mentioned before, I'm not in a real big hurry.

 

I'll keep yuns posted and cheers, 

[jud]

I'm thinking it will be a day of celebration, mixed with sadness when you make your final posting and declare the O 19 done.

Piet; Don't think that day will come, this is a project that will be with you a long time yet, as it should be. May slow down a bit or even rest a few years while you build something else. The thinking about making improvements probably will never stop. Have you thought about a spring, sear and trigger as part of a launch mechanism for your torpedo tubes? Perhaps some improvements under the Mines so you can drop one as a demonstration, the possibilities are endless. Hope your enjoyment of this labor of love continues for a long time.

jud

[Piet]

Hey Jud, so good seeing you here again in my shipyard.  Thank you for your thoughts and reminding me of the inevitable, the completion of this build.  But sooner or later I'll have to call it - - done.  Yeah, perhaps with a sense of sadness but I hope with the feeling of an accomplishment to finally have done something tangible to remember and honor my father by.

Well, I guess that yes, there are several areas I could still play with, such as the mine depositing rigging but that may never take place.  If I had set out to make that happen I would certainly have planned that from the outset but as I have mentioned so often in my posts, the original plan was just a static model exterior of a smaller scale without anything workable.  It kinda got a life of its own and grew to a scale of 1:50 and then the why nots, like a workable anchor, AA guns, a deck gun, retractable periscopes, workable doors in the con.  If I had planned it i could have made the rudder and dive planes workable but alas, this must be good enough.  

 

There is still the dingy to be made and a few crew members, including my father topside on the bridge.  

 

She'll be displayed in my studio and passed on to our grandson Troy.

 

Cheers,

[Piet]

Hello everyone, and my thanks to all who visited and clicked the like button, it means a lot to me.

 

This morning was taken up with yacking with the landscaper who was to trim my crape myrtle trees in the front yard and trim a bunch of other bushes.  Gwen didn't like to see me on a wobbly ladder with a chainsaw.  Then I did some more research on natural healing for cancer, lyme disease and bone infections.  Yes, there are at least two methods.   A good friend of ours has severe diabetes and hardly any circulation in his legs and he has now an infection in the bone.  The prescribed anti-biotics don't work.  I just like to help people be healed naturally without devastating drugs.

 

After lunch though I could venture back into the garage and work on the railing stanchions.  I cut 2 mm lengths of the 1 mm brass tubing to solder into the fish mouths on top of the stanchions.  I was only able to complete 10 out of the 60 stanchions.  This'll be a long project but it's a fun job.  I'm actually quite anxious to see how it'll look.  Strange idea having a railing on a submarine.  No wonder these things were so slow under water.  At the refit in Scotland in 1943 they removed the railing altogether and also the torpedo loading gantries.  They gave the boat a portable loading crane they could stick onto a fixture on the deck.  I don't know how much it increased the submerged speed.

Oh yeah, I need to make a note to provide a place for the boarding ladder!  Yup, there was one that could be attached to a receptacle on the deck.  It's located on the forward part where the deck gun is.  You'l see it when I get to it.  Hey Jud, talking about more stuff to be added 

 

Okay, I did make two pics for my archive and post them below.

 

This shows a completed stanchion with a # 11 blade for scale.  The railing cable will be strung through the hole in the top.  I guess I could have just drilled a hole through the tube but this looks more "professional" and finished.  Why do it the easy way if a more difficult and time consuming way is also possible 

 

Here I have stuck the stanchion to the deck.  Evening out the lengths of the stanchions above the deck will come when I have all of them made.  I may even try to tap the small top tubes oval.

 

Cheers,

[amateur]

Hi David,

 

I think your post landed in the wrong log.. There is no kit to be seen here for miles around.

 

Hi PIet, I was already wondering where those fish-mouth ends would come in. Now I understand.... You don't leave any detailed unmodelled

 

Jan

[SawdustDave]

Now THAT'S Some really cool stanchions my friend. Why would we have expected any less from you?

 

Dave

[Piet]

I was unable to do any work on the O19 today.  Had to get on the roof of my house and clean the gutters.  I have neglected that job for too long and Gwen was threatening hiring a guy to do it.  Yuns lnow what that means?  Big bucks!  And me being an old Dutchman (CHEAP) I could not see paying someone any of my hard earned money  

 

Thanks to all who visited and clicked like.  

 

Hi Brian, and thanks for your compliment.

 

Hoi Jan, fish mouths eh?  I guess I failed to add an explanation what they are and what for, but you figured it out allright   And thanks for your compliment, much appreciated.  I just didn't want to drill all those tiny holes into 60 tubes and it wouldn't look right.  i could have also made eye bolts but then I still would have to drill the same hols.  I think this was the best solution, it looks neat and is functional and makes for a strong solder joint.

 

Yup, when welding a round tube to another round tube you'd want half tube diameter contact and as close as possible contact with all surfaces for the weld.  A 90 degree joint is easiest to do.  In my career as an aircraft mechanic I had to repair quite a few steel tube frame aircraft.  For just a few welds I hand filed these fish mouth joints but when I was building my own airplane I made jigs for the several angled joints.  

I took a steel block and drilled holes into it at the desired angles to the tube size.  Shove a tube into one hole and a hole saw of the tube size into the other and let her rip.  Always accurate joints.  Some cluster joints could have 8 tubes coming together.  That makes for a rather interesting weld job, especially jigging it all up.

The welding was done oxy-acetylene, much better control on penetration.  Oh, yes, we had to demonstrate to the Fed inspector by cutting through a test joint.  Then with another test joint a destructive test with a sledge hammer before approval.  We have to use a "neutral" flame other wise there will be problems with the weld.  Too much acetylene adds too much carbon into the weld making it brittle and too much oxy burns the weld.  You'll know by looking at the flame whether you have a neutral flame.

 

Hey Dave, thanks for dropping in, it's always a pleasure seeing you here.  It's a pleasure seeing all of my friends here.  Thank you for your complements Dave.  It's a rather tedious job and believe me also time consuming.  

 

Cheers,

 

[pete48]

Incredible Piet, The detail work is amazing . Your sub sure looks fantastic

 

Best Regards,

Pete

[Piet]

Hello Pete and thank you for the compliment.  But look who's talking about amazing detail.  Have you looked lately at your Volvo racer 

Yeah, she's slowly taking shape but we are still a way off being finished.

 

Hi Joe and thank you as well for your compliments, appreciate it very much.  Well - - yeah - - a little extra dialog about the how never hurts.  I appreciate your vitis and enjoying by build and banter 

 

Cheers,

[Piet]

Thank you all for visiting and your likes.

 

Today, or at least this morning, I could spend some time in the shipyard.  I managed to put the caps on 30 stanchions and started to make the diagonal braces for three of them,  The most forward and aft stanchions need just one.  Then the stanchion even with the forward edge of the con, about midship, needs a double brace, one facing forward and the other aft.  That's the stanchion where the railing cable is tightened with turnbuckles.  I'll have to simulate the turnbuckles with some pieces of tiny brass of tubing.

 

There is some progress folks but we're getting there.

 

I attached the diagonal brace to the most forward stanchion as well and prepped the one with the double braces.  It is ready to be soldered, perhaps tomorrow afternoon????  If not then Sunday will do just fine.  

 

Gwen needs to go to the surgical clinic for her carpel tunnel cleaning operation in the morning and won't be home till about 13:00 hours.  Looks like we'll have a late lunch.

 

Here we have the most forward stanchion with its diagonal brace facing forward, of course.  That's the stanchion where the railing cable is hooked to and tightened amidship with a turnbuckle.  I was pondering whether to put the stanchion 90 degrees to the deck or to the waterline.  I think that 90 degrees to the deck would look better.  Right now they are all just stuck into the holes.  They all have to be set at 25 mm above the deck and then secured with two part epoxy cement.

 

Cheers,

 

 

 

[Piet]

Thanks everyone for dropping in and your likes!!

 

Before taking Gwen to the surgery center for her carpel tunnel ops I could spend a few hours in the shipyard. 

btw, we came home about 15:00 hours and she came through with flying colors.

 

I soldered on the diagonal; braces for the midship railing stanchion and the aft most railing stanchion.

 

Hopefully I can finish the port side railing Sunday or Monday.  I have an idea on the railing cable and see if that works out   

 

Here are a few pics.

 

This is the midship rail stanchion where the cable tensioning takes place.  Between it and the one just forward of it will be the removable boarding ladder.  I still have to make it, another one of those "oh, I almost forgot" things.  I'm glad all yuns help reminding me 

 

This is the most aft railing stanchion with it's diagonal brace.

 

Cheers,

 

 

 

[pete48]

Hi Piet, What can I say my Freind , Simply incredible, I am glad to hear all is well with Gwen.

 

Best Regards,

Pete

[mtaylor]

Nice work on the stanchions.  I too, am happy to hear the surgery went well.

[Piet]

Thank you all for your kind words and comments.  Gwen's doing great, she took the bandage off, against doctor's orders, because they were too tight and even rubbed a blister between thumb and index finger.  I helped putting another bandage on the wound so she can let the blister heal and have some freedom of movement.

 

Hi Joe, well, the railing was part of the original build when my father served on her from 1938 till January 1941.  It looks strange having a railing on a submarine but when we consider that in those days they were still considered primarily surface vessels that could submerge for a short period of time.  Most of the time they would be on the surface and needed a railing to protect the crew from washing overboard.

 

Hello Pete, thanks you and thank you.

 

Hi Mark,  thank you and thank you.

 

Cheers,

[Piet]

Hello all, again, and thanks to those who dropped in and clicked like.

 

I redid the main midship stanchion because it was not quite right and set all of them on the port side to 25 mm above deck.  Most are pretty close to 90 degrees to the deck but the final adjustments will be made after they are all cemented in with two part epoxy.

 

After I mowed that backyard and lunch I proceeded to cement them all in place and while I waited for the cement to cure I made the railing cable. Instead of a solid rod or wire for the railing handhold I tried something else.  I would think that they had used a twisted steel cable so I wanted to simulate that.  I took two lengths 0.2 mm brass wire, the total length of the railing plus some extra and twisted them together. I used my aircraft safety-wire twisting tool and it was done in no time flat.  Then also pulled the twisted wire to stretch it and harden it some.  That way it's nice and stiff.  

 

Now it looks more like 7 X 7 steel cable.  It passed through the stanchion tops real fine, without a hitch.  I also put a few small pieced of tubing on the cable where the tension turnbuckles would be.  These may not show up on the photos but they are there. 

 

This finishes the port side railing.  I still need to make the boarding ladder but that one can go either side, it's removable and most likely stowed in the lower part of the con or below deck.

 

Well, now on the starboard side. I have already rotated the build board but first I need to solder all the small top tube pieces to the stanchion posts.  Tomorrow, I hope.

 

Okay, here are a few pics from my archive.  I think they are self explanatory.

 

 

I removed the deck gun, it was in the way and I see one stanchion popped up a little.  Hmmm, now is the question 'how to fix it without doing any damage.

 

 

 

 

 

Here you can see the two small pieces of brass tube to simulate the turnbuckles.  There is one at the most forward and most aft stanchion s well.

 

 

 

Cheers,

[mtaylor]

Piet,

 

I was thinking you would use thread... but here you are using the safety wire pliers and brass wire.   You just amaze me, sir. 

[Omega1234]

Hi Piet.  Masterful work as always!  It doesn't take much imagination to visualise your model underway, sailing off into the sunset.  

 

I'm unsure if you've already explained earlier, but can you pls explain the purpose of the sawtoothed edges on the bow?

 

Cheers and all the best.

Edited September 15, 2014 by Omega1234

[Piet]

Hi Mark, you know, thread never came up in my mind.  I have only been thinking about brass rod or wire.  Reason is, I guess, that originally steel cable or rod was used so I wanted to stick with metal.  It turned out to be just shy of 0.4 mm which works out to be a little less than 20 mm in diameter.  Perhaps a little big for my scale but we need to keep the crew safe  

 

Hello Joe, and thanks again.  Yeah, the "cable" is nice and tight, no sagging.  Will probably paint it dark grey.  The stanchions will be light grey.

 

Hi Omega, thank you for your kind words, much appreciated.  Ah yes, I do imagine that all the time.  As a matter of fact, there are several images floating in my mind for a painting of the O19.  I don't know yet what I'll choose.  There may be a few I'll sketch out.

re the sawtoothed gizmos, and not only on the bow but also the trim plane guards at the bow and the dive plane fixtures at the stern.  Yes, this was explained when I made them and put them on the boat.  That was a long time ago, somewhere midway or earlier.  

They are primarily net cutters to cut through harbor protection netting.  There is also a possibility that they could cut mine cables but I won't swear to it.  Snagging a mine cable, hmmmm, you could run the chance of dragging the mine to the boat and that could ruin the rest of the day for the crew. 

 

Cheers,

[Omega1234]

Thanks, Piet, for the explanation.  Makes sense, now.  With the stanchions and the sawtoothed gizmos, and everything that's hanging off the hull, I totally understand why you said that these were slow underwater.  The drag that they must've created would have been extremely high.  Any idea what the top underwater speed was?  Pretty slow, I'd imagine?

[WackoWolf]

WOW. She is beautiful, excellent detail every where. I love it. Thank you for sharing this with us, keep the pictures coming.

[ianmajor]

Piet,

 

Your comment on the photos "I think they are self explanatory" is absolutely right. The quality of workmanship speaks volumes for itself.

 

I was looking at the photos of your model alongside those of the original. I couldn't resist the urge to take one of your colour photos and convert it to sepia. It produced a really moody result. With a little darkening of the image and the replacement of the workshop items with something more suitable you are getting very close to the image of the original. (Hope you don't mind my doing this. ) 

 

[amateur]

Hi Piet,

 

It's a fantastic model. The railing adds to the realistic appearance, especially whuile you took no shortcuts in the top ends of the stanchions.

You disappointed us (well, some of us, and only a little) by just simulating turnbuckles.

 

Jan

[Jim Lad]

Just catching up, Piet.  She just keeps looking better and better.

 

John

[SawdustDave]

Piet my friend, I thought you might enjoy this photo I took this weekend while attending Wilmington's Annual North/South Carolina Submarine Races.

This action shot was taken from the deck of the battleship USS North Carolina as they crossed the finish line.

Very intense huh?

 

I can get you and all of our friends tickets to next year's event.

Edited September 15, 2014 by SawdustDave

[mtaylor]

Piet my friend, I thought you might enjoy this photo I took this weekend while attending Wilmington's Annual North/South Carolina Submarine Races.

This action shot was taken as they crossed the finish line.

Very intense huh?

 

 

I can get you and all of our friends tickets to next year's event.