USS CAIRO by Gerhardvienna - RADIO - live steam

[johnhoward]

Gerhard,

I don't know if you have seen them but the battery powered flickering candles provide the perfect effect for kerosene lamps. We had planned to use them but our museum doesn't want any power in their cases. Too Bad!

 

johnhoward

[Gerhardvienna]

Johnhoward

I think I have some of those candles somwhere in my storages, must search for them. But they are not expensive, if I dont find them I`ll order some

Good hint, Thank you!

 

Regards

Gerhard

[Gerhardvienna]

Worked a bit on the core for the cutters, and painted the skylights with flat black. Looks a bit better than the brown colour, thanks for giving some advise go to @johnhoward

Regards, Thank you all for watching!

Gerhard

[cog]

You are creating some fine details, Gerhard. Will you paint the insides flat black too?

[Gerhardvienna]

6 hours ago, cog said:

You are creating some fine details, Gerhard. Will you paint the insides flat black too?

Hi Carl

Thank you! And many thanks to all interested for watching in & likes!

The insides will be whitewashed, as all inside walls will. Engines and boiler parts will be blackened, as the original parts were. I HOPE, I can make the boilers as the 5 tube boiler that was there, but must calculate how much water volume they will have, and build a feeding pump to them for longer driving!

Still grinding the core for the cutters at the time, no grinding machine in my shop, so I have to do it all by hands only!

 

Regards

Gerhard

[Gerhardvienna]

Last days were busy for family things, but a bit has gone on too. First I had to play the @dafi and break out the former glued in floor in the engine room, and replace it with the curved part to the paddlewheel.

 

The former version with the floor

The new curved parts, all unnecessary beams will be cut away after planking the hull!

 

Next was the larger carriages I made "far ago". They were painted flat black. I have read the johnhoward file, but decided to let it with only two different carriages for the great guns.

 

And then there was the core for the cutters. This is hard work, grinding it by hand, but the shape comes out slowly !

Best regards, thank you all for watching!

Gerhard

 

 

 

 

[cog]

One of the nice things about wood, is the possibility to correct one's mistakes without a lot of fuss. Nice recuperation, Gerhard. That plug will cost you some sweat, sanding it by hand ...

[Gerhardvienna]

Hi Carl

 

Most of the sanding is done, just a few milimeters still left. Took me about 20 hours to get that far.............

Beneath that I work on the PC for the engine, there is a lot of planing work to make. Everything must fit well to the hull, so I will have to make some sort of dummy engine for testing, and when all fits well then the real thing.

 

Regards

Gerhard

[cog]

I suppose you could print the engine, if your 3D printer is up to the task ...

[Gerhardvienna]

6 hours ago, cog said:

I suppose you could print the engine, if your 3D printer is up to the task ...

Hi Carl

This would not be good for a life steam engine. Too much heat, I will have to mek the engine from brass. And, my printer will not be ready for the dummy engine, lots of parts are ordered in China, as I will make the printer from "scratch" too! Maybe I`ll have another building report about that.

 

Regards

Gerhard

[cog]

I meant for the dummy enigne, but that will take to long. Try balsa, easily shaped ...

[Gerhardvienna]

6 hours ago, cog said:

I meant for the dummy enigne, but that will take to long. Try balsa, easily shaped ...

And first of all some good drawings....................

Just working on them!

 

Regards

Gerhard

[Gerhardvienna]

While the sanding for the cutters core I made some drawing work for the engine and paddlewheel compartment. The timbers will be made from 5 x 5mm pinewood, and they will be slotted as we have seen on the photos in eric´s (@cathead) thread https://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/15945-designing-a-model-of-the-1856-missouri-river-steamboat-arabia/#comment-498868 , and on the pictures from the Cairo museum too. The attached photo shows how the timbers will be laid, but without the slots.

 

Regards

Gerhard

 

[BANYAN]

Nice build Gerhard, I have been following a long for a while but not commenting - just enjoying

 

cheers

 

Pat

[Gerhardvienna]

Hi Pat

 

Thank you for your nice comment!

A bit more to enjoy.....

The floor to the engine room is set in again, now from 1mm plywood. This is just thefirst layer of the floor, another layer from 2mm plywood will follow with the engine. And the engine stands are in progress, while I`m still waiting for much more wood and other materials for the Cairo.

The floor in the engine room

 

Beginning of the engine stands. The gaps between the timbers will be filled with small pieces from wood, so the stands will hopefully look like the original ones.

 

Regards, and many thanks for watching & nice likes

Gerhard

 

 

[popeye the sailor]

nice progress Gerhard  

[Gerhardvienna]

42 minutes ago, popeye the sailor said:

nice progress Gerhard  

Hi popeye

Thank you!

The hardest part is still to come, the long timber on the front must be set to the "wall". This is not too easy, every second timber must be cut in, to make good contact between the parts. Currently I`m working on filling tha gaps, and then comes the long diagonal piece.

 

Regards

Gerhard 

[johnhoward]

Gerhard,

I have been contacted by a member of the Missouri Historical Society here in St. Louis who is traveling to Vicksburg this coming weekend and has offered to take any specific photos at the USS Cairo museum that we may desire. I have asked for a close-up of the 12-pdr on the hurricane deck of the USS Cairo mural that we previously discussed and a few other items we need.

If you have any other photo requests, I will be glad to forward them as well.

 

Regards,

johnhoward

[Gerhardvienna]

5 minutes ago, johnhoward said:

Gerhard,

I have been contacted by a member of the Missouri Historical Society here in St. Louis who is traveling to Vicksburg this coming weekend and has offered to take any specific photos at the USS Cairo museum that we may desire. I have asked for a close-up of the 12-pdr on the hurricane deck of the USS Cairo mural that we previously discussed and a few other items we need.

If you have any other photo requests, I will be glad to forward them as well.

 

Regards,

johnhoward

Hi johnhoward

 

WELL; there are some more pics needed, the different engine parts, all the levers and engine steering parts are not shown good in the "official" photos, but I `m not sure if there is a way to come close enough to the engine. Even some details from the pitman arms and their hinges to the engine sliders and the crank will be important for the build. I`ve saved a lot of photos from different resources, but there is nothing specific about that. Thanks in advance to your assiciate!

Later today I will come up with new photos from my build, the engine stands will be ready for building them into the hull as I hope.

 

Regards

Gerhard

[BANYAN]

You have made some great progress while I have been away on holiday Gerhard; nice work.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[Gerhardvienna]

2 hours ago, BANYAN said:

You have made some great progress while I have been away on holiday Gerhard; nice work.

 

cheers

 

Pat

Hi Pat

 

Thank you!

 

The last days I was working on the engine stands, all made from 5 x 5 mm pinewood. The finished part is the starboard stand, the begun one goes to portside.

Some fittings need to be made, this will be the next step.

 

Regards, and many thanks for your comments, critics and likes!

Gerhard

[johnhoward]

Thanks Gerhard,

I've forwarded your requests for engine detail photos and we should see the results by Monday.

 

johnhoward

[Cathead]

I'll be at a family memorial service near Vicksburg in August, and was hoping to swing by and visit Cairo then if I can find the time. If you still end up needing any additional photos then, I'd be happy to try. Your cylinder timbers look very nice.

[Gerhardvienna]

Hi Eric

 

Thank you, the second stand is done, now I`ll start planking the hull, and glue some extra needed parts for the engine and boiler mounting in. Photos will follow, when I´m at work with it. Thank you for your kind offer, every detail photo will help for the build. I MUST come to the US and visit Vicksburg some day......................

But there are only "no smoking" seats in the planes

 

Regards

Gerhard

[Gerhardvienna]

Sorry for beeing late, last days were full with working for my family, lots of things to do. But there was some time for the Cairo too, so I could finish the engine stands, and started to plank the hull with 1mm plywood on the outside bottom. Not too much progress, but even better than nothing.................

Here comes the photos:

Both engine stands, some milling work will be needed still.

 

the forst piece of plywood sheet is set to the bottom, now the full bottom is closed without the rear section

 

Hopefully I will have more time the next days, so there can be more progress!

 

Thank for stumbling in, comments and likes too!

Regards

Gerhard

 

[BANYAN]

Any update is a good update Gerhard - and family should always be first priority.  look forward to your next update.

 

cheers 

 

Pat

[popeye the sailor]

second here on the family.......your mak'in some good progress though  

[Gerhardvienna]

1 hour ago, popeye the sailor said:

second here on the family.......your mak'in some good progress though  

Hi Popeye, Thank you1

 

I`m tryin hard, much more to come next days. Momentarily I`m working on some inner structures to fit the whole drivetrain. Pics will come soon!

 

Regards

Gerhard

[Gerhardvienna]

Engine stands are set in, but not glued at the time. Before glueing all the parts I must make some smaller changes to the engine timbers, not too much, but a bit of milling or grinding will be needed to fit the brass parts to the timbers. Just waiting for the photos from johnhowards associate to build all the parts in scale, or as close as possible. Then a bit of turning/milling/soldering/cutting...... will take place!

 

 

Regards, and thank you all for watching

Gerhard

[BANYAN]

You're making great progress Gerhard

 

cheers

 

Pat