Restoration of Bassett Lowke "Albertic" by michael mott - FINISHED - Scale 1:100

[michael mott]

1 hour ago, druxey said:

I'd be inclined to show the correct house flag and ensign rather than the presumed replacements. Otherwise you'll continue to confuse future folk looking at the model!

Druxey that makes sense.

As the ship is depicted in a static mode and the Albertic, and not the Ohio coming into a specific country. It would seem correct then to show the white star house flag at the masthead of the aft mast and the red ensign on the stern post.

 

I would be comfortable doing that.

 

Michael

[Jim Lad]

Red ensign would be the best bet unless there is specific information about White Star and the Naval Reserve, Michael.

 

John

[michael mott]

Thanks John.

 

Michael

[Mark Pearse]

Real silk is destroyed by UV light, it will literally fall apart - as you found. 

 

[michael mott]

Mark thank you for your comment and for the visit, I am waiting for the Silkspan which I understand will not fall apart when treated with the acrylic medium.

 

Michael

[bensid54]

I realize this repair is way out of my league but I do have a suggestion that someone likely mentioned. Bolt the display to the table and bolt the table to the floor, that's it that's my two bits worth now I'll sit quietly and watch the progress.

[michael mott]

Hello Ben

I have recommended to the client that they display the Model in a way that prevents the patrons from being able to move the cabinetry in any way.

 

Michael

[SJSoane]

Hi Michael,

 

I don't know, if the patrons could tip it again, you could stay working on this for a long time to come!🙂

 

Mark

[bensid54]

For me overkill is best with something like that beauty.

[colinmaclock]

Mott old boy, I appears you are coming along nicely with the restoration of the 'Albertic". You are a master of jigs and tool improvisation, the two important things you taught me 49 years ago! But I understand when the undertaking of professional model ship restoration sometimes reduces your profit margin to something like 15cents and hour, I've been there! Cheers.

 

 

[michael mott]

14 hours ago, colinmaclock said:

15cents and hour

Luxury, At bottom of lake all we got was 10 cents per hour!

 

Hi Colin I couldn't resist the Monty Python allusion. I hear what you are saying, I did not have any doubts that this was basically going to be a labour of love and not a commercial endeavour.  the model in your picture looks like the Princess Marguerite? is this a new project or an older one?

 

Michael 

[colinmaclock]

Hi Michael, Yes, this was the TEV Princess Marguerite. The restoration required taking nearly all the super structure off and start from there. It was an unfinished model to begin with so it made that part easier. It had no details like stanchions, railings, rigging and anchors etc. plus the davits and lifeboats needed overhauling. The fenestration needed framing and all areas of the hull and decks required repainting and refinishing. The model was 5' 6'' in length and built with yellow cedar strip on frame and considered a primitive, although a high end primitive. The chap who originally built it was an engineer on the original Princess Marguerite that was torpedoed off Malta in the 2nd WW and was a chief engineer on the Marguerite II.

[michael mott]

Colin, thanks for the information, looks like you did a fantastic job.

 

Michael

[bensid54]

Colin most people that are not modellers would consider your workshop one of a pack rat. I must admit I am guilty of the same sort of housekeeping, but like you I know where everything is! Nice job on the boat by the way.

[michael mott]

Time keeps just slipping by, I received the Silkspan last week and so will be able to see how it works with both the printing method and the watercolor this week.

 

I ordered all three thicknesses, so now I will be able to make a choice regarding the best thickness for this scale and for any flags in the future. I likely have enough now for the foreseeable future.

 

michael

[druxey]

Michael: what was your source for the SlikSpan, please?

[colinmaclock]

On ‎2017‎-‎12‎-‎14 at 8:47 AM, michael mott said:

Druxey thanks for the clarification on the top.

After a lot of tries with the various threads I am leaning towards the off white Guttermann C Ne 50 the colour match is close enough I think I just need to deal with the fuzz that was not apparent until I looked at the close up picture.  so no work with coloring at least for this area, I take notice of the issue with the tea though Druxey, so thanks for that.

 

Here is the first attempt, I have a whole new appreciation for all you folk who rig a three master. I don't know how you do it!

The line on the left is the Guttermann

 

 

The top line is original the falls are mine

 

 

Michael

Michael, I usually run a small flame quickly along the line to remove the "fuzz". A bic lighter at a low setting works. Careful not do this with poly, it will melt. Only use this method on cotton,hemp or linen threads. Weak tea may bleach out with time, I would recommend a very diluted water base stain.

[colinmaclock]

On ‎2018‎-‎01‎-‎02 at 8:53 AM, michael mott said:

Hi Colin

Happy new year to you Sir.

Colin I have just finished reading a a fair bit of information regarding the ship and shipping lines that are associated with this model.

Turns out that it was a rather interesting. source information from Wikipedia

1. keel laid in Germany in 1914

2. halted construction during WW1

3. launched in 1920 as München

4. handed over to the British as a war reparation before entering service

5. she was immediately sold to the  Royal Mail Steam Packet Company

6. She was renamed the Ohio and began service in 1923

7. in 1927 she was sold to the White Star Line , and renamed the Albertic

8. she served the north Atlantic route between Britain and Canada from 1927 until 1930

9. The Albertic was laid up in the River Clyde

10. she was eventually broken up for scrap in japan in 1934

 

One of the things i am curious about are the flags that were on the model, the masthead flag on the foremast although almost completely faded to white appears to have been an American flag

the one at the masthead of the aft mast was the disintegrating blue flak of the white stare line, although the white star lines official flag appears to have been red

The flag on the small staff off the aft mast was a very faded blue ensign

and the flag on the stern flag post is a red ensign that does not appear to be of the correct proportions

 

My guess is that all these flags have been put on this model during various repairs by well meaning people to make it look "good" I somehow doubt that this combination would have been carried out by Bassett Lowke, but I could be completely wrong in my hypothesis.

 

What to Do?

Michael

 

Michael,

A number of years ago I worked on a water damaged builders model of the Carmania. Upon close inspection of the name plate I could see where a larger nameplate was there before. Those faint impressions revealed the name; Royal George. 

[michael mott]

Druxey, Great Hobbies was the source, it was not expensive either, I ordered it online and it came to the store in Edmonton where I picked it up and paid for it

 

Thanks for the tip Colin.

 

Michael

[druxey]

Thank you, Michael. My local hobby store has closed and the other store I occasionally went to no longer stocks SilkSpan.

[EdT]

I checked your source.  $3 for 6 sq ft is pretty tough to beat - and a lot less than I thought for this stuff.  Can't imagine that the shipping is much.  Thanks, Micheal.

 

Ed

[michael mott]

Luckily for me the city has a great hobbies outlet there was no shipping cost $11cdn for all three sheets. I went to pick it up.

 

Michael

[mdulaney]

On 1/11/2018 at 10:42 AM, colinmaclock said:

Hi Michael, Yes, this was the TEV Princess Marguerite. The restoration required taking nearly all the super structure off and start from there. It was an unfinished model to begin with so it made that part easier. It had no details like stanchions, railings, rigging and anchors etc. plus the davits and lifeboats needed overhauling. The fenestration needed framing and all areas of the hull and decks required repainting and refinishing. The model was 5' 6'' in length and built with yellow cedar strip on frame and considered a primitive, although a high end primitive. The chap who originally built it was an engineer on the original Princess Marguerite that was torpedoed off Malta in the 2nd WW and was a chief engineer on the Marguerite II.

 

As it happens, a few of the windows survive and I have access to them, if you need measurements.

[michael mott]

Well hello all, I have been very busy with a number of non model related tasks for the last couple of months. But I have picked up the tiny tools once again. I will need to a bit of catching up by the looks of things on the forum.

 

It feels good to be back at the workbench.

 

The bridge elements that were knocked off are now replaced it took a bit of fiddling to get the 10BA brass screw back into its hole probably a shift on the superstructure that occurred when it fell.

 

Then the next part was re pinned and glued the paint will also need some touch up.

 

 

 

 

The next sequence is for the stairs that go from the passenger deck to the lifeboat-deck

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have to go for supper I will explain the soldering next.

 

Michael

 

 

 

[druxey]

A masterful restoration of that ladder! Good to see you back at work on Albertic, Michael. Mentioning a BA threaded bolt takes me back.... I still have a pre-war supply of BA nuts and bolts in brass from my father neatly stored in old throat lozenge tins.... But, I digress.

[bensid54]

Don't mean to change the subject, but what is that very nice setup you have for holding parts. Did you make it yourself?

[michael mott]

Thanks Druxey, The glass was one of those ideas that I woke up with I was wondering how to hold the tiny tab that had been broken off. The key was to sort out how to hold the ladder and be able to soft solder the broken bit back on, realizing that the solder would not stick to the glass (color slide glass) I cut a small strip and sandwiched the good tab on the stair with the glass sticking out just enough to use a soft iron wire hold down in the hole that was already in the tab.  turned down the shank on one of my Eclipse chucks to 3/16 so that it would fit into the third hand. Because of the control with being able to lock one part in position then bring the other part or tool up to it once it was set in place I used a very small  00 paint brush to pick up a sliver of solder with the flux as the agent to pick up the solder one it was placed I used the small nozzle on the hot air soldering station and played it over the joint worked like a charm.

The duz-all flux is a self cleaning flux, and since the joint was a fractured one in brass I did not need to do much prep work.

After washing it off I matched up the paint with some Humbrol and model masters  

 

I  am so glad I made this bit of gear I use it just about every day when I am working on model stuff. I added a new clamp it is made of Castello same as the smaller wood ones but an inch square. it is really useful for working with sheet especially silver and gold because the jaws are wood they don't mark up the metal. 

 

Here is a shot of the latest addition to the clamps

 

 

Ben

Yes I made the holding device there are quite a few different set ups that I have used in this thread log it was this unit that inspired my making a few for the members here. There is a thread about them in the tools thread

Here is the production model that the members have purchased.

 

 

Back to the bench in the morning.

 

Michael

 

 

 

[druxey]

And a very nice bit of kit that third hand is! The large wood clamp is a nice add-on. But what, pray tell, is the masons' symbol lying on the bench? Another repair job?

[michael mott]

Hi Druxey a modification to the original set of tools adding some gold elements, because it was a 100 anniversary project.

 

Michael

[KeithAug]

Good to see you back Michael - its always worrying when old timers disappear for a while!!!!.