Kathryn by Mahuna - FINISHED - 1:32 - Skipjack Based on HAER Drawings

[Mahuna]

Part 64 – Dredge Rollers cont’d

 

The remaining work on the dredge rollers consisted of blackening all of the dredge roller hardware, and then installing it on Kathryn using epoxy glue. 

 

                        

 

The vertical rollers were made from 2mm brass rod, with an axis made from 3/64” brass rod inserted into each end.  The lower axis fits into a corresponding hole drilled into a mounting plate that is installed on the side protective molding, and is shown installed in the following photo.

 

                        

 

The vertical roller was then epoxied into the mounting plate and to the angled piece on top of the aft support.

 

                        

 

This completes the installation of the dredge rollers.

 

                        

 

                        

 

The major metalwork on Kathryn’s body is now completed.  There is still a lot of metalwork required for the rigging.

 

                       

 

Before any new work is started, there is a lot of planning to do, including developing approaches for the following efforts:

 

            Making the detail on the trailboards

 

            Manufacturing the blocks required for the rigging

 

            Making furled sails

 

            Working with wire rigging, including making scale turnbuckles and shackles.

 

So with all of this ahead, and with some trips coming up, there may be some longer intervals between posts.  In the meantime, thanks everyone for the likes and comments, and for the continued interest in Kathryn.

 

[PETERPETER]

Five star ***** rating on all of your metal work  and looking forward to the upcoming items you listed. So far you haven't mentioned the great conundrum represented by the two dredge baskets. I know that it will be another challenge which you will master. Meanwhile, this watch-bird will be watching you.

Peter

 

2 hours ago, Mahuna said:

Before any new work is started, there is a lot of planning to do, including developing approaches for the following efforts:

             Making the detail on the trailboards

            Manufacturing the blocks required for the rigging

            Making furled sails

            Working with wire rigging, including making scale turnbuckles and shackles.

So with all of this ahead, and with some trips coming up, there may be some longer intervals between posts.  In the meantime, thanks everyone for the likes and comments, and for the continued interest in Kathryn.

 

[JerryTodd]

Looks like a alligator got yur oysta drudge

[Mahuna]

Thanks for all the stars, Peter!  

 

Yeah, Jerry, I cringe each time I take a photo with the alligators in it, but they're necessary to keep a little tension on the 'cables' for the dredge (drudge) baskets.

 

You and Jerry brought up the dredge baskets that I've been trying to avoid thinking about for the time being.  The frames shouldn't be too much of a problem, but I'm not sure how I'll do the 'netting', which is a combination of metal rings and twine.  

[JerryTodd]

Rings are nothing for someone that's done what you have so far, and I find at scales of 1:48 and up, it's almost easier to actually make netting than a netting like substance, which never looks right anyway.  I have a feeling once you nail it down, you'll start building a seine-fisherman just to make the nets. 

[Mahuna]

Thanks Jerry.  We'll see what happens, but that's pretty far ahead at this point.

[popeye the sailor]

nice job with the dredge rollers....they look absolutely perfect!   fantastic metal work      love the view of the whole boat......she's really looking great!  

[thibaultron]

Frank. Would a DXF or DWG file of the trailboard, help you? I Used the Kathyrn trailboard as one of the options for my Carrie Price model, that I will someday soon (hopefully) continue.

 

Here is a picture of port side one, minus the name, which I could add. The drawing is smoother and can be scaled, the convertion to a JPG roughens it.

 

[Mahuna]

Hi Ron

 

I've already drawn the trailboard in CAD - very much like yours, but thanks for the offer  My quandary is whether to carve and paint it, make a decal from it, or paste on a paper version.  Time (and some experimenting) will tell.

[GuntherMT]

On 5/25/2018 at 8:13 PM, Mahuna said:

Part 63 – Dredge Rollers

 

 

I feel like I should apologize for this long post and the many photos, but I wanted to show the process as complete as possible.  The next post will complete the installation of the dredge rollers.

 

Frank - don't apologize for making one of the best logs on the site!  Your logs are great because you include so much, please continue!  Great metal work, really good stuff to see.

[Mahuna]

Thanks Brian.  You haven't seen Kathryn up close in quite a while - we should make plans for you to come over sometime soon.

[HIPEXEC]

On 5/30/2018 at 9:49 AM, Mahuna said:

Thanks Brian.  You haven't seen Kathryn up close in quite a while - we should make plans for you to come over sometime soon.

Maybe it's time for another meeting. I can travel...I just don't eat well.

Rich

[Mahuna]

Sounds good, Rich. I’m traveling at the moment but I’ll try to arrange something when I get back - for a July meeting. 

[HIPEXEC]

On 6/2/2018 at 4:18 PM, Mahuna said:

Sounds good, Rich. I’m traveling at the moment but I’ll try to arrange something when I get back - for a July meeting. 

Great!

[Mahuna]

Part 65 – Mounting the Yawl Boat

 

The boom extends beyond the Yawl Boat (Push Boat) when it’s on the davits, so mounting the boat on the davits prior to installing and rigging the boom will probably avoid some risks.

 

The triple blocks holding the 1800 pound Yawl Boat are the largest of Kathryn’s blocks.  The measurements from the HAER drawings, and the photos in “Working Skipjacks” showing the crew hauling the Yawl Boat, indicate that the lines are probably 1-inch rope.

 

The blocks actually used on Kathryn are of two different types, shown in the next photo taken at the time of the HAER survey and also in the second photo that was taken last year.

 

                        

 

                        

 

Having two different types of triple blocks on the model would look strange, so all four of the blocks for the model will be identical wooden blocks.

 

The stock for the blocks was mounted on the mill, and the sheave holes were drilled, along with single holes to indicate the boundary between two blocks.

 

                        

 

After all of the holes were drilled, a small end mill was used to cut a groove between each of the top and bottom sheave holes.

 

                        

 

                        

 

Using a saw whose kerf is roughly the size of the drilled boundary holes, a partial cut between blocks was made on each side of the workpiece.

 

                        

 

                        

 

                        

 

Rounding the ‘sheave’ will make the rope lay properly, and this rounding was started using a very small ‘chisel’, in this case a sharpened hypodermic needle.

 

                        

 

                        

 

Rounding was completed using very thin round escapement files.

 

                        

 

                        

 

Hooks were glued into the top of the upper blocks and the bottom of the lower blocks.  In the case of the lower blocks an elongated shaft was required due to the tight clearances within the yawl Boat.  The upper block also had a ring inserted in the bottom to act as a becket.

 

                        

 

The weight of the model Yawl Boat isn’t enough to stretch the ropes tight enough, so the blocks were held at the appropriate distance apart, the ropes were stretched tight, and then the ropes were saturated with diluted white glue.  

 

                        

 

                        

 

The rope was made with a Prosak machine from Domanoff Workshop, using DMC Cordonnet crocheting thread.  The rope was dyed using RIT dye, following a formula from N. Roger Cole.  A description of how I make rope is contained in page 3 of the build log for Paragon, at the following link:

 

https://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/10788-paragon-a-modified-mayflower-by-mahuna/&page=3

 

When the Yawl Boat was hung on the davits it was obvious that the boat wasn’t balanced properly, so it needed to be propped up and then the lower aft block was CA glued to a part of the Yawl Boat to keep it level. All of the hooks were secured in place using a small drop of CA glue.

 

                        

 

                        

 

There are a small number of blocks required for Kathryn’s rigging – only a few 5-inch single blocks and 2 7-inch double blocks. I’ll try making those blocks next.

 

Thanks everyone!

[AON]

Beautiful job on the pair of block and tackle!  ☺

[Mahuna]

Thanks Alan.

[mtaylor]

That's a great detail and instruction on the block, Frank.  

[Mahuna]

Thanks, Mark.  Drilling the 'boundary hole' at the edge of each block is a technique I learned from EdT's build log - one of the many useful techniques I've learned from watching his work. 

[HIPEXEC]

Hello Frank. 

I'm looking forward to our meeting next month.

[Dansweeney]

Great job Frank. I like the blocks you made.

[Mahuna]

Thanks Dan.  I've been making the rest of the blocks, and have refined the process a little.

 

[AON]

It likely seems dumb but I would like to know how you have refined the process if you could explain😎

Edited June 17, 2018 by AON

[Mahuna]

Hi Alan - your question is certainly not dumb.  I was going to make a short post to update my block-making, but here are the changes I made:

 

1.  I initially drilled the 'boundary hole' all the way through the block.  I found that this produces a groove through the top of the block that needs to be sanded down, thus shortening the length of the block.  I decided to instead drill a shallow 'boundary hole'.  It needs to be deep enough to identify the boundary, but it can easily be sanded out by rounding the top and bottom of the block (as would normally be done anyway).

 

2.  I decided that a better micro chisel would be to make a chisel using the same size drill as was used for the holes.  Using a rotary tool and a diamond cylinder, I grind down the back of the drill to a chisel form.  This is mounted in a pin vise and is used for shaping the groove that, after using the small round file, becomes the 'sheave' in the block.

 

Hope this helps.

Edited June 17, 2018 by Mahuna

[Mahuna]

Part 66 –Mast Hounds, Boom

 

Kathryn’s mast has very small hounds, whose purpose is to provide a landing place for the shrouds and stays.  The hounds are barely visible in the following photo of Kathryn’s mast.

 

                        

 

Making the hounds was a simple process.  Narrow tape was wrapped around the mast to indicate the top of the hounds.  This ensures that the hounds on each side of the mast are at the same height.

 

The mast was clamped to the bench to make sure the area for the hounds were properly on the side of the mast.  The area for the hounds was then cut in and flattened.  A small piece of matching stock was glued in place and then shaped, stained, and finished with wipe-on poly.

 

                        

 

                        

 

                        

 

                        

 

Kathryn’s boom is fairly complex, with a number of cleats and fairleads besides the jaws, and with some metalwork.  There are ringbolts located every 24 inches along the top of the boom.

 

The boom was shaped from square stock, and after shaping it to the outside dimensions, holes for the ringbolts were drilled in the top surface.

 

                        

 

The boom was rounded in the same way as the mast, using the 7-10-7 process illustrated in part 30.

 

https://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/15453-skipjack-kathryn-by-mahuna-132-based-on-haer-drawings/&page=9

 

The following photo shows the rounded boom temporarily laid on Kathryn.

 

                        

 

The booms on these old skipjacks (and many other ships as well) are no longer perfectly straight, even if they started out that way. Over time, the weight of the sail and the boom itself, will cause the slender boom to bend.  In an effort to make the boom more realistic, a slight bend (about a scale 1 inch) was introduced in the boom.  The boom was soaked in hot water inside a length of PVC pipe, and then was secured in a position that would let it dry with the slight bend.

 

                        

 

                        

 

The weight used was a piece of brass angle, and the spacers on either side were 1/32” stock.

 

The topping lift and other rigging is attached to a ring located at the aft end of the boom.  The area for the ring is slightly smaller in diameter than the rest of that portion of the boom

 

                        

 

The area for the ring was marked out with masking tape. A shallow cut was made all around the boom as a stop cut.  Wood was pared off the boom at the stop cut, and then a barrett file was used for the final shaping of the area.

 

                        

 

                        

 

                        

 

The forward end of the boom, within the jaws, is shaped to an angle as seen in the following photo.  

 

                        

 

The jaws were made by gluing two pieces of stock together with Ambroid glue.  The drawing of the jaws (taken from the Willie Bennett plans) was glued to the stock using a glue stick after the Ambroid glue cured, and the jaws were then cut out and shaped.

 

                        

 

Kathryn’s boom has three fairleads for rigging the Lazy Jacks. These were made from 1/16” x 3/32” stock, and the shaping was accomplished using small files.

 

                        

 

                        

 

The boom also has a number of small cleats, which were made from the same stock as the fairleads.  Since these will be used to tie some of the rigging, small posts made of piano wire were used to secure them to the boom.

 

                        

 

                        

 

Final shaping of the cleats was done after they were securely glued to the boom.

 

The boom was then stained to match the mast.  There are three wooden pieces remaining to be added to the boom.  These are reefing blocks, and can’t be added until the metalwork is completed and attached to the boom.

 

                         

 

A poly finish will be applied after the boom is completed.

 

                        

 

We leave on another trip tomorrow (to Calgary, for some cooler weather), so further work on Kathryn will be delayed for another short period of time.

 

In the meantime, I hope everyone is well and happy. Cheers!

 

 

 

[Mark Pearse]

Frank, thanks for the enjoyable & informative posts - a great model to watch come together.

 

That's a really thin boom for the length, but obviously it works

 

Mark

[Mahuna]

Thanks, Mark.  Yes, the boom seems thin, but that's how it measures out from the HAER drawings and how it appears in photos.  I should have mentioned that Kathryn's boom is laminated - that may contribute to its strength and size.

[John Allen]

Frank,

Followed since the first post could have commented on each and every post others stated what I felt. This build is so spot on it is awe inspiring from the smallest details to the metal work both you and Keith Aug are masters with no equals. Kudos belongs in a museum.

[Mahuna]

On 6/20/2018 at 9:10 AM, John Allen said:

Frank,

Followed since the first post could have commented on each and every post others stated what I felt. This build is so spot on it is awe inspiring from the smallest details to the metal work both you and Keith Aug are masters with no equals. Kudos belongs in a museum.

Thanks John.  Just got back from my trip and will get back to work in the next day or so.

[popeye the sailor]

really superb progress Frank........truly great progresses to watch     really enjoying how you make the parts