US Brig Syren by fnkershner - Model Shipways - 1:64

[fnkershner]

Jim - I see you are in WA. You should come to one of our club meetings. Do I have you on the distribution list for our Newsletter?

 

For those who don't know I am the president of the Puget Sound Ship Modelers (PSSM)

 

And thanks to all the comments.

 

PS This is the first model I am doing almost exclusively with CA. I started this way because I had a deadline. Now that the deadline has past. I am still doing it just for fun.

[Jim Rogers]

I don’t believe you have me on your distribution list. I see you are a Scuba Diver also. I got certified in 1973 and have well over 1000 dives. I had to give it up a couple of years ago when I became insulin dependent. I dove with Diabetes for years but throwing insulin into the mix is a whole new deal. The Admiral and I had an epic final dive. The San Fransisco Maru, 165 feet , Truk Lagoon.  Two man Japanese Battle tank on the deck of the San Fransisco Maru

[fnkershner]

Jim please PM me with an email address. We have a lot to talk about.  I will make sure you are included.

 

PS you and I were certified the same year.

[fnkershner]

Well I can't believe it has been this long since I posted an update. Below you will find a picture of my finished Deck. I must say I like the combo of Danish Oil and Holly. The color came out just perfect. And the Danish oil did a good job hiding the difference in color from the margin planks and the holly.

 

Now time to confess some of the reason I have been slow at posting. I am not at all pleased with my skills at planking the deck. I had decided to skip the nibbing to make things easier and now I can see it would have been better off if I had done the nibbing. anyway here is to hoping most of these mistakes will be covered up with deck furniture. And it is on to Treenailing. Then Coppering! I hope I don't screw that up.

 

One last comment and I hope this helps someone else. If you read the directions carefully you will find that you are supposed to have a triangular piece that is 1/16" as a water way. and they you will have a 1/16" thick bracket that has the pin to mount the carronades. Therefore you should have 1/8" gap from the deck to the gun port sills. I have 1/16" not 1/8". So the waterway will have to go. I suggest you check this before it is too late.

 

 

[jablackwell]

Thank you for the heads-up on the waterway height and carronades.... I will check that out before I make deck/waterway installations. Your planking coloration is wonderful by the way. Nice! 

~j

 

[fnkershner]

Thanks now if only my planking skill was as good.

 

One more gotcha I have discovered. If like me your gun ports are not high enough for both the water way and the swivel bracket. you may have to modify the wheels so that they are the right height. 

Edited December 29, 2017 by fnkershner

[fnkershner]

So I have a question for the syren club. I am getting very close to beginning the Copper hull. For the first row along the keel do you fold the edge of the plate over so that it is under the false keel?

Edited December 29, 2017 by fnkershner

[fnkershner]

Now that the site is back up. I can see I have a lot to catchup on. (Thank you to all the admins)

 

By the way while on the subject of thanks. I have so many people on this site to thank, I don't know where to begin. I am sure I would not be modeling today if it were not for the wonderful people here and in my local club. So let me focus on the assistance and support I have received for this build and also bring you up to date on my progress. I am sorry I will not be able to mention the names of all the people who contributed to the great Ideas I have incorporated in my build. But let me try.

 

First, all of us in the Syren Club have been discussing the terrible condition of the Carronades supplied with the kit. There have been several suggestions on alternatives. Some very compelling. I have decided to go a slightly different direction. Let me list the alternative I am aware of and why I decided not to go that way.

 

Caldercraft supplied - These are the best available. But I did not like the idea of spending $80 and then having to make significant alterations.

Blue Jacket supplied - Not a good as Caldercraft & cheaper, but still better than MS. But still the same reasons apply.

Mold out of pewter - Very interesting. But I have no experience and I would still need to make the mold. Also there is the color to deal with.

Make with wood - Again I would need to tools or skills to carve or a lathe. But this is my mostly likely 2nd choice.

 

So I have decided with the help of my good friend Per to 3D print the prototype using Sketch-Up. I have recently found a workshop which will give me access to 3 printers, 2 CNC machines, & 2 Laser cutters for a very low price. I am excited to give it a try. And I will likely create a prototype with the printer. and from that create a mold. Stay tuned. by the way you will see further detail on this subject in the CAD forum.

 

So the next area of help is in the Copper plating. Like most of us at this stage I have been working to build my stamps and jig. Jim Rogers has kindly offered to loan me his jig and stamps. And he will even help me get started. So in a couple weeks I will be taking the ferry to see Jim!

 

So while waiting on coppering with Jim I was thinking about what else to work on in the mean time. I decided to set up my blackening lab again because of suggestions I found here. I purchased from Amazon a small bottle of Brass Black for $8.50. The instructions on the bottle say to clean first with Alcohol, rinse with water, then blacken for 1 min. then rinse again with water. I would add to this make sure everything is completely dry between steps. In the pictures below you will see my Chemistry lab.

 

For the sharp eyed who look at the pictures you will notice that my bottle of Alcohol is dated 1962! And it came from a Civil Defense shelter. That is another story for the future. 

 

I also have a question for anyone familiar with this process. How do I dispose of the leftovers? This is a strong chemical and I don't want to just pour it down the drain.

 

I have had lots of fun blackening stuff for the Syren. I have found that I need about 1 min 20 seconds. But it works very well. Another great Idea from MSW.

 

Another comment I found in a build log was the observation that the copper tape is very thin and so you need a very smooth surface before you place the plates. I am not going to post a picture. But I have been filling and sanding several coats until it is so nice. 

 

Another suggestion I found was to use an X-Y table to drill the holes for the eye in the wooden parts of the Carronade sled. So I have first sanded off the laser char and painted these parts. Soon I will be drilling and inserting eye bolts. By the way this was the reason I decided to do my blackening. I needed blackened eye bolts. My ultimate goal was to get a carronade ready for the 3D printed prototype. Since i am not installing the waterway. I also need to know if I need to modify the height of the wheels at the back. I will post a picture of this as soon as I have it setup. 

 

Lastly I read a suggestion on how to paint and install the lettering for the stern. You will see a picture below as I have begun this process. Let me give you the steps here. First cut the lettering from the photo etched plate leaving the letters attached to the bottom. Then paint (I chose to use white). The attach to a scrap of wood that will fit between the stern molding using double sided tape. now cut the letters away from the sprue. They should now be face down on double sided tape attached to the scrap of wood. And they will be properly lined up with the correct spacing. Now apply a small amount of CA to each letter and press them into place on the stern. That is it! I can't wait to finish this step.

 

And finally if you are not bored yet. Here are the pictures. I was having some trouble with the macro on my camera so the lettering may be a bit blurred

 

 

 

[Nirvana]

Floyd, that looks so good.

Well done!

[Jim Rogers]

Floyd have you thought about using a CNC machine to cut the Quarter Badges out of wood?  Copy them, clean them up and cut them out of some nice Maple, Teak or Sapele. Now that would be a big improvement over what is supplied in the kit. Every time I blacken something it just comes off during handling. Look forward to seeing you.

[fnkershner]

Jim I know even less about CNC than I do about 3D printing. Great Idea. I guess maybe I will have quarter Badges 

[Jim Rogers]

15 minutes ago, fnkershner said:

Jim I know even less about CNC than I do about 3D printing. Great Idea. I guess maybe I will have quarter Badges 

Hey I can’t even spell CNC.

[fnkershner]

In my kit there is a plastic tube. Inside is a Copper strip and a length of copper pipe. I am guessing the strip is for the Gudgeons and Pintles. But what is the pipe for? It looks too large for the drains in the water way. Help?

Edited January 3, 2018 by fnkershner

[Jim Rogers]

Hawse Pipe. I found it easier just to purchase the copper gudgeons from MS.

 

Edited January 3, 2018 by Jim Rogers

[Nirvana]

Or buy the gudgeon kit from Chuck.

[fnkershner]

I took a look at Chuck's Gudgeon kit. It looks like it is made of wood. In this case I want copper. So that won't work.

[Jim Rogers]

18 minutes ago, fnkershner said:

I took a look at Chuck's Gudgeon kit. It looks like it is made of wood. In this case I want copper. So that won't work.

The Model Shipways are Copper.

[fnkershner]

Boy did I have to dig to find my own log. So just a quick update. 

 

First let me bring everyone up to date on my quest for suitable Carronades. I have found USN Carronades on Shapeways.com. I sent a note to the creator and he is recreating them in the correct scale. they only cost $7.43 for 8. There is a shipping charge. but this sounds like the way to go. I should receive my first batch next week. For my own education I continue to try to find a way to do my own printing. I hope I have found the answer. We will see tomorrow.

 

Lately I have been working on building a couple ideas I got from Jim. See the pictures below. This piece of plywood fits perfectly in the drawer to my work station. As you can see I am a proud customer of Syrenshipmodels.com. 

 

More to come soon.

[Jim Rogers]

Looks good Floyd. PM’ed you about my CNC Quarter Badge construction. If they turn out good I’ll provide some photos.

[fnkershner]

Jim - I have almost finished the other jig for my Chop Saw then it is back to modeling. I will post a picture this weekend. Also cleaning out the shipyard (garage) 

[fnkershner]

As promised here is a Picture of the other Jim inspired Jig. And about 1/2 a day of garage cleaning and its back to modeling!!

 

Dang it got cropped. So here is the same picture but rotated.

[fnkershner]

Attention Syren Builders!! I may have solved the Carronade issue.  Read below -

 

As many of you know I have been working to find a solution to the terrible Carronades that are provided with the Syren kit. Well as you will see from the pictures below. I have a low cost solution. I have been working with several others to create a CAD drawing for the these carronades so that they can be 3D printed. Many of you may know about Shapeways.com.

This is a web site that offers 3D printing services. There is a section for model ships. The number of available parts is amazing. I was able to make contact with one of the designers of the parts offered there and share with him the plans for the Syren Carronade. He already had USN Carronades to offer, but they were the wrong scale and had slight differences. I explained to him what I wanted and he has now created a set that is exactly what is called for in this kit. He has drilled to hole for the elevation screw, added the eye for the breaching rope, and had the pivot mount as part of the design. He charges $12.80 for a set of 8 carronades that are 1:64 scale. I have just received mine yesterday. I cleaned them as instructed and I have painted 1 set. I am very pleased with the result. You can see for yourself below.

 

They require a very little amount of sanding after the cleaning. As you can see the paint needs some touch up. but I am excited about the results.

 

 

Edited February 2, 2018 by fnkershner

[Nirvana]

Floyd, add a direct link to his caronades.

That would be helpful.

[Jim Rogers]

The business I contacted for the QTR Badges said their CNC software would not support an item that small and all the detail was lost. The carronades are smaller so I know it can be done. I am still trying to get it done. Great job on the jig!

[Rustyj]

Very nice Floyd. I remember making the mold and pouring the resin for these way back when.

I think this is a good solution and the cost is good too.

[Nirvana]

Here is the link to the carronades.

Now if they could printed in metal that would be even better.

For another $5.50 you can get the higher detailed frosted version.

Probably better for flat black painting.

Edited February 2, 2018 by Nirvana

[fnkershner]

Per - Shapeways does print using Metal. I don't know if these designs are available and what the cost would be. But it is an option. And from my point of view once they are painted or blackened who will know the difference.

 

Jim - Just last night I joined a Maker Space. I presented to the problem of the quarter badges and the stern decorations. They showed me a 1/2 Micron router bit! They asked me to create a design document and we could give it a try. They seemed pretty confident it could be done.

 

So anyone out there interested in helping create a CAD design file for either the quarter badges or the stern decorations let me know.

 

PS after my tour of this Maker Space I have found my 2nd home.

[Jim Rogers]

I would think you could start with the plan line drawing. Probably need to get permissions from Model Expo if going public with the design.

[fnkershner]

Ok just so you don't think I have disappeared here is small update. I just received a large delivery from the Syren ship model company! So I decided to take a small break from Treenailing and copper planking and assemble these suckers. Besides my good friend Per wants to see the results. So here you go. By the way the suckers are SMALL! And when Chuck says you may have to redrill the holes in the 3mm Deadeyes. He should have said You WILL have to redrill the holes. As you can see I still need to do some finish work and I left the 3 mm deadeyes in the stencil until the holes are drilled.

 

I would also like to comment on these little pieces of sawdust that are supposed to be used to mount the carronades on the sled. OMG even with a magnifying hood they are hard to see. And they have a hole drilled in them? Are you sure? Any suggestions on how to mount them to the Carronades would be appreciated. I may just use a very short piece of wire thru the holes to hold them. For now as you can see they are on a pin so I don't lose them.

 

Enjoy!

[svein erik]

Hi, Grait build

So you got the rigging blocks etc

and wat did you use?

 

Best regards 

Svein.erik