Charles W Morgan by texxn5 - FINISHED - Model Shipways - 1:64

[texxn5]

Got another question for ya Mates.....I have zero experience usiing a Byrnes Drawplate.  So I ask the "dumb" question.......what do I do with it now that I have it?  I tried to get a toothpick to go through it with no luck.  I tried a piece of 1/16" square basswood through it....no luck either.  Anyone that can share instructions?????

[texxn5]

Augie, I have an answer for you concerning fuel for the Tryworks.  It seems that after the skin and other parts of the whale had rendered all of the oil they were going to, then they were taken out of the pot and put into a rendering bin next to the tryworks, port side.  They were then put into the fire and burned as fuel for the fire......looks like most of th whale was used for something and not just discarded overboard....

[augie]

I'll be damned.  That's an interesting tidbit John.  Thanks for following up.

[texxn5]

Yeah Augie, isn't that interesting???  Also another tidbit, the reason the Trworks sits up off the deck about a foot, is that it has a water tank under it that they would circulate seawater in and out to keep it cool so it didn't set the deck on fire....thanks for asking the question because I actuallly hadnt even thought about it or heard anyone talk about it....cool

[augie]

You know what's great?  The more you look into stuff like this the more you appreciate the ingenuity of our forefathers.  Not an iPad in sight and these guys/gals come up with a seawater cooling system.  Probably used a countercurrent heat exchange arrangement.  Far out.

 

Oh, can't help you on the draw plate.  You are drawing and not pushing I assume  !! 

[j21896]

Hi John,

 

With regard to the draw plate, you can't remove huge amounts of material all at once.  You have to start with a piece of wood that is at least relatively close in size to the hole you begin with.  I think the largest hole is around 1/32", so you probably won't be able to initially pull a 1/16" toothpick through.  I cut things down to size, or do some shaving with a knife blade or plane as necessary to get things close to my starting point on the draw plate.

 

The numbered side of the plate is the back side.  Meaning, you insert the wood on the side of the plate without the numbers, and pull it through from the numbered side.  You'll want to draw through a hole a couple of times before moving to the next smallest hole.

 

Also, check the numbering.  Some of the increments between holes are bigger than others.  For instance, on the smaller edge, the sequence is 36, 35, 33, 32, 31, 29, etc.  You'll want to draw through 35 a few extra times before making the "double jump" of moving down to 33, and so on.

 

Does any of this make sense?

 

Robert

Edited December 12, 2013 by j21896

[j21896]

Hey John,

 

I almost forget another consideration when it comes to using the draw plate -- the properties of the wood (or grass in the case of bamboo) that you’re reducing.

 

Wood that hasn’t been sawn straight with the grain will present a big problem, as will overly dried-out or splintery wood.  In my experience, good hard wood – sawn properly by Jeff at HobbyMill   – like cherry or Swiss pear, works great, and can be drawn down through the smallest hole on the Byrnes.

 

While I haven’t used it much, I’ve found that bamboo draws very smoothly and easily.  I’ve never tried bass wood, but I’m wondering if it might be too soft to draw down to the smaller sizes.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Robert

 

 

[texxn5]

Hi Robert, thanks for the input I'll give it a try. First I was using the wrong side of the drawplate, pushing through from the numbered side.  I haven't had time to try real hard yet, but maybe tomorrow.  Thanks for the help.....

[texxn5]

I totally agree Augie, amazing what they would come up with......

[texxn5]

Time for a little update, the Tryworks is coming along nicely.  I'm now ready to cover up all the brickwork with black wood sides that protect the crewmen from the hot brick oven as they work around it.  So the brick colors on the sides and aft side won't hardly be seen at all, but if you look at them you'll know they are there, and some show through the boards, which is the way it is supposed to be.  The copper will be darkened with blacken-it once I get some.  Next comes the workbench, cooling tank, and scrap bin.....then, yes Piet.....the harpoons.....When painting, one needs to be sure to paint the inside of the oven black before mounting the cauldrons...

[texxn5]

As we progress

[texxn5]

starting to shape up

[texxn5]

Just trying out the fit to make sure it's ok

[texxn5]

Now for some paint and trim out...

[texxn5]

some more

[texxn5]

sitting on the deck, not glued yet...probably won't attach, until  all  the other parts are all built....then do it all at once knowing how everything fits.  That is the workbench, cooling tank, insulation boards, and rendering bin...

Edited December 12, 2013 by texxn5

[CaptCraig]

That's a great addition to your Morgan John! It looks great!

[md1400cs]

John,

 

Nice super detailing. Looking great. I'm also learning a lot about this ship, its history and the hard work these wailers put up with. I'm enjoying following your build.

 

Regards,

 

Michael

[augie]

OK, where's the whale?  (Couldn't resist).

 

WELL DONE, MATE!!!

[Piet]

Hi John,

 

That looks fantastic!  With a little weathering it'll look real.

 

On the draw plate, I suggest to use bamboo toothpicks or bamboo party sticks (they are longer).  Depending on how thick your pins need to be I had to pre-shave a lot off first.  Most of the time I just split the pics in three pieces and started with the largest hole it would take.  And as is mentioned, you should draw it through a few times before moving to the next smaller hole.  I use bamboo exclusively because it has a guaranteed straight grain and is very strong.

 

Good luck and cheers,

[gjdale]

That Tryworks looks fantastic John! You should be very proud of that my friend!

[popeye the sailor]

now that is one cool oven......so many thoughts on how you could accomplish this........looks as though you've chosen the correct paths 

     you've done a really nice job of it.  .....no doubt about it.........really sweet! 

[Beef Wellington]

John, adding voice to the chorus of "well dones", looks very realistic!  What did you make the tubs and flues out of?  Looks like you've filled in the gaps between the bricks with something that looks really good, what is it?

[Sailor1234567890]

That triworks is VERY cool. I don't know if you've seen it but if you log on to the woodenboat forum at www.woodenboat.com/forum you'll see a thread about the MORGAN and her restoration. There is a gentleman who volunteers at the Seaport museum and brings his camera in. In fact, here's the link to that thread: http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthread.php?109593-Charles-W-Morgan-Restoration-A-Volunteer-s-Perspective-1

It's a fairly lengthy thread but absolutely FILLED with detailed photos of her as well as other interesting things at Mystic Seaport Museum. Video of old single lung engines, big slow speeds, lots of cool stuff.  The gentleman who took all the pictures I believe took on the restoration of her galley stove to the point of replacing cast feet or something if I recall correctly. I'm sure if you haven't seen it yet, I've just ruined about 4 hours of your Saturday night browsing it. Beautiful job you've got going there. Keep it up.

Cheers,

Daniel

 

 

(BTW, my latest build thread is http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthread.php?127530-Catspaw-build)

[lambsbk]

John: It looks like you painted the brass sheet...but IF you blackened it you will need to paint it with dullcoat. The brass is so thin that blackening will eat right through it over time. Just a thought. It looks FANTASTIC.

 

Now...where do I get a 'draw plate?'

[texxn5]

Thanks Piet, I'll be trying the drawplate shortly, thanks for the input....

[texxn5]

Thanks Grant and Popeye, it's fun to be doing this part

[texxn5]

Hi Jason, thanks for the input, the tubs and flues were actually Brittania metal that came with the kit.  The tubs are actually 4 pieces of halves CA'd together then CA'd to the copper top.  As far as the "grout" for the bricks, I used MS's White Primer which had dried out to a thick consistancy.  I painted it on the inside as well as the outside, and wiped off any excess to create the masonary look and feel, then painted the brick an acrylic Venitian Red.  I didn't worry too much about the brick and mortar definitions too much since the real ship showed a "sloppy" mortar joint appearance with it being smeared on the bricks.  I believe this was for utility purposes to keep the whale oil from accumulating on the brick too bad.  They could just scrub it with salt water to knock most of it off and not worry about accumulating it in the cracks....also all of the sides except the front will have things around it covering most of the brick.  That will also help to diffuse the starkness of the bright white and red bricks and blend it into the "landscape" of the working deck....

[texxn5]

Hi Daniel, welcome aboard.  Thanks for the link.  I haven't checked yet this morning, but I think I actually just found this link last night while I was browsing around the web.  I'll check it out though.  Thanks for your interest.......

[texxn5]

Hi Dave, thanks for the input.  I actually haven't done anything to the copper yet.  It is still bare copper.  I have never used Blacken-it  before and have not ordered it yet so I have no idea what it does.  Thanks for making me reconsider.  I got the draw plate from Byrnes and it is top quality.   I just have to practice with it to learn how to use it.  I need some small dowels for building the harpoon racks, and some other piddly things.  Here's the link with the usual disclaimers. I think they are also mentioned somewhere here in the resources section of suppliers.  Great to deal with and fast.

 

http://www.byrnesmodelmachines.com/index.html?id_mm=0926MM153301#