HMS Atalanta 1775 by tlevine - FINISHED - 1:48 scale - from TFFM plans

[tlevine]

Nov. 10, 2012.  The pillars between the deck beams and the keelson have been temporarily installed.  Just as with the deck beams, I have left them rough until final installation so I do not have to address any damage from storing them.  There is a mortise at the top and bottom of the pillar.  I made the mortises with the Preac saw.  By positioning the blade to that it barely clears the table I am able to get a square mortise which is perfectly positioned in the middle of the pillar.  The top and bottom faces of the pillar are horizontal athwartship but not fore and aft because of the rise of the keelson and lower deck as one goes aft.  The last two pillars extend to the upper deck beams.  The pillars will be chamfered prior to final installation.

 

Pillar Blank

 

AFt Lower Deck Beams and Pillars

 

 

The deck planking is 1” x 12” holly.  I realize there would be no caulking of this deck but I used a pencil on one side of the plank so that the individual planks would be apparent.  I tried it without first and it looked like a sheet of plywood.  Cut outs have been made in the first plank for the pillars.  According to TFFM, dowels were used on beams and trunnels were used on ledges.  They were the same size (3/4”).  I used bamboo for the trunnels and holly for the dowels.  Holly is no fun to pull through a draw plate!

 

I am at the point where parts of the model need to have a finish applied.  I am using Watco’s Danish Wood Oil.  As you can see, the holly dowels are almost invisible until the finish is applied.  The color difference between the bamboo and holly is subtle.

Aft Lower Deck Beams and Pillars

 

Aft Platform Decked

[tlevine]

Nov 19, 2012.  I am at the point of applying finish to the areas of the hull which will soon be unreachable.  The first picture shows the finish applied only to the port side to illustrate the effect of the finish.  The second picture shows the finish applied to both sides up to the top of the lower deck clamps.

 

 

 

The aft platform has been installed along with the fish room bulkheads.  The door to the fish room is notched to accommodate the pillar from the lower deck beam to the keelson.

 

Aft Platform Installed

 

Nov 19, 2012.  I have started the fore platforms.  There are three of them, each at a different height.  They are made in a similar manner to the aft platform.  One must be careful to locate them relative to the various pillars.  The most critical of the platforms to locate is the aft one because the riding bitts run through the aft end of the decking.  The difference in the color between the two platforms is a result of the picture being taken a few minutes after I applied the finish on the middle platform and a few hours after it was applied on the aft.

 

Fore Platform

       

 

 

Nov. 26, 2012.  The last two sections of the fore platform have been installed.

 

Fore Platforms Finished

[BANYAN]

Your build is coming along very nicely Toni, some great joinery there.

cheers

Pat

Edited March 16, 2013 by BANYAN

[tlevine]

I decided to build the lower well/shot locker before the fore and aft platform bulkheads.  This would give me more room to work on the well without damaging the bulkheads.  The well will be permanently installed later.  I build the lateral walls of the well first.  Since these planks had cyphered edges, I did not highlight the plank edge with pencil.  I then added the stanchions, cutting them long for later fitting with the lower deck beams.  The athwartship walls were installed next.  The lowest plank is wider and shaped to fit the hull configuration.

 

 

The next step was to exactly locate the well/locker fore and aft on the keelson.  I had previously marked the locations of the lower deck beam stanchions on the keelson and inserted the tenon of the aft wall stanchion into this.  I removed the limber boards on either side of the well and will remake them to fit later.  Next, I took the lower deck beams and placed them adjacent to the athwartship walls, marking the correct height.  The stanchions were cut down, keeping the mortise (for the most part) to insert into the underside of the beam.

 

 

Now it is time to add the finishing touches.  The doors to the shot locker would not have been as air tight as the walls, so these plank edges were highlighted with pencil.  I also left a slight gap on either side of the door to highlight the idea that these are two separate doors. 

 

Nov. 27, 2012.  I made the hinges for the shot locker.  I started with shim brass (the second thinnest in a pack containing misc. thicknesses) and heat it in a gas flame to remove any lacquer that might have been applied at the factory.  Next, a strap and an offset “T” piece for the hinge were cut.  The hinge pin is a brass pin from Model Expo.  I put pins in both pieces and formed a loop around the pin.  The pin was left in place on the hinge plate and both pieces were silver soldered.  I use a Smith Little Torch using propane and oxygen because it gives me a finer flame than a butane torch.  With the thin brass this is important because there is a fine line between soldering the joint and creating a brass/silver soup.  I attempted to dimple the strap for nail heads and was not very successful so I will simply call it “distressed metal.”  With the naked eye you cannot see any detail of the surface of the metal.

 

 

 

[WackoWolf]

Toni,

 

    What make torch setup are you using?

[dvm27]

Love the way you've fitted the well and shot locker onto the keelson and strakes. It's a difficult job to do without gaps and considering you won't see it later on, it reflects the no-compromise approach you're taking in building this model.

[Alex M]

Hi Toni,

 

absolutely precise workmanship! Amazing model!

 

Alex

[tlevine]

Thanks, everybody.  Sorry for the delay in responding.  Between life and the site going down again...

 

Joe, that is a Smith torch.  It is used in the jewelry trade.  I got mine probably on EBay.  It comes available with seven tips of various diameters.  I use one of the medium tips.  The smallest tips are difficult to stay lit with the gasses I use. 

 

I will try to post more of the build log tonight.  In real time, I have just finished the holes in the main mast partner for the pumps.

[Trussben]

Beautiful metal work, If you can share more info on that torch arrangement it would be great, never seen a setup like that before.

 

ben

[tlevine]

^{This is the web site for the torch.  A lot of builders in my club use this same torch. http://www.littletorch.com/}

[tlevine]

The hinge assemblies were blackened.  I have used Blacken It for a long time but I have some Birchwood Casey’s on order for the next batch of metal work.  Once they are installed and the finish applied to the wood, I will apply a coat of Floquil reflectance reducer to the hinges.  This will even out the color and protect them from getting the gray bloom that plagues blackened fittings (at least mine).  I am still deciding on what adhesive to use.  I find epoxy too messy.  I am considering contact cement.  I used it to apply the copper plates on a Cutty Sark twenty years ago and it has shown no signs of failing.

 

 

 

Author:  druxey.  Silver solder and brass soup…been there and done that!  On the other hand, I accidentally discovered a new technique.  Heat the end of a wire or thin rod.  The tip will melt and form a nice ball.  Great for metal stanchions!

Author:  Dan Vad.  Epoxy doesn’t have to be messy to use on very small pieces.  The trick is NOT to try to clean off any excess until it has at least ¾ set.  Then trim it off with a sharp Xacto.

 

Author:  remcohe.  I used very small drops of thick CA to fix them.

 

Author:  druxey.  Excess epoxy can also be removed before it is set up by – yes, you’ve guessed it! – isopropanol.  I use a Q-tip to do this. 

 

Dec. 3, 2012.  I did not like the effect from my blackening solution so I took the hinges back to almost bright metal by soaking them in Sparex pickling solution and reblackening them in Birchwood Casey Brass Blackener.  Quite an improvement.  I installed the hinges using contact cement.  I put a tiny stripe of the cement on the door and on the hinge.  I let it dry for 15 minutes and then installed them.  No adhesive squeezing out.  I deliberately made the hinge pins come from the same side.  It seemed to me that it might be necessary for someone to remove the lid for access or repair and this would  allow the door to be removed more easily.

 

 

 

Dec. 3, 2012.  There are several rooms built on to the aft and fore platforms.  On the aft platform are the magazine and its maze of entry passages, the bread room, the steward’s room, the light room and other rooms on the starboard side of the ship which I will not be installing.  Superficially, this seems easy.  Build a bunch of walls, trim them to fit, put in a few fenestrations, pop in a few door and voila…instant room.  Needless to say, this is not the case.  One of the hardest parts of this for me was visualizing how everything went together.  I then followed the platform plan, only to discover that the fore and aft positions of the bulkheads were slightly different from the body plan.  “Slightly” loosely translates into just enough to make me start over.

 

I decided to start aft and work forward.  The aft magazine bulkhead sits behind the mizzen mast step. 
The aft bulkhead does not go all the way to the hull.  There will be a bulkhead connecting the fore and aft magazine bulkheads and lateral to that is storage for the bread room.  There is a box surrounding the mizzen mast, keeping it separate from the magazine.  The magazine also has a removable false floor, called the palletting.  These planks go athwart ship in contrast to the deck flooring.  My first mistake was making the magazine area too short.  The fore pallet beam had to be remade and a wider plank installed.  Compare the 2^nd and 4^th pictures for before and after shots of the pallet beams and decking.

 

 

 

 

[tlevine]

None of the beams are installed but I have decided to add the finished pillars as the bulkheads are fabricated.  This is where I got in to trouble again.  The fore bulkhead of the magazine rests on the platform beam and the pillar is fixed to it.  Careful (after the fact) review of the plans shows that this pillar is not centered on the lower deck beam.  It is shifted aft.  The reason for this is that one could not open the passageway doors into the magazine if it was positioned directly under the center of the beam.  Openings have been made for the door into the magazine, the light window and the scuttle into the bread room.

 

The mullions for the light room window were made by sawing halfway through the wood strips and then assembling them Lincoln Log style.  The glazing is mica.  The candle is typing paper rolled around a scrap of wood.  The weathered appearance is purely accidental.  My fingers were dirty when I made it.

 

 

Light Room Bulkhead

   

 

Fore Magazine Bulkhead

 

 

The remaining rooms on the port side of the platform have been made and installed.  Since all of the wood planks for the bulkhead walls are the same dimension, I made up a stock “wall” made up of strips of wood glued together.  The lengths of the bulkhead segments were then cut from that stock sheet. 

 

Holes are drilled into the upper light room door for ventilation.  The hinges on the steward and bread room doors are photo etch from Admiralty Model’s photo etch sheet for Swan Class vessels.  This also includes pump assemblies, lanterns and other misc. parts.

 

Aft Platform Bulkheads

 

 

I have reached the end of the build log rescued by Dave (Midnight).  This leaves me about two months to reconstruct de novo.  At least I have the pictures...

Edited March 21, 2013 by tlevine

[BANYAN]

A significant milestone and major effort - many thanks Toni.  I look forward to seeing your "de novo" updates.  I think a small celebration may be warranted

 

 

Pat

[SJSoane]

 

Hi Toni,

 

What gas are you using for the Little Torch? I have been contemplating getting a small torch like this, but have read different things about propane, acetylene, etc. Any advice?

 

Also, I missed somewhere, what finish are you applying to the wood?

 

the ship is looking great!

 

Best wishes,

 

Mark

[AnobiumPunctatum]

Toni,

 

thanks very much for redoing your log. It's a big help for my own build.

[tlevine]

I like your idea of a celebration, Pat.  Mark, I am using propane and oxygen for the torch.  Although not the most cost effective, I am using the little canisters from the hardware store because of their portability.  The finish is Watco's Danish Wood Oil.  My can of finish is five years old.  I am suspicious that there has been a change in formulation recently, resulting in a shinier finish.  Definitely try this product on some scrap before deciding to use it.  Thanks for the encouragement, Christian.

[cfn1803]

Toni,

 

Beautiful finish.  Outstanding model.

 

Thanks for sharing with us.

 

Regards,

 

Clay

[tlevine]

The fore platform bulkheads are less complicated than the aft ones.  Everything is at a right angle in contrast to the odd corners aft.  There is some difference in the door configuration between TFFM and the Atalanta draughts.  Greg’s Pegasus also has this configuration (as seen in TFFM vol.3).

 

Fore Platform Bulkheads

 

 

This picture shows how the well lines up with the aft platform structures.  The well will not be glued in place until the lower deck has been partially assembled.  The color contrast shows where the finish has been applied.

 

 

 

 

[WackoWolf]

Words can't describe this, I am lost for words. Keep the pictures coming.

[tlevine]

Here are some more pictures for you Joe.

 

The lower deck hook/eking piece was made next.  This is constructed from three pieces of wood hook scarfed together.  Another difference from TFFM was found with this piece.  The book shows the upper surface of the hook flat whereas the draughts show a rebate at the fore end of the hook.  This would allow the deck planking to end on the hook rather than at the footwaling.  The pictures show the sequence of construction of the eking piece, beam 1 and their associated carling, ledges and pillar.  There is a deliberate gap at the lateral edge of the hook and beam because I am not installing any of the footwaling.

 

Lower Deck Hook

           

 

 

The second beam, with its knees, carlings and ledges was installed next.

 

Lower Deck Second Beam

   

[tlevine]

I was very proud of myself until…  One of our members (I am sorry that I do not remember which one because you really did me a tremendous service by calling this to my attention) noticed that beam 2 was not perpendicular to the keel.  The problem was determined to be the eking piece which was remade and the problem was solved.  Happily, I had not glued anything in place on the deck clamp so nothing was damaged in the repair.  While building the lower deck structure I have made it a rule not to permanently glue anything in place until I am at least one and preferably two beams down the line in case small adjustments need to be made.  The picture on the left shows the problem.  The starboard end of the second beam is half a frame width aft compared with the port side.  The right hand photo is taken a little later in the build but shows that the beam is now perpendicular to the keel.

 

Remade Eking Piece

[druxey]

Good catch, Toni! Now you can be truly proud of yourself for fixing it.

[tlevine]

The foremast partner is an interesting piece of joinery and exemplifies why one should not glue things in place too soon.  Although not seen in the pictures, there are two carlings under the plank between the second and third beams.  These carlings are mortised under the beams and extend all the way across the beams.  The partner is let into the beams by one inch.  I made the opening by drawing it out and then drilling multiple holes just inside the outline.  Using an Exacto, I connected the dots and cleaned up the octagon with a chisel and sanding sticks.

 

Foremast Partner

   

 

The lodging knees, carlings and ledges were made and glued-up off the model.  I will call a beam and its associated lodging knees, carlings and ledges a beam set for simplicity.  Finally the whole eking piece and beams 1-3 assembly was installed with the pillars.

 

Lower Beam 3 Lodging knees

 

 

Lower Beam 3 Carlings and Ledges

 

 

 

Lower Beam 3 Finished

 

The next two beams were installed.  Nothing gets glued together in one beam set until the next beam set has been made.  As you can see, the angle of the inner carlings of beam set 5 is not symmetric.  I mismarked the midline with the obvious result.  I did not notice this until it was too late to correct the problem.  Since one side of the deck will be planked over, the asymmetry will not be seen unless a fiberoptic scope is passed into the hold.  After the trouble I had with beam 2, I have been very careful to make sure the beams are perpendicular to the keel.

 

 

Beam 5

     

[bbrockel]

Toni, I have really enjoyed reading your build log. For a 'darkside newbie' builds like your, Dan Vad and EdT are a real inspiration for me. Some day. Thank you for taking the time to re-post your build log.

[capnharv2]

Bob,

 

You must really like this build since your comment repeated 4 times

 

Seriously, Toni, your work is an inspiration to those of us who aren't there yet (but want to).

 

Thanks,

 

Harvey

[tlevine]

I guess admin got involved since I only see Bob's post once.  Thank you both for your kind comments.

[capnharv2]

I had the same problem when I was kidding with Bob-mine posted twice.

 

Thanks Admins, for fixing the problem

 

Harvey

[tlevine]

There are hanging knees on the fore side of beam 6.  These are a pain to make because of the various thicknesses of the deck clamps and thick stuff.  In addition there is the inward curve of the hull to account for.  The hanging knee locks into the lodging knee and is bolted to the hull and the fore face of the beam.

[tlevine]

I have the radio on and was reminded that this time last year the temperature was in the low 80's.  This year it is unreasonably cold.  I was thrilled that it got above freezing for the first time in several weeks.  I found a picture of the newly completed hull taken one year ago today and would like to compare it with my progress one year later.  The good news is that I have not been distracted with gardening this year.

 

March 2012

 

March 2013

[gjdale]

That's quite a difference Toni - on both counts!

Your build continues to look superb. I've really enjoyed re-reading your log as you've re-posted.