Miss Caroline by Bedford - Scale 1:8 - model of my full size build

[Bedford]

40 minutes ago, KeithAug said:

Nicely done - you will find the collet blocks more and more useful. I even tried to find an octagonal one recently but with no success so I am constrained to using the square block with a "V" block.

 

 

Now you're expecting too much! 

 

The "V" block will have to suffice.

[wefalck]

So far, I have only seen hexagonal collet-blocks. It shouldn't be too difficult to make one from a square one or from octagonal/square stock, if one has a milling-machine.

[michael mott]

1 hour ago, Bedford said:

2 hours ago, wefalck said:

No threads ? OK, left-hand dies of this size would cost you an arm and a leg ...

 

The first picture shows presumably the raw material for the counter-nuts ?

Yeah I expected that from you. I didn't even try looking for 1mm tap and die let alone left hand!

 

Yes the first pic was the stock cut to a hex and drilled for the "thread"

Well you could wrap a bit of fine wire around the threads and glue it on to simulate them, just remember to make it a double start and then remove one of them to give the correct spacing.😉

nice looking turnbuckles regardless.

Michael

[Bedford]

While I'm still not keen to try making shackles I have made thimbles of the modern variety.

 

I had to buy some 1/16" copper tube with the idea of making a rudimentary pipe bender to form the teardrop shape and then carefully file away the outer half of the tube to reveal the thimble. I tried with un-annealed copper first because it would hold up to the filing better than the annealed tube but as I feared the tube wouldn't bend around a 1mm radius unless annealed.

 

I ground a piece of HSS tool steel to give the 1mm radius then turned the bender in two halves so it could be separated to release the thimble. One side is female and sits in a milled hole in some MDF while the other has a 1.1mm pin to locate it properly. I only had to hold the top former down by hand while forming the curve. Next was clamping the material in the soft jaws and very gently filing away the outer half of the tube. The Dremel with wire wheel came in very handy for cleaning out the groove and finishing the thimble. Once finished it was cut off the stock and the ends dressed.

 

The first pic shows the two parts held together in the lathe just to make sure they were right before finishing and parting off the second piece. The gap was perfect, the tube fitted very snugly.

[Retired guy]

Very nice model lots of likes

 

Regards

Richard

[Bedford]

Thanks Richard, love yours too!

[druxey]

Ingenious solution and a great result!

[michael mott]

Hi Steve nice solution, I remember when I was tackling thimbles I came up with a different way for making them, if you need a different size you could try this method as well. it is on page 11 of my cutter thread.

 

Michael

[KeithAug]

I too like the thimble technique - must try it some time - also must remember to build bigger scale next time.

[Bedford]

5 hours ago, michael mott said:

Hi Steve nice solution, I remember when I was tackling thimbles I came up with a different way for making them, if you need a different size you could try this method as well. it is on page 11 of my cutter thread.

 

Michael

Yes I remembered that method and looked at using it especially since I have suitable brass strip but these are too small for a ball mill so had to come up with the alternative, the big problem and detail limiting factor is the softness of the annealed copper. It's hard to work without destroying it.

Edited February 7, 2020 by Bedford

[Bedford]

5 hours ago, KeithAug said:

I too like the thimble technique - must try it some time - also must remember to build bigger scale next time.

Keith, the only problem, well one of the problems because there are a few, of building at a larger scale is that you must build a smaller ship. Another problem is the fact that detail is much more evident although for you this is not a problem at all.

[Bedford]

I got a new tool the other day and put it to good use. I decided the best way to make the "D" profile brass rubbing strips was to slice 4mm diameter brass rod down the middle with a 1.5mm slitting saw. First I glued up 2x 12mm MDF plates to make a 24mm base to work on, nice and thick and stable. I then ran the MDF under the mill with a router bit to make sure it was level and true to the mill. Then using CA I glued the brass down to the MDF and proceeded with the cut. It worked very well and I'm happy with the result. Next is to try it again with 2mm diameter rod slit with a 0.7mm blade but that's for another day.

 

I have a photo exactly like the next one of the real boat 

 

 

 

 

[G.L.]

That's really nice work, Steve.

[michael mott]

Very nice Steve

 

Michael

[KeithAug]

Steve - Beautifully done and thank you for the brass splitting idea. Did you consider end milling the top half off and if so why did you choose the slitting saw technique.

[Bedford]

2 hours ago, KeithAug said:

Steve - Beautifully done and thank you for the brass splitting idea. Did you consider end milling the top half off and if so why did you choose the slitting saw technique.

Your idea Keith, using CA to hold the brass while machining, wouldn't have been able to do it otherwise.

 

I did consider just milling it but by slitting I got two pieces from one bar which meant I could get all I needed from one 500mm piece of rod, the 4mm rod less the 1,5mm cut gave two "D" profiles of the correct size. I did need to put a wedge under the free end of the top piece as the saw progressed to keep it from laying onto the saw as it went. For the 2mm rod that will form the protection strips on the bilge runners I'm thinking I'll mill a 2mm rebate in the MDF then glue the rod down and once I've taken the datum for the cut I'll glue another piece of MDF over the top of it and clamp that to the base, this way the top section of rod will be properly supported during the cutting process.

Edited February 9, 2020 by Bedford

[wefalck]

That's actually a good idea, glueing/clamping another piece of material over the rod and then to mill or saw away everything. In this way the rod will be always securely fixed. Have to remember that. When doing such thing in my usual micros-scale, I embeded the wires into CA or epoxi.

Edited February 9, 2020 by wefalck

[KeithAug]

On 2/9/2020 at 8:39 PM, Bedford said:

I've taken the datum for the cut I'll glue another piece of MDF over the top of it and clamp that to the base, this way the top section of rod will be properly supported during the cutting process.

That sounds like a good idea Steve - must try it.

[Jim Lad]

More delightful work!

 

John

[Retired guy]

Wow that looks brilliant 👍

 

Regards

Richard

[Bedford]

Thanks gents

 

The rubbing strips are done and the model is once again righted.

 

As a footnote on the construction of the strips, I secured the split brass to the MDF flat side down with masking tape to drill the pin holes to 0.9mm  and then countersunk each hole to 1.2mm to allow the pin head, once reduced in size by filing in the pin vice, to countersink. Because the pin head reduction was done by hand and eye I had to remove some of them and further reduce the heads to fit in, a bid fiddly but I got there. I'm going to have to find a suitable collet to hold these little pins so I can shape the head properly in the lathe if I do this sort of thing again.

 

Edited February 13, 2020 by Bedford

[Mark Pearse]

Hi Steve

 

A very good result, that detail sets it off very nicely.

 

Mark

[Bedford]

Mark, when I built the full size version I went for classical craftsman type finish and that meant this sort of detail, not to mention the fact it protects the keel etc very well.

[wefalck]

Horological collets are very good for holding such small things as screws. You also may want to watch out for so-called 'jewelling collets'. These are insert collets that go into a 5 mm collet.

[Bedford]

49 minutes ago, wefalck said:

Horological collets are very good for holding such small things as screws. You also may want to watch out for so-called 'jewelling collets'. These are insert collets that go into a 5 mm collet.

Ah thank you, now I know what to search for.

[Bedford]

Standing rigging done. I couldn't make the thimbles any smaller so I filed them down as much as possible to reduce the outside dimensions to suit the stainless steel wire which is smaller than the rest of the rigging, thereby making them look smaller than the ones in the running rigging. The crimps were made from the same copper tube that I used for the thimbles.

 

Running rigging in place but nothing to tie off to yet.

 

Still deciding whether or not to make sails for it.

 

 

[Retired guy]

Lovely boat, how does the 1:1 go on the water 

 

Regards

Richard

[Bedford]

It's beautiful Richard although when rowing, which I do more than sailing, she's light and easily influenced by wind. She weighs about 230Kg with me in it and there's a lot of freeboard. The centreboard helps in that instance but it can still be hard work keeping it on line but I'm doing for exercise as much as pleasure so that's ok.

 

I haven't done much sailing yet but when I do sail her she glides along beautifully and will make way in extremely light breezes. I'm yet to encounter stronger wind and don't intend to until I'm a better sailor. 

 

I don't know if this link will work because it's from facebook, it was taken by a bloke I sailed with last year, mine is obviously the other boat.

 

 

[Retired guy]

Video worked great and thanks for all your  description of how she sails would love to build one, one day

 

Regards

Richard 

[Bedford]

Richard, if you have the time and space, do it.

It was a joy to build and every time I take it out I get someone wanting to know all about it, it never fails to attract attention.