HMS Naiad 1797 by EdT - FINISHED - 1:60 - 38-gun frigate

[the learner]

Looking fantastic! Vol I on the way

[EdT]

1:60 HMS Naiad 1797

Part 178– Boomkins, Scuttle Hinges

 

The boomkins – or if you prefer, bumkins – were the only spars included in the construction contract.  This is only mentioned because in determining how far to go with the model, I decided to take it to the state required by the building contracts of the time.  There are a few exceptions.  For example, I included the stove, although that was not included in the contract.  I did not include swivel gun mounts, which were included.  I believe the latter had been discontinued by Naiad’s time.

 

The boomkins were substantial spars extending out from the head to secure the block of the fore course tack.  The lengths of these were not specified, except to say that they needed to extend out to plumb with the end of the fore yard when fully braced.  This required some calculations, which yielded boomkins longer than any I have seen on contemporary models, so I made them slightly shorter but still longer than those seen on Minerva and Leda in the Rogers Collection.

 

In the first picture, a square of boxwood is being converted to a tapered octagon shape with a Stanley #92 plane.  The spar will then be planed to 16 sides and finally rounded with a flat file.

 

 

The boomkins slanted down and were curved.  In the next picture, two pieces with significant extra length have been boiled and are held in the final downward curve by the orange clamps and the “clamped squares” that are fixed in the t-trak.

 

 

After drying out, these were cut to length and installed as shown in the next picture.

 

 

The boomkins are bolted to the first hawse timbers outboard of the bollards.  Eventually they will be held down at the false rail with iron clamps.  The next picture shows another view of these.

 

 

One of the final chores was to install hinges on the ventilation scuttle just above the wale along the finished side.  These were made as simple shapes, photo-etched.  They are quite small and when blackened and installed on the black planking, almost invisible.  The next picture shows a few.

 

 

Two of these still have some mask attached.  The next picture shows on of these glued on with CA glue.

 

 

Ed

 

Edited March 20, 2014 by EdT

[Michel]

Very good job Ed. 

[allanyed]

Ed,

Sorry if you posted this previously, but are you doing your own etching, and if yes, what system do you use?   I have given etching several tries and had some success, but find it a less than pleasurable task.

Thanks

 

Allan

[EdT]

Hi Allan,

 

I did all the photo-etching on Naiad using a complete kit I bought from Micromark for about $100. Its an involved process, but doable. My results were genrally good on the Roberts knees, port hinges, capstan rings, scuttle hinges. These were all simple shapes. The stove was a complicated etching, with partial etches on both sides. It too came out pretty well. There is a learning curve.

 

I did the masks in CAD.

 

I do prefer wood work, however.

 

Ed

Edited June 28, 2013 by EdT

[lagrayjr]

I hope you include the masks on the cd in volume two. I would like to try to do some photo-etching..Love your work and cannot wait to begin construction on the Naiad in about a year when I finish a FFM Swan class ship. Laman

[allanyed]

Thanks Ed,

 

The Micro Mark setup is the same etching kit that I (ab)used.  I still have orange stains from a few drops of the chemcals that landed on our concrete back porch from 4 years ago.  They do not go away, period, end.  I did the etching outdoors to avoid fumugating myself in the basement.

 

I did the drawings with Cad as well, and printed them on the clear materials provided, in short did everything right.  Alas, half the parts looked OK or even pretty good, but the rest looked terrible.   I did not expect 100 percent success, but better than what I was getting.  Maybe it's time to try, try again.  The laminating machine leaves something to be desired for any thickness over 0.010" IMHO.

 

Thanks again for the input.

 

Allan

[jaerschen]

I'm speechless with admiration Ed, that's outstanding.

[EdT]

Thank you all.

 

Lagrayjr, all the masks are in volume II as pdfs.

 

Allan, I agree photo-etching is no slam dunk. I found the key steps to be cleaning the metal so there is no beading of the water when wet, "developing" the photo-resist in the dilute caustic after exposure and the aeration in the etching tank to make the etching uniform. I too have the yellow stains on my basement floor and some on the work bench - but none on me.

 

I had no problems with the laminator even at the thick (.032) thick brass sheet for one of the stoves.

 

It certainly feels like a black art at times.

 

Ed

[EdT]

1:60 HMS Naiad 1797
Part 179– Gun Port Lids

Before attacking the port lids, I had some rework to attend to. The t-plates installed under the channels were initially made too curved. Although I had drawn these correctly, I had a sketch from a book in my mind when I made them and they ended up too curved. To fix these, the channels had to be removed and each one of the plates bent straight below the angled break at the top. A minor detail perhaps, but I feel better. The corrected versions are shown below.

 

The next picture shows the ironwork for the hinges, The straps were photo-etched and the pintles fabricated from copper wire and tubing.

 

The pintles were silver soldered. The next picture shows hinges being fitted to one of the port lids.

 

After bending the strap down over the hinge pin, the strap is inverted so the bent over piece is in back, where it will be secured by the top through bolt. The straps are bolted though using copper wire that is peened over to hold the straps in place. There is a small ringbolt shackle in the lowest hole through the strap.

The next picture shows the three aft lids installed. There are three aft and two forward.

 

The next picture shows the two forward lids before the copper was blackened.

 

The next picture shows the blackened forward lids.

 

The last picture shows the three lids aft. This picture really highlights the difference in the sheer of the outboard planking versus the flatter line of the upper deck as reflected by the port heights.

 

The contracts specified shackles on the lids but did not require the rigging or the holes and sleeves through the side. I eventually installed the sleeves.


Ed

Edited March 20, 2014 by EdT

[ianmajor]

Ed,

 

Lovely work - and a fascinating observation you make about the line of the outboard planking against that of the upper deck.

 

A question I have (and my apologies if you have addressed it before) is about your blackening the hinges. You appear to doing so with the hinges in situ. If so how do you stop the blackening fluid from bleeding in to the wood which would turn it blue?

[EdT]

Thank you, Ian.

 

The subject has been discussed, but basically the answer is that I use a solution of liver of sulfur for blackening copper. Almost all of the metalwork on the model is copper. Liver of sulfur does not blacken brass. With all of the knees and other metal parts secured with copper wire bolts, it is not practical to blacken everything first and avoid scraping it off in construction. Liver of sulfur affects only the copper and does not stain the wood - unless copper sanding dust is left on the surface, but I have not found that to be a problem. The solution neutralizes quickly to an inert state, but I normally wash it off with clear water immediately. The copper blackens within a few seconds. I find this to be a much more reliable method that the blue selenium based products - but sometimes they are necessary - when using brass.

 

Ed

[ianmajor]

Ed,

 

Thanks for that.

[Maury S]

Ed, Fantastic as always.  While I really enjoyed the re-visit, I'm happy you're back to real-time.

Maury

[EdT]

1:60 HMS Naiad 1797
Part 180– Finishing the Quarter Gallery

In these last phases of construction some of the items are small and the descriptions short – like this one.

The starboard quarter gallery has been worked and reworked quite a bit as I have deciphered its construction. The last remaining issue was the enclosure atop the upper finishing. My original interpretation of this is shown in the first picture.



I was never satisfied with this arrangement. First, the enclosure is too low based on the original sheer draft. Also, the aft end of it is unsupported and open across the back. Fixing this has been on my “to-do” list for some time.

On ships where the scallops at the ends of the taffrail are convex, there is sufficient height for the enclosure to butt against the taffrail. On the Naiad draft, these scallops are clearly concave, so at the end of the enclosure the cap rail on the taffrail is lower than the top of the enclosure. After quite a bit of searching, I finally found a reasonable reference showing a comparable configuration in John Franklins model of Egmont in the NMM. I replaced the enclosure shown above with the modified version shown below.



In this construction, an athwartship section is installed to meet the height of the side enclosure at the correct height. This seems a logical solution. The enclosure acted as a cistern, undoubtedly lead lined, that provided water the toilet facilities in the quarter gallery, so with the addition of the aft section, a level barrier is provided.

Here is another view.



In this construction the height of the enclosure is at the height of the sheer rail as shown on the drafts and the back section completes the basin enclosure at that height - a much better solution.


Ed

Edited July 2, 2013 by EdT

[EdT]

Thanks, Maury.  Me too.

[st george]

Hi Ed,

 

A great build log and a real joy to watch a craftsman at work.

[EdT]

1:60 HMS Naiad 1797

Part 181– Deadeyes and Chains

 

I will admit that making deadeye chains is one of my least favorite tasks, so it is well that it comes near the end of the project when my desire to get finished overcomes my reluctance to working on these.  I find it difficult to exactly measure the required lengths of the chains and lack the patience to make all the easily deformed pieces straight.  However, having said that, the task must be faced.  There are a lot of steps to the process I use.  I will merely summarize.

 

Turning the deadeyes is the easy part.  I use a shaped cutter as shown in the first picture.

 

 

After these are polished in the lathe and parted off, the holes are drilled with the aid of the indexing head in the mill,  The next picture shows a finished deadeye fitted with its binding,

 

 

For the large deadeyes the bindings and chains were made from 20-gauge copper wire.  When stretched this is just slightly (⅛”) larger than specified.   Close enough, when considering that wire sizes are limited.

 

Once the correct binding size is found by trial and error, the assembly shown above is used to help determine the length of the two chain loops that connect to the bolt at the top of the preventer plate.  This measurement is taken as shown in the next picture.

 

 

The next step is to find two links to fit this measurement.  I do this by selecting two from a group made by wrapping wire around a tapered plate then parting off a number of loops of increasing size.  The next picture shows the tapered plate being wrapped with pre-stretched wire.

 

 

The next picture shows three stages in making a soldered loop.

 

 

The lower loop in the picture is as-cut.  The middle one has had its end curved to close the gap for silver-soldering. 
The loop at the top has had a small amount of copper-phosphorus solder paste applied and is ready for the heat.

 

After soldering, the toe loop is crimped around a wire at the bottom end and soldered at the bottom.  The middle loop is then fitted between this and a binding loop and soldered.  The deadeye is then fit into he binding and shaped around the deadeye.  The next picture shows a set of these hanging from pins in their final locations.

 

 

After assembly the chains are test fitted at the measured location.  Since the model will not be rigged they need to be taut for appearance purposes.  If the chain does not fit in the measured location, I try it at other places until a nice fit is found.  When the set is complete the chains are polished up, straightened and blackened.  They are then installed.  The next picture shows the completed chains on the fore channel.

 

 

Ed

[gjdale]

Outstanding Ed. You raise the bar ever higher!

[lamarvalley]

This last installment of deadeyes and chains is perfect as I am having trouble with this portion of the build. I know it won't be as easy as it looks (you do make it look easy you know) but it gives me direction. Thank you Ed! Timing is everything

[Wintergreen]

It seems like I've just jumped in at the end now. Not being very active lately it is a pleasure to see your build nearing completion Ed.

 

Stunning work and a joy to have followed since the very beginning on the old MSW!

 

Cheers!

[EdT]

1:60 HMS Naiad 1797

Part 182 – Anchor Lining

 

 

Once the channels were finished, except for a few ringbolts, the anchor lining could be installed on the finished side. The anchor lining protected the hull planking from damage by the anchor after catting, when it was being lifted and secured to the side.

 

The first picture shows a layer of 3” thick planking being fastened to the wale.

 

 

From the top of the wale to the fore end of the fore channel, a panel of three inch planks was constructed. The next picture shows the supports for these, three stanchions.

 

 

I could find no spec for these so made them each a sturdy 6” x 6”. They are bolted at the channel and just above the top of the wale.

 

The last wo pictures show the finished installation.

 

 

 

 

Ed

[RiverRat]

Interesting anchor lining arrangement! I had not seen (or perhaps just never noticed before) any of these that weren't right on the side of the hull.

 

I've been admiring this log a long time. Thanks!

 

Brian

[EdT]

1:60 HMS Naiad 1797

Part 183 – Port Tackle Sleeves, Catblock, Horse

 

 

In this part we are literally getting done to the wire with a number of odds and ends.

 

The first picture shows the sleeves for the gun port lid tackle installed above the three ports aft.

 

 

The contracts only call for shackles on the doors – no mention of tackle or sleeves, which I assume were installed later by the Navy on fitting out. I decided to install the sleeves. They are small ebony rods, glued in, then drilled out by hand.

 

In the next picture the first step in making the cat blocks is shown.

 

 

These were built up as a laminate as was done with the fixed blocks, however, these are curved and fit over the forward timberhead. They are also open at one end. The next picture shows a finished block pinned in place for gluing.

 

 

The sheave is installed. It needs to line up with the aft of the three sheaves on the cathead. Two bolts plus the sheave pin are visible. Additional bolts wil replace the pins.

 

The next picture shows both finished catblocks in place.

 

 

This picture also shows the two iron horses. These were substantial (2” diameter) iron rods that connected the fore and aft ends of the main rails with a vertical stanchion in the center. They supported the fore end of the rail and also served as a safety rail.

 

This picture also shows the two brackets over the boomkins. The very last item to be completed, except for final cleaning and finishing, was the iron knee for the quarterdeck seat transom on the starboard side. This almost-forgotten item is shown in the next picture.

 

 

 

In the next picture Naiad has returned to her roots – on my drafting table, where it all began.

 

 

In the last picture, the workbench is empty for the first time in three years – except for a couple of short interludes when it was needed for some other urgent work. In this picture some of the raw material for the case is on the bench. Since it was part of the overall project, I will cover the case construction in the next part or two.

 

 

Ed

[druxey]

Congratulations! All you have to do is remove the 'bomb' shelter' over the wheel and pop her on the pedestals. She is a terrific model, Ed. Thanks for sharing her build with us here.

[Mcdood]

I will take my hat off to you Ed, you have produced a very beautiful ship, and thank you for letting us come along for the journey.

Martin

[tarbrush]

drop dead gorgeous!  thanks for posting this build Ed.  My admiral my kill me for buying another book but I am going to have to buy yours.  If only you could package your talent and include it.

 

thanks for the picture of your shop as well, it's a very organized setup.

[jaerschen]

Much thanks for all the great informations do you give us with your build Ed.

This help is priceless.

[gjdale]

Congratulations Ed - what a masterpiece. And thank you so much for taking us all on the journey with you. Your log has been a wellspring of information and inspiration. I look forward to adding Vol 2 to my collection of seminal works.

[Michiel]

that's a neat workshop, love those original workbenches