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

[EdT]

1:60 HMS Naiad 1797

Part 66 –Bolts and Ribband Nails

 

I needed to get outside of the hull and get some fresh air so I took a day to install the remaining iron nails in the ribbands.  I had held off doing this because I intended to use blackened copper and I did not want a lot of handling to rub off the black, but with the decision to use black monofilament this was no longer an issue.

 

In the first picture I am enlarging and deepening the holes that were drilled in the ribbands before they were installed.  The first holes were done in the drill press after marking the frame locations to assure the holes were centered on the ribband.  This was covered in an earlier part.

 

In the next picture the black monofilament, which has been dipped in medium viscosity CA is being inserted into a hole. 

 

 

These holes go part way through the frame.  The filament is moved in and out to help move the CA deeper into the hole.

 

The blue tape in these pictures is being used to mark the bottom of the thickstuff below the main wale on this side.  I may elect to install that planking below the wale and if so do not want to install structural bolts in the location of that planking until it is installed.  This is so the bolts will come through that planking, as they should.

 

Before cutting off the filament the excess CA was wiped off with a bit of paper towel.  The filament was then cut off above the surface as shown in the next picture.

 

 

When all the bolts on the ribband were installed in this way, they were sanded down to a uniform height with 320 then 400 paper on a sanding stick.  This does not make them rounded, but it does level them out.  The result can be seen in the next picture.

 

The area above the uppermost ribband in this picture (actually below it), has been given a coat of wax, but nothing else in this picture has been finished yet.   The sheen on the bare wood is the result of sanding to 320 grit and buffing with 0000 steel wool.  Steel wool does a great job on hardwood but it is messy to used in the finer grades because it leaves steel fibers everywhere.  These need to be blown out of the model, wiped off steel tools and vacuumed off the floor.

 

The difference in the state of the finish can be seen more clearly in the next two pictures.

 

 

In this picture the upper band has had a few treatments of beeswax in turpentine.  The next two have been pretty well buffed and beyonf that just some sanding.

 

I am trying to follow the construction work progressively with finish in a way that will avoid getting wax on areas that may still need to take glue.  This is more important inside where lower areas are becoming harder to reach.  Once the braces for the rudder are installed all the levels of framing in this picture will be finished.

 

The next picture just shows more of the bottom.

 

 

The lower hull is starting to look finished.

 

The other work that was done at this time was to finish off the bolting of the lower deck knees from outside the hull.  The next picture shows some of that.

 

 

There are a lot of copper bolts in this picture that appear to be randomly located.  However, most fall into three distinct categories.  First are the frame bolts, four at each frame joint, which were put in some time ago.  Then, there are the lower deck lodging knee bolts.  These can be seen running in a horizontal line just above the lowest ribband in this picture (actually just below it since the hull is inverted).  I put in only one per frame.  There were actually more.  The last category is the lower deck hanging knee bolts.  These can be seen running in vertical lines up the frame.  One set of six is located just below the center of this photo.  I imagine the bolt density in this area would have been about twice what is modeled here.

If all this looks confusing from the outside of the hull, it is.

 

 

Ed

[EdT]

1:60 HMS Naiad 1797

Part 67 –Rudder Braces

Posted 4/15/11

 

The last remaining task on the lower hull before applying finish, was the installation of the braces for the rudder.  There are six of these.  Except for the top one, which was often iron, these were mixed metal – basically bronze.  On the model they are made from copper sheet and hollow rod, treated with ferric nitrate to give them a bronzy patina.

 

In the first picture the stern post is being bearded using a Stanley No. 92 Plane.  I find this tool, in spite of its large size, to be very useful for a variety of model tasks.  It can be adjusted very precisely to give very thin consistent shavings.

 

 

After bearding back each side with the plane, the post was dressed off with a file and the brace slots re-cut – also with a file.

The next picture shows the straps for the braces cut and bent roughly to size.

 

The stern post widens from bottom to top, so each of these is a different size.  These pieces will have a short cylinder made from copper rod silver soldered to it.  The next picture show one of these being soldered.

 

The rod segment has a hole, which will later be enlarged.  It is made of two pieces of telescoping rod, which had been previously soldered to form one with a thicker wall.  A groove was then filed down one side of this to match the apex on the strap.  Individual pieces were then sawed off.  The hole allows the pieces to be pinned for soldering and also gives a center point for later drilling.  Only one pin out of six got soldered in. 

 

After soldering the pieces were pickled in white vinegar and appear as shown below. 

 

After pickling, larger holes were drilled and the pieces cleaned up with a file.  The holes were then enlarged to the final diameter of 3 inches using the very small file and the broaches in the picture.  The final sizing in this way allowed the hole location to be adjusted to the center of the strap.  This corrected any small misalignment when soldering.

The straps were then cut to final size, drilled for bolt holes, filed smooth and polished.  They were then treated by heating and applying a ferric nitrate solution to give them a slight brownish patina.  My use of this solution is still in the trial and error phase, but I like the permanence of it and the ability to go all the way to black by varying the heat and concentration of the solution.  These parts were only slightly colored.  They were then given some additional polishing. 

The next picture shows 4 of the six installed. 

 

 

Small pieces of wood of planking thickness have been inserted under the straps, since this part of the hull will not be planked.  Bolts are made from stretched 22 gauge copper wire, cut to a length, driven into predrilled holes, the clipped off and peened over.  The long brass rod in the picture was used to maintain the hole alignment so the rudder, when installed, will not bind.

 

The next picture shows the last brace ready for nailing.

 

 

And the last picture shows all the braces installed.

 

 

The top brace has been blackened more completely to represent iron.  The lower hull is now ready for final polishing up and finishing.

 

Ed

[michael mott]

Beautiful work Ed, very informative. Where did you purchase the fine file and broaches that you show in the picture? they almost remind me of dental broaches.

 

Michael

[EdT]

Micheal, I have had these for a very long time and can't remember where I got them.  I have not seen either since.  I may have gotten the broaches from Micromark.  I have two of these small files and rarely use them.  I'm afraid of breaking them so I save them for when I really need them.  One is round the other square.  Have never seen these since I bought them originally.  Sorry I can't be of help.

 

Here's a link to a supplier that has a lot of small tools.  Maybe you can find something here:

 

http://www.ottofrei.com/Broaches-and-Pin-Punches/

 

Ed

[michael mott]

Thanks for the link Ed.

 

Michael

[EdT]

1:60 HMS Naiad 1797

Part 68 –Finishing/Lower Deck Ledges

Posted 4/21/11

 

I have mentioned finishing with beeswax dissolved in turpentine on a couple of occasions, so maybe some further discussion at this stage, when the finish is being applied to the lower hull, would be appropriate.

 

The first picture shows this solution being applied with a brush to the lower framing.

 

 

The idea behind this finish is to impregnate it into the wood without build-up on the surface, hence the thin turpentine solution. This is made by dissolving solid beeswax in warmed turpentine to a very thin mix. Both these are natural products and I am attracted to them at least partly for that reason. I much prefer the pine-derived turpentine to mineral spirits and other petroleum distillates - for this process at least. The turpentine penetrates the wood and takes the dissolved wax in with it. When it evaporates out, the wax is left. I have used penetrating polymerizing oils, like tung or linseed for many years in various furniture finishing applications, but I prefer the wax for this application. Excess wax left on the surface, especially in tight places where it is hard to rub out, is easier to remove than excess dried oils. A dry Q-tip, bristle artist’s brush or a bit of rag will do the job and if not a bit of turpentine will redissolve the wax and help remove it. This problem with oils can be mitigated by thinning them before application, but they still have a tendency to ooze out later and harden on the surface. Also, since they are cross-linked polymers, they are not easily removed with solvent. Oils also have a more yellow hue that on pear comes out a bit more orange than I prefer.

 

In the picture below a dry bristle brush is being used to buff the surface and the crevices and also to distribute any excess finish.

 

 

 

As the finish dries, it lightens to a shade in between the finished and unfinished colors in the above picture. Sometimes when first applying this, light spots show up where not all the glue was washed off, so while doing this, I keep a small bit of 400 wet-or-dry paper handy to sand these areas while applying finish. This removes the glue film and it becomes unnoticeable.

 

Of course once this stuff is put on glue will no longer adhere. The following pictures show the finished lower hull about an hour after application.

 

 

 

 

More finish at this stage will add sheen. Wiping with turpentine on a damp rag will reduce sheen.

 

With this work on the lower hull finished, it was time to return to the lower deck – and the ledges. At the time of this writing the lower deck ledges are about 50% complete. The next picture shows how far they have progressed from aft forward.

 

 

 

The inner tier of ledges on the starboard side will be left off and some others, to improve visibility into the lower decks. At least part of the starboard side will be decked, but generally ledges are being installed on that side anyway so I can decide on the decking later - except for the outer tier which will definitely be decked over.

 

The last picture is just the same area from aft.

 

 

Spring chores are starting to cut into modeling time. It will be a few more days, at least, before the ledges are finished.

 

Ed

[EdT]

1:60 HMS Naiad 1797

Part 69 –Material Safety/ Ledges

Posted 4/23/11

 

The discussion of the last couple days on finishing has been interesting and I am glad to see others have found it useful, even to the extent of trying out some of the things discussed. It has also left me a little bit uneasy on the issue of materials handling safety and so I wanted to comment on that before discussing the wrap up of the Naiad lower deck ledges.

 

I believe the major health risk in the shop, apart from tool injuries, is wood dust and we have discussed that and dust collection earlier in the series. Solvents and finishes also carry health risks and I will discuss that below, but next on my worry list is flammable materials in an environment where there are sources of ignition – electrical devices, light bulbs, torches, etc. The first picture was taken this morning while I was thinking about this.

 

 

This is a chart of NFPA 704 Safety Ratings for materials I commonly use. I keep this posted as a reminder to take appropriate care. For those not familiar with these symbols, the blue represents health risk, the red flammability and the yellow reactivity. Zero is innocuous with 3 being severe. You will see that cyanoacrylate glue with a 2-2-2 rating is up at the top. The other solvents have mostly a 3 rating on flammability. So, the point is that there is a flammability hazard if these materials are not handled properly. There is plenty of warning text on the containers for these materials and they should be read and followed. I make sure the containers I use them in have tight lids and are labeled. To prove it here’s a picture, also taken this morning. Jars like this should be kept closed when not in use. When in use there should be ventilation, they should be kept away away from electrical devices and especially away from any torch activity – and by the way, no smoking.

 

 

 

Cyanoacrylate in droplets is pretty innocuous unless you glue your fingers together, and it is flammable, but with a reactivity rating of 2 it needs some special care. You don’t want to spill a bottle of this. I have done it and watched the rag it fell on start smoking. (Clean up is no fun either.) I now keep the bottle in the base shown below.

 

 

This helps avoid tipping over the bottle, which is sometimes necessarily open when in use.

 

Finally a few words on health risks. Overuse of the word “toxic” is a hot button for me, because this term can be applied to almost anything and so it tends to be ignored or unduly frightening. The NFPA chart above puts most of these materials in class 1, mild skin or respiratory irritants. But even this is a relative term and doesn’t deal with chronic, meaning long term, risks. I suggest that if you are using these materials or any others that may be harmful, that you look up and read the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for that material so you actually know what you are dealing with and how it might affect you. These are readily available online. Just search for, example “Acetone MSDS.”

 

There. This is by no means thorough, but now I feel better.

 

So, back to progress. The ledges on the lower deck have occupied most attention during the past several days. This has been easy work, if a bit tedious. The first picture shows the method for cutting the seats for the ledges in the carlings using a rectangular warding file.

 

 

The ends of the 4” X 3.5” ledges are then beveled to fit the seats and glued in. The next picture shows the finished area forward of the main mast.

 

 

In this picture the first tier on the starboard side is being left out for improved visibility of the lower hull. Also, since the outer tier on the port side, the tier that involves the lodging knees, will be completely planked over, I probably will leave those out as well. The next picture shows these installed on the starboard side where all the framing will be exposed.

 

 

The next picture shows a different view of this area. When these pictures were taken the deck structure had been sanded and rubbed down with steel wool. I didn’t take a picture of the mess that made below.

 

 

The last picture shows the entire deck.

 

 

The areas left open for viewing below can be seen better in this picture. As much framing as possible is being left open in the forward area over the detailed magazine, but this is becoming harder to see already. I’m glad I have the pictures of it.

 

I’m still thinking about the next step. It may be to install the stern timbers before getting into internal work leading to the upper deck.

 

Happy Easter, everyone.

 

Ed

[EdT]

1:60 HMS Naiad 1797

Part 70 – Stern Timbers 1

Posted 4/26/11

 

 

I decided to install the stern timbers next, because they are needed for both the upper deck framing and also for the installation of the wale. First an alignment fixture for the top of the stern timbers was made from a strip of scrap pine using pieces extracted from the drawings. Being able to cut paste and print extra copies or fragments for patterns really comes in handy. The center section is curved up and aft to match the stern round up and round aft. Notches were then cut at the locations of the tops of the stern timbers so they would fit in place snuggly. The first picture shows this pattern held in place on the two clamped squares.

 

 

The pattern was located carefully, squaring up from the plan on the board and setting heights from the framing plan. The next picture shows the round aft on the pattern. The notches were cut to the line of the outside of the timbers.

 

 

The next picture shows all six full timbers in place. Except for the outer two they are dovetailed into the wing transom.

 

 

The outer timbers and the filling timbers in the space up to the aft fashion piece were made offsite as a prefabricated assembly. The next picture shows this fabrication in process.

 

 

Again, a drawing fragment was cut and pasted to form a template sheet, which was then printed, cut and used as a base for the assembly. The sidings of these timbers are oversized to allow some movement in fit up. They will then be faired back to the shape of the hull during and after assembly. The sills for the doors to the quarter galleries will be fitted later after all this is installed.

 

The next picture shows the starboard assembly clamped into place during the fit up process.

 

 

A fairing strip of pine is being used to align the assembly. It is clamped just above the strip put on earlier at the sheer line to align the upper timbers.

 

The next picture is a view of the same setup from the inside.

 

 

This picture shows pine spacers glued between the filling frames to give the assembly enough strength to withstand the heavy sanding in the fairing step. These will come out later. The picture also shows a temporary pine pattern piece crosswise at the height of the touch of the upper counter, right at the base of the upper staight sections of the timbers. This is to assure the correct spacing of the timbers at that level. If just held at the bottom and top they can end up twisted, throwing off the spacing at the center. A third constraint assures that they will be at the right spacing at the all-important level of the stern lights.

 

The next picture shows the foot of the outside timber on the wing transom, roughly faired and pinned to the aft fashion piece. Bolts will be put in between the filling timbers and the outer stern timber before overall assembly to give more strength to the assembly which now is just held with end grain glue joints..

 

 

 

All the stern timbers were made in one piece to simplify things. I will probably scribe the scarf joints on the outer ones to show how they were made in practice. There is still work to be done on the four inner timbers and their joints.

 

The last picture shows the current status from further back. The port filling frames assembly is still on the bench at this stage.

 

 

 

When both assemblies are fit up, the next step will be to clean up the inner timbers and then make the four “upper” transoms, the upper deck and quarter deck transoms and the seat transoms for those decks. I may then install the taffrail to give this structure more strength at the top. The basic structure of the hull framing will then be finished – a big milestone.

 

 

Ed

[EdT]

1:60 HMS Naiad 1797

Part 71 – Stern Timbers 2

Posted 5/2/11

 

 

In Part 70 the side framing assemblies over the stern timbers were being installed. In the first picture these assemblies on both sides have been glued on and are waiting for bolts. The support fixture was removed so these could be more easily faired inside and out.

 

 

Before installing the inner stern timbers, I wanted to fit the upper transoms. The timbers would then be installed so further work on the transoms could proceed. Before beginning this work, however, I needed to do some research and rechecking of my drawings of this area and this resulted in some re-drafting and re-lofting of the patterns for the four upper transoms. I also took the occasion of these refinements to replace the plan that is attached to the building board. For these reasons it has taken a little time to get this installment posted.

 

In the next picture the upper deck and seat transoms have been cut out and fit between the side timber assemblies.

 

 

These round up and aft. The upper convex surfaces were cut out of thick stock from the patterns using the scroll saw and then sanding to the line on the disk sander. The thickness and the lower convex surface were done on the thickness sander in the way the bottoms of the lower deck beams were done.

 

The next picture shows the way these were located on the side framing before fitting.

 

 

The vertical pencil lines at the aft side of these were squared up from the corresponding line on the new plan on the board. The horizontal lines for the top surface were transferred from the framing elevation drawing, which also underwent some revision, and measured up from the base. The deck transom is of course at the height of the underside of the deck. The top of the seat ransom is on the line of the tops of the gun port sills and is actually the sill for the upper deck stern chase ports.

 

The next picture shows all four transoms fit up and pinned in place.

 

 

With this done the stern timbers could be installed permanently. This is being done in the next picture.

 

 

With glue applied, these were slid into their dovetails from the front.

 

The next picture shows these in place supported by the fixture, which has been re-mounted for the purpose and for the following steps.

 

The next steps involved some complicated layout and joinery, cutting the notches in the bottom of each transom so it could be let down on the stern timbers. With the transom held approximately in place the line of the joints is being marked.

 

 

The first of these, the upper deck transom, turned out to be the most troublesome. Because of the slants of the various faces and the curved top surfaces of the timbers it is difficult cut these to fit tightly. I will pass on describing all the gory details, but after some hours of work the first piece was not satisfactory. However, it was quite useful in laying out the lines on the second attempt. This is shown in the next picture from below, a much better result than the first one. Trust me.

 

 

The lower faces of the stern timbers still need to be faired in this picture. That will be done when all the transoms are installed with all their bolts.

 

The remaining three were done on one try and the next picture shows the lower three in place with the lower two pinned and clamped after gluing.

 

 

The holes for the pins holding all these pieces in place will be filled with the permanent bolts.

 

A corner of the nice clean new drawing on the board is also somewhat visible in this picture.

 

 

Ed

[druxey]

Seeing your work again is a nice reminder of how high a standard you work to, Ed. You almost make that tricky stern framing look easy!

[dvm27]

Ed, are those spring loaded clamps in the last photo home made or purchased?

[EdT]

Greg,

 

Here's a Micromark link:

 

http://www.micromark.com/mini-clamps-with-springs-set-of-5,6467.html

 

They have a limited opening of about 1/4", so are useful only n some situations - but they can be very handy.

 

Ed

[EdT]

1:60 HMS Naiad 1797

Part 72 – Stern Timbers 3

Posted 5/4/11

 

Before the deck and seat transoms for the quarterdeck could be installed, the forward edge of the deck transom needed a rabbet on its upper surface to receive the aft ends of the quarterdeck planking.  Lines defining this rabbet were scored on the forward and upper faces of the transom and the rabbet was pared out with a small crooked-neck paring chisel as shown in the first picture.

 

 

The rabbet is 3 inches deep to match the thickness of the quarter deck planking.  In the next picture the rabbet is being cleaned up using a diesinkers riffler file.  This tool has teeth on the bottom only and the sides taper in, making it a good tool for cleaning up inside corners.

 

 

This picture also shows the dividers with one leg extended that was used to score the lines on the piece.  These scores made the paring easier, preventing tear out on the top edge.

 

The next picture shows the two quarterdeck transoms being glued in place.

 

 

Before taking the hull to the bench for fairing of the bottom counters and bolting, a temporary cap rail was fitted to protect the tops of the stern timbers.  This is shown in the next picture.

 

 

This rail is nailed in place with small brass nails which can be removed later.  The temporary rail will also serve as a drilling template when fitting the final piece.

 

The next picture shows the underside of the stern structure on the bench after fairing, bolting and sanding.

 

 

The last three pictures show the ship re-mounted on the shipway at this stage,

 

 

The framing of the hull is now complete, except for framing the ports.  This side of the hull will be planked from the wale up, and perhaps some of the diminishing strakes below the wale will also be installed.  Pencil lines showing the extent of the wale can be made out in this picture.  The pine spacers at this level on this side have yet to be removed.

 

 

The above picture shows the interior of this structure after completion of the bolting and sanding.  The joints at the foot of the stern timbers will soon be reinforced with iron plate straps, but first the knees need to be installed.  That will be done after some other work in this area – the lower deck waterways and the two remaining sleepers.  The lower deck ports also need framing.

 

This is still a fairly weak structure and it will be so until knees, planking and/or ribbands are added.  To help strengthen it, all the bolts were installed to provide strength as well as appearance.  This was done by dipping the bolt, in this case black monofilament, in medium viscosity CA, inserting it from one side, removing it, re-dipping it and finally inserting it from the opposite side.  This way glue strength is achieved on both ends of the bolt.  Medium CA dries slower and so this can be done.  Thin CA would be more likely to grip immediately.

 

 

This picture shows bolting and joints on the underside of the structure.  This side of the ship will not be planked so more attention is being paid to sanding and polishing of the frames on this side.  Additional ribbands will also be installed up the sides.  Holes drilled for pins that will not receive bolts are also being filled on this side with pear treenails.

 

With this final hull structure finished, work can resume on the lower deck.

 

 

Ed

[EdT]

1:60 HMS Naiad 1797

Part 73 – Gun Port Sills 1

Posted 5/5/11

 

In an effort to finish up the hull framing, I decided to frame the gun ports and clean up the timbers around the forecastle rather than move back to the lower deck. 

 

The first step was to mark out the tops of the sills.  This was done from the base up and from the topside down as a check.  Also from this stage forward I intend to take all measurements from the top of the timbers down to assure that as decks and outside work progress upwards everything will zero in on the topside.  Of course the tops of the timbers had to be checked for height.  Fortunately there was no appreciable difference when measuring from the base or the topside.

 

The line of the port sill tops was marked with the blue tape as shown in the first picture.

 

 

This was done on both sides.  A few ports had already been framed toward the ends of the ship. 

 

At this stage I was still on the learning curve in cutting the joints for the sills, so I elected to start with the starboard side where my mistakes will eventually be covered with planking.

 

In the next step the timbers around the port were marked at the top of the tape with a pencil.  The tape around the port was then removed and using a piece of stock that was sized for the lower sills, the line of the sill bottom was marked as shown below.

 

The top of the port was then set off and the two timbers interrupted by the port were cut below this upper line with a small razor saw as shown in the next picture..

 

This cut did not have to be precise because the timbers above this line will be removed then reinstalled on the top sill.  They can be sized more precisely, and more easily before that step.

 

The timbers were then cut on the bottom line of the sill and cleaned up with a sanding board as shown below. 

 

 

In the next step the outside of the joint, the tip of the apex on the sill, was marked using the compass with the extended leg.  A horizontal cut was then made with the razor saw to this line in the center between the top and bottom sill lines.

 

The next picture shows how the triangular mortise was cut using an X-acto knife.

 

 

My original process for making this joint was to use a square file then finish it up with a triangular file, but the knife was much faster, easier and more accurate.  The two vertical lines marking the apex of the joint described above can be seen in this picture. 

 

The sills were cut from the strip shown in the second picture.  Before cutting, the apex was formed on one end usinf a sanding board.  This end was then fit into one side and the length marked for cutting off.  The apex was then formed on the other side of the sill and hand fit into the joint.  It was then glued in leaving excess wood inside and out to be faired off.

 

The next picture illustrates another task that needed to be done on a few of the ports.

 

 

In this picture a small spacer is being used to bring the port to precisely the correct width.  Notice that the pin holding the frame to the ribband has been removed so it can be shifted.  I was careful when initially setting the frames to get the right spacing for all the ports, but inevitably a few were slightly off.  A rectangular gauge was used to size the port initially and at ths stage.  On Naiad all the gun ports are framed with main frame bends, without exception, so on every side of either port these would have had spacers between their two sections over their full height.  I installed these on the lower hull but deferred their installation at the top.  Now with the gun ports finally sized and framed the spacers of the right size can be installed.

 

The next picture shows some of the ports in the waist with their lower sills installed.  The temporary pine ribband is starting to be removed and will be completely gone by the time the ports on this side are fully framed.

 

 

Having gotten the lower sills done all the way forward, the top sills were started from there back.  The next picture shows some of these installed after fairing off. 

 

 

Two of the four oar ports on this side have also been framed in this picture.

This picture shows a lot of the temporary pine spacers still in place between the frames.  These are being removed as the work inside the hull progresses upward and their purpose is assumed by the permanent planking.

 

Quite al lot of work needed to be done on the timbers at the bow, so that was done as the sills were installed.  This involved cutting them down to height and replacing a couple that were too short.  I had been putting this off but now it is done – at least on the starboard side.   The next picture shows some of this.

 

These timbers are faired pretty accurately on the outside but need wood taken off on the inside to get them down to the final molded breadth at the top.  The stubs will need some temporary support for that work.

 

This picture also shows the bolting of the lower sills into the frames.  There are similar bolts attaching the stub timbers on the upper sills from beneath.  This bolting was done as follows:  First the lower sill was permanently installed.  Then, when the upper sill was fit, the stubs were glued to their top surface.  When the glue dried they were removed and drilled for bolting.  The lower sills were also drilled at this time.  Monofilament bolts were then installed in the top and bottom sills and the top sills, with their stubs, were glued into place.  The stubs were then attached firmly enough to the sills to allow fairing.

 

At this stage the starboard ports are about 75% finished and should be done in a day or so.

 

Ed

[EdT]

1:60 HMS Naiad 1797

Part 74 –Port Sills 2

Posted 5/7/11

 

 

The sills for all the ports on the starboard side were completed today and the hull given a pretty complete sanding to fair out the new pieces. The picture below shows these ports.. The quarterdeck ports are a mix of larger, deeper ports for the four 32 pounder carronades and smaller, higher ports for the eight 9 pounder guns carried on this deck.

 

 

The tops of the timbers still require some work in the area of the quarterdeck. First the recently added timbers and stubs need their tops leveled off. Also a decision needs to be made on which timbers to take to the full height. Naiads’s drafts show only the timbers framing the ports going to the full height and no “berthing up” of the quarterdeck, but by 1797 it is unlikely that she would have gone down the ways without these barricades. And if she did her captain would certainly have added them to protect himself and his crew on this very exposed deck. The drawings for the model and the model itself at this stage have them all going the full height so the final decision could be made later. A number of other frigate drafts show one intermediate timber going full height and one draft actually shows them all going full height.

 

The next picture shows the opening to the quarter galleries with a new timber on its top sill and this illustrates the work needed to level all these off. The pine spacers will be around for a while here to hold this fragile cantilevered structure from falling off.

 

 

The next picture just shows more of the quarterdeck ports. Framing these required some departure in the lines of the frames but all is in accordance with the original framing draft.

 

 

The next picture shows the ports in the waist and the four sweep ports.

 

 

The next picture is a view from below.

 

 

 

Hopefully the unsightly pine spacers at about the level of the wale will soon be gone.

 

The next picture shows the work done on the timbers in the forecastle area.

 

 

There is an opening at the height of the forecastle rail on each side for the two 9 pounders that round out the 38 gun battery. This did not require a sill, Also, there were two carronade ports on each side of the forecastle and these have been framed in above the first and second upper deck gun ports. The ports nearest the bow are the bridle ports and not one of the 14 on each side that count in making up the battery of twenty-eight 18 pounders on the upper deck. These were a late addition in the design and could be available as chase ports.

 

Naiad, like all the earlier 38 gun frigates suffered from too many guns on too short a deck. The earliest versions, the Minerva Class (1778) and Latona (1779) had a gun deck of 141 feet and room only for 14 ports in total and even these were pushed too far forward and aft. The Artois Class (1793), of which the best-known example is Diana, had a 146 foot gun deck but still only 14 ports. This enabled the first guns to be set back further but in this location were not good as chase guns. Naiad (1795) went to 147 feet and as an afterthought added the fifteenth port, which would normally not be filled, but could be if needed. Even at this longer length, Naiad was given to pitching. It would take a few years, but the best performing classes of 38’s would feature gun decks of well over 150 feet. (The dates are design dates.)

 

The last picture shows the full model from forward.

 

 

 

Those with good eyesight and a critical eye will notice a bit of a patch job on the timber framing the aft side of port 2. Replacing this entire timber would have been a very big job and all would have been covered by planking, so I am considering it a field repair of battle damage. So much for perfection.

 

In addition to the port work all the timbers on the forecastle have been cut down to final size on this side – unlike the forrest on the port side.

 

It is now time to move to the unplanked port side, where mistakes cannot be buried.

 

 

Ed

[EdT]

1:60 HMS Naiad 1797

Part 75 –Some More Rework

Posted 5/10/11

 

The comments I have received since starting to write about the Naiad model have been very complimentary and often overly generous, so I thought I’d add a another dose of reality to help me from becoming too complacent in the face of all this positive reinforcement. You may recall much earlier in the story, in Part 17, the replacement of the bollard timbers which were poorly made. In this part I will discuss another replacement job. It is in the same area of the ship, which was done back at an earlier level on the learning curve. This has been scheduled to be done for some time. The first picture illustrates the main issue.

 

 

Three of the timbers between the bridle port and he first gun port are too short. This is due to some careless lofting on my part of the early cant frames and a mistake in trimming them back too early. The three of these marked ‘X’ need to extend up high enough to form timberheads.

 

Another issue is visible in the next picture.

 

 

In fairing the hull in this area the timber between the first and second ‘X’ marked frames has had its chock exposed due to inaccurate beveling of the joint faces and perhaps misalignment of this frame, so I decided to replace it as well. I could have replaced the other frame in this picture with the gap in the joint face, but where do you stop? All this framing will be visible in the finished model. It can also be seen in this picture that all the pieces to be replaced are fastened to the ribband with bolts and the joints with their lower parts are bolted with copper wire below and at the height of the ribband. This adds some complications..

 

The first step in the repair is shown below.

 

 

Here the small razor saw is being used to cut off the first timber above the ribband. It has already had the spacer attaching it on its forward face cut through.

 

The next picture shows the joint below the ribband after removal of the full upper piece, leaving the chock in place. This part of the demolition was done very carefully with small chisels.

 

 

Holes where the bolts were extracted are visible in this picture. The monofilament ribband bolts were cut off inside using a sharp knife. They are held in too firmly to be extracted from the ribband. The next picture shows all four timbers removed.

 

 

Some new pine spacers have been glued in for protection against breakage and to maintain alignment.

 

Replacement pieces were then cut out using some new printouts of the patterns, which were revised some time ago to correct their errors. All the Naiad drawings are being revised as the building progresses to fix errors and reflect other changes made during construction.

 

The next picture shows the first of the new timbers being glued in place, before the excess glue was brushed off.

 

 

Again, temporary soft pine spacers are being used to hold alignment and add strength needed for the fairing process to come.

 

The next picture shows all four new timbers in place.

 

 

Once the glue on these had set overnight they were given a rough fairing. The lower port sills were then installed to add some strength before the next fairing step.

 

The last two pictures show the reworked area after fairing and some sanding. Fairing was done with 100 grit paper on a rounded soft plastic foam sanding block mostly cross grain. The area was then sanded with 220 grit, with the grain of the timbers. Care was taken not to mar the polished ribband.

 

 

The three timberheads are roughly shaped in this picture. Everything needs to be re-bolted. Also, work on the next two ports and the cutting down of all the timbers has begun in this picture.

 

Finally, the last picture shows a closer view of the reworked area.

 

 

With this work done I believe everything on the model is at a consistent standard and I am hopeful that this will have been the last major rework job.

 

 

 

Ed

[Mcdood]

Ed, I feel some what let down, I would have thought that being the perfectionist that you are, you would not take the route that most of us do, but would have started the whole project again......tut tut

Sadly yours

Martin.

[druxey]

Good save, Ed. It's been my experience that problems of this nature always occur at the cant frames, not the square ones - of course!

[EdT]

1:60 HMS Naiad 1797

Part 76 –Port Gun Port Sills

Posted 5/18/11

 

After getting the bow timbers sorted out, the sills could be installed on all the port gun ports for both the upper deck and the quarter deck. Care had to be taken with these because the framing detail will all be visible in the final model. The next two pictures show just a couple of the steps in the process of installing these.

 

 

This picture shows the height of the lower sill being marked. The tape was used to set this line and make sure it was fair. After this step the bottom of the sill was marked and the mortises cut to receive the sills. The next picture shows a sill being marked for cutting off.

 

 

With one end of the sill shaped, the other end is being marked to be cut off. The pencil marks for the top and bottom of the sill as well as the line marking the depth of the mortise can be seen in this picture.

 

The next pictures show some of this finished work after the sills had been sanded flush and fair to the sides.

 

 

These pictures also show the permanent spacers that have been installed between sections of the main frame bends. All but a few of the temporary pine spacers have been removed from this side. Some have been left to support some of the timber stubs, which are only bolted at their lower ends on to upper sills.

 

 

The next two pictures show the finished port side.

 

 

 

A lot of finishing up work was also done, including sanding between the frames to remove remnants of spacers or patterns, installing all the bolts for the sills, and giving the inside and outside a dose of fairing. The next picture shows the tops of the timbers, which, after this fairing, were reduced to their final molded breadth at the top of the side.

 

 

Without the spacers some of the frames are now self-standing and this increases the risk of breakage. I will probably begin to install the upper and perhaps the quarterdeck clamps to strengthen these timbers.

 

In the next picture the lines of the upper deck clamps have been marked out on the inside of the hull in pencil. The top line is the top of the beams and the next two down are the boundaries of the clamps.

 

 

These lines were measured from the port sills down. The port sills and the tops of the sides are at the correct height and as mentioned before, the interior measurements will now be referenced from them. A lot of sawdust remains in this picture from the internal fairing, which was done with small rasps following by sandpaper. I have been removing this from the lower decks by inverting the model and blowing it out.

 

 

Ed

[Revier]

EdT, thank you for reposting your log. I learned and readed often on your log and now i am happy to find you here again. Very good work!

Best regards!

Revier.

[EdT]

1:60 HMS Naiad 1797

Part 77 –Upper Deck Clamps

Posted 5/20/11

 

To give the upper frame timbers some additional support after taking out the pine spacers I decided to install the upper deck clamps.  These are in two strakes, top and butt.  The first picture shows the first piece of the upper strake glued to the the frames and clamped in place.

 

 

The top and butt planks were cut on the circular saw using two specially fitted tapered guides.  They are 6 inches thick and 24 feet long, with their breadth set to give the overall breadth of the two strake band when installed.

 

The next picture shows the first of the lower strakes being fit up with wedges to force it up tight to the top strake.

 

 

In the next picture this has been glued in place, wedged and clamped.  The excess glue has also been washed off with water using a damp brush. 

 

 

 

Ordinary Titebond was used on the frames and a very darkly pigmented Titebond in the joints between planks.  The plain Titebond was used on the frames to make cleaning the glue from the outside of the hull between frames easier.

In the next picture a #0 flat silversmith’s riffler is being used to level out the strakes.

 

 

 

This tool cuts faster than sandpaper and leaves a flatter surface, avoiding rounding.  The next picture shows this area after sanding smooth with 120 grit paper on a sanding block.

 

 

The dark joints in this picture are somewhat obscured by the sanding dust, but they will be more prominent when the wood is polished and finished.  This method does give more subtle joint lines than some other methods.

 

The next picture may cause some seasickness.  It shows the installed upper deck clamps on the port side, ready for treenails.

 

 

This picture also shows some other work in the stern area going on in parallel.  The wing transom knee has been installed as well as the second sleeper on that side.  The next picture shows this closer up.

 

 

 

The detail of how these two important timbers mesh with the deck components is a bit tricky here and in the absence of detailed data I made some choices.   The wing transom knee is bolted to the frames just under the top strake of the clamp and is made parallel to it.  The copper bolts to the frames and to the wing transom are installed but not yet finished off.  The iron straps from the two outermost counter timbers will cross over the knee and bolt to it.  The second sleeper was left clear to allow the strap on the inner timber to bolt to the transom. The sleeper has no bolts yet. 

 

This picture also shows a section of waterway being held in place to dry with pins after boiling and bending it in place.  The concave curve where it was “chined” down to the level of the deck planks was machined before bending on the milling machine with a small ball end mill.  When this piece is dry the outside edge will be beveled back and fitted to match against the frames in this area.  There may need to be an additional short piece to take this further aft.  I am still not sure of this detail and how far back the waterway goes.  Right now I’m thinking to the aft side of the after fashion piece.  When the waterway is in place the two strakes of the spirketing can be installed above it.

 

Lots to do to get both sides caught up to this stage.

 

 

Ed

Edited March 13, 2013 by EdT

[EdT]

1:60 HMS Naiad 1797

Part 78 –Lower Deck Waterways and Spirketing

Posted 5/24/11

In Part 77 the Upper Deck Clamps were discussed.  The installation of those continues on both sides.  In addition the installation of the waterways on the lower deck has begun.  The first picture shows the waterways on the port side being installed.

 

 

Where these curve inwards at the ends the strips were boiled and then pinned to the curved shape in place to dry as shown in the next picture.

 

 

This picture also shows the concave groove that transitions these from the thickness of the deck, 3 inches, to the full thickness of the waterway, 4 inches. 

 

Some of the decking was also begun, a few strakes next to the waterway.  The next picture shows the way these are fitted at the aft end of the ship.

 

 

The next picture shows the first section of spirketing on the port side being installed.

 

 

The wedges are now being used against the deck clamps to force the lower strake of spirketing down on the waterway.  Dark glue is used in this joint.  Yellow glue is used on the join with the timbers so it can be cleaned off and not show dark from the outside where there will be no planking. 

 

The next picture is another view of this on the starboard side.

 

 

The wedges are put in first, then the clamps.  In some cases the wedges are sufficient.

 

The next picture shows the beginning of the installing of the upper strake.

 

The gap between the clamps and spirketing was filled with ordinary plank.  This will not be installed on the model.

 

The last picture shows the aftermost piece of the lower strake of spirketing being fitted after boiling.

 

 

This is an extreme complex bend in two planes.  It got to this final stage in two steps of boiling bending and fitting.  It looks very dark in the picture because it is wet, having just been removed from the “boiler” in accordance with the Admiralty spec “while the water is still boiling.”  When dry and sanded it will be the same shade as the rest of the pear.  It will not be glued here until it has completely dried and shrunk back to its normal size.

 

This picture also shows that the wing transom knee and the sleeper shown installed in Part 77 have been removed after discovering an error in the way the sleeper was installed, and after some further research on the configuration of the wing transom knee.  In the last part it was shown straight and fayed to the timbers at the level of the clamps.  The new, correct one, will be scarphed on to the upper strake of spirketing per the spec.  This requires it to be shaped with a backward s-curve to get it down to the spirketing level.  It will be installed after the spirketing on this side is finished.

 

The spirketing, waterways and clamps for both sides are about 75 % installed at this stage, excluding bolts and nails, which will take a fair amount of work to complete.

 

Ed

[EdT]

1:60 HMS Naiad 1797

Part 79 –Transom Knees and Sleepers

Posted 5/27/11

 

Most of the time over the past few days has been spent trying to sort out the fixing of the port wing transom knee and the outer sleeper. Both these pieces need to mate up with the lower deck spirketing.

 

The last picture in Part 78 showed the last piece of lower strake spirketing being clamped in place after boiling. In the first picture below, it has been permanently glued down on the waterway and the frames and the piece above it has been bent from a full top and butt plank and is lying loosely above it held by a wedge and a bit of toothpick.

 

 

As mentioned previously, the first installation of the transom knee and sleeper was not correct and both have been removed in the above picture.

 

In the next picture the upper plank is glued in and both are getting a scraping to bring their edges flush.

 

 

 

The next picture shows the new wing transom configuration based on my best interpretation of Steel, White, et al.

 

 

Specifications call for this timber to be scarphed down on the spirketting. I had planned to just fay it on top, but after curving the old straight piece to shape and trying it on, it was clear that it wanted to be scarphed into the top strake of spirketing and that’s what is shown in the above picture.

 

The scarph cut into the spirketing is shown below.

 

 

With this joint the curved transom fits almost perfectly.

 

But before it can be installed, the lower aft strake of upper deck clamp needs to be in place. In the next picture that piece has been given a good boiling and is clamped for drying. Waiting for these pieces to dry out before gluing has added time to the process – a good thing, as it has given me time to think about how this should fit together.

 

attachment=35928:N79 05.jpg]

 

In this picture a pair of c-clamps are holding the frames in line. The planking clamps put pressure on these frames and the backing helps protect them. Also, without any support these can end up bowed outward when the glue holding the planking to them sets.

 

In the next picture all the pieces are in place held by pins. Except for the last plank of the upper deck clamps. This will be fit when all this is glued and will extend back to the counter timber.

 

 

The next picture shows step one of the fastening of these parts.

 

 

The lower strake of the clamp is pinned, wedged and glued in place. Ditto for the sleeper, which fays to the top three transoms and the lower strake of spirketing.

 

 

 

The last picture shows the finished installation, including the last piece of the upper strake of the clamp at the very top of the picture.

 

 

The bolts are in the knees but there are more needed on the waterways and spirketing – also tree nailing on the rest. I have settled on all the bolts in this area up to the wing transom being copper and above that, iron, thus the bolts on the feet of the counter timbers are iron (black monofilament). I saw in the contract for another ship the critieria of copper up to 2 ½ feet above water, so I’m generally following that on thrugh hull fastenings. Iron straps will be installed at the foot of each counter timber and the outer two will extend over the transom knee.

 

Now we’ll see if this can be mirrored on the starboard side.

 

At this stage decking has also been installed on this side, enough to allow the officers cabins on this side to be modeled. There will be more pictures of the decking in the next segment.

 

Ed

[the learner]

It has been awhile since I have visited the site but I see that you are progressing quite nicely. Good save on the re-work! Yes, you are a perfectionist or you would not have made repairs in the manner you did most would have figured out how to hide the imperfection.

 

Cheers,

Guy

[SJSoane]

 

Ed,

 

Looking at these lovely photos again reminds me of an issue that is becoming more important for me as I begin to close up a deck. How do you keep a lower deck clean, when you are sanding an upper deck or otherwise making sawdust? Did you cover the lower deck with something? And do you have a small vacuum of some kind, for cleaning up? I remember in the pre-crash days of a comment you made about turning the model upside down every once in a while...

 

Mark

[EdT]

Hi Mark,

 

Sorry to be a bit late in catching up with your post.  For some reason I hadn't gotten a notification and I have been off the site for a few days.

 

Sawdust in the hold - a problem.  I could find no way to keep it out.  It also tends to stick to the wax finish.  I do turn the model upside down and shake it to get out small pieces and debris.  To remove the dust I use the blower on my shop-vac, which works pretty well.  Be careful not to blow the model away.  I also use a long handled artist's bristle brush to loosen the dust if necessary.  As a final clean I expect to use a few cans or pressurized air used to cleann electronics.  But on the whole the model is pretty clean - and I am finished with sawdust.

 

Ed

[EdT]

1:60 HMS Naiad 1797

Part 80 –Lower Deck Work Continued

Posted 6/6/11

 

Work has been a bit slow over the past week or so, with some other activities taking precedent, so there have been no posts for over a week.  The first picture shows the ironwork being installed at the feet of the counter timbers on the port side.

 

 

These straps were made from copper sheet, cut into strips on the circular saw and formed around their respective timbers.  Holes for bolts were then drilled by hand on the bench after marking in place and center punching.  After drilling and polishing the straps were blackened with Liver of Sulfur solution.  Copper bolts with heads were formed by peening the stiffened 24 gauge wire.  They were then cut off to nail-like lengths blackedened and driven into smaller holes drilled into the timbers.  Copper exposed by this process was touched up with the LoS solution, which does not stain the wood.

 

The next picture shows the pieces on this side finished.

 

 

In the next picture the long task of treenailing the deck and the clamps has begun

 

 

 

 

Treenails are bamboo, about 1.5 inch diameter (.025”).  They are inserted with dark glue as a long uncut rod into predrilled holes, then clipped off.  Glue was washed off the area with water and when dry the nail heads are filed off and the deck scraped/sanded..  This picture also show the “shole” for the aftermost standard, which being inside one of the officers cabins, will be iron, to give him some more room. 

 

 

The next picture shows some of the deck treenailing and also one of the wood standards being set up outside of the cabins.  This will also mounted on a shole.

 

 

In the next picture holes are being drilled for treenails in the upper deck clamp.

 

 

Most of these holes were drilled with the small Wecheer rotary tool, which just fits inside the hull, albeit with a slight upward tilt.  I have been giving the Dremel rotary tool with the right angle head a trial run for this work and that is shown in the picture.  I usually center punch these holes first, then turn the drill off between holes.  With this tool I have been using a foot pedal from another tool to start the drill over each hole.  Since the drill is set to a lower speed and the foot pedal increases speed proportionally, there is less of the “kick” I had previously experienced with this larger tool.  It works well – and fast.

 

In the last picture the forward sections of upper deck clamp are being glued to the timbers in the bow.

 

 

These were boiled in the usual way, clamped in this way in the bow, left to dry overnight, removed, trimmed a bit, and glued in with the same clamping arrangement.  The forward end of the waterway and some of the forward decking can also be seen in this picture.

 

That’s about it for this week – a collection of several small tasks.

 

 

Ed

Edited March 22, 2013 by EdT

[EdT]

1:60 HMS Naiad 1797

Part 81 – Quarterdeck Clamps

Posted 6/8/11

 

 

With all the work currently in progress inside the hull, I was becoming concerned about all those top timbers standing up at the side relatively unsupported, so I decided to strengthen them up a bit with the addition of the Quarterdeck clamps.

 

 

In the first picture a pine batten the width of the two strakes of clamps was cut and fixed in place to mark the top and bottom of the clamps.  The lower edge coincides with the tops of the gun ports so I used pieces cut off my no longer needed gun port gauge and inserted them through the ports to serve as a rest for the batten and later the planks themselves.  It doesn’t really show in these pictures but the blocks were tilted down on the inside so the back edge of the planks gets down to the top of each port.  These will be beveled horizontal over each port later.

 

This batten also served as a gauge when making the top and butt planks.  These like the previous ones were cut on the circular saw using the fixed taper guides made for this purpose previously then matched up on the batten to check the overall width.  The fence on the saw could then be adjusted slightly if needed. 

 

In the next picture the first of the lower strakes is being glued on, resting on top of the blocks.

 

 

The second piece is in position but has not been glued yet.  The Qdeck clamps went on a lot faster than those for the upper deck with all their twists and bends at the ends.

 

The next picture, taken later shows the port clamps mostly installed and just about ready for treenailing.

 

 

The upper deck clamp, the lower deck spirketing and the decking visible in this picture have all been treenailed.

 

This picture also shows some of the toptimbers cut down to size.  The quarterdeck rails will be “berthed up” on the model, so some additional timbers above the number shown on the draft, needed to be full length.  Generally, one between each of the quarter deck ports was left long.  All the long ones had their sidings beveled as shown on the draft.  The debris on the lower deck is from cutting these off.

 

The next picture shows how these were marked for cutting.

 

 

I am becoming quite enamored with the use of masking tape to lay out lines along the curved hull.  Its less trouble than trying to hold a curved batten in place for marking.  In this case the points were measured down from the tops of the timbers.  After checking and adjusting this top line, it has become the new reference for measurements inside and outside the hull above the lower deck. The ‘X’s’ in the picture designate he timbers that need to be cut off.  Those with keen eyesight will notice a break in the line at the forward end.  This is because the upper drift rail ends and the timbers forward of that point are somewhat shorter.

 

The next picture shows the result from outside the hull.

 

 

 

The Qdeck clamps gave these timbers some support, but not enough, especially for those mounted on the top sill of the ports.  A couple of these had already suffered from my leaning into the hull to work.  So I decided to install a temporary rough tree rail, much like the rail that now gives the stern timbers protection from me.

 

 

In this picture the rail has been installed.  This took almost no time – less in fact than it takes to fix a broken top timber.  It also has the added utility that it can be a drilling template for the final rail.  It is nailed down with small brass nails.

 

One of the reasons for adding all this support at this time can be seen on the starboard side over the third gun port from the right.  The piece over the second from the right is also a casualty and missing.  I have a feeling it now resides somewhere in the dust collection system.

 

 

Above is another view of all this, including yet another broken toptimber being replaced at the forward end of the installed deck clamp..  My coffee-can-top glue palette and glue brush didn’t make it out of the picture.  I’m using yellow glue to attach the planks to the frame because it’s easier to clean off completely off the back side between the timbers.  These areas of plank will be visible between frames.  The dark glue is being used on the surfaces between the joints.  The Wecheer drill, which I have been using for almost all drilling, is also not put away.

 

All these tasks I have been describing provide a break in the treenail making and installing process, which seems to go on and on.  There is also the catch-up work to be done on the starboard side.

 

Ed

[EdT]

1:60 HMS Naiad 1797

Part 82 – Waist Strings, Iron Knees

Posted 6/15/11

 

 

Progess inside the hull above the lower deck continued this week, but was slowed by other things.  Work on the quarterdeck clamps continued on both sides of the hull and in conjunction with this the strings were installed in the waist.  These are shown on the port side in the first picture.

 

 

 

The strings are roughly the same size as the quarterdeck clamps but are not top and butt and there is a clear break point where they join because although he clamps serve as shelves for the beams, the strings were mainly to support the frames along the waist in an era before the skid beams and gangways were an permanent fixture.  The skid beams will rest on clamps that are installed on the face of the strings later.

 

This break is shown in the next picture.

 

 

 

The most forward quarterdeck beam, the breast beam, will lodge right up against the end of the string and rest on top of the clamp, which ends at that point.

 

The next picture is a close up of the top of the frames in the waist and the strings from outside the hull.

 

 

 

These frames have been trimmed back to their final height just at the top of the strings.  The temporary spacers have been removed and the frames in this area are now much sturdier – and aligned.  The pinholes in the picture were left from the temporary ribbands, which have been removed.  The sheer rail will cover these.

 

With this done, the hull from the waist aft could get one final dose of fairing to bring any errant top timbers into line.  Final sanding of the outside of the hull in this area was also begun, but cannot be finished until all the bolts are installed for the knees the upper deck spirketing, etc.  the next picture shows the whole hull on this side at this stage.

 

 

This picture also shows the progress of installing both the quarterdeck clamps and strings on the starboard side and work in progress in the bow area.

 

While this was going on, the wing transom knee and the diagonal knee at the stern were also installed and are shown after the bolts were inserted in the next picture.

 

 

These now need to be filed off and the knees sanded smooth so the remaining two iron straps can be installed.

 

There is probably going to be a lot of ironwork under the upper deck.  It is hard to determine just what was done on the original ship with regard to knees, but at this time iron was definitely replacing wood, so I am thinking about the upper deck hanging knees being done as a combination of wood chocks with iron strapping, a design that was coming into use at this time.

 

The hanging knees and standards in the officers quarters were most certainly iron and the first of these standards, the two on the port side are shown in the next picture.

 

 

These were made from .062” copper sheet, ripped off on the circular saw, tapered at their ends, rounded off and shaped to fit the sides and deck.  They rest on wood “sholes”.  They are drilled to receive copper wire bolts, which are driven into the sides and deck – small nails.  The copper is blackened with liver of sulfur solution, which I have mentioned before.  Any areas exposed by the nailing are touched up with the solution with a small brush, then washed off with water later.  The last picture is one of those dreaded closeups of one of these.

 

 

This picture also shows copper bolts spaced out along the waterway and copper bolts in the spirketing into beams adjacent to the butts of the planks, which was the practice.  Everything else here is treenailed.

 

Ed

[EdT]

1:60 HMS Naiad 1797

Part 83 – Deck clamps Continued

Posted 6/22/11

 

 

The deck clamps for the top decks have now been installed and treenailed.  This all took quite a long time but now it is done and the frames are now firmly and permanently supported up to the topsides.  The pictures below show the last steps of clamps and spirketing installation..

 

The first picture shows the last pieces being shaped and glued in place at the forward end, which is the most difficult part of this work because of the curves and twists.

 

 

Below is another view of that which also shows the decking in progress at the forward end.

 

 

Just a few more short strakes of deck planking are needed at the bow on the starboard side.  There will be bands installed in the center, but none installed on the port side

 

Below is a more complete view.

 

 

This view also shows the temporary rough tree rail on the starboard side installed.  The wet area on the upper deck clamp toward the bow is from treenail glue being washed off.

 

The next picture shows a closer view of the treenailing in progress on the side planking and the deck.

 

 

The treenails are 1.5” (.025”) and are drawn from bamboo.  I have been trying out bamboo skewer material for this but have gone back to my previous method using old bamboo garden stakes.  These are well dried out and much harder than those made from skewers.  They are also somewhat darker.  All the ones in this picture are made from skewers and glued in with thinned darkened glue.

 

The picture below shows the heads of the nails being filed down using a #0 flat riffler.

 

 

Filing seems to be the fastest and best way to level these off.  Sanding is much slower and tends to round the planks if not used with a flat board, which is somewhat awkward for this planking.  The coarse file cuts the heads off cleanly and also deals with any protruding copper bolt heads.

 

 

The last two pictures below show the outside of the hull on the starboard side.  With the inside bands complete all the pine spacers could be removed and in these pictures they have been, a milestone I have been looking forward to for some time.

 

 

This side of the hull will be planked from the wale up and that work can now begin at any time.

 

 

So, there is a lot of work that can now proceed.  Internally, the lower deck needs to be fitted out with hatchways, the riders up the to topside can be installed, the cabins can be laid out, the standard knees finished, and probably some other things before starting in on the upper deck structure.  Externally, starting the planking would then allow it and the internal structures to be done concurrently.  This should facilitate getting the bolting done.  There are also the remaining ribbands to install on the port side.

 

So much to do, so little time.

 

 

Ed