Emma C Berry by Turangi - Model Shipways - 1:32

[turangi]

mek, Thanks for the great advice! I actually made some shackles before reading your post but will try your method for more I have to make. I used 18ga copper wire as it is easier to work than brass, flattened the ends with pliers, drilled the holes and bent them to shape. I used a tiny brass nail to connect them to the bands and attempted to peen one end to secure the pin with limited success, even the tiny pins are hard to peen successfully despite trying to anneal them with heat, any suggestions welcome. I was concerned that glue would not secure them due to the small gluing surface. They are installed but need some file work and painting. Not surprisingly the camera is not kind with close-up photos but I think they will look fine at a scale viewing distance.  

[turangi]

On 4/18/2021 at 10:31 PM, niwotwill said:

Your bands look amazing I like you method of halves and soldering them together. I'm anxious to hear about the jewelry bits you ordered.

 

Looking good mate.

 

Stay Well and Stay Safe

Will 

 

Will, a review of the drill bits I received: I am extremely pleased with them! I ordered them on Saturday, they shipped Monday and I received them Wednesday. I tried one today and what was a 10 minute finger numbing trial with my bargain basement bits turned into a pleasurable 1 minute chore using my pin vice and new bit. I replicated my previous experience on a piece of flattened copper wire. There is a bewildering selection of bits on the site so I took a shot in the dark and ordered these. I liked the 3/32" shaft as they will work in my pin vice or Dremel tool, they worked so well in my vice I will probably not use them in the Dremel as it would seem easier to snap them. I have no experience as to their longevity so time will tell that tale. I also ordered a fine center punch and that worked well to prevent wandering. Here is a link to the site and the bits I ordered. Not outrageously priced and quick shipping.  https://www.esslinger.com/tungsten-vanadium-steel-drills-twist-diameter-0-50-2-30-mm-drill-bits-each/

 

I also did file work and painting on the shackles and am fair pleased with the result.   

Edited April 23, 2021 by turangi

[Sea Hoss]

I like how you did your shackles, I shall do the same.

[turangi]

A bit more progress, any slower I would be going backwards! I made a chimney for the stove. I didn't much care for the look of the casting supplied by the kit so I used some Aluminium tube left over from a previous kit. I cut a 90 degree angle, used a bit of snug fitting wire and bent it to the same angle. I inserted it in both pieces of tubing to assist with gluing and joined them. I made the collar for the top of the cabin roof from paper.  I also made a stove for the cabin out of scrap wood and made a pan for it out of paper. I put a small pin into the back of the stove and pushed the whole thing into the bulkhead to keep it in place, totally hidden from sight.. Happy with both efforts. 

[Sea Hoss]

Fine work there. I was thinking about a stove way back but I ended up gluing the cabin to the frames. Now I wish I built the cabin so it could be removed to expose all the nifty work down there. Oh well, live and learn (sometimes).

[niwotwill]

Great job the shackles look great. And a great big thank you for the drill bit info and link. Do you have a photo of the stove without the light glare?

It looks great but Its hard to see all the detail.

 

Stay Well and Stay Safe

Will 

[turangi]

I'll try this one.

[niwotwill]

Thanks John much easier to see the details. So this like a heater not a cooking stove, is that correct?

 

It looks really good I like the door and handle

 

Stay Well and Stay Safe

Will 

 

 

[turangi]

Will, I didn’t try to emulate any specific stove/heater. I just cobbled up something. I have a similar unit in my basement for heat but the top does get hot enough for cooking if needed. I have a cast iron kettle I place on top to produce steam for humidity when I use it. Here is a picture of the actual stove on the ECB, I didn’t try to replicate it. The photo is from the 1930’s so I have no idea if it was original when the boat was built. Here is a link to photos you may find useful. This was when she was rigged as a schooner but still some useful details. https://johnvanhornphoto.photoshelter.com/gallery/Emma-C-Berry/G0000TwT4ALJBw8s/ 

 

Another site http://02d243c.netsolhost.com/htdocs/vex4/E5D8A155-F149-414C-A48F-796948282462.htm

Edited April 25, 2021 by turangi

[niwotwill]

These are great.

Stay Well and Stay Safe

Will 

 

[turangi]

I turned my attention to making some of the fittings for the mast using the brass strips supplied with the kit. I would bend them to shape, clean and flux them and using a self-closing tweezer to hold the joint together as I soldered it. Alas, the tweezer acted as much as a heat sink as a clamping device and the result was poor joints. I tried a different approach that worked well for me. I took some fine wire I use for fly tying and then clamped the joint and wrapped it snugly using the wire, the tweezer can be removed after a few wraps. I then soldered the joint and after it cooled used files to smooth the area, I am happy with the result. The wire comes in different diameters and I used the smallest I had on hand. On one part there was an existing soldered joint so I wrapped it in a strip of paper towel then wet the tower to protect that join, worked fine. I also purchased an inexpensive pair of pliers with round jaws and they worked great to form curved parts, highly recommended. Looks like a bit more file work needed on some parts, amazing what you see when the part is magnified many times in the photos!

Edited May 10, 2021 by turangi

[turangi]

I have stained and painted the mast, no photo as it is quite straightforward. I turned my attention to working on the mast hoops. These hoops are so delicate as supplied I can't imagine they could survive being used to rig a sail, thankfully I am not going to use sails. 

 

The hoops are extremely delicate and I think would break if you sneezed on them. First I stained them  while still attached to the matrix. I then separated them on the outside and left the inner waste piece attached while I lightly sanded the outer perimeter. I then removed the inner waste bit and tried sanding the inner perimeter and it immediately cracked so I repaired the crack as best I could. I then tried spreading thin CA glue on one service, tried sanding again and another crack. I ended up putting some thin CA in a bottle cap, soaked the hoop and hung it on a wire to dry. This did make it stronger and I cleaned up the inner surface as best I could, not perfect but acceptable to me. These hoops require the utmost care in handling. Use your thinnest, sharpest blade to cut the free and try to apply the least pressure possible to them while handling them. The CA dunk made them shiny but some Dullkote should take care of that. These were the larger mainmast hoops, not looking forward to the smaller topmast ones. I may try to make some hoops if these don't look good. Good luck at any rate!

Edited May 16, 2021 by turangi

[Sea Hoss]

I was looking at those, they do look frustrating!

[ahb26]

The BlueJacket mast hoops I bought for use with my Bowdoin were similarly fragile.  I think I broke and repaired about half of them before I was done.  I didn't add sails but I did add lines to mimic the edges of the sails, and tied the line to the hoops.

 

 

[turangi]

Yours turned out well but they certainly are a challenge!

[turangi]

I spent some time today making the cleats that attach to the mast. It was challenging but I only managed to destroy one during fabrication. I drilled holes in the cleat and mast for pins, the pins look huge in the photos but were .018" in diameter. I fitted them temporarily in position, then cut off the heads, filed them square and secured them with CA applied to the pin and cleat. Fun little project!

Edited May 23, 2021 by turangi

[turangi]

Today I worked on constructing the deadeyes that attach to the straps on the hull to support the mast, I have never made deadeyes before so this was a new adventure. The plans and directions had a paucity of information on their construction other than they appear to have a metal strop. I initially tried to make the strop from copper wire and flattened the ends to allow a hole to be drilled for a connecting pin, this was a failure as the flattened area was very thin, fragile and easily broken. I decide to try some soft steel florist wire and that seemed to work. I twisted one end around a small drill bit, shaped it around the deadeye and then twisted the other end around the drill bit which gave me two eyes to pass a pin thought to attach to the hull fitting. There is a picture with the pin in place and I will work on the pin to reduce the head diameter and flatten it some. I haven't decided how to treat the other end of the pin yet. Strops have been painted and I will attempt a trial assembly tomorrow. It all seems a bit crude and any suggestions will be gratefully welcomed on the whole process of constructing deadeyes!!! The scary part is that these are the large deadeyes, there are smaller ones to be worked on. I may have to go scouring for spider webs to get strop material. 

 

Interesting, the deadeyes rather look like me working on them!😮

Edited May 25, 2021 by turangi

[Organ tech]

On 11/20/2020 at 7:12 PM, turangi said:

A long delayed update on this thread, I have been sidelined by some other issues. Unfortunately, in my working time I was more interested in building than taking photos and documenting the build but here are a few things I learned and a couple of tips (use them at your own peril from this relative neophyte)!

 

1. Take great pains to set all the frames at the correct height! I thought I had done so but a mm low or high crept in and sure made a difference. I spent some frustrating time sanding or shimming frames to achieve a relatively fair landing for planks and ceilings. In the photos you can see the deck beams laid are going to require some frame additions or subtractions on their upper ends. In setting the beams I took pains to be sure that they were level on both sides so the boat doesn't appear to be listing.

 

2. Setting the clamps: When setting the clamps I took a strip of sandpaper and placed it grit side to the frame between the clamp and frame in the approximate location and pulled it up and down to create a full contact surface before gluing the clamp, seemed to work well.

 

3. The wet well: I placed the lower logs using the supports going to the beam to ascertain the correct angle for the port and starboard logs before gluing them in place. I then attached the supports inside the logs when they should have been on the outside of the logs. Created a bit of an issue according to the plans but not major in my mind although the naval architects will probable be after my hide.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed building the cabin and bunks as well as as installing the soles and ceilings. I have only done the port side so far as I may leave some planks off the starboard hull to show the interior as show in the box photo. 

 

This has been a challenging project, as is said "don't sacrifice good for perfection". I am of an age I don't suspect I will ever remotely attempt or try to achieve perfection or even good, I'll accept decent at least in my eye and those of unsuspecting viewers. I am enjoying the build and I guess that is what we all want to do? 

 

[Organ tech]

Detail work always looks flawed to the maker. Less so or not at all to an onlooker.

[turangi]

Opinions needed!! I started painting the bottom of the hull and naturally there were a few areas where the paint was a bit rough and a bit more filling was required. I did some sanding after filling and do like the look. I intend to build the ways and depict the ship as if undergoing a refit and repair with the hull being scraped or sanded to identify planks needing replacement. I have seen some other pictures of the model with a pristine painted hull and an open area where planks are being replaced. It seems to me that the planks would be replaced first and then the whole hull repainted. I have yet to scribe the waterline and paint the upper area black but I could weather that area a bit or assume a top to bottom repaint so the black paint didn't drip onto the anti-fouling painted lower hull. My deck parts and structures have been painted and look pristine so I guess they would fit into my top to bottom refit? All opinions or advice gratefully solicited.

Edited June 2, 2021 by turangi

[niwotwill]

John the deck and fittings look amazing. I like your description and pictures of the the fittings made of wire. As to the hull, I don't think a shipyard would sand the planks. It seems as they would just remove the old and clean up the adjoining good planks. The weathering looks perfect as it would in a refit. I've seen pictures on the web that show this condition you might search to find a ship on the ways. I think the black should be weathered also but not as much as the anti fouling paint. Another thought is when she's brought out the first thing that would be done is washed off with high pressure hose and then scraped before repair work.

 

Looking Great

 

 

[turangi]

NiwotWill, thank you for your kind comments and advice, it is greatly appreciated! I have decided to leave the hull as it is and proceed with upper hull painting, nothing that can't be changed later if it looks bad. I will search for some photos of boats being rebuilt.

 

I found a good photo of a refit of the ECB in progress, thanks for the suggestion 

Edited June 3, 2021 by turangi

[turangi]

Today I turned my attention to fitting the chainplates on the hull in preparation for painting the upper hull and bulwarks. I fitted them initially and then made the small piece that covers them and alas, they were too low to allow that bit to fit properly. Luckily, they were not glued or affixed permanently so I removed them, constructed the small bit, made a rebate for the chainplates in it and glued the strip in place. I then inserted the plates and redrilled the holes  in the hull to affix them. A tip, the plans called for a strip the same thickness of the cap rail so I used a bit of waste from the matrix the cap rail came from. It was the same thickness, had the proper curve and with a bit of sanding worked great! 

 

Another concern I had was that the chainplates stood proud of the bulwark planking and looked a bit odd in that area. I found a photo of the boat and indeed they did stand proud! I am happy. The only issue is that one of the scuppers is misplaced according to the plans. I carefully measured the placement of the chainplates in relation to the mast so I apparently made a mistake on the scupper, I will probably attempt to fix that scupper if I get ambitious.

[niwotwill]

Great catch on the chainplate.  Always nice when the fix is relatively an easy fix. Great photo is that Emma? and where did you find it?

 

 

[turangi]

It is the Emma, here is the website. Click on Next Record on the top and a new picture appears, click on the picture to enlarge it. They are all pictures of the Emma although rigged as a schooner but much of the structure is the same.A great resource for those building the ECB!   http://02d243c.netsolhost.com/htdocs/vex4/E5D8A155-F149-414C-A48F-796948282462.htm

Edited June 4, 2021 by turangi

[turangi]

I worked on several odds and ends this weekend. Fastened the chainplates and deadeyes to the hull. I placed each in position and used fine masking tape around each and then fastened each with epoxy and brass nails. The tape sure made cleaning up the minimal amount of excess epoxy easy, highly recommended! 

 

I installed the skewed chocks at the bow area. I was concerned that with the small footprint of the metal chocks being attached to wood that the connection would be weak at best. I have some very fine brass nails so I chucked them up in a pin vice, placed that in a household drill and used a file to reduce the thickness and diameter of the head. I drilled holes at each end of the chock for the pin and installed them using thick CA on the bottom of the chock and a drop of thinner CA on the pin before setting them. Quite pleased with the result. 

 

I also painted the lashing rails and mooring bits inside the bulwarks. I have to reprime the chainplates and chocks.

 

A note about the brass nails: The nails provided in the current Model Shipways kits are in my opinion way oversized for the models in most cases. Fortunately I have on hand some finer pins that work much better. The MS pins are .025" in diameter and the other pins I have are .0185" and much better at this scale. In the photo the current MS supplied nails and on the right the smaller ones I have on hand.

 

Edited June 7, 2021 by turangi

[niwotwill]

Good catch on the pins. Have run into similar problems with kits and pins. A while back I bought some from different suppliers and got varying sizes.

One web store I use almost entirely is: modelmotorcars.com. In the Hardware Store they have rivets from .4mm up. The heads are round like the nails. Just thought it'd help.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[allanyed]

I am enjoying your build log, thank you very much for posting the photos.   Down the road, maybe consider copper instead of brass where possible and you can blacken in situ with liver of sulfur without discoloring the wood.  Copper wire can also be used in lieu of nails and a head formed with a cup punch.  Most punch diameters such as from Brownell are over-scale for our models, but the tip can be reduced in diameter on a lathe to whatever diameter is required. 

Allan

[turangi]

Thank you both for the excellent suggestions! Will I will take a look at that site you mentioned. allanyed, I have tried copper wire with limited success. I do have a cup punch and as you noted it is much too large and unfortunately I don't have a lathe to modify it. I do have some nail sets that have a small dimple on the end so may try them. I have never used Liver of Sulphur but have tried Brass Black from Birchwood Casey after a pickling bath in Sparex with limited success, I might give it a go. Thanks again. 

[niwotwill]

john as allanyed mentioned liver of sulfur does not stain wood surrounding the copper you are coloring and is very easy to use.