Flying Fish by Keithbrad80 - Model Shipways - 1:96

[Keithbrad80]

Hello once again everyone, 

 

These last few days of doing not much other than working on the flying fish have been pretty nice! I have finished the first cathead, one more and I can get them painted. 

 

I had a bunch of really small brass eyelids sitting around and that is mainly what I used to create the anchor release, I haven’t checked in awhile but I think the diameter of the eyelid is .5mm and the shaft of the eyelid is .3mm. 

 

 

Two eyelids were used on the release it hook with a .3mm brass nail in the center, I cut the shackle of sorts from a 3mm brass sheet by taking two flat pieces and clamping them in a pair of needle nose pliers and filed away all the excess, what was left was two half circle pieces of brass. I have another eyelid in the middle of those to act as the pin fall. Then I added the chain that will hold the anchor to this mechanism, and I will cut this to length later when the anchor is complete. 

 

 

The idea is a small line is tied to the eyelid on the left, when pulled, the right side slides towards the end of the cat head, releasing the pin fall. Because the pin fall would be holding the anchor it would drop pretty quickly releasing the attached chain, and while the anchor is tied off by the main cable, this release mechanism acts as a way to lock the anchor the cat head, allowing it to be locked in placed on the forecastle deck if desired. Basically you pull the release cord and the anchor drops. Here is a photo that hopefully better demonstrates this point:

 

And finally here is what it looks like now when put in place, I haven’t glued any thing just making sure it all fits. Thanks again. 

 

 

Bradley

[Keithbrad80]

My only issue is I cant find any illustrations or plates that show where to tie off the pull cord. It’s not mentioned in any of the instructions or plans. I’m thinking about drilling a small hole in the spray rail and tying it off to a small eyelid on the back side? I’m not sure how that would look

 

Bradley 

[BobMcM]

Watching with interest Bradley- enjoying the detailed photos. May I ask what you use to take pictures? Thx.

[Keithbrad80]

Hello everyone, 

 

11 hours ago, BobMcM said:

May I ask what you use to take pictures?

Bob, I have an iPhone 11 that I use to take my pictures, the picture quality is pretty good for a phone. 

 

I spent some more time today on the forecastle, installing the bits and finishing both the cat heads. They haven’t been painted yet ill paint all components of the forecastle at the same time so ill show that later. 

 

The other cat head came together much better, but I realized the pad I installed for the capstan in to narrow, ill add a thin strip to one side later to balance it out. 

 

I also got the bits installed on the forecastle. I do have one slight issue, I must have measured something incorrectly because I no longer have room for the anchor pads. So instead of making them fit I’m just not going to install them and not lock my anchors to the deck. Here are the bits:

 

 

I also got the knight heads and pin rain installed at the bow but it was a minor detail that I added. Thanks again!

 

Bradley 

[Keithbrad80]

Hello everyone, 

 

I got some more stuff done on the forecastle today, I think it looks pretty good!

 

I got the hawse holes drilled, and put a blackened steel ring on the inside so hopefully once its painted it will look like the real thing. Here is a picture: 

 

The next thing I got done was the top part of the windlass, I couldn’t figure out the name so thats what I’m calling it. I made it out of 1 mm brass tubing, .4mm brass wire and the bell is the cast bell that came with the kit, it didn’t look too bad so I decided to use it. Getting the bell in the right spot was really hard, but I got it done with the help of several small clamps. Sorry about the poor photo quality, I had to lean this part against the bits to get it stand upright, this is not the final placement of the piece. 

 

Thanks again everyone. 

 

Bradley 

[WalrusGuy]

Very nice! Is the hawse hole drilled all the way? 

[ERS Rich]

Thanks for showing the method for using the copper strips.  And that spray gun is a game changer.  Enjoying your posts, thank you.

 

 

[Keithbrad80]

3 hours ago, WalrusGuy said:

Very nice! Is the hawse hole drilled all the way? 

Ya, and it was really tough getting the right angle. The other side doesn’t look as good, I filled it wood filler and will try again tomorrow. 
 

Bradley

[WalrusGuy]

30 minutes ago, Keithbrad80 said:

Ya, and it was really tough getting the right angle. The other side doesn’t look as good, I filled it wood filler and will try again tomorrow. 
 

Bradley

What I found that helps a bit is to drill two pilot holes partway (one from inside and one from outside), and trying to make them meet. Then the hole diameter can be increased. The two initial holes are very tricky though! 

[Keithbrad80]

That sounds like a good plan, kind of wish I thought of that before, as it sounds like getting the alignment right would be easier. Thankfully the holes in the forecastle aren’t visible with the windlass in place. 

 

Bradley 

[Keithbrad80]

Another small update, 

 

I finally got around to ordering some more needles for my air brush! So i got the cat heads, and the bell painted. The cat heads are painted the same color black as the rest of the hull and the inside is painted with a 90:10 mix of deck house cream and detail white, the deck house cream is from model expo and I do not recommend these paints, I had nothing but trouble trying to thin the paint, the detail white is a much better paint from createx colors. The bell was also painted black, this deck house cream color is going to end up being the color of most of the deck furniture. I then glued everything down and started working on the anchor, hopefully I can get those done tomorrow! Thanks again. 

 

Bradley 

 

[Keithbrad80]

Hopefully this is a better picture of the anchor release, the detail is small enough to see when you lean in but from a few feet away you probably wont notice this detail at all. Which to me, looks best. 

 

Bradley 

 

[Keithbrad80]

Hello everyone,

 

I got the anchors done today, or at least mostly done. I just need to paint them and I should be ready to start on the capstan which should be an interesting challenge. There are two of them on this model so ill make them both at the same time, I have an idea of how I will make them but I’m worried about scale. Something seems off, as I go it has gotten more and more exaggerated. I measure everything several times before I cut any wood, so I know my cuts are right and when held individually on the forecastle they look fine, but when installed everything feels too big. 

 

I made the anchor from a thick brass rod, and some brass sheet that I silver soldered together. Before this build I had little to no experience with soldering so for my first real attempt I think I did pretty good. Thanks again!

 

Bradley

[gak1965]

Hi Brad,

     Those soldering on those anchors (and the symmetry of the flukes) is amazing. Just curious, my kit has the anchors cast in britannia metal, were your missing, or were you concerned about longevity, or how accurate they are to versions used in the time period? Like a lot of people, I wound up replacing the cast stocks on my Niagara with scratch built wooden versions modeled on the castings, and then used blackened brass to replicate the cast iron components. Will probably do the same for the fish. Like I said, they look great, just curious.

 

George

Edited January 26, 2021 by gak1965

[Keithbrad80]

1 hour ago, gak1965 said:

Hi Brad,

     Those soldering on those anchors (and the symmetry of the flukes) is amazing. Just curious, my kit has the anchors cast in britannia metal, were your missing, or were you concerned about longevity, or how accurate they are to versions used in the time period? Like a lot of people, I wound up replacing the cast stocks on my Niagara with scratch built wooden versions modeled on the castings, and then used blackened brass to replicate the cast iron components. Will probably do the same for the fish. Like I said, they look great, just curious.

 

George

Hi George,
 

I actually only rebuilt them because I had the intention of making as many pieces from scratch as I could. I had almost no experience with metal working before starting this build so every thing is a learning experience for me. The cast pieces that came with the kit are not bad, some of them are probably better than I could make but I’m making my own anyway. I hope this is my last kit build and I can move onto fully scratch building!

 

Bradley

[Keithbrad80]

Hello everyone,

 

Very quick update, after taking another look at my anchors something felt off, and I realized the wood stock was way to big. So while sitting here during a zoom meeting I spent some time filing them down and I think they look much better. I will add some more epoxy, and get them painted later today hopefully. I’m almost done with the capstans as well so hopefully I can get started on the windlass soon which should be a challenge that I’m looking forward to. Thanks!

Bradley

[WalrusGuy]

The wood stock looks much more to scale now, great fix! 

[Keithbrad80]

Hello everyone, 

 

I haven't had much time recently so not much progress, but some! I finished the capstan, there is a second one but I haven’t finished it yet. I decided to turn these on my lathe, basswood was way to soft for this application so I used walnut which worked great. I also got some more painting done today, I painted the anchors, the bits, the capstan, and the pin rail at the bow, as well as some more spots that needed some clean up. Here are some pictures:

 

With the capstan done, that completes the structure of the forecastle. Ill complete the windlass soon, but first I think I’m going to complete the deck houses first. I think finishing those first will make the placement of everything else easier. Anyway, I started work on the main deck house, I’m using a thinner wood for the walls of the deck houses so I can place planks on top of that, that should look pretty good. Here is a picture of the main deck house half built:

 

Thats all for now, thanks!

 

Bradley 

 

[Keithbrad80]

Hello everyone,

 

I wasn’t to happy with my deck house so I started over. Starting over seems to be a theme throughout this build but that’s ok because I’m learning as I go! 
 

Deck house version 2.0 look much better. I built the house first then planked the outside then put the trim pieces on top of the planking. My original idea was to put the trim on first then plank in between, but some of the planking would have been really tough and I’m not sure it would have looked very good. On the main deck house I still have things like windows and sliding doors to build. I’ll cut out the planking and build the trim for the doors and windows, which should look pretty good. I’m not sure yet what material to use for windows, if any one has made windows before I would love to know how you did it. Thanks again! 
 

Bradley

Edited January 31, 2021 by Keithbrad80

[Keithbrad80]

Hello everyone,

 

Made some more progress yesterday on the main deck house, I only have the sliding doors and windows left to install and then I’m almost ready for paint. 
 

Here it is so far:

 

I cut the windows and doors out instead of scribing them in because I think the trim will look more realistic than a flat box. Thanks again. 
 

Bradley

[gak1965]

Deckhouse looks great Bradley. Cutting out the windows and doors will make it look great!

[Keithbrad80]

Hello everyone,

 

So I finished the main deck house! I like the way it looks but like everything else I’m making mental notes (and some times physical) on what works and what doesn’t. The house just seems sort of flat to me, and I’m not really sure what else to add to make it look a bit better. I will be adding a canvas tarp over the top of the deck house and the boats will go on top of that. Here is a picture of the doors that I built before painting:

 

 

Here is a picture of the main deck house now:

 

 

[Vladimir_Wairoa]

20 hours ago, Keithbrad80 said:

Hello everyone,

 

So I finished the main deck house! I like the way it looks but like everything else I’m making mental notes (and some times physical) on what works and what doesn’t. The house just seems sort of flat to me, and I’m not really sure what else to add to make it look a bit better. I will be adding a canvas tarp over the top of the deck house and the boats will go on top of that. Here is a picture of the doors that I built before painting:

 

 

Here is a picture of the main deck house now:

 

 

looking lust great Keith. enjoy the ride V.

[Keithbrad80]

Hello everyone,

 

I had a good feeling once that deck house was on it would make installation of other things easier, which it did! I haven’t been able to get much progress done in the last week or two but I got the deck house installed, the thick pad installed in front of the deck house, the channels for the shrouds and started working on the windlass. 
 

The deck house was a lot of fun to make and I’m looking forward to making the second and larger one. I still have some detail like the tarp, vent, and boat supports to install on the top but I’ll do that once all the furniture is built. Here are some pictures of the installed deck house:

 

 

 

Afterwards I got the thick pad installed in front of the deck house. This was just a couple extra planks put on top of the existing planking, next time I will incorporate the thicker planks in the actual deck planking. Getting this installed only took me a half hour or so:

 

 

the next thing was the channels, as of this moment I have all 12 channels built but only 4 installed, I’ll do the rest tonight or tomorrow. I found that these were kind of tough to get the right shape. They didn’t want to bend so I sanded them to shape which wasn’t to hard. They really add to look of the model IMO!

 

 

I wanted to try my hand at turning the windlass on my lathe. Before this build I had never made any thing as small as the windlass or capstans so it has been fun to learn to turn something so small and fragile. 
 

so this is attempt number 1 at the windlass:

 

 

Thanks again everyone!

 

Bradley

Edited February 7, 2021 by Keithbrad80

[Keithbrad80]

On 2/5/2021 at 9:53 AM, Vladimir_Wairoa said:

looking lust great Keith. enjoy the ride V.

Thanks! Glad you are enjoying the build!

 

Bradley

[Keithbrad80]

On 2/3/2021 at 7:46 PM, gak1965 said:

Deckhouse looks great Bradley. Cutting out the windows and doors will make it look great!

Cutting out the windows and door was Definitely the right call. They added a lot of realism to the deck house!

 

Bradley

[Vladimir_Wairoa]

25 minutes ago, Keithbrad80 said:

Hello everyone,

 

I had a good feeling once that deck house was on it would make installation of other things easier, which it did! I haven’t been able to get much progress done in the last week or two but I got the deck house installed, the thick pad installed in front of the deck house, the channels for the shrouds and started working on the windlass. 
 

The deck house was a lot of fun to make and I’m looking forward to making the second and larger one. I still have some detail like the tarp, vent, and boat supports to install on the top but I’ll do that once all the furniture is built. Here are some pictures of the installed deck house:

 

 

 

Afterwards I got the thick pad installed in front of the deck house. This was just a couple extra planks put on top of the existing planking, next time I will incorporate the thicker planks in the actual deck planking. Getting this installed only took me a half hour or so:

 

 

the next thing was the channels, as of this moment I have all 12 channels built but only 4 installed, I’ll do the rest tonight or tomorrow. I found that these were kind of tough to get the right shape. They didn’t want to bend so I sanded them to shape which wasn’t to hard. They really add to look of the model IMO!

 

 

I wanted to try my hand at turning the windlass on my lathe. Before this build I had never made any thing as small as the windlass or capstans so it has been fun to learn to turn something so small and fragile. 
 

so this is attempt number 1 at the windlass:

 

 

Thanks again everyone!

 

Bradley

fantastic Bradley. 

[Keithbrad80]

Hello everyone,

 

It’s been a while since I have had some time to work on the flying fish, but I found a few hours this morning and got back to work. I finished painting the channels, I got the pin rail in, the mooring chock and cavil, and finally the mooring bitts. None of it was very difficult or time consuming to build, and I think things are looking pretty good! 
 

here are the painted channels:

 

next is the pin rail, I haven’t started drilling holes for belay pins yet, I’ll do that soon. 
 

 

there are a few spots that need some paint clean up but I’ll do all of that in a bit. I made all 4 mooring chocks at the same time which gave me better results than I excepted. I also painted these the same color as the bulwarks before installing, the hole in the middle is drilled all the way through the bulwark as well.

 

Now that they are installed I’ll use a small needle file to make the hole in the middle a little more oval shaped. Thats it for today, hopefully in the next few days I can get some more work done. Thanks again everyone. 
 

Bradley

 

[ERS Rich]

Nice look and feel....

[gak1965]

Coming along Brad!