USF Confederacy by cdrusn89 - FINISHED - Model Shipways - 1/64

[cdrusn89]

I got the forecastle deck clamps glued in.

 

In the final analysis the stbd side needed a 5/32" addition to align with the hance piece and the port side needed 1/8".

 

So here are both sides before the clean-up sanding. Hopefully the two "additions" will not be too noticeable after the red paint is applied.

Edited May 28, 2021 by cdrusn89

[cdrusn89]

So now for the quarter deck clamps. According to the instructions the important dimension is with the forward part of the quarter deck clamp and I used the same technique as on the forecastle clamp.

 

Here is the deck reading and on the forward most and after most sets of deck beam locations.

 

 

 

I had to mill a sixth bulwark plank that was .020" wider to get the deck clamp to line up with the hance piece on the port side. Without the Byrnes table saw with the micrometer adjustment I fear this might have consumed many a piece of stock to get one the right thickness.

 

The after deck clamp presents more of a problem as this is the one that is going to determine how the forward lines up with the hance piece laterally. The aft piece needs to be trimmed at the aft end to get the "step" in it to align with the opening for the quarter galleries. This is turn establishes where the junction with the forward piece will be. Since the deck beam spacing (according to the drawing) is not consistent from beam to beam (it varies from 22 - 26mm) it is possible to adjust (by a mm or three) the junction between the two pieces to get the end to line up with the hance piece.

 

For the moment I am concentrating on seeing if the beams are level and perpendicular to the center line.

 

I decided to check to see if, while being level the deck beams were the same height above the false deck. At least the one I measured was 33mm on each side.

 

 

 

I put the four aft most beams (1/8 " X 1/8" straight pieces not the real beams) to see how things looked there and they look okay, at least in real life. I am not sure the picture is really accurate. It looks a bit straighter on the stbd side but I can't see that in "real life".

Finally I add the beam at the great cabin junc tion to see if it matched the line on the false deck.

 

It looks okay at first blush but I think it may be best to wait until everything is glued in place for a final determination.

 

 

[cdrusn89]

While waiting for glue to dry (and looking ahead a bit) I decided I was not interested in trying to replicate the basswood deck beams in the kit in boxwood as I assume it a good idea for them all to have the same curvature. Something I would have some difficulty in meeting since I would have to use my not very good scroll saw abilities.

 

So I decided to use the fruitwood gel stain to try and get the kit provided ones to look like boxwood. It took much more effort than I expected to get the laser char off of 40+ deck beams. I think I generated two cups of sawdust!

 

Anyway here they are after staining. I need to build a jig so I can cut an equal amount off each end as they are all going to have to be trimmed to fit when installation times come.

Edited May 28, 2021 by cdrusn89

[cdrusn89]

I got tired of bending over the hull so decided to move it into two of the Micro-Mart foam holders. I am now glad I did not put the sweep port hinges on both sides yet. I have not lost one yet but that is not out of the realm of possibility.

 

For those that are going to build thisa (or any kit for that matter) it is a good idea to check the dimensions of each piece before you use it. I found that the thickness of the nominal 1/16" X 1/8" pieces from .0600 to .0725. Each piece was typically the same thickness end to end (plus or minus .005) but if you have to sand off that extra .0125 with 220 grit sandpaper it will take awhile.

 

I of course did  ot take my own advise until I was nearly done but...

 

Here is the hull in its new "home".

 

[cdrusn89]

I decided to actually measure where the division between the great cabin and the rest of the gun deck would be now that I have glued the deck clamps in place. As it turns out I am about 2mm forward of the mark on the false deck - so I redrew the line and carried it up the bulwark so I would know where to stop the red paint.

 

 

I finished up the bulwarks by adding the spirketting on both sides and cleaning up some of the obvious gaps in the planking.

 

Here are shots of the interior before the first coat of paint.

 

 

Speaking of paint - here she is with the first coat of red. I will need to CAREFULLY touch up the gun ports, both from the inside and outside but not until I get two coats on the interior and see how that looks.

 

 

As you may notice some of the stern lights are missing. For those who may build this in the future I would recommend to wait until this phase (aka chapter 9 in the instructions) are complete before installing the windows. There are many opportunities to stick something through one of the stern lights while adding the bulwark planking that it would save effort to wait and put the windows in just before starting on planking the gun deck.

Edited May 30, 2021 by cdrusn89

[cdrusn89]

While waiting for the bulwark paint to dry I started on assembly of the great cabin checkerboard flooring. I gave some thought to looking at the doll house shop that is half a mile away to see if they had something that might be easier to use - like simulated kitchen flooring or something of a similar size but keep forgetting so I will follow the instructions, for now.

 

Gluing up the 1/32" walnut and boxwood (my choice) was not a problem. However, the instructions said to glue them to a 6" X 6" sheet of 1/32" plywood which I was unable to locate. Luckily I had some in the "wood pile" so cut a 6" X 6" piece and used it. Maybe my plywood is not of the same quality as what supposedly comes in the kit or it is really humid in the workshop because when I took the weights off the entire square bowed up almost .5" at one side.

 

When I cut the 3/16" strips they warped even more. In the photo below the group of strips closest have had the angle block on top of them all night. The three further back are some that did not get that treatment.

 

 

So I had to create a way to hold the strips flat while squeezing them together while the glue (carpenters yellow glue) sets up.

 

I used some of the machinist's angle blocks and an anvil after putting down strips of Scotch tape down on the cutting mat so the glue would not stick (too much).

 

I use four of the blocks to press the newly added strips (I add two at a time) to the already dried pieces, a block on each end to hold all the pieces flat and the anvil (on top of a sanding stick) to hold the two new strips down. I wait at least an hour before adding another two strips.

 

Here is the "assembly" waiting for the glue to set-up.

Edited May 30, 2021 by cdrusn89

[cdrusn89]

For whatever reason my first attempt at creating the checkerboard great cabin floor did not turn out so great. The distinct curvature that the strips assumed after being cut out from the sheet with the alternating rows of walnut and boxwood made it difficult to make a good joint between successive rows. And it appeared that the 6" X 6" square was not going to produce enough material to support using the 45 degree slanted "architecture" shown in the plans.

 

So I decided to give it another try. This time I cut an 8" X 8" piece of 1/32" plywood and decided to glue the strips to the "other" side.i.e. the side I did not glue the strips to the first time. I also used the machinist blocks to hold the material flat while the glue cured. This seemed to reduce the amount of curvature to a considerable degree and made cutting the strips for the decking much easier.

 

I also decided to cut a strip, glue it to the "stack" immediately, then wait 10 -15 minutes before cutting another strip. In my previous attempt I cut all the strips at one sitting and then started to glue them into the decking piece at a leisurely pace. I think the strips took on even more curvature after they were cut from the main piece.

 

So here is the new set of strips on the 8" X 8" piece of plywood. And this time I used Alaskan Cedar instead of boxwood with the kit provided walnut. I think the cedar will provide more contrast with the walnut and I intend to plank the gun deck in Alaskan cedar.

While waiting for the pieces to set in the deck planking piece I worked on the hatches.

 

I decided to use boxwood for these as it cuts much better than basswood and making the end joints can be done with a Xacto chisel blade and a small file for fine adjustments.

 

So far I have the first companionway hatch and two thirds of the next hatch assembly moving forward. Here are the rough hatches, before the corner rounding and WoP finish.

 

 

 

Edited June 1, 2021 by cdrusn89

[allanyed]

Gary,

I just saw your digital level and think it is a great little device.   Gonna get me one of those!!

 Regarding rounding the coaming/head ledge corners, I just learned it is best to do after the deck planks are in place around the the coamings.   That way  the bottom portion of the coamings remain square so the planking fits properly against the corners.  A sharp chisel will put a little chamfer on the corner down to the top of the deck planks, then a touch with a sanding stick to round of the chamfer.

Allan

[cdrusn89]

Allan,

My girlfriend bought that digital level for me last Christmas (from MircoMark I believe). I have a level "app" on my iPhone but it is usually too big to get where I need it so the small one comes in handy. You can never have too many tools.

 

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So while waiting to rebuild my checkerboard flooring I decided to start on the ladders. It seems that some of them run fore/aft while the two aft ones run from stbd to port which means there are going to be at least two different lengths for the planks that will form the steps. And given that there are eight steps per ladder it is going to be important that the steps are the same length - as exactly as can be managed.

 

I started with the longer steps for the fore/aft ladders. I cut some 1/32" X 3/16" boxwood to a bit longer than required and then cut a piece of brass channel to the desired length. I used Scotch tape to attach the brass channel to the mitre gauge on the disc sander as shown below:

I use the brass channel as a guide and a small T-square behind the the plank to push the plank against the sanding disc until the t-square is against the end on the brass channel.

It is hard to get a picture of the exact placement of pieces since it takes two hands - one holding the t-square and the other holding the plank against the channel. So no hand for the camera.

 

Anyway here is the result:

 

Not perfect but as good as I know how to make them.

 

Now back to the checkerboard flooring.

 

 

[cdrusn89]

I got the "checkerboard flooring completed (second time) using an 8" X 8" square this time.

So I took my template and trimmed it to fit in preparation for cutting/shaping the flooring. I decided to sand and apply a few coats of WoP before trying to cut/sand the flooring. The cedar I used for the light color has a tendency to splinter when cut on the table saw, even with a 100 tooth slitting blade. Hopefully the poly will help to prevent that. I do not intend to cut very close (no closer than 1/2") to the template line and use the disk sander to take off the rest.

 

Here is the template in its "final" form.

I will put the stern lights back in when I get the flooring installed.

 

While cutting the steps for the ladders the run athwartship I made an addition to the template I showed in the previous post. I glued a piece on 1/32" planking into the brass channel to keep the plank being sanded from moving up (although the disk rotation should make this unlikely) when pressed against the disk. Here is a shot with that addition.

[cdrusn89]

After a good bit of sawing and even more sanding I got the checkerboard floor to fit and meet the dividing line that I drew in (about 1mm forward of the one etched in the false deck). I even managed to get the points of the checkers to all start at the front. It is not really "perfect". There are small bits of the next row of diamonds near the center but considering all that it took to get this done I am going to call this a "success". Sadly much of the forward most part will be hidden by the bulkhead that marks the start of the great cabin - but I'll know it is there.

[cdrusn89]

I finished the coamings and associated gratings and ladders. I put a coat of clear flat on everything but the capstan platform (need to add the treenails before adding finish). Here are all the centerline "fixtures" sitting in place along with the checkerboard flooring glued down and the stern lights replaced.

 

I decided to only paint the bricks where they will show although I have painted a few more since I took this picture and added the eyebolts to the forward hatch.

I

Edited June 4, 2021 by cdrusn89

[cdrusn89]

I finally got all the items completed prior to adding the deck planks on the gun deck.

 

I am waiting for more Alaskan Yellow Cedar from Syren Ship Model Company from which to mill the 1/8" X 1/16" deck planks plus some wider (probably 1/4" X 1/16" to accommodate the "hook scarfs" used at the edges. I have not done this before - all my previous experience with with the nibbling technique but on hulls that did not have a false deck. Cutting the nibs into the margin plank is significantly easier if there is no false deck to interfere with getting access to the edge of the margin plank.

 

So here is the model with the gun deck items glued down, except the two small gratings. I noticed that my main hatch coaming is not quite as wide as the outline on the false deck (although it does fit the provided grating so...) so I will wait until I have some decking installed in the area to glue them down. I don't want to have to create a very narrow plank to go between these small gratings and the main hatchway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 5, 2021 by cdrusn89

[schooner]

Looking really good!

[cdrusn89]

Thanks Tim.

 

I finally got the Alaskan Yellow Cedar planking sheets from Syren Ship Model and am in the process of ripping them into 1/8 X 1/16 strips for planking the deck. I also made some 1/4 X 1/16 planks for (hopefully) the hook scarfs that are in the future.

 

Here is my "stash" of cedar planks ready to "meet the deck".

[cdrusn89]

Working the area between the coamings. I decided not to worry too much about having the planking exactly match the curve of the mast holes as this will be covered by the mast coats. It appears that I am going to have to make some notched planks to fit around some of the coamings. It was probably too much to hope for that I had made the coamings an even multiple of the plank widths wide.

 

I also decided to cover the hatch openings to keep any debris from ending up down there. With the ladders installed getting it out might be a challenge.

 

So here is where the planking stands.

 

Edited June 9, 2021 by cdrusn89

[cdrusn89]

Continuing with the deck planking.

 

I had to resort to some wider planks to try and get them to come out "even once clear of the coamings. Looking at the plans (sheet 1) shows that all but one of the coamings should be exactly 10 planks wide. If I had looked earlier I would have tried harder to get them a consistent width.

 

I also got tired on the blue tape on the ladder wells so I cut some 1/32" sheet to fit them and replaced the tape.

 

I have the starboard side forward extended to the first row outside the coamings. Will get the port side in a similar condition before moving aft of amidships.

 

Here is an overall view and a closeup of the main hatch way where I have glued down the small hatch cover and the wider planks I used.

[cdrusn89]

I got the planking between the four forward-most hatch coamings extended outward enough to start the planking scheme on both sides. I am going to stop in the forward section and get the after section in a similar state before proceeding with extending the planking to the waterways.

 

Here is where things stand at the moment.

[Brucealanevans]

Looks great!

Building those gun deck cannons looms in front of you. Or have you done those already? Glad to have that behind me. 
I had never done the hook scarf edging before either. Worth the effort as it looks much better than nibble tapering. 

Edited June 11, 2021 by Brucealanevans

[cdrusn89]

Bruce,

   I assembled all the cannons before I started the hull. I have all the breech tackles ready to install too and some (but not nearly all) of the gun tackles. I plan on periodically taking a break from the deck planking to get the rest of them ready. 

 

[Brucealanevans]

Good thinking. 
did you substitute brass cannon?

and if so how did you drill for the eye bolts in the breech? I have some for the 8 pounders and not sure how to approach that. Or for the white metal ones if it comes to that. 

[cdrusn89]

Bruce,

   I used the Syren brass cannon. I used a drill press to drill a hole in the cannon (before painting them flat black) and glued in an eyebolt (from Model Expo) for the breech rope.

 

 

Edited June 11, 2021 by cdrusn89

[cdrusn89]

Here are some pictures to help with the words.

 

 

 

[cdrusn89]

I have the deck planking completed (installed not "finished") for a width of 16 planks from bow to stern.

 

I had to use a apprx 1/16" wide strip at the stern (abaft the mizzen mast) to get the sides to "match up" so I could run the full width strips down each side. Given the variation in the width of the planking strips and coamings it would probably have been a fool's errand to expect everything to work out evenly.

 

Here is where the deck planking stands at the moment.

Edited June 13, 2021 by cdrusn89

[cdrusn89]

Starboard side deck planking is complete.

 

I sanded this side some but will wait to get the planking completed before doing the "serios" sanding.

 

Hook scarf took some planning but i think I did it correctly. Probably a wash from a difficulty standpoint between hook scarf and nibbling. You have to do nibbling more often but it is generally relatively easy and quick. It seems I spent quite a bit of time sanding the 1/4" planks to fit along side the waterway. I also (finally) set the table saw to ensure I had an 1/8" piece after the scarf. That helped keep the scarf "leg" the same width as the rest of the planking.

 

So here is where we stand at the moment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cdrusn89]

I took a break from deck planking to work on the gun tackle.

 

I need 56 (28 * 2) sets of tackle for the 12 pounders - (I will deal with the smaller gun tackle later). The breech lines are already attached to the cannon so these are the tackle used to bring the gun back to the bulwark in preparation for the next firing. These are the block with becket that attaches to the upper of the two eyebolts (yet to be installed) on each side of the gunport. The breeching tackle attaches to the lower eyebolt.

 

I have already made the 56 single blocks that are attached to the gun carriage.

 

I used Model Expo "Beautiful Blocks"  2.5mm singles. I decided to strop them with 34 gauge wire instead of line because I find that easier to do (no glue required) and I have not had great luck making (and successfully attaching) small wire (brass or steel) hooks to small single blocks.

 

The instructions would have you make the blocks from scratch and they made it easier to get the hook enough material to glue to by only putting a single hole for the line.

 

I have about 30 completed and have the hanging over the plans to try are get some of the twist out of the line.

 

Here is a close-up of a few of them. I am not real proud on the consistency of the hook but since it will be up against the bulwark I doubt it will be really obvious.

 

[rlb]

Gary,

This is probably the next big task on my model, and I'm not looking forward to it, and I only need them for 16 carronades.  Thanks for posting, if you can do it, I can!

Ron

[cdrusn89]

Yes Ron you can do it too.

I find this somewhat tedious but then rigging even a two masted square rigger also has it moments of tediousness.

 

It could have been worse; if I remember correctly the Niagara kit had four sets of tackle (plus the breeching rope) on each of the 20 guns.

 

At least on Confederacy there is essentially no rigging once the guns are done.

[gak1965]

2 hours ago, cdrusn89 said:

It could have been worse; if I remember correctly the Niagara kit had four sets of tackle (plus the breeching rope) on each of the 20 guns.

 

Yep. Niagara has 4 blocks plus the breeching rope. I didn't bother with the hooks - I just lashed the blocks to the relevant eyebolt, reeved the lines into the blocks and then put the eyebolts into pre-drilled holes in the bulwarks and the carronades.

[cdrusn89]

I finished the gun tackles - eventually made 62 of them. I am sure one (at least) of the hooks will break off or some other malady afflict a few of them. If not I have enough extra to do a few of the quarterdeck cannon.

 

Here are the last 13 of them hung over the power tool bench.