Cap San Diego by mikegr - 1/160

[KeithAug]

8 hours ago, mikegr said:

several layers of filler and primer

That seems to have worked out well.

[JKC27]

Love the way this is coming along.  I am paying particular attention to the way you constructed the superstructure as it is similar to one of the ships I want to build in the future once I am done with my current.  In fact the next one I want to do is actually in my avatar.  The way you made the windows is a concept I very well may experiment with myself.  It's so hard to make the windows, especially at the front on the nav deck as they are so small and close together that making the pillars is very daunting.

 

Curious how you are going to approach all the cranes.

 

Keep up the awesome work!

[mikegr]

On 12/13/2021 at 10:48 PM, JKC27 said:

Love the way this is coming along.  I am paying particular attention to the way you constructed the superstructure as it is similar to one of the ships I want to build in the future once I am done with my current.  In fact the next one I want to do is actually in my avatar.  The way you made the windows is a concept I very well may experiment with myself.  It's so hard to make the windows, especially at the front on the nav deck as they are so small and close together that making the pillars is very daunting.

 

Curious how you are going to approach all the cranes.

 

Keep up the awesome work!

The windows are made with office staples cut in L shape and glued together so they can display the frame as seen on pic.

 I experiment in many surfaces:

Aluminum 0.20 mm thick.

Strong and durable while also easy bending. Opening precise window holes was hard.

Balsa. I used it on the face of the bridge deck. Very easy to form window holes but fragile. I had to create 3 faces. Also need to be smoothened to avoid the wood texture.

Styrene. Easy to work with, no need for smoothing. Kinda inferior material though. I used hair dryer to dry paint on it faster and it curved in no time.

For cranes the nightmare is the rigging. I have dozens of photos but still need to collect details. I bought some single and double pulleys. Amati has also triple as well as other useful parts for modern ships. I will need approx 60-65 In total. 

I also need to practice with soldering to make some parts like this cage after the rear crane

 

[mikegr]

I have finished the hull to the polishing point. However during hard sanding I noticed vertical surface cracks at the point where main deck lowers and meet the aft deck. Even I had fortified this joint that wasn't enough to make up for the absense of a unified deck and planking. Also some filler peel off appeared in some areas.  Another lesson learned. Under these circumstances, laid up of a 3rd hull seemed inevitable.

After consideration and online study I decided to to risk and try a new for me technique. Wrapping the hull in fiberglass.

To make it a bit more rigid and avoid another two week season of sanding I chose an extra light fiber mat, 30gr per sqm heavy. I gave it 3 layers.  5 would be better but I was afraid of extra resin causing problems with foam again. I will probably do the rest work after at least 24 to 48 hours.

 

[KeithAug]

I hope the fibreglass works. A 3rd start is too soul destroying to contemplate.

[mikegr]

Ι removed the hull from the base and cut the excess material around. Now its time to work on the hull.  I research about what material to use then i found a meterial called micro bubbles . this mixed with polyester would make a soft layer of filler similar to car body filler but easier to sand. The bubbles were very difficult to find and pricey.

I coated with another resin the hull and water sanded it with 400 grit paper on electric sander. Then i put a thin coat of car body filler spreaded with my finger. For the sides i use liquid body filler (light brown) and for the bow i used a basic layer of lightweight spakle then glazing putty on top for smooth finish. I dry sanded the surfaces initialy by electric tool then by hand. Overall about 30 minutes. The body show no signs of fatigue and it seemed like it had the required strength while weight increased slightly. I will cover with filling primer later and get to the final details. I think hull now will be in shape in a quite shorter time than before

[KeithAug]

7 hours ago, mikegr said:

I think hull now will be in shape in a quite shorter time than before

 

Well done - a 3rd start avoided.

[mikegr]

I finished yesterday the first stage of sanding. Today I done the 2nd stage, applying filler and hand sanding locally and repeat.

The 3rd stage left now: applying glazing putty in smaller areas and spots. This will be done in daylight out of the basement when the weather will allow it.  In sunlight every bump and imperfections will be revealed.

The fiberglass method is messy but I think reduces the working time. And since I'm into modern ships I may follow the mould - fiberglass method for my future builts. Another reason is the materials. Polyester and glass mat are easier to find than modelling wood and comes at reasonable cost.

Edited January 23, 2022 by mikegr

[mikegr]

So after some weeks of struggling with the hull I managed to take it to the desired level. I will polish it with 600 grit paper tomorrow. There's work to be done on the joint with the deck but I also have to add the deck frame with supporters there so I will deal with it later. I did though some   -off hull- work after long time. I added the propeler base , rudder base and test fitted the box in the  bow which I don't know what it stands for, maybe for a third anchor. It wasn't great progress but it was pleased that I switched back  to creation for a while.

Last thing, I need to strengthen the deck by adding  aluminum sheets. To give also the desired pitch I put underneath some balsa pieces. At the deck centerline they are 1mm thick trimmed down to sharp edges towards ship's sides. Hope you got my point.

Edited February 3, 2022 by mikegr

[mikegr]

I finished the decks, have them covered them with aluminum sheet 0.10mm thick. several pieces were being used. I will fill in some putty and try to simulate the soldering effect between deck pieces. If not feel happy after paint then I will an extra one piece layer. I just need to find a few long ones somehow, about 50 cm each.

Some work on hull has need done also especially at deck-hull join line.

[mikegr]

I keep working following the rule for scratch build rookies. Two steps forward, 1,5 steps behind.

Even I used a mask, It took me several attempts to open portholes in correct alignment. Then I installed the frames over them.

For deck planking I found an easier way. I cut a long stripe veneer and glued. Then cut it vertically every one inch. I repeat the process. Finally I used black wash to emphasize cuts and cleaned the excess wash.

Sorry for the wrong shoot but itseems I have a problem with pic rotation

 

Edited February 17, 2022 by mikegr

[ccoyle]

1 hour ago, mikegr said:

I keep working following the rule for scratch build rookies. Two steps forward, 1,5 steps behind.

 

Brother, I laughed when I read that, but keep at it -- 0.5 net steps is still progress!

[mikegr]

Keeping working following strictly the 2;1,5 rule.

The mail deck woodwork is done. I added a second layer of aluminum to eliminate bumps and gaps. Just to let you know aluminum has gone 30% up, not only gas. The lower section between middle and stern need more strength to repair the sagging effect. You can see the gap in the previous post, now looks much better. Lots of filling, sanding , priming etc.

The worst was fitting the bilge keels. I scratched them using 2.5 mm balsa then layered with wood hardener so won't brake during working process. 

Several attempts made to glue them. A strong silicone based glue was used to stick the 1mm rod across the hull. But was hard to clean up the leftovers without a diluter.

I managed to glue the bilge keels with CA but only step by step piece by piece. I run over titebond glue to fill gaps and strengthen them. Sand and prime. Tomorrow will look for micro works to be done.

 

 

Edited March 9, 2022 by mikegr

[mikegr]

i have finished planking the main deck. Then i added the lower accomodation. I added some details like handrails but not doors and firestations, i will do this prior to completion.
I also scratchbuilt and installed rear main deck extensions with supports, roof pipping, doors and other details. Took a close pic but not much detail is visible. I also gave a first coat of color to main deck. Working on perfecting the hull is still going on

[mikegr]

I was eager to post this weekend so spend most of the time working. Upper deck was restarted except from the front part which was cut from the old part and attached to the new one.

Again the deck proved too long. That means there is an obvious error on plans. So I cut the piece in half, removed about a 1,5 cm long section and joined the remaining sections together. Seems I'm good on this task.

Maybe I should try lengthen/shorten a hull in the future lol.

After rebuilding the upper deck I have restarted the whole project by 90%. I need to make some improvement and fitting corrections but I wanted to shoot it today. It seems the model its  getting in shape. More micro work will be involved in the future and the progress will be slower and painful. Thus I got a new friend.

 

[mikegr]

I am building the cargo holds. I use styrene and bit of balsa wood.

[mikegr]

While I am almost done with the cargo holds, meantime I designed some parts for 3d printing

[Ian_Grant]

TinkerCAD is handy, and not so complicated to figure out as a lot of 3d software.

 

Keep up the good work!

 

Ian

[mikegr]

First prints were successful in general although had failed attempts. Correct printer settings takes time to be learnt. Design online is fun though

[mikegr]

I am test fitting the cargo holds while experimenting in 3D design amd printing.

[KeithAug]

Coming along nicely.

[mikegr]

The progress in 3d is going on. I put all things together as a preview although I will print the cranes in separate pieces.

However it seems that i prefer spend time on this and avoid to concentrate on a more challenging project. To built the deck frame, present on all cargo ships of the time instead of rail bars

Because of the curvy shape that follows the hull, I'm not sure how to design it yet. And still I am worry about the overall fitting of the triangle supports to the deck. A last worry would be to find a glue for resin that won't also make a mess to the deck.
For scratchbuild this piece I face the problem of finding the proper material. Metal strip would be too thin to handle and the tiny supports too hard to be made equally. The overall look of it may not look satisfying to my eyes.
Balsa over 1mm would be more stable and still easy to work but too thick while thinner would be very optically ideal but easy to break unless fortified with some material like gel coat.

Edited July 25, 2022 by mikegr

[KeithAug]

On 7/25/2022 at 4:21 PM, mikegr said:

Balsa over 1mm would be more stable and still easy to work but too thick while thinner would be very optically ideal but easy to break unless fortified with some material like gel coat.

If I am understanding correctly why not use 1/32" birch ply, glued in place with PVA glue. I have used this in the past for bulwark strengthening webs and it worked fine. I would steer away from balsa as it isn't very durable. Sorry if I have misunderstood.

[mikegr]

8 minutes ago, KeithAug said:

If I am understanding correctly why not use 1/32" birch ply, glued in place with PVA glue. I have used this in the past for bulwark strengthening webs and it worked fine. I would steer away from balsa as it isn't very durable. Sorry if I have misunderstood.

I was thinking of balsa coated with gel coat for strengthening because its easier to work with. I do have some 0.6 and 1mm aviation plywood but I don't know if I can bend it. Note that the bulwark stands vertical to the deck and as it goes to stern it also twists somehow, so I need a flexible material.

[KeithAug]

13 hours ago, mikegr said:

stands vertical to the deck and as it goes to stern it also twists somehow, so I need a flexible material.

That is what I have used it for. Strips of about 1/2 inch wide twist very easily..

[Roger Pellett]

I would start by making a former from a solid piece of wood- lumberyard pine.  I would build the aft bulwarks over the former; with the former upside down. I would incorporate a very thin deck for rigidity.  I had a similar problem with my Benjamin Noble (posts below).  I used sheet brass.  You could mold this with ultra light fiberglass.  The molded assembly, removed from the former is then glued to the model.

 

Roger

[mikegr]

On 8/6/2022 at 9:22 PM, Roger Pellett said:

I would start by making a former from a solid piece of wood- lumberyard pine.  I would build the aft bulwarks over the former; with the former upside down. I would incorporate a very thin deck for rigidity.  I had a similar problem with my Benjamin Noble (posts below).  I used sheet brass.  You could mold this with ultra light fiberglass.  The molded assembly, removed from the former is then glued to the model.

 

Roger

The "flat" finish of your bulwarks is nice, i will probably need to do the same as there are some pulleys that need to be tied there. Not sure if i can present such detail in 1/160 but i will go for it.

 

[mikegr]

Progress must go on somehow. I found someone on FB who could design bulwarks ready to print for me. I will talk about it later

 

The bow desing came pretty close to model dimensions. With a heat gun i soften the resin pieces and added to the deck with epoxy putty/glue. Due to the size i had to cut the rear section in pieces. If you are interested in a resin printer i suggest to go for at least medium size. The 6" diagonal plate can be filled easily.

 

 

[mikegr]

The person who designed my projects owns this site

 

https://www.endtas.com/contact-us/?fbclid=IwAR0qADs71nvIKaXuem1vhqV3mTyS79q0LMuxZ4ioCTCVhByd356Qyr2yL2M

 

It has a lot of free stuff to download. I have printed a  couple of submarines model with great success. Those that are not free are still very reasonably priced. You can also donate as little as 2$. Its definately worth to visit it.

[mikegr]

Back to hand work. I used some wood putty to fill some gaps around the joining area of bulwark and deck. I sanded and used glaze putty for a smoother finish. A couple evenings of work is required but big deal. Been here done that. After this, i will use airbrush to repair paintwork.

Edited September 18, 2022 by mikegr