HMS Snake by jim_smits - Caldercraft - First Build

[egkb]

That is gut wrenching news Jim, I have been following along with your progress in silence for a while now.

I know just how heavy those counterweights are and can only but imagine the aftermath!  Ballahoo looks a fun project and I do hope you will set up a build log. (even put a link to it here that we may follow your progress again)

Try not to be too disheartened and I wish you and yours a great Holidays.

 

Eamonn

[mort stoll]

I am very sorry to hear this my friend. I Know how I would feel if I were in your shoes. All of the best.

Hope to have your build back on line soon,

Mort

[drtrap]

I'm very very sorry to hear your news Jim...

I can't believe that...

Now I know better why, every time at the end of my shipyard-work I had the tendency to move the model in more safe places even I have'nt any cat... I know that my build is so many steps behind you (no masts, no minor fittings on the desk) but the danger of such accidents was always in my mind..

Wish you the best my friend and please, stay with us... 

Edited December 16, 2013 by Stergios

[jim_smits]

Thanks for the support guys.

 

Ironically it was the very weight of the object that I thought would prevent it being moved by the local creatures. There was even a small sill on the shelf, so the weight was not pushed over but tipped over.

 

The damage is not game ending but I can't face it at the mo. As I see it, the two stem pieces need tidying and pinning back together. The keel needs replacing and fixing in place.

After that get the two channels in place and re-rig the fore and main mast. Think I can get away with removing lanyards and re rigging those only.

I need to scratch replace one of the channels and the cross trees.

 

It's achievable but need to step back a while.

[jim_smits]

Right!

 

Ordered some materials from CMB and I will await their arrival. Makes a huge difference a night of sleep and surveying the damage with a clear head. All I could see was having to cut all the rigging out and start from scratch. However the lower masts are undamaged and this is a massive bonus. If I can get the channels replaced and reattach the deadeyes I am laughing (well not crying anyway...).

 

I hope that the reattaching the half of the stem wont be too bad but might have to be a little brutal and then liberal with woodfiller. I need to replace a fair few copper tiles though. I will get a fair difference between my old tiles and the new ones. Will a liberal scrubbing with metal polish o the rest of the hull help even out the finish?

Edited December 16, 2013 by jim_smits

[egkb]

Great to hear this Jim, tis indeed amazing what a fresh look at something can do.. will continue to watch (perhaps less silently this time ) this beautiful build.

 

Eamonn

P.S. don't forget to link us to the future Ballahoo

 

Have a great Christmas & New Year.

Edited December 16, 2013 by egkb

[Beef Wellington]

Jim - so sorry to hear of the devastation!  We call all imagine how that must feel, but glad that you feel it can be resurrected.  The copper plates should be easy to address with some copper cleaner/polish although try to look beyond the initial shiny results as they will dull back down with time.  I'm guessing that this is also a side benfit of painting the ship, repairs are easier to complete.  Your decision to take step back is probably a wise one!  I did have a slight issue myself some months ago where one of my channels was mysteriously broken (although no-one would admit to it, I strongly suspect one of the resident hobbits), but the repair was not too noticeable after a fresh coat of paint.

 

All the best.

[j21896]

Hi Jim,

 

I've been another silent follower and admirer of your Snake build log.  I'm so sorry to hear about your disaster!  As a fellow cat owner, I know all too well the dangers that lurk just one playful leap away -- a fact that earns bannishment from the shipyard most of the time.

 

I'm very happy to hear that you're going to be able to regroup and continue, as you've done such a fine job on her!  I'll also be less silent as I follow the rest of the way.

 

Cheers,

Robert

 

 

[Sailor1234567890]

Glad you stepped back and looked at it again. Hopefully it won't be such an offputting prospect to repair her and carry on with the build. She was looking so good. She'll look even better once you get her back and finish her up. Keep your chin up.

[texxn5]

Oh man ..... Jim... so sorry to hear about your loss.....man, I don't know what I'd do if something like that were to happen.....I can only imagine the shock and trauma that happened.....keep us posted.....

[jim_smits]

Thanks again everyone (especially you lurkers who have been tempted into the open....!)

 

It's my own damn fault all of this.

 

I dont have a large house currently, so the lean-to conservatory is a hobby room/store room at the moment, but it also the only way in and out of the house for the cats and their thoroughfare takes them right next and above the build area(they have a small cat sized window left ajar for them). I have known there might be an issue but got away with it for so long, assuming the counterweight wouldn't shift.

 

Tonights task is a simple 'swap the room from one side to the other'. The storage area will then be next to the window and the build area will be opposite. This will instantly make the whole thing far more secure. And also next to the radiator...... Bonus this winter....!

 

Re-rigging has gone from a complete reset to cutting and retying the shroud lanyards. Just a minor difference....!

 

As for the Ballahoo, I will be starting a build log. It will be a nice distraction from the rigging (once I catch up....) and I am hoping to do a little side project with the ballahoo, which I will either unveil once it is complete or I might release some teasers along the way. Watch this space....

[jim_smits]

Drydock preparation complete and initial repairs underway. Let's get that ship back in the war....!

[Beef Wellington]

Great news - I hope you are going to have some 'before and after' photos    Best of luck.

[jim_smits]

Direct aftermath....!

 

Box caught the top of the main top mast and is actually pierced before it snapped.

 

Keel has snapped off and is still firmly glued to the base, but one of the column mounts has twisted round by 20 degrees or so and broken off the other column.

 

I saw this last night and I was distraught. Had visions of a complete re-rig, and damage to the hull.

Edited May 18, 2014 by jim_smits

[jim_smits]

I have repaired the snapped main mast. It is glued together and pinned in two places.

 

Next step is to glue and pin the mast cap back together.

Edited May 18, 2014 by jim_smits

[jim_smits]

Stem piece glued and pinned back in place.

 

The crack is pretty obvious. Fortunately this will be covered by tiling.....

Edited May 18, 2014 by jim_smits

[jim_smits]

Broken channel and rigging now loose. This was really worrying before I realised I could just redo the lanyards only and not have to redo the shrouds totally.

Edited May 18, 2014 by jim_smits

[jim_smits]

The hull impacted the base so hard that it has left a tile dent in the wood.....

Edited May 18, 2014 by jim_smits

[texxn5]

glad to see you back in here and that the wind didn't get kicked out of your sails.....wood is forgiving especially if the parts fit back together good....a little paint and off you go.  sometime the damage looks much worse than what it is.....shock...and .... awe gets all of us.......hopefully this is the case with yours....good luck and thanks for before and after pictures.....makes us all go look at what's around that could inflict damage if not moved....let's all clean up our shipyards and hopefully avoid what happened to you.....

[jim_smits]

Yeah, shipyard has had a complete 'refit' tonight. Rearranged build area well away from the cats window.....

[egkb]

Good to see you up and running again.. have had a few disasters myself in the past (one model in particular had damage to the bowsprit which I glued back together fairly quickly only for my fingers to become part of the fix, yup CA glue, moved my fingers away in a lavish 'Ta Da' gesture and the whole kit ended up on the ground again.. the really embarrassing aspect of this is that it happened once more!!! needless to say the air was fairly blue around me for quiet a while, learnt a valuable lesson that day.. SLOW FINGER MOVEMENTS AROUND MODELS )

incidentally the offending counterweight is from I assume an Astronomical Scope, what is it?  have a couple of Celestrons here myself a 10'' reflector and a 9.25 CAT.

 

Eamonn 

[Beef Wellington]

I couldn't force myself to hit the 'like' button on those photos Jim, but looks like you have everything in hand.

[mort stoll]

Glad to have you back. You made the correct choice to get right back up after the fall.  This is going to give you invaluable experience in ship model restoration should ever choose to restore someones ship as this is a tremendous learning opportunity.

 

Mort.  

[Sailor1234567890]

Glad you're getting her back into the fight. She's deserving of it.

[ZyXuz]

Sorry to hear about the accident... And glad to see you get back on the fixing

By your skill, I believe no one could tell that she once fell after your fixing

 

cheers

[greatgalleons]

that sucks bad, I know how you feel, my cat left one of my builds lying in a heap.  what is it with model ship builders and cats anyway?  the two don't seem to go well together.

[tomasg]

I am new to this forum, but let me say, great decision to repair her right away, who know how long would it take it to repair her otherwise.

 

Tomas

[Sailor1234567890]

I have no cats, so no worries about that. Dogs can't reach the mantle piece where I keep her so that's not a problem. Kids playing ball in the house though....... I better not catch him........

[normanh]

 Ouch, I feel for you Jim a tragic event indeed. I suffered similar on my Convulsion build 6 years back when my circular power saw fell out of a cupboard. Luckily my model was just at the completed hull stage and just suffered light damage compared to your Snake. Take you time and slowly but carefully rebuild her shes worth the effort even now.

 

 

Norman

[jim_smits]

Eamonn,

 

In reply to your question, yes it's one I the two counterweights to my CGEM & 8" SCT set up. (Picture in Astrophotography thread in shore leave). This was the spare one......