Measuring for copper plating of hull

[markjay]

Hi, I think I want to copper the hull for the Prince De Neufchatel which comes without copper. How do you go about measuring the hull to determine how much is needed? I'm sure there is a formula for this. 
Thanks

[allanyed]

Mark,

Interesting question.    I don't know that there is a formula as all ships types have different shapes.  You could go on the safe side and take the length along the center station from port and starboard where the top of the coppering ends,  then multiply it by the length of the ship.   It will be more than you need, but a safe number.  Take a string from point A to B below and multiply that length  by the length of the model.  Keep in mind the plates overlap 1.5 inches but measuring at the largest part of the hull will compensate for the amount needed.  According to Goodwin in The Construction and Fitting of the Man of War on pages 225-227, the plates should be  4' 0" long X 1' 3" and nailed to the hull, not bolted with a 1/4"  nail every 1.25 inches or so.  He gives  very detailed drawings on page 225.   Depending on your scale, it may be best to leave out the impressions of nails.  Most kits plating is totally out of scale with dimples that are too large, too few, and protrude rather than indent.   You have a great opportunity to show them as they actually were.

Allan

[Gregory]

Cover 1/2 the hull with a layer of masking tape.  Draw the water/copper line. Trace the stem, stern and keel..  Peel it off.  Lay it out flat and measure..

 

Multiply by 2 and add some wiggle room..

[Roger Pellett]

Make a “Plating Expansion.”  BC, before CADD, Draftsmen In shipyards made these drawings for ordering plates from the steel mills.  While you don’t have to make an actual drawing you can use the same idea.

 

First, divide the hull into regularly spaced intervals, and mark each on your hull from keel up to the upper limit of your plating.  Also mark the upper limit of the plating.  You only need to do this on one side.  Think a half model.

 

Cut out a bunch of paper strips.

 

Wrap each paper strip around the half hull vertically from keel to the upper edge of the plating.  Mark the location of keel and upper edge on the paper.  Do this for each interval using a separate strip of paper each time.

 

Multiply each girth measured above, by the interval that you selected.  The first and last strips should be multiplied by the distance of that girth measured to the bow or stern as applicable.

 

Add the results obtained above together.

 

Multiply this x2.

 

Add a waste factor

[Gregory]

If the masking tape sounds like too much work, you can use a tape measure flat on the hull and measure the distance at the waterline between stem and stern, then measure the distance from waterline to keel amidships, you would have a nice rectangular area that would include some extra room for waste factor.

Edited December 1, 2021 by Gregory

[mtaylor]

6 hours ago, Gregory said:

If the masking tape sounds like too much work, you can use a tape measure flat on the hull and measure the distance at the waterline between stem and stern, then measure the distance from waterline to keel amidships, you would have a nice rectangular area that would include some extra room for waste factor.

 

I'd use one of those cloth sewing tape measures and not a metal or plastic one.  The cloth will follow the hull shape better.

[Gregory]

That was my thought..  Just didn't elaborate..

[markjay]

Wow thanks fellows. In a way that was the way my thinking was going. I plan to using a cloth tape measure. Measure stem to stern at the waterline. Measure midship waterline to keel to stern and stem. Times two. That should give me a rough square inch amount to work with. Caldercraft sells a 1/64 scale copper plate that is etched (no dimples) in sheet form. I'll find out how many square inches a sheet covers and work from there. Probably not cheap but I do not like the look or working with foil.
As always thanks for the help timely response and knowledge sharing.