Elbe 5 1883 by Mirabell61 - FINISHED - scale 1:50 - pilot schooner as she appeared c. 1890

[Mirabell61]

Rob,

thanks for looking in. Yes you`re right, except for the tremendous length difference of the original ships and the model scales 1:144 vs 1:51 now,

the building of the schooner model is being built in the same way. You may note that here also I only put on a single layer of planking in 1,5 mm plank thickness. This causes me to be careful not to take away too much of the material thickness when sanding.

I`m very pleased with the scraping results of the first side, only a minimum needed to be scraped off with 0,9mm thick hardened steel blades

Nils

 

 

The tools

 

 

this is only by scraping, no sanding yet....

 

 

 

the bottom planks at the keel are also sidewise covering the slots in which the pedestal spindles will go through later on

[michael mott]

Jut found this Nils a great looking start, as you have probably realized these types of vessels are my favorites, I shall follow along.

 

Michael

[Mirabell61]

44 minutes ago, michael mott said:

Jut found this Nils a great looking start, as you have probably realized these types of vessels are my favorites, I shall follow along.

 

Michael

 

Thank you Michael,

I also like these old sailing vessels, the pilot schooner Elbe 5 had and still has  a traditional maritime relation to Hamburg. The Americans know her as "Wander Bird". Enjoy watching the build

 

Nils

[Jim Lad]

Just catching up, Nils.  That planking looks really good!

 

John

[Mirabell61]

15 minutes ago, Jim Lad said:

Just catching up, Nils.  That planking looks really good!

 

John

Thank you John,

I`m glad that you like it.....    in the moment I`m doing trials with plating tiles cut from copper sheet to simulate the sheeting, and looking for a suitable contact-glue ( for safe wood/copper) connection

 

Nils

[Mirabell61]

Update

 

the bowpost was cladded and brought to a final thickness of 3 mm (would be in actual 157 mm).

The wale / bumper rails have been fitted. Tricky rails at the aft rounding were made from 1/2 round brass profile

Also the hole for the ruddershaft sleeve was drilled and the sleeve was glued in for taking up the ruddershaft later on.....

Nils

 

fitting the brass profiles was quite tricky and for wood/brass conection I used higher thixotrope super glue

 

 

 

 

 

sleeve to take up the ruddershaft

 

 

 

I was pleased to have drilled the  sleeve boring exactly were it should come out, close to the stern post.

The rudder will have a 2 mm shaft in the 3mm OD tube

 

 

 

 

[Mirabell61]

Update

 

today I start the preparation for the copper sheeting below the waterline. I`m using 0,1 mm thick copper sheet, but have to glue these tiles to the hull by means of contact glue. (apply on both surfaces)

I have a copper sheet sample which allows  about half the job quantity to be done. If it works out right, I`ll buy some more copper. With the contact glue there is no adjustment possible in moving the tiles any more. Thats why I brought the white tape lines as a guide to the hull.

The sheeting strips will be cut from the ponced length of 5 to single tiles, each overlapping edges on two sides. It will be easier to apply the glue to the longer strips

 

Nils

 

the ponced stips are flattened in order to simulate the sink in dents from the nails

 

two sorts for port and starboard side sheeting

 

first the hull gets a wood-surface bounding primer for better glueing contact

 

the guide lines with masking tape. This also helps to limit the appropriate glue application to the hull

 

 

 

this is a 350 ml

this is a 350 ml can of contact glue for Wood / metal connection

 

[wefalck]

Hhm, I don't think that this was such a good idea to put the sanding filler onto the wood before glueing - in this way the contact cement cannot key into the wood very well anymore and the solvent from the cement has nowhere to go to ... hope your copper sheathing will stick in the longer term

Edited March 10, 2022 by wefalck

[Mirabell61]

7 minutes ago, wefalck said:

 

You may be right Eberhard, its the first time I`m using contact glue, so learn by doing....

Before that I was always using self adhesiv Aluminium tape

 

Nils

[Mirabell61]

Update

0,1 mm thick Copper Plating / sheeting is now well under way.....

 

Nils

 

 

 

[KeithAug]

You really do crack on. Amazing speed and quality as well.

[Mirabell61]

Hi Keith,

as I mentioned earlier this is the first time I tried to use copper sheeting. the sheet thickness 0,1 mm was ideal for poncing and flattening but unfortunetly there is no self- adhesive copper material available in that thickness. So it was a dive into cold water when applying the sheeting by means of contact glue. I`m pleased to see that it works, allthough its quite a procedure to get the sheeting done clean enough avoiding a messy look.

 

Nils

[Jim Lad]

The sheathing looks good, Nils.  I wouldn't have thought a work boat that far north would have gone to the expense of coppering.

 

John

[wefalck]

I am not sure, whether she would have had a coppered bottom during her professional life. Today, due to the penetration of terredo navalis through the Channel into the North Sea, she certainly will need protection though her berth is in brackish water, in the Elbe estuary.

[Mirabell61]

thanks for your input Eberhard,

I`m also not sure if she had a coppered bottom at time of early duty, but I like the appeal of sheeted underwater skin for the model and it corresponds with to days overhauled vessel.

 

Nils

[Ian B]

I'm loving the copper plating. The style and application makes it looks so strong, industrial, purposeful---- a great look 

[Mirabell61]

Am pleased you like the Pilot Schooner in progress Ian,

and many thanks for your words....

 

Nils

[Bob Cleek]

15 minutes ago, Mirabell61 said:

I`m also not sure if she had a coppered bottom at time of early duty, but I like the appeal of sheeted underwater skin for the model and it corresponds with to days overhauled vessel.

I went down and watched Hal Sommer and the guys sheath Wander Bird's bottom in copper because it was something I wanted to "study up on" at the time, since it wasn't done very often back then and that was as much of an "apprenticeship" in coppering a bottom anybody was going to get. There were still a few old timers around who knew what they were doing and you could learn something if you stayed out of the way and kept your mouth shut. In those days, many of the old maritime trades were disappearing. I seem to recall that was the first time she'd been coppered. I don't recall them stripping the old copper off, but I'm not positive. That was like fifty years ago now.

[Mirabell61]

9 hours ago, Jim Lad said:

The sheathing looks good, Nils.  I wouldn't have thought a work boat that far north would have gone to the expense of coppering.

 

John

thank you John,

I have meantime found evidence for the expence of coppering, specially on early Pilot Schooners ( Author H. Karting, about the history of early Pilot Schooners )

 

Nils

[Mirabell61]

22 minutes ago, Bob Cleek said:

I went down and watched Hal Sommer and the guys sheath Wander Bird's bottom in copper because it was something I wanted to "study up on" at the time, since it wasn't done very often back then and that was as much of an "apprenticeship" in coppering a bottom anybody was going to get. There were still a few old timers around who knew what they were doing and you could learn something if you stayed out of the way and kept your mouth shut. In those days, many of the old maritime trades were disappearing. I seem to recall that was the first time she'd been coppered. I don't recall them stripping the old copper off, but I'm not positive. That was like fifty years ago now.

Many thanks for your input Bob,

very interesting and realistic remarks....

 

Nils

[Mirabell61]

Update

 

cutting away the mounting aids, trimming the upper bulwarks edge line, bringing the stand pedestals to correct hight, and preparing for making the deck templates....

 

Nils

more copper metal is on order. the front pedestal will be arranged a bit higher

 

made froim brass candle holders

 

trimming the frame inside to bulwark conturs, and mounting some spacer strips where necessary to meet the planed deck curvings

 

[Mirabell61]

Update

 

Card template for the front deck-half.  The deck will be made from 0,8 mm ply and later plankes with pine. The figure is scale 1:50

 

Nils

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mirabell61]

Update

transfered the card template to 0,8 mm ply, now ready for planking the deck with pine strips (leftovers from the Chebec build)

The strips have to be caulked at the side edges with a soft HB pencil. For holding the strips to the side edges I built a simple slot holding gauge that works quite well

 

Nils

 

for the deck base of ply I had to glue 3 parts together prior to planking with 0,8 x 3mm strips

 

 

Slot gauge for holding the strips upright for caulking the edges

 

 

 

[Mirabell61]

Update

deck completed, eyebolts fitted for the rigging later on, mastholes drilled, then the deck was glued into the hull

 

Nils

 

 

the ply raw deck is fitted with caulked stripes 0,8 x 3 mm

 

 

I tried to glue them on as neat as possile

 

 

the outer eyebolts are for the shrouds, the inner ones are for the foresail sheet and the bowspritsail sheets

 

 

 

Am pleased withfitted in deck so far

 

 

 

Have just received the ordered copper material for continuing with the hull sheeting

 

 

[Jim Lad]

Crikey Nils, she's really coming along beautifully.

 

John

[Mirabell61]

35 minutes ago, Jim Lad said:

Crikey Nils, she's really coming along beautifully.

 

John

Thank you very much John, I`m pleased that you like the progress

 

Nils

[Mirabell61]

Update

preparing for how the seaworthy transfer boats can be swiveled out/in with the davits

 

Nils

 

 

one of the four davits made from brass tube

 

 

 

I made a dummy for checking the geometry how to get the boat swung out and hanging over the shooners side, ready to be lowered to the water

 

 

 

in the swinging area the bulwarks have a limited less high section (outcut). The length of that outcut will be determined also with help of the dummy

 

 

 

swinging operation completed, transfer boat hanging free from shooners side over the water

 

 

 

the two boats will be placed on cradles on deck, next to the bulwarks, and between the masts

 

 

Card template for rudder blade

 

 

[Jim Lad]

Haven't done that for many many years, Nils.

 

Secure the painter

Heave away fore and aft (to clear the chocks)

Way enough - secure

Launch forward

Launch aft

Lower away fore and aft 

 

John

 

[Mirabell61]

12 hours ago, Jim Lad said:

 

 

Thank you John,

were those the actual comands for launching the boat winding through the davits......?

Great, you seam to have exactly experienced yourself what you are talking about

 

Nils

[Jim Lad]

Nils, it's been a lonnnnnnnnng time since I had to launch a boat on radial davits.  I may have missed out a couple! 

 

John