ancre Le Fleuron by Gaetan Bordeleau - FINISHED - 1:24

[SJSoane]

 

Gaetan,

 

You set the standard to which we all aspire. Beautiful!

 

Mark

[michael mott]

Gaetan your work leaves me pretty much speechless!

 

Michael

[Gaetan Bordeleau]

Before I bought stdio flash, I did a lamp with 2  adjustable LED spots. I took it out of the closet  and installed it over the working table. You can see on the table top how it illuminates. The last picture is done with these 2 spots.

 

I also did a table for the next exposition.  I tried a new receipe for fast dying  and waxiing wood :

 

Drop Bee wax shavings  in a pot cover with odorless turpentine This will make the wax liquid and it will be very easy to apply  the wax, and the turpentine will then avporate in the air.

To intensify the color  and also to give a greater aged look,  add bitumen and mix. Again turpentine will do the same action as it did to the beewax.

 

For a final ingredient,  double the quantity  already mixed with tung oil which is also going to help the look of the wood grain m making iti look richer.   

[Jeronimo]

Hi Gaetan.

Fantastic work.

Karl  

[Landlocked123]

Hi Gaetan,

 

I too, have been using a bees wax and turpentine mixture for finishing wood and I love the finish it produces. I really like the the idea of adding asphaltum or bitumen to bring the color up to a more rich brown shade. I've been searching the internet to find either bitumen or asplaltum with limited success. I've had no luck with bitumen and my searches for asphaltum have only returned a color for oil paint. Is it the oil paint I'm looking for? My wife thinks asphaltum is used in etching. When I search etching supplie I find asplaltum, but it seems like it is no longer available. I don't know if it's the case of the U.S. govt. protecting me from myself or what. Is the oil paint something that will work? Thanks..

 

Best,

John

 

Gautan,

 

I've continued to search since I penned the above. I have found a site that offers asphaltum in both a liquid and power form.. Which do I want? Thanks. J.

Edited September 8, 2015 by Landlocked123

[Gaetan Bordeleau]

John

 

In Canada it is sold as  bitumen of judea, example sold in powder:

https://artdec.ca/en/p/82/bitumen-of-judea

[Gaetan Bordeleau]

Thank you  Messieurs.

 

[Landlocked123]

Hi Gaetan,

 

Thanks for the help. I've ordered the bitumen and assuming that US Customs doesn't assume it some mythical black fairy dust (highly probable) I should receive it soon. I will try adding variable amounts to my bees wax and turpentine mixture and will post the results.

 

Thanks again,

John

 

ps Looking at the photos above, do you plan on rigging the Le Fleuron? If so, how will you get it out of your shop? J.

 

pps I do hope you're planning to rig it. It would be absolutely magnificent. It's already magnificent, but fully rigged it would be mind blowing. J.

 

ppps I saw what you said about the Tung oil, but doesn't it start polymerizing as soon as it's out of the can. Besides, I believe the polymerizing generate significant heat. I would think that with the bee's wax and turps you would need to be very careful. You mentioned looking for a "richer look", Given that the vast majority of the ship is cherry, I would think you would get a "richer look" every passing day for the next two hundred years. J.

Edited September 9, 2015 by Landlocked123

[Gaetan Bordeleau]

Hi John,

 

Here is the link the last time  I wrote about tung oil :

 

http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/327-le-fleuron-by-gaetan-bordeleau-124/page-21

 

I do not plan to do the rigging, I would need a ceiling twice as high.

 

Tung oil polymerize in presence of air but I do not think that it is faster drying than varnish. I have no problem to keep it liquid in the bottle.  « Polymerizing generates significant heat » Possibly in larger and thicker quantity but  there is no problem in small quantity as I use for the modelship or for the furniture.

 

One nice quality of cherry is aging taking a darker and richer tone. This model is 100% cherry. There are many reasons for this choice and cost is one. At this scale, large quantity of wood is needeed , this is the second batch  of wood I buy for this model. For the previous build, the 74 guns, I went with many exotic woods such as ebony and bocote. I can guaranty you one thing, the price was also very much exotic!

 

 

 The look from tung oil is more elaborate than what it can be with linen oil, danish teck oil or even shellac. There are 2 important qualities that I like about tung oil beside the look. In comparison with the others, this oil looks to be something like filtered and look like to be a pure oil. I took photo of all these oils on wood and often we see reflection like on a mirror. This is especially true with shellac. With tung oil, this problem is not there.

[Gaetan Bordeleau]

  In Quebec province, the easy way to present a model ship is toparticipate to an exposotion. This year, it was : Montreal Model Train Exposition. There  are rarely exposition for modelship only. Children are fascinated by trains, especially when they are moving. The only thing accessible to move on the 64 guns are the gun port openings and many peoples wanted to try it.

 

I had to answer what do you need to make quality scluptures? In french we say ‘’sens des proportions’’, in english it would be something like the way of the proportions. By examples if I want to see if a piece is at scale, I install a figurine just beside it.  For the sclupture of the human body it is essential to understand that every parts are made in proportions one to another. Before attempting  to carve humans, you must understand it. Drawings books  explain this very well. It is the same idea in the nature, often for something to be nice it is  a matter of proportion.

 

This exposition is to support Sun Youth and the nicest thing I saw was a stem locomotive.  

 

Such meetings are always instructive. While talking with other peoples, I realised that the small rudder size surely needed a very large radius to turn. Before the rudder wheel, it is possible to think that the rudder was narrower so that mens on 2 differents decks can be able to shift the  rudder handle of the 64 guns. Later with the event of the rudder wheel, it was much easier to have the rudder to turn, especially because of the large diameter which geared down the effort. The same idea can be apply to the pulleys used  for the cannons on the french ship like the 74 guns; the bigger the diameter of the pulley, the little effort it is needed.

[JPZ66]

All I can say is; Wow, what a masterpiece ! To see what you have done with simple, ordinary trees......Amazing, master class artistry.

 

Bravo Gaetan, Bravo !!!

 

- Joe

[Redshirt]

This Fleuron is one of the most impressive models i have seen either here or anywhere else. What made you choose the 1:24 scale?

[Gaetan Bordeleau]

Hi Redshirt,

 

1/48 is the largest scale than you can easily handle for a 4 feet model. Why someone would like to go larger then? I like to try new challenges and I like to explore scales. For this I did a project of building a french 74 guns at 3 different scale. The first one  was at 1/192. To like this scale you must be a good jeweler and almost always wear strong glasses. Then I did it at 1/48. After this experience, having tried 1 very small scale, 1 medium, only 1 was missing; a large scale. New challenges, new tools : for the big parts the small bandsaw is inadequate.  The hardest tool to find for this project was the working table; I tried 3 different ones before to get 1 which adapts to height easily workable without getting titred because of bad positions.  Wood is also a major aspect. This week end, a guy told me very seriously that this model surely worths $1000. I answered him : I bought 2 batchs of cherry wood for this project $700 and $1000. He did not ask other questions! I might look large quantities but I estimate that starting with a 2 by 12 inches over 65% is lost is shaving, saw dust and scrap wood especially when cutting the frames.

 

The biggest problem building at 1/24 is to know where to put it when completed because it does not really belong in a house. In a way when the model is finish I could put it in the garbage and build another one. The pleasure is not to own it, but to build it. There are advantages to build a bigger scale. First it is easier; the easiet it is to hold a plank, the better the results will be. Larger scale allows to install more details and more importantly, it helps you very much to understand the way these superstructures were built and just for that last reason, it is worth it!

[druxey]

Surely you are not going to put the model in the garbage, Gaetan! If so, let me know which night it will be put out....

[Gaetan Bordeleau]

Turning guns

 

Le Fleuron had some guns with decorations on it.  Also, we could have seen some 24 pounds but for some unknown reasons, this ship was poorly dress with low caliber guns. Considering that I prefer a more homogeneous look  and also that I already a  brass supply of round bars, I will only fabricate standard guns and for 1 side only: 12 x 18 pounds, 13 x 12 pounds and 5 x  8 pounds for 30 canons. This would have meant 60 guns plus 4 openings in the aft section from the first deck; 60 guns 64 openings.

The key to turn the guns is to progress by set up and do identical operation for each gun. It would be unthinkable to turn 1 gun at the time and to repeat all the setup 30 times.

Half inch collet will hold each blank. The use of collet is much more precise than a 3 jaw chuck.  After cutting the blanks, a shoulder of half inch is done at 1 end and a pilot hole is drilled at the other end for each blanks.

Next, a taper attachment is use  to turn the required taper angle. The cross section leading screw is remove and the positionning is done by a guide following an angle. The easy way to set up the taper adjustment angle is to turn a taper blank and adjust the difference of diameter for a given distance, the adjustment can be done in 4 or 5 light passes .

The tapered portion of the gun is in the middle section.  Head and bottom are kept for later and do not require the taper attachment to be turned. For the middle section, 3 shoulders are turned. The rest  of the turning will be done without the taper attachment.

Brass is very different from steel to turn. Instead of long swirl, thousounds of small shine flies everywhere and also on the floor. The faster the turning speed, the farther the particles fly.

Cleaning is longer to do than turning. It is important to keep the taper adjustment  angle clean in all time to have a smooth operation. The only way to do so is to place a cloth over it to keep it free from particles.

[druxey]

Your experience with brass chips makes me wonder if the type of brass you are using is 'free-machining brass' or another type? I've found that, at the right feed rate and speed, the brass comes off in long curls. Those embryo guns look very nice.

[dgbot]

Another common scale for a large model would be 1/72.  That way you have your three types and it would be easier to manhandle.

David B

[Gaetan Bordeleau]

Druxey,

 

I do not know very much about brass grades. I do not know what grade I use.

A quick search  shows that there are 2 categories of brass: leaded or non leaded.

 

 Free Machining Brass (360 Brass). The most commonly used of the brass rod and bar items. The presence of lead (2.5 – 3.7%) in the alloy creates a highly machinable material that can easily be cut and shaped into whatever you need

 

 C464 (Naval Brass) offers high corrosion resistance to seawater. The substitution of tin equal to the same amount of zinc allows naval brass to be resistant to dezincification, but also gives greater strength and rigidity.  

 

As for the long curls parts, I have never seen that with the  brass type I use, so may be I do not use 360 brass?

 

Thank you Avsjerome2003.

 

David, is 1/72 really a scale for a large model? I do not know, but as you say it is surely easier to handle; but also remember, the bigger it is the easier it is to build. I prefer easier build, so I think I will stay with a scale not smaller than 1/36.

[dgbot]

There is an outfit called Task Force 72. They build steel navy in that scale. The reason is the size. It is much easier than 1/8 but does not take up space. You would need a trailer to haul these things around at 1/48.

David B

[Gaetan Bordeleau]

Now I see what you mean David.

 

In fact I guess that the definition of a large scale is the longest lenght you are willing to realize a model in a an environment where you can move it.

[michael mott]

Gaetan, I think that you are in fact using a free machining Brass, Yellow brass is gummy and I find it comes off in curls of swarf similar to the steel curls.and is more difficult I find to get a good finish. That said it could be just me and my way of working.

Most of the good brass that I use creates the fine chips like yours.

 

Michael

[druxey]

The brass I use has to be more than 60 years old and was my father's stock. Perhaps the percentage composition of it has changed since then.

[dgbot]

I picked up a batch of free machining brass at a metal shop on sale worked great for some of my projects.  I hope my supply was not left in Chgo.  The stuff is not cheap. If memory serves me right they were 3" cut offs at $1.25 a foot.  

David B 

[Gaetan Bordeleau]

% of composition is probably the answer. If I would have to give it a name, I think this is probably free machining brass!

 

The longest part to turn guns is done.

4 knives  are use  for the top and bottom turning.

Lenght references are done by  a reference  wood plate, it is mucg faster this way.

The head is done first and then the inside is drilled. This operation is done as late as possible so that the opening dos not enlarge because of the live center.

The bottom part is kept  for the last part.

Edited October 22, 2015 by Gaetan Bordeleau

[dvm27]

Beautiful work, Gaetan. Did you make a form tool for the reinforcing rings? Does your lathe have a digital readout for use when you are making repetitive cuts? Or are those wooden templates your hi-tech method for keeping all the cuts uniform?

[Gaetan Bordeleau]

Hi Greg.

 

No form tools are used, 4 knifes are used and about 3 or 4 files dor the whole process

For the reinforcing ring, it is made in 3 stages, the ring, 1 groove on each side and for the round top, a file.

 

Wooden templates are much faster to use than the digital read out when there are many repetitive measures, and also you can have a global view in 1 shot.

I do not like to use digital read out on the lathe, I prefer to read the measure  with a digital caliper directly on the part because like this I read what the diameter is really is not what it should be. On the milling machine, I use it sometime when  by example I would need to drill 2 holes which needs to be exactly at .250 inches apart exactly.

[Gaetan Bordeleau]

Continuation + some jigs  for repetitive operations.

[druxey]

Very nicely done indeed, Gaetan.

[aviaamator]

Great job! I really like to look at the machining process!  

[Gaetan Bordeleau]

To turn the axle for a square, there is no need to use the 4 jaw chuck. 

You just need to insert the square axle in a brass tubing. To be able to apply pressure  without deforming the brass tubing, 2 cuts in line are enough.