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

[Gaetan Bordeleau]

Gluing by fusion or capillarity

 

Welding is done by metal fusion. Temperature over 1500°C is necessary and, a heat source over 3000°C is required to reach it. Oxygen and acetylene can produce a temperature of 3100 °C but the price to be fully equipped for this type of welding with ‘’The Little Torch’’ use by the jewelers can easily reach over $1000.   45% silver solder can be use but the price of silver is very much surprising and can be quite expensive.

 

For the small parts that we use, option below $100 is possible. Brazing is done by capillarity and alloy temperature is lower than the one of brass. Butane micro torch can reach over 1000°C which is plenty sufficient to do the job. Silver bearing solder uses an alloy with silver and lower temperature is required (around 500°C).  I do not think that this alloy does not produce toxic fume like cadmium as in photography and it is no lead product.

Pencil size torch will do the small jobs and a Blazer micro torch by example will do the big job as for this one. With that, an alloy like silver bearing lead free can be use with flux also lead free and some are water soluble.

 

To blacken brass I use product Gun Blue in few ounces bottle. For over 1 year it was not possible to buy it because no French instructions included for Quebec Province.  I turned towards blackening metal for the industry and bought 1 pint which makes 1.25 gallons from http://www.caswellcanada.ca/shop/black-oxide/   , so I should have enough for a long time when I will receive it this week.

[Gaetan Bordeleau]

LED Lighting

 

I received an e-mail from our electricity company, Hydro-Quebec, they pay $10 for each LED bulbs that we buy. Also, lighting on the working desk was not satisfying enough. I paid a visit at Home Depot of my area, this is where I saw the best choice with LED bulbs. Yesterday I bought the best bulbs they had a beam light by Phillips 19.5 watts, dimmable, a fixture and a dimmable switch with a remote. After installation verification with the Luxmeter gave surprising results Test are done at 4 feet except for 3 which are done at 1 foot. Beam width and strength, in a way are not comparable at different distance, but here are the results.

 

LED bulb is more expensive than an ordinary bulb but the performances are more than ordinary. In comparison with the best light Amsco I have, which is halogen (the light is white not yellow as a standard halogen), 2 Phillips LED can produce 13500/19800: 68% of the lighting level.

 

In conclusion, LED is coming with results we could not hope to reach few years ago. Actually, I would say without hesitation that Led lighting is the best way to see what you do.

[Gaetan Bordeleau]

I noted since a certain time that something was wrong in the aft part. Not knowing what to do, I did not touch anything. Today, I wanted to identify the problem by putting the vertical laser line on the longitudinal axis to establish a center line. Then the center finding rule is placed over the center line and, for each side, the distance is taken from center to the side. A difference of .75 inch larger to starboard is noted. A correction of the top aft starboard frames which bends too much inside is required.

The picture shows how to move the starboard side only by taking support on the keel.  The spacer will be left there until correct curvature of the frames.

Clamps are also use for 2 reasons, realign few frames and on the starboard side, it allows the whole set of frames to move together. Unfortunately all the work which was done in the aft parts had to be disassembled and scrapped.

[mtaylor]

Gaetan,

 

Good catch and also a thank you for showing how you are fixing it.

 

And I'm in total agreement about the LED lighting.  Great lights.

[Gaetan Bordeleau]

Thank you Mark,

 

Metal fitting installed completes the hold level. The model began 1 year ago, 6 months for the framing, 6 months for the hold.

[druxey]

Ouch! Having to revise the aft end of the framing was, I'm sure, a painful decision, Gaetan. However, the finished model will be even more impressive as a result. I've noticed that the framing, particularly aft, can distort over time if not secured by planking, ribbands or deck beams.

[Gaetan Bordeleau]

Druxey, something had to be done now because there would be regrets later when checking to have 2 symmetrical sides with asymmetrical sculptures, correcting today to make it easy for tomorrow.

 

In this case, replacing by less than .25 inch on first deck, corrects error (which is quite high in this case) at the top aft  beams where the maximum displacement occurs. I remarked on the 74 guns that it is better not to do all the deck beams at the same time, because the length can changed for some.

[michael mott]

Gaetan, Thank you for your notes on soldering, If I understand correctly you are using lead free soft solder, or are you describing hard solder? Your photograph which includes the paste flux leads me to think you are using soft solder.

 

Michael

[Gaetan Bordeleau]

Michael, for this work I used soft solder

 

On the picture, there are 2 kind of solder. The difference is the temperature needed to use each one:

Soft solder, silver bearing lead free (we reach the temperature by using Butane)

Hard solder, silver 45% (we reach the temperature by using acetylene)

 

Gaetan

[michael mott]

Gaetan, thank you for the clarification.

 

Michael

[newbuilder101]

This is the first time I have seen your build log and it is truly amazing! Your work is exceptionally clean and crisp and your attention to detail is wonderful! I have really enjoyed all your photos, especially the ones from within the hull...it truly looks like a full size ship!

[sonicmcdude]

Welcome back Gaetan!

[Gaetan Bordeleau]

To change the last habit, 6 months in the hold of the Fleuron, the work moved outside to continue the planking on both sides.

 

First picture shows 1 side on wood and the other side with Tung oil.

 

There are 2 deepness levels as in the both colors of the second picture.

 

The third picture shows planking where 2 kinds of woods were used:  pear and cherry wood. The grain pattern for the cherry is more presents and seems more accurate than pear which has much less grain pattern. I wanted to do try a comparison between these 2 woods and seeing this picture I prefer the use of cherry which is probably, just a matter of choice.

 

The last picture combines 2 views of the bow, the one to the right with few more details. To make sure the side walls won’t move, I preferred to redo now the basic bow wood framing.

 

 

[JerryGreening]

Welcome back!!!!!k Gaetan!

[Gaetan Bordeleau]

First picture is a participation to encourage people to have a hobby. Few days ago I read a report concerning pictures on Internet. Here is a summary of my understanding. If I put new pictures on line today, these pictures become the property of the public domain. If I add a pseudonym on the picture side, it means nothing concerning intellectual property. Other statements like copyright expressing my will to appear as the author of the work of the mind should accompany the picture.

I saw Fiebing leather dye at the shoemaker store. Here is a comparison between ebony, leather dye and chinese ink. For the ink and dye, 1 layer to the left and 2 layers to the right. On this picture ebony look like charcoal. For what I see, black is black.

I began to do joinery for the first deck planking.

 

 

 

[jaerschen]

Hi Gaetan,

 

thank you very much that you rebuild this wonderful build. I always was a great fan of this build.

 

Juergen

[mtaylor]

Hi Gaetan,

Yes, black is black.  Put a finish on your test pieces and think you'll be very pleased. The black will come alive.

[Gaetan Bordeleau]

Thank you Juergen

Mark you could be right. The shoemaker said that he was never using the dye alone. He was always putting a protective coating in a wax form.

But nevertheless, dye and ink looks like grey in comparison. In fact, the error is to put ebony side to side with something else.

 

Gaetan

[Gaetan Bordeleau]

New cherry stock, for new projects, must be American cherry some planks were 10’ X2’’ X 15’’. Next, a stick which is put between wood layers when the wood in the dryer, first time I saw this.

Planking on the first deck has begun. Planks will be glued later; I stopped to begin outside planking on 1 side.

When I began this build, I wanted to use only cherry, to obtain 1 wood color. After some thinking, I prefer more than 1 color because I do not like the one tone effect. Some dyes will be use and coppering will be the next stage. Although coppering is a big work, the look and the color surely make it worth to do it.

[gjdale]

Hi Gaetan,

 

I've just caught up with your re-posted log. I had been following this wonderful build on MSW 1, and am so glad you re-posted so many of your pictures. Your work is absolutely first class and an inspiration and example to us all.

[michael mott]

Gaetan, it is great that you have continued this build log after the crash,  I also like to see the pictures where I can see the workshop tools and how you work, I learn something every time.

 

Michael

[druxey]

A waxing will certainly intensify the black dye if you want a darker finish.

[Gaetan Bordeleau]

Thank you Grant and Michael, I appreciate your good words.

 

For the outside planking in the curved area, curving this thickness is out of question. I used a different approach than the first try where multi layers were used. In this actual build, each curved plank is cut with the same curve  as needed in a solid piece of about 1/4''. No bending required and it is easy to be glued when applied.  This method is easier to use, it  gives more precise results but it needs a lot of wood.

 

Gaetan

[Gaetan Bordeleau]

Druxey, I want to try this way for a better color.

 

I just bought Tamiya tape to try. Up to now, the bad side of the dyes is that it pass through every kind of tape I triied.

I had good results with Saman dyes up to now but it is not a real dyes.

Dyes seems to have capabilitites to penetrate under ecery kind of tape I used up to now.

[Gaetan Bordeleau]

  Unfortunately, coppering the hull was not generalize before 1780. It cannot be applied to Le Fleuron. In 1730, a second layer of fir 1 inch thick was applied over the keel up to the first wale was applied for protection against bite worms. Then a layer of black tar (tar plus sulfur) covered this protective planking. How will I represent this? Some thinking required.

[mtaylor]

Gaetan,

Was base tar Stockholm Tar?  or the black stuff we see on roads?   If it's Stockholm Tar, probably just a finish with a brown tint maybe????

[Gaetan Bordeleau]

Hi Mark, thank you to help me thinking.

My understanding is as follows, until  about 1750 tar was black in 1780 they used  Stockholm tar which was reddish-brown.

May be it is a mistake to use the term tar or bitume. Tar as we know it today  is used for waterprofing the roof or it is a component of asphalt. In fact we can use asphalt in powder to age wood. The tar they talk about I do not think it was coming from asphalt. It is a vegetal source, the resin from the pine tree which was obtain as follows.

 

Vegetal tar

A soft resin escapes to the foot of pine trees. This gum is boiled and when enough bake, the tar escapes by a canalisation at the bottom of the container and is collected in barrels. Depending of the time of cooking, the tar can be a clear liquid, thick or recooked.

Tar is obtained by pine wood distillation by similar procedure as wood charcoal fabrication. This tar is a dark brown color, reddish-brown. Moscovy tar has a clear-yellow-color and darkens when cooking

The French also fabricated tar, but they were skimping the quality to make more money. So the north tars were of better quality. Swedish tar maker introduced the fabrication in France. The best tar came from Scandinavian forest. It is clear, fine and a bit red.

All the rigging is tarred except royal ropes. The resistance of tarred ropes is not as strong as white (not tarred) ropes. The only ropes not tarred are the tiller rope (to keep all his strength) and the breeching tackle in the great room for aesthetic reasons.

In the 1600 period, ropes were immerged in a hot tar bath and then steamed. In 1700, every strand is tarred before to make the cable.

 

Vegetal tar had many colors (black, brown, brown-red and probably other colors too) according from where and when it came from.

 

So I will probably use some kind of brown below the wales, wales will be black and a softer color higher.

[druxey]

Yes, the dye will 'wick' along the grain of the wood. No tape will prevent this. The only method to stop migration of dye that I know of is to score the wood with a sharp scalpel blade. This breaks the flow of dye and makes for a clean line. I cut quite deeply: the cut is not apparent in the finished piece.

 

The only other option is to make the part in pieces, dye one part and then join the pieces afterwards.

[Gaetan Bordeleau]

Thank you Druxey, you got the word and you have a  very clever method that I will surelly try the scalpel

[PETERPETER]

Good day Gaétan,

 

Pleased to see you are taking the time to go back and post these collages showing stages of construction on your Le Fleuron. I was afraid we might never again be able to follow your magnificent build here at MSW.

 

Peter