Young America 1853 by EdT - FINISHED - extreme clipper

[Trussben]

Awesome looking hull Ed, up to your usual fantastic standards, i think it will take me quite a while longer than 5 months to get to that stage on Pegasus.

 

Ben

[AnobiumPunctatum]

Ed, thanks for the info. It's a completely different model and that is what I like

[EdT]

Me too, Christian.

[rwiederrich]

Fantastic progress Ed......very nice workmanship.

 

Rob

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 42 – Internal Hull Work

 

With the hull framing finished it was time to step back and consider the right construction sequence going forward.  Rather than go to work fairing and sanding the outer hull as I has anticipated, I decided to focus next on some of the basic internal structural elements.  Installing some key internal longitudinal members will add a lot of strength to the frames, in particular the connections of the full square frames at the keel.  These joints are rather weak and may not stand up well to outside sanding.  In practice this joint was strengthened by use of a very heavy garboard strake (the plank next to the keel) that was bolted up through the floors and lower futtocks.  This 9” thick block was in turn edge bolted into the keel.  The garboard was a much more important structural member in these ships than the familiar 18C RN subjects.

 

The first step was to fair out the inboard sides of the frames.  The full square frames had been carefully checked for fairness before locking them forever into place when the keelson was installed.  The careful pre-beveling of the half and cant frames and the use of the topside ribband to set these resulted in a pretty fair surface.  A few had to be removed and reset.

 

The first picture shows the first sanding/fairing step using 120-grit paper and a “soft-sander” foam pad.

 

 

Once all the surfaces were faired out with the 120-grit paper, 220-grit was used to start smoothing the surfaces.  In the next picture a round piece of a soft-sander pad is stuck to a vibrating sander and it turn has some 220-grit paper attached to that – all with two-faced carpet tape,  A few different pad shapes were used. 

 

 

This was followed by 320-grit, using the same device.  There was also a lot of old-fashioned handwork with all this sanding.

 

In the next picture the wood is being given a final polish with #0000 steel wool.

 

 

I don’t like using steel wool very much – it leaves a lot of steel fibers lying around and this also adheres to steel tools.  But after years of searching, I have found nothing that polishes bare hardwood like steel wool, so I am using it here - #1, then #0, then #0000.  All the tools are cleared away before doing this and the shop-vac comes out frequently.

 

With the inside of the hull given its final polishing, the lines of the deck clamps were scored on the frames as shown in the next picture.

 

 

A thick pine batten was first clamped to the frames as shown.  The heights of the clamps were taken off the inboard arrangement drawing with the calipers shown below.  These will be familiar to those who followed Naiad.

 

 

To allow the measurements to be transferred to the inside of the hull a thin strip was taped on top of the original arm to fit through the frame gaps.  

 

The next picture shows the batten set at the height of the middle deck.  The lower deck clamps on both sides have been marked.  The upper (or main) deck clamps will be just below and essentially parallel to the temporary ribbands clamped to the outside of the frames.  When those clamps are installed, the outside ribbands can be removed

 

 

Removing the temporary ribbands and strengthening the framing with internal members will allow the outside of the hull to be completely faired and finish sanded from the keel up to the top rail.

 

In the next part members of the “bilge ceiling” will be installed below the line of the lower deck clamp.

 

 Ed

Edited February 10, 2014 by EdT

[druxey]

Beautiful, Ed. I dislike steel wool also. Have you tried to acquire bronze wool? Works the same way as steel wool, but without the disadvantages of ferrous particles. Harder to find than it used to be, though.

[KennyH78]

Love your work, Ed. I learn something new each time you post an update. Keep at it and I can't wait for more!

[WackoWolf]

Like others have said BEAUTIFUL. I love the way you show us how you are doing everything, it helps big time. Please keep the pictures coming, we are always watching.

[dgbot]

Great work Ed.  Have you ever used those new sanding pads for the final polishing?  This way you can stay away from the mess and clean up of steel wool.

David B

[EdT]

Thank you all for the comments and the "likes".

 

Druxey, I have never tried bronze steel wool nor have I ever seen it.  That would solve the magnetic problem.  What I do now is avoid using steel wool when other tasks are going on and the bench is littered with tools - as it usally is, I'm afraid.  Before using it I clear everything away and then vacuum it up as I go along.  One benefit of steel - threads left in hard to reach places can often be collected with a magnet.  Another benefit is that its readily available and cheap.

 

David, I am assuming you are referring to the Micromesh pads and sticks sold by Micromark.  I do use the sticks quite a bit and the pads for polishing metal before etching.  The grades tend to be very fine - 800 mesh and to up 12000 if I am correct, so they often do not get cross grain scratches from previous sanding steps.  Steel wool cuts fast and doesn't really care about grain direction even at coarser grades.  I also use Scotchbrite pads quite a bit.  They are similar to steel wool but do not work as fast.  I often cut these into disks and us in a rotary tool to get into tight places but they don't last long in that service.  Grey and white grades are most useful.   Then there is always fine sandpaper.  I use a lot of wet-or-dry  220 to 600.

 

Ed

Edited February 11, 2014 by EdT

[dgbot]

These sanding pads can be found at a good woodworking  store or hardware store.  I have seen them at our club meetings.  I forget where Kurt got them.  But he said they were the cats meow.

David B

[dvm27]

They sell bronze wool pads at your local Home Depot, for example http://www.homedepot.com/p/Homax-Fine-Bronze-Wool-Pads-3-Pack-123100/100185012

[EdT]

Thanks, Greg, Worth a look.

 

Ed

[Sailor1234567890]

Another disadvantage to steel wool is that it can cause rust streaks. Bronze is the way to go I think. More costly but worth it IMHO.

[the learner]

a link for Bronze wool   http://www.steelwool.biz/Bronze_Wool.htm

[druxey]

Thanks for that link, Guy. Time was when you could find bronze wool at your local hardware store….

[dgbot]

Druxey go to woodcraft.com.  Navigate to shop essentials and click on sanding   in the list you will find sanding pads.  I have seen them and think they are pretty good.  No left over metal dust and when the get dirty just rinse them and let dry.  The grits are coarse to fine polishing.

David B

[EdT]

David, areyou referring to Micromesh pads or something else? Miromesh grits range between 1500 and 12000.

 

Ed

[dgbot]

They have those also.  What these are is a piece of sponge sandwiched inbetween two micromesh sanding pads.  Unfortunately when I moved I forgot to bring them with me so I could show you what they look like. To my knowledge several woodworking stores will carry them. Rockler, Woodcraft etc.

David B

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 43 – Bilge Ceiling, Iron Strapping

 

Historical Clipper Note: A number of different structures were installed inside clipper ship hulls to increase strength and help defeat hogging, the most serious structural threat to wooden ships apart from rot.  Hogging is the tendency of hulls to droop at the ends.  It resulted from the reduced buoyancy at the ends of ships as the flotation area of the hull got smaller.  It was further aggravated by localized stresses as waves passed under the hull.  This was a particular problem in clipper hulls that were very long and had very fine lines fore and aft.

 

In addition to large keelsons, weight reductions at the ends, moving foremasts aft and some features discussed in earlier posts, additional structural members inside the hull were also used.  These varied from builder to builder.  These included massive additional keelsons in the area of the floor heads, various forms of heavy ceiling timbers, long diagonal wood “pointers” and ironwork.  From what we know of William Webb’s designs, he seemed to favor thick “bilge ceilings” – bands of heavy planking from below the lower futtock heads up to the lower deck clamps - rather than bilge keelsons or pointers.

 

An 8” to 7” thick bilge ceiling and iron strapping were the most likely combination used in Young America and that will be the configuration I will use on the model

 

After some deliberation – discussed in earlier posts – I finally decided to install the strapping on the inside of the frames.  Although this is not known to be the original configuration, it is most likely based on some references and Webb’ practice on other ships.

 

The strapping was installed on the frames under the ceiling planking.  Because installing the strapping requires some hammering on the frames to rivet the straps in place, I wanted to get a couple of ceiling strakes in place to make the frame structure stronger before beginning the strapping.

 

The first picture shows the first strake of the bilge ceiling being installed.  These are 8” x 8” members bolted through the frames from a few feet above the floor  heads decreasing in thickness to 7” up to the lower deck clamp

 

 

The strake being installed is at the heads of the lower futtocks.  This strake and the others in the band, follow the curve of these futtock head joints.  Fore and aft they converge under the lower deck clamp to form a sort of truss to resist bending of the hull.  This was definitely the configuration when bilge keelsons were used and it is likely the bilge ceilings followed this practice.  Once this line is set by the first strake the others above and below it will be installed.

 

The next picture shows a closer view of the bolting and one of the joint scarphs.

 

 

Copper wire bolts have been epoxied through the frames.  The dark area is isopropanol used to wash off the epoxy – not yet dry.  Epoxy will help assure that the wire will act as true through bolts.  In practice these were iron, so they will be blackened before final finishing.  The second bolt at each frame pair will be modeled using black monofilament.

 

The next picture shows the copper bolts coming through the frames outside.

 

 

These will be clipped off and sanded flush as part of the external fairing process.  It can be seen that the bolts come through the lower futtocks just below the heads.  I am considering leaving a few view ports on the exposed framing side of the hull.  The bottom of these open areas would be at the floor heads, so the bolted inside members should provide plenty of strength around the openings. The tops of these openings will probably be at the middle deck clamps.

 

With a stretch of ceiling in place I was anxious to try out some iron strapping. The first picture shows the installation of a test area.

 

 

I decided I wanted no part of recessing all these into the frames.  For the most part they will be covered with inboard planking and will only be visible between frames on the outside, through the view ports if installed, and down through unplanked deck areas.

 

The next picture shows a closer view of the straps and their fasteners.

 

 

I used .005” copper for the straps, cutting them to size with a paper cutter, and then stretching to straighten them.  I considered using .010” strips but these would require recesses.  The thinner material should not affect the planking glue joints.  Planks will also be bolted so should be quite secure.  The difference in thickness is virtually undetectable visually.  The actual thickness would probably be somewhere between the two sizes.

 

The straps are held in place by copper rivets - 22 gauge copper wire – some through and some partially through as “blunts”.  Like the real bolts, the heads are peened over to secure the strips.  I initially tried to get all of the intersections on frames for bolting, hence some uneven spacing in this first area.  I will not describe all the steps in detail – or the journey up the learning curve to get acceptable-looking straps.

 

These must of course be blackened before being planked over – to avoid glue spots that would interfere with the etching.

 

The next picture from outside the hull shows some strapping blackened using liver of sulfur solution.  This will be the predominant viewpoint for this feature.

 

 

This picture shows some inevitable crossing of straps between frames.  I doubt that I will try to rivet these intersections as was done in practice, except where they fall over a frame.  A few strapping rivet heads can be seen on the outside of the frames.

 

The strapping will be installed over the full length of the hull up to the upper deck clamps.  The next picture shows some correctly sized clamp material – for the lower and upper decks - temporarily held in place,

 

 

This shows the convergence of the ceiling and the lower deck clamp mentioned above.  The 7 to 8” bilge ceiling would fill the area below the lower deck plank and continue for a few more strakes below those installed in this picture.

 

The straps will be cut off above the upper deck clamp.  The strapping is fully extended forward in this picture.  The middle deck clamp will fall midway between the two shown.

 

I now foresee a considerable amount of strapping work, punctuated with some bilge ceiling and perhaps deck clamp installation.  Should be interesting.

 

 Ed

[garyshipwright]

Hi Ed.

 

I must say sir you have your metal work cut out for you. Young America has become a very interesting build and the way you are  building her is in line with your last build. Every update is a joy to read and the photo's a real treasure for the eyes. Will be looking fwd to the next one.

 

Gary

Edited February 13, 2014 by garyshipwright

[the learner]

So all the strapping was put in place before any other timber was attached ie: Breast hooks, crutches and carlings etc:.That applying the strapping between the frames and ceiling would seem like it would make for a really strong Hull! Do you think that on the actual construction the strapping would have been let into the frame timbers before attaching the ceiling planking?

 

Thank you for the update

[ianmajor]

Ed,

 

Wonderful workmanship coupled to a fascinating description.

[EdT]

Thanks, Gary, Ian and Guy.

 

Guy, the straps were on the order of 5/8" to 3/4" thick and about 4" wide.  They were normally let into the frames on these classes of ships whether installed on the inside or the outside of the hull, so the frames had to be scored down to receive them.  This would allow the planking to lay flat on the frames.  It also probably added to the effectiveness of the strapping, but that is a guess.  I had considered scoring the frames, but decided it was too much work - and too difficult to do well at this scale.  Considering that most of this will be covered with plank and only visible from outside the hull, I decided to go with the method described.

 

Ed

[druxey]

The late Joe McCleary once built a model with external strapping that was let into the framing - and a very neat piece of work it was. Of course, scoring frames from inside would be far more difficult!

[NenadM]

Wow !!

[EdT]

Druxey, Mr. McCleary has my most sincere admiration. Even doing this on the outside of the frames would be a challenge beyond my skill - or perhaps endurance. On YA there would be well over 1200 scores by my count. The 1200 to 1500 rivets is bad enough to contemplate.

 

I think you are right about the inside versions being more difficult. I was looking at making some special curved paring chisels to be able to do it and even with those, some areas would be very awkward to reach. The depth of the scores - say .010" - would be very shallow. Scores have to be deeper at intersections. Cutting them too deep would defeat the visual appearance. The same with alignment - very ctitical to be marked out and then scribed accurately before paring - and to avoid tearout on the angled cuts. The shake in my hands gets worse just thinking about it. Maybe at 1:48 or 1:32.

 

Having decided on the approach, I am sleeping better.

 

Still a long way to go with these, so thanks for the support - everyone.

 

Ed

[dvm27]

I love the realistic approach you've taken, Ed. I can't imaging how they would have laid out and executed these recessed straps on a full-sized vessel. Just getting the inside of a ship so large to fair smoothly must have been challenging.  Druxey - do you know of a link to McCleary's ship model?

[michael mott]

 

The same with alignment - very ctitical to be marked out and then scribed accurately before paring - and to avoid tearout on the angled cuts. The shake in my hands gets worse just thinking about it. Maybe at 1:48 or 1:32.

Ed I think that your comment could lead to some rather lovely 1:32 0rv 1/24 cross section models like the other that are being built.

 

Superb job on the bracing and the framing, I am really enjoying your work on this build.

 

michael

[druxey]

Unfortunately I don't know what became of that model, Greg. I believe Joe was still working on it when he died. I saw the model in about 2002, I think, at a demonstration he was giving at the Nautical Research Guild's annual Conference. I do remember it made a big impression on me. His work was up to Ed's standard. Perhaps someone else has the answer to your question.