Young America 1853 by EdT - FINISHED - extreme clipper

[EdT]

Those last few small particles, often wedged in place or in small crevices are the the problem. I have two other methods. The first is to turn the model upside down and shake it - talk about risk. The other is to turn it upside down on he bench and blow the dust out with the shop vac. With the limber area open between frames, his works well, even with the model upright. I have also used aerosol cans used or cleaning electronics, but sometimes the propellant condenses on he work. Compressed air frman oil free compressor - like an air brush compressor - with a small diameter tube might also be good. A small diameter dowel with a bit of two faced carpet tape on the end also works well. For steel wool particals, there's nothing like a pencil magnet.

 

Its almost impossible t keep this stuff out. I believe I may cover the open deck areas with masking tape later for the rigging work, but this too ca be a problem.

 

By theway,is anyone besidesme havin a problem wit this text box dropping characters? This sentenceis an exaple. I almost always have t go back and add dropped characters and spces. I do enoug typing t know its not me and I do not have this problem with any other applicatons.

 

Ed

[EdT]

Ah, Micheal - a good use for my underemployed airbrush.

[SawdustDave]

Dropped charactrs....always figurd it ws jus me. Hmmm

Phunnie

 

The worst thing is when you somehow miss removing a small wood piece lodged out of sight....and it comes un-lodged after you have completely closed up the hull and decks.....rattles around inside. This happened with my little mini-Vic.

Edited August 23, 2014 by SawdustDave

[druxey]

Who better to advise you, Ed, than Sawdust Dave?

[Walter Biles]

I have often had keys not work after an extensive life.  Keyboards are not too expensive unless you go for the high grade stuff.  When I've had enough sticky and/or missing letters, I look for a new keyboard.  Works for me.

Walt Biles

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 80 –Middle Deck Hanging Knee

 

 

I usually limit the content of these posts to progress reporting.  Except for some general comments I don’t usually do step-by-step demos in these. This post is hardly a tutorial, but I am spending so much time on deck beam knees that I decided to focus on making one of those.  There are roughly 250 hanging knees and an equal number of lodging knees in the model, so it is hard to ignore this process.  I try to follow Remco’s advice on these to treat every part as a separate model, but its not always easy.  Four or five a day are my limit.

 

We’re getting down to the wire on the middle deck framing.  As the beams get closer, the fitting of the knees requires more contortions as evidenced in the first picture.

 

 

The subject knee is being fitted under a half beam, so the beams fore and aft are already in place.  A few of these knees inevitably end up in the hold during this process.  After the knee is cut from one of several generic patterns, it is fitted by trial and error as shown – in and out maybe 6 times.  Most of the trimming is done with the disk sander.

 

Once it is fitted , the knee is removed to the vise for bolting and final finishing.  In the next picture the bolt holes are being center marked.

 

 

There were 15 to 18 1” iron bolts securing each knee.  I am aiming for about half that number – sometimes less - in the model.  In the next picture the bolt holes are being drilled.

 

 

This is a number 73 (.021”) drill to slip fit a bolt of 20 lb test black monofilament.  This is equal to a 1 ½” head at 1:72 – about the size of a riveted 1” bolt head.  In the next picture the monofilament bolt is being glued in with CA glue.

 

 

It will be sliced off flush with the razor blade.  The excess glue and any protruding monofilament is then filed off with a coarse rounded file.

 

 

This surface is then sanded with 220 and 320 grit paper on dowels.  In the next picture the corners are being rounded off.

 

 

Finally, the finished knee.  Note the notch for the deck clamp.

 

 

The last picture shows the glued-in knee in the center of the picture on the half beam.

 

 

In a later step, the knee will be further secured with a copper wire bolt inserted and epoxied through the beam and well into the knee from above.  Several other simulated bolts will then be installed over the knee in the beam.  Another copper wire bolt will replace the pin in the picture.

 

At this stage only one knee is left to do – on the half beam missing from the picture.  Then on to the lodging knees and ledges.

 

 Ed

[Mirabell61]

Ed,

 

neat, clean, excellent joinings, wonderful work !

 

Nils

[rwiederrich]

I am currently reading the Snow Squall story...and in it the recovery process of the hulk is amazing...finding the number of bolts used was astonishing for the archeologusts who did the recovery.  No glue..no screws....just treanails and iron/copper bolts....amazing.

 

You're doing a fantastic job sir.

 

Rob

[SawdustDave]

Ed....you have no idea how much we appreciate this last posting. This level of extreme detail is so far beyond what most of us have ever attempted, it serves as an example for me personally that no amount of perfection is too much. While we may never achieve this skill level in our own work, we will be much better than we were.

Thanks mate.

I solute you with utmost respect.

Dave

[Mahuna]

Ed:

 

Thanks for showing the steps.  As usual for your work, it's a well-developed and repeatable process.  Most of my work begins as trial and error before I get to a process I'm happy with.  

 

Frank

[druxey]

I note that it is almost exactly a year (OK, less a week!) since you began this model. It is amazing at what you have achieved in that time. Well done, Ed!

[allanyed]

Ed,

 

Cudos continue from all of us, and justifiably so.  In addition to the quality of the workmanship that you show, I really believe the step by step process you have taken the time to photograph and show has  shown a lot of members it is not that hard to do.  It takes a willingness to try, and the patience to try again and again at times.  Broken down into each single step as you show on the hanging standards (I still think those are standards, not knees :>)) it takes the fear out of the process.

 

Thanks again for sharing.  There are a lot of great builders that are members here, but you are the teacher of the year as far I am concerned.  I hope this  is a lesson for others to try to share as much as you have.

 

 

Allan

[SJSoane]

 

Ed, Do I recall correctly on the Naiad that you fitted the lodging and hanging knees to the beams out of the ship? Would that help take care of the contortions in fitting and trimming while the beam is in the way? Having just said that, how would you temporarily fix it to the beam while fitting the assembly? I have done a deck of lodging knees, but have yet to tackle the hanging knees on the next deck. I am watching your progress with close attention!

 

Mark

[Remcohe]

250 hanging knees....... and I'm going nuts over the 30 or so I need to make for my KF.

 

I really admire your persistence to do it right.

 

Remco

[EdT]

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

 

Yes, Druxey, the anniversary is approaching  The time passes quickly.  Then I look at the 80 MSW posts - and of course, the scrap bin.

 

Dave, I am glad you liked the post.  As far as skill is concerned, I would refer you to Allan's comment - the answer is usually in the process(es).  Like Frank, in his comment, there is always trial and error before a good process evolves.  I would add that in devising a process one should consciously think about specific outcomes desired and also process steps that are within reach.  I can assure you that a good process magnifies skills.  Sorry, its a favorite topic for me.  See Naiad Vol1.

 

Mark, you are quite right.  Naiad's knees were pre-installed on the beams.  They were different - and easier - because they were bolted to the sides of the beams.  Only the face against the inboard planking need to be trimmed to fit - and it was easy to hold it to the side of the beam for fitting.  The top of the knee could be trimmed off to match the beam - before or after attachment.  On Young America, the knees - or standards per Allan - bolt to the underside of the beam, so both surfaces need to be fitted.  I did pre-install a few, but as you say, they still had to be fitted with the beam in place.  In the end, this was easier to do with the beam securely glued.  The last few do become a bit of a headache, however, with the neighboring beams installed.

 

Allan, special thanks for your comment.  I got into the habit of taking step-by-step pictures for the Naiad books - 250 to 300 a month - so the processes could be covered in detail in the books.  It has become a habit and doesn't add too much to the effort.  The tripod does get in the way at times - in fact I knocked it over last month - but that is another story.  There were actually about 20 pictures taken for the knee sequence.  So, I left some steps out.  I probably covered some of the steps earlier.  You have it right.  If you break it all down into doable steps - and keep Remco's advice in mind - its not that hard.  This isn't the Sistine Chapel ceiling - well not usually.

 

Thanks again, everyone.

 

Ed

[SawdustDave]

Allan/Ed.... Can't argue your rather obvious point - skill is 90% "knowledge". The actual process of "learning" is one element, while the ability to APPLY knowledge becomes a practiced art. Not being machines or computers, we humans handle those two elements with greatly varying degrees of proficiency.

You, sir, are rarely gifted on both counts.

 

So I pulled up your postings to show my poker pals last night (none are Modelers). They have always thought I was kinda nuts....they think you are completely insane!

Then they proceeded to separate me from a moderate amount of hard earned dollars.

[Erebus and Terror]

I'm amazed at your progress, Ed. And with that superb level of craftsmanship - it's truly impressive.

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 81 –Aft Decks Framing

 

To break the monotony of making more knees, I deferred the work to finish the middle deck lodging knees and went on to some other things that will be coming up on the agenda shortly.  The first was cutting and finishing the view openings in the lower port side hull.  he first picture shows the three openings cut out.

 

 

The forward and center openings extend from the first futtock heads up the middle deck clamp – the aft opening only up from the lower deck.  After these were cleaned up by filing, sanding, etc. – and while the model was inverted on the bench – all of the remaining simulated bolts were installed up to the level of the middle deck.  The next picture shows hole locations being marked for the middle deck lodging knee bolts.

 

 

The blue masking tape, set at the top of the deck clamp, is used as a guide for the lodging knee bolts.  There is only space for three bolts through the frames for each knee bolt – one through the frames where there is a beam and two through each intermediate frame.  The resulting 4-2-4-2 pattern can be seen in the next picture.  The regular pattern is often disturbed by bolts for the iron strapping lattice.  There is nothing regular about these bolt patterns.

 

 

In this picture the next row of bolts – the middle deck waterway bolts – have been installed just above the lodging knee bolts described above.  The remains of the CA glue on that upper row is being filed off in the picture.  This picture also shows the vertical rows of hanging knee bolts through the even numbered frame pairs.  All this work was done on both sides, but on the starboard side up to the waterline only.  The starboard topsides will be planked so there is no need for simulated bolts.

 

Work also started on the framing of the after decks.  The main or upper deck extends only back to frame 36.  From there aft it was a few steps down to a cabin deck located as a sort of mezzanine between the middle and main decks.  At this point also, there were a few steps up to the poop deck.  A template cut to the shape of the poop deck inside the frames is shown in the next picture.

 

 

This template is for final checks on frame alignment.  Also in this picture the toptimbers of the odd numbered frames have been removed in this area.  These were helpful in aligning the frames but only extended to full height on the even numbered frames.  The others will be cut down later.

 

The template was also used to shape a curved deck transom for the poop deck as shown in the next picture.

 

 

 

 

To avoid grain weakness issues, this was made in two pieces joined by a hook scarph.  It is being glued together in the next picture.

 

 

In the next picture the poop deck clamps have been installed and the transom is being fitted at the stern.

 

 

The top of the poop decking will be flush with the tops of the frames.  The frames will then be capped with the “fancy rail.”  This rail runs in a line from stem to stern.  In the next picture the tops of the stern timbers and frames have been precisely trimmed to their correct height and a gauge strip is being used to set the height of the transom from the tops of these timbers.   

 

 

There is some tolerance for error on the heights of the lower decks, but there is none here.  Any variation will disturb the line of the upper rail and will be very apparent.  The deck clamps also need to be precisely set.  The one in this picture had to be shimmed up about 1” so the deck planks will be flush with the tops of the frames.

 

My adventures with these very visible final alignments will continue in the next part.

 

 Ed

[SawdustDave]

ED....Just went through your Victory log....having built her twice, very interested in seeing your build. I shall now burn both of my models and start over.... NOT.

[alangr4]

 

Wonderful set of pics Ed. A couple of questions if I may

 

Does your better half help out with some of the photos?

 

Is that a file or a chisel or an Ed Tosti original file/chisel combo in the third pic?

 

Enjoyed the explanation on the transom build.

 

Great stuff Ed.

 

 

 

Alan

[EdT]

Thank you both.

 

Dave, Longridge was a great teacher and his Victory a great inspiration.

 

Alan, the tool is a flat Grobet #2(?)silversmith's riffler - a curved flat file that I use quite a lot.

 

Athough my wife takes excellent pictures,I have not asked her to help with the model photos. A tripod, another fixture and the timer on the camera allow me to do this myself as the work proceeds. I got in he habit of taking a lot of in-process pictures for the Naiad books - about 300 per month - and the habit has persisted. Although I posted only two on making the transom, I believe I took 8 or 10.

 

Ed

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 82 – Stern Framing/Alignment

 

At the end of the last part, I promised to complete the description of adjusting the stern into its precise shape.  I have found that regardless of the care taken in aligning frames during erection there is always some degree of error that needs to be corrected at some later point – especially on something that will be as prominent as Young America’s beautifully curved stern. 

 

The heights of the stern timbers and the aft part of the poop deck were carefully set in the last part.  This allowed the poop deck transom to be installed as shown below.

 

 

There is a clamp on each of the glued stern timbers and aft cant frames to secure this piece – except in the case of two of the stern timbers that were about 3” outside the line.  One can be seen in the above picture.

 

After the glue on these had set, each of the glued timbers was through bolted with epoxied copper wire as shown in the next picture.

 

 

As discussed previously, these “functional” bolts are glued at both ends.  The two misaligned stern timbers were then clamped and glued as shown below.

 

 

I wasn’t sure if these could be pulled into place or would have to be removed and reset, but fortunately they could be clamped and glued without distorting the other timbers.  This picture also shows the concurrent installation of the cabin deck clamps, but this will be discussed later.

 

With the circular stern lined up, there was a bit of work to do on the poop deck top timbers.  There was a bulge of about 2” in the starboard side – enough to disrupt the symmetry of the poop deck when viewed from aft.  In the next picture this is being remedied.

 

 

The deck template has been pinned in place at three points.  The slight bulge is being pressed into the template with the rather large Jorgensen clamp.  The errant timbers were then soaked with water inside and out down to the middle deck clamps and left overnight.  I anticipated further wetting and using a hair dryer on this are but that was not necessary.  The timbers remained in their correct alignment when the clamp was removed as shown below.

 

 

 

The alignment is almost perfect but it will be again checked and if necessary corrected when the cabin and poop deck beams are installed.  The last picture shows this area with the template removed.

 

 

With the frames in this area set accurately by their inboard faces, the outboard faces were sanded fair back to the specified 6” siding.

 

The large pine ribbands on the outside of the hull are now redundant in this area at least and will soon be removed.  This picture also shows the cabin deck clamps installed.  I will get back to that later.

 

 Ed

[SawdustDave]

Another day at school....thanks Ed

[gjdale]

Dave has it right Ed! What a wonderful description of a relatively simple solution to a complex problem. And while I say "simple", I for one would never have worked out that remedy by myself. Thanks for your continued sharing and instruction of techniques Ed - your contribution to this forum and Shipmodelling in general is beyond description.

[alangr4]

 

Stunning work Ed.

 

The "clamp tree" in your opening pic is particularly awe inspiring.

 

You are brave using a Jorgenson clamp. If it was me applying that clamp I would be the owner of a bunch of matchsticks by now.

 

Alan

[Maury S]

Ed, What a beauty!  Great lines.  The soaking and re-clamping is a new one for me. 

Maury

[druxey]

Nice corrective surgery, Ed. The beams and knees will ensure that the hull form stays put later, right?

[EdT]

Thanks, everyone. 

 

To answer your question, Druxey, the hull will be rock solid with the beams and knees installed - as it is now up to the middle deck - even with those large cut outs for the view openings. 

 

The misalignment was prettry minor - two toptimbers less than 1/32" (actual) off line - but enough to be visible.  There wil be more of these small adjustments needed along the toptimbers of the main deck, I am sure.  This is a very long hull with no breaks in the top rail that runs from stem to stern.  The planking at this level is quite thin (.035") and will not be stiff enough to help with alignment.  Also, there is no inboard planking along the main deck, so the toptimbers must be quit fair on their own.  The fancy rail (top rail) will help but because of painting, that will go on last,  so I want the sides faired before that step.  For all these reasons I am being extra cautious early on. 

 

I was not sure the clamping and wetting would do it, but with the template handy it was worth a try.  It worked better than expected, so I included it in the post. It did not take much to fair the side.  There was virtually no springback,  This could have waited for the beams but it was better done sooner. 

 

Alan, fortunately the large clamp did not have to be very tight - not even enough to support its own weight - because it was able to rest on the temporary outboard ribband.  The independent clamp jaws were also set to be parallel to the sides. 

 

Ed

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 83 – Toptimbers/Middle Deck Framing

 

It has been almost two weeks since the last post.  In that time, work was done to prepare the toptimbers for final alignment and the framing of the middle deck was completed.

 

After aligning the toptimbers around the curved stern, all of the rest and upper futtocks – except those at the forecastle – were cut off and adjusted to their final heights.  Toptimbers on the odd numbered frame lines were cut back to the planksheer line.  The first picture shows the way the height gauge was used to set the tops of the timbers.

 

 

A strip of wood was taped to the top of the gauge arm.  The heights of the fancy rail and the planksheer were then set from the drawing for each frame and the heights on the model adjusted to match with a flat file.  Each timber was filed horizontally until the gauge arm just slid over the top.  The picture shows some of the toptimbers cut off.  The tops of the frames are now ready for final fairing and installation of rails and outer planking.

 

The clamps for the cabin deck were dubbed off and the stern hook for that deck made and installed as shown in the next picture.

 

 

This short “mezzanine” deck is the next to be framed after completion of the decking and inboard planking above the middle deck.  The next picture was taken during framing of the middle deck – specifically the installation of lodging knees and ledges.

 

 

Some of the port side lodging knees have yet to be installed.  The picture shows all of the toptimber work completed.  The next pictures show some steps in setting ledges.

 

 

In this picture a score for the ledge is being cut into the lodging knees at the side with a small chisel.  The scores in the carlings were cut earlier with a triangular file.  In the next picture a ledge has been fit into the lodging knee score and is being measured for its final fit.

 

 

The last picture shows the completed framing of the middle deck.  It will now be sanded fair.

 

 

Work on the middle deck waterways will be next.

 

 Ed

[michael mott]

beautiful work as always Ed. Just looking at that last shot the hull looks rock solid.

 

Michael