Young America by EdT - FINISHED - extreme clipper 1853

[the learner]

Looking great Ed!, I think the iron work was a fantastic inclusion and in a couple of hundred years when the model is being inspected by "experts" and "students" this model will be a fine example of extreme clippers being built in the 1800's and one they will be writing their research and thesis on!

[EdT]

Thank you for your comment Guy - and to everyone else for the "likes."

 

Ed

[Mahuna]

Ed - Thanks for taking the time to answer my question.  Your log is a great tutorial, and I'll be referring to it often as I start my own build.  As you already said, though, the planning is extremely important and that is what I still need to learn.  I wish I could have looked over your shoulder as you developed the plans for Young America.  What a great experience that would have been.

 

Frank

[freewheelinguy]

Ed,

 

I just well spent the last two days reading this entire log.  Not sure why it took me so long to come above it.  We are truly fortunate having you as a member plus giving us all your unselfish time to supply such a wonderful detailed build log.  I just want to give a big thank you and look forward to your additional updates.  This only forifies my opinion of this forum and the many others who give their time allowing to come here and share and learn from their experiences.

 

Thanks again.

 

Happy modeling,

Len 

[EdT]

Thank you for this comment, Len.  I think sharing methods is one of the best things we can do here.  They may or may not be the best for everyone, but readers can decide that for themselves.

 

Ed

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 52 – Port side ceiling continued

 

The planking of the floor on the port side continues – dull work, but with some interesting quirks as the planking approaches the keelson.

 

The first picture shows some planking strips sawed off of a wide blank of Castelo – a substitute for real European boxwood.  I am using Castelo wherever hard or yellow pine would have been used on the original.

 

 

These planks are 8” wide and slightly over the 4” thick specification.  This allows some extra thickness for leveling out and sanding the installed planking.  The 4” strips are cut from the 8” thick blank to the left that has been painted with two coats of dark brown acrylic latex paint – ordinary hardware store variety – to simulate the caulked joints between planks.

 

The next picture shows a strake of this planking being installed.

 

 

After the plank is cut and fit, yellow glue is applied to the top of each frame.  Dark glue is then applied to the painted edge of the plank and the butt end.  The plank is then held in place at each frame, drilled and pinned. The pins fit tightly and need to be forced into the smaller holes with pliers to hold the piece until dry.  The holes will later be used for treenails and iron blunts at the butts.  Water is immediately used to brush off excess glue.

 

Because the line of these strakes is closer to the keelson at the fore and aft ends, a number of planks need to be “dropped” so the planking will finish parallel to the keelson at the limber channel.  I started dropping planks after a few of the initial strakes were installed over the full length.  The next few pictures show – very briefly – how the number and positions of the dropped planks were determined,

 

 

The process is conceptually simple but can get confusing in practice.  I will not try to describe it completely here.  As shown in the above picture, the widths of the planks are marked off on a slip of card and numbered from the end.  The number of full strakes to the keelson can then be determined and marked at each point along the hull using the marks on the card.  The distance between the marks can then be used to set the taper from two planks down to one – thus dropping a plank toward the ends.

 

The next picture shows the marks being used to set the point where the next plank will be dropped.  I normally do not drop more than one or two planks in a single strake.

 

 

The plank has already been tapered to half-width at “6”.  It will be notched at the point marked “7”, cut halfway through at that point, then tapered up to full width at the point being marked at  “8”.  The next picture shows the plank that is being marked above being filed to shape – on the unpainted side.

 

 

In the next picture this plank is being installed.

 

 

I hold the plank tight to its neighbor using the pliers as shown in the above picture.  The pin hole location is then center-marked and drilled.  The pliers are then used to push in a pin and secure the plank.

 

In the next picture the aftermost piece in this strake has been tapered to the “drop” point and is being fit into position

 

 

The last picture shows the floor after the installation of this strake.  A few more planks will need to be dropped before getting to the limber strake next to the keelson.  This method was used on the finished starboard side.

 

 

 

I usually recheck remark the drop points after each strake is installed.  I expect the divergence to be fully corrected before installing the last two strakes.

 

I hope this brief explanation has not been to confusing.

 

Ed

 

 

[michael mott]

Ed on the contrary not confusing at all. I find that your explanations to be most educational. great pictures as well, and the finished work speaks for itself.

 

Michael

[newbuilder101]

Ed on the contrary not confusing at all. I find that your explanations to be most educational. great pictures as well, and the finished work speaks for itself.

 

Michael

Exactly! I have learned so much from your build logs! Beautiful work - again!

[dgbot]

I echo this statement as well.

David B

Edited March 30, 2014 by dgbot

[von stetina]

That strapping looks great! I've been waiting to see that. I love the stern she has and can't wait to see it too.

 

Bruce

[gjdale]

I agree with Michael and Sherry, Ed - your explanations make clear what can otherwise be very confusing. Thanks for taking the time and effort to do this for our benefit.

[WackoWolf]

Thank you for taking the time to explain it to all of us. Excellent work, love the crisp detail that you are showing. Keep the pictures coming. We are all watching.

[EdT]

Thank you all for these comments and the "likes"!  There is a lot more to be said about two processes shown in the last post - installing planks where clamping space is limited and reducing the number of strakes in fair lines.  I wanted to at least touch on them here because they can both be troublesome - and have been for me.  I'm glad if these ideas are helpful.  Let me add just a bit more on them.

 

I found that the key to holding glued planks with pins is the selection of the right drill and pin size.  The holes need to be smaller than the pin diameter so they hold down the planks, but not so small as to cause the planks to split when the pins are pushed in.  The planks in these clippers were narrow - probably to ease bending.  At 8" mine are probably at the large end of the scale.  I am using #28 nickel plated steel pleating pins (.021" dia) and a #76 drill (.020").  Later the holes are filled with a slightly smaller treenail or bolt to simulate 1 1/2" actual at 1:72.

 

I started using the paper strip method to locate the ends of dropped planks on my 1:96 Victory model in the late 1970's.  I was perplexed by this problem on that first model.  I do not know if others use this approach.  It is simple in theory - two planks become one at points where the as yet unplanked space can be measured in whole plank widths.  The taper and/or the next drop point reaches a full plank width at the next whole plank interval.  In practice it can be confusing because the remaining plank numbers keep getting smaller as planks are installed.  I now erase the marks and remeasure after each strake.  This also helps with accumulated error.  Measurements at half-plank widths can also help keep the lines fair by setting the points where the planks taper to 1/2 their width.  If this explanation isn't even more confusing it may help if you want to try this.

 

The methods shown in the last part could be a book chapter by themselves.

 

Ed

[Mahuna]

Ed - since you mention a book chapter, I hope you're thinking about publishing one.  That would definitely be on my wish list.

 

Frank

[the learner]

"The methods shown in the last part could be a book chapter by themselves"

 

I expect we can look forward to this chapter then! fantastic instructions, very inspirational.

[michael mott]

Ed I do hope that you are considering a book for this type of ship model. From my limited knowledge of such things there seem to be quite a few monographs and how to's for the classic three masted battle ships but little on the clippers and merchant sailing ship models. I just thought I would add my name to the growing chorus.

 

Respectfully Michael

[EdT]

Uh oh.  I didn't mean to open up this can of worms.  I really do appreciate your words of encouragement and interest.  At this stage the idea of another book has not yet reached the "maybe" stage.  I do agree that the clipper era - especially the American clippers - has not had the kind of coverage - and perhaps not the interest level - that the earlier Royal Navy subjects are getting.  As for fully-framed clippers, well ...

 

Again thank you all for these comments and support for the idea.

 

Ed

[michael mott]

Hi Ed tried to send you a PM, it would not work.

 

michael

[EdT]

Micheal,

 

It may be because my mailbox was at 100%. I deleted half of it so it might work now.

 

Ed

[SJSoane]

 

I would add to the previous comments that a book on this topic by you would be a best seller!

 

Mark

[PeterK]

Hi, Ed,

the can is open now.

Add me to the list.

Peter

Edited April 3, 2014 by PeterK

[EdT]

Thanks, Mark and Peter - for the encouragement.

 

Ed

[clipper]

Hi Ed, where can I buy this fantastic bible containing all things clipperish ? I must have a hard copy of this amazing build so that I can have my daily fix when I need it ! ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)

Tony

 

 

 

 

Edit: I notice that certain word are doubled up with a "linked to" sign attached to them. Is this just on my PC or has the site been hacked.

Edited April 5, 2014 by clipper

[EdT]

Clipper, thanks.  You may have a very long wait.  I can't comment on the pc glitch you mentioned.

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 53 – Mast Steps

 

With the ceiling planking finally installed, I could move on to some other, more interesting, work – the mast steps.  The planking and some of the bilge ceiling still needs to have many fastenings installed before the mast steps are permanently fitted, but for a change of pace I decided to make the steps next – installing fastenings concurrently in small doses. 

 

The first picture shows the parts of the foremast step before final fitting.

 

 

The next picture shows the general configuration of these roughed out, unfinished  parts.

 

 

The typical step consists of a cap – as yet unmortised – two side chocks with their grain direction vertical and four knees.  The next picture shows some of the parts of the main and mizzen steps.  I installed a horizontal chock under the cap of the mizzen step to provide additional height for the knees.

 

 

The caps are supported directly on the keelson and the side chocks.  These chocks rest directly on the frames.  I mentioned earlier that the limber channels by which water runs to the pumps are cut on the underside of the frames on these ships, so the step chocks as shown would not block this flow.

 

In the next picture a clamp has been used to hold the chocks against the keelson. Tthe cap was then glued only to the chocks, so the assembly could be removed.  In this picture the cap glue has set and holes for bolts into the chocks are being drilled.

 

 

The cap will next be bolted to the chocks (copper wire epoxied) to secure the connection.  Pin holes to precisely locate the step are also drilled into the keelson and will later be used for bolts.  Below, the foremast step has been pinned in place for fitting and gluing of the knees to the sides.

 

 

One of the knees is being glued in this picture.  The step is still removable.  It can be installed permanently only after the treenailing and bolting of the ceiling planking is finished.  The next picture shows the knees attached.

 

 

In this picture the step assembly had been removed to the bench for the installation of the bolts holding the knees to the side and the simulated bolts through the chocks and the keelson.  The next picture shows the main mast step with the knees glued but not yet bolted to the sides.

 

 

The last picture shows the positions of the steps within the hull.

 

 

Knees are still needed on the mizzen step.  This picture also provides a good view of the extent and shape of the ceiling planking.  At this stage all of the ceiling bolts on both sides are installed, but the Treenailing of the port side has yet to be done.

 

Ed

 

 

[dgbot]

Ed,  are you applying a finish as you are going along?  With the amount of detail in this model it must be a bearcat when deciding when and where to apply any stain or varnish.  I know I would have a hard time deciding when.  If you go to far you cannot apply anything and to soon attaching pieces becomes difficult.

David B

[EdT]

David,

 

The simple answer is yes, I do apply finish progressively before areas become innaccessible.

 

I do not use stain or varnish. On Naiad, except for the black wale, all of the wood was left in a natural color and the only finish used was beeswax dissolved in turpentine. This was applied to areas after all gluing a metal blackening was completed on that area. With the dissolved wax finish, adding new finish dissolves any old finish so there is no problem with overlaps, as for example there is with oil finishes where the gloss increases with each coat. Excess wax o gloss can also be easily removed or cleaned with turpentine or new soluton - unlike polymerized oil. There is also no problem with oil in crevices oozing out and polymerizing later. Also, I like the look.

 

On Young America I have not decided on finishes yet. I will vry likely paint some of this model. It is also likely that I will use the wax finish on the natural wood. The first wood to be finished will be the hold ceiling planking/keelson up to the lowest bilge ceiling strake - after the steps, fastenings and limber boards are installed. Next will be the lower hull exterior which will have exposed frames. this will be done after fitting the rudder ironwork. Using wax, it is possible to finish through one deck framing. I may install hanging knees before beams on this model, allowing lower areas to be finished before beams interfere - not decided.

 

Ed

[Erebus and Terror]

Very fine work. I'm still marveling at the symmetry. Ships of this era (and style) don't receive enough attention, and I'm glad to see such a detailed log. 

[dgbot]

I have never used beeswax for a finish before  I will put that down for the future.  I have rarely seen a vessel of this type built with this kind of detail.  I hope Ed writes a book.

David B

[KennyH78]

Ed, if you do decide to write a book for this ship, I will be in line to purchase it. I just picked up your Naiad books and can't wait to get those delivered. I am amazed at the detail on this build, you truly are inspiration to all! Looking forward to more updates.

 

Kenny