Young America by EdT - FINISHED - extreme clipper 1853

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 55 – More hold work

 

The plan has been to finish all of the work in the lower part of the hold so finish can be applied to this area before moving upward to work on the lower deck.  The first picture shows the main mast step and the water tank base.

 

 

The members to support the off-center beam pillars are being positioned in this picture using a straightedge.  In the next picture they have been glued down.

 

 

This picture also shows the addition of one last 6” wide strake of planking to bring the width of the limber channel down to the required 10”.  In this picture a few limber boards have just been glued over that final channel – hence the wet spot.  The pins on the opposite side are holding the last plank on that side.

 

The next picture shows some more limber boards in place plus a pile to one side.  The ceiling planking and other structures have just received one coat of beeswax-turpentine finish.

 

 

When dry, the shade of this finish will be about halfway between the two shades in this picture.  Surfaces that will receive glue later have not been coated.

 

The next picture shows some work on the Mizzen step.

 

 

The chunk of pear being marked will be cut to the shape of the knee and then slit into two to fashion the forward knees.  The aft knees are roughly fit at this stage.  In the next picture the mizzen step is almost finished.

 

 

Bolts have been installed down through the frames with epoxy.  These will have to be filed off and the assembly finish sanded.  The bolts will then be blackened to represent iron.

 

The last picture shows the current status.

 

 

With the ceiling planking darkened the contrast with the bilge strakes above is clearer.  This shows the convergence of the heavy bilge strakes forward to butt into the bottom of the lower deck clamp.  In this configuration the heavy band acts like a girder to reduce hogging strains.

 

It will soon be time to start work on the lower deck framing.

 

Ed

 

 

[Trussben]

That's a lot of nice progress ED, I'll be interested to see what that finish looks like after.

 

Ben

[druxey]

Looking lovely, Ed. Are you leaving off the limber boards on the other side? If so, will you be adding fillers between the frames?

[EdT]

Thank you both and thanks for the "likes".

 

Druxey, I will be installing only a few limber boards as shown.  There were no fillers between frames on these ships.  The primary limber channels are on the underside of the floor timbers, several inches outboard of the keel, so the drainage channel is actually below the frames right on the garboard strake.  Having this below the frames alleviated the need for fillings and permitted air gaps all the way to the keel - although starting at some distance above the keel these gaps were filled with salt..  The underside limber channel was about 5-6" square, cut into each frame.  It was often - perhaps normally - fitted with a chain that could be worked to dislodge debris.  This debris could presumably be removed from between the frames by removing the limber boards.  All this was made possible by the use of suction pumps instead of the earlier chain pumps.  The suction pipe on these pumps could fit between frames right down to the outer planks.  I will probably be cutting this channel on the bottom before too long.   You may recall that his channel started as a triangular space under the squared off feet of the half-frames.

 

 

Ed

[dgbot]

Ed, I remember you starting this project and how flimsy everything looked and was always amazed at how you kept everything together.  And now it looks like it could weather a spring storm on the great lakes.  Magnificent work.

David B

[EdT]

Thank you, David.  It is getting quite strong - stronger than a model needs to be with all those epoxied bolts through the frames on the bilge strakes.  There's still a lot of heavy reinforcing ahead - for example 15" x 15" waterways at each deck.

 

Ed

[michael mott]

Ed it really is like watching a full size ship going together, Your attention to these small details in both the historical commentary and the model are exemplary.

 

Michael

[amateur]

Beautifull as ever!

 

Jan

[jml1083]

Ed,

 

I really study your posts. As Michael said, it is like watching a real ship being built. Your attention to detail is a lesson for all. Your photographs and the accompanying explanations make clear the mysteries of this type of ship construction. Thanks for taking the time and effort to maintain this log, it is a resource of many of us.

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 56 – Wax finishes, deck clamps

 

 

Thanks, Jim and amateur for your comments.

 

Before getting into the next part of the work, I have included some information on wax finishes, since that got some discussion after the last post.  Also, I need to make some decisions on finishes soon.  The first picture shows some wood samples that have been treated with various wax finishes.

 

 

A composite sample was prepared with four strips about ½” wide, glued to a plywood base, sanded and then buffed with steel wool.  The top strip is heartwood cherry, below that is Swiss pear, then Castelo (sometimes sold as boxwood) and at the bottom is genuine European Boxwood.  The primary woods on this model will be Swiss pear (for oak) and Castelo ( for hard pine).

 

The samples were cut apart and all treated with turpentine/wax solutions, 2 coats, and then allowed to dry for 24 hours.  They were treated, from left to right as follows. 1. natural, ordinary beeswax, 2. a blend of white and yellow food grade beeswax.  (This yellow is less yellow than the natural wax – probably less pollen.),  3. white food grade beeswax, 4. petroleum based microcrystalline wax (Renaissance), also in turpentine.  Sample 5 has no finish.

 

Sample 5 is the lightest.  Samples 2,3 and 4 are virtually identical and very slightly darker.  Sample1 is the darkest.  The next picture shows sample 1 next to the unfinished sample 5.

 

 

The contrast here is more evident.  After looking at all of these in different lights it is clear that the natural beeswax is darkest and most yellow.  The less pale yellow shows up as lighter than the blend - which makes no sense.  That, the white beeswax and the microcrystalline are virtually the same shade as the unfinished.  The slightly darker look may be unevaporated turpentine.  Turpentine dries slowly.  We’ll see what happens in a few days.  All the wood samples were chosen from pieces with pronounced grain, relatively speaking.  The test shows the quite heavy grain in the cherry as opposed to the other woods.

 

I will probably do some more work with the pale yellow wax to tone down the natural.  We’ll see.  For me, genuine boxwood probably does not need any yellow wax.  Castello needs some yellow to bring it to life.  Pear has a dusty white hue that also benefits from some darkening and some yellow – all my opinions, of course.  Although I did not test oils, varnish, shellac or polyeurthane, all are much darker and more yellow.  Water based sanding sealer (straight acrylic emulsion) has no color.

 

The next few pictures show finishing work on the mizzen step.  In the first picture very dilute liver of sulfur solution is being applied to the copper bolt heads to turn them black.

 

 

I have been advocating liver of sulfur to blacken copper for some time – including in the Naiad books – partly because it leaves surrounding wood unaffected.  I want to stress here when used like this the solution needs to be dilute (Do tests.).  In the next picture the solution has been left to dry on the wood.

 

 

At this point the solution has self-neutralized to white and dried.  Two of the bolts had some residual epoxy on them and did not turn black, so they had to be sanded again and retreated after this picture was taken.  Note that there is no trace of stain from the LOS.  If too strong a solution is used, the wood may show gray-green blotches.  If this happens, that can be removed with white vinegar.  I have only had this happen once – but vinegar seems to be the antidote.  The next picture shows the step being treated with wax solution.

 

 

This picture was taken a few minutes after the area was wetted with wax/turp solution.  In the picture it is being dry-brushed to remove and spread excess.

 

The last few pictures show work on the lower deck clamps.  The top surfaces of these need to be “dubbed off” horizontal.  As installed, the clamps are angled to varying degree over their length.  The first picture shows the pronounced angle near the bow.

 

 

The wood strip in this picture should lie flat on the clamps and be horizontal.  To achieve this, the clamps were pared over their length with a chisel as shown below, then faired out with a file.

 

 

Because the angle varies the paring needs to be tested while proceeding.  In the next picture a straight steel wire is being used for a check.

 

 

The wire fits more easily between the frames and the iron latticework.

 

After dubbing off the clamps, the next step will be installing the reinforcing breast and deck hooks at the bow and stern.

 

 

Ed

[michael mott]

Ed it is great to read your methodology nice tip with the steel straight edge.

 

Michael

[gjdale]

Fantastic as always Ed. Thanks for sharing your test information on finishes, really interesting. You may have mentioned before, so I apologise if I'm asking what's already been answered, but when you use the beeswax/turpentine mixture, what is the ratio or "formula" that you use?

[dgbot]

Thanks for the display.  Where do you purchase Liver of Sulpher?  I rarely see this stuff anywhere.

David B

[gjdale]

David,

 

LoS is easily found online. Here is one such link.

 

https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/63353887/liver-of-sulphur-gel-2-oz-great-for?utm_source=google&utm_medium=product_listing_promoted_en_au&utm_campaign=supplies_low

[Sailor1234567890]

I could re read this thread over and over again. As your Naiad thread as well.

[EdT]

Thanks, everyone.

 

Grant, thanks for posting that link. The best advice I could give to anyone on "where to buy" is, let your fingers do the walking in the search bar in your browser. I buy almost everything for the model online.

 

As far as the formula for the wax solution is concerned, I don't really have one. Maybe use a tablespoon or two of wax to quarter to a half-pint of turps. The wax can be left to dissolve or helped along with some heat. Boil some water in a pot, remove from the heat and set the jar in with a loose or removed lid. Do not heat it directly or do this near an open flame.

 

I make a pretty thin solution to help it penetrate. If solid wax appears on the surface when you apply, add solvent to the mix - so everything penetrates. I have been using the same half-pint jar that I started Naiad with. It doesn't take much wax and the thin mix makes it easier to apply. The turpentine all evaporates, leaving just he wax. More can be appied to get he desired finish. Excess wax or gloss can be removed with a turps on some paper towel or a cotton swab. Once it penetrates forget gluing on it.

 

Ed

[dgbot]

Thanks for the link Grant.

David B

[gjdale]

Thanks Ed for the extra info on the wax/turps "formula" - I had a feeling it was going to be somewhat imprecise. You obviously know when it "looks" about right - another sign of the master craftsman at work!

[Erebus and Terror]

Thanks very much for posting your wax tests. Very useful indeed. And the LOS and copper does seem to work incredibly well!

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 57 – Lower deck hooks, outer hull work

 

 

Its been awhile since the last post.  Other demands have been interrupting the work.  But some of the recent work – like drafting – is not something I usually report on.  There is still quite a lot of that to do to keep ahead of construction.

 

After dubbing off the lower deck clamps, all is ready for beam installation.  I will report on beam fabrication later, but before beam setting could commence I wanted to get the fore and aft deck hooks installed.  The first picture – taken at the bow - shows the hook below the lower deck hook installed and the lower deck hook itself being fitted. 

 

 

I lofted patterns for the deck hooks but the lower hook was hand fitted to the lowest strake of bilge ceiling.  In the next picture the first two beams have been fit and pinned into place.

 

 

 

The hooks were probably live oak and so are being modeled in pear.  The deck beams were hard pine and are being made of Castelo – like the clamps and inboard planking.

 

The next picture shows the aft lower deck hook in place and a few beams being fit.

 

 

The blue tape in this picture is trying to protect the fragile ironwork lattice at the top where no deck clamps have been installed yet.  The strapping at the bow is safely tucked under the main deck clamps.

 

The outside of the lower hull was demanding attention, as can be seen in the next picture.

 

 

The forest of protruding copper wire ends are the iron bolts securing the 8” x 8” bilge strakes on the inside.  Each bolt is also accompanied by a drop of hardened epoxy.  The first step in dealing with this is to cut off the ends as shown below.

 

 

It is dificult to clip these off flush, but making them short helps in the next step – shown below.

 

 

The wire stubs and hard epoxy are easily removed with a file, or in some areas with sandpaper.  The file works best – i.e. fastest.  When followed by sanding, virtually all traces of the epoxy are gone.   Somewhere in this process all of the missing bolts had to be installed.  Wherever these could not be drilled through from the inside, dummy bolts were installed from both sides.  These were required near the ends where drilling holes square to the frames was not possible.

 

When all of those bolts were added and cleaned up, dummy bolts for the iron lattice were installed on the outside.  Monofilament was used for these.  In the next picture one of these is being cut off flush.

 

 

These were CA glued.  They were placed along the lines of the strapping.  There are, of course, quite a few of these bolts and the work is taking some time. 

 

The current plan is to get the hull finished and waxed below the lower futtock heads before returning to the work inside.  After final sanding and just before applying wax finish to the hull frames, all of the copper bolts will be blackened.  There is still some work to do before that.

 

Ed

[druxey]

As much meticulous attention to detail as usual, Ed! Very, very nice.

[Trussben]

Very Nice Ed, I assume the reason you don't draw treenails and use the monofilament is purely a time thing?

 

Ben

[EdT]

Thank you, both.

 

Ben, I try to use the correct fastening - iron, copper or wood.  All these structural fastenings through the frames were iron, driven through then rivetted over on each end.  Treenails on these ships were used primarily for non-structural common plank.  Plank butt ends were usually driven iron blunts.  If you page back a few posts you will see quite a few hundred treenails on the ceiling planking, whereas the structural bilge strakes above were iron through bolted - as were the fastenings for the iron strapping, deck clamps, hooks, etc.  Most of these iron bolts were 1" diam driven through a 7/8" bored hole - then rivetted over on the ends.  Some were larger - some smaller.

[dgbot]

A lot of patience.

DavidB

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 58 – Limber channels

 

 

Historical note: Young America, like most of her contemporaries, employed piston-type suction pumps to remove bilge water.  The reciprocating pump pistons were driven by muscle power applied to large circular crank wheels on the main deck.  Unlike the earlier chain-type pump that could only reach into a shallow sump cut into the floor timbers in the well, the suction pump could suck out water through a relatively small diameter pipe.  This pipe could extend all the way down between the floor frames to the inner face of the outboard bottom planking – in this case the garboard strake - right next to the keel.  The ability of the suction pipe to reach to the very bottom of the floor frames eliminated the need to pack the spaces between these frames – as was traditionally done to prevent stagnant water between frames and to inhibit rot in the lower timbers.  Without this packing, air could circulate between the lower timbers.  Lowering the suction point could also help keep the hold less wet.

 

Provision still had to be made to permit water to flow to the pump suction.  This was done by creating limber channels through the outboard faces of the floors.  Each frame was notched to allow water to flow to midship.  These channels were about 4” x 6” in cross section – located a few inches outside of the keel on both sides.  These channels were often – perhaps normally – fitted with chains that could be used to break blockages.  Debris could be cleared from above between frames by removing the limber boards next to the keelson.  At the ends of the ship, triangular openings under the feet of the half-frames provided passages for water into the ends of the limber channels.

 

I debated whether to include these limber channels on the model.  They will be difficult to see.  Cutting them also runs a risk of damaging the lower frames.  To be consistent with the other levels of included detail, I decide to do it.

 

In the first picture, the sides of the channels are being marked out using a compass with an extended lead, guided by the side of the point against the keel.

 

 

I imagine that in practice these notches were sawed out before the frames were assembled.  I elected to do it at this stage to help assure that the notches would run in straight lines.  The next picture shows the sides of the channels being sawed out using a veneer saw.

 

 

The veneer saw has straight (unset) teeth in a curved blade.  This turned out to be an ideal tool for this.  It is relatively easy to cut a straight line.  A small (1/32”) chisel was then used to clear the material between saw cuts.  Some different files were then used to clean up the channel.  A straight,  knife-edged file is being used in the next picture to shape the inside corners.

 

 

The next picture shows the aft end of the channel on the port side.

 

 

The channels end at the last full frames.  In this picture the half-frames aft of the channel have squared off ends that form the triangular channel mentioned above.  The next picture shows most of the channel on the port side.

 

 

The channels were formed on both sides of the keel.  I had intended to next finish the lower hull up to the lower futtock heads, but because more bolts will be needed later for the lower deck hanging knees I decided to finish only the full frames up to the floor heads at this stage.

 

This area was given a final sanding and some polishing with Scotchbrite. The bolts in this area were then blackened with liver of sulfur as shown in the next pictures.

 

 

I included this picture to give some idea of the LOS batch size and concentration.  The next picture shows some bolt heads being blackened with a brush that is only damp with solution.

 

 

Less is better.  The bolt heads turn black almost instantly from the damp brush. 

 

In the last picture wax-turpentine solution has been applied up the floor heads on one side. 

 

 

Virtually all of this first coat was absorbed into the wood. There will be more coats later.  Now back to installing bolts above the floor heads - and making deck beams.

 

Ed

[Scoot]

How could you live with yourself without adding that channel Ed?

It's all about the details. Nice!

 

Scoot

[dgbot]

Ed, you have to much courage. I would have been afraid of damaging those frames. Nicely done and a toast at the nearest bar. Beutifully executed. Everytime you post I learnsomething new .

David B

[SJSoane]

 

Very nice, Ed. Fascinating to see the differences in technology from the mid-late eighteenth to the mid nineteenth century...

 

And a very nice veneer saw; I couldn't quite read the brand.

 

Mark

[michael mott]

Beautifully clean work on the channels Ed.

 

Michael

[Erebus and Terror]

Beautiful Ed, thanks for posting your techniques with the LOS.