Pelican 1943 by FriedClams - 1:48 - Eastern-Rig Dragger

[druxey]

The non-slip shelf lining piece is a great tip! Thank you.

[wefalck]

Not sure what 'non-slip shelf-lining' is. Is this something you put onto the wall-brackets to preven glass-shelves from moving?

I personally probably would have made myself a clamp to tie down the material to be cut, similar to what you have on those full-size miter-saws. I have such miter-box, but tend to go for high-tech solutions (lathe) in such cases 😁

[KeithAug]

Beautiful work Gary. I particularly like the detail of the paint damage around the latch. Wonderful.

[FriedClams]

22 hours ago, wefalck said:

Not sure what 'non-slip shelf-lining' is. Is this something you put onto the wall-brackets to preven glass-shelves from moving?

 

No, it's a product that one would place on a shelf or the bottom of a draw to keep items stationary and organized.  Works great in rolling metal toolboxes so your open-end wrenches/spanners stay put and in order.  People use it under scatter rugs on slippery hardwood floors.  Many uses in the woodworking shop.

 

Amazon - non-slip lining

 

23 hours ago, wefalck said:

I have such miter-box, but tend to go for high-tech solutions (lathe) in such cases 😁

 

So would I - if I had one.  Thanks for your comment Wefalck and for swinging by to take a look.

 

Gary

[Wintergreen]

Excellent weathering, Gary!

[FlyingFish]

Super eye for the detail Gary. Just love the little touches of wear and shading. Nice substitute for the copper wire too. Like it.

[Javelin]

Awesome work Gary, 

 

I'm especially amazed by that celophane tape trick. Never seen that before, but the result is astonishing. 

Love the port holes as well, very sharp execution! 

 

[Keith Black]

Gary, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family. 

[FriedClams]

Greetings friends.  Thanks to all for your visits, the kind comments and the "likes".  It is great to be able to share a hobby with such folks as you and I hope you all have a great 2025.

 

@Keith Black - please forgive my negligence in thanking you for your holiday wishes.  You are very thoughtful, and I sincerely wish you and Maggie a happy and healthy new year. 

 

 

Whaleback Continued

 

Well, I haven’t accomplished a great deal on the Pelican since the last posting a month ago, but here’s what I have got done.

 

Continuing on with the bow whaleback, I’ve enclosed the structure with side planking and roofing. But before I was able to do that, I first needed to install the main rail for it to sit on. The rail is made of two wood strips laminated together which together scale to 9” in width by 3”. Even though this lamination creates a seam down the rail’s center, it will eventually be covered buy additional rail, caps or in the case of the whaleback, planking.

 

I cut profiles of the forward rails from corrugated cardboard and glued them to a larger flat piece of corrugated. The wood strips were glued together with PVA and pinned against the cardboard profiles.

 

 

 

They were then attached to the boat.  In the photo below the aft wall of the whaleback is already in place but getting it in there was an unanticipated fight.

 

 

 

Before the rail, the section simply dropped straight down in.

 

 

 

After the rail was attached, one end of the wall had to be fitted around it and then the other end swung into place.

 

 

 

But the opposite end could not swing into place because it couldn’t clear the bulwark stanchions no matter how I tried to bend and wedge the wall past it.  I ended up breaking the wall into two pieces, fitting the opposite end in and then gluing it back together. The break can be seen below in the vertical siding.

 

 

 

Next, the P/S side planking.

 

 

 

Each was made of three individual planks edge glued together, then cut to shape and finally heat bent.

 

 

 

Four roof/deck beams were bent and cut.  I added gussets to the longest two so the bend can’t relax.

 

 

 

 

The roof is outlined in red in the drawing below.  Note that it overhangs the front of the companionway doghouse and extends to (and partially surrounds) the forward mast.

 

 

 

This roofing structure was made off the model and in two pieces. The main section of roof/deck is scale 3” x 2” boards glued to paper but not to each other.

 

 

 

The doghouse section is made of thinner material of the same width. The flat overhanging portion is edge glued and will eventually have visible underside structure.

 

 

 

The sections are glued to the boat with generous amounts of PVA and the main roof is trimmed and sanded flush to the side planking. Wood that was bent to match the slight arc of the roof was attached to the square cut boards to extend the overhang and provide structure for the fascia and other trim that will be added in the future. Below, the ends are still untrimmed.

 

 

 

In the era this boat was built, there were three ways wooden boat roofs were typically waterproofed. One was to mop hot tar or pitch on it. A second method was a covering of canvas tarps treated with oil-based paints. And finally with sheets of thin rubber membrane. I don’t know for certain how the Pelican’s roofs were done, but I’m going with rubber for its durable and also because the other two methods seem antiquated this late in the period.  But what do I know?

 

I began by painting everything flat black. Once that was dry, I smeared a 50/50 water/PVA mix on and then laid down three strips of tissue paper (gift wrapping type) before it had a chance to dry. To be accurate, I actually did this in three sections. I painted on glue to the port side and then laid a single tissue strip over it. Then I did the starboard side and finally a strip down the middle and over the doghouse. I might have been able to lay it all in one go, but this process gave me the time to fuss with the tissue paper and obtain the consistency of wrinkle I was after.

 

 

Letting it sit overnight, I then painted the tissue a charcoal black acrylic followed by a faint and heavily diluted wash of dirty white pigments. The waist edges were then trimmed off with a razor blade. Some of the roof boards telegraph through the tissue and the overlapping seams are obvious yet don’t look out of scale to my eye. This image also shows the quarter circle roof corners that I didn’t think to photograph when I installed them earlier.

 

 

 

There is much more to do on this whaleback - many details and finishes - lots more.

 

Thanks for taking a look.  Be safe and stay well.

 

Gary

 

 

 

[Keith Black]

7 minutes ago, FriedClams said:

Well, I haven’t accomplished a great deal on the Pelican since the last posting a month ago

 Gary, what an understatement that is. You've gotten tons done and it looks fantastic! The rubber roofing is superb. I'd love to pull up a chair next to you for a couple of months to sit and learn. 

[Glen McGuire]

I was looking at the doghouse roof and thinking wow, you did a really nice job of showing random wear from foot traffic on the planks.  And then you go and cover it up with the rubber!  Sigh.  Nevertheless, the roof looks great and the texturing you did on it is out of sight.  Well done, Gary! 

[Jim Lad]

That deck covering is very realistic, Gary. Very well done, indeed.

 

John

[Paul Le Wol]

Hi Gary, good to see this much anticipated update. The roof looks great. Everything does !

[druxey]

Very impressive!

[FriedClams]

Thank you, Keith, Glen, John, Paul and Druxey for your kind comments and to everyone for hitting the "like" button.  It is great to have your support!

 

 

A quick update.

 

Before continuing on with the whaleback, I backtracked and completed some basic boat work aft of midships that I should have done earlier.  This work includes the covering boards, the main rail and deck planking.  My process is not explained here because I’ve bored you with all that in a previous post when doing the forward deck.

 

One item worth mentioning is the rail around the stern that I laminated from eight thin strips and a significant amount of PVA.

 

 

 

The deck has been rough sanded but will need additional smoothing, scraping and coloring in due course.  A scale 26” (66cm) diameter brass ring frame has been installed to receive a lazarette cover and also a 12” (30.5cm) ring frame for the access plate above the rudder stock.

 

 

The break deck sits 8” (20.3cm) higher than the forward deck and will eventually be fitted with an 8” extension cap.

 

 

And a couple of overall photos.

 

 

So, with that done and off my mind, I’ll be returning to the whaleback for detailing.

 

Be safe and stay well.

 

Gary

[Paul Le Wol]

Gary, the stern rail and deck planking are exceptional.  Wow!

[Keith Black]

 Lovely work, Gary. Everything fits like a glove. 

[Jim Lad]

Truly delightful, Gary.

 

John

 

[Danstream]

Gary, this build of yours is amazing and a great source of techniques and ideas, although I doubt I will ever manage to emulate them in full. The construction of the curved caprail is one that I will refer in future. As I said in other builds of yours, you have an ability to reproduce miniaturized things with incredible realism. I keep following in awe from the back row.

Best regards,

Dan

[Keith Black]

3 hours ago, Danstream said:

you have an ability to reproduce miniaturized things with incredible realism

 Dan, yesterday I went through Gary's 1940 Auto Repair Shop diorama build seeking inspiration for some work I'm doing. I came away inspired as I always do when viewing Gary's work. 

[FriedClams]

Paul, Keith, John and Dan, thank you for your kind and generous comments and to all for the "likes".

 

 

3D modeling seems to be popping up everywhere in scale model building so it’s time to give a try. I’ve always enjoyed the process of hand scratching detail parts, and I have no intention of giving that up. But I’m also aware of my limitations and previous projects have suffered from some ham-handed constructions and 3D modeling will help solve this problem.  So, the Pelican will be a mix of printed and handmade details.  I designed all the printed parts used in this model specifically for the Pelican.  It is solid modeling done with FreeCAD.

 

I created the files but didn’t do the actual printing myself. I don’t see myself using a 3D printer enough to justify owning one, but that could change as consumer units continue to improve and drop in price. Anyway, I uploaded all my STL files to a commercial printer (Print a Thing) and the parts were delivered in less than a week. The total cost for these printings was around $33 US including shipping, tax and setup fees. I ordered extra copies of each part thinking some might be deformed due to their tiny size and fragility, but this was unnecessary. These are likely all the parts I’ll be printing for this model unless I run into trouble scratching something.

 

So here they are and just as I received them. No cleanup has been done to them.  Stereolithography (SLA), opaque white resin.

 

Below are the deck mounted winch cable guides. It would have been an effort to scratch one of these from styrene let alone four of them identically. I left off the bolt-down washers and hex heads because they wouldn’t have printed well in this scale. Instead, I’ll place injection molded bolt heads from either Grandt Line or Tichy Train.

 

 

 

Here they are on an actual dragger (circled on the right).

 

 

Above on the left is a different cable guide under one of the four gallows frames.

 

 

 

There are three different warping/gypsy heads. 

 

 

 

I have about 14 cleats of several different sizes. The two largest shown here are monsters (40” (102cm)) that bolt to the deck on top of the whaleback. I didn’t realize cleats were made that large. This is another example where making two precisely the same would be a challenge – as least for me it would.

 

 

 

The main winch cable drums, brake drums, pinion and bull gears. I only need one each of the gears, but I created different width versions because I haven’t thought through the details of the winch yet. The spooling drum diameter is very large in relation to its flanges, and I did this to reduce the amount of cable I’ll have to wind.

 

 

 

And finally, the air intake cowls. The forward cowl has an integral mounting and rotation flange, but for the engine room intake I created the flange separately so I can adjust the height as need be. It’s the same cowl with a longer duct pipe. I added hex bolts to these flanges and with the naked eye they look alright, but under magnification look more like rivets.

 

 

 

 

My initiation into 3D modeling design was a positive experience and only left a few minor scars.  It is rewarding to create parts unique to a project that could have been a real pain to make or at least to make well.  There is certainly a learning curve with 3D modeling and at times I was perplexed.  But eventually all the loose marbles in my head found holes to drop into and the light bulb turned on.  It’s easier than you might think.

 

Now back to the boat model.

 

Thanks for looking.

 

Gary

 

Edited February 11 by FriedClams

[Paul Le Wol]

Gary, you did a splendid job of designing these parts. The details really pop. 

[JacquesCousteau]

Very cool, the parts look great! Another option might be, if you haven't already checked, to see if a public library near you has a makerspace. I was able to use one during my most recent visit to the US to laser-cut parts for an upcoming build. They taught me how to use the software, the only cost was for the materials. They also had a CNC router and a 3D printer, although I didn't use them, and my wife had fun learning how to use their Cricut machine. Depending on what's available near you, it could be another good option, although it sounds like Print A Thing was very fast and reasonably priced.

[druxey]

How much time did it take for you to manage those parts in FreeCAD? They look first rate.

[Keith Black]

 Gary, you are the renaissance man of modeling. Amazing 3D parts. 

[Jim Lad]

Delightful work on those printed parts!

 

John

[wefalck]

Indeed these parts look excellent and one would have quite a time to make them from styrene strips etc. so consistently and with the 'drafts' as on real cast parts. 3D-printing is the future of high-end scratch-building ...

 

I am a bit confused that you mentioned PLA as material together with SLA as printing technique. I thought that PLA is only used together with filament printers (FDM), but the parts look actually as done with a SLA printer.

 

 

[FriedClams]

Thanks to all for the comments and the "likes"

 

On 2/10/2025 at 6:59 PM, Paul Le Wol said:

splendid job of designing these parts. The details really pop.

Thanks Paul. It's actually an enjoyable process and the SLA technology does a great job of reproducing details and a smooth surface finish.

 

On 2/10/2025 at 7:29 PM, JacquesCousteau said:

see if a public library near you has a makerspace

Hey Jacques, that does sound like a good option and it's wonderful those resources are available to everyone. But I'm in a rather rural spot and a population center large enough to support something like that is some distance away. Thanks for bringing that up though as I'm sure it will be useful to other MSW members. 

 

On 2/10/2025 at 8:49 PM, druxey said:

How much time did it take for you to manage those parts in FreeCAD?

Hello Druxey.  Because this was my first serious go at it, it took a heck of a long time.  I had so many "how comes", "why nots" and "what ifs" to understand and I deleted and started over many times. These are very simply objects and an accomplished 3D modeler could complete these before I even got started.  But now that I have the false confidence of a beginner, it takes me a quarter of the time it did starting out.  And of course, some designs are easier than others.  In example, the simplest designs would be the gypsy heads which are cross-section sketches followed by a revolve - on a good day, 10 minutes.  The winch cable guides, 45 mins.  Winch drum and brake drum, 30 mins each providing I don't mess up.  But by far the most difficult was the intake cowl as it entailed setting up user defined datum planes upon which cross-sections of the cowl are sketched and are then swept together in an additive pipe function.  It sounds way more complicated than it is, and an experienced modeler would likely chuckle at my approach.  Nevertheless, it took me hours to figure out, tripping and stumbling along the way and now that I almost know what I'm doing - an hour and a half - maybe.

 

Once I got my head around 3D space and user defined coordinate systems within the global coordinate system, the steam stopped rising out of my ears. 

 

 

On 2/11/2025 at 1:14 AM, Keith Black said:

Amazing 3D parts.

Thank you, Keith - your support is always appreciated.

 

On 2/11/2025 at 1:15 AM, Jim Lad said:

Delightful work on those printed parts!

Thanks, John - they turned out better than I thought they would.

 

On 2/11/2025 at 4:31 AM, wefalck said:

I am a bit confused that you mentioned PLA as material together with SLA as printing technique.

Hello Wefalck.  I am the one who is confused, not you.  You are correct - this is SLA process using resin not PLA.  Sometimes I type faster than I think.  I will correct that in my post.  Good catch and thanks!

 

Gary

Edited February 13 by FriedClams
Spelling

[KeithAug]

All very beautifully done Gary. Well up to your usual high standard.

 

On 1/8/2025 at 6:12 PM, FriedClams said:

But the opposite end could not swing into place because it couldn’t clear the bulwark stanchions

You need a teleporter. I have one and it works brilliantly on this type of problem.🙂

[druxey]

Thank you, Gary, for taking time to answer my question. I might be persuaded to try FreeCAD.... Years ago I was exposed to a very early version of AutoCAD, which put me off completely!