SS Blagoev ex-Songa 1921 by Valeriy V - scale 1:100 - Soviet Union

[Valeriy V]

It so happened that I would have to build ss Blagoev for the customer in parallel with the destroyer.   

[Valeriy V]

SS  Blagoev.

 

Key dates from the life of the ship:

- built 1921  under the name Songa ,   Armstrong, Whitworth & Co. Ltd, High Walker Yard,  Newcastle, England

- sold in 1935 to the USSR and received the name Blagoev

- during the Spanish Civil War, the ship carried military supplies for the Republicans

- during the last voyage from Odessa ( march 9, 1937 )  the ship was sunk by an Italian submarine LUGI SETTEMBRINI

[Valeriy V]

A brief description of ss Blagoev can be found here

 

https://skipshistorie.net/Bergen/BRG223LorentzWHansen/Tekster/BRG22319210100000 SONGA.htm

[Valeriy V]

Thanks to Lloyd's archive, good drawings of the ship's hull have been preserved. Based on these drawings, I developed a drawing of the model body and began its construction.  

[Valeriy V]

The photo shows the process of assembling the hull.

[yvesvidal]

2 hours ago, Valeriy V said:

It so happened that I would have to build ss Blagoev for the customer in parallel with the destroyer.   

 

Nobody will complain about that!! Bring it on !!!

 

Yves

[yvesvidal]

2 hours ago, Valeriy V said:

The photo shows the process of assembling the hull.

Process made famous by Billing Boats, who was the first commercial company to propose that way of building hulls.

 

You are making great progress.

 

Yves

[Valeriy V]

1 hour ago, yvesvidal said:

 

Nobody will complain about that!! Bring it on !!!

 

Thank you, Yves!

1 hour ago, yvesvidal said:

Process made famous by Billing Boats, who was the first commercial company to propose that way of building hulls.

 

Unfortunately, I don't know anything about Billing Boats. But I think that this is the simplest and most reliable method for constructing a model hull.

I build all the hulls of my models using this method, including the Varyag.  

[Mirabell61]

Hello Valeriy

 

that looks like a very promissing project.  Did you lasercut the parts yourself ?

It looks so good as if it were a kit.

It`s a nice scale and the building methode looks very smart, I`ll certainly be watching your progress

 

Nils

[Valeriy V]

1 hour ago, Mirabell61 said:

Hello Valeriy

that looks like a very promissing project.  Did you lasercut the parts yourself ?

It looks so good as if it were a kit.

It`s a nice scale and the building methode looks very smart, I`ll certainly be watching your progress

Nils

Thank you, Nils!

      I don’t have a laser cutting machine, so I ordered laser cutting. This is not an expensive operation.

But I developed a drawing in vectors for laser cutting of plywood.

[Mirabell61]

thanks for your swift answer Valeriy,

you are doing a super job !!

 

Nils

[Roger Pellett]

Hi Valeriy,

 

I always look forward to your posts as they show that you are able to still lead a somewhat normal life during these difficult times.  It’s also great to see another steam merchant vessel under construction.  I build my models as two half models too.  This method ensures an accurate hull.

 

Roger

[Valeriy V]

12 hours ago, Roger Pellett said:

Hi Valeriy,

I always look forward to your posts as they show that you are able to still lead a somewhat normal life during these difficult times.  It’s also great to see another steam merchant vessel under construction.  I build my models as two half models too.  This method ensures an accurate hull.

Roger

Thank you Roger!  

Everything is fine with me and I continue my story about Blagoev’s hull.

 

The model hull is fully assembled...

[Valeriy V]

... and then it is soaked in very liquid epoxy resin.

 

 

[Mirabell61]

Hi Valeriy,

I suppose it will be a stand model afterwards. If so, how do you fasten the pedestals of the stand ?

will you build a flat bottom or will a minimum of the keeline stand out ?

 

Nils

[Valeriy V]

1 hour ago, Mirabell61 said:

Hi Valeriy,

I suppose it will be a stand model afterwards. If so, how do you fasten the pedestals of the stand ?

will you build a flat bottom or will a minimum of the keeline stand out ?

Nils

Hello Nils! 
This ship has a horizontal keel. Only the thickness of the sheathing sheet will appear on the model.

[Valeriy V]

The model supports will be attached as shown in the drawing. 
They will be similar to those shown in the photo, but only much smaller.  

[wefalck]

Looking forward to the gestation of another wonderful model ... good luck!

[Roger Pellett]

By the time that these ships were built Naval Architects realized that the large keels built into wooden ships were no longer needed as structural members.  The major strength members in a steel hulled ship that act as a keel to withstand longitudinal bending loads are the inner bottom structure and bottom shell plating.  The primary function of the structure in way of what was formerly the keel is to withstand the concentrated loads encountered during dry docking.

 

Roger

Edited November 2, 2023 by Roger Pellett

[Valeriy V]

 

The wooden lining of the model hull is sanded.

 

[Valeriy V]

Brass inserts were made into the hull of the model for the bulwarks.

[Dr PR]

Another interesting build Valeriy!

 

When you "soaked" the hull with liquid epoxy, did you cover the inside and outside of the planking, or just the outside? I have used liquid epoxy "paint" on the inside of the planking. It soaks into the cracks between planks, and between the planks and bulkheads. The result is a very solid hull that will not develop cracks between the planks.

[Valeriy V]

22 minutes ago, Dr PR said:

Another interesting build Valeriy!

When you "soaked" the hull with liquid epoxy, did you cover the inside and outside of the planking, or just the outside? I have used liquid epoxy "paint" on the inside of the planking. It soaks into the cracks between planks, and between the planks and bulkheads. The result is a very solid hull that will not develop cracks between the planks.

Thanks Phil!

   I impregnated the hull of the model with liquid resin only inside. It makes no sense to do this outside, since there will be fiberglass with the same epoxy resin.

[wefalck]

A quick technical question: why did you put the brass 'bulwark' on top of the wood? I thought this kind of inserts were used in areas of open bulwarks in order to get a (nearly) right thickness of materials. Will you eventually remove the wood from behind the brass?

[Valeriy V]

27 minutes ago, wefalck said:

A quick technical question: why did you put the brass 'bulwark' on top of the wood? I thought this kind of inserts were used in areas of open bulwarks in order to get a (nearly) right thickness of materials. Will you eventually remove the wood from behind the brass?

Yes that's right!  
 Brass is much closer to the scale thickness of the bulwark. After covering the model's hull with a layer of fiberglass, the wooden strips will be removed from the inside of the bulwark.

[Mirabell61]

Hi Valeriy,

I like the way and methode you tackle the hull-building.

BTW why was this ship chosen for order, does your customer have a special relation to it ? 

When I built my steamship "Heinrich Kayser" my grandfather in 1922 was the captain in command when it foundered in the north Atlantic without a trace, and I had to do a lot of research for building the model.

 

Nils

[Valeriy V]

21 minutes ago, Mirabell61 said:

Hi Valeriy,

I like the way and methode you tackle the hull-building.

BTW why was this ship chosen for order, does your customer have a special relation to it ? 

When I built my steamship "Heinrich Kayser" my grandfather in 1922 was the captain in command when it foundered in the north Atlantic without a trace, and I had to do a lot of research for building the model.

 

Nils

Hello Nils!

  You have glorious maritime roots and it's an interesting story!  

 

The customer of Blagoev’s model is collecting his collection dedicated to the participation of the USSR in the Spanish Civil War.

[FlyingFish]

I'm astonished at your productivity Valeriy - a testament to your skills. So much to learn...

[Valeriy V]

10 hours ago, FlyingFish said:

I'm astonished at your productivity Valeriy - a testament to your skills. So much to learn...

Thanks Andy!
All these photos show a process that lasted approximately two and a half months.

[Valeriy V]

The hull of the model is covered with fiberglass with epoxy resin.