Banshee II by Glen McGuire - 1/700 - BOTTLE

[Keith Black]

1 hour ago, Glen McGuire said:

You ain't the only one, Gary!  You'll notice I only stuck it in far enough to make sure it would fit, then quickly retracted before I did something really dumb! 

 If you hold the bottle neck down........skip taking a picture.

Edited June 15 by Keith Black

[BANYAN]

Stunning progress Glen, she is looking great.  Hopefully you will be able to maneuver the assembly into position without much of a problem.  I am assuming the fore-funnel will not be placed until then?

 

Cheers

 

Pat

[Glen McGuire]

14 minutes ago, BANYAN said:

Stunning progress Glen, she is looking great.  Hopefully you will be able to maneuver the assembly into position without much of a problem.  I am assuming the fore-funnel will not be placed until then?

Thanks, Pat.  The answer to your question is yes (I think).  The plan right now is for the ship to go in stern first as usual.  Next, I'll put the aft smokestack in followed by the sidewheel subassembly.  Then I'll insert the fore smokestack, then raise the masts.  However, I may have to raise the foremast first to get it out of the way depending on how it lays down and how much it's in the way.  TBD on that.   

[Glen McGuire]

Also, happy Father's Day to all the dad's out there.  I just got a wonderful gift from my son.  Very cool reference book!!

Edited June 17 by Glen McGuire

[BANYAN]

Thanks for the feedback Glen.  I find the way you sort out these 'puzzles' is of great interest to me (being a non-SIB builder).  Have fun reading the book, looks interesting.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[Glen McGuire]

Two steps completed over the past few days - putting some water (epoxy resin) in Sailor Jerry's bottle and constructing the masts with booms and gaffs.

 

Here was the setup for pouring the epoxy resin into the bottle.  I tinted the water more greenish than usual based on my own experience visiting Galveston. 

 

 

 

There are 2 masts of almost equal height with the aft mast being slightly taller.  Each has two steps, a gaff, a boom, and no yards.  I started by making the hinge and lower step.  These are small bamboo rods that start out at about 2mm in diameter before any tapering.

 

 

Next, I shaved a couple of notches into the top and bottom pieces of the masts to help them fit together securely

 

 

 

For the gaffs and booms, the trickiest part is trying to drill a tiny hole dead center near the base so it can be tied off to the mast. 

 

 

 

I use fly-tying thread (Uni 72D 8/0W) to secure the gaffs and booms to the mast.

 

 

 

Here's both masts dry-fit into the hull.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 18 by Glen McGuire

[Glen McGuire]

I'm trying to keep pace with @Knocklouder and his King of the Mississippi paddlewheel build, but I'm afraid Private Gnomer Pyle (greatest name ever!) has him steaming far ahead of me.  Part of my problem is that every time I look at my picture of the Banshee II, I see something new that I need to add.  The latest is bands and a spine around the smokestacks. 

 

 

 

For the bands, I took a piece of 0.5mm brass wire, wrapped it around a piece of brass tube that I had cut the smokestacks from, and clipped it off.  

 

 

The spines are made from music wire that measures slightly thicker in diameter (.6mm) than the bands.   In the 2nd pic below, you can also see that I added some gratings to the deck.  Those were made from window screens.

After finishing the smokestacks, I noticed a screw-up.  On my Banshee II picture, the spines face each other.  But I have both of them on the aft side of the smokestack, which seemed logical to me when I was making them.  I went and looked at a bunch of pictures of dual-stacked ships.  Most of them do have the spines facing each other, but I saw a few that were oriented like mine.  So rather than redo it, I'm going to take a bit of artistic license here and leave it as is.  Personally, I think it looks better with both on the aft side.  I like the symmetry.

 

 

 

Next, I got some work done on the ship's boats.  I took some small basswood blanks, hollowed out the inside of each, and affixed them to toothpicks for final shaping of the outer hull and painting.  Then I added a thin stripe (aided by some pinstriping tape) along the top edge.  

 

 

I'm still not sure I've got room for the ship's boats hanging from davits off the side.  One more thing added to the TBD list!

Edited June 20 by Glen McGuire

[Knocklouder]

Hey Glen ,  Private Gnomer Pile says he please to meet you, and don't worry  your boat will be on the water before mine. He says he has to teach me everything all over again, but do it right this time lol.

 He tells me what the mind can conceive  and belive can be done. So we have no doubt that the little boats will make it on board.

 Very nice work , amazing  actually. 

Bob M.       

[gsdpic]

On 6/18/2024 at 3:10 PM, Glen McGuire said:

I tinted the water more greenish than usual based on my own experience visiting Galveston. 

Haha, I thought that would have resulted in tinting it more brown than usual

 

Great progress, those ship's boats are tiny!

[Glen McGuire]

35 minutes ago, gsdpic said:

Haha, I thought that would have resulted in tinting it more brown than usual

LOL!  I guess it depends on when you go there!  At least you didn't suggest I add a bunch of tar balls!!

[Javelin]

Tagging along with great intrest as usual. 

In your epoxy setup, I see you tied up the hose to something underneath it, is that a metal guide to make it hold that bend? 

 

Interesting way with the gaffs and booms, need to remember that. 

That said, it's often easier to drill the hole first and then taper the rod, depending on which way you use for tapering.

[Glen McGuire]

33 minutes ago, Javelin said:

In your epoxy setup, I see you tied up the hose to something underneath it, is that a metal guide to make it hold that bend? 

You are correct, Roel.  I repurposed a stainless steel skewer from my backyard grilling stuff.  It's very rigid, which is needed to hold the double bend in the surgical tubing (duct taped holds the two together).

    

 

As for drilling and tapering, you are right again.  I taper then drill.  I've tried drilling first, but the area around the hole would get so thin and weak that it kept breaking off when I would put it the rod in my drill lathe to taper.

[Ian_Grant]

Glen, your smokestacks are awesome!!

[FriedClams]

 

Excellent progress, Glen!  Great work on the masts and stacks.

 

On 6/20/2024 at 12:53 PM, Glen McGuire said:

So rather than redo it, I'm going to take a bit of artistic license here and leave it as is.  Personally, I think it looks better with both on the aft side. 

 

 For what it's worth, so do I.

 

When I first saw your ship's boats on the toothpicks, I thought - OMG, he's hollowing out short grain rice for the boats.  I do believe those are the smallest basswood boats I've ever seen.  Nicely done!

 

Gary

[Glen McGuire]

41 minutes ago, FriedClams said:

OMG, he's hollowing out short grain rice for the boats. 

Hmmm.  May have to try that on the next project.  Thanks for the idea, Gary!!  

[BANYAN]

Hi Glen, great progress and a joy to follow along mate. 

 

If not too late, what you describe as a 'spine' to the rear of the smoke stack (funnel) is actually a separate pipe with a slightly flared top which was a steam release pipe associated with the safety valve on the boilers.  See attached.  At your scale though this would be difficult to create (although some brass wire/rod may do the job), and as I said earlier, maybe a little late to change even if you wanted to.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[Glen McGuire]

10 hours ago, BANYAN said:

If not too late, what you describe as a 'spine' to the rear of the smoke stack (funnel) is actually a separate pipe with a slightly flared top which was a steam release pipe associated with the safety valve on the boilers.  See attached.  At your scale though this would be difficult to create (although some brass wire/rod may do the job), and as I said earlier, maybe a little late to change even if you wanted to.

Hey Pat!  Thank you for the explanation.  My assumption was that the pipe was something used to add stability to the funnel.  Wrong!  After your comment, I went back to my painting of the ship and took a closer look.  And, as Private Gnomer Pyle would say, "SHAZAAAAAM!!!"  I noticed a small detail that I'd completely overlooked before - there is white smoke (steam obviously) pouring from the those pipes.  

 

So you are absolutely right, Pat!  My pipes should definitely have a slight gap between themselves and the funnel.  But at this scale, I don't think it will be a noticeable difference, especially when compared to the many hours it would take to remake both funnels.  As for flaring the ends, at .6mm in diameter I'm gonna cry uncle and admit I don't have the skill to pull that off!  I just hope @Keith Black and my son do not read this post and insist that I add smoke coming out of the funnels AND pipes like they did for my Aurora build!!    

 

I also just learned that locomotives have stacks and ships have funnels so I will use the correct term going forward!         

Edited Saturday at 12:34 PM by Glen McGuire

[mtaylor]

Just amazing Glen.   Makes my eyes cross just thinking about something that tiny.

[BANYAN]

12 hours ago, Glen McGuire said:

I just hope @Keith Black and my son do not read this post

Keith would probably suggest a Penguin sitting on the lip of the funnel steaming its 'hot dog' in the waste steam   

 

cheers

 

pat

[Glen McGuire]

15 hours ago, BANYAN said:

Keith would probably suggest a Penguin sitting on the lip of the funnel steaming its 'hot dog' in the waste steam   

Oh Lord have mercy.  Don't give them any more ideas, Pat!  🤐

 

I've been grappling with how to attach the davits/ship's boats and still have the whole thing fit inside the bottle's neck.  I think I've got it figured out, but it's going to take a bit more artistic license.  Here's the davits in the process of being cut and shaped from 1/64" (0.33mm) music wire.

 

 

 

The artistic license is that rather than having the ship's boats hang above and outside the bulwark as they should, they must rest atop the bulwark.  That's the only way for them to fit.  Not a perfect look, but I can live with it.  The second port side ship's boat will rest just aft of where the ratlines/shrouds meet the bulwark (you can see the 4 holes already drilled for those).   The 2nd picture shows that this configuration will be a pretty easy fit.

 

  

 

 

I don't know yet whether or not I'll add another pair of ship's boats in front of the side wheels like the painting shows.  I've got another challenge I'm wrestling with that may impact that.

 

 

 

Edited Sunday at 05:08 PM by Glen McGuire

[Rick310]

You continue to amaze!!

Rick

[Keith Black]

 Not much carrying capacity in the ship's boats, Glen. You might, might be able to crowd three wee black ants aboard if they all hold their breath. 

 

 They look sharp. 

[FriedClams]

Glen, I agree with Rick and Keith - you do continue to amaze and your boats look sharp.  But, I’m not sold on the idea of being able to fit 3 wee ants in a single boat - 2 maybe.

Gary

 

[Glen McGuire]

17 hours ago, FriedClams said:

But, I’m not sold on the idea of being able to fit 3 wee ants in a single boat - 2 maybe.

The only ants we have around here are @#$%!! fire ants.  If they get on board, I'm dousing the boat with gasoline and lighting a match.  

[Keith Black]

5 minutes ago, Glen McGuire said:

If they get on board, I'm dousing the boat with gasoline and lighting a match.  

 I don't wanna see funnel smoke that badly, Glen. May I suggest Raid as a SIB friendly alternative? 

[BANYAN]

4 hours ago, Glen McGuire said:

I'm dousing the boat with gasoline and lighting a match.

So fighting fire with fire so to speak Glen?    Let's hope it never gets to that point.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[Canute]

Banshee II is coming along nicely, Glen. Working in that scale is no longer an option for me. Arthritis in my hands.

 

I got some of those ants in a load of mulch for the house. Nasty buggers, those fire ants. Took 3 trips from the exterminator to eliminate that Blankety-blank problem. They were heading down the hill towards the neighbors.

[rwiederrich]

I always enjoy watching bottle builders at their craft.   So tricky erecting everything inside the thin bottle neck.  I will watch with anticipation as you assemble her in that narrow bottle.

 

Great job for sure.

 

Rob

[Glen McGuire]

1 hour ago, Canute said:

I got some of those ants in a load of mulch for the house. Nasty buggers, those fire ants.

I didn't realize they had made their way to North Carolina.  Yes, nasty buggers!

 

 

1 hour ago, rwiederrich said:

So tricky erecting everything inside the thin bottle neck.  I will watch with anticipation as you assemble her in that narrow bottle.

Thank, Rob.  This will be my trickiest one yet since I am doing a lot of assembly inside the bottle instead of the typical insert the ship and raise the masts.  My anticipation and anxiety is rising!

 

[Glen McGuire]

You would think that a ship in bottle builder would have great attention to detail.  Yet I continue to struggle with that.  Or maybe it's attention span.  I don't know, but here's another example.  I was looking at that painting of the Banshee II again (after noticing the puffs of smoke steaming from the funnel pipes) and I found something else I had not paid attention to before.  I think I was so focused on the wheels and their covers, that I failed to notice the fairings that spread fore and aft of the wheel covers.

 

 

So I made some fairings and added them to the wheel subassembly.  No big deal, right?  

 

 

Wrong.  I felt really good about how it looked for maybe 2 minutes.  Then I realized I had a big problem.  The problem being that with the fairings added to the subassembly, it was now twice as wide as the bottle opening.  Obviously it wasn't gonna fit.  But I couldn't leave the fairings off because they are a prominent (and I believe elegant) part of the ship's profile.  UGH!

 

Back to the drawing board.  UGH again.  So here's the solution I came up with.  Turn the subassembly into two pieces that would each fit separately thru the bottle's opening. 

 

I took a saw and cut it the wheelhouse right down the middle to make 2 equal pieces.  Each piece will then be inserted into the bottle individually and dropped in place onto the hull.  To facilitate dropping each piece into place, I drilled 2 positioning holes into the ship's deck and added a short tapered dowel to each wheel structure (2nd picture below).

  

 

 

Here's what it looks like with the 2 pieces dry fit onto the hull.  

 

 

 

The gap between the 2 wheelhouses was bugging me, so I widened it to hopefully make it look like a walkway.  I also made a structure on top that can be added after assembly which connects the wheelhouses, but I haven't decided if I like that better or not.  I did find a model of this ship that does have a similar structure on top of the wheelhouse (maybe a pilot house?).  See first pic below.  So it might work.    

 

Edited yesterday at 03:25 PM by Glen McGuire