USS Cape (MSI-2) by Dr PR - 1:48 - Inshore Minesweeper

[Jim Lad]

Great stories, Phil!

 

John

[Dr PR]

One of the challenges for this model will be the propeller. The MSIs had a five-bladed propeller and I will need one for the model.

 

I don't have a machine shop and the necessary tools to tackle this problem like Keith Aug is doing on his Cangarda build. I have designed three-blade props for my future 1:96 USS Oklahoma City CLG-5 build, and printed them with a 3D resin printer, so I guess this will be how I make the prop for the Cape.

 

The blueprint for the MSI propeller is marginally clear - not very good images on the microfilm. But it does have all the necessary information to allow an accurate 3D CAD model to be constructed. I don't look forward to this because stretching surfaces over the twisted outlines of the propeller blades is a tedious task. But I only have to make one and then copy it five times!

 

Here is the propeller blueprint with all the gruesome details.

 

 

This leads me into some details of the Cape's engineering plant - another reason the MSIs were "special." Hey, I was Engineering Officer and this was my "turf!" We had two engine rooms. The Forward Engine room contained two large minesweeping generators to produce power for the "magtail" magnetic mine sweep. It generated a large current through the salt water and this produced a large magnetic disturbance that triggered magnetic mines. Each generator was powered by two GMC 6-71 diesel engines.

 

 

The After Engine Room had four more 225 hp GMC 6-71 diesels ganged together with 900 hp driving a single transmission connecting to the propeller shaft to turn the propeller. The transmission had a clutch and gearing for forward and reverse. This was a very uncommon arrangement. Also in this space were two GMC 4-71 diesels driving two Ships Service Generators that provided electricity for the ship.

 

That is  a lot of diesels. The "-71" meant a 71 cubic inch (1.16 liter) cylinder, and there were either 4 or 6 cylinders depending on the engines. So many of the parts were interchangeable. These were similar to ordinary GMC truck engines, with one major exception. Everything was non-magnetic! Specially made of fantastically expensive alloys!

 

****

 

I have claimed the Cape was the smallest ship in the navy, but this might not have been totally true. Technically, the USS Cove MSI-1 was probably the shortest ship in the navy. The Cape and Cove were built from the same plans, but due to propulsion plant design shortcomings the Cove was perhaps a bit shorter.

 

This 900 hp quad 6-71 diesel power plant drove a 36 foot (11 m) long 4.5 inch (114 mm) diameter propeller shaft and a 5.83 foot (1.78 m) diameter propeller. The propeller and prop shaft weighed 1374 pounds (623 kg), several times the mass of the crankshaft and pistons in the engines. When the ship needed to stop we couldn't just shift into reverse. The propeller "windmilled" as the ship moved forward. If we shifted to reverse suddenly the propeller would just turn the engines over backwards, and they were quite happy to run that way!

 

So we first had to "stop shaft." To do this everyone in the engine room pulled on a lever that tightened a brake band around the prop shaft. This slowed the shaft and propeller and eventually brought them to a stop. Then we could shift into reverse and start slipping the clutch to turn the propeller in reverse.

 

This took several minutes, and meanwhile the ship's momentum kept it moving forward, so rapid maneuvering wasn't possible. Add to this that the ship lost steerageway (the rudder stopped working) below 6 knots (and the speed limit in harbors was 5 knots), and the MSI's were about as maneuverable at low speeds as the Rock of Gibraltar. With mine sweep gear in the water, running at full throttle, the ships went wherever the currents took them.

 

A consequence of all this was that early in the USS Cove's career it was maneuvering into a berth at the stern of a destroyer. The CO ordered all back (reverse) to check the ship's forward momentum and the engines stalled. The Cove continued forward and rammed into the stern of the destroyer, cutting a "V" shaped notch about a foot deep in the tin can's stern. In recognition of this event, the destroyer's officers presented the Cove with a plaque dedicated to the officers and men of the USS Canopener.

 

The Cove may have been a bit shorter than the Cape as a result of that collision, and, therefore, actually the smallest ship in the navy. But because this episode brought the Cove to momentary fame (or notoriety), I claim the Cape was the least notable ship of the two.

Edited August 31 by Dr PR

[TBlack]

This is all hilarious! Keep the stories coming!

[KeithAug]

5 hours ago, TBlack said:

This is all hilarious! Keep the stories coming!

Seconded.

[Jim Lad]

You were right first time - McHale's Navy for sure! 😀

 

John

[bdgiantman2]

Take at look at Blue Jacket, I saw a 5-blade prop on there you can buy. Not sure the scale. https://www.bluejacketinc.com/shop/fittings/under-water/propellers/5-blade/f0918-1-1-2-dia-rh/

[Dr PR]

bdg,

 

Thanks for the link. The 1:48 scale prop should be 1.4574 inch (37 mm). The Bluejacket 5 blade prop is 1.5 inch (38 mm) diameter. That is 0.0425 inch (about 3/64" or 1.08 mm) oversize. I could probably live with that. It looks like the part is cast metal, and it will need some cleanup. That would be an opportunity to reduce the blade length (prop radius) by 0.021 inch (0.5 mm).

 

But the Bluejacket prop blades are not shaped like the MSI propeller blades. That would be more noticeable, and to keep with the tradition of the original, there should be nothing noteworthy about it.

 

The Bluejacket part is only US$5.16. That is a LOT cheaper than all the hours and frustration needed to produce the STL file for the 3D printer.

 

I'll try to make a 3D print of the propeller, but if that fails the Bluejacket part is a backup.

 

****

 

Thanks to everyone for the likes. But believe it or not, I am not exaggerating!

 

After six months of McHale's Navy I went to the flagship of the Seventh Fleet - the largest fleet in the world at that time. There were nearly 200 officers in the wardroom and a disconcertingly large number of flag officers (Admirals, Captains and Colonels) roaming about. The other JOs (junior officers) were curious about my background,  and I told them that I was glad to be in the real navy. One of them, Ensign Clancy Omberg, rolled his eyes and said "This is the real navy?"

Edited September 1 by Dr PR

[TBlack]

But now you have to pay attention to your uniform and proper protocol. Not as relaxed as the previous 6 months.

[mtaylor]

I'm catching up and really loving the background stories that hit home for many reasons even though I was USMC and not USN. Thanks for this log..

[Dr PR]

Mark,

 

I am glad you enjoy the tales.

 

I have been collecting materials for the build. Here is a photo of wood for a do-it-yourself MSI kit.

 

 

I will be using 1/8 inch (3.18 mm), 1/16 inch (1.59 mm), 1/32 inch (0.79 mm) and 1/64 inch (0.40 mm) plywood for the hull bulkheads, center frame (keel), and the superstructure bulkheads. Much of the original superstructure was constructed of 3/4 inch (19 mm) marine plywood. There are 60 1/16 x 1/6 inch (1.59 x 1.59 mm) basswood sticks for the deck planking and 80 1/16 x 3/16 inch (1.59 x 4.76 mm) basswood sticks for the hull planking. A 4 inch x 1/16 inch (101.6 x 1.59 mm) basswood sheet will provide the planksheers, nibbing/margin boards, equipment foundations and other irregular pieces. I have some 1/8 x 1/8 inch (3.18 x 3.18 mm) basswood sticks to serve as internal support for the deckhouse bulkheads. There are a few sticks of various sizes for the bilge keels and rub rails around the deck edge.

 

The winches and minesweeping machinery will be made of brass mostly. I have a stock on hand, but will also try to acquire more as I go along. The "pigs" (minesweeping floats), acoustic sounder and details like bitts and chocks may be 3D printed. However, I am not enamored with 3D printing, so I may decide to make these things out of more traditional materials.

 

****

 

Here is a little more about the Cape and minesweeping.

 

Here is a very young Ensign Hays fresh out of Officer Candidate School leaning on the Cape's main armament - a M2 Browning .50 caliber machine gun - attempting to look like a fierce warrior. The machine gun wasn't provided to repel boarders or attack other vessels, although it could be used for that if war ever came to Long Beach.

 

Minesweepers operated in formations. I included a photo in post #28 above of minesweepers in formation. The first ship (the Cape in this picture) spread sweep gear to both sides. A cable rigged between the ship and the pigs (floats) was fitted with cable cutters to slice the mooring cables for moored mines. The following vessels lined up to one side or the other, with their bows following the pig of the ship ahead, and streamed sweeps to that side only. This produced a wide sweep pattern with each run through a mine field.

 

Each ship was protected by the sweeps of the ships ahead - except the lead ship.

 

 

If a ship did cut free a mine it popped to the surface ahead of the following ship. It was a threat to all the other minesweepers following in the formation. This is where the machine gun came in. It was mounted on the bulwark near the bow. When a mine popped up ahead we opened fire with the machine gun to try to detonate it. Minesweepers typically had a relatively high superstructure forward. Lookouts were posted on top of the pilot house to search for any mines visible in the water or those that were cut free by leading ships. A couple of fellows had M1 Garand rifles and I was stationed there with a BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle). If we saw a mine we opened fire primarily to mark the position for the machine gun crew, and maybe blow up the mine before the machine gun got it. This was a "high pucker factor" operation. Mines were designed to sink large ships like battleships and aircraft carriers. Minesweepers were tiny by comparison, and if they hit a mine they could be blown to splinters in an instant.

 

We occasionally practiced target shooting using 50 gallon barrels as target "mines." The machine gun had a semi-automatic mode where you could fire one shot at a time. This let you see where the bullets hit after you took aim. In fully automatic mode these guns just sprayed a bunch of bullets in an elliptical path all around the target and you really couldn't get a good idea how to aim the gun.

 

I also had my own Colt M1911 .45 caliber pistol. I am not really sure why and I never fired it while on the Cape. However, I had to qualify with the .45 when I went aboard the Oklahoma City because I was a nuclear weapons courier, classified document courier and payroll courier.

 

And I had my trusty sword that officers were required to buy. I did use it occasionally in fancy full dress uniform for change of command ceremonies and such. But we were never boarded by pirates or pleasure boaters.

 

 

Edited September 21 by Dr PR

[Dr PR]

Mark,

 

I worked pretty closely with the MARDET on the Okie Boat. They guarded the nuclear weapons spaces. I also have a few tales about those guys, but this isn't the place to tell them.

[Dr PR]

I have decided to make a small change of plans. I originally intended to lay the decking directly on the bulkheads, and the tops of the bulkheads were dimensioned for this. The decking is 1/16 x 1/16 inch (1.6 x 1.6 mm) basswood sticks. These will not be very strong and might break easily.

Looking at other builds I see that a subdeck of thin plywood is common, with the deck planking laid on this. I decided to use some of the extra 1/64 inch (0.4 mm) plywood for the base deck material and plank on top of this. I reduced the height of the bulkheads by 1/64 inch to allow for the thickness of the plywood.

 

I plan to try the technique mentioned in recent posts of using Titebond Original glue and heating it to fasten the planks in place. First the subdeck will be coated with a thin layer of the glue. Each plank will also have one side coated with glue. After the glue dries the planks will be put in place and then I will use my spiffy new small quilting iron/plank bending tool to heat the planks, melting the glue.
 

[TBlack]

Good idea on the sub decking. Your idea of heating the glue is new to me. Good luck.

Tom

[Dr PR]

Tom,

 

Here is a link to a discussion about heating Titebond Original glue:

 

https://modelshipworld.com/topic/37071-planking-without-clamps-clean-up-or-drying-time-a-new-way-to-use-titebond-original/?do=findComment&comment=1060839

 

[mtaylor]

On 9/21/2024 at 10:01 PM, Dr PR said:

Mark,

 

I worked pretty closely with the MARDET on the Okie Boat. They guarded the nuclear weapons spaces. I also have a few tales about those guys, but this isn't the place to tell them.

I was an "air dale".... CH-34 and then CH-53's.  Only time I ever went to sea was to help in recovering one our birds that did a hard landing on a carrier but had an interesting time on the ship for about 2 weeks..   

[Dr PR]

Another slight change of plans.

 

 

I decided to use 1/16" (1.6 mm) plywood for the sub deck. I think the 1/64 (0.4 mm) plywood would be strong enough, especially with the large number of bulkheads. However, I have a lot of spare 1/16 inch material and I might as well use it. The added stiffness will give more strength to the hull, and that is important in minesweepers!

 

Several places around here carry 1/16 inch plywood, but 1/64 inch is pretty rare, and relatively expensive. It is really handy for making small bits and pieces and is much stronger than plain wood. So I will save it for those special pieces and use the thicker material. I already know I will be cutting some 1/64 inch thick pieces for trim on the superstructure. I can't find any 1/64 inch thick wood scale lumber of the right dimensions.

[Dr PR]

I have bulkheads! I used a scroll saw to cut the 21 bulkheads from 1/8 inch (3.2 mm) six ply basswood plywood from SIG Manufacturing.

 

 

I printed the patterns on paper and then cut out each piece. These were glued to two 12 x 12 inch (305 x 305 mm) plywood sheets using an Elmer's "All Purpose Glue Stick." This was recommended in another thread on the Forum and it worked well. The pieces can be repositioned for a few minutes after applying the glue, and after half an hour the paper was stuck to the wood tightly. The paper did not lift from the wood while sawing.

 

I used a 10 tooth per inch saw blade and ran the saw at 1650 strokes per minute. It took less than two hours to cut the pieces, feeding the wood into the blade slowly so the blade didn't bend or twist.

 

This is just a rough cut close to the lines. I will trim the pieces to the final size with a sander, sandpaper and files. The slots for the pieces to fit over the center frame will be widened to 1/8 inch (3.2 mm) with a file to create a slip fit over the 1/8 inch thick center frame.

[KeithAug]

12 hours ago, Dr PR said:

I used a scroll saw to cut the 21 bulkheads from 1/8 inch (3.2 mm) six ply basswood plywood

Impressive use of raw materials Phil. Nice accurate scrolling.

[bdgiantman2]

There he goes!! Off making saw dust

[TBlack]

6 hours ago, KeithAug said:

Impressive use of raw materials Phil. Nice accurate scrolling.

,I should have mentioned that, too. Good eye/hand coordination!

[Dr PR]

Thanks, everyone.

 

The saw cuts were a bit outside the line. Today I sanded the parts to the line. I plan to mount the forward bulkheads with the paper pattern on the aft side, and the after bulkheads with the pattern on the front side. Then when I fair the edges to the curvature of the hull I will try to leave the pattern lines. That is the way I designed it, with the bulkhead dimensions to the inside of the planking.

 

Now the real challenge begins. The center frame/keel will be 28 inches (711 mm) long. Cutting it out of plywood sheets 24 inches (609 mm) long will be a challenge on a scroll saw with only 16 inches (406 mm) clearance! There are lots of curves and slots for 21 bulkheads.

[Dr PR]

I cut the sub deck and deckhouse parts from two sheets of SIG three ply 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) plywood.

 

 

The sheets were 24 x 12 inches (610 x 305 mm), but the hull is 27 inches (686 mm) long, so I had to cut the sub deck in two pieces. I cut the hull center frame/keel in four pieces, two each starboard and port. I want the center frame to be 1/8 inch (3.2 mm) thick, and I couldn't find a sheet of 1/8 inch plywood that long. So I decided to cut it from 1/6 inch plywood and glue the pieces together with SIG Bond cement. The joins on the port and starboard sides are at two different places so there is 1/16 inch ply on one side at each join. After it is all glued together I will glue 1/2 inch (12.7 mm) strips along the joins to make 1/8 inch and 6 ply at each join.

 

 

In the photo the port bow piece is already glued in place, but the starboard stern piece has not been attached - it will be the last. The pieces are all rough cut except along the keel and where the parts come together. I will finish shaping the parts to the lines after the glue has set. Then I will open the slots for the bulkheads. That will take a lot of individual fitting because the glued sheets will not be quite as thin as the 1/8 inch plywood.

 

As the glue is setting up I checked to ensure than the keel piece is straight. It appears to be, but if there is any curvature it will be slight and easily corrected when the planking is started.

 

Also, I will need to remove the glued-on paper from the main deck deckhouse sides. I should have printed the paper templates backwards so they would be on the insides of the parts, but I didn't think of it until after I had already glued them onto the plywood. All the other parts can be used with the paper on the inside where it won't be visible. Anyone have any suggestions for removing Elmer's Glue Stick from wood?

Edited October 23 by Dr PR

[TBlack]

Isn’t it water soluble? At the very least you should be able to sand it off.

[Dr PR]

I looked at several places on line and found the typical posts by people who are clueless. The recommendations are to use acetone, rubbing alcohol, some brand detergent (cleans everything, cures cancer and removes unwanted hair!), cooking oil, mineral spirits, denatured ethanol and soapy water.

 

Since it is for use by children I suspect it will wash off with water. It seems to wash off my hands easily with water. The Elmer's web site isn't much better that the other sites, but it does say to try scraping it off after it dries.

 

The problem with trying to wash it off is that I don't want to delaminate the plywood or to have the glue soak in deeper.

 

These surfaces will be painted (1960s ocean gray) so I suspect I will end up sanding the surfaces to remove glue.

 

Maybe I will just cut two new pieces.

[Dr PR]

Some of you have expressed interest in my "sea tales" while aboard the Cape. Remember - you asked for it! By now you should have some idea what it was like to serve in McHale's Navy. But I may have given the wrong impression.

 

I said the ship was "bolted to the pier." But we did get underway about once each month. Sometimes it was just to go fishing, and other times were on minesweeping exercises. But on one occasion we went to San Diego to visit the shipyards for planned maintenance.

 

The Navy had a Planned Maintenance System (PMS) that scheduled maintenance based upon statistical evaluations of system failures. The idea was to make repairs before they were actually needed. So one day we headed out from Long Beach to go to the shipyards in San Diego for planned maintenance. Why San Diego? I have no idea. The largest shipyard on the west coast was in Long Beach, a few hundred yards from where we were berthed. But we set out for the San Diego shipyard, approximately 120 nautical miles by sea.

 

We plodded along at about 8 knots, for about 15 hours. We left Long Beach about 4 PM (1600 Navy time), making most of the voyage at night. The plan was to arrive at the channel entrance before 8 AM (0800) and proceed in to the shipyard in daylight. The entrance to the channel is marked by a series of buoys. You "pick up" the outer marker first, and take it down the port side. Then you follow the buoys into the channel, taking each down the port side. Out bound vessels do the same -  the buoy on the port side - so you pass ships going the opposite direction on opposite sides of the channel.

 

It sounds simple, but this time we were in a dense "pea soup" fog bank, with no visibility beyond the jack staff on the bow. Finding the first buoy was a challenge. It had a light, but that wasn't visible for very far in the fog. It had a fog horn so we could hear it when we got within a few miles, but it gave only the general direction. The buoy had a radar corner reflector on top, and that showed up on our surface search radar.

 

If the sea is calm a reflector is easy to track. But if there are many swells each wave top appears as a "blip" on the radar, and the reflector is lost in the clutter. But if you pay close attention you can see the blip that remains fairly constant. Marking it on the radar PPI (Plan Position Indicator) screen with grease pencil lets you follow its relative course until you close on it.

 

So we proceeded slowly into the channel. As we came close inshore the fog bank lifted and we had clear visibility into the channel between Point Loma and North Island. But the channel was anything but clear! There were hundreds of sailboats all across the channel, headed our way!

 

 

According to the rules of the road, sailboats have the right-of-way over all motorized vessels, except ferries. They were swarming all around us, with some passing so close beneath our bow that we could only see the tops of the masts! As I have explained before, we had almost no maneuverability at slow channel speeds. But it would have done no good to try to avoid one of these boats, because if we turned we would just run into another!

 

What was going on? Well it happens that morning Sharon Adams was coming home to San Diego, having sailed from Yokohama, Japan. She was the first woman to sail solo across the Pacific, and just about every boat in San Diego was headed out to greet her! It was July 25, 1969. We didn't have a clue to what was happening, but we did make it through the swarm of small boats. It was like walking through a swarm of gnats. No real problem, but annoying.

 

The next challenge was the ferries connecting the city of San Diego to North Island across the bay. Two ferries crossed the harbor simultaneously, starting the same time from each side and crossing at the center of the channel. They had the right-of-way over us. But because of our lame engineering plant, there was no chance of us stopping if one crossed in front of us. And it would have looked very bad if a US Navy ship ran down a ferry!

 

As we approached the crossing we throttled back and waited until the ferries started out from their landings. When they neared the center of the channel we "gunned it" and raced at the best speed we could make toward the point where they passed each other. They were approaching their berths when we crossed their route, and we proceeded to the shipyard without further incident.

 

We spent several days in the shipyard while the yard people overhauled our engines and did other maintenance. The crew had liberty except for the duty crew on board. For several days I explored San Diego, taking in the sights, including Balboa Park. The zoo there is one of the best in the world. The San Diego Museum of Art is amazing! And since San Diego was one of the first hubs of aviation, the Aeronautical Museum is one of the best, with an original Ryan M-2 like the one Lindberg flew across the Atlantic (the Spirit of Saint Louis was built in San Diego).

 

Then with our engines overhauled we started back to Long Beach. The trip out of the harbor was uneventful until we rounded Point Loma and headed north. We were chugging along when suddenly there arose a clatter from the engine room that was audible topside, even on the bridge. Our senior engineman happened to be topside taking in the air when he heard the noise. He pulled the emergency shutoff levers near the funnel that cut off air to the engines.

 

While we drifted close to shore, with the currents carrying us south into the shipping channel, the engine crew started trying to find the problem. It turned out to be one of the four GMC 6-71 main propulsion engines.
 

 

The people performing the maintenance in the shipyards had failed to tighten the locking nuts on the rocker arms on one engine. The vibration from running caused the adjustments to change, and eventually the intake and exhaust valves moved deep enough in the cylinders to hit the tops of the pistons. When that happened the heads of some of the valves broke off, and the loose valve heads started carving chunks out of our very expensive non-magnetic cylinder heads and pistons. In two of the cylinders they punched through the tops of the pistons, allowing the burning fuel-air mixture to blow into the crank case and burn the lubricating oil. So much for planned maintenance!

 

 

We proceeded on under three engines and eventually got back to home port in Long Beach. It was anything but an uneventful and routine voyage! We repaired the engine ourselves in Long Beach with the help of a few cans of coffee and a canned ham or two.

 

Oh - I finished gluing the center frame/keel pieces together and trimmed the piece so it is ready for fitting the  bulkheads. I also cut out the O1 and O2 decks so I think all of the pieces are ready to start assembly. But first I think I will finish the sails for the Albatros and try to complete the rigging.

Edited October 24 by Dr PR

[Valeriy V]

54 minutes ago, Dr PR said:

Some of you have expressed interest in my "sea tales" while aboard the Cape. Remember - you asked for it! By now you should have some idea what it was like to serve in McHale's Navy. But I may have given the wrong impression.

 

Phil, very interesting! I'm waiting for the continuation. 👍👌

[mtaylor]

Seems in the military, when Murphy runs amok, it's usually a massive "all hands" type of problem.   

[Dr PR]

I have finished the initial shaping of the bulkheads and fitted them to the center frame/keel piece.

 

 

 

 

None of the pieces are glued in place yet. There is still some adjustments to make - a couple of the bulkheads are sitting a bit too high so I will have to use a file to trim everything to fit.

 

There is quite a gap between the bottom of the bulkheads and the bottom of the keel piece. This is because the garboard strake will be fitted in this area, and it is a very complex shape (to be described in another post) instead of just a simple plank.

 

The 1:48 scale keel piece is 1/8 inch (3.175 mm) wide, which is 6 inches (152 mm) at 1:1 scale. But the actual keel was 9 inches (229 mm) wide, or 3/16 inch (4.76 mm) at 1:48. I will cut two additional pieces (port and starboard) from 1/32 inch (0.79 mm) three ply plywood (SIG Manufacturing) to fit on each side of the keel and bring it to the correct width. The top edges of these pieces will be the rabbet the garboard strake rests against. The final keel piece will be a keel foot 3/16 x 1/16 inch (4.76 x 1.59 mm) basswood strip to be glued to the bottom of the plywood center frame/keel.

 

After all of this is done the keel assembly at the bow will have to be shaped to a "V" cross section. This will actually be a bit complex because the ship had metal plating around the bow and a cast bow chock at the main deck level. But that is some distance ahead.

 

At the stern will be an aluminum or Plexiglass extension of the keel that forms the frame for the propeller shaft and rudder, quite similar to what Keith Aug made for his Cangarda model. But it won't be as fancy as his work because I don't have the machine shop tools. So I will carve it by hand with drills and files. I won't be using brass because the 1/4 inch (6.35 mm) thick piece I would need costs about US$100.00 from McMaster-Carr! Aluminum is cheaper (and easier to carve) and I probably have a suitable scrap of aluminum or a piece of Plexiglass that will work in my scrap box.

 

Note: I removed the glued on paper templates from the center piece with a wide flat end blade. Most of it peeled off fairly cleanly. But some resisted scraping so I sanded that off. Most of the remaining Elmer's Glue Stick glue scraped off cleanly and the rest came off with sanding.

Edited October 26 by Dr PR

[TBlack]

14 hours ago, Dr PR said:

 

Note: I removed the glued on paper templates from the center piece with a wide flat end blade. Most of it peeled off fairly cleanly. But some resisted scraping so I sanded that off. Most of the remaining Elmer's Glue Stick glue scraped off cleanly and the rest came off with sanding.

That turned out to be fairly easy!

[Jim Lad]

That frame is looking very workmanlike, Phil.

 

John