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

[KeithAug]

On 12/26/2025 at 5:33 AM, Dr PR said:

Christmas with the kids, grandkids and a horde of great grandkids.

 

Happy Holidays!

Sounds wonderful. I hope you all enjoyed it.

[Dr PR]

Thanks to everyone for the likes and comments.

 

Keith, we had a great Christmas. Seven great grandkids from 1 year to 14 years, and none was sick!

 

I am finishing up the smoke stack. I made the conical cap for the boiler vent from a brass rod, turning it on my hand drill.

 

The hinges for the diesel exhaust pipe caps were made from 0.010 inch (0.25 mm) styrene strips. First the lower pieces were glued to the brass pipes with CA gel. After the CA set the two hinge strips were glued to the lower piece with plastic model cement. I used a bit of clear acrylic sealer to "glue" the styrene hinge strips to the top of the cap. It probably isn't the most robust assembly, but they are protected by the stack cap.

 

I painted it with the grey paint I am using for the decks. It is Tamiya XF-63 German Grey. I have found that the Tamiya paints do not cover well on brass. This was all washed with water to remove the liquid flux, and then acetone to remove any resin flux and oils. There are three coats of paint on this assembly, each allowed to dry over night, and still there are places the paint just "rolls back" leaving exposed brass.

 

The platform jutting from the side of the stack is a support for a radio antenna. I suppose I could have glued it in place with CA, but the solder will make a stronger attachment. Now I need to make the complex insulators for this antenna and two more. I have the Navy electronics data sheets for the antennas and some photos taken on the ships to show me what they look like and how large they are. It will be an interesting project. But the antennas will be some of the last pieces to go onto the model.

 

The last part of the stack assembly is the life jacket locker that was attached to the lower rear of the stack below the air intake grills. The box is a bit wider than long (about 32" wide x 31" long x 26" high full scale). I folded the box from a single piece of 0.005 inch (0.13 mm) brass sheet and then soldered the edges. A separate 0.010 inch (0.25 mm) thick top plate was soldered on - this hides the folded edges that were a bit rounded. A 0.010 inch brass wire serves as the handle that released the bottom of the locker to dump the life jackets.

 

 

 

 

Here are some photos of the stack in place on the aft end of the O1 level.

 

 

 

Now I need to prime the funnel and paint it to hide all of the solder stains in the brass! I probably won't get around to that until next year.

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Edited 21 hours ago by Dr PR

[Nirvana]

Phil, again your eyes for details are amazing and all this from scratch.

Happy Ending of this new and Happy New Year!
 

[wefalck]

Brass tends to have a sligthly 'waxy' surface, an oxidation film that forms very fast and can really only be removed mechanically. Therefore, brush-painting it with water-based paints, such as acrylics can be a pain. One basically pushes the paint around the surface and it doesn't want to form a continuous film. However, when applied by airbrush, this is not normally a problem. There are also special primers for brass or you may try a very dilute solution of shellac as primer.

[Dr PR]

Eberhard,

 

Thanks. The "waxy" dull surface on the brass I am using becomes visually apparent in just a few hours. It turns from very shiny after polishing with #0000 steel wool to a duller yellowish color.

 

I am trying an acrylic sealer as a primer. If that doesn't work I will try shellac.

 

Of course the fogging of brass is familiar to everyone who had to polish brass belt buckles in boot camp!

Edited 6 hours ago by Dr PR

[wefalck]

I am actually zapon-varnish for this, which is what is traditionally used to protect silverware (not cutlery, but other objects and tableware that does not need 'washing up' on a regular basis), but also decorative brass items. Objects can be either dipped into it or it can be brushed on. It forms a nearly invisible very fast-drying surface film. I am not sure, whether it would be (still) available in the USA, as it contains various organic solvents.

 

Edited 9 hours ago by wefalck

[FreekS]

This is a clear primer that is very good for brass.

[Dr PR]

wefalck and FreekS,

 

Thanks for the tips.

 

I don't know if I can buy Zapon varnish in the US. However it appears to be a nitrocellulose solution. Duco cement is nitrocellulose dissolved in acetone. I suppose I could just dilute Duco with more acetone to make a thin nitrocellulose varnish.

 

Createx UVLS clear satin is sold here. I have put a bottle in my Amazon cart for my next order.

[Jim Lad]

More great solder work, Phil. But surely that's not Ensign Fuzz there with his hands in his pockets! 🙂

 

John

[Dr PR]

The same. If you keep your hands in your pockets there is a much smaller probability of screwing up things. And he's out of uniform. The Captain and XO are wearing dress blues, so that must be the uniform of the day. Fuzz is wearing working khakis (that was our most common daily uniform) and a leather aviator's jacket.