HM Colonial Cutter Mermaid by olliechristo - FINISHED - Modellers ShipYard -

[ringbolt2013]

Did the roof (for lack of a better name) hinge up from the opposite side of the door????? That would give more head room

and slides also came into use but much later about 1820 or so. Check out fishing schooners.

[ringbolt2013]

I belive that door is the officers Pantry. Where ready stores were kept. The side opposite was where maps, compasses, quadrants, and basicly the captain's

navigational parifinalia and orders were kept.

[Jim Lad]

Oliver,

 

The doorway to the companion would be the full size of one side of the hatch, plus there would be a folding or sliding section of the top in order to allow proper access.

 

The photos below may give you a bit of an idea of the way they work.

 

John

 

The 'Stag's' cabin hatchway.  I found I don't have a photo of the after end where the door is, but you can see the sliding top section easily.

 

The 'Palmerin' has a slightly more fancy companion, but it's still the same idea.  You can see the doors - meeting in the centre - in this view.

[olliechristo]

Thanks so much Jim Lad and ringbolt.. Pictures helped heaps and i found some more that helped too.  Thanks everyone who has replied.. Wouldn't be going as nicely without your help.. I want to make this boat something special.. And very happy so far.. I am ready to start planking but waiting on a mini plane from The States. So will continue on fixtures and fittings etc..

 

Spent about 3 hrs after work today and had a good go at my companionway.. The picture in instruction book didnt look that great did it?  Very happy with the hatch and the way it slides. Also it will let some nice light through to below..   Regards Ollie

[olliechristo]

Few more pics

[olliechristo]

I Can see another 3 hours at least just on this component.. I am going to do double doors on hinges tomorrow hopefully and maybe plank the sides.. Already losing track of the hours.. 

Edited October 30, 2013 by olliechristo

[olliechristo]

I liked the way this one was designed to work, so used it for inspiration..

[Jeff-E]

Hi Ollie,

 

Very nice work on your compaionway it looks very authentic, as you say much better than the supplied one in the picture

[WackoWolf]

Beautiful, nice and clean and sharp. Your doing a wonderful job. Keep the pictures coming.

[ringbolt2013]

NICE!!!  Much better than the dwg. you have!!!  I like it!  I like it!

[Jim Lad]

Looks really good, mate!  That picture in the instruction book is just rubbish.

 

John

[olliechristo]

Well another 3 hrs went by on the companionway. Time flys when your having fun that is for certain..   Working in 0.5 of mm or less tolerences is testing at times, i usually work within 1mm tolerences only... not fractions of mm

 

So I built the doors in one part first, to aid with getting everything flat straight and square.. The grid is excellent for this.. I used pins and cut them at desired length plus some, so can be sanded flat and even as required.. .. Cut bigger then work smaller and mark off the actual job are some of my tips,..

 

I added a "lug" you may call it, to prevent hatch being hable to come off whilst model is in transit or being fondled. The hatch can slide off once right hand door is open but will not come off otherwise ( in open position or closed with doors closed.).

 

I have chosen an off-white for interior ceilengs etc.. There is lots more tidying to do, but very happy..

------------------------------------

0.5mm drill bit in the drill press. I suggest using a pin to indent wood first to aid in drill not bending and vibrating.

 

I also found some of dads really old timber and cut some down, its hard as nails, i think it's maple or mahogany. will find out. I have lots of tools but they are not designed to work this fine, i cut the strips on a home made bench ripping saw, i like to make do with what i have.. I do have a nice dremel that will come in handy. no micro mills or lathes in this shed..

 

Regards Ollie

 

 

[olliechristo]

Oh and the cutting tool is used in my trade and by carpet layers but doesnt get used anymore as we dont use plastic trims  (rarely) we use aluminium edges and cut on a mitre saw.. (I am a tiler/renovator)

 

Coming in handy for fine strips. Regards ollie

[Pygothian]

Thanks again, i have one more question. I am customising the main gangway door to be open, just wondering would it most likely oprn outwrads or inwards?

 

I am getting closer to getting the below deck work sorted and back to the plan.. More work to be done on barrels, including filing down bands thinner and painting them darker..

 

Many thanks and regards Ollie

I love the barrels. Did you end up sticking with flattened solder ?

 

I will definitely do this with my barrels

[olliechristo]

Yes Rowan.,it worked well, i like the fact that its metal and it was something I had.. just hammer it with a big flat hammer on something flat cut with knife and super glue on.. I then sanded and painted flat black then satin glossed the lot. regards

[olliechristo]

I asked Dad about the wood but havnt seen him in person to look, he said there was originally.

-Western red Cedar (Oregon)

-Queensland (Qld) maple

-Black Bean

-Qld Ash

 

The three bottom timbers are Australian

I think what i have is Red cedar 1.9mm veneer (what i have used on roof and doors)   ... and then the larger pieces are Black Bean (door sill)

 

What this ship was actually built out of was teak. Looking at some teak and the western red is kind of similar. Would be nice to get hold of some teak.. We will see.

Edited November 1, 2013 by olliechristo

[olliechristo]

Well there goes another 2 hrs on the companionway, tidying interior paint, fixed doors in place and made a door sill at bottom to prevent water getting in and stop doors at a specific point when closed.. basically just have to decorate sides and front now..

 

Can anyone advise any ideas to add to interior of companionway, i figure there would have been a light, considering it is built in 1917, what sort of lighting would this ship have? Lanterns i figure..

 

Another thing i have to work out now is handles for doors an hatch, any ideas for making them or where to source them easily on internet?

 

Im considering rebuilding another set of stairs as the set i have made are cut a bit short from prior fiddling. (they fall just below deck height.  It would be nice to make them out of a genuine hard wood like the black bean that i made the door sill out of. Very hard.. I don't really like to stain timber. Love the natural finish and color..

 

Regards Ollie

[Auvergne]

The cabin looks great Ollie! I could not give you advice though since I am just beginning again but I follow your work and I can only hope to have the skill level you have here. I am sending some photos of my build...perhapps some advice from you would be very helpful.

 

Kind Regards Ollie.

 

John

[olliechristo]

Ah no its not red cedar at all, i think the veneer i have is QLD cedar.

 

Auvergne. if you have a build log i will comment there, if you read my first post i am new to model ship building , this is my first. I have very little knowledge of boats and even less on your ship..,I'm just handy and have been building things for as long as i can remember.. looks good though.. look forward to finding your log.. Regards. Ollie

[ringbolt2013]

A lot of thought went into that. Very nicely done. Light will shure get down into the hull to show off your inside work.

[Jeff-E]

Hi Ollie,

 

Excellent job on your compainway, I like the way it all operates with the opening doors and sliding hatch.

 

With regard to the lighting I think you are correct they would have been oil filled lanterns but I don't think they would have been a permanant fixture but portable so they could be carried from place to place and light the way as you went. However there probably would have been hooks on which to hang them fixed to the companionway and other places on the ship.

 

As for your handles I have attached a photo of the companinway doors on my model of the 'Swift 1805' I don't know how authentic this was for the period but the door hanles were made using the heads of 0.75mm brass pins and the handles from 0.75mm brass wire bent to shape. There are probably a lot better examples around but I hope this helps

 

[olliechristo]

Thanks so much again Jeff Cheers to you.. Great looking vessel there.. Thanks for the info on your handles, that is basically what i am thinking of doing.. I just need the brass.. Also that makes perfect sense about the lanterns.. You have confirmed my assumptions... I have just spent a while building new hardwood "Black Bean" stairs (about to glue) and working on sides of companionway, enjoying it very much.. More Pictures coming soon.. Hope the wet start of the wet season is treating you well, we are getting our first good rain here in some time... Regards Ollie

[olliechristo]

Ok hi again all.  Must have spent about 6 hours since last pictures.. Finished Companionway besides final touches and handles.. Built a new stairway out of hard wood. was much trickier but much happier with the finish..  Still waiting on mini plane to do first planking so will move onto skylight now I think. of course  I want to make it much more realistic and with real glass or perspex perhaps.. I can cut glass no worries..Its just going to be small pieces..

[Auvergne]

Very nice Ollie, very professional....time well spent I'd say!! I would be interested in knowing how you are going to cut glass though and at what thickness? You are doing very well!

 

Keep up the grand work mate!!

[Jeff-E]

Hi Ollie ,

 

Excellent work on the comanionway and the ladder, they turned out really well. Our wet season hasn't really kicked in yet still in build up conditions , hot and humid days, but we have had a few afternoon storms over the last few days which does cool things down a bit. Glad to hear you are getting some rain.  

[olliechristo]

Thanks Auvergne and Jeff.

 

I spent another 3 hours tonight and built the forward companionway.. I Built the frame out of a more sturdy piece of black bean than 2x3mm walnut provided..

 

It opens and closes on rails, the hatch has grooves that run on the rails like main companionway and also a mechanism to stop it just flying off.. lugs hook under rails, it too has final opening and closing limits.. Happy with it. 

 

I wasn't too excited about the laser cut stairs for deck so i used them as templates and made them as before.. They are fiddly and certainly not a breeze..

 

Thanks for looking and happy crafting all.

[ringbolt2013]

Outstanding little guy you got there ...nice!!

 

Tom

[Jim Lad]

Very nice work, Ollie.

 

I think you'll find that the inside of the companion was completely plain - no fittings or fixtures at all.

 

As for your door handles, this detail from one of my photos of HMS Trincomalee might help - she was built in India in 1817 - so a pretty good match!

 

John

 

[mathewp]

 Very nicely done Ollie. I too am a Queenslander

[olliechristo]

Hi all. Thanks again those who have helped with ideas so far..

 

Spent about another 3 hours knocking up a cabinet or call it what you will, for the interior.. The shelves are 1mm thick high density polyurethane sheet. I have used this for many projects, comes in many thicknesses. I like it..  It fits in nicely and already having trouble coming to paint things, just love timber in its natural state..  

 

If anyone has ideas or pictures for items to go in the cabinet please share. I have a couple.

 

Also painted the rowboats..

 

Happy crafting all. Regards

Edited November 6, 2013 by olliechristo