Shenandoah 1864 by SGraham - FINISHED - Corel - Scale 1:50 - American Civil War-era Cutter

[src]

Hooked or not your joinery looks great!

Sam

[JesseLee]

Very beautiful!

[SGraham]

Thanks J, Sam, and Jesse.

[dgbot]

Looking good

David B

[SGraham]

Thanks, David. I hope you're doing well.

 

Steve

[SGraham]

Well, I got a very little bit done today in the good ol' Glacial Progress Shipyard. I bought a piece of 5/32" aluminum tubing at the hardware store. I heard the hawse pipes were often lined with zinc. I thought the aluminum would look better than the piece of shoe hardware (looks like a grommet or eye or something) that came with the kit. It's missing one of them anyway.

 

After cutting the tube to length, I flared one end with a tapered stake. The stake also made a great installation tool. After putting in the hawse pipes and sanding them flush with the inside and outside of the hull, I decided I didn't like how they looked on the inside at all. So, I made up a small piece of maple for each side to mask it and hopefully improve the looks. The jury is still out on that. Thanks for looking.

 

Steve

[src]

I think it looks very good

[captainbob]

Just right.  There should be extra thickness where the hawse pipe goes through.

 

Bob

[jct]

looks great making nice progress

[Bindy]

Now that is just plain clever!   And looks great too!

[SGraham]

Thanks Bob and J and Bindy (and welcome back, Bindy). I'm working on the hatch right now. I've completed the coaming. I made it out of maple and finished it bright. Then I made the lower part out of lime wood and finished it with green paint. I've yet to make the hatch covers--I need to post some questions I have about those, but I'll do that later. J recommended a company called Scale Hardware. I bought some dome-headed rivets from them. The smaller ones I used to pin the corners of the coaming. The bigger ones I used on the strip in the bow bordering the breasthook. I used Brass Black from Birchwood Casey to darken the rivets. I found that a quick dip in naphtha followed by Brass Black applied with a Q-tip darkened them up nice and quick. The coaming isn't glued down yet. Thanks for looking!

 

Steve

 

[russ]

The deck planking and hatch coamings look great. Very nice work on the corner joints.

 

Russ

[dgbot]

Nice work on the deck and the joinery. Your hatch coming is perfect.

David B

[SGraham]

Thanks so much, Russ and David.

 

Steve

[SGraham]

So, here's my question. The photos below show a top and side view of the hatch covers. You'll notice that they are made of small slats. I think there are 48 or so of them. On the real vessel, were these slats all loose or were they connected together somehow? Why did they do it this way? Was it to save labor when getting the covers off? Maybe so the covers could be stacked in neat piles when they were off? Also, it seems that there are handholds on the outside slats. They don't look like rings, but I'd like to put ring bolts there. Would that be in keeping with the era?

 

Thanks!

 

Steve

[russ]

The slats (47) were probably fastened to a framework (46) to make up one hatch cover and then they had four separate hatch covers made like that. That would make sense. What would make more sense is to have a single piece of wood for the hatch cover rather than the separate slats attached to the framework.

 

The two holes on either end were hand holds to lift the covers off.

 

Russ

[SGraham]

Thanks for the reply, Russ. That makes sense.

 

I tried my first hatch cover in walnut. I really didn't like how it turned out. So, onto the scrap pile it went. Next, I built up another out of basswood. This time I remembered to slightly bevel the edges of the slats to be able to see the separation between them. I built the cover on a piece of paper to hold it together. I thought I'd paint the cover the same light gray as the bulwarks. Also, I found some pics online of hatch cover handles. They're from a liberty ship, but I really liked the concept. They made a round hole and then countersank a brass rod across the hole for a handgrip. I decided to go with this. After the paint cures, I may do a little bit of a dark wash over the cover to accentuate the lines. It all looks a little too clean.

 

Thanks for looking!

 

Steve

[russ]

I think that looks fine. Very nice fit and finish.

 

Russ

[dgbot]

All I can say is well done.

David B

[SGraham]

Thanks for the encouragement, Russ and David.

 

I'm new to this painting thing. Have either of you ever rubbed oil-based stain over Model Expo paint? I've rubbed tung oil over acrylic paint before with no problem. I'm wondering if the ME paints will turn gummy. 

 

Steve

[russ]

Steve:

I have never used Model Expo paints, so I cannot help there. You need to experiment a little on some scrap pieces and see what happens.

 

Russ

[jct]

Steve,

Those look great, love the handles, I've accidentally hit surfaces painted with Model Expo acrylics with boiled linseed oil with no adverse effects, but I'm not sure how tung differs from linseed, other then their different origins.

J

[SGraham]

I've been out of the shipyard for a few weeks. My wife Suzie, isn't doing very well. She's in the end stage of Huntington's Disease now. I've known this was coming for a long time, but that doesn't make it easier. Her doctor says she could hang on for 3 - 4 more years. Still, it's sad, and I've found it hard to get creative lately. I'm going to try to get something done on the Shenandoah this coming week. We'll see.

 

In the meantime, I found an old scroll saw. It's a 1938/39 Walker Turner 24" with a direct drive. Instead of a belt, the motor arbor attaches directly to the crankcase. This means it should run and cut smoother than my old Craftsman. The crank sticking up on top is for adjusting the tension of the blade. I've been fixing it up, which doesn't take much thinking. It only needs to have the table attached and the basic wiring replaced and it'll be ready to try out. I painted it institutional green. It sort of gives me a fresh minty feeling every time I look at it. Here it is minus the table.

 

Steve

[jct]

Steve...really sorry to hear of your spouses health problems, my best goes out to you all.  Nice work on the saw

J

[dgbot]

I am sorry to hear about your spouse.  I hope only the best for both of you.  Your find looks like an intriguing project.

David B

[SGraham]

Thanks J and David. It's taking me some time to process. As far as coming to terms with the situation goes, these things, it seems, won't be hurried. Maybe building a rudder this week will be just the thing.

 

Steve

[Bindy]

Hi Steve,

 

It is so great to see you back amongst friends and also playing with new toys. That saw does look great.

 

My heart and prayers go out to you, your wife and all involved as you face these challenges together. Best wishes Steve.

[src]

Steve, so sorry to hear of your wife's health issues. That's never easy. We are all here for you.

 

When my father passed away sometime back, I found physical exertion helped tremendously.

 

Sam

[SGraham]

Thanks, Bindy and Sam.

[mtaylor]

Steve,

My prayers and wishes are with you. It's a rough spot you're in and I hope you have a support system around you of family and friends.  Distraction, such as fixing up an old tool (nicely done) or working on the model can be helpful.