Bristol Pilot Cutter by michael mott - 1/8 scale - POF

[captainbob]

I wish I had a little friend like that to help.  I keep getting my fat fingers in the way.

 

Bob

[druxey]

Interesting how Humbrol paint lasts, if the tin is sealed properly. I've had similar experiences with it. Once thoroughly stirred it still is as good as new, as you said.

[michael mott]

A bit more work on the big build today. I started to bring the rough bulwark rail into shape, while waiting for paint to dry.

 

 

 

This evening I started the base of the mast, the mast will be stepped on the deck with the king post underneath to the keel.

 

 

Fretted out the base sheet and annealed a strip and bent it around the base, Cleaned up the parts with a file and silver soldered them together, It still needs a bit of clean up I do that tomorrow.

 

 

I drilled some drainage holes at the base to let any water out of the base of the mast.

 

 

Now a long shot, the mast is a snug fit in the fitting. so I was able to get a sense of the whole thing.

 

 

and big me checking things out.

 

 

Michael

 

 

[mtaylor]

Man, that is one big model.  I hope you have a crane and a trailer to move it.  It looks fantastic.

[cog]

Michael,

 

Nice work on the mast. Mastfoot looks sturdy. What thickness brass did you use?

 

You're not taking the mickey out of us by putting mini-michael behind your build now do you ...

[michael mott]

Harvey and Bob, thanks for looking in sorry I did not acknowledge you last night.

 

Mark, I am estimating about 65lbs worth of lead ballast using used wheel balancing weights.I think the bowsprit needs to get the angle lowered a bit.

 

Carl, The base sheet is .050" and the wrap around part is .062", I used easyflo silver solder, I was annoyed that I did not take enough care in placing the solder because it filled in some of the nice half round sections that I filed into the upper part. That is why I had to drill the holes. I am tempted to make another one or take this one apart and redo it. The half rounds would not allow any water to sit in the inside like a round hole would.

 

It is still snowing today accumulation is now up to the top of the picnic table. I'm getting tired of the cloudy snowy days.

 

Michael.

[Elia]

Michael,

 

That painted margin plank/covering board looks sweet!  I got a good laugh at the 'painter' pictures - I had to do a double take - the size of the model makes them seem feasible.  The mast 'ironwork' look great - really really nice.  Boy that is one sharp looking cutter model.

 

Elia

[russ]

The deck looks great. Nice work on a BIG model.

 

Russ

[cog]

Michael,

 

As you have a rather wide base, won't the water stay underneath the mast anyway even with those small holes ... due to capilair something (don't know the exact expression in English), and the fact that the plate is level with the part where the mast stands on

Edited March 18, 2013 by cog

[michael mott]

Elia, Russ, thanks for your kind words.

 

Carl said

due to capilair something (don't know the exact expression in English), and the fact that the plate is level with the part where the mast stands on

 

All the more reason to rework this little item, with much bigger openings.

 

Michael

[Jim Lad]

Michael,

 

Two questions spring to mind following your last set of pictures.

 

1. How are you going to get this baby to and from the lake?

 

2. Where are you going to fing vertyical space to fit the topmast?

 

   

 

John

[popeye the sailor]

with you standing by the boat....you can really get a sense of how large she is...........wonderful work!

[michael mott]

1. How are you going to get this baby to and from the lake?

 

2. Where are you going to fing vertyical space to fit the topmast?

First question, in the back of my van and onto a trolly with bicycle wheels the mast will be an easy take down.

 

Second question The ceiling in my shop slopes from 8 feet at the north wall (where the mill is) to 12 feet at the windows overlooking the lake.

 

so no problem in either case.

 

Popeye thanks for the kind words.

 

Carl here is the modified mast step. the openings will not create any capillary now.

 

 

Also began working on the set up for the shrouds.

 

 

 

I am going to roll the top of the chain plate to create a loop for the deadeye shackle. the scale size is 2 3/4 x 3/8 metal strap.

 

michael

[Timothy Wood]

All I can say is FANTASTIC.....

 

Tim

[captainbob]

Michael,

 

That mast step is very nice.  I'm sure the chain plates will be also.

 

Bob

[DSiemens]

Very nice.  It's great to see masts on it.  

[cog]

Quite Michael, you certainly won't run the risk of water retention underneath the mast now. Your rigging will most certainly not be wandering off when I look at the sturdiness of the materials you are using.

 

Still snow there? We got the temperatures above 0 C, sometimes a lost snow flake, but that's about it.

[druxey]

Very neat machining! This is a very impressive model for both size and  quality.

[SJSoane]

 

Michael,

 

Beautiful work!

 

Can I borrow your scaled down shipwright? ;-)

 

The metalwork is exquisite. Can you say a little more about how you are fabricating those pieces?

 

Best wishes,

 

Mark

[michael mott]

Tim, Bob, Daniel, Carl, Druxey, thank you very much for taking the time to look in and share your thoughts.

 

Mark, The Mast step was pretty straight forward I annealed the .062 brass wrap around piece first(heat to red then let cool)then folded it around the wood first by using a small clamp to hold the strip evenly in the centre of the strip. once it was u shaped then clamping across the sides and finishing the wrap. The bottom edge was cleaned up on a sheet of 240 emery paper carpet taped down on a flat board of MDF.

I then silver soldered the wrapper to the base sheet with the lowest melt temp easy-flo solder ( I forget the temp)

 

The clean up was done with sanding sticks and the hole was slotted by clamping in the mill vice and using a 1/8th 2 flute end mill cut the slots which entailed rotating to do the stern abd port and starboard sides. The relief on the bow or clamping side was fretted out with a jewelers saw.

 

a final clean up with medium steel wool.

 

Here are some step by step pictures of the roller reefing and the goosneck.

 

The roller reefing was inspired by a photo on the web and I cannot remember the site so I cannot show the photo.

I had a worm drive in the scrap box and needed to make worm gear to match (loosely) so I stuck the worm into some Milton Bradley mock up clay(auto-body design clay, plasticine would have worked equally well) to see the angle to rotate the vice. I have the mill vice sitting on a 12 inch rotary table on the mill. then using a 30 tooth clock gear out of the scrap box  as an index I used a 1/16 end mill to rough cut the teeth.

 

 

 

The worm was relieved at each end to leave just a few turns in the centre.

 

 

 

The end of the boom was drilled out by using a bushing jig that was turned up on the lathe.

 

 

 

Next the goose-neck piece for the boom, this was machined from a 1 inch cube of brass and had a 3/8 drill rod shaft soldered in with soft solder.

 

 

 

The section slide into the boom the boom was held to the gear with a piece of brass tube machined down to the right diameter from a 3 inch brass 3/4 inch plumbing nipple. the boom was chiseled to accept the brass tube-like sleeve the gear was attached with brass machine screws. and the boom with #1 wood screws.

 

End of Part 1

 

Michael

 

 

 

Edited March 20, 2013 by michael mott

[russ]

Michael:

This all looks really great. I do not know that I have ever seen a model like this, meaning the overall size and the large scale complexity. It is, in my humble experience, unique. Great work indeed.

 

Russ

[michael mott]

Russ thanks, for those words, I must say when I was about 15 I went to the Round Pond in Kensington Gardens in London and I saw a model of a gaff rigged boat it was a good size and I was smitten by the superb detail on that model, it took me 45 years to get my rear in gear to make a boat similar in type.

 

Michael.

[michael mott]

Goose-neck Part 2

 

continuing on this picture does show the roller reefing that inspired my version.

 

 

the worm was held in place with two retainers that were filed up and bolted with 2x56 round headed machine screws, the shaft through the worm is 1/8th diameter filed square at each end, so the the reefing can happen from either side.

 

 

 

 

The part of the goose neck that is fitted to the mast was inspired by one from Cockwells web site .

 

The first step was to machine up the block to mate to the boom(this needed extensive fining to allow the boom to swing when I mated the two parts together) the top and bottom straps were silver soldered to the block this also annealed the bands.

 

 

 

 

I used this same technique for the base step band.

 

The soldered and formed piece. ready for clean up, .. files, emery paper , steel wool .

 

 

Final assembly

 

 

 

end of roller reefing

 

Michael

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[popeye the sailor]

that's the beauty of this large scale........the fittings can be created with such detail.......and as a working,  movable part!   superbly done!

[Sven]

That is fantastic metalwork! Mini you will enjoy winding that handle. Will the RC control reefing as well?

 

Matt

[captainbob]

Michael,

 

I said it on round one and I'll say it again.  Beautiful metal work and thanks for showing how it was done.

 

Bob

[michael mott]

Popeye, Bob, thanks for those kind comments.

Matt I think I will keep the RC as simple as possible, there will be a fair bit of sail on her so I will probably set the sails before doing any sailing. We get quite a few light airs here in the summer around 2:30-3:00pm (becalmed at the finish line on the full sized ones enough times) so I think it will be more to make it easier before setting out when there is a little more breeze.

 

Michael

[newbuilder101]

I have to agree with everyone...beautiful metal work...matches the wood work!

[michael mott]

Thanks, Sherry

 

A test to see how to make the top of the shroud chain plates. the first test was a bit rough.

after fretting out the shape on a scrap piece I annealed it then curled the loop with some round nosed pliers the taper could be longer 

on these pliers.

 

silver soldering

 

 

The loop is a little too small and I overheated the metal, also I should have closed the loop a little better the joint was not good.

 

 

Second test with a larger  and wider loop

 

 

ready to solder the small piece if silver solder is wet with the Vigor liquid flux.

 

 

soldered

 

 

cleaned up with emery and steel wool

 

 

Checking the look, I think I will taper the plates down to the wooden standoff rather than have the cut shoulder.

 

 

Tomorrow I will make the loops on the chainplates.

 

Michael

 

[russ]

Michael:

Very nice work on the chainplates. The soldering job is excellent.

 

Russ