US Brig Niagara by Laxet - FINISHED - Model Shipways

[Guest Tim I.]

Where did you order your serving machine from? I need to find one myself.

 

- Tim

[Guest Tim I.]

I also am dreading these bread and butter boats, but yours look good. I am sure after the framing and paint are added you will feel better about them.

 

- Tim

[Laxet]

Hi Tim,

 

I found it right here on this forum. Here is a link:

http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/5366-serving-machine-25-serving-machine-20-power-option/?hl=+serving++machine

I ordered it this week & it has shipped already. To order it you have to send An inquiry from here:

http://www.shipworkshop.com/pages/tools/serving_mashine_25.html

He will respond with the order & payment form. I used paypal. There is a motorized one & an unmotorized one. I got the motorized one. He offers free shipping. It can also be used to strop blocks.

[Laxet]

Tim,

 

Thanks for the compliment on my boats. This is my second try. I think they will be passable as long as nobody gets too close a look (like what everybody on this forum will get. To them I offer them up warts & all so if nothing else I may serve as a horrible example.)

[Laxet]

Hey Bob,

 

I will certainly look into what you said. Sounds interesting. Always looking for an easier way.

[Laxet]

Continuing the boats. Gee whiz! you are thinking. How does he keep his ribs so gol' durned square on those boats? Well, attached is the secret. Put all of this under a magnifier & I can tell if it is a micron out of square. I know, it's this kind of tip that makes this forum worth the money you pay every month. I'm happy to help.

[Guest Tim I.]

Hi Tim,

 

I found it right here on this forum. Here is a link:

http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/5366-serving-machine-25-serving-machine-20-power-option/?hl=+serving++machine

I ordered it this week & it has shipped already. To order it you have to send An inquiry from here:

http://www.shipworkshop.com/pages/tools/serving_mashine_25.html

He will respond with the order & payment form. I used paypal. There is a motorized one & an unmotorized one. I got the motorized one. He offers free shipping. It can also be used to strop blocks.

 

 

Thanks, I will look into this. I would be curious to know your impression once you receive it and start using it.

 

- Tim

[Laxet]

Hi Tim,

 

I will be happy to give my impressions. As you can tell by my build log I'm not afraid to babble on about anything.

[milosmail]

Boats are looking great. Glad to have you blaze the trail (calm the seas?) for me.

Mine is going slow; still working on gunport framing prior to planking. 

[Laxet]

Good luck. I can't wait to see your updated log.

[Laxet]

Remember how I told you guys & gals that I could tie wood in a knot using my wife's Shark steamer, & you said aw he's so full of baloney? Well here is (out of focus) proof. Man I'm getting tired of not being able to focus this thing. Anyway, without further ado (whatever ado is), here it is! Oh, and the crappy little boat I'm putting the little planks (ribs, I guess (hmm, I love me some ribs (but I digress))) in.

[Laxet]

Anybody have any ideas on how to build the top rail for the small boats? I'm attempting edge bending a 3/32" x 1'32" plank but I'm not too optimistic that it will work.

[Carlmb]

If you are referring to the trim that goes on top of the hull. I used the template that the boat popped out of. I traced the ship on to a piece of balsa. Trace all the way around the ship then move the shape about 1/8 of an inch over and retrace all the way around again. That way when you cut out you have the inner and outer shape. Hope that made sense.

[Laxet]

That's a darned good idea. Unfortunately, I discarded those pieces once I pulled the parts out. But that does give me ideas that are workable. Thanks for the tip.

[Laxet]

So it turns out I still had the scraps from the yawl. Even better, I have two old cutters that I had abandoned when I got ME to send me some more. They made tracing very easy. I also found a sheet of 1/32 basswood that I will use to make these rails. The heavens have aligned & shone down on me. All of this during a fierce thunder storm that just hit. Not sure if it did roof damage yet but all of the chairs & a towel rack I built out of pvc ended up in the pool. Luckily, the table got caught on a chair & didn't blow in. We got about .9" of rain in 15 minutes. Wow!

[Laxet]

Here you can see the thwart supports I bent yesterday. Also, here is another picture of the magic of the shark steamer. This time in focus.

[Laxet]

Any suggestions on colors for the cutters? Is there any history to say what they may have looked like? How do I determine the waterline? Or is it all "that looks about right"?

[Laxet]

First, I'll start with the good news. I received my serving machine & speed controller yesterday from Russia. Looks really nice. Still waiting for the power supply unit, which is coming from China. At least I can use this manually in the mean time.

[Laxet]

Now the bad news. It seems I can't get a break on the boats. Right after I finished framing all of them & trying to figure out where the thwart support goes, I realized (after looking at the prints for the umpteenth time) the the bulwarks have a sweep in them. I drew an arrow showing the area I'm talking about. The pencil line is the existing height of the bulwark.

Edited October 6, 2014 by Laxet

[Laxet]

I can hear you all now, "Why you idiot, we knew that. It goes without saying! " Unfortunately, everything has to be said to me. Here I carved a bit on one side of my spare boat so you can see the difference (right & left). I must admit, it looks a whole lot better swept. I just wish I had realized it sooner.

[Laxet]

Forgot one.

[Laxet]

This shows, based on the bulkheads shown on the print (1-8) where the hull should be cut (as near as I can figure it. I don't know how to actually figure this part out.

[Laxet]

Well, the damage is done. I think they look pretty good. I am debating whether to strip the insides & redo them. After carving the bulwarks down, they are too thick & need to be re-formed. Here are before & after pictures. Notice the broken stem posts. I may just redo those & the rudders also, & remove the rudders. As for paint, I found a few (not very good) pictures online showing the current boats. I don't know how historically accurate they are, but they are white with red rails & interior parts. I don't especially like those colors, but I am more interested in accuracy, such as it is.

Edited October 7, 2014 by Laxet

[dmather2]

Let me know details davemather@cogeco.ca. Thanks.

[Jerry C]

I thought I would add my two cents relating to the lifeboats. I am just slightly behind you on my Niagara. I fooled around with one boat but just can't satisfy myself on finishing out the interior. Much too rough even with a lot of sanding and filler. I have opted to use the wood ones as a mold and vac form the three boats. Since the outside of the hull is very smooth on the one boat I have done so far this should translate to a very smooth inerior and if done right should result in a fairly uniform thickness. All of the other interior "stuff" will be wood like the plans show. I have thinned down the hull to make up for the thickness of the plastic styrene. Since the interior of all three boats will be visable I want things as "neat" as possible. Perhaps some others have tried this approach, but in my opinion it should save some time. It's very simple to make a vac form machine. Youtube has many examples. Anyway I have enjoyed your postings and will look forward to your progress.

 

Jerry c   

[Laxet]

You know, I really hate doing things twice. As many times as I've done things over on this ship, I ought to have two of them when I'm done. But it was my choice to cut my teeth on this intermediate level ship, so I have only myself to blame. With all due respect to Jerry above, there would be too much I don't know about vac forming to attempt that. I'm too deep into this & since this is my second try on these, it"s personal now! I found a sanding drum that works like I originally wanted & knocked out the interior & reformed it. Bulkheads are thinner & the overall shape is much better.

 

I know what you are all saying, "We didn't want to say anything, but your last interior really looked like poo poo". Really now, I can take it. Just lay the cards out on the table. I'll never get better if you tell me my crap smells like roses.

 

Anyway, here is a pic of the rough grinding. After sanding I think it will look WAY better than it did, & it will have the proper lines now.

[Jerry C]

I understand where you are coming from. I too have made mistakes and had to go back and do over. My modeling background is super scale plastic model aircraft. I've been building them for over 30 years. I specialize in WW1 aircraft in 1/48 and 1/32 scale. I am aflicted with a desease common to serious scale modelers about detail. If it was on the real air plane I try to put in on my models. Building wood boats is a different world and requires a differant set of skills.

That's why I have been following yours and Greatgallions building logs with such interest. This is my third boat and I hope it turns out as good as some of the ships I have seen on this website.

[Laxet]

I'm pretty much in the same boat as you. I've built plastic for about 50 years now. I've gotten fairly good at them but a ship is a whole 'nother beast. I've even built plastic sailing ships. Not the same.

 

I've followed Greatgalleons build also. He is leaps & bounds beyond me, but by golly, I'll show you all of the stumbling blocks (at least the ones that tripped me up). I love serving as a horrible example.

[Laxet]

I finally caught up to where I was before I ripped out all the insides & re-sanded the interior. I've started on the floor. The gratings are going to be very difficult, trying to fit them in the bottom of the boats.

[Laxet]

I will put a pool of CA on a sheet of glass & dip parts in it to attach them. I set my tweezers on the glass to keep from scratching my desk. Well, I unknowingly knocked the tweezers into the CA. Then I picked them up. Problem is, I couldn't put them down. Had to peel them off of my finger. Ouch. I hate it when I do that.

 

Here I am working on the gratings for the boats. Slow progress.