Preussen Clipper by Chasseur - Ship in Bottle

[Chasseur]

I had a chance to get into the Man Cave and work on the forecastle area where there are 5 portholes. In behind this area there are crew quarters on the original ship. This piece will be glued onto the upper hull piece after all of the detail work is completed. On top of this piece goes some decking, hand railing, anchors, bollards etc.

 

I had to make a special little tool to hold the small pieces of brass tubing to file up and install. It worked well and I achieved a fairly accurate scale look.

 

First picture shows a template loosely glued on so I could prick punch the locations on where to drill. Pretty fussy work at this scale and caffeine intake has to be watched during this process.

 

 

Second picture shows ten pieces cut from the tubing with my handy dandy tubing cutter!

 

 

Third and fourth pictures show my little tool I made and a piece of brass tubing being filed and ready to install.

 

 

 

Fifth and sixth pictures show the port holes installed and finished with one coat of flat black for starters.

The #11 scalpel blade shows the scale dimension I’m working at … Jeff

 

 

 

[captainbob]

Sorry about the lack of caffeine but the results speak for themselves.

 

Bob

[Chasseur]

Life has a way of getting in between work and hobbies.  The last year and most of this year to date has been trying for our family as we watched my Father in Law go from an old folk’s home to a cane, to a walker, to a nursing home and wheel chair. He has been diagnosed with Parkinson's and is basically bed ridden.

 

 

The aforementioned has been a huge stressor on all of us… especially my wife. BTW the Mother in Law has Alzheimer's disease. A man can count his blessings each day as he wakes and enjoys life with good health. Zero work has been done with regard to the Preussen as we have had to deal with hospitals, doctors, nurses, healthcare workers et al.

 

Between works, writing an article for Lone Warrior and working with my son on his 1973 Chevy SS Nova I do manage to get some hobby done here and there. I thought I would share this tool below  I built for making ratlines.

 

 

Inspiration for this tool came from The Bottle Shipwright 1989 No. 1 Vol. 7, Page 12 ... Journal of the Ships in Bottles Association of America (SIBAA). Author: Hans de Haan Holland.

 

This tool was made to complete HMS Lady Prevost and USS Ariel (1:300 scale.) models for the L.W. article. I plan to eventually use the tool for making the ratlines for the Preussen as well and will use Ralph Preston's technique of installation with a minor tweak of my own to eliminate 150 strings coming out of the hull and bottle neck ... Story line in the future.

 

As with every tool I make the unwritten rule is the materials have to be had from within the man cave. I quickly hunted down some brass square tubing, a spring, screws etc. to fabricate this tool. Parameters were... it had to be adjustable for different mast heights, differing scales of model ships, and it had to fit into my fly tying vice for easy work access.

 

As with any soldering the trick with small parts is holding them down while you tin and solder the joints. My butane mini torch and pencil tip soldering iron came in handy while my adjustable second hand held everything square to the earth.

 

 

 

I chose a small spring to maintain spacing and tension to keep the lines taunt. This picture below shows my first feeble attempt while trying to glue things on a flat surface.  If you look closely you can see that the glue gets bunged up and things got stuck to the first balsa wood jig I made which a nightmare was trying to remove the ratlines once completed.

 

 

 

Above: Note the miniature Deadeyes made from paper to scale. Technique here is print them side by side, cut out and fold, then glue to thread.

 

Next pictures show the new tool I fabricated and the steps to completion and paint.

 

 

 

 

 

Above: You can see how the spring holds adequate tension and spacing and the bottom part is made to depict breadth and spacing of lines. I can even tweak the angle coming off the mast as well. From here all I have to do is cut small threads and glue them on as I climb up the lines. So there you have it a handy little tool to make a pair of ratlines for each individual mast. Hopefully this fall after the son’s car is running and the article is complete for L.W. I'll dive in full force to get some more work done on the Nitrate Clipper. I am chomping at the bit to get at her!

 

 

[rwiederrich]

Fantastic jig.....Jeff...I love it.  First I want to say I am very sorry about the in-laws.  I too have had to go through heart wrenching issues with both of my in-laws..who have since passed.

 

I'm very impressed with the aids you built for your assistance with such small scales.  Every ounce of ingenuity helps.  You have exceeded in this way.

 

Rob 

[Omega1234]

Hi Jeff

 

It's sad to hear about your Parents in Law.  Battling so many illnesses at the same time is obviously a significant stressor for any family, so my thoughts are with you.  I wish you, your wife and your parents in law, the very best of wishes.

 

On a brighter note, hey, that jig is a one smart little device!  I wish I'd thought of that when I was building my Victory, Bounty and Lennox models.  It would certainly have saved me some angst!

 

All the best and I look forward to seeing your next update.

 

Cheers

 

Patrick 

Edited August 6, 2016 by Omega1234

[cog]

Sorry to hear about your wife's parents. I know partly what you're going through - my mother had parkinson + altzheimer in the end - and at times it sucks the energy right out of you. I wish you and your family lots of strength.

 

I like your "ratliner", an ingenious piece of work, small but efficient

 

Cheers

[Chasseur]

Rob, Patrick, and Carl

Thanks for the encouragement greatly appreciated. Thanks for the likes :-)

You guys are the best ... Jeff

[Chasseur]

I got the first two sets of rat lines started. First shot is overall look. Glued threads on with white glue then an extra secure with hair spray. Used Gem Tack to dollop the dead-eyes. Painted the lines with a flat black wash to get ride of the fuzz's. Used Raw Sienna and Dark Chocolate for dead eyes and Soft Butter to model the cordage between the eyes. A wash of Brown Ink to tone down the yellow a bit but just enough to give some contrast. These will be used for my 1:300 ships for an article I am writing but allowed me some practice for the Preussen. I decided to can the paper dead-eyes and go with Igor Sky's techniques for blocks et al.

 

 

Second shot shows a close up and an number 11 scalpel blade for scale reference. Dead-eyes measure 1.5 mm in diameter.

I am leaning towards using wire for the Preussen and soldering on each individual piece after I tin the lines. That way I can get even smaller in scale. We're entering the watch making trade here! Once I remove them I can trim a little closer and then they're ready to install.

 

 

Just another tricky day in the man cave. Been so busy lately I rarely get into the cave ... Jeff

[IgorSky]

Hi Jeff!

Tiny work!

Perhaps you could use a more subtle threads for ratlines on rigging.

 

Best Regards!

Igor.

[Chasseur]

Yes Igor that is the plan. I built the jig mostly for an article I am writing for lone warrior so the ratlines you see here are for a 1:300 scale warship. I am still debating whether to use thread or wire for Preussen's ratlines. If I go with wire then I'll have to use a little different method when attaching them in the bottle.

 

I am just in the final stages of finishing the article for Lone Warrior and then I'll be onto the Preussen full time and looking forward to that en-devour soon.

 

I am also looking at modifying my jig design if I use wire as I will be tinning and soldering the wire. The biggest hurdle is I'll be using very fine wire to keep the lines within scale.

[michael mott]

Hi Jeff, Sorry to hear about the health issues. Great work on the jig for the rat lines I can envision some other uses for a devise like this.

 

Michael

[IgorSky]

Yes, Jeff, the wire can be very, very thin compared with the thread. But it seems to me, the use of different diameteres of the wire or threads for the making of the stays and ratlines gives a good visual effect.

 

 

[Chasseur]

Love the photo for comparisons and I am liking Veevus 14/0. I'll see if the outdoors shop where I get my thread can bring some of that in for me. Otherwise I'll have to split a Cat Wisker in two!

[Chasseur]

Thanks Michael and I am glad you like the jig. That's a huge compliment coming from an Artisan like yourself!

[IgorSky]

Love the photo for comparisons and I am liking Veevus 14/0. I'll see if the outdoors shop where I get my thread can bring some of that in for me. Otherwise I'll have to split a Cat Wisker in two!

Hi Jeff!

This is mounting yarn for tying "flies". You can ask this yarn in stores for fishermen.

[Chasseur]

Yes I have lots of UNI-Thread in different colors however I must get some Veevus. Attached is Lady Prevost 1:300 scale utilizing UNI-Thread.  

Jeff

[dgbot]

I have tried using wire for rigging and rarely had decent results.  I must be handling it the wrong way or using the wrong wire.  What is best for something really small models. I remember miniatures I have seen where fly tying thread and a very hin wire was used.  But I have forgoten the guage and material.

David B

[Chasseur]

I have two kinds from our local outdoors store first is Soft Wire Copper Extra Fine W-C-XF comes in around .002"

Second is Soft Wire Silver Medium W-S-M comes in around .003"

I have seen even finer stuff at jewerly supply stores of which I will probably purchase along with the Veevus.

Also I think one of the guys on this site mentioned the rewind copper from small electrical motors as well.

[Chasseur]

There once was a wood cutter who applied for a new job. The first day on the job he cut down 20 trees. The second day he cut down 10 trees and the third day he only fell 3. He went to his boss and said; I can’t understand it …each day I try harder and I cut down less trees!

 

His boss replied… did you ever think to sharpen your axe?

 

So it is with me. During my Lone Warrior build at 1:300 scale paper ship models; I found myself losing a lot of extremely small parts that would either fall off my bench, fly away when I sneezed, and… I am tired of crawling on my hands and knees looking for parts that are supposedly on the floor someplace.

 

The answer … rebuild one of my work benches like the ones  jewelers use and install a removable bench pin for filing/cutting/fabricating, a pull out (contoured) felt lined drawer to catch miniature parts that accidentally fall, and build a few organizers for tools that I use daily. Kees de Mol has been an inspiration for this project  after seeing his restoration of his Man Cave.

 

Before I proceed further on the Preussen this project must be completed before Christmas.

 

I’ll post pictures here as I progress on this project.

 

First picture is my bench flipped over as I remove my mini homemade lathe and transformer. Drawers on the side removed for now. I will remount my transformer in a better location once I figure out where and clean up the wiring. This bench was originally a sewing machine table where the sewing machine flipped inside of the table when not in use. Legs are solid Mahogany and the rest is covered with an Arborite counter top material to represent mahogany, so it has a little bit of class IMHO. You older gents will remember Arborite as it was really popular in the sixties/seventies. Now a day its clone is called Formica.

 

 

Second picture is the top cut out in a semicircle. I am following the European example of a jeweler's bench where it allows you to get in closer to the bench pin and the drawer slides up to ones belly or in my case… my “One Pack.”

 

 

Next 2 pictures are forming the curved piece for the drawer.  I took the cut-out piece from the table top and used it for a template. The wood to be bent is ¼” hobby board from Home Depot. I soaked it in boiling hot water in the sink for ½ an hour and then used a bar bell while cooling to slowly bend it into position to clamp it. I let the piece dry slowly in the garage for 3 days and when I un-clamped it, it was almost perfectly shaped. The drawer goes in the cavity cut out and will be mounted on DIY sliders.

 

 

 

Next is the bench pin I made. Pin is custom and has cut outs for the jewelers saw to cut flats, rounds, notch etc. One coat of stain to touch it up and the pin was cut from one of the cut out pieces.

 

 

Last shot shows the drawer with one coat of stain applied. The Man Cave is a bit stinky right now as the stain is off gassing. I will apply a coat of Linseed oil to seal the drawer and pin and then the drawer gets lined with some green felt to catch parts if and when they fall. I thought about making a mount for the bench pin to slide into but I think I’ll go with some versatility and just use a C-clamp and clamp it where ever my heart desires at the time on the bench.

 

I am really excited about this Christmas as I have 2 weeks vacation to go at it on the Preussen SIB and work towards getting her bottled!

 

 

More to come … Jeff   

 

 

 

 

 

[rwiederrich]

Fantastic bench work....luv it.

 

Rob

[Chasseur]

Sliding drawer completed, sliders on and top drawer lined with felt. Top on bench sanded down with two coats of Linseed oil. This felt I bought from Michael's is made from recycled plastic pop bottles so its a bit of a nuisance to cut, price was right though.There was a few war wounds on the top but hey that's character!

 

I will line my side drawers with felt and inside the cavity as well. More to come ... Jeff

 

 

 

 

 

[JesseLee]

Ahhhhhh, it is reminding me of my old workbench when I worked as a Bench Jeweler. Looking very nice! Kinda wish I had one for myself!  They work good for our kind of hobby work.

 

Jesse

[Chasseur]

A bit of progress to report.

First shot is the overall look of the bench. Drawers extended somewhat to show my intentions!

 

 

Next few show some close ups.

 

 

I can retract everything when not in use.

 

 

One of the side draws had a broken bottom so an hour was spent pulling it apart and replacing the bottom piece of wood.

 

All drawers relined with felt.

 

Next shot shows me starting to mock up my mini lathe. This time I will install an adjustable tail-stock made from an old Dremel flex shaft. I am going to make a receiver for the bench pin just under the middle semicircle part to make it removable and can the C-clamp idea. I will skirt the sides and rear part on the top so tools don't fall off. 

 

 

More to come ... Jeff

 

 

[JesseLee]

Love it Jeff !

 

Jesse

[Omega1234]

Hi Jeff

 

Very clever 're-work' of the table. It looks fit for purpose and will put you in good stead for many more models to come.

 

I'm looking forward to when you can christen it with your Preussen.

 

Have a great weekend.

 

Cheers

 

Patrick

Edited December 9, 2016 by Omega1234

[Chasseur]

Back at it today. I got the skirting attached on three sides and my mini lathe mounted and wired. First two shots shows the skirting close up outside and inside.

 

 

 

I reworked my power supply and added a rheostat into the equation so I can slow down the speed of the motor. The motor I have is a 12 volt heater motor out of an old Nissan King Cab. Next picture shows the way to wire one if you are so inclined.

 

 

Next shot shows the internals and how it's wired.

 

 

Next shot shows other side of the plug. You don't want to snip the brass gang between the plugs so if you have something else you want to run at a variable speed you can do it. Basically both plug ins are energized.

 

 

Next shot shows the motor mounted. I still have to make a little leveling adjusting tool as I want the chuck perfectly level to the custom tail stock I am going to build.

 

 

Last picture shows the set-up. Plug rheostat into a household power source. Turn it on and it powers my little step down transformer that converts 120 VAC into 12 volts to power the heater motor. The beauty of this set up is I can get variable speeds to turn different sizes of wood or piano wire. Remember I work at very small scales so this is a miniature lathe LOL.

 

 

My Man Cave is an absolute disaster zone right now. I can't wait to get the bench done and put back where it belongs so I can clean up the cave!

 

More to come ... Jeff

 

 

[michael mott]

That is a neat salvage job Jeff.

 

Michael

[Chasseur]

I finally got back into the Man Cave and it felt a bit like Santa's Workshop. First 4 pictures show my bench pin complete with my fabricated helping hands. I have to wonder how I ever did work without a bench pin. I can't say enough about the value of having a pin. I made mine totally removable. Just loosen some wing nuts and everything comes apart in about 60 seconds. First shot shows the pin and helping hands under construction. Note the nice chunk of steel plate for soldering jobs.

 

 

Next two shots show the versatility of the hands and how I can locate a part to solder, glue or paint with precision. I built a few different sizes of L brackets to have on hand for various scenario`s. I give Mr. Mott credit here as he inspired me with his version.

 

 

 

Next shot is overall look of my bench modified. It turned out better than I expected. Notice the leather apron to protect my felt lined shelf, a must have when soldering or working with hot parts. I give God all the glory here!

 

 

Next two shots are gifts from my Uncle Bob. He built me a container for files and another for pliers, hemostats, saws, scissors etc.

 

 

 

Next shot is a gift from my youngest Son. This item will enhance my modelling at the miniature scales I model and the world I live in. Lens come in 10X, 15X, 20X and 25X.

 

 

Next 4 pictures shows my modification to my miniature lathe. I built a tail stock with sliding mechanism. I can also drill into anything chucked in the Jacob`s chuck. Just push the green button to drill. First picture is me dialing her in.

 

 

Next two photographs show the set-up. The pencil grinder on the left has a rotating head for turning. When I want to lock it up just insert a pin into the area that locks the chuck and I am in drill mode otherwise she free wheels for turning.

 

 

 

Next picture show`s a 1:300 scale Dahlgren cannon turned and painted from 3/16`` doweling purchased from the dollar store. 3/32`` drill bit shows the scale in comparison.

 

 

So where I am at with the Preussen build.... next two shots show the hull onto my custom holder I modified from an old document holder. I can swivel, turn, tilt, lower or raise the hull to the exact working position I want. So from here on forward all my posts will be about the build. Now I can focus on completing this SIB. First shot shows where I left off at last time.

 

 

Next shot shows how the stand fits nicely on my sliding tray.

 

 

So there you have it I am back in business!

Jeff

 

 

 

[JesseLee]

Nice setup!

[Omega1234]

Hi Jeff

 

Your tools, boxes, desk and the pin vice, and other paraphernalia are great. I especially like the watchmaker's magnifying glasses. Nice!

 

Notwithstanding that, most of all, your hull's looking fantastic. I can't wait to see how you pull it all together.

 

'Have a great 2017.

 

Cheers

 

Patrick