SMS WESPE 1876 by wefalck – 1/160 scale - Armored Gunboat of the Imperial German Navy - as first commissioned

[mtaylor]

Looking very good and the pictures make it seem a lot larger than it is.  As "other things getting in the way"... that's life.

[wefalck]

Thank's gentlemen!

 

Actually, this technique of building has been described in the classic works on POF, think Underhill or Curti, I just translated it into different materials and some modern tooling.

 

The copper wire to keep the frames down was an emergency solution, when I realised that the frames would not follow the core due to the slight tumblehome of hull. I first tried thread, but twisting the wire pulled it nice and snug around the template. 

Edited September 27, 2022 by wefalck

[mbp521]

So much detail in such a tiny space. I do love the technique for getting the form of the boats. I will definitely have to give that method a try in the future. 
 

-Brian

[wefalck]

Jolly-Boat continued 2

 

Just a short update to show that the planking as such is finished. I am not 100% satisfied with my work. The plank widths could/should have been more equal, but I somehow struggled with the shape of this boat more than with the others. Also, it was easier to glue the planks to the solid core than just to the framework and the edge of the plank underneath.

Jolly-boat starboard side – overall length is 36 mm

 

After the planks were on, a doubling  for the keel and stem was attached to both side, kind of faking a landing of the planks in a rabbet.

 

Jolly-boat port side

 

There are several little gaps and other imperfections that need to be touched up with a bit of putty, but I will do this only after having separated (hopefully) the boat from the former. The putty is quite brittle and my fall out during the procedure.

Looking down onto the planking

 

Once the boat has been released and the frames trimmed back, the wash-strake can be sanded to its final width and shape. Some additional (cant)frames will have to go in before the further fitting out can begin.

 

To be continued ....

[KeithAug]

On 10/5/2022 at 8:59 PM, wefalck said:

I am not 100% satisfied with my work.

Eberhard, I think you are being a little bit hard on yourself, The overall effect is looking very good. It will be interesting to see how easily it comes off the frames.

[druxey]

Well, I can see why you might not be entirely satisfied - if that boat was at 1:48 scale. But at the small scale you are working at, it is quite remarkable!

[Gahm]

Your little boat is quite amazing - just like your whole build! Adding all these details with such precision at that scale is mind-bugling. For most parts of your model you probably need a powerful magnifying glass to see them at all 🙂

 

Thomas 

[wefalck]

Thanks gentlemen !

 

I actually realise, how this not so even planking happened. On one hand, I didn't look too carefully at the running of the planking on the starbord bow-section, being mainly concerned that the planks on both sides meet properly - negligence. On the other hand, the stern area was not fully filled with the core and there was a too large gap between the last frame and the transom - it was difficult to align the planks without pushing them in.

 

At this small size it was also difficult to mark out the runs of the planks beforehand, so I did everything 'by eye'. This got me into trouble in the transition area between the stern-post and the transom, where on this boat there is quite a small-radiused transition curve between both. Perhaps I should have had a narrower plank at that point. For technical reasons the planks are wider than one would have on the prototype: the small scale-overlap was just not achievable, particularly as the edges could not be bevelled.

 

Perhaps working in thin veneer or styrene would be better than using paper, but my cheapo laser-cutter cannot handle such materials, it jut doesn't have enough power for it.

 

[mbp521]

Eberhard, I have to go along with the previous comments from Keith, Druxey and Thomas. At that small of scale, unless you are using a magnifying glass and closely inspecting the hulls, its not noticeable at all. You have all my respect. With my big hands there is no way that I could even come close to the quality of workmanship you produce on such tiny boats. I would have just drawn the individual planks on and called it good. 😁
 

-Brian

[wefalck]

I gather, oneself is one's worst critic ... and being critical of one's own work gives one the means to do better next time. 

 

The most difficult thing is to overcome one's own impatience to get things done 🤔

 

My problem often is that I work so slowly (also because 'real' life gets in the way all the time) that I often keep forgetting lessons learnt by the time I should use them again 😬

[Roger Pellett]

I have read that an old (British?) Naval expression says,  “A Ship is judged by the condition of her boats” and your boat is very nice.  I also suspect that at this small scale your Mark 1 Eyeball did a better job of arranging the planking than you would have done by marking them out on the plug.

 

Roger

 

 

[Keith Black]

1 hour ago, wefalck said:

My problem often is that I work so slowly (also because 'real' life gets in the way all the time) that I often keep forgetting lessons learnt by the time I should use them again 

 Amen to that, Eberhard.

 

 The jolly boat looks great, in fact at 1:160 scale it's remarkable. 

[shipman]

Eberhard hi.

 

I've followed your build from the beginning, yet have to admit your choice of subject hasn't been my cup of tea, mainly due to my lack of knowledge of the type.

 

However, your approach and consummate skill has retained my attention and admiration.

 

Rogers comment #701 reflects my own thoughts; at this scale your boats are little jewels and I look forward to their completion, with no doubt they will compliment all your excellent work so far.

[OnTheSlipway]

I agree with the others the planking is very well done; you could always trim a few planks as with such patterns the eye easily detects and magnifies small 'imperfections'... but I think the overall effect now is very good.

[wefalck]

Thanks again to all your encouragement and praise 😇

 

**********************

 

Jolly-Boat continued 3

 

The moment of truth: I removed the copper wire and cut the extended frames with my micro-scissors.

Cutting the extended frames with micro-scissors

 

With some cautious rocking of the shell, it came off cleanly.

 

The result is a quite strong hull with the typical exterior and interior look of a clinker-built boat. Unfortunately, some of the frames have moved a bit, but with a drop of acetone this can be fixed.

Hull begins to detach from the former

 

I noticed, that the frames did not glue well to the wash-strake, which is actually good, because on the prototype they did not continue to this strake, but ended under an in-whale. I will have find a way to cleanly cut the frames at the appropriate height and then continue with installing the cant-frames, in-whales, floor-boards, seats, etc.

Hull successfully taken off the former

 

I am actually wondering now, whether I could have assembled the hull in traditional clinker-fashion, with ‘edge-fastening’ the strakes only and then inserted the frames prototype-fashion afterwards. On the other hand, gluing the stem-keel-combination to the tied-down frames gave a rigid back-bone to work from. So this was probably the best way.

 

To be continued ....

[druxey]

I agree that, at that micro-size, the laps alone would probably not have held. Perhaps just a few frames (say, every fourth) might very well be enough, and then insert the remaining ones after the shell is off the plug. At any rate, the fixes are easy and a terrific result!

[BANYAN]

A great result using the plug method Eberhard; looks good and with the few minor repairs you mention will really good (especially at that scale).

 

cheers

 

Pat

[wefalck]

Thanks again for the friendly encouragement!

 

**********************************************

 

Jolly-Boat continued 4

 

After some deliberations, I decided to cut the top of the frames back to gunwale level using a sort of micro-scalpel made from a piece of razor-blade just under 1 mm wide and held in a holder meant for that purposes (they come from the biological/medical realm). 

 

Hull with frames cut back to gunwale level

 

Next went in the gunwale, laser-cut strips of paper 0.35 mm wide and 0.12 mm thick, and the inwales on which the seats rest, 0.5 mm x 0.12 mm. These were all lacquered in.

 

Hull with gunwales and inwales

 

On the prototype the floorboard, of course, were individual planks, but aligning them properly would have been rather difficult, so I cheated a bit and joined them. This will be barely visible under the seats eventually.

Floorboards installed in the hull

 

As my building was not as precise to the drawings, as I would have wished, the stern-sheets and the little platform in the bow required a bit of trial and error, and re-drawing for the laser-cutting. Still a bit of sanding to fit was required.

 

Sanding paper is not that much fun, but re-soaking it in lacquer after a few strokes with a diamond-file keeps fraying under control. 

 

Stern-sheets, rowing seats and bow-platform installed

 

I also laser-cut some foot-rests for the rowers – these parts are double layers of paper, with the actual rest about 0.2 mm x 0.2 mm in cross-section

The footrests for the rowers are visible just before the rowing seat behind

 

This concludes the main structural parts, but a lot of small bits and pieces still need to be done.

[Bob Cleek]

A true masterwork! The level of detail you've achieved at this small scale is amazing! Thanks for sharing it with us.

[BANYAN]

Amazingly clear and precise detail for that scale Eberhard; I'm impressed!

 

I can see some value in that small blade and holder; are they readily available online?

 

cheers

 

Pat

[mtaylor]

[Keith Black]

 Unbelievable and amazing, Eberhard. You have my upmost respect. 

[mbp521]

Just amazing work. I still have a hard time believing that you are using paper for this. 
 

-Brian

[wefalck]

Thanks, gentlemen, for your kind words!

 

Brian, I would rather use styrene sheet, but my little cheapo laser-cutter just doesn't deliver enough energy to evaporate/burn even thin styrene - plus the high reflectance of white material. Black styrene might work, but I don't think they make it in 0.15 mm, 0.2 mm or 0.25 mm thickness. Paper has a lot less of mass per volume to burn, than plastics.

 

Pat, I got it through ebay from China, search for 'surgical blade breaker'. I saw them decades ago in a catalogue for surgical instruments, but they were extremely expensive. I gather the Chines now sell 'seconds' through the Internet or just produce cheaper, so the stuff becomes affordable for non-professionals. However, for Europeans this source kind of dried up, since we are charged import duties now from the first cent on - and I am not happy with the geopolitical developments there.

 

[Mirabell61]

Great work Eberard,

that little cutter looks fantastic !

 

Nils

[Ras Ambrioso]

Nothing more to say that repeat my WOW.

[KeithAug]

Beautiful little boat Eberhard. I was surprised how well your late fixes worked, it looks perfect.

[wefalck]

Glad to hear that I lived up to your expectations  

 

***************************************************

 

Jolly-Boat continued 5

 

A short update before painting begins. A couple of small details were still missing, including the rubbing strake, for which again 0.2 mm copper wire was used, the stanchions under the seats, and the row-locks.

 

The stanchions were composed from three layers of laser-cut paper. Perhaps I should have milled them from brass rod, but I was somehow too lazy to take out my micro-mill.

Design of the row-locks. Drawing by Peter Rückert in LOGBUCH 2-2019.

 

The row-locks actually form the stanchions for the wash-strake, which structurally and strictly speaking is not part of the hull, but attached to it to heighten the free-board of the boat. They consist of two wooden clamps on which the actual row-lock in cast bronze sits. The wash-strake has square cut-outs for the oars, which are closed with wooden ‘shutters’ fitting into bevelled slots. To illustrate this, I enclose a drawing by a colleague and expert on the Imperial Navy boats, who sadly died last year much too young.

 

 

The basic shape of these tiny specs of paper were cut out using the laser-cutting and lacquered into place. Originally, I had envisaged to fashion them from brass, but had the feeling that they were just too small to make this practical.

 

 

I decided to show the locks closed, which saved me the trouble of having to cut out the square openings in the wash-strake. I just little scored them with a not too sharp scalpel.

 

With this, the boat is ready to be painted. There is still some iron hardware that has to go on, but this will be installed after the painting, as it is supposed to be galvanized iron. I am actually not sure, whether the iron-work was painted over or left bare, but think it will add more detail to leave it bare.

 

 

The first of paint on the outside is now drying …

 

 

To be continued ....

[mbp521]

This jolly boat just keeps getting better and better. It almost would warrant a build log for itself. Beautiful detail Eberhard. 
 

-Brian

[KeithAug]

Eberhard, congratulations - an amazing example of miniature fabrication.