USS Ranger by mattsayers148 - FINISHED - Corel SM55 - 1:64 - 4th build, 2nd build log

[mattsayers148]

I feel ya Boyd, sometimes I get that headache that starts in your eyeball, wraps over your head and down your back.

 

I went to Office Depot and only found the standard blueprint items. I did leave there with a bag of rubber bands and a nice desk lamp with a pretty decent magnifying lens.(sorry Buck, I'm still fighting over the head gear) I printed out that conversion chart at full size but it's 1/16 per inch short. The idea of a printout ruler glued to a stick sounds like a good idea.

[Salty Sea Dog]

If you give a man a scale ruler he can figure sizes at those scales. But If you teach a man to fish, he can scale a fish...wait a minute, I think that may not be how that goes. Anyway, the important thing is Matt needs a way to figure 1:64 sizes.

 

Let me get all old school on you. First we want everything in the same unit of measure (inches). So 1 foot = 12". 12" divided by 64 = .1875" which is a decimal way of saying 3/16". So 1:64 scale is the same as 3/16" = 1' scale.

 

When I made the little buckets for my 1:25 whaleboat and Lawrence's 1:50 schooner, I used the 1:16 plans from the New Bedford Whaleboat. If this kit is in your ships locker Matt, of if any kit in your locker has plans that have a scale "ruler" on them, you are half way there. Just make a photo copy of the scale ruler and then play around with the copier's reduce setting until the 1' increments equal your 1:64's scale size of 3/16".

 

You could just go full old school and draw a straight line on a piece of paper. With a ruler, make tick marks at every 1" increment. In the first increment, add more tics at each 1/4". These will be 3" increments in your new scale which you could divide later into 3 to make inches when it's to scale. Put that on a copier and reduce so the increments are 3/16" apart.

 

Hope that helps. I'm off to the mountains for a week and will have no signal or internet - bliss! Good luck!

[mattsayers148]

CaptainHarry has been hard at work designing gun port and sweep port locations. He's handed over these drawings to Woodie who is now in the process of figuring placement and construction of the ports.

Multiple crews have been working on side planking, port framing and covers.

Salty, being adept at stone work, has been given the task of designing a galley fire hearth. As the men have slowly been completing their basic training, the Nutz Bros have been giving out their construction assignments.

 

I, for my part, am continuing the construction on the armaments while occasionally lending a hand to the Nutz until basic training is complete.

[mattsayers148]

Thanks for the info Buck, and enjoy the absence of cellular and wifi connection.

 

This is my crude ruler that I've been using. A tick every 1/16(4inches) and the feet marks written in.

 

If you want to scale real life or from one scale to another go here...

http://webpages.charter.net/sinkwich/sdventure/html/sd_scalecalc2.htm

 

Transfer to your digital caliper...and there it is. There may be a faster way.

Edited May 3, 2015 by matt.s.s.

[mattsayers148]

http://www.rslaserkits.com/ScaleRulers.pdf

 

Here's one that printed out perfect.

[mtaylor]

Matt,

 

I popped the question here:  http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/10427-scale-ruler-from-msw-10/    The one you download looks great.   The one I'm asking about actually has, of all things, inch marks.   Twelve per each 3/16" foot.  Tiny... I need new glasses.

[thomaslambo]

http://www.rslaserkits.com/ScaleRulers.pdf

 

Here's one that printed out perfect.

Nice, it does print out perfectly.  I'll use card stock and then laminate it for durability. 

[mattsayers148]

I ended up working with some of the tiny stuff today. I used 28ga wire to make all the eyelets.

Final look except I still need to do the chains.

[mtaylor]

Luv it... looks fantastic. 

[Canute]

Neat looking brass mortars, Matt.

[GLakie]

That's some nice engineering in miniature Matt! I think you and Buck are competing for who can make the tiniest. 

[usedtosail]

Those are beautiful little mortars you have there, Matt.

[mattsayers148]

Thanks Mark, Ken, George, Tom and everyone for the likes.

 

The new magnifying lamp works great. I was able to see small enough to get a screw out of my watch parts for the rear of my carronade.

[Canute]

Love that little carronade, Matt. Well done on that elevating screw.

[mattsayers148]

So I went off kilter a little bit again. I picked up a 2008 version of an 18th century naval smoothbore by MS. I wanted to get more accurate dimentions for the cannons and gun ports.

Just like my version of the 18th century mortar, this was a simple, straightforward kit that I would definitely recommend. Everything for the cannon is cast Britannia and the rest is basswood. I switched out all the brass eyelets with gunmetal and added a brass tube above the port lid for the chain to pass through. For all the wood I finished similar to my Launch kit.

 

It was beaten up with a hook blade and then aged oak gel stain was applied, sanded then early American applied then final sand with a light coat of grey minwax. The Britannia was ground down, removing all the cast eyelets to be replaced with gunmetal. Then all parts CA'd and painted matt black and dark blue(I like it better than the recommended red).

What I have left is the tackle with single and double blocks and make a sponge, rammer, scoop and worm.

All parts were measured off and then converted from 1:24(cannon kit) to 1:64 for my pirate ship. This is where I'm at odds. A guy did a new version of this kit on YouTube an said it should be 1:16 instead of 1:24.

 

{At 1:24 entire length of real life cannon would be 100 inches with bore of 4.56, this woul be a 12pdr}

{At 1:16 entire length or real life cannon would be 66.72 inches with a bore of 3.02, this would be a 4pdr}

For height at top of top rail - 1:24 is 64.8 inch and 1:16 is 43.2 inches in real life. These are drastically different and leaves me unsure what's correct. From where I sit, 1:24 seems to be what it is. Anyone have some guidance for me?

[GLakie]

Hi Matt!  Been wondering what you've been up to.  It seems like the differences between your pirate ship and the cannon are going to require some serious gun-port mods no matter what. I think I'd be more inclined to go with the size it says it is on the cannon's box rather than what some guy says on YouTube though. Those cannon all pretty much look alike except for the size, so instead of a 12 pndr, call it say, a 32 pndr. to more match the scale of the ship.

[mtaylor]

Matt,

 

Have a look here:  http://modelshipworldforum.com/resources/Armaments/Building%20the%20Laser%20Cut%20Cannon%20Carriage%20Kit.pdf   There's plans at the end for a 12 pdr and a 6 pdr. (and they're in 1:64)  If you go here:  http://modelshipworldforum.com/ship-model-armaments-and-cannon.php  there's plans for a 3, 6. and 9 pdr.  (these plans are in 1:12). 

 

Model Expo shows that kit at 1:24. 

[thomaslambo]

Matt,

 

Beautiful work as usual....I use my desk lamp magnifier as well, just can't get comfortable with the head set.  I also bought a higher strength pair of reading glasses that really help for close up work.

 

Keep up the excellent work my friend 

Edited May 10, 2015 by thomaslambo

[mattsayers148]

Thank you George, CaptainSteve, Buck, Mark and Boyd for the likes, assistance and encouragement.

 

Hey George, you are correct, I just added a whole lot of work for myself with the gun ports and sweep ports.

 

Hey Mark, thanks for the links. I had seen those plans somewhere and had to do some digging through piles of rubble to find them. The dimensions for the 12pdr matches up with this kit. Also, I think it was near the first link, there's a really cool plan for a stern lantern.

 

Hey Boyd, I'm definitely loving the magnifying lamp. It doesn't give me the crazy eyes like the reading glasses do.

[Canute]

Matt, those cannon look great.

 

Guess the Nutz Brother will have some alterations to the ports. Keep 'em working and out of the grog.

[mattsayers148]

Here's the end product. Thanks Ken, I'll have to keep those boys trudging ahead.

 

Now that I have some good dimensions, it's back to the pirate cutter. Many a modification will be in store to keep me and the Nutz family busy for awhile.

[GLakie]

Ah!!! From what I've seen, you won't have any problem at all Matt!!!

[Canute]

Matt, really like the distressing you did to the deck under the carriage wheels. Looks good.

[Salty Sea Dog]

Thanks George, this would definitely be a cool scratch build project. There's a lot of room to do some really detailed work. I just hope I can do it justice at 1:64!

Sounds like your heading to lighted Optivisor territory to me!

[mattsayers148]

Thanks George, Ken, Buck and to everyone for the likes.

 

You guys are having more faith in me than I am about now! I might have to build a burial plot to hold all the twisted and jacked up parts that don't make it into a picture. You may be right Buck, I may be avoiding the inevitable Optivisor.

 

I've been busy with work but was finally able to finish cannon 3.0 today. I now have a nice supply of scraps to turn into culverins later on.

Edited May 17, 2015 by matt.s.s.

[GLakie]

Some awesome looking firepower there Matt!   It'd be cool if they let you board her, provided it stays there long enough. You might want to check on the "boys" Matt! It's been pretty quiet around here lately, and that means they've either been really busy, or they did something to get themselves locked up.    Might have to spring 'em. 

[GLakie]

Sounds like it'd be a blast!  8 days of sun, bikinis, and plenty of sauce. Any stop-offs?

[mtaylor]

George, go to the link Matt provided.  They run two ships up and down the coast with stop offs.  There's also several "adventure" type trips for a day, as I recall.  It's on my 'bucket list'... 

[thomaslambo]

You guys are having more faith in me than I am about now! I might have to build a burial plot to hold all the twisted and jacked up parts that don't make it into a picture. You may be right Buck, I may be avoiding the inevitable Optivisor.

 

Matt,

 

I feel you, I've got a box of way to many reject prototype parts myself, and this is my first build...I think of it as my battle with the dark side   

 

Great finish on the battle station, love the aged/worn look....and sweet looking weapons for the Ranger (thanks for the penny in the pic) 

Edited May 17, 2015 by thomaslambo

[mattsayers148]

Thanks Boyd for the kind pep talk.

 

Cannon 1.0 failed the balance test...didn't feel like taking a brass bullet to the chest! Cannon 2.0 had a solder failure and blew off the base ring near completion...3 evenings and 8+ hrs gone in a blink of an eye! I probably could have saved it and made a repair, but the OCD has a tight grip over me. I would end up starring at it in disgust til I made a better one.

 

So by cannon 3.0, determination kicked OCD to the side. 6hrs straight with gentile shaping, and Now I can live with it. I had arrogantly thought I was pretty good at soldering, having joined many a copper pipes together. I have thrown that notion into the trash bin.

 

One way that I found helpful was to solder with a candle. It freed up a hand and allowed for much greater control of temperature, but I still have much to learn.