Hello again all. Now that both hulls have been fully sheeted off, it's time to seal the balsa wood. In the past few builds, I have used epoxy marine resin. A bit harder than polyester resin. It worked reasonably well, but it is very hard to sand off. On this project, I am going to a new approach.Read on.......
As I said, I am going to try a new approach here. These are the materials. As you can see, fibreglass polyester resin on the left. Any brand will do. I'll brush this on as an initial coat for the wood sealing process. On the right is the new stuff. This is marine finish gel coat. It also contains polyester resin. But it also has titanium dioxide and styrene. I mixed this with the hardner and then brushed it on, moving quickly as pot life is only about 15 min. or so. It applies well, sort of like thick paint. The key is the styrene content. You could think of it as liquid styrene. I was pleased with the results, as it sands much like plastic. Alot easier than the epoxy resin.
Here are the results. Both hulls have now been treated with the polyester resin first, then two coats of the finish gel coat. Sanded smooth between each coat of both materials. I worked one side at a time. The sealing and finish quality of the gelcoat worked great, and it was relativly easy to sand. I used 200 grit auto paper. Note the white color. Although you can't see it well in the photo, both hulls are very smooth and sealed very well.
Another view here from a different angle. The DE's deck is still balsa. I will laminate it over with .030 styrene sheet before starting on the superstructure. Both hulls will soon be ready for primer coats, which will smooth things out even more.
Close up of the DE hull. Note some body filler work on the stern area. The filler sticks very well to the gelcoating, and blends very well too.
Closer view of the CVE here. Again note the uniformity of the finish.
Stb. side view of the CVE looking forward.. Note I have almost sanded through the gelcoat here in a couple of spots. Thats ok, as there is the fibreglass resin beneath. Not at all noticeable. These two mediums work very well together.
Here I have formed in the bow area of the DE with autobody filler, and shot a little primer on to check for imperfections, some of which you can see. I'll hit those with a little glazing putty, then sand and prime again.
Another view here. I applied the filler to the edge of the styrene strip I added earlier, to get that sharp edge line. Anchors are cast metal.
Overhead view of the DE bow.
The CVE's bow has now been formed in again using the body filler. Note the bulwark, fabricated from .010 styrene then blended into the hull with the filler. The red spot you see is the glazing putty I spoke of. Sort of like very thick primer, almost a paste. Some of the hawse lips have been added. "Cap" on top of bulwark is thin telephone wire.
Another view here. Bulwark is a tricky piece to do, even with .010 styrene. Difficult to get it to curve correctly in one piece, so I did it in three. Hull is made to be below the boot topping a little bit to show some red hull, when finished. You won't see much red depending on the water action. Anchor hawses and anchors yet to be installed.
Forecastle deck details here. A mix of different materials used here. Styrene, cast metal, brass, etc. Again note the bulwark. Bracing is .025 styrene. Once the flightdeck is attached, you won't see much of this.
Another view here. A few more closed chocks to be added as well as the rest of the hawse lips. Forward 3 roller chocks were scratchbuilt using styrene strip and rod. I'll add anchor chains after paintwork. Deck is .040 styrene sheet, with 1/16" balsa beneath.
Overhead view here.
Stern area here. The deck, transom, and other items here are all .040 styrene sheet. Lots to add here yet.
Things are moving along. Much more detail to be added to both hulls before priming and final color schemes. Stay tuned, more to come........I continue on...................
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hi bill,i like the process of using gel coat as a finish coat on your carrier .one question on it,does it want to run or is it thick enough to stay put when applied.
ARH wrote:I have got my eye on you, your moving very rapidly, a very nice build so far.
I have my eye on you, too.......and I got the gloves on!!! Seriously though, sounds like you are feeling much better. That is a good thing. I admire your strength and perseverence through difficult times. I doubt if I could be as tough. Twelve years ago, when I first dove into this realm, you were there and I learned alot from you. I was the "grasshopper", remember? Times change and I have moved on finding my own way and methods of doing things. I thank you for the jump start, and I look forward to your new endeavor, as well as your continued well being. Thank you Admiral, you are truly a Master Builder.My Best Wishes to you for continued good times.......Bill W.
Waldorf Productions / Museum Quality Model Warships
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What adhesive do you use to laminate the styrene to the wood? I'm always concerned about gluing dissimilar materials.
Love it! Keep going!
Regards,
Bob
Hello Carr, Thanks for the post. In answer to your question.....I use contact adhesive to bond styrene to wood. Very effective and the bond is water resistant and very strong. Works well on thickness above .020 styrene. Some points to remember....always sand the styrene first with 200 grit paper, automotive wet or dry works best.Apply adhesive to BOTH surfaces. Let the adhesive dry until you can't pull it with your finger, it is then ready. On critical joints, make sure your alignment is correct. Contact adhesive is a one shot deal. Get it wrong and you won't pull the two pieces apart. Great stuff if used correctly....HTH...Bill W.
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russclark wrote:hi bill,i like the process of useing gell coat as a finish coat on your carrier .one question on it,does it want to run or is it thick enough to stay put when applied.
Hey Russ.....Thanks for the post. This is my first attempt with the gelcoat medium. I laid the hulls on their sides to apply the stuff. Not because of sags or runs, just easier to get at. As far as I can tell, it does not run or sag. Really the best way to apply it is with a spray gun. Gelcoat guns are available, but I wanted to test the material before making the investment on the equipment to spray the stuff. About $200.00 USD for a good gun. The only drawback I can see with this medium is cost. It's about $37.00 a pint USD. I coated both hulls twice, with a little left over with one pint. Sufficient to seal the wood smooth. Smaller projects take less, bigger more, goes without saying. I really like how this works, so I will probably make the investment in due time, although the brush method seems to work well and is alot cheaper. Depends on how far one wants to go. Spraying gelcoat is faster, you reduce the material by 15% with thinner.See pkg. directions. The finish is alot smoother by spraying, although it has a tendancy to "orange peel". With brushing you get brush marks. Just the nature of the material. Sanding is probably easier using the spray method. Thats my observations so far............
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Hi Bill I have used this material but paste like and applied it with a spatula similar to that of a fillers the surface is as say when sanded is very good . I see you apply the good old saying less speed more haste given your build time window.
Dave Wooley
Dave Wooley wrote:Hi Bill I have used this material but paste like and applied it with a spatula similar to that of a fillers the surface is as say when sanded is very good . I see you apply the good old saying less speed more haste given your build time window.
Dave Wooley
Hello Dave, Thanks for the post. As far as the build time window, the June date is somewhat unrealistic. That would leave me about three months to finish, mount, and deliver two ships. That is not going to happen. I will not sacrifice the quailty of the build for the sake of speed. It won't leave here till it's ready........They can wait!
Waldorf Productions / Museum Quality Model Warships
Custom Building Services Available
Dave Wooley wrote:Hi Bill I have used this material but paste like and applied it with a spatula similar to that of a fillers the surface is as say when sanded is very good . I see you apply the good old saying less speed more haste given your build time window.
Dave Wooley
Hello Dave, Thanks for the post. As far as the build time window, the June date is somewhat unrealistic. That would leave me about three months to finish, mount, and deliver two ships. That is not going to happen. I will not sacrifice the quailty of the build for the sake of speed. It won't leave here till it's ready........They can wait!
Hi Bill Well said . Quality first - delivery date second I would go with that every time
Dave Wooley
Hello again all Now that the hulls have been sealed with resin and gelcoat, I'll move on to details on the sides of the CVE hull. Since the carrier is a bit more involved than the DE, I felt I would start here 1st, putting the DE on hold for now. In this post, I thought I would go through the sequence of construction on these hull details for the CVE. The first place to start is with the drawings....Lets take a tour..........
One of the more challenging aspects here are the sponsons along the side of the hull. This is a top view of the sponsons and the midships platform, stb. side. I'll use these patterns for the styrene decks that are mounted to the sponsons.
Here's the aft sponson from portside. I've noted some details that I will add.
The forward sponson layout, again from port side.
Midships platform from port.
I have transferred the drawings to poster board, then cut them out as shown here. These will be the patterns for the decks and the sponsons themselves.
Using the patterns, I have cut out the parts from the materials I'll be using here. Balsa for the sponsons, .030 styrene for the decks, platform and supports.
Again using the drawings for reference, I have drawn out the working lines here on the stb. side of the CVE hull. This is the aft sponson area.
Same procedure used here for the fwd. sponson area.
An overall view of the working lines, from stb. side.
I'll begin the forward sponson by gluing the back and the top together. Note the small jig used here to get the correct angle of the hull.
Here I have added 1/16" balsa sheet between the back and the top sides to get the basic shape. I'll true this up a bit with 80 grit sandpaper before proceeding.
Next, I have prepared some autobody filler and smoothed it all over the rough shape of this sponson. Before the filler is completly cured, sort of rubbery, I'll shape this out again using 80 grit paper, then follow with 220.
Sponson now shaped and sanded. I have added a strip of .010 x .125 styrene along the top edge.
Here's an end view, looking fwd.
The aft sponson is a bit less complex in shape than the forward one. Here I have shaped a balsa block for the aft sponson, adding the styrene strip as before. Shown here in it's relative position along the hull.
Another view here.
Both sponsons now shaped, sanded and primed and ready for installation.
Another view here.
Along the hull sides, there are several recessed openings. Two are above the fwd. and aft sponsons, and are access ways to the hanger deck via double w/t doors. The others, 4 in all, are louvers which have fans behind them for hanger deck ventilation. I have marked their locations along the hull, and will now cut these out.
Using a Dremel with a small router bit, I carefully cut out the openings using my lines for a reference.
The opening for the double w/t doors now cut out and trued up with a file.
To make the recessed areas for the doors, I fabricated a simple box from .030 styrene, leaving one side open. I then added a small flange around three sides of the box, from.010 styrene, then the two w/t doors, resin cast by me. I'll make four of these all together, two on each side. This is now ready to install.
Here is one of the louver openings. The louver itself is a Lego part, works great here. I'll glue this behind the opening. There are eight of these in total, four on each side.
Doors and louvers now installed.
I'll now add the flightdeck drain pipe. 3/32" styrene tube used here.
Drainpipe installed.
Discharge tubes added along the hull sides.
Next, I'll add the refueling hoses above the aft sponson deck and the midships platform. .040 styrene strip and .047 rod used here.
Aft sponson installed using 2 part, 6 minute epoxy.
Another view here.
Forward sponson installed. Note those recessed openings.
Another view.
Due to the shape of the hull, the fwd. sponson does not fit quite right. I have masked it off here and have applied filler to get rid of any small gaps between the sponson and the hull side joint.
With the sponsons installed, I now add the supports under the decks and the midship platform, shown here.
Contact cement used here to attach the decks. This is the top of the fwd. sponson.
Apply the cement to the bottom of the decks, also.
Midships platform now installed. I have added an ABS railing.
Fwd. sponson deck installed and railings added.
Aft sponson deck installed and railings added.
Accomodation ladder added, as well as w/t door and ladder. I fabricated the acc. ladder from some spare parts.
Ladders and a cast metal lifering added to fwd. sponson area.
Lastly, I have added the 35' boat boom. Tapered wood dowel used here. Pinstripe tape used to simulate the metal rings around the boom and some small steel eyelets added.
This and the following photos show everything completed and primed, ready soon for final paintwork. A few small details to be added as soon as I get them.
Well, there you have it. A step by step procedure on the hull sides. Not the only way to do this, just thought I would show how I do it. Stay tuned....more to come......I continue on............
Waldorf Productions / Museum Quality Model Warships
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Hi Bill, Your getting quicker by the day, I will have to come and tie thoughs little Grasshopper hands together, keep up the good work, its looking awsome.
Now that both hulls have been fully sheeted off, it's time to seal the balsa wood. In the past few builds, I have used epoxy marine resin. A bit harder than polyester resin. It worked reasonably well, but it is very hard to sand off. On this project, I am going to a new approach.Read on.......
your moving very rapidly, a very nice build so far. 
Good step by step how to .