Hello again all!
some more bits of progress on RETTER ( saviour/ rescuer in English )
study of the plan ( not really--more a ( sketch) drawing... and analysis of the 2x photos that exist ( so far...!)
along with study of the fine ( but simplified ) Builders model...
showed that all sources concur on the position, shape and number of mooring fairlead apertures !
these were shaped as squared-round-ended-flattened-ovals
alas ...( I have no better description !

") in shape
These on the real vessel had large reinforced beaded edges--
to simulate these I needed to make the aforementioned shapes..(!)
I used 2 x same sized drill bits and wound some thin gunmetal wire round them as a ' ovaloid ' spiral
once cut and squeezed to shape
the discarding process began
Once in place....
there are rather a lot
I then started to make the main superstructure blocks, using large lumps of styrene square bonded together
On the real thing these were painted steel structures
I test fitted them onto their allocated pencil marks
...( and was not displeased with the look of the 'butter-paper'-tread-plate decking
I was fortunate in having some suitable left overs from years of buying
and collecting potentially useful PE sheets ...
Cutting and shutting to sizes to suit I was able to achieve a reasonably sharp
hollow and correct sized, doored and and windowed wheelhouse!
The fwd face was veeeery slightly angled to allow for the up-sweep of the sheer line
The wheelhouse roof was cut from the bamboo planking sheet
and then a fine wire beading was installed.
the same thing for the top of the funnel deck and bridge deck
The beading was glued on at the
HALFWAY height of the decking sheet ( which is quite thin anyhow..(!)
The excess adhesive was sanded of the bottom-- this fragile deck was a difficult thing to hold to sand
-until I used a lump of Blu-Tack to move the deck around on my sanding block..( simples!

)
the reason for the half height gluing of the beading wire ...
is so that I can install the railing
level with the deck
and at the same time achieve a very clean demarcation line of metal to wood
this should illustrate what I am trying for ...
(we shall see ! )
More progress shortly!
JIM b
