The Ship Model Forum

KEEL LAYING CEREMONY!

Yesterday I laid the keel down! Here's how it went down:

I had purchased a 6' long by 1' wide standard melamine shelf from Lowe's which turned out to be 11 3/4" wide. I found and marked the center-line, then marked out 1/8" inch from either side of that for the 1/4" wide styrene keel piece. From there I added another 1.5" for the jig blocks. I also got 2 sticks of 1" x 2" x 4' long Spruce for the jig blocks. Since the milled size is 3/4" by 1.5", that is the perfect dimension for the jig blocks. I sliced the stick into 1.5" x 1.5" blocks since the rib spacing is 1.553" on center. Then I took my 6' bar level and aligned it on both sides like so:



And the other end of the board of course:



Then I clamped the bar level down:



Then I marked the center-line laterally and started laying out the keel from the C/L forwards:






Verifying the square as I go with the AL jig I had made:




Between frames 15 and 16 and 24 and 25, there are the two joins which will have two vertical members going up to lock everything together. The Aluminum jig will come in handy there to for perfect alignment.









The aft 'joint':



Now the true test:





Perfectly straight!

Frame 1 back in place for now:



These I call 'top locks' they will keep the keep down on the board for now.




That's it for now! Thanks for following my build and thanks for your supportive comments!

Congratulations Michael. You have a long long way in front of you

I know Jorge, thanks!

Interesting project.

I will be watching with great interest. I really do love to watch you guys that scratchbuild pull a project together!

davetwin wrote:Interesting project.

I will be watching with great interest. I really do love to watch you guys that scratchbuild pull a project together!

Thanks Dave! We do too I think...

I am watching with great interest, with every intention of flattering you.
By that, I mean by imitating everything I can!
Don Lewis
In the ways: USS IWO JIMA (LPH-2) in 1:200 scratchbuilt.

Thanks Don!

Anything that I can share with you, let me know. Jorge has been very gracious and shared things with me, and I am sure he will with you too!

I just got finished with my 1/350 Wasp, and if you would like to see my pics, PM me your email and I will send you the Photobucket link and the links to my other ships.

Today I am notching the frames for the longitudinal stringers.

Good day gents! Hope you had a safe holiday, those in the US anyways!

I had a good weekend building-wise and I got a lot done and a chore I was dreading, the notches for the stringers.

After I set the keel, I needed to re-assemble the frames and make the spars and check for level and straightness:

I started with the bow and made the top spar and checked for level:





Working aft:



Checking the alignment between the top spars: (The hanger bay deck will sit on these)




Alignment of the joints:





Test fit of the hanger decks:




Aft section of the ship:


Dead balls level!


And square:









A couple of steps back and you really get a sense of its size!




The bow:




Next was the notching. I went to Michael's, an art supply chain here in the states, and I went to the paper punch isle, where they get the stuff to make photo albums and that sort of thing, and I found a 'square' punch. Well it's really a rectangle 1/16" by 1/4" and has square corners. Originally I was going to do it like I did the center square holes, with a #17 square edge chisel X-acto blade, but this method worked much better. I could gauge the depth more easily with this tool:





I am going to use mostly .060" by 1/4" and .100" by 1/4" in some places it needed, but I think the 60 thou will suffice:






That aluminum block I had made will come in ver handy for squaring up the frames. Here is a shot of it placed near the bow:




As you can see you can easily see if the top spar is aligned with the keel below. I will be able to pull it straight into vertical with this block, as well as 'weld' vertical beams in place. Tomorrow the .060' stock should come in to my local hobby shop and I can start gluing the frames in place. Tonight I going to take it all down again and then glue the vertical beams in place. The aluminum block has a notch that the beams will sit in perfectly vertical and I can then glue/weld them to the keel. This will lock everything together both vertically and longitudinally.

More pics:



I know these are not seated correctly yet:





Once the model is skinned, I will set the hanger deck in place and temp mount the bulkheads and then I plan on filling the voids with liquid expanding model foam like this: http://rocketrywarehouse.com/product_in ... cts_id=467 and that should make the hull very solid and keep it from twisting and flexing.

My thoughts for sheeting the hull are to take a large sheet of styrene and heating it in the oven and then placing it on the upside down hull and letting gravity and more heat do its thing. Just a thought for now, we'll see.

That's it for now. I will post more soon! Thanks for looking and following!

MC

Wow, she is taking shape so fast . Be careful with bending problem

You are making a great job, i love it.

Jorge

Jaguar wrote:Wow, she is taking shape so fast . Be careful with bending problem

You are making a great job, i love it.

Jorge

Thanks Jorge!

Yes, I am being VERY careful of the bending problem and that is why I am building it on that jig, to keep the keel arrow straight!

I think that will all of the longitudinal tubes I am installing, and once it's filled with foam, I should get very little twist or sway.

I hope!

Hello Gentleman and thanks for tuning in again!

So the last two or three weeks have seen some heavy progress! I have the hull all glued up and it is rock solid! I don't even have it skinned yet and it is very rigid.

When I last left off, I was cutting the notches for the longitudinal stringers and that took about a week to do properly. I made a couple of mistakes early, but corrected them as I went along. Once they were all cut and aligned, it was time to start gluing up the hull. I took a few days and leveled all of the frames using the hanger bay as the reference as it is the main deck on the ship. I ensured that all of the frames were level to that point and that they all aligned with the stringers too. I used various straight edges to ensure that all of the frames touched at the hanger deck.










Then I started gluing the 'top cap' or top spar to the vertical risers I had glued in. I used the milled block as perfect vertical to make sure it aligned vertically with the keel below:




I glued all of the upper contact points:





Ensuring that it is perfectly straight:


And level:





Oh, prior to me gluing the top spar in place, I added 3/4" blocks to six points on the keel and trimmed the jig blocks to fit and then I drilled a 1/4" hole at each point and then hammered in blind capture nuts for the mounting supports:





Back to the hull:

Then I started assembling the bow frames and its top spar with is just under the flight deck:
I also added that 1/2" crossmember to tie in the 1/4" round rods: That 1/2" piece will support the very forward hanger bay wall, but that will not ever be in view. The hanger bay starts way aft of that point and there will be a bulkhead there too, and this hidden compartment will be able to hold electronics for ship lighting or other features.





I used that milled block everywhere to ensure all parts were straight and plumb. It was SUCK a handy tool to use and BIG thanks to Mark for making it for me!






I used the block and made sure all of the frames were as square as possible, and then glued them in place to both the keel and the internal stringers, the 1/4" round and square stock. I made an "X" at the top of each frame to mark the ones that I glued and checked afterwards. I was stunned at how rigid it all came out. I do not think I am going to use the expanding foam between the frames after all.






I came out just a little bit off with the lateral level:



So I took a small torch lighter and heated the fwd riser and corrected it a bit.

Rough fit of the hanger dec:






Looking in from "EL Three":


And EL Two and One:


EL One:


So the next step is to start running the stringers: I started mid hull:




Next I did the port side to keep them equal:




Now the lower one:



And the upper one:



I don't know if you can see them, but I "gusseted" the hanger bay frames with 1/4" cut pieces of 1/4" x 1/4" angle stock, so each frame is very well secured at the top. I'll take a better pic of them, but you get the idea.

At this point all of the topside stringers were in place and the big moment came, to cut it loose of the hold downs and see how rigid this thing actually was! Also, I was hoping that I didn't glue it down to the board anywhere. The mounting board I am using seems pretty impervious to the Bondene cement that I am using by Plastruct, but it does melt the :censored_2: out of the styrene. So I unscrewed all of the jig blocks, starting at the bow, and a few of them did get stuck to the keel, but they were fairly easy to cut loose. I just used a chisel blade #17 Xacto blade and small hammer and they came right off!

So here is a blurry picture of me holding it at the center point in the hanger bay by the top spar, and there is zero sag:



Here she is sitting on just the milled tool and showing there is no sag or warping:





Next, I flipped her over and started running the bottom two stringrers:




Again, picking her up by the keel and she is solid:


I made 6 mounting points, but only 4 or 5 will be screwed down and one or two will be feeds for power and/or controls. I may do it a slightly different way and drill a couple of extra holes, but I will deermine that after I sheet the hull, but before the hanger bay goes down. This week I will be gluing in 1/4" angle stock for gluing the hanger bay down for increased surface contact. Especially at frame 25 where the two hanger bay sections meet.





Here she is all glued and tight and with the straight edge down the top spar, and you can see it is arrow straight:





As she sits today ready for sheeting:




Hope you enjoyed the pics and my work.

My plans for doing the sponsons and the overhangs are this: I ordered a bunch of sheets of 1/2" thick balsa 36" long and I will glue down the copies of the plans I had made. I have a 'plan' view for each of the decks from the second deck down to the 04 level and it clearly marks the width and shape of each sponson at the top of that deck and the bottom, so I know the slope. I will use the band saw and cut each deck out along with alignment marks that I will pre-mark like I did with the frames, then glue the stack together and then shape the outer curves with a spokeshave. I'm pretty good at carving, so this should work. Once I have the shapes done, i will cover with .010" or .020" sheet styrene. I will most likely heat the sheet and sorta vac bag it.

That's it for now, thanks for looking!

Really impressive work Michael.
The shape is beautiful and is almost finished.
I can�t wait to see more

Jorge

wow is right.what a massive project,you are doing a great job,very neet and precise,keep up the great work

Sharp work. The pics on the bench really show the size of this ship. You used a LOT of frames for this ship. I guess you'll need that since you're working in styrene, and of course if your linesplan is accurate, you'll have a very accurate hull shape.
Keep it going, this is really interesting.

First off, thanks guys for all of the great comments. Very motivating! Yes, Neptune, I used all of the fuse sections ot ensure accuracy, and I can only hope that the plans I got are accurate. He seems to have a good product.

So big progress on the 3D printing business. I went on a lunch date last week on the newly re-designed Lancaster Blvd. and there was a 3D printing business so I stopped in and show the owner "Lino" pictures of my project and what I was thinking, and it just so happened that he had worked in the Movie biz on many movies, including "Transformers" series, so he knew just want I wanted to do. I went down there a few times and he schooled me and showed me what programs to get and files, and he found some too, and the first one he found was the F-14A, so we did some editing to it and he did a test print:

This is it just coming out of the printer after a 22 1/2 hour print run:



Literally still dripping from the photopolymer.

Next he cleans it with a mild Simple Green solution and iso-propyl alchohol:



Then it has to be separated from the "table":




And it goes into a UV chamber to fully cure for a couple of hours. I had to go home so I could not take it last night.






So last night I fit a bunch of EL brackets to glue the hanger deck down to. It needed them at the hanger bay 1-2 seam for sure, but I added a bunch at the stern to securely glue and brace the fantail.. There is slight flex at the stern, but that will go away once the hull is sheeted and the HB is glued down. I used the milled tool to ensure a flush fit:




So today I went down and checked it out:






There was an 'error' on the run and you can see it here: The fuse has a gap and also the intakes. He thinks that a poly got deleted by accident. Also, one wing got cut off and the tails have flaws. This is actually considered a 'failure'






You can see it to scale:


We boxed it carefully for transport home:












Looking in from EL 3:



Even the Pitot tubes came out. Whether they survive my big hands painting them, is another matter..LOL




I have found virtually every aircraft except the EA-3B Skywarrior, and our plans for that are that I will get a 1/48 scale kit and cobble it together without paint or major details and we will laser scan it with the scanners he has. Once that is scanned, I will clean it up and get it ready for printing. As for cockpits, I will make a mould of the cockpits and then vac bag then like Jorge did with his. Although Lino has a new polymer coming that we could print very thin sections, so we'll see?

Thanks again for looking and keep the comments coming....

What were those green things in the first couple of pictures? They kind of look like cylinders for revolvers...

They are, but I do not know the specifics. He told some other customer and I overheard, but I was so mesmerized it went in one and out the other. I'll ask him when I go back in tomorrow.

In any case, that's a damn fine "first try" at 3D-printing an aircraft and it's awesome he has a 3D scanner.

Personally I can't wait for the second-generation (or third, or whatever) 3D printers to come around; those are going to be the ones that can really open up the ability of your average person to make truly special things without having to spend a lifetime (or less!) having to learn the trade. I'll be following your build as I have done already.

Goodwood wrote:In any case, that's a damn fine "first try" at 3D-printing an aircraft and it's awesome he has a 3D scanner.

Personally I can't wait for the second-generation (or third, or whatever) 3D printers to come around; those are going to be the ones that can really open up the ability of your average person to make truly special things without having to spend a lifetime (or less!) having to learn the trade. I'll be following your build as I have done already.

Quote from Lino:

They are a recreation of a movie prop from the film Dusk Till Dawn. The character wells a belt that has a pistol mechanism in it.. It is a bit iconic because its built like male anatomy�

Thanks for following the build. As for this being printed on the "frist" generation machines, not hardly. The technology according to Lino started in 1986-ish and really got going in '91. Those were the first generation machines. These are very well developed and the one that is printing these costs $100,000.00!!!! When it was new, he bought it used. This guy really knows his stuff and repairs and modifies all his own equipment. He has I think five or six different ones and each one is of a different type. I talked to him today and he says he has a new clear polymer coming that we should be able to print the canopies in clear and them have very thin cross-sections. He says that for $2500.00 you can get a decent printer, but it won't do items this delicate.

I have finally found all of the aircraft. I was missing the EA-3 "The Whale", but I found a 3D model of it for $30.00 and I found a guy that did all of the small boats. I have located all of the aircraft, all of the bombs and missiles, all of the tugs, the spotting dolly, all of the NAN carts and NC-4. My buddy Jason is going to model me the jacks and B-4 and B-1&2 stands in Solidworks. I found the company that makes them and I have detailed prints.

Goodwood wrote:In any case, that's a damn fine "first try" at 3D-printing an aircraft and it's awesome he has a 3D scanner.

Personally I can't wait for the second-generation (or third, or whatever) 3D printers to come around; those are going to be the ones that can really open up the ability of your average person to make truly special things without having to spend a lifetime (or less!) having to learn the trade. I'll be following your build as I have done already.

Quote from Lino:

They are a recreation of a movie prop from the film Dusk Till Dawn. The character wears a belt that has a pistol mechanism in it.. It is a bit iconic because its built like male anatomy�

Thanks for following the build. As for this being printed on the "first" generation machines, not hardly. The technology according to Lino started in 1986-ish and really got going in '91. Those were the first generation machines. These are very well developed and the one that is printing these costs $100,000.00!!!! When it was new, he bought it used. This guy really knows his stuff and repairs and modifies all his own equipment. He has I think five or six different ones and each one is of a different type. I talked to him today and he says he has a new clear polymer coming that we should be able to print the canopies in clear and them have very thin cross-sections. He says that for $2500.00 you can get a decent printer, but it won't do items this delicate.

I have finally found all of the aircraft. I was missing the EA-3 "The Whale", but I found a 3D model of it for $30.00 and I found a guy that did all of the small boats. I have located all of the aircraft, all of the bombs and missiles, all of the tugs, the spotting dolly, all of the NAN carts and NC-4. My buddy Jason is going to model me the jacks and B-4 and B-1&2 stands in Solidworks. I found the company that makes them and I have detailed prints.