The Ship Model Forum

From the age of sail to the age of 3D-printing!

Thanks for the detailed tutorial!

Really got the bitts between your teeth now..! I'll see myself out

Attention to detail, research etc is absolutely phenomenal.

Thanks for the comments gentlemen.

In the meantime, it has turned out that I have a nice challenge as I had only sketched out all the inner structures at the beginning of furbishing the lower gun deck and was that I was only going by sight ...

But as soon as one has to handle reference or chain dimensions, it becomes tricky ...



The mast partners and carlings of the main cargo hatch had to be moved several times until they finally fitted. And the deck beam cemented in so tightly that it was too difficult to replace it for a fresh one without scars ...

So first I had to define reference points for further work. You can't get in there any more with a caliper or a measuring compass.
Therefore, a thin strip of paper with some excess length placed on the beam, one side to the stop and something sharp pressed into the bend edge of the excess on the other side. Thus the respective length was fast determined. Then fold the strip in half and you have the exact center. Put it back on the beam and mark the middle spot. This quickly determines the center line of the deck.



Or, as with the hatch, place a piece of paper on top and mark the width with a scalpel. Hatch dimension quickly and accurately determined.



Fortunately I was able to clean up the messed deck beams, uffz!




Then the sequence of hatches were determined.





And also the Brodie stove has finally a prospect of a home





Then started working my way forward starting at the back capstan. As to be expected, there's a second companionway in the way of the capstan bars.



Marking the place of the companionway was useful, when I took it away it turned out that the removed deck stanchions from the lower deck batterie were stored right where the stairs is coming down.



So the stanchions were to be turned 90� and placed under the stairs.



It's looking better already.

XXXDAn

Why I always make so many test installations and pictures of it? Because sometimes I'm just stupid ...

Test fit of the companionway: coaming and stairs



- check - fits! Other side ...



- check - fits! Other side ...



- check - fits! Door flaps inserted, since the companionway is below the radius of the capstan bars ...



- check - fiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeehhhhhhh...

Crap, find the mistake ...

GRRRRRRR!!!!!

XXXDAn

Ok, looks a bit better now

The sailers will be able to pass in between the flaps and do not have to jump them





Now the support fold in the coaming, so that the flaps do not swing down, the plug holes for the iron corner posts of the guardrail, the stairs correctly aligned and good it will be.



XXXDAn

Extraordinary work and details, Dafi.

Oops, I am getting behind a few pages, time to get the printer out. Awesome Dan, Regards, Pete in RI

Well Herr Fisher!

that really is quite something !

...==> of all your trials and tribulations, and all the trial and error-- the point that stands out, to me especially ,
for all of us to learn from ...
is that sometimes measuring is no longer the ultimate datum method.-- but making templates and patterns is.

I make a lot of templates and patterns ( even in model making eg Normandie decks for example...! )

But in my 1/1 scale ( small ) business --

I have made many thousands of sometimes HUGE templates
We produce complex multi-part multi-function three dimensional fabric structures

( Boat covers and canopies for motor and sailboats

These range from 15 feet to 130 ft plus

The process is further complicated by the fact that
fabric stretches different amounts , in different directions relative to the woven pattern
under differing amounts of tension , from different directions

As far as I have been able to ascertain in the last 30 years (!!!),
the structures we produce are un-measurable ( in a non-digital way )

and as such every cover we build is individually templated / patterned.

Its results that count....

Our canopies are far more beautiful in their 3-D shapes with totally flat, crease free but 3-D shaped windows ...
than the "" digitally designed . measured, plotter cut and remotely assembled "" covers of some of our competitors ...

(whose products often feature gawky lines and rippled windows!! )


I do not dispute that in time, they will eclipse and overtake dinosaurs like my self...

But I take heart that Stonehenge, HMS Victory, The Pyramids, the Grand Cathedrals and the Model T Ford et al
were created without digital design.

... and in some instances, like wooden ships and Cathedrals --on site--often by eye , and not measurements


So Daniel-- do please continue on and make paper templates, stabbed with scalpel blades
and build your ( near ) perfect analogue model with ( fortunately ) dimensionally predictable materials!




Jim B ( Luddite Dinosaur )

Hear hear Jim!

That's also a scratchbuilding philosophy I endorse: make the details fit to the model, not to the plans (but do use plans of course ).


Daniel, I have to admit I also couldn't spot the mistake you made until you pointed it out in the following post.

In theory, I am more the measuring kind of person, but at some stage in life I learned that errors accumulate and that for these small models, measuring and marking out may just not be precise enough. Even templates provide only guidance or give you a piece close enough for fitting in situ ...

Once again the typical Dafinist shift of the scene of crime. Since I know that I soon will need another stern for the Vic, I dared to tackle an issue that I could only solve by clever colouring when I created the last one.

But one after the other. Here are the parts of the kit as they fell out of their box.



First the courageous cut to separate the lower part, which makes the assembly immensely easier later.



Then I filed out the name cartouche and levelled it with a matching sanding block. The wood structure also went to wood-structure-heaven.



Then a cut between the profiles above the pilasters ...



... and one below.



Then using the chisel to discard of the old pilasters.



Then trimem the profile from the top side ...



... and cut it so deeply from below that it came out in one piece.



And everything smoothed out with the small files and the matching sanding blocks



And then *tata* the new pilasters came out of the hat







And in situ.



Fits



I also re-pilastered the side galleries. Here the comparison with the originals of the kit.







And the parts are so fine that I only saw in the super macro that the volutes of the pilasters had slipped up a bit during the first adjustment, or better saying that the upper volutes had not moved down with the rest when they were shortened ...





So I went back to the computer, moved the volutes in the 6 panels and reprinted them ...

So, as a little titbit, the following picture. I wanted to know if this resin can be moulded under heat like the cast resin. And I was surprised, a short dip in hot water and you can almost tie a knot in the pilaster ladder. Honestly - I swear!



The reason for this action is that the kit parts are getting on in years and have plenty of sink marks in the area of the pilasters that are very difficult to iron out. But admittedly, it also looks nicer. I am already looking forward to do the the painting.

This is how it will look like.



Ok, and the printer is already running, more pictures soon.

XXXDAn

Wonderful!!!!

I wish I would have done this on my little Vic. The pilasters on it are not very exact or sharp... Acceptable when seen by the naked eye in that scale, but pretty visible in close-up photo's. I hope to sharpen it a bit when painting though.
But I'll definitely keep this option in mind for te next project; much sharper!

After this short side walk, I continued on the middle deck....



Now with all parts, so also etching supports for the fall protection.



Then with paper strips determining center and left and right edges ...



... aging parts and glueing the coaming in place.



Note that the staircase will not fit through the top because of the rabbet, so it must be pulled up from below with thread ...



... flaps inserted ...



... and the thread pulled with surgical precision and ready the open version



Then closed the flaps, removed the supports and inserted the capstan.



Here is the whole thing then finally with my small scaling companion.



And in the overview



All the best, Daniel

Beautiful work!

Perfect!


I wonder, will you eventually add a complete middle deck, or will you stick to the center elements only? And if you add the rest of the deck (and maybe the upper and other decks too?), can/will you keep them removable somehow?

To once again contradict all those who think that the printer is the solution to all trying and an easy way to the part ...



In the meantime I have converted some of my resin castings into printed parts. The form is just a bit more sharp. Here are the timber heads.





And the anchors now have their shape according to Steel and other contemporary sources. �The edge between the shaft and arm is sharp by now and not as rounded as in modern sources as AOTS and others.









The shaft has the nut in the area of its head, the stock has the matching counterpart.



I was particularly taken with the small kegde anchor. It was probably stowed on the aft starboard best bower.





With the lock pin and the pin securing line.



And a very, very small detail after Steel: The anti-slip device of the shaft. Simply split the end and bend it open. can be pressed together again for repair purposes and then fits again through the hole



Still missing the family pictures of the anchors



Stowing of the stream anchor on the aft port best bower.



The head of the shaft with its characteristic bevelled corners and the indicated woolings of the Rings.



And anchor buoys and anchor shoes are also re done.




XXXDAn

Of course it tickled my fingers and was already overdue, but finally I could slap some colour on the pilasters

First some ochre, then a bit of heavily thinned ink for the depths and finally some white brushed over it for the heights, and then the whole thing on a black background - oh how cool







This is the area as I did it with the original part to compare.

that looks very sharp !

JIM B

Molto sharpisimo!



XXXDAn

Just fantastic!


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