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No update on the second 2pdr yet.  I made a start, but then stupidly managed to trip and fall straining both wrists (and my left knee isn't exactly speaking to me at the moment :ill: ).  This makes fine work not practical for a few days so I spent the time re-drawing the Vickers tub (twice...) and had that printing  (picture tomorrow) and decided to attack something that's bothered me for some time, the mould for the 10 ft dinghy.  The one I've been using, I never liked, but I couldn't find any decent lines until a few days ago

 

I've not posted how I make these moulds before so for those that don't know, here goes

 

I found this drawing which has great 10 ft lines that actually match the GA

 

chappelle-dinghy-1600

 

This drawing has the holly grail of boat lines, the actual stations and offsets.  I loaded this into turbocad and re-drew it to 1:48th scale, then drew the mould lines and centre keel support and plan, ready to cut out in 1mm ply

 

Here it is in basic assembly with my drawing

 

DSCN1823

 

I then infilled between the stations with balsa and sanded back to the ply formers, then I added the sheer line in 0.5 mm ply 

 

DSCN1824

 

The keel piece slots in between the blocks when it comes to making the shell in papier mache later.  But, this is a clinker hull, so the next stage (after the sanding sealer has dried) is to plank it to give the impression of the clinker planks on the inside of the hull

 

And this is it with the card planking glued on and its second coat of sealer on..

 

DSCN1825

 

Tomorrow, I'll clean this up and make the shell, hopefully these lines are better than my existing mould which I think is too narrow in the beam

 

Steve

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This is really interesting. I have a desire to build a little dinghy entirely from plasticard, just for fun, to see if I can. But while there are drawings available online I have no understanding or ability to interpret them. They just make no sense to me whatsoever 🤷‍♂️

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2 hours ago, FlyingSpanner said:

I have a desire to build a little dinghy entirely from plasticard, just for fun,

I know I go against the grain on this forum regarding pasticard, but actually papier mache for boat hulls is easier and I think more rewarding.  I'll walk through the rest of the dinghy build and let me see if I can convince you.  Remember my rule is, if it was made of wood, use wood (papier mache is sort of wood...), if it was made of metal, try to use metal if possible,    

But please, I mean no offence to anyone of course, the models talked about and shown here are amazing, I wish I had a fraction of their painting skills.  This is just my own path

Steve

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8 hours ago, FlyingSpanner said:

as a real boat would be built, plank by plank as it were, hence sheet styrene

That is a tough ask.  The problem is that planks are not parallel or straight in actual boats.  How you shape and taper styrene correctly for this is beyond me.  However, you will still need a from to build on.  In full size practice, they use frames to lock in the shape of the curves, at model scale, this is easier with a solid buck or form.  Best of luck with it!!

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19 minutes ago, FlyingSpanner said:

Apologies for the thread derailment Steve 

No need to apologise, it got me the planking layout for a 10ft workboat (thanks Kev 👍) which is super cool.  However, at this scale, I think I'll stick to my proven ability and method....

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I'll be back to the boat tomorrow once the shell has had time to dry out completely, meanwhile, I think I'm finally happy with the last part of the superstructure, the twin Vicker's tubs.

 

As I mentioned above, I was not happy with the platforms, too fragile, or the timber.  I tried printing the timber with strengthening for the platforms but that was worse.  So, on this etching, I included revised platforms with a kicker that strengthened it all up, a "T" shape column folded on and a new ladder.  It also has rivet detail on the outer ring.  Then the tub itself, the first printing was way too heavy and the rivets were too small, the second was too light, and the rivets too big, aaahhh...  The third I'm OK with, happy is a strong word, but they will do.

 

Here is the first one with the hose-reel and fire water main valve installed.  The platform decking is walnut and treated with tung oil

 

DSCN1826

 

As I've said before, the angles on this ship are all over the place, because of the steep rise of the deck to the bow and the camber, still, looked at right, it seems ok to the keel and ahead, but photographing it is another matter entirely.  This still needs splinter matting, it will not be so open in the end

 

And here is the bow view with the second platform completed, but without its hose reel etc.  Looking very white in this picture.  2pdr mounting in the foreground.  The wire hanging of the wire reels is just me being lazy, I need to make up a couple of shackles and secure the loose end in an eye round the forward lower bar...

 

DSCN1829

 

I've started the drawing for the turret mounted guns, very interesting and complex. Griffon make an etching kit for a 1:35 scale twin Vickers turret as mounted on the Vosper MTB and those pictures really help explain what is going on in the drawings (has anyone built that kit?)

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I’ve not used the Griffin set, but did build the Italieri kit it’s intended for.

 

The Griffin etch set is shown used in the Channel Adversaries build thread on model shipwrights, https://modelshipwrights.kitmaker.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=SquawkBox&file=index&req=viewtopic&topic_id=211104&ord=&page=1

 

It’s somewhere in those 41 pages 😮

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Boat build part 2

 

With the mould dry, sealed and sprayed with release wax, the keel and transom (glued together) is inserted and the hull laid up with tissue paper dipped in 60/40 Water PVA mix. 

DSCN1827

This time I laid the tissue in strips across, then along, then diagonal, then along again, don't actually think it make a blind bit of difference in the end, but it seemed neater.  In total about 6-7 layers.  The tissue goes over the keel, transom and bow, don't worry, it gets sanded off later.  A mistake I've made before is to cut the keel exactly right, bad error.  Cut the keel with deadwood on the bottom and bow (as above), that way it is easier to adjust it later on once the outer planking is done.  If you're not careful, you end up with no keel showing doing it the other way

 

Here it is after laying on the tissue

 

DSCN1828

 

It looks pretty messy, but once dry is can be sanded and smoothed out, ready for the outer planking

 

This is the shell off the mould and cleaned up a little, ready to go back on to be planked

 

DSCN1830

 

Once the outer planking is complete, take it off the mould, add a coat of sanding sealer to strengthen and insert the frames (all done in card), leaving them over length as shown below

 

DSCN1831

 

At this point I've sanded back keel and bow back to the right line as well, the boat is starting to take shape...

 

Next step, add the inner gunwale strake, clip the frames back to the line and then fill those little slots with filler (I use car fine surface filler, dries in seconds), then add the lower strakes ( I believe they are called shelves) that support the benches and the bow and transom knees.  For these latter I used 3 x 1 mm lime wood cut on the diagonal so the grain runs across.  These are added before shaping, left to set and then shaped with a burr to the right profile

 

DSCN1832

 

and voila a 2.5 inch boat, made of tissue and card, strong enough to stand on and ready to paint.  Actually, I have to add the box for the sliding keel before painting.  The rest of the fittings, bilge boards, benches and bench knees will be left bare wood and varnished.  Total build time to get to this stage about 4 hours, think I am getting quicker, the first boat I made this way took me a month, with a lot of waste and frustration.  I don't know how well this method scales down to 1:72, that small change makes a huge difference to the detail you (well me anyway) can achieve with card

 

I normally build the boats at the end, but because its a new profile, I needed to do it now so I can make the boat rest which slots into the channel already installed on the forecastle

 

DSCN1834

 

And that's as far as I've got with the bow 2 pdr, still thinking about the rest of it which is very fussy, haven't decided how to put it together yet.  Holman projector is completed though, showing behind the boat

 

Hope that helps anyone drying this themselves, it's actually really easy

 

Steve

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2 hours ago, robgizlu said:

The hydrants are a very nice touch

Thanks Rob, I was pleased with that detail too.  The hose reel was printed of course, to a drawing I spent way to much time fussing over, but picking the hose out in mat red makes it pop...

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14 hours ago, FlyingSpanner said:

can you truly stand on it?

The answer to that question is always: yes.

 

Very nice to see white-glued paper doing so well, and it maintains the clinker-built hull 👍

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Really washed out picture of the boat  now with the interior wood installed, the rubbing strip and the reinforcement for the oar-locks, the keel box and the floor boards and the forecastle platform which need to be drilled for the mast.  The wood is 0.5 mm maple.  Hard to see the bench knees but they are there.  It's also had a coat of paint inside and out and the wood treated with tung oil.  Tomorrow I'll make the fittings, mast, rudder and the oars.  Anyway the objective is satisfied, the boat chocks also got done

 

DSCN1836

 

Steve

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Boat, final post.

 

Here it is with all its fittings, the rudder in its pintles, the tiller (both removable for stowage inside), the mast and yard with the mast step and housing, the oars and the oar locks, the eye for the painter (not yet fitted) and the two rear cleats for the yard..  No sail, I have done that in the past on a ships boat, but not this time.  The oars are carver from lime wood and the fittings are all brass

 

DSCN1839

 

Of course, it won't be displayed this way, I'm thinking of stowing the mast and yard on the far side of the boat chocks in crutches, shame not to have them part of the model, the rudder and tiller will be in the boat along with the oars.  Of course, it should be covered with canvas, I'll probably have that folded back as I did on the Fairmile B so the interior gets seen.

 

Pleasing interlude over, back to the guns....

 

Steve

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Just now, gunzo said:

How were these dinghys launched and stowed- manhandling over the gunwhale?

I've wondered that, there is a base for the potable crane nearby so I guess recovery would use that to help.  It may only be 10 ft, but I bet they weigh a ton

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