Topic: Rhyl Mersey Class Lifeboat (Read 40512 times)

Starspider · « **Reply #50 on:** December 15, 2015, 09:32:41 pm »

Cool work nice

Colin

gribeauval · « **Reply #51 on:** December 24, 2015, 09:58:46 pm »

If you take some styrene tube and several hats from Lego minifigures.............

and glue short lengths of the tube onto the crowns of the hats also removing the peaks............

These now represent the "air blowers" that can be swiveled to channel fresh air to the crew and are fixed to the inner ceiling for the wheelhouse. The large gap is where mountings for the navigation system will be fitted.

All parts painted and the square blocks are the interior lights (leds).

The lights are red for night vision and white for general use.

more in the new year.

BFSMP · « **Reply #52 on:** December 24, 2015, 10:12:39 pm »

I am increasingly amazed by the ingenuity of you scratch build modellers to think laterally and find items that I would never dream of, in order to fabricate items for your models.

Fantastic.

Jim.

gribeauval · « **Reply #53 on:** January 18, 2016, 08:02:38 pm »

Having been out of action since Christmas day until last weekend through illness it is a pleasure to get back into the workshop again and do some building. :Thumbup:

Making a slow start, and the three swivel seat bases have been made and the seats, cast and assembled earlier, have been fitted.

The other two seats have been fitted onto the box structures, again made earlier, and after being painted they have been detailed as they are also used for the stowage of equipment onboard the full size boat.

These seats will all be fitted into the wheelhouse after the interior painting has been completed.

gribeauval · « **Reply #54 on:** February 07, 2016, 06:09:22 pm »

Back into the full swing of building again . :Thumbup:

The interior of the wheelhouse has now been painted and the wooden panels fitted onto the walls in the back corner.

At the front, the reinforcing bars over the window openings have been fitted along with the foot rests on the lower consoles.

The two box seats that I made earlier have now been fixed in position on the port side of the wheelhouse.

The junction boxes, switches and fire vent diagram have been made and fitted in the rear starboard corner on the wooden panels.

The main radio stack has been made and fitted.

gribeauval · « **Reply #55 on:** February 18, 2016, 08:02:02 pm »

Only a couple of pictures to show for a lot of small fiddly building jobs.
The circuit breaker/fuse panel that lives under the table has been made and fixed onto the wall (just visible behind the swivel chair!). The remaining two seats built earlier have been fixed in place, the floor storage lockers made and added, more of the instruments and handsets made and fitted ( about half of them now done!!), the grab rail bent from brass rod and added (this also supports the end of the map table) and the bench seat at the rear completed with its cushion and backrest.

I have also started on the modification of the figure for the helm position. He will be inside the wheelhouse because if he was placed on the upper steering position he would be in the way when the mast folds down!

maggie m · « **Reply #56 on:** February 19, 2016, 04:03:28 pm »

Really love the interior detail, you must have great patience , George

gribeauval · « **Reply #57 on:** April 03, 2016, 04:39:42 pm »

Easter break over, Arun I was working on delivered, so it's back to the building here. :Thumbup:

Easing myself back into the work today I made the radar scope for the front console.

It contains a small yellow led so that when the radar scanner on the mast is turning this interior screen will also light up.

gribeauval · « **Reply #58 on:** April 13, 2016, 07:58:10 pm »

Since the last post I have been busy with the small items needed to complete the interior.

The helsman's console has been fitted out with the switches and dials needed, the compass fitted and the helmsman finished and in his seat.

The navigation station is now complete, the map on the table is a copy of the Admiralty chart of the coast off Rhyl. The track and blackout curtains are also in place.

The second crewman is also on board, I think he's the navigator.

The upper console has also been done.

The inner roof section has now been glued in place and the wiring, along with the fibre optics, passed down the side supports.

Fibre optics in the roof panel.

I can now seal up the windows and door to concentrate on the outside of the wheelhouse (and keep the dust out!!)

timbo · « **Reply #59 on:** April 13, 2016, 09:18:20 pm »

Like the figures! Where did you get them from.

gribeauval · « **Reply #60 on:** April 13, 2016, 09:23:55 pm »

Quote from: timbo on April 13, 2016, 09:18:20 pm

Like the figures! Where did you get them from.

Car boot sales.

The helmsman is from the Dr Who range and the Navigator is Mulder from X files.

gribeauval · « **Reply #61 on:** April 17, 2016, 04:20:41 pm »

With the weather being fine over the last couple of days the outer roof panel was made, sanded to give the correct radius on the edges and glued in place, also the front floodlights were made and wired into the rest of the roof loom. Every opening, and the floodlights were then masked off to keep the paint out.

The whole structure was then given two coats of white primer/undercoat and, after leaving overnight, two coats of orange topcoat were applied today.

This will now be left for at least three days to allow the paint to harden off before work on the outside is started.

gribeauval · « **Reply #62 on:** April 19, 2016, 08:33:07 pm »

As the weather was very nice today I spent some time this morning masking off the front part of the superstructure on the hull and giving it its colour coats.

I have also removed the masking from the windows and was extremely relieved to find that there was no orange paint inside!! The frames can now be painted and the glazing fitted.

View of the two parts reunited for a while.

gribeauval · « **Reply #63 on:** April 24, 2016, 08:16:24 pm »

Next major job to be done is the mast.
A block the size of the position of the mast on the rear of the wheelhouse was made to allow the lower mounting to be accuratly made.

The lower mount has been made from styrene sections/sheet welded together with solvent to give it the strength needed.

At the same time the two ladder sections of the mast were also welded together, being careful to keep everything square. The two sections are hinged together using model aircraft nylon hinge pins that fit inside the styrene tubes. The outer tubes are the conduits for the wiring.

The main plate of the mast platform has also been made.

The two parts, upside down, now welded into one unit.

The gas assist struts at the base of the mast have been made and fitted in place.

This view shows how the mast folds down.

Mast in the upright position.

Top surface of the mast platform now completed.

Next on the agenda will be to make the folding upper mast section.

Starspider · « **Reply #64 on:** April 24, 2016, 10:58:47 pm »

Very nice work

pipster · « **Reply #65 on:** April 25, 2016, 09:21:04 pm »

I agree, top work; it looks excellent.
Phil

gribeauval · « **Reply #66 on:** April 28, 2016, 09:11:37 pm »

The upper mast section has been made using styrene tube and sheet to keep high level weight down.

This section is pivoted on the lower section which was made earlier.

Mast in the folded position.

After painting the main mast white and the upper section black it is trial fitted onto the rear of the wheelhouse and the safety rails, which it is fastened to when upright, made and fitted in place.

Again the mast in the folded position to allow the boat to fit into its boathouse.

Big Ada · « **Reply #67 on:** April 30, 2016, 07:33:26 pm »

Wonderful job there.

gribeauval · « **Reply #68 on:** May 08, 2016, 05:47:54 pm »

The base for the spray screens has been shaped and fitted onto the roof of the wheelhouse. The main mast supports can also be more easily seen in this picture along with the locking bar and rear rails..

The main screen section made from clear and white styrene and hinged in place.

The connecting bars that run from the screen to the mast bent to shape and fixed in place. These fold the screen down when the mast is lowered. The cross beam also doubles up as one of the main aerial support locations.

Success!! evrything folds down without causing problems.

The smaller screen and its side support that fold forwards made and hinged in place.

All the lights and radar have been fitted in place on the mast and this is the resulting nightmare of a wiring system. All these wires now have to be covered in heat shrink and then fitted into the two condits that run down either side of the mast.

All the wires tamed and in place after a few hours of grief!!

gribeauval · « **Reply #69 on:** May 09, 2016, 09:58:03 pm »

After the wiring nightmare of the mast I needed a change so made a start on the deck fittings today beginning with the towing gobeye for the stern.

This is made from laminated styrene and the removable H section brazed from steel rod.

Kick boards for the stanchions next on the agenda.

gribeauval · « **Reply #70 on:** May 11, 2016, 08:17:49 pm »

The kick boards for the stanchions on a Mersey are made fron an inverted 'T' section bonded onto the deck This is not easy to find in the correct size so I decided to fabricate it myself.

First the positions for the boards was plotted and a slot cut into the decking using a mini router with a 3mm straight cutter.

Over high sections of 3mm birch ply were cut and glued into the slots. This was followed by the horizontal parts of 1/16th" x 5/32" strip glued onto the deck and the upright. This gives a strong fixing into the deck for the stanchions.

When fully cured the upright was trimmed down to the correct size, primed and will later be given a coat of the correct grey.

The deck surface can now be given a spray coat of anti slip paint after masking off the hull and front superstructure.

gribeauval · « **Reply #71 on:** May 13, 2016, 08:58:01 pm »

As the weather has been fine over the past couple of days I masked off the hull and and front superstructure and made ready to spray the deck.

Before anybody asks, this is the paint I use from my local branch of B&Q.

After spraying the deck looks a mess but as it dries it smooths out to a much finer finish.

When the deck had dried and the all masking removed the hull was given its RNLI corporate identity, yellow over red stripes, Hull fleet number, draught marks and at the stern the station name.

gribeauval · « **Reply #72 on:** May 19, 2016, 11:58:46 am »

More of the details added.
The towing gobeye made earlier has been fixed in place and the metal fender protector added.

The hull lifting lugs made and fixed onto the deck.

The carriage chain releases made and fitted in place onto the deck.

The RNLI style closed fairleads painted and fitted onto the kick boards.

The hammers used for the chain release made and fitted.

Upper steering position has now been painted matt black and the working compass fitted.

The towing post and mooring bitt made along with the reinforcing blocks for under the deck.

Painted and fitted onto the deck with the blocks underneath will allow them to be used without breaking off.

First part of the stern rails made from steel welding rod brazed together, just need to make the matching starboard section now.

Rails made, painted and fixed in place.

gribeauval · « **Reply #73 on:** May 20, 2016, 08:30:06 pm »

More deck fittings made.

The capstan on the fore deck was made from a turned beech main bodt and styrene sheet.

Painted and ready to fit.

Mersey class lifeboats are recovered by driving onto the beach and hauling up with the aid of recovery strops fixed to the boat before loading onto its carriage. When not in use the free ends of the strops are held in place on the bow by an overcentre fitting.

The fittings now fixed in place on the fore deck.

The strops themselves are bolted through the keel and pass up the stem, guided by small plates into the groove in the bow.

The free ends of the strops are held in the over centre fitting.

Before anybody asks, yes it does work!!

gribeauval · « **Reply #74 on:** May 23, 2016, 09:06:13 pm »

More of the fiddly bits done.

The metal support and lifeline at the front of the superstructure has been made and fixed in place.

The fender protection plates at the bow have been shaped and fitted and the bow roller made.

This is hinged to allow the recovery strops to be deployed/recovered and is operated by removing the locking pin.

The upper helm position has been fitted out with its throttles, instruments and switches.

Finally for now here is a small duck board I made earlier today.

This is where it lives on the upper helm position.

Soon be time to refit the mast!

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Author Topic: Rhyl Mersey Class Lifeboat (Read 40512 times)