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Author Topic: Wanganui River Steam Tug Kumea  (Read 9674 times)

derekwarner

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Re: Wanganui River Steam Tug Kumea
« Reply #25 on: May 13, 2018, 01:15:48 am »

There were a number of forms of riveted construction methods used in ship building, one being flush finished and another popular form of domed external head format

The rivet's format you have chosen are discrete enough for the domed head..well done Steve :-)).....

Anyone who has seen this actual form of riveted superstructure ship construction will agree  O0....

Derek
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Derek Warner

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tugnut

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Re: Wanganui River Steam Tug Kumea
« Reply #26 on: May 13, 2018, 05:40:55 am »

Very nice build :-)) .

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steve mahoney

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Re: Wanganui River Steam Tug Kumea
« Reply #27 on: May 14, 2018, 09:08:54 pm »

Thanks Derek, let's hope they stay put under all that paint.
Thanks Tugnut, haven't seen you over at Modeltugforum lately. Anything on the bench?



I also have a question for anyone out there: This tug had no anchor well, the anchor was stowed on the deck and a davit dropped it over the side. The chain passed through a hawse hole at deck level. A windlass wound it back up and then the davit would lift it over the gunwale onto the deck.


What sort of system would the chain run through from the gypsy wheel to the hawse hole? It's a straight line but at an angle.
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steve mahoney

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Re: Wanganui River Steam Tug Kumea
« Reply #28 on: May 16, 2018, 09:53:50 pm »

Next step was the wheelhouse/bridge.

The laser cut ply parts went together very quickly. Just needed to sand the corners for a bevel fit. I had etched plank lines in the ply and when stained and varnished it gives a reasonable impression of polished wood. Might be a bit extravagant for this old workhorse but it fits with the age of the tug and looks good.

The doors are PE brass, the life buoy is laser cut ply with plenty of coats of paint, and the life buoy holder is 0.5mm brass rod.

The wheel is a silhouette only for effect. Other than the wheel and a very basic telegraph there will be no interior details – just a coat of dark grey paint.

I've picked up plenty of good ideas through following other peoples' threads here, and the awning brackets and tarpaper roof are straight from Longbike's (RCGroups) bag of tricks. I'm sure a few of you will recognise a few of your own techniques in here from now on. Thanks.
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derekwarner

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Re: Wanganui River Steam Tug Kumea
« Reply #29 on: May 17, 2018, 12:19:44 am »

Yes Steve...that awning protecting the Skippers eyes from the sun reminds me of my Dear Dads FJ Holden windscreen visor...... {-)

Must agree, tar paper roof is proto typical  :-)).....just not sure why 2 doors so close together facing aft?

Derek
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steve mahoney

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Re: Wanganui River Steam Tug Kumea
« Reply #30 on: May 17, 2018, 05:28:05 am »

I guess it's more a sun visor than a rain awning.
I agree about the doors, but that is one of the few things that is clear in the only photo.
One for officers, one for ratings? Entry and exit? Indoor outdoor flow?
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steve mahoney

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Re: Wanganui River Steam Tug Kumea
« Reply #31 on: May 21, 2018, 05:10:40 am »

I've ordered some parts from Shapeways so I can't get started on a couple of things yet, but I was able to knock out the railings, rails and ladders.
This tug doesn't have many of these so the whole lot only took a few hour's soldering. The ladders are all brass rod so a simple jig was needed to hold everything in place while soldering. Worked out fine. Strangely enough, I enjoy soldering, it's very satisfying.

The soldering didn't need to much of a clean up, and after a quick undercoat I was able to give it a top coat of the deck colour.

The funnel was the next job.

Started out with the basic cylinder. I couldn't get brass or styrene tubing at the right diameter so I padded out some 15mm brass with layers of styrene to take it up to the required diameter. Simple enough but when I'm using styrene that thin (0.2mm) I'm paranoid about getting ripples as it is glued down. Not too bad this time and I just needed to fill and sand the seams.

Before I started the build I had photo etched some brass fittings for the funnel: some seam/join rings and a stack top/flange/lip and grating. One of the rings has eyes for the stays. The whistle is a piece of brass rod. These bits aren't attached yet, only pushed together for this photo. The bands are ultra thin and bent very easily. I had to straighten them out between two pieces of wood once they had been slid into place.

The flange for the base of the stack is already attached to the boat deck.
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steve mahoney

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Re: Wanganui River Steam Tug Kumea
« Reply #32 on: May 23, 2018, 09:44:29 pm »

Well that turned out OK.


Got some paint onto it and it looks alright.


The red of the funnel needs to match the ventilators. These are 3D printed and can't handle enamel paint so I need to do these parts in acrylic.
I have a love/hate relationship with acrylics. Some brands and some colours are OK but there seems to be a great variance between them.
The red that I ended up using is very transparent and took a lot of coats to get a smooth even finish. It ended up darker than I had planned because of all the transparent layers.
I can live with it. At least they dry quickly.


The ivory band is crying out for an emblem or logo of some sort – the K is just to see how something would look, it won't staying.


The water tank (I think it's a water tank) goes immediately behind the wheelhouse. I assume it is for the galley and head. Or it's an oil tank for the generator?
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Tafelspitz

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Re: Wanganui River Steam Tug Kumea
« Reply #33 on: May 24, 2018, 09:35:20 am »

Awesome job on that funnel! 
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derekwarner

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Re: Wanganui River Steam Tug Kumea
« Reply #34 on: May 25, 2018, 12:17:45 am »

Yes...awesome job on the funnel Steve  :-)) ......but seriously don't know what the round cris-cross funnel mesh top is for?

Guessing a 48" diameter funnel in real size, so looking at your scale.....I would appear the mesh sizing is about 2" square  :o ....so what was it used for?
 
1. to let the smoke out
2. but to keep the house brick cinders in?
3. to stop nosy humans from climbing up & falling in?
4. to keep the rain out?
5. to help maintain the funnel roundness at the top?

Derek
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Derek Warner

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steve mahoney

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Re: Wanganui River Steam Tug Kumea
« Reply #35 on: May 25, 2018, 12:39:04 am »

Thanks Tafelspitz.


Thanks Derek.
I've seen grates like this on funnels before. Not sure what their purpose is. I can only guess that it was to stop anything getting in. Much in the same way as chimneys often have mesh to stop birds getting in.
At 1/50 the squares are quite small, I could probably have halved the size but made a guess at this size purely for aesthetic reasons.
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Jerry C

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Re: Wanganui River Steam Tug Kumea
« Reply #36 on: May 25, 2018, 08:09:12 am »

Spark arrester?
Jerry.

steve mahoney

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Re: Wanganui River Steam Tug Kumea
« Reply #37 on: May 25, 2018, 10:42:50 pm »

That'll do me Jerry! It's a spark arrester.

Once the funnel was completed I could start assembling the final superstructure. I don't usually do this until I have made every component. This time I couldn't resist seeing how it all worked together.

First step was to attach a very basic telegraph to the wheelhouse/bridge deck.

A friend's father worked at for Wanganui Harbour Board in the 1950s. He remembers going onboard a tug with his dad as a young boy, and particularly remembers that the cast iron step treads had a fish scale pattern on them. I've tried to re-create that pattern on the steps/companionway.

He also has some timber that this father 'salvaged' from a tug undergoing repairs around this time – that will be the stand for this Kumea. Yes - he is also a 'magpie' and can't throw anything out – like me. So I now have a 100 year old piece of timber, with history, for the final touches. My friend also has the red glass from a port nav light from a tug from that era. It is the most intense red I've ever seen in glass, it is a very beautiful piece of glass.

The other bits and pieces all fitted together with out any drama. Threading the funnel stays was a delicate wee process, I'll have to be very careful not to snag them.

So far so good. Now I have to wait for Shapeways to deliver some capstans and winch drums before I can go any further.

I'll have to find something to do while I'm waiting. Mmmm...
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derekwarner

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Re: Wanganui River Steam Tug Kumea
« Reply #38 on: May 26, 2018, 01:40:31 am »

The rivet detail now very subdued but is still there Steve and looks very lifelike ...like being painted & over painted over the years....again, very lifelike as that's what happened....one way to eliminate visual rust was to paint over it  O0

With respect to the funnel mesh.....I have spoken to the son of an old seadog, and the response was...to keep seagulls & vermin out   

Spark Arrester?....would need to been rather large sparks to be arrested <*< I that size mesh

Derek

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Jerry C

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Re: Wanganui River Steam Tug Kumea
« Reply #39 on: May 26, 2018, 08:14:20 am »

The coarse mesh is the support for a fine mesh wired to it. The fine mesh is the spark arrester. [size=78%] Even modern diesel tugs working in refineries employ them. [/size]
[size=78%]Jerry.[/size]

Tafelspitz

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Re: Wanganui River Steam Tug Kumea
« Reply #40 on: May 28, 2018, 07:03:46 am »

Awesome work, very impressive! Only the life rings look a tad plain in comparison, methinks.
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hama

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Re: Wanganui River Steam Tug Kumea
« Reply #41 on: May 28, 2018, 08:04:09 am »


Looks fantastic!  You are truly talented  :-))  A pity you can' t sail her, she would look outstanding on the water but will of ourse do the same on the shelf O0
 Hama
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steve mahoney

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Re: Wanganui River Steam Tug Kumea
« Reply #42 on: July 22, 2018, 06:36:50 am »

Belated thanks Tafelsptiz and Hama.

Finally managed to get back to work on this project.

I started a new job 2 months ago and haven't had any spare time to finish the Kumea. I had forgotten how much time work takes up. Too knackered after work during the week and not enough spare time on the weekends. One of you guys should have warned me!

It's also the middle of winter and I don't enjoy working on the model after dark. Eyesight isn't what it once was.

Anyway, I have made a start on the deck equipment: capstan, samson posts and bollards, life boat and davits, mast, and anchor windlass.

This boat didn't have an anchor well and relied on a davit to lift the raised anchor over the bulwarks for storage on the deck.

There are no photos or reference of the deck or any of the equipment. So my version of the anchor windlass is based on the type used on the TID tugs – only a little bigger. The capstan and davits are simple enough and based on Admiralty drawings from around that period.

It's warm enough and not too windy today so I hoped to be able to get some paint on the finished items. Started badly by dropping a full 2 litre tin of white paint onto the basement floor – from height. It went everywhere: floor, bench, open tool drawer, cabinet doors and me. Wasn't able to salvage any paint (or my jeans and shoes). Used 4 litres of turps and every rag and old towel in the house trying to clean it up as much as possible – and wasted about 2 hours. Not a great success but the neighbours did learn a few new words.

This is what I have so far: a mix of brass, styrene and aluminium. The mast is a piece of teak dowel sanded to a slight taper. The capstan drum was printed at Shapeways – really should learn to use that lathe in the basement that I just cleaned!

In hindsight the fittings on the davits would ideally have been easier to make from etched brass, same as the hose reel components.
But then, hindsight is always 20/20.
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Perkasaman2

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Re: Wanganui River Steam Tug Kumea
« Reply #43 on: July 22, 2018, 05:25:12 pm »

This is first class work and detail.
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steve mahoney

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Re: Wanganui River Steam Tug Kumea
« Reply #44 on: August 31, 2018, 07:53:41 am »

Thanks Perkasaman.

I've been pretty lax with time spent at the bench lately but have slowly got back into the build as time allows and I'm now pretty close to finishing – if all things go according to plan.

The other day I realised I only had a couple of parts left to make: the towing bow, tow hook, tow hook rail/slide, and the name plates. I can just about see the finish line. I was able to knock these out without too much drama.

The tow hook was made from some left-over brass spare parts from the YTL tug tow hook I made last year. Only needed a little adaption to fit onto the Kumea's tow table.

The
tow hook rail/slide is brass H rod and styrene endstops.

The name plates are styrene.

The one and only photo of the Kumea (first post) shows the towing bows as not being pipe or angle iron or i beam – just a big section of curved steel. Easy enough.

The tow bow/arches are made up of 3 layers of thin styrene strip laminated together around a profile. I cut and sanded a piece of basswood to form the inside curve of the tow bow shape. I then held a length of styrene strip tightly around the shape and then glued another layer of styrene on top of it. It was then held in position with some balsa blocks and pins to dry. Once this had dried completely I repeated the process.

The outer layers hold the previous layer in shape. Only needed a light sand to remove a little excess glue. It is surprisingly strong and holds its shape well. Works just as well with plywood.

The first photos show the laminating process for forming the complex curves of the towing arch – pretty simple stuff, and the last photos show the finished product waiting for some undercoat.
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Brian60

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Re: Wanganui River Steam Tug Kumea
« Reply #45 on: August 31, 2018, 11:20:20 am »

This is a process I have done many times when 'pulling' wood into shape, but I never once gave it a thought to try with styrene! Cheers Steve, I'll file that idea away for next time I am trying to get styrene to keep the shape I want :-))

steve mahoney

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Re: Wanganui River Steam Tug Kumea
« Reply #46 on: September 06, 2018, 10:03:22 am »


This tug has a pudding fender on the bow and a fender on the stern. Both are the coir/rope type.


I had put off making these until the last part of the build, partly because I had no idea how I was going to make them.
I thought about:
1. Rolling them out of modelling clay (the type you bake in the oven) and stamping some surface detail on them. Couldn't get the death uniform enough.
2. 3D printing them – too easy and they would look too solid.
3. Wrapping a base in some sort of material to give the impression of woven rope. Didn't look realistic


So, in the end I bit the bullet and did it the old fashioned way – hitching around a rope middle but in this case; several pipe cleaners tied together..


I hadn't anticipated how many hitches would be needed or I would have settled for any of the methods above. Using a 1/50 2inch rope (cotton thread) works out to thousands of tiny half hitches – about 1000 for every 10mm of fender. And each 10mm takes about 2 hours. I've finished the stern fender (about 14 hours) and still have the pudding to go.


I've always liked the New York style beard fenders so I'm thing of adding one to the front of the Kumea but at the moment I am pretty much over hitching. I needed a fairly long section of rope fender to complete the Hikurangi which has been languishing in a cupboard almost finished for over 12 months. I'm 15mm into 130mm so it's going to be along slog.


Here is the stern fender before dyeing/staining.


I think my next project will have to be a bit more modern and have rubber fenders or tyres!

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steve mahoney

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Re: Wanganui River Steam Tug Kumea
« Reply #47 on: September 28, 2018, 09:52:38 pm »

Whew! All fenders finished and dyed.
I got a bit cocky with my knotting skills towards the end and decided to add a few side fenders. I'm glad that's all over – it wasn't doing my eyes any good at all.
I need to put some eyes or fairleads onto the capping rail or the bulwarks to tie the fenders to.
The last piece that needed to be made was a rope cradle for the rear deck.
[/size]Now I can start assembling and attaching the last few bits and pieces.
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steve mahoney

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Re: Wanganui River Steam Tug Kumea
« Reply #48 on: October 05, 2018, 08:33:52 pm »

I've pretty much emptied my box of bits and assembled everything and attached them.
I might have mentioned earlier that this tug didn't have any anchor wells – the anchor was stowed on the deck and lifted over the bulwarks by a davit.

This all turned out OK so the mast stays could be installed, the forward engine room ventilators, and the samson posts and bollards put in place.
The davit is mostly brass, the pulleys are made up from the PE brass parts on my sheet of parts.
The windlass is loosely based on the windlass used on the TID tugs. It's all styrene – same as the fairleads at the bow.
The bollards etc are styrene
The nav lights (always my least enjoyed part of any build) weren't such a hassle this time.
So far so good.
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steve mahoney

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Re: Wanganui River Steam Tug Kumea
« Reply #49 on: October 10, 2018, 07:43:49 am »

The boat davits were also finished and installed. Making up the pulleys and rigging them took a little time – and required the ventilators to be re-positioned and repainted.

The tow hook and tow table gear is fairly basic and went together smoothly. The hose reel has subsequently been moved from the deck to the boat deck. Still need to make up a hydrant for it.

All coming together nicely now. Just about all finished, only the fenders to attach, and a display stand to make.
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