Topic: A 50' Thames class lifeboat....A new lifeboat mould. (Read 19407 times)

Neil · « **on:** August 11, 2014, 08:25:22 pm »

It's that time of year again, to order some grp products and get cracking on a new mould.

This time the hard work has been done for me.........the making of a plug to take the mould......

And what a beautiful job Mike Pendlebury (aka Gribeauval ) has made of it.

this mould is for the 50' Thames class lifeboat and will consist of a two part mould for each cabin, and a three part mould for the hull, including a mould for the deck.

I'll detail the moulding once started

Rottweiler · « **Reply #1 on:** August 11, 2014, 09:32:07 pm »

Thats what I like to see! Back to Lifeboats! Cheers Mike for giving him the incentive, the mould looks good.That should keep him busy for the winter months,and give us something to follow.
Dont suppose you sent him a spare chuck key by any chance? Hes been away and has no chance of finding it lol
Mick F

morley bill 1 · « **Reply #2 on:** August 12, 2014, 09:56:37 am »

Neil will you be selling mouldings when it/s finished......Bill.....

Neil · « **Reply #3 on:** August 12, 2014, 10:20:31 am »

that is an undecided quantity at the moment, Bill............but if I did it wouldn't be until after I have finished the ferry for my daughter...........and that is also an unknown quantity in time......sorry. neil.

morley bill 1 · « **Reply #4 on:** August 12, 2014, 11:09:38 am »

Neil if you decide to make the thames available please pm me the time is not a problem as I have a Waveney class to finnish and a Flowerclass corvette that's only at the halfway stage so no hurry.......Bill......

Neil · « **Reply #5 on:** August 12, 2014, 11:28:54 am »

so, to the preparation..............

I usually give my plugs 6 - 8 layers of mould release wax......this is from Glasplies in Southport (as per BBC other suppliers ARE available, lol) and is none silicon BASED WAX............FURNATURE POLISH AND ANY WAX CONTAINING SILICONS CAN AND DO AFFECT THE POLYESTER RESINS IN GRP.

But before I can wax up the fore cabin, which has been built with the rear flying bridge protection wings which I wish to include in the mould for strength and a good level flow of the line of cabin, I have to block up the "gap" ( for want of a better word) between the wings.............and so Mike supplied a formed piece of foam ( resistant to polyester resin) to blank that gap and this is going to be held in place with 2 sided sticky tape ( obtainable from a garden centre craft centre........always available near you). And this was stuck to the recess of the plug with the outer cover still in place...........the reason for this being that I am going to wax up that recess to avoid any seepage of polyester resin and gelcoat whilst moulding, from sticking. Once it has all been waxed n up the outer tape will be taken off and the block of foam will be stuck in place before it is also waxed up.

Neil · « **Reply #6 on:** August 12, 2014, 11:29:35 am »

Quote from: morley bill 1 on August 12, 2014, 11:09:38 am

Neil if you decide to make the thames available please pm me the time is not a problem as I have a Waveney class to finnish and a Flowerclass corvette that's only at the halfway stage so no hurry.......Bill......

no probs Bill.

neil.

Capt Podge · « **Reply #7 on:** August 12, 2014, 04:59:59 pm »

This looks interesting - I'll just tag along...

Regards,

Ray.

Neil · « **Reply #8 on:** September 07, 2014, 07:59:42 pm »

thanks Ray............and I think it's about time I started to get cracking on this in order to get some mouldings out for Mike when we meet at the Blackpool show.

so here goes......think I'e explained, the mould will be in three parts......the deck as one moulded part and the hull in two longitudinal halves......

And it is the deck that I will start with and as such will be moulded in one piece. As such it will be moulded literally to the level where it meets the hull side, with no overlap. I needed a flange to go the full way around the hull in two halves as the fore and aft deck are on two levels.
However the problem was how to keep it at the level of the top of the hull and fixed until I had at least got the gell coat on.as it would be very fiddly and I think I would need the arms of an octopus to hold it whilst I stuck it to the hull with my usual blutack and plastecine...........

Luckily Mike had put on some belting on the fore deck and aft deck at deck level on the hull sides for the belting...........and I am going to use the lip on this to hold the flange..............the diagram shows that I am going to glue so brackets on to the underside of the flange that will lip under the belting and I'll be able to then hold the flange in place with the blutack and plastecine....they will also hold it down to the correct sheer line as well.

tugs62 · « **Reply #9 on:** September 07, 2014, 08:02:52 pm »

Looking forward to seeing this at the lake

gribeauval · « **Reply #10 on:** September 07, 2014, 10:02:31 pm »

Hoping to bring the early shape version to the show at Blackpool, if my burnt fingers recover in time!!

The model in front is the plug that Neil is moulding. The model at the rear is the first version the RNLI tested.

Mike

Neil · « **Reply #11 on:** September 07, 2014, 11:19:07 pm »

essex2visuvesi · « **Reply #12 on:** September 08, 2014, 06:52:09 am »

Well if this is anything like your last projects, this will be a cracking model

Neil · « **Reply #13 on:** September 08, 2014, 07:50:39 pm »

Quote from: essex2visuvesi on September 08, 2014, 06:52:09 am

Well if this is anything like your last projects, this will be a cracking model

I agree, Mike is a master of his game where unusual lifeboats are concerned...............and there aren't many more unusual that the Thames class.

gribeauval · « **Reply #14 on:** September 08, 2014, 09:01:40 pm »

Quote from: essex2visuvesi on September 08, 2014, 06:52:09 am

Well if this is anything like your last projects, this will be a cracking model

If you want to see how I ended up with two versions of the same boat then the build is documented here:

http://www.thercmodelboatforum.com/t853-50-ft-thames-class-lifeboat

Mike

Neil · « **Reply #15 on:** September 08, 2014, 10:50:49 pm »

the flanges ( made from hardboard...shiny side to the mould) have been added to the easy bits, the two cabins............and all edges have been filled with plastecine.......the flanges were held in place with wodges of blutack to begin with and filled in with plastecine to make secure.

the foam filler block has also been added into the rear of the main cabin and held with double sided sticky tape and then the gaps also filled with plastecine.

Neil · « **Reply #16 on:** September 09, 2014, 10:08:15 pm »

the brackets to give some support to the flange for the deck mould have been added..............whether they will work or not one can only hope, but this is new territory to me, so it's a case of !"make it up as you go along"..

watch this space. neil.

gribeauval · « **Reply #17 on:** September 11, 2014, 02:49:24 pm »

Bit of incentive for you Neil, the prototype version as she is this lunchtime.

]

Mike

Neil · « **Reply #18 on:** September 11, 2014, 03:59:47 pm »

cost me a fiver yesterday in whitetak ( blutack equiv) just to stick the flange on, lol...........going to have a bash tonight at setting it on to the boat. neil.

gribeauval · « **Reply #19 on:** October 03, 2014, 06:37:28 pm »

Looks like I'm winning at the moment Neil!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&list=UUqJV1xEzcYZ0-t3Zy3hLV3g&v=ouAuYPIHqpY

See you at Blackpool!

Mike

Neil · « **Reply #20 on:** October 03, 2014, 11:07:26 pm »

I am having horrendous problems just getting the first flange on to layer the deck up...........struggling but will overcome................it'll be plain sailing once I hae done that............might have to eventually do it in stages as it's hard to anchor it and keep the full flange in place long enough to put the blutack under it to hold it.

there are so many different bends and sweeps in it. neil.

gribeauval · « **Reply #21 on:** October 03, 2014, 11:30:54 pm »

I have every confidence in your ability to make an acceptable lash up !!!

Now we know why the RNLI said "Sod it let's build Aruns instead" after only two Thames Class boats !!!!!

Neil · « **Reply #22 on:** October 05, 2014, 07:48:45 pm »

I refer to the pictures of the flanges in post 16.............what a load of c*** they were..............
I have struggled and fought with them for nearly 2 weeks off and on.....feeling more dejected with each try......trying to get one side on whilst the other was falling off...................and eventually last night whilst loosing b***** sleep over a model............."not the two legged type either

) I had a brain wave...........and that was to cut the flanges in half at the bow centre and the stern centre and to trim them down radically to relieve the weight of them,.......... and to mount them one at a time onto the boat.

I also am going to lay up a quarter of the deck with a securing gelcoat and one layer of matting before mounting the next corner of the flange............... that's the plan, and from the test with just 4 bits of plastecine I think it might just work..............this deck is a bar steward to mould, but once the four corners have been secured, the whole of the deck can then be gelcoated and laid up, and also laid up to the edges of the flanges...........the hull will then be easy peasey............will start tomorrow morning. neil.

gribeauval · « **Reply #23 on:** October 05, 2014, 08:28:12 pm »

And you told me whilst I was building the plug that moulding it would be a doddle !!!

Still I knew that you would solve the problem eventually when the big light bulb in the head goes "PING". That happens to me all the time, I wander around the house muttering away to myself until the bulb lights up.

Mike

Neil · « **Reply #24 on:** October 05, 2014, 10:08:16 pm »

it's about 1 candle power in my case matey, lol

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Author Topic: A 50' Thames class lifeboat....A new lifeboat mould. (Read 19407 times)