Model Boat Mayhem
The Shipyard ( Dry Dock ): Builds & Questions => Lifeboats => Topic started by: Neil on January 05, 2025, 11:08:29 am
-
I didn't hear the weather forcast last night so it would seem, as on looking through the window at the sunset, grey and dismal I thought today it might be warm enough to do some final tidying in the workshop, and taking down the tree to replace it with one of my last builds, the 61' Barnett lifeboat collecting dust in the w/s so that I have room in the w/s to put a new BIG model, that I made moulds for many years ago, and what are now owned by a model boat selling company.
However I am waiting for the part build model to be sent to me from Scotland.
BUT.....I DIDN'T expect this when I went to bed last night, and so the final tidying is on hold, and the heaters are on FULL blast at home, lol.
-
Blimey, yes that would put a dampener on W/S time O0
-
We had a couple of inches of snow too, Neil...... Whether person got that real wrong for Peterborough
-
Its horrible guys, I HATE SNOW...........used to play havoc when I rode motorcycles in my youth, but even before those days and pre pubescence, mother ran a bed and breackfast/boarding house......visitors in the summer and then as my dad was a police oficer, they would take in student and raw recute police officers from Fleetwood police station in the winter.
That meant, no room for neil who was turfed out to friends houses to play during day time, and invariably during winter by the sea was bluddy cold and have hated winters ever sinse.
but as you get older and the blood becomes thinner its even worse, lol.
However, last night I saw an advert in the local "Blackpool buy and sell" facebook saw these two heaters........£5 quid each or £6 quid for both.........picked both up this afternoon.
Already have one and on very cold days it will keep the w/s just bareable on its own.............but with 3 going, i'll be as warm as toast.
Sod the bill
-
I started model boat building as a winter hobby but wouldn't get much done if I had to work in the garage or outside workshop!
It does restrict me with what I can do sometimes but it's so nice using the small bedroom as my workroom!
Chris
-
We had a couple of inches of snow too,
Yep, and we had 6"
Regards Ian
-
Neil told you about these ages ago got 3 myself 20 mins on in shed and i am down to a tee shirt and warm as tost as yoiu said sod the expense
Stav
-
well, the first of the two boats that I will be making/repairing has arived, but the second one is going to have to be scratch built for most parts , so just a matter of the blind following the blind on this build, as a long time since i built a D Class lifeboat.
-
it arrived just over 2 weeks ago, and has been pushed here and there in the workshop whilst i was finishing the Atlantic 21 I started on the 7th January.
It's now a tidy up and make some space and then its on to repair small bits on this one for a friend of mine., before Ibegin the full build of a second Clyde for him when it finally arrives.
The one I am in possession of at the moment has some bits broken and a few parts missing but know what they are, as I built the original semi kit 15 years ago and still have a few mouldings remaining from the original castings I did.
Hopefully the repairs to this wont take long, and by that time I will have quite a few made for the unstarted boat.
Funilly, the build of one of these big brutes isn't so daunting though, as, as big as they are, they are NOT cluttered as much as the most modern od lifeboats as the technology just wasn't as detailed in the 1960's when these were built as it is these days with such as the Shannon and the Severn, et al.
-
IT IS now time to get started on the repairs to the Clyde class lifeboat that was delivered to me a few weeks around Christmas time with quite a few brocken parts. that boar I am now going to photograph, take measurements and start producing fittings for the second one that is wanted.
then theyll all be ready just to put on the model when ready.
Today, been cutting out all the windows........all 19 of them...........hope to have those ready by tomorrow night.
In the meantime have re-arranged the boat for easy access, both to the boat and the work bench.
have you ever seen motors this size............much neaded for these monsters.
I'm only thankfull that the mast on this boat is not brocken, as that is a task to build on its own, without reparing
-
15.5 hours and a lot of cutting,gluing and sanding of all parts for the different pieces for the 19 window frames of 6 varying sizes made in plasticard, and they are ready for the next stage...........the rivet surrounds.
Where does time go!?
That should be fun, hahaahh
-
next job which has taken about 3 hours is making the two storage bins that go against the aft cabin bulkhead.
I copied them from those which had fallen off the one already here and were made from old faithful plasticard and polly glue, then sanded clean
-
I'm glad I took tech drawing at school and then taught it for a number of years in high schools........always helps in deciphering plans of all sortsd, especially rough ones I drew myself.
And this was so when I took quick scetches and measutements for the main bow capstan and base for the Clyde.
This i constructed out of plasticard and again took about 3 hours..........must be slowing up. lol.
-
And last for tonight, from 1.8mm plasticard I have made the aft companionway to get up to the flying bridge and upper area.
I also sanded smooth all the points needed on the already built companionway that had fallen off the boat
-
Couldn't resist doing one more fitting before i packed up for the night and watched some tv.
I started off with some 1mm plasticard and made a Maltese Cross, and then glued it all together giving me an Item that even since sailing on 70-002 Numerous times with my family and the owner of her up on the Clyde 15 years ago, I still havent a clue what it is.............but it needed to go on so made a replica of it.
-
Trouble is Neil, in showing how it can be made, you're ruining prospective third party 3D print suppliers for the "Where do I buy" brigade >>:-( <*<
Regards Ian.
-
Trouble is Neil, in showing how it can be made, you're ruining prospective third party 3D print suppliers for the "Where do I buy" brigade >>:-( <*<
Regards Ian.
just here to help those who like scratch building, Ian.......mind you these huge Clyde models are so big and heavy that i believe the owner of the moulds has in the past sold no more than 20 at the most, so Im sure there won't be much demand for those parts so far yet seen.
-
Didn't do much today, as had to do things for my daughter and her car, plus I've had a lousy head cold for a few days and fealt sooohhh lousy, just wanting to sleep
But rallied a little tonight and decided to make the W/T access hatches to the inner hull areas bow and stern.
I thought I had enough hatch tops to do, but after searching could not find enugh and so hafe made some plastecine moulds to make the required number, and the first ones are now curing in those moulds.
A second set will follow in an hour or so.
-
THE 4 ON the right with scalpal pointing at them, are the orioginals, where as the 4 on the left are the first pull out fron the plasticive moulds.
The second casting is now curing.
-
and the plasticine cast lids have all now been cleaned and sanded up, tomorrow if feeling better I'll cut the "barrels from some kitchen drain pipe of the right size and glue them all together.
-
Topic renamed - NEW BUILD -Clyde class lifeboat :-))
-
Topic renamed - NEW BUILD -Clyde class lifeboat :-))
Thank you Martin. i tried, but couldn't figure out how too. cheers,
-
The four entry points to the below deck areas have been fabricated from the castings and some drain pipe..........
Just gotta figure out how to patch the hole in the kitchen sink drainage now............only joking, honest.
Will have to find the fittings now to detail the lids.
-
Been sorting out fittings for the Clyde today, and found that I only had the master to the 60's period ships wheel for the upper steering possition....no outer hand grips.
And so I made a mould from plasticine in in two halves as I did for the propelloes for the Atlantic 21 a couple of weeks ago, and it is now in the fridge getting cold and hard and easier to split, having already cut "V" into the edges to locate the two haslves correctly.
I have never seen anyone else do this little dodge for one off mouldings, until, watching one of my favourite programs The Repair Shop about a week ago i saw one of the vrestorers using the same technique to mould something for a toy he was restoring......I felt quire pleased.
So I am just waiting now to split the mould halves and cast a new wheel tonight.
-
And today, slowly i have been sorting myriads of fittings from my large stock of solely lifeboat specific ones to make or finish some more fittings.
A radar housing, the capstans on the housing, the ships wheel newly cast and the 4 deck w/t deck hatches have now been finished, but for painting.
-
Two more quick additions to the fittings list, two life rings cleaned and sanded up, plus one anchor chain bin to be placed under the capstain to let the chain into the underdeck storage,
-
This afternoon was spent measuring up from the model already here and under repair, the main mast , so that I can replicate it for the Clyde that is yet to arive from Scotland, but having now made quite a few fittings for the shy model it will be a little quicker to put together.
So I shall plod on and detail this mast and once done move on to the next fitting.
Notice I'm leaving the D Type rib till last unless I can find someone to 3 d print one in basic form for me at a decent price.
-
The main mast and its fittings are coming on.
For want of a better word the steps on the mast up to the radar platforn have been constructed from 1.2mm diameter brass wire bent in to shape and formed around the first one for uniform shape.
The mast was then drilled on the starboard side for the pins to fit in to and the 10 "steps" glued in to place!
Then I made the shape of the stern facing deck/come search light from a small piece of obeche' as the core shape.......I never throw odd bits of timber away, especially obeche unless they become too small for any use, and once I had reached by carving and sanding the shape of the light, I clad it in 0.8mm plasticard to give a grain free surface.
Once that was done and detailed I again used 1.2mm brass wire to form the two brackets, and after sanding all down, drilled the mast to take the brackets in the correct orientation facing aft and set it all in possition.
-
The next job on the Clyde fittings set is to get the D Type boat and its cradle cleaned up, as not only does both parts need it but hopefully I am going to have the actual boat measured up so that a 3D printed model made out of it'd design and measurements.
But also use the cradle used forfor copying measurements, to make a new cradle from obeche' for the second Clyde that I will be building.
-
I like to get back to a little basic woodwork now and then rather than just relying on plasticard.
And spent the afternoon marking out, cutting and then gluing parts together to make the cradle for the second Clyde lifeboats D Class lifeboat carried in the cradle on the fore deck of the Clyde.
There will be some sanding down to smooth it all off before painting with celulose primer/sanding sealer. That I'l do tomorrow once the glue holding it all together has cured hard and set.
-
So, last night and this lunch time I did one of the last "easy" fittings that I had to do as most other ones I have left over from other builds in castings...........Those were the two air vents for the cabins, and 2 search lights for the wheel house top.
BUT here comes the hard bit!
The trunking at the front of the main superstructure has so many twists and turns that I have been ponderinh for some weeks on how to produce it.
When I made the original fittings for the Clyde semi kit that has eventually come into the ownership of Mountfleet Models, all the ducting was made from wooden parts made from obeche and then cast in rubber moulds and resin. BUT as a one off I didn't want to go down that way, as it took so long to fashion and sand down and so have decided to produce it in parts from plastic card.
In that case I have made card templates to make sure both sides are the same.
The centre unit will also be made from plasticard, and I shall start on that tonight. Easiest first!!!
-
Many different angles to cut and glue together and, two hours of scratching my head on every cut,to get it all right, and the middle section of the trunking has been fabricated from 1,2mm plasticard.
Tomorrow, off to the model shop for a sheet of 1.0mm plasticard to make the trunking from the card formers that I drew earlier today will be a succesful day if I can get those fabricated without a problem.
-
Its a good job I can still muster some concentration at my age, as these two shaped pieces of ducting for the Clydes operations took me 4.5 hours this afternoon to build from the templates that I cut from the one piece that fell off the 1st model when damaged some time before i picked it up for restoration.
AS lot of finerky work went in to them so just show the work today in pictures rather than write reams od boring words.
Just to say the only materials used were plasticard of various thicknesses and EMA poliglue
-
Two more parts to the trunking fabricated from plasticard this evening, and crossed off the list for the Clyde on the side lines.
The final two parts will be constructed tomorrow
-
NO Wonder people like kits, and also now getting in to 3D printing to to produce their fittings and models for them, but being old school and class myself as a crafts man, I still like producing the bits myself by thought, word and deed, and like to think I have used my skill and tenacity to produce my model myself.
Its not to say I don't like kits, I DO!, and have built many of them and enjoyed the builds too, all that is except one..............a submarine that sank on its first voyage as i didn't have a clue what i was doing..........my fault.
But just to keep tabs on man hours, the final parts of the duckting for the Clyde were, bar plenty of sanding down and a little filling, took a grand total of 14'5 hours to fabricate
I can now have a few hours of theraputic sanding all those7 parts nice, clean and smooth.
-
(https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/C4E12AQFqUm0vqi-TuA/article-cover_image-shrink_600_2000/0/1548074456175?e=2147483647&v=beta&t=iSPUs5N5TYZH2A26SYrwnHAZGE7qe5bhzlgIPzN8gvg)
-
Next this afternoon were the port and starboardsteps in to the raised doorway of the steering cabin, which after the trunking , was a very simple construction made from 2mm plasticard with no odd shapes...........just boxed upon boxes.
But all needed just the same, to make the Lifeboat sing!
-
I received a present today from a fellow member on here, Liam Bell.
I bought a rib off Liam a week ago when we met halfway between his home in Manchester and mine upt Fleetwood way.
I HAD TOTALLY MISCALCULATED the size if the D Class rib and when I got home it was too long.
Contacted Liam, and he said no bother he would make one for me if I supplied a plan drawing with measurments, which I did.
Within 3 days the D Class rib arrived this morning ready to glue together as it was printed in slices with hollow sponsons, so able to float and quite possibly be motorised as I asked for it to be printed with the modern V shaped hull .
He has done a masterfull job and tonight I am looking forward to putting it all together using 30minute 2 part epoxy as Liam suggested.If it turns out as good as it looks with me putting it together I will be well pleased and overwhelmed by Liams help and support. It looks superbthough as i have never worked with 3d printed materials befor, but received so much help from him.
Good on ya mate.
-
Just as a side from the Clyde build , I took a 325 mile round trip today, via Birmingham old road [not toll road] to meet up with an old and lovely friend, and a friend for over 30 years, Dave Metcalf, of the model boat kit fame........
Some years ago after building a number of one off lifeboats, I asked Dave if he would like them and use them, and he said yes he would. But sadly for the moulds Dave was so busy with the models that he already marketed, and his other persutes, he never got round to marketting them, and so, just before christmas he asked me if i would like them back, and rather than nothing I went down to meet him at a location on the M1 near Leicester.
Anyway, now in my front room ready to be washed and stored away I keep looking at them and wondering what the h--- am I going to do with them.
The boats have all of the cabin/superstructure grp moulds, and one even has a mould for the deck to attach to the hull, and consist of:
1] A full set of moulds, plus the hull and cabin plugs/moulds for a 51.5inch Barnett stromness class lifeboat. Howeveras the hull of the 51' is so very near the 52' Barnett class lifeboat I made an additional enclosed cabin TO turn the boat into the 52 footer...plugs for the addition I think are still with me, so would go with the mould,
2] The full set of moulds including a grp mould for the deck for the 50' Thames class lifeboat!..........and only 4 mouldings were ever taken from that mould..........and I made them all.
3] a 45.6"/46' Watson with cabins and interior wells [i think but will have to check, with also vac forming tooling for the funnel
4],I can't remember making it, as I can't remember building the boat, but is definately one of mine, a single screw motor sailor lifeboat of the 1920/1930s vintage.She is LOA,43 " and so must be the 43' Watson single screw motor sailor boat that i build some time ago,
5] And finally Dave gave me a hull and main cabin for an Ann Lettioa Russell that I am, along side my full kit of the ALR that i have had for 30 years, a model of the lovely looking Abdy Beauklerk that served at Aldbeurgh, Suffolk.
[/i]
-
Last night I started gluing the slices of the D Class rib for the Clyde class lifeboat, but not having my glasses with me I chose a pack of Araldite that I already had or so I thought but hadn't recognised. and so used the older pack that had been bought a few months ago to do a slow cure, and so used it..........2.5 hours it took to cure, even sat on a hot radiater.
So today after getting home I used a quick setting epoxy to glue the last part of the rib, the cones on to the end of the boat.
Have to say what a lovely little model it makes in to and all segments glue in to each other perfectly.
just some light sanding now to rid it of its light printing lines to smooth it off.
-
This evening an easy job was to make a paper template from 3 peices of paper and then stick them together to form a single shape for the deck of the D class rib.
This was then transfered to a piece of card and cut out an almost perfect fit apart from one very small area which can be rectified on fitting permenantly.
-
The rib, has been given a good sanding to get rid of the printing lines and then the card deck has been replaced for a wooden one as the very early D's had so early photos show. It was glued in place using epoxy glue.
This was then masked up so that I could spray the bow area inside the rib before fixing the spray sheet. The spray sheet had been prepared by spraying the underside black to match the inner bow of the hull and with two thin strips of plasticard glued to the hull at the bow to the same curviture as the spray sheet so that the sides of the spray sheet could but up to them, as a brace to stop it slipping down the sides of the sponsons and all kept in place.
That has now been left to glue using epoxy and allowing it to cure for an hour or so.
-
Painting almost there on the D type, filler primer this morning, and the grey primer this afternoon.
the orange went on to the spray sheet and upper sponson tops this evening. and tomight i masked up the points where the RNLI stickers and boat number go on to the orange painted upper sponsons with green masking Duck tape.
Tomorrow I'll mask off the spray sheet to keep that orange and then spray the rest of the boat black.
-
Apart from a few detailing parts to be put on the D-91, the second of the two D class ribs to go onto the model that has yet to arive from Scotland, and the outboards fitting the ribs are finished, paint wise
-
Looking Darned spiffing there young man top marks off Me :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-))
Stav
-
thank you kind sir........fit and ready for a Clyde.
-
Now that the rib is ready bar the shouting i decided to bring in the main superstructure to repair some of damage and parts that had fallen off when i picked the boat up.
The boat launching derrick was repaired and put back in place.
One of the pieces of trunking was glued back in place as was the framework that the D Class rib sits on, and measurements for the cabin side rollers were taken and the 4 rollers fabricated from plasicard and plasstruct tubing.
Some of theport side upper rails had taken a nock and come apart on the top rail, and so I glued it back in place using Araldite metal glue rather than try soldering the 3 joints that had fractured.
Finally one of the upper superstructure search lights had brocken at the base of the frame, and that was repaired
-
Another small fitting done but as important as all the others........the navigation light boxes , made from 1.5mm plasticard.
Just need the legs fitting on to the undersudes, and a good sanding smooth and they'll be ready tonight.
And the "feet" have been attached
-
I have been busy with a few fittings over the past couple of days, using anhealed copper rod, wood, plastic card,plastic tube, filler, precast fittings, Milliput and some different types of glue, and all to produce some fittings for the two Clydes. the process was easy and straight forward but just a little boaring and tedious just to go through them all and where, so if you want to ask any questions about any of them, just ask away.
But i'm tired now and just fancy a beer........ so here are some photos of the fittings.
-
Been measuring up for some more fittings this afternoon for the Clyde, and one of them is the hand rails to fit to the steps leading in to the cabin sides.
This set of rails is to be fabricated from 2,5mm brass rod, and softened on my portable brazing hearth and gas torch to a cherry red.
Once cooled naturally it was lovely and plyable, and ready to shape.
For that I had drawn at full size, a template the shape of the hand rail, and bent and cut the brass to shape.
The "games room" is now shut for the night as I have other fittings to make this evening, and so will be silver soldered together tomorrow. I use soft grade silver solder and liquid flux rather than soft plumbers solder as it is far stronger and no harder to get a good finish than plumbers solder
-
Fittings for tonight have been finished.
The seconmd of the two handrails has been done after starting it anew. the length of brass rod was 10mm too short so had to go on the hunt for some more, and then anneal it, let it cool down and then reshape it, job done.
Then it was to construct two deck fittings, one in two parts for the fore deck.
The one made from obeche', I cannot remember what it is, but the second set of fiottings made from plasticard and a cut down plastic tubing section is the runner and cover and cable stop for the anchor chain.
-
It's lovely to be able to work with timber, and smell the lovely aroma of different woods....and obeche, oak, especially Australian oak, and mahogany are my favourites......Lignum Vitei smells like poo, lol.
Anyway, my favourite for modelling is obeche, and today i used it to cut, carve and sand both the vent plates for the engine room cover and the two hatchet and axe plinths for the fore deck.
This timber is a nice soft but very close grained timber easy to carve, sand and seal with cellulose sealer and a good surface for painting.......10 more fittings to go on the Clyde.
-
This afternoon after spending 90 minutes driving around looking for a 100 watt solder/welding iron and couldn't find one to do the hand rails for the cabin on the Clyde,that I cocked up yesterday I came home and orderred one on ebay to do my soldering.
And so I sat down and made 3 more fittings for the Clyde, and having looked at the one I'm reparing, I tink I have covered all the fittings needed for the new build when it finally arives from Scotland.
the fittings are the read upper deck light, and the two different style liferaft canister holders.
The simple one is for the canister at deck level and sits on to the engine casing. Where as the taller angled one is for the upper dech and shaped so that it can be rolled into the water from that possition.
-
I THOUGHT I had finished all the fittings on the Clyde untii found a few of the bulwark supports on the deck and not really thouht much of it, untill I realised that I hadn't made these for the new boat, and so, by marking out thoughtfully,
I had cut out 100 of them within 30 minutes...........not bad going
-
And then after making my bix fau pax last night of decairing that all the fittings had now been made for the Clyde, I stood there looking at the cabin superstructure and realised that I needed 2 more deck lights so had to make them.
And then looked at myself and thought how stupid could I be, as I had not made the MAIN cabin wooden doors, nor the runners that they fit in to, so made the runners, and cut some veneer representing the mahogany doors in 2 layers each so they dont warp when at sea.
I will glue the layers together later this afternoon, as soon as my prog has finished and I can get in to the workshop.
-
And using waterproof Aliphatic quick grab glue and a few clips I clued the two parts to each door together, they shall have set ready for me to sand smooth and then mark in the planking marks on to the wood, by 21.00 hours this evening .
-
Apart from some varnishing and sealing, the cabin doors are now finished complete with plank markings and fitted door handles.
-
My new 100 watt soldering iron ordered 3 days ago arived this lunch time and so I was quick to put it to use and soldered using soft solder put the cabin rails together. Just have to file the joints now to clean them up.
An then I set about yet another fitting that I had forgotten about, the oars for the D class rib. However.
I am, as time allows, two D Class ribs to modern spec and hope to motorise them both with slight modifications to the boat so that they will be able to be RC controlled.
As such, I need 3 pairs of boat oars for the 3 ribs.
Only five more to carve lol.,
-
And all 3 pairs of oars have now been carved and sanded to shape. just need a final sanding now with a fine grade of paper and then a few coats of sanding sealer before painting,
-
Back to the Two Clydes for a post, and I finally found the old, brocken and mismoulded stanchions in white metal years ago when I had and owned a centrifugal caster and melting pot, which I sold about 10 years ago after I gave up kit designing'
That is why my workshop is such a mess.........I never through things away, just store them lol.
Anyway I kept over 50 of them that I thought I could make them in to single holed stanchions if I ever needed them.
The time has come as I need approximately 50 for the Clyde..and didn't take long to find them, this afternoon I sanded them smooth so that they would fit in to 4mm dia. brass coloured eyelets used in leather making products so that they could be used as feet on the bulwarks of the boat, and then ordered on ebay a packet of 100 eyelets....that, I hope really is the last lot of fittings to produce as my fingers are now acheing after 2 hours of sanding down white metal.
-
Using the same "feet" as for the single hole stanchions that go on to the top of the bulwarks, today I fashioned the bow and stern rails that sit on the bulwarks from 2.4mm brass rod, anealed and then shaped to fit.
I soldered with soft solderand my new soldering iron..........I'm getting better with my soft soldering, thankfully.
-
Now that I have basiclly finished the two D Class ribs it is now back to the build of the Clyde class resto, and the build of the new one.
I thought I had in fact thought I had finished fabricating all of the fittings but whilst stood talking this afternoon to the owner of the two clydes that i am now back on to, iI noticed one fitting glaring me in the face.......the bell on the fore deck, and as I no longer have my laithe, wondered fore a few moments, how the hell was I going to fabricate such a shape without a laithe as a "church " type bell.........and then it came to me in a flash.
Some milliput and a pencil.
Mix the two equal pasrts of milliput together and press the pencil into the rounded tubular stick of milliput that you have just made, and stick the pencil, into one end to make the hollow of the bell.
Once the hole has been widenned to make the bell mouth, shape the outside of the milliput into the shape of the "church" type patterned bell, place it on some plastic and leave to harded for a few hours........voile'....one fog warning bell for the lifeboat.
-
The two bells for the Clyde are now ready to paint bronze.
The larger one is for the fore accomodation companion way , whilst the smaller white one [at the moment] and guess what it comes from is for the main mast.
-
Hi Neil
does the white bell come from a bathroom light cord ?
George.
-
It certainly does, George.............just got a big knot in the cord now.
Idea came to me having a bath the other night, lol.
Thy look well now painted in the Humbrol no.54 metalic
-
The second of the two Clyde lifeboats has finally appeared after nearly 4 weeks on the road after being sent from Oban in Scotland.
At least I don't need to worry about putting a deck on or painting the model, ttl.