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Whilst building the Whitehills lifeboat I was asked to build an early 20th century Scottish wooden steam drifter as well. This boat was owned by the client's family along with another drifter called Lustre Gem BF526. He has paintings of BF 526 but only one part photograph of BF 93 which is the reason he wants a model of the boat.
As people know I mainly build lifeboats so this project was to be new, uncharted territory for me! Plans, lines and pictures of several boats from the period were aqquired and scaled to 1/35th to suit the client. I also bought a copy of 'From tree to sea', the story of building a steam drifter from cutting down the trees to setting off to fish, and was 'hooked' on the boat 8). I decided to follow the style of building in the book, with a few diversions to suit modelling concerns, and thus a new build started.
Picture 1: Craigneen crew in harbour with the clients grandfather holding the dog.
Picture 2: Building board prepared and frame positions marked.
Picture 3: Stern post and rudder support glued and pinned to the keel with suppport for propshaft.
Picture 4: Stem post and apron glued/pinned to the keel.
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The keel was trimmed to shape at the bows and then erected on the building board ensuring that it was both straight and vertical.
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You have too much time on your hands - jealous!
Lots of Sottish drifter info here:
http://glennmci.brinkster.net/mcibb/mcibb.html
Ian
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Dont you just hate him Ian. He has you thinking he's struggling flat out with his lifeboat and RTR tug and all the time he has a steam drifter being made in his spare time. {-)
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You have too much time on your hands - jealous!
No just an abiliity to do more than one build at a time to stop me getting bored with any individual boat!! 8)
Dont you just hate him Ian. He has you thinking he's struggling flat out with his lifeboat and RTR tug and all the time he has a steam drifter being made in his spare time
What's spare time ?? ???
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All the frames were cut from 4mm ply and assembled at the correct stations, checking that they were vertical and at right angles to the keel. Longitudinal stiffeners were added between the frames to produce a rigid frame. The skeleton was then checked to ensure that the formers were all faired along their length.
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So far so good.....Reminds me of building my HMS Blandford, except 18 yeras later and she still is not finished...
Can't wait to see more so post regularly...
Barry
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Tell us something - how do you manage to cut plywood so neatly, without the outer ply skin fracturing?
Ian
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Just about perfect timing for me. I am just finishing the Talacre as Footski can confirm as I have been pestering him for help and advice - which he has given without question and for which I thank him.
After Talacre I am giving steam drifter Formidable as go as a first pof scratch build and again as Ian can confirm I have been picking his brains and again all help given without hesitation.
This forum is a fantastic source of information and has some fantastic people only too willing to offer help and advice.
Keep the picures coming and be prepared for some pm's O0
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Tell us something - how do you manage to cut plywood so neatly, without the outer ply skin fracturing?
Ian
Simple really, I use fine, good quality blades in the power fretsaw (picture 1) and my hand held jigsaw (picture 2), I cut just outside the marked line and then finish with my belt sander (picture 3) or drum sander in drill press (picture 4) to size. It's just as quick as trying to cut exactly to size and then having to replace a ruined part !!
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As is my usual method I next moved on to plank the deck. This gives me a rigid hull and allows me to take the model off the build board to make hull planking easier. The coamings arouind the holes in the deck are fitted and the short sections of deck planks fitted with thin dark brown paper between to simulate the caulking.
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What timber are you using for the keel? Can't tell if it is just camera shade but is the keel height made up from 2 pieces?
You may guess from my posts that I am a POF virgin so please excuse some of the dumb questions.
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Is this another static model Mike ?
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What timber are you using for the keel? Can't tell if it is just camera shade but is the keel height made up from 2 pieces?
You may guess from my posts that I am a POF virgin so please excuse some of the dumb questions.
No question is ever dumb, if you don't ask then never learn ! 8)
The keel is spruce section and yes it's laminated from sections as shown in the following sketch. The stem and stern are also laminated and pinned to the main keel spar.
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Is this another static model Mike ?
Yes, static again, but with a few working features thrown in ! ;)
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I have finished gluing the deck together and when it has had a day or so to harden it will be cut back to the correct shape and scraped down to remove the caulking that is sticking up between the planks.
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I got fed up of scraping the deck/caulking smooth so I decided to start on one of the working features I intend to fit into the model, the steam winch. Also it will be easier to position the parts before planking the hull. ;)
The problem with this type of winch is that the steam engine to drive it is located on top of the winch barrel ! This means that the central portion remains stationary whilst the winding drum rotates. :-\
After much thought the drum will be loose mounted on a spindle with the engine glued on top. Non-prototypically the drum will be rotated by a small pinion mounted through the deck from a low voltage motor. When the final clutter is added this should not be noticable.
http://s242.photobucket.com/albums/ff300/gribeauval/Craigneen/?action=view¤t=Steamwinch01.flv (http://s242.photobucket.com/albums/ff300/gribeauval/Craigneen/?action=view¤t=Steamwinch01.flv)
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The steam capstan is now ready for fitting into the boat. The motor sub unit will be fitted now as when the hull is planked access will be removed to the section it fits in, the capstan barrel and engine will be refitted later.
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I have finished levelling the deck and fitted the drive unit for the steam capstan. This has been changed to a modified servo to give a better slow scale speed, plus it's quieter!!
The gearing around the bottom will be disgused and enclosed within the capstan base later. I can now get on with planking the hull !! 8)
http://s242.photobucket.com/albums/ff300/gribeauval/Craigneen/?action=view¤t=Steamwinch02.flv (http://s242.photobucket.com/albums/ff300/gribeauval/Craigneen/?action=view¤t=Steamwinch02.flv)
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Gribeauval,
beautiful work...
Now that other boat that appears in photo....decking 1.....have I not seen it featured in an article somewhere recently? That is also superb.
Refresh my memory.....where did I see it?
Barry
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http://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=8904.0
Whitehills Lifeboat Barry. Where have you been ? ;)
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Barry, That's the Whitehills Lifeboat, see the build thread now in the Masterclass section.
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Barry, That's the Whitehills Lifeboat, see the build thread now in the Masterclass section.
Thats what I said >>:-( >>:-(
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Now children, no squabbling !! This thread is for the steam drifter. 8)
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Aha, got you this time Dickyd and Bunkerbargs!!!!! ;D......Whilst I accept that I have missed the masterclass....It was not there that I saw it........It was HERE......
http://www.modelshipbuilder.com/ebooks/msb-journal/msbjournal-april-2008.pdf
Mike has really done a superb job of it....racked with jealousy I am...
Barry
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The planking of the hull is well underway and the lines of the hull are showing up well. A few more days will reach the stage where the hull can be scrapped/sanded to final shape.
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The planking of the hull is well underway and the lines of the hull are showing up well. A few more days will reach the stage where the hull can be scrapped/sanded to final shape.
Hope you meant scraped Mike. Its looking to good to scrap. ;)
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The planking of the hull is well underway and the lines of the hull are showing up well. A few more days will reach the stage where the hull can be scrapped/sanded to final shape.
Hope you meant scraped Mike. Its looking to good to scrap. ;)
Finger slipped when typing Dicky !! ;)
It depends what it looks like when I have finished adding the planks!! 8) It wouldn't be the first time I have smashed up a hull because I wasn't happy with it! :o
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Finally finished adding the planks to the hull and now it will be on with the scraping/filling/sanding then the bin irons can be added to the sides of the hull. The rail around the stern has also been cut and fitted ready for the vertical planking to be added. The deck has also been stained to a pitch pine colour and when this is dry all the rest of the gunwale stanchions can be fitted followed by the capping rails.
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nice work, and a nice bottle of malt in the background. O0
Ian
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nice work, and a nice bottle of malt in the background. O0
Ian
Thanks Ian! The malt was a present from the client when he collected the Whitehills lifeboat last week!! ::)
Mike
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The stern has now been filled in with vertical planking, the hull scraped/sanded down, filler added where needed, sanded down again!! and a coat of water based acrylic primer brush painted on as the original was brush painted. This has left me covered in dust but the hull looking as it should. :o
Next on the agenda is to cut the freeing ports/hawse holes in the gunwales, add the gunwale supports and fit the bend irons around the outside of the hull. 8)
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The hull has now had the binn irons fitted around the hull and given a coat of black paint. I now need the courage to take the minidrill and cut the hawse holes in the bow and the freeing ports along the sides.
The final picture shows all the gunwale timbers now in place and the vertical boarding that formed the stern.
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The hull now has the capping rail fitted all around and the gunwales no longer flex when I grab the hull ! The minidrill was powered up and the freeing ports cut out, also the hawse holes in the bow. The outer section of the keel has been steamed, bent and glued in place. When the glue had dried then the hull can have its final coats of black and antifouling painted on.
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The pin rail has been fitted and this means more fiddly paint brush work on the inside of the gunwales. The outside of the hull has now been painted, the waterline added and the anti fouling painted on. Must build a rudder next to keep this build on a straight course !
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The pin rail has been fitted and this means more fiddly paint brush work on the inside of the gunwales. The outside of the hull has now been painted, the waterline added and the anti fouling painted on. Must build a rudder next to keep this build on a straight course !
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Hi Mike , got your PM on Shipsnostalgia. I have been very busy lately but will look through my books to see if I can send you the photos you need for the deck fittings , etc
Davie
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Hi Gribeauval
How do you construct your capping rail?
Is it made of several strips?
TT
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Hi Gribeauval
How do you construct your capping rail?
Is it made of several strips?
TT
Hi TT, Yes the capping rail is cut in curved sections from wide strips at the bow and stern until I reach the straighter sections where the curve is achievable by simple bending using the correct width strip. In this build the stern capping was made from one section of thin ply to avoid breakage.
Mike
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Hi Mike , got your PM on Shipsnostalgia. I have been very busy lately but will look through my books to see if I can send you the photos you need for the deck fittings , etc
Davie
Thanks a lot Davie, I look forward to seeing what you turn up. ;)
Mike
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The rudder has been built and will be finally fixed in place later to save damage. I have also built the funnel from scrap lying on the workbench ! This included an old smoke unit from the spares box.
http://s242.photobucket.com/albums/ff300/gribeauval/Craigneen/?action=view¤t=Funnel.flv (http://s242.photobucket.com/albums/ff300/gribeauval/Craigneen/?action=view¤t=Funnel.flv)
The deck openings have had their coamings done ready for the hatch and superstructure. The first of the crew have been recruited ready for conversion to early 1900's style.
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The forward hatch and the boards for the fish pounds have been added and the superstructure started. The rear section, the galley, will be added later as it has a distinctive curve at the top. The wheel house window frames were then built in situ ( 78 separate parts !) ready for glazing later when the fitting out and painting has been completed. Next on the agenda is the engine room skylights.
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The galley section has now been grafted onto the rest of the superstructure and painting started to make it look 'whole' and not sections. The forward mast tabernacle is now in position and the mast spars tapered, The boat is now aquiring the typical look of a difter from the early 1900's. The fittings in the wheel house will be positioned, the glazing done and then the doors and roof can be added along with the portholes etc. The crew figures have also had a more appropriate paint job for the period.
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eautiful work, a real pleasure to see. Keep it up.
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I'll go with Senor Footski on this "eautiful work ".
Really nice job Mike. Exellent O0
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I'll go with Senor Footski on this "eautiful work ".
Really nice job Mike. Exellent O0
Not my fault...It's these silly Spanglish key boards!!!
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Next youll be tellin us yore spill chucker dont werk ::)
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The lighting for the wheelhouse and the working lights on the front have been fitted. The internal light is a 12v bulb running on 6v to give the softer glow.
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Back from holiday and back to the build! :)
The funnel has finally been fixed in place on the casing (that's paint on the wall behind the boat not smoke! I didn't notice the effect until I had finished taking the picture!). The support for the formast has been made and fitted onto the wheelhouse roof. All the hatches are now in position on the casing and the mizzen mast fixed onto the galley roof ready for the standing rigging to be done.
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Made and fitted the name scrolls on the bows and the registration numbers. The drifter now has its own identity. ;)
The 'newness' will be toned down with a 'dirty dust coat' later on in the build.
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Made and fitted the shrouds for the mizzen mast today. First the deadeyes were laced up in the correct manner and when all six had been done they were fastened to the eyebolts on the galley roof. Finally the shrouds were raised and fastened over the stop cleat on the mast. The rearmost shrouds also had, after much swearing and frustration to get them looking something like correct, their baggywrinkles fitted. Now just need to touch up the deadeyes and stop cleat with a darker paint.
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More items added, in this case the large ventilators on the engine room casing. The bells for these were moulded from plasticard over a turned former and wire added for the rims. The long downpipes were then added and faired in with epoxy putty. After painting they were glued in position either side of the funnel.
Next to be tackled was the rigging for the formast. All the ropes are movable and the whole mast can be folded down if needed. After final painting (everything to de de-rigged!) the rigging will be secured in the correct manner. The hook will be replaced with a better pattern later and is just to give some tension in the system.
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Don't know why I haven't looked at this thread recently, but it's looking very nice - great workmanship + very interesting subject. The deck planking looks particularly good - I'll be happy if the deck on my steam yacht looks 1/10 as good as this when finished!
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gribeauval,
Excellent work and a most useful description of your build and the processes you adopted.
Not in any way a criticism, an observation. Ropes/sheets (particularly where handled by the guy up fora rd) look insubstantial. I guess this is the scale problem, the thickness may be correct but at that scale the thread lacks and significant weight. I wonder if they were beeswaxed would they then adopt or bend to a reasonable likeness of the original?
Roger in France.
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Glad you like it Roger. The final re-rigging has yet to be done and I promise you it will look about 10 times better than what you see now. ;) At the moment the rigging is not fastened in place and the rope held by the figure is the smallest diameter as it is used on the snatch block for unloading the fish in dock. I agree that at 1/35th scale ropes always look too small and won't "sit" correctly without assistance as they do not have scale weight.
Mike
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I have now sorted out where all the parts/ropes go on the mizzen mast. Again it will now be de-rigged for painting and tensioning of the ropes. Some of the minor parts have been built and fitted. In order; the front companionway, front handrail, wicker baskets for 'deck clutter', swing frame navigation lights (working) to be mounted on the casing after painting.
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My wife has made the sail for the drifter. The sail was first marked out on a medium weight canvas. The vertical lines are typical sail panels and the horizontal lines are the positions of the reef bands. This was then dyed a reddish brown typical of the period and the lines stitched in. The sail was then trimmed and hemmed and the reef ropes added. The sail is now ready to fit onto the boat.
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The detail is a credit to you......and Mrs Gribeauval!!!
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The mizzen mast sail has now been fitted and the rigging tightened. Just need to fit the cleats to finish the job. The navigation lights on their swinging frames have also been fitted onto the casing and now all the 'spaghetti' that calls itself the wiring needs sorting out to make the whole thing work! The drive motor, propshaft, prop and rudder will now be refitted and more of the details done.
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Added a few more parts to the drifter. First the net rollers on the bulwarks and the hatch. Next the fish and coaling scuttles on the deck. Finally for now the wiring has been sorted out and here is the boat with the lights working.
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More details made and added to the drifter.
First picture shows the grating over the rudder head in place, next the ladder that most drifters carried now on the galley roof, next the non-prototypical gearing for the working steam winch has now been enclosed, next the handles on the forward hatch covers added, when these are removed the switch controls for the motor, lights, winch etc are revealed along with the charging socket for the gell cell in the hull the gap in the centre will have a representation of the drift nets added. Next the floats for the nets under construction and finally for now the display stand for the boat.
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Stunning O0
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Exellent as usual Mike. O0
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More parts sorted on the drifter.
1: the forward hatch has had the drift nets added to the centre section, the ends now slide to give access to the switches.
2: the large net floats are now completed, numbered (in case they are lost at sea!) and added to the deck.
3: more clutter, ropes and barrels etc added to the foredeck.
4: 5: 6: & 7: the crew has been repainted in better colours, placed on the ships muster roll and put to work!
8: the smoke system has been connected to the switch system and tested.
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Apart from a little tidying up Craigneen is ready to 'sail' to her home port in Scotland.
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What can I say------I HATE YOU. Its immaculate Mike, a wonderful model, if your customer doesn't want it send it down here. ;)
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A lovely job!!
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Watching this build take shape into what can only be described as stunning has been of immense help.
I will take much of what I have learned from this build and try to emulate to the best of my limited ability to use it in my next working build.
Excellent!!
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Thanks for the comments gents :embarrassed:. There is nothing complicated in what I do, it's just a long series of very small steps and a look at things in life from a different angle. I hope you will enjoy watching the new lifeboat build as much as I will in building her.
Mike
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Lovely job, well done.
Ian
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Just to round off the build I took some pictures of the completed boat this evening with its lights on. I hope you like the effect as much as I do. ;)
Mike
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Truly Fantastic looking, a real work of art.
regards
Gary :)
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The whole build in 10 mins!! 8)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIXPliQ-maI (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIXPliQ-maI)
Mike
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Superb video - the lines on the upturned hull shot, look perfect - wonderfull curves and totally symmetrical. O0
regards
Gary :)
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Beautiful work! O0 The build video is a very interesting idea - it's fascinating to watch the model progress step by step from the keel frame to the finished article.
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I really enjoyed your build and the film, Mike. A wonderful inspiration to us all. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Ken
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Thank you gents, I hope you enjoy the new lifeboat build just as much.
Mike