Very glad to see I can post a pic first time. OK, over the last week to ten days while waiting for varnish to dry I have:- lagged the new steam pipes, polished and clear lacquered all pipes and brasswork on the steam plant and made a set of cushions. The varnishing is completed and I have installed the deck cleats, flag, jack and ensign staff sockets.
The canopy is constructed and the paint and varnish finished, interior lighting is installed with just the wiring to nav and search lights to tidy up. Using the stanchions to carry current fell at the first hurdle as I was unable to satisfactorily solder wires to the sockets without the previous solder coming adrift so plan "b" is to run the supplies through male and female servo plugs and the common returns through one small plug and socket so a simple connection prior to sailing.
The next big job was to secure the canopy deck sockets to the deck and coaming. I secured the hull in the cradle, upright and at design trim. Then I marked out the position of each socket with small pieces of masking tape. I put a stanchion in a socket and set the socket in its position and sighting over a set square I adjusted the assembly until stanchion was vertical in a fore and aft direction. I repeatedly sanded away the bottom piece of wood at the sanding station until it stood happily in a vertical position. Then I did the same again in the athwartships direction. A soon as the stanchion would stand perfectly vertical I held it in place and wicked cyo into the joints. Perfik. Then it was just a case of repeating for the other eight stanchions. When all stanchions in position I used a gauge to mark the tops of the stanchions to get them all the same height.
On the lathe I turned a set of wooden canopy sockets with a 4mm hole. At the sanding station I sanded a flat on each socket to secure the socket to the inner edge of the canopy. I made up nine brass socket inserts from 3.5 mm I/D tube and cyoed these inside the sockets.
Finally I put the canopy sockets on the tops of the stanchions and tomorrow I will epoxy the canopy on top.
Jerry.