Topic: 3 Lifeboat builds, What goes into a model kit. (Read 322535 times)

Neil · « **Reply #675 on:** May 21, 2012, 08:24:04 pm »

And the white metal cast brackets have now been fitted to the two Watsons.

Neil · « **Reply #676 on:** May 22, 2012, 07:49:15 pm »

been busy today, and the brain hurts

Started off by painting the rope brackets and masking off and painting the scupper plates..........some might say that the plates were painted the same colour as the hulls to blend in, but others I have seen have been painted ( or galvanised) steel, and therefore look silver............I painted them with polished aluminium to set them off as a feature against the blue of the hulls. This only applies to the two Watsons,as even on the oldest of photos that I can see of the Mary Stanford, there was no evidence of such scupper flaps, meaning that the water intake into the two cockpits was sluicved away by none return relief valves through the bottom of the hull.

Neil · « **Reply #677 on:** May 22, 2012, 08:14:17 pm »

second job was when I was looking through some photos of the "Smuts".......I found that the steering wheel wasn't the normal standard wheel.

Apparently because the helmsman stands above the wheel midships, the normal standard 30" wheel was too small for comfort and so an extra ring and horns was added to it to give a greater diameter so that the helmsman could stand to the wheel without bending over.
so the task was how to extend a normal white metal wheel into a form resembling the wheel on the "Smuts".

I first flattened off the existing horns on the white metal wheel to give a contact surface for a brass ring.
I made the brass ring by bending an anealed strip of 1/16th brass around an Austin 7 piston ring clamp, ( supplied by my mad mate Trawlerman.........I mean, who would give up Austin 7's for model boat building,

), before silver soldering the ring together.
I then drilled with pilot holes through the ring into the horns of the wheel, slipping brass wire into the ring and horn to lock it together. After it was joined to all 8 spokes, I slipped some plastic tube over the wire to extend the horns, and left it all to set.

Neil · « **Reply #678 on:** May 22, 2012, 08:28:41 pm »

And finally for today, after all this I couldn't resist starting to string the grab ropes from the brackets, and so started off with the H F Bailey.

Sadly over the years, I have found many a good model lifeboat made to look more like a toy boat, because the ropework has twisted and taken a form all of it's own. I couldn't put a finger onto this until one day, when I was making my first Anne Letitia Russell, the mechanic from the boat said to me.....(in his scottish accent) Naw laddie........juv strung tha wee ropes reet , havent yee".

I said to him what did he mean by right.
he explained to me that rope is made with a twist, and that rope will only lie straight if it's laid WITH the twist.......no use laying it against the twist, or it will loop and coil to it's own shape all day long and you woun't be able to do a thing with it.
he said that most ropes, yarns and threads are made in a clockwise direction ( with very very few being laid and made anti clockwise) and so it only makes sense to lay those ropes on a lifeboat ( being real or model) in a clockwise direction...........and this means starting from the stern, PORT SIDE, working round to the portside bow, and then from starboard side BOW through to stern, starboard side..............in this way, the rope won't twist, like can be seen on some models.
so, since that day, I have alwayse strung my boats small or large, in that manner.

On the H F Bailey, I have used stranded Kite string for the grab ropes, tied with a thinner thread. to get them sitting properly I then once tied, spotted the ties with cyano, and run cyano along the thread, and held with a spray can, whilst spraying with zapper....the rope then sets and lies in a fixed possition on the boat's fenders.

Neil · « **Reply #679 on:** May 23, 2012, 08:24:20 pm »

today I finished roping up the safety grab ropes on the other two models."Smuts" and Mary Stanford, but this time I used some scale cord that I found in my rope bin....it hangs better and am thinking of re roping the H F Bailey in the next few days.
However they are now looking more like it.

Neil · « **Reply #680 on:** May 23, 2012, 08:28:47 pm »

Then it was a case of tarting the bits and pieces up that have already been fitted........this was in the firsat instance the fairleads and the bow Gobeye and rollers on all three boats.
For this I mixed two half pots of humbrol paint together to give me a less harsh bronze colour that that which comes from the normal metallic bronze Humbrol tim..............I mixed bronze and brass colours together in a 50/50 mix....this will do quite a few fittings.

Neil · « **Reply #681 on:** May 23, 2012, 08:31:44 pm »

Looking at those pics I think they need another coat of paint, lol.....was pretty shattered with brain freeze when I was doing those, lol.

Neil · « **Reply #682 on:** May 24, 2012, 09:33:13 am »

And now the great slog begins.............all building and casting done..........I just have to get all these fittings painted, detailed and fixed to the models before June 20th and Etherow........can it be done.
All of the plastic bags also contain small and minute fittings that have to be painted and fitted, both inside and outside the boat cockpits to varying degrees.
neil.

Norseman · « **Reply #683 on:** May 24, 2012, 01:43:12 pm »

Quote from: Neil on May 24, 2012, 09:33:13 am

June 20th and Etherow........can it be done.

Dave

Neil · « **Reply #684 on:** May 24, 2012, 08:39:12 pm »

today I fitted the deck lights and surrounds plus painted a few fittings, and fitted the engine reversing wheels to their plinths......the pile gets a little smaller of "to do" things.
The deck lights, although not the right colour ( as I couldn't accertain the right colour do give a little depth to the things, and so, at the moment will do the job until a certainty of colour comes along.....they are easily changeable as they are held together and in their recesses by double sided tape.............so are removeable....but I needed to start somewhere and getting some fittings on deck is better than procrastinating and doing sod all .

CJ1 · « **Reply #685 on:** May 25, 2012, 08:31:00 am »

Neil,
I've sailed on boats with this sort of deck light, although not a lifeboat. They are usually made from a block of glass, which looks green in reflected light. Bottle green - as in glass bottles. When looked through from below, they are transparent. When looked at on deck, they select the surrounding light, but generally look black with the shape of the prism showing.
Hope this helps.

Chris

Neil · « **Reply #686 on:** May 25, 2012, 11:01:06 am »

cheers Chris.......will look for some green plasic.

Oh what a difference a bit of sun makes.....painting and drying al fresco....can't beat it, lol

the brightness will once dried, be dumbed down by a paint brush laced with carbon powder, and vigerously rubbed over the paintwork. And then the dials will be added to the control panels.

rmaddock · « **Reply #687 on:** May 25, 2012, 11:04:07 am »

If what Chris has shown you is the right thing, then here's a picture of one of those fitted to Hearts of Oak (c.1912).

Richtea · « **Reply #688 on:** May 25, 2012, 11:13:35 am »

Niel,
I hope you got al's permission before you painted him

Neil · « **Reply #689 on:** May 25, 2012, 12:23:05 pm »

Cheers Rob.....they were all basically standard fittings so those'll be the ones. cheers.

the difference between virgin metal painting and that dumbed down with carbon on a tooth brush.

rmaddock · « **Reply #690 on:** May 25, 2012, 12:59:41 pm »

Quote from: Neil on May 25, 2012, 12:23:05 pm

Cheers Rob

You're welcome. I suspect your lifeboat chaps would have been a bit handier with the Brasso though!

Neil · « **Reply #691 on:** May 25, 2012, 02:21:44 pm »

the more ya clean, the more it goes green!

Neil · « **Reply #692 on:** May 27, 2012, 04:47:07 pm »

All the fittings have now been painted that are going inside the cockpits.....and weathered, and a few more besides.
The "black spot" has been painted onto the bulkheads...this is to give a little "depth" behind the porthole set into each watertight bulkhead door...and all will be fitted to the bulkheads and insides of the cockpits tomorrow with any luck.
neil.

Neil · « **Reply #693 on:** May 27, 2012, 10:13:58 pm »

I have had some discussions in the past week or so with my "guardianangel" Glyn, who was a crewman on the "Smuts" and the ships wheel that was causing some concern has had to be modified.
I wrongly assumed that one of the "horns" shown sticking out the top of the wheel on a photo was indeed a "horn" off the outer extension ring.........it wasn't, and I hadn't looked closely enough, as it was in fact one of the compensating irons for the compass lieing just beyond the wheel.
So the horns were snipped off. Also it came about that the outer ring was too wide, and this was ground off a little, and an outer rased piece in plasticard was added to the outer edge of the ring, to give it a circular look. Finally Glyn told me that this outer ring was coated with a none slip grip, similar to baize....this I replicated to some degree by winding grey cord around the rim to give a similar effect.

irishcarguy · « **Reply #694 on:** May 28, 2012, 06:38:29 am »

Really great work & detail Neil, you do take that extra step every time, again thank you for your open & honest details of your builds. Mick B.

Rottweiler · « **Reply #695 on:** May 28, 2012, 10:02:45 am »

TWO sewing experts under one roof ! Come clean Neil whose nimble fingers did the winding on? LOL
Mick F

Neil · « **Reply #696 on:** May 28, 2012, 10:18:20 am »

All my own work guys..........Maria will only knitt fenders for me, and perhaps sow the odd sail.............might have one on the Mary Stanford......haven't decided yet, lol

Neil · « **Reply #697 on:** May 28, 2012, 02:37:17 pm »

H F Bailey's engine room bulhead now been fitted with miriads of white metal and resin fittings....a few more to go on and around the cockpit......but I quite like it.
neil.

Norseman · « **Reply #698 on:** May 28, 2012, 04:40:52 pm »

Hi Neil

That's all really lovely work - you are cracking on at a pace now.
Have you given any thought to that wheel getting properly wet?
Would the twine (I'm assuming it's a natural fibre) benefit from waxing or sealing in any way?

Dave

Neil · « **Reply #699 on:** May 28, 2012, 08:05:02 pm »

cheers Dave.........I'll be coating the thread with varnish, but it is, actually old cobbler's thread which was impregnated with a wax.....have been using it for years as rigging twine, and it really is good.......you can see the water run off it.
neil.

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Author Topic: 3 Lifeboat builds, What goes into a model kit. (Read 322535 times)