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[tonyH]

I reckon you get to a point in any build where you sort of know when somethings just looks wrong. That's what happened with the gun barrels. I'd been looking at a load of photos of Krupps weapons from the period so little option
As far as the boats are concerned, they have to be light because they sit high up on a relatively fine hull so the leverage in a breeze could be a tad tricky. The more weight I can keep low down the better. I've got some builders foam, so I could carve them and skin with gauze but getting four to match, and a pair, and another pair?

[ballastanksian]

Foam has advantages though some are a bit soft with regard to dinks and tears when working with it. Roacel (the foam used to make surfboards etc) might give you a light but sturdier model to begin with. I thank you for giving my MOJO a little boost so I carved several more balsa boats today.

[tonyH]

Glad to be of service
I agree about the foam being probably the worst option but I'll try it anyway. I've ordered some of the cheap Billings ones, that are the right size, from Leeds to compare weights and cut templates for some of the others to try the balsa route. The largest one is the traditional steam pinnace so that needs to be done properly anyway.

[JimG]

If you carve one foam hull this can be used as the master to make others. If you are willing to do the work you can make planked hulls over the foam master (Inlay strips into the foam as ribs first.) Or cover the foam in tape then release agent and cover with lightweight glass fibre cloth and epoxy to give a thin removeable skin. You would have to sand it before removing from the blank or use a vacuum system to give a better finish to the outside. Probably best to use some carbon fibre tow to stiffen the hull. The best would be to cover the foam blank with epoxy glass then use this to make a mould from which to make the finished hulls.
Jim

[Geoff]

When I make my boats I carve a master in Balsa which is about 2mm too wide and 2mm too long. Its also about 1/2" too deep so you have something to handle. I grease the outside and take a mould in house plaster or plaster of Paris. Once removed I cut along the keel and make it 2mm narrower and the same lengthwise.


The next step it to make a square frame and pin some plastic card on to it. Pop in the oven until it gets hot, place over the female mould and plunge the hull into it and once it sets you have a very light hull. The reason for trimming down the hull size is to make room for the plastic card.


Remove from the mould and trim to shape then it out with plastic strips with the bulwarks first both inside and outside ant his give rigidity. Glue on the keel, stem and stern pieces and fit out the interior with as much detail as you want.


This gives a very light hull and if you build to the same scale you can use the mould multiple times for other models as ships boats are pretty much all the same.


Cheers


Geoff

[tonyH]

Thanks for the input chaps. I'd used a variation on Jims method for the 210mm gunshield and this worked fairly well using the Vallejo paint masking (latex) for a release agent. I'll probably do the same for each of the 3 singles I need and try the Geoff derivative for the 2 repeat types. I wanted to see what the Billing ones are like simply because they're the rightsize for the 2 clinker built boats on board.
 

[tonyH]

You've probably read Eric's posts and possibly his last one on the HMS Glory thread where he mentioned the Dutch Archives. This is the first time that I even knew that they existed, even after questions to museums in Holland. Just shows how serendipity works on Mayhem. Yes, they have the all the drawings I've managed to scratch together plus others in one simple package. Grrrrrrrrrrrr!

[tonyH]

The plans for the early version of Willie aren't detailed, so I'm having to allow for the sort of fittings likely to be in place. One or the areas is in regard to signalling systems. The "gallows" in the pic are on a model of a protected cruiser of the same period (1890's) in the Dutch Naval Museum in Den Helder and since it's not connected to anything else it could be some sort of telegraph, like the Chappe system......or not!
Any thoughts?

[ballastanksian]

Maybe? It looks a little frail to handle torpedoes for loading into an under water torpedo room. But, is there a flag locker nearby on the cruiser model?

[tonyH]

Definitely a bit lightweight The nearest thing I could find is in this paper from the Royal Signals which seems quite a comprehensive study https://www.royal-signals.org.uk/Datasheets/Telegraph.php and is the 2nd from left on the second row of the 1826 print towards the end. This assumes, of course, that the pointy arms are hiding behind the crossbar. No sign of flag lockers anywhere. It also stands quite high, approx 4m, so quite prominent for a purpose.

[Geoff]

as an alternative some ships used to have a ball one one side and a stiff board on the other which were connected to the helm, so ships following could see which way the ship was turning depending if the board was up and ball down and vice versa.


Cheers


Geoff