On Michaels workbench - miscellaneous

michael mott

Western Thunderer
Some time ago I agreed to make 4 signals for a chap in Maine as my part in a swap for 123 issues of Narrow gauge and industrial review. So have finally got around to finishing them. I was given a page out of one of the Garden Rail magazines for a simple semaphore signal with basically an open invitation to make some changes.

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I did a quick drawing in Corel and started a couple of years ago, then put it aside to sort out a few things. Currently the signals are now ready to be painted .

At first I began following the basic design which included some plated top and bottom To retain the control rods I used some 7ply aircraft plywood. But found these to be a bit difficult to deal with from an assembly and maintenance point of view. so opted to change this element.

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I did a few tests with some copper wire to create a forged look to a bolt on bracket.

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This led to a couple of days worth of trying out different ways to flatten and shape some annealed copper wire, I was not really happy with the results so opted for a fabricated bracket. With my recent experience of winding up large wire for the spring on the air loco I wound up some 1/16th dia. annealed brass rod to make thick Jump rings. which led me to trying to roll up some 1/16th square rod to make some square section Jump rings.

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Then I laughed because I realized that a bit of brass rod with a hole bored to the correct diameter would be so much easier to make the square section rings.

After turning up said rings I decided that the round section rings were more pleasing to look at and so proceeded along those lines.

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The soft soldered brackets were blackened with Jax bronze and black solution. the square bolts were made from some 3/32 square brass rod and threaded 1x72 and used as self tapping screws into the maple post.

I used a small home made pin chuck to get the heads all clean after they had been parted off . Adapting a C5 collet chuck for my Myford has been a boon to being able to hold hex, square, and round stock accurately and repeatedly.

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Still need to rivet the ladders to the brass post brackets then take them apart to be painted. The signal are 13 inches high post is 1/2 in square tapered from the base to the top down to 3/8. steel sides of the ladders are 1/8 square.

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Michael
 
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michael mott

Western Thunderer
Hello David, the scale is 1/8th stem to stern is 63 inches overall length with the bowsprit extended is 84 inches beam is 17 1/2 inches the mast is 69 3/8
The 1/8 scale is a wonderful scale to work with but does create some space challenges, the cap on the top of the topmast is only a 1/4 inch from the ceiling. All of the rigging is fully functional so I can actually lower the topmast properly IMG_1403.jpeg
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IMG_1405.jpegAn overall shot with the bowsprit extended, I tend to keep it inboard while I am working because it would be too easy to bump it while moving around the shop.
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I hope this helps. Yesterday I cut the lip for the sink this shot puts it in perspective.

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Michael
 

MarkR

Western Thunderer
Hi Michael
Did you build the Bristol Channel Pilot cutter from plans, it's a superb model, another one of my many rabbit holes!
Mark
 

michael mott

Western Thunderer
Hello Mark, thank you for your interest and kind words. In the beginning I had the “model maker” plans for the fishing smack kingfisher these I enlarged and adopted from the lines that are on the drawing for the 5 bulkheads used in the plan. I looked at dozens of examples of the Bristol cutters many of which have been restored and converted into “recreational yachts”
I then began building the hull using a strip plank method because it was so much easier for me being an absolute beginner regarding model boat building. It is a great journey and I am learning a great deal about how these craft sailed and the role they played at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century. By choosing to create a general design based loosely on the smacks and cutters has allowed me to have fun with potential design that would have occurred by the sometimes eccentric owners of the “gentlemen’s yachts” and not be anxious about having to make a model of an actual boat and all that entails. Except for a few of the very small commercial screws (#1) all the blocks and shackles pins bolts etc I have made. I particularly enjoyed making the jib traveler with the baseball stitching the one on the model is the final one after two previous attempts. All the lines and ropes are made from various cotton an polyester threads on my homemade rope walk the thickest one using 80 strands.
It’s a challenging model but keeps me motivated on and off which began in 2012.

Michael
 

David Waite

Western Thunderer
Hi Michael
Thank you for the dimensions that ship is huge, are you going to sail it or is it just for display?
I must add your workmanship that you have applied to it is amazing,
it’s with out a doubt your modelling skills are just superb.
David.
 

michael mott

Western Thunderer
So, your own ropewalk.

I was intending to enquire of your external source of suitable miniature ropes - on reflection I really should have known better by now :))
Hello Tony The Model ship building folk have a couple of sources here is one that is supporting the Modelshipworld Forum and the Nautical Research Guild
Ropes of Scale

Michael
 

michael mott

Western Thunderer
Hi Michael
Thank you for the dimensions that ship is huge, are you going to sail it or is it just for display?
I must add your workmanship that you have applied to it is amazing,
it’s with out a doubt your modelling skills are just superb.
David.
Hello David the origin plan is to be able to free sail it, I am constructing the interior so that it is removable in order to put in the 100 lbs + of ballast in order to get her down to the waterline these few pictures taken in 2014 during a float test show the hull with 60lbs of ballast.
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When I lived at the lake and a member of the yacht club the opportunity to free sail her was obviously much easier now that I am back in the city it has become a more difficult proposition. I will continue the construction as though I am eventually going to sail it though, if it only sails once I shall be very happy, it is the goal but the journey is far more important to me. The sails will be either a heavy cotton or linen and properly sewn. of course this means I still have all sorts of running rigging to deal with.

Michael
 

David Waite

Western Thunderer
Hi Michael
Thanks for the photos
It looks magnificent in the water, with all that ballast it’s going to be very heavy to carry around,
I’m now eagerly awaiting a photo of its maiden voyage,
David.
 

michael mott

Western Thunderer
Hi Michael
Thanks for the photos
It looks magnificent in the water, with all that ballast it’s going to be very heavy to carry around,
I’m now eagerly awaiting a photo of its maiden voyage,
David.
Hi David, the reason that the interior is removable is so that the ballast can be inserted at the launch site the ballast is formed from melted down wheel balancing weights. The weights are shaped to fit in the bottom of the hull, these will be placed in the hull while the boat is on its launch trailer. This is the goal. But as I said before the journey is the most important part.
Michael
 
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