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 Author  Topic: BlueJacket Ship Crafters 1/48 80' ELCO
  Bob Steinbrunn

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Bob Steinbrunn   Send Email To Bob Steinbrunn Posted on: Apr 26, 2016 - 6:23am
Quote:

Nice update Bob! She's really coming along. Can you share with us the process you went through to seal the hull and prime it? Also interested in the frame work around where the prop shaft exited.

Great reference photo Daniele! I added that one to my collection.

Dave

David Waples



Hi Dave,

Certainly, I'd be happy to. The bare basswood hull was sanded down with progressively finer grits of sandpaper, then with foam blocks found in the nail care section of my local pharmacy. These come in various grits as well, and if you're careful in selecting some of these, the wood hull can be polished out to an almost glass-like surface.

Next, several coats of Testors Model Master Gloss Clear Lacquer were brushed on (in retrospect I should have airbrushed them on) and were rubbed out between each coat with foam blocks. Finally, several coats of Floquil light gray were airbrushed on as both a primer and to achieve a monochromatic finish so I could spot flaws requiring attention much more readily. And there WERE flaws.

The propeller shaft stern tubes were shaped from .020" x .125" Evergreen styrene strip. I used a Dremel tool with a tiny saw bit to cut a slot down the middle of each strip, then laboriously widened the slot with an X-ACTO #11 blade and jeweler's files. Once done, the outside shape was sanded in with nail sanding sticks and polished. There might be an easier way to do this, but I took this labor-intensive route for a very good reason: it's because I'm really not very bright.

Finally, using Dick Washichek's DVD, I pulled up a blueprint of the stern tubes to use for the fastener pattern and number. These I created by slicing disks from .020" styrene rod using a single-edge razor blade and attached them with Tamiya Extra Thin Cement. When the fasteners were dry, I sanded them down to a subtle and uniform thickness.

Hope this helps.




Cheers!
--Bob

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Daniele Klay

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Daniele Klay  Posted on: Apr 26, 2016 - 11:41am
Hallo Bob, here comes the nit picker: the stern tubes weren't mounted directly on the hull planking, but on the keel beam the center one and on reinforcing blocks the wing ones. This blocking was quite thick(see bolt lenghts on the spare parts catalogue), causing the bolt heads/washers to be further up towards the bow, not around the hull cutouts. Note also that the stern tubes had bolts and wood screws alternately around the mounting flange, so every other hole had a bolt passing through the hull.
Regards

Daniele Kläy

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Bob Steinbrunn

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Bob Steinbrunn   Send Email To Bob Steinbrunn Posted on: Apr 26, 2016 - 2:08pm
Thanks Daniele,

I appreciate the information: always useful! I was aware from Dick's DVD that the prop shaft stern tubes needed a firmer foundation than being secured to merely the hull planking, a poor base indeed!

As I mentioned, I felt I wouldn't be too far off the mark if my stern tube flanges were identical to both the 1/35 Italeri and 1/48 Merit plastic hulls. Of course, on your almost 1:1 model even those small details are important.

Cheers!
--Bob

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Jeff D

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Jeff D   Send Email To Jeff D Posted on: Apr 26, 2016 - 4:42pm
Yes Daniele, the mounting block inside the hull was pretty thick and additional blocking inside the hull helped support the struts and engines. Check out the hull blocking drawings. I was surprised at the shafts coming right out of the hull, I guess the forward struts being so close to the exit explains it. Some of the later forward struts were half buried in the hull:



A few factory shots, probably from Frank. I don't know if they were inset, and if the plate was just used for location then removed. Nor do I know which series boats these are:





Bob, the Merit boat is pretty much a bootleg copy of the Italeri boat. Use them as references cautiously. :D



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David Waples

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of David Waples  Posted on: Apr 26, 2016 - 7:57pm
Hi Bob,
It's a beautiful finish. I'll check it out at the store this week. I have some similar sanding foam blocks but maybe this is a more affordable alternative.

I'm curious about the photo of the worker mounting the strut to the hull. Is that plate he's mounting it to a template that is removed later? The drawing would indicate something smaller under the casting but as Jeff points out it looks like it is set in. Any thoughts guys?

Always a fun conversation.

Dave

David Waples

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  Daniele Klay

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Daniele Klay  Posted on: Apr 27, 2016 - 12:03pm
Hi Dave, looking at this photo would suggest that the backing plates actually were as shown on the strut placement drawings.
On Jeff's picture the strut doesn't look like Elco hardware IMHO; could that be a Higgins boat?
To me it looks like an oversized panel has been temporarly fitted/bonded to the strut, to be trimmed later. Oddly the strut shows no screw holes
The holes might have been drilled to suit with everything placed,but this doesn't make much sense,to me at least...

Daniele Kläy

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Jeff D

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Jeff D   Send Email To Jeff D Posted on: Apr 27, 2016 - 12:20pm
You're right Daniele, those could be Higgins boats. The 1 strut looks either too long or too short for an Elco. Yoohoo Frank, is that an Elco or a Higgins uniform?



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Will Day

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Will Day   Send Email To Will Day Posted on: Apr 27, 2016 - 1:39pm
@J.D. - I'm thinking Elco uniforms..


Will

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Jeff D

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Jeff D   Send Email To Jeff D Posted on: Apr 27, 2016 - 3:13pm
The plan notes mention a 1/2" pad between strut and planking on all struts the above drawing covers.

Plans show all the mounting holes were countersunk for power bolts which were countersunk headed bolts like the cleats and bitts used.



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David Waples

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of David Waples  Posted on: Apr 27, 2016 - 5:57pm
I think you're right Jeff. Another clue being "HIG." Hmmm... what could that stand for. :-)

Good call Daniele. You're right that you can clearly see the layer under the casting, whatever it is.

Dave

David Waples

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