Author Topic: U.S.N. Picket Boat No. 1 1864  (Read 12635 times)

Offline J.L.

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Re: U.S.N. Picket Boat No. 1 1864
« Reply #15 on: October 01, 2019, 04:55:13 PM »
Hi Jim,
I am a member of that group. I built Chuck's 1/2" scale Medway.

Offline mike mott

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Re: U.S.N. Picket Boat No. 1 1864
« Reply #16 on: October 01, 2019, 05:49:14 PM »
Beautiful build of the longboat John, I am also a member of the Model Ship Word forum My model of the 19 foot launch with the buffalo Marine engine is in waiting mode at the moment. I look forward to following along with your new build.

Mike
If you can imagine it you can build it

Offline Flyboy Jim

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Re: U.S.N. Picket Boat No. 1 1864
« Reply #17 on: October 01, 2019, 07:57:30 PM »
Hi Jim,
I am a member of that group. I built Chuck's 1/2" scale Medway.

Very nice John.  :ThumbsUp: Did you do a build thread over there?

Mike are you still working on that huge model of the cutter? I stalled out on my Generic Sharpie project, but hope to get back to it soon.

Jim

Sherline 4400 Lathe
Sherline 5400 Mill
"You can do small things on big machines, but you can do small things on small machines".

Offline mike mott

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Re: U.S.N. Picket Boat No. 1 1864
« Reply #18 on: October 01, 2019, 08:11:28 PM »
Jim, Yes I am it is never far from my mind.

Mike
If you can imagine it you can build it

Offline J.L.

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Re: U.S.N. Picket Boat No. 1 1864
« Reply #19 on: October 03, 2019, 03:10:57 PM »
Hi Jim,
No, posting another Medway thread there would be like sawing sawdust. I stayed in the bushes and built this one as my first try at ship modelling.

The wooden cylinder  and valve chamber are now clad with paper and etched brass. The piston rod slides freely in an aluminum 1/16" tube.


Offline J.L.

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Re: U.S.N. Picket Boat No. 1 1864
« Reply #20 on: October 05, 2019, 06:16:11 PM »
The pillow blocks, crankshaft, connecting rod and piston rod are quite small. A clever design was used for the shafting. It's tubing, not rod. So the crankshaft has an alignment tube running straight through the counterbalanced cranks and can later be withdrawn.


Offline Admiral_dk

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Re: U.S.N. Picket Boat No. 1 1864
« Reply #21 on: October 05, 2019, 08:17:01 PM »
Glad to see you back with a new build John  :whoohoo:

Great idea with the tubes for the crank  :ThumbsUp:

Offline J.L.

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Re: U.S.N. Picket Boat No. 1 1864
« Reply #22 on: October 07, 2019, 04:08:31 PM »
Thanks.

The tubing for this model comes in a nice plastic tube. The sizes are 1/16", 3/32" and 1/8" - all telescopic.

I was not impresssed however with the option of slicing off little pieces of hex plastic rod to represent bolt heads. Actually studs and nuts were the norm when bolting machiery to a floor.

Therefore, I made my own false fasteners by threading steel rod #0-80 for studs and using steel hex nuts. I'd like to not paint them. They look so realistic formed up the way they are, but I'm sure that in a marine setting they would have been painted.


Offline J.L.

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Re: U.S.N. Picket Boat No. 1 1864
« Reply #23 on: October 08, 2019, 01:28:55 PM »
The engine is almost complete. I am awaiting #0-80 hex bolts to simulate fastening the top of the frame around the cylinder.

The model has a lot of details for its size - the Stephenson linkage in particular. The expansion link and the forward and reverse eccentrics were photo etched. But attaching the sheeves in the center of the eccentrics was interesting. They were sandwiched between two larger disks of 1/64" wood. To keep the offset holes aligned, there was a little hole in each for a pin. It kept all three disks aligned.

The feed pump and the sea water pump were cast.

« Last Edit: October 08, 2019, 09:27:55 PM by J.L. »

Offline J.L.

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Re: U.S.N. Picket Boat No. 1 1864
« Reply #24 on: October 08, 2019, 02:51:22 PM »
The Model Shipways kit came with a piece of 1/2" dowel, intended for the boiler chimney.

Upon furthur investigation, I found out that it was also intended for the body of the condenser. I just can't see using wooden dowel on this model. It is very difficult to get it to look like metal and the chinney would be solid!

So a length of 1/2" brass tubing was purchased.

Here are some of the parts of the condenser.
« Last Edit: October 08, 2019, 03:03:01 PM by J.L. »

Offline b.lindsey

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Re: U.S.N. Picket Boat No. 1 1864
« Reply #25 on: October 08, 2019, 07:55:31 PM »
Looking great John. I think all you alternate material choices ( bolts, chimney, etc.) are great and will definitely add to the realism of the model. Still following along and looking forward to the hull construction.

Bill

Offline J.L.

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The Boiler
« Reply #26 on: October 09, 2019, 07:16:41 PM »
Thanks Bill.
Great minds think alike, or so I've been told.
Making this false boiler out of wood reminds me of the boiler I made for the textile mill.
A trip down memory lane...
« Last Edit: October 10, 2019, 12:15:58 PM by J.L. »

Offline J.L.

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The Picket Boiler
« Reply #27 on: October 09, 2019, 07:18:50 PM »
So here is the boiler for the steam launch - again made out of wood with metal fittings:
The cladding was very important here to protect the crew.

Offline Admiral_dk

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Re: U.S.N. Picket Boat No. 1 1864
« Reply #28 on: October 09, 2019, 08:39:25 PM »
Quote
The cladding was very important here to protect the crew.

Amen to that, and in more ways than one, as fire on a boat / ship, is one of the absolutely worst things that can happen. You are not that far into the build yet John, but I would not be surprised if the full size had several safety measures, a la a metal plate around the fire door to the boiler and under the ash crate, etc.

Best wishes

Per

Offline J.L.

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Re: U.S.N. Picket Boat No. 1 1864
« Reply #29 on: October 09, 2019, 10:10:43 PM »
Thank you Per (am I addresing you correctly?)

This launch would be the last place I would want to be even if not involved in an engagement.  There is a heavy 12 pounder Dahlgren howitzer sitting on the bow, a spar torpedo hanging off the starboard thwart, sparks flying about from the stack (even if there was a spark arrester) and bags of explosive powder stored with the coal.

Yes a lot of metal plate makes sense to me as well.

More on the armament late.

John

 

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