Shipbuilder

I also do a fair amount of plan drawing.    Merchant ships only, so they are not very popular amongst model shipbuilders.
Bob
 

I also do a fair amount of plan drawing.    Merchant ships only, so they are not very popular amongst model shipbuilders.
Bob
 

I also do a fair amount of plan drawing.    Merchant ships only, so they are not very popular amongst model shipbuilders.
Bob
 

Semi Automatic "Bug" Morse Key Feeling like a change from ship models, a few days ago, I decided to try and build a semi-automatic bug key.      This type of  morse key was first developed in the United States.    Conventional morse keys move up and down, and both dots and dashes have to be made manually.     When I first went into passenger liners as a junior radio officer in 1965, I found it very hard going sending large numbers of messages, often containing hundreds of words.     My wrist was quickly in danger of seizing up, so I obtained a cheap Japanese bug key in Cape Town.     The bug key works horizontally, and the side of the palm can be rested on the desk.   Pushing the paddle to the right with the thumb, produces a string of dots by vibrating a piece of weighted steel spring with electrical contacts fitted.     Pushing it to the left with the forefinger, the dashes have to be made individually.    I found this a great help, and was soon able to send for considerable  lengths of time without getting tired.    In the next twelve years, I got through two Japanese bug keys, the first being accidentally dropped by the third radio officer when it was only a few weeks old.   That broke the paddle arm off, and I had to effect a temporary repair until I could replace it again in Cape Town.    Despite being quite cheap, I had no complaints about the Japanese keys, they were really good.   But I had heard that the American Vibroplex keys were the best of the best.    Eventually, I was able to purchase on in Houston, Texas, for about £50.     I used that one regularly from 1977 until leaving the sea in late 1992, and still have it today.   The key illustrated is purely my own design based on trial and error, and it took almost a week to get it working correctly.    I have compared it with my Vibroplex, and although I am a bit "rusty" at morse after 25 years, can still produce perfectly readable code, and cannot tell any difference in handling between mine and the Vibroplex, I incorporated small ball races for the top and bottom bearings that gave a very smooth action.    The spring steel is a piece of a junior hacksaw blade with the teeth ground off.     The vertical pillars are all old rifle shells cut off to the correct length, and bolted to the acrylic base via holes drilled through ends.   The dent caused by the firing pins was a great guide for the drill.    The open tops were fitted with home-made caps made from brass, with a fancy brass bolt in the top for purely aesthetic reasons.     Solving the spring problem was beyond me, as I could nor find any springs small enough, or of the correct strength.    I got round this by using powerful neodymium magnets instead of springs, and they work really smoothly.    The tension can be easily adjusted by moving the magnets further apart, or closer together.     Neither could I get the dot contacts correct, so I used a small magnetic reed switch.   It is actuated by a magnet fixed the vibrating arm.    The speed of the dots can be adjusted by moving the brass weight along the vibrating arm.    The closer it is moved to the front of the key, the faster the dots.     Most of the construction is in brass.    The base and paddle are acrylic sheet and the finger knob is a small "button knob" normaly used for glass cabinets. Bob  

Semi Automatic "Bug" Morse Key Feeling like a change from ship models, a few days ago, I decided to try and build a semi-automatic bug key.      This type of  morse key was first developed in the United States.    Conventional morse keys move up and down, and both dots and dashes have to be made manually.     When I first went into passenger liners as a junior radio officer in 1965, I found it very hard going sending large numbers of messages, often containing hundreds of words.     My wrist was quickly in danger of seizing up, so I obtained a cheap Japanese bug key in Cape Town.     The bug key works horizontally, and the side of the palm can be rested on the desk.   Pushing the paddle to the right with the thumb, produces a string of dots by vibrating a piece of weighted steel spring with electrical contacts fitted.     Pushing it to the left with the forefinger, the dashes have to be made individually.    I found this a great help, and was soon able to send for considerable  lengths of time without getting tired.    In the next twelve years, I got through two Japanese bug keys, the first being accidentally dropped by the third radio officer when it was only a few weeks old.   That broke the paddle arm off, and I had to effect a temporary repair until I could replace it again in Cape Town.    Despite being quite cheap, I had no complaints about the Japanese keys, they were really good.   But I had heard that the American Vibroplex keys were the best of the best.    Eventually, I was able to purchase on in Houston, Texas, for about £50.     I used that one regularly from 1977 until leaving the sea in late 1992, and still have it today.   The key illustrated is purely my own design based on trial and error, and it took almost a week to get it working correctly.    I have compared it with my Vibroplex, and although I am a bit "rusty" at morse after 25 years, can still produce perfectly readable code, and cannot tell any difference in handling between mine and the Vibroplex, I incorporated small ball races for the top and bottom bearings that gave a very smooth action.    The spring steel is a piece of a junior hacksaw blade with the teeth ground off.     The vertical pillars are all old rifle shells cut off to the correct length, and bolted to the acrylic base via holes drilled through ends.   The dent caused by the firing pins was a great guide for the drill.    The open tops were fitted with home-made caps made from brass, with a fancy brass bolt in the top for purely aesthetic reasons.     Solving the spring problem was beyond me, as I could nor find any springs small enough, or of the correct strength.    I got round this by using powerful neodymium magnets instead of springs, and they work really smoothly.    The tension can be easily adjusted by moving the magnets further apart, or closer together.     Neither could I get the dot contacts correct, so I used a small magnetic reed switch.   It is actuated by a magnet fixed the vibrating arm.    The speed of the dots can be adjusted by moving the brass weight along the vibrating arm.    The closer it is moved to the front of the key, the faster the dots.     Most of the construction is in brass.    The base and paddle are acrylic sheet and the finger knob is a small "button knob" normaly used for glass cabinets. Bob  

Semi Automatic "Bug" Morse Key Feeling like a change from ship models, a few days ago, I decided to try and build a semi-automatic bug key.      This type of  morse key was first developed in the United States.    Conventional morse keys move up and down, and both dots and dashes have to be made manually.     When I first went into passenger liners as a junior radio officer in 1965, I found it very hard going sending large numbers of messages, often containing hundreds of words.     My wrist was quickly in danger of seizing up, so I obtained a cheap Japanese bug key in Cape Town.     The bug key works horizontally, and the side of the palm can be rested on the desk.   Pushing the paddle to the right with the thumb, produces a string of dots by vibrating a piece of weighted steel spring with electrical contacts fitted.     Pushing it to the left with the forefinger, the dashes have to be made individually.    I found this a great help, and was soon able to send for considerable  lengths of time without getting tired.    In the next twelve years, I got through two Japanese bug keys, the first being accidentally dropped by the third radio officer when it was only a few weeks old.   That broke the paddle arm off, and I had to effect a temporary repair until I could replace it again in Cape Town.    Despite being quite cheap, I had no complaints about the Japanese keys, they were really good.   But I had heard that the American Vibroplex keys were the best of the best.    Eventually, I was able to purchase on in Houston, Texas, for about £50.     I used that one regularly from 1977 until leaving the sea in late 1992, and still have it today.   The key illustrated is purely my own design based on trial and error, and it took almost a week to get it working correctly.    I have compared it with my Vibroplex, and although I am a bit "rusty" at morse after 25 years, can still produce perfectly readable code, and cannot tell any difference in handling between mine and the Vibroplex, I incorporated small ball races for the top and bottom bearings that gave a very smooth action.    The spring steel is a piece of a junior hacksaw blade with the teeth ground off.     The vertical pillars are all old rifle shells cut off to the correct length, and bolted to the acrylic base via holes drilled through ends.   The dent caused by the firing pins was a great guide for the drill.    The open tops were fitted with home-made caps made from brass, with a fancy brass bolt in the top for purely aesthetic reasons.     Solving the spring problem was beyond me, as I could nor find any springs small enough, or of the correct strength.    I got round this by using powerful neodymium magnets instead of springs, and they work really smoothly.    The tension can be easily adjusted by moving the magnets further apart, or closer together.     Neither could I get the dot contacts correct, so I used a small magnetic reed switch.   It is actuated by a magnet fixed the vibrating arm.    The speed of the dots can be adjusted by moving the brass weight along the vibrating arm.    The closer it is moved to the front of the key, the faster the dots.     Most of the construction is in brass.    The base and paddle are acrylic sheet and the finger knob is a small "button knob" normaly used for glass cabinets. Bob  

Nearly finished now, but I am getting quite tired of it.  It has been dragging on since November - far too long!  
Bob
 

Life has got in the way of my hobbies since my last post, renovations/painting on the house, washing machine cratered; my eldest son slipped a disc in his back, work is busy, and we finally got my youngest son’s 73 Nova SS on the road. So henceforth no man cave time whatsoever. Today I finally got back into the build and started on all of the yards/spars and built myself a gizmo from an old Phillips shaver to taper the ends on the yards and spars.
First two pictures is the work started for the upper cross trees. Last post I was developing my technique for gluing however I need to refine it as I didn't like how it turned out after I painted one.


Next 2 pictures is the gizmo I built from the can motor and Frankenstein power supply. Inside the shaver is a step down transformer from 110 AC to 6 volt D.C. I mounted the transformer in a box and the can motor on a swiveling pedestal. The stone is from a Dremel tool glued to the little blue ring gear.


Next picture is start of all of the spar and yard work. Sewing Needles and extremely small diameter wire for the aforementioned.

Next picture is the upper cross-tree and the braces I have to model coming off of the tree to keep the standing rigging from fouling with the yards.

Last picture is the upper Forecastle area with the port and starboard running lights installed.

I want to get some detail work done on the Forecastle area and slowly pick away at the upper cross-trees. Also my youngest son got me back into playing chess which is very cool.
More to come eventually ... Jeff

A book doesn't take up all that much space, and you can always get one from a library, copy the plan, and take it back.     There are plans here, such as this one:    http://www.bottledshipbuilder.com/index.php?/topic/262-going-for-gold-build-bessie/#comment-2373
I would recommend something like the above coasting ketch to begin with, as merchant ships are far less complicated than warships, not having guns or much in the way of decoartion.      Sadly, they are very unpopular though.
Bob
 
 

Nearly finished now, but I am getting quite tired of it.  It has been dragging on since November - far too long!  
Bob
 

Nearly finished now, but I am getting quite tired of it.  It has been dragging on since November - far too long!  
Bob
 

Nearly finished now, but I am getting quite tired of it.  It has been dragging on since November - far too long!  
Bob
 

I have now made the 14 small cargo winches.   It took about three hours, spread over three days to do this.   They look a bit rough close-up, but on the model, they look fine.    I now need to make two large winches, two warping winches and the anchor windlass.   Not very difficult, but a bit tedious making all those small parts, and then assembling and painting them.   In the image above, I have not yet fitted the winches.
Bob

Moving along slowly, but surely.   18 winches made and fitted, two more warping winches to make and fit, and then onto more deck details - lifeboats, ventilators, ladders, rails, samson posts, mast, derricks, rigging, names, anchors, mooring bits, navigation lights.
Bob
 

Nearly finished now, but I am getting quite tired of it.  It has been dragging on since November - far too long!  
Bob
 

Nearly finished now, but I am getting quite tired of it.  It has been dragging on since November - far too long!  
Bob
 

Here is a very small model of the Berwick Law under full sail.   This was built to the much smaller scale of 50 feet to 1 inch and only took about 24 hours to build, spread over a few days.     I didn't bother with ratlines at all, but it is not really noticeable.     The upper spars are a bit too thick, but an attractive model nevertheless!
I know a lot of you work to much smaller scales than this, but 50 feet to 1 inch (1:600) is about my limit for miniatures.    I have tried smaller scales, but without much success!
Bob

Thanks
I am kept from building SIBs by the unavoidable nature of the process!    I have very little patience, and spending hours fiddling about through the neck of a bottle would not give me any pleasure at all - more like frustration.       Wire rigging cannot be made fold down and up again without looking awful, and I doubt if I  could ever get a sea into a bottle in a satisfactory manner.      Rigging a SIB by conventional  means seems to require the masts and spars to be too thick for my liking, probably as they have to have holes drilled through them, and need the added strength.       I have made two or three SIB in years gone by, but on each occasion, I cut the bottoms off the bottles, and put them back after the ship was in, disguising the join with fancy ropework.      But another annoying thing was the distortion caused by the glass (I used gin bottles).    I know you can get really perfect bottles if you pay for them, or use light bulbs, or even old radio valves.    But I just prefer the easier option of making them in display cases.     But that does not stop me appreciating what ship bottlers achieve.      For some time, I have been wondering where Dave Fellingham has gone - as his SIB was most impressive.       A major problem with me would be the apparent time required - my patience wears thin very quickly!
Bob       

The question has been answered in full!    There is a bottomless pit of plans of merchant ships out there.     The books by John Bowen, Waine Research Publications, P N Thomas etc are stuffed full of plans.  Numerous other books and journals as well!    They can be obtained by searching  http://www.bookfinder.com or even Ebay.    Here is Politician, buit from a plan from a John Bowen book!    Here is a Utube presentation of how I built the model:   https://youtu.be/dbKlh_aa9r4
 
Bob
 

The masts and spars vary in thickness depending on the model, but as they are made of metal, I can make then a lot thinner than wooden ones.    Real sailing ships would not even stand up if their masts were too thick.    A mast with a diameter of 2 feet at the deck level would only be 1/16th of an inch in a 32 feet to 1 inch scale model (1:384).     I have no idea where Dave is.
Bob

Thanks
I am kept from building SIBs by the unavoidable nature of the process!    I have very little patience, and spending hours fiddling about through the neck of a bottle would not give me any pleasure at all - more like frustration.       Wire rigging cannot be made fold down and up again without looking awful, and I doubt if I  could ever get a sea into a bottle in a satisfactory manner.      Rigging a SIB by conventional  means seems to require the masts and spars to be too thick for my liking, probably as they have to have holes drilled through them, and need the added strength.       I have made two or three SIB in years gone by, but on each occasion, I cut the bottoms off the bottles, and put them back after the ship was in, disguising the join with fancy ropework.      But another annoying thing was the distortion caused by the glass (I used gin bottles).    I know you can get really perfect bottles if you pay for them, or use light bulbs, or even old radio valves.    But I just prefer the easier option of making them in display cases.     But that does not stop me appreciating what ship bottlers achieve.      For some time, I have been wondering where Dave Fellingham has gone - as his SIB was most impressive.       A major problem with me would be the apparent time required - my patience wears thin very quickly!
Bob       

Tramp steamer Framlington Court.
Bob
 

The question has been answered in full!    There is a bottomless pit of plans of merchant ships out there.     The books by John Bowen, Waine Research Publications, P N Thomas etc are stuffed full of plans.  Numerous other books and journals as well!    They can be obtained by searching  http://www.bookfinder.com or even Ebay.    Here is Politician, buit from a plan from a John Bowen book!    Here is a Utube presentation of how I built the model:   https://youtu.be/dbKlh_aa9r4
 
Bob
 

Tramp steamer Framlington Court.
Bob
 

Tramp steamer Framlington Court.
Bob