Princess Elizabeth build...

[Eddy Matthews]

Nice way of making the stay attachment rings Mick - Now why didn't I think of doing it that way, instead of always looking for the most complicated method possible? 

Regards
Eddy

[derekwarner_decoy]

Hi PD's.......Mick says .... they are the copper wire from telephone cable (found on the ground next to a distribution case up the street)

  ....I hope the neighbours still have a telephone service Mick.....


Derek

[mjt60a]

...also had a go at the 'naval-type' top using styrene parts, doesn't look too bad, I'll take a pic later when the glue sets...

..gave up on that idea as I'd already made one before for the 'old' funnel, decided to just hacksaw it off and after a bit of sanding, stuck it on the new funnel, it'll do...
*don't worry, telephone service is fine, they always leave bits of wire and cable lying around every time someone changes their supplier 

[mjt60a]

started on the boiler casing/fiddley/whatever-it's-called but is just a black styrene box at the moment, not sure it's worth a photo until I make a bit more progress

[mjt60a]

had a bit of a problem with the boiler casing..... I marked it all up, drilled out the holes for the railings (as I assembled them on the 'old' boiler casing I had to use it as a template for the holes - but all OK there), marked the position of the funnel and cut a large hole with the compass cutter, just in case I fit a smoke unit in the hull later. When I test fitted it together, the funnel was*  too far forward so I painstakingly repaired the funnel hole and cut a new one further back.
Now, thing is, when I test-fitted the funnel, I hadn't yet made the box structure at the back..... when I fitted that to the funnel, it now looked too far back!         ...seems I had it right the first time (I had actually measured it and should have stuck with it until the funnel was ready)  ...so I removed the 'repair' I'd made and it's OK now - but has an eliptical hole instead of circular. I thought about 'repairing' it again but the box at the back covers it so I might not bother....
...anyway, a pic of the real one and the model, just need to paint it...


*that is, it looked like it was too far forward!

[mjt60a]

by the way, I only have that one picture as a guide to the shape of the structure, no accurate info so I roughly drew up this as how it'd be on the model...

*let's try with the file attached 

[mjt60a]

as it turned out, I decded not to make it as wide as originally planned (same as the diameter of the funnel), didn't quite look right so I made the outer sides of the box as wide as the rear funnel stays which is about the same as the water tank. added a few details, not certain if they're all accurate though and sprayed it all in primer...

[mjt60a]

I've now painted the funnel - but it's come out very shiny so may have to use clear matt or something over it, looks good though 
I've also made some of the fittings for it and the 'boiler casing' and tried it all together, looks pretty good, better when they're painted I expect....
...still have a few bits to fit on before painting.
I suspect the boiler casing should be a little longer as I see from studying the photos again (plus a postcard that was on ebay) it extends some way under the bridge but I'm not going to change it now, just make the white box on the front a bit narrower, otherwise, if I did make it longer (ie make another one but longer) it wouldn't line up with the part below on the main deck which is visible through the open doors...  looking at the postcard, that too extends further forward than I made it on the model. Still, took me this long to spot that and I've been studying pictures for a year so it probably won't be noticed 

[mjt60a]

The brass pipe at the rear of the funnel, I find difficult to see in detail in any pictures I have but appears in some to be just a straight pipe, in others to have an 'umbrella-handle' like bend in the top and still others to have a reinforced rim (which is what I went for)
The copper one to the left (port side) of it is thicker and I've seen pictures where it's about half the height of the funnel as well as ones where it's like I've made it. The top still needs to be made and fitted and far as I can tell has a triangular thing on it, like you see on the exhaust of tractors and JCBs, maybe a diesel generator was added at some point???

[mjt60a]

still haven't decided what kind of 'top' should go on that third pipe.....

[R.G.Y.]

Mick, could the third pipe be the whistle.  R.G.Y.

[djcf]

Nice work on the funnel Mick. Did the real ship have a different funnel livery at one time? Just wondering about the extra ring on the red part.
Meant to ask, did you resin & tissue inside the funnel tube as well, or just the outside?
Clark

[mjt60a]

Mick, could the third pipe be the whistle.  R.G.Y.

the front pipe is the whistle - doesn't seem to have a fog-horn that I can see.

a different funnel livery? I wondered about that too but every picture I've seen is the 'red funnel'  one. the second (lowest) hoop has ring bolts for the funnel stays too but all pictures I have show them attached to the top rings.
I haven't treated the inside at all yet, maybe I should have, thought I might pour resin into it when finished which will help attach the various pipes but could be tricky to avoid getting any on the outside!
Think I'll probably go for the conical 'stove pipe' top on the third pipe
Have just painted the red on them today, will do the black tops and brass on the whistle tomorrow

[mjt60a]

I've now painted the funnel - but it's come out very shiny so may have to use clear matt or something over it....

used the clear matt that I used on the hull, it looks better (and doesn't show all fingerprints where it's been handled like it did when it was gloss) but the red looks a couple of shades lighter now    as black looks a bit greyish when it's matt, but it'll have to do - maybe I should have bought a darker red to start with...... used the same stuff on the water tank too as it now looks a different colour.
made the conical top for that mystery pipe on the funnel and just waiting for the matt varnish stuff to fully set before picking it up and fitting the pipes...
put the ring bolts for funnel stays and the bulkhead lights on the boiler casing, soon as the adhesive sets it can be painted then the whole lot can be fixed together!

*actually, looking back over the last few posts, the colour of the funnel now is about the same as that pic of the 'real' ships funnel I posted so maybe it's more correct than I thought...

[djcf]

Hi Mick,
I have just painted a MacBraynes funnel...same colours red/black top. I have been told that at the start of a season, the red was fresh & bright, then dulled down over the summer, fading & going slightly orangey. So a few different red tones could be used & no-one could say you are wrong  ( thats my excuse anyway!)I used satin varnish & pleased with result. Think the slightly faded look is more realistic.