DUKE OF DEVONSHIRE

[R.G.Y.]

I did say I was going to paint the hull when the handrails had been fixed. No!! I had intended to install the portholes after painting as I normally do, but I can't reach right up into the bow to seal them.  Any way the handrails around main deck in place. The shot of the door in the bulwarks is where the hull splits in two. Geoff

[R.G.Y.]

A shot of the bridge supports. The rails have to aline with the stanchions. Note the base plates. My method for making base plates, drill a hole through the center of rod, run the parting off tool in at intervals, then saw off using a razor saw. The rod in the photo is 1/8" for the hand rail stanchions.Geoff

[R.G.Y.]

I had a lot of difficulty with the knuckle ( I think that's what the half round moldings are called! anyone know better?) around the sponson. Like Stuart in his Connaught build, I had the paddle box the wrong height. OK now. Geoff

[kno3]

Nice work.

[R.G.Y.]

kno3, complements make it all worth while.
Had a little sailing yesterday. No repairs this time, getting a 1/48 scale paddler, 1/12 scale pilot cutter and 1/20 sailing trawler into a me'gane is very tight.
Finished the entrance to the "ladies". Doors to hang ( tape) sliding hatch removed for varnishing. My method of fixing the framing and panels on the wood work. Is to varnish the base veneer and the back of the framing and panelling, place together using a pointed stick then varnish allover. As soon as it dries coat again for the varnish will still be wet between the veneers. The outer surface has to be kept wet so the veneer will not lift at the edges.  100 base plates for the hand rail stanchions, these will be stuck on and the stanchions trimmed to length, and the railing can be removed as a whole for painting. Geoff     

[kno3]

What are those tiny beads for?

[R.G.Y.]

The beads are the base plates as above. Around about a 100 in the pot another 20 still on my workshop floor somewhere! The stanchions are made like split pins and to remove them for painting they have to be held together. The idea of the varnish as a glue is two jobs at once. Geoff

[R.G.Y.]

kno3, I hope this photo explains the beads. As the deck is only 3mm in places they control the height of the stanchions as well as hold them together. Geoff

[kno3]

Yes, thank you.

[R.G.Y.]

Earlier in the thread I said I though the bulwarks had been lined with match board, as no stanchions could be seen on the older photos. But later they could. I have gone with public opinion. Geoff

[R.G.Y.]

Started making hinges 16 required. These are the largest beside a 10 pence. Fitted to the bulwark come platform for the on board beach landing arrangement.  The smallest made so far 2.5mm square closed. Will be shown when I have made them all. Geoff

[kno3]

Could you post a how-to for the hinges or some detailed pics? Very nice work.

[PeeWee]

That's a great little touch there, especially with those hinges

[R.G.Y.]

Hinges. Cut a strip of brass shim approximately 15mm wide. Next cut a 1.5mm outside diameter tube 10mm longer than the shim. This is so solder won't capillarate  into the tube. Apply the flux and fix down on a thermal builders brick, using fire cement. Small pieces of silver solder are placed next to the tube, not to much. Soft solder is no good as it will melt when grinding the groves. I now use a "Unimat" lathe to grind the groves, but I have done it by hand with a "Dremal". Apart from being more accurate in the lathe, if the tube is uppermost the grinder will bend the shim slightly allowing the finished hinge to close together tighter. Cut the shim to the size required, fit a dress makers pin into the tube cut off the end and secure with super glue (gel type only on the end of pin). The final two photo shows a 7mm hinge for the handrail and 4mm for the bulwark door (two required for each door). Where hinges aren't  working a small length of tube stuck on the joint is all that wanted.   Geoff

[R.G.Y.]

Open and shut, and the reason why. Geoff