Cap San Diego 1/160

[mikegr]

Happy new year to all
have finished the hull to the polishing point. However during hard sanding I noticed vertical surface cracks at the point where main deck lowers and meet the aft deck. Even I had fortified this joint that wasn't enough to make up for the absense of a unified deck and planking. Also some filler peel off appeared in some areas. Another lesson learned. Under these circumstances, laid up of a 3rd hull seemed inevitable.

After consideration and online study I decided to to risk and try a new for me technique. Wrapping the hull in fiberglass.

To make it a bit more rigid and avoid another two week season of sanding I chose an extra light fiber mat, 30gr per sqm heavy. I gave it 3 layers. 5 would be better but I was afraid of extra resin causing problems with foam again. I will probably do the rest work after at least 24 to 48 hours.

have finished the hull to the polishing point. However during hard sanding I noticed vertical surface cracks at the point where main deck lowers and meet the aft deck. Even I had fortified this joint that wasn't enough to make up for the absense of a unified deck and planking. Also some filler peel off appeared in some areas. Another lesson learned. Under these circumstances, laid up of a 3rd hull seemed inevitable.

After consideration and online study I decided to to risk and try a new for me technique. Wrapping the hull in fiberglass.

To make it a bit more rigid and avoid another two week season of sanding I chose an extra light fiber mat, 30gr per sqm heavy. I gave it 3 layers. 5 would be better but I was afraid of extra resin causing problems with foam again. I will probably do the rest work after at least 24 to 48 hours.

[Fliger747]

Mike:

Quite a few years ago I re did the hull form of my Missouri (I originally constructed the ship in more or less WWII configuration circa 1964? ). When I did this I over coated the balsa stripped hull and it's improved form with a very light fiberglass cloth as used by model airplane builders. I also used the "Micro Balls" mixed in epoxy to modify the bulbous bow. These are also a model airplane item and have very little weight and sand easily. For the hull very little sanding was needed and it was only to provide a hard shell that could be finished nicely. I had purchased some RC equipment to make it operable but my soon to be ex wife tossed it out and in the long run I opted for a static model.

I congratulate you on your persistence and am sure that besides learning a lot, will come out with a very credible model!

Best regards: Tom

[mikegr]

Thanks again Tom.
Did you sand straight the fiberglass or did you covered it with filler?
I am looking for alternative. From my research I found spackle of being useful and easy to sand over fiberglass. The microballoon mixture seems to give a nice smooth surface but these comes at a high price here.
By the way did Iowa Class had a bulbous bow? I know of previous classes of US battleships had one but I don't know about the Iowas. Their bow wasn't sharp definitely, but while looking it at my 1/350 model I would hesitate to call it spherical.

[Fliger747]

Mike:

I filled and sand the Missouri hull as best as possible to get a smooth surface. The very light, thin glass cloth went on with a resin coat to get it to adhere then skimmed with another coat, and sanded smooth. There will be more surface preparation between primer/filler coats and occasional putty for very minor imperfections. As I had the hull contour I desired, I didn't want to add any significant thickness.

Missouri and the Iowa's have a modest bulbous forefoot by modern standards, tapering to a very fine entry at the waterline.

Cheers: Tom

[mikegr]

Thanks for the comment Tom

I have removed the hull from the sticky base. Its solid and firm now. Ready to work on it.
I use some spackle on the bow. Its easy to sand but its foamy and sticky more on hand than the surface so its kinda unfamiliar for me to work with. I wet sanded the hull using orbital sander and 240grit paper. It eliminated the bubbles and gave a smooth finish. However some resing inconsistency caused some bumps than I could feel with my fingers. So I reverted to the old messy and dusty body filler method . Besides I am used to extra work now and hopefully I will have a smooth and well curved hull again. This time I do it in three steps, first the lower parts then each side. The amount of layer I used is just enough to cover the surface, maybe put a bit locally if needed after sanding. Due to the color of the hull I will call this as one of my favorite animals, "Project Honey Badger"

[JIM BAUMANN]

....>>> "Project Honey Badger" ..<<<




Jim Baumann

[mikegr]

? removed the hull from the base and cut the excess material around. Now its time to work on the hull. I research about what material to use then i found a meterial called micro bubbles . this mixed with polyester would make a soft layer of filler similar to car body filler but easier to sand. The bubbles were very difficult to find and pricey.

I coated with another resin the hull and water sanded it with 400 grit paper on electric sander. Then i put a thin coat of car body filler spreaded with my finger. For the sides i use liquid body filler (light brown) and for the bow i used a basic layer of lightweight spakle then glazing putty on top for smooth finish. I dry sanded the surfaces initialy by electric tool then by hand. Overall about 30 minutes. The body show no signs of fatigue and it seemed like it had the required strength while weight increased slightly. I will cover with filling primer later and get to the final details. I think hull now will be in shape in a quite shorter time than before

[mikegr]

I finished yesterday the first stage of sanding. Today I done the 2nd stage, applying filler and hand sanding locally and repeat.

The 3rd stage left now: applying glazing putty in smaller areas and spots. This will be done in daylight out of the basement when the weather will allow it. In sunlight every bump and imperfections will be revealed.

The fiberglass method is messy but I think reduces the working time. And since I'm into modern ships I may follow the mould - fiberglass method for my future builts. Another reason is the materials. Polyester and glass mat are easier to find than modelling wood and comes at reasonable cost.

[Fliger747]

Mike:

Persistence plays good dividends! On Missouri I used the microbubbles mixed with epoxy to flesh out some fairly large hull contour changes. It is/was a model airplane product, being very light weight as well as the lightweight fiberglass cloth. I used just one layer of cloth as would the airplane folks and sanded directly, then only very thin filler or glazing putty to get perfect smooth contour. I was tempted to glass the APA hull, but decided against it, with no regrets.

Once the hull is finished to your satisfaction I am looking forward to further developments!

Regards: Tom

[mikegr]

Thank you Tom for the great info and comment as always.

So after some weeks of struggling with the hull I managed to take it to the desired level. I will polish it with 600 grit paper tomorrow. There's work to be done on the joint with the deck but I also have to add the deck frame with supporters there so I will deal with it later. I did though some -off hull- work after long time. I added the propeler base , rudder base and test fitted the box in the bow which I don't know what it stands for, maybe for a third anchor. It wasn't great progress but it was pleased that I switched back to creation for a while.

Last thing, I need to strengthen the deck by adding aluminum sheets. To give also the desired pitch I put underneath some balsa pieces. At the deck centerline they are 1mm thick trimmed down to sharp edges towards ship's sides. Hope you got my point.

[JIM BAUMANN]

much more interesting fro you as the builder
when the decks go on and its starts to look like a ship....

rather than a shell!


JB

[Neptune]

Beautiful work on that hull. Always fascinating to see it in this stage!

[mikegr]

Thanks Jim, comments from world class modellers are very encouraging.
Thanks Neptune I have watched all your fascinating work step by step.

I finished the decks, have them covered with aluminum sheet 0.10mm thick. several pieces were being used. I will fill in some putty and try to simulate the soldering effect between deck pieces. If not feel happy after paint then
one extra layer will be added. I just need to find a few long ones somehow, about 50 cm each.
Some work on hull has need done also especially at deck-hull join line.

[mikegr]

keep working following the rule for scratch build rookies. Two steps forward, 1,5 steps behind.

Even I used a mask, It took me several attempts to open portholes in correct alignment. Then I installed the frames over them.

For deck planking I found an easier way. I cut a long stripe veneer and glued. Then cut it vertically every one inch. I repeat the process. Finally I used black wash to emphasize cuts and cleaned the excess wash.

[mikegr]

Keeping working following strictly the 2;1,5 rule.

The mail deck woodwork is done. I added a second layer of aluminum to eliminate bumps and gaps. Just to let you know aluminum has gone 30% up, not only gas. The lower section between middle and stern need more strength to repair the sagging effect. You can see the gap in the previous post, now looks much better. Lots of filling, sanding , priming etc.

The worst was fitting the bilge keels. I scratched them using 2.5 mm balsa then layered with wood hardener so won't brake during working process.

Several attempts made to glue them. A strong silicone based glue was used to stick the 1mm rod across the hull. But was hard to clean up the leftovers without a diluter.

I managed to glue the bilge keels with CA but only step by step piece by piece. I run over titebond glue to fill gaps and strengthen them. Sand and prime. Tomorrow will look for micro works to be done.

[Fliger747]

Ah yes "Tite blond", use it for many things when some initial tack is needed or woodworking. Keep working despite the setbacks, to steal from a Corporate slogan of a bygone era "Persistence is our most important product".

Keep at it! Tom

[Pieter]

Very nice work on those bilge keels.

[mikegr]

Thanks Tom and Pieter for the comments

Weather was cold on March preventing me from some serious work but last week was good so i speed up a bit

have finished planking the main deck. Then i added the lower accomodation. I added some details like handrails but not doors and firestations, i will do this prior to completion.
I also scratchbuilt and installed rear main deck extensions with supports, roof pipping, doors and other details. Took a close pic but not much detail is visible. I also gave a first coat of color to main deck. Working on perfecting the hull is still going on

[mikegr]

I was eager to post this weekend so spend most of the time working. Upper deck was restarted except from the front part which was cut from the old part and attached to the new one.

Again the deck proved too long. That means there is an obvious error on plans. So I cut the piece in half, removed about a 1,5 cm long section and joined the remaining sections together. Seems I'm good on this task.

Maybe I should try lengthen/shorten a hull in the future lol.

After rebuilding the upper deck I have restarted the whole project by 90%. I need to make some improvement and fitting corrections but I wanted to shoot it today. It seems the model its getting in shape. More micro work will be involved in the future and the progress will be slower and painful. Thus I got a new friend.






pic your

[Fliger747]

Mike:

You get top marks fro persistence! With the printer, I see the adventure continues.

Regards: Tom