Shell Welder - 1955 - Tanker Coaster - 3D Print - 1/100

[Iceman 29]

No, it's generic, Jim. It's not very expensive, even the mail, very serious, sent the next day with the time difference...
I needed the shell design of the 1960s.



I'd kept the 1/130 Russian decals, but they're poor quality and not really usable.
This model deserved the best.

Scalemate:



The true from the box

[DrPR]

I have created decals at home with graphic programs. Then I had the decals printed at a local print shop. So if you have a JPG image of what you want you might be able to get them printed locally for jus a few US$.

I did supply the laser printer decal paper. In the past I have printed them at home on my laser printer. But my current machine's fuser is too hot, and it would have melted the decals onto the fuser and that would have ruined the fuser. That would be an expensive replacement.

But the local print shop has laser printers that are compatible with decal papers. And they don't charge any more than for printing the same number of sheets on paper - pretty cheap!

Phil

[Iceman 29]

Tks Phil for the advice.

Resumed assembly on the Shell Welder after completing one stage of another project, the drawing of the Andromede's hull.

I tackled the installation of the draught decals, having found white figures of the right size and trimmed.

Well, you have to glue them on very precisely, one by one. It takes quite a bit of time, but the result looks pretty good. We're on foot here, of course.

Various white decals 0.7 to 1.7 mm:

[JIM BAUMANN]

very very sharp--the anchor well recess provides a useful datum point
and ergo.....inhibits the tempatation of and easy life with over-scale letters

BRAVO== and a BON NOEL

[Iceman 29]

Thanks!

Ah Ah ! Excellent Jim, A mix of cheerful colors that suits you, we need it! A mix of cheerful colors that suits you, we need it right now!

Meilleurs voeux!

[Iceman 29]

Animated 3D 4K view of the MT Shell Welder project.

Choose 4K in the bottom right-hand corner of the Youtube settings window.



The "castle" (Superstructure) is almost finished, there's still some of the rigging to be fitted in drawn wire, the rest will be fitted when the main tank deck is finished.

I couldn't find any decals for the English merchant navy flag, Red Ensign. It's a shame, there's not enough on the market. I had the same problem with the Australian flag.














The rudder hasn't been glued down yet to avoid damaging it, the same goes for the poop deck rail and the deck itself and a few other things. I've still got the draughts to glue on the port side, I'm waiting for the decals, not enough figures of the same type are on the board... It's a shame.

[MartinJQuinn]

That looks great

[Pieter]

Lots of rivets for a Welder....looks excellent.

[Iceman 29]

Tks Pieter & martin!

It had been 15 days since I'd given any news of the project, but it was progressing slowly but surely, and now that the fine weather had returned a little, I went back to work on the garden and the house.

We're slowly nearing the end.

I've applied the light weathering to the finished parts, hull and superstructure, I still have quite a few pipes to fit, and the railings on the tank deck and main deck. The rigging is almost complete for the castle, with the forward rigging and the rigging between the two masts to come when everything's glued together.

These photos show some small defects compared to the naked eye, which I'm going to rectify.

[wefalck]

Looking very good

[JIM BAUMANN]

Looking very 'shippy' ! it has a good feel of solidity and weight

JB

[dhenning]

Fantastic work and I enjoyed the education on the piping system on tankers!

[Iceman 29]

Thanks guys!

Piping finished, 2 air vents left to print and install in front of the superstructures. The railings are almost finished, there are a lot of them on this ship.

The racks and their flexible hoses still need to be drawn and printed, as does the planking on the starboard bow, and a few sailors need to be printed, painted and placed on the decks. And finally, the cargo mast and main rigging.

Then there's the showcase to design, this time with brass brackets that I'm going to turn specially on the lathe, as a test. It's more expensive, of course.

[wefalck]

You are on the way to accumulate quite a museum of high-quality models

I am curious how you will do the brackets/styles. I normally use milled brass angles for my cases.

[Iceman 29]

Merci Eberhard!

I was referring to the brass feet that support the ship.

https://www.ebay.fr/itm/325378124906

Maybe I'd make 4 small brass squares at the corners, to prevent the glass case from slipping. for this, I already have the material to do it

[wefalck]

Ah, ok! I thought you would make round stiles and then mill slots for the glass/acrylic into them.

Brass is expensive . Strangely enough, there don't seem to be too many French suppliers on ebay, I usually got German, British or Chinese suppliers, when I did searches. The bizarre thing is that Chinese businesses and the postal system are so heavily subsidised, that it is often cheaper to order in China, than in your own country. I feel guilty towards our businesses, but it's money from my pocket ... Recently I wanted a thick 60 mm steel disc for a tool project, found something on ebay in Germany at something like 3 �, but then the shipping would have been close to 15 �, because they only wanted to ship insured. Got it from China within ten days for 4 � incl. shipping ...

Sometimes I go to Metaux Tartaix (https://www.tartaix.com) in Paris and I think they also do mail order. However, the materials and the metro tickets are more expensive at the bottom line than an order from China. Plus the time spent crossing Paris and back on a working day.

[Iceman 29]

I buy the angle iron uprights for the brass display cases from Tartaix, it's good quality and there's a choice.

viewtopic.php?f=75&t=349477


Transporting heavy or bulky items is expensive for the Chinese.

China: 40 euros, postage included, diameter 22mm, length 250 mm, as soon as you go beyond diameter 20 mm, it's expensive in China.
https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/1005007983682372.html

Germany: 29 euros, postage included, diameter 22mm, length 250 mm.
https://www.ebay.fr/itm/325378124906

[Iceman 29]

Drawing of the hoses and their unloading/loading racks.

These small vessels are quite adaptable with their shallow draughts and can unload just about anywhere. Along a beach or a normal quay in lorries (already done when the Pointe � Pitre (Guadeloupe island)was blocked for several days, unloading at Basse-Terre in tanker lorries, in the 1980s, by order of the prefect).

This is why they are sometimes also equipped with reel-mounted hoses that are pulled ashore, with the hose floating between two waters.

https://www.northridgepumps.com/article ... case-study

Typical fuel unloading procedureShip moored in port unloading fuel
When unloading fuel, a vessel approaches the pumping station and is held in place by guide cables against the quay and its anchor. The photos in this article show one of the ships moored in port with cables and the ship's anchor securing the vessel in place, with a hose extending towards the pumping station.

To enable unloading, a large diameter flexible hose (typically 6 inches) is connected from the vessel to the pumping station, with the hose supported by buoys in the water to ensure it stays afloat. The use of flexible hose ensures that the pipework is not stressed or in danger of breaking as the vessel floats in the ocean with the waves or tides.

The flexible hose is then connected to a fixed pipe on land, ready to start transferring fuel, once the installation has been earthed to prevent the build-up of static electricity.

Once the delivery line is connected to the vessel, the on-board tank valve and pump are opened. The unit is started slowly, allowing it to prime and fill with liquid before increasing speed. Controls are usually in place to allow separate tanks to be filled, as one pump can usually be used to feed several tanks and in our customers' installation there were a total of four 800M�H LFO storage tanks.

Ships don't always dock to unload their cargo of fuel. They can also unload their cargo on offshore mooring buoys (CALM buoys) or single point mooring (SPM) systems, which allow a vessel to unload its liquid cargo without docking. This solution has the advantage of reducing port congestion and avoiding the need for pilots to come on board to guide ships. In addition, it allows larger ships to make deliveries to shallow-draught ports that would otherwise be unaccommodating, or to ports where ice formation can occur.










That's how it was done in some of the small Caribbean islands that don't have a quay or a port, in my day.

All that's left to do is 3D print the design:

[wefalck]

Welldone WELDER