Model ship lifeboats

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7 February 2014 at 08:26 #46964
james henderson
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@jameshenderson97387
Building a tanker to my own design,(oh dear!) at "about" 1/60 scale

I want to fit a lifeboat on either side and would like to make them from scratch

Have a number of ideas but has anyone out there got thoughts on how to do it

A kit would be the very last idea,

Don't mind at the moment what type I.e. Open or closed but not free fall

Thanks

Jim H
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7 February 2014 at 08:26 #4076
james henderson
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@jameshenderson97387
How to build
8 February 2014 at 08:55 #46983
ashley needham
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@ashleyneedham69188
James. What size are you looking at? Ashley
8 February 2014 at 13:38 #46988
james henderson
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@jameshenderson97387
Hi Ashley

Because as said it is to my own design and covers lots of features found on tankers ( up to about 5K D.Wt.)

I have clear width on the boat deck for 40mm with length up to about 130mm ( so as not to make it look too out of scale)

My intial thoughts were to scale copy a couple of small boats I made in GRP some 30+ yrs. ago these are 10" long ( yes in the days before the dreaded mm!) with beams of about 5"and then I thought too much work! That may still happen but I just wondered what modellers do in this situation. As said I prefer to make everything myself if I can.

Reasonably flexxible since I build for myself not judges!

Thanks for the reply

Jim
8 February 2014 at 20:29 #46993
ashley needham
Participant
@ashleyneedham69188
You could try making a master hull shape from wood, and then cut a hole corresponding to the hull shape in a bit of ply..place a bit of styrene over the ply, pin it down and heat it in the oven, when soft..push the wood hull into the hole and…voila¬¬¬ a plastic moulded lifeboat hull!! (in theory)

Never tried it myself and no doubt this will take some practice but its an idea??

Peter at our pond made a clear perspex canopy like this for his jet boat and we were all impressed.

Ashley
8 February 2014 at 20:48 #46994
shipwright
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@shipwright
Ashley,

I don't know whether this is a well known technique (making a solid shape and then moulding styrene sheet around it) but it is certainly ingenious. I don't know what temperature is required to soften styrene sufficiently to bend around a hull shape or whether heating styrene will permanently alter its characteristics – I'll have a look on the internet.

Ian
8 February 2014 at 21:04 #46995
ashley needham
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@ashleyneedham69188
It is an accepted method of producing shapes, and styrene is almost custom made for this.

Vacuum moulding (vacform) is exactly the same thing, only the hot plastic is sucked down over a former (or tool as they say) rather than manually pressed into.

I think that a bit of quality oven time might be required before an acceptable result ensues!!

Ashley
8 February 2014 at 21:06 #46997
james henderson
Participant
@jameshenderson97387
Hi Shipwright

Re Ashley's reply

Consider it "un sucked "version of vacuum forming common in the plastic industry

Really is a good way of making small gear like this but needs care with temperature (I use an electric paint stripper on low ) and carefully heat. if you can get away with it use the wife's hair drier -for thin stuff!

provided you don't get carried away and totally melt the plastic it will be just fine

I've just formed the for,d face of my tanker accommodation block using the same method
8 February 2014 at 21:21 #46998
james henderson
Participant
@jameshenderson97387
Hi Ashley

lots of action on the post

Thanks for the suggestion see my reply to shipwrights ,sent it before I'd picked yours up!

Still it's good to share info.

Will make my mind up soon , we'll as soon as I move!!
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