My Clyde Puffer

[geconParticipant @gecon]

The guys here love answering questions Jim. I get off the hook though as I don’t know much🤫.

I considered your tip about tinning and sanding down etc. but decided that soldering would ‘get the better of me’.

Your Clyde Puffer is a great little ship. Looks superb to me.

Wish you all the very best for you battle against PC.

George

[Fred Ellis 1Participant @fredellis1]

Hi Jim

I am so sorry to read about your illness, I do so hope that you beat it, will be thinking of you.

Fred

[James Hill 5Participant @jameshill5]

Thankyou George and Fred,

Listening to other people it seems as though a lot of us blokes have joined the same big C club. Good to hear a lot are managing things well.

On the question of boat building , can anyone suggest a source of 1/12 scale fittings. Ships wheel, figures etc?

Many thanks……..Jim.

[geconParticipant @gecon]

Cornwall Model Boats had stacks of stuff for my scratch built 1/12th Fisher 34 motorsailer which I built from ca 2019-2021. I think there is a build log in here somewhere which shows all the gear.

George

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

George’s Fisher 34 topic starts here:

Fisher 34 motorsailer

Colin

[James Hill 5Participant @jameshill5]

Many thanks, I’ll  have a look at the suggested sites.

Jim.

[James Hill 5Participant @jameshill5]

Finally managed to get a little bit of progress.

I’ve been cutting out fiddly bits on the wheelhouse at present. Hopefully the couple of pictures show what I mean. Nothing is glued down yet, still the internals to do. The glazing is ready to fit when suitable. Once everything is ready to put together I’ll sand and seal it all, then paint it and fit the windows. Hopefully the pictures have posted. Haven’t done it for a while and there was a lot of head scratching went on.

Jim.

[James Hill 5Participant @jameshill5]

All I need to do now is remember how I did the pictures!!!!! Old age I’m afraid.

Jim.

[Len Morris 2Participant @lenmorris2]

Hi Jim,

Looks excellent.  Well done.  Have you chosen your superstructure colours yet?

Len.

[Alasdair AllanParticipant @alasdairallan37423]

That looks lovely Jim! eventually, I will do my poor best to copy you on this, as this looks much more accurate than the superstructure that comes with my Caldercraft kit!

[James Hill 5Participant @jameshill5]

Hi Len and Alasdair, thankyou for your comments.

Len, I haven’nt picked any colour schemes yet, but i quite like the idea of a greyish engine housing and some sort of wood colour for the wheel house.The internals of the wheelhose require the ships wheel to be fitted ( I now have a wheel), a binnacle , which I’ll have to make, and then maybe a few more bits and pieces to make it look more interesting.

The pictures you put up Len look great, Colour certainly brings things to life.

Alasdair,

I’m certain you will make a fine job of it. I’ve certainly had to correct a few things on the way to where I am now.

Watching both your builds with great interest.

Jim.

[Len Morris 2Participant @lenmorris2]

Hi Jim,

Where are you going to fit your wheel.  Up against the front face or the back face of the wheelhouse?  My plan shows the wheel against the back face so the skipper would have his back to the wheel when steering.

Len.

[James Hill 5Participant @jameshill5]

Hi Len, that’s where my plan shows it. Directly behind the funnel, on the back face, so the skipper would be standing on one side or the other to enable him to see where they were going. I’m having fun trying to sort out how I’ll fit the windows. I think I’m on my third idea!!! Not as easy as I thought it would be to try and make a decent job of it.

As there ‘s a ladder up to the wheel house door I’ll have glue the wheelhouse to the top of the engine house roof. It will all lift off in one piece then.

Jim.

[Len Morris 2Participant @lenmorris2]

Thanks for that Jim.

Wheel against the back face it is.  You might find the last post on my thread about glazing of interest.  My ladder rails to the wheelhouse don’t attach to the engine house they just touch at the bottom so the wheelhouse can still come away separately.

Len.

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

I’ve seen a number of ‘discussions’ over the years when ‘experts’ have advised that both the wheels on my Ben Ain is the wrong way round!  Not only is it according the the drawing in a C.V.Waine book but it is also correct as per the original builder’s plans, kindly forwarded to me by the ship’s last owners.  When the wheel was this way round the cox simply stood to one side, which was necessary anyway in most puffers.

 

 

 

 

[James Hill 5Participant @jameshill5]

Hi Richard and Len,

My plan comes courtesy of Vic Smeed and  from the drawings of Sott and Sons of Bowling, Dunbarton, so like you Richard, we can’t really be any more accurate than that.

One thing on the drawing I found strange, was the chain from the wheel to the rudder at one point runs down the outside of the engine house, then goes under the decking. the drawing shows it as a chain , but in reality I would have thought it would have some sort of cover over it to stop the crew getting caught in it. I don’t really know.

My next target is to find some thing to represent ships crew.

Richard , did you make the binnacle in your picture?, or was it sourced from elsewhere?

Jim.

[James Hill 5Participant @jameshill5]

I’ve been looking at 1/24th scale ships crew from Mountfield Models and wondered if any one else has used them? A bit exspensive for five crew but worth it if they fit the part.

Jim.

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

Jim, The figures on the ship above are two of the original kit supplied figures from Mount Fleet Models and the binnacle, along with the wheel and the telegraph,  were also part of the original kit, however they are all 1/35th scale.  Just a word of caution with 1/24th scale, cast white metal figures, they are quite heavy!

As regards the chain, it was frequently run through conduit of various types but also exposed in many places.  Not only would that be a hazard from the perspective of the movement of the chain but it would have been liberally coated with grease as well to try to prevent rust.

 

 

 

[James Hill 5Participant @jameshill5]

Thanks for that Richard,

Regarding the chain, it might be quite novel to have it exposed . Certainly I’ve seen it like that before. Obviously ran through pulley wheels to change the direction

It all adds to the detail. I think I’ll make the binnacle and other fittings to suit.

Jim.

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

The chain method was used effectively in full size vessels but is a bit problematical when applied to models due to friction issues.

Colin

[James Hill 5Participant @jameshill5]

Managed to make a few more bits.Window openings are now finished. I can fit the windows now it’s all been painted and fit the retaining strips in place. One or two deck fittings made and positioned. I made the funnel from thin ply rolled round reducing diameter formers until the right size was achieved. After butt joining, I glued some strips of ply down the inside to make sure it all stays together. The funnel will be red at the top and black from there to the base.

The ships wheel and binnacle ,and one or two bits need to be glued in place. The door has been made, just needs finishing off and painting. After that, it’ll be down to making more deck fittings. including the crew.

Once the wheelhouse has been completely fininished, and any paintwork touched up, I think the next move will be the handrails. That’ll take a while.

Jim.

[Fred Ellis 1Participant @fredellis1]

Looking good James,

[Stephen GarradParticipant @stephengarrad28964]

I’m still plodding on with my puffer, Snowflake, and have just started work on the mast. Ive tried to find the rings with eyes on, I’m not sure of the proper name, to take the various stays etc but cant find any anywhere except Cornwall Model Boats who have “gooseneck rings” with a single eye in various sizes or a “spider ring” with 6 eyes but only 6mm diameter.

I’d like to make them myself but would struggle greatly with the soldering, can anyone suggest where I might get some.

Many thanks

Stephen

[James Hill 5Participant @jameshill5]

Reading the last post from Stephen, I’m in the same position. I now need to find a way of attaching the funnel support cables and pipes that run up the funnel. Does anyone know if this sort of part is available, or as I think, it’s a case of making something that looks a reasonable representation?

Many thanks……. Jim.

[Stephen GarradParticipant @stephengarrad28964]

Hi Jim

As there was no response to my last post I had to bite the bullet & make my own with 10mm copper tube for the mast ring, 4 lugs cut from thin brass sheet, all held together with several very small clamps and soldered all at once using solder paste. It took several goes, improving each time but I got there in the end, 1 for the mast, 1 for the boom.

Dead chuffed.

My funnel is plastic overflow pipe so I will use tiny screw eyes for the support cables & thin brass rod through split pins to represent the  pipes up the funnel. At my 1/24 scale  a 2″ pipe is only 2mm so its all very small.

Stephen

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