TYNE Class Lifeboat build

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

my motors for my Tyne lifeboat came today from China………. 8 days from ordering to receiving………what superb service.

and what great beafy and nice looking motors they are.

they should get the boat on the plane and get me out of trouble on Windermere.

they are Johnson rs775's, brushed 11 pole motors with a maximum rev count of 19,000 rpm………….but don't imagine i will ever use that amount of power…….and a lot less thirsty tham 850s

Edited By neil howard-pritchard on 22/01/2021 23:49:48

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Those certainly do look nicely made brushed motors, much better than the usual ones.

Chris

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

just weighed them Chris……..they weigh in at 400 grams each…quite chunky beasts.

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

for the past 3 weeks i have been trying to work inside on a work board on a chair in front of the radiator, as it has been so bitterly cold outside in the easterly winds, that the heaters in my workshop just wouldn't keep pace with the outside minus temps.

and so my first job was the purchase of a model lifeboat that was a real collectors item, was an absolute snip at £30.00p and was a restoration job.

it took me 13 half days to work my magic on it and turn it from a wreck into my little thing of beauty.

this is an old LESRO kit of the Atlantic 21 lifeboat rib, which i named after Blackpool's trial lifeboat of 1975.

and here it is in all its small beauty in front of my 44" long Shannon class lifeboat.

i cannot believe how lucky i was to pick this up from a town in East Sussex, along with a converted model of the 16" long RNLI sold RTR Severn class lifeboat including a set of 2.4ghz radio, all all for £77.20p including next day courier service…….that i call is an absolute bargain.

the Atlantic 21 is just 22" long LOA.

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

THEN, after finishing the small rib Atlantic 21, i started to get boared and so went through the plans for my Tyne to see if there was anything that i hadn't made, that i could do indoors.

i came across two small "ish" items, but both equally important parts to make, that could be made indoors.

the first was a single small item, circular in construction, but vital to another item on the fore deck……..

the foot start/stop switch for the capstain.

i made this from two "rounds" of circular polyurethane resin scrap pieces and a piece of 0.25mm plasticard glued together to make up the switch,

and then it was on to the 3rd piece.

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

the third piece of fitting……..the Delta anchor and holding brackets.

TYNE class lifeboat progress goes awry!

although only a teeny weeny bit of the whole build of the lifeboat, but it has caused me to rethink and evaluate my modelling skills.

have you ever thought you would be saving time and using parts from another kit to substitute just plain common sense building.

its still sub zero outside with a bitter easterly wind straight from the Russian Steppes, and even the salt water model sailing lake at Fleetwood has frozen over, and my shed is as cold as a sharks heart, and so, now that the Atlantic is finished, and all parts for

Mick French's Mersey are all made and just waiting to be painted and fitted, i turned my attention to what more i could make in the warmth of my home.

one part was the structure for locating the Delta anchor on the starboard bow!……

ahhh i thought, [well I didn't really think, just blundered on] and started using a bit of off cut moulding from the Atlantic kit, but one end needed cutting and refitting.

As i blundered on, i came to a stage where i actually began to think………this is so bloody awful and an absolute mess. And so i thought eventually………..why not just cut and make the item from plasticard,rather than a piece of rejected moulding, and total junk…..

And so i did………..and it took me less than half the time to make it than modify a bit of scrap crap!.sometimes……..saving time using something actually costs you much more time, and you get nowhere in the end.

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

still absolutely freezing outside today, -5c with wind chill factor so am still doing little bits inside the warmth of my home. this afternoon i have detailed th capstain on /off switch and the foot bracket for the anchor retainer.

then i dug out an old spair chain locker lid and modified that to take the header chain for the fore deck.

once the weather gets warmer i'll be able to paint them ready for when i commence putting the lifeboat together, after i have built Mick French's Mersey for him.

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Quite agree Neil, if you only want a one off then fabrication is often the answer.

Colin

[geconParticipant @gecon]

Very nice anchor stowage Neil!

Of course, it's all very nice, but I just happened to focus on the particular part I need to make!

I'll have to get something planned on the foredeck for my plough anchor. Will have to be small deck-chocks I expect.

George

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

Miracles do happen

As the weather has started to get warmer, and my 2 oil filled rads are keeping pace and in fact getting the workshop nice and warm, i have done some clearing out of some crap, giving me space to have the two lifeboats on one side, and the fittings for the Mersey in front and behind me so that i can work on it.

a little more clearing tomorrow and i could possibly be on the ball to start putting Mick French's Mersey together by the end of the week..a couple of months at most, and that will be ready to bring indoors and hopefully if lockdown is lifted a few days in cornwall for my daughter and i will be on the cards.

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

Back to the mersey for a while………..may as well combine the two builds…….two for the price of one, lol.

The commencement of putting together the grown up aitfix model has begun.

I got hold of the window frames for the Mersey, and laid out two strips of masking tape, sticky side up.

I then seperated the "glass" from the frame one at a time, and put the "glass" on the top strip and the frame on the bottom strip, as quite a few of them are different shapes, and I only wanted to paint the "glass" black on the outside face.

I sprayed the. all a coat of filler primer, and then after an hour or so in a nice hot workshop I sprayed the "glass" black satin, and once it had dried after an hour or so [all depends these days how long my coyboy film lasts or has a break in it……..as sod all else to do lol] I then covered it up and sprayed the frames alluminium silver!

They will be put together tonight and then hopefully attached to the cabin of the Mersey!

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

a little further on….
i have stuck the air intake grills into their recesses on the cabin port and starboard sides, painted alluminium, which were stuck into the recesses using waterproof double sided tape.this stuff is incredibly strong, micro thin and virtually bomb proof.
fitted the "glass" inserts into the window frames and glued them in from the inside with cyano…..the white one is just to show that the window "glass" was made from 1.5mm plasticard.
and then the inside of the rear watertight door was "glazed" in the same colour black but this time using black sticky backed plastic, in the old Blue Peter method. then i cut a piece of plastic for the centre peign rail, which will be stuck in to the door using waterproof two sided sticky tape tomorrow after being sprayed orange..

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

the main mast had already been sprayed white, for the ladder arrangement at the rea

rd, and has been"baking" in a nice hot garage for two days, has now had the white area masked up, so that i can spray the rest, including the wind screen in satin black undercoat.

it has now been left to dry, and the satin top coat will be sprayed on tonorrow morning, once i have got up, lol…….that could be post meridian, as i feel a few beers coming on tonight,

 

Edited By neil howard-pritchard on 24/02/2021 23:32:15

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Hi Neil

I really do enjoy the quality of your work and the speed at which you work at!

You seem to enjoy the process yourself too

I like the orange paintwork, is that thanks to Stavros?

BTW, Is his mate, Phil Button still messing about with the old steamers etc?

Regards

Bob

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

thanks bob,

really appreciate your and all those members comments that post…………it helps when i suffer depression especially in these times, and it really does boost confidence.

and yes….the major paint work on both the Mersey and the Tyne are stavros's skills and magic……….i cant paint for numbers lol.

as for steamers, i know nothing about that, and tbh have never heard Stav mention the name Phil Button!

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Neil,

A great idea using the 4- way servo arm for the mounting for the antenna's

I think many of us follow your progress for ideas like that, keep up the good work.

Regards Ray

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

thanks ray……..that was a mates idea, which i used myself.

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

the main mast has been uncloaked and the wind screen "glazed" with 1mm clear plastic sheet, and set in to the frame using 2 sided sticky tape.

then the outside of the "glazing" have been lined with black sticky backed plastic card.looks just right.

and finally i have started to get the fittings ready for detail painting and then sticking to the model. the main w/t door and the fore w/t hatches are ready to take the springs and locking handles ready for sticking to the cabin.

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

most builders have found a supply of small resin mock bolts and washers down to a size of 1mm or 1.5 mm across head flats for these boats, as did i….but sadly after I had the boat professionally painted in 2 pac paint., and so didn't want to drill the cabin to take them which in real life hold down the engine access plates on the fore end of the cabin, as I thought that this might chip the paint away.

however I ran it by my friend Mick french tonight that I have a special fabric pen that "spits" out at a controlled size tiny blobs of acrylic waterproof paint, that is meant for fabric painting.

I asked him if I could "rivet" the plates for him after a preview, as the paint cover is a chrome steel cover.

I did it for him and he is highly delighted with the result, and so I have left them to harden and cure.

I have also put a small amount of rivet detailing on the aft end of the flying bridge plates, and also made the securing flanges to the side air intakes.

 

 

Edited By neil howard-pritchard on 25/02/2021 22:17:49

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

From this to that on a 50+ year old Myford Speed 10 lathe………

so, i took an old moulding from one i cad cast before, and turned it up, and then sanded in the lathe befor adding base and triangular support brackets to the body from the base.

25 minutes tops, it has now just been sprayed with filler primer to find any iregularities that need filling………..

and a little secret i'll let out now,,,,,,

rather than use body filler which is actually harder than the resin i used to cast such figures, i user straight forward childrens plasticine to fill small blow holes and other marks.

believe it or not, it takes spray paint exeedingly well, doesnt flake off and remains in place for etyernity lol………been using that little method for 20 years at least………a very well known and well respected builder and international model engineering judge told me the short cut many years ago when we met again at Earls Court show one january, where he was again judging.

dont believe me………..have a go!

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

air intake grill surrounds have now been painted and fitted in arounf the recess of the grills……

thats those "tarted" up a bit. lol…….slowly comming together.

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

this evening i fabricated the 3 windscreen wiper ,otors, arms and blades for the Mersey.

i had 3 moulded which are to double up for the Tyne.

unfortunately the centre one is much too long for the Mersey, and so thought i would cast another shorter motor unit………could i find the mould with 3 already cast, and only seen 2 weeks ago………..could i ****……..

so i chopped the long one in half, reduced it in length to the same length as the other two, glued it back together, put a backing piece of plasticard onto the back of the motor box,to strengthen the joint and then attached the wiper and arm with cyano.

they will be painted and then attached to the cabin tomorrow.

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

a bit more for you.

i asked a friend who is building a similar lifeboat to the mersey that i am concentrating on now about the windscreen washer jets, and he sent me a photo of them.

so this little job this afternoon, made od brass 1,2mm wire and silver soldered together is dedicated to him.

it is really nice when fellow modellers can help one another so quickly, and i dedicate this post to Chris Beynon

so here we have the windscreen washer water jet pipes that fit on to the front of the cabin under the wiper motors.

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

Lovely neat job Neil, they will look superb painted up.

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

thanks Richard, they fit in place well, but the windscreen power boxes seem to have quite a few blow holes in them from casting, now paint has been applied, so am going to fill them all and then spray again.

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