Scratch Build Project 955 Borei K-535 "Yuri Dolgoruki" SSBN. 1/140 Scale.

[Davidh]

Hello All,

Forums are quiet this week.

The Borei has a really straight forward shape. It is quite boxy and unusual as mentioned earlier. Looking from the top down it is clear that the sail has a constant width for most of its length. This is unusual but makes building the sail and getting it accurate and symmetrical so much easier. I really don't have to do much as I originally took the two pieces down to the right thickness on the thicknesser at school. It is really about getting the front and end right.

There is little at the front, just the distinctive forward rake at the front and the rectangular bulge running along the top at the rear that tapers to a more tapered lower rear section. I started off by sanding the overall shape of the sail at the back and front and then adding two small wooden blocks around the rear upper section to simulate what I think must be some kind of sonar window or something. I is actually proving a little difficult to get the exact profile of this sensor right as it is a very dull matt black and doesn't reflect light like the rest of the hull and sail does.

Gantu do you have another photo of the rear of the sail in the sun like one of the last ones that you put up? Direct sunlight does wonders for revealing panel lines and the like... Particularly the back end of the sail.

At the forward end of the missile deck there is an escape hatch. As with Resolution I decided to get on my trusty lathe and turn up a brass round section that I could glue into the front where this escape hatch is mounted and make it look much better that what I could probably etch. I used a cutting tool to face the round brass stock after bringing it down to the right diameter. Then I put a slight groove along the face to simulate the escape hatch rings, then parting off, I hate parting off, it's the most pesky lathe operation in my opinion. I then drilled out a shallow section out at the front of the missile deck in order to glue the brass disc down and then filler around it. I will repeat this process at the back as there is another hatch close to the stern rudder fin.

I thought I would take some pics of the Borei next to her future stable mates, the Mike class Project 685 and the HMS Resolution.

Available at http://zerobubblemodeldesign.jimdo.com/

I can't resist....

Plug plug.....

David H

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Each project an improvement on the last. You're become a real threat, David! Keep at it.

David

[gantu]

[gantu]

[Davidh]

Hello All,

The weekly instalment continues. As mentioned I am not going to fixing the missile deck to the main hull until I have done all the scribing and all the detail that is better done whilst the deck is separate and once there is no more advantage in not having it separate I will attach to the hull. This would mean the long a repetitive process of scribing the missile doors. Borei has only 16 doors, and they are of similar design to the doors on most Russian boats, having a smaller circular section coming off one side. To accurately create 16 of these would obviously require a decent template. Originally I decided on creating one in which the scribing tool would work around the outside perimeter, constantly pushing the tool inwards. Then I realised pretty quickly that its better to have a template where the profile needed is actually cut out and you are pressing against the inner edge of the plate. Taking the drawings and cutting out a paper profile I then used this to cut an outline for a brass plate. Taking thin 1 mm thick brass plate and using drills and fine files to cut out a missile door shaped hole. Once cut out the brass plate would be pressed flat and then smoothed till the profile was right and symmetrical. Towards the outer end the brass plate would slope down as the missile door slopes down around the edge.

Borei's missile doors are arranged in groups of eight with a slight pause between the groups. In order to get them arranged correctly I simply had to take the time to measure the right intervals and mark them on the smooth matt sheen surface that is the flat missile deck. Making sure that there is a constant distance between all the doors both ones side-by-side and also opposite.

I have a very fine file that I have ground down to a fine point and it has a handle that is in need or a change as the rubber on it is getting thin and it will probably press into my skin soon. Scribing into the thin resin layer takes the edge off cutting directly into the wood grain. As HWSNBN has mentioned creating a thicker layer over timber certainly reduces or eliminates the influence of grain over the scribing procedure. Scribing these missile hatches has still been a bit hit and miss with regards to the neatness of the scribing detail and consistency of depth. The spacing between hatches is ok and the distance between the two columns is good however there is an ever so small amount of grain wander creeping in.

Opinions please. I am thinking about possibly using a dremel tool to cut a shallow trough where the missile deck door etch lines would be, fill it with filler, sand back and re-scribe.

David H

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

That last paragraph. That's what I do when I have to scribe a nasty substrate -- channel it, lay in some Bondo, and scribe the Bondo substrate. Great minds think alike, David.



David

[gantu]

https://rg.ru/2015/11/14/bulava-site.html

[gantu]

[gantu]

[gantu]

[Davidh]

Hello All,

This website is unpredictable, I posted the last batch of photo's at full size and then when I checked them later they had changed to near microscopic...

Anyway,

The last couple of weeks I have been spending time etching the missile deck doors and other details. Using the template that I made I could get the door to be consistent in shape and size. Depth of etch is still something that I have had to work on. As mentioned last week the fact that I am etching into wood does not help as it varies in density and grain structure. After finishing all the missile doors I looked back over them and that look straight and neat but the effect on the scribing tool of the wood grain is something that I had been deliberating over.

Moving on to the Fin/Sail I have been trying to track down good pictures of the Fin and more overall pictures of the Borei. What I am finding is that are lots of pictures of Borei from the bow looking back, the stern looking forward but few square on amidships showing detail on the side or good overhead shots. I could really do with more side on pics of Borei's fin and some more close up ones of the sonar bulge on the rear upper fin. Gantu?....

I have to admit Gantu, you've pulled out some Gems of late...

I have been slowly shaping the fin and getting the overall dimensions right. I have made some sketches to get the proportions right and in the right place. I originally had the screws skewed into the top of the fin and angling into the other side as they move down. (The sail is held together by two screws) But I have since moved them underneath so they are not in the way of the detail that I will need to put along the top of the fin, even though I will create a top piece just like I did with the Mike and Resolution.

The rear sonar bulge, it's more square is actually hard to determine in shape because it's a very matt surface. I tend to find that dull matt black surfaces because they do not reflect light can be a bit difficult to interpret with regards to form. I need some really close up images.

I have taken the time to look over the back end of the boat. Where the rear turned stern section meets the PVC pipe the fit is pretty good. However even with some filler in there a couple of months ago there is still some areas over and under filled so some sanding and then filling and sanding have been needed. This would then bring the interface to being absolutely flush. Once flush then a smooth 1200 grit and water to make nice and consistent.

Anyway

Until next time.

P.s I've made a couple of mods to my webpage.

http://zerobubblemodeldesign.jimdo.com/

[gantu]

[bwi 971]

I'm enjoying this.....keep up the good work.

grtz,
Bart

[Davidh]

Hello all,

I have been looking over the missile deck scribing. I finally decided that I could get a sharper and more accurate cut by creating a channel and scribing in filler. This would set back the timeline a little however I'm not in a hurry. The best way to create a channel is by using a dremel type tool with a small grinding bit. The channel being about 3-4 mm wide and about 2mm deep.

So I cut a channel by following the already scribed lines of the missile deck. The missile deck looks messy and would look even messier with the filler. Initially I put on the filler to bring up a level surface. then I put on a little further to overfill and then sand down. Starting off with 240 grit and then moving to wet and dry 800 and then finally up to 1200. There are slight undulations in the surface, in the reflected light the slight changes in angle actually look a little like surface oil canning. There were small pits in the surface that needed slightly more overfilling and then sanding back. Once this is done then I then measured out and marked the location for where the missile door outlines would be. Once done then marking out with the brass template then scribing over. Scribing over filler makes a huge difference. You are not fighting grain and irregularities. You get a far more consistent depth and width of etch line. after a couple of nights of etching the results are much better.

Once the missile deck had been done I would turn to the deck detail aft of the missile section. Same technique however this time I would not be following an already etched surface but would be following pencil and pen lines.

David H

[Davidh]

Hello all,

I just noticed this. Have a look at the base of the rudder. In the first and last shot the rudder starts at the hull and extends vertically to just under the stern towed array housing. In the two middle photos there is a clear trailing edge section attached to the hull and the rudder starts probably 300mm up. Is anyone the wiser? I'm assuming one is Yuri Dolgoruki and the other Alexsandr Nevsky?

The vertical fin also looks like it is mounted slightly to the left of the centreline.

ideas?....