Ray Mason Nautilus Build

[Davjacva]

This is from the combined 'Flail-Ex' over the last month. Completed the rudder work. Replaced the lower port brace for the screw guard out of brass in order to be able to pass a 1/16" brass control rod that attaches to the brass control fitting on the rudder itself. Cut some more brass and made a 'U-piece' to interface with the rudder. I have a brass wire in holding it now, but I'll peen a brass pin when it's all said and done. Got about 30-35 degs travel both ways (5 degs more to stbd for some reason).

[Davjacva]

I haven't taken updated photos of this, and there's a lot more bracing in it, and it's all done except for the top foam. Did this at the wrong time, as after I got started it rained on most of my days off, so I started cutting foam. The Proxxon made it infinitely easier to do this. Wouldn't have needed it so much for a 'round hull' boat, but it really came in handy for this. Incidentally, if you've seen my posts in 'Crossdecking' where I'm making the Leopard turret out of foam...well that was 1996 and this is the rest of the sheet of foam that's been laying up in my attic.

[Davjacva]

Did some more wheelhouse work, as it's the circus where all the roads are meeting up forward, and the proper seating of it is causing a major traffic jam with everything else that involves the wheelhouse. Fault was that after the bondo and CA work on the interfacing surfaces...it just got worse, so much that you could see light half-way around. So I worked on other stuff, then spent a week digging and smoothing the lower surface on the superstructure, then went at it again and finally got it. I'm trying a 1157 yellow bulb from a car to do the lights, and I don't really like it, so I'm going back to the asylum and think about this all over again. Also completed all 5 of the windows and filled the gaps.

[Davjacva]

Finished installing all the windows. Each one had to be sanded and hand-fitted. This resin that Ray used to lay up is about 1/4" thick and incredibly tough. I had machined a cutting bit for a drill to bore it out, but the resin was too damn hard for it. So took it up with Merriman and he said with that resin it was too hard and would just round the machined cutting ends down, so he did one out of the back end of a drill bit as something out of tool steel was required. I finished the last 10 of the smaller holes in a couple of hours, even after final fit-sanding in contrast with the first two that took a couple hours each.

[Davjacva]

Today's Flail-Ex is updating photos of the stowage/ travel box. What you see is what's done. Still have to gloss-coat the top and do some other painting that will be revealed later...AND measure and cut the foam for the top of the submarine. I used 5/8" plywood for the bottom as I figured it needed the strength, and it's not at all heavy, just tall for it's length.

[Davjacva]

Installed the lower hatch. Each hatch had to be handled very differently. I'm going to put the handwheels on when the hull work is completed.

[Davjacva]

The forward hatch needed the most work as the wheelhouse is going to be removeable, I didn't want the hatch coming off, so the hinge mount is mounted to the wheelhouse, and the hatch is mounted to the hull, but made so that the wheelhouse can be removed without removing the hatch. Have more cleanup and of course re-create the detail that was lost. Getting down to brass tacks with this project, I think there's 5 things left prior to painting.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

The forward hatch needed the most work as the wheelhouse is going to be removeable, I didn't want the hatch coming off, so the hinge mount is mounted to the wheelhouse, and the hatch is mounted to the hull, but made so that the wheelhouse can be removed without removing the hatch. Have more cleanup and of course re-create the detail that was lost. Getting down to brass tacks with this project, I think there's 5 things left prior to painting.

Good work on that hatch. Lawn-boy!

No paint till that thing is trimmed here and worked out at the JCC. Only after all that BS do you paint this critter! WHAT DID I TEACH YOU!!!????.....

And work out a clear sheet rudder cheat -- this monster will need it!

David
Task Master

[Davjacva]

Finished the storage box this week. All that is left is to glue the upper foam assembly to the lid and that's going to happen tonight. I'm going to use Tightbond III. I did a test shot of it last night and it really holds well. I had used a glue gun when gluing foam to foam which keeps the work going fast, and it's strong enough. A lot of glues that are reported to work well, don't, but Tightbond III is the deal. The last foam I put in was at the rear, an indexing plate, so the person doesn't have to jack with the foam being off-position to seat. Got the stencils online.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Wow! Now, that is one well protected model, Jake. Excellent work; a perfect box to protect the perfect model submarine.

David

[Davjacva]

So, for this week's 'Flail-Ex', I mounted the totally awesome screw speed log that Dave massively helped me to create last weekend. Not that it was hard to mount, it just took longer to mount than it was to make it. It was that stupid-easy to make.

[Davjacva]

Continuing with the 'Flail...', I stripped the sub down of components, painted with primer to tell-tale where the flaws and gaps were, took care of those, taped up the windows, sprayed the rest of the sub, put it back together, removed the tape from the windows, put all the components back on (rudder, screw, and planes), stood back and admired model...found more Fu&%$*$ flaws...thought for a moment how the world will stop if I don't fix them...realized I'm going to be painting the model again and sent it over to Dave's Saturday morning. The last item to do was get the raker arch installed and Dave said he had a plan, and it took him about an hour to mount six magnets for retainers and that was that. The last thing was to stand in the former space of 'Ellie's Polynesian Resort' and Dave took some photos. Yeah, we had coffee and were really enthused...enjoy.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

The last item to do was get the raker arch installed and Dave said he had a plan, and it took him about an hour to mount six magnets for retainers and that was that. The last thing was to stand in the former space of 'Ellie's Polynesian Resort' and Dave took some photos. Yeah, we had coffee and were really enthused...enjoy.

LOL. At one point she had four outfitted front-yard Gazebos'. All that gal needed to complete the atmosphere was monkeys, coconut trees, and invading Japanese troops.

(She was a baby when her mom and grandma grabbed her and the other kids and headed for the hills for a delightful and most 'interesting' three-year camp-out away from the Nipon 'liberation' of the islands).

David

[Davjacva]

The Nautilus new constuction phase is completed with the completion of the last parts. I had to make the closed chock and bollards, so I did them out of brass. Made about 16 bollards and picked the two that looked the best, whereas the chocks were more laborious, yet more care/ detail could be put into each, picked the one I liked and chucked the other. Dave was kind enough to cast me a mess of them, so there's spares if somehow they're knocked off. He asked which I wanted them in and I said white metal. I then acid-treated them and then primered them and the next day glued them down. So this weekend Dave and I are going to dunk it and trim it out. To modelers, there's aspects of each you enjoy, and for me it's the build, so while I'm happy that this phase is over, I've really enjoyed this build. One for the awesome subject, and it's been sitting waiting to be next for a long while, and the next is all the incredibly new things I learned on this build. I'd really like to thank Dave as he pulled me out of fire quite a few times on this one (only to give me the boot to get back in the fight :)). Ray Mason gave some great input to, and also the great story that went along with it. The rest is blah, blah, blah.

[Davjacva]

'WELL CRAP!!!! THAT WASNT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN!!! WE SUNK THE NAUTILUS, CALL THAT MERRIMAN DIVER GUY, OH WAIT...'

This wasn't how Saturday morning began...and 'What happens in Merriman's shop stays in Merriman's Shop' for the never-ending comedy of those involved!!