Bringing my first boat to life again

[JHapprich]

November overkill, Vol.1:

[JHapprich]

November overkill, Vol.2 :

[JHapprich]

And Vol. 3 :

[JHapprich]

And finally Vol. 4 :

[JHapprich]

Last post also showing the 645'/ K 27 subclass with liquid-metal coolant reactor.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

And finally Vol. 4 :

Wow! such a magnificent series of NOVEMBER photos. I so want to do this beast someday! Thank you for sharing this excellent information on such a historically (and politically) important Cold War submarine.

[JHapprich]

Fin's attached!

[JHapprich]

Hello! Recently made a new stern insert( that knife-form thing covering the driveshaft) to replace the very heavy original ABS piece.



I decided to maintain the method of using two transversal bolts to secure the aluminum stern frame to the mount inside the stern cone (you'll see that in the pictures).



In the first place, i only applied ABS sheet to that original part and bolted it down with six M2 sunk screws, but that both looked not nice and did not give me more space between propeller and rudder what is a priority...






I cut the old grp-cover from my first attempt of remaking the stern to lenght and used it as a base to build up the sides.



The fillets of the stern planes,made from cast PU, were laminated into those sides after aligning and pinning with CA. An M2 bolt from each side, aft of the planes shaft through the fillets, secures the new stern insert to the stern frame and keeps it detachable.



The sides were then built up with fibre-enhanced filler. After grinding it to shape, a layer of light weave and fine-filler will produce a smooth surface. The entire replacement will be MUCH lighter than its ABS-predecessor!

As said, i drilled both sides of the stern above the sockets of the stern frame, afterwards screwed a threaded rod through it and wrapped some sandpaper atound it to grind the bore to a nice round shape with the socket bore right in center. That was the original method of securing the aluminum stern and allows that whole module to be removed for maintenance. However, the openings for the screws are WAY smaller and will be alike larger floodholes..

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

You have put a great deal of hard, 'innovative' work into this project. You, sir, are a plodder... and I mean that in the most positive sense of the word.

You get your hands dirty. I admire that.

You and I would be equally comfortable slipping and sliding along the floor of a sausage factory.

David
Expert Plodder

[JHapprich]

Greetings! I recently added a chin sonar dome, a flat deck and the sail that is receiving some details.

The sonar was made from a (lost) foam core.



The deck was made from ABS sheet, weld glued, the edges were filled. Annoying, the first portion of filler all over the port side would not cure, since i added too little hardener. I had to remove the entire half-cured putty what was both time-consuming and messy...



After some treatments with fibreglass-filler, fine-filler and sanding i achieved a proper transition to the deck.

The sail was then attached with epoxy glue and some more conturing was performed.

The new bow is wider than the original part and would no longer match is base. So i glued down a perforated plastic strip at its inner edge so the bow dome would sit in centre again and poured some resin into the gap between strip and bow.




Btw, i use clear sticky tape and ptfe grease to isolate the parts against the resin on this model.

I also put some glass strip and filler onto the top of the bow to extend the forward deck and create the transition into the bow.

Currently, i started detailing the sail with the handrails and some doors and positioning lights. Some windows and the openings of some masts will complete the action.

I will try to create a new access to the locking screw in the fwd bulkhead through one of the torpedo shutters so i can close up the centric hole again.

[JHapprich]

Currently, i started detailing the sail with the handrails and some doors and positioning lights. Some windows and the openings of some masts will complete the action.





I will try to create a new access to the locking screw in the fwd bulkhead through one of the torpedo shutters so i can close up the centric hole again.

I also extended the stern insert to make a "one-piece" cover for the aluminum frame. Originally, several thin ABS plates were used to do so, held in place by tiny screws.

[JHapprich]

More work on the sail. Also added the front window and the rear lantern with plexiglass inserts.

[JHapprich]

Hello!
With the sail mostly done, i spent some trial and error with how to finish the stern. I thought about making a mold for the entire part and copying it with fiberglass, but on the other hand id have a rather large mold for one job only and i wanted to keep the aluminum frame inside the stern that houses the machinery and makes up the actual stern. i decided to stay with the solution of making fibreglass covers that create the outer, streamlined shell. The transition between the newly made centerpiece (to replace the old and heavy ABS part) and the then still visible aluminum stern was not to my liking and grinding the edges round would result in very thin and brittle edges on the already thin-walled parts. So i made a separate cover with resin and glass for both the upper and the lower stern, entirely encapsulating the metal framework. This also enables me to remove more metal for weight reduction and creates a smooth transition to the hull parts at their seams. The covers will see some more filling and fine sanding, as will the portion around the driveshaft receive a much sharper profile. Very happy with the result, since the design of the stern was one of the major problems with that model from the very beginning!

[JHapprich]

The front window at the sail was slightly too wide. I taped it and removed the material around both sides. Filler was applied and the surface was sanded back to shape. Not further pictures, but later on on can see it. That window should also sit a bit higher but i'll keep it for now.

[JHapprich]

The rudder and sternplanes were originally made from aluminum, using nuts and threaded rods as planeshaft to attach them.



I made replacements from PU last year, using one of my standard molds for raw pieces. Those had a bore for a 2mm shaft, had to drill that open to 3mm. I used a 2mm rod as guidance and a 3mm circular saw from stainless steel. The parts were a bit too small.



One brass nut and a grub screw for both rudder and one diveplane are resined in. The other diveplane will permanently hold the planeshaft. At each piece, the front and the back end are beeing enlarged by cutting a slit and glueing a fibreglass strip into it. A little more grp restores the shape with only minor sanding necessary.




This produces both strong and lighter planes and eases assembly (to the common standard). WIP.