GATO! (It has begun)

[matthewnimmo]

Captain's Log:

@David: The SAS SD finally arrived! But, i think I might know why it was delayed lol ... see below (you forgot a 7 in my address 2373 not 233).

All is well! Thank you so much David for your hard work converting this over to SAS for me. I sincerely appreciate it all of this!

So, I couldn't help myself and put the SAS WTC into place just to see how it looks! It seems more real having it just sit there....like i'm actually going to get this done:) Spent the rest of the night with more boring sanding/grinding on filler areas. I'm hoping this week i'll finish up with the putty/lacquer combo (which i didn't even touch this weekend like i hoped).


I'll have i'm sure a billion questions about how to fully hook this thing up (especially with the tower section and the snort ... that part wasn't covered in the DVD set).

[matthewnimmo]

And now for some posted progress.

Got all the flood holes drilled out.


Then Sam Adams and I took a break after we filled down the holes after being drilled out (yes, i could have left them all circular; but that was bugging me some) Tried to get as close to the template as i could


Then i went back through and started applying more filler to some of the last areas. The biggest part was the keel, the other areas were the joining sections on the top part of the hull (not much to see on that but a thin blue line). But, below you'll see that i've started to grind/sand down my keel build up to something smooth and more level.


I hope to have the keel and new filler areas smoothed out and ready for some final sanding. Then i'll prep for some CA then more sanding with 400 grit. After that, i'll do some touch up work with the putty/lacquer mixture and primer it until it actually "looks good in grey" as David said earlier:)

"Scratches head" I might need to start on the conning tower before i think about primer now i think of it lol ... but i still might do the putty/lacquer to fill in the small gaps.

[matthewnimmo]

@David: I hate to bother you, but do you happen to have a tracking number? We've had a ton of snow around here, so i'm curious to see if it's buried in some town or something lol?

I'll be posting up some more pictures hopefully tonight! Nothing too exciting...just more body work and i have the flood holes drilled.

[matthewnimmo]

...With luck you'll have that SAS SD tomorrow or Wednesday.

M

The mail gods hate me:( i'm not lucky. Hopefully tomorrow or friday!:)

[trout]

The areas I added vent holes on the deck are:
Bow under the cleat.


On the conning tower I removed the riser and drilled a hole in the base.

At the aft end just forward of the screw hole.

Also on the conning tower there are several hidden holes to allow air out.


The bow and aft end were important if I remember correctly. The one under the gun was added and not critical. The ones in the conning tower were put in there from the beginning and it helped reduce trapped air. Just look for anywhere that air could be trapped and open up some escape routes.
Hope this helps.

[matthewnimmo]

I would love to see some pictures!

[trout]

I spent a lot of time figuring out these flood templates (also not sure if i need any on the top of the model or anywhere else besides what i have below.

Getting the flood holes marked and cut out is the next big hurdle. You're doing great!
I did add some vents on the deck, one near the bow and one near the aft end. The area was opened up under the conning tower for the majority of the air to evacuate. Then in the conning tower, I put several holes hidden to allow air to escape. If you want pictures, let me know.
Peace,
tom

[matthewnimmo]

If you notice in the pics i didnt use the #4 flood template as when reviewing Davids dvds i didnt see that he used that on for whatever reason. Also, for all future gato builders i would like to say dont get rid of the weld lines until you have applied your flood templates. It makes life easier applying them

[matthewnimmo]

Thanks David for the info! Tonight was a lighter night of work. I spent a lot of time figuring out these flood templates (also not sure if i need any on the top of the model or anywhere else besides what i have below. BTW, i love the sticker templates from www.sub-driver.com, they were freaking easy to put on and work with.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

You want to use the very thin formula of CA to stiffen up the cured filler -- this so it will wick into the porous material and act to strengthen the mass, not just its surface. Best application tool is a stainless steel spatula or 1/16" diameter brass rod. As you observed, any other tool will quickly clog up with cured CA. Put the CA down wet and almost runny. With practice you will be able apply the CA straight from the bottle as you orient the model so that gravity drives where the CA goes. An acquired skill ... and don't let any drip onto your lap, otherwise awkward moments await you at the Emergency intake desk (a Big Bang episode comes to mind).

Spread a small amount of air-dry putty (I swear by the Nitro-Stan stuff) on a surface that will not react to lacquer solvent. apply a drop or two of lacquer thinner and mix with the application brush. The brush should be of medium stiffnes and of the flat variety. Experiment as to putty-thinner ratio and type brush. But this is a matter of preference; some like to go straight out of the tube with a spatula or finger, others prefer the brush -- which offers quicker application and is not as tedious as the spatula.

With luck you'll have that SAS SD tomorrow or Wednesday.

M

[matthewnimmo]

Lol alright, ill try not to be so anal with the work. My electronics kit comes in today and if you put my SD in the mail on Saturday then that should be in this week as well for me to outfit. Until then ill try the putty primer cycles

any advice on the best way to apply the CA to the filler? Ive sanded down the filler all over and was thinking about a small brush to apply it with, but think that stuff will glue anything together (like my light brush). How thick do i want to keep the putty after cutting it with lacquer?

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

You won't get the seam perfect at the filler stage. That will happen as you progress through the putty and primer stages. Once you have coated your filler with CA, sand the surface of the filler areas with #400 to make the following air-dry touch-up putty stick to it better.

Put the two halves together, and brush the putty over the seam (I cut it a bit with fresh lacquer thinner for application with a semi-stiff brush). Before the putty sets up you lightly run the tip of a #11 X-Acto blade into the seam, this to keep the bridging putty from sticking the two parts together. leave alone for a bit, for the putty to dry, and wet-sand the applied areas.

Once you think you have things looking good, squirt some primer on -- this to reveal what a ****-hole job you actually did.

Repeat the putty-sand-prime cycle till it looks good in gray.

... and take that pair of AMS-goggles off your noggin and stomp them to death -- you got a SD to outfit, install, and integrate yet. I don't want you flaming out on me!

Stop sweating the small stuff.

No wax?! What's wrong with you!!!!!? Vaseline then.

M

[crazygary]

I have been duly retired to "the dungeon"! Thank you, Master!!

I am finally rid of the morning toiling at the hands of "The Gatekeeper"!! AKA: She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed"!!

Todays "adventure-in-cooking" has been successfully completed! Go in peace!

And, Go Broncos!!

[matthewnimmo]

I might try that David, problem that i'd face today is that I don't have any spreadable wax to apply to any tape (which i don't mind going out today ... i already have to hit the walmart...perhaps they might have some that will work?)

But below is all the work that i have done so far. This was all done before any of these suggestions

1) Right after I had done the first side of the sub (no masking tape...lot of sanding/grinding ... lot of regret). Starting of the grinding/sanding



2) Almost done with that section


3) Done, you'll notice a big glob of it on the upper part of the hull...that's because that section was a little warped and didn't match up well. So, the filler applied smoothed it out very nicely.



4) Here is were I've already tried the masking tape and filler, but nothing to keep the two parts of the sub separated. I figured if i could apply it fast enough and gently pull them apart then i would sand down what was uneven....well that turned out to be a nightmare, i had entire section come off onto the upper hull or stay behind on the lower...not an even split. So (this was with all the indexing tabs in place still), i decided to try something very similar to what David had already suggested. on each index tab i had tapped a small section of wax paper (on both upper and lower hulls) then I connected the two pieces together and prepped for more filler. This way i would have a clean separation when removing the two sections. The last two pictures are ones that i have trimmed down the access wax paper that stuck out.


5)Now, this is what is left over. Now, this is what i'm wondering about if i'm being "too anal" about ... now that I look at it again this morning ... some areas don't look too bad; but I wonder if i should strip it down and try it again for even better. or if i should call this good and move on now that I have the entire both sides done and ground/sanded down? The picture with the red circle is the issues that i'm talking about. Even after this sort of work, i still see these sections. Also, if i was to look closely on the top and bottom lips of the top and bottom parts of the hull...they are not flat and smooth (but in the pictures one can never tell)...just wondering if i'm taking it too far? The last picture is a good filler/sanding job i thought (that turned out nicely).

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

OK, here's a cheat for you:

Cut a strip of masking tape the width of your edge surface (about 1/16", right?). Lay it down on the edge you trued up with the sanding block. Coat the surface of the tape with wax; also, wax the side of the tabs facing the edge being worked. Gop down some filler to the opposing edge and mash them together. After curing, pull the two apart; remove the masking and scrub both halves, on and near the edges, with a lacquer thinner saturated rag -- work to keep the solvent off the adjacent polystyrene surfaces (rotsa ruck!). This to remove any wax that got on the work. Strengthen the new filler with CA as before.

This way you get to keep your precious indexing tabs.

M