yes it is marine epoxy. got it. I'll grab both of those tomorrow and add them to the experiment. I'll grab a sheet of Lexan too. Any other options I should get from ACE tomorrow?
I'll test it tomorrow or sunday if you want. Anywho, to fill in, I was driving for like 9 hours today for a VA doctor appointment in Minneapolis. I figured out how I'd mount the guns in the New Mexico. Then I thought, "Man, my guns on the Texas are mounted for crap. how do I do it better?" So I applied the same solution to the head-model of my TX. As a result, the refit will be much more in depth than planned. the mod will require all but the haymaker to be dismounted, ripping apart B turret's Barbette, replacing the mid deck plate, rebuilding the superstructure, building an integral rescue float w/ line, configuring the forward mount to be integral to the plate/super.... That fixed barbette is a total headache for mounting, and there's no room under A turret without doing a HUUUGE refit. Which is on the list under "Never, because I have better things to do, and those things include women." I'll be lucky to finish this refit before that Catholic Schoolteacher chick sinks her fangs in me and I wake up in the middle of a high mass wedding or something.
On the case of lexan: 1) it's heavy compared to wood 2) difficult to cut since most tools melt it rather than cut. 3) good point is that you can paint the underside and it will show through.
You can make your own fiberglass deck by use of whatever bonding agent, wax paper, fiberglass cloth and heavy weights. Soak the cloth and or Matting with the bonding agent place on wax paper, put wax paper over it and the put books or whatever on top and let dry.
I am unhappy with my fiberglass decked model. TOO heavy. I am in the process of replacing the fiberglass with plywood.
thanks for the tips, guys. I got the lexan, and will give it a spin on my scroll saw, see how it comes out. I talked with Ace this morning and they can special order the plywood and fiberglass stuff I'll need for this and other projects, so if I don't like how the lexan works, I'll just go the other routes. I was thinking about just painting one side and seeing how that turns out. the bummer is that the lexan is 0.093, but I came up with a way to make it work. luckily that main deck doesn't need to be sealed as well as the bow and stern deck plates. I'm really looking forward to seeing how this experiment turns out.
Fiberglass board, 1/16th. You can add to other layers to make thicker, or cut holes to lighten even further https://www.mcmaster.com/electrical-grade-fiberglass-(gpo3) Electrical-Insulating Fiberglass Sheet, 12" Wide x 24" Long, 1/16" Thick
sounds good, Lou. I'll probably order some for the New Mexico build. The Lexan is working rather well. the scroll saw is making short work of it, no melting troubles or anything.
I'M Shock ...a forester not going to use forest products!!!....by the way Brian,I remember you saying, at Kas' over beers and I still can't believe you never heard it but here it is:
hey, anything that'll prevent warping, which is what I'm seeing from the larger deck segments. my boats will still be all wood, I just prefer functional deck plates. Has @Panzer started on either of those CandyCornia hulls yet?
one is in dry-dock with NORTHERN OPERATIONS-BATTLE SQUADRON(NO BS)Harrison,MI and he still has the extra bulgy girl, his sauerkraut fleet would not approve of a Yankee Dame
I'm hoping we can have a squadron of standard-types at some point. If the New Mexico project works the way I think it will, a small group of them could play merry hell against a major combatant.
more progress!!! the hole in the back will be where the mag ends go through and pop out in the new superstructure base. they will be loadable without removing the deck. I'm hopeful that the volume in the super's first level will allow me to relocate some equipment in there, in addition to the guns.
major frame-out is done on the superstructure. I've also made some headway in the gun mount for B turret. I'll have the mount screwed into the superstructure so that I can dismount the mount and guns as a single unit from the super. Also, I got another package in the mail with all the parts to change my rudder to belt drive, so that's happening this evening. It'll be pretty similar to @Beaver 's setup on the KEVII, with a slight modification in that I'm using a different gear on the servo.
last steps for tonight. I finished the main components of the forward gun mounts. All that's left to do is to take a 1/4" drill bit and drill in the gaps for the mag tube on the locking bar and mount itself. that may sound weird, but I'll better illustrate with a photo tomorrow night. In other, fantastic news, the rudder setup worked. I now have 180 degrees of action on the rudder, doubling the previous attained using that double arm system. with this much throw, I can block about 60% of the total thrust cone. I'll probably pull the travel back about 5% but other than that, there should be a marked improvement in maneuver, which will be nice to have in future endeavors. In case you haven't been able to tell, I'm doing a modified Y-pattern. the repositioned sidemount is going to have a lovely spot tucked into that stern casemate. The New Mexico will be an even more absurd outgrowth. from what I've seen, and how much I hate bow sidemounts, it should suit my personal battling tactics rather well.
Here's pics of the mount. it's ready to accept guns now. Drilled pilot holes first then came in with a 1/4" drillbit and bored out the mount. I had a similar setup holding my dual sterns in place, and it worked incredibly well. this week, I'm going to take apart the dual sterns and get them ready to slot in. The ends of their mag tubes will pop out of the top of the top of the superstructure so that they can be reloaded in situ.
