Here is another project that we thought up a few months ago. If the allies can’t win by slugging it out, maybe we should try hit and run with a bunch of tiny ships! Decided to make a plug and mold to get a few of them on the water next year. Started with Goff plans, the profile of the ship was decent, the hull sections left a lot to be desired. I️ modifies the hull sections to better match the shape of the real ship in the stern, and to add 7/16” of depth to the hull for the extra weight allowed. I️ scanned the hull sections and edited in PowerPoint based on the simplicity of the editing functions, here is the end result printed out. I️ cut them right above the waterline and shifted everything up so the shear should remain scale Next they were cut up in prep for tracing them onto the wood Here are the half hull sections, I️ added two more in at the stern to get the shape Also cut the profile at the same location and offset the upper piece by the same distance Traced onto wood Stern Faired the bow and stern Stern Traced out the hull sections Cut an 1/8” slot to fit in the keel piece Next made the deck build board, used the leftover piece from the keel and made a duplicate to match Here is the keel piece cut out Build board with deck Deck step close up Attached keel Side view Test fit of hull sections Section pieces were glued in place using small pieces of balsa Plan is to fill the sections with pink foam, then cut and sand down, followed by spakle, paint, joint compound, repeat
Yea it is. The foam was cut and glued today, it took way longer than I️ predicted, ate up my whole build day. Used this glue that was more or less white Elmer’s, hopefully it holds well. This method took way long than the spray foam, I️ might try the two part mix foam if I️ do this again. Here are a couple pictures, this is the bow And the stern Plan is to do a rough cut/sand in the morning, hopefully up to the point of the first layer of spakle
If you have a belt sander, pink is the way to go (just do it outside). Another option is a hot wire knife, the railroad guys use it for all the scenery displays (cuts like butter)
Sounds good Caleb And Lou, unfortunately I don't have a belt sander or an outside really to work, so I have to stick to more primitive means like a hack saw blade, sanding blocks, and a dremel. Here are a few pictures of my progress on Sunday. Here is the full block Different view Rough cut Rough cut on the port side is almost there, starboard needs more time. The key is dealing with the glue on the joints, so I have been dremeling the glue off the ribs as it becomes accessible. The rib spacing in the middle also isn't ideal, since the spacing is larger than a sanding block which makes it slightly more difficult Hopefully I will find some time this weekend to get to the first layer of filler and paint
I was able to get back to work today, finished sanding down the starboard side. After sanding the foam down I filled the larger gaps with spackle. After the spackle dried I put on a coat of paint to serve as a base layer to start to get a smoother finish. The only major gap I have to fill with spackle again is one section where I cut the foam too short. The rest of the hull will be covered with joint compound to get a uniform finish, then sanded, painted, repeat until it reaches the 'good enough' point
I got the first couple layers of joint compound down. Here is layer 1 drying, going for full coverage and filling in any low areas, primarily on the corners Sanded down today, it took care of a lot of problem area. Layer two, goal was to build up any low areas so I’ll just have to sand it down to get it close to done Bow area I’ll be out of town for the holiday, work should resume Saturday, hopefully get to the point of waxing
Back to work after the holiday. Sanded down the previous layer of joint compound, added another in a few areas Getting closer Sanded that layer down today More shots Stern Painted to finish it off Stern Bow I sanded this paint down, next step will be spray paint and acrylic clear coat spray, then it will be set for wax. It won’t be the prettiest hull but it’s not like my boats end up looking good anyways haha. Pink foam worked great, much better than the ‘Michelin man’ spray foam plug I made last time
Looks good, Kevin. I'm gonna have to give this mold making thing a go sometime. You make it look too easy.
Costs can get a little high for just one boat. If you want to do a "one-off" fiberglass hull, at the point that Kevin is above you would cover the mold in aluminum tape. Then brush on west systems epoxy and add cloth. Do a few layers, remember that more epoxy does not mean a stronger hull. Then pull the hull off the mold after letting sit for at least 24 hours. Remove the tape and add cloth/epoxy to the inside. Mark the rib locations and add some cloth/epoxy strips (no sense in adding more cloth to areas you are going to cut out). She wont be the prettiest looking hull, but it is all covered up in balsa and paint anyways. Some light sanding on the outside will get you a smoother surface and remove any blemishes. I actually plan to try this for a future build and this is really helpful for any ship with undercuts or complex outer hulls: 1. When making the profile center beam, use 2 pieces of 1/8th wood instead of 1 piece 1/4 inch 2. drill holes and bolt them together, making sure the holes do not interfere with the ribs 3. The build board will be in 2 pieces, cut down the middle and attached with screws on the outside of the ship beam 4. Cut the hull stations in half, and glue them to each side. Make sure everything is straight 5. Separate the hull halves, and mount to new boards on the profile side. Now you have two sections of ship. 6. Fill and smooth it down like Kevin shows in this build (on both sides). 7. Do the tape/epoxy like I described above 8. Pull off both halves and join them together with cloth/epoxy Now you have a "one-off" hull, if a lot of people like and want it you could then make a proper mold.
Made some progress this week and today. First I made the divider piece out of 1/8” balsa, then I spray painted the whole thing and sprayed with acrylic clear coat Then I used silicone between the divider and the hull to prevent any leak through Stern Whole boat Overhead, blue tape was to have a surface to glue the divider down in a couple places Now I used two coats of wax and two layers of mold release film to provide for removal of the mold once dry Another shot Cut out mat I used a can of bondo resin I had left over from a project 3 years ago to use it up. No early kicking which was good, I think the inside surface won’t have any air bubbles Drying The plan is to remove the tape and divider piece in the morning, then wax and prep the other half, and repeat the past few steps to finish the mold. I’m hoping to be able to pull the mold off by tomorrow evening
Yes, polyester resin is probably the smell that most reminds me of my childhood, and unfortunately it ends up staying in my apartment for about a week after use. I made the second half today. Divider came off easy, first side looked good Bow Shot down the length Waxed and coated with film, using a fan significantly shortened the drying time And layed up I decided to wait to pull it apart until tomorrow to make sure it cured completely
Popped the mold off today, it came out pretty good with just a few bubbles to fill with bondo. Plug survived too. It came off a lot easier than my last go around at this Only significant chunk of plug that came off, but the plug will get deep 6-ed anyways Two halves Put together, there are about 10 holes in the flange that I drilled and power-tapped before separating Next step will be to remove the excess film and fill any voids with bondo, then prep to make an actual hull, maybe by Wednesday!
Hull 1 is done. Since last updat Filled in voids in the mold with bondo Overall Prepped the mold Two layers of mat The frantic sequence of getting all the resin in the mold left the brush with quite the fiberglass hair ball Both layers drying, took about 2 hours to lay up the hull Popped the mold off yesterday, came off pretty easy Cut the excess off Float test at 5.6 lbs Sits nicely at that weight, shouldn’t be too difficult to stay within that limit Hopefully I’ll get a couple more hulls out this weekend, then start the real build
