I had my old deck which was used for my fiberglass hull so i put it on top to get an idea and it looks like some will have to be sanded down while 1 or two will have to have wood filler to fill the gap between deck and rib. I have no idea how that happened. I thought I was very careful trying to make them perfect.
It happens. not sure how, either. But I'd cut a thin piece of wood to go in the gap before I'd rely on wood filler. I'd also drill a 1/16" hole thru the subdeck, the shim, and into the top of the rib itself, and lightly tap in a section of bamboo skewer to peg it together. But then, I always have the ribs and subdeck interlock. Probably overkill but it's bulletproof. If yours don't interlock, I'd drill them all and use bamboo skewers to pin the lot of them. Just to keep it honest, sometimes glue fails when hit hard, especially if there's no mechanical strength to the joint. [EDIT] I went back and looked at your pic; pin the joints, it'll make your hull a lot stronger. And with a work of art, you really want it to be strong and last a long time What kind of glue are you using?
One thing to remember about our angle cut decks is that we use a type of plastic for our decks, not wood. They actually seal quite well, a thin bead of silicone squished helps keep water out too. I think I'll use your pinning idea when get to my H-39, sounds like a good idea. J
What kind of plastic? My comment on sealing well relates to building tolerances; it's easier to get a good seal on a traditional deck rim than with the angled fit. The silicon bead helps, certainly, just a 'regular' deck can be 1/16" off entirely (or more) and still give a good seal because the deck is flat and the rim is flat and that's the mating surface. I still maintain that a 1/4" thick deck will still be heavier than 1/8", although depending on the plastic, that may be mitigated by different material.
The stuff is called cintra (I think that is the spelling). Bob Pottle says it is the same type of plastic plexiglass is made of, although it is not as brittle as plexiglass. ( see teh Admiral Sparrow's Graf Spee build thread, 25 july post) I like it because it is fairly easy to work with, weighs less that plywood, doesn't require water proofing and is almost 100% BB proof, it will dent a bit but so far hasn't been seriously damaged by any BBs. As I said over there, I use goop to hold it together. Haven't tried gorilla glue, that may work too. We cut it with an xacto knife so we don't loose material as you do when cutting wood with a saw so tight fit. I got the silicon bead idea from Steve Crane who got it from Rob Clarke. Put down the bead, cover with wax or parchment paper and then put the hatch in place and clamp until the silicone is set, I do it over night. Carefully peel away the paper and boom, rubber(ish) gasket. J
I don't know where you could get it, we get from a plastics suppler. Yes it does, there are cintra decks on my Scharnhorst, Craig's old, now Bryan's Bismarck, a Turpitz that Ian had and has sold and I believe Steve Hill's Vanguard. I know the Super structure was built of it, I think the deck was too. J
Oh and Tugboat I am using Tightbond 2 waterproof wood glue. One of the guys at WWCC recommended it because CA glue is brittle and can sometimes shatter break and weaken over time in combat
TB II is fine; people have built the same sailboat that I have (not scale sailboat, real sailboat) with TB II and taken it on extended sailing races that span days. It'll do fine on your boat. I used TB III on my sailboat, but I'm pretty sure that in scale the difference is immaterial.
Well I decided to measure the length of the Tirpitz and it came out a little to long o_o by about 3.5" O_O oops! luckily the rules allow for the 5% margin of error so I just need to sand a bit off the bow and stern to get it under the 5%. about 1/4" total should do it but I think I will take an additional 1/8" off to make doubly sure. I will be taking 1/4" from the stern and about 1/8" from the bow, I will lose that in the impenetrable area but its better then having to rip out a portion of the keel to shorten it. (sigh)
You could always glue a piece of 1/8" or 1/4" ply to the back side of the forward impenetrable area to make up the lost hard area
Well the the first portion of the sub-deck is cut out. I split it into 3 sections a stern, a large middle and, a bow. I am doing this because of the slight rise in both the bow and stern sections. For the sub-deck should i cut out the middle 1/2" in or 3/8" in? And cant really do that Tug because of the space between the hard area and first rib is already close. might have to shave more of it off (sigh)
If I may add to the conversation: Sintra is composed of PVC like material, except that it has billions of little air bubbles. Its rigid, yes, but if you crush the bubbles, you get a powder like PVC and the sintra will loose alot of strength. You can boil it in water and make it flex/bend (great for round stuff). Its not made for impact at all. I think superstructures should be fine, as they really dont get shot at alot, and decks as well for the same reason. Here is a good article on gluing Sintra. Sign shops carry them - they love it. Heck, you might even pick up their scraps for dirt cheap. A friend of mine used to throw tons of the stuff away when he made signs for people. And you can get it pre-colored. http://www.tri-dee.com/Sintra%20pvc%20adhesives.htm Thomas PS: I might build my super structure using Sintra - make it hollow and spray expanding foam in there, the low expansion type. That will give it plenty of strength, with little weight. Then maybe fiberglass it, since epoxy sticks to the stuff (I'd sand it a bit first though, to rough it up). Or aircraft plywood, and do the same thing...not sure yet.
hahahaheheheheh You should look closer at some superstructures there Thomas - they tend to take a fairly brutal beating. Most folks dont intentionally shoot them, sure, but alot of shots go high, bounce off decks, etc. You might find yourself amazed at the ridiculous locations on supers a bb can get into. Sailing a ww1 battlecruiser, I've come off the water with more new dents in my super than holes in my hull a few times.
@ Nick...I thought so - was feeling a bit fasecious I guess in the old days, they scored by how much the superstructure was chewed up...but I guess that fell out of favor, since its alot of work to put it back together, or so I read somewhere a few years ago. Grinding away at my bow section, trying to get it within 1/64" tolerance...or something. Turning out well so far. Alot of work, making it look nice without a reference...lol.
