Prepping the B/C Decks for Installation
Hello Everybody!
Sorry for the delay in posting but I had a really busy August here in Colorado! 408 days till retirement
Well, when we last visited Pete's Titanic we were working on benches, chairs, and tables.
I also needed to get the hull and the B/C decks ready for installation. This is a big step and I need to get the all decks the correct depths, alignment, angles, and edges. The rest of the decks will follow after this installation and if its off, then all the rest will be off too. So what does that mean?
1. Ensure fitment of the decks are correct at the right depth, angles, and alignment (Numerous dry fitting, sanding, and grinding).
2. Modify decks and hull interior for aftermarket products (Bulwarks and C-Deck forward well bulkhead from China 3D forward).
3. Ensure all light leaks are addressed and to maximize the interior reflective surfaces inside the hull for illumination.
4. Prep the promenade windows on the hull for Testor's Window Cement after deck installation
5. Install all B-Deck walls onto the deck prior to hull installation (forward section including the forward B-Deck Promenade walls, and the 1st class B-Deck entrance, and the Private Promenade areas).
6. Install the B/C decks with minimal trouble and touch-up work.
Fitment and Modifications.
I first believed that I only had a little warpage on the hull with it pinching inwards at the mid-point of the ship about 10 mm on each side. This would actually be a benefit because it would lock in the deck installation without much filler or gaps. HAHAHA joke was on me. The hull sides did pinch-in, but the side shears of the upper portion of the hull were wavy too. Then there is the D-Deck large portholes on the hull that the overly thick B/C Deck can peak through and be seen if not aligned correctly.
Not only those issues, but the decks warpage (though minimal) has both inclines and declines, and a little twist at the stern. I also have to ensure that the C-Deck forward well bulkhead is level with the Shears on the hull, that the angle braces are at the correct depth. Lastly was the fitment of the well deck bulwarks and trimming of the well walls to accommodate the added depth of the sides when installed. I drew an illustration to give a better visual that trying to capture all those issues for your understanding.
Once trimming, grinding, cutting, sanding, and cursing were to a point that I was ok with, I was ready for the next part (Many hours of dry-fitting and sanding).
Hull Window and Porthole Prep.
I used red clear scotch tape to cover the interior portion of the promenade windows on each side of the hull. I learned this trick from watching YouTube videos on trains and how to cover the large window area with Testor's Window Cement. If a window or porthole is less than 2 mm in diameter, all you need to is take a dab of the cement and "pull" the adhesive to cover the opening, It dries clear and is durable. But on openings larger than 2 mm diameter, it becomes harder to cover the interior area with the pull method. I forget where, but I watched this video where a model train window at O-scale (~4 mm square) was first taped with the red label clear scotch tape on its interior, then the window cement was applied with the tape acting as support and covered a much larger area. This is what I will be attempting.
I did look at trying to use my wife's Cameo machine to cut acetate pieces to fit into my large windows. This ended in a failure I hate to say because I cannot find the right thickness of acetate to reliably cut the windows to the correct size to fit into the frame of the openings (BTW there is over 50 windows to install this way). The other issue was when I attempted to install these cut acetate windows on an extra kit piece with similar windows, it was difficult, tedious, and did not look right (all the angles of the panes MUST be the same or its obvious that its incorrect by looking like a face of a mirror disc ball. After much frustration, I nixed this plan and moved on to the window cement. this way the windows will theoretically self-level using the tape as a base, and will be "in" the window frames (I explored using the acetate just on the interior hull walls but the "glass" looked unrealistic only in the inside edges of the windows).
B-Deck Forward Promenade Walls and the 1st Class Entrance and Private Promenade Walls.
These were the last walls I need to install on the B/C Deck before hull installation. I saved these for last because the stern portion of the deck has multiple levels and structures that needed extra attention and care (See previous posts). The installation of these walls were handled the same with ensuring fitment, alignment, and light leakage were addressed. I did need to modify two interior bulkheads so that they aligned with the window frames (I don't need mysterious walls clearly bisecting the promenade windows).
This included installing the forward C-Deck forward well deck bulkhead. This is a piece from China-3D and there is some fitment angles and alignment that need attention. This includes the curved angle pieces at the ends of the bulkhead that mount onto the top interior edge of the bulwarks (fragile!). I glued this piece with E6000 glue for durability so when I install the deck with the bulkhead, there is some flexibility and the piece will not "pop-off" when I am making my final adjustments just prior to adding adhesive (both E6000 and Tamiya Ultra Thin Cement).
B/C Deck Installation.
Now that I finally have the B/C Deck and hull prepped, sanded, and ready, I slowly installed them one at a time. I will have to address the upper portion of the hull shear's waves with 8" adjustable c-clamps, 4" and 6" spring clamps, and weights to push the deck in place. I first installed the stern portion of the deck to correct the twist by applying cement in incremental sections and allowing it to cure for 12 - 24 hours (depending the amount of adjustment I needed to secure the deck in its correct alignment).
I place toothpick ends into the larger portholes on D-Deck to keep the edge of the B/C kit pieces from drooping into view. I also only glued about 15 cm section of the deck in place and allowed it to cure before moving on. This allowed me to address any unexpected fitment issues at the source and gave me a solid base to "adjust" the deck to ensure an overall smooth flow and alignment of the deck from bow to stern.
From the stern kit deck I moved on to the bow deck piece in the same installation method as above.
Once finished with the B/C Deck installation, I can then move on to populating the exposed areas like Cafe Parisian, Ala Carte Restaurant, and the Private Promenades with the details I previously worked on.
More to come and Happy Modeling - Pete
I learned the hard way that most of that detail tends to disappear when the black paint is applied.
) and paint the exterior sills and the hull colors after glazing.
I need another approach! 
