Fanny M - a simple lift model

[Greg Davis]

Looks like a fun and worthwhile project.

Kurt -

Thanks! Perhaps a Grimwood could be added to your list of projects

Greg

 

[Greg Davis]

Another (small) step forward - the main front hatch was made. The model will be presented with the hatch closed as in the second picture - rings will be added later to model a means to open the hatch. The outer / visible ledge is made from 1/16" x 3/16" material. The hatch is 4 strips of 1/16" material as well. To provide support for the hatch cover, a inner ledge was made from 1/8" square material. Framing the inside and outside of the ledge in this manner seemed to be more efficient than milling L-shaped material.



There is a second smaller hatch that is located fore on the starboard side of the deck - I'm not clear on what purpose it served. The hatch is circled in green of the the Grimwood plan for Fanny M. I also would like to note an observation I made on the Grimwood plan and a comparison to the corresponding plan from the National Watercraft Collection. It is the rake of the mast - on the Grimwood profile plan, the mast rakes back, on the sketch of the complete vessel it rakes forward. The National Watercraft image shows the profile with the mast raking forward as it should. Sometimes it is helpful to have multiple sources for the project you are working on!

 

[Greg Davis]

In the plans, portable walls to help secure loads can be seen traversing from main hatch to cabin. In reality they would have been 4' high and 12' long each, with a pair on both sides of the vessel. For the model, each panel is 1" high and 3" long made up of a number of horizontal strips that were supported by vertical battens. I made all of the pieces from 1/8" x 1/16" stock.

Here are pair sitting in place on the deck - later hardware to keep the panels in place will be added.



The horizontal pieces were cut longer than necessary and edge glued. Before the four panels were dry, they were placed between 2 glass sheets to keep the panels flat. Once dry, the oversized (in length) panels were trimmed to 3 inches.

Next, I placed spacers between the four panels, lined up there edges with a straightedge and attached the two most outer battens. This assembly was set between the glass plates to dry. A pair of spacers were made to allow easy spacing / attachment of the interior battens. After a last bit of time between the glass plates, the four panels were separated.

 

[DAWarden-(Jaager)]

Greg,
Are you giving any thought to "painting" with alcohol based aniline dyes?
Using that method is easier if the wood is dyed before assembly.
I am not sure about white. A whitewash may be necessary. There is no problem with gloss.
The grain is still visible.
Shellac and how many coats determines the nature of the finish and has a completely effective reverse gear.

I have the thought of using Renaissance Wax Polish over the shellac, but a test on scrap first.

 

[dockattner]

I simply love your clean work, Greg!

 

[Greg Davis]

I simply love your clean work, Greg!

Much appreciated!

 

[Greg Davis]

Greg,
Are you giving any thought to "painting" with alcohol based aniline dyes?
Using that method is easier if the wood is dyed before assembly.
I am not sure about white. A whitewash may be necessary. There is no problem with gloss.
The grain is still visible.
Shellac and how many coats determines the nature of the finish and has a completely effective reverse gear.

I have the thought of using Renaissance Wax Polish over the shellac, but a test on scrap first.

I'm very hesitant to paint and do so only when it is absolutely needed. For this model, I have been planning on treating most of the surfaces with boiled linseed oil and leaving it as that. I feel the Cherry then continues to look nicer with age and the finish is not all that fancy, which is good for a working vessel.

However, I am having some difficulty as to how I will be treating the waist of the vessel. Apparently the deck in the waist region between the panels was covered with asphalt to provide protection to the deck when coal loads were shoveled off. Since the photographs of the wrecked Fanny M do not show any asphalt I am currently conjecturing that the asphalt used was rolled asphalt from the roofing industry. This type of material had been in use since the 1890's. I'm not sure how to model that material so it has some texture and looks / matches well with the rest of the model. I have read that some people have had success using a high grit wet/dry sandpaper for this purpose...