USS Langley: Breakthrough

My shop cleanup is just about complete, so the Langley is going back on the bench.  First part that went on bench was the base I had been working on, in order to fit the nameplate.

Here is the closeup of the nameplate, a decal applied over a polished rectangle of sheet brass.

Next, the flight deck went back on the bench.  When I thought I was all done on the deck and structure PE, I had forgot the support pieces that support the nets and the nets themselves.  I hope I can paint the nets without filling in the fine openings.

For almost a month now I have been traumatized trying to attach the safety net brackets to the underside of the flight deck.  The brackets hang down with a boom sticking out.  With the deck still inverted they look like towers with a boom sticking out, like an el resting on the end of the bottom leg so the long side of the L sticks out parallel to the bottom of the deck.

The problem was keeping the CG of the mount over a tiny o.0001 square inch base tab long enouh for the CA glue to set.  Further, this must be done without touching any of the exist already mounted booms which had a cross-section of 6 mil by 8 mil.  The semi hard brass, once bent, is almost impossible to bend back straight.

My new solution is to do away with the PE supports entirely, and replace then with 20 mil brass rod bent into an L-shape.  I made a simple jig to make and trim each piece in less than a minute.  Last go of it I bent four pieces, and then got them mounted in five minutes.

The first four pieces on the right are the kit PE.  All the pieces to the right are the twenty mil Ls.  I drilled holes for the short part of the L. It will stand by itself long enough for the CA gel to set.  Still hard for my eldery hands to hold the tweezers still enough- I usually drop each piece about three times putting it in, but that is still much faster than the PE pieces.  I am learning to use a crossed self lock tweezer- that has reduced the number of drops.

Wow Don,impressive,those are some details that I wouldn't even try,great work.

Glad to hear you finally got it licked!

rocketman2000

I am learning to use a crossed self lock tweezer- that has reduced the number of drops.

My absolute favorite, indispensable modeling tool. I've got several pairs w/ different tip shapes and degrees of grip.

Yep, locking tweezers are ESSENTIAL with both PE and any scale smaller than 1/72.

I have multiples with both the ridged gripping tips and smooth tips so they won't mar a finish.

Another little trick is to use hemostats and with the tension applied with a small rubber band rather than the locking tangs. Still holds securely but releases a lot easier; no side twisting. And, they also come in SO MANY different styles.

HooYah Deep Sea

Another little trick is to use hemostats and with the tension applied with a small rubber band rather than the locking tangs. Still holds securely but releases a lot easier; no side twisting. And, they also come in SO MANY different styles.

 

Bill

HooYah Deep Sea

Another little trick is to use hemostats and with the tension applied with a small rubber band rather than the locking tangs. Still holds securely but releases a lot easier; no side twisting. And, they also come in SO MANY different styles.

 

I need a very clean release to not turn the boom.  That is why I had been using regular tweezers.  It took a bit of practice with the cross locks but it usually works now.  How do you get a clean release with the band and hemostat?

Just don't lock them.  Let the rubber band do the work of holding tension.  Trick there is finding the right size rubber band!

I have lots of "donated" hemostats I have collected over the years.  Very handy tools.

Bob

Luvspinball

Just don't lock them.  Let the rubber band do the work of holding tension.  Trick there is finding the right size rubber band!

I have lots of "donated" hemostats I have collected over the years.  Very handy tools.

Bob

 

Ah, I get it now.

I only have one.  Don't use it a lot, so it lasts fine.

Rather than locking the instrument, you let the rubber band maintain the tension. Different sized rubber bands can provide a lighter or increased tension as needed so you can avoid too much 'crush'. Then, you can either manually open them or, if the tension is light enough, you can simply pull it away.

Now THAT's clever.

The wire supports worked well.  The net supports are all done, and I have been doing repairs to the girders I mangled.  I have a coat of paint on it, and am almost ready to get back to work on the hull and put on structures that support flight deck.

Unfortunately the top of the deck was not fastened as well to the plank I had it sitting on and some of the deck supports ended up sitting above the surface of the flight deck.  I am grinding off those ends.  Using my Dremel Stylus 2000 for that- wonderful tool!

I've had my fair share of projects where I performed the old 2 steps forward, 1 step back dance - some of them ended up being my favorites!

I know it's maddening - but makes for good reading!

Guys, had trouble posting for the last three weeks or so.  Customer service could not fix problems with account, so was forced to create my third account.  I'm the old Don S and rocketman 2000.  I was able to use old icon, however.  Found I had to finish the bridge and rear deck structures, however.  The later are just about done- pictures soon.

Hi Don;

       What I did a while back may help you in the category of not filling holes that Need! to stay open. I had some Catapults in 1/350 that had some open mesh catwalks. Yeah, very Fine! So, I mixed the right color paint with the right amount or thinner and then Dry brushed them. Four times to be exact. The first time with Enamel. The rest with super thinned Acrylic in the same color.

       The Enamel acted as the primer. Oh! Before putting these parts on, I pickled them in White Vinegar overnite. Rinsed well and Air dryed. This microscopically etched the brass surface to accept paint of any kind!

Hi Guys and Ladies.

       A tip here, I believe is appropriate, Like many I have acquired a few Hemostats(Almost Three dozen to be honest) I had very understanding Doctors! Anyway for the Banded tension ones, I did this. I ground the teeth off the Cross-Locks! Then in the same area on the outside of the handles, I ground very fine, very smooth notches.

      Why? Well, rubber bands have a tendency to "Walk" if you arent careful. I use, in their place, Natural rubber " O " rings, and regular " O " rings if the " naturals" are not available. The only  reason any needed replacing was their environment for a while. In a Tool-Box in the Basement Storage Area? of my fifth wheel as we traveled.

     Doing this the way I did, made sure the "Hemos" would NOT accidentally lock! Retaining the base of the Cross-Lock area kept the handles from twisting or bending when pressure was applied.

missileman2000

Guys, had trouble posting for the last three weeks or so.  Customer service could not fix problems with account, so was forced to create my third account.  I'm the old Don S and rocketman 2000.  I was able to use old icon, however.  Found I had to finish the bridge and rear deck structures, however.  The later are just about done- pictures soon.

 

 

That's crazy,nothing like loosing your identity twice !!!

Okay, here are recent pics of rear superstructure.  This was a real bear at first.  The second deck level was supposed to set down over a boss in the first level, the boss being a narrow raised feature the completely encircled the inside of the second deck.  I just could not get it to fit!  I then measured both the boss and the inside of the upper deck with a good digital caliper.  Lo and behold, the outside of the raised boss was wider and longer than the inside diminsions of the second deck!  I had to grind/sand that boss away on three sides.  Here is a shot of the two decks glued together now.

There are photo etch pieces (girders and railings) that go from the second deck, past the first level to the main deck.  It was hard gluing these in place and getting the vertical.  I made a simple little jig.  Here is the jig in use helping the PE place stay properly in place while the gel (slow curing) CA sets up.

Here is a shot of the jig.  It is a rectange of 1/8 basswood, with two styrene angle strips , glued to the bottom along the long sides.  I sandwiched a piece of the PE between the block and the vertical portion of the angle so it left a groove the width of the PE.  I then place the PEpiece in that groove and put slow set CA along the edge of the upper deck.  I then push the jig against the deck and hold it for several seconds to hold pressure on the joint and maintail the PE piece vertical.

Don Stauffer in Minnesota

The aft deck structures are now ready to install on the hull now.  There was a fair amount of PE stuff- railings and ladders- but they went on fairly well.  Much easier than the flight deck PE.

I have always had a bit of trouble getting railing bends right at 90 degrees.  I had been bending the piece against a little square, but the brass always springs back a bit.  I decided to make a little block with a slightly larger angle to provide for the spring back.  I started with 8 degrees- too much.  I then reduced it to about 2 degrees, as best I can measure.  That did it.  Block is a piece of mdf about quarter inch square and about an inch long.

I also had troubles getting railings bent right.  I measured the width of the tread area as a little over a sixteenth of an inch- say 70 mils.  I found a couple of brass strips I had that, glued together measured about that.  I glued a piece of basswood to it to make a handle.  BTW, my bending tool is a large X-acto handle with that 45 degree blade (forget the number).

Don

What an incredible job so far.  I can only imagine how much “sweat equity” you have gotten on this job.

Sorry also, to hear about you “naming rights” being “rejected” , guess regardless and no matter how long you have been around if the ‘puter program forgets you, you are truly forgotten.

Looking forward to you next instalment, it has been a humdinger of a ride so far.

Very nice Don.  Thanks for the detailed write up! 

Wm

Been troubled by two boat platforms for several weeks now.  The platforms are made up with the platform itself, plus two sets of legs.  Problem is, the longer set is too long, making the platform mount with an unpleasing tilt.  The legs are very fragile and I destroyed several of the legs, and had to make new ones from styrene strips.  While I was hastling with that, I started applying a black wash to guns and machinery on the deck structures.

Wow Don,

I had not realized that the aft susperstructure was as complex as it looks without the flightdeck over it.

You fit issues sound on par for Trumpeter.  Just about every ship kit I built required a lot of test fitting, measuring, and cutting.  Probably why I like them, I get to do more modeling then just glueing pieces together.  

I am now working on the bridge.  I had started it long ago before I started the flight deck.  It was terribly frustrating.  The photo etch was a nightmare, and the posts that hold it up from the main deck were frustrationg and fragile.  I put it aside for awhile.  I am back at it again.  Fortunatly I have lots of spare railings and stairs.  I have replaced all the posts with 20 mil brass rod.  I put what is hopefully the final coat of paint yesterday and hope to mount it today.

Don In case you haven't seen this, it shows "your" net hangers in action.

https://www.marinelink.com/news/history-naval-today366566#:~:text=Today%20in%20U.S.%20Naval%20History%20%2D%20April%208 

Also,  April 8 is the anniversary  (1925) of the first night landing on the Langly that took place off the coast of Saqn Diego Cal.  Which is sorta my hometown. 

DUSTER

Don In case you haven't seen this, it shows "your" net hangers in action.

https://www.marinelink.com/news/history-naval-today366566#:~:text=Today%20in%20U.S.%20Naval%20History%20%2D%20April%208 

Also,  April 8 is the anniversary  (1925) of the first night landing on the Langly that took place off the coast of Saqn Diego Cal.  Which is sorta my hometown. 

 

 

Steve, thanks much.  I had not seen that shot before, and does clarify that area.  I wonder if the LSO stood on the nets.  I don't see any other place for him to stand other than on deck.  I love to see a shot of the LSO in action on the Langley.

Finally finished the bridge.  Actually it is painted and installed by now, but forgot to shot it before starting this post.

I had also started two cranes that hang between the upright girders under the flight deck.  Each crane is two beams fastened to the girders; each an L beam with gussets on the inside, and a moving cross beam on wheels.  I had lost one of the beams for the forward (longer) crane, so had to scratch one.  Fortunately I had the styrene on hand to do so.  Using a scrap section of angle, and a thin, narrow strip of styrene cut into fourteen right triangles, I went to work.  Result is shown below opposite the good opposite beam.

Both cranes are now ready for paint and install.  I am not looking forward to installing them to the inside of the girderwork.  :-(

Grabbed a couple of shots of bridge attached to deck.  A little bit left to finish deck, but it is hard to hold deck without wrecking some detail. Easier with assembly fixed to the model.

Coming along very nicely. Good job.