| Engraving
the hull, fitting the closing mechanism:
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Detailing the hull is a quite time consuming task. First,
you got to have the right tools for this, and the right plan.
I started out using my Dremmel tool, but it proved too heavy, so I had
to go and get a real engraving too, and Proxon had one just for this!
The tip selected was a small ball shaped one, and after a little
practice, I was ready to go.
Remember that these
details will later be painted over, leaving only the contours /
outlines.
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First the sonar
dome was engraved. The outline of this will later serve as the
cutting track when Z-cutting the hull, but for now, the outline is
just left as just a line all around the hull nose. |
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After splitting
the hull, then the torpedo doors was engraved. The reason for
waiting with the engraving of the torpedo doors till after the hull
was split, is to ensure a correct location of these doors.
The strange shape when seen from the side, actually forms an almost round
door when seen from the front. |
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Then it was time
for the missile deck, where the vast majority of the details are
located. First, the sail cutout.
Using a regular pencil, and a number of support lines, I marked the
orientation of the sail. Then, by drilling a few large holes, I
filed by hand to perfection.
The sail should not be fitted until after the missile deck has been
fitted to the top of the sub, just to make sure that the sail is
fitted 100% straight and correct. |
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Copying the
details from the blueprints took a while. The engraving following
the pencil marks was pretty easy, when using something to guide the
tool. Do not try to engrave straight lines by hand. Use a ruler, or
some thing else that the shaft of the engraving tip can slide on.
I discovered that a piece of printed circuit board was perfect for
this.... |
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After all the
tiny details, such as hatches, vents, cleats and lockers etc. had
been engraved, I moved on to the guard rail that extents all the way
down the top side of the missile deck.
On my submarine, this will be shown on the stowed position. |
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Nice top side
view of the missile hatch section.
The tiny holes on the middle is for venting purposes only, as I have
to allow the air trapped within the missile deck to escape, when
diving. |
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Nice view of the
middle hatch, rescue rafts storage (big doors aft of the personnel
hatch), and rear most missile hatches. |
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Over view of the
fore most hatch, right in front of the sail.
The rectangular shaped outlines just in front of the personnel hatch
are the cleats. This is where the cleats (bollards) them self goes
later on. Please see the chapter about hull fittings for details.
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Side vents, as
copied from the blueprints. I'll leave these unconnected, as I'll
have plenty of venting. |
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A look down the
side, right at the missile hatches.
It was quite a challenge getting the 24 missile hatches
to look alike, but using a few support tools, such as an aluminum
bar bend to match the curved edge of the missile deck, made it
possible. |
Closing Mechanism:
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These blocks will
hold the top and bottom half together in a secure, and strong fix.
A set was made in resin, and a mold was setup. Then it was easy to
create replicas, that was 100% alike. |
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One block will be
glued on the lower half, and the alu bar incl. the nut will stick up
past the center line.
The other block will go in the upper half, and when the upper half
is fitted in place, the alu bar will slide into the grove in the
upper half's block. A bolt, screwed in from the outside, will catch
the nut, thus locking the upper and lower half in place within
fractions of an inch. Both the horizontal and vertical fix will then
be correct. |
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Now the alu bar
has been fitted, edges rounded, and the entire bottom half of the
closing mechanism is ready to glue in. As always, thickened epoxy is
the glue to use.
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This shows how
the top will lock into place, once the top half of the closing
mechanism has been fitted inside the top half of the sub. The top
half of the mechanism will remain where it is in the picture while
gluing with epoxy to ensure a 100% fit on all four closing
mechanisms in one move.
Little holes in the top half will allow the bolt to be removed once
the epoxy has cured. The head of the bolt will be covered with
candle wax so the resin will not glue the bolt. Quite
important... |
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Here's a slightly
different view of the pre-fitted mechanism. Notice the rounded edges
of the alu parts. That should ease the operation, and help centering
when fitting the top half of the sub later on.
Now let's go ahead and fit the top half of the sub. |
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Here's the
inverted top, and the top half of the closing mechanism after
the resin was allowed to cure over night.
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This is the hole
for the screw that goes all the way through and into the nut in the
alu bar. Later, this hole will be drilled to match the screws that
will be used. |
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A little view just before paint to
see how the top fits after mounting the closing mechanism. |
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A little view
just before paint to see how the top fits after mounting the closing
mechanism. |
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