Pump Assembly Lloyd Matthews September 2013 Before proceeding with this part of the build, the author recommends that Pt. No 227 1 mm diameter Brass Wire Figure H1, is replaced with 0.8 mm straight brass rod Figure H2. There are two reasons for this; firstly it will be difficult to bend perfectly straight from the coil, and secondly the 1 mm wire will thread through Pt. No 195 Main Pump Handle brackets, but will not go through Pt. No 177 Main Pump Handle Stanchions, unless the holes are drilled larger, which this author did not want to do. The 0.8 mm straight brass rod threaded through both Pt. No's 177 & 195 This can be bought from most model shops or hardware stores. Figure H1 - Pt. No 227 1 mm Brass Wire Figure H2-0.8 mm straight brass rod Page 1 of 22
This author had never bent wire before, and the following density link provided useful background material - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nseo-4njmlc. Several tools were required, and these were purchased from the local craft store Figures H3,H4 and H5, being located in the jewellery section. Figure H3 - Wire cutters Figure H4 - Long nosed pliers Page 2 of 22
Figure H5 - Long round nosed pliers There are 4 each of Pt. No's 177 & 195 Figure H6, yet the plans illustrate that only 2 each are required. It took this author a little while to figure that two items are required to be fixed together ending up with two pump brackets and two pump stanchions. Figure H6 - Pt. No's 177 & 195 As Pt. No's 177 & 195 are very small, a degree of accuracy is required in pairing them up Figure H7, whilst the glue was setting. Cyanoacrylate (Super Glue) was not used, as it would not give enough time to ensure that the items were in line; a regular Araldite Epoxy adhesive was used, as it took a longer to set. To ensure that the items would be in line, a 1.2 mm hole was drilled into an odd piece of ply, into which the glued items could be firmly pushed, ensuring that the holes were aligned correctly Figure H8. Page 3 of 22
Figure H7 - Pt. No's 177 & 195 paired together Figure H8 - Pt. No 177 pushed into a 1.2 mm hole, to ensure correct alignment The items were stuck onto sticky tape, to prevent them moving around; using a pin, the Araldite was thinly applied to the surface of each item Figure H9. Once they are glued together they are then left in the 1.2 mm holes Figure H8 and H10. This author allowed the Araldite to set for 24 hours, before handling the parts. Page 4 of 22
Figure H9 - Items are held on sticky tape, whilst a thin layer of Araldite is applied Figure H10 - Pt. No 195 glued and held in place The 0.8 mm straight brass rod is marked with a fine permanent pen Figure H11; through experimentation, this author found that the measurements for bending the pump handle are 33 mm, 4 mm, 27 mm, 4 mm and 5 mm, however, it was found to be more accurate to mark then in sequence along the ruler, so the ruler markings would be 33 mm 37 mm, 64 mm, 68mm and 73 mm. If this should be the first time for bending wire, practice to get a feel for working the material. Take note of Figure H27 as it illustrates how important it is that these measurements are accurate. Note: do not cut the wire until the all bending is completed. Page 5 of 22
Figure H11 - Straight brass rod marked prior to bending The sequence for bending the rod is important to ensure that it is perfectly symmetrical, and this is illustrated in Figure H12. Figure H12 - Bending sequence for the pump handle This author used the long nosed round pliers Figure H5 for bending the wire, as they gave a 'more rounded' bend. Experiments with the long nosed pliers Figure H4, produced a very sharp bend, which did not look correct. Using the long nosed round pliers, position them at the centre of the first bend mark Figure H13 and bend 90 degrees with thumb Figure H14. Figure H13 - Pliers positioned at the centre of the first bend mark Page 6 of 22
Figure H14 - First bend in wire The pliers are then positioned at the second bend mark and again bent at 90 degrees ensuring that it is on the square plain as the first bend Figure H15. Then positioned at the third bend mark and bend ensuring that it is on a square plain Figure H16, and lastly the fourth bend mark Figure H17. It is likely that it will have to be slightly adjusted to ensure that all the bends are on the same plain. Figure H15 - Second bend in wire Figure H16 - Third bend in the wire Page 7 of 22
Figure H17 - Fourth bend in the wire The two completed pump handles should be identical Figure H18. Figure H18 - A set of pump handles After 24 hours Pt. No's 177 & 195 are ready for positioning on the deck and main mast bitts Figure's H19 & H20. Figure H19 - Two parts Pt. No 177 are glued together Page 8 of 22
Figure H20 - Two parts Pt. No 195 are glued together The pump stanchions are now aligned on the deck beside the fwd end of the main hatch head ledger Figure H23. First Pt. No's 44 Main Pump casings have centre lines marked down the centre of their bodies Figure H21; the forward - aft plank butts can be used as a guide along the deck. Figure H21 - Centre lines are marked on the main pump casings The pump casings are positioned and their centre lines are drawn along the deck to where the pump stanchions will be fitted Figure H22. Page 9 of 22
Figure H22 - The positions of the pump stanchions are marked in line with pump casings Figure H23 - The position of the pump stanchions in relation to the hatch head ledger The holes in the main deck are drilled for the main pump stanchions Figure H24; a 1.2 mm diameter drill was used. The pump stanchions are then loosely fitted, and the pump handles were placed between the stanchions and the loosely fitted main pump casings Figure H25. Page 10 of 22
Figure H24-1.2 mm diameter holes drilled in deck to receive pump stanchions Figure H25 - Pump handles are fitted The height of the stanchion from the deck to the centre of the pump handle hole, and the height of the casing indent for the pump handle to the deck is 9 mm. The pump brackets are now fitted to the mast bitts. As planks were fitted below the main gun deck, the mast bitts need to be adjusted by the thickness of the planks Figure H26. Page 11 of 22
Figure H26 - Depth of step is increased by thickness of deck plank The plans illustrate that the pump handles are below the cross beam between the mast bitts, but they are above the beam as shown in Figure H27. Ensure that there is sufficient clearance between the handles and crossbeam for turning as shown in Figure H27. Figure H27 - Pump handles sit above the cross beam between the bitts The position of the gun deck is marked on the bitts by pushing a chisel craft knife, creating a very fine line on the side of the mast bitts; 9 mm from the deck a 0.8 mm diameter hole is drilled for the pump handle bracket Figure's H28 & H29; ensure that only the correct depth is drilled, and that the drill does not pass through the other side. Page 12 of 22
Figure 28 - Main gun deck level is marked on the side of the main mast bitts Figure H29 - Pump handle bracket fitted into main mast bitt Figure H30 illustrates the assembled pump handles, brackets and stanchions. Figure H30 - Assembled pump handles, brackets and stanchions Page 13 of 22
The next process is to paint the metal parts, and it had been read that brass requires a special primer to ensure good adhesion of the paint. Initially a brush applied metal primer was experimented with, but this produced an uneven finish. It was found that 'Halfords' spray Etch Primer was best, and it is essential to follow the instructions on the label. The parts were stuck to sticky tape to ensure that they were not 'sprayed away' Figure H31. Figure H31 - Metals parts stuck to sticky tape prior to spraying with primer One side only was lightly sprayed and allowed to dry Figure H32. Figure H32 - Primer applied to parts The same process was repeated for the reverse side and allowed to dry. The parts were then painted with Humbrol 85; to aid this the stanchions and brackets were given bases by which they could be held and painted, and the pump handles were sticky taped to a block of wood so half could be painted, Figure H33 & H34, Figure H33 - Stanchions and brackets held on bases Page 14 of 22
Figure H34 - Pump handles held with sticky tape After painting, check that the pump handles fit into the stanchions; if they are tight use a small round needle file and remove any paint that may have got into the hole Figure H35. If the pump handle has any paint removed from the end as a result of testing the fit in the stanchion, this can be made good with a black permanent marker Figure H36. Figure H35 - Round needle file used for cleaning hole in stanchion Figure H36 - Black permanent marker used for touching up pump handles Page 15 of 22
A pump handle fitted into a stanchion shown in Figure H37. Figure H37 - Pump handle and stanchion This author was not totally happy with the finished handle, so a call was made to the Royal Maritime Museum Greenwich, London, to obtain more information on pump handles. Whilst there was nothing specific on record, it was discussed that perhaps the pump handle would be easier to operate if wrapped with rope, so making it easier for the hands to grip the handle when wet. This seemed reasonable, so it was decided to wrap 0.1 mm Natural Hemp around the handle. The hemp supplied in the kit was not used for fear of creating a shortage when the rigging is started, so a minimum amount was purchased separately. For winding the hemp onto the pump handle the following links were found helpful http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5qocr-piqo and http://www.animatedknots.com/clovehalfhitches/.the hemp is first made secure at one end with a 'clove hitch' as shown in the clips. It was found that tying the hemp was rather fiddly so the pump handle was sticky taped to something solid to prevent it from moving whilst the 'clove hitch' was being tied Figure H38. Figure H38 - Pump handle sticky taped to a solid item Page 16 of 22
When winding the hemp onto the pump handle, put a book on the hemp reel to create a good tension whilst winding. When completed hold the end with a pair of self closing tweezers Figure H39, and finish with a 'half clove hitch' to anchor the thread. Figure H39 - The hemp is held in place whilst a 'half clove hitch is tied A very small amount of PVA adhesive is applied to the hemp ends to prevent them becoming loose; a pin is used to apply the adhesive Figure H40 & H41 Figure H40 - Small amount of adhesive is applied with a pin Page 17 of 22
Figure H41 - Adhesive applied to ends The two finished pump handles are shown in Figure H42. Figure H42 - Completed pump handles The plans instruct the pump handles are made with 1 mm diameter coiled brass wire however, following these guidance notes they are still 1 mm in diameter (0.8 mm straight brass rod + 0.2 mm hemp = 1 mm) but look more realistic. It was noticed that where the crossbeam sits in the two mast bitts that there was a small gap. This author choose to fill it with a thin wood strip however, this is down to personal choice Figure H43. Page 18 of 22
Figure H43 - Small gap filled below the crossbeam The light wood was darkened with Walnut wood stain however, this is down to personal choice as they could also be painted. If stained, apply a first coat very sparingly and allow to dry; lightly sand and apply a second light coat. The main pump cylinder canopies which sits on the pump casing Figure H44, will be painted the same red as the capstan. They are stuck to sticky tape Figure H45, whilst painting. Figure H44 - Main pump casing and cylinder canopies Page 19 of 22
Figure H45 - Cylinder canopy stuck to sticky tape When painted the pumps are assembled Figure H46, ensuring that the centre holes are aligned so they will accept the pump handles. Figure H46 - Assembled pumps The pump handle brackets are glued into the main mast bitts Figure H47. Figure H47 - Pump handle brackets are fixed into the main mast bitts Page 20 of 22
The items are then loosely assembled to ensure that everything fits correctly Figures H48, H49 & H50. Figure H48 - Completed pump assembly Figure H49 - Completed pump assembly Page 21 of 22
Figure H50 - Completed pump assembly Lloyd Matthews September 2013 Page 22 of 22