(Originally published in Seaways' Ships in Scale, Volume VIII, No. 1-2. )

By 1989 I felt I was ready to begin construction. In August, I began sawing wood. Before I had finished sawing, I received a flier on a new book -- The Royal Yacht Caroline by Sergio Bellabara & Giorgio Osculati (part of the Anatomy of the Ship series). The next day I received a flier on Navy Board Ship Models 1650-1750 by John Franklin! I immediately ordered both books; when they arrived, I verified that my research was correct -- it was. (This illustrates a common, and annoying, problem in ship modeling today -- information becomes readily available immediately after you spend an inordinate amount of time locating it by you own efforts!)

Both of these books are excellent and cover the topics thoroughly.

As a result, I will not repeat the information contained therein. Instead, I will describe some of the procedures I used to build the model. Rather than presenting a step-by-step "recipe" for building the Caroline, I will describe the techniques and jigs I used (more a series of "Shop Nodes"). Hopefully, these notes will be useful to anyone attempting to apply these techniques to a model other than the Caroline.

Building the Caroline

Section (Station) Drawing

The first thing I did was to take Chapman's book to the local blueprint house and had the plans of the ship enlarged to 1:48 (1 inch = 48 inches = 4 feet) scale.

On the Section (or Station) drawing, I marked in a pair of diagonals at 45 degrees on each side of the center line. I also drew a reference line above the sections; this corresponds to a reference plane parallel to the keel but high above the deck. I Xeroxed multiple copies of the station drawing (while Xerox copies have a reputation of distortion, I have found that the distortion is typically less than that can be expected from seasonal changes in wood dimension -- however, the distortion can be minimized by making sufficient copies at one time so that the same machine and paper-lot are used).

Figure 1.

Each copy was identified as to which station it was to represent, and then folded in half along the center-line. The specified station was duplicated in full by inserting a folded piece of carbon paper inside the fold, with the carbon facing the back of the paper, and tracing all of the lines pertinent to that station. Unfolding the sheet and turning it over gave me a complete drawing of that station (Figure 1).

Figure 2.

A dockyard model is distinguished by the formal method of framing used. One frame consists of a futtock terminating at a diagonal; then there is a gap and another timber that begins just below the wale and continuing up to the rail. On either side of this is a timber which begins a fixed distance from the keel and then continues upward to the rail. The end of this timber beside the keel is parallel to the center line (Figure 2).

For convenience, I carried the timbers above the rail straight up to the reference line on the drawing. This permitted me to retain a reference plane parallel to the keel, and allows up-side-down assembly on a building-board.

The Assembly Jig

I went to a local cabinet maker and bought a sink-cutout -- a piece of pressed wood faced on one side with Formica^®. In order to insure stability, I cut this in half (cross-wise) and glued the two pieces back-to-back, and then cut the resulting slab to a rectangular cross-section. This becomes the jig base.

Next, I scribed a center-line, and another (reference) line at right angles to the first near one edge (scribing these lines insures that they won't be lost in use; the lines can then be made more visible by marking them with a ball-point pen, which will follow the scribed groove).

I then drilled several pairs of 3/8 inch holes in the jig (the use of a drill-press insures that the holes are perpendicular to the base). Each pair was on a line perpendicular to the center-line, and the same distance on either side of it. In order to assure accuracy, I first drilled a hole centered on each end of the center-line. I inserted a 6-inch length of ³/₈ inch steel rod as a locating pin in each hole.

Figure 3.

I now took a couple of pieces of scrap wood and drilled a pair of ³/₈ holes in each, placed one hole of each piece over a steel pin, brought the other holes in the pieces into alignment and used these to guide the drill. Swinging the pieces to the other side of the center line, a second hole was drilled. Because of the geometry of triangles, these two holes were guaranteed to be equidistant from the center line, and on a line perpendicular to it. There is, however, no guarantee where these holes will be -- simply that they are accurately located relative to the center-line (figure 3).

I next took two sheets of ¹/₈ inch thick plastic sheet (scrap from the local plastic dealer) and drilled a ³/₈ inch hole near one corner of each. Using a third steel pin, I fixed this hole to a convenient hole in the jig base. After aligning the plastic to the base, I used the same pieces of scrap wood to drill a second hole in the plastic. Again because of the geometry, the first hole is aligned with the hole in the base (because it is fixed by the pin), and the second hole is exactly aligned with the corresponding hole in the base. Removing the pins from the center-line, one could be placed into this last-drilled hole, fixing the plastic sheet in a specific relationship to the base. If the holes are accurately drilled (perpendicular to the board), the plastic sheet can now be slid up the pins and off the jig.

Figure 4.

Figure 5.

One of the section-drawing sheets is now accurately aligned with the lines on the base (i.e., the center and reference lines) and taped to it. One of the plastic sheets can now be slid back over the drawing and carefully marked at the diagonal (Figure 4). Repeat this with the second plastic sheet which can be marked for the futtock-end parallel to the center-line (Figure 5). These may now be carefully sawed out, and filed and sanded to produce accurate reference edges (Photo 1).

Photo 1: The building jig, along with the plastic reference pieces and their locating pins. Also, a 15 lb. lead "brick" used to press stacks being assembled.

Note that there is no jig for the futtock-end below the wale; this does not describe a plane surface; it follows the curve of the wale, falling a fixed distance below the bottom edge of the wale. Instead, this futtock-end must be positioned manually. The easiest way to do this is to leave the timber extra long (say, ¹/₂ inch extra), and then cut it to length using the wale as a reference (more on this below).

The Hull

Figure 6.

Photo 2: A stack being assembled, with the plastic pieces and a brick applying pressure. (Note: the use of both reference pieces is for illustration only; normally, one removes one piece before applying the next, or else the plastic gets "trapped" and cannot be removed.)

When completely set up, the entire stack can be removed, holes drilled completely through the brace and stack (remember, the brace is as yet not attached to the stack; it is currently held in place by the paper only), and loose dowels installed to align the stack and brace.

Now the outer edge can be band-sawed and finished to profile. The top edge (of the frames at the brace) can also be sawn and finished to the reference line. While you are at it, it is a good idea to make an additional "notch" in the center of the brace (say, ³/₄ inch wide by ³/₈ inch deep; this is useful for alignment onto the building jig.

Photo 3: A "stack" of stacks, laying on the plans. They do resemble a loaf of white bread! The locating pins can be seen, as well as the notch in the center of the brace (but the brace is still hidden by the paper. The outside has already been sawn to shape.

The result is a block which looks remarkably like a "slice of white bread"; the brace marks the reference line (Photo 3).

Repeat this with the neighboring section stack, remembering that the "room and space" of the gaps must be carried from one stack to the next.

When the second stack is completed, carefully align the two stacks with one another (using the reference and center-line and maintaining these square to the face) and clamp. Remove the dowels from one stack and drill though the holes an inch or so into the next stack. Reinstall the dowels (but don't glue yet) so that each dowel becomes a locating pin to align that stack with the next stack.

The profile of the smaller stack can now be transferred to the back of the bigger stack, and the bevel of that stack roughed out (or you can wait until you have the entire set of stacks assembled -- it all depends on the tools you have available to fair the stacks). Once the smaller profile has been transferred to the back of the larger stack, the thickness of the frames can be drawn (this varies from ^1/₁₆th inch at the rail to ¹/₄th inch near the keel; you need to allow for the "rising of the floors" as well).

Again removing the dowels and the reference brace (so you can get the band-saw blade inside the block), you can now saw to the inner line (being careful not to saw off the portion containing the dowel locating holes).

Reassemble, and this time finally glue the reference brace and dowels to the stack. Once you have the other neighboring stack cut out, you can transfer its inner profile to this stack and then bevel the inside of this stack.

Repeat this process for all of the section stacks.

Special attention must be paid to the ends where deadwood is located.

Each deadwood (bow and stern) consists of a block whose thickness is exactly the spacing between the bottom futtock-ends (those parallel to the keel). It is probably a good idea to make these blocks of two pieces each, glued together (not only is a laminated block more stable than a single piece of wood, but the glue line makes a handy reference for the center-line of the hull).

Photo 4: Three stacks fitted together, resting on their corresponding position on the plans. Also, two more stacks on the right along with the deadwood block. Notice the sequence of mortise slots in the deadwood; these indicate the "rising of floors" discussed in the text.

Now comes the hard part. Each block must have a number of transverse slots cut into it to act as mortises for the individual floor timbers. These must be accurately spaced so that the set of stacks which mate with this deadwood fit accurately without gaps. Furthermore, the individual floor timbers must be cut off (because they would otherwise cause the block to become segmented if they were allowed to extend all the way to the keel). Instead, the "rising of floors" line determines how close each floor can come to the keel, and thus the amount of wood left at the bottom of the corresponding mortise (Photo 4).

The Building Board

The board will align all of the individual reference planes on each stack, and the strip will align the center lines.

You can now assemble all of the stacks in their proper sequence. It is starting to look like a hull (albeit with a lot of "steps" between the sections).

Photo 5: All of the stacks fitted together (except for the extreme ends) on the building board, along with the plywood ends and the threaded rod holding it all together. The "steps" between sections are readily visible, and will be removed as the next step.

A scrap of plywood can be placed at each end and a long threaded rod passed through holes in these pieces -- with a nut and washer at each end -- will now draw the whole hull together and lock the individual stacks in place (Photo 5).

Threaded rod is available at most hardware stores, and comes in a variety of sizes -- I used ³/₈th inch diameter. Rather than getting a single piece the length of the hull, you'll find it more convenient to get several pieces -- such as 1 foot and 2 feet long -- and a "threaded rod joining nut" (a nut about 1 ³/₄ inches "thick"). The later allows you to link the rods together for the full length when you need it, but also allows you to use the shorter pieces independently when appropriate -- such as when working on the deadwood and associated stacks. At the same time, pick up a six-inch bolt of the same size -- clamping two stacks together with a 3 foot length of threaded rod is inconvenient!

Now, using a variety of tools available (carving tools, belt sander, rotary sander, rasps, files, etc.), knock off the "steps" and fair the outside smooth.

Figure 7.

Disassemble the hull by removing the threaded rod, and begin fairing the inside. Assemble stacks by pairs to fair the "joint" between the stacks. The goal here is to bring the hull to final thickness - ¹/₁₆th inch at the rails, ¹/₈th at the wale, ³/₁₆th at the diagonal, and ¹/₄th at the lowest futtock (although, as mentioned before, this will have to be adjusted in some places). A scrap of plastic with a set of notches of each of the above widths makes a handy "feeler gauge" to verify when you've got the ribs to the appropriate thickness (figure 7).

Install the deadwood and the entire set of associated stacks, and fare the inside of the result as well (hopefully, you faired the outside of the deadwood along with the rest of the hull).

Finally, carve a "seat" for the keelson; again, this must be fair from one end to the other. Now, the hull assembly can begin. Make sure that all of the lines from the paper are transferred to the hull before removing the paper. I found it useful to actually "score" the wood at these lines using a razor-saw to a depth of ¹/₁₆th inch; actual cuts in the wood are harder to inadvertently "erase", by sanding, etc., than simple pencil marks would be. Rather than assembling from one end to the other, I find it easier to glue together pairs of stacks, then pairs of pairs, etc.

At this point, you need to make a decision, based on the required deck structure. The Caroline had several short decks, which could be installed after the hull was fully assembled. However, if you are using my technique to build a ship which has a deck running from one end to the other, you may want to leave the mid-ship joint unglued for now, so you can separate both halves of the hull in order to get at the decks more easily.

Working Cradle

Moldings

To make the stock, take a piece of hardwood (say, maple) about ³/₈th inch thick, ³/₄ inch wide, and 4 or 5 inches long. First cut a "step" about ³/₁₆th inch deep and 1 inch long at one corner. Cut a narrow slot about half the length, and drill a couple of holes. put machine screws through the holes, and use nuts (or wing-nuts) to permit the slot to be drawn up tight.

Figure 8.

Take a piece of scrap steel (broken Exacto^® or hacksaw blades are a good source), and grind the exact profile of the desired molding on an edge (I find the Dremel^® "cut-off" disks very useful here). Insert the blade into the slot of the stock (Figure 8), so that the top of the curve is at the long edge of the step, and the edge of the profile is at the side of the step.

Figure 9.

Now, holding the stock like a spoke shave, simply draw it along the edge of a piece of sheet stock (holding it perpendicular to the sheet, with the sheet jammed into the corner of the step) the length of the desired molding, and of thickness corresponding to the width of the molding (Figure 9). After several passes, the molding profile is beginning to emerge on the edge of the sheet. Continue until the molding is fully developed; the production of sawdust ceases at this point. You should now have the desired molding profile on the edge of the sheet. Run this through the table saw and part off the molding to the correct thickness.

The same technique can be applied to other shapes as well (for example, the counter is topped by a molding which is curved in two directions -- cut the stock to the necessary curves (assuming it's not practical to bend it to shape after completion), and then apply the molding to the edge.

Decks

In order to apply this technique to the decks, I first determine the thickness of the deck and beams, and make a spacer block that size. I then drill holes through the hull at the level of the deck, insert a common pin, and use the spacer block to locate the top of the deck clamp the appropriate distance below the pin. The clamps are temporarily fastened by drilling holes through the hole and clamp, and inserting another common pin to retain alignment. Pins are inserted at the joint between each frame stack.

After the clamp is in place, the deck beams can be fitted and glued to the clamp. Once the glue is dry, the pins can be removed and the deck-beam-and-clamps assembly can be removed from the hull.

Now, knees, carlings and ledges can be installed, followed by the waterways, the deck planked, and the whole assembly scraped and sanded (it doesn't hurt to wipe the deck with finish at this point -- the layer of finish will keep the glue used for the trunnels from soaking into the wood). Drill and trunnel the decks and sand and scrape again. Hatch coamings and gratings can be added, as well as all other deck fittings (including the holes for masts, etc.).

In the Caroline (being a Royal Yacht), several of the decks had a parquet floor. These were build by constructing a normally-planked deck, and then adding marquetry to simulate the parquet. (Unfortunately, the marquetry on the lower deck is now completely invisible in the completed model -- I thought I'd left in a "line of sight" so you could see it...)

Then, the deck assembly can be reinstalled, using the prior pins and their holes to achieve re-alignment (hint -- slightly counter-sink the outside pin-holes in the deck clamp; this makes the maddening process of aligning the holes in the hull and clamp somewhat easier, since the point of the pin can "find" the second hole more easily). Finally, the pins are individually removed and replaced with short pieces of brass rod to act as permanent (non-rusting) fasteners, and Cyanoacryate is applied to the juncture between the deck and hull to "wick" down and fasten the deck assembly in place.

Bulkheads

Photo 6: Details of the stair-well and bulkheads.

Other parts were also built as subassemblies and installed when completed (Photo 6 shows the stairwell, and the bulkheads at the quarter-deck).

Photo 7. Attaching the deck assemblies at the stern. The outside of the hull has been finished. Note that the shear has been cut in this area, but the braces are still in place forward to provide rigidity until more decks are placed.

Once the wales, moldings, outer planking, etc. were installed and finished, I could begin installation of the decks and bulkheads (Photos 7-10).

Photo 8: Adding the bulkheads and stairs. The large bulkhead assembly lying on the building-board will be placed next.

Photo 9: The aft bulkhead in place, and the lower deck added. The marquetry in the deck can be seen (after the next step, it will disappear forever!).

Photo 10: The upper deck and forward bulkhead assemblies have been added. The stiffness these add has permitted more of the shear to be cut.

Windows

My choice is mica -- a naturally-occurring mineral which can be split into exceptionally thin sheets. It is flexible (won't crack!), and soft (can be cut with scissors); best of all, it is inert and won't decompose (indeed, a piece of mica is already millions of years old!) And, the original dockyard models were often "glazed" with mica, so using it is true to the prototype!

Finding mica is the problem...it used to be commonly used as the windows of wood-burning stoves, and in toasters the heating element was wrapped around a sheet of mica (it's an insulator too). These sources have about dried up (but you may be lucky -- try stove stores; I found someone who collected old appliances who knew a source for mica for toasters). Mica is also used as for insulators for transistors (try an electronic supply store, such as Radio Shack) -- unfortunately these are often small and have holes punched in them for the transistor wires.

I have finally been reduced to going to a "rockhound" shop, buying a "chunk" of mica and splitting off the stock as I need it. Simply insert the edge of a blade into the side and pry off a "slab"; repeat as necessary to convert the slab into a pile of sheets.

As the windows are framed, individual "panes" of mica can be fitted and glued in place with a touch of Cyano around the edge.

Finishing

Other colors used (aside from minute amounts of color used to paint the coats of arms) were Polly S^TM "Light Blue" on the sides and stern) and "Dragon Red" (found in the "Fantasy paint" section of the hobby store); the latter is a duller version of their Red (used on the Bulwark Ceiling).

I have in the past used gold leaf on carvings; frankly, it is a nuisance to apply -- it is very difficult to get into the crevices of the carvings. For the Caroline, I used Deco Arts Americana^TM "Glorious Gold" Acrylic paint. For the best results, first paint the carving with the same Red used on the Ceilings. The color used under the Gold has a great effect on the final color -- apply the gold over black and you get a dull finish; over blue gives a cold "icy" cast to the gold.

Carvings

In addition to the figurehead, there are "statue" carvings (carvings "in the round") at the center of the stern, at each quarter, and the knight heads. These are carved in the traditional fashion, from a block of wood.

However, I find that the figure head -- requiring a slot for the cut-water -- is more easily fabricated by laminating blocks to each side of a piece the thickness of the cut-water and shaped to fit to it. This "built-up mortise" is much easier to fit than the alternative of "chopping" an accurate mortise in a block. Indeed, the use of laminated blocks allows you to match the grain to small sections which would otherwise end up cross-grained.

There are also "flat" carving (panels) in a number of places, especially in the form of a carved "frieze" running from one end of the ship to the other. In the actual ship, these panels would be only 2-4 inches thick; I used ³/₆₄th inch thick boxwood (= 2 ¹/₄ actual thickness). Pieces this thickness (and an inch wide, more or less) are very flexible -- they can be cut to profile, but actually carving them (the difficulty is holding them) is awkward. I get around this by cementing them (using model airplane glue) to a scrap piece of 1/4th inch thick Lucite^® -- the plastic provides rigidity, and the finished carving can be soaked in acetone and easily popped off again. Using a piece of colored plastic allows you to tell when you've cut through the wood and into the plastic.

Fortunately, the frieze can be divided into sections so it is not necessary to complete a single carving 1 inch wide and nearly two feet long! It is best to make a blank for each section, and then fit it to the hull (taking account of moldings and other projections such as windows, rigging sheaves, and ladders).

Photo 11: Carving the frieze elements. The corresponding 3/64th inch thick pieces for each side have been cemented to a piece of scrap plastic for rigidity, and are being carved simultaneously in order to insure that they match on another.

I take a Xerox^® copy of the section of frieze and glue it to a blank. I then temporarily clamp this to its complementary blank (from the other side of the hull), and saw the outline. I also drill out any perforated areas. Separating the pieces, I turn the second piece over and now have two pieces, one the mirror image of the other. These are cemented to the plastic, and corresponding sections carved simultaneously (Photo 11).

Modeling figures and other details on a thin material such as this is quite different from a carving in the round. The individual objects are actually greatly distorted. Look at a few coins to see the kind of effect required -- George Washington (on a quarter) is very different from the carving on a bust.

After the carvings is completed and popped off the plastic backing, you can give it additional depth by chamfering the back edges about ¹/₆₄th inch. This causes it to display more depth when mounted on the hull, if for no other reason than the fact that shadows are more pronounced.

Now check once more that it fits, and make any adjustments necessary.

Prime the carved side with red paint, let it dry, and then "polish" it with a soft cloth (a brush works well in crevices). Finally paint on the gold and let it dry thoroughly.

To attach the carvings to the hull, I put a thin coating of yellow glue on the back, leaving a "hole" in the glue covering where ever there is a fairly large area of solid wood. Before the glue dries, I put a drop of Cyano glue on each of these spots, and then place it on the hull. The Cyano grabs fast, and holds the carving in place while the yellow glue sets up.

Figure 10.

Most of the carvings can be roughed out using a Dremel^® tool and dental burrs. However, sometimes you need a microscopic gouge to produce a uniform groove. I make my own.

I take an appropriately sized hypodermic needle and drill a hole that size in the end of a short piece of dowel for a handle. I then cut the end of the needle square, and, using a cut-off disk in the tool, grind away half the diameter of the needle, leaving a half-circle cross-section. Sharpen the end, and you have a useful gouge (Figure 10). The stainless-steel edge holds an edge for a surprisingly long time, and is readily re-sharpened. You can frequently get your doctor, dentist, or veterinarian to give you a few needles (after you explain what you want them for). You may also locate them in odd-tool stores (I found a kit consisting of a syringe and 4 needles of different sizes for a dollar -- these were intended for use as "throw-away" glue dispensers).

Photo 12: Detail of the stern carvings.

Photo 13: Detail of the bow carvings.

Photo 16: Detail of the carvings on the stern quarter. The flag, lanterns, and stub mizzen mast can be seen.

Photo 17: Details at the forward deck.

The Launch

The transom was now applied to the keel assembly, and this in turn was attached (model airplane glue) to the backbone. A drop of glue at the base of each section kept it in place and square to the backbone.

I sawed out a pile of ¹/₈th inch wide veneer strips for planks. These were fitted to the emerging hull and glued at the bow, stern, and the edge of the prior plank (using minute amounts of Cyano) in lapstrake fashion. When I reached the gunnel, I split one of the planks and installed the pieces on edge to form the raised molding. Another plank was added for the gunnel plank. A second split plank produced the upper gunnel molding. ³/₁₆th inch wide planks were carved to the appropriate shape for the carved gunnel, allowing for the greater width required at the oar-locks (and remembering that the two sides are not symmetrical -- oar-locks alternate from one side to the other at successive thwarts).

I sawed out a pile of ribs from boxwood, ¹/₃₂ by ¹/₆₄ inch cross-section. These were flexible enough that they could be slid around the inside of the planking, through the slot in the keel, and up the other side so they spanned the hull from gunnel to gunnel. These were fixed in place using more Cyano (note -- hobby stores sell packages of "fine gluing tips" (the name may vary by manufacturer) which can be fit over the tip of the Cyano bottle and have a long thin tip which will reach difficult places). Lastly, such section formers as were in the way of ribs were removed and the last of the ribs were installed. A touch of acetone now removed the model airplane glue, allowing the hull to be "popped" off the former.

The thwart clamp can now be installed, and the thwarts fitted (don't glue yet, but simply use the thwarts to keep the hull from collapsing). Fit the longitudinal "foot brace clamps" (this is one of those elements that no one seem to know the correct name for); note that this must be carved from a strip, since it has integral "knees" for the foot-braces. Stain these black and attach. Add the ¹/₃₂th square "beams" on top of each rib, and then apply the bilge-boards and gratings in the bottom of the boat. Over the bilge-boards, apply the foot braces from black-stained ¹/₁₆ by ³/₆₄th wood.

Now the thwarts can be attached, along with the stern seats and bow grating. Next come the thwart knees, followed by the filler pieces at the oar-locks. Finally, add the inner gunnel plank. Carve this to the profile of the carving plank, and add the rail. Add the rudder, and other finishing touches.

Photo 14: The launch and anchors.

The entire launch is finished with Tung oil, except for the carved gunnel strake, which is the same light blue as the main hull.

I felt that there was no way I could carve the gunnel plank, since the carving consisted of a delicate vine and foliage. Instead, I carefully painted the vine and foliage using "gesso". Gesso is a special kind of artist's paint, which is thick and used to produce three-dimensional effects. This was mixed with a minute amount of the red paint (both are acrylic based, and thus compatible with one another), and painted on using a 10/0 artist brush. When dry, it left a raised pattern a few thousandths of an inch high. This in turn was painted gold, giving the effect of a three-dimensional carving, without the hassle of actually carving the gunnel.

Stern Lanterns

I made cardboard "mockups" of the stern lanterns at ¹/₂ of full size -- this allowed me to get the correct shape and angles correctly.

I then "unfolded" the sides, and drew the patterns for all three lanterns onto a sheet of paper at four times final size. I also drew the hexagonal "top" and "bottom" pieces to the same scale (the bottom piece was solid, the top had a hexagonal hole in the center). When I was satisfied with the drawing, I took it to a local photographer and had him make a negative ¹/₄ the size of the drawing.

At a nearby electronics store, I found a can of "Injectorall spray Photo Resist for printed circuit boards" and another of "Injectorall Photo Resist Developer #D2-8" (made by Injectorall Electronics Corp., Glen Cove, N. Y. 11542). This is a clear "varnish" which can be sprayed onto a sheet of "shim" brass. It is readily soluble in the developer, which removes it. However, exposure to bright light causes it to polymerize -- it is then insoluble. At the same store I found a package of Ferric Chloride -- when added to a quart of water this solution will etch brass.

I cut out a piece of .015 shim brass the size of my negative and cleaned it with steel wool and acetone. Taking care not to touch the cleaned surface, I then sprayed on a coat of the Photo Resist (putting the coated piece into the oven at 200 degrees "baked" on the finish inside of a half-hour). I next sandwiched the negative and brass sheet between a board and glass plate, and then exposed it to the sun (I find three minutes of summer noon sun about right). Following the directions, I soaked the brass sheet in the developer to remove the resist along the lines where I wanted to etch. (Note: the resist is clear, and it is difficult to tell when it has been completely removed. You won't know for sure until you start etching. Be prepared to repeat the developer step if necessary.)

Next, cover the back of the sheet (I used masking tape -- it also helps hold the pieces together when the etch is completed) to prevent etching from that side. Finally, drop the sheet into a dish of the Ferric Chloride etchant. You'll immediately see the brass turn brown where the etch is attacking it. This is the time to verify that everything is going well. If the desired parts are being etched, start over; if the undesired areas are not, you need to clean it up and put it back into the developer. If all goes well, agitate the brass in the etch periodically. When the etch is completed, rinse the brass pieces under running water to remove all traces of the etchant.

Remove the individual pieces from the backing and do any final cleanup. Now the sides must be folded into the hexagonal shape. I find it easiest to put the piece onto a glass plate, and hold a straight-edge along the line of the fold. A single-edged razor blade slipped between the glass and brass is stiff enough to "pry" the side opposite the straight-edge up to form a fold. Repeat for the other four folds.

Because of the presence of the resist, you won't be able to solder the pieces together, but Cyano works just fine. Run a bead along the edge and join the side into a "cylinder". Next, attach the bottom piece, and finally the top piece. You now have a tapered hexagonal "spool" of brass, with a solid bottom and an open top. It wouldn't hurt to paint this black now -- then you can fit the trapezoidal-shaped pieces of mica for the glazing, inserting these inside through the hole at the top.

Carve out the appropriate "crowned" shapes for the top and bottom, and attach these with more Cyano. Paint them too. Add the support and braces and attach to the model!

Photo 15: The setup for "turning" the wheels for the gun trucks. Individual pieces have been drilled and cemented into a stack onto a piece of 1/16th inch piano wire. This is checked in the lathe, and the outer surface is milled to dimension using the rotating saw blade in the Dremel® tool as a milling cutter.

Thus ends the Caroline saga. As I mentioned at the beginning, my intention was not to tell how to build the Caroline, but instead to show how I solved some of the problems I encountered. I hope I have succeeded.