The separator
After the deck was completed, I sat back and pondered the instruction sheets for a moment. the structures were laid out in their perspective places........the masts were self explanatory......what about the equipment on board? there is the separator, which looks like a prospector's sluice, the rack with trays in it, and the cooker, located at the stern. I already had a few parts of the separator assembled, so I started there. I had cemented the sides on the basins, but they didn't look right.....they weren't deep enough. I took them apart and relocated how they were assembled and they look a bit better. I had a couple ideas in the works and assembled the lights and boom pivots. I laid the parts out......
I noticed that one of the basins didn't have a chute, so I made one for it. areas that were going to be hard to paint once it was assembled were painted. screen was then cemented over the openings and the chutes were installed, covering the openings.
The next step was to make the legs for the separator. they were supposed to be made of brass, but a piece fell on the floor, and Gibbs got a hold of it......there isn't a thing on this earth , that this dog won't chew.......luckily Phyllis, my wife saw him with it and took it away, but it was too late. it was bent like a pretzel and marred with teeth marks. no matter, I had some 1/16 X 1/16 strip stock that would do just fine.
I was going to round them up, but what's the sense, if I was going to do that, I might as well use dowel of the same thickness. I used a ruler to keep everything level and straight, putting these parts together.
It looks a tad too high, but I wasn't concerned.....the legs can be cut down. a tray from the rack, that was the next piece of equipment I was to do, would show me just how much to chop off. the tray will be slid under the separator to catch what comes out. the mouth of the chute should be close to the tray. So, I started work on the rack, first assembling the trays.
then, the rack portion was next. again, I used a ruler to gauge the straightness of the uprights and tray guides. a brace was later cemented in to add stability to the unit. this is made with 1/16 X 3/16 uprights and 1/16 X 1/16 tray guides and braces.....spaced by the height of the trays.
The trays were checked to see just how tight they were in the rack. one of them didn't make the cut, so it will be the one to lay under the separator.
I have to find them, but my wife has one of those mini staplers. the staples would be perfect for the tray handles. the roof was the next addition for this piece of equipment. it was made with 1/16 X 3/16 stock and the roof slats are 0.5mm X 2mm mahogany.
In the last picture here, the roof has been sanded to shape. front and rear cross bars have also been added to support the trays. Painting and screening was the next thing to do. I painted the separator at the same time.
The trays and the back of the rack was then touched up to cover the cement marks and the roof was painted to match the other roof structures. these pieces still lack the metal details, but for now they will be set aside. other things need to be done. the cooker was next, but not much was done on it. when the stern area is at the point to be assembled together, then the finish work can be done. the small platform you saw was one of the ideas I had. when I cemented the pilot house on the base, I did not allow for the mizzen mast or the exhaust funnel to be located on the rear deck. so, I had to make provision for them. the mizzen mast will be located on the deck, just behind the pilot house assembly. the exhaust funnel will be located coming out of the platform that the cooker will sit on. I want to do a little research on this piece to see if it can be embellished in any way.
there is only one thing left to do at this point......fit them all together to see how they will look. they are not in their approximate place, but just to see if they fit the scheme I want for the ship.
Until next time...................AHOY!
