Lining with ply:
I had always intended to add lengthwise bracing to hold all the threaded rod uprights straight and prevent warping. But a suggestion was made to brace in between as well. The rods are about 650mm apart and I had left over wood so why not? It is going to be 800 to 850kg, the more support the better.
Below is clamped in place while glue sets, again plenty of 75mm hex screws in each onto the mould and underneath at the rear of the keel where the most lead will be. The ones at the bottom of the picture do not go all the way under and around, but still go below the level of the bottom of the mould. The black is muffler putty which seals the edges of the joins and joins in the bottom and side ply due to the length. Is designed to withstand high temperature.
With the clamps off:
Under the cross pieces I glued in wedges of hardwood (some with ply packing as well) to transfer the weight from the bottom of the mould to the supports and ground.
And the other side. The kwila was left over from the keel. I could cut it off half way along allowing each side to have a wedge of hardwood tapped in to lock them together.
The final step was to paint on a coat of sodium silicate ("waterglass") which apparently will help prevent burning/charring of the wood mould during the pour. Still have to trim off the threaded rod as well.
And a close up of the aft end of the mould:
Then it was back inside the forward cabin which is getting closer to done. Painted the underside of the deck where it will be inside the overhead lockers, then attached the fronts. Below is the starboard side waiting for the epoxy to set:
And further forward looking back, to the left is open shelf which goes forward to the front of the cabin each side:
And the port side looking aft:
Forward cabin finish is the goal in the short term, with a coat of paint already on the berth supports. Also in discussion with my dad about logistics for the lead melt/pour but that will not be straight away.
The final step was to paint on a coat of sodium silicate ("waterglass") which apparently will help prevent burning/charring of the wood mould during the pour. Still have to trim off the threaded rod as well.
And a close up of the aft end of the mould:
Then it was back inside the forward cabin which is getting closer to done. Painted the underside of the deck where it will be inside the overhead lockers, then attached the fronts. Below is the starboard side waiting for the epoxy to set:
And further forward looking back, to the left is open shelf which goes forward to the front of the cabin each side:
And the port side looking aft:
Forward cabin finish is the goal in the short term, with a coat of paint already on the berth supports. Also in discussion with my dad about logistics for the lead melt/pour but that will not be straight away.
