New Workshop, Nautilus Submarine Style

[Capt. H. Viscount]

The word awesome is often misused, but I think it's more than applicable here...

This is AWESOME!

Great work, I look forward to seeing it finished with much anticipation!

[Trae Dorn]

This is brilliant.

[psn1der]

I can't wait to check in here every day to see how your build is going.  Thanks for sharing.

Paige

[Mrs. Whatsit]

Just read through the whole build.  Can't wait to see the finished project.

[Capt James Salt]

Sorry for the delay on today's pictures.  I had some trouble uploading pictures to my picture hosting site.

I finished all of the window pieces.  So then I tested out the layout for the rivet pattern.





Here are the curved window pieces finished and installed.  They give the flat window a great concave look.







And here is the finished submarine window.









OK, now my next challenge.  I was going to pay an artist to paint a transparent underwater scene for my window.  Something I can put on the outside of the window.  But I ran out of money. 

I want an underwater steampunk scene with seaweed, octopus, mechanical fish, etc.  I can't paint very good.

Here is some great examples from other artists.  (Thank you other artists)





 I thought about using a shower curtain.  But that won't do.





Do you guys have any ideas?

[Cubinoid]

My suggestion:

A very tall, thin aquarium. You don't actually need any fish in it, if you don't feel like looking after them. Fit it to the window so that the bottom of the tank is not visible through the window. Just make sure you have one of those air bubble blowing devices fitted. Behind it, a simple blue gradient would work, or whatever painting you fancy - oh, and light it from above, with a little spotlight with a slowly rotating fan so that the light has some movement. I'd make the backdrop a dome that faces outwards away from the window, so that it gives the impression that you can look all around the outside from any angle...

[Cubinoid]

Oh - I thought I might mention a very interesting way of creating a copper floor too: http://www.notcot.com/archives/2009/06/floor-of-pennie.php

[Capt James Salt]

Oh - I thought I might mention a very interesting way of creating a copper floor too: http://www.notcot.com/archives/2009/06/floor-of-pennie.php

Oh wow !! 
This would look great in my room.  Maybe a little labor intensive, but this might work.  This idea is on the list of possibilities............

[Capt James Salt]

A very tall, thin aquarium.

Yes, I could build a thin aquarium using Plexiglas and silicon cement. Nothing looks more like real water than real water !  I might do this.

Thanks for the great idea.

[Air Defender Sellers]

i am very impressed with how the project is going on cant wait to see the finished room

[Capt James Salt]

Time to add some pipes.  Someone mentioned cement forms.  They are fairly inexpensive.  I cut a 12 inch diameter one in half and attached it to the corner of the wall.









The one beam in the center of the room was hung from the boards that run across the room.  There are no support beams on the walls on the end of this beam.  This one beam was done in this manner to allow the work desk and shelves to be up against the wall.  So I needed to cover up the stud hangers.  My wife suggested to cover the beam with a pipe.  What a great idea !!!

I used 4 inch PVC.













Good place to add a valve with a handwheel !!!








LATER !

[Professor J. Cogsworthy]

lol I was really dissappointd that the links to the last otw photos didn't work....

You would need a telescope just to see the bar you have set it so high....

[Cubinoid]

A very tall, thin aquarium.

Yes, I could build a thin aquarium using Plexiglas and silicon cement. Nothing looks more like real water than real water !  I might do this.

Thanks for the great idea.

Ohhh...another thought...wouldn't it be wonderful if rather than an aquarium, it was actually a transparent toilet cistern? That way, the submarine would appear to surface every time someone..erm...fires a torpedo... hahaha!

And - you're most welcome to the ideas - I'd be flushed with excitement if you use any of them in whatever form!

[Capt James Salt]

Today was a short working day.  I had some family stuff to do.

Details details details..............
Making a valve out of fiber board for the pipe.







Now what could these things be for???



For the starboard side............





I was going to design and cut my own details for the port side, but I saw these at the hardware store and I like them.  But they were thin so I purchased twice as many and glued them together to make them thicker.







Here is what they will look like on the port side.  Notice the gear motif on both wall detail pieces.

[Banfili]

This is such a great build - I am gobsmacked!

[Dr. Ironbeard]

James you are blowing me away with the imaginative build! Your shop is going to be awesome beyond belief. Well done and keep going. I can't wait to see the final result. Honestly you could sell tickets for an open house viewing!

[Capt James Salt]

James you are blowing me away with the imaginative build! Your shop is going to be awesome beyond belief. Well done and keep going. I can't wait to see the final result. Honestly you could sell tickets for an open house viewing!

Thank you Ironbeard.  You guys on this forum keep me inspired and motivated.

You bring up something that has been bothering me.  By showing progress pictures I am giving up the shock and ah that comes from seeing the finished product all at one time for the first time.  Seeing the build in progress means the final build will kind of sneak up on you.  No red carpet, dramatic, star studded presentation on opening night.

[Uncle Arthur]

Just amazing! I am going more industrial than nautical when I get going on the blacksmith shop but, I am getting a lot of useful ideas here.

[Capt James Salt]

Today I added the trim pieces on the outside and the inside of the room.  The strips are MDF 1/8 inch thick and 1.5 inches wide.  The floor, hatch and ceiling strips are 1/4 inch thick.  I started on the floor and then moved on to the hatch.







Then I did the walls.

[Banfili]

This build just keeps getting better & better!

[Cubinoid]

Actually, for us steampunks, the wow factor is in watching the build. Yes, it would be cool to see a photo of the finished result, but much much better to see and appreciate the thought and labour that goes into something like this.

Keep it up! I love checking in to see how progress is going!

[Capt James Salt]

Just another day at the submarine factory...............

[Capt James Salt]

So I'm looking at my main beams.  And I think no matter how I might paint them they will still look like two by fours.  So I decided to add a board to the bottom of them to make them look more like I beams. 

DARN !!!  I should have done this before I installed the ceiling.  I should have made I beams from the start.  The ceiling is completely screwed down.  So I missed my chance.  I feel like this is my first big screw up.  Oh well.  Don't tell anyone.  Besides, with the way I'm going to paint and decorate this place, no one will notice. 

I'm installing a board only on the bottom.  This will look better than no board.  My submarine will have custom, specially engineered upside down "T" beams...  LOL







I also added some details to the center of the beams.  Rivets to be added later.







Then I added some trim to cover the joints in the large pipe.  The trim is thick cardboard drywall trim.  Rivets to come later.


   


I added some more trim for the decorative pieces that go in the corners.









Last thing today was to fill all the holes with putty.  Tomorrow I'll sand the putty.






See ya' tomorrow.....................

[von Corax]

Here's a thought: Could you "fake" the upper flanges with narrow strips of thin ply on either side of the 2x4? I assume you intend to paint the girders, which would disguise the joints. A problem with that idea might be that the holes through the web would be offset slightly above centre; if you decided this was too distracting I do have another idea.

In the days before rolled structural steel, I-beams were built up from strap-iron for the web with angle-iron riveted on for the flanges. You could simulate this by building up thin plywood into angle-"irons" for both the top and bottom flanges, and if you could get hold of a router with an edge fence you could run two or three grooves down the bottom edges of the 2x4s to simulate laminated strap-iron webs.

I hope that's not entirely incomprehensible.

[Capt James Salt]

Von Corax:

I just tried adding a narrow strip at the top of the beam to simulate the top of the I beam.  It looks perfect !!  You can't tell that the holes in the beam are not centered because of the angle your looking from.  Now I have to cut some strips the right size.

I'm going to add the strips !  

Thank you so much for your idea !!!  
(Don't tell anyone I'm faking the I beam.  It's just between you and me, OK?   LOL )

Oh and you know what else !!!  I can paint them separately and add them after I paint the beams.  This will save me from having to mask the ceiling when I paint.  I can slop a little paint on the ceiling when I paint the beams and then cover it up afterwards with the strips.  !!  SUPER !