Harland and Wolff makers plate

[IanR]

Does anyone know of one available or 'borrowable'?? Ideally I'm looking for one to fit to our boat, but I could sand cast a reproduction (or more if required and I have enough material) if I could find a plate to take the mould from. Or does anyone make any repro's already?

 

Here's hoping, Ian.

[David Mack]

There's a previous thread somewhere on here about replica builders' plates.

[IanR]

Thanks David, the only thread I found was about Yarwoods plates, but that thread morphed into a general makers plate topic including the Harland and Wolff so contained some great information, especially so in that a batch were made for the yard where my boat is now, I'll have to enquire!!

 

Cheers, Ian.

[ChimneyChain]

Wasn't the general consensus that no boats really had them fitted except for the very first few ?

 

Darren

[Keith M]

If memory is correct there was an old trip boat in the Nuneaton area which had a builders plate from Harland and Wolff

 

Might be worth asking some question

 

Keith

[Laurence Hogg]

If memory is correct there was an old trip boat in the Nuneaton area which had a builders plate from Harland and Wolff

 

Might be worth asking some question

 

Keith

I seem to remember "Hyperion" had one on in the late 1970's, fairly large mounted central on the engine room B/H.

[IanR]

_{It seems the subject is still open for debate Darren, Cassiopeia certainly had one, so ours only a month later 'could' have. From the bit I've found, it seems that (some of the) craft might have been launched without them fitted and then they were mounted later. Admittedly, some folks far more knowledgeable than I could ever hope to be do doubt that they were ever fitted as standard items, but I fancy doing a casting anyway though, whether it gets fitted or not!!}

 

_{Thanks again, Ian.}

[Laurence Hogg]

Stoke Bruerne late 1970's

 

 

Whilst this looks original I have a photo of this boat being launched at H&W Woolwich without a plate visible.

 

Edited March 18, 2016 by Laurence Hogg

[Tam & Di]

Stoke Bruerne late 1970's

 

 

Whilst this looks original I have a photo of this boat being launched at H&W Woolwich without a plate visible.

 

 

 

Tony Dunkley should know

 

Tam

[Giant]

IanR, I can't help you with Harland & Wolff but I have been working on a replica John Harker plate for our boat and need the help of someone who can do the casting. I have finished tracing out the design and was planning to make a master out of plastic sheet using our laser cutter. I'm happy to do the same for anyone else who can provide design files.

[Paul H]

Roger Fuller, the boatbuilder in Stone, produced a batch about 5 years ago cast in aluminium - but when painted, who's to know?

 

Might be worth checking to see if he has the odd one left. It may have been Hyperion's they were cast from. Roger's were drilled to take bolts or screws but the original cast iron ones appear to have been tack welded and you can still see the ghost of where they were on some engine room bulkheads.. I imagine any rusting behind them effectively forced to fall off - if they weren't levered off for scrap!

 

Paul

[Bee]

IanR, I can't help you with Harland & Wolff but I have been working on a replica John Harker plate for our boat and need the help of someone who can do the casting. I have finished tracing out the design and was planning to make a master out of plastic sheet using our laser cutter. I'm happy to do the same for anyone else who can provide design files.

If you have a pattern I can cast it, also I can cast small parts for odd bits of engines or whatever, I have not got much in the way of letters or numbers though, there is such a massive amount of styles and sizes that its not possible but I do have BCN plate patterns and numbers, can't do cast iron, temperature is too high but brass or aluminium no problem. For big cast iron stuff there is a good foundry in Bristol who does quite a lot of work for old boats and ships.

[Laurence Hogg]

If you have a pattern I can cast it, also I can cast small parts for odd bits of engines or whatever, I have not got much in the way of letters or numbers though, there is such a massive amount of styles and sizes that its not possible but I do have BCN plate patterns and numbers, can't do cast iron, temperature is too high but brass or aluminium no problem. For big cast iron stuff there is a good foundry in Bristol who does quite a lot of work for old boats and ships.

There is a pattern makers supplier in Stechford called Burnco near the railway station who has relocated now to Gravelley Hill and is now known as John Burn. They had the correct letter styles for these and other plates. They supplied virtually everyone and when I made the replica Trent & Mersey replacement bridge numbers, they were able to supply the original typeface as they still had stock!

 

http://www.johnburn.co.uk/index.php

Edited March 18, 2016 by Laurence Hogg

[Giant]

For my method I don't need lettering. What I've done is to trace an image of an original plate, including lettering, into a vector graphics program - I just needed to adjust the digits for the year. I can then cut this shape out of flat plastic sheet with a laser cutter, and glue it on top of a second textured sheet to form a complete pattern.

 

It may seem a bit of an overcomplicated approach but makes sense for me because I have the equipment to hand.

 

End result should look something like this:

Edited March 19, 2016 by Giant

[Laurence Hogg]

For my method I don't need lettering. What I've done is to trace an image of an original plate, including lettering, into a vector graphics program - I just needed to adjust the digits for the year. I can then cut this shape out of flat plastic sheet with a laser cutter, and glue it on top of a second textured sheet to form a complete pattern.

 

It may seem a bit of an overcomplicated approach but makes sense for me because I have the equipment to hand.

 

End result should look something like this:

buildersplatedone.png

The simplest way is to produce an artwork to size and use BASF MX320 photo etchable plastic coated aluminium which is water washable, we used this snd its similar products on all the high detail plaques we made as well as the low detail ones. Very quick and very easy. What you draw is what you get.

I believe a firm in Manchester still does the process.

Edited March 19, 2016 by Laurence Hogg

[ChimneyChain]

Regarding woolwich boats were the makers plate only fitted to motors? And if they were fitted to buttys then they would be coach bolt fitted instead of tack welded like Paul H said what would of happened to motors.

 

Darren

[Tony Dunkley]

Stoke Bruerne late 1970's

 

 

Whilst this looks original I have a photo of this boat being launched at H&W Woolwich without a plate visible.

 

 

I'm afraid I can't shed much light about the plate Laurence, and to be quite honest about it, because I didn't ever take any real notice of it during the time I worked 'Hyperion' either as a trip boat or sub-contracting to Blue Line in the Winter, I can't even be sure that it was in fact the original H &W builders plate.

 

PS. I'm not sure how ancient Tam thinks I am, but although that is me in the photo at the top of Stoke, it's definitely not me standing on the footboard when it was being launched at Woolwich.

 

PPS. In view of the work and changes that Barlows made to 'Hyperion' after they bought it from GUCCCo. [ new cabin, wooden engine hole, back-end rail taken off ] I suppose it's possible that the plate in the photo may not have been an H & W plate, but something put on by Nursers or Barlows maybe ?

Edited March 19, 2016 by Tony Dunkley

[zenataomm]

I agree with Tony, that doesn't look like a H&W plate to me.

The positioning of the letters looks odd.

[RLWP]

Come on Tony, you're as old as Methuselah

 

Richard

 

Nice sideburns

[Markinaboat]

My old boat Marcellus (the proper 70 footer) has one. Somewhere oop norf?

[zenataomm]

My old boat Marcellus (the proper 70 footer) has one. Somewhere oop norf?

 

I hate to disappoint you ....... I put that on her when she was a butty .....I copied it from the one I had on Rigal, which itself was a copy that I got from R Fuller esq. spinster of this parish.

[fittie]

The Venus had a round (I think) H&W makers plate below the back-end rail.

[Derek R.]

Yes, we did this early last year:

 

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=72894#entry1479996

[Laurence Hogg]

"Venus" was a type "A" and highly unlikely to have been built at Woolwich being a wooden boat, it is strongly suspected it and its sister boats were sub contracted, the yard there at Gallions Point only built in metal.

[Laurence Hogg]