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  1. My next build will be the the Model Shipways Mayflower 1620, MS2020. To be a little pedantic, this is really a model of the Mayflower II replica of 1956, based on research of William Baker and the best knowledge of what Mayflower of 1620 might have looked like. The replica ship was sailed from the UK to the US in 1957 where it was gifted to us and exists today as a floating museum. It has recently been undergoing a new restoration, where the color scheme has changed from the original Baker scheme as depicted on the box cover shown below. At some point I will need to decide if I want the designed scheme or to follow the changes of its current incarnation. This is not a terribly complex kit, parts wise. There are 4 sheets of plywood parts for the framing, and 4 others of assorted parts, plus the usual strips, dowels and other bits. I will make just a few observations of the contents quality here. Firstly, the keelson piece (bulkhead former) was quite warped. As this forms the whole basis of hull alignment, that was a disappointment. Got to get this bit straight or else you end up with a banana boat! More on this later. Also the cutting on the plywood could be better. Several parts were not cut all the way through, so there was some work to do to finish the cuts. The plywood in my kit was quite "splintery" at the edges and tended to get a good bit of delamination when cutting or sanding. That's going to present some challenges while fairing. One thing I tend to fuss about is Britannia metal parts and how badly they tend to be made. I was pleasantly surprised in this kit because as these things go (low expectations, I know) , these are not too bad. Even the crows nests might be usable, though there is a good chance I might want to scratch build new ones when I get there. The blocks and "rope" provided are typical MS fare, which is to say not very good. I will be making an order to Syren to get proper materials.
  2. Yikes, I goofed. I don't know how I set this build log up in the wrong era. I couldn't see a way to move from one era to another, so I deleted everything I could. I'll try setting up the build log again tomorrow - hopefully in the right place. sorry...
  3. My name is Geoff and I have been building the MS Constitution. I basically followed Bob Hunts practicum. I am now ready to begin the masting and rigging part. I am very impressed with the other Constitution build logs and look forward to see them all develope Here are a few pictures of my progress so far. Thanks Geoff
  4. Gjoa was used by Roald Amundsen to traverse the North West Passage from 1903 to 1906. She was built in 1872 and used as a herring fisher until Amundsen purchased her in 1901. This kit is an old Model Shipways “yellow box” kit that I purchased on eBay several years ago. These kits have minimal instructions and just a few parts: a machine shaped solid hull, some blocks for deck houses that are never the right size, dowels for masts and yards, and a bag of metal fittings. I worked on the kit off and on over the last several years but failed to take any photos. Once I finished the paper model of the liner United States I decided to attack the Gjoa seriously. Attached are a few photos showing the construction of the cap rails and the pin rails. For the cap rails I traced the out line of the bulwarks onto a piece of sheet wood, widened the line to the cap rail width, leaving plenty of extra wood. The rough rails were then glued in place and shaped to fit. The pin rails were done similarly with lots of test fitting with final shaping after they were glued in place. In the photo the port side pin rail has just been glued .
  5. Hi, Just join this site and what a great site it is 👍 I see that a lot of people (most from Canada) build the Canadian fishing schooner Bluenose 1921 and so happens I am building this too, hope this is not to many do like the shape and lines of this schooner. When I bought this model I also purchased the Fair-A-Frame from Model Shipways as well, while building I did modify it so that head stock would slide in a grove this makes it more ridged and keeps everything nice and square, also they show that the adjusting rail which moves to clamp the keel was at a different height than the one you glue down, so I notched the rail to allow both rails to be the same height, these are small changes which I found really helped. Did not take any pictures of the start when I joined three parts to the center keel once that was dried I took some tracing paper and traced the beading lines and rabbet lines onto the center keel. Next up was to remove 1/16 from bulwark stanchions just below the deck then took some tracing paper and traced each bulkhead so that I could mark out how much beveling I had to do all these bevels were done before gluing to center keel, also bevel inboard bulwark stanchions, once this was done I did a trial fit to see how it all fit. Regards Richard
  6. I received this kit as a Christmas gift from my brother in 2007. That is not a typo; 2007. I wanted to finish the Rattlesnake, then I started my Coastal Pirate and all kinds of life stuff has gone by. I'm finally to the point where I'm comfortable doing this build. Thank goodness it's been patient. The instruction book mentions that a few years of her long life was spent as a yacht - that's what I'm going for. The fish well will be converted to cabin space for this build. This is my first plank-on-frame model and I really like the building jig included in the kit. I built a local skiff years ago with no jig or anything and it's shaped something like a banana. Basic start of the keel assembly: The pencil marks will be erased/sanded. The building jig: As per the instructions, the frame locations were lifted from the plans and transferred through the keel to the jig and board. It took a little while to put everything together, but time well spent up front will result in a more precise build with fewer problems. The board is a piece of straight, square, pre-primed and sealed 1 X 12. I drew the center line and marked the location for the keel support and each frame along the line. Before I glued the keel support, I used a T square and marked each frame. I built the frame clamp bar fixture and marked the lines for the strip runners on the board. I made sure it moved smoothly but stayed firm along the whole route, then nailed it down. All of this is outlined in the instruction manual - which has to be read and reread over and over. Now that everything is set in place, it all lines up just right; it's level, plumb and square. Next, I will cut the bevels in the frames. Comments Welcome, especially from other Berrys - Kenneth
  7. This will be my first wooden ship model; I completed a Revell HMS Victory plastic model ship a few years ago, and I really liked it. It sparked my interest in wooden model ships, and I wanted to build one of my own. My father bought this kit for Christmas in 2019, and I really like the overall shape of the hull. Even though this is my first wooden model and the kit doesn't have them, I'd like to add sails. It will be a challenge, especially the rigging, but I believe I can do it. I started this model at the end of December 2019, and am currently working on the bow section, so maybe ~1/2 way done. I will share photos and construction details up to this point, and then continue to post progress as I go. I work full time during the day, so I only have a few hours a week to dedicate to the build, so my progress after a year and a half is SLOW. I have seen a lot of other builds/ships with high quality planking. I hope that mine will be good enough to leave unpainted, since I really like the look of the hull planking As with other builders of the MSW's kit, the keel is short ~1/4". I used a piece of extra wood to shape and glue the missing portion. Not awesome, but acceptable. I also purchased a Bulkhead Mounting Kit from a local hobby shop. After reviewing the plans, I cut the bulkhead frames loose, sanded and transferred the bevels with a compass. The rabbet was a pain....chiseling didn't do well, so I ended up sanding. A lot of sanding. In hindsight later on, I should have sanded deeper. I shaped the bulkheads and glued to the frame using the Mounting Kit. I squared them to the model with C-clamps on each end, and slowly tightened until I measured the distance between bulkheads was the same on both sides. The Filler blocks took a while to shape right, and even after they were glued, they needed more sanding to get blended with the bulkheads. Next time I might leave the bulkhead bevels ''thick'' and sand together with the blocks for a better transition. More photos and progress tomorrow -Jason-
  8. Alright its time to stop watching other people's builds and contribute something. This is my second model ship and I am following in what seems to me to be the Traditional Pathway. I started with Model Shipway's/Chuck's 18th Century longboat which took a LOT longer than I had planned but turned out ok; I will post a few pics soon. Bending the planking was challenging. Now I am starting on the AVS. I also purchased Robert Hunt's practicum and have been following its directions somewhat. Chuck's Cheerful directions are also very helpful. First the obligatory picture of the box I read a comment a while ago on this forum where it was stated that dark woods made the ships look like Old Furniture. And I completely agree. So I am trying to make the second layer of planking on my AVS in Holly. The first layer of basswood will be good practice in planking. First step was removing the laser char on the center keel. I tried using a fence attached to my hand plane which made sure it was square. But I found it somewhat awkward. Also I couldn't get the picture to not be turned sideways, sorry I'll keep working on that.
  9. In addition to my DH-9, I’ve also started the Model Shipways longboat. There are lots of other build logs with pictures of the kit parts, so I won’t repeat pictures here. I'm very appreciative of all the other great logs to use for reference. This build will be very heavily kit-bashed. I’m planning on replacing all of the basswood with boxwood. I’m very grateful to Chuck, who laser cut the frames for me. I was going to try to cut them on a scroll saw, but was worried that it wouldn't work as well as the laser for the partially cut inside each frame, which is important to hold everything together while fairing and planking. Chuck not only sent me laser cut frames, but also the other laser cut pieces. The kit includes 3/32 thick basswood frames, which are a little out of scale, but necessary as the basswood isn’t as forgiving as boxwood for fairing and clamping the planks. Chuck cut the frames on 1/16” boxwood, which is more to scale. I thought I would have to scratch the false keel with 1/16 instead of 3/32 slots, but even that had been adjusted for – tremendously impressive. I usually scratch build, so this was my first experience with laser cutting and removing char. The thread on char removal (char-removal-arrrghh) was really helpful. Scraping with an 11 blade followed by 320 grit sandpaper has worked pretty well for me. I’ve been using an abrasive cleaning stick so I don’t have to discard the sanding stick once it gets dirty with char, which has also worked pretty well. It is also taking some time to get used to adjusting the laser kerf to a right angle. Removing char and kerf without changing the part's size and shape has been a challenge. I thought I had screwed up taking too much off the stem when I saw it didn't line up with the keel. I saw Chuck’s comment in the other thread that he makes the parts oversize to allow for cleanup and checked the plans. The stem is the right size and I just need to sand down the keel to match. I’m having mixed feelings about laser cutting. It is great for complicated parts like the frames and the keelson with all the slots. I just made the filler pieces for the bow. It was much faster to cut them on the scroll saw than it would have been to clean the char. I’ll probably be selective about which laser cut pieces I use and which ones I replace moving forward. Keel and keelson are done and glued. I think I have the tapering right for the rabbet, and after a little filing, the frames all fit in the slots in the keelson. I'll start assembling the frames soon.
  10. Here we go with the Norwegian Pram by Model Shipways. The first several steps cover both the bow and stern transoms and knees, and go back and forth between the two. I am going to do one transom at a time so I can keep my parts straight, bow first. I cut out the knee and sanded off the char. Then I cut out the bow transom from the parts board and sanded/filed the necessary spots. The next step was to draw a midline, then draw two more lines the width of the knee apart. After struggling with the small transom and a pencil and a ruler, I realized that it would be a lot easier to draw these lines onto the transom while it was still in the parts board. I tried this with the spare transom, and it worked great. It's helpful to extended the lines past the laser lines to use them as sight lines when gluing the knee. After drawing the lines, I cut the transom out of the board, sanded the extra "connection" bits, then put it back in the board. I glued the knee to the transom, using the extended lines on the parts board to line it up. The picture in the instructions show the appearance of the knee when it's glued, and that indicates which of the "legs" of the knee to glue to the transom (the shorter one). Ignoring the stern transom instructions, I went to step 3, finishing the bow transom. Bevel each facet as flat as possible, removing the char, and using the far edge and the marked bevel line as your guides. I took a little too much off where the knee meets the transom, but the rest looks pretty good. I found it hard to make the straight-ish lines of the contour as shown in the instructions. Drilling the hole through the transom and the knee: my pin vise drill bits aren't marked (which one is #55?), so I selected the one that fit in the hole in the transom. I put tape around the knee to help prevent tear-out, after seeing in another build log that tear-out was a potential issue. I went really slowly, and it came out pretty well, although the hole is just a touch off center in the knee. Next: returning to the start of the instructions to follow the stern transom steps.
  11. Bought this kit along with a set of plans from New Bedford Whaling Museum many years ago and finally decided to build it. I saw the kit listed in the first Model Shipways catalog I received in 1986 when I was considering the hobby. I decided on a starting with their KATY, 1/4" scale Virginia Pilot Boat. Since then, I have built several other kits along with my other hobby interests. However, completing the Kate Cory has always been one of my primary ship modeling goals. Unlike the Charles W. Morgan, there is not a great deal of historical documentation available regarding this specific ship. The New Bedford Whaling Museum, New Bedford, Ma. (USA) is the only resource I could find that offered credible documentation. This is where I obtained plans by Erik Ronnberg, Jr. which provide significantly more details and views then the kit plans. Additionally, I obtained copies of the Nautical Research Journals referenced in the Model Shipways Catalog regarding Coppering techniques, i.e., "Copper Sheathing of Whaleships", etc. I coppered two other kits using this technique and feel it provides a more realistic appearance. However, one could argue using this process without some weathering of the rest of the model is inconsistent. Despite all the research and obtaining all the documentation I could find, I still felt I needed a good visual representation of the ship. Finally, a key motivating factor for me to starting the project was the 1/4" scratch-built model by Thomas J. Lauria, (https://tjlauria.com/gallery/whaling-schooner-kate-cory/). Tom has many other excellent builds and has been helpful answering my questions. This will be a planked solid hull model. I've never built a plank on frame kit other than a small Dory. Then only other change from the kit is to swap out the solid wood whale boats for a set of updated laser cut boats.
  12. Well, no rest for the weary, as they say... Finished the Ballahoo and have three more ships waiting for shipyard clearance. As I had indicated in my signature section previously, my son gave me the Bluenose as a gift some 16-17 years ago, when I had never thought about doing shipbuilding as a hobby, and had way too busy of a working life to devote time to this hobby. I opened the box, read some of the instructions, and pretty much thought "Nope, looks too complicated. I'll put it away for another day." So, here we are 16-17 years later and I have found model shipbuilding as a fun and rewarding hobby after all. After three completed ships, it is now time to work on the Bluenose. I think I have learned enough skills in my three previous builds to make my Bluenose looking good. Time will tell. There are plenty of really good build logs for the Bluenose that should help guide me on my way. I look forward to digging into them and doing as much research and observations as I can. Since there have already been plenty of prior build logs, I won't post the obligatory "open the box and look at the contents" picture and post. But, I will point out the difference in the box covers from what it looked like 16-17 years ago (shown in my pic below) and how Model Shipways box cover looks like today. Thought that was interesting. In doing a quick comparison of the instructions included in my Bluenose box to the online pdf instructions available on Model Shipways' website, they look the same, so it doesn't appear the build process has changed much, if at all. So... here we go with another build log! Appreciate all the follows, likes, comments and criticisms that this build log will generate. Thanks!
  13. I started another project, the Model Shipways Grand Banks Dory. There are many build logs with kit pictures, so I won’t include here. I’m planning on replacing all the basswood anyways. I usually have two projects (wooden ship and plastic airplane) going, but for a bunch of reasons, thought I should try doing two ship models at the same time. Rationale: · I got a really good deal on it at a club auction · I’ve wanted to try one of David Antscherl’s kits · I think I have my jointer and bandsaw finally tuned right, and wanted to try milling some wood · I’ve found working with laser cut pieces on the longboat a little frustrating. I’m sure I will get better at it with some more practice, but wanted to get a sense of the comparison between cutting the parts out myself vs cleaning char off laser cut pieces. · I want to build with boxwood and some contrasting wood, and wanted to see how well patterns made from scanned laser cut sheets would work. This was particularly important on this model as the plans in the instruction book don’t include all the parts. · Main reason: I’m planning on starting a fully framed Echo, but want another project going so I don’t try working on Echo when tired or distracted. This seemed a good opportunity to pilot building two ship models at the same time. If it isn’t going to work for two fairly simple kits (longboat and Dory), I shouldn’t try it with Echo. So far, so good. I started with the stand as a test for the jointer and bandsaw. The wood is a piece of pao ferro that I had on my shelf. Very happy with both tools. The bandsaw got knocked out of alignment during the house move a few years ago, and is finally dialed back in. The jointer was never fully adjusted and is finally working the way it should. Scanning the basswood laser cut sheets has also worked well. The burn marks are thin enough and in the right place to get good patterns. For the first few pieces (hull bottom, stem, transom, stern knee) cutting the parts out has been very straightforward and taken less time than cleaning char. For some parts like the longboat frames this would not be true. I’ve also been making some progress on the other two projects and will update the logs soon.
  14. At long last I have started my CWM. This kit has been in my stash for quite some time. I saw no point in photographing the kit contents as there are quite a few Morgan build logs showing the parts. I will note that, contrary to the instructions, the center keel was a single laser cut piece, not 2 pieces. I do not know if this is still the case, but it makes for an easier start to the build. The photo shows my building slip set up to start test-fitting the bulkheads.
  15. Hi All! Well, as promised, I decided to start my next ship after a brief hiatus following the launch of my HMS Sultana. But...I decided to follow other folks who jumped into the USS Syren! It really seemed like the best choice for a number of reasons. - The Sultana gave me a good base for my skill set, but the Syren will expand on it in a step wise manner (Gaff rigged schooner to a more complex Brig) - The Syren and Sultana are built at the same scale, giving me a bit more confidence in applying what I learned building the Sultana - The Syren will be my first plank on bulkhead (POB), and represents a new skillset I have yet to really develop - namely planking - There are a lot fo great completed build logs on the Syren here...so lots of immediate knowledge from other modelers just a click away - The practicum written Chuck Passaro for the USS Syren is priceless! I work a lot, and during my Sultana build the various 'breathers' I took did not slow me down, since the practicum gave me a mental placeholder and seamless way to pick up where I left off without breaking stride. (In other words, the practicum I think really aids those modelers who often need to step away for weeks or months occasionally!) So...it's from here that I will start my new Syren build. Moving on...
  16. Hi, my name is Thomas Gahm. My build log disappeared as so many others during the recent crash, and I just try to reconstruct as much as I can. Bulkheads and filler blocks are being glued in place. Gun ports are framed and the fairing of bulkheads is finished. Planking of the upper part of the hull with bass wood strips. The strips were selected for homogeneous color and texture. Treenailing using the wood filler based method described by Chuck in the instruction book. During my last ship model build (Anfora kit Ictineo II) the combination of the applied wood stain and the slight fuzziness of the treenail hole edges led to a larger treenail appearance than initially intended. To avoid this effect I drilled holes which were slightly smaller than the intended treenail size of 0.5mm and I opened them up with a needle of a slightly larger diameter (0.53mm). This led to well defined, round holes with sharp edges, which once filled with wood filler gave me the intended treenailing effect. Planking of the lower hull with bass wood strips. As this part of the hull will be covered later by copper sheaths I did not particularly select the wood strips for texture or color. Finished hull planking. Lower part of hull planking. Two brass pipes were buried in the keel to allow for the possibility to mount the model later via two brass carriers inserted in these pipes. If these mounts should not be needed the holes can be covered up via the false keel. Stern view of the Syren. Mounting the Syren name turned out to be a bit tricky due to the small size of the photo etched letters. The following method worked for me: I painted the letters (white) while they were still attached to the photo etch grid. After separating them from the brass grid I arranged them to form the name “SYREN” on a sticky tape mounted on a flat piece of wood with the sticky side up. Once I was satisfied with the arrangement of the letters I covered them with a second piece of transparent tape with the sticky side towards the letters. After turning the whole arrangement upside down so that the first tape was on top and the second tape underneath the letters I removed the first tape while carefully making sure that the letters did not come loose from the second tape. Now all that remained to do was to apply some superglue to the uncovered letter backs and transfer the name as a whole in its final arrangement to its destination on the stern. The use of a transparent tape allowed for precise positioning. Once the letters were glued to the hull the tape could be removed. Building of the stern transom. To form the stern transom I modeled it first with a piece of paper which I then used to cut out the wooden (bass wood) counterpart. This was then soaked in hot water and bent to its final shape in a jig. The formed transom is glued in place. Finished transom. Front view of the Syren. The planks are stained with a mixture of 1 part Minwax Golden Oak and 2 parts Minwax Natural wood stain. Stern view of the Syren. Planking of the deck using selected basswood strips. The planks were tapered towards the stern. Finished deck planking with waterways. I painted the locations of the future gratings black to prevent the possibility of the deck planking to be seen through the openings of the gratings. The deck was stained with Minwax Natural wood stain. Stern view of the deck with treenailing. Plank nibbing. Deck view.
  17. Welcome to my USS Constitution build log. This is my second wooden ship model. I completed the Artesania Latina 1808 Swift model a little over a year ago (which just reminded me to close out that build log). My first attempt was going to be this USS Constitution (1:76 MS2040) kit. Fortunately it was backordered (Christmas gift from my pop), because after previewing the somewhat limited pages of instructions available online - I realized that the build would need to be based almost entirely on the 8 or so architect style giant plan sheets. That was out of my league, so I thought it prudent to start with something a bit easier. I chose the Swift 1805. Having completed the Swift, I took some months to complete a "Mayberry Street Miniatures" doll house project with my daughter. And then it was time to begin the Constitution. To set the stage, I am an extremely novice woodworker. I had gotten in a bit over my head with my Swift project (especially the rigging), but was quickly able to work my way out of any problems with a lot of thought, creativity, and help from the great modelers on this site. For me, this hobby is a series of challenges to be solved, often requiring the learning of a new skill - and new tools 🙂. This build log will be of most interest to newer modelers, but may offer a few chuckles or familiar memories for the old(er) salts. Given the complexity of the model, the sparse instructive guide, and the 8 detailed build sheets, I chose to follow Bob Hunt's practicum (fancy term for instructions). I ordered Mr Hunt's "Sophomore Course: USF Constitution" (a CD with 12 Chapters), with a photo CD add on (about 1,000 pictures of all stages of the build). The practicum was exactly what I needed, unfortunately, it didn't contain anything pertaining to masting and rigging. So if you think you'll need help with anything above the deck, you should consider ordering Mr. Hunt's "Sophomore Course: USF Constitution, Masting & Rigging" (6 chapters and an additional photo CD). I've printed the first 3 chapters so that I'm able to look ahead. I also refer often to the sheet plans, as well as the supplied kit guide. The kit itself is chock full of goodies. Though I'm a bit surprised at how small some of the cannons and rigging parts are - they seem to be significantly below scale. I inventoried the entire kit for parts, but found the effort to be surprisingly helpful in familiarizing myself with nautical terminology. I'm not going to provide a run-through of the kit, but suffice it to say, I found it worth the money (even though it was a gift!). There are very few things you can buy today that will provide years of challenge, entertainment, and a beautiful result for under $600 (retirement is a long ways off, so I'm working on this after work, and between sports and school events). I'll be updating as time permits, which means my updates will usually be backfilling my progress. I look forward to any comments and suggestions! Cheers! Andre
  18. One of my eBay finds out of my stash. I have decided to break up the marathon task of building railings on the Robert E Lee. I will continue building those railings in the evening as I wind down the day. Here is a link to my Robert E Lee Build My new day job will be the Bluenose Canadian Fishing Schooner by Model Shipways. This kit was purchased for just 78.00 including shipping on eBay. The previous owner had started this kit. The kit was only missing some of the deadeyes and belaying pins. Those were easily sourced from Model Expo and are on order. Today I have laid her out to determine what has been started, the work is salvageable. Previous owner had only progressed to step 5. I have also assembled the 3 piece Keel and started the work of smoothing out the bulk head tapers and Rabbit Joints cut by my predecessor. I have been wanting to build the beautiful schooner since I first saw a model of her in the Bluenose Hotel in Bar Harbor, Maine. Plan to visit Nova Scotia next summer and see The Bluenose II among other things Canadian. Wish me luck, I am hoping my skills are now up to the task of doing her justice. Cheers 🍻
  19. Just completed the Secret Vessel "Morel". What I call a "quick win" as it only took a couple months to complete. For those of you who have not seen the Morel model, I recommend you check it out. It is a quirky little model that is easy to build but looks really neat. And a definite break from the usual year long builds of most models. Anyway, Now it is time to put my "big boy pants on" and take on the Chaperon. I am by no means an expert builder - average at best, but as they say - the journey is the destination. And I do enjoy the journey ..... or the build in this case. I would like to say thanks to all who have built, and supplied excellent build logs, that have gone before me with the Chaperon model. There have been some excellent Chaperon builds - I would say museum quality. I will be shamelessly borrowing (stealing) some of the best ideas from those logs as I build my model. I am still too new at building models to have many original ideas of my own. My build will by no means compare to those who have gone before me, but I will have fun. With that in mind I will start right in with the unboxing.... Most people can just skip over this section unless you really are interested in the box contents. There are 27 sheets of laser cut basswood. Note on this sheet and others some of the boards have lines etched in them... With this model they are to simulate planking. Not sure if my model is odd or not, but to me those lines seem very thin (faint). They look like after a coat of primer and paint they would be completely filled in. We will see what happens when I get to that stage, but right off the bat this model may get (shall we say) "interesting". Included with the last laser cut sheet is one large photo-etched brass sheet. pins, eyelets, and some nylon line..... Will probably not use this line as it seems to be pretty cheap. A couple of britannia life boats and assortment of other britannia parts. An assortment of single and double wooden blocks An assortment of wood strips and dowel rods for the build Inventory list of all included parts A 12 page manual with a brief history of the Chaperon and the build instructions. 12 sheets identifying each item on the laser cut wood pieces and photo-etched brass sheet. Not shown, but included are 5 large plan sheets depicting the various stages of the build On to the build.... As with most builds that are larger than the wood sheets, we start by gluing the keel made up of three 3/16 pieces. The joints between the three pieces (under the weights) are reinforced with small reinforcement pieces (B1 & B2). The ruler was used to help keep the keel straight. As you can see, this is going to be a big ship. With the glue dry and the weights removed you can see the reinforcement pieces (B1 & B2). There are a pair of them on each side of the keel. Each of the 29 bulkhead slots have been labeled to help keep track of the bulkheads as they are installed. As so we begin the process of laying the bulkheads. Be sure to remove all the laser charred marks on each bulkhead before installation to insure the glue gets a good grip on the wood. I mention this now and will not mention it again, but that goes for all the laser cut parts. Char marks need to be removed from each piece throughout the entire build. Instructions say to start with the middle bulkheads and work your way out to the bow and stern. This will take awhile as you need to insure each bulkhead is square and need to wait for the glue to dry before moving on to the next bulkhead. It is going to take a few days to get all 29 bulkhead installed.
  20. This will be my first attempt at a full wooden ship build. I have built several plastic model ships (Constitution, Cutty Sark and Charles Morgan, all by Revell) and R/C model airplanes but, this will definitely be a test of skill and patience. I started by building the NRG half hull to get some experience with planking. That went pretty well and I learned a lot! I have always wanted to build a model of the Bluenose, as I am from Canada and have been fascinated by this ship for as long as I can remember. I took the opportunity to dig in deeper to its history by reading Bluenose by Brian and Phil Blackman and A Race For Sailors by Keith McLaren. This ship has a fascinating story and, unfortunately, a sad ending for such an icon of maritime history. I purchased the Fair-A-Frame from Model Shipways, as it looked to be the best way to hold the keel while I worked on bulkheads and everything on the deck (and I was able to get it on sale!). I modified it based on the changes that @Retired guy made prior to his Bluenose build. This is definitely an improvement to the unit and really locks in the jigs that slide along the base. I have been procrastinating since finishing the Half Hull, mostly because I am a bit intimidated with this build. Reading through the forums, there are so many talented folks and high quality builds of this model. Time to get under way and I hope that I can do it justice.
  21. My first build! As exciting as it is intimidating. After staring at the box for a bit, getting over my nerves, I cracked my knuckles and cracked open the lid. Step one admittedly wasn’t photogenic—I made sure all the pieces were present, gave the full instructions a careful read, and then poured over multiple build logs. The next day, the real fun began. I opted to build the bottom from scratch rather than use the pre-made piece. This meant cutting, gluing, and sanding—so much sanding. I was skeptical at first, but low and behold, the instruction’s tip about moving the piece rather than the paper worked. Instead of a sanding stick, I opted to just tape some sandpaper flat to my working surface. A great decision for these long, straight pieces! Not so great for others. (More on that later.) Hoping to spare my fictional sailor a tumble into a sharp corner, I studiously over-sanded the edges of my cleats. The instructions spoke about removing edges to prevent injuries—but…what about the thole pins? They make sense to have, but I can’t help but think they’re a stab wound waiting to happen. A poor fate for a clumsy sailor… When sizing the cleats, I ignored the length of the burnt guidelines. Instead, I followed what other builders had done and made sure each one had some breathing room before the edge. After sanding and gluing the stem without incident, the transom gave me pause. I decided to go a little off-book, sanding it and the stern knee together before attaching the stern cleat. It seemed to me like a choice between vigorously sanding three freshly glued, breakable parts or two. (I opted for two.) I’m really proud of how it turned out! After adding glue to the transom and plopping the stern cleat on, I strung the two together with sewing pins. This let me squish the pieces together without fear of misalignment or gluing the holes shut. It also made it a million times easier to brush away excess glue. A simple strategy, but very effective. Should the edges of the stern cleat be softened as well, for our clumsy sailor? The instructions didn’t mention it so I refrained, but I feared once again for his poor noggin. After that, I was humbled. I spent far, far too long attaching the pieces to the bottom. I thought about it, researched it, did it, fussed with it so much the glue gave up, then had to do it all over again. I just couldn’t decide on the alignment. Should I follow the burnt template line, allowing a bunch of the stern knee to hang over the edge? Should I keep the point of the base and the outside of the transom lined up? Other build logs seemed to differ, and I couldn’t find many clear shots from the side to compare. I’ll upload pictures of mine. If it turns out I made a bad choice, others will know what not to do. If it works out—whew! One of the things I’ve enjoyed most about these dory build logs has been seeing what random things people scrounge up to use as weights. For mine, I made use of an egg cup my grandfather gave me. The whole kit and caboodle was set aside to dry, with a few other rejected weights keeping watch behind it. Onto the frames! I’ve seen many people comment on the template being the wrong size. I actually found it to be exactly 1:1—which makes me think I’m either lucky or doing something wrong. A few things I found helpful: I taped a sheet of parchment paper over the template to avoid gluing the paper. I numbered and labelled each left and right piece in pencil before cutting them free. This saved me almost immediately when I cut out and sanded a “2R” instead of a “3R”. It occurred to me I could have used this labelling as an opportunity to practice “port” and “starboard”. Then I realized I’d be adding additional challenges to an already daunting project. Left and right it was. A note to myself for next time: this worked great, but the pencil was difficult to erase before gluing. I’d write lighter next time. I prepped the frames one at a time but held off on gluing. The process: pick a number, label the two frame pieces, cut them out, sand them down with a scrap of sandpaper, then dry assemble it on the template. Once all of the frames were sitting primly in place, I could go through and glue them all at once. Since the glue dries so fast on my palette, I found this more economical (and it saved me some brush washing). I taped down the crosspieces. I’m so thankful I taped down the crosspieces! It meant I could easily lift the whole thing upward to clean the excess glue beneath, then settle everything right back into place. Free spacers were helpful to tap the freshly glued bottoms against, ensuring they were flat. This stage was when I really started feeling my lack of a sanding stick. I’ve got an old wrist injury, and it was starting to complain. So were my fingers, which had been slowly filed down alongside my pieces. Ah well. Funny how every tip I followed treated me well, and I regret skipping the one I didn’t. Almost like I should listen to the experts… After gluing up the frames, I checked the status of my now-dry boat bottom and found it lacking. Out came the water again, and a book was added to the weight mix. That’ll show it. I seriously debated continuing, but as I’d just spent half the day squished up at my table, a break seemed in order. I’ve got the itch now! But planking is intimidating. A problem for later…after my new sanding stick dries. 😄
  22. USS Constitution - Model Shipway’s Kit No.: MS2040 “Old Ironsides” 1797 Frigate Scale: 5/32” = 1 ft. (1:76.8) This is my second POB square rigged ship; I spent about seven years building my first, Mamoli’s Rattlesnake. Like the first one, I will be following Robert Hunt’s practicum, but unlike the first, I have a multitude of excellent build logs and books to supplement it and help guide me through the inevitable pitfalls that are sure to raise their ugly heads. Hopefully, based on this and my hard-earned experience with the Rattlesnake, it won’t take another half a lifetime to build. Now for the obligatory part. Below is the kit box and contents. I won’t bore you with showing all the little packets that are stuffed in the box, that has been done very well by numerous other builders. I will state that in addition to what came with the kit, I purchased a few more items: · Robert Hunt’s practicum · Hobby Mill’s wood supplement package (based on Hunt’s practicum) * · Additional copper plate tape (as I understand it, the kit was a bit too frugal with their supply) · 2 - 2½” x 2½” x ¾” genuine pieces of USS Constitution wood ** · Medallion made from genuine USS Constitution copper plate. Not sure yet how or if it will be used. * Wood package purchased before HobbyMills closed shop. The supplement package was derived by HobbyMills where Mr. Hunt made his substitutions in the practicum. It was not identified as a package that could be purchased in the practicum. I have the original price list which describes what the wood is being substituted for and where in the practicum it is being described. If anyone wants a copy of the supplement wood list, please send me a PM. ** Constitution wood was purchased from the museum just before the ship went into drydock, December 2014. I have since tried to get a larger size for the keel or nameplate but accordioning to popeye2sea (who as I understand it volunteers on the ship), the US Navy is withholding any more wood from the public for now for reasons unknown. The museum told me, maybe in the Spring sometime. This will be my third attempt at constructing this model. The first attempt was done when I was a child building Revell’s small plastic model which I really botched. I hadn’t yet learned to read and follow instructions, but just dove into assembling the parts with expected results. My second attempt was as a young teenager and when the wounds of that failed build had waned, went a bit better. This time I got the larger plastic model. I did follow instructions and even painted the parts but had absolutely no idea how a rigged ship worked let alone how the lines were attached or what they were for. It looked decent to my young ignorant eyes at the time. Both models met their demise at my hand with firecrackers; usual method of disposing such items This time I expect a glorious finish…I hope.
  23. I am restarting my build log. I had to suspend construction in 2019 for various reasons, 2 knee surgeries, covid, etc., etc. I don't know how to or if my old build is still available, but let's start from here. Hull is completed and painted. I built the deck with nibbing strakes. Starting on cannons. Pictures will follow (Iphone not cooperating today). PS: I build at a slow pace so posts will not be regular. I got a plaque from NRG stating "Tain't a hobby if you got to hurry" and that is my motto.
  24. Good day! This build log will cover the second wooden model ship I am tackling, after the Drakkar Amati. Unlike the Drakkar I decided to do a build log of this. Why the Niagara - two reasons: My wife is from Erie PA where the reconstructed Niagara can be found, and thought that this should be my next build - who am I to disagree especially as she purchased the kit! I like the lines of the ship and it is simpler than other multi deck models out there Pictures of in progress build to follow - I have been working on it for a few weeks now making steady progress as work and other things allow - happy for all comments/suggestions Stuart
  25. I started this boat last Fall before I was a member here so I’m actually somewhere in the neighborhood of 80% finished. It's my first nautical build so what might appear to be lightning fast construction is really just a lot of catching up on already completed steps. When I get to the stuff I’m doing now you’ll notice a rather dramatic slow-down! My photos of the early stages of the build are hit and miss and the quality leaves a lot to be desired. It's casual documentation at best. Fortunately, lots of good logs for this boat are already available on this forum so all the nitty-gritty of actual construction techniques have been covered quite thoroughly by far more accomplished builders than I. While this build log certainly isn’t necessary in terms of critical new information, I thought it would be a good opportunity to get familiar with actively using the forum and share some of the things I did differently on my build. My next build log (1:32 Amati Fifie) will be a much more professional endeavor with photos from my “real” camera rather than a phone…I promise! Thoughts on the kit: If you plan to build this kit entirely from what’s in the box, you should be able to get reasonably good results. My kit was missing a few items but nothing I couldn’t make myself so I didn’t pursue replacements. Other than the planks and building jig, I didn’t use much of the die-cut material provided in the kit. Given that I was looking for a little more “texture” out of my weathered boat than the smooth basswood the kit provided, I turned to my bottomless supply of scraps from various projects I’ve done over the years. I wasn’t overly excited about the look of the rope that came with the kit given what an important part of the overall visual impact it has on a boat of this scale (or any scale really) so I opted for the excellent stuff available from Syren Ship Models instead. It’s a dramatic improvement for such a small investment. This kit comes with 6 sheets of what I consider clear/excellent plans and Ronnberg’s book “To Build a Whaleboat” which is half instruction manual and half a history of the whaleboat in general. For me, these items alone are worth the cost of the kit. I was a little surprised that Model Shipways used such a crudely built version of the boat on the box cover. It doesn't come close to accurately representing the quality of the kit and really would have made me think twice about my purchase if I had seen it in person. Your results will most definitely be far better than what you see on the box! 6 sheets of wonderfully detailed plans. Ronnberg's excellent instruction book. The building jig: If I had any advice to offer on this build as a boat/ship modeling novice, it would be to take your time on this particular step. It’s tempting to hurry through setting up your building jig and getting on to the fun part but everything that follows depends on accuracy here. My kit had quite a few small and not-so-small discrepancies between the plans and the laser cut parts so be sure to compare the two and proceed accordingly. Trust the plans rather than the die-cuts. If I had assembled the building jig “as-is” it clearly would have caused issues during planking. This is probably a no-brainer for people with a few builds under their belt but I was a little perplexed as to why the die-cuts wouldn’t be dead-on. I know better now. I would also recommend strengthening the building jig if the slotted joints feel sloppy/loose like they did with my kit. I added small blocks to strengthen and align the joints overall and I think it was worth the minimal effort invested. I may have just gotten a little unlucky with my particular kit but I suspect this is a common issue. The final thing worth noting as it pertains to the jig is investing in a good quality piece of flat material for your building board that’s not likely to deform with changes in humidity. Dead flat and staying that way is a must if you want the bow and stern horses to sit properly and receive the frames without modifications. The frame after it had been removed from the horses. Note the use of small blocks to square up and stabilize things. The planking process puts a lot of stress on this thing so sturdy is good.
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