thibaultron

Thanks for the tips Clare...

Hi JCT,
 
I hope you enjoy it as much as I have. The Pinta is a nice looking model. I saw some photos of a really gorgeous build of the paper kit not that long ago. There are a lot of things you can do to take the kit to the next level, but I found my first kit (the Alert) to be a great learning experience.
 
The one thing I have to say about the Alert, which also applies to Le Coureur I think, is that because the kit uses a layer of lapstrake planking, you end up with three layers of coverings on the hull. Most shipyard kits only use two. Each successive layer gets you closer to a smoothly curving hull, and by the time I added the lapstrake planking, the hull looked nice and fair.
 
For the 1/96-scale HMS Mercury kit that I've been working on, I'm trying to think of ways to improve the planking look. I'm considering lightly scoring the printed planking lines of the hull and painting it, so that it will essentially look like a planked hull. Also, for a future build, I would consider adding some kind of thin strips directly across the frames before adding any layers, just to provide more support for the first hull layer. 
 
Anyway, these kits are inexpensive enough to experiment with a little. My one piece of advice is to scan all the parts sheets onto your computer first, so you can print any replacement items you may need.
 
Looking forward to seeing your build log!

It is so obvious I wonder why it took me so long to see it.

Thank you Kees!

Thanks Elia.  It was great meeting you, and I hope you let me know when you're in the area again.  Your recommendations on the sail making booklet and on the HAER drawings of the Lettie were great - I've been studying both.  David's booklet on sail making has answered lots of my questions on how to rig Kathryn's sails.
 
Looking forward to seeing progress on Arethusa.

Very nice work. I like the smooth finish in your work

Frank,
 
So very nice work on the jig for the ladder and its execution.  Kathryn is looking sharper than ever.
 
Thanks again for the meet-up with GuntherMT and shop talk a couple of weeks back - it was real treat to be able to meet the two of you and talk wooden ship modeling.  I'm just about settled back at home now and getting some modeling stuff re-started.
 
Cheers,
 
Elia

Corny, but fun!
 
 

What a great family historical project! And the quality of your Uncle's work at that age!

Build Log. Restoration of Full Rigged Sailing Ship Model
Posting #6
Then some light relief was the restoration of the ship’s boats, deckhouse and rudder.  See photos below.
There are four ship’s boats all of which, if full scale, would be about 17 feet long.  Two are what I’d call lifeboats like a small whaler, that is, with a sharp sterns.  These are stowed upside down on the deckhouse roof.  The other two could be termed as jolly boats, and they are on the tiers beneath the davits.
Julius carved them from blocks of wood and hollowed them as can be seen in the photo.  They are covered with sail cloth which is stretched over a fore and aft ridge pole then painted.
Deckhouse. Again made from a solid block of lightweight wood.
Rudder.  The original didn’t survive the ravages of time!  I made the new one from a piece of our lovely straight-grained NZ Kauri.  This timber (lumber) was highly sought after by the explorer/navigator Captain James Cook on his late 18th Century voyages, for spars in particular.  The tiller is original.

 

Deperdussin 1911 - thankyou for your comment, much appreciated. Paul

Thistle17 - thank you.  looking at some of others blogsI realise that our community of modellers has some very fine craftsmen turning out superb finished models.  They inspire me to keep going.  My uncle was only 11 when he finished my model in 1899 - and as i keep going I feel as though I am experiencing some of his challenges.  He did it with his bare hands and a few hand tools.  I have the benefit of electriciity, light and some modern tools!  I am often in awe of that young boy.  
I really appreciate your comments, thanks again. Paul 

Great work on a wonderful project!!! 

There is something fascinating about restoration of a model. I have done 2 for an individual in our city that were termed "sailors models" and as such were a bit rudimentary in comparison. Your uncle was accomplished and your work on this gem is outstanding. Those who sailed aboard these ships were indeed remarkable people and your work honors them!

Build Log
Posting #5
Looking back on the previous instalments I feel I glossed over the many and varied
tasks, some very small yet necessary, involved in advancing the project.  These are not necessarily in chronological order.
-          shaping wood for replacement bulwarks and fitting them to the hull;
-          preparing hull for painting, and painting it;
-          making new main pin rails, including marking and drilling the pin holes;
-          repairing bitts and fiferails;
-          making new belaying pins from copper wire. (Note: copper or brass wire has been used instead of steel as would have been on an actual ship);
-          making triple “sheave” blocks needed for upper top, upper topgallant and royal yard halliards;
-          fitting halliard tyes;
-          rigging halliards for the hoisting yards i.e. upper top, upper topgallant and royal;
-          adding fittings (“spider bands”) to each mast;
-          attaching chain plates to hull for each mast;
-     making and installing main shrouds;
-     fitting capstays to each mast;
-     installing trestle trees, main and mizzen masts;
-      making and installing mizzen shrouds;
-     making new tops for each mast
-     rigging fore-topmast back-stay;
-     fitting ringbolts for anchoring main & mizzen stays;
-     rigging mainstay and mizzenstay;
-     fitting spreaders for backstays;
-     rigging topmast, topgallant and royal stays plus the associated backstays;
-     rigging ratlines on each of the 9 sets of shrouds;
-     incidental painting of mast sections, tops and trestle trees;
-     refurbishing existing running rigging blocks, and making some new ones;
-     making and fitting sheer poles;
-     resetting of shrouds;
-     refitting bowsprit guys;
-     refurbishing existing yards, and making necessary replacements;
-     preparing each yard by fitting the necessary fittings (e.g. jackstays, eye bolts, 
foot-ropes, rigging blocks) for the running rigging;
-          fitting yard lifts;
-          fitting buntline and clew line blocks on all 18 yards (small beads);
-          preparing and fitting wire brace pendants for each yard;
-          making a pair of bumkins that take rigging for the mainmast braces;
-          fitting braces, all of which involve purchases;
-          refurbishing and fitting the deckhouse;
-          repairing and fitting the skylight over the main cabin;
-          calculating dimensions of the spanker gaff and boom.
 
And as you seasoned modellers well know the task list keeps on growing. Pictures below are just a few from 2013 (4 years ago) to show a little of the progress.
1.      My improvised bumkin to accommodate the main lower braces.
 
2.      A more general view of the standing rigging – halliards for the 3 hoisting yards, lifts for the yards and braces for the yards.
 
3.      Some detail of the mainmast trestle trees.
 
4.      Detail of mizzen top.

Great progress.

Build Log
Posting #4
Stepping of Masts and Rigging Shrouds
With the foremast having already been stepped the original shrouds were stripped off, and the original channels refurbished and fitted.  The original main and mizzen masts were stepped and a complete new set of shrouds were rigged.  The shrouds are copper wire, as are all the mast stays that came a little later.
 



Next came the “tops” for each mast all newly fashioned from rimu and shaped and drilled as per the originals which had suffered over the years.  New topmasts and topgallant masts were made of New Zealand kauri a very straight-grained timber that was extensively used for masts and spars on the windjammers in the 1800s and 1900s.  The fids are short bits of copper wire – the originals.  These mast sections were swayed up, as they say, and shrouds rigged for topmasts and topgallant masts.  Wire for these is smaller in diameter to keep a semblanceof scale.  Ratlines were all done using rigging thread.    

Then came the fore and backstays.  Following on came the job of refurbishing the sound yards and making up just a few to replace those infested with woodworm.  You very quickly learn that spars have a great many holes needed for the various fittings.  The little drill press again was invaluable.  Julius has simply made up copper wire eyebolts which he stuck into the holes where needed and for opposing fittings used a single piece of wire with an eye on each end. The photos indicate the “before” state, as well as the typical home-made fittings.


Thus, having now fitted the standing rigging, and the preparation of the yards, it was time to sling the yards into place along with their associated lifts and halliards.  It was quite an eye opener to learn how much cordage was needed to reeve the halliards in their triple block configuration.


As can be seen in 2 photos above, the transformation to having the running rigging for the yards - the braces - in place is significant.  I can tell you that quite a few hours was taken up in achieving this milestone.  To this point in the project, I still had enough of the original rigging blocks for this phase of rigging.  My apologies for the imperfect lighting for the photos. Please ask if you would like further detail on any aspect of the project.
 

Such a labour of love!  Fascinating. 

Very happy I looped in on this log. Nice deadeye production. 
Steve

Build Log
Posting #3
Preparations for Standing Rigging.
As already mentioned 96 deadeyes (blocks) were needed in order to set up shrouds and backstays.  The photos below show the development.  From strips of hardwood the basic shape of the deadeyes was formed; then grooves were cut using a parting disc on the (Dremel) drill press – this was the starting point for the circumferential grooves that were completed later.
After scribing the lines for the various holes in the blocks the drill press was used to drill all the holes.  You sharp-eyed folk will notice the “fairing” of each hole – my method for doing that was simply to run some nylon monofilament (fishing line) backwards and forwards through each hole to produce the fairing in the correct direction.

 
Having then cut the strips into blocks it was a matter of using very small files (pattern files?) to cut the circumferential grooves.
Next was coating them with polyurethane as you can see below.
 
Finally the “chain plates”, made from wire, as Julius had done originally, were fitted to the blocks as shown.  As many scratch modellers find, you are often making up a new jig for making parts, such as chain plates.  I have now quite a collection of such jigs

Reflection.  Some of you probably wonder why I have made the various fittings instead of commercially manufactured fittings obtained from model makers’ stores. My main purpose in attacking this project is to turn this model into a memorial for my uncle.  So I felt it worthwhile to set to and do it as much as possible by hand.  I wanted to experience something of his life and the challenges he probably met in the building process.  I learned very early in this project is the requirement to be patient!  If you do something in a hurry you can quickly end up damaging your earlier work, so patience becomes progressively more important as the model becomes more complex, especially in the rigging.
Note:  This is a retrospective build log, the project having seriously recommenced in 2010.  In 1968 I had replaced: some of the bulwarks, the broken bowsprit, the deck over the focs’le, the foremast, fore topmast and foretopgallant mast, the mizzen mast, then set up foremast shrouds and stays, and had rigged the halliards for the foremast yards.  Then a glass case was made which has helped keep the model free from dust. 
Please therefore understand that I write now with the benefit of some hindsight!
 
Now to the business of stepping some masts.

Fantastic job!
 

Not so much restore as rebuild! That is a very neat job so far, Paul.

Build Log
Posting #2
The model: representing a 3 Mast full-rigged ship - square sails on each  mast.
Note: scale and all dimensions are estimated
 
Scale:                          1:55
Full size hull length:   55m (190 feet)
Beam:                         10.8m (35ft) Mainmast truck to deck: 43m (141ft)
Truck to waterline:     46.75m (153ft)
Truck to Keel             50.6m (167ft)
Main course yard:      21m (68ft)
Sail area:                    1,800 sq.m (19,500sq.ft.)
Displacement:           760 tonnes (750 tons)
 
In the photo below the first thing to note is that the hull is fashioned from a single piece of wood. Reburbishing it involved cutting out most of the original bulwarks, which being made of quite soft wood – probably our native (NZ) white pine – which woodworm (borer) loves!  Replacements were made using our NZ Rimu (red pine which was NZ’s main building timber in days gone by) by copying the originals.  Of course new pin rails were needed too and rimu was my choice for these. The original belaying pins were simply made from copper wire of the diameter that fitted cosily into the holes.                                                   
                                                        

In this careening position can be seen the remains of the original livery colours. The light grey above the waterline has given the only clue I have as to perhaps the inspiration for this model.  Only recently – early 2017 - an acquaintance on seeing my model, exclaimed that the livery was that of the “J.J. Craig Line” of Auckland which operated in the first decade of the 20th Century.   So it seems a little more than a possibility that a ship of this line may inspired that young lad, my uncle Julius.  Note the keel running the full bilge length – it is solid lead. 
Photos below shows readiness for stepping main and mizzen masts, and for that 96 deadeyes were needed.