wq3296
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Everything posted by wq3296
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Greetings bear, Still not sure about the need for a margin plank. In your case, according to info I have prepared by Jim Roberts: "On large warships, the deck planking was tapered so that the outside planks ran parallel to and against the edge of the waterway. The extreme forward plank ends were champfered off (cut off at an angle) against the waterway plank around the bows without being nibbed into a margin plank". If you are a newer builder, the above method will be far easier for you and, as it turns out, quite correct for your ship. wq3296
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Greetings bear, I agree with Chuck and druxey - no nibbing at that time. In fact no margin plank either because you would be using a waterway up against the bulwark and the planks would be fitted up to it: for this era of warship. Typically, margin planks were not used with waterways. Note that this is my understanding of nibbing, margin planks, and waterways. However, I am sure there are many fine warship models of the 18th century that show nibbing, so I am open to other opinions. I would suggest that you do what feels good. wq3296
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Greetings robn... Right, very instructive. I have used the wooden rings before. Tight quarters around the masts on my ship, so I may have to use something more pliable. Thanks again.
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Greetings, Thanks robnbill and Hornet. The pictures really tell the story. As an option I may use an appropriately sized rubber or metal washer. wq3296
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The way he's dressed, I'd say Elton John, 1970. wq3296
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Excellent - thanks Tad and robynbill.
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Thanks robnbill
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Greetings, Typically, there had to be a means of keeping water from leaking in around mast penetrations through the decks of ships. The model ship I am working on now does not call for mast coats but I will add them anyway since they were probably a standard item. How else could you seal around the mast? Practically anything can be used to fabricate mast coats - wood, paper, cloth, etc. painted black. I would expect they extended up the mast at least a foot. I guess they were originally made from tarred canvas or leather. Any thoughts? wq3296
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CA adhesive, which one do you use?
wq3296 replied to Modeler12's topic in Masting, rigging and sails
Greetings Mod... With glue, you pick a horse and ride it. The best value, I think, is the 12 pack of the original Super Glue as was previously pointed out above. You can get it at Home Depot and similar stores. I agree with mtaylor: as often as possible I will use PVA for wood to wood applications. The CA works with everything else, including metal to metal and applications where you need a fast bond. wq3296 -
10-4 Ken, thanks.
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Greetings Ken, Nice job on the FA. Where did you get the letters used on the stern? They appear to be about 3/16" high or less. I have been looking for lettering to use on my FA. wq3296
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Thinking Things Through - French Frigates
wq3296 replied to mtaylor's topic in Nautical/Naval History
Greetings Augie, In my opinion: To your point, 195/100 must be the same as 1.95 to 1.00 - in other words a ratio. A ratio would apply to any unit of measure i.e. feet, inches, meters, etc. We know that the design of ships of that era was based on the ratio system. You've seen it: the length of the main mast was based on a fixed percentage of the hull length between perpendiculars, the main sail yard was based on the main mast length, etc. I think this is what we are seeing in Mark's case. This must be why the fraction is shown in parenthesis - it represents the ratio of the dimension preceding it to another dimension. All we need to know is the unit of measure to which the ratio applies. wq3296 -
Thinking Things Through - French Frigates
wq3296 replied to mtaylor's topic in Nautical/Naval History
Greetings m... I wouldn't over complicate. To me, it makes sense that 6" and 34/100 simply means 6.34" regardless of the length of their actual inch. What does it matter, so long as you are consistent? Additionally, I am quite confident that the original ship was not built as shown on the drawings - nothing ever is, from ships, to buildings, to bridges, etc. My point: if something doesn't make sense to you, it probably didn't make sense to the original builders either so they changed it to something that worked or was easier to build. Finally, do you really think the builders of 15th, 16th, 17th, century ships were really concerned about fractions of an inch? Doubtful. wq3296 -
Greetings Keith, In that case go to hardware/lumber store and get some water based wood filler for interior use (Elmer's). Drywall spackel (filler, not seam compound) also works beautifully since it is easy to work. wq3296
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Greetings mal... Yes, a pain in the nuts. I start the rigging on the yard, then raise the yard via the upper jeers. The upper jeers can usually provide enough resistance to hold the yard up while you complete the rigging. Once roved, you can tighten/loosen the lines as appropriate to adjust the yard to proper height. Don't forget the yard slings. I expect this is how it was done on the actual ship. wq3296
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Filler Blocks
wq3296 replied to Jimz66's topic in Building, Framing, Planking and plating a ships hull and deck
Greetings Jimz66, Yes use the basswood. It can be easily shaped with hand tools. I don't think you will be happy with balsa. wq3296 -
Greetings felelo, Try the Pepper Wreck by Filipe Vieira de Castro. It is about a Portuguese merchant ship carrying pepper that went down at the mouth of the Tagus River in Lisbon, 1606. Portions of the ship were recovered between 1997 and 2000. I know 1606 is the beginning of the 17th century, and the ship was probably built in the late 16th century but the book gives good descriptions and pictures of how she was built. wq3296
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Windlass Rigging
wq3296 replied to BareHook's topic in Discussion for a Ship's Deck Furniture, Guns, boats and other Fittings
Greetings Ken, There is a braking system on a windlass that allows it to rotate freely when the anchor is released. The end of the anchor rode, or chain, is fastened to bitts in a locker below decks. The anchor rode, or chain, passes up through the deck to the windlass via hawse pipes. When the anchor is raised, the windlass is prevented from rotating freely by pawls so that the anchor can be stopped at any point during raising, as necessary. wq3296 -
Greetings Bear, You ask a good question, but one none of us on this forum is able to answer with authority since we weren't around to see to the actual subjects of our modelling efforts. I am surprised at people's perception of how well real ships were finished. Go to a marina or municipal dock where working boats tie up, such as fishing boats, tugs, ferry boats, etc. and you will be fascinated to see what passes for finish work. This applies to military vessels as well as cruise ships. I doubt anything was "dubbed fair" on any naval vessel. Ships were/are built strong, but hardly fair. In general, ships are purpose built and meant for hard use with minimum maintenance. I was surprised to see that even cruise ships, of which I am quite familiar, have many rough areas areas and other than smooth welds. Don't take my word - go and see for yourself. All ships are built for a price, and that price does not always include a quality finish and perfect workmanship. I doubt very much that 15th-16th century ships were built anywhere now how we envision them. My point: don't worry if your decks are not furniture perfect. wq3296
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Paint brush verses air brush
wq3296 replied to medic's topic in Painting, finishing and weathering products and techniques
Greetings, I use brushes for painting. However, don't forget the other option: spray cans. Model shops have all kinds of spray colors and finishes and paint and hardware stores (Home Depot, Loews, etc.) have huge selections. The spray cans work great for applying polyurethane over the hull and decks. With all that said, I have limited experience with air brushing but there is limited clean up with brushes and spray cans compared to air brushing. wq3296 -
Greetings Grant, Typically, pin rails are located slightly aft of each mast and at the bow sprite, port and starboard along the inner bulwarks. Unless you have other information, I would use this as a starting point: Relative to length of pin rails, and spacing for belaying pins, establish the length the pin rail first based on number of pins you think you will need (plus several extras), then divide the pin rail length by the number of pins to determine spacing. As with so many modeling situations, there are no hard and fast rules and you have to use common sense. Relative to minimum spacing, think about how much space you would need around a pin to coil maybe 30' of 3/4" line - I expect 12" to 14" o.c. min. would work. I would say just jump in a do what makes sense and you you can't go too far wrong. wq3296
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Greetings Tar... Yes, black hull all the way. There are many pictures showing every detail of the existing boat, so there is no reason not to do it as built. A movie is being made of Hemingway, including Pilar. However, they are not using the actual boat - they are modifying a smaller Wheeler similar to Pilar. The up shot is that if you want to see pictures make sure they are of the real Pilar which is currently on a cradle in Havana. wq3296
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Greetings All, I asked for, and received, Pilar by Constructo for Christmas. I have built two other Constructos, the Enterprise and America. I became interested in Pilar after seeing a good build log on MSW and an article on the real boat in Wooden Boat magazine. The kit compares pretty well with Hemingway's the real Pilar, which has been preserved in Havana. The kit calls for the hull to be natural finish, but Pilar actually had a black hull. So far, the only egregious kit item I have seen is the keel/propeller/rudder assembly. It looks like it was cobbled together by folks who only know wind power, I guess. However, this problem is easily rectified - there are many pictures of Pilar's running gear on the interweb. Another minor issue is the lack of an exhaust pipe, which should be on the port side of the transom. Other than that we are good to go. Materials and instructions are very good. wq3296
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POB and adding blocks
wq3296 replied to figuerres's topic in Building, Framing, Planking and plating a ships hull and deck
Greetings Fig... I agree with you: it does seem to be a waste of time, and if you want the security of a solid hull buy one and plank it over. You can accomplish a fair hull by using batten strips and save a lot of time over infilling with balsa. In fact, I haven't run across any instructions from kit manufacturers that suggest balsa infilling. They may be out there, but I haven't seen them. wq3296 -
Fair Amarican Model SHipways kit 1:48 - scale issues
wq3296 replied to figuerres's topic in Wood ship model kits
Greetings Fig... I am in the middle of building this model at the moment. The hull is done and I am now building the beak head. When I got the kit I noticed the same thing you did - the door to the cabin is way too small. I built a simple companion way centered on the poop deck that has an appropriately sized door. I also added a skylight in the poop deck that would provide light and ventilation to the cabin below. These modifications will necessitate a redesign of the helm, but the finished model will be far more realistic. I will be adding other modifications as well as I go along. According to MS, their model is a model of a model so they make no claims as to its relationship to the real ship. Accordingly, you are free to make improvements as you see fir. Other folks on the forum have built this model and some have added the companionway. Take look at their build logs. KenW has a particularly good one in progress. wq3296
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