wq3296
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wq3296 got a reaction from tarbrush in Constructo's Pilar
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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wq3296 got a reaction from CaptainSteve in Rudder Straps and White Stuff
Greetings Jim,
Hold on. It is my understanding that "white stuff" was not paint, but rather a coating. I believe the main ingredient was tallow, with other materials added in an attempt to give it anti- fouling properties. My opinion is that it was applied to all bottom surfaces including metal, by design or accident, but probably did not adhere as well to metal. As a result the iron work (straps) may have shown through in a short time. As an option you could coat the straps with a much watered down paint that you use to paint bottom. This would allow the blackish straps to "read" through the coating which is probably the real deal.
wq3296
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wq3296 got a reaction from flying_dutchman2 in Wine Bottle Corks
Greetings All,
If you wrap sandpaper around a wine bottle cork, it makes a good sander for tight areas typically found at the junction between the keel and garboard strake and at the point where the plank ends tie into the stern post. The new synthetic corks should last longer than real cork. I'm not worried though - if I stopped drinking today I would still have a lifetime supply,
wq3296
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wq3296 got a reaction from SkerryAmp in Announcing the Model Ship World Ship Kit Database Project
Adam,
Someone said "no good deed goes unpunished". As you compile all this information, I think you will be taking on a degree of responsibility if you make a mistake. Some folks may buy a kit based on the information you provide, and if its wrong... Further, why go through all that trouble duplicating the information supplied by the manufacturer? Why not just prepare a simply list of all the manufactures of which you are aware, a general description of the type of kits they offer, and web address? Manufacturers pay for web sites that provide all the information you would be compiling, so why bother? Let them market their own stuff. I think your idea is good if kept very simple. Beyond that, you are just duplicating the manufacturer's effort and you could be exposed to some responsibility if you mistakenly misrepresent a product. Just sayin'.
wq3296
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wq3296 got a reaction from dafi in Thinking things throu, the gunroom / gunner´s room
Understood, but the knee, tiller, hatches, etc. still in the way. I'll bet that on the real ship those aft guns were never installed. Assuming everything is to scale, how would you ever be able to work those guns as you show them laid out?
wq3296
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wq3296 got a reaction from dafi in Thinking things throu, the gunroom / gunner´s room
Daniel,
As a follow up to my previous post: I have a picture (yes, from Longridge's book) showing where windows had been installed in some of the aft most gun ports on Victory. I doubt this was original outfit, but I expect it was done on ships. A temporary window could easily be fitted for quick removal as necessary. This picture goes to my point that some gun ports in living/work spaces were for convenience and not for permanent gun installation.
wq3296
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wq3296 got a reaction from dafi in Thinking things throu, the gunroom / gunner´s room
Greetings Daniel,
It looks like you are trying to fit 10 pounds of stuff into a 5 pound bag. I imagine it would be very difficult to work those guns in such a tight area. Assuming the partitions are removable for battle, the proximity of the tiller, the structural knee, the hatches in the deck, etc. would seem to hamper gun recoil as well as function during battle. I know you have plans that show the hull pierced for those guns, but it may be that the piercings were there for convenience and not necessarily permanent gun placement. I have read that guns would be moved from place to place to allow for a shot at the enemy. I expect the same applies in your case. Realistically, war ships were probably in action for a small portion of their service life, so why have the guns occupy needed living and working space? I think a more realistic approach would be to show the rigged gun port lids and the fittings in the deck and bulwarks to accommodate the all guns, but omit the two aft most guns.
wq3296
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wq3296 got a reaction from geoff in Wine Bottle Corks
Greetings Mark,
My goal is a little more ambitious - the Constitution.
wq3296
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wq3296 got a reaction from geoff in Wine Bottle Corks
Greetings All,
If you wrap sandpaper around a wine bottle cork, it makes a good sander for tight areas typically found at the junction between the keel and garboard strake and at the point where the plank ends tie into the stern post. The new synthetic corks should last longer than real cork. I'm not worried though - if I stopped drinking today I would still have a lifetime supply,
wq3296
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wq3296 got a reaction from MarkBseau in Wine Bottle Corks
Greetings All,
If you wrap sandpaper around a wine bottle cork, it makes a good sander for tight areas typically found at the junction between the keel and garboard strake and at the point where the plank ends tie into the stern post. The new synthetic corks should last longer than real cork. I'm not worried though - if I stopped drinking today I would still have a lifetime supply,
wq3296
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wq3296 got a reaction from dafi in Chain pumps on first and second rates
Greetings dafi,
Longridge's book on Victory has a section drawing through the ship center line from stem to stern. This drawing shows the four pumps, located on the Gun Deck, situated fore and aft around the main mast - 2 on each side. Note that the Gun Deck is the next deck up from the Orlop. The crank handles run through each set of pumps and extend about 20' fore and aft respectively from each pump, for a total crank length of over 50' for each set of pumps. According to Longridge, the cranks were long enough to accommodate six men per side. The pump discharges were on the Gun Deck as part of the pump housings. Longridge states that the pump mechanisms were the endless chain type with sprockets for each pump located in the pump well at the bottom (bilge) and in the semi circular casing on top of the pump housing. Pumped water discharged from the well up to the Gun Deck via a cast iron pipe. There were also port and starboard elm tree pumps adjacent to the main mast.
wq3296
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wq3296 got a reaction from hornet in rudder hinges
Greetings Michael,
You said the scale was 1:100? I wouldn't bother with the brass and soldering and all that fuss at this small scale. You can use some heavy black paper or card stock to fashion some very serviceable rudder hinges, unless you want the rudder to be movable. Otherwise, use some metal pins embedded in the rudder to fasten it to the stern post. The rudder should stand off the stern post about .5mm or so. Space the pins at the hinge locations so they will be hidden by the hinges. The hinges can easily be formed from the paper or card stock and glued to the hull and rudder as appropriate. Most rudder hinges (called pintels and gudgens) supplied with model kits are way out scale. The card stock is about right for small scale ships.
WQ3296
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wq3296 got a reaction from GuntherMT in rudder hinges
Greetings Michael,
You said the scale was 1:100? I wouldn't bother with the brass and soldering and all that fuss at this small scale. You can use some heavy black paper or card stock to fashion some very serviceable rudder hinges, unless you want the rudder to be movable. Otherwise, use some metal pins embedded in the rudder to fasten it to the stern post. The rudder should stand off the stern post about .5mm or so. Space the pins at the hinge locations so they will be hidden by the hinges. The hinges can easily be formed from the paper or card stock and glued to the hull and rudder as appropriate. Most rudder hinges (called pintels and gudgens) supplied with model kits are way out scale. The card stock is about right for small scale ships.
WQ3296
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wq3296 got a reaction from tkay11 in rudder hinges
Greetings Michael,
You said the scale was 1:100? I wouldn't bother with the brass and soldering and all that fuss at this small scale. You can use some heavy black paper or card stock to fashion some very serviceable rudder hinges, unless you want the rudder to be movable. Otherwise, use some metal pins embedded in the rudder to fasten it to the stern post. The rudder should stand off the stern post about .5mm or so. Space the pins at the hinge locations so they will be hidden by the hinges. The hinges can easily be formed from the paper or card stock and glued to the hull and rudder as appropriate. Most rudder hinges (called pintels and gudgens) supplied with model kits are way out scale. The card stock is about right for small scale ships.
WQ3296
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wq3296 got a reaction from tarbrush in Questions about Magellan era Portuguese Carrack
Greetings Buck,
I built this ship a few years back, and it is one of my favorites. Mamoli makes a fine product. The keel on this model is veneered with thin walnut, so you can do pretty much what you want. I agree that the drawings are a little funky as to how the keel joints are represented. I have book entitled "The Pepper Wreck - A Portuguese Indiaman at the Mouth of the Tagus River". This book is about a spice ship circa 1600 that went down in the Tagus River which runs through Lisbon, Portugal. Portions of the ship were recovered between 1997 and 2000, including keel sections. According to diagrams in the book, the keel had horizontal scarves in it such as you would expect to see on later ships. The lengths between scarves on this particular ship ranged between 160 and 190 cm.
It should be pointed out that Portugal was recognized as the world's first super power owing to its trade with India, Japan, China, and colonization of Brazil and parts of Africa. They pretty much pioneered blue water sailing and ship building, and wrote the book on navigation.
wq3296
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wq3296 got a reaction from Salty Sea Dog in Questions about Magellan era Portuguese Carrack
Greetings Buck,
I built this ship a few years back, and it is one of my favorites. Mamoli makes a fine product. The keel on this model is veneered with thin walnut, so you can do pretty much what you want. I agree that the drawings are a little funky as to how the keel joints are represented. I have book entitled "The Pepper Wreck - A Portuguese Indiaman at the Mouth of the Tagus River". This book is about a spice ship circa 1600 that went down in the Tagus River which runs through Lisbon, Portugal. Portions of the ship were recovered between 1997 and 2000, including keel sections. According to diagrams in the book, the keel had horizontal scarves in it such as you would expect to see on later ships. The lengths between scarves on this particular ship ranged between 160 and 190 cm.
It should be pointed out that Portugal was recognized as the world's first super power owing to its trade with India, Japan, China, and colonization of Brazil and parts of Africa. They pretty much pioneered blue water sailing and ship building, and wrote the book on navigation.
wq3296
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wq3296 got a reaction from bago100 in First attempt at planking - need advice
Greetings Graham,
You would be surprised at how much you have learned just from doing the first planking job. Tutorials are fine and I would agree that you would learn from studying one or two. However, you learn by doing - not by reading about how someone else thinks it should be done. Use them as a guide to learn some of the finer points, but don't get bogged down.
Relative to your present model, she's not bad at all for a first go. I think she can be saved and I would not strip off the planks and start over. You might consider planking her over with thin stock but, in my opinion, I don't think it is necessary. Assuming the existing planks are glued on as well as nailed, I would remove the nails which will allow you to sand the hull to achieve a smoother finish. The nail holes will fill in automatically with sanding, or you can fill them with putty. I would simply fill the hole on the port bow with a shaped sliver of wood that you can glue in. After repairs are made, a good overall sanding will do wonders to fair the hull. If still not satisfied, paint the hull. Good luck.
wq3296
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wq3296 got a reaction from ScottRC in First attempt at planking - need advice
Greetings Graham,
You would be surprised at how much you have learned just from doing the first planking job. Tutorials are fine and I would agree that you would learn from studying one or two. However, you learn by doing - not by reading about how someone else thinks it should be done. Use them as a guide to learn some of the finer points, but don't get bogged down.
Relative to your present model, she's not bad at all for a first go. I think she can be saved and I would not strip off the planks and start over. You might consider planking her over with thin stock but, in my opinion, I don't think it is necessary. Assuming the existing planks are glued on as well as nailed, I would remove the nails which will allow you to sand the hull to achieve a smoother finish. The nail holes will fill in automatically with sanding, or you can fill them with putty. I would simply fill the hole on the port bow with a shaped sliver of wood that you can glue in. After repairs are made, a good overall sanding will do wonders to fair the hull. If still not satisfied, paint the hull. Good luck.
wq3296
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wq3296 got a reaction from dgbot in First attempt at planking - need advice
Greetings Graham,
You would be surprised at how much you have learned just from doing the first planking job. Tutorials are fine and I would agree that you would learn from studying one or two. However, you learn by doing - not by reading about how someone else thinks it should be done. Use them as a guide to learn some of the finer points, but don't get bogged down.
Relative to your present model, she's not bad at all for a first go. I think she can be saved and I would not strip off the planks and start over. You might consider planking her over with thin stock but, in my opinion, I don't think it is necessary. Assuming the existing planks are glued on as well as nailed, I would remove the nails which will allow you to sand the hull to achieve a smoother finish. The nail holes will fill in automatically with sanding, or you can fill them with putty. I would simply fill the hole on the port bow with a shaped sliver of wood that you can glue in. After repairs are made, a good overall sanding will do wonders to fair the hull. If still not satisfied, paint the hull. Good luck.
wq3296
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wq3296 got a reaction from Landlubber Mike in HMS Ajax by Cabrillo - Euromodel
Greetings Cabrillo,
She looks fine. I made my Ajax into the HMS Juno, 32 gun frigate.
wq3296
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wq3296 got a reaction from Johncclark in HMS Ajax by Cabrillo - Euromodel
Greetings Cabrillo,
She looks fine. I made my Ajax into the HMS Juno, 32 gun frigate.
wq3296
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wq3296 got a reaction from mtaylor in Cannon Alignment
Greetings JohnB,
One guess is as good as another, but I expect that the guns were trained on the enemy ship as soon as she (they) came into range. Accordingly, this would have resulted in practically any gun orientation as appropriate from a forward bias to and aft bias and all points in between. As someone pointed out, the gun positions probably changed incrementally as the relative locations of the ships changed. The battle scenes in Master and Commander seem to give a pretty good representation of what goes on before the order to fire is given. Of course, after the first shot, it was probable ever gun crew for itself. The upshot is, you can't be wrong regardless of how you set your guns up.
wq3296
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wq3296 got a reaction from robnbill in Cannon Alignment
Greetings JohnB,
One guess is as good as another, but I expect that the guns were trained on the enemy ship as soon as she (they) came into range. Accordingly, this would have resulted in practically any gun orientation as appropriate from a forward bias to and aft bias and all points in between. As someone pointed out, the gun positions probably changed incrementally as the relative locations of the ships changed. The battle scenes in Master and Commander seem to give a pretty good representation of what goes on before the order to fire is given. Of course, after the first shot, it was probable ever gun crew for itself. The upshot is, you can't be wrong regardless of how you set your guns up.
wq3296
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wq3296 got a reaction from ross in Baseboard Alternative
Greetings,
An alternative to the typical hardwood baseboard with brass pedestals for ships that may not come with cradles, I like to make my own. I have used oak, ipei, maple, with simple pedestals of my own design. For my current project I found a weathered 2x4 on the beach that I will cut down to correct length. I will also reduce the thickness to about an inch. We live on Narragansett Bay, so one can usually find all the weathered wood needed. The particular 2x4 I found has turned grey and the edges have beautifully rounded due to "life at sea". I expect I will make up some pedestals from other wood I have kicking around. Wood pedestals provide another option for mounting the ship to the base instead of the typical screw. I cut slots in the pedestals to accommodate the keel width then, with the ship set in place, I drill small holes (1/16" dia.) horizontally through the pedestal slots and the keel. I then drive a tight fitting brass pin (usually stuff left over from kits) through the holes in the keel/pedestals. The length of the pin is the outside width of the pedestal. The pins should fit such that they can easily be pushed through the holes for removal. Note: the pedestals should be fastened to the baseboard with screws that are the correct length to avoid piercing the bottoms of the slots which would prevent the keel from settling in to position.
wq3296
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wq3296 got a reaction from WackoWolf in emergency steering chains
Greetings Dafi,
Your picture of the actual Victory is the money shot. This picture coincides with Longridge's description in his book and his photo of the Victory. Frankly, the way the Victory's rudder is rigged makes perfect sense as to the reason for these chains.
wq3296
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