Burroak

Ken where do I look to order your book?

Has anyone ever made their own bulkheads for a model ship? I have a Charles Morgan kit by Model shipways but I would like to make as much as I can from scratch. I was wondering if solid wood would warp more than plywood?

Bois d'arc also known as Osage Orange is a very hard wood. Will take more elbow grease to sand it.

Mike I just found your build and I will be following along. Looking forward to this.
 
 
Greg H.

Bois d'arc also known as Osage Orange is a very hard wood. Will take more elbow grease to sand it.

Mark I typed turning copper on a lathe in YouTube and watched a couple of videos of turning copper and the operator didn't use cutting oil or coolant. 

Andy I hope you get back to your Diana soon. You have a very nice build going!

yes....you made me chuckle.........thanks for the fine comments everyone     getting out of work @ 3:30 in the afternoon...{a little after 4:00,  I walk through the door} is kinda nice.  now if I can just get through with all the nuances that I've been fielding so far,  I might be able to think about doing something on the models again.   it's been a while since I've done anything during the work week.......always too dragged out and tired.
 
correct Lou........herringbone.   amazing how quickly the planking went doing it this way.
 
good idea Piet........for those who want to freefall,  strap on a 2 x 4..........it should work well      
 
thanks OC......all in the way I cut the planking.  I hardly made any adjustments at all  
 
thanks Michael!  I can't wait to see a finish on it!   for the calking,  I got the idea from our wonderful moderators,  John and Danny.......archive pens.   I get mine from Hobby Lobby,  and have a variety of different tips { I use three of them}.   one time,  I got stupid and left the cap loose,  and almost ruined the pen.  but I bought a bottle of India Ink,  and a couple of squirts revived the pen.

it won't soak into the wood like magic marker.   I stain the planking before I apply it to the edges.
 
I had to do a dry fit after the deck was trimmed.   I was also curious how much of the deck showed outside of the second level structure.   I like what shows  

I'm pretty sure that the center line is correct......although the dividing wall inside the structure doesn't agree.   I think it makes a nice floor pattern inside.

I may omit the window on both sides,   where the smoke stacks will be placed.  it doesn't make sense to have them showing.   I took these the other day.   thanks again for the kind comments........and thanks to all who hit the like button   

Jesse your Syren looks great! I truly enjoy keeping up with your build.

Jesse your Syren looks great! I truly enjoy keeping up with your build.

Spent some time this afternoon building. Got a coat of linseed oil on. I had planned on using blond shellac up until this morning. I didnt want a high gloss finish, I really prefer a more satin sheen but the more I though about it the less attractive rubbing a shellac finish to satin was becoming. I could have used a water based satin finish but I dont have much experience with water borne finishes and really didnt want to start learning on my build, I have enough to learn as it is!  (see my rudder below) So I decided on rubbed oil and I think I like it. A few more coats and the hull should have that "you gotta touch it" look. Sorry Lorcan-Kitty its claws off the build for you......

 
On another note, I started mounting the gudgeons and pintles while the oil was drying. I was generally pleased with how the soldering and fitting went until I laid it up on the hull. The kit came with pre drilled parts, all the same length. You bend them in place and trim off the excess. all well and good except they drilled all the holes on the same spacing. I think the holes probably should have been drilled to the part after cutting to length.

 
My lack of experience is showing on the stern, unfortunately I didnt taper the hull enough at the stern and now I am going to have a funny step in the bottom hinge. I also didnt research the rudder early enough in the build to mount it as close to the stern as it should be. I am going to have to live with those mistakes and chalk them up to the learning experience. 

 
All in all the rudder isnt terrible, I will most likely try to scratch some new pintles and gudgeons and maybe just fake the gap and not try to make a perfect fit, that will just highlight the issue.
 
As always, comments suggestions and critiques are always welcome.

HI Sam Hows the build going?  and of course Work!?
 
Rich

Auger, welcome back! I'll be keeping an eye out for your build log.
Russ, I re-read my post from a couple of days ago and didnt thank you for your input on the catheads, I hope you didnt think my "cathead" picture was poking fun at your response, I truly appreciate and value your input.
 
Over the last few days I have managed to straighten out the bottom edge of the transom and glued up a whole two braces on the port side. tonight, if I am luck I will get one if the races on the starboard side glued on. Getting those little twigs to follow the curve of the stem has been a bit of a challenge.
 
I blackened my port hinges, but the blackening rubbed right off, gonna try again this weekend.......
 
Thats all for now,
Sam
 

 

 

 

Yep, my first post back on the board goes to you!
Been really busy lately and haven't had much free time, but hopefully I can re-post my Bounty build log since its still in the works.

I have been noodeling over my stem off and on over the last couple of nights. The instructions call for the "headrails" and braces to be all made out of 2x2mm stock. Everything then comes together in a rather small area at the top of the stem. right now the way I have built things it all come together in a cludgy mess. The instructions dont give a real clear picture of the joinery:

 
 
I am thinking I will need to make some changes and go with 1x1mm stock for the braces:

 
Now another question. On the head rails, the instructions show/callout for two pieces, one straight, one somewhat elliptical running from the upper trailing edge of the stem to just under the cap rail. One set each port and starboard. I can see how the straight piece would help brace the stem, but I am not seeing any function for the lower elliptical shaped piece attached to it. Am I missing something or is this "Artistic License" on the part of the manufacture? Maybe to simplify the kit and keep it at an intermediate level?

Hey Auger! Thanks for stopping by, was wondering where you had got to. I see you just re-joined yesterday and I am your first post? I am honored.
 
Will we be seeing some new builds from you?
 
I imagine dusting these beasties is quite q chore, should I ever actually finish this one I will have to put her under glass. we live somewhat close to a freeway and having a 10 month old kitten all those fun and cloth and hangy-down-thingies will be a cat toy in the waiting. 
 
Sam

Robbyn, thank you. How is that garden coming?
 
Carl, Yes sometimes I feel like Janus, but looking on "two" many directions at once! Sorry, couldnt resist the pun. The gap at the top is just gravity pulling the transom away from the hull, there are 6 brass pins I am using both as locators and as reinforcement when I took the picture there was nothing holding the part in place other then the friction of the pins so it fell away a bit. The real problem is I never beveled the bottom edge for some reason, probably because I have been working on multiple subassemblies at once and didnt pay enough attention to the edge. I have corrected the angle and glued a new trim strip to the stern ring. I will get a picture of that tonight or tomorrow, hopefully I can get the transom glued up this weekend.
 
Russ, catheads huh? I have heard the term but didnt really know how it applied, any idea where the name came from?
Maybe i made a mistake and they are supposed to look like this??

 
Ok, enough play, time to go to work.
Sam

Sam,
 
Catheads look real good, not to say marvelous.
 
You shouldn't be working on the front and the back end at the same time! Just pulling your leg. What happened? I see it's wrong, but you measure everything tripple, so I can't understand it ...

Sam, WOW, very clean crisp work. I am duly impressed! I do love the contrasting color  of the wood as well. Hope you start feeling better soon

Sam:
That is actually the cathead. Poor translation indeed.
 
You did well with it though. Good work.
 
Russ

Sam, Sam, Sam,
 
I love the way she looks! Maybe mine gets that way once ...
 
Cheers mate!

Looking Great Sam, Great Pictures
 
Glad your back on the build 

Sam:
The stain job looks very good. I like the color contrast. Couple of pieces of deck furniture, some sticks, some string, and you will have a finished model.
 
Russ

Just a quick update. I can finally sit long enough to build a bit. I got the hull masked off and stained the cap rails and the inner bulwarks(?) The instructions call them rough tree timbers. I used Varathane Dark Walnut. I like the Varathane for working around masked off areas, it is a bit thicker than Minwax stains and doesn't bleed under the tape as easy as the more watery Minwax does. The Varathane is more like a cream consistency.  
I also put some grain filler on several sub assemblies; stern gun port lids, the hawse hole reinforcements and the fore rails. I need to dig out the macro lens and tripod for those so pictures will have to wait till tomorrow. As for now I have a date with the cast iron elbows of my masseuse.
 
Sam
 
 

 

Sam:
I had NOTHING to do with it, NOTHING I say. I was not even in town that month.
 
Looking forward to more pics so I can see that for which I am taking blame.
 
Check my signature for builds.
 
Russ