Chuck Seiler

Bob, I have the same kit. I wanted to do a Hahn, have plans for a couple different models, but was reluctant to start. The idea of the pre-cut futtocks appealed to me. Dave suggested he was going to put together a practicum to assist in this construction, but I have not seen it. One issue I have (and I will be watching to see how you deal with it) is how to properly connect each futtock to come up with the complete frame. I have some ideas, but... I have the Hahn "Colonial Schooners" book as well as a couple articles, but they deal with using the blanks. I shall pull up a chair and watch your progress.

Kenny, Some may say that using the Lumberyard timbering set is not scratch building, but you will get no argument from me. That still requires a lot of skill and effort. I remember seeing a model of RALEIGH a dozen or so years ago at one of the SMA conferences. I want to say Clay Feldman made it, but not certain. It was a beautiful model!!! I look forward to your build.

I know the original topic was "Prepare wood for acrylic paint", not "Acrylic Paint", but I wanted to chime in regarding the use of artists acrylics (out of a tube). While BADGER brand may not be available to you, I am sure artist acrylics are. I used to use BADGER almost exclusively, then I read some of Chuck P.'s posts on painting in his CONFEDERACY or WINCHELSEA logs. He uses many coats of highly diluted artist acrylics and comes up with a GREAT finish. Since I am a fan of the more earthy colors that one might find in the1 700s, rather than the artificially bright colors of today, I find these paints give me a lot more flexibility. I have at least 8 different hues of red. YOWZA. Anywho, just a thought.

The ship would most certainly have a binnacle when underway. It's possible that the plans did not include it because; (a) ATALANTA had GPS or (b) it was not included because the binnacle was not built as part of the ship. It was a removable piece of 'furniture'. I suspect (b).

Dan, This is a pretty non-hostile environment here. Occasionally you will see a low level barroom brawl break out, but that is merely a friendly disagreement among passionate ship modelers. Welcome aboard!!

Why only 84 guns?

You can do something similar by going to "Content I follow". Click on "ACTIVITY" (top bar) then "MY ACTIVITY STREAMS" and "CONTENT I FOLLOW". Make sure you choose "CONDESNSED" or else it will have every post from every topic you follow. You can also set up Custom threads....but I am not too clear on that. I set that up for me (LOGS I FOLLOW) and I think I think it includes all topics and most of the news articles from Major League Baseball. "CONTENT I FOLLOW" is easier.

It may not be a bad idea to use a dust mask when sanding ANY wood...just to be safe. I have oft heard that ebony can be very toxic. Personally, I have reactions to boxwood. When I forget to use a mask I get all wheezy and have respiratory issues for a few days.

Bug, Superb! A fitting tribute to a fine man.

Tony Curtis.

Well done!! Looks great. I second your thoughts on "change".

I think you "Drag file here" or "Choose file" using the link at the bottom of the post. I had to place the pic where I wanted it rather than the old way.

Mike, Keep in mind that a 'furled sail' is different than a 'stowed sail'. If a sail were completely removed from the yard, you may end up removing some or all of the running rigging as well. This would be dependent on the ship type. If the sails are just furled, you would need to be able to deploy the sail at short notice without having to re-rig the yard/mast/sail while underway.

This may depend on whether you intend putting the model in a case and/or how big your display area is. I have seen some models (one of the GOKSTAD buildlogs) where the model was displayed with the oars out and the blades resting on the base. It looked great, but it made the model assembly almost twice as wide.

I'd say, get a better set of plans.

I was speaking in general terms. If truth be told, the BB Oseberg is 33.875" or 2.822916 feet. I will endeavour to be more precise in the future.

Bob, I still recommend going with the Lumberyard guns. Those are the ones I got for my WASHINGTON build. I also used them for my PHILADELPHIA build. They have a good variety. Taking from a couple of your previous posts, you may not have thought it was necessary to go beyond the plans, but if the plans say one thing and another source says something else, its research time. (As Kurt says "Research is our middle name".) Your first assumption is that the plans are correct. That is not always the case. Even in the case of the WASHINGTON plans, as I recall, there was a change in one of the keel butt joints. We don't know where Jeff (plan designer) got his info on the guns. I know that he lists WASHINGTON's guns as 18# x 2, 12# x 2, 9# x 2, 4# x 4 based on "Captain's receipt". Other sources I have seen lists them as 18# x 1, 12# x 1, 9# x 2 and 6# x 6 (Lundberg/ and Naval Documents of the American Revolution). Joel was correct when he said. "A particular caliber (size of bore) gun could come in several lengths. How sure are you about the exact length and bores of the original guns?" Gun sizes for a given weight of ball varied depending on when and where it was made. French guns were slightly different than British guns. A gun made in 1700 was different from a gun made in 1800. As I recall, some of the guns in the American fleet came from Fort Ticonderoga. Some of those had been there since the French/Indian wars...and they were old then. You will never know how large a gun was on a particular ship unless (a) it was cited in some original source or (b it is around today (like the PHILADELPHIA) and can be measured. Absent those sources, the Hahn dimensions posted above are as good a place to start as any. I created a table of gun vs length vs scale at 1/4 , scale at 3/16 and size of guns offered by Lumberyard (1/4) and Syren (Chuck P)(3/16). I included the 3/16 Syren info so we can see how Chuck's guns compare to the Hahn dimensions. By looking at the chart you can determine if the sizes are close enough or not. In my case, I determined they were close enough...who is going to tell you different? Having said that, if you decide to get them, I would start the process now. Lumberyard operates at a slower pace and has never been confused with Amazon.

I have the exact same kit, except it is called "Viking Ship DRAKKAR". That better describes the type of ship. I would rather build the Billing Boat "OSEBERG" but it is 3 feet long ( a meter for you metric folks). I wouldn't know where to put it.

27. Don't forget Floki standing around, doing nothing, looking grim.

The eyes are the second thing to go...and I don't remember the first.

We kind of did. If you take a look at the cannon dimensions John sent, you the 4 pounder pencils out at 1.72" and the 18 pounder at 2.22". The Lumberyard guns are 1.35" and 2.24". Pretty close. If you are looking for exact, forget about it unless you mill your own.

Doris, I am glad you reconsidered building the CONSTITUTION as your first build. Very often when people start out with something like that as their first build, it ends up being their last build. It is quite a challenge. I agree with Gary in that models like SULTANA, NEWSBOY or BEN'j LATHAM make good starter models. IF you have experience, SYREN might be good, but it is still something more than a starter kit. I like SULTANA. It is very basic and lets you work with all the skill sets you would need to do a CONSTITUTION, but in an easier format. SULTANA is a solid hull. I found it difficult to work with, but it is easy to make a better hull by using the body/sheer plan that comes with the kit and making the hull using bread and butter method, or making your own bulkheads (or a combination as I did). If you don't have the skills to do that, in my opinion you don't have the skill set to tackle the CONSTITUTION. Just sayin'. I believe that if two people with the same skill level started building (1) SULTANA and (2) Model Expo CONSTITUTION, the SULTANA builder would be pretty much done by the time the CONSTITUTION was planked. If they were beginner modelers, the SULTANA builder would be planning his/her next build while the CONSTITUTION builder would be thinking about getting into model railroading. Anywho, my 2 cents worth.....

Mike, I recommend using rubbing alcohol (isopropyl) for the un-gluing process. It works as good as water (maybe better) but does not seem to affect the wood. Use in a well ventilated area.

Doris, Which "Constellation" are you looking at?

I'm staying with quinacridone red (see post 18)