Moonbug

The sheave block for the Mizzen is made from a piece of walnut, drilled and filed to create an opening. The opening is filled with the circular “pulley” cut from a leftover walnut dowel. The piece is sanded down to fit, placed into the block’s opening, and secured with a brass rod through the center of the entire piece. The sheave block is then secured to the top of the mizzen and fore masts with glue and a pin.    
 
 
 

After the masts are built, the touchy part comes into play. Holes must be drilled into the decks. Obviously this is an awfully nerve-wracking step. Any mistakes here are nearly irreparable and would be very difficult to mask.  Each hole is initially drilled with a very small bit at a very high speed to minimize tearing the delicate wood of the deck. The holes are widened incrementally using larger bits until it gets close to the desired diameter. The holes are then finalized with a high grit sand paper to achieve as tight a fit as possible.
    The masts are NOT secured in place yet, but are dry-fitted.

The main mast of course houses the crow’s nest. The crow’s nest supplied is a solid wall, poorly molded version. At first I started rebuilding the entire thing from scratch, then realized that I could probably just refit the one supplied.  

 
I measured and marked, then drilled out holes in the sides. A lot of sanding later I ended up with something that I liked and that was quite a bit more accurate.
    The base of the crow’s nest is simply four mitre’d 5mm walnut pieces that are rounded and fitted to size. The entire thing sits on your typical criss-cross structure that will also provide a base for the topmast. Getting these pieces to all tie together nicely required a fair amount of clamps.

        The important aspect of the topmast is the rounded sanding at the base to ensure it fits snug against the main mast while still accommodating the double sheave block after it is tied together.  The final steps are to stain and/or tung oil the pieces to make them meld together while still showing the details with different grains of wood.

    The final aspect for the masts is the sheave block added to the top of the masts.

 
 

   

Before my Haitus, I was working on fitting the main and mizzen masts.  With the basics of the decks laid out, and the foremast and bowsprit in place, I decided it was time to loose fit the main and mizzen masts so I would have a better idea of exactly how much room I’m going to have on the decks, as well as get an idea of how I will need to alter the rigging from the original plans.
  Step one for the both masts of course was to size and taper them. My technique goes back to my makeshift lathe using my power drill, then sand it down to the desired diameter at the top.  The mizzen is obviously far less complicated than the main.   The next step is to decide on the base mount for the masts. The AL kit supplies circular, brass coated fittings that I think may be pewter. They not only look pretty cheap, but they’re not very well made.  I prefer square mast bases anyway, so I built my own and beveled them. These were created from an old hard wood pen case. I loved the color and grain.

 
  The base of the main mast is bolstered with vertical strips of wood to strengthen it, then it is wrapped with heavy gauge rope up the length of the mast. 
    Not long ago, I ordered 2mm x 2mm strips of walnut for a variety of needs including futtock riders. What I got (I think it was from Bluejacket) were these horribly ugly and DYED strips of wood that look like they were painted some sort of mahogany.  
So far, I only used them for inside the captain’s cabin to give it some color. I decided to use those strips for the base of the main mast – once again to add a little color. Particularly since I used a unique piece of wood for the base.  

At any rate, the strips are cut and mitre’d on the edges so they fit together adequately around the mast. Finally they are glued, then the ropes are added and tied as per Mondfeld’s “Historic Ship Models” in which the ends are tucked in to the back of the mast.  The top of the main mast in the AL documentation supports a couple (at least) of blocks. However, a more accurate representation is a double sheave block. That block is created by to walnut pieces sanded to fit snuggly against the mast. The sheaves themselves are narrow cuts from a spare 5mm dowel. The big challenge here was getting everything to fit snuggly.        

Hello everyone. 
 
    It's been about a year and a half since I managed to really accomplish much with the Santa Maria.  In that time I've been working and traveling, bought a new house and moved, and just generally been busting my hump.  However, I've recently gotten back into the groove a little bit, so I'll have some updates shortly.  In the meantime, here's a partial look at the new "hobby room" in the new place.   :-)
 
   Looking forward to catching up on everyone's builds. 
 
- Bug
 
 

Over the course of the last couple of days, as I continue to make and mount cleats and rails to the deck and bulwarks, I've taken some time to add the nails to the futtock riders (long overdue), and build the sheaves / pulleys that are mounted to the top of the masts.  Here are some progress photos.

Time for cleats.  After a couple failed attempts at making wooden cleats for the bulwarks, I finally came across this entry from Floyd:
 
http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/1906-wooden-cleats/
 
which of course made me feel silly for not looking here in MSW first.  Doh.
 

At any rate, I used a very similar process starting with a 3mm X 2mm strip, measuring off every 10mm for the width of the cleat I needed. I used a 10mm dremel grinder for the bottom of the cleat and a 3mm to 7mm conical shaped grinder for the top.

 
I then sanded and rounded the edges with 400 grit sand paper. I did this BEFORE I cut them apart since sanding any kind of small piece is much easier for me if it's still on a stem.
 

 
After cutting the cleats apart I rounded the edges.

The handle of the pump is created from two strips of 2mm x 2mm square walnut sanded and etched out. They are based in 3mm x 3mm square walnut strips sanded to fit the side of the pump.

 

   

 

The pieces all put together initially and then stained.

 



 

The pump mechanism and the strips around the pump are made from a scrap brass dowel and scrap brass flattened pieces.  I flatten the end of the brass dowel out by putting it between the flat areas of a pair of pliers and striking it with a hammer.

 

   

 

All of the strips, the handle, and the pump mechanism are attached using a touch of glue, and then firmly attached using pins with the heads sanded down. Finally the pumps are re-stained, and the brass pieces are given a layer of patina.

Like most kits, the cannons included in the AL Santa Maria fell very short of authentic. Although the die-cast brass cannons themselves were pretty close, the base on which they were to rest were woefully inadequate. So, once again, I turned to Pastor's reference material.
 
 
 
 
    
 
 
 
 
However, this was also an area where I didn't mind shifting slightly from authenticity. I also like the cannons created by Garik Grigoryan used in his rendition of the Santa Maria. Although much of his Santa Maria is a little too elaborate for my taste, I really enjoy his miniature deck fixtures.
 
I started with my cannons by letting them soak to create a patina coating.  I then drilled out places to attached fixtures to the cannons. 
 
    
 
    
 
The handles and loops are shaped brass wiring. I then re-soaked the entire fixture to build up the patina once again. Unfortunately the patina didn't build up as nicely as I would have liked, so I added some paint and other methods for aging as well - which I will get to. 
 
    
 
I carved the base pieces out of solid blocks of wood using both hand tools and a dremel. After the bases were carved out to hold the cannon barrels, the feet and backing are added, each is stained. The metal strips are cut and molded brass strips. The rivets are straight pins cut short and inserted into pre-drilled holes through both the brass strips and wood. 
 
I then used this fantastic product I came across by Tamiya.
 
 

 
The trick is to add the fake soot and/or rust to a slightly damp product. In my case, I sprayed each piece with a thin coat of polyurethane then added the weathering product. Additionally, I painted the brass fittings that would not patina properly, then coated the entire fixture with the soot just before the paint dried entirely.  
 
    
 
I was very pleased with the final product. 

Once the Fo'c'sle has been constructed, the foredeck has been mounted to it, and the head beam is put in place, I was able to add both the bowsprit and foremast. Unlike later ships in which the bowsprit and foremast are mounted separately, the Santa Maria's bow masts are linked together. This made for a very tricky process.

 

  

 

The technique involved putting the two masts in place while the foredeck was unattached. I then bound the two masts together at the proper angle at their base. The patience then kicked in when it was time to mount the foredeck while matching up where the masts enter the main deck.

 

  

 

The final product with the head beam and windlass in place looked pretty good. It all makes me realize just how little space the sailors had to run around and actually sail the ship.

 

Chair & Desk

I had some pretty specific ideas in mind for the chair and desk and was happy I was able to pull off something close to what I envisioned. The chair is started from a strip of 1.5 X 3 mm walnut and modeled after a combination of some 1400s research and the chairs we have in our dining room. Our dining room chairs are Amish made from oak.

 

  

 

The original walnut piece was sanded to fit the shape of the seat.  The legs were sanded from a 2 mm diameter walnut dowel. This sanding was so delicate, that I went through several inches of the dowel just to get the four legs as well as the cross pieces.

 

  

 



 

Finally, the back was sanded down to include a small curvature emulating an actual chair.  I used my dremel tool with the smallest possible tip I could find to create the slats in the back.  The entire chair was then left unstained, but coated in Tung oil to bring out the natural colors of the walnut.

 

The desk is a really unique piece for me. Out of sheer coincidence, I was given a set of wooden pens. Each pen came in it's own case. The sides of the case were these beautiful little pieces of polished mahogany that fit absolutely perfectly with what I was trying to accomplish!  The only drawback, they were extremely difficult to cut, sand, and polish.

 

  

 

 The legs of the desk were made from a 3mm diameter dowel that I inserted into my drill (same trick I often use) to create a make-shift lathe. I then used a variety of pin files to get the patter that I wanted. Once again, I went through many cases of the legs breaking off before I ended up with four good pieces. It was also very, very difficult to get four legs whose patterns looked close enough to one another to be acceptable.

 

  

 

 

 Finally, I sanded (600-1000 grit sandpaper) and polish all the pieces, stained the legs, and coated the entire combination with another coat of Tung oil.

 

Chess Set:

 I am a huge fan of chess.  In my home I have a collection of 14 different chess sets from 13 difference countries. I realize that actually have a chess set and table on board a ship the size of the Santa Maria is completely and utterly unrealistic. However, because I love the game, and it's not too much of a stretch to think the Ship's Captain would be a player, I decided to add the chess board. I'd also seen another builder create one out of card stock, and I admired the effort so much I had to give it a shot.

 

  

 

The board is made from a soft piece of pine.  Each set of squares is a mm wide, and the entire thing is boarded by 1.5 mm x 1.5 mm mahogany.  Coloring the squares was obviously a huge challenge.  I scored the wood at 1 mm intervals with a razor blade, then I used wood stain and a size 0 brush. Each drop of stain fell and spread within the square, but was successfully contained by the cuts in the wood!

 

At first I tried to have some detail in the pieces, but that failed miserably.  Instead I just distinguished them by size. I also realized that trying to have all 32 pieces was going to make it pretty crowded - so we'll have to consider it mid-game with a few pieces missing.

 

 

  

 

Here are a couple of shots of the final pieces and how the desk will ultimately be arranged within the cabin.

Finally for the cabin is a bed, at least one chest, a toilet facility and a couple of other small items.

 

Just catching up - what a beautiful build Frank.  Absolutely love the naming on the stern!
 
- Bug

Hey Joe,  thanks for the response.  I can't argue with logic - so that was my task this weekend.  I unfurled the sail, and took another look. Now, if I was going to go with unfurled, I'd also want to detach and re-sew the sail along with bonnets. I also considered whether or not I'd want to add one of the symbolic crosses on the sail as well.
 
    Turns out - I didn't really have to go to far to realize that I really liked the sails both ways.  So, I did what any normal, red blooded man would do - I asked the Admiral.  She liked the sail furled, and since I already have a couple around the house with sails down, she convinced me to go with the "just pulled into the bay" look.  :-)  
 
    The good news is - the entire exercise gave me the opportunity to re-furl the sail and little differently.  This time, I wrapped the sail a bit differently, and the sheets and clews are a little further out on the yard. I am much happier with this look, and I think it's ultimately more accurate.
 

Just catching up - what a beautiful build Frank.  Absolutely love the naming on the stern!
 
- Bug

Nice!  Great to see you back at it Sjors!  Well done!  
 
- Bug

Just catching up - what a beautiful build Frank.  Absolutely love the naming on the stern!
 
- Bug

Hey Joe,  thanks for the response.  I can't argue with logic - so that was my task this weekend.  I unfurled the sail, and took another look. Now, if I was going to go with unfurled, I'd also want to detach and re-sew the sail along with bonnets. I also considered whether or not I'd want to add one of the symbolic crosses on the sail as well.
 
    Turns out - I didn't really have to go to far to realize that I really liked the sails both ways.  So, I did what any normal, red blooded man would do - I asked the Admiral.  She liked the sail furled, and since I already have a couple around the house with sails down, she convinced me to go with the "just pulled into the bay" look.  :-)  
 
    The good news is - the entire exercise gave me the opportunity to re-furl the sail and little differently.  This time, I wrapped the sail a bit differently, and the sheets and clews are a little further out on the yard. I am much happier with this look, and I think it's ultimately more accurate.
 

Hey Joe,  thanks for the response.  I can't argue with logic - so that was my task this weekend.  I unfurled the sail, and took another look. Now, if I was going to go with unfurled, I'd also want to detach and re-sew the sail along with bonnets. I also considered whether or not I'd want to add one of the symbolic crosses on the sail as well.
 
    Turns out - I didn't really have to go to far to realize that I really liked the sails both ways.  So, I did what any normal, red blooded man would do - I asked the Admiral.  She liked the sail furled, and since I already have a couple around the house with sails down, she convinced me to go with the "just pulled into the bay" look.  :-)  
 
    The good news is - the entire exercise gave me the opportunity to re-furl the sail and little differently.  This time, I wrapped the sail a bit differently, and the sheets and clews are a little further out on the yard. I am much happier with this look, and I think it's ultimately more accurate.
 

Hey Joe,  thanks for the response.  I can't argue with logic - so that was my task this weekend.  I unfurled the sail, and took another look. Now, if I was going to go with unfurled, I'd also want to detach and re-sew the sail along with bonnets. I also considered whether or not I'd want to add one of the symbolic crosses on the sail as well.
 
    Turns out - I didn't really have to go to far to realize that I really liked the sails both ways.  So, I did what any normal, red blooded man would do - I asked the Admiral.  She liked the sail furled, and since I already have a couple around the house with sails down, she convinced me to go with the "just pulled into the bay" look.  :-)  
 
    The good news is - the entire exercise gave me the opportunity to re-furl the sail and little differently.  This time, I wrapped the sail a bit differently, and the sheets and clews are a little further out on the yard. I am much happier with this look, and I think it's ultimately more accurate.
 

Just catching up - what a beautiful build Frank.  Absolutely love the naming on the stern!
 
- Bug

Hi Martin
Thanks. Well, considering the fact that manning the ship with enough able seamen is difficult enough I shall keep an eye on him.
 
Hi Nils
Thank you. I'm now quite eager to start rigging but after a visit to bug's Santa Maria and Johns input I think I will have to go slow and work a bit on a more detailed belaying plan before I glue the masts in position. Also yards, boom and gaff are not yet fabricated.
 
Hi Bug
Thank you for the compliments. The paper-glue hoops are indeed a great idea - actually B.E.'s. Credits are due to him.
I like your Santa Maria. She has the same handcrafted yet realistic air about her I like so much in md1400cs' Wasa or Nils' artful work.
 
Thanks for all the likes
peter

Hi Peter...... have to reiterate Bugs comment on the "hoops"  .....  nicely done ... I wish you showed how you did them...pretty clever way of doing them.... they turned out so flat and even...again nicely done PETER.
 
Frank

Ha Nils!   I'm confusing a Pickle with a Pegasus!  
 
Nice work Peter!  *laff*
 
- Bug 

Hey Nils,
 
      Been a while since I stopped in on the Pickle.  That's my mistake - I'm going to have to stop by more often. Nicely done!  Great idea with the hoops.
 
- Bug

Nice!  Great to see you back at it Sjors!  Well done!  
 
- Bug

Hey Joe,  thanks for the response.  I can't argue with logic - so that was my task this weekend.  I unfurled the sail, and took another look. Now, if I was going to go with unfurled, I'd also want to detach and re-sew the sail along with bonnets. I also considered whether or not I'd want to add one of the symbolic crosses on the sail as well.
 
    Turns out - I didn't really have to go to far to realize that I really liked the sails both ways.  So, I did what any normal, red blooded man would do - I asked the Admiral.  She liked the sail furled, and since I already have a couple around the house with sails down, she convinced me to go with the "just pulled into the bay" look.  :-)  
 
    The good news is - the entire exercise gave me the opportunity to re-furl the sail and little differently.  This time, I wrapped the sail a bit differently, and the sheets and clews are a little further out on the yard. I am much happier with this look, and I think it's ultimately more accurate.