Moonbug

Hello all!
 
It seems I have been doing everything except boatbuilding lately, but the lantern keg is built now. It's a model of the one in Bob Hellman's collection that has the cleat on the big end:
 
 
Since both ends are closed, the keg was built using a dowel with the heads attached at the ends. Here the heads are still a bit oversized and they were fine tuned and tapered.

 
The cedar wood was stained using a Minwax Golden Oak stain pen.

 
A small parade. Here you can see the stained keg compared to the bare buckets which I figured would be a bit bleached from bailing salt water.

Although I'm just posting this - this was another deck fitting project I started quite a while ago and just finished up recently. 
Based on the items in the Captain's Cabin here, you can probably tell I'm a bit fascinated with the tiny details that I feel add a huge amount of fun to a build. I think this is true particularly for the casual viewer who may not recognize the accuracy and finesse as much as those who are familiar with builds and ships. At any rate - I wanted to create the cook stove that was commonly found on ships of the era.  
 
After failing miserably at silver soldering - a talent that I envy greatly and is held by several folks on here - I ended up cutting out the pieces and using "JB Weld" - which is essentially an epoxy weld for small metal pieces.  It took a fair amount of trial and error, particularly at holding the pieces together until they dried enough.
 
The grating is from a common screen door and the pot and pan are carved made from wood with metal bits attached. 
 

Just checking out your build - the Syren is one of my favorites. Nice, precise work on the deck.
 
- Bug

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
 
 

Welcome back, Bug.  I missed this build.   The new room looks great as does the work you're doing on the SM.

Nice to see you back in the shipyard Bug! And making some good progress too.

good to see you back to the table..........done some wonderful progress    nice looking work shop too!

Planking the hull is one of the most tedious tasks for me.
 
Although "actual" ships at the time were single planked on frames (see my San Juan Nepumuceno) this particular model will be "double planked." This method takes more time, but ends up being easier as it allows the builder to smooth out any inconsistencies before the second layer is added.  Single planking must be done perfectly the first time around because all of the flaws will show.
 
 
 
  
 
 
Each plank (a 1mm x 5mm x 110 mm strip) is soaked in water.  The wet plank is formed to the hull and tacked in place with thumb tacks.  The tacks do not go through the plank, but rather hold it in place with it's cap. 
 

 
Then a hot plank bender (essentially a soldering iron with a round head) is run along the wood to steam it and heat it. The heat dries the wood and forms it into the shaped it's layed out in. After they are the proper shape, the planks are then glued and nailed into place. 
 
 

 
The planks are layered starting at the bulwarks (side of the ship that meets the deck) and the garboard plank (the plank that starts at the keel) and work their way toward the center. Each plank is done one at a time and must dry before the next plank is laid.  The planks are then trimmed and adjusted in a variety of ways to ensure a good fit and that all gaps are covered.
 
 
There is much more planking to be done, and much more will be covered. Because planks are done one at a time and take a fair amount of time in between, I often work on other aspects of the ship at the same time.  During the planking I will work on deck fittings, railings and decks...  as you'll see in the next post.

The "lifeboat" that came with this kit was a die cast pewter model that lacked any kind of detail.  So I set about creating a suitable craft to go aboard the ship. 
 
It occurred to me, that the lifeboats from the era were essentially the same shape as the overall vessel. I decided to take the diagram of the parts list that came with the kit and shrink it down on my copier.  I could then cut out those pieces and use them to manufacture my little craft.
 
  
 
After cutting the pieces out and attaching the mini bulwarks to the keel I used thin spare wood to plank my tiny hull. I then took my dremel too with a rounded sander and shaved down the bulwarks and turn them into a proper frame.
  
 
After the first layer of planking, I figured out that shaping the hull with a boat this tiny was extremely difficult.  I decided to double plank.  Although this is obviously twice as much work - it will give me an opportunity to even out the hull and make it look smoother.

 
 

 
The other ships I have built have been very "clean" and often look as though then just came from the shipyard.  This is the first time I will have attempted to "weather" and ship and make it look "antique" and "worn".  This lifeboat gave me an opportunity to try out couple things out.
 
 
 
 
 
I gave the boat a base with a cherry stain, then covered it with a darker, almost ebony dark oak stain.  Then I sanded it lightly with 600 grain sandpaper.  I originally tried just the darker stain, but after sanding, too much of the light color wood came through.
 
  
 
I will likely build one additional lifeboat as a long boat to accompany this smaller skiff. As a frame of reference for time, this small vessel took approximately 20 hours start to finish.

In Frank Mastini's book Ship Modeling Simplified he describes a method of aligning the keel and bulkeads by using a false deck as a guide.  I adjusted this method and used it as the basis for steps I took to align the deck, keel, and bulkheads.

 

First, I measured the exact distance between all of the bulkhead "slots" in the keel.

 



 

 

I then took those distances (in milimeters) and translated them to the false deck. I drew guidelines along the false deck indicating where these bulkeads will fall if properly aligned. This provides a template to nail down the false deck to the bulkheads without "missing".

 



 

I tacked down the false deck along the centerline first, then aligned the end of each bulkhead to make sure it was exactly where it belonged, and nailed them down as well.



 

I pre-cut small blocks of wood to butt up against the bulkheads and the keel and to brace the ship and provide extra support for the hull.

 



 

Once the glue dries, the keel should be perfectly straight with each bulkhead perpendicular to the centerline. I'll then take the false deck off, do some sanding, then replace it permanenly.

Hello everyone. Please pardon my delayed return. Like many, the idea of re-creating ship build logs is a daunting task. However, I obviously miss the shared knowledge and camaraderie. 
 
I'll do my best to both re-create my Santa Maria log as well as catch everyone up to speed on the Ship's progress. Please forgive some of the rudimentary comments, I have copied and pasted some of the progress posts from a Blog I also keep that is geared more toward those how are unfamiliar with ship builds.
 
Most people know that the ship "Santa Maria" or La Santa María de la Inmaculada Concepción was the flagship of Christopher Columbus' journey to the Americas.  However, people may not realize that there is very little historical evidence regarding exactly what the "Santa Maria" looked like, or how it was built. There was little to no documentation regarding ship building in 1492, and this ship was scuttled and its lumber used for shelter not long after its initial voyage.
 
Interest in reconstructing the Santa María started in the 1890s for the 400th anniversary of Columbus's voyage. In an effort to reproduce history, the "Santa Maria" has suffered three major Spanish versions, the first timed with the 400th centennial anniversary of Columbus landing in the New World, the second, for the Expo Iboamerica of 1929 and the last, the New York World Fair, 1964
 
In 1892 the naval historian, Fernandez Duro, modelled the ship as a Nao - A carrack or nau was a three- or four-masted sailing ship developed in 15th century Western Europe for use in the Atlantic Ocean. It had a high rounded stern with large aftcastle, forecastle and bowsprit at the stem. It was first used by the Portuguese (its creators), and later by the Spanish, to explore and map the world. It was usually square-rigged on the foremast and mainmast and lateen-rigged on the mizzenmast. Unfortunately, Fernandez Duro made a fundamental error as result of an erroneous reading of Columbus's log. It was also criticized as being too ornamented for the period.
 
The second attempt to recreate the ship was by Julio Guillen Tato, known as the Guillen version. This reproduction for the Expo was controversially designed as a Caravel - a small, highly maneuverable ship developed in the 15th century by the Portuguese to explore along the West African coast and into the Atlantic Ocean. Caravels were much used by the Portuguese for the oceanic exploration voyages during the 15th and 16th centuries. Tato's reproduction sailed badly and ended up a wreck.
 
Director of the Maritime Museum of Barcelona, Spain, Martinez-Hidalgo returned the "Santa Maria" into her rightful class, as a Nao. He further refined his ideas for the 500th centennial celebration in 1992. The model I am building is from a kit by Atesania Latina, and will be based on this 1992 version which is considered by most ship historians to be the most accurate.

Hey Augie,
 
   Just getting caught up on the build, as everyone has said - great work!  Love siphoning your log for ideas.  :-)
 
- Bug

Hey Augie,
 
   Just getting caught up on the build, as everyone has said - great work!  Love siphoning your log for ideas.  :-)
 
- Bug

Hey Augie,
 
   Just getting caught up on the build, as everyone has said - great work!  Love siphoning your log for ideas.  :-)
 
- Bug

Mark, 
 
    Just catching up on the build.  Looking great.  I wish I'd have seen this latest on the long boat before I started working on the launch for the Santa Maria. I went with the bulkhead method, as you'll see in an upcoming post.  Rough stuff for sure...   This is cool method.  Maybe I'll take a shot at it and see what turns out better.
 
- Bug

Just checking out your build - the Syren is one of my favorites. Nice, precise work on the deck.
 
- Bug

Hey Augie,
 
   Just getting caught up on the build, as everyone has said - great work!  Love siphoning your log for ideas.  :-)
 
- Bug

Just checking out your build - the Syren is one of my favorites. Nice, precise work on the deck.
 
- Bug

Mark, 
 
    Just catching up on the build.  Looking great.  I wish I'd have seen this latest on the long boat before I started working on the launch for the Santa Maria. I went with the bulkhead method, as you'll see in an upcoming post.  Rough stuff for sure...   This is cool method.  Maybe I'll take a shot at it and see what turns out better.
 
- Bug

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.

Thanks Popeye, Grant & Mark!   I'm pretty happy to be back on the build.  Total case of - you don't know how much you've missed it, until you start at it again.  :-)
 
- Bug

Hey Augie,
 
   Just getting caught up on the build, as everyone has said - great work!  Love siphoning your log for ideas.  :-)
 
- Bug