MEDDO

And for those who doubted that this was salvageable, after a few hours work:
 
It still needs finessing before I can begin to install the rest of the framing.
 
 

Wow! Now that’s a boat load of gear. I cannot imagine how they managed to survive, much less bring in a Sperm Whale. 
 

 

 

 

 



 
This Boat is Finished! This build was a lot fun, as well as challenging. I Loved the detail this kit offered and the flexibility to get as obsessed as I wanted to be. Great kit with excellent instruction. 
 
All that’s left is mounting her in a display case and enjoy. 😎

To put a webpage link into your post you:
 
1  type what you want for example
 
Check out our club Shipwrights of Ohio
 
2  highlight the words you want to link
 

 
3  goto the tool bar at the top of the post and select the icon that looks like 2 links of a chain
 

 
4  after you highlight the word and then hit the link (chain icon) you get a pop up
 

 
5  now copy/paste your webpage url into the space
 

 
6  then hit the button insert into post
 
 
7 now your post (and/or signature block) should have those words underlined and you will see the weblink if you hover over it.
 
 
 
Check out our club Shipwrights of Ohio
 
 
 

Diver:
I am a Badger user.  But anything I say can be applied to any name brand airbrush.  The rip offs sold by Harbor Freight and similar places are to be avoided as the junk they are.
 
If you want a simple to use airbrush that will give a good finish with the lowest learning curve the Badger 350 is my recommendation.  I got the equivalent model in 1960 and used it exclusively for many years and still use it occasionally.  I reach for it when I have larger areas to cover and that 12" Fiat with one main color is well withing the 350's capability.  It is an single action, external mix, suction type brush.  Being external mix means the finish will not be the finest finish one can get from an airbrush but it will be at least as good as a rattle can finish.  An internal mix airbrush will always produce a better finish than an external mix brush - name brands compared.  But I have had several models painted with a 350 win gold awards  as have some close friends.  $44.40 brush/bottles only.

The next step up in a single action brush would be a Badger 200.  This is a single action, external mix, suction feed brush.  There are several 200's but the NH will do the job with the standard needle and all.  $56 price - brush/bottles only.

The next step up is a double action brush.  The Badger 360-1 is called the Universal because it is both a suction feed and a gravity feed brush all in one.  The front end rotates - thus the 360 - so a bottle can be lugged into the cup from the bottom.  For finer jobs rotate the color cup to face upwards and paint can be put into the color cup and fed via gravity.  This is especially nice when doing small parts or doing several color changes for detail parts.  I hate having to use a jar and all the tubes and caps that need cleaning when plugging in a color jar to paint several small parts that the gravity feed feature would have allowed me to just drop in 4-5 drops and still have plenty left.
 
There is a bigger learning curve to use a double action brush than a single action brush.  Single action = push down for paint.  Air and paint flow is adjusted separately off the model - - push down for air and then either open or shut down the nozzle to release more or less air and paint.  And then paint.   A double action brush = push down on the trigger to release air and then pull back on the trigger to release paint. 
 
Attached is a booklet that explains the terms I have used as well as additional information concerning airbrushes and airbrushing.  I hope this helped.  Any more questions just ask.
Kurt
 

Badger - UltimateAirbrush101.pdf

Not quite -- as Chuck pointed out, you can buy that kit direct from the manufacturer.
 
Also, seasoned modelers know never to pay MSRP for anything from Model Expo. Get on their mailing list and wait for sales, of which they have many, often featuring deep discounts.
 
Also also, keep an eye on FleaBay. Based on their Buy It Now prices and minimum bid settings, most sellers on eBay these days seem to think that their wares are made of solid gold, but bargains do occasionally turn up.
 
Another option: try card models! They're dirt cheap compared to wooden or plastic kits and oodles of fun, too. Once you try card, you'll never go back to wood! Well, I still do, but maybe you won't! 😄 P.S. I will be reviewing some more card models in the near future -- watch for them in the Kit Reviews section.

Thank you, Keith, and all who have dropped by.
 
The last strake is on now and ready for the heart-stopper; getting the shell off the plug! No matter how careful, there is always some battle damage One simply hopes that it will be minimal, but one never knows. Once I've screwed up my courage, the frame extensions will be cut, the stem freed from its constraints and then.... Stay tuned!
 

Another two strakes completed. The next strake will be the sheer strake. A smooth sheer line will make or break the model. Speaking of breaking, the moment of truth nears; that of removing the shell from the plug. From past experience there will be loud cracking nosies - heart-stopping! - and usually a few planks 'spring' a little, but it is all repairable. We shall see....
 
 

And another strake completed. As these strakes now run out over the transom, they are easier to fit. On closer inspection of the plans the uppermost strake, interrupted by the tholes, is actually a wash strake. It will be fitted after the shell has been removed from the plug. This means only three more strakes to go.
 

Post 59: Rigging the Jib Halyard
 
Fortunately Chuck supplies a traveler ring. Making one this good from scratch would be a challenge.
 

 
I decided to stabilize the ring with the out-hall and in-haul before attaching the halyard.  Obviously the ring was slid onto the bowsprit before it was installed but I had seized the out-haul onto the ring first.
 

 
The out-haul travels forward, through the sheave at the tip of the bowsprit and then back aft to belay on the bits at the bow.
 

 
The in=haul start with a "V" which is seized to the in-haul proper. 
 

 
The V piece is seized to either side of the the traveler ring.
 
This can be seen in this photo with the halyard block rigged
 

 
The halyard itself passes through a block on the mast cap and is belayed to one of the cleats at the base of the mast.
 

 
 
John
 
 
 
 
 
 

Success was had on another 20' length of rope, this one .080" or ~ 2mm diameter. Will likely be used for anchor cable on R.L. This required 4 threads of the Mara 30 size thread for each strand and 4 strands, for a total of 16 threads being stretched. Start to finish took me about 45 minutes, most of which was initial set up.
 
I tie my threads one at a time. It is time consuming and I may look into finding or making a bracket of some sort that can hold multiple spools of thread so I can tie off multiple eyelets at once. For ease of access, I start at the lowest eyebolt then move to the rear most, foremost, and finally top so I am not trying to work over the threads.

 
Once they are all tied on, you will have something that looks like this. it is a good idea to trim any overly-long threads so they do not tangle in the gears. Short tails, 1" or less are fine however.

 
When tying, you want to try to keep even tension on the threads, but with poly thread, it is a bit more forgiving. Apologies for the fuzzy pictures, really need a second person helping to do this, but as you can see in the picture, my bottom 4 threads has one that is far away from the others especially compared to the gaps on the ones in the middle. The middle ones will be fine as they twist up, but the bottom I would tighten.
 
Note: If a thread slips from your fingers before it is tied off, it is a good idea to pull the thread fully out of the stretched ropes back to the eyebolt and then re-stretch. Otherwise, you risk having the thread become tangled around the other threads from when it shot from your grasp. This happened to me a few times.

 
Time to twist. In a counter clockwise rotation, twist the threads, allowing them to tighten merge into one strand so that there are 4 strands. Even if you are only doing a 1 thread per strand lay, you still need to do this step only rotate the drill clockwise for single threads and C.C. for multi-threads.

 
Time to combine the strands. Rule of thumb here is whichever way, (clockwise or counter) that you twisted the threads, twist the strands. Start slowly, hand spin the first few rotations to see that everything is following as it should. You can see the center of the line merging together.

 
The lay is not very tight yet, but all the strands are going in the correct direction. Time to add speed. 

 

 
Run the rope walk till the lines become tensioned properly.  I recommend watching Chuck's YouTube videos as this is easier to show then write, and honestly it takes practice and experience to learn, of which I am still figuring out. I tend to over tighten. The line should look even and tight with only an inch or two free in front of the eyebolts on either end. I moisten the rope with water on my fingers while it is stretched out. Beeswax can also be used. This helps to set the threads and eliminate the "fuzzys" (technical term) that threads can develop.

 
Hold tight to the rope before cutting so it does not shoot off across the room, tangling itself up. If laid up right you should get something like this once free. The only loose ends should be the 1-2 inches where the strands were tied to the eyebolts. The rest should remain a tightly laid up rope.

 
If you end up with something of this nature when you release the tension on the rope and allow it to recoil, this means it is over-twisted, a comon and easy to correct issue. Under-tension results in the rope fraying and falling apart. Over-tension is easily fixed by running your fingres repeatedly down the length of the rope, allowing it to unwind til it lays limp and untangled.

 
Rope after I worked the over-twists out.

 
Next up, I lightly coiled the rope around my spread fingers to make a gentle coil that will lay nicely on the oven try I use to bake at 350 for about 4 minutes. Watch it closely as time varies with oven and you do not want it to melt. Remember this is poly-rope not cotton.

 
Once out of oven, and cooled, (Do not grab rope immediately. It was in a hot oven, it will be hot.) it should lay like natural rope and is ready to be wound onto something or coiled and placed in bag for storage. I wrap mine around plastic bobbins and have them sorted by size and color on hooks.

 
The pass/fail test is at the end, though if it did not unravel when cut from the eyebolts, chances are excellent that it is fine now, is if you take a sharp knife and cut, the end should be clean with no fraying. This one is good!

 
Good luck to all, and I hope this helps!

Post 58: Rigging the Gaff.
Before I commenced this job I needed to make some more thimbles.  To do this I cut 2mm lengths of 1.6 mm tubing using a Jewelers Tube Cutting jig .
 

 
 I also have a pliers type jig.  The advantage of these is that they capture the cutoff piece.
 

 
However they do not have a small slot to hold this narrow tubing so I used the more complex jig although care need to be exercised so as to not loose the cut off piece.  For those living in Australia, Australian Jewelers Supply have useful range of tools suitable for our hobby.  They have stores in all capital cities.  Their stores are more like a warehouse and browsing turns up all sorts of interesting finds.  I have written about this here.
 
These need to be flared out to form a thimble.  I have tried using both a hand punch and a spring-loaded punch the problem with the spring-loaded punch is that often one click is not enough and two clicks is too much.  I can exercise more control by tapping with a hammer.
 

 
Here is the result after blackening:
 

 
These are then seized with 0.66 mm rope
 

 
and then lashed to the spar in the appropriate place:
 

 
Hooks were made from 24-gauge wire:
 

 
I found the installation of the gaff tricky.   Unlike the main boom, there is nothing to hold the tip from drooping down and it also tends to slide down the mast.  I eventually tied it up temporally to the top of the mast but it was still awkward until the throat seizing is rigged.
 
Eventually, a satisfactory result was achieved.
 

 
John
 
 
 
 
 

There are a couple of discussions regarding using plans in the shop that you can check out by doing a search. 
Many hang the plans using various means.  My shop cat just sheds on the plans - and everything else in the shop.  My worst problem with him is moving him if I need to view the plans that are laid out on a large drafting table - he is able to channel super power forces to suddenly be able to apply hundreds of pounds of force downward to resist being moved.  I usually clamp my plans to a sheet of foam core board and set this on a large easel adjacent to my work table.  Large plans get laid out on the drafting board.
 
One problem with putting plans under plexi or regular glass is that you can no longer take measurements off the plans - in the case of non-dimensioned plans.

So, another day, another strake on each side. Today it's strake 4. The junction at stern post and transom needed care. (I think Eberhard was wondering about this.) The plank runs were arranged so that the seam between two strakes would run into this junction. Another 'have to think well ahead' strategy. I also cut away the plug for safety here. (Photo order reversed!)
 
Yes, Maury, I wash the planks well with a wet brush and mop up excess glue before it dries. In places such as the keel/garboard junction, I also use a dental tool (elevator) shaped like a mini chisel to clean out the angle.
 
Thanks for stopping by.
 

I’ve yet to need to replace the filters and I’ve had it for about 18 months. It will tell me when through an indicator. I simply vacuum the the filters when I think it needs it, not that often. It’s easy to lift the cover and decide. 

Thanks for looking in, everyone. Progress will be slow. Fitting planks that average about ⅛" wide is exacting work. You can see strake three going in in this picture.
 

The metalwork is an important part of this model but much is hidden behind the wheels.  My Gorbet jewelry saw (one of my favorite tools) got a lot of use on this model. The saw frames I purchased through Reo Grande Jewelry supply. (No affiliation except as a customer).  I use very fine blades for this thin metal. The hooks and rings are formed from black iron utility wire. The end cap son the shafts are formed from .010 tin.
This brings this model build  to an end. 
If there are any questions or comments I would be more than happy to hear them.
 
Bill

I have the BIOGS 2.0. It works great for me and judging by the three layers of filters when I clean them it’s removing plenty of dust. 
 
I know it’s working in auto mode when it kicks on when I sweep the floor. It works for me in my in-house work shop. 
 
Thanks for the comment too, very kind.

It has been a while since posted, but thought that I would share a useful tool that I use for rigging.  It is a toenail nipper that I purchased from Walmart.  It is manufactured by Japonesque.  It has a flat bottom to it and it is a flush cutter.  It also has a sharp point that you can get really close to the line that is to be cut. 
 
   
 
     Side View -  Notice the sharp point.
Here is the link to the one that I purchased: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Japonesque-Velvet-Touch-Pedicure-Essential-Duo/994640842?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&&adid=22222222227276419523&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=332285858061&wl4=pla-636753874486&wl5=9008419&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=994640842&veh=sem&gclid=Cj0KCQjwvYSEBhDjARIsAJMn0li5sJXPBooROIN4T83y-d0T8uMp-ZL5P39GuFWCNafxp1fJ0GQOGgAaAm_sEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
 
Here is a link to the manufacture's website: https://japonesque.com/products/implements/hand-foot-care/velvet-touch-pedicure-essential-duo/
 
I was able to purchase it in the store.  It was well worth the $13 I paid for it.

Hello and thank you all for the likes, more photos of the sculptures.
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Un saluto.

The Masts
 
A few more things to build as I tackled the masts. I described turning the mast with the lathe in an earlier post, the top mast followed the same process so I won’t repeat it here.
 

 

 

 
The trees proved to be a fun little mini-project, more complex than I had thought. The things we remove from the laser cut parts sheet of a kit this time I made from scratch using three sizes of wood. I cut and shaped the cheeks from 3/64 wood, flattened the sides of the masts and attached them. I cut out the bows of the tree from the plans and glued them to 1/8 wood and rough cut them with the scroll saw. I’m comfortable cutting outside the edges, I’d rather sand it to the proper shape, but the scroll saw makes that so much less work to do. I sanded the outside curve with my Byrnes sander then back to my various sanding tools to get the inside curve proper.
 

 
Using extra long 3/32 wood cut to size I added the three required slots using my now trusty mill. I’m so glad I bought the MF 70, it’s more than proved its usefulness during my build.
 

 
A quick assembly of the parts matched up to the plans then came the tricky, and as my British friends say, fiddly part.
 

 
Adjusting the cheeks and mast so that the trees are parallel to the deck consistent with the aft rake of the mast takes a bit of time. No magic, just cut file, dry-fit, adjust repeatedly until its right. The key of course is to go slow, as always you can take more off but you can’t put it back on. I used the laser level to make sure the mast was in the right position and bubble levels on the deck and trees adjusting until they matched up.  One thing to remember, with all the attention on adjusting the parallel it also has to remain horizontally level to the deck. Seems obvious but easy enough to forget.
 

 
I used black masking tape for the mast bands, handy stuff and another Amazon purchase.
 

 
Another handy tool is this centering ruler, I used it to locate where each of the top three eyebolts, made from 24 gauge black wire, are drilled and glued in. For the bottom mast ban I cut, shaped, and blackened a bit of 1/64 x 3/32 brass strip. The mast side was simply filed down into a bolt size pin and glued into a drilled hole. This extended bolt is a small detail, but aside from being authentic it really adds to the overall appearance of the trees.
 

 
The mast cap was another adventure and a reminder about how smart model designers are when they cut parts boards. You’d think rectangular block, two holes, one round one square, done. Which is essentially true but it too has to be cut to be parallel on the raked mast, done. What’s a tad tricker is the distance between the two holes. Despite following the plans, the main, top mast, and trees don’t end up being precisely sized (at least not mine). The spacing of the holes on the mast cap have to be such that the top mast and mast, again accounting for rake, are also parallel to each other (adjusting for very small .5-1.5mm differences). Which is a long way to say I had to make a second one when the matched to plan’s version had the top mast with more rake than the mast. Clearly user error, I sorted it out but the mast cap proved to be more than just a little block of wood with two holes.
 

 
Back to the mill to cut a nice little 6mm truck for the top mast and we’re done. The trees as a mini-project all took a bit of time but really was kind of fun to sort out.
 

 
I painted it all black and added the 4 eyebolts to the mast cap. I rigged the block to the two sides. The fore and aft bolt blocks have tackle attached, so the eyebolts aren’t glued in. I’ll remove them, add the blocks and tackle, and glue them in at an appropriate time. Still nothing glued together at this point, all dry-fitted to ensure it all works. I may not glue the top mast and mast cap onto the mast until after the shrouds and more of the rigging new dropped into the gap between.
 

 
I followed Chuck’s recommendation of using a Dremel to sand off the char from the mast rings by attaching them to the centers I removed after. The char was a bit challenging, but I kinda like them like this, distinctive character.
 

 
I turned my attention to the base of the mast, remembering to put on the mast rings before adding the boom rest. I got a little carried away and failed to take photos of this step. 
 
I went a different way with the boom rest, I decided to use my original and ultimately too small mast coat by cutting it in half for the boom rest, I like the look and it was a good fit. Then I added the cleats from Syren after sanding the char and shaping them a bit. Each are pinned by a cut-off kit nail into holes between the cleat and mast. Some of these will bear tension later, don’t want them popping off. And finally I painted it my favorite red from the boom rest to the deck.
 

 
I like to rig as much as I can off the boat, so much easier that way. So added the three blocks on the top mast for the eventual stays The port and starboard block need a bit of length given the way the tackle will run, I tried a couple of options then settled on my standard method using 50wt thread but instead of the usual 5-7 turns I added 21. That seem to give it the right heft and length. My new cuticle cutters proved handy for a tight trim, but as I’ve noted before care is required to not cut things you don’t want to cut. I don’t know how many times I’m going to have to learn that lesson.
 

 
The boom and gaff were cut on the lather the same way as the masts, though I just used a dowel instead of cutting from square stock. The bands are also from black masking tape.
 

 
I cut the jaws using a jewelers saw, once again with the pattern cut from the plans and rubber cemented onto the wood. I then used the usual practice of rubber cementing the two jaws together back to back and sanding them into identical pieces before adding to the boom (the photo is before all that sanding was completed).
 

 
Both it and the gaff are painted black still using Admiralty Paints Iron Works Black and onward we go. I’ll now decide it I want to shape the two yards while my work area is a mess of sawdust, or change it up and do some rigging
 
Thanks for stopping by. The comments and likes are always appreciated.

Questions, questions!
 
Alan: I almost never, ever use CA. PVA is what I'm using on this model.
 
Eberhard: I've never really got into 3D modeling since a frustrating brush with AutoCad early in the '00's.
 
Greg: If it were a clinker hull, it could come off any any point for inspection. I'd rather not chance it with the small gluing areas involved on a carvel hull.

It has been very inspiring seeing this project progress.  I definitely like small boats and don't think they are modeled enough.  Looking forward to following along watching a master do his thing

The garboard completed both sides and pins removed, the second strake was next. In the first photo you can see two of the various hold-down strategies used. 
 
To spile planking  at this scale is difficult to do the traditional way using a set of compasses. I now use Scotch brand matte removable tape. I lay a strip over the model and dot every ¼" or so. The tape is stripped off and laid on the stock (photo). The side to be joined to the existing strake is cut first and as accurately as possible. I use a sharp scalpel and ship's curve for this. The other side is cut a little wide of the marks. The plank is then fitted and fettled if necessary before refining the free edge. It is then shaped and glued into place. Once a strake is completed I sight along it to see if there is any waviness and file the edge smooth before continuing with the next strake.
 
Now on to the second strake, port side. The process outlined above will continue until planking is completed. 
 

Thanks Guys for your interest and nice comments.👍
 
Post Twenty-one
 
Internal stern fittings
 
I am following Chuck’s suggested order of work for the internal fittings, starting with the stern area.
 
Progress has slowed a little mainly due to a relaxing of covid restrictions, and a spell of fine weather tempting me out with the camera.
This next part also bears some thinking about, even tho’ Chuck has laser cut all the parts, careful positioning and a little tweaking is still required, and I wanted to take my time with this important area of the build.

0172
The bench armrest were fitted first followed by the stern sheets internal boarding.

0173
For these I made card templates to tweak the fitting requirements before I committed to the Cherry versions.

0175
These were trimmed to fit and heat treated whilst clamped in place.

0183
I also made card templates for the bench seat supports before fitting.
The ‘T’ square is used to mark the frame positions for the supports, taken from the plan, and to check the vertical line.
A spacer is taped to Frame 10 to position the aft support piece.

0186
The pinky red colour reproduction on these photos is not realistic. On the model the Vallejo flat red is true.
 
Once the glue has set, this area will be painted before moving on.
 
 
 
B.E.
21/04/21

 
 
 

Good morning and thanks to all, some progress made

 

 

 

 

 

 
Un Saluto.