MEDDO

So it seems August has been a wash.  However, when I was over in Baltimore visiting my father I was able to get on down to the Naval Academy Museum.  I took lots of good pictures.  Here are just a few.  I didn't use a flash and am going to clean up the pictures a bit but I thought I would show some.  I love this museum.  Such a great place and the new renovation (since I had been there before) is really nice.
 
The museum staff was very helpful as well.
 

 

 

 
And on the first floor I came across this.
 

 
Which leads me to...
 
 
I just got home from a boy scout camporee this weekend with my son.  I wasn't really paying too much attention to where we were going as I had so much to do otherwise.  I looked up the trip info and I googled Put In Bay, Ohio.  Well, well, well. Lots of events commemorating the war 1812 going on all weekend.  Was a great time (other than a bit of rain friday night).
 
Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial.
 

 
Cannon demonstrations etc.
 

 
The visitors center/gift shop has a pretty nice model completed by Harry Tabb in 1963
 

 
Overall a great 2 weeks in ship modeling hobby.

Planking the bow section.  Cut a template from the provided drawings to plank this section.  Should finish planking the main deck this weekend.
 
 Bob R.

Yeah for me...after 11 days and 3 tries, the hawse timbers are cut, assembled, shaped, and installed.  They still need lots of sanding but it's best (from my point of view) to blend into the framing plus there's an inside curve down down low that becomes the outside curve as it rises.  I'm thinking it's best to try it this way.
 
There's also still a ton of fairing to do and I want that done and out of the way before attacking the stern.   So the next update my be awhile. 
 
I'm debating whether to drill out the hawse ports or put in the plugs and leave the anchors unrigged.  My reasoning is that I'm considering full rigging and sails for this one.
 

So it seems August has been a wash.  However, when I was over in Baltimore visiting my father I was able to get on down to the Naval Academy Museum.  I took lots of good pictures.  Here are just a few.  I didn't use a flash and am going to clean up the pictures a bit but I thought I would show some.  I love this museum.  Such a great place and the new renovation (since I had been there before) is really nice.
 
The museum staff was very helpful as well.
 

 

 

 
And on the first floor I came across this.
 

 
Which leads me to...
 
 
I just got home from a boy scout camporee this weekend with my son.  I wasn't really paying too much attention to where we were going as I had so much to do otherwise.  I looked up the trip info and I googled Put In Bay, Ohio.  Well, well, well. Lots of events commemorating the war 1812 going on all weekend.  Was a great time (other than a bit of rain friday night).
 
Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial.
 

 
Cannon demonstrations etc.
 

 
The visitors center/gift shop has a pretty nice model completed by Harry Tabb in 1963
 

 
Overall a great 2 weeks in ship modeling hobby.

So it seems August has been a wash.  However, when I was over in Baltimore visiting my father I was able to get on down to the Naval Academy Museum.  I took lots of good pictures.  Here are just a few.  I didn't use a flash and am going to clean up the pictures a bit but I thought I would show some.  I love this museum.  Such a great place and the new renovation (since I had been there before) is really nice.
 
The museum staff was very helpful as well.
 

 

 

 
And on the first floor I came across this.
 

 
Which leads me to...
 
 
I just got home from a boy scout camporee this weekend with my son.  I wasn't really paying too much attention to where we were going as I had so much to do otherwise.  I looked up the trip info and I googled Put In Bay, Ohio.  Well, well, well. Lots of events commemorating the war 1812 going on all weekend.  Was a great time (other than a bit of rain friday night).
 
Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial.
 

 
Cannon demonstrations etc.
 

 
The visitors center/gift shop has a pretty nice model completed by Harry Tabb in 1963
 

 
Overall a great 2 weeks in ship modeling hobby.

Catherpins
Just a small update With the rat lines tied I turned my attention to the futtock staves and the catherpins, the staves were made from 1mm brass wire and the catharpins from lengths of serve rope with eyes made as previously described and stiffened with pva they will be tied to the shrouds and the wire cut to length painted matt black.
 

 
Test fit for length

 
All four made up

 
 

Hola, Raymond!
 
   Thank u for your words. I love the stairs, too. Took some pictures from the ship and the hold.
 
Next four pics show the hold with and without the ship.

 

 

 

 
Next 3 pictures shows the ships ladder attached to the port davit amidships closely and a bird´s view from top mast.

 

 

Hear ye! Hear ye! News from the realm!!
 
Vivian´s Chinese Junk got new fittings and it´s main mast - read all here!
 
So, as I said, main mast is installed. Some tackles for the rigging are there too - with some small modifications since AL instructions told me to do it differently. Let us go for the pictures.

 

 
Cannons are there too. I was a little skeptical about cannons at first (since I want a ship from about 1420 - 30). Research helped me to decide keeping them - The first guns found in junks wrecks are dated between 1400 - 1420. Laws from 1530+ dictated trade ships could carry 4 mounted guns and an assortment of small guns, for example. As chinese ships were victims of Wako pirates long before, my ship should carry guns for protection from pirate attacks.
 

 
Fixed my anchor, too. I would prefer a different anchor, to be sincere - AL gave me a 2 armed anchor but most of the chinese junk depictions shows 4 armed anchors. As I didn´t find any works regarding the 15th century chinese anchors, I´ll stay with what I´ve got.
 

 

 
And, last but not less important, my battery box for the lighting (part of the switch, too, since to light the cabin one just have to turn the box to one side)
 

 

 

 
[
 
Last picture shows where the box will be. Two copper stripes will be attached to the box botton. Two other stripes will be coming out from the hole fix - as I explained before, to turn on/off you only need to turn the box till it enchase with the copper stripes.
 

So it seems August has been a wash.  However, when I was over in Baltimore visiting my father I was able to get on down to the Naval Academy Museum.  I took lots of good pictures.  Here are just a few.  I didn't use a flash and am going to clean up the pictures a bit but I thought I would show some.  I love this museum.  Such a great place and the new renovation (since I had been there before) is really nice.
 
The museum staff was very helpful as well.
 

 

 

 
And on the first floor I came across this.
 

 
Which leads me to...
 
 
I just got home from a boy scout camporee this weekend with my son.  I wasn't really paying too much attention to where we were going as I had so much to do otherwise.  I looked up the trip info and I googled Put In Bay, Ohio.  Well, well, well. Lots of events commemorating the war 1812 going on all weekend.  Was a great time (other than a bit of rain friday night).
 
Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial.
 

 
Cannon demonstrations etc.
 

 
The visitors center/gift shop has a pretty nice model completed by Harry Tabb in 1963
 

 
Overall a great 2 weeks in ship modeling hobby.

So it seems August has been a wash.  However, when I was over in Baltimore visiting my father I was able to get on down to the Naval Academy Museum.  I took lots of good pictures.  Here are just a few.  I didn't use a flash and am going to clean up the pictures a bit but I thought I would show some.  I love this museum.  Such a great place and the new renovation (since I had been there before) is really nice.
 
The museum staff was very helpful as well.
 

 

 

 
And on the first floor I came across this.
 

 
Which leads me to...
 
 
I just got home from a boy scout camporee this weekend with my son.  I wasn't really paying too much attention to where we were going as I had so much to do otherwise.  I looked up the trip info and I googled Put In Bay, Ohio.  Well, well, well. Lots of events commemorating the war 1812 going on all weekend.  Was a great time (other than a bit of rain friday night).
 
Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial.
 

 
Cannon demonstrations etc.
 

 
The visitors center/gift shop has a pretty nice model completed by Harry Tabb in 1963
 

 
Overall a great 2 weeks in ship modeling hobby.

I bought it when it came out, and I couldn't put it down.
 
As Phil said, it was interesting to read about the wheeling and dealing behind getting these ships designed, built, launched and commisioned. I hate to say it, but it seems that there's not much difference betwen politics then and politics now.
 
Excellent book.
 
Thanks,
 
Harvey

Thanks you Sirs, very kind!
 
My small piece of cake found a temporary home in my Trafalgar shrine, beside the tankard displaying the battle lines, the Nelson magnifying glass, the photography of Nelson´s ghost and the the piece of original oak*** of the HMS Victory.
 
 

 
Cheers and shiver in deverence, Daniel
 
***from ecologically certified dismantling ;-)

Sorry for your loss. I recently lost my mother and it kinda puts a bit of a damper on some things. Glad you are reposting. You Constitution is excellent. I haven't decided if Pride of Baltimore II or the Constitution is going to be my next build. I started the big C over 10 years ago and got almost to where you are but multiple moves resulted in some damage that I am not sure how to fix.
 
I really love your gratings. The hard wood looks so nice. I will be following along here, learning all the while.

Hello all, just a quick note to say I'm back.  No need to go into details other than to say both my parents passed away of natural causes, one day apart, in March.  I've tried to model a few times since then but without any progress.  But finally today I picked up the modeling tools and got back to work slowly.
 
Here's a few pics of where Conny sits today.  I hope to finally be posting updates on progress again.
Thanks and happy modeling!
 

Continueing the life boat work.
 
Here I've started the ribbing on the inside of the boat at the bow.  The pencil marks are lining up where I'll be putting future ribs.
 

 

Bow ribbing is all done.  Instead of soaking the wood in water or a water ammonia mix I'm making tiny crinckles in the wood by pinching the wood between my thumb nail and index finger.  Makes just enough of a bend as you progress.  I'm also only ribbing half way into the boat instead of using one whole piece.  Saw the frustation of others and came up with a different process.

Okay, making progress on the cannons.
 

Here are the cannons with the blocks added.
 

Here is the blocks added to the walls.  Nothing really to say about either step.  Simply tie on and add a small dab of CA glue to hold in place.
 

Here is the process of roping the cannons into place.  Not that easy considering the small confined spaces on deck.  I used a my big lit magnifying glass and two pairs of tweezers to get this done.  Again, a small dab of CA and let dry.  Then a dab of CA glue on the deck and droop the rope into place.  Let dry and cut as close to the glue as possible.  Then the next step of adding the coiled rope.
 

I tried this step of putting the cut off tip of a tooth pick in a plastic lid and coiling the rop around the tip.  Didn't work so well.  I had a game change next.  I ended up putting a dab of CA on a plastic lid and letting it dry.  Once dry I then used some Sobo glue and ran the glue on the rope and let slightly dry.  Then I used a magnifying glass and started coiling the rope around the CA glue point.  I would use my finger to push the rope down and squeeze the glue out to glue the rope together.  Again, let dry.  Then I used a chisel excel blade to pry the coiled rope off.  Cut off the access rope.  Done.
 

Add coil to rope on the deck and glue in place.

Oooo a mystery. Can't wait to find out!
 
I always wonder why there are not more people building 74s though.

You can buy a Dremel, but others on MSW also use Proxxon and Foredom. When purchasing a rotary tool, these are (IMHO) the most important considerations:
 
- Price. Dremel is the cheapest and most available, Foredom costs the most.
 
- Chuck diameter. Dremel has the smallest chuck (which limits the size of the tool you can hold). Foredom has the largest.
 
- Flexible shaft. AN ABSOLUTE NECESSITY IMO. This allows you to hold the tool with a pencil grip and saves you from having to wrestle a large tool when performing delicate work. All three systems have flexible shafts as an accessory. With Foredom, you have a choice of many different shafts and heads.
 
- Tool bits. All accessories are interchangeable between Dremel, Proxxon, and Foredom - with the notable exception that larger diameter shank tools will not fit if your chuck diameter is too small (see point #2). Just because Dremel has the largest and most available selection of tool bits should NOT influence your decision. You can easily use a Dremel tool bit on a Foredom if you so choose.
 
- Smoothness. Proxxon and Foredom are said to be noticably smoother than Dremel with less rotational eccentricity. Important if you are carving very fine work but not so much if you are using your Dremel as a Drum sander or to cut bits of wood off.
 
- Foot pedal. Only Foredom has a variable speed foot pedal. This is important because your tool is not rotating when you apply it to the workpiece - increasing your precision. Both Dremel and Proxxon can be adapted with an "on-off" pedal, but this does not give you the ability to adjust speed using foot pressure.
 
I have a Dremel and I am happy with it. Good luck with your choice.

Thanks again John, Vivian, Michael, John and Greg - your comments are always appreciated.
 
Bridle Port
 
Looking through the above pics I realized I'd forgotten to mention the Bridle Port. This port is the foremost one, and is quite a bit different to the gunports. It's main function was to assist in attaching the tackle to the anchor when it broke the water so it could be stowed. An ancillary function was to provide ventilation below the foredeck which houses the galley, the manger and in some ships was used as a recovery area for sick or injured crew.
 
Unlike the gunports the bridle port is hinged horizontally. It's construction was otherwise similar to the gunport :
 

 

 

 
  Danny

Cutters Ver 2.5 continued
 
Not much time in the shipyard of late, though did spend the entire day in there today.  Don't seem to have much to show for it though.......
 
I have fitted the Risers for the Thwarts in both boats, made the Caprails, and given the interiors an undercoat of white Gesso in preparation for painting.
 
The Risers were relatively simple to install, using a piece of 1/32" x 3/32" scrap Pear stock as a spacer to achieve a consistent distance below the gunwales on both sides.  The Caprails were made in the same way as for the Pinnace, cutting them roughly to shape and then spot gluing them and sanding to final shape in situ.  The only drawback here was that I've run out of 1/64" Boxwood sheet, so used Cherry instead.  Quite a noticeable difference in how the two woods sand!  By comparison, the Cherry tends to be stringy and fuzzy along the edge, and is prone to splintering.  I forgot to take pictures of the Caprails before I unglued them with Isopropyl Alcohol. Painting with the Gesso gives a good base for the paint to grip.  In this case, I thinned the Gesso slightly - I really only wanted to just cover/seal the wood with it.
 
Here's a couple of progress shots - not very pretty in their "underwear" at the moment!  I took these more to test some different camera settings than for any other reason, but thought I may as well post them anyway.
 

 

 
Next task is painting the interior of the hulls in yellow ochre.  Still debating whether I'll break out the airbrush for this task - will wait to see how the mood takes me next weekend.
 
 

Well third time, no wait forth time, no that’s not right, it’s four and a half times is the charm. I made the seized component a third time but this time I reduced the diameter of the rope from 0.8mm to 0.4mm. Remember I initially stated I needed 0.6mm. With the added seizing and the very tight quarters it was to me placed in, I figured I could get away with it, plus the seizing itself added to the diameter of the line. I also tried to shorten the seizing required for the loops and heart.
 
Once more I went to place it on the bowsprit and amazingly it was still too long. This time I undid the seizing on one loop and shorten where the loop started. The loop was re-seized and low and behold it fit!

Hi Guys,
 
Just a quick update to let you know that I haven't fallen of the planet.
 
Rigging continues, all the main yards are made painted and fitted, the rigging is now completed on the main as far as I want to go at least at this moment in time.
 
I thought I would be clever and just put pegs on the ropes before tying off, so with all the yards rigged and a multitude of pegs hanging came the first headache.
I ended up almost making lace, the pegs got spun around each other and so the lace making had begun, the second headache was once all the lines were untangled where the hell do they go, they are all now tied of and trimmed so lessen learned, tie of as you go and avoid a whole lot of headache pills.  It still isn't getting any easier tying around the belaying pins, even with the approved tools and a few homemade efforts.
 
Next job is to make the fore and sprit yards, this will be done over the next day or so.
 
I have a few pics to show and as usual please give your honest thoughts and opinions, all are welcome.
 
These are the main yards prior to painting
 
 
Lace making
 
 
 
 
As I have said all these lines are now fixed and trimmed but no pics yet.
 
Be Good
 
mobbsie

The pieces and parts are coming along really nicely.

After a unexpected but welcomed interuption, I was able to get back to work, I started by making the Turn buckles ,I then Painted them Flat Black, I then Made all the Secondary Winches for the Cockpit.Next, I turned my attention to finishing the Streering stations, I srarted by making the pedestal for the Wheel, I then decided to make the Wheel out of Wood ( as a test & it worked )  I then Painted the Bases Grey, the Railing and Wheel center Red, The Pedestal and wheel rim Flat Black, with the center of the Wheel being White, Nothing at this stage has been Glued to the Boat , The Fishing weight is still being used to hold up the Communications Tower, I am very please with how she is coming along. Here are the results

Ahoy Frank
 
I am not pro painter but will share with you what I, as another newbie have learned. After much experimentation and the advice of many others; I now use Winsor & Newton Artisan Water Mixable Oil Colors 
 
http://www.winsornewton.com/na/shop/oil-colour/artisan-water-mixable-oil-colour
 
They can be purchased at a very reasonable price at Hobby Lobby or Micheals Crafts with their 40% off coupon
They have colors that are perfect for ship modeling
They clean up with water and you can mix them with many things to achieve different looks. 
They love wood and dry in a fairly short time. Drying times can be slowed with additional products. 
 
 
You can paint them thinned with water (Use distilled water) directly on wood to allow for the subtle tones of the wood to effect the finished appearance or treat the wood and painted as a second coat to get a solid color. 
 
Here is a link to my log. I used Yellow Ochre on the gunwale, and Mars Black on the wales, First I painted the Yellow directly on the wood.  I did multiple thin coats until I got the depth of color I liked. Then I used a soft cotton cloth and rubbed it to get a burnished look.  Then I used a wipe on poly (WOP) also doing the wales. A light sanding followed. Next I taped the line for the wales and using the WOP went over the tape lines to seal them. This prevents the black paint from 'bleeding" or weeping into the yellow. another light sanding of this WOP followed.  Always work from light to dark; the darker color can effect or show through the lighter color if it is under it but will always cover it. Then I painted the wales Black over the WOP to get a solid color. Then I sealed the whole deal with another coat of WOP. After this dried I used a kitchen sponge with a scrubber (Blue) to knock down the shine and get a dull slightly weathered look. 
 
http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/45-rattlesnake-by-jpett-model-shipways-ms2028-scale-164th/?p=126457
 
Painting is easy. Get good brushes too and learn to treat them with respect. Sealing tape lines is very important. I always tape with painters tape or Tamiya. Use a very thin piece of tape to get the line and then another thicker one to protect the other color. I always seal it with either future floor wax and more recently the WOP. Always let things dry, never rush and most importantly 
 
NEVER experiment on your ship. Use scrap and test until you can repeat the look you want at least twice. Three times is better. Once is never a guarantee.
 
Good luck, I hope this helps, and have fun
 
PS: Don't rush it either. Let each coat dry before starting the next and give it some extra time before sanding, applying WOP or tape for lines. I usually give it a few days before the WOP to prevent any smearing and start with a super light coat which I do not work back and forth over the two colors. .