rcmdrvr

Thanks for the rope advice.  This model is one of the first times I have had to do extensive rope rigging, wrapping, etc.  I have learned that I have a lot to learn about this art.  For example, I am not sure about how to tie off ends, etc.  Next time I will look into purchasing rope.  This little model would have cost a fortune.  There must be eight spools of rope included in the kit.  I have been using yards of the stuff.

Last night I was able to construct the main mast.  The mast is very different than we find on most sailing ships.  It is a very elongated triangle with cross pieces to support the rigging.  I fashioned the mast over the plans.  The cross pieces require some care drilling of holes (I used a dremel drill stand that worked quite well).  It seems the main masts on these ships were retractable to a "saddle" which will be constructed near the stern.  Because the mast is retractable, the rope wrapping in the interior of the hull was a bit complicated.

Well, on to the "Command Deck".  This is my name for the decking that was fashioned on top of the hull and then surrounded on three sides by railing.  On the model you must first make a foundation.  This consists of doweling which is then lashed to the sides of the hull.   The actual deck is fashioned from a triangular piece of thin ply that is "planked" and then "framed".  I also stained this decking with light oak but was not very happy with the results.  It is darker and more red that I would have liked.  Oh well.
The railings were a bit tedious but I like the result.  The lower piece of the railings had to be notched for the lashing.  I used a dremel rotary tool clamped to my bench to accomplish this.  To assist in lashing, I dipped the end of each "rope" in thin CA and let it dry to form a one inch length that was stiff like a needle and could be used to guide the rope.

The next step proved to be a bit difficult.  Egyptian ships did not have keels.  They stablized the hull by stretching a large rope in a arch between the bow and stern.  At the bow and stern they crafted "hard points" to attach this rope truss.  The hard points had to be quite strong so they used heavily wrapped rope as a strap to hold the hard point to the hull.  They would wrap the strap around the hard point structure and then loop under the hull.  My final photo will give you an idea of what I am trying to describe.  The plans called for making the strap by cutting out a copper strip from thin copper sheet and then wrapping this with rope.  I cut out the pattern from the plans and quickly discovered it was not long enought to wrap around the hull.  I lengthened the pattern but traced the new pattern on the copper sheet.  However, I just managed to destroy the sheet trying to cut out the copper strap.  I really have to improve my metal fashioning skills.
 
I instead tried to duplicate the straps I saw in photos, when I researched Egyptian ships on the internet, using rope.  I took two lengths of 1.3 mm rope and wrapped them with .7 mm rope to form a thicker straight rope for the strap.  I then wrapped these straight ropes around the dowl that would become the hard point and then around the hull.  Finally I attached the two straps together in the center to form the final single strap.  I hope my photos do a better job of showing what I fashioned than my descriptions.  During the wrapping process I would coat the wrapped portion of the straps with thinned wood glue and then dry it in a fruit dehydrator.  This worked great.  The wrappings stayed put but the strap remained flexible so I could work with it.  Anyhow, I think I was able to achieve an acceptable result.  The last two photos show first the bow and then the stern hard points for the truss rope; which will be installed later.

Decking is next.  The kit provided a laser cut plywood deck that you plank with wooden strips.  Unfortunately the plywood deck was a bit small.  I held the plywood deck in place with a clamp so that I could cut the planking to cover the gap between the plywood deck and the sides of the ship.  This worked well.  After planking there is some hole drilling and adding rope loops before the deck is glued into place.  With the decking in place; I think the model is beginning to take shape.
 

Well, the next step is the simulated rope weaving on the hull.   The process began with placing a strip of tape along the hull so that I could mark where the holes would be drilled.  There are two rows of holes, each row being offset by 1/2 the distance between the holes.  Then came the drilling process.  I used a hobby knife with a sharp blade to make a small starter hole at each marked location.  I then used a dremel rotary tool to drill the hole.  There were a bunch.  I next wove the bow and stern with two strands passing through the holes.  The instruction booklet did a good job illustrating how this should be done.  Next I wove the top and bottom rows along the length of the hull.  Again, it was two strands passed throught each of the holes.  This was also well illustrated in the booklet.  Finally a single, small diameter strand is woven between hull length threads.  I used two pins to raise the upper and lower ropes in order to be able to pass the lighter thread.  One tip in the process.  I dipped the end of each thread in thin CA and waited a few seconds for the ends to become very stiff.  This made it much easier to weave thru the holes.

Last night I was able to construct the main mast.  The mast is very different than we find on most sailing ships.  It is a very elongated triangle with cross pieces to support the rigging.  I fashioned the mast over the plans.  The cross pieces require some care drilling of holes (I used a dremel drill stand that worked quite well).  It seems the main masts on these ships were retractable to a "saddle" which will be constructed near the stern.  Because the mast is retractable, the rope wrapping in the interior of the hull was a bit complicated.

Paint looks beautiful.  Would like to know how you achieved your results.  Whose paint did you use?  Brush or sprayed?  Thinned?  Will you put any clearcoat on the model?  Sorry to ask so many questions but we are here to learn.

Last night I was able to construct the main mast.  The mast is very different than we find on most sailing ships.  It is a very elongated triangle with cross pieces to support the rigging.  I fashioned the mast over the plans.  The cross pieces require some care drilling of holes (I used a dremel drill stand that worked quite well).  It seems the main masts on these ships were retractable to a "saddle" which will be constructed near the stern.  Because the mast is retractable, the rope wrapping in the interior of the hull was a bit complicated.

good evening everyone
 
thank you for comments and likes
 
hope to finish this week, would have done so, had i not discovered a new PC game, which has me hooked- nothing to do with fishing though.
 
The rudder -  the big steerie thing at the back that i forgot about is on -(dont tell Chris) i also forgot about the holes in the hull to feed the ropes through, even though it says dont forget about them in the instructions
 
all the deck furniture is completed and masts done, a bit of varnish and some rudder hinges to sort
the sails are coloured with a chocolate brown, i think they look ok
 
 

Yards done and mounted. I prefer doing some of their rigging now for easier access. Next will start the shrouds this weekend. In the background you can see a future product, another Chris Watton project designed in an earlier life. Likely will do the Indy first as I ordered it immediately when it became available.

Second planking done and sanded.

With water line drawn in
 

 

Have completed the jigsaw puzzle of the hull. A few spots needed thinning to fit (in the stern). Now letting glue dry and will start sanding tomorrow.

It was an ink-jet printer. The water slide paper and acrylic sealer are readily available and MS Word has every font and word art to creat the decals. Vinyl Pin-Striping is a great way to add the striping, as well. 
 
John

Wow.  Really beautiful.  I did not know you could obtain such beautiful result by home printing water slide decals.  Did you print on an ink-jet or color laser?

Wow, this is great to see! Thank you for the note about the deck. Ever since I built that, I have wanted to create a proper king plank to make decking construction even more precise and realistic. I have now designed a cool system for large R/C models and I am looking forward to using it on a build of my own later this winter. 

If you are going to do a build log on the Sailing Pram, and I hope you do, rename this thread and get started.  Oh by the way, WELCOME!

Well, on to the "Command Deck".  This is my name for the decking that was fashioned on top of the hull and then surrounded on three sides by railing.  On the model you must first make a foundation.  This consists of doweling which is then lashed to the sides of the hull.   The actual deck is fashioned from a triangular piece of thin ply that is "planked" and then "framed".  I also stained this decking with light oak but was not very happy with the results.  It is darker and more red that I would have liked.  Oh well.
The railings were a bit tedious but I like the result.  The lower piece of the railings had to be notched for the lashing.  I used a dremel rotary tool clamped to my bench to accomplish this.  To assist in lashing, I dipped the end of each "rope" in thin CA and let it dry to form a one inch length that was stiff like a needle and could be used to guide the rope.

If you are going to do a build log on the Sailing Pram, and I hope you do, rename this thread and get started.  Oh by the way, WELCOME!

If you are going to do a build log on the Sailing Pram, and I hope you do, rename this thread and get started.  Oh by the way, WELCOME!

If you are going to do a build log on the Sailing Pram, and I hope you do, rename this thread and get started.  Oh by the way, WELCOME!

If you are going to do a build log on the Sailing Pram, and I hope you do, rename this thread and get started.  Oh by the way, WELCOME!

Hello everyone,

I have wanted to get into model ship building for a while now but could never really figure out the best way to start. I have fond memories of my grandfather’s ships on the shelves in his home and saw building one as a means to connect with him in that way. 

While I have absolutely no prior experience with model building nor wood working, this hobby does fit my skill set to some degree by involving fine motor control. That said, what some of you produce is beyond comprehension. 
 
A few months ago I joined this forum after purchasing the Model Shipways 3 kit combo, and had great intentions to start a build log of the first model. That didn’t end up happening, but I did finish the first build over the holidays.
 

 
I offer a huge thanks to both Prairie Sailor and Tigersteve who I took many ideas and much inspiration from (I hope my blatant plagiarism is acceptable) and whose build logs I found invaluable. I’m more than open to any critique or ideas for improvement. 
 
Next up is the Norwegian Sailing Pram which I am only just getting started on. SkiBee’s build log has already become a valuable reference point. 
 

 
That’s really what I wanted to say, I’m excited and happy to be here and pushing myself to actually become involved here because I’ve used the site as a resource and wanted to say (both broadly and specifically) thank you. 
 
A Wonderful Wizard,
Os

Truely a beautiful model.  It will enhance any space you use to display it.

Well, on to the "Command Deck".  This is my name for the decking that was fashioned on top of the hull and then surrounded on three sides by railing.  On the model you must first make a foundation.  This consists of doweling which is then lashed to the sides of the hull.   The actual deck is fashioned from a triangular piece of thin ply that is "planked" and then "framed".  I also stained this decking with light oak but was not very happy with the results.  It is darker and more red that I would have liked.  Oh well.
The railings were a bit tedious but I like the result.  The lower piece of the railings had to be notched for the lashing.  I used a dremel rotary tool clamped to my bench to accomplish this.  To assist in lashing, I dipped the end of each "rope" in thin CA and let it dry to form a one inch length that was stiff like a needle and could be used to guide the rope.