palmerit

Winchelsea and other Syren ships are on my future list. And really they are. But I have a growing collection of models I bought that are sitting on my shelves. I've found doing smaller models with fewer repetitive steps has given me some good experience with different kinds of modeling steps. And since each model is not as expensive or as involved as something like the Winchelsea, if I made a mistake I can just trash the model or use the fix as a learning experience and then move to the next model. For example, I did the NRG Half Hull, which was a great experience, and it has a secondary home now on the top shelf of a book shelf in my office as opposed to the "place of honor" my other models are living in because it didn't turn out as nice as I had hoped. My learning experiences are clearly visible. Only the final models I really like are going to be centerpieces in our home. I find that the smaller models give me a chance to try different things since there is still so much I'm learning. I did my first deck planking on the Scow Schooner I'm working on. Some aspects of it I liked, others I didn't. But I learned something. I might have been more upset with the outcome if it was the deck of a ship that cost me lots of money and 1/2 year or more to get to the deck planking step and I screwed something up. But I have seen some people have successfully tackled a larger model and loved it soon into building these kits.

The 1:1 plans only show side view, top view, and sail. I’ll study some more. Perspective drawings show the holes so I could approximate but I don’t want to end up getting them in the wrong position if they need to be more precisely placed.

Leveling the ship to draw the waterline.

Bending the rail. The instructions called for soaking the wood overnight in an ammonia/water solution. I just soaked them for an hour in water I got boiling and poured onto a cake pan. I laid the plans on a double layer of cork board, put Saran Wrap over top, and pinned to the shape on the plans. I’ll let them dry at least overnight.

Finished deck, stained with Minwax “Colonial Maple”.

I used Super Phatic glue, which cures fairly quickly compared to PVA but not as quickly as CA. It let me set the pieces and then adjust a bit before the glue cures fully. Hoping I got them aligned reasonably well. Definitely letting them dry overnight before continuing to the next steps.

The last pieces of the hull bulkheads are pretty challenging to attach. The point where they attach has just a tiny notch. No obvious way to make them aligned properly.

I found that someone scratch built a scow schooner - not a build log, but there are some photos I can reference:

I’m kind of stumped. The instructions say to drill through the indents of F-2. Don’t know what an “indent” is and there’s no mark showing where to drill. Says to do the same for F-7 and in this case there are two plus marks on either side. The illustration shows two holes but they are closer to the middle than the marks. Argh. Maybe I’ll wait until later in the build to figure out where the holes should none and drill them then.

Right. Thanks for that. Forgot to add it to the list. I do have Minwax "Pre-stain Wood Conditioner" that I put in before adding the Minwax stain. I think they say to stain within 1-2 hours of putting on the Pre-stain.

I'm jumping back on my post from before about paint to ask about staining (thought rather than create a new thread, someone might find this useful discussion as applied to paints and stains). I'm working on my first deck planking for the Scow Schooner I'm building and plan to stain it. I have a bunch of 8oz stains and I'll be experimenting to see which looks better on some scrap wood. 1. The first step will be sanding the deck with some fine grit sandpaper. 2. Then I'll apply the stain. I know stain needs to be applied before adding any kind of shellac or poly. Is it better to apply with a brush and then wipe it down with a rag or apply with a rag? Or doesn't it really matter? Is the number of coats of stain just a matter of how dark I want it? With my airbrush I always need to apply at least 2-3 coats, sometimes more. I don't know if the same applies to stain, where 2 coats is a minimum, more is for a darker stain. I know I can experiment. I just wanted to see if there was accepted wisdom. 3. Should I apply sanding sealer after staining? Or shellac? I think sanding sealer and shellac serve the same purpose, right? I have both. And then sand again with fine sandpaper? Then another application of sanding sealer or shellac after the first sanding? I'm guessing I could do a 0000 steel wool pass after the 2nd sanding (I have a magnet to pick up steel wool fuzz). Does that sound right? The wood is pretty soft and has a bit of a fuzz. 4. I will be attaching deck furniture and houses, so I may need to be able to glue things to the deck. My understanding is that PVA can cure like normal when applied to a stained piece of wood otherwise untreated. Would the same be true if it had sanding sealer or shellac? Would CA glue be a better bet? Is there a concern here that the glue is gluing the piece to the layer of shellac? 5. The matte varnish I have is acrylic (Vallejo). I'm guessing I should not spray on an acrylic varnish on top of sanding sealer or shellac (like I would on top of acrylic paint).

My first deck planking. After it dries I’ll trim the edges and cutouts, do a light sanding, and add some stain. I used the usual (standard) approach of running pencil lead along one edge (both one long edge and one shallow edge). From everything I've read, a dark sharpie or other marker is too dark and the ink bleeds and is not subtle enough for a ship of this scale. I've seen some people recommend India ink. But I think the pencil let works well. It's what I used on the NRG Half Hull. It's good to get in a rhythm with this. I think I only forgot to pencil the short edge between board a couple of times. I wasn't quite sure how to stagger the deck boards and whether they should be random or follow a rough pattern. I think next time I'll try to research the best ways to do this and mock out some possible patterns (or try to just do them entirely random). Note sure I quite like how the pattern turned out. I think I have blunt ends too close to one another in a few spots because I didn't fully plan ahead. I was trying to keep in mind what I learned by doing the NRG Half Hull, but keeping in mind didn't quite turn into execution. I should have created a pattern beforehand. I also wasn't quite sure what to do on the short sections in the middle of the hull. In the middle I had some planks butting together. In the rear end I had them all as full pieces. I wanted to see how the two options looked.

Slow assembly of the frame. So different from a Vanguard model. Need to align and clamp every individual frame piece. Glad I bought a set of 100 of these Lego-like pieces on Amazon a while back.

Need to write the part numbers on the sheets, following the layout map on a page at the start of the instructions.

I thought I had seen that some of those "battle station" kits might be available some time some place - I can't remember if it was on the NRG web site or Syren. But the kit says "limited edition" of 25 so maybe not.

Kind of frustrating that for a “new” 2024 reissue they didn’t get the laser cuts right on the keel.

In its new home in my office.

The instructions call for drawing on the deck planks with a pencil. I’m going to try adding actual planks. A first. And first deviation from instructions. We’ll see how it goes.

Inside the kit.

For my next model, I'm doing the San Francisco Bay Scow Schooner by Midwest (sold by Model Shipways / Model Expo). This is another example of a Midwest model that Model Shipways / Model Expo has reissued. It looks like this came out just last October 2024. I picked it up for a fairly cheap price, more than 1/2 off, during a Model Expo sale a couple months ago. It looks like it has been redesigned a bit. Someone online said that it does not look quite the same as the model they build in the 1990s. I found online a link to an article describing these scow scooners: https://www.wisconsinshipwrecks.org/Files/scow-schooner-regional-context.pdf I'm continuing my approach of having multiple models going on at once. It lets me just let paint or glue dry on one model and work on another model. It also lets me work on something that I'm keen to work on rather than feeling like I need to plough ahead on a step that I need to think hard about, research, or that I need a break from. I liked how this model looked and it seems like a straightforward build. I might try on this model to do a few things that deviate from the instructions, which would be a first for me. I think this might be the first build log for this reissued model. I couldn't find any other in a search. It'll also be a first for me to go solo. Some notes, thoughts, assessments of this kit (for future builders): - As is the case for many of Model Expo's re-issues of Midwest kits, do not assume that the instructions align with what is available in the kit. They have made essentially zero edits to the instructions (aside from a page or two at the beginning) so do not assume that instructions wrt parts and their labels or even their dimensions align with what is actually included in the kit. - Like model Model Expo kits, nearly all the wood is basswood. Basswood is cheap. It's easy to cut. Easy - too easy - to sand - as in if you're a bit too aggressive you can sand through pieces inadvertently. I get why they include it for kits at this price point. But one thing to note is that in this kit you do need to do some shaping of parts from fairly thin pieces of basswood. Basswood splits easy, does not hold a shape all that well, does not easily give you crisp edges, and is just kind of frustrating to work with. You have a bit more wood supplied in the kit than you need, but you might need to supplement with additional basswood. Just know that you might need to make a few attempt - and cross your fingers - when shaping some of the pieces as instructed in the kit.

Well, the Midwest Dory is finished. It was a nice easy build with just a few hiccups. Pretty different in a number of ways from the Model Shipways Dory, and not just in scale.

What kind of knot do you have attaching to the anchors?

Have just a bit of rigging to do and need to add the beckets (ropes).

Argh. A mismatch between instructions and parts. The instructions describe and illustrate the ring bolts as double width cotter pins and have you drill a hole to accommodate that width. The actual parts are single width, so my holes are too wide. I could have tried bending over the end but instead I used some filler and superglue.

I haven't replaced a blade yet, but I probably need to - the last time I used it (a few days ago) it seemed like the blade was getting a bit dull. These blades don't seem to wear down as much as something like the scalpel blades I use, which I replace pretty often. Maybe because I don't use it as much but probably also because they're always cutting straight down, as opposed to my scalpel blades that get used in all sorts of angles that will wear the blade down and sometimes get glue or other matter on them or get rubbed against something metal and dull. I ordered a few packages of replacement blades when I ordered the chopper. They're 10 blades for 5 dollars. I'm not at home, but I think they came with instructions on the specific kind of upholstery cutter blade you need to buy. You could email them and ask what specific kind of blade it uses: info@ultimation.ca I just found it easier to buy from them when I ordered the chopper originally. I probably got two packages of 10 blades. I suppose someday I'll need to research where to buy replacements. But I'll probably just order from them. The shipping is probably going to cost more than the blades I imagine. I think they use these particular blades because they're (apparently) way sharper than a regular razor blade. When I ordered it I also got some of the replacement rubber disks that fit inside. Those do seem to be proprietary. They're pretty cheap though. The cutter is pretty small. And since it's light and easily moveable, I just keep it (and my sander) under my work table. With their sander, they tell you what kind of sanding disc sandpaper to order. To be honest, I wish they just sold replacement sandpaper themselves. It'd be easier just to order through them since it takes a bit to find the specific kind they recommend. It's available online, but it's not just something you can buy at a local store.