palmerit

Been adding parts to the deck. I just have to do the cannon a bit more pieces and then it’ll be on to the masts.

Making progress on the Dory. While easy, it’s definitely not as self-explanatory as the Sherbourne (and the instructions and photos and illustrations for the Dory aren’t quite as helpful).

Next step will be planking after this dries.

I understand now how the “engineering” of Vanguard models is so different from older school models like this Dory. Constructing the frames involved gluing a couple of pieces together and gluing them to cross plates. There isn’t a ton of guidance in terms of putting the pieces together and it’s easy for them to get misaligned. After setting the frames into the building board, I discovered that one was misaligned, had to disassemble and reglue into alignment.

That could well be. I went down a bunch of rabbit holes trying to figure things out before posting.

Ok, so "sanding sealer" and "shellac" basically do the same thing then? And it's just a matter of preference which to use? Googling around, I saw some people call sanding sealer "snake oil" and others say that shellac was not appropriate for model ships. So if painting, it'd be: (1) sanding sealer or shellac (2) sanding (3) sanding sealer or shellac (4) 0000 steel wool, using a magnet to remove to fragments (5) paint (6) (optional) some kind of wipe on poly (polyurethane or polycrilic) Is that right? What if I'm staining wood? I understand that the first step would be to sand, and possibly wet and sand. And sand some more. Then I'd stain. Not clear what comes next. Would I do a light stain and then sand again? Or do another light stain and use 0000 wool? Would I do sanding sealer or shellac after that? Would I just do something like 0000 wool after that? Would I then do some kind of wipe on poly? Can you tell I've never really done any woodworking, at least nothing fancy.

I’m doing my first wooden ship model and chose the Vanguard Sherbourne. I obviously have no basis for a direct comparison, but I can say that the Vanguard Sherbourne is definitely designed for the beginner. It’s a far more “modern” design than older school models I’ve seen build logs of (I don’t know how old the Caldercraft is). I’ve in parallel started the Model Shipways Dory (just started), which is also designed for the beginner, and can say the Vanguard Sherbourne seems easier in some ways than the Dory. The Sherbourne has many more steps and pieces but seems “easier”, instructions are clearer, and materials and architecture are stronger.

That explains a lot. I think I had seen some builds - even in the instructions for the Sherbourne I believe - with recommendations to sand between coats of paint. I noticed that it was rubbery, and didn't think that it was because it took a long time to fully cure. So I guess an advantage of using a non-acrylic sanding sealer on bare wood is that you can sand it more immediately - say the next day. Is that right? I suppose on a hull (or other wood) you're intending to paint, you could do a couple rounds of sealer and filler and sanding until the hull was smooth and then prime and paint (and apply WOP if desired)? If you're intending to stain the wood instead of paint is there a step you can use to prep the surface to get it smooth (since you would not want to use sanding sealer before staining), especially in the case of a softer wood? Or would you just not want to stain a soft wood that could not be finished just by careful sanding of the bare wood? Sorry for all the questions.

Based on wefalck's comment, I assume a sanding sealer is easier to use than a shellac and does the same thing, right? I'm not keen on mixing my own shellac.

I tried sanding with a range of grits (I have all the way up to 1500) and there was still fuzz. I'll see if the buffing method works. So if I wanted to go the sanding sealer route, I'd do something like this: 1. Wet the wood to raise the fibers. Sand again when dry. 2. Apply a Miniwax Clear Sanding Sealer. 3. Sand again and repeat with another coat of sanding sealer if necessary with another sanding. 4. Paint with acrylics. I usually thin a bit and do more than one coat. Sanding between coats as necessary. 5. (Optional) Apply polycrylic. Sand with high grit and apply again as necessary. Does that all sound right? Or no? I assume that if I wanted to stain the wood (which I don't in this case) I would want to first apply the stain and then apply a sanding sealer, sand, and end with some kind of poly coat. You can't stain after applying sanding sealer. Is that right?

For a side model, I'm working on the Model Shipways Lowell Grand Banks Dory, which uses basswood. Only my second model (my first being the Vanguard Sherbourne), and my first time experiencing the basswood fuzz. Anticipating this won't take long to finish, I want to make sure I have what I need when I get to the painting stage. What should I do prior to painting to "de-fuzz" the wood? I've read that I don't want to simply paint over it because that will accentuate the fuzz if anything. I don't know if a basic acrylic primer will do any better than paint (all of my paint, besides what came with the Dory, are Vallejo). (Followed by fine sanding.) I saw mention of first adding shellac, fine sanding, and then painting over. I also saw mention of using sanding sealer (then fine sanding, then painting over). I'm pretty clueless about these things and I'm not entirely sure how shellac and sanding sealer differ. Would either work? Will both be okay for applying acrylic paints over them? I also have Minwax Polycrylic, but isn't that what I would put on AFTER I paint, not before. (Not sure if I should instead have Minwax Wipe On Poly in stead of the Polycrylic - I bought the latter because I assumed it was preferred for using acrylic paints, but then after I got it I found posts saying the Wipe on Poly was better than Polycrylic.)

Definitely a different style of modeling, in an interesting way.

I can definitely see the difference in the kind of wood this model uses. The basswood is very soft, fragile, and fuzzy compared to the wood used in the Sherbourne. I’m going to have to treat this one gently. Thankfully, it’s small.

Okay, so after deciding to purchase the Duchess of Kingston by Vanguard Models to be my second build (while continuing to work on my Vanguard Sherbourne), I reflected on my mistakes (that I certainly learn from) and how often they occur and considered how much I just spent on the Duchess and what a more serious mistake might mean, and decided to maybe get some more practice on less expensive models first (well, second, third, and fourth). I just got the Model Shipways Shipwright Series, which consists of the Lowell Grand Banks Dory, followed by the Norwegian Pram, and then the Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack. I know these model might be a bit more “old school” than the more modern Vanguard designs. But I figured they’d force me to do something different, mistakes would be on a far cheaper model, and they’d be easier to work on while also doing my Sherbourne. I wanted another model (in this case three small ones) to have something to work on while waiting for glue and paint to dry on my Sherbourne parts (like I am now).

A great thing about Vanguard's models is that the guy who owns it (Chris Watton) is on here and responds to your messages unbelievably quickly. Thanks Chris. He suggested these should be 15mm each, not 25mm each, meaning there is enough in the supplied 3mm dowel. I would have done that (or bought a dowel from a hobby shop) but wanted to make sure I wasn’t misreading something.

I’m making the deck pumps and each calls for a 3mm x 25mm dowel. I couldn’t find any precut and did not see them listed separately in the parts list at the end of the instructions. There is one 3mm x 330mm dowel supplied. From that, I’ll need to make the upper yard (3mm x 129mm) and middle yard (3mm x 170mm). Adding those two up, it’s 299mm, leaving only 31mm left on the 330mm long 3mm dowel. Am I just confused, missing a part to complete the deck pumps, misreading the instructions, or are the pumps not supposed to be 25mm high, or made from a different width dowel?

Another lesson learned, lesson shared: Not having done modeling since I was a kid, and not having done anything but the most basic wood working, there are lots of basic things I’m discovering and learning. After making a mistake, I poke around here, YouTube, and other places where I learn how to fix my mistake. I could have avoided the mistake by reading more and taking reams of notes, but sometimes it’s best to live your mistakes. Another good reason for starting with a small, relatively inexpensive model. So most of my pants (airbrush and brush) are Vallejo. They’ve worked great for everything. I wrongly assumed that the Vallejo acrylic primer would work on photoetch. Well it doesn’t, unfortunately. You can see it on the eyebolt. I knew you needed to prime PE. But I thought primer was primer. Now I know it’s not. I’ve ordered a solvent-based primer for priming PE going forward. I bought the Tamiya after watching this fine scale modeler video. I’m sure this is all well-known to anyone with any modeling experience. It’s new to me.

They look a little better after some wood filler, sanding, and paint.

Lesson learned, lesson shared: I was building the catheads and since I had removed the char from other parts (like belay pin racks) I just plunged ahead and removed the char from the small parts for the catheads too. I should have waited until get were put together or just not worried about it since I was planning to paint them. The small pieces at the end of the catheads are small and after sanding they now don’t fit snuggly.

Thanks for all these helpful comments. Lots to think about. I was thinking it was easier to make them on a lathe, which made the decision easy. I'll need to poke around to check out the different approaches to decide what works for me. I guess now the question is if someone doesn't go a lathe route, what combination of other tools would be useful? A vise? What kinds of chisels? A Veritas mini-plane. Other tools?

So would these be the two Sherlines you're talking about: https://www.sherline.com/product/40004100-lathe-packages-a/#description (8") https://www.sherline.com/product/4400a4410a-package/#description (17") So the "pass through" capability is pretty standard for all lathes? How large (wide) of a piece could something like one of these handle? As I said, my son did some woodturning (small bowls and vases) and I don't know if these can handle something that wide (vs. masts, spars, pens, and other narrow pieces). Or if that requires a large lathe. Just thinking if this could be used for the kinds of things my son enjoyed doing it would have wider use - and justify paying more.

So what would be an entry-level Sherline model that would do everything a DB 250 would do, just so I can compare? It sounds like a Sherline is more upgradeable than a Proxxon? Guessing the same might be true for Taig? How do I know what basic add-ons are needed to get started? I saw that some of the models had packages, but I don't even know what combo would be necessary to get started. Sorry for all the questions. (I don't even know what a mill is used for, except that I had some guys I went to high school with whose dads were machinists, and I assume they used mills.)

Right now I'm really just thinking wood. I understand something like the Proxxon DB 250 is wood only. Who know what I might want to do in the future. If something isn't much more expensive (and better quality) I'd get that. Something up to $500-600 US would be okay, thought I'd prefer to pay less. No way I'm spending upwards of $1000 or more, which is that I've seen some of them go for. I'd certain love some recommendations on particular models. I'm really at a loss as to what specific models to look at and what a basic "start set" might look like. For now for just doing masts and spars. If it lets me do more later that'd be cool. My son took a wood turning class in high school (their principal was a wood turner and the class had four students because he donated his old one) and it looked like a lot of fun. I don't even know if a lathe for wood turning more generally would be general purpose for also doing the kinds of things you might do for model ships, turning masts and spars. As I said, I'm clueless right now. I'm certainly open to getting something that might allow me to explore other directions. I'm not in a rush to buy something today certainly. I'm just trying to figure out the landscape of possibilities and I'm overwhelmed by the options, especially having no clue what really to look for and how to tell whether a particular lathe might do what I want immediately (for model ships) and what it might allow for later. I saw some combo packs for some of the lathes online and I have no idea what combo of add-ons is even needed.

Which model Taig did you buy (and why that one over other models)? Did you have to buy additional Taig accessories? Was there a package? Can I also ask what other tools and add-ons you bought?

I'm approaching the mast and spar stage and I am thinking about buying a mini-lathe. I've seen some jerry-rigged options using a drill, a workbench, a vise, and homemade jigs, but while I own a couple of drills, I'd need to buy a workbench and a vise and make jigs, so buying a mini-lathe seems the best option. I also know these can be shaped entirely by hand tools. I've been to Colonial Williamsburg and saw how a harpsichord can also be built using nothing but hand tools. But that's not for me. I don't have a lot of time to spend on this new hobby and retirement is at least a decade away. Which Model? The Proxxon DB 250 seems to be the popular inexpensive option. From what I've read, it has a "pass through" capability to be able to handle long dowels, which many other cheap (or cheaper) options do not. Is that right? Taig is also recommended (assuming it is available in the US). Does that also have "pass through"? There seem to be some versions priced around the same as the Proxxon, with others priced closer to the Sherline. Is there a similarly-priced Taig that does all the same as the Proxxon that I should look at. I'm a bit overwhelmed at the number of Taig models. Would someone recommend a Taig over a Proxxon? Sherline is also recommended, but is way more than I would want to spend. Right now, I can't imagine doing metal work, and I'll be focusing just on shaping masts and spars. If I get further into this hobby, I'll consider something fancier. Are there other (relatively inexpensive) mini-lathe models someone recommends? Which Add-ons and Tools? What "add ons" would I need to buy (or would be recommended)? e.g., Are there accessories to add to the Proxxon (made by Proxxon) that are necessary or very useful that don't come with the base kit, or are there combo kits that someone recommends? Are there specific tools someone recommends? Is it better to use files or chisels to shape masts and spars? I have some inexpensive files. Perhaps for a lathe I should buy some better ones? And if chisels, any recommendations? Apologies for creating yet another topic on lathes and the basic questions. I used a lathe once 45 years ago in wood shop class in junior high, but haven't since. I have read a bunch of useful posts here on lathes. I've seen specific mention of the DB 250 as a specific Proxxon model. While I've seen some posts about the Taig (and other models) I haven't been able to figure out which specific model folks recommend. And I've seen folks note that they needed to buy some "add ons" and tools but it's been harder to figure out what those add ons and tools were.