Piet

Bob, thank you for posting that great documentary, kept me out of the shop for an hour this am.  Fantastic footage.  Also, it was great to see Moshulu under sail.  She is now tied up as a restaurant in Philadelphia.
 
Mark, I finally settled on satin wipe-on poly for the spars after trying a number of other finishes starting with the wax that I use on the hull framing.  I have not finished the decks yet because there are still things to be glued to it - mainly rope coils.  The issue with the spars is keeping them clean with all the blackened metalwork and the handling that these require.  I first ried shellac that also helped anchor the bands, then tried Tung oil then poly spar varnish, then the wipe-on polyurethane.  I have used wipe-on poly a lot on furniture finishing.  The first coat of poly on the spars is wiped very dry then polished with Scotchbrite.  It seals the wood pores and can be cleaned better than the softer finishes before and/or after blackening if necessary using isopropanol.  But with some care and clean hands that cleaning is unnecessary.  Slow-drying oil and wax seem to attract dirt smudges and dust.  I have also found that the best way to secure the copper bands is to stretch undersized bands into place, drilling and nailing those that support items like trusses or boom irons.  I got to these methods by the time I reached to fore upper topsail yard and am now using it on the lower main yard that will be shown in the next post.  I still favor the wax on the hull work for reasons explained in early posts and in the books.
 
Ed

Greg, I think the answer to your question lies in where Ed went with his reply. The tops in these ships wasn't used like it was in warships. As Ed mentioned, they sent marines up to fire down on the enemy. This isn't a working platform in a Clipper ship. There wasn't a whole lot of work to do up there. It was just climbed up to get to the next level. Most of the work was done on the yards themselves so not much need to spend much time in the tops so... no railing. That's how I see it anyway. 

Ed,
 
I forgot to ask about a previous post. You are using wipe on poly for the spars and masts, not your usual turps and wax as on the hull. Is there a construction reason for this?
 
Mark

While battened down on a rainy/snowy afternoon, found 49 minutes of great clippers on YouTube.
Enjoy -
 

Personally I think your metal work is superb and quite phenomenal.  With that said, my practice is to paint all my iron work...knowing some form of preservative was actually used on iron ships, and or on their iron accessories..(.ie Cutty Sark)...So I Paint...in much the same manner as was typical.  With this being said..it allows me to use what ever medium I choose to replicate the iron work...without the tedium of actually creating real miniature (Copper, brass) iron work.
 
Paint covers a multitude of sins.
 
Rob(love your work and enjoy every minute)

Continuation. 
 

 

 

 
 
Pawel 

But You do!!!

Superb! Pavel! I agree with you, the ring has an ellipse, but it's quite disposable. I did not eliminate it, as my hands are clumsy!

Continuation. 
 
 

 

 
 
 
Pawel 

Aviaamator, I know this way of doing.
By doing this method you will get a small ellipse. Smith in the eighteenth did not do such nice.😉
 
Pawel

And here is the result! Without claims on the standard... Material-steel wire after heating.( annealing's.)

For several minutes I created a small strategic supply!  Thank you, all raze could not begin to this task. The seam will not be visible after soldering.

Pavel! I advise you to cut the rings with a thin saw, not to have a bite. The joint of the ring will be much more accurate.

Thank you Denis and Nils for your visit and comments. Also to those who clicked the like button, thanks.
 
Yes Nils, this scale has been a challenge, mainly due to the very delicate PE. I'm not afraid working at a small scale but this PE stuff is difficult.
 
Here is another photo of "Java" taken from the Australian cruiser "Hobart." This was most likely in Lampung Bay on February 14, 1942, one day before the action in the Gaspar Straits. (From the collection of J.A.Dorlas).

Cheers,

Nice idea with the planking Denis. Staring at the center seems to draw me into a hole - - - lucky for me that spread-eagled myself
 
Cheers,

Nice progress Denis, the end caps look really good.
Thanks also to Ken and you Denis, for the little people info. Z gauge may work but I too have to watch my expenditures.
 
Cheers,

Nice progress Jan.
 
Cheers,

Nice idea with the planking Denis. Staring at the center seems to draw me into a hole - - - lucky for me that spread-eagled myself
 
Cheers,

Very nice work Piet,
That is a difficult scale and you`re doing well with it....
 
Nils

coming along nicely Piet    armament looks really good.  

Piet,
I'm feeling for you on these builds that are so personal to you but I do appreciate and offer thanks for that sharing.  It puts faces and names with these ships and perhaps makes the history more personal for us also.  I agree, the war in the Pacific is mostly "the forgotten war" with some exceptions. 

made a little headway.......the fore sail is almost done!

oh shoot!   I think your right John!  I've got a bunch of pictures saved up.   that's gonna be a super project when I get around to it.  the ship is a shade over 32 inches long.....  
 
thank you Nils.......it doesn't take much to dress up a kit...many folks here do just that    .....and your scratch building is amazing!

Wonderful details Denis,
The "Norden " is looking super !
 
Nils

Just found the picture with the net full of fish, it’s the Progress on your Nordkap 476 post here. Do you think they painted every grain silver?  The Hull Model Boat site look interesting. I’ve bookmarked it and I will definitely check it out again when I get my “fishing boat” head back on again.