Louie da fly
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When I lived in Port Hedland (NW coast) the iron ore trains were 3 km (2 miles) long. One broke down in the middle of nowhere and a repair engine was sent to get it going again. Unfortunately, the location he was given was the far end of the train, so he slammed into it going umpty ump miles an hour, 3 km too early. Steven PS: Probably enough Australiana - back to our scheduled programme. -
Thanks, Dick. I had been puzzling over this very issue and hadn't come up with a workable solution - apart from perhaps having the ladder going off to the side! (Perhaps great minds think alike.) Certainly, the contemporary pictures are quite equivocal - they could be interpreted as having the ladders either behind or to the side of the mast - except that some show two ladders, one on each side of the mast, each leading down to the relevant gunwale. I don't know if I'm prepared to do two for each mast - I'm still thinking about it. As far as what the rungs should be made of, I know you used wood, and that would probably be easier to make than rope ones, but I'm still not certain which way I'm going to go. Steven
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Well, I've made some progress. Glued lengths of red ribbon onto the roof awning to make the roof alternately red and white stripes. But I don't think I'll do it that way again. I've found my wife's wavy scissors won't cut cloth, only paper, so the 'fringe' won't be able to match the roof. So I'll probably just paint the stripes on instead. Also added the mesh netting at the railing and learnt a few things. Next time I'll add the mesh behind the rail before I put the rail on the model. It'll look better. I did this with the rail on the aft half of the vessel - it looks and works better. And I'm fixing an edging to the deck to cover the edge of the plywood. I discovered some REALLY thin veneer languishing neglected at the Men's Shed and it's ideal - so I've commandeered it all for myself. Should do for a large number of future models of this paddlewheeler. And it's OK, because they'll be sold as fundraisers for the Men's Shed and the volunteers who operate her. Steven
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That sounds almost Australian. I might steal it. Then there's the old "pollaxed" (NOT pole-axed - a poll axe was a real thing, with poll meaning head.) I think being hit by one of these would certainly discombobulate you . . . Steven
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I've been doing test runs with the silkspan, gluing it together with the matt acrylic varnish that was recommended. Not too bad. And trying out for painting the crosses on the sails. I've tried various ways of doing it, but still not really happy with the results. From the left - acrylic painted directly onto the sail, a band of different acrylic, painted onto the sail and then outlined in pencil, painted onto a separate piece of silkspan and glued onto the sail. This seems to be the least worst version. Heart in mouth, I've started gluing the reinforcing strips to the edges of the sails.There's a bit of transparency to start with due to the varnish, but if the test piece is to be relied upon, that seems to fade after awhile as the varnish matures. But maybe I should have made the sails a bit bigger and folded the edges over, rather than glue on separate strips. I think it would have been easier. I'm also researching rope ladders for the masts. I'd hoped to avoid them, as they often don't appear in contemporary pictures and several pictures show crewmen shinnying up shrouds, not using ladders. Unfortunately, a Genoese round ship from a few short decades different has an undeniable rope ladder, though the top end isn't in the picture. So I've been checking out other rope ladders - I have two questions: 1. Where is the top of the ladder fixed to and 2. Are the rungs rope or wood? Here are the pics I've been able to find that are vaguely similar in time period (by "similar" I mean no more than two or three centuries apart!). 14th century Chest of St Simeon, Croatia 1360ish St Ursula by Paolo Veneziano 1422 from north doors of the Florence Baptistery by Lorenzo Ghiberti 1430 approx. St Augustine Departing from Africa by Master of Osservanza Boccaccio by the Maitre des Cleres Femmes du duc de Berry, 1403 British Museum Egerton 943 f. 63 Dante embarks on a ship 1st half 14th century Dante on shipboard. Date unknown, but looks 14th century Siege of Damietta - frescoes in Palazzo Comunale, Mantua,(1220-1230) From church of San Eustorgio Milan 1336 to 1339 Unknown ship - maybe 13th century Detail from Icon of Virgin and Child, Church of St Kassianos, Martyrdom of St Ursula from the Belles Heures du Duc de Berry Nicosia, end of 13th century 1405-9 Met Museum BH Lg19v 178v Surprisingly, most of them seem to come only up to the bottom of the "crows nest" (I couldn't call it a top - too confusing) or even lower, leaving the sailors to clamber up over the sides of the thing to get in - unless there's a lubber hole in the floor of the top, but they seem too small to allow for that. Steven
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Not really - it really comes from England - there's not an Australian equivalent that I can think of (not any that are suitable for a family forum, anyway). But I liked the sound of it, so I've adopted it as an "honorary" Australian term. It means astounded, amazed and often also impressed, or even shocked. Flabbergasted. Steven PS: Your gob is your mouth, so it's as though you've been smacked in the mouth, that's how amazed you are.
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The Mary Rose... a bit of obscure history.
Louie da fly replied to mtaylor's topic in Nautical/Naval History
I don't know how far back bosun's pipes go, but the Byzantines (and IIRC the Ancient Greeks) used flutes to give the time to the oarsmen of their galleys - probably because the high pitched sound could be heard over the deep sounds of the ship, oars etc. And I expect that's the same with bosun's pipes - they're VERY shrill. Steven
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You usual superb work, Patrick. I am continually gobsmacked by the quality of your modelling. Steven
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The stand was too narrow and prone to tipping over (probably why the model got damaged in the first place) so I added some cross-beams to stabilise it a bit. Also added another coat of stain so everything matched. Then I got to work untangling the rigging. Turns out -AFTER I'd undone and redone the tangles that the model had been made to be disassembled so I might have been able to untangle everything more easily by simply pulling the mast out and rotating it. Sigh. Anyway, finally got that all sorted, added the bowsprit and main boom, re-rigged her, cleaned the deck again, and *finished*! Regarding the name, I asked the owner. He had a cat called Misty and a dog called Deefer (think about it - Deefer dog). So she's Mistydeefer. The owner's very happy with it. Steven
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I've temporarily placed the two steersmen in their positions on the poop deck, to work out where exactly the tillers should come to. And I've been working on providing floors for the tops - up till now I'd left them open at the bottom except for a couple of beams each to support the framework of the top. The thing is, the halyards pass diagonally through the tops, so they can't have a full floor. But the poor lookouts need somewhere to stand. So after a bit of thought, I've come up with a solution - plank the floors, but with a gap for the halyard. But first I had to work out exactly where they pass through, lining them up with the sheaves of the calcets and the knights on the deck. Planking begun And complete Very fiddly, but finally got it done. Pretty happy with this solution. It may be nothing like what was really done back in the day, but it is workable. Steven
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Love the carving of the figurehead, of equal quality with the rest of the build. Steven
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I've cleaned the hull (didn't need much work- just dusting), and the mast and boom are now glued back together and I've shaped the new bowsprit and dry fitted it. The repairs needed sanding and a bit of staining to match the rest, as did the bowsprit. The replacement piece for the stand split (mainly my carelessness in cutting out the slot) so I had to make a new one. I'm thinking of making some crosspieces for the stand so it'll be more stable - it's quite narrow and it's first damage was from being toppled off a shelf by a cat. The rigging is slowly coming together, but I'm not worrying too much about it until I've got the rest done. The backstory on the model is that it was made for the owner by a modeller in Williamstown (a harbour suburb of Melbourne) back in about 1996, and he had it in pride of place in the house - until the cat got to it. Since then it's been in storage in a back shed, and I think he'd resigned himself to it never being fixed. It appears that there was more damage while it was in storage, which he hadn't been aware of . . . So, coming along nicely. No more work on it over Easter, but it looks like only a few more days' work, all going well. Steven
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Thanks, mate. We must see if we can get to your place in the not-too distant future. A bit difficult at the moment, but certainly haven't forgotten. Steven * Sorry, straight over my head. I thought Melbourne was named after a famous foul-mouthed opera singer , or perhaps a dessert (Aussie joke - google Dame Nellie Melba) .
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Here they are with a bit of shading. Not sure if you can see the difference between these and the way they were in the earlier post, but to me they look more realistic. And I had neglected to post photos of the hatch covers up to now, so here they are. A pair for the stairs up from the owners' cabin And covers for the cargo hatches - one in place, the others not yet added (so I can see the mast steps to locate the masts when the time comes). I've weathered the hatch covers and added a bit of "rust" to the hinges, so she looks like a ship that's see a bit of use. Currently I'm trying to chase up some 'acrylic matt medium' on Druxey's advice to glue the reinforcing strips to the silkspan sails. But I'm in a bit of a quandary as to the difference between 'acrylic matt medium' and 'acrylic matt pouring medium' (considerably cheaper, but perhaps not right for the job). Steven
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Something about it being in a back shed for years and years, and the sellotape repair of the mast he blamed on his wife/kids having broken it and tried to hide the break. At least the sellotape kept most of the pieces from getting lost. I'll have to get some more backstory from him and how it came to him, whether it's some kind of family heirloom or what, but it's a pretty cheap mass produced model - the mast and spars are just bits of dowel and the finish is pretty mediocre. I'm doing it as a "love job", which is why I wasn't prepared to buy the dowel to replace the bowsprit myself. He's getting the work for free, after all. Steven
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As if I didn't have enough to do, a guy from the Men's Shed that I play at 2 days a week has brought in a damaged model yacht for me to fix. It's not really in terrible condition - a break in the mast, two breaks in the boom, bowsprit broken in at least three places and part of it missing, a broken part of the stand. And needs cleaning. It's a decorator model, solid hull. I've worked on it for about a day so far, allowing for breaks while the glue dries, and have made a new piece for the stand and repaired the mast and the boom. I left the sails and rigging in place as I was worried I wouldn't be able to work out how to replace them. A bit of a problem with tangled ropes as I fixed it, but I think it should sort itself out with a bit of patience. The bowsprit was beyond repair so I told the owner to buy a piece of dowel the same diameter and I'd make a new one. I'll post photos when that's done. Fortunately I was able to find some woodstain that matched the existing, so it's looking like it should all work out OK (touch wood!) Steven
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The African Queen. My First Listing and First build here.
Louie da fly replied to a49kid's topic in New member Introductions
Hi Wayne, and welcome from sunny Ballarat, only an hour's drive (or train trip - only $9.00 for a day trip there and back) from Melbourne, but 3-4 degrees cooler, no matter what the season. For planking, see the linked tutorials at https://modelshipworld.com/forum/98-planking-downloads-and-tutorials-and-videos/ To trim planks to shape I use a No.11 scalpel and/or craft knife (blades $4.50 for 4- or perhaps 5 - blades at Bunnings). But I use pretty much the same method as you to work out the taper. Great movie, and proof that Bogie could act! Not just the ubiquitous tough guy, but a silly, weak little man who finds redemption in the love of a good woman. And of course Kate Hepburn was the perfect foil for him. I'd highly recommend you start a build log - instructions are at It's a great way to get help and advice from the friendly MSW members. I find it invaluable when I hit a problem - very often someone comes up with a solution that would otherwise never have occurred to me. Steven -
Painted and ready for shading. And I found places for my previous zombie helmsmen . . . pushing it a bit, but it would be a shame to waste them. Steven
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Thanks, people! I'm pretty happy with these, and I feel I'm getting better with carving hands, which have always been my biggest problem. Knocklouder, Gobsmacked is the way you say it. It's a verb - so you'd say "I'm gobsmacked". I think it comes from the slang term "gob" (which means mouth, at least in the UK and Oz) - so it means you feel like you've been smacked in the mouth. More of a British term than an Aussie one, but I use it myself because it's so descriptive. (By the way, in Oz a gobbie is a slimy expectoration - though perhaps that's a bit too much information). Steven
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Personal choice. Either way has advantages and disadvantages, but in the long run it's your build and your decision. Looking really good, by the way! Steven
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