Jump to content
MSW Spring Donation Drive

Louie da fly

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    7,603

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Everything posted by Louie da fly

  1. Louie da fly
    Thanks Craig, Wefalck and Banyan. It's good to get this information. Steven
  2. Louie da fly
    I'm pretty sure I've previously found figures out there at that scale - though it might have been at 1:72, the other favourite modelling scale. Google search might be of use here. I'm afraid I can't remember what words I put into the search last time. That's true, and according to Brad Loewen's paper on the subject, the Basques in the 15th century actually trained trees to grow into the shapes they wanted. Anyhow, I'm enjoying following the build. Looking forward to the next instalment. Steven
  3. Louie da fly
    Hi Isaiah, I find it's a fine line between pointing out areas needing improvement and blunting someone's enthusiasm, something I'm very loath to do. I've seen savage critiques on other forums which just seem to be for point-scoring rather than helping someone improve, and I want very much to avoid that. The problem is that a ship's hull, particularly below the water-line, is a very complex 3-dimensional shape - narrower at the bow and stern and wider amidships (plus curving in the other dimension as the hull is rounded). Because of this, planks are usually tapered towards bow and stern (this process is called spiling), as in the picture below (I think this is one of Chuck's) Kits usually provide you with parallel-sided planks, which just can't follow that shape properly. This is obviously easier (= cheaper) for them than to provide spiled planks. And sometimes it's necessary to "drop" planks as the curves get tighter, so there are fewer planks side by side, at the bow in particular. There are clever ways to do this, which are outlined in the planking tutorials. If you look carefully at the picture above, you can see that the plank at the bottom (nearest the black part) comes to an end before it reaches the bow, and the next plank widens to make up for this, so there is one plank where there had been two. The other thing is that planks never come to a sharp point - it would be too hard to nail the ends in place on the frames. So where the plank is "dropped" in the picture above, there's a slight angle at the end of the plank, but not a sharp point. As I mentioned above, I'd highly recommend you check out the planking tutorials - they're a real eye opener. I don't regard myself as an expert in planking by any means, still just blundering along trying to get my head around it all. But I'm getting better. No, I think what you've done and what you're doing are very good indeed. Keep learning, keep asking questions. You'll improve as you go along, but to be honest I'm quite amazed that this is a first build. Steven
  4. Louie da fly
    Isaiah, I was just looking at your planking. You've done a beautiful job of it, and getting that tight curve at the stern is particularly impressive. However, (and I really hate to tell you this, considering what a great job you're doing) in the interests of your future models I feel you should know that the kit manufacturer's planking instructions don't duplicate the way ship planking was done in the real world. They are designed more for ease of construction (and their own convenience) than for historical accuracy. Your planking is excellent, particularly the second layer, and followed the instructions really well, but unfortunately those instructions are misleading. I'm not saying to change anything on this model - it's excellent just as it is. But before you start your next one I'd recommend strongly that you look at the planking tutorials at https://modelshipworld.com/forum/98-planking-downloads-and-tutorials-and-videos/. Historically accurate planking is more difficult and takes more work, but I believe it's worth the extra time and effort. This is just a heads-up for future reference, not a criticism of your work. Steven
  5. Louie da fly
    That's a beautiful bit of bodging, Johnny. You're a braver man than I, sir. And better at figuring out 3D puzzles as well. I find it hurts my brain. A rough job, and sometimes an ad hoc job done on the spot without drawing up plans (at least here in Oz, and I think also in the UK) is referred to as "bodgy", or a "bodge job". The word goes back to at least the 16th century (how appropriate) when a bodger was someone who assembled new garments by pulling apart other, second or third-hand garments. But back in the 1960's teenage gangs in Oz were referred to as bodgies (the boys) and widgies (the girls). I have no idea if there was a connection with the other meaning of the word. Steven
  6. Louie da fly
    I think we are talking about two different things. I mean the one about halfway between the pergola and the funnel.
  7. Louie da fly
    Thanks, mate. Do my beady old eyes deceive me or is the mast coming up through the huge vent? There appears to be a vent just forward of the steersman's pergola in the second picture, and the big vent forward appears in the last photo (and the garden shed appears to have been mostly demolished to make room for it), but not in the third. I think I'll probably work with the second photo as my version of choice, but I don't know about doing that mast coming up through the front turret with the weird ball thing on top. I want to have enough fiddly details (particularly on the upper deck) so she doesn't look too boring, but I'm not prepared to put in too much, as it's not likely to be appreciated. There are two cubical "deckhouses " at the top of the two sets of steps, which should be easy enough to make. I'm still trying to nut out how to do the railings and the davits without either doing a ton of work or having them look crappy. Steven
  8. Louie da fly
    That's for sure. Does she have a wheelhouse at the fore end of the upper deck (as shown on at least one set of plans) or doesn't she? How many vents (I don't know the correct term - those big vertical tubes with a "hockey-stick" bend at the top coming up out of the deck and leading down to the interior) does she have in front of the funnel, and how many aft of it? I think there are two fore and two aft, but it's very hard to work out from the plans and the photos. In the meantime I've made a bit more at the Men's shed - I'm trying to make the whole thing using scrap timber so it's all profit except for the time I invest in it, but they don't have any dowel, so for the skylights on the fore and after decks I've had to bodge some up. I saw a similar skylight on Brunel's Great Britain in Bristol when I went to visit the UK back in 2009. Very cool. Steven
  9. Louie da fly
    So, the keel is now complete. Due to its complex shape the stempost had to be built up, using scarph joints to join the individual elements. And here it is all assembled and glued together. Starboard side: Port side: And starboard side with the paper sanded off. Next step is to assemble the frames. I have yet to determine the shape of the frames which attach to the stem and sternposts, as the hull rises and narrows at bow and stern. That'll take a little while to work out. Steven
  10. Louie da fly
    I'm very pleased to hear it. Steven
  11. Louie da fly
    It's looking really good so far - nothing to complain about - quite the contrary. But I was wondering what you had planned for the forecastle. As you're probably aware, I have a bit of a "thing" about the forecastle. Earlier models, such as the one at the Mary Rose Museum and the available kits have a forecastle reminiscent of a galleon, but more recent opinion is that the shape was much closer to that shown in the Anthony Roll and in many "great carracks" of the time, such as the vessels pictured in the painting of the Santa Catarina do Monto Sinai and the Venetian ivory from the tomb of Alessandro Contarini of 1553 (below) Not trying to twist your arm, you understand . . . Steven
  12. Louie da fly
    Why am I not already following this? How did I miss it? Wonderful work, mate. Really wonderful. Steven
  13. Louie da fly
    Thanks very much for this information, mate, and the thorough research involved in obtaining it. Steven
  14. Louie da fly
    (Beowulf - Because Chaucer is Too Easy)
  15. Louie da fly
    Warrnambool's a beautiful town. I've been there several times. The Maritime Museum's well worth seeing. Great that you have a lathe. That will help a lot. Oh, and here's a bit of Shakespeare to inspire you as you work. Only a few archaic words might be a problem, but I think it's possible to get the sense of it very well. The language has changed so little since Shakespeare's time that it is counted as Modern English. Chaucer is Middle English and Beowulf is Old English. Waes Thu hael! Steven
  16. Louie da fly
    Well, congratulations to you too! Good to see younger people in the hobby as well as us old f*rts. Ferrus, nice work on the rigging. I had to wait till now to get into it in that kind of detail. The first time I'd been prepared to nut out the full rigging on a square-rigger was about 2 years ago, towards the end of my Great Harry restoration. So you're well ahead of where I was at this age. Steven
  17. Louie da fly
    Yes, the word sounds somewhat rude, doesn't it? You have them making up the frames, and the shrouds that lead from the mast just below the fighting top to the outside of the top itself are called futtock shrouds You're doing very well with this build. Hard to believe this is your first model. I hadn't come across it until you pipped Ferrus Manus at the post with regard to age, but now I'm following it with interest. Where in Victoria are you? As you can see, I'm in sunny Ballarat. And there are quite a few of us Mexicans on MSW. Steven PS: While a lathe is certainly useful, it's not absolutely necessary. I've made masts for several models by the traditional method - start with piece of wood with a square section, take off the corners so you have an octagonal shape, then take those corners off so it ends up circular. Perhaps a bit more work, but many masts weren't circular for their full length anyway.
  18. Louie da fly
    Like I said - not a brawl, just a difference in interpretation. I think you must have been watching too many action movies Steven
  19. Louie da fly
    Dick, where do you keep on getting these amazing pictures? Absolutely wonderful! Thanks very much for them. Greatly appreciated. Yes, I'd thought of hogging myself. Rather like (in reverse) the way the bed of a large flat-bed truck is curved upwards, so when it is under load it straightens out. But not . . . Steven
  20. Louie da fly
    You can also make filler from sawdust and weak PVA (white) glue, particularly if you're trying to match the colour of your wood. Dunno about the ramen, though. I thought that was some kind of Japanese noodle. Well, I can't say I agree with that fellow. If you go see a Shakespeare play, most of the time you can follow what's happening very well. I remember when I was a schoolkid and we went off to see the Scottish play (don't call it MacB*th - it's bad luck) and some of the kids (who'd been studying the play, for heaven's sake) came back and asked why it'd been re-done in modern English - it hadn't. It's just that when you hear it spoken on stage it's a lot more understandable. But yes, jargon - a bo'sun is a boatswain - and as we all know, a swain is a man (Old English Sweyn, probably from Old Norse Svein). The word is still used today in poetry, but usually ironically (as in a lovelorn swain). In a document I came across from 16th century Scotland the word used was botisman (i.e. boatman). And then there are futtocks (would you believe foot-hooks?). Steven
  21. Louie da fly
    Hardly an argument, simply a difference in interpretation. Your idea has merit, but without a time machine there'll never be a definitive answer. Steven
  22. Louie da fly
    Congratulations. That possibly makes you the youngest member of MSW (at least that I know of!) About the same age as I was when I built my Great Harry. Steven
  23. Louie da fly
    Well, this is looking very good. It's a huge project adapting the kit to become something very different, and 'bodging' the bulkhead shapes, learning as you go. Having gone through a similar process, I feel I understand what you're going through. In such a case, I think you're right in allowing yourself some leeway between the original kit on one hand and perfect 'rivet counter' historical accuracy on the other. I'm following with great interest. Standing on the sidelines applauding. Steven
  24. Louie da fly
    Thanks for that information about the support above the turret. I hadn't noticed that. It's just a pity that they decided to sink her instead of preserve her back in 1926. (sigh) Steven
  25. Louie da fly
    She's looking good, mate. A very pretty hull. Looking forward to seeing the next steps. Steven

About us

Modelshipworld - Advancing Ship Modeling through Research

SSL Secured

Your security is important for us so this Website is SSL-Secured

NRG Mailing Address

Nautical Research Guild
237 South Lincoln Street
Westmont IL, 60559-1917

Model Ship World ® and the MSW logo are Registered Trademarks, and belong to the Nautical Research Guild (United States Patent and Trademark Office: No. 6,929,264 & No. 6,929,274, registered Dec. 20, 2022)

Helpful Links

About the NRG

If you enjoy building ship models that are historically accurate as well as beautiful, then The Nautical Research Guild (NRG) is just right for you.

The Guild is a non-profit educational organization whose mission is to “Advance Ship Modeling Through Research”. We provide support to our members in their efforts to raise the quality of their model ships.

The Nautical Research Guild has published our world-renowned quarterly magazine, The Nautical Research Journal, since 1955. The pages of the Journal are full of articles by accomplished ship modelers who show you how they create those exquisite details on their models, and by maritime historians who show you the correct details to build. The Journal is available in both print and digital editions. Go to the NRG web site (www.thenrg.org) to download a complimentary digital copy of the Journal. The NRG also publishes plan sets, books and compilations of back issues of the Journal and the former Ships in Scale and Model Ship Builder magazines.

Our Emblem ®

Modelshipworld - Advancing Ship Modeling through Research

Nautical Research Guild ® and the NRG logo are Registered Trademarks, and belong to the Nautical Research Guild (United States Patent and Trademark Office: No. 6,999,236 & No. 6,999,237, registered March 14, 2023)

×
×
  • Create New...