Ryland Craze

I don’t believe that it is exaggerating to say that MSW is the World’s finest storehouse of information about researching and constructing quality ship models.  Unfortunately many questions are so indefinite that they fail to take advantage of this expertise.
 
 For example, a question like “I am building XYZ, what glue should I use?” Is to indefinite for an intelligent response.  What is the specific application, what materials are you joining, and where do you live? The answer all depends on the answer to these questions.  If you are building the model in Europe, glues available at a US Big Box store may not be available where you live.
 
Other questions require some knowledge of your work environment.  Are you building the model in an apartment?  Do you have access to major woodworking or metalworking tools.  For example, if your model is finished, you are building a case and you live in apartment, an answer explaining how to build a wood framed case using a table saw is probably not helpful.
 
In short, more specific questions will generate better answers.
 
Roger

Hallo, thank you for the likes …
 
The Deck
The waterway forms the boundary of the deck. The Timbertop/Bulwarkstanchion break through the waterway at defined distances from the real frames. So the first step is to make the bulwark stanchion (4x4 mm dark pear wood) and insert it in the hull. Indentations were cut into the torso with a scalpel. The bulwark stanchions were aligned with the top of the building frame and glued in place. Step by step until everything was complete.
 

 

 
The bulwark stanchions are perpendicular to the construction waterline, not the keel line.
 
D1
 
The Timberhawse at the bow consist of several glued parts.
 

 
The contours for the waterway were taken using a template. The Waterway was made from 1 mm pear wood boards. Step by step, the individual parts were shaped with a file.
 

 

 

 

 
The bulwark at the stern was made from several pieces of wood and was shaped with a circular sander.
 

 
The frame of the rudder cockpit was laminated from 3 layers of pear wood veneer. A mold had to be made for this.
 

 

 
… now the decks could be planked.
 
bye for now

Ten years after writing Super detailing the cutter Sherbourne I see things in it which I would now do a little differently and some which would require a lot more time. It remains a guide for a beginner who wants to add more detail to a starter kit and it avoids major surgery and expenditure on new components. I have no plans to create a second edition because, despite retiring from real work, I simply do not have the time. 
 
I have had a few emails recently which ask if the book is still available and the short answer is yes. I have copies at home and can post them to you. The sales through Model Dockyard have stopped, now that Nick Tonkin has retired, but he passed on his remaining stock to Cornwall Model Boats. They are now down to zero, but if you prefer to buy from them then apply a little pressure and they should restock from me. 
 
Happy new year - 2022

George

Thanks to everyone for the comments and the likes, and for just looking in.
 
I received the Alclad aluminum paint and was pleased with it on the fuel tanks and oil tank.   Though especially looking at these pictures I think I need to try again to fill in that seam on the oil tank and repaint it.
 
Otherwise, I mostly glued in some of the cockpit bits that I previously painted and took the big step of removing the fuselage from the jig.   I am mostly through the first 10 steps out of about 50 in the instructions.   The next steps have a lot of rigging of sorts, for both the control lines and the tension wires.
 
I did run into one issue that I hope does not present problems down the line.  The two vertical pieces by the cockpit were a bit too short, indicating the upper and lower lengthwise stringers were a bit too far apart.  I knew that the lower one was not fully seated into the slot, though I did not think it was off by much.   I ended up putting a new piece of the 1.5mm square wood stock on top of the lower stringer and then placing the vertical pieces on that.   You can see the extra piece on the third and fourth pictures below.   My fear for the future is that the metal cowling pieces might not fully meet up, there may be gaps between the panels.  We'll see.
 
Oil tank:

 
Gravity tank:

 
Cockpit and fuselage pictures:

I am so far behind you all.
 

I ripped some cherry on the bandsaw and thickness sanded them.
 
 

It is a small laser cutter but it cuts through the 1/4" cherry ok. I could have cut these out on the scroll saw but I thought that would be cheating. Real men use a coping saw anyway. Right?
 
 

My cut parts seem to fit together ok.
 
 

Using maple for the rabbet I stuffed it into the scrap plywood from Chuck's bulkhead kit and heated it with a heat gun until  it relaxed into shape. Much hotter than a hair dryer.
 
 

I glued the rabbet strip to the stem and keel first. I hope that works out for me.
 
 

I drew up 3D versions of the bollard timbers in Sketchup from Chuck's imported drawings.
 
 

Sliced and supported in Chitubox software for 3D resin printing.
 
 

I printed two at the same time. At 20um layer thickness it took 7 hours to print. I still have some refinements to the shape of the moldings before a final print.
 
 

An early test print with the laser cut cherry version behind.  This part gets painted black so I saw no harm in making it out of resin. If I did make a wood one I could sandwich a piece of cherry between two resin pieces  as a guide and file the wood down to the resin. I may try that on another part that will be exposed wood. I will give the .stl file if anyone wants it.
 
This is my first wood ship model ever. I hope I am not committing a crime or violating some tradition by bringing in a 3D printed part here. Please let me know. Interested in your thoughts.
Kurt

Hi All,
 
Well I've finally completed all the eye bolts and split rings!!!! They have all been added to the bulwarks except where the hanging knees go. That completes chapter 6 and on to chapter 7. Whew,
 
I have sanded the char off all the cherry quarter deck beams. Then cut them and temporarily set them in place. It feels good to cut and sand wood again!
 

 

 
 

N Thank you JJ, My plan is to use wood for color. Thank you all for the likes.
During the Holliday break I completed planking the bulwarks, added the spirketting, clamps, and the panels for te cabin.  Before adding the false deck, I finished and placed the ladders. I used cherry for the counter planks, coamings, mast and capstan partners.  The base plate for the stove was painted to simulate slate/blue-stone.  The stone color was selected to add some of the green color of the freezes in the deck.  After painting the bulwark red, I added the margin plank.  I used holly and follow the plans for the scarf joins.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Next, I will plank the deck with holly.  The freezes will be completed after that.
Best,
G

Worked on adding eyebolts and blocks to the knightheads and roundhouses which will be used for later rigging. Thanks again Ian for the photos and Longridge reference. I did not tie the blocks off to the eyebolts yet. I am debating rigging these lines in reverse. Cut a length of appropriate thread and attach the double block to the end of it. Then use a laniard to connect it to the corresponding single block on the knighthead or roundhouse establishing the most appealing space between the matching blocks. Then rig the line in reverse to its end (beginning point).  I think this process will be easier especially for the 6 blocks on the knightheads. 
I also made two new spritsail yards. Wanted to make yards that were stronger than the ones included with the kit. The lower spritsail yard I made from a wooden rod sanded to shape. The upper yard is so thin I did not think one made of wood would be much stronger so I went with a copper rod. It is satisfactory for strength. I will need to use some ingenuity to determine how to attach a copper rod to a plastic bowsprit 

Next is a Grumman Duck which appears in the photo. The only way I could get one is to have it 3D printed from shapeways. It’s horrible but will have to do. 

Yep, love the airbrush. I actually have  2 of them now. 
 
first deck equipment, tractors! 

The planes, keeps and tractors 

Island and arrestor cables added, I’ve painted a lot of stuff that’s will be added at the end. Now, aircraft ! 

Continuing work on the Fair American Model ship:
 
Having a boat without a name is bad luck, so I added one that seemed appropriate! My freehand painting skills leave much to be desired, so I created a little laser-cut stencil to help with the lettering. I made some quick measurements of the molding 'gap' so the stencil would fit in snugly. I had to trim it just a hair, but i wanted the letters just offset from the bottom and top.
 

 
This technique didn't turn out too bad. Many of the letters were smeared, and the A's and R's needed to be blacked out.
 

 
Fortunately for me, a fine tip black sharpie worked perfectly for touch ups!
 

 
Next thing on the docket was curtains! This required some forethought. The counter isn't exactly a perfect arc, because it curves back and away from this view point. It's sort of flattened. I ended up measuring the length of the counter for vertical measurements, and simple port to starboard for horizontal.  I drew the shape of the counter on an index card, and it has a more pronounced arc shape.  When it gets laid onto the counter itself (3D), it will create the more 'smooshed' look that the plans have (2D).  
 

 
I took the stencil I drew and cut out small sections of curtains, then used a pencil to trace the overall shape.  A few bulwark red brush strokes later, and the finished product emerges. Is it perfect, and museum quality artistry? For Jason Long's collection of first-time-making-wooden-model-ships: YES!
 

 
Ships need to be able to steer, so this one might as well have a rudder. The gudgeon and pintle were easy enough to construct, but on this size scale, making it functional with pins, wasn't going to happen. So I opted for simply pinning it to the keel. 
 

 
Making small shallow drill spots in the brass after painting created a nice rivet appearance. This approach is similar to how I did the treenail look for the deck planks. I'm pleased with it!
 

 
More updates soon
 
- Jason -

Part of the fun for me is seeing how I can enhance the model. I've said it before, but with other manufacturers I've had to depart from the basic model in order to compensate for poor materials, poor design and historical inaccuracies. That is not the case with Vanguard. Well done on the waterways, by the way.
 
I wouldn't be without my mill now - everyone I know who has the mini-mill swears by it (including Professor Glenn😄).  Power tools aren't essential to make great models but they allow people like me with only average skills to achieve much more than we could with hand tools.
 
Derek

In my defence guys, I couldn't find a supplier for small amounts of these more unusual shades. You had to buy 3,000 or 5,000 metres or nothing (or even 10,000 for some sizes). However I've spent a lot of time experimenting with rope making over the years and in that time I tried dozens of different threads and dyes. It'll be a relief from now on to be able to go with just one type of thread and no dyeing. Although the latter was satisfying when I got it right, it was always a struggle to ensure I got the dye recipe consistently right throughout a build. Anyone looking closely at one of my models will probably spot some subtle differences - arguably more realistic as real ships would have had a variety of shades as ropes lightened with age, but I think I'd prefer consistency in a model.
 
Syren makes great rope but distance and cost make that a less attractive option for me. I like being able to produce exactly what I want, when I want. 
 
Derek

I got a chuckle out of the amount of thread you got, but don't blame you.  You never know when something is no longer available, and there's nothing to match.  I'm impressed with making your own rope.  I've seen the Syren rope maker online and noticed how many people do it, so I've been tempted, but not that tempted yet 😅.   It looks great in the photos and doesn't have the bit of "fuzz" on it like in the kit and other rigging threads I've seen.  What's in the kit is such a huge upgrade from what I've used before, that I'll stick with it for this model.
 
Love the updates to the bits and rudder housing.  I've also thought the front of the rudder housing looked plain, but didn't think to come up with an improvement.  I'm still at the stage where I'm hesitant to make changes.  Amazing how a little change looks so much better.  I'm very impressed with what you can do with your mill.  I'm afraid that might be one more tool to add to a long list!

That wheel's come up really well. At the risk of trying to teach Granny to suck eggs, be careful not to cut the brass rod too flush to the uprights otherwise you won't be able to smooth off the pinched ends. I cut mine about 1mm from the uprights and used a fine file to tidy up the ends:

Derek

Well, four days and the planking is finished 
I have still got to seal it prior to painting 
The keel, stem and stern pieces are fitted 
a touch of sanding and sealant and it's ready for some paint!
Thanks for looking in.
Cheers 

Fixed it. Finished the bow section and now onto the transom extension pieces. That is about as far as I can go until I get the waterline drawing jig and the rest of my supplies.

Ooopppsss! Crud!!!! Slipped with the gouge. The good thing is I had just swept the floor so it was easy to find the chunk that was removed and glue it back in. Break time while it dries.

Started whittling down the bulwarks early this AM. I figured since I was the only one up, it is a good excuse.

Looking good Lynn. I have never copper taped before but will be trying it soon. I love to see everyone else doing it......motivating! 😃
 
I agree with the comments about it being your call to paint/stain/weather how you see it! Please only take my comments as, well, comments. That and $3 will get you a Starbucks....... 😃 

Skibee I came at creosote from the model railroad world where there has been "lively" debate on when railroads started treating railroad ties with penetrating creosote oil. Here in the US the pressure treated practice on railroads seems to have propagated from the northeast in the late 19th century (1870-ish). I model the mid-1880s in the southwest and don't model creosote treatment (as those bridge frames can attest to).
 
Prior to that time frame I was under the impression wood-tar and coal-tar were "painted" on wood but that penetration oil processes where the creosote "liquid" from the tar (especially coal tar) was forced into the wood were not in widespread use. From a modeling standpoint this might not matter if historical accuracy is your goal -- Applied tar vs creosote treatment would plausibly lead to the same exterior coloring over time so pilings from the 18th and late 19th century might look the same after long enough weathering periods.....
 
Keith is right about wood in the boat yard. here are a sacrificial bumper and keel chocks at a boatyard in Mayport Florida.
 
 

Wales, First Layer
 
I completed the first layer of the wales. I usually try to make my logs either entertaining or informative, this time here’s a few photos for reporting purposes. 
 

 

 

 

 

 
I’ve only done rough sanding, I’ll wait until I complete more planking above and below to do more, I’ll also even up the sides as visible from the stern then. I did not follow a butt shift plan for this under-layer except to not to  place them at the same place for the plan’s pattern I’ll use on the top layer. Obviously no reason to pencil between planks either.

I received my chapter nine parts, downloaded the monograph chapter, and finally got back to work after a long break. I added the quarterdeck inner planking, prepainted red. I then added the various cap rail parts after painting them black. The laser cut parts are great and make the work very straightforward. I sanded, filled and resanded the various joints and then repainted those areas. 
 
Bob

Hi!

I'm yet another first-time boat builder who picked the Dory to start with. I've done some plastic modelling before and thought this would be a nice change of pace - Having to shape the pieces seems like an interesting challenge!

Almost immediately I messed up! After removing the bottom planks, I tried to trim off a tab left over from the sprue (Not really a sprue, I suppose, but I don't know if it has a proper name) in the same way I would with plastic by slicing it off with my knife. But of course wood splinters, so I was left a hole in the bottom of the boat. Which, so I'm told, is one of the worst place to have a hole in your boat. Any advice on how to cut the pieces out would be helpful!


I reasoned I could fill this later so I didn't use the provided single-piece bottom and carried on. I'm not surewhy but the fore end of the planks didn't quite come together, but again I could fill this so I wasn't too worried. What possibly have happened is that the planks seem to have a slight bevel, but I didn't realise this and sanded at a right angle, so I might have completely took off the sharp edge of the bevel. This might have also lead to some uneven glueing, as the whole bottom was warped after the glue dried, but this might've from me getting it too damp while removing the excess glue. I fixed this by getting it damp again, and leaving it under a stack of books overnight.

The finished bottom

The next session started with filling the gaps, which worked out fine I think, before making the bottom cleats.


 
I'm fairly sure I overdid the chamfer here, as in pictures in other build logs and the instructions I can barely see one at all, but I like how it looks so I'm not too bothered. I'm also not sure if I was supposed to chamfer the short edges - The instructions don't specify but do say that all sharp corners are rounded off for safety reasons so I decided to do them. I do have a question about this - Does this ever other internal piece need a chamfer? Logically I would think so, but the instructions don't mention it again. There's a lot of other pieces that would leave 90 degree angles if left alone, but as I said I'm struggling to see a chamfer even on the bottom cleats, so I can't tell just from looking at the pictures if I should do them.

Anyway I've been having fun with it - Definitely makes a fun change from plastic!