BobG

You have built a treasure trove of beautiful models, Mike! How would you compare the quality of Mamoli vs the Model Shipways Constitution kits since you have built both?

Congratulations on completing this beautiful model! She's a gorgeous boat with beautiful lines and you've done her justice.

Beautiful work, Ben! What is that interesting looking angle tool called that you are using check the angle of the transom. I've never seen one of those and it look very useful.

I'm really enjoying the progress you are making, Fred. The cherry wood is gorgeous. This model is certainly on my tick list. Your outdoor photos show that you have a lovely garden to enjoy as well. Continued good luck to you on your build.

Wonderful detailing and a most interesting log!

Thank you, Bob. I loved building it too. I have thought about learning to make small boxes from beautiful, exotic woods and making this base gave me a taste of that. Just what I need...another hobby to pursue!

Thanks, Chuck. What kind of wood is the veneer? The side I chose looks like a birdseye pattern. Oh man, the Winnie is so tempting...

I completed the Medway Longboat stand from Syren and I really like it. I ended up with a slight twist in the cherry base board after I applied the veneer to both sides of it as per Chuck's instructions. I used a liberal amount of PVA to both sides of the base board and pressed the "veneer sandwich" between a flat piece of tile and marble with about 30 pounds of weight on top. There was a slight twist to the veneered, base board after I took the weight off of it though. I also had quite a bit of squeeze out around the edges that I scraped away before trimming off the excess veneer. I went ahead and glued the engraved edging to the base board while pressing down as hard as I could in an attempt to flatten out the twist but it didn't work completely. I ended up with a wobbly, little "table" like you sometimes get in a restaurant where you have to place a folded napkin under a leg or two to make it stable. So I glued some scrap Alaskan Yellow Cedar to two of the legs and that stabilized the whole base. I then sanded and finished the base with Wipe-on-Poly and put together the parts that actually hold the hull. I made sure that the feet on them were flat and everything was square and that they stood solidly on their own. Then I played with placing these "stanchions" on the base and placed the longboat in them so I could look at the angles I needed to sand on the arms where the stanchions touch the hull. I kept sanding and checking these angles until it looked good and then, with the boat resting on the stanchions, I moved the stanchions to where they were equidistant from the ends and sides of base while supporting the longboat. After finishing the stanchions with poly, I used CA to glue them to the base. Finally, I applied a coat of Howard Beeswax and Orange Oil polish to the veneer and it really made it pop. Now I will continue to make the oars before doing a final touch up on the boat. Almost done! Here's how I "clamped" the veneer onto both side of the baseboards and then two photos of the finished stand:

That's a good point. I'm still not very proficient at beveling. It seems to be an inexact science to me. I'd love for someone to reply who is really good at beveling (or is it chamfering?) and is able to get their planks to consistently nice and tight.

I used medium viscosity CA for the planking and it worked well for me and I believe that Gorilla Glue is medium viscosity. Chuck uses CA when planking. Just uses a small dot of CA on a couple of frames at a time as you move along laying down the plank after you have got it shaped and dry fitted so that it lays naturally where you want it. Check the plank as you are test fitting it to see if there are gaps between it and the previous plank. If so, bevel the upper, inner edge of the plank very slightly where necessary and keep checking the fit until you get a nice, clean fit against the previous plank. That's the key; get the plank to lie naturally and cleanly in place before you carefully use CA to glue it in place. Good luck!

You've built a beautiful and interesting model, David, and it's the only complete build log of this model on the forum. Congratulations!

She's looking really good, Bartley, and I enjoyed reading your build log also.

That's true, the tiny size probably wouldn't be manageable. However, another possibility, would be to have the friezes printed with just the outlines like a coloring book. A larger pattern with a suggested color scheme could be used as a visual reference for painting on the outlines and we could paint our own color scheme if wanted to also. It would be like painting by the number without the numbers on the friezes.

That's a great idea, Clare! I'd love to try my hand at painting the friezes and this would certainly make it a whole lot easier.

I looked at that and he said maybe even 30! Holy moly, if I spent 20-30 hours fairing a medium sized model, I'd have nothing but a pile of sawdust left!

Yep, just wash your hands with it and lick your fingers!

Thanks, Eric. I'm thinking a shot or two of good tequila might be a good celebratory salute to her while just touching a dab to her bow as well! 🥃

The Calypso is one of my favorite ships ever and has special meaning to me. I might just have to search for one of those models at some point. I'm sure you've looked at the build log that Leukutus started on her recently and I'd love to see a build log of your Calypso too.

How is your build of the Calypso coming along, Leukutus? I hope you have had some time to work on her. As one of my favorite ships ever, I look forward to seeing your model being built.

Wonderful build, Andrew! I've always been fascinated with the ships that braved polar explorations. You've built a beauty!

Your longboat is looking very good and I enjoyed reading over your build log. I'm just now completing the Medway Longboat by Syren and it's been interesting looking at the similarities and the differences between these two models. I look forward to seeing your progress.

I'm looking forward to following your build, Justin.

100% beautiful, Art. You've set the standard for Midwest canoe models! I've enjoyed following your build log and look forward to your next project. Do you have any idea what it will be? All the best and stay well.

😂 I think you missed your calling!

She's a beauty, Jean-Philippe!