toms10

I have to do some post processing to all my 3d printed stuff so they are always removed from the supports.  Its more work for me but better for you guys.  
 
I dont see many that offer 3d printed parts with such a routine.  Most just print and package.  
 
But all of my parts are lightly sanded if possible to remove the support divots and then they are sprayed and misted with a conservators UV protective coating.  In other cases they finish is optimizes to make them look less like plastic as well. The color and matte or satin finish.
 
Now yes…it could be expected that the end user/builder should do all this but most dont want to or dont know how.  So its an extra service I provide that hopefully makes my parts stand out from all of the many others.  Most just sell “straight from the vat” gray 3d prints you have to paint and finish yourself.  Folks dont know I do all this pre printing processing and post printing processing but based on the volumes being sold I think you guys appreciate it.
 
As you can see I couldnt possibly feel good not doing all this knowing I could finish all my parts so you can use them straight out of the bag.  But it would be a whole
lot quicker and easier if I didnt do all this. In fact I have nearly sold out of some thimble sizes already and will be printing more over the coming week.
 
No painting or finishing required.  Even these small black thimbles.  And certainly my blocks.  Counting and packaging just requires some patience.  In the big scheme of things a small amount of time considering all that goes into making this stuff.
 
No plastic gray looking blocks and fittings from Syren.  
 

As I get close to retirement I am shifting my business plan a bit.   I am not retiring yet,  but I am starting to create the end game plan.     My business is currently really two sep. divisions or production flows.      Production of kits and then Production of after market parts, blocks and rope and fittings etc.   Both take a huge amount of time and effort.  I have mentioned before that I am currently working 7 days a week and 12 hours a day easily.  Now that I have moved and enjoy the leisure living in the back country of NJ, my wife has started to use the word "leisure" as a verb.   Chuck we need to "leisure" more.  You work to much.  I want to travel more.  You are going to have a heart attack...yada yada yada.    Sooo,  the Speedwell will be my last physically produced kit.  In addition,  I have stopped production of all of my kits...Kind-of.   I AM NOT GOING OUT OF BUSINESS.  Let me make that perfectly clear.  In fact my business and sales is now greater than at the height of the pandemic.  Lots of rope and blocks being sold.  LOL  I have many many years left in me.    BUT moving forward, I will now be focusing on just fittings and related ship model items...No kit model production.      I am retiring all of my kits.  This includes Speedwell.   I sold the last of 50 Speedwell chapter 1 and 2 sets recently.   I will only be selling the remaining chapters to those who bought those 50 chapter one and two sets.   So that will be easy enough for me to handle and administer.     Its just getting tougher and tougher to source enough wood to make this stuff in the USA and remain profitable.   I also dont want keep buying and storing a mountain of wood in my garage.  Literally a mountain of it as you can imagine.  In addition I just dont have the time or desire to do this in 60's.   The good news is that I will be introducing a ton of new fittings.  Stuff for French ships too!!  I am slowly revamping my website...and you might experience disruptions as I make it easier to find all of the fittings I offer.  I have hundreds and hundres already  and many more on the drawing board.    This is mindless repetitive work and will help pay the bills into retirement and beyond.  So no plans to stop making that stuff anytime soon.   In fact my wife wont let me fully retire until Im 67 so there is that.  God bless her.   Now the fun part...just because I am not producing these current kits any longer doesnt mean that someone else wont be MFGing them.   All of my kits already available will not just go away...you do know him and love him.   I have reached an agreement with Chris at Vanguard who will be taking over the reigns and manufacturing my kits.   This will take some time as Chris is finishing up his Surprise model kit.      The Winnie group is fine...just not selling any more starter bulkhead sets or chapter one sets.   I will continue making later chapter sets available for the group in perpetuity.  Its not a big deal until Chris can take over.      The longboat group build will also remain because that will probably be the first kit being produced by Chris followed by the barge.   So stay tuned and please dont bother Chris about getting any of this stuff.  It will be made available as soon as he can get to it.  He is busy like me...so keep that in mind.   All Winnie parts, and Speedwell Chapter sets and Cheerful parts will continue being sold on MY site for folks currently building them until the hand-off is eventually made.   So fear not!!!   NOW...this frees me up to build and design Newer projects.  These however will be made with the idea that the models will be built using plansets and thus not dependent on kit production.  Those will be released here as open source plans or at Seawatch as a new book.  Or if Chris wants,  he can take them and run with them too.  That is my retirement plan.   Keep making parts for sale for all of your projects while still building models that interest me and passing those designs on.   Now back to making rope!!!  Blocks!!! and other stuff....   Lantern mini kits both English and French are next on deck.  Then ship's wheels and a whole host of other good stuff for you folks!!!       Chuck

Hi Rick,
Hope your summer is going well. Thanks for the compliments. Yeah this one is quite different from the Morgan. It is actually tougher with regards to the planking. The clinker style planking helps a bit to hide some “non-perfections”. 😂
Tom

Hi Jack
Glad to see your back at it. 
Tom

Hello,
thank you John and all others for your likes.
The mast step is ready and installed. Now my fingertips have to regenerate for some time 😉


And here with the deck beams installed. As the next thing to do, I think to instal the other deck beams.

Hello,
the last two day I was pretty busy at the shipyard. UPs, and where is the ship?    😄

All the frames are installed.

The next days I think, I must concentrate my work more onto my house and garden. During that time, the ship could settle before I install the bitis (deck beams)

Hello,
because I started with my Tiger in Dec 2017, and I should carve there the quarter pices now, to which I'm at the moment not in the mood. And at least I would like to build a ship or model readdy.
 
During the summer I bought the book from Werner Dammann about the Gokstad Ship, because these Viking ships interested me since my youth. To my birthday the book by Vibeke Bishoff about the Oseberg ship came along to that.

 
I started some time befor with the keel and then the plug for planking. Now the first two rows of planks are laid. I build in castello, the planks are 0,5 mm thick.











 

Carved up some details today and got them dry fit. Now he’s a fierce and formidable escort complete with serpent horns, tongue and saber teeth.   Okay, so he only measures about 3/16” wide by about 1/2” long from nose tip to nape but he has a mean bite. 😂. I would have made him fire breathing but being part of a wooden boat, it didn’t seem like a good idea. 🤪
 
Careful, don’t get too close!  He bites. 


Tom

You are very welcome.  I do it for the members, not for the money, but the money doesn't hurt.

Wow! Two years since I posted any work updates. Bet you all thought I quit. Almost did !😉 Got really bored and frustrated so I m stepped away for awhile 🙃 and of course life got in the way also.  I built a few none ship models as a distraction during my hiatus. Now it's back to building the masts and doing the rigging. 
 
I finished the bowsprit. Photos follow. Next up is the 3 masts, I'm trying to decipher the vague and very sparse instructions. Everything is in 4 languages. The mast, spars, trees,, etc are a nice walnut wood.  I swapping out the AL rope and most blocks for the @ChuckSyren rope and pear blocks I have in my stash.  It looks so much better. 
 
Progress photos to date :
 

 
 

Anchors are now rigged.
 
⁹

The drakkar is complete and ready to set sail.  I will probably add a few barrels (after I make them) to store food and water. 





Going to take s bit of a break and work on my 9000+ piece puzzle of the Battle of Algiers. That should be a few months. Then I am planning on starting a scratch build of the French ship La Courrone from 1635. 
 
Tom
 

I now have a sail with all the rigging and spare mast and yard in case of some nasty weather in the North Sea. 😂
 
Getting down to the final details, sea chests, oars, rudder assembly, rope loops at all the tie offs and the delicate details on the dragon head/tail (horns, tongue, saber teeth and tail spikes). Everything is already made so it is just assembly work. 
 
And lastly, the base and acrylic case. The end is within sight. 😜



Tom. 

Hmm a bit expensive £1250

Seems Byrnes' tools are a better investment than the stock market!

Tom, I just answered a question you'd put up in 'Masting, Rigging and Sails'  back in November regarding the presence of reef points on the sails of Viking ships. It doesn't really apply now you've finished the model - I wish I'd noticed it earlier - but you might find it of interest.
 
Steven 

Congratulations!  Very nicely done!

The drakkar is complete and ready to set sail.  I will probably add a few barrels (after I make them) to store food and water. 





Going to take s bit of a break and work on my 9000+ piece puzzle of the Battle of Algiers. That should be a few months. Then I am planning on starting a scratch build of the French ship La Courrone from 1635. 
 
Tom
 

Hi Ryland
Thank you and yes the plan is to bring this to the conference. 
Tom

Hi Ryland
Thank you and yes the plan is to bring this to the conference. 
Tom

Hi Ryland
Thank you and yes the plan is to bring this to the conference. 
Tom

Beautiful job Tom.  I hope to see this at the Northeast Joint Clubs Conference and Show in April.

The drakkar is complete and ready to set sail.  I will probably add a few barrels (after I make them) to store food and water. 





Going to take s bit of a break and work on my 9000+ piece puzzle of the Battle of Algiers. That should be a few months. Then I am planning on starting a scratch build of the French ship La Courrone from 1635. 
 
Tom
 

The drakkar is complete and ready to set sail.  I will probably add a few barrels (after I make them) to store food and water. 





Going to take s bit of a break and work on my 9000+ piece puzzle of the Battle of Algiers. That should be a few months. Then I am planning on starting a scratch build of the French ship La Courrone from 1635. 
 
Tom
 

I now have a sail with all the rigging and spare mast and yard in case of some nasty weather in the North Sea. 😂
 
Getting down to the final details, sea chests, oars, rudder assembly, rope loops at all the tie offs and the delicate details on the dragon head/tail (horns, tongue, saber teeth and tail spikes). Everything is already made so it is just assembly work. 
 
And lastly, the base and acrylic case. The end is within sight. 😜



Tom.