russ

Brian:

Very nicely done. Everything looks very neat and shipshape to my eye.

Russ

Brian:

The cannon rigging looks very good. Nice work. The smaller seizing thread is a good choice. In diameter, a little smaller will usually be good for the scale effect.

Russ

Brian:

That is exactly correct. A few dowels might do well, but then you will run into a batch of bad ones and you might never know until it is too late. So long as the square stock is straight grained, it will do well. The problem with dowels is that they are cut with little or no thought as to the grain direction.

Russ

Brian:

Square stock is always the way to go on spar making. Store bought dowels can have grain running all over the place and they could easily warp over time. Square stock is much less likely to warp. Good work.

Russ

Brian:

The wheel looks good. The casting comes out nicely once painted.

Russ

Brian:

The length I quoted was a standard formula. I did not know that the space on your model was that tight. It may be that in such a small craft, they would sponge and reload, from outboard, through the gun port. That was not uncommon, especially in small vessels where space was at a premium.

Russ

Brian:

The breeching rope looks about the right length. It should be about three times the barrel length.

Russ

John:

Good work. That deck is not going anywhere.

Russ

John:

I just wrap the wire around the pins in the jig, forming the eyes at either end. Then I clip the excess wire off and solder the cut ends back onto the wire, thus creating the eyes. The eyes are not separate pieces, they are simply formed right on the end of the wire.

Russ

John:

I make shackles much the same way using a jig to form the eyes so that each shackle has the same distance between the eyes. I use brass wire instead of rod.

Russ

Kenneth:

I like the variation between deck planks. A deck will have newer planks alongside older planks. That is actually quite natural, especially on a privateer.

Congrats to your Eagle scout.

Russ

Brian:

The soldered joints look good. File them up a bit if you want to remove the discoloration. Nice work.

Russ

Kenneth:

It was a fun day. We got to see some great boats and talk with some really nice people. Even managed to plank a model skiff hull as well. Not a bad way to spend the day.

You are far too kind about the schooner, but I appreciate it.

Russ

John:

Nice work as always. That deck will look great when it is all finished. Will you scrape it or sand it after it is complete?

Russ

That is a fine looking model. Excellent work and congratulations.

Russ

Rick:

That is a binnacle cabinet. It is where the compass is kept.

Russ

Looks good to my eye. Great work.

Russ

Mary:

A couple of things to think about with stains.

First of all, if you have any glue dried on the surface of the wood, that will not accept any kind of finish. The areas of dried glue will be visible after you stain or clear coat. A good sanding will take care of most of these problem areas, but beware.

Second, basswood is rather soft and some areas of the wood will accept the stain or finish differently than other areas. It can result in an uneven, blotchy result. I use a pre stain conditioner made by Minwax before apply the stain. You can apply the pre stain conditioner and then the stain about 20 minutes afterwards. The conditioner will penetrate the wood, helping the wood absorb the stain or finish more evenly, making for a much better result.

Your work looks good so far.

Russ

The seats look very good. I think you are doing an excellent job.

As for paint, why not do a clear coat and show off the different woods? Your choice.

Russ

John:

That looks very good so far. Are you running a pencil along the edge to indicate the seams?

Russ

It looks very good. The "wave cut" you describe is simply that both ends were tapered down to a smaller width than the center of the plank. Tapering planks is common in boats.

Russ

The fit looks good. The heights at both ends are a tad more important than elsewhere, but it is good that it all fits well. The great thing about wood is that you can trim, sand, and fit as needed. In fact, it is part of the process to be expected. Nice work.

Russ

It is looking good. Everything looks like it is lined up well. Nice work.

Russ

Herbert:

This was a restoration of an old model. Some elements of the hull were very good, others rather crude. The deck may have some crown or round up in it, but not much and it does have some sheer n it. I would not look at the deck of a model like this and try to draw any conclusions about real ships. 

In real schooners, all of them had a crown or a round up to the deck from side to side. That is a given and always goes without saying. All decks have some amount of fore and aft curve or sheer. The amount of round up and sheer can vary from deck to deck.

Russ

The stem looks good. You may find that you will have to make some adjustments when installing the side planks, but that is fairly normal.

Russ