kurtvd19

The Nautical Research Guild is proud to offer this reprinting of Steel’s Tables – Compiled and arranged by Yuri Miroshnikov for Model Ship World and the Nautical Research Guild.
This is a great version of Steel’s Tables neatly and clearly arranged to be very useful in the shop.  This downloadable version can be printed out page by page so you can print out the pages you need for your current project. 
Want larger pages to tape to the wall by your work area?  Download to a flash drive and take it to a print shop and have the needed pages printed out in any size you want.
This book is provided as a PDF download. 
Details
Digital book, delivered as a PDF that is viewable on computers, tablets and mobile devices.
104 pages.
 
Price   $10    $8 with NRG Member Discount
 
STORE LINK
 

Check out the NRG website thenrg.org  You can join for as little as $40 (US funds) with the Digital Edition.  It can be read on-line or saved to your computer.  You can print out articles for your private use (copyrights).
There is a downloadable pdf copy of a Journal you can read to see a typical Journal.  There is a lot of useful information on the site.  Like all hobby related magazines we can only print what is submitted.  We do pay for modeling articles so you might want to consider sharing with your fellow modelers and write an article - and get paid.
As others have said NRG membership helps support MSW.
 
Take care,
Kurt
 

Check out the NRG website thenrg.org  You can join for as little as $40 (US funds) with the Digital Edition.  It can be read on-line or saved to your computer.  You can print out articles for your private use (copyrights).
There is a downloadable pdf copy of a Journal you can read to see a typical Journal.  There is a lot of useful information on the site.  Like all hobby related magazines we can only print what is submitted.  We do pay for modeling articles so you might want to consider sharing with your fellow modelers and write an article - and get paid.
As others have said NRG membership helps support MSW.
 
Take care,
Kurt
 

Check out the NRG website thenrg.org  You can join for as little as $40 (US funds) with the Digital Edition.  It can be read on-line or saved to your computer.  You can print out articles for your private use (copyrights).
There is a downloadable pdf copy of a Journal you can read to see a typical Journal.  There is a lot of useful information on the site.  Like all hobby related magazines we can only print what is submitted.  We do pay for modeling articles so you might want to consider sharing with your fellow modelers and write an article - and get paid.
As others have said NRG membership helps support MSW.
 
Take care,
Kurt
 

Check out the NRG website thenrg.org  You can join for as little as $40 (US funds) with the Digital Edition.  It can be read on-line or saved to your computer.  You can print out articles for your private use (copyrights).
There is a downloadable pdf copy of a Journal you can read to see a typical Journal.  There is a lot of useful information on the site.  Like all hobby related magazines we can only print what is submitted.  We do pay for modeling articles so you might want to consider sharing with your fellow modelers and write an article - and get paid.
As others have said NRG membership helps support MSW.
 
Take care,
Kurt
 

Agreed with the above.
 
MSW is my happy place and my favorite place online.

MSW has really helped me develop my model making skills and is my number one source of inspiration and ideas.
 
Being an NRG member lets me support MSW and I enjoy reading the Journal.
 
One of these days, I’m going to buy the $99 USB drive to get the rest of the NRG Journal issues.

I really appreciate that we, as users of this web site are not monetized the way most for profit (and even some not for profit) website would do.   Since Model Ship World is sponsored by the NRG, keeping these organizations financially secure is important to me.  That is one of my primary reasons I for joined the NRG.  The magazine does have features on 20th century subjects, but I will let others chime in regarding yachts specifically.  The magazine is very well done and the print version is of a quality you don’t see very often these days in our digital world.   Sometimes it is still nice to read something that isn’t on a screen.  

Because you're supporting this site. True you can free load and never contribute through NRG or the Donations tag at the top, but if enough did that they MSW wouldn't have the funds to operate.  Shell out the very nominal membership fee, you can display or not the avatar once you do.

Just renewed last week. If I remember correctly, it will be seven years now.
I'll be honest, I feel a little bit of pride being an NRG member.
I can't begin to express what this website and organization has given me. 
Chatted with people from all over the globe. Tips and techniques I would have never thought of. 
 
Not much of today's modern life can afford me that. Seems everywhere online is filled with dishonesty.
This is my happy place. 
Good honest people. 
 
 
Tom L. 
 
 

Check out the NRG website thenrg.org  You can join for as little as $40 (US funds) with the Digital Edition.  It can be read on-line or saved to your computer.  You can print out articles for your private use (copyrights).
There is a downloadable pdf copy of a Journal you can read to see a typical Journal.  There is a lot of useful information on the site.  Like all hobby related magazines we can only print what is submitted.  We do pay for modeling articles so you might want to consider sharing with your fellow modelers and write an article - and get paid.
As others have said NRG membership helps support MSW.
 
Take care,
Kurt
 

Check out the NRG website thenrg.org  You can join for as little as $40 (US funds) with the Digital Edition.  It can be read on-line or saved to your computer.  You can print out articles for your private use (copyrights).
There is a downloadable pdf copy of a Journal you can read to see a typical Journal.  There is a lot of useful information on the site.  Like all hobby related magazines we can only print what is submitted.  We do pay for modeling articles so you might want to consider sharing with your fellow modelers and write an article - and get paid.
As others have said NRG membership helps support MSW.
 
Take care,
Kurt
 

Check out the NRG website thenrg.org  You can join for as little as $40 (US funds) with the Digital Edition.  It can be read on-line or saved to your computer.  You can print out articles for your private use (copyrights).
There is a downloadable pdf copy of a Journal you can read to see a typical Journal.  There is a lot of useful information on the site.  Like all hobby related magazines we can only print what is submitted.  We do pay for modeling articles so you might want to consider sharing with your fellow modelers and write an article - and get paid.
As others have said NRG membership helps support MSW.
 
Take care,
Kurt
 

Check out the NRG website thenrg.org  You can join for as little as $40 (US funds) with the Digital Edition.  It can be read on-line or saved to your computer.  You can print out articles for your private use (copyrights).
There is a downloadable pdf copy of a Journal you can read to see a typical Journal.  There is a lot of useful information on the site.  Like all hobby related magazines we can only print what is submitted.  We do pay for modeling articles so you might want to consider sharing with your fellow modelers and write an article - and get paid.
As others have said NRG membership helps support MSW.
 
Take care,
Kurt
 

Micha, being an NRG member means you're providing financial support for MSW. You've only been a member of MSW for a short period of time but by the number of your post thus far you obviously find benefit in being a MSW member. For myself being a member since 2016 MSW is a major part of my life. I consider 99.99% of the MSW membership my 'family'. MSW is way too important to me, I'm happy to support MSW by being an NRG member.  
 
 Having access to the MSW database is invaluable, I dare say that if you have a question about ship modeling the answer can be found in the MSW database. The better question is, why would one not want to support MSW by becoming an NRG member.    

We can now take orders for a limited number of the Half Hull Planking Kits
 
Go to the NRG News topic area for details.

Yes thats what I figured.  I usually dont have so many original drafts or
contemporary sources as is the case with Speedwell.  And when they are so different it makes for too many choices.  LOL
 
But she will be pretty when all finished no matter which way you choose.
 
Chuck
 
 

The dimensions of the top are determined by the size of the topmast; the dimensions of the trestle and cross trees are derived from the size of the top.  The topmast on this ship was specified on the plans as 32’ 10”.   The width of the top is 1/3 the length of the topmast wide and ¾ the top’s width fore-to-aft.  The hole in the top is 5/12 the width of the top.  The kit will provide a template for the top. 
The trestle trees run fore and aft; the cross trees run across the ship.  The trestle trees are as long as the top.  The cross trees are different lengths; the fore cross tree is shorter than the aft one because of the curvature of the top.  Look at the following drawings.  The dimensions of the trestle and cross trees are derived from the width of the top (W).  There is a small notch on the inside face of the trestle tree for the mast head.  I made them from 1/8” basswood sheet and sanded them down to the correct thickness.  It is important to make sure that the top surface of the assembly is not twisted.  The easiest way to avoid twisting is to turn it upside down and put a weight on top of it while the glue dries. 
Trestle Tree

The small piece of wood between the cross trees is called the chock.  It is a spacer between the mast head and the topmast.  It is the same height and width as the trestle tree. 
I inserted the mast into the hole in the deck.  As mentioned previously, the trestle trees are horizontal to the water line.  The cross/trestle tree assembly was placed onto the bibs and the  angle of the top of the bibs was adjusted with a sanding stick until the trestle trees were horizontal.  They were glued to the bibs. 

The final pieces to install onto the trestle tree are the bolsters.  These are quarter-round pieces of wood that prevent the shrouds from rubbing against the trestle trees.  They are slightly wider than the trestle tree and one-third its height.  Because the shrouds extend aft from the mast, the bolster starts at the fore end of the mast head and extends back to the aft cross tree.  I have added bolts to the trestle trees using 24 g copper wire.
 
Just as the bolsters protect the trestle trees, battens protect the mast head.  There are two battens on each side of the masthead and end below the second hoop from the top.  In order to lay flat against the mast head, small grooves were cut into the undersurface of each batten where it crossed a hoop with a #11 blade.

 
 
 
 

For me that is very true...But some folks do like to "kitchen Sink" a model.
 
 

Putting in his lunch order. 
 
But seriously….they are same figure and just used for scale.  I actually move him around as I develop the drawings.  Insane how tight the spaces were and low the ceilings were.  
 
I placed him near the tiller on the poop deck also…no railings port and starboard.  Crazy stuff…lucky if the bulwarks are knee high…
 
Just high enough to trip overboard.
 

 

 

I used to do forensic photography back in the days of film.  Correct color balance was vital and you didn't dial it into the camera.  We used filters to correct for the lighting and it was tricky.  I used to start every roll of film with a shot of an 18% gray card with color chips (of a known value) and the lab used the settings they got when printing the gray card/color chips (standard tools of the trade) to print the rest of the prints so they all matched.  It was so critical that I used only Canon lenses - no Vivitars or other brands - and the guys who shot with Nikons only used Nikon lenses - no other brands.  Just like light meters are hardly used today ask anybody today about a color meter and they will look at you like you are from Mars.
 
Setting a white balance today is a walk in the park in comparison.
 
When digital first appeared on the scene there were all sorts of articles in the pro publications about how the images could be manipulated and the courts would never allow digital to be used in court.  They were wrong, but when the first digital images were finally allowed it was a real challenge to provide everything they might require the photographer to provide to make them certain the image(s) were accurate.  It got to the point where I was happy to get out of the business because of the hassle.  I had to give up a very lucrative business I did on my days off from the FD when I got promoted and put on a 40 hour M-F work week.  It came at the right time for me (getting the gold Chief's badges and pay raise mostly made up for the loss from the business) because it was getting to be a grind. 

Time for a big dump of progress photos!
 
I completely failed to take photos of building the roof for the pilot house and cabin, but it wasn't complicated. I just cut a thin sheet of wood to the shape I wanted, spread glue on the "rafters", and secured everything with rubber bands.
 
The photo story picks up again as I applied the simulated canvas. I used the same method as I did on Arabia: strips of masking tape held down with a thin layer of wood glue. When that's dried overnight, I trim the edges and paint it. It's held up perfectly on that last model, I really like the texture, and it's more forgiving to work with than tissue paper or silkspan or other options. Plus it's dirt cheap. Here's a sequence showing the progression of slightly overlapping layers on the gently arching cabin roof:



And the same for the pilot house:
 


I'll use some pastels to weather this a little, dull it down, and give it some subtle variation in tone.
 
In the meantime I worked on laying out the support posts for the hog chains, which needed to be carefully situated to run just along the outside edge of the cabin roof. So I marked the final location of the cabin and carefully laid out where I wanted the posts to go through the boiler deck. Then I drilled a series of small holes and used a sharp knife tip and then small files to make the final shape:
 

I then made a simple jig for the angle I wanted the posts to sit at, and used this to set them up. Here they've already been cut and painted. The black tips are meant to represent the iron caps that actually held the hog chains onto the wooden posts.

And here are a few shots of the fore and aft hog chain posts resting in place (not yet glued); you'll notice I temporarily removed the chimneys to avoid any possible damage as I worked on all this:
 



I also built the assembly that goes over the stern, which I'd left off until now since it rises above the boiler deck and I didn't want to bump or snap it while doing earlier work on the deck.
 


Finally it was time to start attaching things for good. Here I've glued down the cabin and pilot house (big step!):
 

And while that was drying I got started laying down the "canvas" on the boiler deck, working up to the aft part of the cabin. I'll let this all dry completely before proceeding up either side of the cabin.
 

A close look will also show that I built and attached the little L-shaped guard wall around the staircase up to the boiler deck.
 
Once all the boiler deck canvas is laid, I'll (re)cut the hog chain post holes, paint it carefully (trying to avoid the cabin walls), then attach the stern piece. At that point the model will really be coming together though a lot of detail work remains to be done (not to mention the paddle wheel, which I'm dreading).
 
Thanks for reading (or at least skimming) through that big dump of updates!

Time to build up the port and starboard sides of the mast head.  I used the mast template to determine the dimensions.  A real mast would have its top cut at an angle to lock it into the mast cap.  This detail is not visible so I shaped it as a simple square.  The full- sized dimensions are 9” square by 11”tall, which is the thickness of the mast cap. 


Iron bands were placed around the mast head at regular intervals.  I used paper dyed with archival ink.  On this photo you can see that I have added bolts to the cheek.  The bolts are made from 24 g copper wire patinated with liver of sulfur. 

 
The wooldings provide extra strength to the mast.  The number and composition varied based on the era.  At this time, they were made of 2.5” tarred rope (all rope dimensions are circumference).  Because I will be using several diameters of line in the build, I made a table consisting of the full-sized circumference, the circumference at  1:48 scale and the diameter at 1:48 scale.  The easiest way to determine the diameter of your rope is to wrap 10-20 windings around a dowel, measure the distance and divide it by the number of windings.  Remember, circumference is πd so the rope diameter is circumference/π.  I used eight wraps for each woolding.  To hide the ends of the wooldings, I tucked them in the gap between the mast and the cheeks. 

Above and below the wooldings are wooden hoops.  I simulated them by cutting strips of paper and wrapping two layers around the mast.  This gave the hoops the appropriate thickness.

 

Here are some examples of white balance options and their effect under the same lighting conditions.
 
First, here is the white balance menu in the camera. The idea is to select the option closest to the type of light you are using. This will change the way the camera processes the colors to try to produce a realistic color.
 
There is another option scrolled off the bottom of the screen, CUSTOM WHITE BALANCE. For this option you place a white card in front of the lens, close enough that nothing else is visible in the picture. Then you take a shot of the card to set the proper color correction for the light being used.
 
The camera will also let you use an existing photo for the white reference.
 
 
Direct sunlight is the "standard" white light. While the different White Balance selections usually work to create reasonably good colors, not all lights of the same type (incandescent or fluorescent) produce the same color light, so at best you get an approximation of the color.
 
Here are four pictures taken under an incandescent light bulb, using different white balance settings. The background was a white towel.
 

 
The Incandescent White Balance picture is pretty true to the actual colors, and the towel does look "white." Auto White Balance is also pretty close but the  towel has a bit of color. The Auto setting samples all the pixels in the image, looking for what it thinks is white (the lightest objects in the picture). But if you have large bright pale colored areas in the picture the camera may choose one of these as it's "white" reference and all bets are off as to what actual "white" things may look like in the photos!
 
The Custom White Balance gave the best results. The towel is a better "white" that the previous two pictures. By comparison, the first two appear to have a somewhat pinkish towel on some monitors and my laptop.
 
When in doubt use the Custom option and set your camera for the actual light you are using.
 
If you have multiple lights of different types you must use the Custom option. But be aware that shadows will be different colors for the different lights.
 
 
 
If you have been shooting outside under direct sunlight and have your camera set for that and forget to change the white balance the colors under different lighting conditions may be very far off.
 
Incandescent lights produce a reddish color and everything will be tinted toward the red.
 
Fluorescent lights are bluish or greenish, and everything will be colored in those shades.
 
And "white" LEDs can be almost any tint (they are usually composed of red, green and blue LEDs all on at the same time.
 
If you are shooting outdoors there are other considerations to remember. While we think of direct sunlight on a clear day as the "standard" many people forget that the largest outdoor light is that big blue thing called the "sky" that stretches from horizon to horizon. Anything that is not directly illuminated by the sun (shadows) will be shaded blue. Everything photographed in shaded areas will be blue. Back in film camera days we carried a "Skylight" filter (pale rose colored) to correct for the blue light from the sky. With digital cameras we need to remember to change the white balance to "Shade."
 
The best overall lighting is on cloudy bright days. Water vapor tends to scatter sunlight nicely, producing large fuzzy white lights called clouds. Furthermore, the lighting is almost the same from all directions, producing true colors in shaded areas. In the studio photographers use bounce lights off of umbrellas, screens or just white ceilings to create this effect indoors.
 
****
 
Having said all of this I feel the need to say many people do not have an understanding of the physiology of color. When I was about five years old I realized that I see different colors in different eyes. Everything in my left eye is slightly bluish tinted, while my right eye tints everything slightly red. I have had color blindness tests and I can see all colors with both eyes. I just see two of all colors. Actually, in film camera days, my right eye served as a built in Skylight filter to show me what pictures would look like if I used a Skylight filter on the camera! Alas, with digital cameras things are no longer that simple.
 
By the time I was seven or eight I had read the encyclopedia to learn about light, and my Mother's medical texts to learn how the eyes and brain work. Since both eyes are seeing the same spectrum, I realized that one eye had to be "wrong." Then I realized that, in fact, both eyes could be "wrong" (whatever that means). And then it occurred to me I have no idea what other people are actually seeing. When I see something that I call "red" you may actually be sensing what I would call "green." But since we have both been taught to call whatever color we are seeing "red," we both look at the same thing is say it has the same color "red." But who knows what anyone else is actually seeing?
 
Throw in the fact that no two computer or cell phone screens produce the same colors, and the same is true if we print our pictures on different printers, you have to stop and ask just what "the right color" means? When I say something is red, the Admiral corrects me and says "No, dear, that is orange."
 
So pardon me if I am laughing out loud when someone goes on about getting "true colors" in photographs.
 

The fcastle deck beams were glued into position .  The knees, carlings and ledges for the hatches were added as per the usual.  The knees are laser cut and just need some sanding to get a tight fit against the frames.  The ledges and hatch framing is completed with 1/8 x 1/8 strips.  Cut them to length and follow the framing plan.   
 
To finish off the fcastle for now...the ladder was made for the companionway on the starboard side.   You can just make that out in the photo.   This is as far as I will take the fcastle which matches where I left off on the poop deck.
 
So this completes chapter six believe it or not.   Chapter seven begins with the few cabins and sail room on the forward lower platform.   More to come on that soon I hope.  But I have to start laser cutting some more chapter sets and making more rope.    Having a real job stinks....what I wouldn give to hit the numbers tonight, LOL.
 
Chuck
 

 

Looking very good, Toni. It helps to use your chisel bevel down to control depth of cut when eight-squaring the spar.