Roger Pellett

Two thoughts,

Many of the original iron bolts in the Vasa are being replaced with duplex stainless steel ones.  The material was developed for the North Sea oil and gas business.  While not “historically correct” they will allow Vasa to be enjoyed by visitors for years to come, and when the little green men arrive in their flying saucer, i’m sure they will be able to tell from museum documentation that the stainless bolts are not original.

Maybe next time USS Constitution needs an overhaul it should be contracted to Mystic Seaport.

Roger

The US Government publishes extensive requirements vessels seeking Historic Landmark status.  One requirement involves determining the vessel’s period of historic significance and providing a plan for restoring it to that period using historically appropriate materials.  Mystic Seaport’ restoration of Charles W. Morgan is in my opinion an example of this done well.

On the other hand, despite the extensive work done on Constitution she does not reflect her appearance during her period of significance (her 1812 battles).  In particular her head structure is the ugly pre Civil War boxed in type instead of her original graceful open head rails.

Roger

If you have a Byrnes saw or equivalent, a home made taper jig is easy to fabricate.  For a straight tapered mast like those fitted on rigged ships boats a square tapered stick may be quickly ripped using the jig.  A few passes on each corner with a model makers plane gives you an octagon.  The spar may then be finished with a sanding block either by hand or chucked up in a slow turning drill.

Roger

Several thoughts:

I agree that making a good Viking ship model is a challenge, even for an experienced modeler.

A tricky part of any lapstrake construction is the point where the planking ties into the stem and sternpost.  The Vikings made things easier for themselves by erecting large carved stems and sterns with the laps carved into them.  The planking fits on to these posts and matches up to the carved laps.  A good book on Viking ship construction should show this feature.

Most lapstrake boats feature lightweight steam bent ribs sprung into the hull after it is planked.  Viking ships are different as their ribs are much larger and notched to fit the planking laps on the inside of the hull.  

A daunting for some and enjoyable for others part of scratch building is planning the method to be used to build the model.  When you buy a kit this has supposedly been done for you.  I would suggest that you attach a number of bulkheads properly spaced as well as your carved stem and sternpost upside down to a flat building board.  You then “line off” the planks using a batten as described above.  The location of each plank where it crosses the bulkhead should be marked.  The plank shapes are derived by marking the points on the bulkhead on transparent material bent around the bulkheads.

After you have planked the hull it is removed from the building board and permanent frames carved to fit the laps are inserted.  The bulkheads are not permanent.

Good luck!

Roger

Steven,

I’m sure that your guns are more precise than the ones made by the blacksmiths in the early 1500s.

Roger

Obviously, later than you are thinking of but U.S. Navy practice in the 1860’s was to stow boat oars and spars in the hammock boxes atop the ship’s rails.

Roger

Is there a similar new edition of volume I ?

Roger

Hank,

You probably already know this, but just in case, here goes.  A big enemy is going to be rust, especially in a high humidity environment like the southeast.  Rust bloom can form on unprotected steel surfaces in hours. Even in our cool summer climate with low humidity here in Minnesota (where we don’t run the AC during much of the summer) I have had trouble with rust forming on tools in my basement workshop.

I would therefore suggest that insulation and AC, or preferably a heating/ cooling heat pump be at the top of your shopping list.

Roger

There are two well known examples of sailing vessels capsizing and sinking where downflooding occurred through open gun ports.

Constitution was built as a deepwater vessel intended to sail in any kind of weather.  It makes no sense to not provide her with gunport lids that could prevent downflooding in the event of a knockdown.

Roger

Thanks Gary,

My Marine Engineering courses included electric circuits and electrical machinery but we never got into the actual physical problem of running wiring.  When I actually got involved in ship building (nuclear submarines) I was in a piping section so never thought much about wiring.  Your explanation makes perfect sense.

A great model of an unusual subject!  During the recent NRG Conference, the restaurant where we had dinner was next to the New Bedford fishing fleet.  I looked to see if there were any old timers like you are building but didn’t see any.  We did see a Western Rig boat at Mystic Seaport.

Roger

Household Amonia fumes can be used to produce verdigris on copper.  Is it possible that your model became exposed to a cleaning product containing amonia?

Roger

I wish that they would produce this series in 1:32 scale so that they could be combined with standard 54mm sized military figures.

Roger

Gary,

Per your comment above, what is the objection to running wire in conduit aboard ship?

Roger

As ships grew larger sails, particularly topsails became hard to handle.  Also, towards the end of the sailing ship era when steamships began to take away cargo and depress freight rates there was increased pressure to sail with smaller crews.

The solution was to split sails into two smaller sections that were easier to handle.  At first this was done with topsails and later topgallants.  Each section required its own yard, so the top mast now had an upper and lower topsail yard.  Likewise for the topgallant mast.

Google some pictures of late Nineteenth sailing ships and you will see what I mean.

Roger

Mike,

I respect your point of view.  People build models for all sorts of reasons and as long as it makes them happy, that’s fine.  

However, the question being considered is “which model kits are the most accurate.

Roger

In the quest for accuracy, I suggest that readers go back and read articles by two writers.  First, Howard Chapelle’s articles readily available from the Nautical Research Guild regarding Models That Should Not Be Built.  Second, L. Francis Herreshoff’s thoughts on Model building in his book The Writings of L. Francis Herreshoff. The gist of the articles written by both of these authors is that the basis of a good model is its ability to replicate the hull lines of the real thing.  Imposing rows of cannon and beautifully done rigging is no substitute for a misshapen hull.

The old solid hull Model Shipways/ A.J. Fisher Kits generally reflect this philosophy as hull lines were based on solid information and some of these have been revised to include instructions that include historic information by noted authorities.  Information available indicates that the new kits by Syren and Chris Walton are also based on accurate information.

Otherwise, it is next to impossible to tell which of the plank on bulkhead kits will produce an accurate hull or whether the lines are based on any archival information.  An example is the Model Shipways Civil War Steam Picket Boat. Information available indicates that these boats were built with a square stern.  The kit model features a round stern.  The shape of the stern is a major defining feature of this craft.  Why invest time and treasure building this model without knowing that it depicts the real thing?

Roger

Possibly too fine, but pumice is sold for use for furniture refinishing.  Pumice is also what makes scouring powder scour.  In its natural state it is grey.  I have some that I would be happy to send if you need it.

Roger

Actually, this might be an application for an air eraser.  Put some sort of light adhesive like flat varnish on the piling and spay with fine blast media.  On the other hand, it might just make a mess!

Roger

Having lived much of my life around the Great Lakes, Perry’s 1813 victory is of special interest to me.  I have also been fortunate to have sailed along side the current Niagara replica on Lake Superior when she visited Duluth.  She is a handsome vessel!

She cannot, however, be considered to be an accurate representation of the actual brig that participated in the Battle of Lake Erie as very little is known of the actual vessel.  No one has located a hull lines drawing or half model of the real thing.  Furthermore, the replica’s educational mission requires Coast Guard Certification that requires changes from historical practice.  

Hull lines for the US Brig Syren do exist and were presumably used to design the model kit.  Likewise, the Fair American model is based on the model in the Naval Academy Museum at Annapolis.  I believe that the meticulous researcher Eric Ronnberg prepared documentation for Fair American several years ago and you should check to make sure that it is included with the kit.  There are also a number of articles on Fair American in back issues of the Nautical Research Journal that can be downloaded for a nominal fee.

Whatever model you decide to build it is going to consume a lot of your time, and although the kits may seem expensive the cost will be spread out over the lengthy construction time.  I therefore suggest that you choose a kit that will produce a historically accurate model.

Roger

One can only imagine the chaos that would occur with dozens of iron cannon balls rolling around the deck in any kind of weather!!  Murphy is ever present at sea, and his law applies to loose cannon balls as well as everything else that can and will come loose aboard ship at sea.

By our standards, things moved slowly in the age of sail and there was usually plenty of time to ready a ship for combat, including providing the guns with a ready supply of shot.

My guess is that this is just another example of a kit manufacturer trying to add unnecessary sex appeal to its product.

Roger

I don’t know if your instructions mentioned this but where lapstrake planking runs into stem and sternposts it is customary to cut a tapered rabbit known as a gain into the last several inches of the overlaps of the two adjacent planks.  This allows both planks to lie flat against the stem rabbit.

Roger

Wefalck,

Here in the USA the silk-paper used to cover model aircraft surfaces is called Silkspan.  I was able to buy a large sheet at a local hobby shop for $3 US.

Roger

Display pedestals can be made from commercial turnings for lamps. Also, for a model like you have with a lot of drag (slope to the keel) you might consider using one pedestal forward with the aft end secured directly to the base.

Roger

Yes it does. Reproductions of Admiralty draughts, nor modelers drawings.

Roger

Use silkspan, not silk but a light paper like covering used by model airplane builders.  For furled sails on my recently completed longboat I taped it to an open frame like a picture frame.  I then sprayed it with thinned acrylic paint before cutting out my sails.

Roger