Roger Pellett

I have little or no patience with computers but I have an active build Log for my current project here on MSW.  Build logs here on MSW are stand alone.  They do not require You Tube, Face Book, or anything else.  In your case go to Build Logs for Kit Models.  Pick the date range that applies to your model.  Open a new topic, and start telling your story.  If you have photos saved, click on Add Files at the bottom of your post.  It’s really as easy as that!

Roger

You can make your own black paint with the exact amount of gloss that you want.  Buy a tube of artist’s acrylic black and a bottle of acrylic gloss medium.  A tube of white would also be useful for adding a “scale effect” to the black. Here in the US any craft store will stock these items.  Start by squeezing out some black on a palette; a piece of glass is perfect.  Mix in a little white to get the right scale color.  Add a little gloss medium. When you’re happy with the result, mix up a larger batch, thin with water, and paint.

Roger

Some forum members, particularly those glazing the windows in the sterns of Nelson Era sailing ships use Mica.  It supposedly cuts with scissors.  Perhaps there’s some on your farm!  Otherwise check Amazon.

Roger

Ok, I think that I can see what’s going on.  It would appear that the red orthogonal lines on the floor are permanent, representing the waterlines and buttocks in the end (body plan) view of the hull.  Vertical markers are then set on the floor at strategic locations at offset locations known from the lofting.  The framing segments are set against these markers.  The templates can then be used as a final check and for marking additional information as needed.  A clever system.

Roger

Andy,  A remarkable project; duplicating in miniature at more or less the same time that the full sized vessel Is being rebuilt near by.

I have a question about the two photos that you posted.  Old shipbuilding texts, both for wooden and iron/steel construction mention the use of a “shrieve board” for assembling frames.  This was apparently a large portable floor with all frame shapes scribed on.  Your guys appear to be using a similar but different system.  I see the waterlines and buttock lines forming a grid (red lines) on the floor.  I also see the plywood template.  Are the actual frame shapes marked directly on the floor as with the shreive board?  I can’t see from the photo.  Was the template used to mark the shape on the floor or is it used somewhere else in the assembly process.

Roger

For some, but by no means all kit manufacturers, the names given to these woods is little more than a marketing opportunity.  Their advertising leads buyers to think that they are getting deluxe materials while in reality as Jaager points out the species offered would not be chosen by experienced scratch builders. As a general rule, the real premium ship building woods are slow growing species with tight, coded grain structure.  Many fruit woods would qualify.

Roger

Great workmanship as usual Valeriy!

Since you have posted this under metalworking it would seem that you are considering metal.  Metal, particularly brass can be an excellent choice for very small parts as grain is not a factor.  A piece of hard brass wire should work.

The company that I worked for had a metallurgy lab for testing the effect of different hot bend temperatures and subsequent heat treat cycles on pipeline steels.  A key requirement was impact strength.  Charpy impact specimens make good lathe parallels as they were surface ground to close tolerances.  There was always a bucket of unbroken specimens left over from testing a particular heat that were scrap.

Roger

Here’s a photo of the Sherline vise.  Note, The socket headed cap screw that tightens the vice pulls down as well as in.

When it comes to ship models I am a traditionalist in that the basis for any worthwhile model is its hull lines.  In other words, does the shape of the model’s hull match that of the real ship being modeled?  That is the first thing that you should check out.  High quality decorations on a misshapen hull is putting lipstick on a pig.

Steven.  I just used ordinary hardware store masking tape and taped it all around.  I keep a stock of cheap construction grade softwood lumber in my shop for knocking up things like the frame.

Roger

Just stumbled onto this.  Very nice work!  A characteristic of these c 1850-1900 East Coast Pilot and Fishing type Schooners is their lovely counter sterns.  You have captured this defining feature nicely.

Roger

Very nice work

Brian, you’re doing great!  Overall you are capturing the look of this regional American watercraft.

I’d like to weigh in on your soldering problem:

Wire-  A while ago someone on MSW mentioned square wire.  It’s great stuff! It is available as both copper and brass in a variety of sizes; the smallest that I’ve found is 1/32.”  Lots of applications.  Uprights for your railings?

Solder Flux combination-  Some highly recommended solder flux combinations ,  particularly the pastes just don’t work for me.  I don’t know why.  I use Bakers Fluid for flux.  It’s a very low viscosity liquid that draws solder into tight joints.  I use this with solders of different diameters, particularly 1/32” dia and .010”dia 

Heat Source-  My hat’s off to Kurt and others who can solder with a torch; it’s a real art, not easily learned. A while ago, I would have recommended a Weller cordless iron but mine just died after what I consider to be an unreasonably short life.  I use two plug in irons, a 15 watt with a very narrow tip and 40 watt.  I like the electric irons as they can concentrate heat over a small area.

To summarize, soldering seems to involve a degree of witchcraft despite attempts to rationalize it.  If something doesn’t work try something else until you find a combination that does.

Roger

Thanks, I see them.

Interesting project! I’m curious.  Where are the ballast tanks?  Submarines that I am familiar with (U S Navy) carried ballast in saddle tanks outside of the pressure hull, or in tanks wrapped around necked down areas of the pressure hull.  This meant that they were Soft Tanks; not designed to withstand sea pressure.  They also have Hard Tanks within the hull.  These were used to adjust weight to maintain required trim.

Roger

I drill small holes using a sensitive drilling attachment in my Sherline milling column.  For reasons not understood, I don’t have the touch for using the carbide drills with the larger 1/8” diameter shafts that can be chucked in a Jacobs Chuck or a collet.  I, therefore, drill with HSS wire size drills.  My drilling attachment does not accept collets so I use the provided Jacobs Chuck.

I have noticed that the drills bits themselves are not necessarily straight.  While the chuck runs true, there is often a slight wobble of the drill bit itself.  On the other hand, these tiny wire sized drills will “find” any slight center punched depression nearby.

It appears to me that the key to accurate drilling is marking out and center punching holes in the first place followed by correct lining up of the center punch mark beneath the drill bit.  While this might not be good enough for true miniature machining it will produce results good enough for our purposes.

Roger

I’m personally not a CA glue user but have read, here an the forum and elsewhere, that the hardening reaction depends on moisture.  Blowing on it gently can speed the reaction.

An alternative to CA glue is nitrocellulose based  clear nail polish; a close relation to the model airplane cement that we used as kids.  I prefer it to CA.

Roger

That tongue and groove floor should be really nice!

Climate control is not as much for you as it is for your tools and equipment.  High humidity and condensation can rust tools overnight.  It is, therefore, wise to provide some means of controlling humidity even when you are not present in your shop.  It is also a good idea to put down a plastic film vapor barrier on the concrete before laying down the wooden floor.

Roger

That wood does not resemble any cherry that I have ever used for projects or that remains in my lumber pile.  It appears to be some sort of walnut.

Roger

IMHO, an interesting and attractive feature of Bluejacket’s  lineup is its line of vessels built in its “backyard,” the northeastern USA.  Regional vessels do have unique characteristics many due to the environment in which they operate and you guys do a great job of understanding this.

Roger

Steven,

The consensus on available material for sails is that no matter what you choose, it will still be over scale.  It would therefore seem that the problem with your Silkspan is not that it’s too thin but that it’s translucent. So instead of laminating two thin sheets together, why not just paint what you have?  I have found that it’s easy to paint Silkspan with diluted acrylic paints.  If you first attach it to a frame, mist it with water, and let it dry you should have a drum tight surface to paint.

Roger

There is also book on seamanship for the USCG Barque Eagle.  It is published by the US Naval Institute Press.  I believe that Eagle was built in Germany in the 193O’s.  There is also Allan Villers’ The Way of a Ship.  This is devoted to the steel hulled vessels still sailing in the 1930’s. The book includes several excellent illustrations of rigging drawn by Harold Underhill.

Roger