Roger Pellett

The stempost and the forward part of the keel is made a little tapered.
The tapered part stops between the main mast and the stern

Source : The Gresham ship project

Index
 
 

Thistle17 - thank you.  looking at some of others blogsI realise that our community of modellers has some very fine craftsmen turning out superb finished models.  They inspire me to keep going.  My uncle was only 11 when he finished my model in 1899 - and as i keep going I feel as though I am experiencing some of his challenges.  He did it with his bare hands and a few hand tools.  I have the benefit of electriciity, light and some modern tools!  I am often in awe of that young boy.  
I really appreciate your comments, thanks again. Paul 

Richard / Michael - Thank you.
 
I made up a couple of turnbuckles - but have still to round off the square ends. They are about .750" long.

I then moved on to making the belaying pin rails which sit inboard of the bulwark on either side of the main and fore masts (4 in total)
 

The rail was made from 1/16" brass wire - 2.2 inches long and cross drilled with 5 holes of 1/32" diameter. At this size I find even my finest centre drills are not pointed enough so I "drill" the starter holes with a broken .040" end mill ground to a fine point. 
 


The thickening where the belaying pins penetrate was created by slipping on pre cut and drilled sleeves.
The wire was then bent to shape with pliers and a small hammer. The first 3 went well but then I switched to another wire for the 4th which was much more brittle and broke twice. I softened the 3rd attempt with a butane burner and all was well.
 

The sleeves were aligned with sewing pins which formed the core of the belaying pins. (pins .025" x 0.7")

Micro-bore tube was used to create the belaying pins.
 

The centre position is a support come bracket. Making this involved some "fine" turning. The bracket was made from .125" rod with the mounting spigot turned down to .030" to go through the hole in the wire / sleeve. My lathe isn't very small but by making very small tools and taking small cuts I manage to make 4 good ones out of 5 attempts. The mounting leg was made from tube and inserted over the spigot.


I then did a bit of polishing and made the mounting brackets for the 3 legs.

I then stopped to admire the sunset from the garden. Quite dramatic - taken without any filters.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Yah the crew would have to keep the brails quite loose when underway or they would negatively effect the shape of the sail. But it's still going to be better having the brails since without them the furling would be quite tough. But check out this engraving of guys furling a lateen sail: 

Hey howya goin John mate, I got rid of my flip phone when I retired 10 years ago, I got this about 5 to 6 years ago.
 

Was about $180 to $200 AUD back then, as long as the camera does full HD 1080 you should be ok.   

Beautiful progress Boris, she's looking fantastic. Thanks for sharing it via personal mailing a few days ago, sorry for not responding in a timely fashion.
 
For all members on MSW I like to mention that my father went down with this ship after she was hit with a long run Japanese torpedo.  That was during the battle on the Java Sea, February 27, 1942.
 
 
 

Don't get discouraged. But there are a lot of specific smaller tasks involved in rigging the mast of a sailing ship. My advice is to break it down one step at a time. Everyone here is delighted to help you but you will have to meet us halfway and ask specific questions. Descriptions of each part you are talking about will be important since there are specific aspects unique to each task. "Eyehole start with knot but don't know where to finish" isn't helpful since you are not being specific enough for us to understand which part you are talking about! Complicating matters at first ( but making it MUCH SIMPLER later) is the fact that everything on a ship has a specific nautical name you must learn. It's daunting having to learn the names of everything but if you can't use the nautical name you have to either give a lengthy deescription that identifies the part OR you have to provide photos with circles and arrows. But keep in mind that everything you see in the instructions has a simple explanation and you are perfectly able to accomplish the tasks you are facing. AND it's fun.

Part 17 – Installing the Deck Beams
 
The next step is to install the deck beams.  The stern appears to be too high, and this was confirmed by test fitting the rearmost deck beams.  Before proceeding with the deck beam installation, the stern was removed and refitted.
 
Two deck beams were temporarily clamped in place, and two deck planks were attached using wire ties.  Two bottom planks were also wire tied to the frames.  These planks were used to ensure that the stern timbers were set at the correct height and angle, and then the stern was glued back in place.
 
                        
 
                        
 
The view of the deck beam layout from the HAER drawings was printed at the correct scale, and was used as a guide for the installation of the deck beams.
 
                        
 
As a preliminary check, all deck beams were laid in the appropriate locations.  It became clear that some of the frames would need to be trimmed back to the height of the clamp, since some of the deck beams would be in the same location as the frames.
 
                        
 
Some of the beam locations are critical, since they determine the location and rake of some components.  The first of these is Beam 2, which supports the Sampson Post.  The Sampson Post, made of oak, is 5” thick, and tapers from a 5” width at the keelson to 1’-2” at deck height.  Above the deck it is consistently 1’-2” in width.
 
                        
 
Deck Beams are glued to the clamp, but are also strengthened by functional bolts made of 1/32” brass rods that tie the beam to the clamp.  Deck Beam installation consists of
1.    Locating the beam along the clamp
2.    Centering the beam by aligning the centerline drawn on the beam with the centerline thread
3.    Locating and drilling the holes for the brass rod through the beam and into the clamp.
4.    Glueing the beam to the clamp with PVA glue
5.    Glueing the functional bolts using medium-viscosity CA glue
6.    Trimming (fairing) the beam ends
The initial deck beam (Beam #2) is being glued in place.
 
                        
 
It was then bolted and faired, as in the following photo of a later beam being faired.
 
                       
 
The Sampson Post was then tacked in place.  It was not permanently installed at this time since there was still an open question on the Sampson Post – which will be discussed in a later post.
 
                        
 
                        
 
                        
 
When Beam #2 was completed, Beam #1 was installed approximately halfway between #2 and the stem.
 
                        
 
The next critical beam was the forward-most of the beams adjacent to the mast (Beams #4 and #5), so Beam #3 was installed at the nearest frame.  The following photo shows the first three beams permanently installed, with Beams #4 and #5 held in place temporarily be brass rods.
 
                        
 
A stub mast was used to verify the placement of beams #4 and #5
 
                        
 
The stub was left as an octagonal since the full mast will remain octagonal when it goes through the deck to the keelson.  Details on the construction of the mast will be provided when the full mast is described in a later post.
 
The next post will address the construction of the beams for the forward hatch, the Centerboard Trunk, and revisions to the Sampson Post.
 
Thanks Everyone!
 

Waiting for someone to call, so a quickie job.  The deck prism.
When I lived aboard Vanity, this simple object casting a perfect straight rainbow of colours on the carpet in the galley would always lift my spirits.
 
I made a brass surround by cutting out a rectangle from some 10 thou. brass photo-etch surround (a great source of scrap shim) and drilling a hole in one end. It was then threaded on my piercing saw blade, trapped in the vice and the opening cut in with one all round pass of the piercing saw.  Quick clean up to the lines with Swiss files and a rub down with 800 grit, saw the frame done.  Then the prism was filed on the edge of a bit of 1/4" Perspex and that was trimmed off with just enough parallel to hold in the vice.  The rebate to sit in the frame was filed in with my sharpest square file. Very careful use of superglue held the two together.  Once it's fitted in a deck plank I will have built a wee box under it, so should it leak, the water can go no further than a tiny space beneath the prism.
Finally, tiny screw marks were impressed with a very useful tool I bought for making rivet marks on the foiling of model aircraft panels. I got 2 for 4 quid from ScaleModels, Ltd., an internet seller of goodies.
 
I put a standard knife next to this and the decklight to give some sense of scale.
 
Cheers,
Martin

Chris,
I was building this anyway and have been since last year, on and off. More off than on as other stuff calls on my time.  I really don't give a toss if I'm popular or not!  That, as I tell my grandchildren, is the most wonderful kind of freedom.
I just thought such a boat might be of interest. It seemed not from the response.  Views are often just people catching up and then clicking somewhere else. It's not an expression of real interest, but if, like you, there are other folks who can show an interest in something other than Navy Board style models, I'll continue to post progress.
 
I've now smoothed out the deck shelf all round and will soon be adding the ply sub deck, but need to paint the interior with epoxy first.
I'm building this because I used to live on her and subsequent owners have allowed her to fall apart.  She has probably been destroyed now.  My only way of remembering her is to catch her as a model.  1/16th scale is the biggest I can store.  Come winter, I hunker down in a warm room and make scenic stuff, set-pieces, slot cars and, if I have time, 1/4" scale inshore craft.
I of course admire the craftsmanship exhibited in most of the shall we say "typical" models.  But something in me recoils at the idea of anything militaristic. My Dad didn't say much about his War, but enough for me never to go near it in any way.  And anyway, there are so many of "my" kind of boat out there that deserve to be modelled to the same standard as most on here.  I have a clinker dinghy, part modelled in the same scale, to be carried on board Vanity. That is, I hope, made to forum standards even if the hull of Vanity isn't, although her visible furnishings will be.  That was just a  way of saving time, something I need to consider these days.
 
I'll keep it going a bit longer and see what interest we can muster for non Warships.
 
Chidokan, I got the gears from ebay and was lucky, I guess, to get three the same.  I had the Perspex as offcuts in a batch also from ebay.  These days where I live there are no model shops or interesting shops selling materials and tools, so most of my purchases are from ebay.  I always have so much to do that I don't consider mail order as waiting, as I used to.
 
Cheers,
Martin

I do hope I've titled this right. I can't toggle twixt typing here and checking the rules without losing this page completely, so if it ain't right, moderators, please correct the order.
 
Well It's a model of the boat I used to live aboard in Burnham-on-Crouch in a line of similar-ish vessels, one of which, Ann Marie, a yawl, was successfully restored and went off chartering.  Vanity, alas was moved to Bristol where I believe she has been destroyed for want of somebody with a piddling million to restore her.  A few weeks of a footballer's salary would have secured her future, then the footballer could have been thrown away.
 
SO....I figured it fell to me to make a decent model of her for posterity.
Because I don't have huge amounts of time, despite being retired, I had to knock this thing up a bit sharpish. I found lines for Clara in Traditions and Memories of American Yachting, which has plenty of English yachts in with lines.  I had the lines enlarged on a photocopier and transferred them to 3mm ply to make the bulkheads.  Then cut them out on a bandsaw.  A strong back style building board was made, the bulkheads glued to upstands representing  a line above the vessel when upright, purely arbitrary.  These upstands were then glued to square bars which were bolted to the strongback.  The keel, which varies in width along the length of the boat (I should say the sided measurement)  was drawn out to a plausible shape on the enlarged drawings and cut out of 3mm ply twice, as it would go from being stuck to the other one fore and aft, but have hardwood sandwiched in between along the middle portion of the vessel where the real one had 12 tons of lead.
Once that was in place in slots pre-cut in the bulkheads, planking began.  Now here I should say despite copious amounts of reading, I had never planked a model boat before, apart from a large clinker planked electric canoe model of a Peter Freebody craft that was done for a lady in Cincinatti.  That was planked in veneer over a thin strip-planked hull which was completely lined, so no need to see the clinker inside.
Also, I had given my son some old chairs my Granddad made in the 20s, but which had fallen to bits in modern central heating and asked him to rip them up into 2.5-3mm thick strips. These he did. I don't ave a full sized table saw.  They ended up about an inch wide, so that's where I began.  I cut the stem angle and bevelled that off behind then took it round to the sternpost, which was extremely raked being the rudder post effectively.  The first 5 or 6 planks went on like that unfettled each side.
Then as the bilge (such as it is on a plank-on-edge cutter) was rounded there came a need to shape them a bit here and there, but still not a huge amount.
Only a few part-planks where I'd run out of full length planks and the final few each side up to the counter stern were awkward.  The time came to take it off its building board. Bolts were removed and the upstands broken away.
The amazing thing to me was how light it was!  Even with some re-inforcement, it is stupidly light, which augers well for internal ballast only as the hull is very deep.
 
It is now at the stage where I have glued in some deck supports and have to add supplementary deck beams to give the camber as I hadn't built that in.
Weather has dictated that little has been done on the hull while I can't get the bandsaw outside, so I have made spars.  I've used dowel as I didn't fancy the time it would take to do it by hand.  But the surprisingly straight grained stuff from B%Q (yes really) still has to be tapered here and there.  Mast and spar bands are made from strips of brass, bent round and silver soldered together or brass bar turned to fit with lugs soldered in to pre-drilled holes.
 
For a complete change I started the after decklight. That was made in more Cuban Mahogany strip as the colour was gorgeous and the finish possible was hard and smooth.  Here I should say that apart from using a small plane on the hull, I use metalworking tools almost universally on the quality woods I like.  I cut using a jeweller's piercing saw against the metal vice jaws and clean up with Swiss files. I rarely use a knife and only for bigger jobs, a chisel.  Even then that's likely to be a reground and honed Swiss file.  I don't possess a razor saw. I tried one once, it stuck, I threw it away.  Perhaps a life time of making brass patterns for the model industry has given me this preference.  The casing has dovetailed corner joints and the lids have mortice and tenon joints, so that the whole thing effectively held itself together before gluing!
 
Well, that's enough waffle.
Please don't judge the hull too badly. It will be finished to a gloss black by the time I've filled and planed and epoxy coated it.
The gaff jaws are made of Steamed Pear, a favourite timber of mine, fixed to flats on the spar, then drilled and pinned with brass rod.
 
Currently this weekend I'm making a ropemaking machine from Perspex offcuts.  I bought a random set of cheap nylon gears off ebay in order to make my own design of sail winches and I found just enough to make the ropewalk.  It will be hand wound as I believe a man should suffer for his art<G>
 
Cheers,
Martin

Here's the start of the rope machine.
 
Why would anyone buy one when they have at least the skills to make the model on which the ropes will hang?
 
Martin

Here's the work done on the rope machine today, AFTER building a swing seat for my wife, which has been kicking around for a week or so.
So, only about an hour today. 
Alas, being a hater of fishing all my life, I find I don't have a swivel in a drawer anywhere, so that'll have to be a trip into town for such a strange object as our village has lost its fishing shop in favour of a beauty parlour.  I should add the latter is so much more needed than the former!
 
Cheers,
Martin

Hey Gataen,
 
I own the timbering plans (in 1/72 - I scaled them up to 1/48 in pdf) - I checked in with a builder on the Ancre Site who's building the 74.  The booklet in the plan set shows some pictures of his build.  He tells me that the plans are very sound - I'm sure you can offer us some feedback once you have received them.
 
I am also curious which 74 you choose to build.  Le Centaure resembles Boudriot's 74 in his 74 Gun Ship Treatise but with a Lion Figurehead vs a Greek Warrior.  Le Superbe has a figurehead of a shield with the Fleurs de Lys topped wth a Crown.  It looks very close to the figurehead of Le Commerce De Marseille - which according to the booklet standardization was taking place in response to a ministerial decree in 1786.  The stern is less ornate than Le Centaure. Both are beautiful in my opinion.
 
Chris

I thought members from the Northern Hemisphere might be interested in a couple of photos of the Australian paddle steamer 'Ruby'.  'Ruby' was a typical passenger vessel of the Murray/Darling Rivers system and was built in 1907 and carried 30 passengers.  Although almost 133 feet long, her maximum draught when fully loaded with firewood and stores was never more than three feet.  After a long and varied career as a passenger steamer, she was laid up in 1938 and used as a houseboat for thirty years, but sadly neglected.  In 1968 she was purchased by the town of Wentworth, at the confluence of the Murray and Darling Rivers, and hauled up into a park to be displayed on dry land.  Her deterioration continued until 1996, when she was placed under the care of the local Shire Council.  A restoration committee, ably led by Captain Leon Wagner, a highly experienced river boat Captain, was formed and restoration began.  'Ruby' was fully restored to her configuration when first built and the work was completed in 2004.  'Ruby' once more proudly sails the Murray/Darling system, usually under the expert hand of Captain Wagner.
 
John
 

Another factor in which sails to furl and which to leave set and drawing is based on the concept of sail balance.  the "center of effort" of the sails will shift to the bow or the stern depending on which sails you set. You will note that there are a bunch of fore and aft sails on the bowsprit and jibboom. If all of them are set it makes the rudder less effective since the rudder is acting on the opposite end of the ship: If the wind is blowing from the West and I am sailing North with all my sails set, and I want to turn in a North West direction, the wind filling the headsails is going to be opposing the rudder forces I exert with the steering system. I may have to take in some of the headsails if I need good rudder control. But if I am running before the wind with the wind at my back, I will need more sails on the front of the ship to keep it pointing downwind. If I had all my sails on the after side set, with the wind at my back, the stern of the ship will tend to want to swing around like a weathervane. So I need to imagine where this "center of effort" is at all times and adjust its fore and aft location via setting and dousing sails depending on my point of sail.

Since you are building an existing and well documented ship, I would rely on photos of the actual ship! Constitution and other three masted square rigged ships would have all some or none of their sails set depending on the captains intention and the sea state and wind conditions. Picture all sail set: This is only possible if the weather allows for it. leaving all the sails up as the wind increases in force is going to make the ship sail faster, but it will mean the possibility of damage to the spars. A prudent sailor reduces canvas as the wind increases. The sails are furled from the highest point first. The lightest and smallest uppermost sails are furled first as the wind increases- you will never see a ship furl a topsail BEFORE furling the sails above it. The larger lower sails are on stronger parts of the rig and can take the force of the winds better and remain in use longer. So you can chose which sails are going to be furled, but only furl a sail if all the sails above it are going to be furled too. (the exception being the lowest square sails, the Courses, which were furled independently of the rest of the rig from time to time)  Someone mentioned the removal of sails from the yards. To my knowledge this doesn't happen. If the ship is sound and in commission and not undergoing an extensive period of repair, all sails are going to remain on the spars at all times. Occasionally sails will be swapped out for heavier canvas as the ship changes latitude or the sails need repair, but they are never struck below to save on wear and tear, they remain on the yards. As with most things there are exceptions to most of the above. For instance some topsail schooners will set a small uppermost square sail from the deck- with the yard too- and then strike the sail and the yard it is on back to the deck when the weather forbids its use. And then there are Stunsails, which Constitution had. And the Crossjack Yard seldom has a sail bent to it although its possible to find examples that do.

Planking the lower part of the hull (part one).
 
First i have read the articles about planking.
http://modelshipworldforum.com/ship-model-framing-and-planking-articles.php
 
I have tried to follow the rules for planking a model ship as much as possible.
To everyone who helped with this articles, they were very helpful.
Thank you very much !! 
 
Following the information found the planks were 4.2 to 5.2 meters long
The average  thickness is 7 cm
The width varied between  36 and 48 cm
The widest planks were located at the bottom of the hull
 
Source : the Gresham ship project

 
Planking in progress


 
 
Ready for sanding

 
A first sanding is done  with sandpaper  grain 60.

Halfway in planking the lower part of the hull.
In part 2 the other half
 
Index on page 1
 
 

Thanks for the welcome....if that is relevant, as I may have been here before.  Has the format changed in the last year or so?
I'm in England David and I am a terrible tub thumper. I just can't do foreign stuff.  OK, ships are not so bad as cars and railways and of course, mahogany speedboats are almost unheard of over here, except for imported ones.  So it is indeed, to America and especially Canada that I turn for subject matter.  But my liking for inshore craft is strictly Edgar March.  I always fancied a round the coast collection of indigenous inshore craft in 1/4" scale.
 
Cheers,
Martin

Part 15 – Ceiling Planks
 
Hi Everyone.  Again, it has been a while since my last post.  At the end of April my wife went into hospital for some surgery, and we were expecting her to be home in a couple of days.  Unfortunately there were some serious complications that kept her hospitalized for about 10 days, followed by some convalescing at home.  Needless to say modeling activities were put aside during that time.  Fortunately she’s doing well and is getting back to feeling normal.  So, back to work on Kathryn.
 
The ceiling planks are next on the plate.  There’s a lot of interior detail to be worked on, and the ceiling planks need to be completed before any of the other details can be tackled.
 
According to the HAER documentation, ceiling planking runs from the third frame back to frame 20.  This is the area used for some below-deck storage and for forward berthing.  There’s a bulkhead that forms the forward wall of the cabin at frame 20, and the depth of the hull from frame 20 aft is very shallow, so it doesn’t make sense to install ceiling planks aft of frame 20.  However, the photos from the recent reconstruction appear to show ceiling being laid under the cabin.  This photo was taken looking forward – the vertical paneling is actually the forward wall of the cabin, and the bulkhead at the forward end of the cabin has not yet been installed.
 
            
 
Since this model is intended to depict Kathryn as she was originally built, the ceiling planks will end at frame 20.
 
Kathryn’s ceiling planks are approximately 9” wide x 1-3/4” thick.  Since the plan is for some of the ceiling to be visible, simulated bolts will be installed on the planks.  The process for installing these bolts is the same as used in my Dunbrody build.
 
First, the location of the bolts will be marked on a plank corresponding to the middle of the frame below the plank, except where planks meet in the middle of a frame.
 
            
 
A small square is then used to draw a perpendicular line across the plank.  (Where the plank was being installed on a cant frame, a line matching the angle of the frame was drawn instead.)
 
            
 
The Sensitive Drilling Attachment on the milling machine is used to drill the bolt holes.  This drilling setup allows for the holes to be drilled a consistent distance from both edges of the plank.  The plank is pressed against the wood strip, all the holes are drilled, the plank is reversed, and the holes for the other side are drilled.
 
            
 
After drilling, the pencil lines are all erased with an artist’s eraser.
 
            
 
The bolts are 24 gauge copper wire that has been work hardened and then cut into short ‘rods’.  The holes in the plank have been drilled using a #76 drill.  The rod is fed through the hole and then dipped into a puddle of medium viscosity CA glue.  By feeding the rod through the hole before applying glue, any CA smear is on the bottom of the plank and won’t detract from the finished look of the plank.
 
            
 
The plank is then gently pushed down to the surface of a plate glass sheet – this causes the bolt to be set right against the bottom of the plank, so little or no trimming or sanding is needed on the bottom of the plank.
 
            
 
After all of the rods have been glued to the plank, the rods are then clipped off on the top side of the plank and filed or sanded smooth – ready for blackening.  Since the bolts are copper rods, Liver of Sulfur is used for blackening.  The following photo shows a plank that is still wet from blackening. 
 
            
 
I have found that the blackening agent slightly discolors the wood, so a clear water wash is scrubbed onto the entire plank while it is still wet from the LOS solution.
 
            
 
Planking clamps as used by EdT were used to clamp the ceiling planks in place.
 
            
 
            
 
My existing supply of planking clamps consisted of clamps that were narrow enough to fit between the frames, so I made a few wider clamps for Kathryn. 
 
            
 
A combination of the old and new clamping planks was used for the ceiling planking.  In some cases I needed to use different types of clamps.  In the following photo a screw clamp is being used on the starboard side, and home-made miniature c-clamps are used for the forward ends of the planks.
 
            
 
In other cases the temporary ribbands interfered with the screw clamps, so some scrap wood was used to elevate the arm of the clamp.
 
            
 
            
 
When the outermost plank was installed an arrangement of the miniature c-clamps was used.
 
            
 
Since frames 3 through 11 are cant frames, the bolting pattern reflects these frames, and I thought it made for a pleasing effect.
 
            
 
The next step is the installation of the ceiling planks along Kathryn’s sides.
 
Thanks everyone!

Much less than a year, actually. Niagara was laid down in March of 1813 and launched in May, commissioned in August. Just took a couple months to do most of the construction work, with the rest being her fitting out. They were building these things fast and cheap (cheap as in a lack of decoration/prettiness). 
 
On the British side, the keel for the 42-gun 24-pdr frigate Psyche was laid down on Halloween 1814 and she was launched on Christmas Day of that year, though admittedly her frames were shipped in from England. Even the 112-gun three-decker Saint Lawrence had her keel laid in April, launched in early September, and was commissioned in October 1814.

I debated writing this but then thought it couldn't hurt: sandpaper. Use it! I don't want to name and shame anyone, but there is a huge proportion of finished models displayed on MSW on which the detailed photos of deck fittings or mast details show a lack of adequate sanding and surface prep. It looks like a lot of builders punch out the laser cut parts and incorporate them directly into the model without sanding to an adequate degree. I KNOW that close up photography of small parts reveals flaws not visible to the naked eye but some of the model photos I see show that a lot of small wooden parts are going onto models without enough sanding taking place, the surfaces are often covered in irregular globs bumps and spikes.
since most kit models are basswood, it helps to recognize that the biggest drawback of basswood is it's fuzzyness. In other respects it's a great material but at the near-microscopic level fibers at the edges are very stringy, they don't break off neatly at the surface of the wood but cling on randomly as fuzz. Paint or varnish going on over this fuzz only serves to make the fuzz bolder and stick out in hardened spikes and that's what I'm looking at in these detail photos I'm seeing. I'm going to make another plug for the use of a Sanding Sealer. Available in any hardwear store, one can should last your entire modeling career. I use a water based Minwax Sanding Sealer. It paints on like thin acrylic paint, completely transparent. When dry it has the effect of darkening the wood just a bit. Is that so bad? The surface you get has hardened and feels shellacked. When you go over it with fine sandpaper those annoying stringy grainy fibers break right off at the surface in a way that reminds you of those old animated cross sectional shaving razor commercials in which each hair is lifted and cut perfectly at its base. You get a smooth surface where the grain is still visible but not in the form of huge peaks and deep valleys, a surface that can withstand the scrutiny of close-up miniature photography.

Thanks everybody for your comments and likes! I'm sorry that I didn't get a chance to respond earlier, I spent the day in Houston with the family. We took the kids to the Health Museum -- they have a strange fascination with germs. Anyway, your comments were wonderful to come home to!
 
Greg, I guess you could say I just got lucky. I was an out-of-work industrial engineer that just happened to be in the right place at the right time when the Belle project came along. I realized early after graduating that I was more interested in the history of engineering than in modern engineering. Getting into the archaeology program gave me the opportunity to reverse engineer all kinds of old stuff. Although I've always loved building things and I had previously made a handful of ship models (thanks to Eric Rondberg and Harrold Hahn), I got pulled into Belle and have been lucky enough to work with all kinds of related projects ever since. I wish they hadn't used the term professional model builder on the website, I think department "handyman" seems more appropriate.
 
 
Glenn

If you know someone who has original archival materials from the Browns relative to the construction of the Lake Erie brigs, that would be a major find.
 
Roger

The basis for a worthwhile ship model is an accurate set of hull lines.  Unless built to historically documented hull lines, you are really building a freelance model despite the accuracy of the paint scheme, rigging, etc.. See Howard Chapelle's "Ship Models That Should Not Be Built," or L. Francis Herreschoff's writings on model building.  The Lake Erie Brigs were a particular problem for Chapelle who in the early 1930's designed the predessor to the current Niagara replica.  Chapelle has written that he always had an uneasy feeling that the lines of the replica did not reflect the original vessel.  In particular he thought that was the bow lines might be too sharp.  The current vessel was a new design by Melbourne Smith.  Each of the three Niagara replicas 1913, 1933, and 1988 were built to a different set of principal dimensions.
 
Chapelle also described model builders as "stubborn cusses" who Insist on building models without sufficient documentation.  The Lake Erie battles were exciting events in our nation's history and from a naval architectural standpoint, the problem of designing these shallow draft gun vessels was an interesting one so the lure of building one of these brigs despite the existence of historical documentation is compelling.
 
Fortunately, an example of a shallow draft gun brig built by the same builders as the original Niagara exists and has been explored - the brig Eagle built to defend Lake Champlain.  Builders wishing to build an example of a shallow draft American gun brig designed for lake service during the war of 1812 would be better off choosing the Eagle than Niagara or Lawrence.
 
Roger