Salty Sea Dog

Hey all! Ok so I made the ratlines for the starboard side of the mainmast. Lots of beginner misstakes, but it was quite enjoyable work. To be honest shaping the dead eyes and metal parts for them was more challenging on the nerves as there where many stages. Once these are on you have a result. I like that as it gives energy to continue. I decided to do not go by a template, but did them freehand, by the eye and tried to look at the reference instead. I did end up with more rows then the original at the museum.
 
I still need to weather the ratlines and give a light coat of varnish to hide the CA but this is where Ï'm at now.
 

 

 

 

 

 
 
/Matti

Congrats on reaching 100 pages! Each page has been a treat. Thanks and keep up the amazing work!

Congrats on reaching 100 pages! Each page has been a treat. Thanks and keep up the amazing work!

Hi Matti,
 
There is no substitute for the Mk1 eyeball in my opinion Matti, yes we get the magnifiers but there is always a certain distortion to them, your eye has stood you in good stead so far Matti and I see no reason why it shouldn't continue to do so.
 
You'll know when your ratlines are right so have faith in your eyeball and knowledge.
 
Vasa is looking superb mate.
 
Be Good
 
mobbsie

If you use that same "eye" you've used so far it WILL be excellent.
 
I tend to eyeball many things rather then measure, on small stuff sometimes I think over exaggerating certain features or ratios, sometimes gives a more detailed look, in for example the shroud to ratline ratio. When I see shrouds tied with ratline of the same size its like fingernails on a chalkboard for me, but in some kits the rope is so limited. My swift had 2 sizes of white thread. I upgraded to 5 sizes of brown and 4 of tan to cover all my bases.
 
I just thought you might have used some scrap rope for practice, as it looked different.

Stunning work mate I think you will have no problems with the ratlines other than the fact it is so time consuming.You started the rigging with much trepidation but your abilities are shining through
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

Hey again!
 
I'm finally done with the channels and its details. Also did the collar holding on to the bowsprit.
 
First a pic I took at the museum.
 

 
And how mine turned out:
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
Time to start planning those ratlines now...
 
 
/Matti

It took me a few moments to realize that your new signature-picture is not the original.....
 
Jan

Cheers pops!
 
I tried to take dark background images earlier. I don't get why the LED lights look so weird in the image. IRL it is quite dim and have a grey/greenish tone, as the windows are tinted. The camera pick the light up as bright and almost blue.
 

 

 
Now it's back to shaping deadeyes and the metal parts for them so I can continue with the foremast.
 
 
Thanks for the likes everyone!
 
 
Matti

A substantial update:
I completed the decorations of the right side of the stern.
I am not completely satisfied, since I needed to combine the decorations of the original drawings with the "leafs type" decorations of the transom.
But I am rather sure that the original drawing contain only a draft representation of the decorations, since the main purpose was to draw the ship hull and not its less important components.
Now the task will be to make the left side hydentical to the right side...
And this will be made when I will be...ready, since it is a rather boring duty.
I have completed the stern deck, too.
Now all the wounds of the decks have been cured!!
The planking division of the stern deck has not yet be made.
Oh, I added the staffs on the dead-eyes channels, too.
In the meanwhile I am studying how to proceed for the running and standing rigging, since I have still some obscure point to be clarified.
Nothing has yet still completely fixed on this project, since always new informations and evaluations contribute to change something.
 

I started the transom decorations...
I completed the right side of the transom, which can be seen in the photos.
the decoration are of common type, plants and leafs, typical of this period.
I didn't wanted to make anything more complex, since the ship is a common type one, not higher than a third rate, accordingly to venetian papers.
Since I have an "heretic approach", sometimes I use alternative materials for the decorations.
These are made with green paste (two parts epoxy components, yellow and blue).
Technically it is the kneadatite, but commercially it has many names.
Since in order to be modelled it must be keep lubricated with some water, I previously painted with grey primer the wooden parts that will be in contact with it, otherwise the modelling become a bit a nightmare.
If the wood is not previously treated, the water detach continuously the paste from wood and the modelling cannot be made properly.
 
Modelling with paste is really relaxing, but now the real task is to made the right side hydentical to the left side!
And this will be a more complex problem...
In the meanwhile, I am deciding if open or not the last of the gunners windows...
The last gunport will be intentionally left closed.
its related window will be in a wrong position, too near to the cannon, due to an error in the original drawing, which placed the wall of the cabin's door too much near to the last external cannon.
The cannon cannot be "serviced" properly if I follow the original drawings.
So I moved back this wall.
that generated now that this window will be a bit misplaced.
It's a chain reaction...
That window can be only inside the cabin, so sooner I must decide what to do (create it or not?).
But the first thing to do now it is to complete the transom decoration.

Another small update
I completed the main deck, with the planks division and related nailing.
I used a sequence 1:3, which I though is reasonable for a 35 metres ship.
I forgot to leave untouched the central main plank, but it is too late to change...
The planks between the gratings and the main mast has been leaved untouched, since I considered them not part of the sequence.
It will be added the nails in a more later stage.
The ship gratings are just layed and not glued.
Since now the details must be suited for "human utilization", I made a simple man example as a reference.
Before making the planking of the stern deck, I need to make the wall with a door that give access to the cabins.
So the door position and height must be made accordingly to the presence of the cannon just near, and the presence of the mizzen mast, again near of the wall.
I will use a thin layer of balsa as a main frame for holding the planks of the wall.
At the moment I "solved" the problem of the riding bitts, as shown in the drawing, but I am not completely convinced.
In the drawing can be seen the anchor's cable around the pink bitt and then into the manhole.

Now the ship start to have a more decent aspect.
the biggest wounds have been "cured".
The transom of the stern has been completely covered.
I decided to make the decorations only at the end of the stern rebuilding, in order to minimize the possibility to damage them.
They will be applied in the grey part of the transom.
The windows of the transom are not yet made.
In the meanwhile the side windows of the stern are proceeding, too.
As can see from comparision with the drawing, all the decoration are not still made.
I am proceeding on the building in various sections of the ship, as it can be seen:
-The planking of the deck is proceeding (but I have not yet divided the single planks);
-The border of the bulwark is partially done (but it will be fitted with decorations with are not yet made);
-I cut the bow, because their angle and lenght was wrong.
A new one has already been saw, but I will glue to the ship only when the stern decoration are made.
 
My way of proceeding appears a bit confusing, since I started many sections of rebuilding at the same time, but in that way the boredom has been completely eliminated!
 

The various key points of the ship details are proceeding...
the first photo represent the wolf heads for the two catheads (the ears are raised)
the other photos represent the two couple of wolf heads for each side of the bow.
I changed again the sail plan.
Now I definetly ended my tormented thought.
I changed the lain sail of the foremast, since now I believe that the previous one (which was loosely taken from the Amati plans) doesn't match with any painting or drawing that I saw on my research.
Now its shape match with many drawings that I saw.
At first I was worried not to overlap the main mast sails with the foremast one, in order to permit each sail to receive full wind, but the truth is that the latin sails in such type of ship were used also as in the attached drawing, so my first thought was partially wrong (and the Amati sail plan a little, too).
 
So below there is also the definitive sail plan of my Venetian Polacre (And I will strongly stick to it, now!)
The sail overall available area is raised a little, but the shape is changed greatly and now it leaves less "uncovered zones" between the main mast and foremast.
No more replacement are permitted, since I am already sewing the sails...
In the meanwhile I am proceeding with the cannons, which now represent the most BOOOOOOOOORING part of this section of the ship building: 10 cannons done, 1 almost done, 5 still to make completely.....what a pain!!
 
 

More than 20 years ago I built from scratch a venetian xebec, from purchased plans.
The plans are available but are not made by the usual ships manufacturers.
They were made accordingly to original drawings coming from a Venetian archive.
In the photos can be seen some of the plans and the model that I made.
The model is rather big (around 90 cm long).
I always been puzzled by the strange shape of such xebec (a bit fat, hull not common on xebec).
 
Now finally I have found the original ancient drawings that originated such plans!
They are published in the book "Venetian Ships - Navi Veneziane" by Gilberto Penzo, Lint editor.
 
I discovered that the ship was a polacre, and the absence of sail plan probably generated some misunderstanding on the author of the plans thay I purchased.
The original drawings were a bit different and the typical polacre hull is more evident.
 
After that I decided to study a deep conversion of the model, in order to let it be more similar to the original one.
in the photos:
-one of the purchased plans, made in 1947 (first two photos).
-the original drawings (second two photos)
-the present model.
Well, I am not a true expert, but the final result will be less historically false than the present one, so in anycase will be a success for me!
Any critics to the project (even destructive critics!) and suggestions are always appreciated!
 

Hi Nils,
 
I'm sorry it took so long for me to come across your build. Your craftsmanship and detail work is absolutely stunning!! What a beautiful ship! Very well done!!
 
Best wishes,

To all of you who made such nice comments about my model i truly thank you.
 
The Red Dragon is my first model in a sense because i bought one Red Dragon from Antics it was the only wooden kit they sold,
so when home and atacked the kit i got as far as completing just the hull,i had just joined MSW SO When i compared my workmanship
to some of models in the gallery i realised my model was a bit of a mess so i put it in the trash bin the refuse collecter picked it up and 
put it in his cab.I Went back to Antics to see if they had anything i could buy and there on the shelf was another Red Dragon kit so now
i had bought severel  books the result is as you can now see.
                    Regards to all Janet B

2) Original work done in 1986/87

The frames on this kit are plywood so they were lightly sanded then stained in dark walnut before assembly to help conceal the laminations. I stole that idea from the picture on the box. There was no internet back then to learn about planking (I was using a state-of-the-art PC with dual floppies at work!) so the 16 page booklet "Planking Model Ships" by Richard Mansir was my guide. Once I started the single planking it became obvious that I really needed to get the edge joints beveled just right. I found it tricky to get the joints to look tight on both the outside and the inside. After one plank was installed and secured and the next one was spiled and bent, I slid a folded piece of 220 grit sandpaper back and forth between the 2 planks while holding the new plank against the previous one. Also shown in this picture, although it was done more recently, is the finish that I applied on the ramin wood parts. Because the wood is so light and porous it showed dirt (or walnut dust transferred from fingers) easily. The floor boards and centerboard case are sealed with clear (super-blonde) shellac. The thwart seats and oarlock bases are finished in garnet shellac.


 
My first screw-up was only ordering the 5mm wide walnut planking.The garboard planks would have been better if I had used 10mm planks for them. I first tried staining the little wedge shaped areas of the false keel that showed at each end but that looked like poop. Later I cut shallow pockets into the false keel and inlayed some wedge shaped pieces of walnut, but they are a lousy color match and are too light. I may try coloring them before I put a finish on. Another problem that has occurred over the years is that some of the walnut planks have shrunk or developed splits. I'll need to repair these before applying a finish too. The nails that came with the kit were really soft and even with pre-drilling, they bent too easily. I used stainless steel straight pins instead. Each one had to be clipped off which left a wedge shape tip which was carefully ground down as close to the planks as I dared with a Dremel grinding wheel. I then used a small drift punch to seat them flush and then finished with block sanding with a hard block. Stainless pins are a pain! The pins are staggered side-to-side on each plank per Mansir's book while still hitting the frames.
 



 
At the time the boat was set aside, the keel, prow and stern posts and floor boards were added but nothing else in the pictures were. 

There's something enchanting about a carrack. A much under-represented form, in my opinion.
 
You can keep your clippers and frigates; I don't think you can go past a carrack for a sort of ungainly elegance. Reconstructing the shape using only contemporary representations is difficult but rewarding.
 
It really looks good - keep up the good work.

Buck, Carracks are really great and I´m honored to be the spark to this idea.

Buck - As well as the pics I posted, I included several links to sites with carracks in my posts in Woodrat's log. In case you missed them, they're also worth a look.
 
 
Steven

I have put some accommodation beneath the half-deck.
Dick
 

Here is the oar update, I have been working a little slower lately because a little consulting work has gotten in the way of hobby time and the Oseberg is a birthday present for the Admiral and her birthday is not until late December.  I don't want to finish it too early because then I will have to come up with another present.
 
The first step was to cut oak strips 2x12.5 mm.  I cut five strips and taped them together and copied the shape of the kit supplied paddle portion, then cut them into individual pieces.  Originally I intended to cut them out with a scroll saw but since there was so little material to remove I just used a 1 inch belt sander.  I cut the notch where the dowel joins the paddle with the scroll saw and filed it out to the correct size. 
 

 
For the round portion of the oar I cut 3x3 mm square dowel and routed off all four corners and got them close to round and finished them off in a drill motor with hand held sandpaper.  The routing was tricky since the dowel is so small so I rigged a feather board and guide to keep my fingers away from the blade.
 

 
Then I sanded one end flat to fit into the paddle and the other end reduced the circumference to make it into a handle.  The last step was to glue them together and finish the fine sanding.  There were a lot of steps and a LOT of sanding in this process.  30 oars stained and ready to row.
 

 
 

Thank you Steven, Cristiano and Vivian! I have worn out the like button reading through Woodrat's build log - thanks for the reference. All the pictures you posted there Steven are a lot of help too. Thanks for the hints on internet searching Cristiano - I had just been using "carrack" and was getting limited results. Vivian - It is you I need to thank (or blame!!  ) for getting me excited about building the carrack next after posting your caravel build log. Thanks!

Hi Vivian!
 
I really like every one of your build choices - you have good taste!! For the detailed carvings you will be doing, you might look into the Dremel bits and techniques that bird carvers use.
 
Way to go Jack!
 
Edited to correct my grammar in case a certain English teacher finds her way to this thread!