Salty Sea Dog

Hi Matti!
Love the middle picture in the last series - it looks so 1:1!!!
 
I wouldn't be surprised if the Vasa museum asks you to display your ship at the museum when you finish. Your hard work at getting the paint shadings just right and getting the very subtle 'wonkiness' of the ship so perfect, have elevated your build to a level beyond what I would have thought possible at this scale. Truly masterful work! The rope work is looking flawless.
 
Best wishes

That last picture is a beauty, the natural lighting really works to show her Glory.
 
I'd be stunned over the quality of work you've done, but honestly Matti, your spoiling us. We expect excellence from you and It's obvious that you gifts aren't just paint related. Great Job Mate!
 
As I've said before I always hated the red Vasa, it think just from always seeing the light blue previously. But after so many looks at your build I have been converted to her true colours.  Just wondering, have you been back to the museum and shown them your build? You could make a living doing this I believe.
 
I always love when the shrouds go on and it fills the spaces and prepares her for her wings, BTW are you adding sails?

Hey all! Here are some pictures of the shrouds:
 

 

 

 
Quite enjoyable stage of the build, and changes the look of the model alot, at least in my eyes.
 
The ratlines will be testing my nerves though Im sure...
 
 
/Matti
 
 

Outsanding job. Every time I come to visit I see something new that inspires me!
Excellent job, my friend!

Hi Michael,
My avatar is our dog, Buster, and he is a lovable little guy.
 
I think the consensus is that your artistry trumps any deviations in accuracy. You had me hooked with the scarf jointed planks and 3 sizes of nails back on page 1!

Hi Michael,
My avatar is our dog, Buster, and he is a lovable little guy.
 
I think the consensus is that your artistry trumps any deviations in accuracy. You had me hooked with the scarf jointed planks and 3 sizes of nails back on page 1!

Ahoy Mates 
 
Well its been quite a while since my last post but that does not mean nothing has transpired in the shipyard. We can say for a few months it was next to nothing but the shipyard never really shut down. 
 
 
As anyone who has been following my log knows, I seem to have a slightly unhealthy obsession with gunports and their appearance. This is combined with my ignorance and undeveloped skills, but overcome with by a level of determination that borders on insanity. It has taken me quite a while to reach this point. The gun port framing was done six times on one side. This BTW was a mistake as I learned that the position of gunports does not have to be determined by the framing but can be adjusted in the final filing and sanding after planking if you prepare it this way. On my build around "take 4" I made the framing for a slightly smaller port using slightly wider pieces of wood. then I finished them to the proper size and orientation with a file and sandpaper after the planking. Care and caution must be exercised as any wood removed can not be easily replaced but for me this way has more options and yields better results in much less time  
 
First I painted the interior sills red which I loved on everybody else's ship but for some reason I did not care for on my Ratt. Probably because I am only doing the sills. Black was brought out but the Red put up quite a stink and did not leave with out a fight. 
 
I use long paper strips to transfer measurements from the port side ports to the starboard side ports which will remain slightly smaller until the inner gunwale is planked. I mark the paper and then cut those marks with my Xacto knife so I can accurately transfer/mark the other side of the paper. Port is a mirror to starboard so you need to flip your ruler. It all sounds so simple now "lol" 
 
After an accident in the shipyard I learned a nice trick to paint the inside of the gunports. Apply a thin coat of WOP to the surrounding "wood colored" area first then paint. This way you can come back and easily sand away stray paint to get a sharp line. Any paint on the wood finish just sits on top of the WOP and sands away easily leaving a sharp crisp line. A fresh coat of WOP prevents any paint from soaking into the wood like it did on my initial attempt. This is much harder to correct BTW. In one of the pics you can see where I have gone back and re-re-re-filed the line for the lower sills which was not up to par after sanding. The black really shows any irregularities in your work. I will re-coat with WOP, and repaint until I get get the clean "straight" line I want. Its a side project.  
 
I spent a lot of time with the trim. What you see here is "take 4" on the trim and "take 6" on that fancy step down "thingy" which I think I will now go with. I was burning the midnight oil with the Vanda Lay trying to come up with something here. I made both the trim and steps with the Vanda Lay. Although the trim does not follow the plan it does look "acceptable" to me. My stern window position is too high and has the "scale" trim running into it. It 's not a very good look and after multiple attempts  I have decided that a "trimming of the trim" is my best option. I was however able to duplicate this window and its height on the starboard side. In shipbuilding; it isn't whether or not you can perform the task but whether you can repeat it on the other side that counts. 
 
Speaking of which I did make one more try, to save the step in my wale plank by adding a piece of wood which has now been completely removed, I am finding that many things I did wrong in the beginning are still haunting me and I expect this to continue just a little bit more. Like in chess I see it pays to be a few moves ahead in shipbuilding. I still have some minor issues with the poop and stern decks, but after that I am telling myself that my earlier mistakes should only cause minor issues. Well; less me cutting out the transom windows but I am working to resolve that now. 
 
I am also experimenting with a slightly "weathered" look which I have found a blue kitchen scrubber sponge to be very useful for (see insert). In one of my painting accidents I recently also found that  simulated gunpowder residue can be created using flat black oil paint and a wide feathered brush. This also adds another nice weathering effect, although I am not sure if I will use it on this kit: We will see.
 
I am now starting to experiment with decking using paper for chalking and my gunports. Can you say ADHD. I really like the paper and found that just bending the gunport hinge around the lid looks much better then creating a full on hinge at this scale. I am not a big fan of the cluttered but its historically accurate and functioning look that I seemed to be able to create so well with my previous attempts. Sometimes less really is more 
 
Last but not least. There is concern as to whether I will be able to show 20 guns. I have 10 of the nice brass ones and can not currently secure anymore. I called Frank and Chucks are too big too. If anybody has a lead as to where I can get ten more of these brass cannons please let me know 
 
Thanks for stopping by

Buck,
 
Hmmm thanks so much, blush blush your comments are sooooo inspiring. Thank you so much for taking the time to follow this build, as well as sharing your super kind remarks.
 
PS: Love your avatar..
 
Regards,
 
Michael

Hi Michael,
 
I understand your frustrations with this. That being said, what you have created here is just so amazingly stunning that it stands on its own for the work of art that it is. Hang in there!

Hi Michael,
 
I understand your frustrations with this. That being said, what you have created here is just so amazingly stunning that it stands on its own for the work of art that it is. Hang in there!

Rigged the bobstay
 
 

Started adding the rest of the deck housings, figurehead, etc.  Now it's beginning to look like something!
 

The instructions show to cut off the bowsprit at the same angle as the deck & glue it down on the deck surface. As usual that's not good enough for me. I'd never get it right & I also know it would not be secure enough. So I drilled & filed a hole for the bowsprit & glued it in. Had to do some minor patching on the deck planking around the hole but the windlass will hide it when it is in place.
 

I glued the deadeye strop to the channel. Glued the plate to the hull after scratching off paint for better a hold. Drilled holes for nailing. Finished touching up with paint.
 

After much delay I got the chain plate assembly finished. Had to cut all the brass plates shorter. Didn't have blackening solutions. Tried all the DIY methods I found on the internet but none of them worked. Painted them black then over that I painted them with black antique polish (paint), which made it look more realistic than just the paint. My camera doesn't zoom in close enough to show the close detail. Now need to start adding them to the ship.

Great work on the dead eyes and chains Jesse. These things are amongst the hardest in my opinion but your method looks really sound and looks great as well.
 
I send to you an expression we have here - Kia kaha (it means - stay strong - and is pronounced key-ah car-ha).

Yes, I'm a little better since yesterday. 
 
The little stuff is very difficult but I like the challenge (most of the time).
 
That's why I love MSW so much. I wish I'd had this years ago. I love learning & sharing ideas with other builders. I was dragged kicking & screaming into this modern age of personal computers & such. I'm glad I gave in now. It's great to be able to interact with others around the country & the world compared to trying to figure it out myself with only the help of a book or two.

It has rained for 24 hrs. straight here. Good day to work on my ship. Got some hot tea & ready to get started. Will probably be getting sawdust in my tea as I work.
 
Soaked African walnut strips to bend for the gunwales. Used pins & small nails on a board to bend & hold the planks into shape till dry. The pins made small indentions at the points where they pressed against the strip during bending. Need to make one with wood pegs next time. Had to glue some sawdust in a few spots that were too deep to sand out. Got the gunwales finished. Hopefully I will be getting the rudder installed next.

Scarf joints were still a lighter color after sanding sawdust down on them so I added a little stain along the joint with a toothpick & lightly sanded & they look much better now.

Scarf joints weren't as tight as I thought they were but I was prepared for this. I had some sawdust from these pieces ready. Packed it around the joints while the glue was still wet. Cleaned them off after the glue set & lightly sanded them.

Michael, you know,.... the more I read about some of these old ships the more I find out no ones for sure about anything. As far as your build
goes , your choice of different color woods and the subtle colors you used to paint with and of course your amazing skills of putting this all together, puts this build above and beyond. This is one fine looking Wasa !!! Keep up the good work, it's appreciated by everyone here at MSW.
Frank

Hi Michael,
 
I understand your frustrations with this. That being said, what you have created here is just so amazingly stunning that it stands on its own for the work of art that it is. Hang in there!

Hi Michael,
 
I understand your frustrations with this. That being said, what you have created here is just so amazingly stunning that it stands on its own for the work of art that it is. Hang in there!

Hi Michael,
 
I understand your frustrations with this. That being said, what you have created here is just so amazingly stunning that it stands on its own for the work of art that it is. Hang in there!

Mark,
 
 
Thanks for the info. That, it seems to me, will make it even harder for the smaller rear towers to rise up enough to overlap the lower parts of the upper galleries as we have been discussing. It will be interesting to see how you figure that one out, allowing enough room for the standing stern guards.
 
PS: Fred has also just sent me a post indicating that the quarterdeck pinrails should not be there. “The museum got it wrong”, he said. You can check that out at the Vasa specific site, at my build postings. So, I just removed mine, and it left scars grrrrrrrrrr. He also discusses what should be there instead.
 
PS: No I am not rebuilding my towers.
 
This will be an ongoing problem with this ship as new data are turned up and subsequent changes to our builds are needed.
 
Enough already (:-) I'm just going to move forward from now on. My log is already SO filled with "going backwards” tearing out and making fixes. I'm now done with that. And as you said maybe six members here out of the more than ten thousand would even know the differences, and errors........
 
As Fred had mentioned last year there is some interest for a new kit that may be in its development stages. One that is 100% based on Vasa’s 1/1 current info inclusive of 3D/cad computer renderings. I say current info because the way this ship is "changing" I can just imagine after this kit "is released???" the museum will find more areas where they got it wrong.
 
Just going to have fun moving forward, not sideways, and definitely not backwards anymore. Pulling out those two pinrails that left scars is the last change for me.
 
I will however absolutely highly regard member’s suggestions for how to get this right in regard to nautical accuracy. Nigel, B.E, Ferit as well as some kind other members have been so gracious in offering their guidance as I move along.
 
Big thanks to the nice people, who click, or post comments. I need this project to be fun, not an exercise in frustration J
 
Sorry for the long post, but I needed to vent as well
 
PS: I do very much believe, however, that seeking the most accurate build possible is a wonderful goal that I wholeheartedly support. I'm only writing for myself here, certainly out of frustration. And Corel's is the furthest from what should be Oh well..
 
Regards,
 
Michael