Salty Sea Dog

I could not leave her alone.
 
Looking at her every day, walking past her, thinking about her being locked up in this cold, empty house, with no one to work on her for almost a year.
Absolutely forlorn ...
 
 
It turns out I can work quite well with just 9.5 fingers.
 
 

 

 

 

 
 
OK THAT'S all that will be built this year.
(Probably)

One or two things have been added.
 
I can't make up my mind whether the poor picture quality is making the ship look better or worse ...
 
More railings:
 

 

 
Beak head dry run: 
 

 
I've also continued adding wale planks to the starboard side.
... they look like the ones on the port side ...

Yes, it's that time of the year again.
 
If you're ready for more "rustic folk art" from the dampest, deepest, most fir infested parts of Sweden, then your friend Farbror Fartyg stands ready to deliver.
 
 
The stern castle is now planked and has railings.
 

 

 

 
 
Mmmm ... feels good to be back in business.
 
 
 
Bonus pic: This is why you should always dry your wood with the bark on.

Thanks Frank!

Superb!  Love the photos with the watch for comparison.  So much detail in a tiny space.

Hi everyone
 
Thanks for all of your comments and Likes; all of which are greatly appreciated!
 
I've done a bit more work on Shadow's Upper Deck; principally, her bridge (with the requisite bank of computer displays and control panels), her Captain's cabin, (that's the one with grey and black horizontal striping on the bulkhead to give it a masculine, yet hip decor and, other assorted minor details, too small and numerous to mention!
 
I hope you enjoy the following photos.
 
Cheers
 
Patrick

Hi Lawrence! Laporte, Colorado is several hours north of me. It's north of Fort Collins near the Wyoming border. I'll check out the LEDs - those sound pretty neat. I need to catch up on your build too. I've been working on the house and we are planning to gut one entire level of the house and re-do it, so I won't be posting much.
 
Thanks for all the likes donrobinson!! Much appreciated.
 

So sorry to hear that news Jesse. Sending thoughts of strength your way so you can be the rock your family can lean on. 

Thanks for the detailed explanations and pictures. Fantastic work! The effort you took on these pieces sure paid off.

Amazing!! So how did you make the 90 and 120 degree handrail fittings? That anchor is pretty awesome too. That's some real eye candy there- well done!

Thanks for the detailed explanations and pictures. Fantastic work! The effort you took on these pieces sure paid off.

Thank you guys.  Knowing I invited public scorn, or at least a little kick in the behind, should I get "distracted" again, I put in some more time on the planking today.  Honestly, I do not remember the first side taking this long (breaks in between not included).  Anyway, I think today's score is 14.
 

Dennis,
 
Funny - no she's just a local sweetheart. Super talented. She also works in the movie industry doing costumes.
She told me some funny stories when she had to check fits with certain "stars".
 
Thanks for your kind words. Yesterday I finished all of the yards, then wanted to start bolt ropes  Hmmm needed to send an order to Chuck.
In the meantime I will prepare all of the needed blocks. I also use Chuck's but do some slight detailing to each. 
 
Cheers,

I like the scratch build idea ...

Trying to decide.  Choices are AL Constellation, MS Picketboat or maybe go real crazy and scratch build an ice yacht.  Haven't decided but summer projects are distracting me at the moment plus I need to rearrange the basement workspace first.

Buck
 
Thanks first for showing interest in my Trojan powerboat model.
 
I've just skimmed through this build and kept getting more and more amazed at the finish you were achieving on the boat ... truly astonishing!   I'll be going back when time permits to study your technique as it's the first time I've come across a finish that will stick to cocobolo and I have a whole model made of the stuff!!
 
Cheers 
 
Frank

Hi Salty   Thanks for the compliments.    The fittings were hacksawed from a piece of aluminium scrap ... in this case a heat sink from an old computer.     I'd just cut them to give me enough "meat" to make the piece.  First I drilled the hole that runs horizontally (the rod above is in that hole) then, using a cardboard template, I'd mark the requisite angle then run a drill in till it finds the first hole.       Now i crazy glued the rough piece to a tool I made with a handle.and proceed to shape it with files then polish. Initially I was going to silver solder each stanchion to the rail but the logistics of getting every angle right scrapped that idea so by default I had to fabricate the fittings.    I worked out a way of doing it and got it down to less than a half hour each. When the time came to install the rail I built a jig on the foredeck using those handy Arborite panels which would hold the rail at the right height and correct fore and aft. I slid 4 fittings onto the straight rail the started bending it by hand to fit into the jig.     Once the bow pulpit shape was done it was a simpler job to coax the right curve into the rest of it.    I then snipped off pieces of stainless at the right lengths and slid them into the fittings which were still loose on the rail.   A drop of CA on each end secured everything and it was surprisingly stable.   I could even lift the model with it!   The same process was used for the bridge deck rail.   This one was more complex as it is one continuous piece and has to follow the lines of the glasswork (under masking tape here).     The "start" and "finish" uprights had to end up at the perfect distance apart to accept the stainless ladder.     Note to self: make sure every fitting is on the rail before you start bending!   The bridge ladder ... Now there was a challenge!! The CQR was filed out of scraps as well and I really went to town on it.    In fact, it was made for the model of my own sailboat but I hadn't got around to installing it there so, when I needed an anchor I gave him mine.   Cheers   Frank

Amazing!! So how did you make the 90 and 120 degree handrail fittings? That anchor is pretty awesome too. That's some real eye candy there- well done!

Hi Patrick 
 
Thanks for your interest.   A fan you say!!    So, do I have to start a fan club?    Should we have jackets?    Can I charge membership?
 
I've already commented on your insanely small projects and have just read through your J-boat ... holey moley they're so tiny and so crammed with all the innards!   Do you live in a telephone booth by any chance?
 
Actually, you've got me thinking ... I'm about to take the half-hull of our own old Alberg 37 back to the shop for updates and I've always had an urge to do the entire interior so ... if you can do it in a 7" model it should be a piece of cake right?
 
Maybe you'd like to do it for me?
 
Cheers mate.
 
Frank

 


 
 

Hi Frank
 
Your models are simply fantastic!  Talk about beautifully finished, beautifully detailed and beautifully crafted.
 
I'm a fan!
 
Cheers
 
Patrick

Here are the last of my maritime models and, in keeping with my different style of building, they're all half hulls.    I like this format as it can be hung on a wall so I don't have to answer that awkward question from my wife ... "And where do you intend to put THAT".   Well, it's an easier discussion! 
  First up is a model of our own boat, an Alberg 37, which we've since sold.   Ever since I took up scratch building I had intended to build this once I developed enough skills to reproduce it and, more importantly, all the metalwork.   The hull is carved out of a block of Renshape and is at a 3/4" scale.      
Here are a few of the details I scratch built from salvaged metals.              I've had some questions asked earlier about tools so I'll digress here for a moment.   My "lathe" at the time  was a hobbyist wood lathe with a 3 jaw chuck, a tool rest and I used cheap Chinese carving chisels which I would grind to custom shapes as needed.      In the picture above I've got a chuck that I salvaged from a hand drill mounted into the 3 jaw chuck.   This is my preferred setup when making tiny pieces as it gets your fingers away from the deadly, hard, spinning 3 jaws.         Even though I now have a "proper" metal lathe I miss the flexibility offered by hand held tools.   Anyone considering a metal lathe might want to keep in mind that all the turned metal pieces you can see  e.g.steering binnacles and winches, were made by a hand held tool and are considerably more difficult (for me) to make with a metal lathe.      OK ... moving on.   Next up is up is our previous boat ... a Thunderbird 26. These are plywood hulls built to a Canadian design. On the real boat I removed the cabin and cockpit when I bought it and built a totally new cabin so if anyone thinks it doesn't look like a T-Bird ... that's why. I made this simple, smaller model (13") for one of our sons who was very fond of the boat as a child.   Carved from Renshape.     Cockpit details mostly fabricated using Arborite/Formica samples.  My wife can be very indecisive when we go to a hardware store to pick out a colour for the new kitchen so the salesman is always happy to load us up with lots of samples!    These are great for flat surfaces because of their perfect flatness, square and strong. CONTESSA 26's ... Two of them.   Our friends who owned it had split up and they both wanted one.    Both are 12" (maybe 13") models. The original is shaped as usual from Renshape I made a fiberglass mould from the first hull to save same time.   then used auto-body repair paste (Bondo) to make the duplicate.   Both friends are happy with their souvenir ... but still apart.   BENETEAU 51 IDYLLE   This yacht was owned by friends who have it in the charter business in the Caribbean.       The real one ... The hull was fashioned from Renshape (mostly) and generous applications of fiberglass paste and Bondo ... needs must.    My stash was getting very low so I was cobbling together all the biggest bits to create the mass I needed.   She wasn't a pretty baby. But with generous dollops of Bondo and my power sanders I soon had a suitable shape ... It is "close" to 1/2":1' scale but definitely built to scale.   I'll just put in couple of shots of the build ... I won't bore you with all the fabrication that was required but if anyone wants to see how pieces were made ... let me know.    LOTS of pictures available. Thanks for looking in ...   Frank    
 
 

Hi everyone
 
Many thanks for all of your Likes and comments!  Much appreciated, as always.
 
Well....can you guess what this photo is????
 
 
....Yep...You guessed it.  It's Shadow's shadow.  Hehehe....I've been itching to have a bit of fun by posting this one.
 
Have a great week folks!
 
Cheers
 
Patrick
 
 
 
 

Incredible work !
What kind of magic do you use ?

HI everyone
 
Well...life's just been getting in the way lately and sadly, that's meant that I've fallen way behind in following all my MSW Friend's logs. So, Denis (Popeye), Nils (Mirabella), Cog (Carl), Steamschooner, Mark Taylor, Lawrence, Frank (Mahuna), Piet, Nenad and everyone else that I may have missed mentioning, please accept my apologies.  I will get back on track and start following your logs again, soon!
 
Anyhow, back onto Shadow's journey, I've continued on with her Upper Deck's accommodation; principally her VIP guest suite, a staircase that leads up to the Sun Deck, and a myriad other tiny details which are too numerous to mention.  I'll let the following photos illustrate Shadow's progress to date.
 
Have a great week folks and thanks for all of your comments and Likes!  Much appreciated.
 
Cheers
 
Patrick

WOW!  looks awesome!