tkay11

@Baker: Thanks, Patrick. What a clever idea. That's the best yet. Sounds very likely. Perhaps near closure. I'll keep this open for the while in case there's confirmation, but it sounds as though Boudriot had the same idea, which is pretty confirmatory for me. Tony

Croak, croak, or do I mean groan, groan. 20ft, so could be a shark, then. Provençal seems the likeliest at the moment, though none of the current Provençal-French online dictionaries have provided anything, although brajà can mean 'brague' in French or 'breeching rope' (which could be 20ft long but possibly not 4ins diameter for a 50ft long barque with 4-pounders). Tony

Sorry for those lost 20 minutes, Allan, but thanks as well. Well found, Bruce, at least it's a start with a variety of meanings related to brajà. Gracchiatore seems to mean 'croak' in Italian but it must have had a different meaning in the 17th century. Does it signify that brajart was a Niçois word? Jaseur I cannot find yet either. Tony

I have been reading the monograph of La Créole and Boudriot makes reference to a 'brajart' while describing a long barque of the 17th Century. He said he could not find the exact meaning, but made a guess based on the context. I thought it might be of Dutch origin, but couldn't find the word online, and wondered if any of our multi-lingual members might provide a more accurate translation. The paragraph in French is as follows, my own translation subsequent to it. "Parmi les éléments, il est cité « un petit brajart » de 20 pieds de long, 4 pouces de diamètre et 6 pouces de ton. Je suppose que cet élément de mâture sous un nom que j’ignorai est un arc-boutant permettant d’établir un foc, latéralement à l’allure vent arrière ou grand largue et par beau temps." "Amongst the elements, reference is made to “a small brajart” 20 feet long, 4 inches in diameter and 6 inches at its head. I presume that this element of masting, whose term I don't know, is a boom that could be used to establish a jib laterally for a following wind or when sailing quarter to the wind and in good weather." I would be very interested in the etymology of this term, and, if anyone knows, its accurate meaning. Thanks for any interest! Tony

Thanks very much for spelling it out, guys! I love these ideas which are so clever in their simplicity. Tony

That looks great, @firdajan. Unfortunately I don't seem clever enough to understand how he got the serrated edge to the paper. Sorry to be dumb, but could you explain the process. In this case some words will for me be a thousand times better than the image! Thanks for any assistance, Tony

I suppose it depends on expectations and the types of interest people have. As a boy I had put together many plastic kits, starting with Airfix aeroplanes, and ending with Thermopylae and Constitution. It was the complexity that I had been attracted to as well as the satisfaction of ending up with something that pleased me. I stopped when about 16 as I was drawn into studying. When later, in 2012, I was thinking about how to transition from retirement I looked for something that would occupy mental and practical skills. I remembered the complexity of rigging and I thought that I might dip in to wooden ship modelling to test it out. Research came first. I quickly found MSW and a couple of books, decided on a kit (because I didn't want to spend too much on tools in case I didn't find it suited me), chose one that had lots of people making it and the very few who took the time to explain how they approached each step and overcame the problems, and quickly found how to modify it using original plans. I was hooked, and immediately after completing it decided to build only using plans. It suited me in all the ways I had wanted. So my thoughts on this discussion, a discussion that has reappeared often and in different guises since when I joined MSW, are that it is not so much starting with a kit that counts (although that can play a part) but why a person chooses and continues with it as a hobby in the first place. People try out and either continue or not with all sorts of activity all the time. People have been making models of ships with or without plans for millennia and also learned from others as well as their own experience. Many of those would have given up after their first attempts. This may have had nothing to do with complexity or difficulty. Some people just don't find it interesting, or suitable to their temperament and skill. They may take up hobbies that are just as complex, such as Russian Icon painting, or metal train modelling, or translating, or pottery, or playing a musical instrument. Or they may just sigh and settle down to a nice evening's sitting in front of the telly. Ship modelling (as a hobby or as a profession) is, and always has been just a niche interest, and there is no harm in that. Tony

Just caught up with your build. Very helpful and beautifully done. Thanks. Tony

I'd love to do a 1:48 model of a ship, but don't have the space. In fact it was an early ambition of mine. I don't even know where I'll put the 1:96 model I'm working on. Even the longboat I did at 1:36 only just fit the remaining space available in our flat. I'd love to see you do a 1:48 should you decide so, Mark. Tony

I keep having these, but in my case they're "one last great act of pleasure". Keep going strong, Mark. Tony

Thanks, George. Very interesting. So many countries adopted the practice for commercial as well as war reasons, there must be many such stories to be told. Tony

Thanks for a really interesting and great build. I really agree about the possibilities of perspex as a base. Looking forward to the next build! Tony

Thanks, Nils, for a lovely log. Very nice model. Tony

I've only just found your build, and want to say how refreshing it has been to read it. I very much appreciated your approach to the bulkheads without the use of an electric saw and the continuing care you apply to the work with its consistency and attention to detail. I'm sorry if I missed it, but it would be nice to know how thick your thinnest planks are, and how you achieved that thickness. Was it again by first using your handsaw and then the electric sanding drill in the way shown on the first page? Did you end up buying any other power tools? Anyway, I'm going to follow the rest of the build with avid attention as it really is a delight! Many thanks, Tony

That's not only excellent, George, it'll be enormously useful to many. Thanks. Tony

Yes, belaying plans are such fun! Tony

Much enjoyed the build. A lovely model. Thanks! Tony

Great topic! I used to love the kits as a 10-year old, and agree about the poor quality -- but only in retrospect when I see the quality of the newer Beaufort which I also put together at that time. I'm tempted to do another kit now, just as a way of reminiscing. There was a time when the regular model exhibition at the Olympia in Kensington had an Airfix stand where kids were given a model to make as long as they put it together at the stand. I would go every day as Olympia was just at the end of the road where we lived, and kids' entry was cheap. Tony

@thibaultron: Thanks for bringing this to my attention, Ron. I'll definitely start paying an interest now! @Mldixon: Thanks for the compliment. At least I'm on the path, but there's a long way to go! With every new model there are more challenges. That's what makes it all such fun, as well as keeping brain and hands busy. Tony

@Mldixon: I'm thinking about it! Tony

@Mldixon: That is absolutely amazing! It gives me much hope. I'll do as you suggest and try to alter the details to make them more pronounced. I don't think I'd need to adjust those on the top plate, as the details there seem pretty good to me. Perhaps a little more work on the front stove door would be enough. I'll let you know once I have it done. In relation to finding a printing firm, I think I'll just ask if they can do the same resolution. There must be one. Thanks very much indeed for your time. I hadn't realised printing such a small object would take so long, but with a 0.1mm setting I now understand why. Just in case I go down this route more fully, is your printer an Anycubic Photon Mono 4k? Should I succeed, I'll post the results. Tony

@mtaylor: I fully agree about the lack of stuff for the French ships. Perhaps there's more in Europe, though I haven't researched that yet. It's only natural that nationals prefer models from their own maritime history. Also I've found that the Ancre monographs are mostly used by those who build at 1:48 or 1:32, occasionally 1:72. So maybe there's not sufficient market for them. I'll start digging around. Thanks for the thought. @Mldixon: That's a really nice lantern. Sounds like a good idea to draft at full scale and then re-size. I'll try that in future. In the meantime I'd be glad to take up your kind offer of trying my own design out on your printer so that I could know what's possible. It should give me a very good idea of how to approach small scale prints in future. I attach the OBJ file but can send the STL if that's better. I'll also have a bash at making it with wood, card and perhaps thin copper sheet. Tony Stove v24.obj

Thanks, Mark. You can be relied on for a good and helpful response! I think making the basic block from wood would be just as easy, though, as well as saving on the expense. You're right about it being more suitable for larger sizes. Tony

OK, folks, now that @henrythestaffy started me on the road to CAD 3D with his enormous help for my carronades, I set out on the path of learning the free version of Fusion 360, and built the ship's stove based on the pictures in Boudriot's monograph (shown below).The tutorials provided on YouTube by Product Design Online and Arnold Rowntree were very useful indeed for this. I attach a picture of the end result. The problem is that, at a scale of 1:96, it is basically a cube of approximately 8mm square. The handles of the oven tops are in the order of 0.2 x 0.5mm thick, while some of the other surface protrusions are as little as 0.1mm. The first printer service I tried told me they couldn't achieve such resolution. I think I picked up somewhere (possibly from Paul with his topic on the 3D printing process) that the best resolution available might be 0.2mm. I'd be grateful if anyone could advise me on whether I should modify the drawing by, for example, making the handles solid and attaching the fixing rings to the sides. Would that be something that would give a worthwhile print? Or is there some way of making it printable? If the advice is to give up, then I'll be happy to give the drawings to anyone who is interested so that they can re-scale for a 1:48 or even 1:24 model of La Jacinthe or others who need a stove of similar design. In any case, should my quest be impossible, I can always make it using wood and paper, and there is no loss as it has been a delight to explore the possibilities of 3D drawing with such an nice to use programme as Fusion 360. Tony

Will you be strengthening the card with glue/CA/varnish/cellulose to avoid fraying etc? Tony