6ohiocav

Looks great Ron.

Tom,
 
I just had some time to get caught up on your build.
 
I agree with Mike regarding the cross trees.
 
Look on the bright side. Your encounter with your exacto knife produced a good example of a dark red color that if matched, would be outstanding for your gun platforms, ports, and waterway. Probably better that you harvest it from a local paint supplier than your finger though.
 
Everything looks real good.

Tom,
 
I just had some time to get caught up on your build.
 
I agree with Mike regarding the cross trees.
 
Look on the bright side. Your encounter with your exacto knife produced a good example of a dark red color that if matched, would be outstanding for your gun platforms, ports, and waterway. Probably better that you harvest it from a local paint supplier than your finger though.
 
Everything looks real good.

Wow.  Thanks everyone
 
Ron,
I have worked earnestly on this project for about 2 years, with a number of long term breaks due to vocational and family obligations. Shame life has to get in the way of our hobby. You are off to a great start and your ship will be a great model when finished.
 
Steve,
I have used Syren blocks, hooks, boxwood cleats, and all of the standing and running rigging rope. I used walnut Model Shipway pins that I picked up on line. As far as the wood, I substituted all of the kit wood with Cherry from stock that I harvested on my farm. The lower masts are holly, everything above is cherry. I used Cherry strip wood on the deck, and the rails, deck structures and implements were scratch built from the same cherry.  The only basswood from the kit that I used was to plank the hull, and as I look back on it, I wished I had used a hard wood for that as well. I thought it would be fine since I had decided to paint the hull per the plans, but in all honestly, the bass wood is so soft and the edges so fuzzy, that the finish is less than desirable. I have to do some touch up painting when done, and perhaps I can fix some of these areas.
 
Russ,
The color scheme was a big issue at the time. I purchased all of the suggested Model Shipway's paint for the Niagara. My first impression was the MS red was way to bright, almost orange. I decided to take the edge off by adding black. That gave the color a more flat appearance and darkened it quite a bit. I learned that it only takes a couple of drops of black. Unfortunately, I am trying to figure out how to replicate my very inexact method of mixing, since I ran out of my first batch. I also darkened the green, but just barely.
 
The yellow was another challenge.  The MS "yellow" suggested for the outer bulwarks is actually beige. The Niagara is more of what appears to be a Royal Navy yellow ochre. I ended up buying a half of dozen yellows and settle on a "yellow Chromate." It has a little too much sheen, but is more appropriate than beige.
 
Tom,
Thanks for the kind words. As I have said before, I owe a lot to the skilled shipwrights on this forum, and especially the Niagara Builders that came before us, for the tips and techniques that helped a ton in achieving these results. There is no way I could have done any of this without all of you.
 
And Mike, you are right as usual. I actually did mix up some extra, and since I have been so slow on getting this done, it dried up.
 
 

LADDERS
I had some time last night to build a couple of ladders. The plans call for them to be painted red. The red paint I chose for my ship was a mixture of MS gun red (too bright for my taste) and MS black. I unfortunately ran out of my initial batch, and I have not been able to figure out what my combination was. I will be experimenting to see if I can match the color.
 

BRACES
I finished all of my deck work. I added eyebolt rings to the deck for the haul rigging for the guns.  I should have done that sooner. I also created a slew of rope coils to hang on the pins and glued down the deck structures.
Having done all of that, I was prepared to rig the braces. I had previously tied 16 blocks, now it was time to lash 16 rigging lines to various locations (royal yards, hounds, upper shrouds, upper tree, lower shrouds) and then snake them through the blocks and tie them off on either a pin on the rail or a cleat.
This was an incredibly tedious endeavor. The upper braces had to be run down the mast among a score of other lines. Getting them through without crossing or twisting around another rope, in an area that is hard to see was frustrating. I would pull the line down to the designated tie off pin, and then look to see how it laid on the other lines, and if twisted (a frequent occurrence) would invariably have to pull it back out and start again.
I think I got it though, and while my adherence to the actual pin rail plan is loose (pardon the pun) at best, it is workable. As I look at it, while securing the yards, and giving me a great understanding how each line had a meaningful purpose, it still looked like a proverbial cats' cradle. This took all weekend to accomplish.
Boat davits, securing the hammock rails, and some minor work on the stern is just about it for the ship. Then I have to build the boats, which I have decided to scratch build with holly ship lap planking.  Should be an interesting challenge.
As I download the recent photos, I realize I have not send any large shots of the ship lately. Here is where I am so far.

Wow.  Thanks everyone
 
Ron,
I have worked earnestly on this project for about 2 years, with a number of long term breaks due to vocational and family obligations. Shame life has to get in the way of our hobby. You are off to a great start and your ship will be a great model when finished.
 
Steve,
I have used Syren blocks, hooks, boxwood cleats, and all of the standing and running rigging rope. I used walnut Model Shipway pins that I picked up on line. As far as the wood, I substituted all of the kit wood with Cherry from stock that I harvested on my farm. The lower masts are holly, everything above is cherry. I used Cherry strip wood on the deck, and the rails, deck structures and implements were scratch built from the same cherry.  The only basswood from the kit that I used was to plank the hull, and as I look back on it, I wished I had used a hard wood for that as well. I thought it would be fine since I had decided to paint the hull per the plans, but in all honestly, the bass wood is so soft and the edges so fuzzy, that the finish is less than desirable. I have to do some touch up painting when done, and perhaps I can fix some of these areas.
 
Russ,
The color scheme was a big issue at the time. I purchased all of the suggested Model Shipway's paint for the Niagara. My first impression was the MS red was way to bright, almost orange. I decided to take the edge off by adding black. That gave the color a more flat appearance and darkened it quite a bit. I learned that it only takes a couple of drops of black. Unfortunately, I am trying to figure out how to replicate my very inexact method of mixing, since I ran out of my first batch. I also darkened the green, but just barely.
 
The yellow was another challenge.  The MS "yellow" suggested for the outer bulwarks is actually beige. The Niagara is more of what appears to be a Royal Navy yellow ochre. I ended up buying a half of dozen yellows and settle on a "yellow Chromate." It has a little too much sheen, but is more appropriate than beige.
 
Tom,
Thanks for the kind words. As I have said before, I owe a lot to the skilled shipwrights on this forum, and especially the Niagara Builders that came before us, for the tips and techniques that helped a ton in achieving these results. There is no way I could have done any of this without all of you.
 
And Mike, you are right as usual. I actually did mix up some extra, and since I have been so slow on getting this done, it dried up.
 
 

Wow.  Thanks everyone
 
Ron,
I have worked earnestly on this project for about 2 years, with a number of long term breaks due to vocational and family obligations. Shame life has to get in the way of our hobby. You are off to a great start and your ship will be a great model when finished.
 
Steve,
I have used Syren blocks, hooks, boxwood cleats, and all of the standing and running rigging rope. I used walnut Model Shipway pins that I picked up on line. As far as the wood, I substituted all of the kit wood with Cherry from stock that I harvested on my farm. The lower masts are holly, everything above is cherry. I used Cherry strip wood on the deck, and the rails, deck structures and implements were scratch built from the same cherry.  The only basswood from the kit that I used was to plank the hull, and as I look back on it, I wished I had used a hard wood for that as well. I thought it would be fine since I had decided to paint the hull per the plans, but in all honestly, the bass wood is so soft and the edges so fuzzy, that the finish is less than desirable. I have to do some touch up painting when done, and perhaps I can fix some of these areas.
 
Russ,
The color scheme was a big issue at the time. I purchased all of the suggested Model Shipway's paint for the Niagara. My first impression was the MS red was way to bright, almost orange. I decided to take the edge off by adding black. That gave the color a more flat appearance and darkened it quite a bit. I learned that it only takes a couple of drops of black. Unfortunately, I am trying to figure out how to replicate my very inexact method of mixing, since I ran out of my first batch. I also darkened the green, but just barely.
 
The yellow was another challenge.  The MS "yellow" suggested for the outer bulwarks is actually beige. The Niagara is more of what appears to be a Royal Navy yellow ochre. I ended up buying a half of dozen yellows and settle on a "yellow Chromate." It has a little too much sheen, but is more appropriate than beige.
 
Tom,
Thanks for the kind words. As I have said before, I owe a lot to the skilled shipwrights on this forum, and especially the Niagara Builders that came before us, for the tips and techniques that helped a ton in achieving these results. There is no way I could have done any of this without all of you.
 
And Mike, you are right as usual. I actually did mix up some extra, and since I have been so slow on getting this done, it dried up.
 
 

Getting a little tired of trying to figure out how to load the photos in the right order. All of the remaining photos kept loading in reverse order.
 
Come on guys, I spend more time trying to figure out how to post photos of the things I build than the time I spend actually building the darn things.

Wow.  Thanks everyone
 
Ron,
I have worked earnestly on this project for about 2 years, with a number of long term breaks due to vocational and family obligations. Shame life has to get in the way of our hobby. You are off to a great start and your ship will be a great model when finished.
 
Steve,
I have used Syren blocks, hooks, boxwood cleats, and all of the standing and running rigging rope. I used walnut Model Shipway pins that I picked up on line. As far as the wood, I substituted all of the kit wood with Cherry from stock that I harvested on my farm. The lower masts are holly, everything above is cherry. I used Cherry strip wood on the deck, and the rails, deck structures and implements were scratch built from the same cherry.  The only basswood from the kit that I used was to plank the hull, and as I look back on it, I wished I had used a hard wood for that as well. I thought it would be fine since I had decided to paint the hull per the plans, but in all honestly, the bass wood is so soft and the edges so fuzzy, that the finish is less than desirable. I have to do some touch up painting when done, and perhaps I can fix some of these areas.
 
Russ,
The color scheme was a big issue at the time. I purchased all of the suggested Model Shipway's paint for the Niagara. My first impression was the MS red was way to bright, almost orange. I decided to take the edge off by adding black. That gave the color a more flat appearance and darkened it quite a bit. I learned that it only takes a couple of drops of black. Unfortunately, I am trying to figure out how to replicate my very inexact method of mixing, since I ran out of my first batch. I also darkened the green, but just barely.
 
The yellow was another challenge.  The MS "yellow" suggested for the outer bulwarks is actually beige. The Niagara is more of what appears to be a Royal Navy yellow ochre. I ended up buying a half of dozen yellows and settle on a "yellow Chromate." It has a little too much sheen, but is more appropriate than beige.
 
Tom,
Thanks for the kind words. As I have said before, I owe a lot to the skilled shipwrights on this forum, and especially the Niagara Builders that came before us, for the tips and techniques that helped a ton in achieving these results. There is no way I could have done any of this without all of you.
 
And Mike, you are right as usual. I actually did mix up some extra, and since I have been so slow on getting this done, it dried up.
 
 

Wow.  Thanks everyone
 
Ron,
I have worked earnestly on this project for about 2 years, with a number of long term breaks due to vocational and family obligations. Shame life has to get in the way of our hobby. You are off to a great start and your ship will be a great model when finished.
 
Steve,
I have used Syren blocks, hooks, boxwood cleats, and all of the standing and running rigging rope. I used walnut Model Shipway pins that I picked up on line. As far as the wood, I substituted all of the kit wood with Cherry from stock that I harvested on my farm. The lower masts are holly, everything above is cherry. I used Cherry strip wood on the deck, and the rails, deck structures and implements were scratch built from the same cherry.  The only basswood from the kit that I used was to plank the hull, and as I look back on it, I wished I had used a hard wood for that as well. I thought it would be fine since I had decided to paint the hull per the plans, but in all honestly, the bass wood is so soft and the edges so fuzzy, that the finish is less than desirable. I have to do some touch up painting when done, and perhaps I can fix some of these areas.
 
Russ,
The color scheme was a big issue at the time. I purchased all of the suggested Model Shipway's paint for the Niagara. My first impression was the MS red was way to bright, almost orange. I decided to take the edge off by adding black. That gave the color a more flat appearance and darkened it quite a bit. I learned that it only takes a couple of drops of black. Unfortunately, I am trying to figure out how to replicate my very inexact method of mixing, since I ran out of my first batch. I also darkened the green, but just barely.
 
The yellow was another challenge.  The MS "yellow" suggested for the outer bulwarks is actually beige. The Niagara is more of what appears to be a Royal Navy yellow ochre. I ended up buying a half of dozen yellows and settle on a "yellow Chromate." It has a little too much sheen, but is more appropriate than beige.
 
Tom,
Thanks for the kind words. As I have said before, I owe a lot to the skilled shipwrights on this forum, and especially the Niagara Builders that came before us, for the tips and techniques that helped a ton in achieving these results. There is no way I could have done any of this without all of you.
 
And Mike, you are right as usual. I actually did mix up some extra, and since I have been so slow on getting this done, it dried up.
 
 

Don,
Thanks for stopping in and for your kind words.
 
Mike,
I actually still have most of that raw white basswood, since I only used it for the planking. That seems ages ago, and the new Niagara logs bring back memories of the "old" days. I totally agree that this is a good kit, and gives the modeler many options to enhance it. I would recommend it to anyone, including first timers like myself.
 

LADDERS
I had some time last night to build a couple of ladders. The plans call for them to be painted red. The red paint I chose for my ship was a mixture of MS gun red (too bright for my taste) and MS black. I unfortunately ran out of my initial batch, and I have not been able to figure out what my combination was. I will be experimenting to see if I can match the color.
 

BRACES
I finished all of my deck work. I added eyebolt rings to the deck for the haul rigging for the guns.  I should have done that sooner. I also created a slew of rope coils to hang on the pins and glued down the deck structures.
Having done all of that, I was prepared to rig the braces. I had previously tied 16 blocks, now it was time to lash 16 rigging lines to various locations (royal yards, hounds, upper shrouds, upper tree, lower shrouds) and then snake them through the blocks and tie them off on either a pin on the rail or a cleat.
This was an incredibly tedious endeavor. The upper braces had to be run down the mast among a score of other lines. Getting them through without crossing or twisting around another rope, in an area that is hard to see was frustrating. I would pull the line down to the designated tie off pin, and then look to see how it laid on the other lines, and if twisted (a frequent occurrence) would invariably have to pull it back out and start again.
I think I got it though, and while my adherence to the actual pin rail plan is loose (pardon the pun) at best, it is workable. As I look at it, while securing the yards, and giving me a great understanding how each line had a meaningful purpose, it still looked like a proverbial cats' cradle. This took all weekend to accomplish.
Boat davits, securing the hammock rails, and some minor work on the stern is just about it for the ship. Then I have to build the boats, which I have decided to scratch build with holly ship lap planking.  Should be an interesting challenge.
As I download the recent photos, I realize I have not send any large shots of the ship lately. Here is where I am so far.

BRACES
I finished all of my deck work. I added eyebolt rings to the deck for the haul rigging for the guns.  I should have done that sooner. I also created a slew of rope coils to hang on the pins and glued down the deck structures.
Having done all of that, I was prepared to rig the braces. I had previously tied 16 blocks, now it was time to lash 16 rigging lines to various locations (royal yards, hounds, upper shrouds, upper tree, lower shrouds) and then snake them through the blocks and tie them off on either a pin on the rail or a cleat.
This was an incredibly tedious endeavor. The upper braces had to be run down the mast among a score of other lines. Getting them through without crossing or twisting around another rope, in an area that is hard to see was frustrating. I would pull the line down to the designated tie off pin, and then look to see how it laid on the other lines, and if twisted (a frequent occurrence) would invariably have to pull it back out and start again.
I think I got it though, and while my adherence to the actual pin rail plan is loose (pardon the pun) at best, it is workable. As I look at it, while securing the yards, and giving me a great understanding how each line had a meaningful purpose, it still looked like a proverbial cats' cradle. This took all weekend to accomplish.
Boat davits, securing the hammock rails, and some minor work on the stern is just about it for the ship. Then I have to build the boats, which I have decided to scratch build with holly ship lap planking.  Should be an interesting challenge.
As I download the recent photos, I realize I have not send any large shots of the ship lately. Here is where I am so far.

LADDERS
I had some time last night to build a couple of ladders. The plans call for them to be painted red. The red paint I chose for my ship was a mixture of MS gun red (too bright for my taste) and MS black. I unfortunately ran out of my initial batch, and I have not been able to figure out what my combination was. I will be experimenting to see if I can match the color.
 

Don,
Thanks for stopping in and for your kind words.
 
Mike,
I actually still have most of that raw white basswood, since I only used it for the planking. That seems ages ago, and the new Niagara logs bring back memories of the "old" days. I totally agree that this is a good kit, and gives the modeler many options to enhance it. I would recommend it to anyone, including first timers like myself.
 

LADDERS
I had some time last night to build a couple of ladders. The plans call for them to be painted red. The red paint I chose for my ship was a mixture of MS gun red (too bright for my taste) and MS black. I unfortunately ran out of my initial batch, and I have not been able to figure out what my combination was. I will be experimenting to see if I can match the color.
 

BRACES
I finished all of my deck work. I added eyebolt rings to the deck for the haul rigging for the guns.  I should have done that sooner. I also created a slew of rope coils to hang on the pins and glued down the deck structures.
Having done all of that, I was prepared to rig the braces. I had previously tied 16 blocks, now it was time to lash 16 rigging lines to various locations (royal yards, hounds, upper shrouds, upper tree, lower shrouds) and then snake them through the blocks and tie them off on either a pin on the rail or a cleat.
This was an incredibly tedious endeavor. The upper braces had to be run down the mast among a score of other lines. Getting them through without crossing or twisting around another rope, in an area that is hard to see was frustrating. I would pull the line down to the designated tie off pin, and then look to see how it laid on the other lines, and if twisted (a frequent occurrence) would invariably have to pull it back out and start again.
I think I got it though, and while my adherence to the actual pin rail plan is loose (pardon the pun) at best, it is workable. As I look at it, while securing the yards, and giving me a great understanding how each line had a meaningful purpose, it still looked like a proverbial cats' cradle. This took all weekend to accomplish.
Boat davits, securing the hammock rails, and some minor work on the stern is just about it for the ship. Then I have to build the boats, which I have decided to scratch build with holly ship lap planking.  Should be an interesting challenge.
As I download the recent photos, I realize I have not send any large shots of the ship lately. Here is where I am so far.

Don,
Thanks for stopping in and for your kind words.
 
Mike,
I actually still have most of that raw white basswood, since I only used it for the planking. That seems ages ago, and the new Niagara logs bring back memories of the "old" days. I totally agree that this is a good kit, and gives the modeler many options to enhance it. I would recommend it to anyone, including first timers like myself.
 

LADDERS
I had some time last night to build a couple of ladders. The plans call for them to be painted red. The red paint I chose for my ship was a mixture of MS gun red (too bright for my taste) and MS black. I unfortunately ran out of my initial batch, and I have not been able to figure out what my combination was. I will be experimenting to see if I can match the color.
 

BRACES
I finished all of my deck work. I added eyebolt rings to the deck for the haul rigging for the guns.  I should have done that sooner. I also created a slew of rope coils to hang on the pins and glued down the deck structures.
Having done all of that, I was prepared to rig the braces. I had previously tied 16 blocks, now it was time to lash 16 rigging lines to various locations (royal yards, hounds, upper shrouds, upper tree, lower shrouds) and then snake them through the blocks and tie them off on either a pin on the rail or a cleat.
This was an incredibly tedious endeavor. The upper braces had to be run down the mast among a score of other lines. Getting them through without crossing or twisting around another rope, in an area that is hard to see was frustrating. I would pull the line down to the designated tie off pin, and then look to see how it laid on the other lines, and if twisted (a frequent occurrence) would invariably have to pull it back out and start again.
I think I got it though, and while my adherence to the actual pin rail plan is loose (pardon the pun) at best, it is workable. As I look at it, while securing the yards, and giving me a great understanding how each line had a meaningful purpose, it still looked like a proverbial cats' cradle. This took all weekend to accomplish.
Boat davits, securing the hammock rails, and some minor work on the stern is just about it for the ship. Then I have to build the boats, which I have decided to scratch build with holly ship lap planking.  Should be an interesting challenge.
As I download the recent photos, I realize I have not send any large shots of the ship lately. Here is where I am so far.

BRACES
I finished all of my deck work. I added eyebolt rings to the deck for the haul rigging for the guns.  I should have done that sooner. I also created a slew of rope coils to hang on the pins and glued down the deck structures.
Having done all of that, I was prepared to rig the braces. I had previously tied 16 blocks, now it was time to lash 16 rigging lines to various locations (royal yards, hounds, upper shrouds, upper tree, lower shrouds) and then snake them through the blocks and tie them off on either a pin on the rail or a cleat.
This was an incredibly tedious endeavor. The upper braces had to be run down the mast among a score of other lines. Getting them through without crossing or twisting around another rope, in an area that is hard to see was frustrating. I would pull the line down to the designated tie off pin, and then look to see how it laid on the other lines, and if twisted (a frequent occurrence) would invariably have to pull it back out and start again.
I think I got it though, and while my adherence to the actual pin rail plan is loose (pardon the pun) at best, it is workable. As I look at it, while securing the yards, and giving me a great understanding how each line had a meaningful purpose, it still looked like a proverbial cats' cradle. This took all weekend to accomplish.
Boat davits, securing the hammock rails, and some minor work on the stern is just about it for the ship. Then I have to build the boats, which I have decided to scratch build with holly ship lap planking.  Should be an interesting challenge.
As I download the recent photos, I realize I have not send any large shots of the ship lately. Here is where I am so far.

LADDERS
I had some time last night to build a couple of ladders. The plans call for them to be painted red. The red paint I chose for my ship was a mixture of MS gun red (too bright for my taste) and MS black. I unfortunately ran out of my initial batch, and I have not been able to figure out what my combination was. I will be experimenting to see if I can match the color.
 

BRACES
I finished all of my deck work. I added eyebolt rings to the deck for the haul rigging for the guns.  I should have done that sooner. I also created a slew of rope coils to hang on the pins and glued down the deck structures.
Having done all of that, I was prepared to rig the braces. I had previously tied 16 blocks, now it was time to lash 16 rigging lines to various locations (royal yards, hounds, upper shrouds, upper tree, lower shrouds) and then snake them through the blocks and tie them off on either a pin on the rail or a cleat.
This was an incredibly tedious endeavor. The upper braces had to be run down the mast among a score of other lines. Getting them through without crossing or twisting around another rope, in an area that is hard to see was frustrating. I would pull the line down to the designated tie off pin, and then look to see how it laid on the other lines, and if twisted (a frequent occurrence) would invariably have to pull it back out and start again.
I think I got it though, and while my adherence to the actual pin rail plan is loose (pardon the pun) at best, it is workable. As I look at it, while securing the yards, and giving me a great understanding how each line had a meaningful purpose, it still looked like a proverbial cats' cradle. This took all weekend to accomplish.
Boat davits, securing the hammock rails, and some minor work on the stern is just about it for the ship. Then I have to build the boats, which I have decided to scratch build with holly ship lap planking.  Should be an interesting challenge.
As I download the recent photos, I realize I have not send any large shots of the ship lately. Here is where I am so far.