FriedClams

Hello Tom, Thanks for looking in on my build and for the fine compliment. I’m not a model railroader per se as I’ve never owned trains or had a layout, but I have built a number of HO scale industrial structures/scenes over the years that I sold or gave away. I have learned a lot about modeling and especially weathering/distressing from the model RR folks and the military diorama crowd. There are so many diverse and extraordinary modelers out there working at a level I will never achieve, but I keep trying to learn from whoever is willing to share their know-how. This fishing dragger is the first boat that I’ve weathered. It is a learning experience and a good deal of fun. Thanks again. Gary

Just catching up on your build Nils - it is coming along beautifully. I am really drawn to lapstrake boats. The lines accentuate the shape of the hull and are so graceful. The carpenters contour gauge is a great idea and one that I will remember. Looking forward to future updates. Gary

Thank you Alexander. Hello Kurt and John Thank you both for your comments and for sharing your knowledge on the “back boards/screens”. I was conflicted about the color of these light boxes because I have seen photos showing both black and colored. I reasoned that the differences are due to country, local region and as John stated, the time period. So I focused exclusively on New England boats pre 1960. Virtually all photos of these boats prior to 1960 are in black and white so color images of these boats depict a more recent time. Here are a couple of older images that support Kurt’s statement. But then, here are a few that show black boxes. This photo from the 1970s shows two boats with black boxes. But I've decided to re-paint the interior of mine red/green because of this photo of the Florence below. It is a restored exhibit at the Mystic Seaport Museum of a 1926 Connecticut built Western Rig dragger. I have never seen light boxes mounted this way, but they are indeed red and green. So I have to believe colored light boxes are correct for this region and time period. It does surprise me that they painted color on the outside. John, I got the dimensions for the light boxes from a drawing of a 1941 New England sardine carrier. The distance from the forward edge of the light to the forward edge of the box is 33” - so that's close enough for me. Thanks again. Gary

Thank you so much Druxey, Chris, Steve, Patrick, John, Keith and Moab. I truly appreciate your support, interest and generous comments. And as always, thanks to everyone stopping by and hitting the like button. More Pilothouse Roof Stuff Unfinished from a previous post is a rain slicker that I wanted to hang on the pilothouse coat rack. I received some great suggestions from Druxey and Chris on possible approaches, but I just couldn’t get it right. I ended up using polymer and even though I’m not thrilled with it, I’m going to surrender and call it done. At just over ½” tall, this is the result. The navigation lights are made of styrene and approximately 1/4" tall. I begin with the basic size and proportion requirements. From this I select the four different shapes and sizes of styrene that will be needed – 2 tubes, a rod and some flat stock. The rod and tubes that were selected are roughly the correct sizes and closely fit into one another. This defines the top of the housing. A window is cut from the largest tube and the flat stock is used for banding. The interiors are painted red and green and colored 0603 SMD LED's are soldered up and inserted. Clear Gallery Glass is used to hold them in place and simulate the lenses. Directional light blocking boxes (I don’t know the proper term for these) are made up, painted and weathered. The NAV lights are glued in. The searchlight is made up of styrene and brass. The bullet shaped housing is formed of .01" styrene. The tip of an ordinary construction nail was filed and polished to the desired shape. It was then heated and the styrene formed over it. A white 0603 SMD LED is inserted. It is painted with enamel and weathered with acrylic. A water based weathering is used so as not to effect the underlying enamel. An air horn is made up which scales to about 18” in length. It too is made of styrene. The cone of the horn was made of a tube that was a larger diameter than required. The tube was heated in the middle and pulled to form the cone shape. Painted A pair of 1411 LEDS is placed up between the roof rafters for general interior illumination. Everything glued onto the roof. There will also be a pair of brackets attached to the roof for holding a dory. But I’m holding off on that until the dory is made. Thanks for stopping by and taking a look. Gary

Extremely nice work on this model Kees. Very interesting build methods producing great results and your Milliput figures are true art. I have read through your other build logs and admire your styrene work and weathering techniques. I look forward to future updates and watching this build progress. Gary

Hello Steve, I just wanted to stick my head in and compliment you on your ship model progress. There is an amazing amount of fine detail on this model, all of which has turned out great. I am really impressed with your railings - all so straight and true. With so many of them, I would expect to see a few wonky ones, but I don’t. The eye is quick to pick up on variation and the care you have taken with these details gives the model a clean professional look. Very nice work. Gary

That’s some very detailed and intricate work on the capstan G.L. Extremely nice work! Gary

1:388 ! - and I’m thinking 1:48 is too small! Another interesting looking yacht for your fleet of miniature marvels. Best of luck on your new project Patrick. Gary

Whenever I catch up on your build log, I always know I'm in for a visual treat. Your sails turned out beautifully Alexander. The color, texture and feel of them is very authentic. And your anchors are well - superb. Your work always slaps me out of my complacency and inspires me to work harder to improve my own modeling. Gary

Thank you John, Keith, Druxey, G.L., Maury, Valeriy and johnp76 for your kind comments. I really appreciate it. And thanks to all for stopping by and hitting the like button. That's a good suggestion Druxey, I'm going to give it a try. Thanks. Pilothouse Roof #1 One of the first decisions I made in modeling this boat was the time period in which it was built. I chose the 1920’s to early 1930's for a couple of reasons. First, it was during this time period that these Western-rig boats were developed and came into wide spread use in southern New England. The inshore fishery was abundant and fish landings were strong. So there's an element of historical nostalgia to it. Second, the era predates exterior plywood. Manufacturing of plywood as we know it today dates back to 1905, but waterproof adhesives wouldn’t be developed until 1934. So wooden boats were still being stick built with solid wood. And I prefer the detail and visual interest of individual boards to sheet goods. Images of boats from the 1950’s and 60's show mostly pilothouses with simply constructed flat roofs. This is possible due to the extraordinary strength and durability of marine grade plywood combined with epoxy coatings. In contrast, the drawing below shows how earlier cabin roofs were constructed. The curvature of the rafters gave the roof strength of the arch, water shedding and esthetics. Waterproofing was typically achieved through a covering of canvas/pitch or a rubber membrane. The 1 x 1 strips secured the edges of the covering. I began by making the eleven arched rafters. By creating a circle in CAD that describes the arch, I was able to bend material for all the rafters at one time. I cut the individual segments and positioned them on a template drawing. These rafters are placed on one foot centers which seems a bit of an overkill, but as a mechanical engineering friend of mine would say "when in doubt - make it stout.” I then planked the top and added the fascia. I’m going to simulate a rubber membrane roof covering. I did not sand or level the roof surface because I want the individual boards to show through the “rubber.” The surface was painted black and tissue paper will be used for the covering. A thinned down PVA mixed with charcoal colored acrylic paint was liberally applied to the roof. The tissue paper (gift wrapping type) was applied to the wet roof and then more of the same PVA mix applied to the tissue. I jabbed at the tissue with a stiff paintbrush to create the wrinkling effect. Edge trim was added and white pigment powder scrubbed in around the perimeter. Roof scuppers were added to the aft corners. Next post will be navigation and search lights. Thanks for stopping by. Gary

Complex and perfectly executed decking. Very Art Deco. Sweet work Valeriy. Gary

Hello Vaddoc. Those blocks turned out extremely nice - and so has everything else for that matter. Your detailed log is informative and fun to follow. Keep up the great work - she's turning out beautifully. Gary

Beautiful work on the shrouds and ratlines G.L. I really appreciate the detailed explanation of your work. The small boat came out excellent. The two tones of wood set off by the green are quite handsome - somehow nostalgic. Very nice. Gary

Precise and beautiful work Alexander. Every detail is just spot-on. Gary

Your polymer leaf work turned out great Keith. And the scroll work in brass is just plain sweet - graceful and elegant. Looking forward to seeing your beautiful hull flipped over. Gary