FriedClams

I've been checking out your build on the Pen Duick Bob and I'm impressed with the execution and fine fit you're achieved. The hull came out spectacular and what a beautiful paint job! I'll be keeping tabs on your progress. Very nice work. Gary

Roger: Thanks for the comment and your suggestions on the anchor. I believe they would have used the winch heads if the anchors were in fact heavy enough to justify it. After all, it's right there. I've already made some changes to the anchor that I describe in this post, so I'm going to let that settle before deciding on any other action. Tom: I hope it's artist block and not blockhead. But I agree, sometimes you just need to stay away for a time. Thanks for the reassurance Tom. And thanks to all for the likes. Anchor re-do and Blocks In my last post I stated I wasn't happy with the way the anchor looked on the deck and couldn't put my finger on why. I received a number of excellent ideas on how the overall look might be improved and I thank everyone for their valued input. I'm going to start with what I think is the most glaring problem first. Druxey rightly pointed out that the ball on the end of the stock was too large and only needed to be large enough to keep from slipping through the shank. Agreeing with that assessment, I reduced the ball size and also replaced the original stock with one that is tapered from its greatest diameter at the midpoint and reducing down towards both ends. The anchor is now more delicate looking (if such a phrase can be used to describe an iron anchor) and the overall look is improved albeit subtle – good spot Druxey. In addition, I also replaced the pipe anchor chocks with lower profile wooden ones. This positions the anchor down closer to the deck and the painted wood chocks ease the transition from black anchor to gray deck. I may return to the other suggestions made after I let the current changes simmer for awhile. An interesting detail that I've seen on a number of these draggers is the use of diamond shaped blocks to hoist the heavy cod-end of the net. Diamond blocks were designed for use with wire rope and have a larger radius pulley. They are being used here with textile rope presumably to take advantage of that larger radius. These blocks are smaller than the beefy tow blocks that were suspended from the boom/mast on boats that didn't use a gallows frame. Here is a drawing of how they are constructed. Styrene bits are cut. And two blocks are made. There are three hoisting locations and for the other two I'm using smaller blocks that I purchased from Bluejacket Shipcrafters. These blocks scale to about 8” tall and at just under 3/16” these blocks are nicer than I can make or have the inclination to try. So I cleaned up the parting lines and added injection molded bolt heads for the pulley shafts. Next I made up some hooks from .02” phosphor bronze wire. The bronze wire is pretty tough stuff and holds up to my bending and re-bending. Flattening the lower arc of the hook mimics the cast-in gusset of the real thing. Everything gets black enamel, pigments and graphite. I threaded the blocks with miniature rope - about 5/8” for the smaller blocks and 1” for the diamond blocks. The diamond blocks are arranged in “luff tackle”, the smaller double blocks in “two fold purchase” and the single blocks in “gun tackle”. I don't know and won't pretend to know how the fisherman went about the business of fishing and how they used these hoists. The boats didn't have identical hoisting and rigging arrangements and so I decided to place on my model merely examples of the many types of hoisting gear that I've see in old photos whether their location on the model is practical or not. But it seems the third hoisting location down from the end of the boom always carried the heaviest gear and it was from this gear that the heavy cod-end of the net was hoisted. This makes sense to me because structurally this is the strongest point on the boom. And I have seen in photos where the gear at the end of the boom is being used to swing containers of catch onto the dock. The rope tails of each hoist are coiled and placed on the deck. Actually, each coil is a separate piece that was wound on the workbench, glued together and then placed on the model to look as though they are the tail ends of the hoist rope. I did this because the rope is rather stiff and naturally wants to straighten, so the coils constantly spring open. But that really is a moot point because there isn't enough finger room to coil them in situ anyway. In this image, you can see two of the traveling blocks hooked to eye bolts positioned along the short rail. I also added several industrial looking cleats that I soldered up from brass wire. As I'm posting this, I notice in the photo above that the rope at the winch head is wound in the wrong direction. I may go in and change that if it starts to annoy me, but I've already snapped and tore off stays, eyes and chainplates with my thick fingered Shrek-like hands – so probably not. I take my hat off to you builders of multi-masted ships with all those delicate spars and endless rigging. I find even this small amount of string work to be challenging. A couple more photos. Thanks for looking in. Gary

Just caught up on your build log from the beginning Ondras and your model is fantastic. Excellent clean and precise workmanship. Beautiful! Will be watching for future updates. Gary

Masterful work Valeriy! Everything fitting into place perfectly - so clean and precise. Who knew a utilitarian metal stairway could also be an item of beauty? Remarkable craftsmanship and the silver plating is an elegant touch. Gary

Nice progress on the Providence Ken. Excellent work on the pumps and I really like the lantern - it has great proportions, coloration and is nicely made. Gary

Good to see an update on the Tennessee Keith. Interesting historical/technical information on the Dahlgrens and a great start on their construction. And congratulations on the arrival of your new crew member. Emma is a cutie, but looking a bit mischievous. I’m sure she’ll be happy to help with the rigging. Gary

Here is a photo of a more recent boat. It's difficult to tell how large the anchor is from this angle, but it doesn't look that heavy - does it? My weight estimate could be way off. Gary

Hello everyone and thanks for the comments, suggestions and moral support. It is great to have the fresh eyes and experience of fellow modelers. Hello Keith. Thanks for your wonderful comments. You're right about the visual impact thing. As I creep closer to the end of this build, I find myself becoming more critical of my modeling. It's so easy to rush to the finish line only to trip and fall over your own shoelaces before you get there. I'm at the point in this model where I'm trying not to add anything that negatively impacts the whole. Thanks again. You are correct Druxey – the stock ball is too large. It is amazing how many times I looked right at it and never saw it, Good catch and thank you – I will be changing it. Wefalck, Chris and Eric - thanks for your observations and suggestions. Yes, the area around the anchor needs some tough love to pull it together and to look as though it has been used a few times. I'm going to take some time to consider exactly what to do, because if I hose up the deck, it's going to be a bear to fix. Thank you for your helpful input. That's easy – just pick it up one handed and throw it over your shoulder. In my dreams I can do stuff like that, but seriously - I agree, that is a chunk of iron. I wondered about this myself and it's hard to envision two men pulling up an anchor that weighs 140 lbs. standing on a pitching deck with no rail. Maybe they weren't as heavy as that and two men could easily handle it – I don't know. Something I have noticed, and it may be just coincidental, is that the anchors were typically stowed on the starboard side of the forward deck, the same side as the gallows frame. Obviously they would never be dragging a net and dropping an anchor at the same time, so I wonder if they utilized the winch or one of the gypsy heads to pull up the anchor. Once on board two men could easily carry it the 15 feet to its stow point on the forward deck, out of the way of the business of fishing. Thinking out-loud. And my guess is they didn't drop anchor very often. Good observation and thanks for the comment. Thank you Ekis Thank you Valeriy _ your nice comment is much appreciated. Gary

Thank you so much Druxey and Keith for the fine comments and your continuing support. It is greatly appreciated. And thanks to all for the likes and looking in. Welcome and thanks for checking out my build and the kind words. Thanks - I always wanted to be a cover girl. Some Rope and an Anchor The bitt on the fore deck needs some rope wrapped around it. I'm using miniature rope that scales to around 1-1/8” in diameter. The rope has a nice light brown color, but it looks too clean and new for this old boat, so I bleached it back to natural then added color of my own. I want something more salty gray and sun bleached. I use dry chalk liquefied with alcohol and then applied with a brush. I randomly apply three different colors to give it some variation. Where it's too heavy and dark or needs additional blending, I liberally brush on straight clean alcohol. This color and weathering business requires a lot of trial and error because often what looks great on the work bench looks ludicrous when placed on the model. Color and texture read differently based on what surrounds it. So after too gray, too brown, too dark, too light, I finally surrendered to the color shown below. The image shows the progression of original, bleached and final. I saturate the rope with a wet-water and PVA mix and arrange it on a mock-up. Enough PVA was added so it holds its shape, but no so much that it can't be pulled apart and straightened. I then worked it over the bitt and any coils that didn't lay flat were glued down. Looking through photos for an anchor type, I was surprised by how few of them I actually saw on the boats. When I did see one, they were commonly the Danforth type. But those weren't invented until 1939 and this model predates that, so I can't use one of those. I did see folding stock/admiralty anchors on a few boats and I guess a couple of fit men could pull a small one back up by hand when needed. No windlass on these boats. Below is the anchor I'm making. I traced an internet photo in CAD and scaled it down to an appropriate size. This would weight in the 110 to 140 lbs. range depending on the source of info.. The drawing is printed on cellophane tape and affixed to styrene. It is cut out large and filed back to the outline. Flukes are cut, glued on and filed. The stock is blackened phosphor bronze and the balls are dressmaker pin heads. The chocks are slices of aluminum tube. Everything was painted flat black enamel and poked at with the end of a firm brush to achieve a rough textured surface. (I let the paint firm up a bit before I start to poke at it – a cosmetic sponge also works great.) Once completely dry, a rust colored pigment is washed on and quickly wiped off with a finger leaving color down in the recesses. I used pigment and alcohol here, but thinned acrylic or other color wash works just as well. Finally, pencil graphite is rubbed on where I want to show seafloor abrasion. Glued to the boat along with some hold-downs. I'm not really sure what it is, but I'm not happy with how these two items look on the boat and I haven't determined what needs to be done to fix it. Something just doesn't look right and it bugs me every time I look at it. For now I'll just give it some time to stew. Any and all observations and criticisms are always welcomed. Thanks for stopping in. Stay well. Gary

And it shows! Your model displays more than the craftsmanship of its construction, it also displays the pride you have in the work. Wonderful progress Valeriy - keep it coming. Gary

Fantastic work on the boiler Brian! I like your technique on the rivets and the dry-brushing highlights them nicely. Wonderful result. Gary

Sorry to hear of the passing of your old friend Keith. Pets certainly are members of the family and it’s difficult when they pass. Naming your restoration ship after her is nice. Gary

I think we all have experienced frustrating days in modeling. I know I certainly have and when I do, I simply drop everything and walk away grumbling before I make matters worse. Good progress Vaddoc and the frames/bulkheads look great. Gary

I've been following along on your build Brian, and for a first-time scratch builder you're remarkably attentive to accuracy and the workmanship is clean and careful. And you've picked a great subject. I've always been somewhat of a "Western Theater" Civil War buff and I find this period of U.S. history endlessly interesting. A great start on an interesting and unique model. I realize that you have decided to go with printed paper for the brick work, but for future reference, there is a company called New England Brownstone that manufactures Hydrocal brick wall slabs in 1:48 and 1:87. They are made in the American bond pattern with tie header courses. You have to color the slabs yourself (they tell you how) and it is not a cheap product, but with careful execution they produce the most realistic brick work in those scales that I have seen. Looking forward to future updates. Gary

I don't know Keith, that .001" difference between them is going to stick out like a sore thumb. Future viewers are going to stand back and say "I love this model, but it's such a shame that one cabin wall is so much longer than the other". Just kidding of course. Another example of the exacting and elegant precision that is your hallmark. Gary

Just catching up on your work Siggi - wonderful modeling as always. Your cannon and carriages are excellent. It is easy to make one item well, but extremely difficult to make dozens of them identical to each other and each one precisely and flawlessly made. Very nice. Gary

A very interesting vessel Roger and quite a daunting project. I’m going to pull up a chair and get comfortable. I’m looking forward to this. Gary

I agree with Mark on the lantern - it looks like it has always been there. Extremely nice color matching once again Keith, and your anchors look terrific as well. It would take an eagles‘ eye to detect that any restoration has been done. Gary

You're probably right Vaddoc, though I usually think of a crance iron in association with a bowsprit. Thanks for the nice comment. Sounds like the two of you had a good time Roger. There are a lot of good eats down there – Merrill's and The Black Whale on the wharves, and Moby Dick Brewing and the Whalers Tavern in the historic district are a few of my favorites. Hope they all survive this darned virus. Hi Tim. It is my intention to be there. It is good to think something in my log might be useful to you in your own modeling. Thanks for the great comment Tim. And thanks to everyone looking in and for the "likes". Bilge Pump The Edson model #2 pump is being used as a prototype (more-or-less) for this model. I used it as a general guide for the overall dimensions and construction. However, the Edson #2 can be operated from three positions whereas mine will be operable from only two. This construction is a real hodgepodge of brass, paper, styrene, steel and plastic because I'm using whatever I have on hand. It is 9/32” (7.14mm) wide by 1/4” (6.35mm) tall. I begin with the brass center throat and the base which is wrapped paper. Once I have enough wraps of paper giving me the base width needed, I saturate it with very thin CA (like water) which effectively turns it into a piece of plastic. I then jam it onto a drywall bit and spin it in a drill to get it round and smooth. I use a drill motor instead of a Dremel because I can run the drill at very low RPM. The lower pump flange is made from a steel flat washer. The washer is used simply because it was the exact thickness I needed. The center is drilled out to size and then pushed onto a tapered burr and placed into the drill chuck. The outer diameter is then reduced to size with a diamond grit file. The washer is epoxied on and the spout opening is filed out. The upper flange and spout are made from styrene. Holes are drilled for the connecting rods. Brass wire is inserted for the connecting rods and injection molded nut/bolts are glued on top and nut heads on the bottom. The simplified inner pump thingy is a slide fit brass tube topped with styrene and bent wire. The handle is brass wire. The handle on a real pump is a more complicated item consisting of a rod that screws into a cast socket with a hook and fulcrum seats – but I'm just not going there. The image below shows two small pieces of half round styrene which are placed on the upper flange and serve as the fulcrum point for the pump handle. It was painted a base mixture of Testors “steel” and “rust” enamel. There is also some silver and black to help accentuate details. A few metal looking pigments and pencil graphite were used for highlighting. These pumps were positioned in a number of different places on deck and I chose between the winch and pilothouse for this model. Thanks for stopping by. Gary

Nice to see an update on La Belle Poule Mark. Look forward to seeing some planks being hung. Gary

The image of the parts laid out on the one cent piece says it all. Spectacular tiny details! Amazing work Wefalck. Gary

What a great old model and an interesting project Keith. It is dripping with character and charm. I like your light-handed approach to its restoration. I think it would be so tempting to over restore it and in the process destroy its historical value. Nice subtle work on fixing the cabin tear and blending the colors back in. This is going to be fun to follow. Gary

Hello folks. Earlier in the week, I noticed that the title of my log had been edited to say “FINISHED” and also a tag had been added to indicate the same. I don't know how long it had been like that or how it got that way, but the model isn't done and I've since deleted FINSHED from the title. Not a big deal and probably no one even noticed. So just to let you know - you are not rid of me yet. And thanks to everyone for the “likes” and all the wonderful comments. It's great to share this hobby with fellow modelers. Thanks Joe. I too have an admiration for working boats. I was born in New Bedford, Mass in 54 and my parents' house was about a mile from the harbor. As a young boy the wharves were an irresistible attraction. I loved the sights and sounds of the place and it felt exotic and a little dangerous. Fishing boats of many types and sizes crowded the piers, from offshore Eastern-rig and scallop draggers to stern trawlers and onshore boats. Many of the local fisherman were Portuguese and they were a hard working, tough and no nonsense group of men. Mostly they were good-natured and quick with a smile, but occasionally someone would give me the stink eye and tell me to get lost – which I would do without hesitation. And that summer smell of humid salt air and fresh fish mixed together with a tinge of diesel. I haven't lived in New Bedford for decades and today there are restaurants, shops and pubs down at the waterfront, but the place retains its authentic feel and remains the No.1 fishing port in the U.S. based on the value of its landings. Long live working waterfronts everywhere. I apologize for typing out-loud. Thanks again. Hello Wefalck. In that photo, I'm holding the model with the bow pointed slightly downward so the view is somewhat foreshortened, but yes it is rather small - 11.25” (28.5 cm) LOA. Thanks Thanks for visiting and the comment gsdpic. Not done yet but getting closer. I still have the prop and rudder, a bilge pump, an anchor, the hull coloring of course, some kind of base stand or mini diorama and . . . I better get going. Boom and Stays Here is a short update on the dragger. The boom and the remainder of the stays/rigging have been placed on the boat. The boom was cut and profiled earlier when the mast was made up, so all that needed to be done was installing the banding, eyes and the base collar where it attaches to the mast. First the eye bands and collar. The bands are bottle neck foil and the base is brass and tin. Injection molded eyes are painted and inserted into the boom. A bolt head is added to the base collar and then colored. The stem bracket and plate that receives the mast stays are made up of two pieces of tin. These are then glued onto the stem, bolts holes drilled, placed and colored. What is the proper name for this piece of hardware? Two additional stays supporting the boom are run down to chainplates. The port side runs aft, and the starboard stay attaches to a chainplate just forward of the gallows. Not the easiest thing to show, but they are visible in the image below leading off the lower set of eyes on the boom. Slings are used for the stays at the spreader rather than attaching to eyes. Thanks for stopping by. Gary

Good to see an update on the Providence Ken. The decking turned out real nice and I like the rich honey color of the wood/poly combination. Looking sharp and clean. Gary

Wonderful work Johann - inspirational. Gary