FriedClams

Congratulations on the completion of your beautiful model G.L Your methods and approach to modeling are ingenious, effective and the results drip with authenticity. I enjoyed your log and will miss the updates. Thank you for sharing this with us. Gary

Your schooner is coming along great Maury. The cabin turned out very nice - just as everything else has. Covering boards can be so tedious, but it looks like you've nailed down a reliable technique. Thanks for providing the details on your gantry and showing how useful it can be. Gary

So I turn my head for one minute and when I look back - you have the boat half finished. Very nice and fast work Patrick. The design is complicated and has so many intricacies that I guess it will keep you busy for a while yet She is looking excellent. Gary

Tom, Mark, John and Jean-Paul - Thank you for stopping by and for the nice comments. I appreciate it. And thanks to all for the likes and for taking a look. Hi Jim, Thanks for compliment and I’m glad you're finding something useful in my build log. I use DesignCAD 3D MAX 2016 by IMSI Design. This is the same company that produces TurboCAD. IMSI markets DesignCAD as being great for beginners and TurboCAD as their premium product. I used AutoCad for years in the workplace and as everyone familiar with AutoDesk knows, it is complex, extremely powerful and astronomically expensive. DesignCAD is not AutoCad by a long shot, but for what I do, I find it capable, easy to use and very affordable. IMSI offers free 15 day trials for both DesignCAD and TurboCAD at https://www.turbocad.com/content/free-trials Thanks again. Hello Druxey and Greg Thank you both for visiting my log and for your comments. Hmmm – this surprises me. I suspect that the problem could indeed be with the scribes you were using. This is the scribe that I use. I bought it several years ago and perhaps it is better quality than I realized. I purchased it at tedpella.com. Their shopping cart doesn't calculate shipping – email them and ask for a quote first - trust me. They also have a wafer/glass breaking tool for $40 US that I don’t have and have never needed. I only need to cut glass maybe once a year, and I have no special skill or technique, but this is what I’ve learned. The scribe tip must be absolutely perpendicular to the glass. If there is a scratching/tearing sound as I draw the scribe, I‘m applying too much pressure and only destroying the scribe. Making more than one pass with the scribe is almost a guarantee for a broken jagged edge. Applying mineral oil to the glass can create a smoother cut, but I confess that I don’t do it. If I am not careful lining up the score line over a sharp edge for snapping off the piece, it will usually bust off a small chunk at the end of the score. When I have the piece over the sharp edge for breaking, I have found just tapping the piece breaks it more cleanly than grabbing and snapping. Trying to remove a thin slice of glass off the edge is next to impossible. If you ever decide to give it another try, I hope this helps. Thanks again. Gary

Nice rust streaking Tom. The tanker looks absolutely real - nice work! I did know of the Weather Shop site and there is some amazing work to be found there. Thanks I enjoy experimenting with little things like that, which is good that I do because my trash can is filled with them. Thanks for the comment Chris. Wow. Thank you so much for the comment and for stopping by. I appreciate it. And thanks to all for looking in and the likes. Pilothouse Window Sashes This short update describes the building and placing of the wheelhouse window sashes. It’s one of those grinds in modeling where a lot of time is spent with little to show for your efforts. There are six window sashes to be made. They are approximately 3/8" wide by 7/16" tall. I already have drawings for these sashes but I check the individual window openings with calipers and adjust the drawing to the “as built” dimensions. With the corrected dimensions, I create templates for the sashes. Each sash will be a sandwich consisting of a pane of glass between outer frames. So two frames will be required for each window sash. Basswood that scales to ¾” x 2" is cut and arranged on the template. A drop of medium viscosity CA is placed at each joint where it seeps down into the joint through capillary action. The frames are removed, trimmed and sanded. A piece of glass is cut and glued between the two frames. I use real glass instead of plastic film or acetate for a couple of reasons. First, it is perfectly flat and when you catch a reflection off of it, you can see that it’s flat. Acetate and other films can buckle or display waviness that the eye is quick at picking out. Second, you can scrape paint or adhesive off with the tip of a scalpel without scratching or deforming it. And some adhesives can cloud clear plastics in the surrounding area. A pane of glass for a shed window is typically 1/8” thick. I am guessing that glass for a wheelhouse window is thicker than that – say 1/4". The glass I'm using here is manufactured as microscope slide coverslips. It is .13 mm or .0051” thick, which is very close to 1/4” in 1:48. These coverslips are available in 18mm x 18mm squares or 24mm x 50mm rectangles. They are easy to find on-line and inexpensive - less than 10 dollars US for a pack of 100 pieces. I bought mine here with free shipping. Eye protection is crucial when working with this glass. A tiny fragment can chip off and fly – anywhere. The glass is cut by lightly scoring it with a diamond point scribe and then breaking it over an edge just as you would with full size glass. The scribe must be held vertically, perpendicular to the glass, and only a single score along the glass is required. A gentle touch and light downward pressure is needed. After breaking a few pieces, the process becomes easy. As far as the diamond scribe is concerned, a craft/hobby level tool is adequate. Most craft type scribes have an included tip angle of 90 degrees. More expensive and sharper scribes have tip angles of 60 and 30 degrees, but they are fragile and the tips easily broken. I know this first-hand. And straight-shafted ones are easier to use than the bent ergonomic handle models. And then some punk pitched a rock through the window. When working with glass, there is an irresistible urge to model the “broken window.” It is somewhat cliché, but I can't help myself. This poor little boat is taking a beating anyway, so what’s one more indignity? The process of breaking a window is a hit or miss affair (no pun intended). Sometimes it works - sometimes not. At this scale it is necessary to build a perfectly good sash first then break it and hope the results turn out believable. To tilt the odds toward an acceptable result, I score the surface where I would like the glass to crack then tap the point of my round needle file into the desired center of impact. If this were a larger scale, say 1:24, I would piece broken fragments together. Have I mentioned eye safety? This photo shows the partially open window. Photos of these draggers show window sashes that slide inside channeled pockets or dados with no surface stops visible. So I cut a slot in the jambs above the lowered sash to represent this detail. Next, the roof goes on along with the siding and outer window casings. Thanks for stopping by. Gary

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

That's a nice before and after shot John. Its good to know I'm not the only one who has to go back and tidy up. She's progressing nicely and looking very fine. Gary

Pilothouse Interior #3 This update will complete the pilothouse interior. There will be a separate switch somewhere on the display base to operate an interior cabin light, so I need to provide some interior details. The question for me is always - how much detail is enough? The level of detail found in the real world is simply way beyond my ability to recreate. So instead, I try to suggest detail and depend on the mind’s eye to fill in the rest. I began with the door, which will be open. I drew it up along with a bolt pattern for the strap hinges that would typically be attached to the rails on the reverse side of the door. The door swings inward and up against the wall so the hinges won't be visible and therefore have zero detail. I first made up some hinges from styrene. They are scale 4” wide. The door itself was made up from four strips of wood glued to three rails. It was then positioned on the backside of the drawing template so I could mark the hinge bolt locations. Once the door was colored, I blackened the pinholes that simulate the hinge carriage bolt heads. This was done by poking a very fine dressmaker’s pin into the tip of permanent marker then placing it into the hole and giving it a little twist. A pinhead is used for the doorknob. The hinges look too large to me. After the exterior siding and door trim are placed, I'll re-evaluate. If they still look too large I’ll try coloring them to contrast less with the jamb. Under the window is a coat rack. I intend to hang a coat or rain slicker there, but simulating material with the correct texture and drape at this scale is a challenge and needs some rethinking. So for now, it remains empty. I made a cabinet with a flat upper drawer for charts and what not. I installed the cabinet and added a top and a few rolled up charts. Also shown here is a fold down seat for the skipper and a vertical grab iron between the windows. This model will be displayed as a vessel under repair. And repair work requires repair parts, which often come in corrugated boxes. So I’m going to place a couple of them under the coat rack. I’ve played around with different ways to model small boxes before and always come back to the most simple - folded paper. So I start with a drawing of an unfolded box complete with printing. The most difficult part of this process is getting the color right. Using gauche in a very watery mix of yellow ochre, burnt sienna and grey produced an acceptable result. Any color medium that doesn’t bleed the lettering will work. I then cut the "boxes" from the paper and folded them up. But simply folding and stacking them produced disappointing results. They looked like what they were - little pieces of folded paper pretending to be boxes. They need to look like they have weight. So I modeled the larger box to look as though it had been wet at one point and the smaller box was thrown on top. The cut out in the floor provides access to the engine room, galley and berths. There is a ladder/stair that descends down, but only the top tread is visible from any cabin opening - so that is where the modeling stops. That completes the interior and I’m glad to be getting out of such cramped quarters. Thanks for taking a look. Gary

Thanks John, I appreciate the comment. Add to that - charming, witty and irresistibly to women and you have a good start on a list of attributes I have never possessed. But I appreciate you giving me the benefit of the doubt. Thanks for the positive comments Patrick. I’m glad you stopped by. Hi Josh Thanks for the kind words and for stopping in to take a look. I’m happy you have found something of interest here. Hello Keith and Vaddoc. Thanks for the vote of confidence on a weathering techniques log. I think it might be a fun exercise. But it will be a while before this boat is done and I’m a “one at a time" sort of modeler. Thanks for your support. Hi Keith. Wow – that’s kind of rough on the Gelcoat isn’t it? I appreciate all technological advancements in the many aspects of our lives, but I think we've become obsessed with it and have grown too dependent on it. Mostly, I try to live and enjoy life simply. Thank you for your comments Keith.

Hello Druxey. It’s kind of an obscure product that I stumbled across a few years ago. I read about a modeler that was using it to add lenses to his portholes. He would load the side of a toothpick with the liquid and screed it across the round opening. The material has enough surface tension to bridge the gap. Thank you for your comments and for stopping by. Thank you so much Vaddoc and thanks for taking an interest in my log. Gary

What a difficult decision to make, but it would have troubled you every time you looked at the rigging. I take my hat off to you for correcting what few people would have noticed. This is just one of the many reasons why your model is so wonderful and you as a modeler are so excellent. Well done Alexander. Gary