FriedClams

Gaetan,
The deformation a the front of the ship in the picture, it will always occur, but will it with every lens? What about a "tilt & shift" lens. It does happen in reality too, e.g. when you paint something on the floor and stand off far enough it will get shorter, our eyes' optical illusion

first photo :  2 photos of a 74 guns at 1/24 scale, the only difference is the date: 1 photos is dated 2008 and one 2019.
 
second photo: did I really shaped the closest deck beam  with a circle arc so big?  Not really, it is  a lens deformation because  the lens is too close to the deck beam.

I think I'm just fortunate: The "camera" on my phone crashed irrepairable. So I just upgraded my DSLR. 
 
P.s. Phones aren't smart. At present a phone is just a microcomputer with voip, and some other hardware like a built in camera (webcam like)

I think it's because most use a smartphone or (as in my case) I have a camera that I've had for years and am too cheap to upgrade.  I note that many more people are now hanging backdrops behind their models and are using what appears to be better lighting so maybe your posts are rubbing off.    
 
 

Thank you,
 
Pat,
 
Model Ship Building is multi disciplinary; and photography should be part of it. Unfortunately, this is not a very popular subject in this forum!
 
About photography, 1 question is often asked; what makes better photography? Smartphone or camera? Smartphone can give very nice photo.
Here is the simplest way to understand the answer: If I take the same photo with both and print with the same level of detail. Smartphone will get an 8 by 12 inches photo and the camera will give a poster.

As with everything you do Gaetan, you strive for the highest standard you can achieve; your dedication certainly shows in the quality of your models (and photography) - impressive.
 
cheers
 
Pat

Captain_Hook,
 
Sorry, I do not have chairs but  I have tables

Gaetan,
 
Beautiful knives! Let us know how they work!
Your photos look like they are taken inside a real ship. Beautiful construction.
What camera lens are you using to keep such great depth of field?
 
Mark

At first sight, having  to choose a very good knife  for model ship making is a very easy thing, at least, this is what I thought when I bought my first Exacto. In the last months,  I learned that this subject is much larger. The shape of the handle, the kind of steel + carbon, the profile of the blade, just to name a few. In addition to this, sharpening is another domain difficult to master from water stones to leather. In fact, it is a good thing I shared my thoughts on this forum because Vossiewulf helped me a lot to understand what is a good knife and what is a good blade made of. This week, to put the cherry on the sundae, I received a very beautiful gift; 1 knife from North Bay forge, and another one made by the master himself. There are a lot of interesting features like aniline dye to enhance the color of wood, the finish is CA glue. Who could have thing to this? surely not me. the choice of steel for the blade and to top  all this the knife is balance.
 
First try in another subject with an action camera; a small camera, go pro style. I had 3 small webcam but I realized that they worked only with Windows 7. This kind of camera is mainly use for video, but it can take photos also. It is about 1,5 by 2,5inches. The fun thing is that it will be easy to insert it in the entrails of the model ship, also we can see what is the camera is seeing through the phone.
 
What will be the next step? Every time I take a photo inside the model ship, it is difficult to level the camera, so the next thing I will try will be a 3 axis gimbal stabilizer. This little gadget can automatically align the camera in the 3 axis.
 

Lovely detail of the mast wedge lifting rings!

Moldings around pillars  are cut at 45 degrees with my favorite knife, not with the saw.

Gaetan,
 
Amazing work. Your tools down in the hold show just how large this project really is!
 
Mark

Just catching up with your progress, Gaetan. Your work is meticulous as usual and a pleasure to look at.

Gaetan, that is extremely cool. Also you probably know this, but do you know the artist's trick of looking at their work in a mirror? I do that all the time when making stuff, I take a photo and I mirror it horizontally, I see all sorts of issues once flipped that I didn't see in the basic image. Your camera setup is genius for that.

Gaetan, you are a master! What a precise work. So many details. The photos are the icing on the cake. So sharp and clear. Very good!
Congratulations !!!
Mauricio

Glued  most parts except the rail where the deck beams will rest. These rails must be still removable to  be able to cut notches for  the deck beams from the first deck later.
Half frames rest on these rails and to glue the half  frames , a spacer is added under the rails  so that the half frame can be glued somewhere.
 
Also the setup to take photos is now completed with a new tv. This way, it is very easy to observe very closely construction details photos

Installation of reinforcement pieces. The easy way to assure parallelism between each one is to set a spacer.
 
2 of these have a double use: they will also receive the planking of the false and first deck.
 
Deck beams of the first deck will rest on a large plank on each side of the boat. Each frame will have 1 notch each side to sit them. The first deck is the one withe the greater span. For this reason, some of the frames will be made in 3 parts with taper notches. This is  a great method to assemble beams. Probably with the weight of the parts only, it would be enough to fix the parts of the beam. I remember the first time I tried it, I was surprise how strong locking this mechanism is able to perform; the same way as a taper sleeve but because the parts are assembled in an arc additional  lateral strengths comes to lock even in a stronger way the assembly.
 
Depending also from the needs, there will be beams from 1 part, example the first 2  in front. beams made from 2 parts will also be include in the first deck depending of the needs.
 
With the fabrication of the camera studio stand, it will be easy to insert  a full frame camera inside. One of the advantage is that it is easy to set the camera parallel to the model. I will try to give access as much as possible inside. For this reason, deck  and wall planking will be install only in essential circumstances. In a way there will be as less as possible longitudinal planks but more perpendicularly to the keel.
 
Parts are temporary fix until all the notches to receive the beams of the first deck are done.
 
I got an answer from Lee Valley and Veritas for the detail knife. Here is a part of the last paragraph:  ''We also have some other design we are working on. In order to avoid any conflict your product submission will not be reviewed by our designers. SO, I can only hope they can produce a sharp knife with their wood plane blade. While this time, when I will want to have a sharper knife, I will regrind one of those  blade  in a V shape or may be I could do a knife blade from  a half  wood plane blade.

Beautiful work and the camera is showing it incredibly well.  

2019, the beginning of the construction inside the model ship.
 
First part,   planks to support the deck beams, very easy to position; the height in reference with the gun port openings  is the same everywhere.
Followed by 7 inner  frames. 
Still other parts to do before to fix everything.

There is a feature on Hacker designs on pages 33-4 of the PDF in this link:
https://archive.org/details/ruddervolume00unkngoog/page/n29?q=zipper+hydroplane
 
... and pages 398, 556 as well.
I tried to attach the PDF but it was I believe too large, hope the link works.
Aren't these old hot-rod boats great?
 
Bruce

I believe the hull design was originally designed by John Hacker for "Little Miss Canada IV", a 225 class hydroplane, made by Greavette and raced by Harold Wilson. see link: https://sites.google.com/site/haroldandlornamoviecom/home/boats
 
 It looks like the hull design was also used for "Baby-Ruth" see link: https://fpwp.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/Stock-Images-Vintage-Inboard-Hydroplanes/G0000wOgcursiv1M/I0000fPwhNXI.Z1k/C00000hFk2.XLNOQ/

It was. Have you seen this?
https://www.vandamboats.com/special-hydroplane-wooden-race-boat/
 
HTH
Bruce

That will make a pretty interesting model.
 
No one hears much of step hulled hydroplanes any more. They were pretty much just non flying seaplane hulls, or floats without the aircraft. Not as fast or stable as three point hydroplanes but FAR more classic and probably better in rough water.  

Well I decided that I would revisit a model that has been sitting on my shelf for 20 years or more. I got the plans for this boat from Motor Boating Ideal series of books/ plans ca. 1938  It was long before I had a pc and internet.  One of the reasons I stopped work on it was because I just did not have enough info on the cockpit area.  It was also a lesson in using veneers.  So now I can research this class of hydroplane and get something going on finishing it up. If I am remembering correctly this was a Hacker design.   Following pictures show what I have left after 20 plus years.

Now the collar won't get chafed and worn through.