Fernando E

Never modelled wooden ships before but am just about to order the Occre Polaris as a starter kit from Cornwall Boats. It comes with a small tool kit and Will be ordering the paints, adhesives and other nicknaks made up by Cornwall Boats. I’ll let you know how I get on.

Hi All,
 
 I’m just starting out and jumped in by ordering an entry level kit from Bluejacket. I ordered the Red Baron, a lobster boat and I’m waiting for it to arrive.
 
I love fishing boats and work boats. I don’t know anything about building models. The only experience that I a have is building Plastic car and airplane Models as a kid, many, many years ago.
 
I’m looking forward to learning here and hopefully being able to contribute, as well.
 
Cheers!
 
Paul

Fletchers were not available for that duty in 42, the first one built were not commissioned until well into 1941 and were sent to the Pacific where their long legs and weapons could be utilized. From other sites frequented by those who served on those ships, most were disappointed, to many errors and missing details in the computer renderings. Those looking for accuracy were disappointed, those who cared more for the action seemed to enjoy the film. I will not be signing up to watch. The One I rode was the USS Ammen DD 527, her teeth were cut in the Aleutians. 
 
 
 
 
 
 

"West Island"indeed! Though last I heard, Bondi Junction is the biggest town in New Zealand . . .

Welcome, Colfitz. Looks like you just posted (it says 19 minutes ago!) so I get to be the first to welcome you. Probably something to do with time zones.
 
The Endeavour longboat seems to be a popular choice and from what I can make out seems to also be a successful one. With your experience in both modelling and woodworking you start with advantages over many who begin here.
 
I would, though, recommend you start a build log. It's a great way to get help and advice from others who've already been through the same trials and tribulations which you're bound to face every now and then in your project. And anyway, from a selfish viewpoint, we like to see pictures of models in progress 
 
Good luck with it all, and have fun!

Well, what little momentum I had in “the before times” came to a halt as the world fell apart. I’m needing some stress relief, so I’ve gotten back to the scratch-built whaleboats. I had gotten the main ribs bent over formers and attached to the keels. Now I’m working on clinker planking using .5mm x 4mm lime planks. Once that’s done, I’ll detach them from the forms for interior detailing and probably end up sanding and painting. It’s still up in the air as to whether they’ll come out good enough to feature on the deck. If so, I’ll have to revisit the stowing configuration.

Hello Mike, and a warm welcome to the forum.  Nice to see another Aussie here.
 
John

Hello, I am Mike from Aus.
 
I am new to this craft and forum but am very much enjoying learning from you folks. 
 
I have just finished my first scratch build, a rough interpretation of the Baby Bootlegger. Reasonably happy with how it turned out and it was certainly a challenge. Main issue I had was with the filler.
 
Thought I might share a couple of photos.
 
My next project, not sure, but I think it may be a whale boat.
 
Thanks
 
Mike

I've been stranded here many times, always looking for news from model making. From today I am finally part of the Model Ship World forum.
Until my English is a little better, the Google translator should help me here.
So excuse my writing style.
 
The model building has been my companion for many years with interruptions.
A new start in 2005 in historic sailing ship model construction came to an end with the construction stop of HMS Victory by Sergal.
 
Not satisfied with the kit model, I have been building a simple fishing boat for 6 years to improve my material and tool skills. I look forward to a good time with all of you in the exchange of knowledge and practice. I already know some names here and I really like what I saw as a guest.
 
see you soon Matthias

I just got back to MSW after a long absence. Your Perseverance model is beautiful! I love the natural wood. Keep up the good work.

I don't believe for a minute there will be laughter at mistake and questions.  We've all been there.  

Hello and a warm welcome from down south in Sydney.
 
I've built two Modellers Central kits and am on my third one......(very slow progress on the current build due to work and other commitments )and can recommend their kits. They have detailed instructions on all their models (full colour and easy to follow) and they also have DVD's so you can watch an experienced model maker explain the build you choose step by step. As a newbie I found the DVD's extremely helpful
 
Cheers and enjoy your new hobby.............Fernando  

I'm new to modelling of any kind and the only nautical knowledge I have is from reading all of Patrick O'Brian's novels. I opened a 15 year old gift a few days ago (H.M.S. Endeavour -Artesania Latina) and made a few tentative beginnings. Wisely I read the cautionary note by Chris Coyle before blundering on further.
 
I'm looking at a couple of easier kits, from Modellers Shipyard based in Sydney, and wondering what the experience has been with these kits. I'm especially interested in the quality of instructions provided, which with the LA kit (albeit 15 years old) are very basic.
 
 

I have also made a start on the main deck hatches. These are made from 2mm pre-cut ply board.
    
They are then lined with 2 x 3mm walnut around the edges.
     
      
      
They will have 1x4mm walnut boards fitted to them later along with ring bolts and rings to lift them off with. I did consider using gratings but thought that the hatches would be sealed from the elements and could be opened to air below decks. The underside of the hatches was sanded to conform to the camber of the deck.
      
Thanks for looking and the likes.
All comments welcome.

Yes it is a bit unusual and complicated and I don't know how accurate it is but I am going off the plans in the maritime museum and the model in the powerhouse museum and a few other plans and drawings I managed to find. I do think it is an improvement on the kit design however.
Yes I will be bending the planks at the stern to meet the counter I hope they turn out as this will be my first attempt at doing this.
 
I think I said at the start of this build that the strip timber was of a reasonable quality, well unfortunately it is not. While it is milled smooth on all faces the thickness and the width of the strips is very inaccurate. The supplied planks for the first planking is supposed to be 2 x 5mm limewood and 50 planks, 500mm long are supplied which is just enough to plank the hull with maybe 1 or 2 planks left over which does not leave a lot of room for error. That is fair enough but of the 50 supplied planks I have 13 that are consistently 2mm thick and 5mm wide over their length, the others vary between being 5mm at one end down to 4.5mm at the other and 2mm thick at one end down to 1.3mm at the other and anything in between.
I have sorted through them and come up with about 20 that are useable and have ordered a pack of 25 2 x 5 x 915mm birch planks from a hobby supplier in Newcastle which should be enough to do the job.
I also checked and measured the Teak strips for the second planking these were also found to be of inferior quality there are 30 supplied which is again just enough to do the job, they are supposed to be 0.6 x 5 x 500mm but some of them are paper thin, you can hold them up to the light and see through them and a few are split and cracked. So these will not be used at all I have a stash of 0.5 x 6mm Sapele from the other kit I mentioned earlier that will replace it.
So on with the planking, as I said the first planking is 2 x 5mm, which will be a bit of a challenge to bend around some of the tight curves of this hull. My prefered method of bending planks is to soak them in cold water for half an hour or so and then pin them to the hull and let them dry, once dry they are removed and any slight adjustments are made and then they are glued to the hull. I find by using this method the planks conform to the shape of the hull and very little force is need to get them to lay the way you want them to.
I think that the first plank and the garboard plank are the two most important planks to get right, if these are positioned correctly the rest will fall into place.
So the first plank on this ship is to follow the line of the main deck along the middle section and the bottom edge of it to end level with bottom edge of the stern counter while the front allowed to follow it's natural line at the bow.
    
     
      
       
        
The bulwarks will be planked next and then the garboard plank will be fitted and the planks in between it and the first plank fitted.
 
 

Thanks Eamonn, a lathe does help allot but care still needs to be taken to ensure the holes are centred, which on more than one occasion has not been the case for me either!
 
The fairing of the bulkheads and filler blocks has been completed, their not absolutely perfect and I will probably need to fine tune them in places as the planking progresses but I am happy with how it turned out and should provide a good base for the planks.
      
       
As can be seen at the stern there is quite a sharp bend required in the planks from bulkhead 14 down to the first bulkhead on the transom.
        
         
          
I think the bow turned out fairly well. 
          
           
The next job is to lay the first planks port and starboard.
 
      

The windlass supports were modified so that they will stand upright the back scroll was cut off.
     
The offcuts were saved as they will be used as knees in front of the supports on the fore deck. A 2 x 2mm slot was cut into each support 8mm up from the foredeck for the fore fife rails. The supports for the pawl and the belfry were made from 4 x 4 mm walnut and also had slots cut into them for the fife rails.
      
The parts were then dry fitted together.
      
And with the windlass drum fitted.
      
      
Thanks for looking and the likes.
All comments welcome.

Thanks for the suggestion Keith but I have found a brass gear in my spares box that I am going to use.
 
The holes for the hand spikes were marked onto the flats and drilled with a 1.5mm drill.
      
      
      
I then gently tapped in the point of a square needle file to square the holes.
      
The pawl gear was the next part that needed to be fitted. 
      
This brass gear was from a kit I started back in the '90s and never finished, the hull was damaged in a move and binned but I kept the fittings and all of the strip wood and dowel that was not used which has come in very handy over the years. The gear has an I.D. of 6mm and the centre part or the windlass has a diameter of 9mm so it will need to be turned down. I cut the windlass in half at one edge of the centre spindle and turned it down in my lathe to fit the gear.
       
A 1.1mm hole was drilled into the centre of each half so that a 1mm brass dowel could be used to join them back together.
       
        
         
The next step will be to modify the supports to stand upright along with continuing to fair the hull.
Thanks for looking and the likes.
All commments welcome.
 

I'm afraid I find rigging to be extremely tedious and it is the least liked part of a build for me.
 
 
Sorry..   

Been modeling since I was allowed to use glue. Not always ships, but most of the skills transfer. I have added some shots of recent builds. As I write this, I'm expecting delivery of my next, a Scientific HMS Bounty, that ought to keep me from pulling what's left of my hair out during this lockdown. 
 
In no particular order:
Scientific Cutty Sark. This one got started in Florida about a year and a half ago, then got packed away with the hull finished, but no masts, etc. because of a cross country move. Finished it while looking for a job in my new home.


 
One of those real cheap laser cut DIY models for 18 dollars. I wasn't going to finish it, because the planking was some cheap wood and may have been bamboo for all I know. My wife encouraged me to finish (she's happy to have me sitting quietly in the living room while she binge watches Mom reruns.) She said, "Have fun with it." The result came out ok for the piece of crap that it is. Yes, that's green gingham tissue paper on the hull. And I was also playing around with waves, which didn't come out as good.

Here are some non-ship models.
 
Guillows Curtis Warhawk P-40. Wood with rubber band motor. It flew, you just had to throw it really hard.

Monocoupe, not sure what brand. It had a lot of wood carving on the cowl and the wheel fenders. This one flew, too. It crashed a lot because of an overzealous pilot. Repaired and repainted many times. 

Guillows DC-3. Lot's of work. It's hanging in my bedroom like I was still twelve.


B-17, Hasegawa, plastic. Small scale, so not much detail. A Bit o' Lace. I tried to reproduce worn aluminum. The plastic was grayish, looked like gun metal. I dabbed on some thinned silver with a puffy brush. I looks more like zinc, but I am happy with the results. Next time, I'll get a larger scale. 

 
And finally, a car model. '55 Bel-Air Nomad. Everybody wants one, but who can afford it? I did the next best thing. And yes, the Velociraptor is driving. Who's going to tell him he can't?

As a side note, I wasn't sure if Modeling was spelled with one or two L's. Spell check didn't fire either way. For the record, it turns out Americans prefer one L, while the British use two. I'm going with the American spelling, because what do Brits know about speaking English? :). That ought to get me some really nice welcomes. 

Thanks Keith, that sounds like a good idea I might do that for added security.
 
The fore deck and quarter deck have been fitted.
    
     
      
      
      
       
After fitting the fore deck I noticed a large gap between the horns on the bulkheads, which will be used to form the shape of the bulwarks, and the deck profile, so much that when the fairing of the bow is completed the horns on the first two bulkheads will almost completely disappear. The area marked in red in the photo below shows the material that needs to be removed from the bow filler blocks.
       
To overcome this I glued some 4mm ply to the horns on the first three bulkheads, once the bulwarks are formed these will be cut off.
       
Thanks for looking and the likes.
Comments always welcome.
 

Hello All,
The aft cabin bulkhead has been completed and installed. Before it was glued on I painted two areas of bulkhead 11 black where it may be glimpsed through the window or door.
     
The bulkhead was then glued on.
     
      
The decks were test fitted and required minimal adjustment to the slots to let them sit down onto the bulkheads. As can be seen in the photos there is a significant curve in the bulkheads especially on the quarter deck and with the decks being made of 2mm ply will need to be pinned securely to the bulkheads while the glue dries, so nail holes were marked onto the decks.
      
The fore and quarter decks were similarly marked and then drilled with a 0.65mm drill to take the 0.75mm nails that will be used. After that was done the decks were marked for the planking pattern. I am going to use a 4 butt shift and have worked out with the deck length that the planks will be 100mm long, a margin plank (5mm wide) will be fitted at the fore and aft end of the main deck and at the aft end of the quarter deck, with this marked spaces of 25mm were measured from the front of the fore deck these will represent the main beams for the butts to land on (they are the dark pen lines in the following photo). The fore and quarter decks were also marked.
       
The light pencil lines in between the pen lines are for the intermediate beams which I am not sure whether or not I will use for trunnels. I will wait and see how it looks after I have added trunnels to the planks along the main beams. These lines will also be used to locate the position of the uprights which will be glued between the deck and the cap rail and they will be transferred to the outer hull so that I can use them as a reference when the second planking is laid as this will be in scale lengths also.
The nails were tapped into the main deck 
      
and it was glued to the false keel and bulkheads.
      
       
The assembly has been was set aside for 24 hrs to dry.
Thanks for looking and the likes.
All comments welcome.

The mast supports for the fore and main mast were made from the parts of the ply sheet that was in the slots of the bulkheads.
    
They were shaped with a round file and glued about halfway down the slot for each mast as the deck will support them at deck level.
    
     
I decided to make a 'step' for each mast by leaving the lower support square forming a 4mm wide slot at the base of the mast.
     
      
A step was cut into the base of the dowels.
       
 And they were test fitted into the slots.
        
Thanks for looking and the likes.
All comments welcome.
 

Hello All, 
The stern cabin wall has been painted, the window and door frame still need to painted white.
     
The stern windows have been glued to the transom and the transom assembly has been glued to the false keel.
      
      
The only way I could think of to hold the transom square while the glue dried was to use the slots in the quarter deck to key it to the bulkheads already fitted. It was pinned to the keel and glued on using two part epoxy as recommended in the instructions for added strength as there is not a lot to glue it to.
       
        
The glue was left to dry for 24 hrs and then the deck was removed.
         
         
I have also made and fitted the mast supports. Photos in the next post.

Hi Captain Hook and thank you for your kind words and the link. This model is in the Power House Museum in Sydney it was built in the 1930's to commemorate the 150th landing of the first fleet. I think from memory it is 1:24 scale and the same modeller also built a 1:24 scale model of the HMS Sirius. I don't know whether they are still on display as I haven't been to the museum for quite a long time.
I have the link saved and will be using the excellent photos on it as a reference to the enhancements I am making to this model.
 
Bulkhead 19 has been glued on along with the bow filler blocks.
      
       
       
        
Some work has also been done on the aft cabin bulkhead, 2 pieces of 0.5mm timber were fitted to the into the front of the doorway to a depth of 2mm so that the door will rest against these when fitted from the rear. Two door frames were also cut from a piece of 0.5 x 5mm basswood.
        
The cabin window was made by setting some 0.5mm timber into the rear of the frame to a depth of 2mm and then placing a piece of acetate onto them and gluing the frames, made from 0.88 styrene rod, and then adding some more 0.5mm timber painted white over them to form the outer frame for the window.
       
        
         
          
Another frame will be fitted around the window to hide the gaps.
Thanks for looking and the likes
Comments always welcome.