JerseyCity Frankie

I think the watchword is "First, do no harm" meaning don't use any methods that will damage the model. Dry loose dirt can be removed with a dry paintbrush or a toothbrush but usually there is a hard coating of grime.  I agree Q-tips are the tool of choice for the next steps. start cleaning by swabbing with a Q-tip dipped in warm water. Slowly go over every hard surface on the model, being lavish in the use of Q-tips and throwing them away as soon as they collect any dirt.  If that won't work, add some mild soap. Then try some household cleaners. Denatured alcohol is good but leaves a chalky residue. After this point it becomes a chemistry experiment and you are on shaky ground since anything you do from this point on could be irreversible. Thinner, turpentine, nail polish remover and a product called Goof Off sold in hardware stores for removing paint and hardened crud. I have had to resort to all of these at one point or another. But by now your likely to be stripping off original paint and this is something you should avoid. Hopefully you won't have to go to that level of aggressive chemical cleaning.
There is a product sold for art restoration called "Cleaning Solution for Paintings" made by the Webber company. Its probably a blend of a bunch of mild chemical solvents and will make you dizzy if used without ventilation. But it does an excellent job of smoothing out the finish of old ship models and making the paint or varnish look revitalized just by wiping some on with a rag. Since its formulated for art restoration I assume its not as dangerous to the model as the Goof Off mentioned above, which can and will strip old paint to the bare wood.

I needed a bell for a model I am restoring and I did not want to see what the internet had, nor wait for it to arrive if it even existed in the first place.
3mm was the thickest solid rod my local art supply store had, I was hoping for something thicker that I could then carve down to a bell shape. 
Instead I used a ring of brass wire set into a grove cut into the rod stock to represent the flared out shape of the bottom of the bell.
I used the high speed cut off wheel for most of this. I have a love/hate relationship with these disks. On the one hand they cut through anything. On the other hand they are so fragile they always break apart. I have used hundreds of them and maybe only three of those actually wore down to a tiny doughnut. The rest broke being handled or flew apart while under load. I have never been cut by flying pieces but then again I ALWAYS use eye protection when using a cut off wheel.
I have no lathe so this is all by hand and eye. I cut a groove around the rod and I round off the end of the rod to resemble the curved top of the bell. I wrap thickish brass wire down into the groove I cut, aiming for exactly the right length so the wire forms a ring. Then I hammer this down with a tack hammer, trying to mash the wire into the groove while smoothing the juncture with the rod.
Then I use the cut off wheel some more, this time as a shaping tool, smoothing the transition from the wire to the rod.
Then I part off the "bell" and as I was doing this I realized I could leave a bit of the "stalk" intact to look like a clapper.
I drilled a hole in the top of the bell and put in a fine brass wire eye, secured with super glue. I did not want to solder anything as I was going to use the brass in its natural finish.

I have learned to tie the lashings tighter and closer together to create less of a footprint as well as that the shrouds from the Mizzen tear out seem to cause the lashings to be irregular in how they tie to the ratboards. I do think they are looking better, and that is also why I started on the Port side Mizzen which will be my least noticable area.

Here are two before and after shots of the bow of a model I restored using the Golden brand MSA varnish. naturally I CLEANED the model and removed a lot of built up nastiness. As you can see the varnish really brings out a lot of color, color I am sure was once there on the original model.
Hats off to your grandfather and his life at sea, this makes the model all the more attractive and worthwhile in my opinion.

JerseyCity Frankie,
 
What do you think about the restorers varnish on the decks etc?
 
I don't want to go into it and come out looking like the schooner.
 
BTW,  My Grandfather built from experience.  He was third mate on a full rigged ship from Mystic CT to Honolulu HI, around Cape Horn.
 
Also worked at the Shipyard in Noank Ct. during its heyday as the largest wooden shipbuilding on the East Coast run by his Uncle.
 
Schooner is of actual vessel built there.  Was a Xmas present to my cousin's Father 1930.

The thinnest thread I have been able to get my hands on is Fly Tying Thread intended for fly fishermen who make their own lures- the kind with little feathers and stuff lashed onto them. This thread is very very fine and comes in many colors but it has some drawbacks. Its not made of an organic vegetable fiber and has a lot of 'memory" meaning it won't drape and lay across the deck, its like an uncoiled spring that has to be glued into position. The clothing and sportswear company Eddie Bauer is where I found mine, the two retail shops of theirs which I have been into each had a fishing department in the back and they stock this thread.
Here is a photo I found of a guy lashing ratlines. Note the relative thickness of the tarred marline he is using. I can't imagine the seizing material ever needing to be thicker than this.
In fact the finished seizing is put on very tight and viewed from a distance its really only noticeable due to the color contrast. So maybe you could get away with simply gluing the ratlines on then painting the lashings with a contrasting color?

Oh dear I worry the lashings on those ratlines are made of too thick stuff. 

The thinnest thread I have been able to get my hands on is Fly Tying Thread intended for fly fishermen who make their own lures- the kind with little feathers and stuff lashed onto them. This thread is very very fine and comes in many colors but it has some drawbacks. Its not made of an organic vegetable fiber and has a lot of 'memory" meaning it won't drape and lay across the deck, its like an uncoiled spring that has to be glued into position. The clothing and sportswear company Eddie Bauer is where I found mine, the two retail shops of theirs which I have been into each had a fishing department in the back and they stock this thread.
Here is a photo I found of a guy lashing ratlines. Note the relative thickness of the tarred marline he is using. I can't imagine the seizing material ever needing to be thicker than this.
In fact the finished seizing is put on very tight and viewed from a distance its really only noticeable due to the color contrast. So maybe you could get away with simply gluing the ratlines on then painting the lashings with a contrasting color?

It pained me greatly to say anything at all critical of your otherwise really impressive model. I had strong misgivings about saying anything! I know myself, I have a hard time accepting criticism, its a character flaw of mine. 

It pained me greatly to say anything at all critical of your otherwise really impressive model. I had strong misgivings about saying anything! I know myself, I have a hard time accepting criticism, its a character flaw of mine. 

It pained me greatly to say anything at all critical of your otherwise really impressive model. I had strong misgivings about saying anything! I know myself, I have a hard time accepting criticism, its a character flaw of mine. 

Hi Frankie, I really want to thank you for pointing this out to me. As I sat back and looked at it I rally could see how bad it looked. I hate to have to tear things apart, but I started trying. I was so caught up in what I was doing, I failed to look at it objectively. Your comment woke me up to my oblivion. It is a slow process but I'm tackling it now. Part of the problem is that I glued the string with Testor's Green cement and it is the devil to get loose. Plus the fact that the string I used is cotton, so it comes apart. Have no fear - Chuck is here to bail me out. I have some of his light brown .008 line that I had set aside for something else and it works perfectly - only problem is I don't have enough of it, so I have to get an order in to him asap. Thanks again, I'll post pictures shortly.
John

It certainly makes me wonder what the circumstances were that would prompt the decision to run the bowsprit inboard. If you can simply take in sail, why go to all the trouble of physically running the bowsprit inboard? Consider that "all that trouble ALSO could mean striking the topmast, since the topmast stay would lose effectiveness the closer inboard it was made.
I suppose if the boat was pitching excessively it would run the tip of the bowsprit into the sea and threaten its breaking off and this would necessitate getting it in out of the way?
It certainly must have been an exciting life being crew on one of these cutters, the fastest thing afloat but with no creature comforts. Very little room for anything on deck and when the time comes to strike the rig, imagine the chaos for the leiutenant giving orders in the proper sequence. There would be no room for any shortcomings in crew competence. With everything struck, wouldn't every available inch of deck space be piled high with coils and spars? Then when the weather moderates, put it all back in place!

The spar would run inboard very easily in comparison to the effort required to run it out. The geometry of the standing rigging bearing on its outer end would always be trying to run it inboard. Also there are plenty of lines already attached to the spar convenient for hauling it inboard, and note that these lines need not be attached directly to the heel of the spar, a purchase at any point on the spar could be used for pulling the spar back inboard. 
Also the fid holes clearly are for adjusting the sail area and center of effort of the vessel. Considering the fact that cutters already had Bowsprit Travelers its a wonder the designers felt this extra bit of control was worth all the trouble of configuring a spar so it could be adjusted this way.

The spar would run inboard very easily in comparison to the effort required to run it out. The geometry of the standing rigging bearing on its outer end would always be trying to run it inboard. Also there are plenty of lines already attached to the spar convenient for hauling it inboard, and note that these lines need not be attached directly to the heel of the spar, a purchase at any point on the spar could be used for pulling the spar back inboard. 
Also the fid holes clearly are for adjusting the sail area and center of effort of the vessel. Considering the fact that cutters already had Bowsprit Travelers its a wonder the designers felt this extra bit of control was worth all the trouble of configuring a spar so it could be adjusted this way.

It certainly makes me wonder what the circumstances were that would prompt the decision to run the bowsprit inboard. If you can simply take in sail, why go to all the trouble of physically running the bowsprit inboard? Consider that "all that trouble ALSO could mean striking the topmast, since the topmast stay would lose effectiveness the closer inboard it was made.
I suppose if the boat was pitching excessively it would run the tip of the bowsprit into the sea and threaten its breaking off and this would necessitate getting it in out of the way?
It certainly must have been an exciting life being crew on one of these cutters, the fastest thing afloat but with no creature comforts. Very little room for anything on deck and when the time comes to strike the rig, imagine the chaos for the leiutenant giving orders in the proper sequence. There would be no room for any shortcomings in crew competence. With everything struck, wouldn't every available inch of deck space be piled high with coils and spars? Then when the weather moderates, put it all back in place!

Oh dear I worry the lashings on those ratlines are made of too thick stuff. 

Oh dear I worry the lashings on those ratlines are made of too thick stuff. 

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 110 – Cabin Deck
 
Anything to avoid metal sheathing.  Actually, not much can proceed on the main deck until the framing of the poop and forecastle has at least begun, so this week I have been working on the cabin deck facilities.  The poop beams cannot be installed until all of that work is finished.  In the first picture the poop deck beams have been made, cut to length and pinned in place.
 

 
The cabin deck partitions have to be cut out around these beams so having them pinned in place is a prerequisite for the partition work. 
 
The next picture shows the first steps on the partitions.
 

 
The breast beam has been glued in with pillars on either side of what will be the "grand entrance" to the cabin deck level. The central section of this beam will later be cut out so people don't have to crawl into the cabin deck.  The beginning of the paneled partition shown is the forward bulkhead of the captain's day cabin with his bookcase cabinet pre-installed – but paneled doors not yet carved.
 
We do not know what all these facilities looked like on Young America, so this is all creative design on my part – but typical of the period and the class.  Some of these ships were very elegant in décor, because the few passengers carried were probably quite wealthy.  I am using black walnut to simulate old mahogany for all the paneling and furnishings.  Otherwise it is all going to be fairly Spartan.
 
The first semi-indulgence in elegance is the double, curved entrance staircase from the main deck.  The starting block is shown in the next picture.
 

 
The panels to the right are representative of the final paneling finish.  The next picture shows the perimeter walls of the cabin areas at the sides. 
 

 
The central "salon area" was open with tables and places to sit.  Modeling of this will be limited to preserve the view into the lower regions.
 
In the next picture the bannister of the staircase is being sanded to size after the treads, the balusters and the lower part of the rail were fitted. 
 

 
There will be a cap rail to cover the mortise holes for the balusters. 
 
The next picture shows the paneling of the fore and aft partitions in progress.
 

 
The panels are built up using thin strips on an underlying thin sheet of walnut. The port panels are incomplete in this picture. 
 
 In the next picture the capping rail on the staircase has been fitted but not yet trimmed, the paneling of the starboard wall completed and door hardware installed.
 

 
The captain's cabin was traditionally on the starboard side, close to the exit to the main deck.  In this arrangement his day cabin doorway is right outside the stairs.  The last picture shows the inside of the captain's cabins from above.
 

 
The day cabin in the center of the photo has a table, built-in bench and the book cabinet.  It is quite small.  A doorway to the left leads to his sleeping quarters.  Only his dresser is in place as yet.  In addition to the captain's palatial space, there are six other cabins for passengers and the mate.  All are quite small.  There will also be two small cubicles aft – a toilet and a storage space.
 
The crew space on these ships was a large cabin on the main deck – to be constructed much later.
 
Metal sheathing has begun, but has been held up waiting for some .002" brass.
 
Ed

Sounds to me like this arrangement is exactly like that of the Top Rope on a topmast. If you look at how topmasts are swayed up, its very easy to imagine this same principle being used horizontally for the bowsprit. I built a cutter once and at the time I was frustrated at the lack of documentation of how the bowsprit was run in and out, and exactly how the bits or samson post at the windlass forward was shaped in order to control the bowsprit. But there must be a fid of some sort to hold the spar in place once its located properly.
But that led to further unanswered questions concerning the Bowsprit. For instance, were there only two positions available, All the way inboard and all the way outboard, or was there a way to run the spar out only halfway? If this is so, there would have to be another fid hole somewhere along the inner third of the bowsprit?  But I can't see the riggers allowing a hole in the spar anywhere along its length, particularly on a cutter. Alternatively there could PERHAPS have been a fitting on the fife rail to accept the fid at the spars heel?

so for the sails I never use the cheese cloth the kits provide. I purchased some light weight off white material at hobby lobby
I use for all my builds.   The Jolie Brise has a faded reddish set of sails so I used burgundy and brown food coloring with tea stain solution to stain the sails I sewed for this kit.   I modified the length for the large spanker sail to fit to compensate for the addition of the coach roof.   One little change in the kit will make a difference to other areas of interest.
 

refine hull and paint

My two or three cents about pins and pinrails: Use the smallest possible pin you can find or make, this will prevent a cascading series of scale issues from developing later. Obviously the smaller the pins, the more can be fit on a rail. Every pinrail I have seen has the pins spaced evenly about 10" apart. Any closer together and the belayed lines passed around the pins would interfere with each other and the sailors couldn't get their hands in there.
Most of the pins I see on models are too big and have en exaggerated shape and if scaled up would look like three foot high wooden lightbulbs. Most actual pins are two inches wide at most and are seldom longer than 18". They do flare out on their upper halves, but only a bit and a human hand can still grasp them- the commercially available ones all too often flare out into nearly spherical globes. Also consider that once there is a line on the pin, the pin itself is no longer visible except maybe its very top. For this  reason I mostly just use wire or rod.
An issue that always arises is the apparent low number of pins, modelers often find their accurate plans do not provide enough places for all the lines to belay to. This is a very common problem.
As mentioned above, another very common problem is not fixing your pinrail strongly enough. There isn't very much tension on them but the pinrails on models do very often pull out or distort from the accumulated strain placed on them by the rigging, which apparently over time can contract.

I needed a bell for a model I am restoring and I did not want to see what the internet had, nor wait for it to arrive if it even existed in the first place.
3mm was the thickest solid rod my local art supply store had, I was hoping for something thicker that I could then carve down to a bell shape. 
Instead I used a ring of brass wire set into a grove cut into the rod stock to represent the flared out shape of the bottom of the bell.
I used the high speed cut off wheel for most of this. I have a love/hate relationship with these disks. On the one hand they cut through anything. On the other hand they are so fragile they always break apart. I have used hundreds of them and maybe only three of those actually wore down to a tiny doughnut. The rest broke being handled or flew apart while under load. I have never been cut by flying pieces but then again I ALWAYS use eye protection when using a cut off wheel.
I have no lathe so this is all by hand and eye. I cut a groove around the rod and I round off the end of the rod to resemble the curved top of the bell. I wrap thickish brass wire down into the groove I cut, aiming for exactly the right length so the wire forms a ring. Then I hammer this down with a tack hammer, trying to mash the wire into the groove while smoothing the juncture with the rod.
Then I use the cut off wheel some more, this time as a shaping tool, smoothing the transition from the wire to the rod.
Then I part off the "bell" and as I was doing this I realized I could leave a bit of the "stalk" intact to look like a clapper.
I drilled a hole in the top of the bell and put in a fine brass wire eye, secured with super glue. I did not want to solder anything as I was going to use the brass in its natural finish.

I needed a bell for a model I am restoring and I did not want to see what the internet had, nor wait for it to arrive if it even existed in the first place.
3mm was the thickest solid rod my local art supply store had, I was hoping for something thicker that I could then carve down to a bell shape. 
Instead I used a ring of brass wire set into a grove cut into the rod stock to represent the flared out shape of the bottom of the bell.
I used the high speed cut off wheel for most of this. I have a love/hate relationship with these disks. On the one hand they cut through anything. On the other hand they are so fragile they always break apart. I have used hundreds of them and maybe only three of those actually wore down to a tiny doughnut. The rest broke being handled or flew apart while under load. I have never been cut by flying pieces but then again I ALWAYS use eye protection when using a cut off wheel.
I have no lathe so this is all by hand and eye. I cut a groove around the rod and I round off the end of the rod to resemble the curved top of the bell. I wrap thickish brass wire down into the groove I cut, aiming for exactly the right length so the wire forms a ring. Then I hammer this down with a tack hammer, trying to mash the wire into the groove while smoothing the juncture with the rod.
Then I use the cut off wheel some more, this time as a shaping tool, smoothing the transition from the wire to the rod.
Then I part off the "bell" and as I was doing this I realized I could leave a bit of the "stalk" intact to look like a clapper.
I drilled a hole in the top of the bell and put in a fine brass wire eye, secured with super glue. I did not want to solder anything as I was going to use the brass in its natural finish.