texxn5

The "Natural" colored stains really reflect a nice finish especially with a satin finish clear varnish. Looks really good Mike, you're moving right along.

Thanks John - it may not seem like much, but as much as I was disliking all the stains I tried, it was really a big load off my mind to find a winner. It was kind of one of those "duh" moments. I didn't like any color, so what about no color.
 
Thinking about it now, I am surprised at how many other tasks were on hold until I could get the deck resolved.

I have completed several complex models over the years. The last completed was the Sovereign of the Seas and that was the most intense and difficult up to that point. I am now working on the Royal William and this makes the SOS look like a piece of cake. The RW is extremely difficult because it leaves much of the build to the disgression of the builder. Most of it has to be created from scratch even though it is techically a kit. But I have to confess, I chose it for this exact reason. I wanted a real challenge, and it does not disappoint. I have made a lot of mistakes along the way, but I have learned a great deal, and have improved my skills considerably for the next model once she is completed.
 
Vince P.

I have built Sovereign of the Seas,Victory,San Felipe,Royal Louis,& 2 models of the Vasa. The Royal William I am currently working on is definitely the most difficult to me.
 
Mark

Probably.  Royal William, Soleil Royal, Wasa/Vasa, Sovereign of the Seas are in there also.   There's an awful lot of these over the top ships sold, but few get finished.  There's not just complexity but also redundancy to be taken into account.  Building, installing, and rigging 20 guns is one thing.  Doing 50 or 100 is another.  More planking, more rigging.
 
Maybe instead of rating them on experience, they should be rated on the stubbornness and determination of the builder?      

This is kind of hard to quantify as each manufacturer seems to have it's own system on "rating".    Generally, the more guns, the more masts, and the more decorations (aka fiddly bits), then the higher rated it should be.  

Thanks Elijah - I wish ya'll could see it in person. It really came out exactly as I was imagining. Add to that the boxwood deck planks have some color variation, and since they're cut as 20' planks rather than one strake, the variations are randomly scattered throughout.
 
I've put down one coat of varnish this morning. Will let that dry and then sand. Expecting to do 3 coats.

I believe I have the coloring situation resolved. Since I didn't like any stain I was testing on the boxwood, I went with a color called Natural.  No real pigmentation, it just gives sort of a wet look. I love it! Pix below but as usual they don't do justice to colors. I have pre-treated and then stained the deck.
 
For the nibbing strake I did go ahead with the Bright Cherry stain I mentioned earlier. I've also resolved not to use any more basswood on the deck. Using the same stain, the color difference between basswood and boxwood is noticeable - at least to me.
 
Also below is the bowsprit with booms. I think I'll try more of the rigging on this structure. I would think it needs to be pretty solid (and mounted) before masts can be stepped and rigged.

Thanks guys!
Ken - The two rolls of copper match do match. They both remained sealed in their plastic packages until I opened them at the same time. A short length on each roll (the first "wrap around") was quite a bit darker than the rest of the rolls, so I didn't use it and I'm cutting plates from both rolls as I go, so I don't anticipate any trouble with colour. Keeping the rows straight and even is another matter though!
 
Dave - I haven't started my Rattlesnake yet, but I do need to have a couple of things on the go at the same time, both to relieve the tedium of the repetitive jobs and also because sometimes it takes only five or 10 minutes to paint or glue something then you can't carry on with it until it has set up. On this model, I have been working ahead on the small boats - the four of them are about half done and I've also been working on the gun carriages.
 
David

Technology - what a difference 20-30 years make

Technology - what a difference 20-30 years make

Well I hit one of those "chicken and egg" situations.  I wanted to glue the basswood nibbing strake to the deck edge but then I began thinking about coloring. On thought lead to another.  Several problems:
 
1. I still don't have a stain I like for the boxwood deck
2. Any stain I use is going to look different on basswood vs boxwood.
3. I want a decent sized gap between the strake and deck so I can add a good filling of "caulking" (probably PA glue with coloring)
4. Whatever the caulking ends up being, I'm afraid the basswood and to a lesser extent the boxwood could absorb some of the coloring. If so I probably lose the nice clean edges as the coloring soaks into the interior of the planks.
5. Considered different colored stains for deck and strake. If so then each needs to be colored and finished before gluing together.
 
Hey at least I'm thinking ahead
 
 
A few ideas towards these problems:
 
1. I will hit the paint store on the way home today. I WILL find something I like today.
2. Decided to use a completely different stain on the nibbing strake.  We used a stain called Bright Cherry on all the cabinetry in our house. I love the color - kind of a light redwood. I plan to use this for all deck structures so I will use it for the strake as well
3. I think if I get the deck and strake stained and lacquered (sealed), any colored filler would wipe off much better and would not be absorbed.
     3B. I might consider using black construction paper in the gap rather than a liquid filler.
 
 
I installed the jib boom on the bowsprit. No glue so far. Just lashed the heel to the boom saddle per the plans.  MY FIRST RIGGING!!!

Hello Nenad, our sympathies and prayers go out to you and your family as well.
John

Looking really good. Moving right along with this.

Such a magnificent ship, and you're making her look majestic and gorgeous. Beautiful job.
John

Looks like a fun project...very nice Nigel

Such a magnificent ship, and you're making her look majestic and gorgeous. Beautiful job.
John

Such a magnificent ship, and you're making her look majestic and gorgeous. Beautiful job.
John

Looks like a fun project...very nice Nigel

She's coming together nicely. Great job on the stern frames.

Hi All,
 
A small update as I've finished the first part of the stern framing.
 
First step as usual was the clean off the laser char and here I went very light given the stern timbers have complex curves I didn't want to alter by mistake. The stern timbers were then glued in place, making sure they were firmly seated against bulkhead 8 and that their angles matched the template.  I copied the paper templates onto clear transparency film so I could see the timbers completely and so line them up easily. I did double check there was no scale offset when I copied them as Chuck warns in his instructions. The film is also much stronger than paper so I could use clips to hold the template against the frames without risk of tearing.
 
The upper side pieces were then chamfered so they fit snugly against the stern timbers and, together with the hull frames, were glued in place following the laser etched reference lines. I used my steel rule to make sure the upper pieces were not tilted in or outboard, again as warned in the instructions as these pieces form the bottom sills for the aft cannon ports. Once the glue set, my final check was to overlay the window template to double check the spacings.  Seems to be OK, but please sing out if you see anything amiss so I can correct it! 
 
Next up is some careful fairing of the upper pieces and then adding the sills and lintels to complete the window framing.
 
Thanks for reading and again for all the kind comments and "likes".  
 
Cheers,
 
Nigel.
 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

Hello Art, this is a very good question. I have investigated both models, and recently finished the Charles W Morgan which has 7 whaleboats. I have a good library on whaleboats. There were many variations of these boats as they were basically expendable. The Model Shipways to me seems to be the best choice, and the details are up to you as to how detailed you want to build it. I have a section on whaleboats on my website with a page called "New Bedford Whaleboats" and also a build log from another modeler who is building the MS model. Personally, I would go with the Model Shipways, and it is built in the USA.
Check my website:
 
http://www.charleswmorganmodel.com
 
John

Luck always trumps skill....glad you got the result you wanted and that you're happy - Capn' happy crew happy!....sorry you didn't get an answer, probably the weekend traffic being low..
John

Les,
Whatever works for you, is what I would say.   You could also use silver paint instead of All Clad and then gloss coat them.

Such a magnificent ship, and you're making her look majestic and gorgeous. Beautiful job.
John