Dowmer
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Everything posted by Dowmer
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Looking good Lou, I hope our conversations off line have spurred you on. The hardest part is getting those first planks on. Everything else will flow after that. Its taking shape nicely. Looking forward to the progress. I'm not sure what the kit provided for wood stock for the wales but remember that the wales was thick stuff and the planking above and below it was thinner thickness. So you should see a discernable "step" as the planking changes thickness from wales to thinner upper and lower works. Just a reminder as you go forward. -
Love the Lady Washington, now if I could only finagle a job working on her at Port Townsend shipyard. Some really great history with the original Lady Washington and the PNW.
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Just be careful, as it’s pretty soft. Just go slow and the wood should work fine. All else fails you can use boxwood.
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Mark, If you take a look at the pic of my ship “Union” up above about 10 posts you’ll see what it looks like. I used Tung oil on it and it’s sat for about 15 years in a closet. The yellow is nice and warm but not too bright. I used it to approximate the yellow ochre paint that they used on 18th century ships. Either way, what Chuck said. Oils make it a bit darker and poly and sealer a bit lighter. And it sands and carves great with good flexibility in stits. But it will always be yellow, after all, it’s in the name
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Vinnie, Check your sources for the bounty rigging. She may have used catharpins on the shrouds as well.
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I guess you could always tint the wood glue black too. After wiping off the excess and it dries if leaves a soft fine edge. Never tried it but read about it. I guess I must have stayed in a Holiday Inn Express. BTW Chuck, your opening intro says the Longboat is 1:48 scale but I thought you were building to 1/2" scale or 1:24?
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Wow Chuck, really beautiful! Signed up and ready for more. I love the smaller working boats and Sloop rigs. By the way, I second the sentiments on Alaskan Yellow cedar. I've been using it for the past 15 years or so before it was "fashionable" and common for ship building. I always liked it, and it is a dream to work with. Smells good too when you are planning it in the shop.....if you like that sort of thing.
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Al, Lou, I agree, I love talking to the old guys. They have great stories to tell of a world that's long gone. But then again, I love history so I guess that is why I love ship modeling and talking to older generations so much. In fact not just ships. My other passion is RC Scale Aircraft...the big stuff 7-9 feet wingspan. I geek out with details and historical research just like I do with the ships.
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Lou, Thanks, but no reason to be jealous. I just kind of fell into it while reading the Log of the Union. Every blind squirrel eventually finds a nut. He was a cool old codger. He had some cool stories about sailing before the mast when the sailing lumber trade was still active out of Pudget Sound.
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Phil, Great tutorial...even if its a bit analytical and wordy (referring to your lawyer comment earlier ). I think this is a great tool or refresher for those of us getting back into the hobby or even seasoned ones. Its always nice to see "other ways" of doing things and alternative ideas. There are many ways to "skin a cat", no offense to cat lovers. Keep it up. Its also nice to see that although there are tools out there that make building much more enjoyable and easier, you can certainly accomplish the tasks with minimal tools as you have shown. Kudos.
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Al, I built........errr I'm still building the Union, 1792 1:48 scale. My avatar pic is her. A ship from Pacific NW History and a contemporary of the Lady Washington. I used all natural woods on the hull for the different colors. Its an ongoing 15 year project (been on hold for several), but I plan to renew building her soon and starting a thread.
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Lou, Actually, when I built the Union, I was living in Whidbey Island, WA in your neck of the woods. I discovered that the maritime historian Hewitt Jackson lived in Bellevue WA. So I befriended him and he convinced me to build the ship. I used to take trips over to visit him (since he was in his 90s and living alone) with a bottle of single malt scotch. Building the model was a collaboration of sorts with Hewitt since he wanted to publish another book specifically on the ship. He was involved in the details of the build and saw its construction. Unfortunately he passed away in 2007. You are correct about an interesting NW history. Quite remarkable! As far as the Lady Washington goes, Hewitt Jackson was involved in the initial part of the building draughts for her reconstruction. He gave me the blueprints to her and others involved in West coast history. So some day I plan to model them all, Columbia Redidiva, Lady Washington, Chatham, Discovery etc. There is a beautiful model of the Discovery at the Oregon Historical Society Museum in Portland. Also, The famed modeler Lloyd McCaffery did a miniature version of the Lady Washington and gifted it to Hewitt. He used to keep it on his desk. A real work of art. Fair Winds, and keep plugging away at the Providence.
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Nice going Al. I just found your Halifax build. You are doing a great job. I used the Hahn method of framing on my first POF build too. A bit tedious at first but in the end it held everything nice and snug. I ended up pinning my frames to the keel and deadwood as well. Once the Wales go on the structure really stiffens up. But man, what a great feeling to cut the ship off the board. You have an instant ship!!
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Paul, Nicely done. Just started following so I have a bit of catching up to do, but I'm enjoying the archeological mix with the build immensely.
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Thanks Lou, I have a little bit of Sloop experience. Check out my profile, I have several pics of my latest project. "Union" 1792 - 1:48 scale - scratch-build. Dimensions aren't too far from your Providence. No build thread as of yet. Unfortunately, I took a 15 year hiatus due to work, family etc. but I hope to start a build thread soon and get back to finishing the darn thing. It is no means of the caliber and craftsmanship of some of the fine models on this site, but its the best I can do with the limited resources I had at the time. The Union was the first of its class (sloop) to circumnavigate the globe in 1794 (Scary if you think about it). A pretty interesting subject in Pacific NW history. All the ships I hope to build....(note I said hope, with enough free time, money, and life expectancy ) were important to Pacific NW history in some way, shape or form. Unfortunately, none come in kit form. So I have to do a lot of discovery and "guesstimate" or educated guesses based on general shipbuilding practices of the time like you do for your concept build. Here's a quick snap of one pic to give you an idea. I look forward to see more of your Providence. BTW, I'm assuming this is the same Providence that was Captain John Paul Jones first command 1776? Fair Winds
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Looking good Mark. Following along on this great build. I have a lot of catching up to do. The small boats are coming along nicely.
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Hey Lou, just found your build and am following along. Glad to see a Northwestie! Seems I'm a bit late to the party but I like the "Concept" build. There are so many ships out there with so little known details that sometimes you have to just dive in and use "common" practices as much as possible to work out the details interspersed with known facts. Well done and I'll' be watching
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Thanks Chuck, Much of the ship was built several years ago before I put it into storage and no pictures were taken to document the building. I'm coming up on a household move...again....so when I get settled next year I plan on re-starting the build and I'll document my progress. Its a unique subject completely scratch built and I don't think anyone has ever built her before. Until then, I have several pictures in my profile to wet one's appetite. Fair winds.
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I second...or third and fourth the recommendation about the Alaskan Yellow Cedar. I like to use it to replicate the yellow look of the ship sides. Oil finish really brings out the color. Some black paint on the edges replicates the caulking. The best part for me is the cedar smell....if you like that sort of thing. Below is a pic of the "Union" 1792 under construction. Yellow cedar, ebony and Holly for the different colors.
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