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shipmodel

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  1. shipmodel
    Hello all - Welcome to those of you who followed my build log of my previous ocean liner, the SS Andrea Doria. If you have not seen it, you can reach it by clicking the link below my profile, below. The Michelangelo was a slightly newer ship and sleeker in appearance. To give myself a bit more of a challenge, the model is being built to the scale of 1/350 rather than 1/200 as were my previous liner models. This means that the model's overall length is just over 31", which is a reasonable size for home display. I hope to still incorporate the same level of detail as at the larger scale, with some windows laser cut and others done with custom decals. Railings, ladders, etc. will be done in photoetched brass, and let me tell you, those pieces are tiny! The primary challenge of the build will be to replicate the cages around the funnels at this scale. The cages are one of the most visually appealing aspects of the ship, and were magnets for publicity photographs and even made it to the cover of the New York Times Magazine section. Nice shape, don't you think? As usual, my research began with trolling the internet, various books and other publications for images of the ship that would confirm and supplement the engineering drawings that would be ordered from the Italian naval archives. Out of about a thousand images some 200 were selected that were of such sufficient clarity and resolution to be useful. The covered almost every aspect of the ship, from her construction in the Anseldo Shipyards in Genoa to her ultimate end in the Pakistani breakers yard in 1991 Next time I will go into the process that I used to go from the plans to a laid-up basswood hull. Until then, be well Dan
  2. shipmodel
    Hi Tom - Your Connie is coming along very nicely. Really clean work on the tops. One quick suggestion - if you are planning to install crowsfeet from the tops to the stays, you should drill the holes now before installing the tops. It is a real bear to get them drilled neatly afterwards. Will we see her in New London at the Joint Clubs Conference at the end of April? Dan
  3. shipmodel
    Hi Marc - Fascinating discussion. You are clearly doing your homework, and then some. Have you drawn an expansion of the layout from the top (plan view) for the three decks where you have balconies? Figuring out a reasonable interior layout may help you with the exterior decisions - the locations of doors to the balconies, for example. You might also get an idea of how wide (deep) the balconies are. Obviously, they need to be wide enough to permit a man to walk along them between the windows and the rails. One thing you have not mentioned, probably because it has not come up yet, is that it seems to me that the central sections of the balconies are extended aft to make a larger area for sitting. and that is what is shown on the side view. Is this how you see it? I really like the added depth of the sills for the gunports and your attention to the small detail that the lower ports have deeper sills than the upper ones. Be well Dan
  4. shipmodel
    Mark - A very nice example of how to merge modern technology and techniques with traditional building methods. You are on the laser cutting edge of this and I am looking forward to your future postings of your thoughts on how it all comes together. Dan
  5. shipmodel
    Hi Charlie - Coming along really nicely. Love the crisp edges and corners you are creating. On the restored ships that I have been on, where I could tell anything about the coaming joints under various layers of paint or varnish, there was no consistent height for the coaming, nor for the placement of the lock joint. Also, sometimes there was a quarter-round molding around the coaming to protect the butt ends of the deck planks from rot. As for the carronade, I suspect most every foundry had its own pattern for the casting, which probably also changed over time, even within any one country. As for which of the commercial items to use, it depends on how you are going to mount it. The brass ones are drilled for a trunnion and carriage mount, like most cannon. The pewter one has a lug on the bottom for a slide carriage. You will have to modify them if you want to use the non-matching style. The pewter one, I think, is the most accurate overall. The brass ones do not have a vertical breeching ring, but that horizontal 'doughnut' which I think is wrong. It looks like a part of a metal elevating screw system, although the Caldercraft plans show a wooden quoin wedge for that purpose. Hope that helps. Dan PS - what an Amazing/Hearbreaking game! Had no real rooting interest, but it certainly wasn't boring.
  6. shipmodel
    Hi Charlie - There are good descriptions and drawings of some carronades in both of the volumes of the NRG's Ship Modelers' Shop Notes, which I thought you had. There were a number of styles and shapes depending on the nation of origin and the year of manufacture, so you just have to pick the one that you think fits best with your ship. The article by Mark Lardas is a good start. He is a well known and respected ship modeler and author. That said, the pivot mount for your guns is not very much like the slide mounts for broadside carronades. You can see the one I did for USS Oneida (1812) when you come to the meeting tonight. It was taken from Chapelle's description in History of the American Sailing Navy. I cannot locate the exact page at the moment. Then there are scale drawings in three perspective views in any Anatomy of the Ship book which examines a ship that carried carronades. All drawings are labeled with numbered parts, so you can see that your 'hook' is actually a 'breaching ring' and your 'lump' is part of the sighting and aligning system. Really looking forward to seeing how your laser cut parts come out. Dan
  7. shipmodel
    Hi Charlie - Just got a chance to review the last page or so. Wow, lots of thought going into your artistic choices. The experiments on wood species and finish will be referred to often, I'm sure. They certainly would make for a top notch Shop Note in the Journal. My two cents on some of your questions and techniques that worked for me: - both 'naked' and finished holly look good, but look best if they match in tone the surrounding bulwarks and deck pieces. In your last two photos both decks look good, although one is much lighter than the other. But both sit well with the rest of the model. - If you are finishing the deck, just make sure that the ink in your marker is not dissolved by the finish you use. I had to scrap a whole deck once before I learned that lesson. - the planking diagram you are using is very good, but has a small problem. Just ahead of the main hatch there are butt joints indicated that are about a foot from the coaming. No shipyard would have created an extra leakage point, just used a longer plank. Don't be rigidly locked to the drawing if it does not match common woodworking sense. - if you are scoring the butt joints into the veneer, try highlighting the groove with a sharp pencil. This has to be sealed to prevent smearing, so it will not work if you are leaving the deck unfinished. I have used a similar technique for the plank fasteners using a dull mechanical pencil. I hold it vertically on the desired spot and give it a quick spin, making a round mark. Really looking forward to seeing how your models evolve. Dan
  8. shipmodel
    Here is an illustration of it, and how it was rendered on a cannon. Dan
  9. shipmodel
    Hi Marc - The scroll looks great, but Louis XIV already has a motto, "Nec Pluribus Impar", which is said to be quite difficult to translate. The general meaning is along the lines of "Not Unequal to Many", implying that he was the equal of many suns in his power and illumination. As for placement, I have never seen any decoration across the square tuck portion of the stern. Possibly because it would be really subject to destruction from any following sea. Maybe it could go across the railing of the lowest gallery of the stern cabins? Dan
  10. shipmodel
    Hi Marc - Just stopped bye when you posted so let me wade in first. I agree with you that the top hamper would have been removed during battle,. Certainly during the period that you are interested in, and especially for the large ships of the line. They were slow and wallowing, and once into the line maneuvering was not part of the battle plan. I have the impression that it was actively discouraged, although I don't recall a specific example. This was why having the weather gauge was so important. Only much later, with Nelson and a few others, do the tactics change to a more fluid attack. Single ship actions between frigates and other mid-sized ships were different, and it might me interesting to check if they are shown with top hamper during battle. I'll keep an eye out. Happy Holidays to you and yours. Dan
  11. shipmodel
    Hi Nils - Really fine work on the anchor machinery. Where did you source the stud-link chain? Or did you make it yourself? Love the warning sign. Dan
  12. shipmodel
    Hi Marc - The more time I spend on the drawing/planning/thinking part of a project, the less time I spend rebuilding what I did not sufficiently think/plan/draw the first time around. You are certainly putting in your due diligence. The building should go so much smoother for the work done now. As for the window, the baroque embellishments look really good. But is it really a window? If it is the one I am thinking of, the placement and the fact that there are a line of them makes me think that they are gunports on the quarterdeck. Dan
  13. shipmodel
    Charlie - The planking looks great. Nice even tapers and a fair run back to midships. Congratulations. Dan
  14. shipmodel
    Hi Charlie - The stands came out nicely. They will support your models through all the tribulations yet to come. But you also need a way to hold and support the hull upside down when you are doing the planking. The easiest way I found for a small hull is to temporarily screw a square cut "handle", maybe 1" x 1", down the centerline of the deck. You can position the screws so the holes will later be covered by deck houses or other fittings. Then the model can be flipped over and the handle held in a vise. I see you have a Keel Klamper device, which may work for you. As far as planking widths, here is another wrinkle - the plank that runs along the keel is called the 'garboard strake' and is wider, about 1 1/2 times the width of the majority of the hull planks. The next plank up, known as the 'first broad strake' is also wider than hull planks, but not quite as wide as the garboard. This is rarely seen on a model, especially since most are either painted below the waterline to simulate the tarry stuff used to combat teredo worm, or the hull is coppered, covering everything. Not an important nit to pick, but you seem to want to get the details right, a mindset that I applaud. I am enjoying watching your progress. Dan
  15. shipmodel
    Hi Marc - I don't know if you can use fimo or the US equivalent, Sculpey, to make the mold. I know that it is great for the carvings themselves, but wonder about it capturing the detail that you want in the negative mold. I don't know if your idea of stamping out the molds will work. If you are using a latex RTV (room temperature vulcanized) mold, it will not hold the shape until it is fully cured. But you can make one small one, then use the master and the first molded one to make two more molds, then use them to make four copies, then eight, then 16, etc, etc. until you can fill the universe with them - LOL For the carvings I have had success with a two-part plastic product called Alumilite that mixes and pours into the mold. It hardens quickly and holds excellent detail. Dan
  16. shipmodel
    Hi Chuck - I agree with Highlander that the chase guns would be pointed as high toward the bow as possible when they were in use. The point of a chase port is to fire as directly ahead as possible. You would also want to tack/wear/yaw as little as possible from side to side to get both guns into action. Even then, the rate of fire would be much lower than a broadside gun. There would be plenty of time to slew the gun around as needed to worm, sponge, and reload. If the guns, especially the port one, can be maneuvered with the trucks in back fitted between the knees for the windlass and the bowsprit it looks like there would be just enough room to reload. If you can move the cannon around to that position in the limited space without lifting it off the deck it should have been possible for the crew to do so as well. Just trying to put myself into the shoes of the sailors. Dan
  17. shipmodel
    Nils - The America is at 1:192, like the Andrea Doria, the Rex, and the Uruguay. Why change a winning style. The chairs are the same scale. I don't remember where I got them, but I still have one and it measures out to 3/8", which is right if the chair is 6 feet long. Was it Tom's Modelworks ? If anyone knows let me know, because I might need some more for a future project. Dan
  18. shipmodel
    Hi Nils - No, there is no build log for the SS America. I did it before I joined MSW. I have lots of construction photos, so I may post them one day. I thought that I had some in the NRG home page Gallery, but I can't seem to find them any more. The railings are photoetch from Gold Medal Models. I spray the entire sheet with white primer and paint. Then the railing lengths are individually cut off and the handrail is brush painted with acrylics. I may have mentioned this in the build log for the Andrea Doria. Be well Dan
  19. shipmodel
    Hi Nils - Checking in after the summer and love what I am seeing. I second the compliments from everyone else and look forward to following your progress. As for the deck chairs, here is a photo of the same photoetched ones that I used on the SS America. I did decide to paint them with a simple brown spray, holding them down by sticking them to masking tape laid face up on some wood scrap. They came off easily after painting without destroying the CA joints. Be well Dan
  20. shipmodel
    Hi Mark - Checking in again and love what I am seeing. Those deck beams are very nicely done, and you should be justifiably proud of them. As for decking, you have to be careful about the differences between British and French practice. Since the French were strategically blockaded by the British for most of this period, their ship designs favored speed over carrying capacity. With lighter hulls and scantlings they could make more knots, but the ships 'worked' much more than their British counterpart of similar size. To counteract this they strengthened the decks with longitudinal stiffeners called binding strakes that were thicker and set into the deck beams, much the way the stringers stiffened the fuselage in those balsa wood planes we all built as kids. Here are several contemporary cross sections of French ships. Note that the outer binding strakes are set into the deck beams but do not rise above the deck surface. However, the ones toward the center rise above the rest of the deck level. In fact, the entire center section of the deck is raised. Frequently these binding strakes are shown on models as being contrasting color from the rest of the deck. Whether this was true on actual ships, I do not know. Further, as seen in the models, the gratings are set flush with this raised section of deck and do not have the coamings that are such a feature of British ships. Didn't mean to make extra work for you, but hope it helps. Be well Dan
  21. shipmodel
    Hi Mark - I guess we came up with similar solutions. Not surprising, but nice to know. Is it the angle of the photos, or do your structural arches angle down across the line of the wales? The drawing seems to show them more level with the wales. Dan
  22. shipmodel
    Just beautiful, Druxey - Those serpents on the oar blades are above and beyond magnificent at your scale. You are an artist in the art of ship modeling. Thanks for sharing your talents. Dan
  23. shipmodel
    Hi Mark - Very nice progress since I last looked in. It will be a fine model when finished. I puzzled over the stern galleries on all my sailing models and found that I can visualize them best when I just make them up first as a solid. I take a block of an easily worked wood like balsa or basswood and cut and carve the surface that mates with the ship, then the sides and last, the outer face. I am always surprised at how different the final shape is from what I imagined from the plans. With this in hand I can make more intelligent decisions on how to fit it out. I have even cut apart the solid to make up structural members, knowing that they already fit together. Best of success. Dan
  24. shipmodel
    Hi Ken - Just catching up on your build and enjoying the nice workmanship. Thanks for sharing. I think you have made the better choice on the gangway. Utility would have trumped looks all the time, back then. Your solution looks more user friendly, where the outer handholds and steps match with the stairway on the other side of the gangway, and the spacing of the steps leads to the caprail and then one more up to the gangway, which is as high as possible to clear headroom for the gunners. The stairs could then be easily taken down and stowed when clearing for action. Lookin' good. Dan
  25. shipmodel
    Top notch work, Nils. It's those eye-catching complicated fittings that make your work so captivating. Dan

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