shipmodel

Hi Marc - 
 
I know I'm coming in late to this discussion, and I agree with you all.
But it seems to me from looking at the photos that you could fairly easily raise the steeve of the bowsprit.
 
Cut off the angled support under the bowsprit close to the deck.
Replace or adjust the cutoff piece with one that will give you the steeve that you want. 
Pin it in place with brass if necessary for strength.
Redrill the hole for the heel of the bowsprit.
Fill and paint and the joints should disappear.
 
Or there could be a problem that I am not seeing.
 
Dan 

I finished the hull planking on May 3, about 2 months later than I had wanted to finish it. Life just gets in the way sometimes.

As of the last post, I estimated I was halfway through the planking. It was time to rip more lumber for the build. I try to take a photo when I rip more planking, so that hopefully I can go back afterward and estimate how much I really ended up needing. The planking stock is Castello boxwood. It has been a pleasure to work with.
 
This will mostly be a pictorial essay, but I will add some commentary at certain points.

The junction of the sternpost and the transom was tricky. I had to do a lot of fine carving to remove enough underlying wood to get the planks to lie down right.

I used some basswood to create a feeler plank that guided how much wood needed to be removed.

At this point I created a short strip that could be temporarily fixed adjacent to the sternpost, so that I could work on the next plank up, which ends adjacent to the lowest portion of the transom.

There is a planking seam very close to the sternpost, which was nice. I was able to create this very short planking segment, which was easily tunable to make sure things were right.

The next portion of this plank is temporarily fastened in so that the next plank can be worked on before gluing in this one.

 

I haven’t been able to examine the real transom on the real ship to see how this planking looks. This first plank that ends against the transom gets pretty wide at its end, and that may not be the way it looks in reality. But it’s time to move on to the bow.

This band of planking consists of four planks, but it was necessary to drop one plank toward the bow. So the space at the stem was divided among three planks.

 

Sizing up the three planks, gradually reducing the size of each so as to end up with three of similar width.


Turned out pretty well.

Time for more lumber.

This bump is a short segment of wood to fill in a dip that occurred when I applied a plank butt to a frame that was a little small. It was sanded down flush.

The bow portion of the port side is finished; just a few more stern planks to go.

All done on the port side. Next is a series of photos showing the closing up of the starboard side.

Down to the whiskey plank. I had a plank ready to go, but it was just a little off. So I made a new one.

Whiskey all around for the building crew!

No time to rest on laurels, though. There is plenty of cleanup to be done before I can move on, so I will probably do another post showing the things that need to be straightened up with the planking before working out the interior structure.

As always, David, your perceptions are right on!  For one, the following pic is more representative of the space available to me:

I would like to have more space, but then I’m compressing the width of the three headrails, between the upper cheek and the beakhead grating.  The three headrails also require interspaces; slightly less than a half inch at the forward end (after revision) isn’t a lot to work with.
 
The fact remains, though, that this design process remains fluid, because I haven’t even gone to the vellum, yet, to delineate the rails and position the stiles and figure out what to do with the aft medallion.
 
As always, this kind of feedback is welcome!

I had a series of epiphanies in the grocery store.  First of all, the exact positioning of the aft medallion matters a great deal, because it determines whether the cathead timbers will clear the headrails.
 
Last night, when I was positioning the stock headrail to take a measurement at the figurehead, I was looking at it from the outboard perspective; I had failed to consider that one of the modifications I made was to recess the beakhead bulkhead into the upper bulwarks, so that there would be an “actual practice” plank overlay of the beakhead bulkhead.
 
When I got home, after putting away the groceries, of course, I positioned the stock headrail piece where it actually needs to be.  I discovered that the shortage is much closer to 5/16”, rather than the heavy 1/8”th I had previously based my pattern on.
 
It also dawned on me that I had not even bothered to place the sprit-mast to even see whether the forward medallion was actually now below it.  What was I thinking?!
 
Anyway, these were not difficult alterations to make.  Here is headrail pattern 2.0:


The other important consideration is that the beakhead grating has to flow into the headrail on a steady incline, so the top edge of the headrails can’t dip below the line of the grating.
 
Of course, the next question is whether I will have room for the pixie figure that I drew, just aft of the headrail:
 

I’m not sure about that:

Although, it could simply be a matter of re-scaling the figure.  When I drew her, it still had not dawned on me that the Berain bow drawing does not account for the forecastle deck.  The figure I drew is “stretched” in order to accommodate that reality:
 

Perhaps she can be somewhat reduced in scale to fit comfortably between the headrails and that first port opening.  I may, ultimately, need to alter the aft medallion to copy the actual Berain design because the Heller version adds width to this critically tight spot.
 
That’s a problem for another day.  At least I have the length and sweep worked out. 

A lot of small odds and ends have been happening.  I’ve smoothed-over and re-touched the upper bulwark joint.  I painted and installed the starboard spirketting and the quarter deck beam.  I’ve fitted and installed the last little piece of the frieze, where it bridges the bulwark joint.  I’ve also installed all of the starboard channels.
 
One aspect that has provided a series of mis-steps is the buttressing knees of the channels.  First, I could not locate the card template I had made for the port side, so I made a new template.  Then, the first knee I fitted was made from slightly thinner styrene than what I used  on the port side.  After the second knee, I found my original template!  So, even though I will remove the first too-thin knee and replace it, I manually faired the first two knees to the correct profile.  The third knee I installed was too tall!
 


I decided to take a break from that frustration, for a moment.  The port side gallery bracket is well-underway and coming along nicely.
 
Last night, I was in the mood to take a stab at a pretty challenging re-design.  As previously discussed, the kit head rails are now a generous 1/8” too short, after increasing the hull width at the stem.  To attempt to use them, anyway, would result in a visual compromise that would only serve to draw heaps of attention to its wrongness.
 
Even on the stock kit, there are numerous problems with the way these rails were designed.  Most significantly, the forward escutcheon rises above the level of the sprit-mast, where it becomes an encumbrance to the rigging.  Secondly, the low-sweeping arc of the rails makes it very difficult to craft plausible supporting knees, which the kit omits, in the first place.
 
Since, I have to re-make the rails, I thought I’d try and solve these two additional problems, while also improving the grace of the arc.  My plan is to extract the forward and aft medallions, as well as the acanthus stiles that connect the three rails.
 
The pattern I arrived at, I think, does a reasonably good job on all of these fronts.  The three rails taper, gradually, from 3/4” across the rails at the aft medallion, to 1/2” at the forward medallion:

Arriving at this pattern was just a matter of holding the stock part to the model and taking a measurement for the increased length, as well as figuring out the point at which the arc could transition into a slightly more shallow curve (just aft of the cathead support).  Then, it’s just a process of drawing and erasing arc segments with a set of French curves.
 
The stock rails on the model:

The sweep is so low, your supporting knees must be practically flat in profile.  The forward medallion is also way too high:

By contrast:

There is, now, at least some elevation to create a cyma-curve for these supporting knees.

I think the curves are more fair now, as well.


There is a lot of work in these, to bring them to fruition, but I think this is a solid starting place.
 

Here is the updated drawing for the lantern..

 
And a look at the Amazon stern.  Which is beautiful.   Note it has three lanterns but the Winnie only has one.

In comparison to my simplified version.  How the heck did they make this stuff way back then?
 

 

Well uh yupp!!!  I decided to make an entirely new lantern.  I tweaked it yet again.  There were two things bugging me.  Not that I wasnt happy with the old one but I know I would see those two issues for eternity.
 
SO first I reduced the overall diameter.  The heght was fine.  But it was a bit to fat for my tastes.  I reduced it to 95% of what it was.  Just a wee bit.  In addition I reworked the design to move the vent on the roof aft slightly.  Previously it was in the center of the hex.  That is incorrect and kept bugging me.  The vent should be on the same diagonal as the aft edge or main axis of the lantern.
 
That was challenging to design but building it is no different.
 
Here are some photos of the revises lantern which to my eye looks more to scale and better.  I hope you agree although it may difficult to see such small changes.   I am my own worst enemy with this stuff.  Its also higher on the transom as we spoke about.  I used the contemporary models of Amazon and the princess Royal to get a good sense of the height.  The door can easily swing open to service the lantern and its easily accessible. It takes a good full day to make this lantern and mount it.  Although much quicker this last time around.  I have made six in all.  There are a lot of failures you guys dont see.
 



 
 

A guide as to lantern level; the door needs to clear the tafferel or it won't open! Also, it should be at a height comfortable for someone on the deck to place the light into. "Form follows function", as usual.

Thats cheating....
 
Like the Capstan and stove there are plenty of little pieces.  But having this made of boxwood really does add a lot to the model if done well.
 
That goes without saying...but for these mini kits there are two other secret weapons.  They may seem obvious but it is often overlooked.
 
First....Keep it clean....Wash your hands thoroughly first.  Like you were going into surgery.   Keeping tiny parts clean is so crucial.   Use lots of sand paper.  Meaning as soon as it gets dirty with char, throw it away.  Otherwise it will just dirty up all your parts.  I went through so much 400 grit sandpaper making the lantern.   Removing the char carefully without getting it on my fingers and spreading it around.
 
Second....magnification....when making these small fittings I use the strongest magnification possible.   You can only see when its 5" in front of you and this helps a lot.  Great for tight joints on small parts and keeping your parts clean.
 
The lantern probably should have been a bit higher but I couldnt bring myself to drill through the boat carving on the stern.   I drilled for the bracket through the water instead.  This proved to be a mistake after looking at it for a while.  So since these pictures were taken I moved the lantern higher and filled the hole in the carving.  Its much better now.   And you cant tell I ever hesitated.






I have a ton more construction photos and will be processing them soon.  But while working on the model I have now fallen so far behind with rope making and other parts I will be very busy for the next week.  So no more building for me.  
 
But this just leaves the headwork.   From the photos of the hull above that is pretty much what the finished hull will look like since you cant see the headrails arent completed.   I have to write chapter 11 as well.
 
Chuck
 
 

Thanks!!
 
I am working on the gangways now to finish up chapter 11.
 
Almost there...
 

Good point.  I had not measured the drawing.
I think your decision is a good one.
 
Stay safe and well
 
Dan

next step will be some carving

Well, three months plus since my last post and progress has been slow.  The month of March was spent in Florida and the first half of April was spent catching up with all of the daily chores that didn’t get done in March.  On April 19 I had surgery to correct drooping eyebrows and eye lids.  This used up a week of time recovering that could have been spent in my shop.  The surgery has healed well and the stitches are gone.
 
Work on the model has involved construction of the aft bulkhead subassembly.  This forms the forward end of the poop deck and will be fitted to the poop deck assembly later.
 
There is a cottage industry writing death and destruction books about Great Lakes Shipwrecks.  The market appears to be summer tourists.  Nothing delights the authors of these books more than to emphasize the mystery surrounding all of the vessels that have disappeared through a “crack in the Lake” and Benjamin Noble has not been exempt from this sensationalism.  These same authors like to point out that she was unique as her after deckhouse sat atop a raised poop deck.  These writers fail to understand that she was originally built to carry a deckload of pulpwood logs and that the poop deck bulkhead confined the deckload.
 
The entire assembly was built from soldered brass.  The ladders were built by capturing brass strips to be soldered in a homemade aluminum ladder jig.  The padeyes sticking up through the deck edge angle on each side will secure the shrouds from the mainmast.  To avoid a disaster when rigging the model,  each padeye is L shaped with the horizontal side of the L soldered to the underside of the deck plating.
 

 
 
 

Hi again to all –
 
Thanks for all the likes and comments.  I love it when there are wider topics discussed in a build log than just the building.  
 
The past several days were spent trying out 7 different glues and varnishes to see if they could help the original rigging.   I was looking for a liquid which can be painted on gently and which will strengthen the lines and make them flexible so they do not break when they have to be manipulated to fix the current problems.
Here they are.   I tried to set up as wide a range of solutions as I reasonably could.  If there wasn’t a suitable one in this group then there might not be one.
 

 
Next I needed something to test them on.  The original rigging lines were probably made of linen.  Every time that similar old lines have been chemically examined, as far as I know, they turned out to be linen.  It was readily available in England at the time since it was made from flax plants which grew there.  Cotton was scarcer since Egypt was in French hands most of this time.  Linen is also quite dimensionally stable, so rigging lines do not sag or overtighten.  Fortunately, I had snapped up a collection of linen line spools about 20 years ago which includes diameters from 0.007” to 0.048”.  I use them for all of my museum work that requires rigging.  Although most of it is very white, it dyes black or tan quite easily and permanently.
 

 
To simulate the cooking that the original lines had endured over the years, I took lengths of 0.02” and 0.04” lines and baked them in the over overnight at 350 degrees.  Nothing!  They came out hot, but as flexible as before.  The same thing happened at 450 degrees. 
 
Finally, I simply wrapped the lines in foil and set the packet on top of the naked flame of the gas stove.  In a few minutes wisps of smoke started coming out of the seams.  I turned it over for another 30 seconds then removed it from the heat.  When it was unwrapped the lines had been blackened and charred, just as I hoped.
 

 
After cooling I tried one of the thicker lines and gently pulled it along its length.  It took little effort to break the line, with the ends, under magnification, looking a lot like the ends of the broken rigging on the model. These would be acceptable stand-ins for testing purposes.
 

 
Now that I had my test materials I took seven short pieces of both the large and small diameter lines and mounted them on a piece of file folder.  Some of the thinner ones were extremely delicate and one broke as I was mounting it.  Then each was painted with the liquid corresponding to the numbers on the composite photo. 
 

 
After they dried overnight I examined them under magnification and then tried to bend each around a ¼” diameter dowel.  Here is the photo of the results.
 

 
What I found was as follows, recognizing the limitations of my not very precise or controlled materials and methods:
1.    Krylon spray – I decanted some and painted it on with a soft brush.  I worried that the power of the propellant might damage the smaller lines, and also that I would not have a lot of control over the application on the actual model.  It dried stiff with a matte finish.  It did not seem to improve the pull-apart strength of the line, but made it too stiff to bend easily.
2.   Lineco pH neutral PVA – It was diluted to skim milk consistency with distilled water and painted on.  It significantly improved both the pull-apart strength of the line and was quite flexible when dry.  The one drawback was that it dried quite shiny.
3.   Liquitex gloss varnish – Painted on direct from the bottle.  The result was not very strong, not very flexible, and shiny.
4.   Liquitex matte varnish - Somewhat improved strength and flexibility, matte finish.
5.   Paraloid b72 – significantly improved strength but not very flexible.  Shiny finish.  The biggest drawback is that it requires a strong solvent like acetone for dilution or clean up.
6.   Powdered methyl cellulose - Dissolved per the instructions in distilled water.  It markedly improved strength, had decent flexibility, and dried with a matte finish.
7.   Gel cyano – It was laid on as thin as I could with a wooden toothpick so it would not heat up as it cured and damage the fibers even more.  It was the strongest in the pull-apart test, but was the most brittle when dry, especially for the thinner line.  Shiny finish.
 
The decision came down to two choices, the PVA and the methyl cellulose.  I am leaning toward the PVA just because I am very familiar with its properties.  On the other hand, the MC could be used to strengthen lines that will not be handled, with the PVA used where the line might have to bend and twist.
 
I am open to any and all further thoughts that you all might have. 
 
Stay safe
 
Dan

Hi to all - 
 
I am back in the shop today and the glues and finishes that I ordered have arrived.  I will experiment with them in the next few days and report on my findings.
In the meanwhile my client has located some documents from when his uncle had the model repaired in 1956.  Here is a photo that the uncle sent to the Mariner's Museum in Virginia asking for information.
 

 
Notice that the damages are very similar to those that I am repairing - broken bowsprit, main and mizzen masts.  The entire figurehead area is missing.  I do not know if the bust that is on the model was original or if it was added.  The museum was not too helpful, but eventually he located a restorer named C.M. Smeltzer, Jr. at a company called Authentiscale in Metuchen, NJ.  I could not find any existing information on either the man or the company.  In any event, they reached an agreement that the repairs would cost $210.00 with an additional $40 for a case.  I don't know what that converts to in 2021 dollars.
 
I do not have a photo of the model after repairs and before the current damages, but my client is still looking.
 
More soon.
 
Stay well
 
Dan. 
 
 
 

Cathead - I think Johnny has it right.  It was a mostly question of respect for a long time adversary rather than anger at traitorous colonists.  This was especially true for sailors, who all understood that their true enemy was not the other fleet but the sea herself.  The other issue was one of numbers.  The land armies of Napoleon and those of the various opponents, Russia, Austria, Spain, England, etc., generally captured about equivalent numbers of soldiers, so exchanges could be arranged on more or less equal terms.  However, the British Navy captured more French sailors by several orders of magnitude than the French captured English sailors.  Equivalent exchanges could not be arranged, so the sailors had to be held for much longer periods of time.  The British did not want to hold them, and feed them, as evidenced by the wholesale emptying of the POW camps and repatriation of prisoners whenever there was a 'peace treaty' between the countries.  Captains Hornblower and Aubrey are always concerned that they will end up on the beach without a command whenever that happened.
 
Barkeater - I have some bone, but it is in large chunks and is much more difficult to work with since it has dried out completely and tends to snap.  For these small areas I chose the ivory as being easier to work without much difference in the look of the final repair.    
 
I am waiting on the delivery of several kinds of glue/finish products and will report on their suitability when they come in.
 
Till then, stay safe.
 
Dan

Hi again to all –
 
As you can tell, I really like POW models.  I first ran into one at an antiques show that my mother dragged me to when I was about 10.  I found that it was pretty interesting looking at old artworks and furniture.  But a large, intricate, bright white model of a sailing warship captivated me.  When I was told that it was made of bones and rigged with human hair, I begged my mother to buy it.  I have no idea why she decided not to  spend $7,000 (about the cost of a good car back then) on such a simple request.  In the 60 years since then I have learned many things about them, such as that they were not actually rigged with hair, and that I still can’t afford one.
 
I do get a bit of satisfaction in restoring them for others.  I have been fortunate enough to be given this pleasant task several times.  Each is its own unique fine art object, and each has its unique set of restoration puzzles to be solved. 
 
For this one I spent that past two days trying to solve the hull puzzles.    The easiest one to access was the small triangle at the gripe where the wide stem plank had lost its point.  It had been repaired by replacing it with a piece that was much too white for the surrounding bone planking.
 

 
I removed the offending triangle with a dental pick.  It turned out not to be ivory, as I expected, but was actually a hard plastic.   Not very original.  The old glue in the corners was removed with the pick and the tip of a hobby knife.  
 

 
To fill the hole I used the ivory top of a piano key.  I have a small stash of ivory, most of it whale tooth ivory, from when I was playing around with scrimshaw.   It was also too white, but unlike the plastic I could change it.  Many years ago I came across an article that recommended using used coffee grounds as an ‘aging’ agent for ivory.   Fresh grounds have too much acid and volatile chemicals to use for this.  I have used the method before with good results.  Here is the key with its left end having been buried in damp grounds overnight.  
 

 
After drying out, a piece of the stained side was cut and fitted.  It was installed with PVA since it is mounted on the wood of the stem.
 

 
I next turned to the figurehead.  It had obviously suffered some serious damage in the past.  Although the figurehead itself was in pretty good shape, the area behind it was missing all of the hull planking.  It had been crudely filled in with a putty of some kind that was tinted grey or had aged that color.  As I said in an earlier post, I also did not like where the head was fitted.  My understanding is that the back of the bust’s head should be at the level of the topmost rail, which is why it is called the ‘hair rail’.  This bust was mounted at least ¼” too low.
 

 
Using rotary tool I carefully ground away the putty.  I used a flat bottomed bit to help insure that I would not unintentionally dig too deep into the original substance of the model.  With the putty mostly removed I found that the entire tip of the stem was a replacement, being a separate piece of wood carved to fit.  Removal of the putty also revealed a hole in the shoulder of the bust, probably indicating where a separate arm once fit.   It was while taking this photo that I realized that there was a gap between the bust and the scroll which the bobstay runs against.
 

 
On the port side the putty was similarly removed.  It revealed a clearly broken end to the upper planking.  It must have been quite an impact to do that much damage.  But the bobstay appears to be original and shows no break or repair.  How that could be possible I don’t know.  The loose lines that are in the photo are some replacements that ran to the incorrect and broken martingale.  They were soon removed to keep them from getting in the way.
 

 
I thought about moving the bust up to its proper place and then carving a middle piece, perhaps a dress, out of ivory.  But the bust would not come loose with gentle leverage, so I left it in place.  All I could do was to fill in the open spaces with new planking.  To take the shapes needed I laid on some translucent tape and drew the outlines.
 

 
The tape was laid on the aged ivory and pieces cut out.  I drilled holes for metal pins that would help secure the pieces to the hull.  These are for the port side
 

 
Here they are test fit, ready for final shaping.
 

 
And here they have been glued and pinned in place.  I also carved a rounded wedge of ivory to fit in the gap below the bust.  This is the finished port side
 

 
And the starboard side.
 

 
I’m considering scratching some ‘grain’ into the ivory to make it look a bit more like bone, but that may be a bit on the obsessive side.  It’s still an option.
 
Stay safe
 
Dan

Hi all - 
 
Druxey - yes, and thank you .  I have ordered some of the glue and will test it with the others that I have.
 
Roger -  the conditions of French POWs was not usually that dismal.  Yes, the prison hulks were not pleasant, but you do not abuse the enemy's POWs or he may retaliate against yours.  In fact, towards the middle of the period most of the naval POWs were housed in large camps like Norman Cross.  Think "The Great Escape" or "Hogan's Heroes" rather than "The Bridge on the River Kwai".  Officers could give their parole and live outside camp in nearby villages.  All sorts of activities and athletics were permitted.  There is even evidence that there were fencing lessons.
 
The British also believed in having the prisoners keep busy, so they allowed them to make all sorts of handicrafts, not just ship models.  There were bone spinning jennys, bone guillotines, and straw work of all kinds, like this jewelry box.
 

 

 

 
 
The POWs were allowed on market day once a week to sell their wares to local customers at tables outside the camp stockade. 
 

 
They also sold to merchants and brokers in larger volume.  Since they did not have labor costs, and did have lots of time, they excelled at making time consuming products like lace and straw hats.  This trade grew so great, since they could easily undercut the competition, that the English lacemakers and straw hatters petitioned Parliament for help and the POWs were prohibited from making them.
 
If you can find it, this is the bible on the POW arts and crafts.
 
 

 
Stay safe.
 
Dan

Hi all - 
 
Thanks for the likes and comments.
 
Phil - I am pretty well convinced that it started out, two centuries ago, as a nice example of a POW model.
It has many of the characteristics that I have seen in many museum pieces and under all the restorations there are well-crafted and delicate details.
Construction methods match those described in the several books on POW models that I have.
 
Druxey - the HMG glue sounds interesting.  I will look into it.  Do you know where I can buy some online?
 
Dan

Hi again to all.
 
I spent yesterday working on things other than the rigging.  First I did some cleaning.  The hull and deck were pretty clean, being protected from dust by the case.  I still wiped them down with some distilled water, no soap or solvent was needed.  As a mop I used half of a cotton swab in a drafting pencil handle.  It is important to use the kind with a paper shaft rather than the plastic one.  As can be seen in the picture, paper ones can be bent so it sits flat with the handle angled up so it can reach through spaces in the rigging.  In this configuration it also can slide under deck fittings like the bitts and pinrails.
 

 
The metal tool is a plaque scraper that I got from my dentist.  There are lots of dental tools and supplies that transfer easily to ship modeling.  I asked mine to set them aside when he was going to replace them anyway, and he was happy to do so.  I used it as a scraper for the dried glue and it worked quite well.  Here are the spots where the three loose cannon came from, and the same area after scraping.   I went around the ship, as much as was possible, and removed the worst of it where possible. 
 
 
 

 
After cleaning I worked on the ship’s boat.  It was detachable, so I did not have to worry at all about touching the rigging.  Here it is, as received, hanging in the stern davits.  I was a bit concerned that the thwarts were replacements since they do not appear to match the color of the boat’s hull.
 

 
I gently bent the hooks open and slid the boat off.  Now I could see that the thwarts had been glued in with the same stuff that was scraped off the deck.
 

 
From this angle it was even more evident that the thwarts did not match, either in color or in the quality of workmanship.  Their ends are ragged and they do not sit perpendicular to the centerline.
 

 
The dried glue was little obstacle to removal of the thwarts using only gentle leverage.
 

 
The inside of the boat’s hull was scraped clean and the thwarts sanded lightly to remove discolorations.  With a few tweaks of the ends they were straightened out and levelled.  I reattached them using small drops of gel cyano glue.  It is the best that I have found for bone-to-bone, and bone-to-ivory, connection.  It is stronger and more rigid than PVA, drop for drop, so I can use less and not leave a glue mound.  It is also very clear and stays that way, at least over the 35 years that I have evidence for.  But it can be brittle, so where the joint will be under strain I also give it a second thin coat of PVA as a shock absorber.  That was not necessary here.
 

 
I think the boat is much improved.  I just hope the rest of the repairs go as well.
 
 
Dan

Hi Vaddoc - 
 
Unfortunately not.  The amount of additional work involved would have increased the fee to a point where the client would simply junk the model.  
I have a particular fondness for the bone and ivory models and I didn't want that to happen, so we reached a compromise.  I will do what can be done without stripping it to the sticks and starting again, which may well be a solution for the next generation of ship model restorers, if there are any.
 
Dan

Hi again to all, and thanks for the comments and interest in this restoration.
 
After reviewing the hull I turned to the masts, spars and rigging.  The news was both good and not so good.    First, to get an idea of what the model was like when she was built, I examined the best of the remaining masts and rigging, the foremast.  Here are some photos of the details and some of my conclusions.  Of course there are lots more of both, but that would take too much time to relate here.
 
The foremast is well-proportioned to the ship and has several bands of woolding as would be proper.  The fore spar is hung on jeers although there is no parrell, just a simple sling.  It carries stun’s’l booms on each end.  The shrouds are well-proportioned to the mast and the ratlines are appropriately thin.  They are spaced at 3mm intervals, which also seems right.  The deadeyes are carved from bone, 3mm in diameter, and generally well rigged.  The forestay and preventer are correctly sized, with bone hearts and collars.  They are even snaked together.  A crowsfoot is laced with brown line to a bone euphroe on the stay.
 

 
The fore topmast looks correctly sized, as does the doubling. However the mast cap has a through tenon, which is English practice, which contrasts with the French deck bench noted in the last segment.  The fore course yard and topsail yard are rigged with lifts and braces, but no sheets or sheet blocks.  There are nicely done futtock shrouds and upper shrouds with ratlines.  Although extremely small, the ratlines appear to be rigged with clove hitches.
 

 
The t’gallant mast and spar are well done, as are the two bone crosstrees.  Here can be seen some of the prior repairs.  The lower topmast stays (the lowest ones in the photo) appear to be original.  They show a lay to the line and are served and seized as they go around the doubling.  The four other stays all have fairly crude ties and seizings, with stubs of the seizing line sticking out.  A gentle feel of the various lines confirmed that the upper ones are smooth and new, rather than the older, original ones.
 

 
The main stay is original, as is the preventer stay below it.  They are rigged with a proper mouse and eye on each with fore topmast braces and blocks tied to them.
 

 
However, the hearts and collars are damaged.  The preventer stay collar has been replaced with a line of the wrong size, the wrong color, and which goes under the bow pinrail, causing it to kink.  It is seized to the bowsprit with a very crude knot. The main stay heart and collar are missing entirely.
 

 
The mizzen stay is also original but broken completely.  The several lumps on it are probably evidence of prior repairs that were less than successful.   The crowsfoot is completely torn and the euphroe detached.  I was provided with it in a separate envelope.  You can also see that the sling/parrell line that should run from the lower mizzen yard jeer to the mast is broken.
 

 
I believe that there were several sets of repairs in the past.  For example, here are the main lower shroud deadeyes.  The forward three are completely original, with bone deadeyes, the upper ones properly turned in and the lanyards appropriately sized and laced.  The aft four have had the upper deadeyes replaced with metal castings.  I thought that the rough look to them was lead bloom, but it turned out to be only the paint used to try to match them to the original bone color (whew!).  I believe that this was the earlier of the repairs, since the lanyards of the two on the shrouds match the original ones and are properly laced.  I believe that the aft two on the backstays represent a second repair since the lanyards are different and are incorrectly laced and tied off below the lower deadeyes.
 

 
I found the same situation at the main mast.  The topmast shrouds and deadeyes appear to be original, but the backstays are a completely different quality of line.  The lifts look original but the upper stays are replacements with crude siezings.
 

 
Viewed from behind I could see that there was a huge mass of mounded lines around the head of the topmast.  This was where the original backstays were simply cut loose, leaving some stubs of line that can still be seen.  The replacements were looped over them and glued in place, making a mess that may have contributed to the break.
 

 
Although the main topmast shrouds seem to have survived, the same was not true for the mizzen topmast shrouds.  The break was offset to port, so those shrouds were not stressed.  The starboard ones were not so lucky.  The forward two parted company from the futtock shrouds at the level of the top.  The aft one held on at the lower end, but broke at the masthead.  As a result all of the ratlines between the second and third shrouds parted.
 

 
In addition to these issues, a fair number of the rigging lines did not run to their proper blocks or tie off to proper locations.  For example, the main yard brace is misplaced, since it should run to the stern where there is an eyebolt and boomkin, but just ties off amidships.  This and other evidence convinced me that at least one of the restorers did not know how a ship was rigged.
 
After long discussion with the client about whether the model was worth the cost of restoration, he decided to go forward.  We decided on a cost based on leaving as much of the current rigging, right or wrong, in place, but replacing what was needed and cleaning up the rest.
 
With this understanding I very gently started to wiggle the broken pieces to see what could be retained and what had to be removed to get the pieces back into proper orientation.  At the bow the jib boom could be gently manipulated to get the heel of the break to meet the head of the lower piece, but it would not straighten out.  Several of the lines had shrunk and prevented it.  I found that the shrunken lines were not original, but were part of some of the prior repairs.  I believe that the glass cover had created a greenhouse effect that ‘cooked’ the lines over time and shortened them enough that they may have actually broken the boom.  Note that the forestay and preventer, both original lines, are not taut.
 

 
Unfortunately, even the original lines have been cooked.  Even a gentle brush of a finger against the fore preventer stay was enough to break it in two places.
 

 
I immediately stopped all touching of the lines until I could figure out how to deal with the cooked rigging.   In the envelope of loose parts was one small deadeye with a piece of the original shroud still around it.  I went to remove and examine the stropping only to find that it did not unwrap, but crumbled.  The line was much more brittle than I anticipated and weaker than any I had run into in prior restorations.  This will be a major problem if it cannot be corrected.
 

 
So here is my first question to the group - - what method do you think will work to strengthen the lines and make them more flexible so that I can work on them?  I am considering taking distilled water and painting it onto the lines to open the fibers, then a second coat of thinned white pH neutral PVA glue.  Has anyone done this before, or successfully used another technique?
 
In the meanwhile I have turned to fixing some of the hull and fittings issues noted in the first build log segment.  I will detail those next.
 
Until then, stay safe and well.
 
Dan
 

Hello to all who followed me here from my prior build log of the James B Colgate, and to all those who are interested in the bone and ivory ship models made, mostly, by the French prisoners taken by the British navy in the Napoleonic wars.
 
I was recently asked to repair an attractive example of the type that had some substantial damage over the past centuries, as well as suffering some repairs, good and bad.  In this log I will detail my progress and, in addition to some techniques that I have used before, I will ask for additional ideas from the collective wisdom of our community here.
 
So here she is in the photographs sent for me to consider doing the restoration.  I asked for digital shots of the entire model and close-ups of the damage.   First, the overall look, including the wooden base, the primary damages, and the large glass case.
 

 
With the case removed you can see the extensive damage.  The bowsprit, mainmast and mizzen are all clearly broken and the associated rigging in disarray.  The balance of the standing rigging seems to be mostly intact except for the mizzen stay which is broken just below the crowsfoot.  Sitting on the base are the flag and staff for the stern.
 

 
In close-up here is the bowsprit, with the jib boom broken at the level of the bowsprit cap and the Y-shaped martingale hanging, literally, by a thread.  I don’t recall seeing that type of martingale on any of the POW models whose photos I have seen.  Even at this stage I thought it was probably a later replacement.
 

 
The mainmast was snapped just below the crosstrees at the base of the t’gallant mast.  From the way the rigging lines retained the kinks and bends I was pretty sure that they had been hardened in some way.  This could indicate that much of it might have to be removed and replaced.  The mizzen was similarly snapped below the t’gallant top.  In addition the mizzen t’gallant mast was snapped as well about halfway up its length, just where the hole was drilled for the t’gallant lift.  Here the rigging was also kinked, but more worrying was the mass of overlapped rigging lines around the doubling.  I have seen this before when prior restorers have simply looped new lines over old ones and glued the mass together.
 

 
Based on these pictures I gave the client a very vague ballpark idea of the cost of repair to see if he was serious about going forward.  I told him that if he was, I would need to see the model in person and evaluate it in detail before giving him a firm price.  After a few months of thinking about it he brought the model to my Brooklyn studio and left it with me for examination.  In this posting I examine the hull and its fittings.
 
The model was uncased and the glass cover removed. It was made of ¼” thick fish tank glass and I was surprised at how heavy it was.  By my bathroom scale it weighs some 19 pounds!  This probably contributed to the damage. Anyone lifting the cover will have a hard time unless he is prepared for the sudden weight.  Trying to lift it clear would be difficult and the lower edge might well have contacted and broken the tops of the masts. 
 
In any event, the model matched the photos, which is not always the case.  With the jib boom in approximate place the model measures 15 ½” x 12” x 4”.  By measuring the spacing between ratlines (3mm) and the height of the bulwarks (11mm) and the height of the rope rail amidships (15mm), I determined that the approximate scale is between 1/80 and 1/100.  I could not be more certain because none of these has a standard height and the modelmakers were not quite exact in rendering them.  Two of the cannon and their carriages were loose, and a third was found detached on deck.
 

 
The hull and deck are planked in bone with ivory (elephant or whale tooth is unclear) making up the balance of the structure and carved details.  She carries 40 guns, 12 in each broadside on the gun deck, 5 on the quarterdeck, 3 on the forecastle.  This is a lot for what appears to be a small ship.  She is certainly not a match to any of the 40-gun ships in my library.
 

 
She sits on a series of wood keel blocks with a larger built up central cradle.  Three metal pins, two seen here and one in the center, go through the blocks and into the baseboard.  When received the model did not sit vertically, but listed a bit to starboard.
 

 
Ahe bow there was a nicely carved figurehead of a female bust with a Greek-style helmet and a pugnacious expression .   It  looked to me to be in the wrong place, slid down below the hair rail.  Behind it was a mass of greyish putty hiding some additional damage.  There was a similar mass on the port side
 

 
Despite its small size the lower gun deck cannon are made to retract.  Here they are retracted, then extended.  The retraction mechanism can be seen through the open main hatch.  The cannon barrels are mounted on a moveable wood strip.  The client also sent a video taken of the interior through a borescope.  It is poor quality but it does show the presence of some springs which would push the cannon out.  Unfortunately the cords to operate the system are missing.
 

 
On deck just ahead of the mizzen mast is a carved seat for the officer of the deck.  This is a particularly French detail, even though the model carries English flags.  The locations for the detached cannon can be seen against the far bulwark where the prior glue has yellowed.  Hidden behind the rigging is a metal post where the capstan should be, and a single stand for the ship’s wheel, although the wheel and second stand are missing.
 

 
A ship’s boat hangs in davits at the stern.  The thwarts for the boat have been repaired before with a glue/varnish that has yellowed with time.  Just ahead of it is a curved boomkin for the main yard brace, but no lines are tied to it.
 

 
The rudder is clearly a replacement.  It is too thin and too white, while the pintles and their straps are not properly set on the rudder.
 

 
That was my detailed examination of the hull.  In the next segment I will document the detailed examination of the masts and rigging.  Lots of problems, as you might expect.
 
Be well, stay safe.
 
Dan

Hello !
Hello Vic, the guns are juste laid on the sill of the gunports, in place just for the picture, I have since removed them
Concerning the guns, I thought it might interest some of you to know how I painted them. I was inspired by the guns in front of the Strasbourg mess, as well as those that can be seen in museums. I found their patina was very elegant, not too marked, and highlighting the decorations. The difficulty is mainly related to the scale; at 1/72 the painting, even well diluted, does not behave as at 1/48 or larger scales, especially on reliefs as small as the ones on the bronze guns. So I included a picture of the guns as received, already passed through the burnisher by Alexey. Pretty but a little flashy and not homogeneous from one to the other, going from very dark to quite light. After going through the burnisher to have a very dark working base, I apply a coat of green (house mix) with an airbrush to give the dark bronze color. The airbrush makes it possible to have a very fine layer of paint which does not thicken the reliefs of the decorations. We get a very matte result. I then apply a thin coat of protective oil for metals which will protect the base during subsequent operations. The verdigris patina is then done with Citadel's "nihilakh oxide" paint. It has the consistency of a wash, and after passing it sparingly I wipe it away, leaving it only in the hollows. The final step is to rub the barrels with the shine brush of a Dremel, which will smooth the paint a little and restore the metallic aspect to the tube. It's quite difficult to take a picture of this. I tried with different lights. the last picture  is "burnt" but the color of green is the closest to what we see in real life.
That's all !

 

The painting of the guns is finally finished. On the computer screen they appear very blue, they are a little greener in reality. Taking advantage of having all the guns painted, I did a little simulation... 110 guns is a lot of guns ! Of course they are balanced on the sill of the portholes so they are more prominent than they should be. (and the three on the forecastle are missing)
I can now continue the construction of the hull.