shipmodel

Hi Chuck - 
 
Beautiful craftsmanship, as always.  All the joints are so clean and tight, which is really impressive.
Though I do not plan to build a kit, I have read pretty much every instruction manual, article and book, and wrote a few with Jim Roberts.
I have to say that your explanations and instructions are up there with the best.  They are as clean and tight as your woodwork.
Following along in my head I take it a sentence or two at a time and I can actually see the model rising from the building board.
Every one building the model is extremely lucky to have you take them through a master class in the arts of the shipwright.
 
Two small suggestions, if I may - - 
     First, it might be a bit easier for the modelers if you gave them the knee of the cathead along with cathead.  The slant of its top will establish the angle of the cathead relative to the hull.  This then determines the way the bottom of the notch rises from inboard to outboard.
     Second, you suggest a really sharp chisel for the cuts.  I think many of your followers would appreciate a quick lesson in sharpening chisels.  I don't know, myself, I just pull out a fresh hobby blade.  It is a skill that I should add to my toolbox.
 
Keep on with the good work.
Stay safe and well
 
Dan
 
 

Hi Chuck - 
 
Beautiful craftsmanship, as always.  All the joints are so clean and tight, which is really impressive.
Though I do not plan to build a kit, I have read pretty much every instruction manual, article and book, and wrote a few with Jim Roberts.
I have to say that your explanations and instructions are up there with the best.  They are as clean and tight as your woodwork.
Following along in my head I take it a sentence or two at a time and I can actually see the model rising from the building board.
Every one building the model is extremely lucky to have you take them through a master class in the arts of the shipwright.
 
Two small suggestions, if I may - - 
     First, it might be a bit easier for the modelers if you gave them the knee of the cathead along with cathead.  The slant of its top will establish the angle of the cathead relative to the hull.  This then determines the way the bottom of the notch rises from inboard to outboard.
     Second, you suggest a really sharp chisel for the cuts.  I think many of your followers would appreciate a quick lesson in sharpening chisels.  I don't know, myself, I just pull out a fresh hobby blade.  It is a skill that I should add to my toolbox.
 
Keep on with the good work.
Stay safe and well
 
Dan
 
 

Hi Chuck - 
 
Beautiful craftsmanship, as always.  All the joints are so clean and tight, which is really impressive.
Though I do not plan to build a kit, I have read pretty much every instruction manual, article and book, and wrote a few with Jim Roberts.
I have to say that your explanations and instructions are up there with the best.  They are as clean and tight as your woodwork.
Following along in my head I take it a sentence or two at a time and I can actually see the model rising from the building board.
Every one building the model is extremely lucky to have you take them through a master class in the arts of the shipwright.
 
Two small suggestions, if I may - - 
     First, it might be a bit easier for the modelers if you gave them the knee of the cathead along with cathead.  The slant of its top will establish the angle of the cathead relative to the hull.  This then determines the way the bottom of the notch rises from inboard to outboard.
     Second, you suggest a really sharp chisel for the cuts.  I think many of your followers would appreciate a quick lesson in sharpening chisels.  I don't know, myself, I just pull out a fresh hobby blade.  It is a skill that I should add to my toolbox.
 
Keep on with the good work.
Stay safe and well
 
Dan
 
 

Hi Chuck - 
 
Beautiful craftsmanship, as always.  All the joints are so clean and tight, which is really impressive.
Though I do not plan to build a kit, I have read pretty much every instruction manual, article and book, and wrote a few with Jim Roberts.
I have to say that your explanations and instructions are up there with the best.  They are as clean and tight as your woodwork.
Following along in my head I take it a sentence or two at a time and I can actually see the model rising from the building board.
Every one building the model is extremely lucky to have you take them through a master class in the arts of the shipwright.
 
Two small suggestions, if I may - - 
     First, it might be a bit easier for the modelers if you gave them the knee of the cathead along with cathead.  The slant of its top will establish the angle of the cathead relative to the hull.  This then determines the way the bottom of the notch rises from inboard to outboard.
     Second, you suggest a really sharp chisel for the cuts.  I think many of your followers would appreciate a quick lesson in sharpening chisels.  I don't know, myself, I just pull out a fresh hobby blade.  It is a skill that I should add to my toolbox.
 
Keep on with the good work.
Stay safe and well
 
Dan
 
 

Thank You....I just added more images of the contemporary model to the gallery album. 
 
Also this is a good one that shows the cathead as you guys will soon be adding it to your model.   Interesting white painted panels but I didnt care for that look.  So I am going all natural.  Again note how the bottom edge of the cathead lines up with the bottom edge of the molding on the hull.  Keep this reference in mind when you cut those notched.   Outboard side of notch to the molding like this.  The inboard side is taken all the way down to the deck.
 

 

 
 

I added the breasthook at the bow.  This was straight forward.  It is laser cut.  Unlike the one on the gun deck at the bow I cut this one in one piece.  So you may have to adjust and tweak it to fit snug and tight against the bulwarks a the bow.   Dont forget to chamfer the top and bottom edge on the aft side.  That is customary.   Unlike last time you see I also added some bolts.  There are four on each arm or side of the breasthook.  I used 30lb black fishing line for this.
 

In the same photo above you can also see the cathead I made.  But most important in that photo is the slot for the cathead.  Note how it has been notched out with a sharp chisel and blade.  I did so on the inboard side right down to the deck.   Take the INBOARD side down to the margin plank.  Remove the waterway as well.  Do this carefully.  You will need sharp chisels or blades.  Careful not to mar the deck.
 
On the outboard side it is a bit different.  See below.  I only notched the outboards side down to the top of the frieze.....OR better yet described, remove the fancy molding where the  notch will be.  Then deepen the notch down to the bottom edge of the molding that remains.  Its not as deep as the inboard side.  This is what will give the cathead its proper angle.
 

I hope this makes sense so far...
 
The catheads...
 

These are pretty easy to make but dont rush it.   The main cathead is in three layers.   The two outboard layers define its shape.  They line up with the front or OUTBOARD end of the cathead.   But this is very important.  The goal here is to not show the seams between the three layers if possible.  To minimize this, you MUST thoroughly clean the char from the edges of the center piece.  Its 1/4" thick boxwood so there is a lot of char.  Dont be afraid to scrape it and sand it.  I compensated for this and if you dont clean it well enough, the two outside sheaves of the cathead will be too wide.   So do go ahead and sand away!!!  Also test the sides periodically to check the width of the two outer sheave slots.   
 
Glue the layers up with tite-bond.  Make sure you line everything up and center the side pieces up and down.  Then sand them smooth top and bottom.  But also sand the center to the shape of the outside layers.  That shape is very important.  Note the finished cathead in the photo above.  Use a sharp chisel to get most of the heavy stuff off and when you get close to the shape switch over to a sanding stick.  Sand it to match the shape....test it in the slot on the model.  ONE MORE NOTE:  the front side of each cathead is NOT at a 90 degree angle.  It isnt supposed to be.  It is a much steeper angle actually and that is a detail not usually shown n models.  The angle of the front of the cathead is important and before you glue the star onto it you should make sure its flat and shaped appropriately.  Look at the laser cut sheet and I think you can better see the actual shape of the cathead on the side panels.  I made sure I gave you guys an extra cathead just in case.
 
The front piece is similar.  It has that wonderful star pattern etched onto it.  Sand the four sides flush.  But also try and scrape some of the char away from the perimeter of the star.  I used the tip of a #11 blade to scrape away a good amount of the char around the outside of the star.  It cleaned up really good.  I found it easier to do after I glue it onto the cathead.
 
Test it on the model...
 

In this photo above you will also notice how I added an iron band around the outboard end.  Its very thin.  I just used some black tape for this.  Dont make this too heavy and wide.  Just a really thin band.   Use the seam from the star piece as a guide.  Cover up that seam or at least put the band right up against it.   It really finishes it off wouldnt you say?
 
When positioning it....the inboard side is also very very important.  Remember you want it to look like one piece with the cat tail under the beams.  Do your best to line them up assuming you positioned all that stuff carefully enough early on.  
 
See below.  we are just trying to simulate the cathead and cat tail being in one piece.  Do the best you can.  Its a very difficult part to make otherwise.  Especially with a cathead as detailed as this one.  Oh and yes there are laser cut sheaves for the cathead as well.  You can see them in the photos.  Just glue them into the slots for them.  
 

I am not sure I pulled it off 100% but its real close.  I am happy with the results.  Especially after looking at how the catheads are usually portrayed on most kits.  They seem like afterthoughts.  But they are an important detail in my opinion. 
 

Now to do the other side....any comments or questions??

Really nice work, Roger.
I love the idea of giving the viewer a glimpse of some of the internal details.
It should be interesting to see who notices and who does not.
Hopefully you will bring the completed ship to the next NRG conference, whenever it is.
Looking forward to seeing her in all her glory.
 
Be well
 
Dan

Thank You
 
Moving on to the belfry rail.  This is pretty straight forward.  All of the parts are laser cut for you.  I carefully removed the laser char from each piece and then glued each rail together.  One thing worth noting is that the tops of the rail uprights are shaped like the typical  timberheads you have all seen.  But they can only have the shape laser cut on two sides.  You will need to sand or file the shape on the front end of each.  I just used a sharp #11 blade actually to cut in the angle for the top.  There is a laser etched line already on the piece to act as a stop-cut.   So I just sliced the angle back towards the etched line.  You can see one that has been shaped before painting below.
 

Another detail to mention is the fact that the fcastle deck has a roundup or camber to it.   In order to ensure these uprights for the rail are actually vertical, the bottom of each of them is laser cut at the appropriate angle for you.   Just make sure you face them all the correct way when you insert the uprights into the rail.   Insert them top-end first as I also laser cut a small stop into the bottom half of the uprights so you can keep the height of the rail consistent along all three pieces.   
 
There is also a small "L" shaped piece that is glued to the inboard end of each rail port and starboard.  Make sure you glue it to the correct side....otherwise the rail will not sit properly and will lean to one side because of the angled bottoms.
 

These "L" shaped pieces once glued to each rail also help position it on the fcastle.  It makes it impossible not to center them on the fcastle edge properly.   The one side of the "L" actually sits against the belfry.  It butts up against the belfry sides.
 
Oh and I almost forgot...you can round off the sheaves on the rail just like on the other fittings you made from parts like this.  Paint them black.
 

Slowly but surely the fcastle is filling up with details.   Next up will be the large knee at the bow followed by the catheads.
 
Any questions or comments?  Feedback...
 
 

Still plugging away on experimenting guys…i have made probably a dozen of these already all with different shapes and approaches.  These are all with the laser cutter but when time permits I may also give it a try on the cnc.
 
Just trying to manage my time to get it all done.  Each iteration takes a few hours.  Adjusting for grain direction and number of parts etc
 
These are just down and dirty experiments.  I am leaning in the direction of the one on the right.  But nothing will out do a scratch built rail but I am trying to get you guys close enough to be happy.
 

One of the many tests made in just cedar.  This one was discarded for obvious reasons.  I started using cedar for the tests because I was going through too much of my boxwood stash.  The shape isnt correct on this version and its a bit too heavy.  Too much sweep and curve toward the forward end of the rail.
 

 
These headrails will take a long while to get right.  I have to take a step back and turn my attention to finishing the next two chapters but I think its good that you see how many iterations I work up and the thought process. It takes me forever to work on each element.  I am never entirely satisfied.  
 
Feedback??  Any would be appreciated as it would let me know if I am on the right path or not.
 

Doris - 
 
What a great artistic eye you have !  Thanks for sharing your techniques and photos.
 
Dan
 
 

Hi Doris - 
 
I found the drawing that I was thinking of.  It turned out to be the Royal Katherine herself as drawn by VdV the Elder in 1673 and reproduced in Frank Fox's book "Great Ships - The Battlefleet of King Charles II".  As he shows, the half gangway goes up only to the entry port, which is much closer to the forward gunport than I would have expected.  This may have been forced on the builder by the forward location of the main channel, which would have been much more difficult to move.  

Please be assured that none of this nit-picking detracts in any way from the beautiful work that you are doing.
 
Be well
 
Dan 

Hi Doris - 
 
Thanks for pointing me to the models.  I think I see how it works.  The steps only go up to the level of the entry port, which is offset aft.  This is the officers' entry.  For the rest, a rope ladder, probably with wooden steps, would have been lowered from the rail and over the closed gunport.  In combat it would have been pulled up, of course.

I saw this feature in some Van de Velde sketches, but thought that the incomplete ladder was just an artistic shortcut.  I should never doubt the master.
 
Dan
 

Hi Doris - 
 
Beautiful work, as always.  Your build logs have elevated my own work, even on such different subjects as the ocean liners that I have built.
 
I have one small question - do you think that your entry port is too far aft?  Is there enough room for the crew to secure the train and breeching tackle for the gun immediately aft of the port?  How will the steps for the gangway run up to the top rail?  I have seen the painting of the ship with this feature placed as you have it, but I can't figure out how it would work.
 
Thanks
 
Dan
 

Really nice work, Roger.
I love the idea of giving the viewer a glimpse of some of the internal details.
It should be interesting to see who notices and who does not.
Hopefully you will bring the completed ship to the next NRG conference, whenever it is.
Looking forward to seeing her in all her glory.
 
Be well
 
Dan

Really nice work, Roger.
I love the idea of giving the viewer a glimpse of some of the internal details.
It should be interesting to see who notices and who does not.
Hopefully you will bring the completed ship to the next NRG conference, whenever it is.
Looking forward to seeing her in all her glory.
 
Be well
 
Dan

Really nice work, Roger.
I love the idea of giving the viewer a glimpse of some of the internal details.
It should be interesting to see who notices and who does not.
Hopefully you will bring the completed ship to the next NRG conference, whenever it is.
Looking forward to seeing her in all her glory.
 
Be well
 
Dan

Really nice work, Roger.
I love the idea of giving the viewer a glimpse of some of the internal details.
It should be interesting to see who notices and who does not.
Hopefully you will bring the completed ship to the next NRG conference, whenever it is.
Looking forward to seeing her in all her glory.
 
Be well
 
Dan

CHAPTER 8 (continued)
 
The Rabbit hole:  in late July my wife and I visited a fellow model builder and NRG member and his wife who live nearby in Wisconsin.  I was astonished by his collection of beautiful scratch built models, several of Lake vessels.  I was intrigued by the way that he had added interest by giving viewers a peek of the ship’s machinery through an open door, hatch or skylight.  Returning home, I decided to add the same feature to my Benjamin Noble model.  I will show the engine room skylight open revealing the top of the triple expansion steam engine below.  I also decided to show the coal bunker partially filled, visible through the open coal bunker hatch.
 
This all required an examination and reconstruction of the ship’s internal arrangements.  I was able to do so with reasonable accuracy from the structural drawings that showed the rectangular trunk passing from the engine room to the deckhouse roof.  This same drawing also showed the coal bunker and located the two boilers.  I was surprised to discover that the layout of the coal bunker and boilers differed from the usual layout of Great Lakes ships- see drawing below.  Instead of locating the coal bunker at the forward end of the deckhouse, the bunker wraps around the boilers with the hatch behind the smokestack.
 
Why did the Noble’s designers do this, and why not use the generally accepted arrangement?  Answer:  by doing so they increased the volume of the hold by the 7000+ cubic feet that would otherwise be taken up by the bunker.  So then, why did the designers of other Great Lakes ships favor the more common arrangement that cost them hold volume?  
 
For every cargo that can be conceivably be carried  aboard ship there is what’s called a “stowage factor” that lists the volume required by one ton of cargo.  The principal American Great Lakes cargo was and still is iron ore.  In the early 1900’s, coal was a secondary cargo, loaded when the opportunity presented to avoid returning back up the Lakes in ballast.  The stowage factor for iron ore, a very heavy cargo, is about 20 cu ft per ton.  When hauling iron ore the ship would be considered to be fully loaded well before her holds were full.  Sacrificing hold volume for bunker space, therefore, did not affect the carrying capacity for vessels built to haul iron ore.
 
Why did the Noble’s designers need the extra hold space gained by her unusual and costly bunker arrangement.  She was designed to carry a very light cargo: pulpwood with a stowage factor of over 140 cubic feet per ton.   When she sank, she was carrying railroad rails, stowage factor 12 cubic feet per ton.  There was a lot of empty space in her hold that was subject to flooding if her hatches failed.  
 
The subassembly in the second photo below fits into a space chiseled into the poop deck.  Parts of it will be visible through the engine room skylight.  The other part is the coal bunker.  The two boilers would have been underneath.
 

Looks good Roger.   Is there any part of ship modeling that doesn't lead to a rabbit hole?   Some are bigger and deeper than others.

CHAPTER 8- A Major Milestone and a Rabbit Hole
 
Since my last progress report almost three months ago, I have been working steadily on the model.  A couple of weeks ago, I reached a major milestone, I fastened the two hull halves together.  Before I could do this, I spent considerable time adding necessary hull openings; hawse pipes, mooring pipes, porthole linings, the propeller shaft tube, and piping inlets and outlets.  Once the halves were fastened, I added the keel plating and the propeller boss reinforcement plates.  The final keel plate aft awaits installation of the lower rudder support shoe, that first requires installation of the rudder and propeller.  The White supports utilize the female threads embedded in the bottom of the hull but the supports themselves are temporary.  The grey color is  primer.  As usual, the digital camera shows areas that need to be cleaned up.
 

Much fun figuring out how to get decent mouldings! But I finally figured it out.
 
First round: I used an old exacto knife blade, shaped with a grinding wheel in the lathe. At this point, I was still trying to cut the blank at the angle of the tumblehome. I mounted it in a holder:

 
I expected the handle riding against a fence to stop at the right depth:
 

 
But this failed miserably. For some reason, the depth was not controlled at all, and the top edge waved up and down. And the cutter did not define the outer edges, just the face; so the moulding top curves did not gracefully flow into the sides of the profile; there was always a little ridge or the curve got cut off.
 
Next idea. I made a new cutter, now abandoning the idea of cutting the moulding at the angle of the tumblehome. It was too complicated, and at this scale did not show at all. So now I tried a simpler profile, straight up and down, and I provided sides to the profile that would run against the blank so the curves would flow evenly down into the edge of the blank. The edges of these sides were softened with a file so they would not cut, only guide.
 
I cut the profile in a Lie-Nielsen A2 steel blank (for his moulding plane; https://www.lie-nielsen.com/products/beading-tool-blade-blanks, 5 for $10). This made a fantastic cutter. I was able to shape it partly with ball end mills in the milling machine, and partly with files. And its greater thickness greatly reduced chatter. Lie-Nielsen claims it does not have to be hardened, and I will see if it starts to dull or not before I am done with this shape.
 
At first, I tried just running the cutter along the edge of the blank, counting on a fence to stop the cut at the right depth:

 
This did not work well at all. The upper edge was amazingly wavy. Perhaps the more powerful cutter grabbed at grain more aggressively.
 
So the final idea, which works perfectly, was to build a holder for the cutter, angling the cutter at 15 degrees, and with a fence riding against the side.
The workbench top now acts as a stop. I put a number of slips of manila folder and typing paper between the cutter and the workbench top to lift the cutter up so it just takes a whisper of a cut. When it cuts no more, I take away a slip of paper from underneath, dropping the cutter down slightly, and cut again. I do this repeatedly until the full profile is cut. You can see below the sweet curl of a cut coming off the cutter. The exacto blade cutter only shaved off sawdust.
 

 
I then cut the blank to the right thickness, keeping a piece of typing paper against the fence. In my earlier efforts, the metal of the fence was discoloring the moulding; the paper keeps it clean.
 

 
And voila, perfect mouldings:
 

 
This turned out to be much more difficult to control than I had originally expected, but a lot of experimentation and I got there.
 
 
 
 
 

Hi Toni - 
 
An excellent idea and project.  From the look of the finished hull, you are incorporating most of the techniques and details that a ship modeler needs to learn.
This epitomizes what I think should be central to the Guild's mission - setting standards for achievement and then teaching and demonstrating how to reach them.
 
I will be following along with great interest.
 
Dan

Agreed Mark!
 
A minor manufacturing jobs done this week together with one complicated and frustrating task.
 
Starting with the job. With the temporary metal masts in place the next job was to make the boots.

 
I had decent photographs from which to produce the drawings. The only difference between the two boots was the difference in the mast diameter.
 

 

 
The boots are canvas but at model scale material does not work well so they were made from painted wood. They were made in 3 parts with an intermediate aluminium disc to simulate the clamping band.
 

 
Then came the frustrating task of sorting out the locations and designs of the various mast bands for both masts.
 
Unfortunately when it comes to masts photographers don't seem to find them very interesting. The photographs I have are therefore indistinct and confusing. The plans don't really help with anything other than the locations of the intersections of the rigging lines. Trying to interpret the photos did my head in but in the end I think I got it about right. I now have loads of sketches which I hope I can understand when I come to use them. I have included a selection below/
 

 

 

 

 

Thanks (belatedly) for the kind comments above and the thumbs-up !
 
********************
 

Some post-summer progress
 
It is quite amazing, how time passes – more than three months since the last up-date ! OK, I have been in sort of semi-vacation for six weeks in Spain, but then money-earning work seriously got into my way.
 
Normally, I leave painting as much as possible to the very end, just before the assembly stage. This avoids damage to the paintwork by handling the model or the problem of removing dust from it. However, I felt that the project had progressed to a point, where I wanted to see how everything comes together. This also boosts the motivation, rather getting lost in fabricating endlessly little pieces.
 
So, the model was given a good cleaning to remove dust, grease etc. The sequence of colours had to be carefully considered in order to work from the light ones to the dark ones. I also wanted to work inside out, because in this way masking was facilitated.
 

Photograph of 1876 showing quite clearly the livery of SMS WESPE at the time.
 
The whole paint-work is done with acrylics from Vallejo (marketed here in France under the brand ‘Prince August’) and Schmincke (a German manufacturer).
 
Hence, I started with the white of the inside of the casemate, the bulwark and the walls of the deckhouse, which was spray-painted with the airbrush. Unfortunately, I had some trouble with the airbrush that had not been used for a while. Apparently, some paint had accumulated in the nozzle from insufficient cleaning over time. This particularly affected the white, which seems to have comparatively bigger pigment particles and is more difficult to spray anyway. Due to the various bits and pieces added to the bulwark etc., it is virtually impossible to rub down the paint and begin afresh … so the white paintwork is not as good as I had hoped for …
 

 
The decks were not originally laid in wood (with the exception of the quarter deck and the floor of the casemate) or covered in linoleum at that time. They appear to have been painted with a mixture of tar and black oil-paint, with sand mixed into to provide a non-slip surface. I assumed that this mixture would attain a dark greyish colour with time due to weathering, similar to older tarmac. Prince August 996 (German ‘Panzergrau’ - tank-grey) seemed to be a suitable choice. All the deck areas were sprayed white together with the other parts to give a better key for hand-brushing. I began with painting the kicking-strips and water-ways between the bulwark stanchions and then progressed to several coats on the deck areas. All this painting was done by brush, as it would have been virtually impossible to mask-off the bulwark.
 

 
The paint-schemes of the Prussian and then Imperial German Navy ships are reasonably well known for the years after 1867, as the ordinances were published in official gazettes that have survived. For the first couple of service years of SMS WESPE, the 1874 ordinance paint-scheme would have been applicable. This specifies that hulls below the waterline were to be red and above black, with a white boot-topping; another white strip was to be painted below the main rails; all ginger-bread work in white as well as all superstructures and deck-houses, ventilators, etc. Funnels and masts were to be painted yellow (buff). Photographic evidence indicates that there were some variations to this scheme for SMS WESPE, but I will discuss these, when I come to describe the painting of respective parts.
 
First, the narrow visible part of the underwater hull was painted in Vallejo 71.269 (red RAL 3000). This area was then masked off with Tamiya masking tape. The inside of the hull was also masked and the hull sprayed black.
 

 
The bulwark-rail appears to have been varnished wood. It was first given a coat of Prince August 77 (bois-wood), followed by a light wash of 834 (bois transparent), which has a slightly lighter tone, followed by another light wash of Vallejo 71.074 (beige). Finally, a very light wash of Vallejo (transparent orange) was applied, which gives the wood a deep, warm tint. 
 
The images above show the ‘raw’ paintwork. It still needs to be touched up and items such as the scrollwork needs to be refined. Eventually, there will be also a light weathering and ‘griming’ with pastels – the idea is to just show the effects of being in use, but with good maintenance.
 
To be continued ....

Hi Bill,
 
Actually, the show was this past weekend - last Saturday.  The show was a success, overall.  A video team made a review of the models present:
 
 
Somewhat perplexingly to me, personally, they chose to show only the incomplete starboard side of my model, but what can one do?  Any publicity is good publicity.