shipmodel

Hello again to all in this strange new year.  Fortunately the Wayback Machine in my shop is set for 2500BC along the banks of the Nile, and I use it to escape the madding crowd.   
 
In the boatyard we left off with the center bottom planks of the Khufu boat cross section being shaped and laced.  But before finalizing them I did some more forward planning for the model.  To get to the final measured shape I went back to Paul Lipke’s excellent drawings of the vessel as printed in his monograph.  Figure 52 has both a longitudinal cross section as well as a horizontal cross section drawn at the midships point looking aft towards the deckhouse. (Figure 1)
 

 
I separated out the horizontal cross section drawing and compared its dimensions against those recorded by Dr. Mustafa (Lipke pp. 97, 103).  When the beam at the sheer line was set to the recorded dimension I found that the draft was too deep and the deckhouse was drawn slightly too small.  I’m sure that this was caused, in large part, from Lipke not having the actual boat to measure, rather than just Mustafa’s 1:20 scale model.  Whatever the cause, in PhotoShop I adjusted the drawing to the dimensions and ended up with a plan that seems to match the shape of the hull and deckhouse as seen in the photographs.  The flattening of the hull curve will be especially significant for the model’s final look.  I’m sure that there will be a few additional tweaks, but this is my starting point. (Figure 2).
 

 
In discussing the reconstruction of the boat Mr. Lipke provides further detailed information on the plank shapes.  He notes that the joints between the planks are slightly open to the inside of the hull, but fit tightly at the hull’s outer surface.  He speculates that this was so that “as the rail lashings shrank and the wood swelled (when wet) the hull would be drawn in on itself.  With the inboard part of the seams cut away, the outer edges would be free to be crushed together all the more tightly.” (Lipke, p.105).  These seams are all covered on the inside by over 300 battens which Lipke describes as “hemispherical.”  It is unknown if the seams were filled with any type of caulking or packing material held in place by the battens, though that is certainly a reasonable possibility.
 

 
For the model the edges of the planks were beveled at approximately 2 degrees, making an open top of about 1mm while the outer seams of the planks are as tight as I could make them.
 



 
With the planks shaped and all the lacing tunnels cut, I turned to the lacing itself.  Dr. Mustafa tried several types of rope and ultimately settled on linen line as being the most resistant to stretching.  Fortunately, I have a large supply of laid up linen line with a diameter of .75mm (0.03”).  This scales out to just over ¼ inch (for us American types) which may be a little skinny, but certainly in the right range.  I laced every other set of tunnels across all three planks, doing six for the model.  Each consists of five 36” lengths of line with the ends held together by layers of tape.  Excess line was coiled to each side until additional planks are fitted.
 

 
The lacing lines are held tightly in place with wedges in each outer tunnel mouth.  Although they are not mentioned in any of my sources, such a simple solution is, I believe, very likely to have been used in this manner. Looking ahead I think that securing the lacing like this will allow me to ‘hang’ subsequent planks without having to rely on an internal framework or external shoring.  But that is an experiment for another time.
 

 
Now I could do some testing with this planking and lacing setup.  The planks are joined with only the four small tenons sitting in vertically snug mortices along each of the two plank seams.  Without any lacing the planks can flex up or down quite a bit before the planks start to separate.  This would not be a good thing for a boat on the water to do.
 

 
With the lacing in place the downward flex is substantially reduced.  Here the center plank is supported on a 2”x4” while the outer planks carry two pounds of brass weights each.  To increase the flex the lacings would either have to stretch, which the linen line resists, or slide through the tunnels, which the wedges prevent.
 

 
However, the lacing does not interfere with an upward flex.  Here the outer planks are supported while the center plank carries 3 pounds of brass.  The lacings have simply loosened as the planks flex upward.
 

 
Dr. Mustafa ran into the same problem.  According to Lipke, even using linen line he could not get the planking to set up as firmly as seemed necessary.  Ultimately he fashioned a few battens from scrap wood and worked them under the lashings over the plank seams.  Lipke recorded Mustafa as saying:
“Immediately that section of planking was much stronger and more stable.  And then I laughed.  I realized that I’d come up with precisely the ancient Egyptians’ technique in an independent way. . . Even skipping every other set of lashing holes, with these battens we got the hull much more rigid than before.” (Lipke p. 79)
 
But these are not the narrow hemispherical battens shown in earlier drawings and models.  As seen in the Primary Photograph they are considerably wider than would be needed to secure packing in the seam or otherwise reduce leakage.  As measured in that photo they are approximately 16cm (6 inches) wide and appear to be no more than 3 or 4cm thick.  Similarly, in this color photo of Dr. Mustafa in the fully reconstructed and laced hull, the battens appear to have about those same dimensions, or perhaps in places are even wider.
 

 
So how do these battens stiffen the seams?  To test this on the model I made up some wood pieces 16mm wide and 3mm thick.  The lacings over the plank seams were loosened and the battens slid under them.  The lacings were hauled tight again and secured with the wedges. 
 

 
Now, when the planks try to flex upwards the increased angle between them presses up on the edges of the batten and tries to lift it off the top of the planks.  But this is prevented or reduced by the tight lacing.  So here, with the same setup and weight as in the earlier photo, the amount of upward flex has been substantially reduced by the battens.
 

 
Yes, this is a simple experiment done under not-so-controlled conditions.  Nonetheless, the various pieces are all to scale and the principles, I believe, are sound.  The conclusion that I draw here is that wide battens are important to the structural integrity of the hull and that this is their primary purpose rather than the prevention of leakage.
 
Having investigated how the parts of the structure work together, I removed the test battens and replaced them with final stained ones that match the shape and sizes of those seen in the Primary Photograph.
 

 
Next time I move on to the two garboards that will sit to the sides of the center bottom planks.  Since the drawings of these planks are somewhat questionable they will take a good deal of photographic analysis to get them right.
 
Till then, be well.

Some thoughts on the construction of the Khufu solar barge derived by building an accurate scale cross section model.
By Dan Pariser
 
   First, thanks to all who have followed me from my prior build log of the SS Mayaguez.  Thanks as well for all the likes and comments and suggestions that this community provided on that project.
   As will be seen, this project is based on information, plans and drawings which have much less precision and certainty than when I was building that modern steel-hulled ship.  I invite and request that all of the readers of this log give me their comments and suggestions to improve the model and keep me from going too far astray.
 
Part 1 - background and research
 
     Ancient civilizations have always fascinated me, especially Pharaonic Egypt, whose culture and religion were so focused on death and the afterlife.  Other early peoples were certainly focused on death, mostly the death of their enemies in war, but this one was all about their own deaths.  Strange.
   
     Somehow though, this philosophy led to some the greatest architectural, engineering and artistic works of the dawn of history.  This was true in shipbuilding as well.  Since the land is dominated by the long, straight river Nile, boats were incredibly important to move people and goods up and down its narrow fertile valley.  Boats of all types are depicted on the walls of tombs and were taken into the afterlife as models which would magically become real for the use of the deceased when the right spells and chants were said. 
 
   One of the oldest of these, and the best preserved, is the solar barge or funerary boat of the Pharaoh Khufu, also known as Cheops, the builder of the Great Pyramid at Giza.  (Figure 1) He wanted to take it with him into the afterlife, not as a model, but the actual boat.  To do this he had it fully built and then disassembled and buried in a sealed underground limestone crypt (Figure 2) next to his pyramid where it remained from about 2,560 BCE till being discovered in 1954, a span of over 4,500 years.  Yet because the seals had not been broken the wood was still in remarkably good condition. (Figure 3). 

   A team led by Egyptian archaeologist Dr. Hag Ahmed Youssef Moustafa spent 13 years putting back together its more than 2000 pieces.  The fully assembled boat was displayed in its own modern purpose built museum next to the Great Pyramid (Figure 4).  It has recently been moved to new quarters with better air conditioning in the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
 
   The saga of the discovery and reconstruction has been documented by American historic marine construction expert Paul Lipke (Lipke) based on over a hundred hours of translated interviews with Dr. Moustafa and hundreds of photographs and drawings of the boat and its parts made during the reconstruction. (The Royal Ship of Cheops, British Archaeological Reports, 1984).   His fascinating and comprehensive report is mandatory reading for anyone interested in this iconic craft.  He reproduces dozens of photographs of the reconstruction process and gives precise measurements for many of the boat’s details.  He also drew preliminary scale plans of the boat. (Figure 5).  
    Many additional photographs can be found in the book, “The Boat Beneath the Pyramid” by Nancy Jenkins, another must-read source, while other drawings and plans were developed by famed marine archeologist Bjorn Landstrom in “Ships of the Pharaohs”.  The final source that was central to this article is “The Construction of the Khufu I Vessel (c.2566 BC): a Re-Evaluation” by Samuel Mark (Mark) of Texas A&M University, published in the International Journal of Nautical Archaeology (2009).
 
     From Lipke’s initial plans and measurements various drawings have been created of the boat which give a better idea of its particulars. (Figure 6).  As you can see, the boat itself has a striking shape.  It is quite long at 43.6m (142 feet), but with a breadth of only 5.9m (19 feet) at its widest point.  Its shallow draft is only 1.78m (6 feet) from keel to sheer, with a freeboard from waterline to sheer of less than a meter.   The boat tapers symmetrically to points at both ends which curve up high above the waterline with carved ends that reflect the shape of papyrus reed boats from the dawn of Egyptian history.  On deck is a lightly built deckhouse which may have housed the Pharaoh’s coffin and a small open altar near the bow.
 
     Its construction is unusual to us as well.  Hull planks, 12cm (5 inch) thick, are fitted to their neighbors with mortice and tenon joints.  The planks are then laced to each other with ropes that snake through “V” shaped tunnels chiseled into the interior faces of the planks.  Rounded battens cover the plank seams and are held in place with the same lashings. (Figure 7).   Multiple beams span the hull from sheer to sheer, locked in place and strengthened by two notched side stringers above the beams and a central spine below.  The central spine is supported on short stanchions which rest on frames which spread the deck loads to the bottom planks.  These too are held in place with rope lashings. (Figure 8).   Taken together, the wooden pieces and lashings form a truss structure which would have been quite strong and rigid.
 
     However, these cross sectional and perspective drawings are somewhat simplified and stylized.  There are also two cross section models that I know of, but they are also similarly simplified, although the one built for Texas A&M University is quite accurate in its general configuration. (Figure 9).  This is perhaps because no one has been able to accurately measure and draw plans based on the actual ship.  Even the plans drawn by Lipke were derived from a 1:20 scale model built by Dr. Moustafa to aid his reconstruction work. 
 
    Compared to photographs of the boat’s interior, the profiles in the drawings and the model are too high and steep, the planks are too regular, the battens covering the plank seams are too narrow, rounded and straight, the lashings are too regular, and the tunnels that the lashings go through are not accurately represented. (Figure 10).  Because of this, certain conclusions about construction methods and sequences have been made which are, in my opinion, somewhat inaccurate.

     I decided to attempt the construction of a precise scale cross section of a specific location in the boat to see if I could replicate a workable method and sequence for how it might have been built.  I also resolved to build it as was done by the Egyptians, with mortice and tenon joints, rope lashings, and, most of all, no other fasteners or glue. To do this, instead of relying on the prior drawings I went back to the original boat. 
  
     Although I have no access to the boat itself, there are photographs of the exterior planking and interior structures which are reproduced in the several sources mentioned before, as well as on the internet.  I am also indebted to Mr. Lipke who kindly provided me with others from his personal collection.  Then there are the drawings created by Dr. Moustafa from the boat pieces, as reproduced by Lipke and Mark.  Though many are noted as not being to scale, they are the closest to accurate drawings as can be found.  Wherever there was a conflict between the photos and the drawings, I went with the photos.  Finally, there are drawings on contemporary tomb walls showing boats under construction, as well as academic studies of contemporary boats which also informed my investigation, and which will be referenced later.  These were used a supplements to the first two.
 
     From these I selected one photograph which contained many of the construction details that I wanted to recreate.  Here is that shot, an interior view of the hull taken during reconstruction. I call it my Primary Photograph. (Figure 11). Contrasted with the simplified drawings and models, it shows planks of various widths and shapes, lashing holes in irregular patterns, and flat battens which are pieced together from short sections with angled ends.  Note the large triangular batten piece to the left which must cover seams between several planks. 
   
   Based on the photo I decided to build out the model from the line of lacing in the foreground to just beyond the dark frame, which would then include the large square batten pieces tied with crossed ropes that are sitting just in front of the frame. This would give the model sufficient visual interest for the viewer yet still allow my close adherence to traditional building methods.  
 
     Next time, the development of the working drawings.
 
     Be well
 
     Dan
 
    

Hi again, and thanks as always for the likes and compliments.
 
Druxey, those are stealth funnels. . .
 
Continuing with the build, now that the uppermost deckhouses were framed out their sides were detailed.  First the camouflage scheme on the troop ship was carried up and over the sides, even over the angled louvers and the rounded cover over the large salon.  Doors, windows, portholes, moldings and handrails were added with their locations taken from the plans and photos.

All of the large structures on the ocean liner side were left or painted white with brass handrails.  The decals for the double-deck height windows of the Winter Garden were carefully lined up, even though it is difficult to see the lower windows unless the light is just right since they are deep under the overhanging deck.  Railings were added to three of the open spaces that house boats on the troop ship.

The next elements to tackle were the three funnels.  Size and location were taken from the plans, but they are not very detailed, and what they show is confusing.  I work better from photos so here they are.  They are oval cylinders with no taper and rake back at 8 degrees.  The liner funnels were painted red up three quarters of their height, with the top quarter divided equally between a lower white band and an upper blue one.  The forward two have four ancillary pipes spaced equally around them, though the third funnel does not have them.  Other photos show that the last funnel has one pipe that runs up the back just to port of the centerline.
 
In this close-up you can see that there are two reinforcing bands for the attachment points of the guy wires.  One is halfway up, the other just below the white band.  There is a rounded lip at the top of each.  A steam pipe runs up the front of the second funnel to a platform where a foghorn is mounted.  This does not appear on the last funnel.  Other photos are a bit unclear, but seem to show a double foghorn on the front of the first funnel and ladders leading up. 

Construction began by carving a mold out of pine.  The best image of the plan view of a funnel was cut from the plans, then resized to be 1mm smaller than full size in both width and length.  I copied it six times and printed them on one page.  Two were cut out and glued to the top and bottom of a rectangular billet that was a bit taller than needed.  Care was taken to be sure that they lined up with each other.  The excess wood was removed with a coarse sanding drum in the Dremel, then a medium grit belt sander, and finished with a fine sanding block.   

The resulting cylinder was sealed with several coats of clear finish and sanded smooth.  I wrapped it with waxed paper, then two layers of 0.010” sheet styrene.  The four total thicknesses of the plastic add up to 0.040”, or 1mm, bringing the outer dimensions back to full size.   To make the plastic to permanently take on the right shape I tried a technique I read in FineScale Modeler magazine.  I wrapped it all around with several rubber bands, then dunked it in simmering water for 20 seconds, then cooled it in cold water.

With the rubber bands removed I could open the outer layer slightly without taking it off the mold to feed in some thin Tamiya plastic cement, which had enough working time that I could close it back together and secure with rubber bands until the glue dried.  The exposed edge was ground and sanded smooth and flush.

After sliding the plastic off the waxed paper, and despite the boiling and cooling, the funnel returned to a much too tubular a shape.  I was a bit disappointed but I always planned to use the mold to shape and stiffen the funnel.  However, it had been quite a long process to shape the mold, and I would have to do two more.  Then I had the idea to cut the mold into nine pieces.  For each funnel I slid one piece into the middle of the tube and glued it there.  Pieces were secured in the top and bottom, the top one set down a little.

A half-round strip made up the lip at the top and narrow strips were added for the eyebolt reinforcements.  The bottoms of the funnels were shaped to the 8 degree angle on a disc sander.  All three were primed with dark grey before being tested in place for angle, lean, and symmetry.

Once their overall shapes were acceptable a set of tiny eyebolts were twisted up and installed.  There are eight evenly spaced along each of the reinforcing strips, a total of 48 on the three funnels.  Then the troop ship sides of the first two funnels were sprayed light grey and the camouflage pattern hand painted according to the plans in dark grey.  The third funnel was painted with the blue-green color.  Then the centerlines were located and masked with the Frog tape.  The top of the liner side was painted white, then masked so the lower area could be sprayed with a medium red and the top brush painted Navy blue. 
          The outside pipes were made up from 1/16” brass rod with small sections of brass tube fitted to the top.  They are secured to the funnel with five eyebolts.  I found some commercially produced ones in my spares drawer that fit perfectly.  To line them up I laid on a narrow strip of tape and drew a straight line on it.  Eyebolt locations were marked and holes drilled. 

After removing the tape and gluing in the eyebolts the pipes slid in without a hitch where they were secured with dots of epoxy.  On the front face of the first two funnels I added a dark painted PE ladder on the troop ship side and a thinner steam pipe on the liner side of center leading up to a small railed platform to service the foghorn. 
          The top of the funnels does not appear clearly in any photo that I have, so I took some guidance from the interior structures seen in the cross-section plan and gave them a large central ring protected by a PE grating.  On the forward two funnels there are also four smaller pipes epoxied to the wood plug, while the last funnel only has one.  Then the tops were painted flat black.

The external pipes were brush painted to match the background colors.  Here are the liner sides.

The forward faces.

And the troop ship sides.

There was one final detail.  At the base of the third funnel the photos show a series of flat plates rounded top and bottom.  I did not know what these were until I located a photo of the original funnel on the SS Vaterland.  There they are open holes, probably for air circulation.  They were closed off during the war and left that way later during the liner incarnation.  I thought that they made a nice detail, so I made them up out of 0.005” strip.  They were painted off the model before installation and the different tones make them stand out just enough to see if you look for them.

So here is my usual final double photo.  All of the structural elements have been built up from the waterline and in from the bow and stern, finishing with the center funnel.  Now begins the fun work of detailing the ship from the top down and the center out.

More soon.
 
Be well
 
Dan

Perseverance. Camaraderie.  These are the ties that bind us to each other, and to our projects in-hand.  As always, many thanks to all who continue to persevere here.
 
Small update.  They’re all small these days, but chipping away.
 
I will say that it is always remarkable to me that no matter how scrupulously I draw something, and use straight edges to scribe the lines into plastic, while also accounting for the half-width of the blade-to-point (and the half-width of the drawn line) - there are always WILD discrepancies from the drawings, in the cut parts.
 
It is essential, IMO,  to make the actual parts fit the initial drawing, because the pattern/drawing is based directly on the actual deck camber; minuscule discrepancies in angle-to-post will create gaps between panel and rail that are much more difficult to remedy, given my sub-assembly approach to building these breast rails.
 
Here are my panels laid as carefully over the drawing as I can, after they’ve been parted on the lines with a razor-sharp chisel:

One has to account for the shortcomings of phone-photography - which does not provide a truly flattened perspective in close range, however, it is evident in the picture above that there are overlaps, and angle-to-post inconsistencies that would make a final glue-up far less than ideal.
 
My advice to anyone that reads this will be to trust the quality of the initial pattern that you make.  Base all of your geometry on that.  Shape your parts as closely as you can.  You will have FEWER surprises on assembly.
 
Part of what is happening here is that I am paring to a line with a really sharp chisel through soft plastic that is less than 1/16” thick.  I am squaring that chisel intuitively by eye.  I am careful to always leave less than 1/32” for my final paring cut to the line.  And.  And, yet.  The chisel will still drift to an out-of-square cut.
 
I say all of this to say, that fitting these small panels to a drawing:

is a process of consolidation; of checking and re-checking against the drawing; a little from the lower left corner; a little from the top right.  Oh, and the central panel does require some actual camber along the top and bottom surfaces.  A very little here, and a very little there, and eventually I have arrived at a reasonable bet for sub-assembly:

I will note that the central “Soleil Royal” badge is, in actuality, 1/64” off center.  I point it out only to highlight that this is what the eye can perceive.  In this instance, it is a consequence of process and bonding.
 
I’m using C/A to bond BONDO to plastic.  The window for placement is limited.  I managed to get the top/bottom spacing right.  In the end, after all is said and painted, and posts are in-place - the discrepancy will hardly be noticeable.  There is too much else for the eye to focus on for it to matter.
 
Next, I will make the knee/post supports.
 
On what I think is a helpful side-note:
 
I wish good mental health to all.  On a personal note, I am finding it harder and harder to remain grounded.  Take a breath.  Visit a friend, in person.  And, take faith that better days will prevail.  At some point, they will.  These are my steps forward.
 
If any of you feel similarly, please know that you are not alone.  Take care of yourselves, MSW/SOS.
 
BTW, I am not on any kind of brink or ledge.  I have too much to live for, and plastic Soleil Royal is the least of it😜  I am simply acknowledging that what is happening in the world is really stressful;  I think, to the vast majority of people.
 
Things will probably still get worse for a while, but they will eventually get better.  I think this way because the MAJORITY of people, and what they need and think still matters.  It does, and it always will.
 
I like to think that there is a path forward where the modern  “information age” actually limits potential bad outcomes.
 
I’m going to go with that!  There is always an open ear, h’ear for anyone “having a moment.”
 
Take care of yourselves, friends.
 

I will chime in here as well to my agreement with everything said. I will further add the comradery that develops among builders.  I have never met face to face with anyone from MSW but over the years feel I have created friendships. I am moving slowly through a section of my current Amerigo Vespucci build. Still find time every day but not always enough visual progress to warrant an update here. Sometimes I think I need to post some update are you guys may think I, like some often do, have given up the hobby. 
I, as well, believe it takes patience and perseverance. I often hear from those I invite into my “shipyard” that they don’t have the patience or the may ask how long does it take to finish one of these?  My shipyard is my happy place and where I go to create with no (I gotta get this done) thoughts allowed. 

Marc -
 
I agree completely with the sentiments, but would change the terminology a bit.
For me, it is not 'patience', which is waiting for something to happen, but 'perseverance', which is working steadily through the ups and downs of the process, and enjoying the journey along the way.
 
Dan
 
 
 

Marc -
 
I agree completely with the sentiments, but would change the terminology a bit.
For me, it is not 'patience', which is waiting for something to happen, but 'perseverance', which is working steadily through the ups and downs of the process, and enjoying the journey along the way.
 
Dan
 
 
 

100% agreed to all, above.  I forgot about patience, but that is a big one!

To this I would add 'patience'. Patience and to be content with stepwise progress (and sometimes set-backs) is the key to success - as you demonstrate all the time.

A number of you have reached out and said a lot of really complimentary things about the work on these railings, and the model in general.  That is very meaningful to me, and I really appreciate it!
 
I do want to take a minute, though, and talk a little bit about process, as there may be people watching along through all of this and thinking “well, I could never do anything quite like THAT.”
 
My resounding reply to anyone who may be feeling that way is that you absolutely can achieve these things.
 
While it is true that I have developed fine motor skills over the course of my lifetime, and they are essential, I think what is often considered “talent” largely boils down to one’s powers of observation.
 
Here is what I mean.  Whether it be 17th Century French warships, or 18th Century American longrifles, or Art Nouveau furniture - to name my three most passionate period interests - I think it is essential to constantly be on the search for previously unknown and increasingly better examples of these things, so that you can better appreciate what constitutes Good, Better and Best (Israel Sack’s guide to period furniture) examples of any given type.  This is why I love scrolling through Pinterest so much.  Every so often, the algorithm sends me a gift of something I had never seen before!
 
More than any other skill that I posses, I believe it is my ability to really home-in on, and scrutinize the details of a thing, that has enabled me to recreate them with reasonable verisimilitude to their times.  I really pore over drawings and photographs for excessively long periods of time, and often revisit them until I understand the details well enough to actually draw them.
 
This has always been my litmus test; when I can finally clearly visualize something in my mind’s eye well enough to draw it in a clear and detailed way - then, I absolutely know that I can make that thing.
 
Perfection is never my goal.  All aspects of this model, or anything I have made, are slightly irregular.  What I am trying to achieve, though, is the uniform application of my powers of observation, in concert with my dexterities to the object in-hand.  In other words: I am committed to maintaining a certain standard of execution.  The more contemporary models you look at, the more you will come to realize that they all have in-common these slight irregularities of shape and proportion.
 
This is why the project has carried on for as long as it has. Soleil Royal is a magnificently complicated vessel, and I have endeavored to include as much of that detail as I reasonably can.
 
The QD breast rail is emblematic of this process.  When you really study it, you can find all manner of a-symmetries:



However, as with painting, it is my habit to work an individual panel, for example; get it fretted pretty close to where I want it to end up; regularly flip the work from front to back to make sure I’m not cutting out of square; and, finally, to come back and re-work each panel so that they are as consistent as I can make them.
 
The secret to all of this is just time.  I enjoy the process, so the enormous amounts of time I spend whittling away don’t really matter too much.
 
In closing, all of these things you see me doing were learned right here in the process of making THIS very model.  My skills have improved tremendously over that span of time.
 
These things are achievable.  You can do them too, and the process of learning to opens doors to what you are capable of within the hobby.  You are suddenly no longer constrained by whatever kit manufacturers deem profitable enough for manufacture.
 
Thank you for indulging my reverie.
 
All the best,
 
Marc
 

Beautiful work, JD
 
Dan
 
 

Beautiful work, JD
 
Dan
 
 

In addition to working on this model of the Mary Day, my other particular creative interest has been in small-scale carving. So it’s nice to be able to have the chance to add some carvings to this model project, such as the transom carving that was covered in a previous post. Here I will focus on the trailboards that are mounted at the bow.
 

The first step was to create a piece of wood that closely conformed to the stem and the adjacent hull shape. Then the outboard surface of the trailboard was carved into this piece. And this had to be done twice, with reasonable symmetry, while also keeping each piece in proper scale relative to the hull and stem.
 

 
 

 

 
 

 
 

After working out the gross shape of each trailboard and test fitting them on the hull, they were each mounted on holding blocks with glue. The scrollwork was drawn with soft lead pencil, using freehand technique while having actual photos of the trailboards close at hand. The drawing was then inverted and transferred to each workpiece using a hard lead pencil. The detail was then filled in prior to beginning the carving process. Also outlined were the margins of the trailboard and the decorative scroll at the tip of the trailboard.
 

 
 

 
 

Using the microscope, the background was carved away, leaving the scrollwork and the margins at the top and bottom edges of the trailboard. At this point I felt very proud of myself…
 

…until a fellow modeler pointed out that if left as is, the scrollwork would look like piped-on icing on a birthday cake. (My son who works in digital animation agreed with this assessment!) In order to fully resemble the actual trailboard, the scrollwork would need contouring that resembles the actual trailboard, shown here as they receive a new layer of gilding.
 

 
 

I initially doubted that I had the skill to duplicate this at such small scale. But with the right tools and adequate magnification, it was possible to carve out bevels on the concave surfaces of the scrollwork, while rounding the convex ones.
 

The entire surface was painted the same shade of gray as the hull surface.
 

The piece was parted from its backing using alcohol, and was test mounted on the hull and stem.
 

 
 

Instead of painting the scrollwork with gold colored paint, gilding was recommended. This was a new process for me. Just learning how to handle the fragile gold foil took some practice and some review of YouTube videos! And don’t have the air conditioning blowing too much in your work area…
 

There is a product line out of Germany made by Kolner, called the Instacoll system. It involves an adhesive base that is applied and allowed to dry. Then an activator is applied, followed by application of the gold foil. The foil is then burnished down to the surface.
 

I had a spare trailboard with carving on it that allowed for some testing of the system before moving to the actual pieces.
 

Here is a trailboard that has been gilded, with excess gold leaf on the background.

And here is one that has been fully cleaned up, with the excess gold leaf scraped off of the background. 
Hopefully my next post will follow pretty quickly, regarding the bulwarks planking. Stay tuned!
 

Just a brief post to let you all know I am still alive. The subject is the hawsepipes, and this was a perilous adventure! Even though I have finished the process, I am curious to know how others handle such a delicate matter. The entry point on the knighthead has to be precisely located, as does the exit from the hull planking. I started with very fine drill bits and estimated the path the pipe should follow, drilling in a very shallow manner starting at the knighthead, then doing the same starting at the hull surface, then deepening each hole with the hopes that they would meet in between. While I was still working with relatively small bits, I could tell I was off on the starboard side, as the pipe was emerging too low on the hull.

But as I gradually scaled up, it became possible to work on the pipe with the tip of an X-Acto blade and open up the passage in a favorable direction.

And in the end, I ended up with two symmetrical passages. The diameter is currently 1/16". They will probably still require further enlargement, and additional wood will be applied to the inboard and outboard surfaces to duplicate the appearance on the real vessel. That will be helpful in that it can potentially cover up other imperfections.

So how does everyone else handle this delicate matter?

As always, a great illustration of the powers of observation, innovation, and persistence.
Bravo.
 
Dan
 

As always, a great illustration of the powers of observation, innovation, and persistence.
Bravo.
 
Dan
 

As always, a great illustration of the powers of observation, innovation, and persistence.
Bravo.
 
Dan
 

I have decided to keep my momentum going, and I am currently in the process of designing and making my QD breast rail.
 
In a moment of pre-install vanity, here is the f’ocsle belfry placed:

I wanted to be sure that the scale of the thing looked right, although I did mock-up the main stay during the design process and the top of the belfry is well below it.  With the Louis Quinz model as my reference, I think it looks just about right:


photos courtesy of Marc Yeu
 
Continuing the theme of bringing the outboard details, inboard, I used the main deck level balcony rail as my design reference:

The wonderful part of this hobby is that you are constantly learning and refining technique:

In order to more uniformly draw the three port side lattice frames, I realized I could create a series of reference lines (diagonals and a mid-line) that would help me to layout these shapes in a consistent way.
 
I was lucky that I still had six oval cartouches that I could extract from the kit QGs.  It was necessary, though, for me to cast another name cartouche out of BONDO, which came out with perfect casted detail.
 
The oval cartouches are cast with tiny fleur-de-lis.  On each side of the central panel, I will engrave the central ovals with the crossed-Ls monogram of Louis XIV, while the outer ovals will remain fleurs.
 
Little by little, we are getting there!  Thank you for visiting the build!
 
Bonus - I found this amazing VdV portrait of an unknown Dutch two-decker.  I just love the beautiful silhouette these Dutch ships cut on the water:

 

At 75 I have survived all of the transformations that I care to.
I'll be happy if I can walk around the block at a brisk, non-transformational pace.
 
D
 
 

Hi Marc - 
 
I finally got fully caught up with your excellent progress after some time away for life matters. 
Great work on the decorative details.  I can only envy your casting and molding success.  These are skills that I have never mastered. 
I agree with your decision on the capstan.   As far as I know it was a transitional time for this element and either style would be appropriate, but the earlier style is more 'stylish', IMO.
 
I am scheduled for surgery of my own - knee replacement - in January, so we can compare crutches.
 
Dan

At 75 I have survived all of the transformations that I care to.
I'll be happy if I can walk around the block at a brisk, non-transformational pace.
 
D
 
 

At 75 I have survived all of the transformations that I care to.
I'll be happy if I can walk around the block at a brisk, non-transformational pace.
 
D
 
 

At 75 I have survived all of the transformations that I care to.
I'll be happy if I can walk around the block at a brisk, non-transformational pace.
 
D
 
 

At 75 I have survived all of the transformations that I care to.
I'll be happy if I can walk around the block at a brisk, non-transformational pace.
 
D
 
 

Hi Marc - 
 
I finally got fully caught up with your excellent progress after some time away for life matters. 
Great work on the decorative details.  I can only envy your casting and molding success.  These are skills that I have never mastered. 
I agree with your decision on the capstan.   As far as I know it was a transitional time for this element and either style would be appropriate, but the earlier style is more 'stylish', IMO.
 
I am scheduled for surgery of my own - knee replacement - in January, so we can compare crutches.
 
Dan