grsjax

Dumas makes one but it is very simple.  Both the Amati and AL kits are pretty good.  There are some Chinese made kits but I think they are from makers that are on the banned list.  Can't think of any others.

Another excellent book is "Junks and Sampans of the Yangzte" by G.R.G. Worcester.  Based on decades of experience it is the best book I have seen on the subject.  There is also the "Junk Blue Book 1962" put out by the US Government during the Vietnam war that has a lot of info about water craft of the region.  Downloadable version is available here http://indigenousboats.blogspot.com/p/junk-blue-book.html

Yes indeed it is....that same scumbag company also pirated my lantern kits and other projects stolen from other MFGs....I removed the link.  The Russians are just as bad as the Chinese.   You would think with all of their master builders that they wouldnt have to steal other designs.   But yes that company is bad news.  They even use my assembly images taken from this site to help sell the lanterns.  I made the unfortunate mistake of including the parts diagram in the downloadable instructions.  Once again....You cant win!!!   I have known about this company for some time now.
 
When I first came across their site I had to laugh until I almost peed myself.   Written in russian it says "Dont buy from a foreign supplier.....we manufacture all of OUR products in our own facility"
 
 
If its out there they will find a way to steal it.  They have also stolen and pirated Jeff Staudt's Batteau because the Model ship builder site hasnt used any protections.....not that this stops them.  This company has already been added to the banned Kit makers list posted here.  I guess I should be flattered right?  Imitation the the greatest form of flattery or however that saying goes....
 
http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/181-banned-kit-manufacturers-on-msw-pirated-kits-prohibited/
 

 

 

 
 
 
Here is a link to the real thing.......buy the original and NOT the pirated Commie fakes
 
 
 
Chuck

Old kits are worth what someone is willing to pay for them.  Sometimes you will see a kit on ebay go for a high price but other times you will see the same kit go unsold for a long time even if the kit is priced low.  Only way to know for sure is to list the kits and see what happens. 
 
One thing to look at are the plans in the kits.  A good set of plans suitable for scratch building might be worth more than the kit.

The case before the barhouta sheathed, further resurfacing

Tipping barhouta

Next deck

Established waterway, there are cut holes for diapers.

He began to stack the deck


 

As said by others eBay is the way to go to get a good pair without breaking the bank.  I bought an excellent set for less than $40 including shipping.  Well worth the cost.  However be wary of the ones being sold from India.  They are very cheap copies.

Old kits are worth what someone is willing to pay for them.  Sometimes you will see a kit on ebay go for a high price but other times you will see the same kit go unsold for a long time even if the kit is priced low.  Only way to know for sure is to list the kits and see what happens. 
 
One thing to look at are the plans in the kits.  A good set of plans suitable for scratch building might be worth more than the kit.

Here's a list of naval related books available from Project Gutenburg all are without copywrights and maybe downloaded for your interest.
 
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=sail+ship
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=wood+ship
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=building+ships
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=british+war-ships
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/46094
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/48179
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/25749
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/29285
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/25544 The Pioneer Steamship Savannah: A Study for a Scale Model by Howard Irving Chapelle
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/31179  Fulton's "Steam Battery": Blockship and Catamaran by Howard Irving Chapelle
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/23861  The Story of the Great War, Volume V (of 12) by Churchill, Miller, and Reynolds
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/46215  The Battles in Flanders From Ypres to Neuve Chapelle by Edmund Dane
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/6721  The Voyages of Captain Scott : Retold from the Voyage of the Discovery and
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/26509  Journal of the Third Voyage for the Discovery of a North-West Passage by Parry
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4673  Notes By the Way in a Sailor's Life by Arthur E. Knights
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/31910  Memoirs of the Extraordinary Military Career of John Shipp by John Shipp
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10542  The Boats of the "Glen Carrig" by William Hope Hodgson
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24880  The Wreck of the Titan by Morgan Robertson
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13830  The Wreck of the Hesperus by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/21531  Woodwork Joints: How they are Set Out, How Made and Where Used. by William Fairham
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/22107  Wood-Carving: Design and Workmanship by George Jack
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/12299  The Mechanical Properties of Wood by Samuel J. Record
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/20846  Handwork in Wood by William Noyes
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/27238  Woodworking Tools 1600-1900 by Peter C. Welsh
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/43604  Wood-working for Beginners: A Manual for Amateurs by Charles G. Wheeler
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/43574  Carpentry and Woodwork by Edwin W. Foster
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/42650  The Boy Craftsman by A. Neely Hall
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/26598  Seasoning of Wood by J. B. Wagner
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/52902  A Naval Expositior by Thomas Riley Blanckley
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/36776  Inventions in the Century by William Henry Doolittle
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/725      Men of Invention and Industry by Samuel Smiles
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/11368  Stories of Inventors: The Adventures of Inventors and Engineers by Doubleday
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50475  The Young Ship-Builders of Elm Island by Elijah Kellogg
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/7947  The Diary of a U-boat Commander by Sir Stephen King-Hall
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/44228   Boat-Building and Boating by Daniel Carter Beard
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/23601  The U-boat hunters by James B. Connolly
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/53900  Historical Record of the Seventh, or the Queen's Own Regiment of Hussars
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/20483  Artillery Through the Ages by Albert C. Manucy
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/43799  Gunnery in 1858: Being a Treatise on Rifles, Cannon, and Sporting Arms by Greener
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/38961  Narrative of the surveying voyages of His Majesty's ships Adventure and Beagle
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/18941  The Fight for a Free Sea: A Chronicle of the War of 1812 by Ralph Delahaye Paine
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/52942  The Year after the Armada by Martin A. S. Hume
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/52472  Captain Cuellar's adventures in Connaught & Ulster A.D. 1588. by Hugh Allingham
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/22942  Clare Avery: A Story of the Spanish Armada by Emily Sarah Holt
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3334  Drake's Great Armada by Walter Bigges
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/42604   Stories of the Ships by Lewis R. Freeman
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/32166  Thomas Andrews, Shipbuilder by Shan F. Bullock       
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/29685  Submarine Warfare of To-day by Charles W. Domville-Fife
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/26641  The Submarine Hunters: A Story of the Naval Patrol Work in the Great War
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/33438  Sea-Hounds by Lewis R. Freeman
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/26040  Log-book of Timothy Boardman by Timothy Boardman
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/45583  Scapa and a Camera by C. W. Burrows
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/21404  From Powder Monkey to Admiral: A Story of Naval Adventure by Kingston
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/36136  Yankee Ships and Yankee Sailors: Tales of 1812 by James Barnes
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/45011  The Logs of the Serapis--Allance--Ariel, Under the Command of John Paul Jones,
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/46788  The Story of the "Britannia" by Edward Phillips Statham
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/40847  A Short History of H.M.S. Victory by W. J. L. Wharton
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/21389  Ronald Morton; or, the Fire Ships: A Story of the Last Naval War by Kingston
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/34489  Antony Waymouth; Or, The Gentlemen Adventurers by William Henry Giles Kingston
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/40689   Off to Sea: The Adventures of Jovial Jack Junker on his Road to Fame by Kingston


Enjoy Ed

As said by others eBay is the way to go to get a good pair without breaking the bank.  I bought an excellent set for less than $40 including shipping.  Well worth the cost.  However be wary of the ones being sold from India.  They are very cheap copies.

As said by others eBay is the way to go to get a good pair without breaking the bank.  I bought an excellent set for less than $40 including shipping.  Well worth the cost.  However be wary of the ones being sold from India.  They are very cheap copies.

Not sure if this has already been brought up but I believe the most common mixture was red ochre mixed with turpentine and linseed oil.  This would have been the most commonly available material in a dockyard.  The actual color would have varied a great deal depending on ingredients, how fine the pigment was ground and how good a job of mixing was done.  A recipe I found is 1 part linseed oil, 3 parts turpentine, Drying agent, Pigment.  Not sure what was used as a drying agent or if a drying agent was even used.

Pleased to oblige, Wefalck. Pictures as requested. They certainly are attractive instruments. There is a table of figures for setting every conceivable proportion one might want.
 
I use similar strategies to yourself when subdividing distances, especially on curved surfaces such as hulls.

I bought mine on E-Bay and like everything on E-Bay sometimes they go at a very reasonable price and other times way out of range.  Once you get them you will not know how you lived without them.  Get a good pair, rack and pinion, I bought a pair from MicroMark years ago but I do not think they are rack and pinion.  In my opinion you would be better off with a good used pair from E-Bay.  

Not sure if this has already been brought up but I believe the most common mixture was red ochre mixed with turpentine and linseed oil.  This would have been the most commonly available material in a dockyard.  The actual color would have varied a great deal depending on ingredients, how fine the pigment was ground and how good a job of mixing was done.  A recipe I found is 1 part linseed oil, 3 parts turpentine, Drying agent, Pigment.  Not sure what was used as a drying agent or if a drying agent was even used.

I suspect that, back in the 17th and 18th centuries, that colors varied a lot. Paint was mixed on site from pigment and oils. The quality of pigment would vary from batch to batch and where one was located geographically. No 'QC' back then! I agree with Wefalk - don't get too stressed about it.  

It is important to keep in mind, which kind of pigments were available at a given time and which ones were cheap enough to be used on a ship. The palette of an artist has always been richer than what was used for such mundane tasks as painting ships.
 
Cadmium-based pigments are a 20th century invention. According to Wikipedia, the potential for the red and yellow Cd-oxides as pigments was recognised in the 1840s, but commercial quantities did not become available until around 100 years later. Today, Cd-based pigments are being phased out again due to the environmental concern over such dispersive uses (for the same reason Cd-based batteries are being phased out as well). However, Cadmium-Red and Cadmium-Yellow paints for artists do not necessarily contain Cd, but are close matches with other pigments.
 
In fact, I think the discussion on the exact hue/colour and trials are rather futile. While iron-oxide reds are rather stable pigments as such, the exact colour of the paint made with them depends on a number of factors, such as how many waters are in the crystal structure of the oxides, where they were sourced, what other components were used in the paint, etc. The best solutions would be to find an ancient recipe for making the respective paints. But even then, there could be significant variations. Also, until the middle of the 19th century, navies gave their commanders considerable leeway in the details of these matters and there was no centralised supply. Colours did not become standardised until after WW1, when for instance the German army began together with industry to develop a colour table that still is in use today, even outside Germany (the 'RAL' numbers).
 
So I would not get too worked up about this as long as you have a somewaht mute and slightly yellow-brownish red.

Hey Dave,
I think thats what I have in my workshop - it was already here when we bought the house - its gray concrete slab with an epoxy coating on the floor - its semi gloss and moving my tools are easy (most tools have stands or are on tables with rollers).  So far its been easy to clean and parts show up easily.  

David MacGregor wrote a book "Merchant Sailing Ships, 1775 to 1815".  Excellent book.  Not sure if it will have the info you are looking for but a great reference on the subject.

David MacGregor wrote a book "Merchant Sailing Ships, 1775 to 1815".  Excellent book.  Not sure if it will have the info you are looking for but a great reference on the subject.

Besides building ship models, for the past several years, I have been making reproductions of primarily 18th century masterpieces of American furniture in 1"/ft. scale. As many of you may be aware, the primary wood used in their construction, was mahogany. However, in this scale, the grain of mahogany has proven to be way out of scale, and of course, the same holds even more true for the smaller scales used by model shipbuilders. So, what's a poor fella to do? Fortunately, I discovered that a wood called danta, when stained and finished, looks for all the world, thanks to its pink color and a much finer grain pattern, just like a miniature version of mahogany. Its working properties are excellent. Other wood substitutes I have found useful are mansonia for walnut and quarter sawn English beech for quarter sawn white oak. 
These woods and many more are available from Steve Goode at S. H. Goode & Sons Workshop in Atascadero, CA. I have bought wood from Steve for many years, always with excellent results. He has always been very accommodating when it comes  to special requests, and his knowledge of the woods he deals in is second to none. You can contact him at shgoode.com or by phone at (805) 460-9663.
I hope some of you find this helpful.
 
Sincerely,
Ed Heeg

Here are a couple of possibilities for you.
 
Hutchinson, William. 1791. A Treatise Founded Upon Philosophical and Rational Principles: Towards Establishing Fixed Rules, for the Best Form ... of Merchant’s Ships ... and Also the Management of Them ... by Practical Seamanship; Thomas Billinge. http://books.google.com/books?id=b00OAAAAQAAJ
 
Hutchinson provides a great deal of discussion concerning form and function, but not much on construction.
 
Steel, David. 1805. The Shipwright’s Vade-Mecum: A Clear and Familiar Introduction to the Principles and Practice of Ship-Building: Including the More Complex Rules of Arithmetic Made Use of in That Art; With So Much of the Principles of Practical Geometry and Mensuration as Are Required in the Practice Thereof. London: P. Steel. http://archive.org/details/shipwrightsvade00steegoog
 
Steel includes some information concerning merchant vessels in his various tables.
 
 

David MacGregor wrote a book "Merchant Sailing Ships, 1775 to 1815".  Excellent book.  Not sure if it will have the info you are looking for but a great reference on the subject.

Spoke shaves are good for working on spars and other long thin sections.  Use them for doing the initial shaping before finishing with scraper and sandpaper.

Hello,
 
I started the year with a new project - since my Victory is "done". The project I choose is  small utility vessel used in French ports to keep them clean and accessible based on a monograph by Gerard Delacroix. The model will be built as plank on frames with a side open.The plans are at 1/36 which will give a model about 50 cm long - so not too big.
 
It has no rigging and the hull shape is quite simple with a perfectly flat bottom. The hull itself will be relatively easy to build - which I like as I don't feel like embarking in huge projects for a while now (Victory took me 9 years). But there are challenges to this project too: the two wheels and the metal scoops. 
 
Here are some pictures  with the progress so far.
 
Regards,
Alexandru

Hello friends,
 
according to the plans of Jean Boudriot, France
Scale: 1/48
Species of wood: German Elsbeere
Planning and keel-laying: December 2016
Dimensions of the model:
Lenght: 1,10 m
Width: 0,23 m
Hight without mast: 0,24 m
 
The pictures are the example:  PES.ru
 
Karl