Snug Harbor Johnny

AN absolutely BRILLIANT idea for a builder who wants to make the detailed hull the star of the show ! Build her to the point pictured so far (or thereabouts) in your build and call her finished ! Such a model will be easier to case - or perhaps may not need a case ... just a little 'dust off' occasionally, and one can always have immediate access to the model. Transportation or moving won't be a problem, since the ship can be laid on its side over padding/bubblewrap in a box - and can even be safely shipped.

Planking bends amidships are generally gradual, with the greatest curves needed at the bow or stern. What I've done with pre-soaked planking needing more bend at the end is to put the end into my mouth ... Don't scoff, since perhaps there is something in saliva that helps the process - then I cautiously use my front teeth to slightly crimp the wood sequentially, with hand and tongue forming a tighter radius. One can 'feel' the fibers strain and just start to crack a little, which is the cue to back off. Its a bit of an art, but with some practice its worked for me. Different species of wood have a variety of tastes, but as with wine tasters, one does not swallow but rinses with water to cleanse the palette.

Wow, Kevin ... I watched #8 (planking) as a sample, and it covered in real time (mostly, except for some fast-forward sanding) fitting the first 3 plank pieces. The degree of design (including jigs and fixtures) is more impressive than first imagined, yet there is real craftsmanship in the 'fine tuning' of each piece for an exact fit - to be expected of a fine model. I noted the sparing application of white glue - most likely to avoid any irregularities when staining later on.

Yes, Kevin ! Thank you for the link. By applying the planks on the next phase to notched framing, everything should fit with only minor adjustments. The engineering in this Pavel kit is indeed remarkable. The Billings Roar Ege that I've done some preliminary fiddling with has a simple building jig with smooth, un-notched forms with only laser 'tick' marks where (presumably) the top edge of each plank should go. BUT, these marks are off (as well as the middle building bulkhead being not wide enough) - and builders typically have lapped planking trouble along the way. The frames to put in later just don't fit right as there are gaps, etc. The plank shapes appear to conform to published shapes of the originals, and I was able to determine where the 'tick' marks should go on the build frame bulkheads of the Roar Ege (the middle one remade to the correct width conforming to 1:25 cross sections - enlarged from the less than model scale provided with the kit). Still, having notched building frames would be better ... but would the actual notched ribs provide still fit after the planking is done? So I stopped work, at that point. I contrast this problem with the excellent approach the kit designers of the Woody Joe Khufu barge I did a build log on some time ago. There, they lasered the hull frames into the build bulkheads leaving small points of attachment. So after planking, those attachment points are cut with an X-Acto to release the hull frames from the building bulkhead - which took some care and fiddling, but the result was fine. So I'm thinking now that revised jig bulkheads might be fashioned for the Ege with recesses to receive the rib segments held by tape (for ease of later removal). Then the planking will be right on the ribs, so when the jig is removed everything will have a great fit.

This is amazing puzzle, with pre-fairing noted on frame pieces by a second lasered line within the perimeter. The building jigs are also engineered cleverly. I saw another build somewhere (but can't find it again just now) that goes meticulously through each step - with some useful tips/caveats. Other related builds of Billings Oseberg or Vikingskibbe have troubled themselves with installing riviets, yet Siggi's Gokstad recent build used a scribed line near the plank edge and pencil dots to simulate rivets effectively.

Not happy with the first one? I'd be delighted to buy it for a future project !! ... Of course, you've upped the bar with the detail on the second tiller.

You're moving right along with the builds !

... 100% NH4 ? (Lab grade ammonia) That would be a powerful base and dangerous. Perhaps a 'full strength' household ammonia was used (a guess). In another build a triangular file was used to press a little into the back side of a plank to be bent to make a series of indents along the backside in the area to bend. (I can't locate the image right now.) I mean to experiment with this idea - and some water soak may assist.

You've done a fine job on the Baltimore !! ... and every builder is aware of any mis-step, or 'could have done better' on their own build. I printed the kit on 8 1/2 x 14" legal paper by using Photoshop to enlarge the images enough so the large pieces fit somewhat within the 14" limit, and will yield almost a 25" model (about 1:160 scale) when built over a future winter when current projects are finished. Of course, that made the width of the image go beyond the 8.5" width - necessitating splitting the image into 2 cropped versions that manage to get all the pieces intact on either one or the other. I'm hoping that the larger version will make some of the fiddly bits easier to make. - And your build offers everyone valuable guidance. Perhaps filling the voids between the bulkheads of the paper 'skeleton' with balsa will add much needed strength, heft, (and when shaped and sealed) something to form the paper 'skin' to with more limited wrinkling - especially in the upper stern area. other items can then be pinned right into the balsa as convenient. Thank you again for sharing, mate !!

Of course there are images that entered into the public domain from the moment they were offered for public sale with no claim of copyright - I'm talking about late 19th and early 20th century postcards with photographs or illustrations on the front side. Sometimes all they will say is something like 'printed in Germany'. Yet some individuals or corporate entities simply claim 'ownership' regardless - and multiple entities may be claiming ownership of the same postcard image! The only explanation provided by a friend (a published author) with some knowledge of copyrights is that individual examples of a postcard in the public domain will have unique defects and damage sustained over the years (like stains, creases, tears, postmark, spots, etc.) that comprise a virtual 'fingerprint' of that particular copy, thus making it unique. Thus someone may want to claim exclusive ownership of their own copy, This argument is nebulous, nevertheless one can take any public domain postcard image (whether 'claimed or not' - or any mage from an early 20th century copyrighted book that has entered into the public domain), alter it digitally (in Photoshop or other software) to 'erase' spots, repair creases and tears, change the coloration ... and then add your own special details to make it uniquely your own. Then whether you want to copy protect your own version of the image is yours to make.

My Dad built this kit before I was born, and I remember it being in the basement for a long time ... but no one can say whatever happened to it. Most likely he gave it to someone as a gift.

Congrats on a nice build completion !

The Billings kit will be a major work, but there are at least 2 builds on MSW that can expand on what many say are relatively sparse instructions that come with the kit. The journey of a hundred miles begins with with a single step.

Super detailed ... this is a good one can modify the Emden kit. It look to be a similar sort of ship as the U.S.S. Baltimore, another light cruiser.

One other thing ... Gold - even 8 carat gold (the kind used in jewelry for people who want to show a lot of "bling", yet get the most bang for their buck) - won't change color much over time, at least nowhere near the amount of change brass will get a brown patina. This means that the solder point might become more and more noticeable over time unless completely painted over. I'm making a few brass fittings for a special project now, and do everything possible to saw cut, drill, file, bend, twist, lethe turn ... and any combination of the above to make each piece needed either without soldering or with a press fit.