Snug Harbor Johnny
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Everything posted by Snug Harbor Johnny
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Um, 'looks like the square sails were supposed to be trimmed to have curved sides and bottoms (like sails filled with wind in real life) - and they still can be adjusted. 'Just saying.
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New discoveries are often resisted when presented. Examples: Sea fossil evidence found in the 19th century on mountain tops indicated that the Earth is vastly older than the approximately 4,000 years suggested by the Bible; Darwin & Wallace described Natural Selection as the mechanism of Speciation (still stubbornly rejected by some even today - there is a 'full size' Noah's Ark in Kentucky where humans cohabitate with dinosaurs); Hubble's discovery in the 1920s that there were other distant galaxies - and not 'spiral nebulae' close to us in a 'small' universe; Continental drift due to plate tectonics; that a meteor triggered a mass extinction 60 million years ago that finished-off the dinosaurs ... So it has been throughout history (ever read Carl Sagan's 'The Demon Haunted World'?). Don't be surprised or disheartened, mate - for your research is appreciated by more than a few among us.
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'Don't know about PREAC, but I have a "Chicago Tool" (Harbor Freight) mini saw that came with a far too coarse blade (4" diameter - 40 tooth, .060 kerf) for cutting planks and such for modeling. I needed a fine blade of 100 or more teeth - .040 kerf with a 1/2" arbor. 'Seems that is a DIFFERENT arbor than Dremel or the equivalent, and I had to search the internet to find something. Two brands were found - Tenryu and Warrior. So be sure to know the arbor size and blade diameter for your machine, then search the net for the # of teeth desired ... kerf appears to be proportional to the number of teeth. BTW, the mini saw I have is a cheapie - and I had to improvise a DQC fence for it (DQC = Dirty Quick and Cheap) by clamping wood to the table and adjusting by trial and error (lots of error) each time ... yet it cuts (no guard) 'good enough' for my low standards. Serious finger injury is possible with mini table saws, thus care and attention is required without being in a hurry to do anything.
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This aspect of the log provides real educational value. Firstly, I see now the need for reinforcement of the extended (prow) part of a clipper cutwater (or many 19th c wooden ships). It's not a single piece, but a buildup of many shaped sections joined together. Even though the wood is thick (what, around a foot?), it still can only take so much force before breaking, and a heavy ocean wave encountered at a side angle can present a massive amount of force. On the C.S. and big T, the (typical) reinforcement goes from the sides of the hull (incorporating the hawse hole) out to the sides of the cutwater to make a sturdy triangle when bolted through. McKay's hood is located higher up and joins over the the top of the cutwater. Perhaps this innovation presents greater streamlining in rough seas, and a small advantage over a long voyage amounts to a time savings that might amount to a couple days or more - not inconsiderable for the original purpose of the China Tea trade. There may be other factors not immediately seen as well. Everything on a sailing ship had a purpose, and even though my project is not a McKay design, the information in this log helps me appreciates important construction details. Now I suppose that a clipper with a naval hood that is Christened 'Robin' could be said to have (here it comes) ... a Robin Hood ?
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Ah, swivel guns ... anti personnel should an enemy board and gain ground. And the 'apparent' barrel size is exaggerated by the artist (as well as the upward angle) - but the concept makes perfect sense. The 'large' guns were located in the main hull for broadsides and to stabilize the ship. This is why I think that overloading the Mary Rose with armored fighters and equipment on all decks (and also in the fighting tops) were likely what put her 'over the top' (topsy turvy, actually) in stability.
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Um, I suppose a gang of Pirates could be considered navel 'hoods' ... 😉
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You could consider starting an ETSY shop online. The overhead costs are minimal if it is home-based, and ETSY collects applicable sales taxes and handles the money side of the transactions ... although there are fees for that. It took my Admiral a couple years to gain a reputation for her historic costume products, but she's done OK as a 'cottage industry'.
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Check out the current Gokstad build, where the builder just marks rivets with a pencil point.
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You might try miniature brass nails. The end on the interior below deck would not be visible. The ones above deck would have the ends trimmed with flush cutters inboard. I found some already aged bronze ones that might save you the trouble of finishing. You'd pre drill marked holes with a 'right sized' wire drill (tested on surplus wood first) so not to split the strakes. The heads (from the pictures) look about .046" in diameter - about an inch on the model's scale?
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A solid hull isn't needed to drill into for secure fastening of fife rails, etc. - as long as there is a reasonably thick sub-deck below deck planking. Where the sub-deck provided is on the thin side, additional material (say, basswood sheet cut to fit) can be glued between bulkheads flush with their tops to create a sub sub-deck to glue the sub-deck to. There are few things to spoil your day after a model is finished (other than dropping it or breaking the bowsprit) than for a fife rail to break loose (one that was merely glued to the deck planks).
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New brushes don't cost that much.
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I'm doing a solid-hull model in basswood using a sliced 'bread and butter' buildup from a drawing of accurate ship's lines (but won't document on MSW until the exercise is complete ... as I don't want to post another unfinished build). Things have so far gone smoothly, and (from a restoration of a 70 year old solid pine model) there are advantages to solid hulls. You can fill and re-paint damage, drill into the hull where needed, pin into the hull anywhere you want - and there is a nice 'heft' to it.
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If you could get it, spermaceti oil would be ideal due to its stability and resistance to high pressure and temperatures - and it was traditionally used to lubricate precision machines ... but it has been illegal internationally for some time under whaling regulations. Either sewing machine oil or clock oil are substitutes. In the late 20th century, jojoba oil was discovered to be a better substitute for high-friction applications because it is even more stable at high temperatures.
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The journey of a hundred miles begins with a single step. Sometimes taking that step is the hardest to do. The famous quote by Bilbo Baggins, as quoted by Frodo, is: “It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door. You step into the Road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off too.”
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I've tried that and it doesn't work. For one thing, the water content in 'Rubbing alcohol' complicates things (70% or 90% IPA is whats readily available). Its also a 'different sort' of alcohol that doesn't work like 'denatured' alcohol (methanol). Pure (lab grade) ethanol can work, but the highest concentration you can get (with paying a lot from a lab supply) is 95% (190 proof) Everclear from a liquor store. I tried that as a solvent for shellac flakes, and the water content still affects the liquid product negatively.
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Wonderbaarlijk !
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The raised method of rail making should work. I saw another builder do something similar with wire and joints soldered with an electronics soldering iron (fine tipped) and thin solder. It looked fine after painting.
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I used both bass and balsa on a hull as an experiment, and found that balsa is a bit soft (but after shaping it can be 'hardened' by applying titebond and rubbing it in a little - then allowed to dry before sanding). Now some balsa may be denser, but dense balsa if hard to find these days (not so 50 years ago for RC planes). You need to mind the grain direction of bass as filler - amidships to app reaching bow and stern, the grain should run fore-and-aft for easier shaping/shaving. Where the curve plunges at the bow, cutting a piece to fit with the grain at a 45 degree angle will limit carving across end grain.
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The most durable scale ropes are likely those made with polyester thread - with Gutermann exhibiting the least amount of 'fuzz' at magnification. BUT, after stretching (setting - a needed part of any rope making process) poly line needs to be "set" in a warm oven (320 degrees F) for 5 - 7 minutes. Otherwise there can be unraveling when cut. (If teased, any line can de-twist.) Syren poly rope comes heat-set. I'm presuming that Ropes of Scale is also set, but any batch of poly can be cut-tested and re-set if needed. Cotton line (properly laid and set) has less raveling, but is not ravel proof. I don't know the composition of Nitkin rope, nor the lot-to-lot consistency (process control).
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Old salt with new beginning
Snug Harbor Johnny replied to Doug Smith's topic in New member Introductions
I now have the Cunliffe book - great condition used hard-bound - from Thrift Books, and a printout from Goode's ... Great stuff ! It seem that when taking the largest sails DOWN, the yoke is allowed to go lower to help compress everything along the mast ... so I wonder if the model I photographed was in that mode, noting that the main sail had a few gathers in the extended part of the yard - which is much longer than the gaff. There's no way to know the modeler's intent, so there's an idea to put info like that on the back of the display nameplate ... which should include the date the model was finished and the maker's name - a gift for any future owner. I'm restoring an old model now, and would love to know who made it and when. -
'Glad to have you aboard!
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'Really super ! ... Its amazing to see what can be done in a card medium.
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Old salt with new beginning
Snug Harbor Johnny replied to Doug Smith's topic in New member Introductions
I'll have to 'learn the ropes' on how these ships were handled. -
Old salt with new beginning
Snug Harbor Johnny replied to Doug Smith's topic in New member Introductions
A super job ! ... 'Just love the look. Last year I saw a model for sale (a mere $250) at an antique show, where the sails appeared during the process of raising sail. Again, a fascinating look that I took photos of. That evening I realized I should have bought it then and there for further study - and when I went back on day 2 of the sale, it was already sold. Now I'll just have to build my own someday from the A.L. kit now stashed. Moral: Learn to recognize value and be prepared to act.
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Furled , unfurled or no sails -Preference
Snug Harbor Johnny replied to Canada Steve's topic in Masting, rigging and sails
You can cut the bunt lines going to the deck by half, if two bunts are a single line passing through a block - whose stropped line pulls the block (and so both bunts passing through that block) up to a another block attached to a back stay, where the haul line is routed to a belay point below. Nix the leech lines and reef tackle, since the sails are furled. As furled sails sit atop the yard and are held by grommet lines, you can save the trouble of doing jackstays - since they'd be covered by the furled sail. Figures from masting & rigging by Underhill pp. 163 (omit block B, and just mount block C higher) & 169
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