Snug Harbor Johnny

'Decided to make a standing pin rail, and used toothpicks that come with shaped ends (for hors d'oeuvres ... mine weren't all that well formed, so I picked a couple and touched them up on the mini-lathe) for uprights, and a strip of mahogany drilled to accept uprights at each end - and pins in between. The deck was marked through the rail (before anything was added) for drilling. Then things were assembled and fixed in place with dabs of thin CA. Its hard to get everything in focus at close range with the crummy camera I have - but you get the idea. A little amber shellac will tone the uprights. I'll follow suit for rails elsewhere. Pics of my rough sketches on belaying the lines follow. Rough, to be sure - just haven't wanted to spare the time yet to 'clean them up', as they are still subject to change.

Sometimes days can go by with no progress, as I'm always pondering which course to take ... But once I forge ahead in some respect, much can be done. Now I often look back and think of how it might have been done differently or 'better' - but there is no point in doing so other than for future reference. The 'Holy Grail' of 'absolute' authenticity is virtually unachievable. Compromises in detail and scale must be made frequently. As with life in general, imagining 're-dos' is not productive. There was an entire rear cabin missing from my restoration model, so I had to make a replacement that would 'blend in' with the ship as-built. So I took a scrap of ordinary furring strip, trimmed the width a little, then cut off to length. Mahogany doors and windows were trimmed form planking strips, then glued into place. Off-white paint was mixed and applied to the walls, and clear shellac to the darker wood. The cambered roof (by sanding) was an application of scribed decking stock commercially available. I still have to install the grab bars and tone the roof as needed, but I set it in the deck without gluing to take a picture. A little paint perked up another deck feature .. a couple things still need to be added to it.

'Harbor Rig' (w/o sails) has a lot to recommend it. Good golly, the virtual spaghetti of lines needed for a clipper under sail is daunting - as I'm finding out. Kudos for your fine artistry and excellent detail at every stage of construction. Your build was interesting to follow, and can be a valuable tool for future reference.

This is a long, tough build - and I can see why some start with a plastic kit and order PE sets to improve the result. My hat is off to your efforts.

'Learning the ropes' (lines, actually) is quite a process - and they continually evolve in nomenclature, purpose and configuration all throughout the history of sailing ships. I'm grappling with spaghetti now, seeking to reach a happy compromise on how to deal with the restoration I'm into now. Just thinking about how to proceed with restoring a scratch-build with no instructions often delays me many days while I just keep thinking of alternatives ... not wanting to do anything rash. Measure twice, cut once. Think before gluing.

Yeah - after my folk's divorce, they kept going back and forth legally over any perceived change of life status (each angling for changes in the payments originally agreed). After nearly 30 years of wrangling, the claims and counter-claims ultimately 'bounced off' each other and neither party gained any advantage ... but each had spent over $100k in the process, so the lawyers etc. made out. 'Brings to mind the case of Johndice vs Johndice in a Dickens novel, where after many years the case was decided for the plaintiff - but the estate was totally consumed in the long process. Then there was the story of a client who saw opposing attorneys drinking together in a bar after the conclusion of a case - "How can you two drink together as friends after arguing against each other in Court?" The lawyers said they were like scissors, and only cut what's in between.

This is a great project ... 'love the rivet work and other details !

Don Quixote: "Calm yourself Sancho, there is a remedy for everything but death." Sancho: "That may be the very one we need."

There is such a thing a 'fire brick' (or refractory brick), and they can be anything from a light ocher (tan) to a light orange-red ... but that is what I've seen in 'recent' times. What was used in olden days could have been (I'm not an expert) hot-fired brick, or those nearer to the inside of the pile of bricks built up for firing. The color varied with the clay. The bricks on the outside (per the traditional brick makers in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia) did not get as hot - so were softer. These were used inside brick structures (having thick walls), with the more resilient bricks on the outside facing the weather. The bricks with somewhat 'charred' (darker) ends were utilized in a 'Flemish bond', that gave a decorative look to an exterior wall. Since hot fired bricks were used to make 'beehive' ovens - that could have an access opening on one side of a 'walk in' or 'open' hearth, or they could be an outside structure near the kitchen, but not attached, and advantage in hot weather.

For $250 on the AL Bounty, I'd GO for it without quibbling. It likely is a 'grade or two' higher kit than the OcCre, in terms of fittings, etc.

The provided base looks a lot like the sort often included in the old Scientific model ship kits.

How 'decent' is the price? (assuming the kit is complete and unbuilt) At only around 20 years old, I don't think the wood will be bad. I have a couple 50 year old kits and a 30 year old kit - and the wood is still good. The price for a new AL Bounty kit now ranges between $420 - $460 ... but a new Bounty from OcCre is about $100 less. I haven't seen these kits, so I can't say if the AL Bounty is worth a hundred dollars more - so looking for reviews and builds of each on the MSW site can likely answer that for you. You didn't say if the seller quoted you a price, and if so, what it was. But I wouldn't want to pay over $300 (if new-in -box). If his price is higher, then my counter would be $300 based on the price comparisons above - after all the current new version will be 'up to date' with new materials, so if the price is too close to new, then why not buy new? There may be another alternative, and that is the OcCre Beagle - another famous 'ship of discovery'. That kit is $200 or more less than the AL Bounty - a great price point for a new builder, and there are several builds on MSW to peruse ... a recent build does show a decent approach to detailing the bow and stern (perhaps weak points in the kit building 'out of the box') - as well as other good tips to make an attractive model. And it is always good to keep an eye on Ebay, as unbuilt kits can be had there at decent 'buy now' prices.

Hmmmm ... in your home situation you might benefit for either a locking 'secretary' desk or a 'roll top' dest (also with a lock - not only for the top but also for the drawers. Sometimes one can be found in thrift shops, 2nd hand stores. Then you would have to 'put away' less and merely close the top and lock it to prevent curious children from getting at what's inside.

Looking over a number of builds of Plank On Bulkhead kits, the builder who glue blocks in to fill the entire space between the bulkhead ... at least those near the bow and stern (where the planks will ben the most) get a nicer fairing and less trouble planking - in terms of low and high spots where one needs either a lot of filler or has to sand the plank perilously thin, respectively. You don't need the filler wood to be a single piece, since you can just glue in pieces and scraps of basswood (or even dense balsa) helter-skelter until the void is filled. Then the edges that protrude the most can either be coarse rasped away, or belt sanded to 'hog' them ... but don't get too close to the bulkheads themselves. Then you can carve/sand as needed to get nice even fairing, and you will have plenty of substrate to pin or nail planking on.

'Noticed that camera flash makes the belaying pins look shinier than they are just looking at them ... the growing patina seems a mild brown, like other brass I've had laying around for a long time. Now the jewelry wire used for the grab bars (and also will be used for railings) is 'protected' by some kind of coating ... so will remain relatively bright for a long time. The grab bars were painted white with some Testor's model enamel, and it adhered well to whatever coating was on the wire. The plan is to paint the lower third of the stanchions white before fitting, then after the railings is worked out and installed, the remaining brass will be painted white everywhere - as seen on the original ship. I figure that some 'kit supplied' belaying pins look 'stubby', is that if they had the appearance (proportion) of actual pins they'd be prone to breakage. So turned brass seems the best in looks and resistance to breakage - thus they are worth the cost of ordering as an upgrade. 'Still thinking about rigging and belay locations, and have a rough drawing. So I'll make a 'cleaner' version using my LED light table recently acquired. 4 boomkins were just made using a bamboo skewer as follows: a.) measure to select drill size, then drill about 1/2" deep into the hull where needed. ('Could have used a piece of tape in lieu of a drill stop - This means the boomkin shaft that won't be seen will be marked as to where it must go on the hull e.g. SF = Starboard Fore.) b.) insert skewer, and mark 5/8" out from hull. ( There will be 4 eyes inserted at 1/8" intervals, plus an eye on the end ... that should be enough, as I'm not sure exactly how many will be needed. ) c.) place in mini lathe, taper the end and cut off at the mark. d.) fit, mark and hand drill holes for eyes with a finger drill chuck. d.) insert eyes, trim, bend and CA in place. This (and also the belaying pin assy.) is an application for the 'thin' CA, and a little bit applied with a dental tool will 'wick' where it has to go. The boomkin shown did split a little on the end (mishandling - but the others are intact), so I got the idea to mount the reinforcing chain (to be pinned to the hull at a later time) with a ring over the end of the boomkin ... actually, any blocks or lines to be fastened to the boomkins will go on once I paint the boomkin white - but the boomkins themselves will go in later so they they don't get snapped in the interim - perhaps they don't even need gluing in as the rigging will retain them just as the rigging will retain the masts without gluing. So it is a good thing each will be marked where it needs to go later.

'Sorry about how your model got damaged. Many marriages headed for rocky shoals will show signs of stress well before one is actually shipwrecked ... and sometimes a little advanced planning can safeguard certain keepsakes, tools, books, records and such. My Dad was not a planner, and when my Mom agreed to let him out of the house in a separation on condition he never return - he just left with a few clothes and no kits, tools, or much of anything else. He later wanted one ship kit so he could occupy himself in his apartment - but nothing doing. Since he mentioned the lit to me (not knowing it was a bone of contention), I brought it over after visiting Mom ... only to get a call within the hour to high-tail it back over with the goods - and I got a good dose of haranguing in the process. Eventually things were sorted in the divorce, with him getting all the kits of various sorts plus tools back - and he partially built the one in question, but no one knows whatever happened to the work in progress. When he passed, I ended up with a couple ship and plane kits (including the one of infamy, then incomplete) and my brothers got airplane and RC stuff plus tools. Since then those have been my "parts kits", as they are of considerable age (over 50 years) and do not compare to much higher quality kits produced in the interim.

The Admiral showed me a 'magic' marker for cloth (bought in a sewing or craft store) that lays down a fine, light blue line for marking where button h oles or whatever goes. Then after sewing, by dabbing the blue marks with a water-moistened cotton ball ... the blue simply disappears. I find this better than using pencil.

'Seemed like the discs at the base of the masts would make better circular belaying pin racks than using wood, due to grain problems sometimes cropping up on small bits. Of course, I could laminate veneers to get around this problem. But what the builder used at the base of the masts project too far for what one might expect to see, and they are some sort of fiber or compound that has become age hardened. The material looks like the stuff that used to go between flanges where a water pump was used on a hot water home heating system, and washers of the same stuff were used beneath metal washers to be sure the pressure was spread evenly over what could be a not fully flat or smooth surface. They also seemed to be stuck tight, but I figured with a little persuasion they might come off. A handy vise was used to support the washer (mostly) and a few judicious taps were to be applied. Sure enough, off popped the washer - which was marked, pricked and drilled for belaying pins ... shown below. Perhaps I'll turn a little ring for the base of the mast. I'm really lucky the masts were able to be winkled loose - other wise I'd have to work around them (a pain) or perhaps cut them off and later splice new wood on (never quite as good as the original) - or use a brass collar between the bottom of the circular pin rail to the deck to conceal and strengthen the dry join - which would permit future disassembly. Note to self: rigging will secure the masts just fine, so do not glue any in place on future builds. The order of assembly is being thought over ... still no rush. And I'm re-drawing my diagram of where all the anticipated lines will go - making such a plan will doubtless aid the process. I'm favoring rigging from the 'inside out' as some have done, with ratlines being perhaps the last thing done.

Kangaroo playing air guitar ...

I happened to stop by a Barnes & Noble today and saw an LED flat screen light 'table' for $19.99 ... Now the glowing surface is only just over 8 1/2" x 11". but I figure for larger tracings, the two sheets can be 'tacked' together at the corners with temporary artists' "spray mount" - a product made with a milers grip so the item(s) can be repositioned as needed. Then I can just move the sheets over the led lit area a section at a time.

So the cabin was cleaned up, things re-glued and touched up with some acrylic paint. Then it was CA'd in place and firmly fixed - the idea being to pre-drill for the brass stanchions. Shown below are examples of a stanchion, a tiny eye (intended for jack rail installation) and a brass belaying pin of some age. The pin is close to scale - representing about 2' ... perhaps a typical belaying pin is around 18". The brass has a natural patina and will eventually be brown in color. Again, smaller scales will be henceforth 'right out' - although some are able to manipulate super tiny things ... they built Swiss watches, didn't they? After drilling stanchion holes, it occurred to me that the cabin on the original has 'grab bars' on the sides ... dang, its going to be hard to install them with the cabin already fixed to the deck. Once again, I didn't quite think everything through .. so step one was to mark the attachment points (such as they will be on this model) with mechanical pencil. I started to measure the places, but ended up doing it 'by eye'. Then bent pliers were used to push a straight pin (but bent, due to the odd angle) into the wooden cabin for the brass eyes. Next came hand drilling with a pin drill, also bending the fine drill (but not enough to break it) a bit to deepen the starter hole. This is painstaking, so rather than had all the stanchion holes (shown later) by hand, I used a rotary tool. Still, one has to be careful not to snap a drill. A small dab of old Gel CA was put on a pair of attachment points. The advantage of using 'old' gel CA is that it takes longer to set-up, thus allowing time to fiddle and drop stuff, reposition, try again ... the picture is 'upside down' because I'm working that way with the hull in my lap. Like what was said in Pirates of the Caribbean, "Down is up." Now getting the second eye on was a pain. When the rail is to be placed on a corner, the eyes can be installed first, then the rail slid in and cut to length. Here the panels on the cabin sides (as built and re-glued in place) limit sideways rail movement. I suppose I could have left the eyes 'proud' of the panels, slid the wire in, cut, the push everything down. But I didn't think of that at the time. Fiddling these small bits in a tight place produced a fair share of 'dang its' and gol-darn sumb-witches ... to be expected. What Ben Franklin said about getting a Constitution through Congress (comparing it to bringing a child into the world) might be applied to model ship building ... "half improvise and half compromise". Next more old CA was applied - in this case (with one hand holding the camera and the other trying to keep the glue bottle steady) there is too much on the joint - so he excess had to be wiped away with a bit of absorbent material. Now a dental tool applies a bit of accelerator (the tool was dipped into a small amount of it in a nearby cup). and BAM everything locked-up nicely. I suppose new gel CA would not have as much working time ... so just let a bottle set on the shelf for a year (like I did) and its still quite useable by this technique. Now a right-side up view of how things are coming along. The next consideration is the ladders to go from the weather deck to the forecastle (same astern). The model being restored has flimsy rubber ladders that are not at all satisfactory. I'm going to have to build my own using material from a parts kit on hand. I'll have to figure out how railings will be done. Once the first ladder is figured out, the other three will be done in the same way. There is also some re-thinking of where all the lines will have to be routed and belayed ... that will be done much later on.

Your Pegasus stand looks great ! The pins will provide the needed stability without the trouble of cutting a 'rabbit'. The rabbit technique (with a snug fit) provided enough grip once the wood glue dried that I didn't need anything else ... but cutting the groove was a but troublesome. Your pin idea seems very practical.

How about the Mona Lisa. Leonardo painted her in oils some 500 years ago and she's still smiling.

Some clear shellac was painted over the pasted paper, touched up with water based micro marker. The alcohol does not affect the applied color, and prevents accidental running in future. The paper effectively became a 'decal' - the hull color over the place of application being white. I suppose on a hull of a different color, the image could be printed on that color paper stock. 'Had a look at the deck house ... its dirty and simplistic, but with some tidying up it can be re-fastened (perhaps with CA this time). Being a restoration, I don't want to re-make much. I can just see some deck marked out under the crud. The builder had some splitting when tacking the nails used for stanchions.

'Love your workshop organization .. don't ask about mine.