Snug Harbor Johnny

When picking a kit, one can see if there are builds of that kit already on site. I have an interest in the Oseberg Viking ship, and read two or three builds on the recent Billings kit. I could see every step they builders took, and noted their comments on what they liked or didn't like ... and the solutions they used in each situation. Selected pictures were screen-captured and printed for reference. That gave me a good feel for how I could go about it as a future project - so I ordered the kit to be sure I'll have it when the time comes. And then I'll revisit those builds again, since I'm in the middle of a build myself. I've learned a LOT from other builds (not all complete, but many are far along the way) on my present build, and have made alterations based on the gain of knowledge. Let me tell you, doing something for yourself is a great teacher - and many things can be corrected or otherwise 'done over' as you go. Ultimately, a builder does a project for self-satisfaction regardless of skill level or detail level in the work. It will definitely be a LOT better than any "20 dollar toy" you can find.

An answer given me as to deck thickness was 3" ... and I can see that to start with. Now if only 2 thousandths (.002) is abraded with stoning, then 500 applications (500/365 is about 1 1/3 years) would remove about 1" of wood ! That much of a reduction might prompt the need to replace the decking - but they might 'push' it a little further. Let's say that days tied up at harbor might not require deck grinding every single day ... so perhaps the decks were gone over about every other day. Bad weather would preclude the activity in any setting, so let's make that every third day over the long haul. 1 1/3 x 3 is about 4 years by my estimate. So given that some maintenance might be subject to delay, there might have been a 'range' of 3 to 6 years between re-decking ... just an estimate, mind you. Johnny

Great drawings, Waldemar. It was obvious to me (in light of your previous comment) that they are of the stern on the 1628 Vasa - as I'm trying to make the 'old' (first edition c. 1970) Billing Wasa (spelling used then for the kit) more like what we know now is the actual ship. The work done in restoration and scholarship in the intervening decades is remarkable. I note the lapstrake exterior planking for the higher portions. A challenge to do at 1:100, I'll cobble what I can for my own satisfaction.

I get the need to stone the deck, but didn't know that it was a daily task. The effect would have removed small splinters that might have been forming - to the benefit of barefoot sailors. Yet the process does involve abrasion, and the topmost wood fibers are worn off - reducing the thickness of the plank by a few thousandths. I'm not sure of the starting plank thickness (a good question ... 1 1/2" ? 2"?), but repeated abrasion would inevitably wear them thin enough to compromise their function. So my question is, how often did the decking need to be replaced?

Wasn't there more weather deck behind a free-standing forward cabin (apart from the dog runs overhead) and a smaller stern cabin?

Ahoy (after time to make all 6 gazebo tops)! Each side has three different sizes per the position they will occupy, and I realize that there has to be a curved roof over the galleries as well. Heavy demand from the hospital I work for as a Pharmacy Tech (due to short staffing) plus an influx of orders for Colonial Re-enactors (from the retailer) force me to sideline modeling for the time being. Yeah, something similar happened last year about this time. Anyway, once the balsa roofs have been carved, fitted and planked with the turrets - I'll take some photos and post. Meanwhile, I just love looking at many of the builds on MSW ... a source of inspiration and helpful tips. All it takes is a bit of searching and patience to find out just about anything about ship modeling. Johnny

So what is the RATIO of glue to water that you used? 1:4 1:10 ? This has got to make a big difference as the more concentrated the 'stiffer' it might make the rope. I do like Titebond (or any similar aliphatic resin glue) - especially in Winter (like now) when the relative humidity in our home is VERY dry. Bits of wood I glue with it 'grab' quickly and there is a partial cure in 30 min or so. Letting a blob of glue set on a paint stirrer as I work has some of the water in the glue evaporate to provide a 'thicker' glue even better to use for a 'quick bonding' effect. The same effect can be had if one leaves the top off a glue squeeze bottle for a couple days - then all the glue in that bottle gets more viscous. Putting the top back on stops the process from going buying what is desired. The thinner the glue, the more 'work time' for re-positioning. But if you pieces have been pre fabricated and test fitted already, who needs all that 'open time'?

Some thought was given on how to proceed with the cupolas ... Some kits have turned wood to merely glue in place, and some builders have flattened facets on the cylindrical turnings so that shingles can be glued on. I'm trying to 'work smarter - not harder' and took a 3/4 inch piece of balsa stock and used a plane to shape the corners off to make hexagonal stock. Since all the grain is running lengthwise, it was easy to start whittling the end into a hexagon-cupola shape. Of course as one cuts into the stock, the grain becomes more like end-grain - so I used a mini sanding drum on a rotary tool to grind out the 'shoulders'. There first picture shows the stock (easy to hold onto and work on) with the shaped end - I marked the edges to make them easier to see. The illustrations below represent the steps to get from point A to B. No instructions here, so one must plan out each phase as one goes. I cut a thin strip of mahogany veneer to use for shingling the dome on its flat faces. The dry sheet measures 0.027" (nominal 1/32), so can be cut with a rotary cutter on a cutting mat (normally used for fabric. I'll have to change to a new blade before going back to textiles as it had likely been dulled a bit - but it was already overused for the original purpose.) At 1:100 scale it represents 2.7" thick shingles - a bit thick, but that's what I've got to work with. For the 1:75 models, it would correspond to about 1.9" planks - not unreasonable, considering the size of the warship. I did think of a 'colored' wood other than mahogany and walnut that is easy to find in the U.S. - heartwood poplar, which is light brown and oxidizes to medium brown over time. One could cut planking boards off the edge of poplar planks found where lumber is sold - once the light colored sapwood is trimmed. The lighter wood can be used for decking. Photo 2 shows the rotary cutter. Photo three shows the first two layers of shingles glued on with ordinary wood glue. I find that aliphatic resin glue 'holds' fairly quickly, but still has plenty of time to re-position or adjust parts being glued. The shingle stock (strip) is held up to the work piece and marked with a pencil for each piece. The part is cut off with an X-Acto knife and glued. After each time around, I let some time go by (what, 30 minutes) so the hold is firm enough to lightly file or trim. Curing takes longer, but I don't have to wait that long. Once I got the 'hang of it', I started cutting the shingles by angling the blade a little to get sort-of mitered corners. Now for the very tops, I found jewelry fittings at a local craft store - a 'bead cone' to glue on first, and a decorative 'head pin' to simply stick into the top. The pin was not hard to push into the end-grain of the balsa underneath, but a drop of glue was an added precaution. The cupola can be sawed off the stock with a fine saw - then a new cupola can be built. I have to make 5 more, and each will turn out a little different. Each will be tried on various places on the model to see what looks best. There can be further trimming to suit, and I still have to make the planked roof sections that go between the turrets. I'm definitely influenced by my late father, who started with model ships but switched to aircraft. He was really big on flying RC models - which were powered by gas engines years ago (now battery powered motor are the thing due to noise and pollution regulations). I picked a couple of small models from his belongings (my brother got the only remaining ship), and his craftsmanship shows. He had more skill than I, yet persistence and a relatively steady hand can still produce acceptable results in many applications.

The lower galleries are now planked like the uppers - two access doors were drilled, but are note likely to be seen once the gallery covers and copulas are added. The second photo show that I was able to add some upward curve when seen from astern (didn't think of that on the uppers). As noted before, the job is to come 'closer' to the original, but there will be unavoidable inaccuracies due to the limitations imposed by the circa 1970 kit in 1:100 scale. Yeah, the stern geometry is off - and there will be missing elements, but it should be identifiable as the Vasa. Some pre-painting will be done soon before the gallery covers are fabricated. The third photo shows the installed viewing openings that will serve as a base for the gallery tops. The kit rudder (marked as part #55) is of plywood, so I glued some mahogany strips together and will cut a new rudder. There is a box of fittings from another kit that I've picked some hinges for the rudder. The paint stirrer is used to mix epoxy on (when used), or to hold a blob of titebond glue that is then applied with a small stick. Otherwise, a finger dab of glue can be put on some of the pieces. Fair sailing !

'Looks fine. Sworn testimony from deSilva (a Portuguese navigator Drake had on board from Brazil to the other side of Mexico) indicates a broadside of seven guns on each side - and period depictions of Drakes 'Caribbean Fleet' show 5 on each side on the weather deck (like your plans) plus 2 on each side of the quarter deck (presumably smaller guns) - just like many French race-built galleons that deSilva attested the Pelican (Golden Hind) to be. That left 2 stern guns and two bow chasers.

'Love your build. I'm no planking expert, but what is not seen in the final version should bother anyone. One should build to suit ones self.

Rob, the most concentrated isopropanol commonly available is 90%. I presume the 10% water content has no significant effect on the process, or is 100% possible to get?

Thinking about the best grain orientation for re-sawing mahogany planking stock ... If one has a perfectly quarter sawn board (normally 3/4" thick in the U.S.) where the grain seen on the face runs parallel with the length of the board (one can always plane the edge to make that edge get parallel with the grain lines seen on the face), then cutting thin stock off the edge should provide the best bend-ability. The dots on the face of the planking are the 'rays' in the wood seen on-end. When cut at other angles, the rays present oblong to linear markings on the plank face. There are many books on woodworking and understanding grain, cutting stock, etc. Back to the model, I took a picture showing a number of things. Because the Cherub molding on the piece removed from the back broke, I glued the pieces to balsa substrate and made repairs her and there. I scrounged rear windows from another old kit I use for supplies, and realized that they should be recessed to become flush - since military miniature figures will have to be added later on either side of the windows. The rotary tool was used with a milling bit (hand held, I had to be extra careful not to remove too much material). Balsa pieces were glued below to provide the substrate for the lower gallery, and I used a low-angle plane to shave off the balsa on the stern - since the grain was oriented across. The blade had to be quite sharp, and you can see the Veritas holding jig to assure the bevel is even on the blade - which is on a Japanese water stone (here shown dry) 1200 'grit'. There is a tiny arrow on the end of the brass knurled cylinder if the sharpening jig that is shown pointing 'up' in the picture. When the bevel is cleaned-up, this arrow is positioned pointing 'down' (there are detents on the barrel of the jig) to create a 2 degree micro-bevel. The white stone at the bottom is a super- fine (6000 I think) finishing stone for the micro-bevel. Then the blade was remove and the back worked flat on the finishing stone. Stropping on a piece of thick leather was a final step in getting a razor sharp edge. Then the low-angle plane could shave off thin curls of wood going with the grain. I suppose that it could be used to taper planking as needed when doing planking. I've heard that miniature planes may be available. In the photo, you can see the side piece of wood I'm shaping before gluing to provide the substrate for the lower side gallery.

So very nice HakeZou ! - I will refer to your build (and others) when I get around to this project. I love the way you've put in decent steering tackle on deck astern. Your addition of hanks on the pin rails is practical and attractive. You have made great recommendations for enhancements, and one could add to them with: Install chainplate from the lower deadeyes to the hull; Use custom rigging rope made on a mini rope walk (done at home or purchased commercially) to limit 'fuzzies'; Copy the sails on finer material ... but even 'out of the box', Endurance is a fine intermediate kit. Fair sailing, mate ! Johnny

... A site I'll revisit as I cobble my old build into better conformity. Yours is looking good! Johnny

You are a machinist/builder par excellence ! My hat's off to you, sir.

No picture in this post, mates - but comments on how I'm working with the mahogany - often found in older kits. Different stocks behave according to how the grain ran when cut. Thin veneers can spit, and planking stock can be weak in a certain direction where the grain runs. Handling the various pieces can reveal which are better to bend. The color van vary, but can be pretty closely matched. I'm talking about Honduran mahogany exclusively (there are other types like Philippine and African), and because of the present limitation on supply and high cost, one does not find find it much in new kits. It is most attractive for hulls that are mostly unpainted, since it does not need staining at all. The color can darken slowly with age, presumably to additional surface oxidation. It does not show glue from squeeze outs very much if aliphatic resin glues are used, and I find that excess can be scraped off in most cases. Because there will be no finish applied, the slight presence of dried glue is not an issue in my opinion. But if lighter woods are used that need finishing, any area affected by glue (not sanded away) will not take the stain and really show-up. I find that gaps or mistakes with mahogany can be remedied by fitting a suitable scrap and glueing for later re-cutting/sanding. The repairs blend well for the most part. Walnut is another dark wood needing no finish, and the same principles apply - except that wayward glue can show more on the darker walnut. Availability is good, for there are a number of species widely grown around the world. Perhaps working with colored woods on furniture projects over the years have endeared them to me.

The next step was done on both sides - since someone looking closely (cringe) when the top part of the walkways are built will be able to see a little inside the 'gap' between the bottom and the top components, I decided to use a rotary tool to mill away some of the basswood/balsa underlayment where the walkway would be - as well as cut an access door in the side of the ship. I'll pain the light wood black, so it didn't have to be routed out very deeply, as the viewing gap (for any aboard to see out of) is relatively small, thus it restricts the angle that a human observer of the model will be able to peer inside. Below is a top view. A view from the side shows the little doorway cut into the hull. The wood across the stern was given a little undulation as seen on many models. There is a little improvising as each step is accomplished, since the alterations to the 'outdated' old kit have to be done without instructions ... but all the great builds and other museum information help in the process. And indeed, there are differences from model to model - as the finesse and detail seen on the original ship in Stockholm are challenging indeed.

Guterman thread is found (SE Pennsylvania, USA) in sewing or many quilt shops, and it has good strength in the sewing I've done. But I like Metrosene (made by Mettler - also a German company) even better. I'll try it for rope making - noting that the full-size demo rope I make at Colonial craft fairs on my hand-cranked gears rope walk has three strands of common jute cord on each of the three spinners that will make the three strands of the rope. When I get round to using the Rope Rocket (thankfully drill powered), the layup will be the same, as I haven't dabbled with any four strand rope (those using antique rope spinners with four hooks have that as an option). Different thickness of rope require different thicknesses of cord, and in the case of model ship rope that means different thread weight. The finest I can find is #80 in cotton, and it easy to break - but would make the thinnest rope, and would be reasonably strong once made from all the strands together. #60 and #40 will be progressively thicker. There are other weights going down to buttonhole twill.

'Love your furled sails ... something I want to do on a future project. Some of the blocks seen in your photos look like the Cutty/Thermie blocks in the Revell 1:96 classic kits. This is a good use of ready resources, and one I'm likely to make use of in time.

Ahoy! The angle-sliced basswood was saw trimmed (angled) as needed to glue on the sides as backers, then the 'blocky' balsa was sawed on the ends to match the angle of the new pieces. Knife cuts trimmed the stern angle on the balsa since it was with the grain, then I glued on some of the Billings scrap deck veneer and ... things are starting to take shape with the upper 'Captains Walk' - which will need a small gunwale and supports for the canopy that will have to be built. My interest is indeed renewed since gaining new inspiration through our forum (a shout-out to all who contribute) and I understand better the words of Einar Billing provided with his kit: "... this kit is intended to be built, and not merely assembled, in consequence, you must not expect the parts to fit together perfectly ," (no exaggeration there !) "it will be necessary to exercise skill and imagination in the building of this kit ... after all, any child could put a puzzle together." You may notice some black felt round hats piled on the table ... The Admiral is a costumer, and she also accepts orders from a purveyor of American Revolutionary War re-enactment goods for Colonial soldiers hats. I am the unpaid hatter who has to craft the hats from materials provided by the retailer - which involves cutting and sewing and installing draw-string hat liners to felt hat blanks, sewing worsted wool trim around the edge, making tasseled hat cords plus cockades. The retailer does the heat sizing and turns them into 'three cornered' hats. This rush order for 25 hats slows down progress on the model ... its my job to say 'Aye aye' to orders. Below is an image of my trusty Wilcox and Gibbs hat band sewing machine (well over 100 years old), which took me over a year to find - and even then I had to rebuild the stand, rewire the motor and recondition/adjust the machine to get it to work (finding specialty needles and grinding to suit was a challenge), then figure out how not to keep breaking needles. Once mastered, it took 90% of the work out of that part of the job ... and the old girl is quite solid and made entirely of durable alloy steel needing only a little oil now and then. For trim work and accessories I use an old Kenmore that I modified, and the drive works happen to be all metal in a plastic shell. As Louisa May Alcott (1832 - 1880) said, "I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning to sail my own ship."

I understand that the name now is Vasa - but I'm not sure if I should change the title of this build. Anyway, I realized I had to cut into the stern a little more, than start gluing some balsa to be a backer for planking the upper gallery and stern wrap-around. Yes, balsa is not a great wood where it will show - and the relative softness of balsa stock can vary widely. The 'firmer' sort can be used a filler, backer and in a variety of ways - yet it still cuts easily with hobby knives. The image below shows step one. Once shaped and planked, it should look a lot better. I need to glue wedge-shaped side pieces for the lower part of the gallery, so I started to saw a suitable piece of basswood stock (better to use than balsa) with a Japanese dosuki saw. This is a 'pull' saw with a thin blade and narrow kerf - it allows pretty good control as long as one does not let the blade 'wander'. I tried a 'selfie' shot using a mirror, but the flash made a bright spot and I'm a rank beginner when it comes to Photoshop. The saw in mid cut on the basswood stock shows OK. Hmmm, it might be said here that the artist is no Botticelli - and the subject no Venus.

Hake, thats amazing! Watching the second boat from the front carefully - one can see that as the forward davit pivots inward, the prow of the life boat moves back enough to clear the davit ... and take note - while this is happening the rear davit tilts just a little toward the stern to accommodate the rearward motion of the boat. The forward davit continues to pivot (probably winched by a man at the davit - while the rear davit may be allowed to adjust itself freely by releasing a clutch ... or actively winched by another crewman). So the prow of the launch will clear the forward davit and as that davit continues to pivot fully out board, the rear davit just 'comes along' - perhaps assisted by engaging a winch for the outbound portion if its travel. That's a LONG way down from the deck of the ocean liner, and I noticed that some of the boats start tilting at what might seem an 'uncomfortable' angle due to the tackle on the ends being cranked down at different rates! Of course, somebody would be watching for this (perhaps prompted by yelling from below) and adjustments could be made to bring the affected lifeboat back to an even keel. Practice would improve performance. Now imagine doing this at night on the Titanic ... going slowly down by the bow ... in freezing cold and with scared people in the boats. Fair sailing! Johnny

'Just the engineer in me pondering how the launching process would go for those lifeboats stowed on the racks, since the distance between the davits is less than the length of the boat end-to-end. Maybe something like raising the boat, and then manhandling one end to get around the davit on that side somehow - then pivoting that davit to face outward. Then the second end would be easier to 'get around' the remaining davit before turning the second davit seaward.

'Been a couple days, but there has been some progress. The first pic shows additional side planking being added to the stern. Before that, the 'three level' arrangement of decking was made - there middle level had a piece of balsa glued in and planked over ... not by individual planks, but by some scrap that was left of pre-scored birch (a guess) veneer from 40 years ago. I wonder if something like this is still available, 'cause it sure makes decking a snap ! There are just too many things that 'aren't made anymore' these days. Just as with the additional bulwarking needed up front, false ribs of mahogany were glued to whatever planking showed above the deck - and the little clamps pictured (bought at a Woodcraft store) are dandy to hold them fast while the titebond cures. I make them a little longer than needed, since they'll be trimmed later with a rotary tool. I like working with mahogany - just orient the grain as needed for the use and cut with the grain or saw against. Because it has natural color it doesn't need staining. With ribs in place, a side plank is added and the same clamps are used to hold. The stern panel (just seen on the inside) was trimmed and pierced (rotary stool to make holes, and mini files used to shape and clean), a piece of basswood was a spacer. There are no 'plans' per se at this stage - just photos from other builds to give me ideas. As previously mentioned, I'm free to take a few liberties in converting this old kit version to something better resembling the original ship. And I imagine that someone who had seen the ship being built (or sinking) back in the day might have desired to build a model after the fact (as was often the case) and had to rely on their memory. Very old ship models have a certain charm, and I agree that in restoring an antique model the best policy is to stay with how the builder made it - as opposed to making a lot of augmentations. Exception: the build of 'My Father's Ship' (Cutty Sark) is a labor of love to finish what was started in a legacy situation. I compare this 'free style' assembly perhaps to rock climbing. I have to look at it and decide what the next move will be. How do I get from 'point A to point B' - and what are the intermediate moves I have to make to get there. The next shot is of the re-mounted stern piece that I thought would be better if I painted it FIRST while still a separate piece. I used good-old Testors model paint (enamel) that comes in the tiny square bottles. I recall them seeming much bigger from when I was a kid, but my hands have grown to twice the size they were back then. My dexterity is not near as good, but my hands are still fairly steady - and the magnifying headgear makes up for the lack of close focus on my replacement eye lenses (from cataract surgery). I considered getting the close-up (reading) replacement lenses, but then I'd be dependent on glass for distance. So I got fixed distant lenses put in so if my Varilux glasses are misplaced, I can still drive without glass since the distance is sharp. As noted before, I used modeling clay on a piece of glass to get something resembling the wood carvings at 1:100 scale, then layered on latex compound (I hope one can still get that somewhere) to cover the sculpture. Dental plaster was used to make a back support of the latex mold before it was stripped away from the glass. Using drying clay might make cleaning out the rubber mold easier. Then some plastic wood was slathered on the mold before applying to the wood for the back piece. Cutting into the model took some guts, but once decided upon was done in a surgical manner ... not unlike a ship's doctor having to do amputations after a sea battle, or saving what he could while stitching up, etc. In this case the 'patient' (my model) was in no pain. The red background was applied first (mixing two colors to get the shade I wanted), then the other colors added to the higher reliefs with very small plastic applicators found at the hobby store. The polychrome effect is certainly nice - as we now know it to have been on the original. Application of gold leaf was kept to a minimum on the Wasa, but I used gold paint for the crowns, and little dots of gold over the yellow painted bits. Painting eyes on the figures really brought them 'to life', and the whites were applied by the tip of a mini round tapered file. The black pupils had to be dotted with a fine 'technical pen' (oo5 Micron pen bought at Michael's craft store). But the cherubs and the King's eyes were small enough that the pupil had to be applied with the tip of a sewing pin. Then I outlined the decorations in black with the technical pen - a technique used on illuminated manuscripts called 'limning' - which sets everything off nicely. This close-up magnifies the imperfections, but the appearance when just looking at the piece is pleasing. If this project inspires me to do another Wasa at the scale presently offered (1:70 ?), I wonder what the opinions are of the kits presently offered in terms of pros and cons about the quality of fittings, accuracy of plans and quality of instructions ? Any input would be appreciated - after all, this is a forum. I can't say what a pleasure it has been to review so many great builds at all skill levels available. Its like a primer, and one can find all kinds of helpful tips and tricks. The latest one I saw was an example of deck planking where after a plank is laid, a piece of black thread is put against the plank before butting the next plank against it - sort of like imitating real caulking. Fair sailing, Johnny