Snug Harbor Johnny

I just received a copy of 'Masting & Rigging the Clipper Ship & Ocean Carrier' by Harold Underhill (1969 reprint, hardbound) - a bargain from Abe's books at $25 ($45 on Amazon, higher prices seen on Ebay). I bought it as a supplement to the Peterson book (and the Anderson book on an even earlier period) to see the evolution of rigging - and to use when I get to a clipper model. Yes, Underhill's book deals with later period rigging, but I paged through the first half (a preface to a serious read) and could follow his explanations of masting, standing rigging and running rigging if sails are to be on a model. I've struggled (and have made substantial progress delving here and there in our forum) to 'learn the ropes', and the Underhill book has 'turned on the light' so to speak in understanding many of the basics that are applicable (sometimes modified) to other time periods. Lifts, braces, sheets and halliards make more sense - as do buntlines, slab lines, clews and reef tackle. There's a whole new language to learn, and one can then choose the level of detail to use in any desired application.. For instance - regarding 'serving' some of the ropes used in standing rigging, the book mentions that 'no model maker who aims at first class results would think of omitting it on account of its tedious nature'. Yet to be "totally accurate", one would then 'worm' the rope first (spiraling a narrow line in the direction of lay into the 'hollows' of properly spun rope - like what one might produce with the Syren Rope Rocket) to make the surface 'fair' (more flat along the length - then 'parcel' over that in the direction of lay with a narrow strip of material (gosh, like fine silk or perhaps 'Japan paper' or tea bag material for model making purposes) and THEN 'serve' the rope in the opposite direction with thin thread to wrap the whole business ... so who would see all the stuff under the serving? I'll choose to omit serving entirely in the scales I'll be modeling in (anywhere from 1:96 to 1:150), while those in in more demanding scales (around 1:50 ?) might consider modified serving. Its entirely up to you, and what 'floats your boat'. You can put on some sails, but don't have to include ALL of the running rigging ... unless you want to. The idea is to enjoy you hobbies at whatever skill level you are comfortable in practicing. A wise man said, "Do not compare yourself to others, for there will always be those greater or lesser than yourself." Fair weather, Johnny

Thank you all for the comments. I might 'tweak' some of the metal here and there - but don't want to break-off anything else. I really MUST get back to my wooden model - but fair weather means I'll be spending time on Admiralty projects for a while. It a 'good news - bad news' situation ... like being an oarsman in a longboat where the good news is a round of grog for the crewmen aboard. The bad news? ... The Admiral want to waterski ! 😉 Johnny

Ahoy mates, I was looking at the Scarnhorst build and that was enough to spur me to built a little metal kit of the U.S.S. Arizona thats been laying around since last Christmas. I've been very busy trying to keep the Admiral happy, so have not made further progress on my long term build (Wasa) - so I found some You Tube sites with tips for the Arizona (and other metal models as well), and it looked like something I could actually FINISH in a day. The caveat on this model is the SMALL scale - 1:1325 - based on a 608' prototype shrunk down to 5.51" long! The Arizona was built in 1915 and refurbished in 1931 ... we all know of her fate on December 7th 1941at Pearl Harbor. The model is configured to that time, and has a surprising amount of detail for something so small. Of course, compromises were made - but the product will not take up much space on the shelf. The picture above shows the tools needed - actually the flush cutters were still a little large to sever the 'clip points' on the laser-cut stainless steel sheets (2), so I had to touch them up with a grinder to refine them. The drill bits were to form small curves in the pliable metal, or to form small cylinders. My lighted magnifier was a MUST, as I found it hard to work with some of the tiny pieces ... or even see some of them. The metal is actually delicate, and I accidentally broke a couple of small bits off ... there were a couple of small repairs made with 1 minute epoxy. Building this was a 'crash course' in dealing with this type of model, and in future will take on a better kit of this type (not as small) of the U.S.S. Missouri. Zowie, here are the sheets with a hand shown for scale. I applied a wash of diluted Testors enamel red to the hull where it had anti-fouling paint, and light brown to the wooden areas of the deck (not shown here) - those area had some laser-etched texture. The rest of the parts were left bright metal, since the paint doesn't stick well to dead-flat shiny surfaces. Here is where I had over-bent a tiny compartment and broke off part of the wall. I did this repair with kneadable J-B putty to fill the compartment to be a backing for the broken section of wall. When mounted, the repair was a success, as the cured putty (6 minute set variety) is not visible from the outside. Fine tweezers, and finely tapered needle-nose pliers (no serrations) a dental tool and also an X-acto knife were wielded as need to push, prod, tease, bend and otherwise work this thin-metal medium. Above is a substantial part of the superstructure. Here are the aft guns. Now I've got the deck together ... this is an ABBREVIATED build log, since this sort of model was (as stated at the start of the log) just a break from the many things I have yet to do on my 'honey do' list. Lat year the Admiral got a new deck. Now I have to put a spa next to the deck. But really, the model has a certain 'charm'. The total build time turned out to be 10 hours over two days. There was a lot of fiddling with it, and some errors had to be un-done and corrected, but it is very good practice at manipulating small objects. And here she is ... all of 5 1/2 inches in length. You can see the applied red and tan paint in the areas mentioned before. Here you can see that there is a lot of detail etched into the metal. I think that for the Missouri I will apply the lessons learned to be able to do a better job on a better model - one etched on larger sheets. Here is a view from the stern. Other than for the aforementioned repairs, no glue was needed ... just a lot of patience. Smooth sailing and fair weather ! Johnny

The Revell kits included some scale figures of crewmen. Ever consider placing a few on the model to give the viewer an idea of her large size? Most models of sailing ships under sail are devoid of crew - almost like 'flying dutchmen' ...

I've heard some call the floor boards 'footlings'.

Hmmm ... Injection needles are hollow, and different gauges of needles are graduated by size and 'bore'. Instead of just using brass inserts for the gun barrels (which is a great idea on its own), one could cut the length needed from a stainless steel hypodermic needle with a Dremel cut-off wheel. This would fit right into the hole bored with the same size needle, but instead of being solid brass, it would be a stainless steel gun barrel with a genuine bore. How cool would that be? Fair sailing, Johnny

Somewhere in the past I saw a VERY hard tree nut (something like golf ball size, or a little larger) that was touted as a substitute for ivory for small carvings and turnings. Maybe that could 'ring a bell' for some, and perhaps there are modern compounds that are 'ivory substitutes' that could also be cut, carved and turned.

I pre-bent a plank (more or less) so that the final positioning would not take much force to hold it in position. Then I mixed a little 2-part "3 minute" epoxy with my index finger on the end of apiece of wood (door shims are great for this), applied epoxy to the contact points, wiped off my finger (a rag or the underside of a desk would do) then used 'finger clamps' (yup, prestidigitation) to hold the piece in place for three minutes while watching TV or listening to music. Nothing ever came loose. Titebond is also used for parts made to fit into or against each other ... the semi-set time isn't that long.

If drawings are available, they can be scaled to the size desired to make paper templates. Then the modeler can cut them on a jig saw. As has been said, the correct hull lines are the starting point for any type of model. The one shown earlier (1:96 Cutty based) without yards is very interesting, as it can be placed on a narrow shelf, and doesn't require a case (with an occasion spray of 'dust off'). I'm considering mounting yards that are turned at a significant angle (without sails) so the yard arms wouldn't extend beyond the width amidship.

Hand sawing and hand sanding don't present a problem in my basement shop as the sawdust produced is not that great a volume and it tends to fall to the floor or work surface where it can be swept or shop-vacuumed up ... just watch out for small parts that may be near. Power tools are another matter, so my portable bandsaw, table saw and belt sander are located in the garage - where they can be moved outside to the lawn adjacent to the driveway. The dust blows around and settles in the grass. A small Dremel jig saw is 'in between' in messiness if not cutting much, so I use it in the shop for low-volume work - otherwise it is carried up and outside for a lot of cutting. The drill press stays in the basement as well, since chips produced from whatever is drilled or milled on the cross-vise just vacuum up when done. If outdoor work (weather permitting) was not in the cards, I'd get a wood worker's dust collector and rig hoses like in a wood shop - just on a smaller scale. Shop Layout? I do such a wide variety of things there; modeling, hat making (for Colonial re-enacting), quilting or other sewing, antique gun smithing, fabrication for DIY home projects or building musical instruments ... that there is no single 'ideal' arrangement, other than the fixed cabinets (moved from our kitchen when I remodeled upstairs to please the Admiral) for storage of tools and supplies for the above mentioned activities. The bench and table arrangements are just adjusted as needed. A drop-leaf sewing table (available from JoAnn fabrics) can roll around the open space, yet collapse if I want it out of the way.

You can 'fill in' the voids between the bulkheads with balsa, then 'fair' the entire hull by sanding (or trimming, then sanding). This will make planking much easier. The deck can be lightly sanded by hand to remove any unevenness where planks join. After scribing 'joints' that are staggered, it should look OK.

Kerf width (directly related to sawdust production) should be kept too a minimum, and thinner blades take less effort to remove material. Yet thin bandsaw blades have a tendency to 'wander' a bit unless highly tensioned on a machine made for cutting thin pieces. A favorite of mine has been a 60 tooth 7 1/4" diameter carbide table saw blade with teeth (2.6 teeth per inch) that are a mere 1/16" wide. The alternating off-set adds a little to this, but it cuts smoothly and easily - as long as the feed rate is on the slow side. I've found these blades under a variety of trade names in hardware stores and supply centers. I've recently seen a thin 60 carbide tooth blade that was 6 1/2" in diameter, which is about 2.9 t.p.i., and a 70 tooth 7 1/4" blade having 3.1 teeth per inch. There is a large range of thicknesses that can be cut, and on a table saw that runs true (most are pretty good, but are some better - for more money, though) the cut is pretty smooth. Yet there are still fine 'saw marks' that can be lightly sanded or scraped smooth. Sharpness is essential, but the blades are not that expensive and can be resharpened - Harbor Freight sells a sharpening rig for D.I.Y. use. Now the best table saw blade for cutting thin strips from stock no more than 1 1/8" thick on a table saw (in my experience) is the Sears Craftsman 'Kromedge' veneer saw blade. It has 200 teeth on a 7 1/4" diameter blade (8.8 t.p.i.) and is precision ground (likely a double disc process) on both sides of the periphery to 3/32". The teeth have the slightest off-set, since they are fine (something like 1/8" gullets) but the kerf is still less than 1/8". The body of the blade is a little thicker, so there is a 'shoulder' where the diameter thins around the periphery when ground on both sides - limiting the depth of cut to about 1 1/8". The thicker body of the blade is more stable in use than thinner bodied blades, and the centripetal force makes the blade 'want' to stay straight when spinning. I don't know if they are still making this blade - perhaps available on line? Resharpening might be possible a couple of times, but by a pro with the right piece of equipment since the D.I.Y. sharpener only works on 'common' blade types with deep gullets.

Astounding ... I had to push that jaw I dropped back up three times before it stayed.

You have a much later version that the old 1:100 model I'm 're-starting' after a very long pause. If I were starting the build (in light of experience learned) I would develop 'additional bulkheads (doubling the number) to make the transitions easier. This would require making slots in the keel to accommodate the additional bulkheads. Change #2 would be to glue basswood spacers in between the bulkheads (or even balsa) that would help keep their spacing consistent and to allow for a sooth 'fairing' between bulkheads. Where the gun decks are to have ports, there would be a gap in the basswood spacers to allow for a fake gun carriage to receive the half-cannons that will be visible from the outside. On my ship, it was a single plank construction (versus the double plank construction of later versions) - so I installed strips of wood as 'false decks' for the gun decks within the ship. It really improved the look of the model. On your model, you have glued the bulkheads, but you can still install wood spacers as described above. After smoothing, you will have the faired surface the under-planking is meant to achieve, so you could then apply just a single layer of planking on the hull. I have thought of 'simplification' alternatives, and have come up with some ideas I may do myself. Paint scheme: perhaps the red color should predominate exterior planking, with the detailed carvings painted gold to imitated gilding - then touches of polychrome can be added here and there as appropriate. I considered a stub-mast 'admiralty' model with only the lower deadeyes installed on the channels. I'd wrap a wire around the lower deadeye and form a loop to hold the first link of miniature chain that would go through the channel board and be fastened with a mini brass nail or pin into the hull below - many early ships used chain (as opposed to solid bars). I plan to glue the gunport lids in the 'up' position so I don't have to make all those little hinges and upper ropes - just a closing rope through a tiny hole at the top center of the gunport lid will go into the gunport on one side where it can be glued somewhere. Yet I'll have a few gunport lids glued CLOSED so I can make just a few hinges that will be seen, and also an opening rope that will disappear into the hull above. this will 'fool' most onlookers into thinking that all the port lids are so equipped. Instead of stub masts, one can install the first section of vertical mast and make the circular 'top' that goes on - as well as the fitting where the next section of mast is meant to go. Fore-stays will need to be installed. Then one can install the shrouds - the upper and lower deadeyes can be pre-rigged with a simple fixture to assure an equal distance between them (this is before installing the lower deadeye chain as noted above). Pairs of shrouds can be threaded up through the tops, and around the mast to be tied with a square knot - or brought around and each tied to itself with a taught-line hitch to allow for tension adjustment. Once both sides have been adjusted for each mast section, a drop a glue will secure the knot on the hitch. The shrouds on each side are tied together near the mast to get the proper angle of the shrouds (which will increase tension slightly - but that will be offset by an equal tension on the other side when those shrouds are ties together). You could stop there and have a good looking model without having to tie ratlines. They can always be added later by stiffening some thin line with thinned glue so it dries straight, then add pieces of this as horizontal ratlines (guided by a paper template backer) merely glued with a drop of glue at each shroud, and trimmed on the ends when dry. Once can also tie the ratlines to the shrouds. See where I'm going, this can be done one step at a time over a long period - stopping whenever you choose, but at each increment you still have a presentable model. Now imagine adding the diagonal spar on the mizzen, the spar on the main and foremasts that can also be angled so the model will be less wide, then the lower spar on the jib, that does not have to be angled. The rigging needed will be halyards (to raise or lower the spar), and perhaps 'lifts' to control the position relative to the vertical mast. Adding sheet and clew lines would be a plus, but the lines on from the end of the spars to control 'yaw' are needed. The loose ends of these lines go down to belaying pins. Foot ropes on the yards should not be too hard to place. I will OMIT sails, which are very hard to make look good and in scale - and also require a LOT of running rigging. A fully rigged ship with sails seems to be a mass of rope running in every direction ... if done right, it is good - as every line had a purpose. Yet a simplified model without sails does not need most of the running rigging. A future step will then be to fabricate the NEXT level of masts and tops first, then they can all be added, along with the shrouds (and perhaps ratlines) for them. Add the yards in the same way as done before, and all will be well (this includes the small vertical mast at the end of the jib). Then with one more level added (and this can be done at leisure if the parts are first pre-fabricated), you will achieve the full height of the model, but remember that the yards are still angled (at least somewhat) so the model is not so wide. The idea here is to take it one step at a time, to the level of detail you are comfortable with. I hope this concept helps you. Just remember, at all times - somewhere in the world - the 'sun is over the yard arm' (time for the first round of grog for the day). Fair sailing ... Johnny

For something different, yet beautiful - check out the Billings Oseberg ship kit. I viewed a couple logs on this, and have purchased the kit for my 'stash' of retirement projects.

My old Wasa kit (Billings 1:100 - 1970s, now discontinued) is being modified to be closer to what is known today. My skill level is 'intermediate', so I expect my model to be 'somewhere in the middle' of complexity as can be seen on other build sites. My progress is slow, and seasonal obligations will further slow the work, but you are welcome to visit my Wasa build log - such that it is. I get a lot of satisfaction thinking about what to do next on it, then making small steps. There is no deadline, and I make no comparisons ... perhaps a Zen philosophy to modeling. If you ask a Buddhist who the Buddha is, you might get answers as diverse as; you, me, there is no Buddha, this stick. So it can be with ship modeling - you must seek your own path and chart your own course. Meanwhile, have a look at everything this Forum has to offer.

I agree - With the finishing, detailing and first-class rigging you've done, it shows how good a result can be had starting with a molded kit as a base. Bravo! - Johnny

Great work Louie. I'm presently 'tied up' with home repairs (long neglected also) and I have to please the Admiral first, you know. So my build is now on the back burner. Johnny

I've done a little work on the prow, and (temporarily) put the first mast sections in. Now it's looking a little more 'Wasa-like'.

Rob, I may have an even bigger adventure modifying the stern - which angles out far further than CS. There is plenty of time to consider alternatives, since the Wasa must come first ... I've delayed far too long (decades, in fact - but that is a blessing with all the great information now available on it). Per the 'Big T', epoxy can fill the inside area of the leading edge - which will permit Dremel modeling of the graceful 'Aberdeen Bow' that I think is an attractive feature of the original. The detailing of the copper cladding will then have to be re-modeled in the affected areas with small tools, but a proper paint job and 'aging' for verdigris should appear OK. The plastic around the stern above the rub strake may need removal and replaced by a properly shaped wood block up to deck level. Stantions would be inset along this block to project above deck level to the gun wale. Very thin wood planking would be applied on the exterior from the rub strake to the gun wale ... so another challenge might be to make the thin exterior planking continue all the way to the prow, and replace the entire gun wale with mahogany wood (with an underside groove to fit over the plastic shell thickness when the plastic gun wale has been removed). Of course the deck would also be planked over with thin wood, just leaving the places there the masts go available for the first sections to attach. As I said, there is plenty of time to think about it before doing 'major surgery'. Johnny

A truly remarkable conversion based on the CS hull ... I hope to do half as good a job modifying a Revell Thermie kit (itself a modified CS as manufactured) to conform more closely to the prototype as seen in photos and existing models. I tip my hat to you, sir. Fair sailing, Johnny

If you leave the wood as sections of logs (you mention various 'diameters'), the wood will 'check' (develop serious cracks) as it dries. Living wood has a high moisture content. Once cut, the water starts evaporating - and as it does so the structure of the wood (cellulose) has to shrink. In cylindrical form this will happen by splitting radially (looking at the ring pattern of growth) and will be uncontrolled. There are other complex distortions that will also occur and most likely the sections will end up good only for firewood. What needs to be done (and fairly soon) is to have the wood 'slabbed' - that is - cut into boards. If you have access to a bandsaw with enough clearance (and the diameters are not too big) you can do this yourself. Big logs really need a sawyers slabbing mill. Now it is possible to split a log (manually with wedges and sledge, or with a log spitter) 'down the middle' to get two halves, and if the height of the halves fits under a bandsaw, you can proceed. The bark and some of the sapwood can be trimmed off the domed side to make the piece fit the bandsaw. Note that there is 'sapwood' and heartwood, and you often can see the difference between the two by looking down at the end of the log. The central area may have a slightly darker color (in some species a BIG difference, like in black walnut or locust), and this is often the better wood. Generally speaking, the outer third (from the center of the log) will be sapwood. In other kinds of wood, there is less of a distinction - like in many fruitwoods. I once was given a couple of 8" diameter pieces from an apple tree, so I was able to use a table saw to accomplish the initial 'halving' of the logs. Then I tried to 'quarter saw' from there. Many prefer quarter sawn wood, so you should google that and you can find the sort of cutting practices to get it. However you arrive at cut wood approximately an inch thick (or so) you want to seal the end of the boards with latex paint (some use wax) to prevent splitting from the ends. Then stack the boards, and you can also google how to do that - generally with thin strips ('stickers') between the board laying one on top of another. If stacked outdoors, be sure to place an overhanging piece of sheet metal or plywood on top. The stack can be in a garage or shed - or even in an attic that has adequate ventilation. It takes at least a year to air dry (2 or three is better), but the moisture content will still be a tad more than desired for indoor use if dried outdoors. The boards can be moved inside after initial drying and stacked or even leaned vertically in a basement or where convenient to acclimatize. All this fuss is avoided in commercial lumber production by 'kiln drying' in special ovens.

Ahoy Mike! A previous comment about the advisability of replacing plastic pulleys with wood ones is wise indeed. Apart from looking more realistic (and there are several 'grades' of wood pulleys that can be had), thin sections of plastic - especially old plastic - are prone to failure. Its not just UV radiation, but age degradation combined with even a little tension. Case in point: Builders of the venerable 1:96 Cutty Sark or Thermopylae models by Revell are advised to trim away the tiny belaying pins molded into the plastic pin rails, and drill holes in their place to put in brass (or wood) pins that will stand the 'test of time'. Other thin parts like the 'dolphin striker' and the 'whiskers' are often replaced by metal wire (not the 'soft' kind of wire, but the springy kind - but you can still bend it as needed). Ditto for the vertical members of railings. I'm no expert, as I'm resuming a 1:100 Billings Wasa kit I planked the hull on in the 70s, (build log in progress) but I also did the Revell Cutty & Constitution and a Scientific wood-kit Cutty in that decade (nothing other than the Billings survived). Half the work (and visual effect) of ship models is in the rigging - and I'm in the process of 'learning the ropes'. One helpful book is 'Rigging Period Ship Models' by Lennarth Peterson (in print and available on Amazon). Now this is for late 18th to mid19th century warships, and the book is essentially 'all illustrations' that are clearly drawn and (taken sequentially) highly instructive and easy to understand. Your Norske Love happens to be an 18th c. warship. Many of the principles are applicable to other ships, although there will be differences - like the rigging variations found on many composite Clipper Ships, for example. So looking at applicable build logs is very helpful, as one can take a screen images to print out as references. In my case (building a 17th c. ship ... BTW there was an older Norske Love that was a contemporary of the Wasa) I've found another book (out of print, but copies of the Dover reprint can be had on-line - mine happened to be in new condition) titled 'The Rigging of Ships in the Days of the Spritsail Topmast' by R.C. Anderson. It has far fewer (and less demonstrative) illustrations and a lot of text (the original was published in 1927), but includes some of the details one would like to see in an older vessel. I have a book form the 'Anatomy of the Ship' series: 'The Colonial Merchantman Susan Constant 1605' by Brian Lavery as well - to supplement the above mentioned rigging book. So check around, as there are books featuring other ships - and perhaps there is at least one well-suited to your project. Ah yes, I found a gem of a book in a second hand bookstore for a mere $8 that covers the entire history of sailing ships - with many great illustrations in many time periods and genres (including 19th c. rigging): 'The Lore of Ships' edited by Sam Svennsson (originally by Tre Trekare printed the 1973) slightly updated when reprinted in 1998. It is a marvelous tome to pour through. So the moral might be to visit used book stores in your area ... you never know what you might find, and the books are generally organized by topic. Clear sailing! Johnny

Very nice indeed. An engineer I knew in the 70s built his own version from scratch that had a live-steam engine that was able to propel the model (slowly) on water. BTW, the movie with Bogart and Hepburn is one of my favorites.

This line of research is fascinating to follow ... and inspires me to think about a scratch-built Glory as a future project (behind the one I'm working on now and the one lined-up as being next - to 'learn the ropes' better for a composite clipper). Might drawings be available in the future?