Snug Harbor Johnny

Ahoy HakeZou ! My OcCre Endurance kit came by FedEx late yesterday (from Age of Sail in California), and the feeling was almost like Christmas Day. I've since opened the box and everything looks in perfect condition (no broken false keel as some have posted - admittedly, careful handling is in order due to the configuration of cutting in the stern). I will resist the urge to dive in, as I still must finish (as far as I want to take it) another model ... but then I suppose there is no prohibition in having more than one in progress. I made light marks on the false keel to correspond to the waterline (from images of original drawings) and (allowing for the keel to be added) the distance 'between perpendiculars' (bow at water line to center of rudder post) was about 21 1/4". Compared to the original ship having 125' between perpendiculars, the scale is about 1:70.5 ... so rounding to 1:70 was appropriate. 'Great job of vertical planking you've chosen to do ... and I plan on doing the same when I get into it. The sides of the stern cabin are horizontal (seen in photos of the Endurance), and are planked with the hull. Your secure eye bolts on the deck around the mast locations will take whatever tugging is needed to tension the lines later - without risk of pulling out. I'll have to look at the photos per your reference sites. One I've seen already of the smokestack (as well as a post by another modeler on making steamboat stacks) gave me an idea that wrapping card stock around the funnel stock (instead of formed brass wire rings) would make flat bands as seen in the photos (all gets painted white). Then wire drilling four peripheral holes into the flat band will permit insertion of 4 eye bolts where the guy wires attach to stabilize the funnel. The extent of tweaking just depends on the inclination of the modeler, and I certainly have my limits. Once the fateful voyage was underway, Shackleton likely figured that it would a very long time before the ship would anchor ... some of the photos show the anchors stowed over the catheads on the fore deck with the anchor shaft lashed where the beam extends beyond the hull, and chain used to secure the bottoms of both anchors to each other. That's one way to show them, as well as secured at the bow as seen in the instructions. The forward capstan provided is a simple turning, so an aftermarket capstan (of the same size) with greater detail is another easy upgrade. Fair weather and smooth sailing ... Johnny

'Love the tiny figures ... I've done a couple Ren fairs and have a 'Henry' outfit - but I'm nowhere near fat enough. Johnny

OMGosh, your sutures make my hand accident seem trivial (just a few ties in two places hurt when re-doing a fence section). With care and patience healing will occur, and I found that over time (some years) the scars became a lot less noticeable. God bless you. Johnny

I love a good yarn, of which there are many attached to ships of renown. I've written a couple myself about a little known canal barge called the Erin - named for the first Captain's wife - that plied the Schuylkill navigation system from Philadelphia as far as Schuylkill Haven. One time when the mules refused to cooperate, so the story went, Brian rigged two masts amidships and used his wife’s dresses and petticoats as sails. His shirt and pants became spinnakers to ease the boat down the canal with the prevailing wind at their backs and a slow current to assist. That left Erin to work the tiller in her underwear, steering blindly due to the makeshift sails, while Brian in his ‘long johns’ stood lookout at the bow and shouted back instructions. Complaints were filed in two townships for indecent exposure. However, the Erin crossed municipal boundaries before a local sheriff or deputy could see the evidence. All charges were dropped because no two accounts of either the ‘sails’ or the underwear agreed. Another time when the Schuylkill flooded enough to close the navigation ways, Brian freed the moorings at Reading and guided the Erin into the swollen river. The bonus for quick delivery of cargo and the penalty for lateness prompted this risky stunt. Captain and wife worked large oars on either side of their barge and shot the river all the way down to Philadelphia. They rode over every dam on the route like a toboggan, confident the Erin’s double-thick framing would take the stress. Besides earning a bonus, their record time for the trip was never beaten. “Back in ’54, as was told to me - others say it was 1857 - my folks were comin’ down from Schuylkill Haven loaded with coal. They entered the underground passage through Tunnel Hill and it was clear of any traffic at the time. ‘Bout halfway through, some dang fool of a captain barged-in from the other end. Paw blew his conch and if the other skipper didn’t hear it, he was deaf as well as blind for comin’ into the narrow tunnel when another boat was already there.” “The Erin met the intruder a third of the way from the southern end. The other captain wouldn’t yield, and foul weather moved in from the north. When the winds grew stronger, Maw felt a strong draft passing through the tunnel. Then she had a dandy notion. She and Paw brought up the pot bellied stove, took off the griddle and stoked the coal fire with wet wood and oily rags right there on deck. All the nasty fumes blew into the other skipper’s face and out the south end of the tunnel. Then Paw threw his oldest, dirtiest long-johns on the fire. That old union suit could stand up by itself when set out to dry, and the sweaty mess on the fire fanned by the breeze sent an ungodly stench and a cloud o’ black smoke down the tunnel.” “The other skipper started choking but still refused to back up, even though his crew jumped overboard and swam to the exit for their lives. Then Maw raised-up a mighty curse and swore hellacious oaths at the stubborn fool, conjuring horrid weather to bear down on Tunnel Hill. A tremendous cyclone formed, ripped off the hill top and lifted the Erin skyward with all aboard - lofting her clear over the other barge that blocked the way.” “On down the river they were carried by the great tornado, with dark ash and hot embers trailing behind. Witnesses swore they’d seen a runaway locomotive carried by a whirlwind going past Auburn town before landing in the still waters beyond the port settlement. And that’s how the tunnel became a cut through the hill that you can see to this day.” Old Johnny searched for where the tunnel used to be ... and found it, sure enough - taking a picture to compare with a 19th c. engraving of the original tunnel. Picture clipping.pictClipping

Your technique of 'rolling your own' will work on the new OcCre Endurance model ... instead of using solid wood dowel with glued-on rings of brass (formed on the same dowel). Photos of the original stack show flat bands (as you have added of thick stock) - with eyes where 4 guy wires (wire rope, more likely) attach. Thanks for the tip! Smooth sailing ... Johnny BTW, I found an image of me in costume taken at a US Civil War re-enactment by an Ambrotype artist, and a portion of it is now my Avitar in this forum. That was years ago before my beard went white.

Excellent work HakeZou - it looks just fine from here. I await delivery of the same kit ... I ordered one from Age of Sail, as well as another order for extra fittings to augment those I've been saving for future work. I'll watch your build with interest. Meanwhile, I've tried scrounging for info on the Endurance and her story (Shackleton had a lot to do with it ... BTW I found out that they were forced to eat the dogs in order to survive). There is one image of the original profile drawing from the Greenwich Museum (split view fore and aft) of this ship originally built as Polaris in 1912. It is clearly marked as 125' between parallels - the waterline point at the bow to the rudder post astern. Other references to her being 144' must refer to a 'bow to stern' overall measurement (exclusive of bowsprit). I'll mark the 'false keel' part provided with the waterline and parallels placed to get an accurate measurement in inches for the model 'out of the box' just to calculate the scale (to see if it is indeed 1:70 per the box). Yeah, I know it seems quirky (picky?) to look into that, but as a former Industrial/Manufacturing Engineer (and now a Hospital Pharmacy Technician) I've always exhibited OCD ... but with people's safety and health at stake, that's a good thing. You are careful and diligent on repairing missteps as you go ... exactly my method. My Wasa build has been full of them, although work is suspended for the time being (Admiral's orders). As a friend described artwork (which is sort-of what we're at) - 'There are no mistakes, just happy accidents'. BTW, Popeye's advice to save the 'surrounding' wood that the laser-cut parts came from is sound. That way (since your purchase of the kit constitutes a license for personal use of the contents), you can duplicate any part by tracing on new stock around the void left after parts are cut from the sheet (writing the part number on the sheet for reference as you go). Cutting on the line with a jigsaw should produce a very close copy of the original part if needed. Fair weather bless you. Johnny

Ahoy mates - I've followed the information available on the new endurance kit, and have recently viewed the entire video tutorial available on it ... all 67 (if I remember rightly) youtube elements that run 3 or 4 more minutes each ... that's around 4 hours of watching. Of course they don't cover multiples of elements - or every single plank ... but each step is covered. I have to agree that even for a motivated adult 'beginner', this kit is doable 'out of the box'. Of course, there have been compromises in 'dead' accuracy of lines and details ... and the result if built 'as instructed' has a certain 'simplicity' to it. Yet it is quite attractive. Some of the simplifications involve the rigging and how the lines belay, the use of rigging rope instead of chainplate, the use of brass eyelets for portholes, sealing/sanding the 'jigsaw'-like cabin construction - to name a few. But the design is well thought-out and is relatively 'fool proof' for beginner to intermediate (if you watch the you-tube segments there will be an appreciation of how everything goes together in sequence), while en experienced modeler can rectify the above mentioned simplifications. I note a few points for recommendation: I don't advise using contact cement for the planking and decking. If one wants a model to last a long time (and perhaps be a family heirloom), the bond can degrade over time ... I've seen it happen. I note the clever way the sub-deck pieces key into the bulkheads, and if one uses the 'slow cure' wood glue on the framing, the deck pieces can be used (without glue) to assure squareness and fit without a plethora of angle pieces and many clamps on the bulkheads. Applying the decking over the sub deck before assembling back on the frames eases construction. But perhaps the width of the deck planks are a little out of scale - I'd be inclined to make a jig to cut them in half with repeated light X-acto cuts, then use in 'random lengths' so that actual joints will stagger somewhat - instead of marking them with a pencil. There may be better means to pre treat the edges of the deck planking with a dark color than just using graphite - and there are some posts about alternative techniques ... but pencil will do. I saw a post on how to make a jig for more accurately positioning pencil 'dots' on the decking. One can also 'go crazy' and drill the peg holes and use the tips of round toothpicks to plug them - which is made easier since it all can be done before the deck pieces get installed. Since the kit makes use of brass 'eye bolts' to belay a lot of the rigging (like on the deck all around the masts), were I to go along with this I'd keep the ends of the brass wire eye bolts longer and apply them before gluing the decks down. That way, the ends of the eye bolts can be bent over below the deck so there won't be a risk of one or more 'pulling out' when securing rigging ... a bummer were this to happen. My idea is to research the Endurance and see if there wooden rails with belying pins by the mast. If so, I'd build and install entirely through the planked deck (for a secure fit) before gluing the decks down. Being double planked, one does not have to fill the spaces between bulkheads below decks with balsa or basswood to assure the beast fairing - but I'm inclined to go to the trouble. The way they show to accomplish each planking layer is adequate, since the hull is to be painted, but prefer to taper more of the planks as I went and try to plank in a more period manner - as well as use less wide 'final' planking. I don't know if the entire hull was black on the original ship, but it may be that anti-foulding paint was used below the waterline. If so was, this a dark red color? Again, some research is needed. Also, I wouldn't use contact cement on the second planking - but to each his own. On the lower deck house, one can sand the pieces on the exterior by the thickness of any vertical planking (optional) that one might want to use on the outside (the fact of board construction will 'telegraph' nicely through the top coat of white paint), and cut-off rings of thick walled brass or copper tubing might make for better portholes - they could also be 'glazed' if one uses a suitable hole punch on the plastic glazing material provided. I found a set of 'nested' hole cutters at an antique shop that only needed a little sharpening. The brass railing stanchions look good, but perhaps using wire instead of rope going through as a railing might look better - the challenge would be avoiding 'kinks'. The light colored deadeyes can be stained darker, and wire chainplate on the lower deadeyes will make for a distinct improvement. For display with sails, I'd re-make them from more appropriate (thinner) material. Also the 1:70 scale can permit one to install jackstays on the yards to bend the square sails. I'd use the Underhill book on Clipper Rigging to make some improvements, as well as use finer rigging rope where needed. I'd have a look at how the fore-and-aft booms attach to the masts - there might be room for some improvement there. I won't natter on, but I've ordered the kit on the strength of my observations and study ... there is real potential to improve on what is provided, but 'as-is' it is a good value. Fair sailing to all ! Johnny May 19th 2021 edit: Confirming the 1:70 scale of the OcCre Endurance (now happily received), made me realize that a 'bust' to make a clipper model would change the scale too much (about 1:120) - and details for a much bigger ship would be challenging to work on. The Endurance was 125' between perpendiculars, vs 212' for the Cutty or Thermie.

A few tweaks have improved the fit of the bottom from what they were (seen in the photos). Something not easily seen in the photos (but seen on broadside images of the same kit) is that the act of forming the stern together (the last phase of attaching the hull sides to the deck/superstructure) causes the an upward deformation of the deck ... a little like a banana curves - although not as much. The railings want to flair outward as well. I blush with the positive comments on the build, since (as many builders are) I see every fault ... yet have learned enough to do better on round two as noted below. I looked at the components of the Metal Earth (Iconic deluxe kit) Missouri and saw that the rear hull sides have been laser cut with a 'compensating' downward arc that should deform upward on assembly so that the deck will stay level. 'Guess they learned this from the Arizona. The Big Mo kit has actual turned gun barrels for the main armament. Build observations on-line have noted that when assembled as-is, there is some 'wiggle' in the big guns and they don't align well ... unless one uses epoxy in the tiny gun mounts before attaching to the turret pieces. Secondary armaments are flat and bent up like that of the Arizona - so I intend to clip them off, fill the small turrets with kneadable epoxy and insert steel pins as the guns from the outside (going into the yet-to-cure epoxy) for a more realistic effect. In fact, I might try to scare-up a few hypodermic needles to cut off with a Dremel so they'll have a 'bore'. Idea #2 is to have small screws imbedded (centered with a jig) into the turret epoxy on the main turrets so that the finished turrets can be mounted (secured with a nut under the mounting plate) so that they can swivel - as if BB63 were about to deliver a broadside for a shore bombardment. The Missouri is 887' in length and the model measures right about 1 foot ... so I guess you could call that around 1:900. Will it be any easier than the Arizona (e.g. larger parts)? Well, it seems the designers have put in more detail and there are more parts total - and some of them are just as tiny. After a session on the last model I was a little cross-eyed. From doing the last model, as levels are stacked to make the superstructure, there is cumulative 'play' that needs to be addressed. So idea #3 is to 'fill' the various layers that will get stacked in order with kneadable epoxy, making sure to level-off the epoxy at the bottom before it cures. Then when that level is attached to the one below (having a solid metal 'roof') a dab of regular epoxy in the center of the filled bottom will bond with the surface below upon attachment. That way there will not only be twisted (or bent) metal tabs holding the higher level on, but a glue bond as well - which should eliminate any 'wiggle' between parts altogether. 'Guess these would be 'minor busts' to the kit as supplied. In between household chores, I'm reading Underhill's "Masting & Rigging the Clipper Ship" ... a good balance of both text and illustrations that make a good primer for any would-be modeler of sailing ships - wood or plastic. Fair weather and smooth sailing to all ! 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