Snug Harbor Johnny
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I'm viewing builds by others and getting great ideas that will help me re-start my old half-done Billings Wasa. You've shown many good techniques ... thanks! -
I was aboard the U.S.S. Constellation in Baltimore harbor in the 70s, and bought a medallion (a fundraiser) as a pass for unlimited future visiting - although I haven't returned since. I'm told the Navy 'repaired' her in the 1850s, since it was easier to get funding for refurbishment than to build a new ship - yet what they did was to effectively re-build her as a new ship (staying 'under the radar'). That's why the present incarnation is a lot different than the original ship, and the model likely is likely closer to the original vessel. Its looking good so far !
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I've reviewed your build thus far and am impressed by the care and craftsmanship you exhibit. It is an inspiration for me to better my intermediate (at best) technique, yet in this line we all must chart our own course. Doing the best we can , within practical limits, can be a source of satisfaction one can't put a price on.
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Ratlines: Start and End
Snug Harbor Johnny replied to Jonathan_219's topic in Masting, rigging and sails
I suppose you could use a taught line hitch. -
I single planked the Billings (original version) Wasa in the 70s, and was mostly happy with it (although one of the bulkheads was a little 'fat' and produced a slight bulge at that point - which I've seen on other builds of the old kit. I'm taking it up again to finish, with a little surgery to make the model conform to what is NOW know of the original ship. Yet I wonder (and one naval historian sees merit in the argument) if the the original Wasa DID have a forecastle deck covering the capstan and with armaments above - since the hull is planked high enough in that area (per the ship itself in Stockholm) to have had a deck. Why would there be railings there if a deck was not envisioned, and why would the front be open to breaking seas (apart from a flimsy fence) that would wash down the main gun deck? The reconstructed stern is definitely higher than on my old model, and more weight and height above the waterline would have contributed to her top heaviness. Edit to the above march 23rd, 2022 I'm inclined now to think that the forecastle deck was NOT built on the Vasa due to the modifications to her imposed on the builders that made her unstable (even if one had originally been planned) ... simply because the addition of the fore deck (common to ships of that era) could have made her unlikely to sail away from the build site as she was 'tippy' enough without any additional weight above the weather deck. The marvelous restoration in Stockholm is how the Vasa was done, and the 1/10 museum model is now painted as close as experts can determine how the original looked on her fateful maiden voyage.
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It looks like there are a few 'low spots' in the first planking. Fixing that before going further should help. I've used 'one minute' epoxy in the past (this was before CA was available, and I had to be quick mixing and applying) and held a plank in place using the long fingers of both hands ... and half-listening, half-watching the TV while the 'set' of the bonding agent firmed. Still, the quality of the fairing will determine the quality of the final planking.
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I'm a fan of yours (only just joined the forum, though) since I was viewing Billings Wasa builds not too long ago and saw many of your useful comments. My Wasa is an old kit my Dad gave me as a teen in the 70s, and despite not knowing what I was doing, got through the hull planking and rough deck installation. College interrupted work, and now as a retiree I see what was inaccurate in the original kit (tons have been learned in the decades since, so I do not fault Billing at all). I intend to finish it as an Admiralty model - so 2/3rds of the work is already done. Now my Dad first gave me a Revell 1:96 Cutty (which I had no trouble with) and then a Scientific 1:124 Cutty with a rough shaped solid hull - and I did OK on that, so he didn't just throw the Billing kit on me unprepared. I stumbled on your build of the Mantua 1:124 Thermopylae, and I plan on scratch building one in a slightly larger scale - likely either 1:111 or 1:96. I have the lines and scaled them to those sizes (as well as 1:124). I vastly prefer planking to carving, and can make as many bulkheads as desired for ease of fairing - with the spaces in between the bulkheads filled with basswood with the grain running fore and aft for easy fairing. If I choose 1:96 (or thereabouts), I can get an old Revell kit (complete or not) to draw on certain components that are in the right scale like the bilge pump, wench, etc. My late Dad left me several kits that have a large number of useful parts and great planking. One kit he started, so is incomplete but great for parts. Two others I have no intention of building but will use the parts and wood. Another kit is a Steingraeber version of the Fair American, which I have extra info on, so eventually I'll try building it. I'm in no rush and still work per-diem as a hospital pharmacy tech.
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