Snug Harbor 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?

You never know where something useful might turn up ... like not long ago I came across the finest chain I've yet to see in a 25" 'multi chain' necklace (made in China) in an ordinary sewing store. It was bright silver in appearance, but easy enough to paint - and fine enough for the sheet chain on the yards of a 1:96 Cutty Sark or Thermopylae. Once COVID is under wraps, there will be Bead Shows again - and some of the dealers have stock in the real tiny chain.

The mermaids were painted and the prow assembled. Then I had to carve a lion - once again, the basswood is not suited to fine carving, and I'm no Michaelangelo ... but he come out 'good enough' for my purposes. The prow is trial fitted, and hold on by a friction fit on the keel stub. This might be wise because there is a lot more to construct in this area, and it could be prone to breakage in the process. My photos don't have quite the focus, but it is an inexpensive, borrowed camera and I'm an amateur when it comes to photography.

I've been 'dragging' pictures from my camera (once plugged into a USB port on my PC) onto the desktop (these are copies of what was photographed with the camera). Then as I add to my log, I just 'drag' the photo on the desktop into the space just below the text I entered, and release. Shazzam, a copy of the picture them appears on the log below the text! That seems pretty easy. Then I drag the desktop icon of the photo onto the file icon I've left on the desktop, and the picture then is moved from the desktop into my file - that helps keep the desktop from getting cluttered.

I though to marry a bow extension to the existing wood, and cut basswood stock with a dremel-type jig saw into three pieces. So I'm adding said saw, plus a jeweler's saw, small files and miniature carving tools (for duck decoys?) to the previously mentioned list of tools - as well as whatever clamps are handy. I decided to try and carve the mermaid (from the original), plus a second one to make a pair (my idea - hey, the old kit as it is has a number of differences with the state of knowledge today - so the whole thing is a learning experience.) As it turns out, basswood is harder to carve tiny things out of, since it is relatively soft (but not so much as balsa). Fruitwood would be better, or even maple, so sharp tools are a must. Below is a closer shot of my 'mermaids', and small wood fibers are also a problem. I used a sealer to help quell fibers, and will paint the figures before proceeding.

A big 'Ah-hah' moment ... I found a small folded paper from my Billings kit WITH a stated scale - 1:100 by gosh. So my 'calculated' scale of 1:105 was off by 5% (not too bad), and I have edited my title to reflect the manufacturer's stated scale seen in the picture below. I have also found some small figures at attention in a local hobby store that can be modified for use on my build ... carving the tiny ones would be quite difficult. The larger model kits at 1:65 have molded sets of figures to work with, and they are big models indeed. I'll try to focus on fixing the bow as the next phase.

There is a good view of the stern profile in one picture ... 'reminds me of the Thermopylae stern. A clean angle seems more graceful that other profiles that have near vertical portions.

In one photo I notice that her stern angle is very nice - and reminds me a little of the Thermopylae, although the "Big T" has a slightly lower angle. I prefer the Glory and Thermie look of the sterns much more than the Cutty Sark and other clippers with near vertical portions in the stern.

Now that the glue has set I have to fit (trim) the old forecastle deck pieces to fit inside the bulwark. The first pic show this material. The pieces were damaged somewhat by prying them off so I've glues some reinforcement. I realize now that this sort of planking is meant to be glued to a false deck beneath ... I've got to play the hand I'm dealt with this model. The next pic show the installed decking (with some patching done), and it didn't come out all that bad. ... 'Good enough' for me on this project, which is more of a 'salvage'. I remember the movie 'Cool Runnings' about the Jamaican Olympic bobsled team. The coach told them, "Winning a medal is a wonderful thing. But if you're not good enough without the medal, then you won't be good enough with it." What Island you from, man?

Ahoy! After a couple days thinking of the next step, putting in a block of wood to drill (after decking) a hole for the fore mast would be good. Also, to re-mount the decking that used to be a forecastle deck onto the weather deck (upper gun deck), I'd have to glue support strips on the sides, and a couple of small pieces of fill elsewhere. Below is a pic, and the glue is drying now. I'm using Titebond (aliphatic resin) since it has a reasonable work time to allow for re-positioning, yet 'tacks' readily after 5 - 10 minutes. I have a bottle where the glue has lost water through evaporation, producing a much thicker glue that 'tacks' in about 3 minutes. The planking wood Billings used for this kit is indeed mahogany, as many of their 'old' kits had. Mahogany does not bend as readily as other types of wood, but it has natural coloring and does not need staining. Actually, I've seen a few model ships where the stain was overdone, at least some seemed too dark. Wood like mahogany, some oaks and exotics or black walnut (my favorite) they can be left 'natural' or, if desired, given a SPARING rub with boiled linseed oil thinned with turpentine - both natural products available for many centuries. I'm surprised how well I was able to plank the hull all those years ago. As I recall the wood was soaked a little in boiling water and I used my teeth as a 'bending jig'. The 'mouth feel' and sensitivity is such that I could sense when small fibers were starting to break, so I could avoid over-stressing. If one avoids outright breaks and minimizes gaps (regardless whether one is single-planking or planking over an underlayment), the model will look well enough to please. Once I got over my trepidation about tearing-out the forecastle deck, I dove right in (with care). The tools used so far have been simple: an X-Acto knife, a model train track saw, tweezers, straight and curved files, a variable speed Dremel-like tool (and attachment set) with a foot control (found at Harbor freight ... how appropriate) and sandpaper. The work is not that hard, as long as one has thought out the steps to take beforehand. THAT is where the new modeler is at a disadvantage. Without much prior experience, it is hard to plan out the needed steps in sequence. One often has to learn by mistakes, hopefully most of those can be corrected. Patience is a virtue in this hobby. Yet studying the same or similar builds in this Forum can help make-up for lack of first hand experience. I suspect that the biggest challenge further down the road will be the carvings. There are no available ones for the Wasa in 1:100 scale, and even so they would be expensive. I may try to find about the right size figures made for small dioramas that old-school war gamers use, since many of the Wasa carvings represent men-at-arms, roman emperors and kings. Otherwise, I'll have to try my hand at chip carving on a small scale. I'm using a piece of headgear with a light and drop-down magnifiers of varying strength to compensate for 'senior vision' ... and I've had prior cataract surgery to replace the lenses in both eyes, so I no longer have 'adaptive' vision. BTW, I found the mast pieces and spars, and Billings provided them properly tapered in the kit ... a pleasant realization.

Its fascinating to follow this log ... some real dedication there. Right now I'm gleaning what I can from available Thermopylae photos - another ship with quite a history.

In some locations there are single-owner shops that carry hardwoods and 'exotics'. You have to google several ways and look at the maps expanded to your drivable range ... then check them out. Some non-chain hobby stores have old stock laying around. I knew one that I scored some materials at, then it nearly went out of existence when the owner wanted to get out of the business - but one of his sons took it over, and has moved twice as he changed the business to accommodate changing hobby fads, etc. There is less stuff there now, but still a local source for basic hobby building.

Ahoy! So I found the broken part meant to hold the brass half-cannon down in the hold, so now its glued with epoxy back onto the false carriage as seen in the picture below. Sloppy, yes, but won't show from the outside - as seen in the next picture. Smalls steps, but what's the rush. BTW, a friend sent me a couple of pictures I haven't seen in decades. Back in College (I think I was 20 at the time) I built a 12' long three-man Viking dinghy, Two could row while one manned the steerboard (on the starboard side, of course). It also had a mast and square sail when the wind was favorable. The strakes were white pine bent over plywood frames, and it was carvel built. I painted it black on the outside and red inside. It had slow leaks, but nothing that couldn't be handled by a trusty bilge pump. The first shot is on display at the library of the University of Maryland with repro. Viking gear in the cases. The Herjan (the boat's name) was used in conjunction with the See Earn (Sea Eagle) - a converted surplus Navy Whaleboat that our Ship's Company turned into a Viking ship (28' ?) - perhaps more like a small knarr than a raider - that plied the Severn River from the Valentine Creek down to Annapolis, MD. Since the Herjan (aka 'short ship') was used for shore relief, some called it the 'John Boat' or alternatively the 'Half Moon'.

Want to see an ancient Greek Solar System earth-centered model? Try Googling the Antikythera Mechanism and see what comes up. There have been reproductions of this incredible device that account for all observed lunar and planetary motions as seen from Earth. The main 'flaw' is that the models accuracy for Mars can be off at times by as much as 30 degrees, The other planets are very close and the moon is 'spot on'.

The 1956 repair cost of $210 is equivalent to about $2,500 today. Since the failures in the interim are similar to the earlier failures, and due to the deterioration of the oldest (original?) rigging left on the model (reportedly apt to crumble into bits if touched) - perhaps the best restorative efforts should focus on a more secure attachment (reinforcement by unseen drilled wire?) of the parts apt to break in future, as well as replacing all rigging with durable material (not sure exactly what that should be). I'd expect that an investment of $2,500 today in a 'longer-term' fix would be a good investment for the owner, since the auction value of a properly restored antique bone model would be at least double that above what it would bring in the present sorry state. Any serious buyer would figure on an expensive repair, and would lower their maximum bid accordingly.

Ahoy, mates! Well I've had the benefit of some feedback, and I've decided to take the plunge (walk the plank?) and try to cobble my old (and 'dated') BB kit to more closely resemble the 1628 Wasa known today, thanks to the amazing amount of original material recovered and preserved (95% of what is on display in Stockholm) and the unsurpassed conservatorship of marine scholars. That means, yes, taking the route of cutting away the forecastle deck on the model. As mentioned before, I don't fault the manufacturer since the ca. 1970 kit was based on very limited data compared to what is known today. Anyonecoming by any earlier version of a Wasa kit can see the superb level of craftsmanship exhibited on Model Ship World, and use that as a basis for making appropriate corrections. So first I pried off that deck to remind myself of what lay underneath Yup - bulkheads, stringers and a (too small) piece of balsa meant to be drilled into for the fore mast. You can see the toothpick ends (representing treenails from the outside) and the wee bit of false decking to supper wooden mounts for the turned brass half-cannons that will be seen from the outside ... that seemed to be a good enough arrangement. Then I took metal cutting wheel on an equivalent to a variable speed Dremel to slice away what needed to be sliced away. I also cut down the bulwark amidships to resemble how the original ship has been reconstructed. There's plenty more to do, but I have to be careful how and what that should be ... more pics will follow in time. BTW the model hull measures 19" in length, compared to an approximate hull length of 166' on the prototype (226' "sparred" length that includes the jutting beak and bowsprit on the original). I state again that whatever I do will be a 'compromise', as there are a number of inaccuracies permanently 'built into' what I have already ... a "legacy" form myself as a well-meaning teenager. Nevertheless, I hope that whatever finished state I can manage will be 'recognizable' as the 1628 Wasa. It is perhaps fortunate that higher education interrupted the work (such as it was), or it would've been finished per the original ca. 1970 drawing (thus 'unmodifiable'). In the above view, one can see a distinctive "bulge" amidships caused by the middle bulkhead being a little too wide in relation to its neighbors (greater tumblehome in that spot?), and this is typical of that kit version. I cannot hope to come close to the level of craftsmanship and accuracy of many models seen on this forum, and I'm not blaming poorer vision and unsteady hands these days either. We shall see ... Fair Sailing! Johny