Gregory

That is assuming that one is only going to " do something once every two or three years ", in which case I agree..
 
However, I am using a laser cutter to enhance the kits I build, and hope to work on a scratch project someday soon.  
 
I am exploring the use of a CAD program to enhance my parts creating tool box, even though 2D is all I need right now.
 
Relatively low cost 3d printers and CNC tools are already a reality, and robust 3D software is essential to using these tools effectively.

I see V25 is available on Amazon for $80..  Does that sound like a good deal?
 
Anyone ever use Turbo Cad.   I have a pretty robust version but haven't taken the time to learn it..
 
Any opinions if it would be worth the effort?

I apologize if i missed it in all of this,  but what is a good generic overall length for a belaying pin?
 
( I'm not particularly concerned about the rivet counters surveying one of my models and proclaiming that my belaying pins are 2 scale inches too long..  )

I find it quite interesting to learn the reasons why and how things were done on a ship the way that they were.    I'm sure that a lot of us here without any actual sailing experience can learn a lot from those that have.  All of that knowledge can only help to improve our models.

I’m using Alaskan Cedar for my build. I’ve cut out the keel and bulkhead pieces and will gluing them up them up on piece of MDF board, covered by 1/4” plexiglass on top with the plan sandwiched in the middle.
 

 


 

Peta,
May I ask what is the color number for that thread?.... ( The tan shade )

This part of the work is a bit repetitive but done with the first step. These are very small.

Excited about the sail I have sat down and finished one side of ratlines. It turned out quite well I would say. The second side next! 
 

Surprised no one has mentioned it yet, but the fat pins that come in kits can be turned down quickly by chucking them into a rotary tool and giving them a pass or two with some sandpaper or a file. Neatness isn't a particular concern, since most of the pin will be obscured by rigging line. 

No kidding Frankie..  The parts of the drawing labeled 1/3 & 2/3, look more like 1/2 & 1/2..

Hi All,
I’m new to MSW and hoping to reactivate a love of modelling that I’ve had since childhood. 
As a child I made literally hundreds of plastic kit models; planes, tanks, ships etc. Mostly WW2 stuff, but some more modern things too.
A few years ago now I saw an advert for a weekly magazine which would guide me through building a model of the Bismarck. I thought this was a great idea and bought the first few editions. However, I began to google what was involved in completing such a venture and soon realised that I would very quickly be out of my depth. There were a whole range of skill sets involved which I knew nothing about. This would be a shed-load of money to spend on something which I knew I would not be able to do justice to.
I decided to shelve the idea and stopped buying the magazine.
Instead I bought a Billings Boats, HMS Renown steam pinnace to try and cut my teeth on. It went OK. Planking was satisfactory, albeit only because I knew the hull would painted and all the filler would be covered over. However, I got cold feet when it came to spray painting the boat. This was another new skill I didn’t have and was concerned about ruining all the hard work I had put in that far. I shelved the build... for ten years!!!
I recently plucked up the courage to complete it though and I’m quite chuffed with the end result.
Confidence boosted, I’ve now bought the Bluenose 2 from Artesania Latina (having decided against the Billings one because of their rubbishy brief instructions). I hope the build logs on here will be very useful, but don’t think I’m brave enough to start a log to expose myself to peer review just yet!
Regards
Colin

Or lay a piece of softwood on the table, raise the blade, and jamb the face of the block of wood up against the saw teeth and hold it fast there, then turn the arbor nut.  The teeth bite into the wood when the arbor is turned by the wrench. I've never changed a table saw blade any other way.

Hi every one!
I have finished 10 sets arm-parts. This time, I redesigned the fixture and optimized the processing procedure. So this batch of products is very successful. Except for the first three test products, the last 10 are all excellent products with almost no defects. And I'll finish the remaining 10 sets soon. 
 
Unlike Mr. Chuck's figurehead, the arms of all members' figurehead have been glued with German glue. I have also made some simple polishing for everyone, and I will remove the base for your folks.



I use a strong plastic box for packing, and each carving will use a breathable bag for packing one more time, so as to prevent moisture and 
It has some compressive strength.

I promise that if it is lost in transit, and if it is not caused by your own reasons, I will resend one set to you free of charge. 
 
I will complete the application of MSW's sponsor in these days, and then it will be released officially . I will inform every member according to the previous pre-order. You can buy them or give up. 
 
Natural wood has natural texture. I have scrapped all carvings with black spots, but natural texture cannot be avoided. If you can't accept these carvings with color difference and wood grain, you can consider purchasing resin casting sets.
 
Thank you!
 
Jack
 
 

Some progress made on the decking.
I put in a nibble plank and unfortunately tried my hand at it.
I totally got it wrong for the first few but then after some researching I understand how it should be done, lesson learned.
Here's the wrong way to nibble a plank
.
 
.... and here's me getting better at it.
 

For the poop deck I decided to use the same scaling as the main deck. Check it out.

 
Here's my progress to date:
I used a black felt tip marker to simulate the tarred horse hair between joints.

 
That's all folks!🐷

I discovered In the Wake of the Bounty on Amazon Prime TV last night. It's a one-hour long combination documentary made in 1934 of a visit by a film crew to Pitcairn Island in 1930. The documentary of life on Pitcairn Island in 1930 is interspersed with a dramatic portrayal of the mutiny story. I expect it would be of interest to many, and particularly those building Bounty models.
 
It is, of course, in black and white, and filmed 90 years ago, so let's just say it's "dated." The shots of sails in the dramatic segments conflate 20th Century bulk carriers with 18th Century Admiralty practice, but are some of the few contemporary film cuts of real sailing ship practice at the end of the Age of Sail. The production qualities of the dramatic reenactment scenes are amateurish and of no value to modelers, but movie buffs may enjoy watching Errol Flynn in his very first film role. The dramatic segments may also be of historical interest to movie buffs because the movie was made contemporaneously with the introduction of the "Hays" and "Production" Hollywood self-censorship codes and is one of a genre of long-suppressed travelogues and historical movies which served as a excuses to depict somewhat gratuitous nudity. The scenes of Bounty's crew in Tahiti have that quaint "National Geographic porn" quality.  No doubt, the movie's coverage (or un-coverage) of bare breasted Tahitian young ladies no doubt contributed greatly to its box office success. 
 
Seriously, though, the film and interviews of the Pitcairners and their daily lives, including their launching their whaleboats, is very interesting. This was (they claim) the first movie film taken on Pitcairn Island and in 1930 it was still a rather primitive place which had little contact with the outside world. At that time, the oldest people living there were only the grandchildren of the mutineers and original Tahitians themselves, and the local culture was still closely connected with the mutiny events even if all but one of the British mutineers had died of natural causes or been murdered in squabbles and feuds by the time Pitcairn Island's inhabitants were discovered by the Nantucket whaler Topaz 1808.
 
It's available for streaming on Amazon Prime TV at the moment. 

A very ambitious undertaking..  I look forward to your updates. 

There is much discussion about ratline technique, but it is difficult to do a search because the subject appears in many different topics, including many different build logs.
You will probably get many suggestions from our members.
 
Here is a technique I like, offered by Jersey City Frankie  Glued Ratlines  ( Scroll down to post #118 )
 
I also like what Frankie said in another topic about tying them:
 
The thing about knots, is that they can easily appear way out of scale, depending on the scale of the model and the size of the rope used.
 
Here are some actual ratlines from Victory and Constitution.
 
  
 

I was looking for Enterprise plans online just now and found a build log running in another forum.  "Ships of Scale", probably I will get demerits for consorting with the enemy.  It is a new comer's account and was started several years ago and is still currently in use.  I benched my 'Bounty' and went into my Constructo ' Enterprise'.  I will go start a build log with all the horrors encountered. 

A very ambitious undertaking..  I look forward to your updates. 

I've successfully cleaned up some of the .PDF file lines, and reconstructed enough of the smudged details, on that drawing, to finally begin lofting some extremely accurate frames. Due to my desired scale vs. readily available materials... this design will actually have 5 additional frame locations as compared to the original count. This won't affect anything other than adding a tad bit more work. 79 frame locations (original) vs. my 84 frame configuration... "hmm?" With that many frames to loft and fabricate, "who cares about five more frames?" To stick with my desired scale, the frames would have needed to be .3989" thick, for original design. That's too oddball a dimension, so I opted for .375" which works out great! Standard thickness of materials can be used to construct the frames without a lot of waste via thickness planing of much heavier material. It's an acceptable compromise. 
 Getting to this point has been a slower 'go' than I had anticipated, and also an exercise in frustration, to say the least... but it's also a very 'necessary evil' in my strife for historically accurate lines. Had I better drawings to work with, I'd surely be well beyond this stage by now. Working from a .PDF photocopy of a 'not so pristine' drawing that is 225 years old adds a whole new level of difficulty to the project! That's okay. The end result will be well worth the preliminary efforts required!      
  Next up will be the individual frames, one at a time. While I will know the exterior shape of those frames, I now need to come up with the 'internal' geometry and thickness(s) of those frames. More research will be involved, of course, but I can do that 'after' lofting the exterior geometry of the frames.      
 

Depending upon the scale, I suppose. In full-sized practice, a half-hitch is taken around each shroud, but the ratlines are secured to the outside shroud at either end of the length of the ratline by splicing a loop in the end of the ratline and then lashing that to the outermost shrouds. In practice, a clove hitch on the outside end would loosen and untie in short order. If you think tying scale half-hitches is tedious, just try splicing scale line! 

There is much discussion about ratline technique, but it is difficult to do a search because the subject appears in many different topics, including many different build logs.
You will probably get many suggestions from our members.
 
Here is a technique I like, offered by Jersey City Frankie  Glued Ratlines  ( Scroll down to post #118 )
 
I also like what Frankie said in another topic about tying them:
 
The thing about knots, is that they can easily appear way out of scale, depending on the scale of the model and the size of the rope used.
 
Here are some actual ratlines from Victory and Constitution.
 
  
 

Some contemporary models have blue or blue-grey painted 'slates' with white outlined edges. At least one model that I've seen has tiles with a central raised line like the vein on a leaf.

Ughh!!!! Long night
 
Bourbon Street at 5am.  It aint pretty.  But fun and now a bit fuzzy.
 

My kit also only has two plan sheets.  No Sail or mast construction.
 
There is an instructions booklet with three pages of very sparse English instructions, the bulk of which is a parts list.
I will be happy to copy and email you those three pages if you feel they would be useful.
 
I would not expect the instructions to be much help to anyone who does not have experience with a few other kits and some considerable knowledge of model ship building in general.
 
While it may be a bit of a chore to filter it out, all of the information you need should be found here as MSW.  Not just the Enterprise logs, but any number of other logs that have a lot to offer in the way of technique and how to progress.
I'm sure there are others, but one Enterprise log that caught my attention is the one by src..  Enterprise by src - Constructo - 1:51 - or Lessons in Adapt Improvise and Overcome
 
I see 10 Enterprise build logs in the Index of wood build logs. Two of them show finished.