Smile-n-Nod

I see many videos and articles online about a ship called Le Fleuron.

Why is that ship so popular? What is its significance?

I occasionally read that rigging of ships varied somewhat among European nations.

Can you share examples of some of these differences? Thanks.

10 hours ago, trippwj said:

I have many pdf versions from the 18th century - any in particular you are interested in?

I'm looking for printed books.  Thanks, anyway. 

Were press gangs use mainly by the British, or did other navies also use press gangs?

I own cheap reprints of Deane's Doctrine of Naval Architecture and Chapman's Architectura Navalis Mercatoria. Are there other such inexpensive naval architecture books available from the 18th century and earlier? 

How durable are card models of ships? Is it expected that they should last as long as wooden models?

I've been looking through the USS Constitution "Anatomy of the Ship" book (though I don't have it in front of me right now).

If memory servers, several sail plans are shown, including one that was used for several years around the time of the War of 1812.

This circa-1812 sail plan shows skysails that are triangular: the foot is the width of the royal yard below, but the sail tapers in width to nothing at the top. These are tall sails, too: the height of the triangle is about twice the base.

I've never seen pictures of triangular sails at the tops of the masts of square-riggers.  Are there pictures or paintings of these sails in use on the Constitution or any other square-rigger?

Stem: In an old ship-modeling book, an author recommends planking the hull first, with the planks extending slightly in front of the bow.  Then he says to saw a gap between the ends of the planks and insert the stem into that gap.

Keel: I've seen build logs and videos online that seem to recommend planking the hull first, and then sanding a flat strip along the bottom of the hull to which the keel is attached.

What are the merits of these approaches, compared to attaching the stem and keel to the hull before planking? 

The ZONA fine razor saw comes in 42 teeth per inch (and fewer).

Some woodworkers use them for cutting dovetails.

They're inexpensive ($10 to $15) and work well.

Is ship No. 2 above (in cotrecerf's post) built with an intentionally hogged keel?

When a wooden ship was built on a slipway, was the keel put on blocks so that it was level (before launch) or was it declined slightly and thus matched the slope of the slipway? 

If the keel was declined, were the frames installed vertically or were they installed perpendicular to the keel (to match the station lines on the sheer plan)?

Or were the the angles involved so small that it didn't make much of a difference?

Take a look at the Courses and Theses & Dissertations pages at the website of the Nautical Archaeology Program at Texas A&M University.

https://nautarch.tamu.edu/

The Courses page lists course syllabi, in which instructors list books required for the courses:

https://nautarch.tamu.edu/academic/courses.html

Theses and Dissertations typically contain extensive bibliographies:

https://nautarch.tamu.edu/academic/alum.htm

Is Ree's Naval Architecture considered useful for ship modelers and researchers, or is it just a redundant copy of other works of that era?

How can I tell if an old folding ruler is made of boxwood instead of a lookalike wood? 

I have read accounts of square-riggers having a mast shifted as little as four inches (full scale) along the keel. Would such a small change have been worth all that trouble? 

In this article:

    https://thenrg.org/resource/articles/specifications-for-construction

I find this sentence:

    "...it is reasonable to expect a new ship model to last one hundred years before deterioration is visible."

In light of that comment, what materials (adhesives, woods, metals, paints, rigging materials, fillers, etc.) might appear suitable for a model, but should definitely NOT be used in a model expected to last a century?

Why were deadeyes use instead of pulleys to connect the shrouds to the sides of a ship? Wouldn't the shrouds need to be tightened (or loosened) periodically? 

1 hour ago, Keithbrad80 said:

Thinking about it, I’m not sure they would have ever intentionally built a fire ship, that seems like a huge waste of money to me. But if you get 20 years out of a vessel then it’s final stand is used to break up an enemy formation that seems pretty useful to me.

It seems like there would have been plenty of old, nearly rotten ships that could have been used.  Building a new one, let alone decorating it, just doesn't make sense to me.

Seawatch is selling a book about the Royal Navy Fireship Comet of 1783.

The ship was highly decorated, even though it was built with the intent of setting it on fire:

Why in the world would the Royal Navy decorate a ship they intended to burn?

[EDIT: Since posting this question, I found a thesis online called "The Fireship and Its Role in the Royal Navy": https://nautarch.tamu.edu/Theses/pdf-files/Coggeshall-MA1997.pdf]

I often see ship models with metal fittings (such as gudgeons and pintles) made from copper or brass which has not been darkened (to make it look like iron).

Apart from a ship's copper bottom, is it ever appropriate to use bright copper and brass on a historically accurate ship model?

I've been reading Six Frigates recently and have become curious about the bomb ketches, gunboats, and other boats used during the Barbary Wars (1801-1805, 1815)?  Are there any books on the subject? 

Old old ship models (18C and before), how were gun carriages held in place on the deck? Does the gun tackle hold the guns in place, are the wheels glued to the deck, or is another method used? 

My little Wasa Battle Station has many small items that were spot-glued onto the deck (which is made of wood, and is coated with some sort of clear  finish--I don't remember what).

A pin would not work well in that case.  Any suggestions?

I build the Corel Wasa Battle Station kit back in the early 1990s.  I recently discovered that many of the small parts that I had glued in place using cyanoacrylate have come loose.  That discovery prompts three questions:

1) How long does cyanoacrylate (CA, or superglue) last on a model?

2) Would could I have used instead that would last longer?

3) On old ship models, such as Admiralty models, how were gun carriages and other such "loose" items held in place?

I came across a fascinating video made at the U. S. Naval Academy museum on design and history of ships during the era leading up to the War of 1812. Many gorgeous ship models are featured.

Sorry if this video has already been mentioned on this site.