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My dear cousin passed away this week. Today was his wake and tomorrow he will be laid to rest.
Wallace was a wounded veteran of WW2 and one of the few such veterans remaining. He was severely wounded in action during the allied invasion of Italy when a German aerial bomb practically cut him in half at his torso. He pushed his own guts back into his abdominal cavity and waited until medics could carry him off to a mash hospital. When the medics arrived at his side, they covered him with a sheet thinking he was certainly dead for his injuries were so drastic, but Wallace fought for his own life by pulling the sheet down and yelling at the medics, "hey I'm alive!". He endured dozens of surgeries over time to patch him back together then lived out his life on his family farm in Oxford Florida. He was married to one wife for 70 years who is now widowed after his passing. He was a great man and a cousin who I looked up to all my life. He was a quiet man who was put together with steel. He will be greatly missed but always appreciated for the sacrifices he made for his country and our freedom. He was truly, one from"the Greatest Generation".
Rest in peace my dear brother. The world is a better place because of men like you.
  

I am a newbie here on the forum. However, although I am new to wooden ship model building, I am not a new ship model builder. I have built many plastic kit ship models over the last 58 years. I built my first ship model when I was about 12 years old. I am now 70 years old. I had an intense interest in ships of all types from about the age of 8 years old. I was especially interested in sailing ships of all types. I’m not sure where this interest came from at such an early age and living so far from the sea in Fort Worth, Texas. This interest in sailing ships bordered on obsession, actually. I read every book that I could find on the sea and seafaring. I read all of the classic sea novels while in elementary school and junior high school (Moby Dick, Captains Courageous, Two Years Before the Mast, Billy Budd Foretopman, etc.). After I discovered C.S. Forester’s Horatio Hornblower series, I devoured all of them (I did not know about Patrick O’Brien’s Aubrey-Maturin series until many years later.). About that time I became interested in the Royal Navy of Nelson’s era. Also the US Navy from the Revolution to just before the Civil War.

The ship models I built were manufactured by the major plastic ship model companies at that time (Revell, Monogram, etc.). My very first ship model was a small scale model of Cutty Sark. I don’t remember who it was made by. Later I built most all of the large scale ships produced by Revell (USS Constitution, USS United States, Cutty Sark, Thermopylae). I also built other models, but mostly ship models both modern and sailing ships.

In 1968 I enlisted in the US Navy and was assigned as a crew member to a brand new destroyer escort for the next 3 ½ years. The ship was moored at the same pier as USS Constitution for commissioning in Boston. I spent much of my spare time across the pier on “Old Ironsides”. I got to know most of her crew. I used to love going over there and talking to them and exploring the ship. Some of the crew members used to tell me stories about the ship being haunted. Many of them would not go below the spar deck at night. Her crew lived in barracks at the Boston Naval Shipyard, not on the ship itself. After commissioning my destroyer moved to the west coast to San Diego.

Anyway, after my 4 year enlistment was up, I got out of the Navy and went back to civilian life. I enlisted in the Texas Army National Guard and retired from the Guard in 1991.

I just recently completed a model of the Titanic and am now about to complete a Trumpeter model of the USS Texas (BB-35). For the last 6 months I have been doing a lot of research on wooden ship models and decided to I wanted to build one. I know everyone here says to start with a simple model, but if I have no interest in those simple models, I promise you they will not be completed. I decided to build the USS Syren by Model Shipways and have already ordered it. I haven’t yet received it. Over the years the part of ship modeling that I have always had the most difficult time with was the rigging. I have found that the larger the scale of the model, the easier it was for me rig them and hold my interest. I just spent the last two days reading the build manual for Syren. It’s going to be a challenge, but definitely doable.

I don’t believe I will have much trouble rigging the Syren at 1/64 scale. Plus she is a brig, therefore there is less rigging than a full rigged ship. Sailing ship rigging is not new to me. I am very familiar with the rigging on a sailing ship and how it works. I have first-hand knowledge of this. I was a crew member of the iron hulled barque, Elissa, for about 6 years. The Elissa is a working museum ship in Galveston, Texas. I sailed on Elissa many times and spent hundreds of hours doing maintenance work on her rigging.

Sorry this post is overly long and it’s time to stop boring all of you. I will not be doing a build log, but will be here reading  other folks work.

Still working on the forward spine. First, some Primer (Vallejo): 

Details of the anchor and electrical feed. The device is glued with epoxy two components for extra strength. Once the lid (right) is closed, it will not be possible to access the wires and anchor nut: 

I just finished assembling the some 30 PODs required for the front spine.... Slightly boring, but not too bad overall. In this picture, you can see the difference between the plain molded white of the parts and the base coat in dark gray, oversprayed with white. It is worth the extra efforts, for sure. 

All the PODs are in place and glued to the spine:
A heavy coat of dark gray (German Grey) to finalize the whole Kebab: 

Yves
 

With the rear spine completed, it is now time, of course, to start working on the front spine: 

The forward rod is put in place in the central module and inserted all the way into the brass tube. Fitting is perfect and very tight. Then, the PODs holder modules are placed and carefully glued. Finally the forward spine is removed from the Central module and the rear section left aside. It is simply not practical to work on the entire vessel as it is far too long and too fragile.
 
It is then time to start assembling the anchor of the living spaces, the main sphere and unique landmark of this vessel: 

And this is where we stand: 

The whole vessel is starting to come together: it is really long and so skinny...

Seeing a picture of Discovery or watching the movie is one thing. Holding that skeleton of model is another.... It is quite unique.
 
The electrical wires are driven through the spine and the positive side of the circuit will be connected to the second side holder. The holder is a 3 mm special brass nut designed to be inserted with pressure into wood or plastic. It will then be glued and secured to the front anchor of the living space. 

Yellow and green wires will be sent to the sphere for the main deck lights. The rear of the sphere is also receiving a piece of that brass tube to make the alignment of the sphere perfect with the spine and to prevent any sagging. The sphere is going to be heavy with the PE decks and lights. Besides, it is a massive piece of polystyrene.


Here is what it will look like: 

For the time being, I want to be able to dissociate the sphere from the spine. This is done to work more easily on the background and holder and to allow me more flexibility with the inside building and painting of the sphere. Again, I am using my miniature rare earth magnets and their terrific sticking power to secure the rear section of the sphere with the spine: 

That section (below) will be tied to the spine, whereas the section (above) is the rear section of the sphere.

Yves
 
 
 

I am happy you told me about this site. I will be spending a lot of time here.
Thanks for telling me.

It takes him 12 minutes of talking, before doing the first cut ... Actually, I think his 'bench pin' is not very suitable for the purpose, it its actually the kind used by jewellers for filing. The variety with a hole at the end gives better support to the material being cut. Here you constantly run into the ends and sides of the wedge-shaped slot. It also springy, which is not good. It also better to have the 'bench pin' a bit higher above the workbench (depends on your size and the lengths of your arms of course) - you should be doing this in a very relaxed position.

While time has passed, I thought I would add a link to this video, it covers a cheap, time-honored and effective set of techniques (used by jewelers): 

While I didn't learn technique from this video, it covers much of the basics for using a coping/jeweler's saw for working with brass and copper (there are lots of similar videos as well, and this fellow has more including one on cutting curves). When used with files (for light clean up), it is quicker than folks think and gives great control. I believe it is an easy skill to acquire if you give yourself some practice.  

Thanks for looking in, guys!
 
I started working on the model by milling my wood.  The frames are double frames, sistered together.  each half-thickness frame is 9/64" thick, with a finished frame thickness of 9/32".   almost all the billets are 9/64" thick.  The stem and keel are supposed to be constructed of two thicknesses also, but I simply made them 9/32".  The photos show some of the milled wood, my keel blank with the false keel attached , the stem and the template for the keel scarf rubber cemented to the keel blank.
 

This will be my build log for a scratch-built, 1:32 scale,  plank-on-frame,  admiralty style model of "Hannah", purportedly the first armed ship recruited into Washington's navy during the Revolutionary War.
I've wanted to do a full hull scratch build at this larger scale, but what ship?  The choice was not completely arbitrary. Even a 5th or 6th rate frigate in the Royal Navy would be 4-1/2  feet long at this scale, not including the bowsprit!  Obviously I had to look elsewhere.  I settled on Hannah because it is significantly smaller (this model will be 24" long with a 6" beam) and there was a lot of documentation out there regarding the model.  I have Hahn's book as well as his plans for "Hannah" to use as a reference. The actual building plans were drawn by Bob Hunt, based on Hahn's original drawings, and were done in 1:48 scale. I had them resized to 1:32.   The drawings show each individual futtock and include detailed drawings of each frame, including bevel lines.  The model will be built in an upright jig, as was my 1;32 Armed Virginia Sloop and my 1:32 "Blandford" cross section.  The frames, stem, keel and stern will be boxwood.  I'll decide on other woods as I move along with the build.

Thanks for looking in!  Here are some shots of the plans and Bob Hunt's "Hannah" model along with a link to his website.         https://www.lauckstreetshipyard.com/       
 
 
 
 

In the late 80’s or early 90’s Eric Ronnberg published a series of articles in the Nautical Research Journal about researching and building a model of the Boston pilot Boat Hesper. In these articles he discussed the design of the pilot “yawl” used to transfer the pilot from to and from the vessel to be piloted.  Look it up on their data base of articles.  Trying to bring the much smaller pilot boat along side a much larger ship would be dangerous in a seaway.
 
Roger

hey dave, when I was in the oz navy, whenever we were abroad all the pilots were land based and came out to the ships from various boats. I cant remember a pilot (and I had a fair bit to do with them), actually being based on a vessel. I did hundreds of os deployments and cant ever remember a time we put our boat over to collect a pilot. it was always the other way around. they would come to us in a boat that was moored at the local dock until needed.
 
chris
 

Hello dear friends,
meanwhile the ropes ladders are also attached to the main mast shrouds.

On this picture you can see one of the tiny eyebolts made of brass wire (diameter 0.4 mm), which are necessary for fixing in the waterway.

Hello Micheal,
hello Mark,
thanks for your kind comments. Also thanks to all for the LIKES.
 
The equipment of the fore shrouds with the ropes ladders on the model has been completed in the meantime. The final fixing of the carrier ropes to the shrouds will be done when the ratlines are attached. In this respect, adjustments are still possible, if necessary.  
 
It continues with an update:
 

Thanks Bossman, Martin, John, and Lou, and everyone who hit the "like" button.  I'm glad you guys are still around and watching!  
 
Work continues on the tie-downs for the boat.  I cut a couple of pieces--not sure what you would call these--but they will notch into the wales of the boat and guide the ropes that will tie it down.  After rounding the ends, a shallow groove is filed into each end--

And on the underside, two notches are filed--

They fit across the boat like this==

 
You can also see the ringbolts placed in the deck that the ends of the ropes will be hooked into--

 
That's all for now!
Ron
 

The rear section is now complete. I am quite happy with the white veil, as it remains subtle and allows some of the grayish color underneath to reveal the many details of the pods and propulsion unit: 

The thrusters are also painted and the inside of the egress ports has been painted flat black:

Hmmm... I may have to do very small touch-ups with white on the nozzles....
 
Yves

Working on the paint of the propulsion block and on the exhaust of the thrusters. All the pods are painted German Grey as a sub-layer in preparation for the white veil. By the way, if you do not have an airbrush, please don't buy this kit. Impossible to paint otherwise. 

First veil has been applied. There are significant gaps between the exhaust bulkheads and the enclosure and I am using some white glue to fill up the tiny cracks. It is quite surprising to find issues, as this kit is very well put together. Some tests of the thrusters: 

The egress ports will be painted black.
 
In the middle of space, far from Earth....

Yves 
 

I just finished the 20 some Pods that are attached on the rear spine. Now, some paint, a white wash and that part of the vessel should be finished.

Yves

I am working on the cargo pods of the rear spine. Assembly of the A (long) and B (medium) types has been completed and installed: 

It is important to be very methodical with these Pods as parts can be easily mixed up.
 
Yves

Propulsion block more or less completed. The only things remaining to be done are the exhaust plates with the PE grills.
 
In the meantime, I have sprayed the sub-base using Tamiya German Grey: 


Hopefully, this color will provide some depth and delineate the various panels, when spraying the light gray and white on top.
 
Yves 
 

Rather than a drill, I just used my drill press set up as shown below.  I used a drill gauge to hold the lower end of a slightly oversized dowel in place and chucked the upper end in the drill press.  That's how I formed all the masts and gaffs for my MS Phantom.  Worked like a charm for me and I didn't need to buy another power tool. 

Hello dear friends,
I would like to thank you for your interest and support, which I appreciate very much. 
For the suggestions and assistance I find in your building reports here in form I thank you.

Here is a short update of my report:

Rather than a drill, I just used my drill press set up as shown below.  I used a drill gauge to hold the lower end of a slightly oversized dowel in place and chucked the upper end in the drill press.  That's how I formed all the masts and gaffs for my MS Phantom.  Worked like a charm for me and I didn't need to buy another power tool. 

Another New Year, another New Year's Resolution (among others).
 
I moved last year.  Here's my new workshop--I don't need to use the dining room table anymore--

 
I finished the splash boards on the ship's boat, and put pins in the deck support pieces--

 
If you are very observant you will notice only 4 oars, but 5 rowing locations.  Somehow I lost an oar in the move to my new house!!!!!!!!   I can't believe it.  I'm not sure whether I will make a replacement oar. (but should, and probably will)
 
Drilled the corresponding holes on the deck for the boat supports-

And here they are glued in place--
The boat in place--

 
Next will be placing the tie-downs for the boat.
 
I vow to continue working on this model longer than I did last year!  
 
Ron

Captain Poison,
 
Thank you for the additional information!   The Quebracho table is beautiful, the wood has a very rich color.  You prompted me to do some more research, and I must correct some of my information.
 
I do not think that the powder I have is from the bark of the tree.  It is a water soluble extract made from boiling chips of the red heartwood of the tree, which contains the desired tannins.  At the taxidermy supply retailer I purchased it from, it is called "Bark Tan", which led me to the wrong conclusion.  It seems to be used most commonly in this form to dye leather.  As pointed out by Captain Poison, and apparent from the label on the box, it's to be used with care.  Here is a photo of the label, and the bag of Quebracho Extract--
 
 
Lou,
I am only too happy to oblige!  Here is an overall photo of Oneida (sorry for the dark lighting, a daytime shot would probably be nicer)--

 
And a closer view with the unfinished boat in it's stowed (proper term?) location--

 
Ron

Back then, they did things one of two ways as there was no laser cutting.  They either printed the parts or die cut them with metal die that usually went dull pretty quick.  As for cutting, it looks like you'll have to cut even the big pieces as they're not cut all the way through.  Sort of like scratch building except the parts already drawn on the wood.