Sheppaz

Just found this thread. The story is near to my heart; I grew up nearby.

Last year in put a model of Ethel into a bottle; as she looked the day after her stranding, sitting on the sand just clear of the waterline.

Hope you enjoy it!

Matt

On 7/20/2019 at 9:50 PM, druxey said:

I stretch SilkSpan like watercolor paper and use dilute acrylic paint on it. It works for me.

druxey....stunning sails, thanks for the image. I am new to silkspan/paper sails, and have been watching youtube videos before giving it a go. It all seems doable, except that no-one seems to apply bolt ropes. Can you please advise how you have attached them to the edge of the paper you use? Is this bond strong enough to allow the sail to be shaped (ie wetted and billowed)? And the eyelet holes are pencil around the perforation? Thanks, Matt

2 hours ago, Dowmer said:

Good info about the binnacle. Which book do you reference?

There's a few pages on binnacles in Charles G Davis' The Built Up Ship Model. His design is in the background of my earlier photo in this thread. The info about pedestal binnacles emerging not before the mid 1800s is my deduction...after hours of google! There is also A History of Binnacles by Pamela Burns-Balogh, Ph.D (2011) but I've only found excerpts of it on-line.

All good Fernando, enjoy your build. My book that discusses binnacles says the typical cabinet was 3'-6" wide, 3'-6" high and 1'-3" deep. I converted this to metric and scaled, then fashion my cabinet out of scrap, with central sliding doors facing the tiller, and lamp doors on each end. Final is approx 23x23x11mm (ended up being too deep according to plans, but still looks ok). Try to use the best fine grain wood you have to skin it, as the cabinet would have been high quality as it housed an expensive (and critical!) instrument. Mine is a bit crude looking.

I had some trouble with the rigging plans for this kit...especially standing rigging, and routing of the braces. So made numerous changes per my understanding, and the books I had available. I also added many rigging details that are missing - left out by the manufacturer to keep it simple, because the model is large enough to take them and it's a good opportunity to push your skills (such as lower yard slings, truss pendants, upper yard parrells, bowsprit rigging complexity, stay-mouses etc). All part of the fun!

Reach out when you reach those phases and I can share details of what I did. Certainly still an amateur, but am developing an eye for nonsensical rope sizing and routing! Cheers, Matt

Hi Fernando, just found your build log, and noticed the comment about the binnacle in this kit. I've just finished the Perseverance myself, and had the same concern...much research later, I'm convinced that pedestal style binnacles didn't appear until the mid 1800s, and the one in the kit is about 100 years too modern! I built a custom cabinet-style binnacle. Regards, Matt