SUBaron

Money well spent on a glass chair mat. My previous chair mat split, cracked and had to be patched with gorilla (duct) tape. It was filled with little pits and valleys that caught my chair wheels.

Bobstay complete (lunch project, between MS Teams calls). I lost two links to the chain before I successfully attached the bobstay to the U-bolt/bow eye on the hull. My first rigging 😃

@Keith Black Much appreciated. It’s a neater look than the AL instructions offered. As these are my first strops, I’m not unhappy with the results, but shall employ your method next time. 

Preparing to attach the bowsprit support chain

13 hours ago, allanyed said:

Su 

FWIW, the clamps you are using for the planking are meant to have the screw go into the frame or bulkhead, not into the plank.  The tab is rotated to press against the plank itself.  The design is so you do not have holes in the planks.  Forgive the poor sketch below, but I think you can see what I mean about how these clamps are meant to work.  As you add planks these will cover the holes made in the bulkhead previously. I realize with the painted hull it does not make a bit of difference if there are holes or not, but If your next project has a hull an unpainted finish for the planking, it will make a difference.

 

For possible future consideration, if you spile or prebend and taper the planks you really don't need any clamps at all.  Finger pressure on a properly formed plank is all you need for whatever glue you prefer.  PVA will require just a minute to hold whereas some glues are more instant.   Your choice as each has its advantages.    

 

Allan

 

 

 

Thanks @allanyed!  That makes sense, and your illustration was very clear  

15 hours ago, Keith Black said:

 Looks good, SU. You should make the chain more taut. The chain keeps the bowsprit from lifting due to the force of lift created by the running lines and stay. 

Thanks @Keith Black Still working on it - I bite whatever I can chew throughout my workday 😂 I thought the chain was interesting- I suspected that was what it was for, but don’t recall seeing a chain on other ships. 

Finally - the Bowsprit! Heading into uncharted waters now with rigging. Looking forward to it having been inspired by some true artists here. 

More Dowels, varnished - next time I’ll go much lighter on the stain. 

On 4/4/2022 at 7:24 PM, Oldsalt1950 said:

…The ship is looking good.

Jim

@Oldsalt1950Jim - I meant to say thanks 😊.  
 

-Andre

@Paul Le Wol Thanks - Odd, but sounds about right 😛 I’ll look into it. I have a hybrid process of posting text from my work laptop because I don’t like typing too much from my phone, then accessing the site from my phone and uploading the pics. 
 

…Updated: it worked. I went back and reorientated several. Thanks again 😀

@Keith Black Thanks - I hadn’t thought of reducing the stain with thinner. I was going to try that this morning and got wrapped up with work. I just went to check; the combination of rolling in wax paper and extra time has done the trick. They are dry. I used Minwax Deep Penetrating Wood Stain. I chose red  Mahogany because the instructions said to use Sapele, and this was the closest I could find. 

I over stained my masts, spars, etc. They look fine but won’t dry - 24 hours later and they are tacky to the touch. I’ve tried rolling them in parchment paper and it helped a little. I’m wondering if it’s okay to apply varnish and not wait for them to fully dry? The longer I leave them unvarnished in this tacky state, I feel they’ll collect dust dog hair, etc…

I had a lot of fun shaping the dowels into masts, spars, bowsprit, etc. It was my first effort using a lathe since wood shop in 9th grade (do they even offer that anymore?). It wasn't like riding a bike, but it was fun and I didn't break anything, though I did manage to wallop my fingers and knuckles a few times on the 3 jaw chuck whilst trying to shape.  

I finally got a chance to use my new Proxxon Micro Lathe to do some paint work. I used a toothpick for the Barrel stoppers.

I've found that I didn't have any other primer than the one I used for the wood. It worked for the anchor, but it didn't hold well and I can tell there's probably a better solution. Does anyone have any recommendations for primer to use on metal? Thanks!

Some more progress. Not much commentary as it was fairly straight forward. I did have some issues with the tiller. I split the wood when inserting the nail. I'll post the pictures in batches of about 5 or so. 

That is some darn good modelling right there. I've just completed shaping my masts, spars, etc., and will soon be ready for rigging. This is truly inspirational!

Thanks @Oldsalt1950! I spent a lot of time reading this, books, publications, other sites, and YouTube, about ship building. So much so that most of the problems I've encountered had a familiar feel. It feels like I've created an internal notebook already of issues to expect. However, it all comes down to execution. I still tend to get impatient, and that's when I make mistakes. For example, I was cutting and shaping about 20 tie-down cleats. About halfway through, I found my finished product was becoming less "polished". So I stopped working on those and walked away. Thanks for checking out my blog 🙂

Ron, beautiful build! Absolutely motivating to complete my Swift and move on to the Connie 🙂 

Cheers!

-Andre

On 3/22/2022 at 8:00 PM, Toolman said:

Sub, I didn't mean to discourage you.  It's intimidating out of the box.  I lack the confidence that you have and I admire you for that.  I'm a pessimist.  I love ship modeling and after reading your note to me maybe I will attempt it in the future.  You will be my inspiration.  I have been to Mystic as well as Boston.  I was on the Connie. It was breath taking.  When I was a little guy many years ago I lived in Portland Maine and Portsmouth N.H.  I now call Northeast Pa home. 

I'm a little more cocky than I've probably a right to be, so no worries! My dad is also a pessimist, but I try to encourage him by overshadowing his pessimism, with my realism 🙂 I tried to get him to engage in this hobby, but he just wouldn't have it. He said his hands shake a bit too much now for detail work and he said that he doesn't have the patience that he used to. However, he is enjoying watching my progress. I'd be happy if I could inspire you - my Swift build log is here - 1805 Swift --> https://modelshipworld.com/topic/31399-swift-1805-by-subaron-artesania-latina-150-2016-kit-version/ 

Cheers, and hope to see a build log soon! 🙂

On 3/23/2022 at 6:11 AM, Artesania Latina said:

We're glad you chose our Swift model. A great option to get initiated in this hobby!

Agreed! I'm enjoying it. The material was all in great shape and with enough extra wood to feel comfortable - fortunately, not needed yet, but much appreciated.  @Artesania Latina

On 3/23/2022 at 3:34 PM, Tomasz B said:

Very welcome aboard.⛵

Thanks! @Tomasz B

15 minutes ago, Toolman said:

 I have the MS Connie.  I'm sorry I bought it.  Great kit but I don't think I can ever reach that caliber of modeling.  Good luck modeling.

@Toolman Do you mind sharing how you came to that conclusion? I'm just wondering if it was intimidating out of the box, or was there a point in your build that you just said nope, not for me? I ask because I'm really looking forward to it. I find that I'm learning a lot from my Swift build. My thinking is that the Connie may actually be easier in some regard because it's bigger (clamps are easier to find a purchase, parts placement and general shaping is easier to visualize because of the larger size). I get that it will be more complicated simply by being more detailed, but it's just more of the same, no (? I also understand that the literally hundreds (thousands) of rigging bits are not going to be a breeze, but it also doesn't seem that hard if you break the project down to bite sized pieces. Please don't take my questions as criticism (I don't mean to belittle your efforts in any way), I'm just wondering if I'm being too optimistic. I'll likely remain so because I won't let it stump me - the Connie will be built! I grew up in New England and made trips to Mystic Seaport, and many many to Boston. My school took us on a field trip to see the Connie, and I was hooked. 

@Louie da fly I do recall that scene - I’ll have to watch that again. It’s been many years and I’ll see that scene in an entirely different light! Thanks

@Louie da fly Steven - I picked up an 1844 French Violin and it looks and sounds beautiful (though no special case!). After a year and a half of lessons, I’m finally able play some nice basic music. Having to relearn music theory is tougher than I had expected, but I’m managing. I also realized that to play the violin is really learning two parts - the violin and the bow.  The bow is the toughest. I hope you consider picking it up again - it’s very rewarding. If you have the patience and abilities acquired to build model ships, I think you’ll pick up the fiddle quicker than you might expect. Good luck!