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Guy, What fishing schooner is in the photo? Looks like the Effie M. Morrisey (Ernestina) but I know there were a lot of similarities in these schooners. Just curious. Allan

Hi Richard, Thank you for your detailed and very nice introduction. WELCOME! Our youngest son and his family are across the river from you in Lansing, KS. We love KC and miss getting there with the pandemic going on. Allan

Another warm welcome. Might be a good idea to start a build log and post your photos there rather than here in the new member forum, especially if you have questions or run into any problems. There are no shortage of helpers here at MSW to lend a hand! Allan

Jond, I have both a planer and a thickness sander. The planer is great to about 1/8" and does a great job and quickly. BUT, I usually rip planks within about 0.01 or so on my mini table saw then go to the sander. The thickness sander will allow you to make much thinner pieces (0.02 or less is not a problem) and is accurate within a few thousandths at worst. Just need to change the sand paper regularly, and wear a mask. LOTS of fine saw dust. I save a small jar of the sawdust from a given type of wood for filling tiny gaps with a mix of glue and this fine dust if necessary. I know it should not ever be necessary, but stuff happens. I HIGHLY recommend the Byrnes thickness sander. It allows you to put two different grits of paper on the drum side by side so you can do a relatively smooth sanding with a 150 grit or some such on the one side of the drum, then a SUPER smooth sanding with a 400 or 600 paper on the other half of the drum. You will have to adjust the table slightly as the thickness of the two sandpapers do come into play. It as a graduated adjustment wheel on the unit for very fine tuning. Allan

Alexandru Sending his email address to you now Allan

Once again, your photography rivals your build, that is to say, TOP NOTCH!!!! Allan

Mugje, There are many advantages to scratch building and a few come to mind. You can choose any ship for which you can find plans and not have to do the same vessel that has been built by hundreds before you. There are far more choices of ships to scratch build than there are kits. The quality and accuracy of your model is dependent only on you. Any of the books from David Antscherl are well worth having for any kind of scratch build, be it for a neophyte such as yourself or long time scratcher builder. Know that a full shop is a plus but it is not at all necessary. Things such cannon barrels, rope, and similar items can be purchased from suppliers such as Syren et al. Go for it!! Allan

Samuel, Welcome to MSW. I am pretty sure most members here use the yellow glue for wood to wood but many of us dilute white glue with water to hold finished knots and seizings as it dries clear. Epoxy for wood to metal and you are covered. Some members like to use cyanoacrylate but I have never had a good experience with it so cannot say one way or the other if you should give it a try. Allan Here is something from Bob Vila who many of us have watched for years doing all sorts of wood projects. Polyvinyl Acetate Resin Emul­sion Glue. Also called white glue, polyvinyl resin glue is a near relation of that white stuff we used in grade school that was sold under the brand name Elmer’s (and, today, under that and about a hundred other names). It will glue china, paper, and wood. White glue sets fairly quickly, hardening as the moisture contained evaporates and the glue line becomes transparent. It cures hard in a few hours, though when you are clamping glued pieces together, it’s best to let them set overnight. When buying white glue, be sure that you are buying full-strength glue, since some are watered down for children’s use. Aliphatic Resin Glue. The generic name carpenter’s glue describes the aliphatic resins. Like the white glues, these are sold in squeeze bottles, but aliphatic resin glues are actu­ally much stronger than the polyvinyl resins. This creamy yellow glue dries very quickly (you can leave the pieces clamped a minimum of an hour, but two hours is preferable, and there’s no harm in waiting still longer). Carpenter’s glue is easy to use, dries a translucent amber color, and is more easily sanded than white glue, which tends to soften due to the heat of the sanding process. Like white glue, however, carpenter’s glue is not for use in damp or exterior applica­tions. It sets more quickly at warm temperatures, but can be used effectively at tempera­tures as low as 45 degrees.

Thanks Maury, Coincidentally I did find the terminology in a description of various block set ups when looking for information on one of the other forums here at MSW. New one for me but glad to have it. Allan

Druxey, I just PM'd Mark an hour ago asking for a copy myself as I did not get any instructions either in any language, just the sharpening materials. Hopefully we will both have them in a jiffy! Allan

These chisels are not cheap by any measure, but they are indeed superb. Best purchase for this hobby of ours that I made in a long time. Glad to see Mihail has another happy customer! Allan

I am sure you realize this, but just in case, I would never varnish anything before gluing unless being VERY careful not to get varnish on the surfaces to be glued together. Any finish such as varnish will likely prevent the glue from getting into the wood itself so there is no wood to wood bond. Allan

Wahka, What material are you painting, plastic or wood? The type of paint may be different for each, but the principals are the same. If wood, I have used acrylic quite often and then give at least four coats of a polyurethane topcoat finish. Once each coat of the clear is dry, I rub it with steel wool, spray the next coat, dry and steel wool, spray again, and so forth. If there are to be two colors side by side, I paint one color (the lighter shade) close to the line it is to follow, going just over the line. A few wiggles will not matter. Once dry, I place painters tape to form the line, placing it on the painted portion. Then I hit it with a couple coats of clear, drying between coats, which seals the edge of the tape so there is no bleed through when painting the next color. Even if you have the tape perfectly flat, it is still a good idea to seal it as described to be sure there is no bleeding under the tape. Once the sealing spray process is complete, I paint the darker color. Once that is dry, I remove the tape and finish with the multiple coats of clear topcoat. Hope this all makes sense. Allan

Maury I am guessing it is a just a matter of terminology, but what do you mean by a gun tackle at the end? Thx Allan

Les. Sorry Les, but I am confused. Are you thinking of planking the entire hull in oak rather than walnut? You mentioned you ran out of walnut so it sounded like you had already started the planking in that kind of wood. If you already finished half the planking in walnut, oak does not seem to make sense. I have always found oak in places like Home Depot and Lowes to be very grainy but I have no idea what species they sell. As yours has a tight grain I am curious to know what species, if you happen to know. From what I can find there are over 50 species of oak in North America. I was very surprised to find there were so many!! Allan

Les, You may want to consider the type of walnut, claro, black, English or some other. Try making a few planks the easy way first from your board and see if it is a reasonable match in color and grain to the planks that came in your kit. If it is a different species, the contrast may not be what you would like regardless of which direction you make the cuts from the board that you have. Allan

Hi Henry As a result of this topic being posted, I did some digging and learned a lot about something that I had little or no knowledge previously, so it was a great learning experience for me as well. As you say in your signature Laissez le bon temps rouler!!! Allan

Jud, Can you post a photo or drawing of how this is done? What you wrote makes total good sense, but how was this done? I am thinking 18th century and I envision pockets cut into the board for the rings to rest when laying down. Thanks! Allan

Hi Tom, that is definitely a possible solution although was difficult to reach. An example would be Medway, 1742 where the stay tackle and preventer stay tackle were belayed "round itself" Hi Henry, deadeyes were only used for the fore topmast stays between 1670 and 1680 (The Masting and Rigging of English Ships of War, page 52). Preventer stays are a different matter. Fore topmast preventer stays came into use about 1700 and deadeyes were used for some ships at the start, and by nearly all rates by 1719. They were no longer used by 1745 when bees with sheaves came into use but there were exceptions. (The Masting and Rigging of English Ships of War, page 54). Endeavor was launched nineteen years later, so odds are she would not have had deadeyes on the preventer stay. Allan

Stephen For the tissue I apply a light coat of white or yellow glue to one edge of the plank. If it is to be tapered, make sure that is done first. Lay the plank with the glued edge onto the paper which should be on a flat surface. It will dry in a few minutes. I use a scalpel, as the blades are sharper and cheaper than Xacto blades, to cut the the plank away from the sheet, them trim any excess paper left hanging. Sorry I do not have any photos that would make it easier to describe. If this still not enough info, let me know and I will try to make up a couple planks with tissue and take photos. Allan

Welcome to MSW Stephen, Black tissue gift wrap paper works beautifully. You can get a package at a craft store like Michaels for a under $2US and it will last a long time. The appearance is much more clear than pencil or inked edges but does take a little more time than the pencil or inking method. If the scale is smaller, such as 1:98, I would go with pencil or marker ink. Allan

Richard, The drawings certainly are more clear, but, they show the fore topmast stay rigged to a long block which was not used for the fore topmast stay after 1745, according to Lees. Don't know who has it right on this one, Mr. Lees or Mr. Marquardt. Allan

Welcome to our motley crew Jack. Do let us know about your current and/or planned projects. No lack of helpful hands here for you. Allan

Hi Pleasant, The only thing I could find was in Lees' Masting and Rigging. The fore topmast stay did have a set of blocks as on your drawing. The stay rove through the bee on the starboard side of the sprit and had a double block seized in the end. The running part was as your drawing, but the only thing he mentions about belaying is that it is "made fast on the forecastle." The preventer would run through the bee on the port side as on the drawing and belay on the forecastle as well. Allan

Cherry wood makes great furniture, but if you want a reddish color for planking, frames, or other parts of your model, Swiss (steamed) pear is a great way to go. It has no figuring and very small if any visible grain, holds an edge, carves and finishes well. Allan