allanyed

FWIW, the order (as far as I can remember) in which I built up my tool nest. Other than the first two, these came into the collection over a period of 30 years or so. Table saw (had this for other carpentry work as well) Scroll saw Mini table saw - An oldie but goodie from Micro Mark, but one of these days will get a Byrnes Mini drill press Planer Thickness sander (Byrnes) Lathe Mill The mill was added in the past year or so as I used the mini press for years. Mill work is NOT for the drill press as the bearings are not set up for lateral forces, but when you have a budget, you do what you must. I had a band saw that was rarely used and is long gone. Coping saw, chisels, scalpels and all the usual suspects will suffice in a pinch, it is just a matter of taking more time as Druxey points out. Allan

Hi Ken, is the line on the davits holding your boat from the kit? For the future, keep in mind the planking on the boats was similar to that on the ship, that is, the strakes were tapered and end at the rabbet. For the oars, Steel gives dimensions of the parts of the sweeps and oars for various size boats that you may find interesting. Breadth of boat Oar Handle Loom Body Blade Loom Square Blade Broad BladeThickmess Diam Lengths Inner Outer Inner Outer of Feet feet ft. in. ft.in ft.in. ft.in. in. in. in. in. in. in. 7-0 20 0-10 6-0 6-10 6-4 4 3 1/8 6 1/8 2 7/8 7/8 1 ¾ 6-0 19 0-10 5-0 7-2 6-0 3 7/8 3 6 2 ¾ 7/8 1 ¾ 5-0 18 0-10 4-0 7-6 5-8 3 7/8 3 6 2 ¾ 7/8 1 ¾ 4-6 17 0-10 3-6 7-4 5-4 3 ¾ 2 7/8 5 2 ¾ 7/8 1 ½ 4-0 16 0-10 3-0 7-4 5-4 3 ¾ 2 7/8 5 2 ¾ 7/8 1 ½

I think the Caldercraft kit is based on the 1797 Cruizer Class. There is a wealth of information on Snake and Cruizer et al. There is also the revival series of the Cruizer class in 1828. Snake 1797 was launched as a ship sloop then converted in 1811 to a brig sloop. There are contemporary plans of Cruizer and Snake and others on the RMG Collections site that should help you. There are differences in rigging covering the years involved starting with the lengths and diameters of the mast and yards, and subsequently with the standing and running rigging circumferences. Lees information is probably the most accurate available barring contemporary rigging plans or model, but you can also go to the Masting and Rigging spreadsheet by Dan Vadas (RIP) in the Articles data base here at MSW. It is based on the Lees formulas except for the period of 1670-1710 for which period his figures are incorrect. If you do go with the kit, compare the dimensions on the spread sheet with the kit and see how they compare. Whatever you decide, HAVE FUN!!! Allan

Hi Rob, I would trust Longridge and McKay but the top view does not show how many rows, Four seems excessive compared to just one row down the centerline. As far as the railings, I would never trust Mamoli nor a few other kit makers without first confirming by checking contemporary based sources including Longridge and McKay as well as contemporary plans such as those on the Wiki Commons site and RMG Collections site. Thanks for sharing your build, it is delight to follow! 😀

Hi Rob, Do you or does anyone here know if railings. metal or otherwise, were set around the waist on Victory or any other ship other than now as a museum? I suspect these were installed due to modern day safety laws and fear of lawsuits. So far I cannot find one contemporary model with a railing around the waist in the Preble Hall collection or the RMG collection. Same for the pillars under the skid beams. I have seen some contemporary models with single row on the center line but never four rows. Am I correct in that these are from the kit instructions or are they from the contemporary plans? As an example there is a high resolution inboard profile on the Wiki Commons sit of Glory 1788, a 98 gun ship. The plan shows the pillars for all deck, but there are none in the waist area. A portion of the plan is below. Thanks Allan

Yeah, Every time I pick up my HMS Snake I get discouraged a bit as well. Lots of scratch built replacement's and aftermarket parts needed. You've done well despite the kit's limitations. If you aver feel like building another ship model look at some of the Vanguard kits. They have much better instructions, parts, and wood. https://vanguardmodels.co.uk/ Love the honesty in both your posts. Fortunately there are several great kit makers that save the day. Hopefully other members will give honest opinions about both the kit makers that put out a great product like Vanguard and as well as those that put out kits that barely resemble a real ship. Allan

Welcome aboard Michael. Thank you for that great introduction. Allan

Sluicemaster Bravo on the third layer of planking!!! It is a delight to see planking done properly. Mike, I have spiled castello and other hard woods that are as much as 0.17" thick with no problems at all. Using the method in the articles data base here at MSW on spiling planking and/or using the methods in the videos prepared by Chuck Passaro on You Tube work like a charm. Allan

The bust generally only included the chest and head, no appendages. The following are all from the RMG Collections site. The first photo is the bust on a third rate of about 1813 The next is a drawing of a bust of about 1805 The last is a figure head on the model of the Hercules or Thunderer circa 1860 Allan

Conversely you can get sheet stock, the thickness of which is the same as the widest dimension of the plank itself and slit off planks with a small table saw such as a Byrnes if you have one. If not, I would do as Walrusguy suggests and then slit planks with a scalpel as they are no doubt pretty thin planks. Crown Timber used to be a great go-to for sheets of these species and many others before they closed their doors. I am anxious to hear about other sources for pre-thicknessed sheets. Allan

The boat kits from Syren are perhaps the very best available. In any case do yourself a favor and check the logs here at MSW before buying any other boat kit as the majority are lacking in many aspects. There is always scratch building 😀 For small boats, power tools are a nicety but not necessary. Allan

I worked in a small village, San Casciano (VP) but usually stayed in hotels in Firenze as the clients that traveled with me would usually bring a wife or girlfriend (never both on the same trip) and they would want to be in Florence while we went to work. I also spent a lot of time at a company called Universal Pack in Cattolica not too far north of you. Some of the best seafood in the world is in your area!! I just started to watch your whale boat videos and have learned something today, thank you for posting your methods. You have an expert ship modeler across the country from you not far from Pisa that I plan to meet for lunch with our wives in September. Check out his build log here at MSW. Ciao Carlo

The first videos showing planking on the bulkheads, then framing, the outer planking are new for me and I see this being a great way to go for very small scale vessels that would have both inside and outside planking. Do you complete the outer planking before removing the bulkhead structure or after? I do not see you actually removing the bulkheads in the video. I like how you use tape on the bulkheads so any excess glue does not stick the inner planking to these parts. Thanks for sharing Allan

FWIW from the RMG https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-8460 Who knows if this is typical or even correct. RMG is phenomenal but not without erroneous information every now and then. Allan

As you are replacing what they gave you in the kit, can you just do a count of each size (thickness, width and length) and then replace one for one? Is this the Passaro designed model from MS? I am curious to know what wood are you considering for the deck and what wood for the hull? Allan

Buongiorno and welcome to MSW Carlo. It is nice to see you promoting our hobby and showing folks your own methods such as the planking in your video. Where in Italy are you located? I had the good fortune to work in Italy making numerous trips each year for over 30 years to Toscana and Lombardia. No longer being able to visit your country as often is one thing I do not like about retiring. Ciao Allan

Thanks Masa, I would like to get some and check it out but I have my doubts. "A good thread count for microfiber sheets is anywhere between 200 and 800. Microfiber is known for its softness and sheets from this material tend to get softer every time they're washed. If you see thread counts of 800 or more, the manufacturer likely inflated the thread count. Some manufacturers twist their yarns for weaving, essentially doubling or more what the thread count would be in reality. Thanks again Allan

Hi Dziadeczek, What is the thread count of your material? Looking on line, muslin is shown to normally be between 150 and 180 so would be far out of scale for 1:24 and smaller. Canvas has a TC of about 50 per inch so to be close to scale at 1:48 it would have to have a TC of over 2000 or conversely, using180 count material like muslin would have the equivalent of threads that are 1/4" in diameter. Same can be said for stitching. I realize it comes down to how much scale accuracy each builder wants. Allan

Welcome to MSW. You made a very wise decision in your first projects. Allan

Hi Chief, The slot and cover board are far easier to work with rather than any kind of hole. You don't have to feed the deadeye strop through the hole, merely slip it in the slot. Once they are in place, the molding board keeps them in place. Easy peasy compared to forcing them though the holes. Wonder why it took those folks until 1771 to figure this out, especially when it came to replacing worn or damaged deadeyes and links. Allan

Thanks Daniel, The boat stowage on Betts' drawing has similarities to the contemporary drawing at RMG of Erebus and Terror ZAZ5673 which you probably already know is on the Wiki Commons site in high resolution along with all the other RMG drawings of Terror and Erebus. I realize Matts' drawing is not exactly the same and you had mentioned previously his was made by cleaning up and amalgamating the data from various original draughts, none of which depict the ship exactly as she was at the time of the last expedition. Allan

Modeler Masa, Thank you for the above, it is very well studied and thought out, but I think the name of the subject might be misleading. The trials you did seem to use cloth, not silkspan, which is tissue paper made from wood fiber and acts differently than cloth. Allan

Hi Curt, Your call of course. A clove hitch holds well and is a simple knot if you forego the pins. In either case, a touch of shellac or clear nail polish for poly rope, or white glue for cotton. Allan

Lovely build!! The belaying pins look great compared to the majority of other kit makers' pins. Are they supplied with the kit? Do you know what material is used for the rigging line? Thanks for all the photos and sharing with us, it is fun to follow your build. Allan

Welcome to the fray Rich Great to see someone start off with kits that will help learn as you go versus starting with a ship of the line. In addition to tools, if the bug really bit you hard, get ready to hit the bank account for books as there are a lot of great ones for our hobby. Allan