Altduck

Completed Railings at the top of the Grand Stairway. 
 

 

 

 

 
Cheers 🍻 

good afternoon everyone
 
Calling this finished
 
pretty well OOB with some extra brass trimming, and extra Stanchions on the roof, i have seen much better made example of this subject, but im happy with it
 
thank you to those who followed the build
 

Hi Everyone -
 
I have some exciting news: this week I acquired SeaWatch Books from @BobF! I've been a long-time customer of SeaWatch and was sorry to hear that Bob was retiring. I reached out and after a long discussion decided that I'd step in and acquire the company and inventory. I want to thank Bob and Cathy both for allowing me to carry the mantle and build on what they have started. I promise to continue the tradition of and commitment to quality books that are beautiful, informative, and important to the ship modeling community.
 
The first thing I will be doing is moving the store to a true e-commerce platform. This will make for a much better shopping experience and improve on the fulfillment and ordering issues that I know some have experienced in the past. I am currently in the process of finalizing the new store and will be integrating with the fulfillment center in the days ahead. Hopefully, we'll be up and running in the next week or two. In the meantime, please feel free to register at www.seawatchbooks.com to receive a 20% off coupon for when we launch.
 
A little bit about me:
 
Besides being Sonofasonofasailor here on MSW, my name in the real world is Mike Ellison. I have been building models since my youth starting with plastic kits (my first ship model was USS Enterprise, which I built at the age of 14). But, as is often the case with modeling, life intervened and college, professional, and family obligations took center stage for many years. I returned to modeling about 10 years ago and am a member of the Ship Model Society of New Jersey.
 
I graduated from Syracuse University in upstate New York in 1994 with degrees in Finance and Marketing. It was here where I met my wife Caroline and we got married a few years after graduating. After starting a career on Wall St., I had an opportunity to join my father in launching and building a marketing research firm, which has grown to nearly 100 people in New York City. My father is largely retired from the business and I continue to build and grow that company.
 
My wife and I reside in New Jersey and are soon to be empty-nesters. My oldest son is a sophomore at Skidmore College and my daughter will be going to Connecticut College in the fall. 
 
I am truly looking forward to building SeaWatch Books and continue to serve the ship modeling community. If you have any questions or ideas on how we can improve on our service, please email us at support@seawatchbooks.com.
 
Thanks,
Mike
 
 

Boiler Deck Furnishings…
 

 
Began framing for the State Rooms and Saloon. 
 


Like the Main Deck, the framing will all have to be plumb along a slightly curved deck. 🤨
 

 
Installed transom over the Grand Stairway. 
 

 

 
Preparing framing for the railing at the head of the Grand Stairway. Of course these are curved railings. 🤨
 

 
Railings placed…
 


Basswood .03 x .02 wood strips will be used for the railing stanchions. 
 


 

 
 

 
Cut rail cap from 1/32” Cherry sheet. 
 

 

 
I think 🤔 this is going to work. I’ll give it a final buffing tomorrow and try staining. About 3 hours for this little piece of work. 🤨 This is getting to be serious work now. 😆 Later…
 
Cheers 🍻 
 
 
 

still to do
fit the roof
leather hand straps
fit any made up bits like the luggage and mail pouches'
and a general tidy up
 
good evening everyone
thank you for comments and likes
 
tomorrow should be the last day of this build, and i can get on with the SD14
 
 

Synthetic rope is now available on my site. It currently ranges from .25mm to 1.3mm in diameter and I plan on going to 2mm or larger. Cables will be added next month when I get my next shipment of thread, They should range from 1mm to 3mm. For now though if you want synthetic cable order the cotton variant and send me an email and ask for an upgrade.
 
This rope is made with Gutermann E thread which has zero fuzz, lumps, or inconsistencies. It also has a lower shine than some polyester threads tend to have. This rope has been heat treated and won't unravel when cut. CA glue or a lighter may still be needed to fix the rope ends so it may pass through blocks, hooks, and other tight spots.
 
This rope has three strands and is right-handed. 

Thanks for looking in!
 

Finishing up Wheel Housings…
 

 
Forming 1/32 x 1/32” basswood by soaking it in Ammonia/water and strapping it to the housings to dry. 
 


CA gluing the molding into place. 
 


Now to finish out that Engine Room. 
 

 
Cutting steam pipes out of dowel rods. 
 

 
Engine Room completed. Starting to install lighting. 
 

 

 
View into the cut away. 
 

 
One last look before the Boiler De k goes on. 
 

 
I didn’t forget the Paddle Wheel cut away. 
 
Thanks to all for your 👍 and comments, they keep me going.
 
Cheers 🍻 

i had the same reaction several posts back when the housings first appeared - it'd be a shame to hide those wheels.

Wheel Housings…
 

 
Framing up the Wheel Housing. 
 

 

 
I finally get it all straightened up and it’s time to cover it up. 🤨
 

 
That was quite the challenge! 😆 I will be doing a cutaway view of the Paddle Wheel. Can’t let that stand hidden away. 😎
 
Onwards… 🍻

You might try the suppliers to the clock & watch repair trade there in the UK, like Cousins or Meadows & Passmore or the like.
 
 

You might try the suppliers to the clock & watch repair trade there in the UK, like Cousins or Meadows & Passmore or the like.
 
 

You might try the suppliers to the clock & watch repair trade there in the UK, like Cousins or Meadows & Passmore or the like.
 
 

Progress on the superstructure…
 

 
Cutting out Boiler deck for staircase. 
 

 

 
Boiler sub deck cut…
 

 
Cutting out kitchen deck. 
 

 

 

 

 
Remaining decks cut out. Massive four story structure. It feels like I am in architecture class. 😆 
 

 

 
 
 

 

 

 

 
Board and Batten is going to drive me batty. 😆 That and windows, four more floors to go. 🍻
 

 
Framing on the port side will be left open for the sneak peak at the engine room and paddle wheel. 😎
 

 
Bubble Bubbles it’s all got to be plumb. 
 
Looking forward to more opportunities to improve my craft. 😆
 
Superstructure to be continued. 🍻
 

Grand Stairway continued…
 

 
Preparing the staircase for railings. 
 

 

 

 
Used 1/32” sheet cherry wood to cut and build railings. 
 

 

 
1/8” Mahogany posts and basswood strips as rail caps. 
 

 
Fine sanding prep before staining and poly. 
 

 
 

 
Grand Stairway in place…
 
Cheers! 🍻
 
 

I just chanced again upon the posts on the Missouri- and Missisipi-Flatboats. Somehow they sparked my imagination as a boy, but I don't remember in what context. Perhaps based on an account of the Lewis and Clark expedition. I remeber making a drawing of one at school.
 
These kind of one-way craft occurred also on various European rivers that originated in wood-rich areas, most notably the Danube. The city of Ulm was one place at which they were built in large numbers and used for transporting goods and passangers down-river, sometimes reaching the Danube Delta. Most, however, only went as far as Vienna and Budapest, where they were broken up and sold as construction material. The ones built in Ulm were called 'Ulm Box' in the 19th century and painted in the city colours black and white with a kind of zebra-pattern outside:
 

Historical image from Wikipedia
 

From https://deutsche-gemeinschaft.eu/de/geschichte/#iLightbox[bf3bdc6c58c6d1ab60e]/0
 
At times they also transported groups of German emigrants that settled in areas de-peopled during the Osman expansion into Europe after they had been retaken. These German groups retained their cultural traditions and language in modern Hungary and Romania for instance, but also migrated further east into what is now Ukraine and Russia.
 
The boats were steered downriver with two pairs of long sweeps, similar to the timber-rafts with which they shared the river und which also transported goods and passengers. The crews of both, the Ulm Boxes and the rafts walked back to Germany from Vienna and the Balkans in the days before there was a steamboat service. The Ulm Boxes actually followed a regular weekly schedule until steam took over.

Those wheels are turning out great!
You've developed a winning method for them.

Those wheels are turning out great!
You've developed a winning method for them.

I have quite a few of the miniatures, I use the shoulder plane and block plane constantly.

My favorite vice is one of these https://www.cousinsuk.com/sku/details/vices-bench-vice-jaws/v9692
 
 

Very nice, and great little tutorial.

Great looking model, but at the risk of displaying my ignorance, I have a question about how they reefed their Mainsails back then.  In your build, and on the box Cover Photo, the reef points start at the foot of the sail, and I'd have expected them to start from the yard to bring the reefed section(s) up lashed to the yard, and lowering the yard as they set more reefs.  As shown, it would seem like a rather large and bulky roll of material hanging at the bottom of the sail by the time they set the 3rd reef, although I assume they could still be lowering the yard if they wanted to reduce the overturning moment.
 
I searched for other on-line articles about this, and the images shown are all just like this - reef points starting at the bottom.  I found nothing about actually setting the reef.
 
Would appreciate any insight anyone can share as to how they sailed these vessels in heavy weather. 
 
Thanks

Thanks.
 
I did find this article on-line, which has a photo of a modern replica under sail with the sail shortened from the foot, and interesting narrative on sailing these although they don't explicitly mention reefing:
 
https://www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/en/professions/education/knowledge-of-sailing/sail-and-trim
 
It gives us some idea of what the original lads had to deal with, as they explored their world.
 

Thanks.
 
I did find this article on-line, which has a photo of a modern replica under sail with the sail shortened from the foot, and interesting narrative on sailing these although they don't explicitly mention reefing:
 
https://www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/en/professions/education/knowledge-of-sailing/sail-and-trim
 
It gives us some idea of what the original lads had to deal with, as they explored their world.
 

Very good question, Richard.
 
This very question has been discussed in post #165 (dated December 18, 2021) on Woodrat's Incredible Hulc thread at https://modelshipworld.com/topic/25641-the-incredible-hulc-by-woodrat-a-frumious-reconstruction/page/6/
 
Though this is somewhat later than the Viking period, it's the best we've got. There seems to be no evidence from the Vikings' time of how they reduced sail, though the way they controlled the sail looks very interesting!

 
Here are another couple of pics of reef points from about 1200-1300;
 
   
 
Steven
 

Great looking model, but at the risk of displaying my ignorance, I have a question about how they reefed their Mainsails back then.  In your build, and on the box Cover Photo, the reef points start at the foot of the sail, and I'd have expected them to start from the yard to bring the reefed section(s) up lashed to the yard, and lowering the yard as they set more reefs.  As shown, it would seem like a rather large and bulky roll of material hanging at the bottom of the sail by the time they set the 3rd reef, although I assume they could still be lowering the yard if they wanted to reduce the overturning moment.
 
I searched for other on-line articles about this, and the images shown are all just like this - reef points starting at the bottom.  I found nothing about actually setting the reef.
 
Would appreciate any insight anyone can share as to how they sailed these vessels in heavy weather. 
 
Thanks

More ropes