kruginmi

Lou and everyone,
 
I feel obligated to state again everything I have done has been for the fun of it.  I have no problem sharing, just don't want people to think I have done any big amount of research and is the last word on the subject (hah hah). 
 
I did have to laugh when you mentioned my windlass, because my first thought was the capstan.  A capstan made from the kit part with cut down wooden cocktail toothpicks for arms!  However, I figured out you meant the forward windlass (which I am pretty proud of).  I can't locate the pictures of it being built unfortunately but I did design it out beforehand and lathed it using boxwood.  The lathe was procured not because of the ships, but to make pens:
 

 
This is a related hobby that actually brings in some income!  The best part of this is that I get to really understand different types of woods.  Their look, how they sand, how they finish and their usability in the future.  A bonus is I do get to use it occassionaly for ship related articles.
 
On the camera topic, I use an (older) Kodak EasyShare DX 6440.  The big discovery was the ability to go into close up mode.  This has to be selected and produces very clear images.  They are not achievable otherwise.  I then edit them to resize to 25% normal size.  If anyone particularly wants one larger, PM me and I can send it out.
 
For the bowsprit I flatten it a little where it meets the deck and butt it against the windlass:
 

 
The stem defines the angle of the bowsprit.  It really is up to you on how you want to terminate it, but by lodging against a solid beam, less deck area is taken up by it.  To insure the position is fixed I did drill through and dowel it into the deck.
 
Cheers, Mark

Since this was a working boat it spent a good chunk of time moored to a dock while it loaded or unloaded, so……it needed a robust way to tie up, usually to docks below the height of its bulwarks.  I had noticed the use of cavels on some wooden period ships I have visited and thought this the perfect solution.  A quick check of the Pride of Baltimore II reinforced this by seeing she had them.
 
These were pretty straight forward but I believe really added some pop to the hull.  I decided to use a block of walnut for the hull pass through and basswood (my go to wood) for the interior tie up post.  Since the bulwark was veneer overlaid on the inner sub-layer the walnut really provided a consistent clean look that I liked.  For location, I drilled through the inner bulwark at the center point between frames for accuracy.  A little wood removal with a sharp knife / files and lots of test fittings and this part was good to go.  The inner cavel post was pretty straight forward (don’t forget the matching center hole to the hull) and glued on.  All in all, this was less than an hour of work.  A total of four were put on the Lady Anne (two each side).

This is my build of the Lady Anne (named after the wife – bonus points).  If you squint real hard and tilt your head you may recognize the hull as the AL Harvey.  Other than that it has been a whole lot of kit bashing.  This model was given to me by someone who had just glued the bulkheads on and decided this just wasn’t the thing for him.  Over time (as a break from the Druid) I have done a little bit here and a little there.  I planked the hull as a standard model hull to demonstrate to someone else it wasn’t that hard, so there are planks that taper to points and no real attempt to mimic real practice.  I had ‘assumed’ it would be built out of the box and continued in that direction.  Then things started to get fuzzy. 
I knew that Harvey was a fictitious ship and things really started to bug me about how realistic it was.  The deck furnishings especially just seemed haphazard and in some cases wrong.  This is where I stepped out of the box and this fast build took a hard right into kit bashing.  Over the years I had made a point of keeping pictures of ideas on real ships and models of things I really liked and I started to look at what I could add / substitute in this build.  I started perusing books about clippers, especially ‘The American-Built Clipper Ship, 1850-1856’ by Crothers to look at deck arrangements used by Clippers (and believe it or not, I did find those outhouses shown on the Harvey.  I don’t like them, but I found them).
 



 
I cleared the decks (literally), made paper cutouts of potential deck furniture, and spent a lot of time pondering the imponderables.  A big decision was to rig her as the Pride of Baltimore II was rigged, a true Baltimore Clipper.  This defined the needed pinrails and deck tie downs required (as well as block counts which were a LOT more than the kit supplied).  I moved the pumps aft to where they could actually do some good.  The forward windlass was replaced with a windlass actually capable of bringing in an anchor.  The capstan was moved to a position where it could actually be used, a below deck access was added and on, and on, and on.  The last addition I added are cavels to allow easier docking.  To retain its original heritage I created a 1:48th scale workman that I named sailor Harvey to verify heights as I proceeded.
 



 
The deck currently has a configuration that I am happy with.  The last original piece is the aft deckhouse and it just seems out of proportion for sailor Harvey to navigate through so that will probably be scrapped and an alternate built in its place.  Oh, I retained the cannons since my son insists that cannons are cool and I couldn’t possibly take them off.  I did, however, modify their locations, retain only six (continental breeched) and will probably have two of those stowed parallel to the bulkhead.
 


 
As time allows I will post past pictures of the process I used to build various pieces and the rationale used for including them (which may just be I liked the look).  I am really trying to focus on the Druid and get’r done, but this ship will be warming up.  As usual, any comments are welcome.
 

 
Mark

Hi Carl,
I congratulate you on successful continuation of progress! It is very nice!
 

I saw some sets for building of the ships in a bottle. They are Golden Yacht and Hannah from Amati and Nippon Maru, Santa Maria and Catalan Ship from Woody Joe. I met some more sets on the Internet, but they weren't pleasant to me at all. Besides, earlier some more sets were issued in Japan, such as Sir Winston Churchill, Santa Maria (old edition),Thermopylae, Cutty Sark, Golden Hind.
Sets from Amati are convenient because that are delivered together with a bottle. But their masts, yards and gafel leave much to be desired. It can be corrected if on a metal mast to paste on the one hand a thin interline, then to drill bores, and then to paste a thin interline on the other hand. Then can give easily the mast or the yard round form and to paint it.
As simpler option - you can make masts and yards of a bamboo toothpick, but it is previously necessary to drill bores.
Best Regards!
Igor.

Thank you all again for the visits, comments and likes.
 
Another, smaller, update for today.
 
Fit the mainsail and finished all the rigging. Now to put the stand in the bottle, or create a seascape to place her on. Then to drop her in the bottle and pull up the masts and sails. I am seriously considering making a seascape, but not sure how to do this. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. I've heard of people using sculpy clay or painters silicone, but I'm unfamiliar with using either of these products for this purpose.
 

Thanks for all the kudos on the hinges, but give me another hour or so in the shop to make them really pop - then people will see why I went this direction!  Lots of bending now for a good tight fit and correct profile.  I will slightly mortise these onto the rudder.
 
Eamonn, spot on with your work.  
 
Absolute key to silver soldering is using the right flux (then prep).  When all is well, this is quite easy.  You heat the piece carefully until the silver chip simply disappears - wicks into the join.  Cool off with water and then on to the next.
 
Mark

Hey there Mark.. the hinges look a treat, you make it look so easy !  I just finished doing the exact same thing over on Ballahoo..   
 
All The Best
 
Eamonn

Onto the rudder hinges.  The generic hardware provided with the kit just didn't do it for me and with the success of the built ones for the Druid I really had no choice (hah hah) but to go down the same route.
 
First up was cutting strips for the 4 hinges required.  My raw brass sheet was wide enough to provide enough strip for each hinge set.
 

 
Simply define the width and run the blade over this line a few times.  I then gently wrap this edge over the edge of a piece of wood using gentle hammer strokes followed by returning it flat.  Then I grab it with my small pliers and with a little wiggle the strip snaps off.  I had previously bought a brass tube and rod that perfectly fits inside for the hinge mechanism.
 
For silver soldering there has been lots of posts but essentially the ingredients are:
 

 
Acetone for cleaning the brass, water for cooling after, flux (the right stuff), the silver solder pieces and finally the torch.
 
The tube was first soldered to the strip and then cut to size.  After repeating this eight times I then soldered four rods for the mating pieces.
 

 
After it was all done (less than an hour) I did an initial bend and everything looks good.  Still some refinement but another hour or so and these will be ready for blackening.  The original kit piece is in the upper left.
 

 
Very solid (and permanent).  It will look like a million bucks soon.  Next step is to drill holes for the bolts, bend to shape and get them configured to the hull.
 
Stay building my friends,
Mark

Helo, I have just dropped to watch with interest
 
Nice soldering. Something I just/still have to learn. Much better with silver than regular
 
Nenad

Nice work on those hinges

Onto the rudder hinges.  The generic hardware provided with the kit just didn't do it for me and with the success of the built ones for the Druid I really had no choice (hah hah) but to go down the same route.
 
First up was cutting strips for the 4 hinges required.  My raw brass sheet was wide enough to provide enough strip for each hinge set.
 

 
Simply define the width and run the blade over this line a few times.  I then gently wrap this edge over the edge of a piece of wood using gentle hammer strokes followed by returning it flat.  Then I grab it with my small pliers and with a little wiggle the strip snaps off.  I had previously bought a brass tube and rod that perfectly fits inside for the hinge mechanism.
 
For silver soldering there has been lots of posts but essentially the ingredients are:
 

 
Acetone for cleaning the brass, water for cooling after, flux (the right stuff), the silver solder pieces and finally the torch.
 
The tube was first soldered to the strip and then cut to size.  After repeating this eight times I then soldered four rods for the mating pieces.
 

 
After it was all done (less than an hour) I did an initial bend and everything looks good.  Still some refinement but another hour or so and these will be ready for blackening.  The original kit piece is in the upper left.
 

 
Very solid (and permanent).  It will look like a million bucks soon.  Next step is to drill holes for the bolts, bend to shape and get them configured to the hull.
 
Stay building my friends,
Mark

Onto the rudder hinges.  The generic hardware provided with the kit just didn't do it for me and with the success of the built ones for the Druid I really had no choice (hah hah) but to go down the same route.
 
First up was cutting strips for the 4 hinges required.  My raw brass sheet was wide enough to provide enough strip for each hinge set.
 

 
Simply define the width and run the blade over this line a few times.  I then gently wrap this edge over the edge of a piece of wood using gentle hammer strokes followed by returning it flat.  Then I grab it with my small pliers and with a little wiggle the strip snaps off.  I had previously bought a brass tube and rod that perfectly fits inside for the hinge mechanism.
 
For silver soldering there has been lots of posts but essentially the ingredients are:
 

 
Acetone for cleaning the brass, water for cooling after, flux (the right stuff), the silver solder pieces and finally the torch.
 
The tube was first soldered to the strip and then cut to size.  After repeating this eight times I then soldered four rods for the mating pieces.
 

 
After it was all done (less than an hour) I did an initial bend and everything looks good.  Still some refinement but another hour or so and these will be ready for blackening.  The original kit piece is in the upper left.
 

 
Very solid (and permanent).  It will look like a million bucks soon.  Next step is to drill holes for the bolts, bend to shape and get them configured to the hull.
 
Stay building my friends,
Mark

This is my build of the Lady Anne (named after the wife – bonus points).  If you squint real hard and tilt your head you may recognize the hull as the AL Harvey.  Other than that it has been a whole lot of kit bashing.  This model was given to me by someone who had just glued the bulkheads on and decided this just wasn’t the thing for him.  Over time (as a break from the Druid) I have done a little bit here and a little there.  I planked the hull as a standard model hull to demonstrate to someone else it wasn’t that hard, so there are planks that taper to points and no real attempt to mimic real practice.  I had ‘assumed’ it would be built out of the box and continued in that direction.  Then things started to get fuzzy. 
I knew that Harvey was a fictitious ship and things really started to bug me about how realistic it was.  The deck furnishings especially just seemed haphazard and in some cases wrong.  This is where I stepped out of the box and this fast build took a hard right into kit bashing.  Over the years I had made a point of keeping pictures of ideas on real ships and models of things I really liked and I started to look at what I could add / substitute in this build.  I started perusing books about clippers, especially ‘The American-Built Clipper Ship, 1850-1856’ by Crothers to look at deck arrangements used by Clippers (and believe it or not, I did find those outhouses shown on the Harvey.  I don’t like them, but I found them).
 



 
I cleared the decks (literally), made paper cutouts of potential deck furniture, and spent a lot of time pondering the imponderables.  A big decision was to rig her as the Pride of Baltimore II was rigged, a true Baltimore Clipper.  This defined the needed pinrails and deck tie downs required (as well as block counts which were a LOT more than the kit supplied).  I moved the pumps aft to where they could actually do some good.  The forward windlass was replaced with a windlass actually capable of bringing in an anchor.  The capstan was moved to a position where it could actually be used, a below deck access was added and on, and on, and on.  The last addition I added are cavels to allow easier docking.  To retain its original heritage I created a 1:48th scale workman that I named sailor Harvey to verify heights as I proceeded.
 



 
The deck currently has a configuration that I am happy with.  The last original piece is the aft deckhouse and it just seems out of proportion for sailor Harvey to navigate through so that will probably be scrapped and an alternate built in its place.  Oh, I retained the cannons since my son insists that cannons are cool and I couldn’t possibly take them off.  I did, however, modify their locations, retain only six (continental breeched) and will probably have two of those stowed parallel to the bulkhead.
 


 
As time allows I will post past pictures of the process I used to build various pieces and the rationale used for including them (which may just be I liked the look).  I am really trying to focus on the Druid and get’r done, but this ship will be warming up.  As usual, any comments are welcome.
 

 
Mark

Keith - your RW looks very nice to me. I hope to do as good when I get around to starting mine. As far as the Vasa kits go the Sergal version is much larger than Corel`s - about the same size as the RW. Quality wise the Sergal kit is laser cut & the parts fit together nicely. My Corel kit is an old one so it is not laser cut. The stern area on the Sergal kit is nicely shaped but the Corel`s is way off - difficult to fix because of the way the castings are made. On the other hand the Corel bow is shaped much better than Sergal`s. As far as the castings go Sergal`s are decent - some are spot on while others are way off. The cannons are pretty good - they even have the little lions cast into them. Corel`s castings are awful at best - some look like just little blobs of metal. The wood in both is fair at best. Both kits were designed in the seventies so I can understand why some of the castings are incorrect.If I was to recommend one over the other it would probably be Sergal`s.Both need a lot of bashing to make them at least close to correct. Another choice would be the Billings kit - I don`t have first hand knowledge of it but from what I`ve seen it is the most accurate.Like any kit,they all have their problems.What fun would it be if we didn`t have to re-do anything . Sorry about the long winded response - hope it helps.
 
Regards,Mark

I use a handle I found in a hobby shop years ago.  It tightens from the back and is rubber with a hexagonal shape at the end so it does not roll around.  As a result of being tightened in the back the blade is secure and will not loosen up.

David B

Great job.  Those colors and figures really make it a beautiful model.  Never considered the Wasa myself but your build is starting to tempt me!
 
Mark

A small update - been painting figures. Most of them don`t match what`s on the real ship but they look ok from a distance. The kit did not provide for the 4 port holes in the upper gallery so I made some from some brass eyelets from the fabric store. I also didn`t like the oversize plastic windows so I searched through my spare parts boxes & found a couple of etched brass windows which were just the right size,so I used them.
 

 

 

 
Now back to more painting
 
/Mark
 
oops - I meant the lower gallery

You might be right with the new blades but I would suggest a change to avoid pinching the cut off pieces between the blade and the guard.
 
The best and safest option is to use a sled.  That way everything moves through the cut.  Everything can be held down.  I constructed the following as an example:
 

 
This is pretty easy to build but is very versatile.  You can affix a spacing piece against the back block to get your repeatable width requirement.
 
Mark

Quick update with an hour in the shipyard tonight.  The rudder just kept nagging at me, that I was settling.  The bottom line is that I did not have walnut of the width necessary to build the rudder from scratch.  Then it hit me, why replace the whole rudder?  How bad would it look to laminate boards onto a core?  Only one way to find out - try it out.
 
I sanded the existing rudder to a little under a 1/2 of its original width.  This accounted for two 1/16" laminates plus a little more to make it more pleasing to my eye.  I did this with the spindle sander taking a 1/4 off each side to keep the tiller arm centered.  Then using the pattern showed earlier I added the faux planks to each side.  After some sanding and....
 

 
I am pleasantly surprised that even the edge on look doesn't appear too bad.  I am satisfied now.  Now for silver soldering some rudder hanging hardware.
 
mark

Steve,
 
Currently my default is using the same stuff as on the Druid:  General Finishes Gel Urethane.  I definitely do need to commit sometime soon since after the rudder I will be applying the finish.  No colored paint for this build.  I am open to other suggestions.......
 
On a side note it has been stated by my wife that there is really no place in the house for a ship this size.  I have always said it is the journey and not the destination so that doesn't bother me right now.  However, it looks like my older brother 'might' be getting engaged pretty soon.  He has a whopper of a fireplace that is looking pretty lonely so this build might turn into a wedding gift.  Might up the tempo and pace of the build.....
 
Mark

RIght now I have no plans to.  This hull has been around for 8 years (assembled) and been very stable so far.  Also, there are already regions I am unable to adequately reach.  With basswood really need some sort of sealer.
 
This whole ship has been a learning experience for me.  Most items (where possible) are doweled or positioned with clamps as opposed to glue to allow some movement.  I attach an internal pic of the orlop deck which has survived with no ill effects so far.
 
Loving the hobby,
Mark
 

One item on this ship that I saw someone else do that I knew immediately that I was going to copy was the stairwell going down to the lower deck.  In a PoB - and one that has the hull complete - how would you do this?  The answer is to make a self contained box  and lower it into a cut hole in the deck:
 

 

 
In the following pic you will notice a slight indentation at the top of the box.  This was to allow the box to slide down next to the center bulkhead.
 

 
The box is painted black below deck level to allow the illusion of desending.
 

 

 
I really like the opportunities this provides both on this ship and others.  An easy implementation with good results.

Since this was a working boat it spent a good chunk of time moored to a dock while it loaded or unloaded, so……it needed a robust way to tie up, usually to docks below the height of its bulwarks.  I had noticed the use of cavels on some wooden period ships I have visited and thought this the perfect solution.  A quick check of the Pride of Baltimore II reinforced this by seeing she had them.
 
These were pretty straight forward but I believe really added some pop to the hull.  I decided to use a block of walnut for the hull pass through and basswood (my go to wood) for the interior tie up post.  Since the bulwark was veneer overlaid on the inner sub-layer the walnut really provided a consistent clean look that I liked.  For location, I drilled through the inner bulwark at the center point between frames for accuracy.  A little wood removal with a sharp knife / files and lots of test fittings and this part was good to go.  The inner cavel post was pretty straight forward (don’t forget the matching center hole to the hull) and glued on.  All in all, this was less than an hour of work.  A total of four were put on the Lady Anne (two each side).

This is my build of the Lady Anne (named after the wife – bonus points).  If you squint real hard and tilt your head you may recognize the hull as the AL Harvey.  Other than that it has been a whole lot of kit bashing.  This model was given to me by someone who had just glued the bulkheads on and decided this just wasn’t the thing for him.  Over time (as a break from the Druid) I have done a little bit here and a little there.  I planked the hull as a standard model hull to demonstrate to someone else it wasn’t that hard, so there are planks that taper to points and no real attempt to mimic real practice.  I had ‘assumed’ it would be built out of the box and continued in that direction.  Then things started to get fuzzy. 
I knew that Harvey was a fictitious ship and things really started to bug me about how realistic it was.  The deck furnishings especially just seemed haphazard and in some cases wrong.  This is where I stepped out of the box and this fast build took a hard right into kit bashing.  Over the years I had made a point of keeping pictures of ideas on real ships and models of things I really liked and I started to look at what I could add / substitute in this build.  I started perusing books about clippers, especially ‘The American-Built Clipper Ship, 1850-1856’ by Crothers to look at deck arrangements used by Clippers (and believe it or not, I did find those outhouses shown on the Harvey.  I don’t like them, but I found them).
 



 
I cleared the decks (literally), made paper cutouts of potential deck furniture, and spent a lot of time pondering the imponderables.  A big decision was to rig her as the Pride of Baltimore II was rigged, a true Baltimore Clipper.  This defined the needed pinrails and deck tie downs required (as well as block counts which were a LOT more than the kit supplied).  I moved the pumps aft to where they could actually do some good.  The forward windlass was replaced with a windlass actually capable of bringing in an anchor.  The capstan was moved to a position where it could actually be used, a below deck access was added and on, and on, and on.  The last addition I added are cavels to allow easier docking.  To retain its original heritage I created a 1:48th scale workman that I named sailor Harvey to verify heights as I proceeded.
 



 
The deck currently has a configuration that I am happy with.  The last original piece is the aft deckhouse and it just seems out of proportion for sailor Harvey to navigate through so that will probably be scrapped and an alternate built in its place.  Oh, I retained the cannons since my son insists that cannons are cool and I couldn’t possibly take them off.  I did, however, modify their locations, retain only six (continental breeched) and will probably have two of those stowed parallel to the bulkhead.
 


 
As time allows I will post past pictures of the process I used to build various pieces and the rationale used for including them (which may just be I liked the look).  I am really trying to focus on the Druid and get’r done, but this ship will be warming up.  As usual, any comments are welcome.
 

 
Mark

Quick update with an hour in the shipyard tonight.  The rudder just kept nagging at me, that I was settling.  The bottom line is that I did not have walnut of the width necessary to build the rudder from scratch.  Then it hit me, why replace the whole rudder?  How bad would it look to laminate boards onto a core?  Only one way to find out - try it out.
 
I sanded the existing rudder to a little under a 1/2 of its original width.  This accounted for two 1/16" laminates plus a little more to make it more pleasing to my eye.  I did this with the spindle sander taking a 1/4 off each side to keep the tiller arm centered.  Then using the pattern showed earlier I added the faux planks to each side.  After some sanding and....
 

 
I am pleasantly surprised that even the edge on look doesn't appear too bad.  I am satisfied now.  Now for silver soldering some rudder hanging hardware.
 
mark