CaptainSteve

The awning for the poop, with the Imperial eagles as a pattern in the fabric. First I cut a piece from an old pillow case (the finest weave fabric I've been able to get hold of easily). The idea was to have the awning long enough to form side walls, but have the walls rolled up. I used a toothpick to roll the fabric around.
 Then paint the base colour of imperial purple:

I used the acrylic paint full strength. Unfortunately, it made the fabric stiff. Also I got a bit of PVA glue on the fabric and it made the paint blotchy. 

So on to version 2.
Using several thin washes of acrylic I got the colour right and the fabric was somewhat more flexible. A layer of cling wrap between the awning and the structure to keep the paint from bleeding though onto the wood. But the fabric had a fold in it that wouldn't come out:

So onto version 3.
First I painted it purple (again), then I made a stencil by reducing the photo of the original fabric on the photocopier, rubbing it with olive oil to resist the water-based paint - made it quite card-like - then cutting it out with a scalpel.
 
Next, checking it for fit against the awning structure.

And filling in the detail with a fine water-colour paint brush - the longest and most labour-intensive part.
  
And painting the reverse side so the pattern would show on the rolled up part.

And the finished item.
 
I think I need to tighten the roll a bit, and perhaps put ties around it to complete the picture.
 
Steven
 

Just been trying out a bit of painting - for the awning at the poop and the Imperial flag. These are just test pieces which I did to see if the technique worked, without checking against the original sources, so the details aren't correct.
 
The awning is based on this:

And the flag is based on these:
 
I'd already painted the fabric purple, so we start with the roughed-out eagle. The foil is from the wrapping of an Easter egg - I got the idea from someone's build on this forum, and I think it should reproduce the flapping of a flag nicely. First coat of paint:
 

and second:

 
The awning worked fine, but the acrylic paint just doesn't work on the foil, so I'll need to get some enamel paint for that.
 
Steven

No worries, Carl. Understandable.
 
Dick could certainly be right. I've already disregarded the Angevin galley's measurements for the mast and the yards because they just didn't seem right to me (the relationship between masts and yards meant that to avoid the forward end of the yard hitting the deck, either the yard had to be on a very low angle or it had to be fixed to the mast very close to its forward end. Neither of those looked right and I ended up going with my gut feeling).
 
So if those dimensions are suspect, why not the length of the spur? The specification Prof Pryor quotes is "sperones duos galee de robore bonos pulcros et sannos, longos gode XIIII pro quolibet et largos palmum unum ..." which I think means "two spurs provided of good strength, beautiful and (healthy?), each 14 long and one palm thick". So how long is a "palm"? In other fields I've seen - such as http://www.levantia.com.au/pdf/Dawson_Fit_for_the_Task.pdf -  the values of dimensional units have been found to vary over time and between regions - just as the Dutch "foot" in the 17th century wasn't 12 inches.  However I've made my decision and glued the spur in place, so I'm sticking with it.
 
And yes, it used to look like a bread basket. But I think I can flatter myself that it looks like a ship now - and in my humble opinion, a rather beautiful one.
 
Dick's using the word "horns" to describe what I've previously called "wings" - the upward extensions at the stern of many galleys of the period - see post #807).
 
The crutches (let's call them that for clarity), have to be that high so the crew can get underneath the masts and yards. Check out the first picture from Age of the Dromon in my post #802 - you can see the masts/yards as a horizontal bar quite a distance above the deck. And a ship on the Column of Trajan has a similar feature. Even then they could perhaps interfere with the foot of the sail when the ship is under way - it's all a compromise between conflicting requirements (as usual when designing something complex).
 
Steven

Please accept my appologies for my misunderstanding, and base my conslusion on  that
 
So Dick could be right ... (just to rub it in), but we shall never know. Just like his remark on the bread basket
 
Then considering the other matter, you could have lowered the "horns" in which the masts, and yards are laid to rest for were those really that high ... or were they just high enough to help the masts drop on those supports ...
 

Carl, Dick was talking about the length of the spur, which is the thing sticking out from the bow that took the place of the ancient ram. He and I agree to disagree about how long it should be. Contemporary pictures show it shorter than I've made mine - sometimes it is shown ridiculously short and could never perform the function it was intended for - but in a contemporary specification for spurs intended for Angevin galleys (late 13th century) the required length is given. As a dromon was about 3/4 the length of an Angevin galley, Prof Pryor theorised that its spur would be 3/4 the length of that, and that's the length I've used. Could be wrong, but we'll never know.
 
Steven 

Spent all day sorting all of the laser cut wood, phot etched sheets and wood strip. Here are a couple of pics of the strip and laser and PE sheets bagged up, ready to go in the first kit box. All of the wood strip will have its part number on the bag, so my wife tells me (she is packing the kits..)

Oh !!!

I just wish to point out that I have never read this thread, nor have I looked at any of the pictures. Whoever "liked" your posts using my log-in is a dirty rat. I'm going to hide now. Possibly in a mountain cabin. Or possibly somewhere else.

 

Just a thought, Heinrich, but you could do her with mast stubs ... a la the Admiralty models of yore.
 
(Now I'll just return to quietly following and enjoying the amazing research that you, Hubac and EJ_L are doing.) 

Too tiny with details  good grief  even the little boats look good enough to go out on the open water

Hi Mtaylor,
 
Thanks for all the tips and suggestions. I will check out the post you attached to your response. If and when I take a stab at building I will log my attempt 😅, that's a great idea. 

Hi Ellen,
 
Welcome to MSW.
 
To answer some questions.. yes, some do quite some displays with docks, etc.  Most of us don't float our boats as they're too fragile, but in the Kit area there's an index of all the logs, pick the one that says: RC which should cover most of the ones that see water. I put a link to the index below.   As for card, yes again.  Same for subs.  Those can be kits or scratch and again, they should be in the index.
 
For starters, if you're thinking of building on, look around the gallery and see what draws your attention.  But to start, start small, maybe a small craft like a canoe or rowboat and then one with one mast.  Work from there. The advantage of starting small is you'll learn much and at not a large investment in tools or kits.   And by all means start a build log when you do.  You'll get help from others and also make some friends. 
 
Link to the Index: 
 

Thanks for the information ccoyle!
 
I haven't found scala anywhere, but I think the model is from 1987 or after. I found the year on the advertisement leaflet.
 
I would actually be happy with the $50 because I bought it for €2,50. From your comment I gather ship kits can be very pricey. I'm too nervous to start anything myself, and think I'd need to see a great model ship up close to get properly inspired. I have no idea what I would build. Do people also build docks for their boats? Little lighthouses? Do they ever see if their ships stay afloat and catch the wind for real? How about building a model with cardboard and paper? How about submarine models?! 😅 I feel like I have a lot more research to do. So much I have no clue about.
 
Kind regards,
Ellen

Ellen,
 
Look for the word "scala" (Italian for "scale") on either the plans (usually in the lower right corner) or box. Pinta is a very common modeling subject and available from numerous kit manufacturers. The Aeropiccola version is likely to be older and not up to the same standards of quality as newer kits. If you were to sell it on an auction site like eBay, I would expect that you might get something in the neighborhood of US$50. It's not a high-demand kit. As for something to build yourself, there are many kits out there that are suitable for beginners -- your choice will depend in some measure on what type of subject appeals to you.
 
Kind regards,

If you'll go to the link below and click on wooden ship kits, it will download a PDF file.  Open and scroll down to Titanic.  There's 3 Amati buildlogs for this model.  Those should help.   
 
As for the being anxious.... it's normal starting something outside one's comfort zone.  I'd suggest putting this model on hold and get a smaller kit to practice and learn on.  

Greetings
 
The bulwarks for the upper deck are supplied precut using 2 mm dibetou wood.  if you have been following this log, you already know my opinion on this wood so...not having any 2 mm planks I decided to double plank - the inner layer were planks left over from the hull planking - 1x5 mm.  here's a pic of one side with the first layer mostly complete.

The second layer was a combo of 1x4 and 1x5 mm walnut left over from other kits.  some holes and ringbolts also visible for the cannon rigging.  A separate 5mm plank is placed long the bottom of the bulwark (therefore 3 layers here).
 

photo below shows the kit supplied dibetou piece (cut in half).  this piece would have required quite a bit of modification to get everything to match up.  one can see the coarse grain and the arrow shows how one small area broke off.  this was the problem I had with the prow - if you look back at prior posts, one can see that the prow is missing.  Even though this is 5 mm dibetou, one misadventure in turning the ship and snap, off it came along the grain.  one useful modification for this kit would be to have the stem as a separate piece to be added at a later stage
 

 
Quarter deck bulwark has the same pre shaped piece.  They are now in the trash.
 

Quarter deck was planked the same as described above.  In the photo below, the area below the cutouts is double planked (therefore 2 mm thick).  The area above this is single layer, 1 mm walnut

bulwark planking complete

and, the last deck to be placed is the poop deck.  This deck comes pre shaped, 2mm thick.  This is the only deck at this thickness.  I decided to discard this one and use scraps from the other deck pallets.  2 pieces glued together and then cut to the correct shape.  this deck is glued in place at the same time as the upper stern board (basically the back of the ship).  The upper decorative strip (paper) and 2 1x2 mm walnut strips were placed prior to fastening this piece to the ship.  It was at this time I realized the upper part needed to be white like the bulwarks (no mention is made of painting this area in the instructions - the picture does show the slats are white so I guess I need to pay more attention) .  Yellow stars should be white in pic below
 

Area in oval should be  white in pic below.

Not very hard to do but it would have been much easier while still off the ship.  And lastly, the stern board in place.  The side planking needs to be sanded flush and poop deck  planked.  
 

Everything coming together quite nicely so far
 
Jeff
 
 

Looks good.

Hi.
Small progress.
How did it watch? Good or to the basket?
 

Hi.
I glue the few rows of planks nad glue the (i cant find the english name of this fatter plank, sorry  )
On my unhappines planks who is under the fatter plank do not cover. This is my fault-before 2nd  planking i have not appointed the fatter plank....
All  my studding i based on book " the royal warship vasa" and Vasa model 1/10 i stockholm museum.
 

Amazing work Patrick! Love how she’s turned out, especially that heck-uv-a hull! And, I concur that a minimalist display is a good contrast to the shapely boat- like you pointed out, it emphasizes the uniqueness. Great job!

Hi Patrick - that's a great way to display Genesis.  It really shows off the radical shape.  Well done, my friend!
 
Cheers
 
Frank

Hi folks
 
Thanks for all the Likes and comments!
 
Well, as the journey is coming to an end soon, with a little bit of imagination, I can close my eyes and picture Genesis’ proud owner standing at the dock, admiring his magnificent boat.  Ahhh, the power of imagination, I guess.
 
Anyhow, I digress.  I’ve added the propellers and rudders to the hull.  I’ve also been playing around with a few ideas of how to display Genesis.  I’ve decided to go for a minimalist approach, using three brass rods to rest her on.  I’ll sand and stain the baseboard later.  
 
The other good thing about seeing Genesis on the display stand (as opposed to the building board), is that for the first time, I’ve been able to really reflect upon just how unusual a hull Genesis has.  She really challenges the norms, I guess.  
 
Now, just a few touch ups on the paint, here and there...
 
Have a great week, folks.
 
Cheers. 
 
Patrick
 
 

Just a quick update, ran the lower wales and first band of planks for the lower gun deck on the starboard side. Now I’ve moved up the he middle gun deck wales. 

Thanks Marc. The scarfs are hand made. I ran long strips of wood from the stem as far back as they would go, laid out the pattern and scribed the scarf joints in with a #11 blade. I went over the lines several times to give the joints depth. Where the strips stopped, I will splice on an additional piece to complete the wales to the stern. That joint will be the only actual scarf joint. 
 
The process is really quite simple and easy enough to repeat. I will likely have to go back and run the blade through the joints after I sand on the wales prior to finishing the wood to deepen and clean out sawdust. 

If there has been one good thing to all of the rain we have been getting here, I’ve had a lot of time to work on the ship. This was taken a few days ago as I was pulling into work. Fortunately, it hadn’t submerged the road in though a lot of places around us were underwater. We are on a slight hill which helped. 

 
I finished he’s installing the rest of the gun port frames on the lower and middle decks. Both sides are now complete. With the frames installed and sanded to fit the contours of the hull, I was able to start the outer planking. 
 

First the three rows of lower wales. Once those were in place, I laid the first band of planks at the lower gun deck. I’m now repeating that process on the opposite side. Then it will be a matter of repeating the pattern of Wales and planks till I reach the upper deck. 
 

Lots of work still to go so thank you all for settling in and sticking around on these long builds! 😀