jre8655

Our San Diego vacation has produced what I can only hope is a future ship modeler:
 

Our San Diego vacation has produced what I can only hope is a future ship modeler:
 

I just completed the bed extension last Saturday and haven't had a chance to try it out on anything loooooong as yet.  All the shorter work is already in place on the models.
 
Something I noticed on one of Hank's previous posts was a "collar" placed on the tailstock end of his turning.  I hadn't thought of that little idea.  Everything I've turned so far I just left some extra stock on the ends and was very careful not to put too much pressure on the piece with the tailstock point to split the wood.  That "collar" looks like it will eliminate the splitting problem.
 
Obviously my next project will be to turn some collars with various size holes to accept the different dowels.
 
Thanks for the idea Hank!

I've read through this topic and found it very interesting and informative.  I purchased one of the Proxxon DB-250's a few months ago and ran into some of the same issues as have been adddressed here.
 
One thing I found is that the bed wasn't long enough for some of the booms and masts I was working on.  Somewhere within this topic I came across a comment about getting a bed to use as an extention.  I checked the user manual for the lathe and found that you have to write to Proxxon to purchase replacement parts.  I did so and received the bed within a few days.
 
The fun part was aligning the two beds.  I had to sand down one end and add a little shim to the other to get it flat across the seam between the two beds.  Other than that I came out very nice and I can now turn some very long pieces.
 
I decided to set up the board I have it mounted to for clamping in a ShopMate.  This way I don't have the lathe permanently consuming a long section of my workbench and I can set it up just about anywhere I want for use.
 
Thanks for all the useful information.

The support board is 38" x 10" x 1/2" plywood.  To the underside I fastened a board 14" x 7" x 3/4" which is clamped into my WorkMate.  The extra board on the underside to the right of the clamping board is there for additional support and keeps the entire unit from tipping if clamped to a workbench.
 
When assembling the DB-250 and extension bed you have to make sure that the two beds align, otherwise the tailstock and tool support will not slide back and forth across the entire length.  This was easy to accomplish using a metal straight edge along the side and top of the two beds and either sanding the bottom of the bed and/or adding a shim to the other end.

Sewing progresses very slowly.  I’m still learning how to handle the sewing machine.  You would think this would be fairly simple, but no!  I’m finding that the most difficult part of sewing the seams in the sails is starting a line to stitching.
 

 
If you don’t control the top and bottom threads, keeping them taught with a finger as you begin the stitch, the bottom thread will sometimes snag the top thread and pull it under the cloth.  This causes it to be tangled into the stitching.  Of course you don’t discover this until after you’ve finished the entire line of stitching.  Sometimes I can very carefully pull the thread out and tighten the stitching.  Sometimes I can’t and then it requires taking out the entire line of stitching and doing it over again.  I’m learning!
 
Once I have the seams sewn into the sail pattern it leaves “Irish Pennants” along the hem line.  Using a regular sewing needle I bring the top thread back through the cloth and tie it to the bottom thread with a square knot.
 


 
Once all the seams are sewn in I dampened the sail cloth and ironed all the wrinkles out.  Now it’s time to start cutting out the patterns.
 

 
I’ve used Fray Check along all the sail pattern outlines to prevent the cloth from unraveling after it’s cut.  I also painted a thin solution of white glue to all the outside areas that will be folded to form the hems.  I’m hoping this will add just enough stiffness to allow for a nice crisp fold.
 
As I said; slow progress, but, “softly, softly, catchee monkey.”
 

Sewing progresses very slowly.  I’m still learning how to handle the sewing machine.  You would think this would be fairly simple, but no!  I’m finding that the most difficult part of sewing the seams in the sails is starting a line to stitching.
 

 
If you don’t control the top and bottom threads, keeping them taught with a finger as you begin the stitch, the bottom thread will sometimes snag the top thread and pull it under the cloth.  This causes it to be tangled into the stitching.  Of course you don’t discover this until after you’ve finished the entire line of stitching.  Sometimes I can very carefully pull the thread out and tighten the stitching.  Sometimes I can’t and then it requires taking out the entire line of stitching and doing it over again.  I’m learning!
 
Once I have the seams sewn into the sail pattern it leaves “Irish Pennants” along the hem line.  Using a regular sewing needle I bring the top thread back through the cloth and tie it to the bottom thread with a square knot.
 


 
Once all the seams are sewn in I dampened the sail cloth and ironed all the wrinkles out.  Now it’s time to start cutting out the patterns.
 

 
I’ve used Fray Check along all the sail pattern outlines to prevent the cloth from unraveling after it’s cut.  I also painted a thin solution of white glue to all the outside areas that will be folded to form the hems.  I’m hoping this will add just enough stiffness to allow for a nice crisp fold.
 
As I said; slow progress, but, “softly, softly, catchee monkey.”
 

How do you get to Carnegie Hall?  Practice, man, practice!
 
How do you make ship model sails?  Practice, swear, remake, practice, swear, etc!
 
I’m relieved that I didn’t attempt the Bluenose sails first.  My practice sail construction is to replace the original sails on a toy boat we purchased in Dunoon, Scotland, in 1981.  Time and water have damaged the sails and it makes an excellent subject for simple sails.
 
I hand washed the sail cloth, dried, and ironed it.  Traced the pattern onto the cloth, using a Quilter’s Marking Pencil, then used Fray Check along all the outlines.  Once I had that done I lightly penciled in the seams on the main sail.  Sewing the seams seemed fairly easy and I was able to keep the seam lines straight.
 
I used a small spatula to crease the hem folds then ironed and pinned the hems.  I only burned my fingers four or five times.  I used the instructions posted by DBorgens in his Lessons Learned Sewing Sails, posted 19 April 2013.  His method provides for a 1/8 inch hem when finished.
 
Now came the fun part!  I set up and began sewing the hems.  It’s not as easy to sew along a hem fold as it would appear.  I drifted off the hem line several times and when I tried to rip out the stitches it looked horrible.  Fortunately I had enough practice material to remake the sails a couple of times.  I hand finished the corners and sewed in the grommets.
 
Hopefully the Bluenose sails will go a little better and the end product will be much straighter.

I’ve been going back over the information I have on sail making and have found it somewhat lacking when it comes to washing and treating the cloth.  My first mistake was to hand-wash the cloth then fully dry it before ironing.  This just produced wrinkles that would not iron out.
 
Fortunately I have a female friend that, among other things, is a seamstress and artist.  She sent me the following information on handling linen (it also applies to muslin):
 
“When hand-washing linen for the first time, you need to soak it briefly in lukewarm water before washing.  When washing, use natural soap and cold water.  Linen will shrink anywhere from 4 - 6%.
 
As you now know, linen wrinkles readily.  Linen fabrics also soften with age.  Bast/plant based fibers such as linen require a little more care when laundering (i.e., bleach will weaken natural fibers and it yellows linen).
 
You need to dry wet linen on a flat surface, using towels underneath; unless you have access to new printmaking felts, which would be the very best choice for water absorption.  I suspect you may have gently hand twisted the fabric to remove excess water and also used a dryer.  Either one would have added to the fabric wrinkling.
 
You can avoid wrinkling by placing the wet linen flat, smoothing it with your hands if needed, on a layer of cotton bath towels.  You may need to pick up the linen by the corners and transfer it to a new stack of towels or roll it inside a layer of towels to wick the moisture from the fabric.
 
Back to the fabric drying…while the linen is still damp, not dry in any areas, this is the time to get out that friendly iron and iron the cloth while it is still damp with an iron setting of medium or high heat.  Begin with medium heat, moving to high is my suggestion.
 
Preparing the linen fabric before cutting the shapes is the better way to go.  You can store the remainder of the linen fabric by rolling it over a 100% cotton towel with a smooth surface and it will be ready for your next ship sail project.”
 
I applied her information to the muslin I have for the Bluenose Sails.  Using a Quilter’s Marking Pencil I transferred the sail patterns to the muslin and added the seam lines.

Sewing progresses very slowly.  I’m still learning how to handle the sewing machine.  You would think this would be fairly simple, but no!  I’m finding that the most difficult part of sewing the seams in the sails is starting a line to stitching.
 

 
If you don’t control the top and bottom threads, keeping them taught with a finger as you begin the stitch, the bottom thread will sometimes snag the top thread and pull it under the cloth.  This causes it to be tangled into the stitching.  Of course you don’t discover this until after you’ve finished the entire line of stitching.  Sometimes I can very carefully pull the thread out and tighten the stitching.  Sometimes I can’t and then it requires taking out the entire line of stitching and doing it over again.  I’m learning!
 
Once I have the seams sewn into the sail pattern it leaves “Irish Pennants” along the hem line.  Using a regular sewing needle I bring the top thread back through the cloth and tie it to the bottom thread with a square knot.
 


 
Once all the seams are sewn in I dampened the sail cloth and ironed all the wrinkles out.  Now it’s time to start cutting out the patterns.
 

 
I’ve used Fray Check along all the sail pattern outlines to prevent the cloth from unraveling after it’s cut.  I also painted a thin solution of white glue to all the outside areas that will be folded to form the hems.  I’m hoping this will add just enough stiffness to allow for a nice crisp fold.
 
As I said; slow progress, but, “softly, softly, catchee monkey.”
 

Sewing progresses very slowly.  I’m still learning how to handle the sewing machine.  You would think this would be fairly simple, but no!  I’m finding that the most difficult part of sewing the seams in the sails is starting a line to stitching.
 

 
If you don’t control the top and bottom threads, keeping them taught with a finger as you begin the stitch, the bottom thread will sometimes snag the top thread and pull it under the cloth.  This causes it to be tangled into the stitching.  Of course you don’t discover this until after you’ve finished the entire line of stitching.  Sometimes I can very carefully pull the thread out and tighten the stitching.  Sometimes I can’t and then it requires taking out the entire line of stitching and doing it over again.  I’m learning!
 
Once I have the seams sewn into the sail pattern it leaves “Irish Pennants” along the hem line.  Using a regular sewing needle I bring the top thread back through the cloth and tie it to the bottom thread with a square knot.
 


 
Once all the seams are sewn in I dampened the sail cloth and ironed all the wrinkles out.  Now it’s time to start cutting out the patterns.
 

 
I’ve used Fray Check along all the sail pattern outlines to prevent the cloth from unraveling after it’s cut.  I also painted a thin solution of white glue to all the outside areas that will be folded to form the hems.  I’m hoping this will add just enough stiffness to allow for a nice crisp fold.
 
As I said; slow progress, but, “softly, softly, catchee monkey.”
 

Sewing progresses very slowly.  I’m still learning how to handle the sewing machine.  You would think this would be fairly simple, but no!  I’m finding that the most difficult part of sewing the seams in the sails is starting a line to stitching.
 

 
If you don’t control the top and bottom threads, keeping them taught with a finger as you begin the stitch, the bottom thread will sometimes snag the top thread and pull it under the cloth.  This causes it to be tangled into the stitching.  Of course you don’t discover this until after you’ve finished the entire line of stitching.  Sometimes I can very carefully pull the thread out and tighten the stitching.  Sometimes I can’t and then it requires taking out the entire line of stitching and doing it over again.  I’m learning!
 
Once I have the seams sewn into the sail pattern it leaves “Irish Pennants” along the hem line.  Using a regular sewing needle I bring the top thread back through the cloth and tie it to the bottom thread with a square knot.
 


 
Once all the seams are sewn in I dampened the sail cloth and ironed all the wrinkles out.  Now it’s time to start cutting out the patterns.
 

 
I’ve used Fray Check along all the sail pattern outlines to prevent the cloth from unraveling after it’s cut.  I also painted a thin solution of white glue to all the outside areas that will be folded to form the hems.  I’m hoping this will add just enough stiffness to allow for a nice crisp fold.
 
As I said; slow progress, but, “softly, softly, catchee monkey.”
 

I’ve been going back over the information I have on sail making and have found it somewhat lacking when it comes to washing and treating the cloth.  My first mistake was to hand-wash the cloth then fully dry it before ironing.  This just produced wrinkles that would not iron out.
 
Fortunately I have a female friend that, among other things, is a seamstress and artist.  She sent me the following information on handling linen (it also applies to muslin):
 
“When hand-washing linen for the first time, you need to soak it briefly in lukewarm water before washing.  When washing, use natural soap and cold water.  Linen will shrink anywhere from 4 - 6%.
 
As you now know, linen wrinkles readily.  Linen fabrics also soften with age.  Bast/plant based fibers such as linen require a little more care when laundering (i.e., bleach will weaken natural fibers and it yellows linen).
 
You need to dry wet linen on a flat surface, using towels underneath; unless you have access to new printmaking felts, which would be the very best choice for water absorption.  I suspect you may have gently hand twisted the fabric to remove excess water and also used a dryer.  Either one would have added to the fabric wrinkling.
 
You can avoid wrinkling by placing the wet linen flat, smoothing it with your hands if needed, on a layer of cotton bath towels.  You may need to pick up the linen by the corners and transfer it to a new stack of towels or roll it inside a layer of towels to wick the moisture from the fabric.
 
Back to the fabric drying…while the linen is still damp, not dry in any areas, this is the time to get out that friendly iron and iron the cloth while it is still damp with an iron setting of medium or high heat.  Begin with medium heat, moving to high is my suggestion.
 
Preparing the linen fabric before cutting the shapes is the better way to go.  You can store the remainder of the linen fabric by rolling it over a 100% cotton towel with a smooth surface and it will be ready for your next ship sail project.”
 
I applied her information to the muslin I have for the Bluenose Sails.  Using a Quilter’s Marking Pencil I transferred the sail patterns to the muslin and added the seam lines.

It’s taken me 4 days to complete the paper patterns for the sails.  I started with the Main Sail and it took me 5 tries to get it right.  The Main Top Sail was next and it took 4 attempts before it was right.  Pretty much, it took me at least 2 tries on each one to get the dimensions correct.
 
Now comes the fun part!  I’m going to go to a fabric shop and purchase some of the lightest muslin I can find.  That seems to be the preferred fabric in all the reading I’ve done on sail making.  I plan on spending a couple of days playing with it to practice using the sewing machine.  I do have a toy sail boat that needs a new set of sail and I thought I would use that as practice before attempting the sails for the Bluenose.
 

The masts are ready to be glued into the hull.  In one photo I have of the Bluenose I found that there is a collar (Boom Jaws Rest) on each mast.  The kit includes 20 brass rings (10 for each mast) to secure the Main and Fore Sails to their respective masts.  These rings were placed on the masts then the Boom Jaws Rests glued in place.  This really helped prevent the rings from dropping all the way to the deck and in the case of the Main Mast they would have rested inside the Fife Rail.
 
With the masts in this configuration I set about epoxied them into the hull.  On this model there is no rake to the masts so they are set perpendicular to the deck.  I cut some cardboard braces to size and secured them to each mast to hold the mast at 90 degrees while the epoxy set.
 
I believe I’m ready to move on to the booms, gaffs, and jaws.

Used one of those irons when I was building RC model airplanes.  They actually have a fairly good temperature control.
 
Here is an address for the ones carried by Tower Hobbies:
 
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0095p?FVPROFIL=&FVSEARCH=%3Cb%3Ecovering%3C%2Fb%3E+%3Cb%3Eiron%3C%2Fb%3Es
 
They range in price from about $20 to $50.

It’s taken me 4 days to complete the paper patterns for the sails.  I started with the Main Sail and it took me 5 tries to get it right.  The Main Top Sail was next and it took 4 attempts before it was right.  Pretty much, it took me at least 2 tries on each one to get the dimensions correct.
 
Now comes the fun part!  I’m going to go to a fabric shop and purchase some of the lightest muslin I can find.  That seems to be the preferred fabric in all the reading I’ve done on sail making.  I plan on spending a couple of days playing with it to practice using the sewing machine.  I do have a toy sail boat that needs a new set of sail and I thought I would use that as practice before attempting the sails for the Bluenose.
 

It’s taken me 4 days to complete the paper patterns for the sails.  I started with the Main Sail and it took me 5 tries to get it right.  The Main Top Sail was next and it took 4 attempts before it was right.  Pretty much, it took me at least 2 tries on each one to get the dimensions correct.
 
Now comes the fun part!  I’m going to go to a fabric shop and purchase some of the lightest muslin I can find.  That seems to be the preferred fabric in all the reading I’ve done on sail making.  I plan on spending a couple of days playing with it to practice using the sewing machine.  I do have a toy sail boat that needs a new set of sail and I thought I would use that as practice before attempting the sails for the Bluenose.
 

Having previously posted a question about a mysterious object on the aft deck, next to the steering box, I decided to go back over the photos of the original ship and see if there was anything I could do to improve the overall look of the model.
 
The Admiral made a comment that the rigging line for the anchors look, “Phony,” in her opinion.  She said it would look better if there was chain instead of, “Thread.”  Since we needed to go to Michael’s for some needles, for her, I went along and took a look in the bead and jewelry making aisle.  Found some chain that looked promising.  Got the chain and a package of small Jump Rings to attach the chain to the anchors.
 
I also noted on the original photos the placement of a Chain Box on the Foredeck, next to the Winch Motor Housing.  If I was going to use chain then I would need a place to stow the extra.  The Chain Box was made from some scrap wood that had laser cut parts.
 
I think the overall affect looks pretty good considering the scale.
 
In the photos I have of the original Bluenose, there is a rack of barrels on the aft deck just ahead of the main cabin.  This kit does not supply, much less mention, any barrels on deck.  Improvising, I found some barrels of the appropriate size and fabricated a barrel rack.  Once it was completed and glued to the deck I fixed in some eye bolts and lashed the barrels down.
 
So here is a series of photos of the original ship’s deck and my completed rendition.  I hope it meets with your approval.

Moving along slowly.  I have been away from the workbench for a while because of family needs.
 
I was getting ready to start planking the hull when a thought struck me.  I felt uncomfortable with the wood supplied for the planking.  It just seemed to me that it was too flimsy and would give too much spanning the bulkheads.  So I decided to glue filler blocks between the bulkheads to better support the planking.
 
I have completed these filler blocks and shaped the hull.  I’ll add some wood filler to round out the sharp curves and fill in any holes then begin planking.

The scale on this model does not lend itself to much fine detail.  I wanted to add a drive chain to the winch, but was unable to find anything that small.  I opted (at the suggestion of my son) to wrap some thread around the sprockets to simulate a drive chain, or belt.  At least it fills in that space between the parts.
 
Once all the glue and paint was dry I mounted it on the Forecastle as indicated on the plans.

Having previously posted a question about a mysterious object on the aft deck, next to the steering box, I decided to go back over the photos of the original ship and see if there was anything I could do to improve the overall look of the model.
 
The Admiral made a comment that the rigging line for the anchors look, “Phony,” in her opinion.  She said it would look better if there was chain instead of, “Thread.”  Since we needed to go to Michael’s for some needles, for her, I went along and took a look in the bead and jewelry making aisle.  Found some chain that looked promising.  Got the chain and a package of small Jump Rings to attach the chain to the anchors.
 
I also noted on the original photos the placement of a Chain Box on the Foredeck, next to the Winch Motor Housing.  If I was going to use chain then I would need a place to stow the extra.  The Chain Box was made from some scrap wood that had laser cut parts.
 
I think the overall affect looks pretty good considering the scale.
 
In the photos I have of the original Bluenose, there is a rack of barrels on the aft deck just ahead of the main cabin.  This kit does not supply, much less mention, any barrels on deck.  Improvising, I found some barrels of the appropriate size and fabricated a barrel rack.  Once it was completed and glued to the deck I fixed in some eye bolts and lashed the barrels down.
 
So here is a series of photos of the original ship’s deck and my completed rendition.  I hope it meets with your approval.

READ – READ – READ – THEN DOUBLE CHECK!
While I was preparing to cut out the stem and stern reinforcement blocks I discovered that the stern blocks, numbers 15, 16, 17, and 18, are mislabeled on the plans.  I made a pencil correction on the plans and the wood parts then cut everything.  Once I had all the blocks sanded and squared they went into place very nicely.
 
I finished tapering and blending the false keel, bulkheads, and reinforcement blocks.  I checked the tapering on the false keel with the keel to make sure it blended into the keel.  Made some minor adjustments to the keel to ensure a good fit across the false keel then glued the keel to the false keel.
 
It was at this point that my 5 year old granddaughter saw what I was doing and asked if she could see it.  I didn’t think she would break it so I let her look.  She very dutifully studied the construction then asked, “What is it?”
 
I showed her the photo on the front of the kit box and she brightened up and said, “Oh.  It’s a sailboat!  Will you make me one?”  I have a fan club.  I asked her what she would do with it and she told me she would put it in her bookcase.  That sort of tells me that she realizes it’s not a toy.  Guess grandpa is going to have to build one for her.
 

Finished the display stand this afternoon.  It does have the desired look I wanted.
 
When the Admiral saw it she remarked, “It looks like what we saw in San Diego where they’re building that ship.”  She was referring to the San Salvador that the San Diego Maritime Museum is building.  So even she thinks it looks like a dry dock.  That’s praise enough for me.
 
What I discovered in building this was that I managed to get both sides of the hull very close in contour.  All the support pieces on the stand are identical Port and Starboard.  That pleased me.

Finished the display stand this afternoon.  It does have the desired look I wanted.
 
When the Admiral saw it she remarked, “It looks like what we saw in San Diego where they’re building that ship.”  She was referring to the San Salvador that the San Diego Maritime Museum is building.  So even she thinks it looks like a dry dock.  That’s praise enough for me.
 
What I discovered in building this was that I managed to get both sides of the hull very close in contour.  All the support pieces on the stand are identical Port and Starboard.  That pleased me.