Jump to content
MSW Spring Donation Drive

SGraham

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    538

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Everything posted by SGraham

  1. SGraham
    Here's a 1934 12" Craftsman-branded Walker Turner scrollie I just picked up last weekend for $20. It has the original stand and fretsaw blade vises and guides. Sometimes you can find oldies that still work well. Apart from being slathered in oil because of a leaky crankcase gasket, this saw is in great shape and runs smoothly. Switching blades is very easy. Steve
  2. SGraham
    That's simply spectacular mast work there, Sam. I really like the fancy woodwork. There is so much going on in those masts. The barely visible seam in the mast cheeks is also a really cool touch. Another thing that stands out to me is the contrasting wood colors, especially in the keel shoe and the gunport frames. Very inspiring work! I can't see a hint of the white you mentioned. I was concerned about the same thing in my Shenandoah build when I was using card stock. My card stock was ugly institutional green, but hey it was free. One thing I did was to color the card strips on the front and edges with black marker. Then after installing them I painted them with black or dark gray on the front surface, leaving the edges with the marker only. That way I didn't have to worry about being too careful painting the edges after they were installed. The colors blended together to my eye just fine. I also applied a coat of thinned shellac afterward to give it more of a metallic look. Steve
  3. SGraham
    Hey there Sam. I've been catching up on your build. Your work is meticulous. Those cross trees are so crisp and clean. What kind of wood did you use for those? It almost looks like teak. It's work like this that pulled me back into ship modelling. Steve
  4. SGraham
    Thanks David, Sam, and J. Steve
  5. SGraham
    Hi Sam, Thanks for the ping. Suzie's Huntington's Disease is progressing. She's had several close calls with pneumonia and sepsis. She's still in isolation from her last bout. She has almost no control over her swallowing and she aspirates liquids and the pneumonia kicks in. It gets really bad really fast and takes a long time to recover from since her condition is so compromised. We've been living with this disease for a long time, but this is a new phase for us. So, it's been a rough year. When things get rough I kind of withdraw. I've wanted to get out to the shipyard and start building, but somehow I keep turning to easier things. I've built a few musical instruments just to make some sawdust, but they don't take anywhere near the amount of research and dedication that ship modeling does. Soon I really do want to get back to it. A set of furled sails and some rigging is all I need to finish Shenandoah. I'm sure I'll finish her up and start another boat. In the meantime, thanks for checking in with me, Sam. I really appreciate it. Steve
  6. SGraham
    I like the look of the black ink. That was some intricate painting. The front edge of the horizontal plank looks nice with a cap on it. Steve
  7. SGraham
    Antanasp, This seems like a high quality kit. Your photography is beautiful too. Thanks for taking the time to give us such nice and thorough pictures of your build. Steve
  8. SGraham
    Hi J, mind if I pull up my beach chair? Like Brian, I've been looking at this kit for some time, so I'll enjoy watching this one go together. Is this the first MS ship you've built? I think your choice to go with the walnut planking was a good one. Did you mark the edges of the planks? In one of your photos of a bulwark the plank edges are nicely delineated, and I was wondering if you put pencil or marker on the edges. Steve
  9. SGraham
    Great stand, Jesse! I love the weathered timber look. They remind me of a barn beam I have a post drill hanging on. Steve
  10. SGraham
    Clean work, Jesse! I think those treenails with their end grain are going to contrast nicely with the bulwark planking. You're making fast progress on Syren. Steve
  11. SGraham
    Hey Sam, What I know about stowing cannon you could put in my eye and I'd never feel it. However, to confuse you further, here are some diagrams from Charles G. Davis' "The Built-up Ship Model." The 4 pounders are from a Revolutionary War era craft. The other diagram I'm not sure of the date. Hope this helps. Steve
  12. SGraham
    As to your question about what I'll build next, J, I've been giving it some thought. I want to try scratch building a water boat, maybe the Aqua Pura that's in one of Chapelle's books. I think I'd like to try building it in lifts. So, I messed around with a sample hull built from lifts. It's a skipjack from Grimm's American Ship Models book. I lofted the lifts, cut them out on the band saw, doweled and glued them together and carved them with a Stanley #63 curved-sole spokeshave. I was surprised at how easy the mahogany and poplar was to carve this way. I didn't get the hull exactly right, but I think I got it close enough to learn what I wanted to learn. So, I'll start a build log on the Aqua Pura soon, I hope. Anyways, as far as finishing Shenandoah goes, I seem to have run out of steam. Next week is my last week of summer school, and I hope to get some good time in at the bench. It's funny, but I almost seem reluctant to finish the boat. Steve Here's the practice hull I carved.
  13. SGraham
    Hey J. Well, I finally finished the case--before I finished the ship, of course. I have the gaff left to go and that's about it besides some running rigging. I've already made the gaff but still have to make the jaws. The case worked out well except that I made it too tall. I may cut the glass down 2 or three inches. I made the top of the case from some thin poplar. I like the contrast in colors. The case lifts right off the base, but it's really heavy with the glass in it. This makes it pretty exciting to put on and take off--if you're the kind of person that enjoys watching accidents. Steve
  14. SGraham
    Hello everybody. My schedule has finally cleared up a bit, and I was able to get out into my very hot shop today. I did some more work on the display case for Shenandoah. I added the uprights for the frame. They're mahogany from the big box store. I cut the miters and grooves for the glass on the table saw. The uprights are screwed onto the lower part of the frame. I've also got the top part of the case glued up but haven't yet decided if I want to put glass up there too. Probably not, as the case is pretty tall and you can get a nice aerial view of the deck from the side. The whole case will lift right off the maple board that serves as the base. It all has a coat of tung oil on it that still needs to be rubbed out. Steve
  15. SGraham
    Thanks, TurkSailor. Welcome aboard! Hi J. You're right—I haven't been in the shipyard for a long time. It's been a mixture of family stuff (6 birthdays, 3 anniversaries, and Mothers Day all in the month of May—we call it Mayhem), music gigs, and seeing my senior literature students off into the wide world. School is out tomorrow, so hopefully I'll be able to get back to building soon. I'm doing fine—just busy. Thanks for checking in. Steve
  16. SGraham
    Hi Jesse--I just found this build log. I'll pull up a seat too if you don't mind. You're making really quick progress! Steve
  17. SGraham
    Hi Janet, Thanks for the kind words. I really appreciate it. I'm happy to see that you are going to build the Shenandoah. I've had a very good time building the kit. I think it was a good reintroduction to the hobby for me. When you start, please be sure to start a build log as well. Steve
  18. SGraham
    That piece on the lower right would look spectacular as a capstan head. The subtle variations in color between the pieces are very cool. That's some very fine eye-catching work! Steve
  19. SGraham
    In the words of the inimitable Stephen Maturin: "He who would pun would pick a pocket." Steve
  20. SGraham
    Wow, Sam. You have nerves of steel. You never worked on the bomb squad did you? Steve
  21. SGraham
    Wow, Sam, those quarter badges are works of art. Beautiful job. Steve
  22. SGraham
    Jesse, Sam, Nils, J, and Bob, thanks for the kind words. No attempts on the glass yet. I've got a gaff to make and some running rigging left to do, then comes an attempt at glass cutting. Steve
  23. SGraham
    Wow, J, what a beautiful build. I love the colors and detail. I especially like the simple, lightweight stand. I think you broke some kind of speed record building this one! Steve
  24. SGraham
    I finished the boom today. Sorry for the blurry pics; my photography skills leave much to be desired. The tiny cleats, ironically, took me the longest to make. I haven't hung any rope coils on cleats, pinrails, or bitts yet. Thanks for looking! Steve
  25. SGraham
    I've heard the term "beer goggles," but I've never heard it applied to ship building... Steve

About us

Modelshipworld - Advancing Ship Modeling through Research

SSL Secured

Your security is important for us so this Website is SSL-Secured

NRG Mailing Address

Nautical Research Guild
237 South Lincoln Street
Westmont IL, 60559-1917

Model Ship World ® and the MSW logo are Registered Trademarks, and belong to the Nautical Research Guild (United States Patent and Trademark Office: No. 6,929,264 & No. 6,929,274, registered Dec. 20, 2022)

Helpful Links

About the NRG

If you enjoy building ship models that are historically accurate as well as beautiful, then The Nautical Research Guild (NRG) is just right for you.

The Guild is a non-profit educational organization whose mission is to “Advance Ship Modeling Through Research”. We provide support to our members in their efforts to raise the quality of their model ships.

The Nautical Research Guild has published our world-renowned quarterly magazine, The Nautical Research Journal, since 1955. The pages of the Journal are full of articles by accomplished ship modelers who show you how they create those exquisite details on their models, and by maritime historians who show you the correct details to build. The Journal is available in both print and digital editions. Go to the NRG web site (www.thenrg.org) to download a complimentary digital copy of the Journal. The NRG also publishes plan sets, books and compilations of back issues of the Journal and the former Ships in Scale and Model Ship Builder magazines.

Our Emblem ®

Modelshipworld - Advancing Ship Modeling through Research

Nautical Research Guild ® and the NRG logo are Registered Trademarks, and belong to the Nautical Research Guild (United States Patent and Trademark Office: No. 6,999,236 & No. 6,999,237, registered March 14, 2023)

×
×
  • Create New...