Bob Cleek

Ditto for refinishing pianos and other aged French-polished furniture.

What Eberhard and Jaager said! Absolutely. Canned pre-mixed shellac is readily available and inexpensive (although I've heard tell that it is harder to find in England for some unknown reason, so you may have to buy dry shellac flakes and mix it up in alcohol yourself.) Denatured alcohol, with which it is thinned, if necessary, and for clean-up, is also readily available and inexpensive. (Use the forum search engine for "sealing" and "shellac" and you'll find lots of details on its use as a sealer.) Thinned shellac (what they call two or three pound "cut," a mix ratio of two or three pounds of flake to a gallon of alcohol, (you'll need much less than that mixed at a time for modeling use) is the consistency of water and soaks right into the wood without raising the grain. I often simply dip a part into the can and let the excess drip off back into the can. It dries very quickly. I have no problem with losing detail at all. Were there a problem with the thickness of the application, the excess shellac, even if dried, could easily be wiped off with a cloth soaked in alcohol. Dried shellac-sealed wood can be rubbed or sanded easily. Any oil- or water-based paint can be applied over dried shellac. I really don't think there is a better wood sealer for modeling purposes, all things considered. Others prefer using other types of commercial sealers, but nobody I know uses diluted PVA for the purpose.

A very clever trick with the twisted wire with "link" openings formed by a pin. I've never seen that one before. it looks to be a very credible representation for very fine chain.

Yeah, it was a slow afternoon and I had time on my hands.

Just some opinionated general observations to add to the good advice above, offered for what it's worth. Others' mileage may vary: Since the internet and especially the Covid pandemic, we've begun living in the age of mail order. That has opened up much wider and more easily accessible sourcing options than we ever had before. However, the catch, particularly for those living outside of major metropolitan centers where a few "brick and mortal" shops struggle to survive, is that the costs of shipping and handling are added to online purchases and these added costs have risen exponentially in recent times. That fact has to be factored into the equation. "Amazon Prime" and "free shipping and handling" are significant considerations in making online purchases these days. You can rely on any of this forum's sponsors for the best of whatever they sell. They've all been thoroughly vetted and their customer service is top notch. You won't go wrong looking to them for specialized ship modeling products and their prices are very reasonable. If I needed an airbrush, I wouldn't consider looking any further than USA Airbrush Supply or for after-market blocks any further than Syren Ship Models. This is a no-brainer for me. If the online outfit advertises itself as a "hobby" anything, you are often better off going directly to an online supplier of professional supplies of the same type and see if you can do better. A "hobby shop" can get away selling lower quality tools and supplies at a higher price to a broader spectrum of customers, while a professional supply house will soon die on the vine if the professional customers aren't satisfied with product quality and service. Approach hobby outfits like Model Expo and Micro-Mark with caution. These two online retailers have an excellent selection of products for the modeler, but in many instances they are priced significantly higher than other sources catering to professional clients in allied fields. (It's a good idea to get on their mailing lists, though, because they often offer great discounts on clearance items.) This is particularly true with respect to tools. For example, Micro-Mark sells a pair of crudely scaled six-inch proportional dividers made by Tacro for $140.00, but you can find models of the finest rack-and-pinion adjustable, Verniier decimally-scaled ten-inch proportional dividers ever made, used and in good shape, for half that price or a higher-quality set of seven-inch dividers than the Tacro six-inchers for as little as $25 on eBay. The same goes for surgical and dental instruments. The "hobby shops" sell poor-quality tweezers, forceps, scissors, hemostats, scalpels and blades, and so on at higher prices than the mid-range quality stuff the medical and dental supply houses are offering on eBay or Amazon. There is a wealth of model-building tools and materials that can be found in higher quality and lower prices from professional jewelers' supply houses. This is where to look for pliers, cutting tools, files, tweezers, rotary tools and burrs, soldering supplies, and such. A couple of the most popular are Rio Grande (https://www.riogrande.com/) and Otto Frei. (https://www.ottofrei.com/ ) Cheaper files can be had from hobby supply houses, but, for example, cheap files are a waste of money. The same goes for pliers and cutters. When buying tools, the cheapest quickly becomes the most expensive when you have to buy another to replace it. Medical and dental supply houses are also a great source for ship modeling tools, although many of these companies sell "to the trade only" or in large lots to institutional purchasers. eBay is a good place to find used medical instruments useful in ship modeling, but caution has to be exercised because there are a lot of Asian manufacturers unloading poor-quality instruments on eBay. The upside of this is that they are often so inexpensive that taking a chance is worth the gamble. Carnegie Surgical Co. sells a range of professional quality ear polypuses, a type of forceps for working in very confined spaces that I consider to be an invaluable rigging instrument) ranging in price from around $100 to $250. Micro-Mark sells a 12" ear polypus for fifty bucks. eBay, on the other hand, has tons of different versions ranging from ten to twenty-five bucks (and up) that are quite acceptable for modeling use because we aren't going to be using them deep inside a patient's ear canal. The same applies to tweezers. If you're looking for an 8" or 12" pair of tweezers to reach inside the shrouds on your square-rigger, eBay is the place to buy them. As a footnote, there was once a time when you could get lots of used medical and dental instruments from friendly medical professionals. Forty years ago, I worked in a large state institution that had a big dental clinic and I was friends with the chief dentist there who was an avid HO train modeler. He kept me supplied with all sorts of worn-out instruments: probes, dental chisels, drill burrs, forceps, pliers, and the like. (I still have an oddly shaped pair of pliers designed to extract molars which comes in handy now and again.) Sadly, a combination of the trend to disposable instruments which are more cost effective because autoclave sterilizing and sterile repackaging labor is no longer needed and heightened "biohazard" prevention protocols now mandate the controlled disposal of used instruments. Few doctors and dentists consider it appropriate to deviate from the biohazard disposal protocols and save a "goody box" of used instruments for their modeling friends. If you are lucky enough to find one who will still provide you with some, go for it! Finally a word about paint. Ship modeling very rarely requires exact color matches. What we do need is quality paint with good archival qualities and a high content of good pigment ground finely that will produce good opacity. Most all the pre-mixed modeling paints marketed as such will meet these requirements... at a very high price. Bottled modeling paints are very convenient if one needs to get an exact color match and for this reason they are the favorites of armor, aircraft, and railroad modelers who need the exact shade of field gray used by the Wehrmacht in early 1943 or the exact shade of boxcar blue Conrail paints its boxcars. Ship modelers don't have the problem of that level of color accuracy and I don't think we have to pay five bucks an ounce and another five bucks in shipping and handling for a bottle of generic black, white, or bottom paint brown (which is the same as "boxcar red.") So I'd urge anybody who doesn't want to go broke collecting a couple of hundred one ounce bottles of modeling paint to display on their shop shelf while the paint dries hard in the bottles to learn to mix, condition and use quality tubed artists' oils or acrylics. Tubed colors have a shelf-life measured in decades, come in as many pre-mixed colors as anybody could possibly want, and, if one learns to mix their own colors, can provide any color in the rainbow out of five or seven tubes. (Black, white, red, blue, yellow, and for convenience maybe a brown, and a green.) There are many YouTube videos on how to use artists' tubed colors in both oil and acrylic for brush and airbrush application in miniature work which are well worth a ship modeler's time to watch. (Many are by the guys who paint fantasy gaming figures and miniature soldiers.) There is also an excellent instructional chapter on mixing your own colors for painting ship models in volume two of Ship Modeler's Shop Notes which can be purchased from the NRG. Tubed colors, as well as varnishes, thinners, and flattening (matte) additives and coatings are available on line from artists' supply houses, or locally from arts and crafts stores much easier than modeling paint is locally available at local hobby shops if you can even find one anymore. Painting and finishing ship models seems to be an aspect of the craft which is often given short shrift yet it is one of the most important factors in the final appearance of a model. There's a lot more to it than just applying paint straight out of the bottle. Once the relatively simple skill of mixing your own paint is mastered, you're free from all the limitations and inconveniences of sourcing pre-mixed modeling paint and can enjoy the benefit of saving lots of money over the course of a modeling career.

Beautiful work! I think you are channeling Donald McNarry's ghost!

You forget the last three ring making steps: Drop the completed ring on the floor. Spend fifteen minutes looking for it while talking dirty before giving up. Repeat.

You may find less warping problems if you thin your acrylic paint with alcohol. Experiment with scrap material to be sure this will work with your particular paper and paint. I think the task you describe would be best accomplished by using an airbrush. "Full bodied acrylics from a little pot" are not the best for retaining detail. Retaining detail requires a light application of thin paint, generally in multiple thin coats.

Correct you are. These can be had used for very reasonable prices, or even new. Buy the best you can afford. (Read the ratings online.) Good used ones are remarkably affordable. The Wen 16 inch Speed Scroll Saw gets high marks at the low end of the price spectrum at $120 on Amazon. If you can afford to pay more, for which you will get more, look at brands such as the higher-end DeWalt 20 inch Scroll Saw, the Excalibur 16" Scroll Saw, anything from Hegner, if you can afford it, and anything from Sakura if you can find it. (Supply chain issues have apparently limited availability of these high-end Japanese imports for the moment.) There are two basic types of scroll saws, parallel arm saws and C-arm saws. The parallel arm saws cut with a precise up and down motion with the blade vertical throughout the cutting stroke. C-arm saws have a slight front to back oscillation in their cutting stroke. C-arm saws are less expensive, but are much less accurate for detail work. Look for the parallel arm saws in the top-end brands. As with all tool purchases, buy the best tool you can afford and save money buying a used machine in good shape if you possibly can. Any inexpensive tool will prove to be the more expensive in the long run because you'll be buying it or a replacement in short order. For an example of the savings available on a used top of the line machine, see: Sakura 14" Scroll Mate Saw S/N 8807020923 | eBay and 21" Scroll Mate Scroll Saw | eBay The former lists new for $549 (14" SCROLL SAW - PS Wood Machines ) and the latter lists new for $799. 21" PS WOOD SCROLL SAW - PS Wood Machines

You have to consider the "scale viewing distance." How far back from the full-size vessel would you have to stand to see the entire vessel from stem to stern. Measure something the length of the vessel and get the number from that. Then do your "full-size" test panels as you have and stand as far away from them as you would have to stand off from the full-sized model to see it all at one time within your field of vision. Reproduce what your full-size test panels look like at the "scale viewing distance" above on your model's hull. Don't expect to see anything near the detail you've got at full-size viewing distance up close. I doubt copper plates were ever fastened with iron nails. If they ever were, you can bet it wasn't for long for the reasons stated. Copper plates were fastened with copper "tacks," much like copper flashing on a roofing job. The iron electrolysis problems with coppered bottoms involved the iron fastenings of the ship's hull timbers themselves. Signs of rust wouldn't generally be a major visual feature of a coppered bottom. Weed growth was little deterred by copper sheathing, although continual sailing scoured the bottom pretty well. Weed growth was (is) most pronounced around the waterline where the sunlight penetrates. Weed growth diminishes as the turn of the bilge is reached and the hull surface is shaded by the hull above. When a vessel is hauled, this weed and algae growth is immediately removed by hosing or scraping, which is easily accomplished. Once it dries, it is much more difficult to remove. In tropical waters, bottom fouling could quickly become excessive, particularly if the vessel was not actively sailing for any period of time. Ships were generally careened whenever possible, even if just upon shore, in order to maintain a much faster and maneuverable vessel.

You've got it! All those samples look great. I couldn't tell them apart from a close-up look at the real thing. Just remember to consider the scale viewing distance when applying those techniques to a model hull. Look at your samples from a distance to see the difference between close up full-scale and whatever scale your model is and adjust your detail accoordingly.

Oh, it is. It is! A search on eBay for "kitch" yields 5,100 results. https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p3519243.m570.l1313&_nkw=Kitch&_sacat=0 eBay currently lists 1,200 paintings on black velvet. https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2334524.m570.l1313&_nkw=black+velvet+paintings&_sacat=0&LH_TitleDesc=0&_odkw=Kitch&_osacat=0 eBay even lists 623 "antique ship models." https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2334524.m570.l1313&_nkw=antique+ship+models&_sacat=0&LH_TitleDesc=0&_odkw=black+velvet+paintings&_osacat=0 One of those models is listed for the "buy it now" price of $75,000! https://www.ebay.com/itm/265168202451?hash=item3dbd41aad3:g:YXEAAOSwx2hgqCyy&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAoHpjbFabjApK75gjwupuZ1vr%2FtskwUWQp0bZXbtgrvmAEpG0g%2BW9oEs7ZTsF42c%2Bz0u%2FBGcaSTNRpFQm7E1V4F7AQBJfC49dpOd3J5yj6EHa5c5O%2FRSqpwjsNGVCroMG4HuP%2FyKSDOj1kAoZ1f5ZaHlvdHqo6wzUCUL1y8yAhJPhYxOWsz13nyrFMou7q%2BfmG8ex5vAG0ppYQxQpeN5hgOs%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR-7L24bHYQ That said, the model Jaager and ccoyle accurately commented about isn't in the $75,000 category at all. What is asked on eBay and what is realized are often quite different figures. The moral of the story is that any antique (by definition over 100 year old) ship model is worth whatever a willing buyer will pay to a willing seller. If you like it for whatever reason, cherish and enjoy it as a family heirloom. It's a rare home that won't have its decor improved by a ship model on display!

Hey, welcome to the forum! Before anybody else does, let me suggest you go to the "new members" section and "introduce yourself," if you haven't already. I had some time on my hands and figured I'd respond to your question by sharing some thoughts on making the transition from model kit assembly to model building from scratch. Each approach has it's advantages and amazing work is done by many in both instances. it seems to be a natural progression, however, that folks begin with kits, then start supplementing their kit builds with aftermarket parts, then begin "kit bashing," and finally make the quantum leap to scratch building or what is known in the trade as "The Dark Side." The biggest difference between kit building and scratch building, as you've now discovered, whether you realize it or not, is that when scratch-building, the modeler must 'front load" his work with all the plans required, including translating plans for full-sized construction to plans for scale model construction, compiling materials lists, as you've encountered here, and so on. I'd guess the scratch builder puts as much time into historical research, drafting, tool acquisition, and shop management, as goes into the actual building process itself. If one doesn't have a taste for these tasks, they will probably enjoy greater satisfaction staying with with kit building. Since you mention planking with boxwood, I presume you are contemplating finishing the hull bright and showing all the plank seams. First off, you may want to reconsider using boxwood for planking after you price the stuff. There is a lot of waste involved in planking, although the offcuts will be useful for other purposes of the build. Boxwood can be stiff and difficult to bend, as well. Clear, fine grained Alaskan Yellow Cedar comes close in appearance and is easier to work with and considerably less expensive. (See: https://thenrg.org/resources/Documents/articles/AnOverviewOfWoodProperties.pdf) The method of planking is the first consideration. Do you plan to edge-set a lot of your planks as in the method described by master-modeler Chuck Passaro of this forum (and owner of Syren Shipmodel Company) or more traditional spiled plank? See: https://modelshipworld.com/forum/98-planking-downloads-and-tutorials-and-videos/) Chuck's method is much more economical in terms of wood requirements, but may not be suitable for all planks in a wineglass-sectioned hull like a J Boat. A hull with a lot of "tuck" may also require planking stock of varying thicknesses to accommodate "backing out" and "rounding off" to achieve the sharp frame curves aft. (This process involves carving a convex or concave face on the plank so it will lay fair against the faying surface of a sharply curved frame and fairly follow the outboard curve.) I suggest you read up on planking technique to learn to visualize plank shapes and understand how to spile plank to develop the proper plank shapes necessary. (See:https://thenrg.org/resources/Documents/articles/LiningOffYourHullPlankingTutorialAndFan.pdf) Some planks must be cut from substantially wide stock to accommodate the plank's curved shape. The scale of the model will dictate the plank lengths and widths. If you plan to show the plank seams as is the case with bright-finished hulls, you will need more plank to replicate full-size planking at scale. if you are simply "planking" to attain the shape of the hull and then paint it, you'll have more latitude in "skinning" the hull. For these reasons, the answer to the question of how much planking stock you may need is, "It depends." Not a real helpful answer, I know. You're talking about a good-sized model of 48". I'm guessing the scale is somewhere around 1:36 (1 inch equals about 3 feet.) If you put a rig on the model, it will stand about seven feet tall. Are you talking about a sailing model or a display model? At a scale that large, your build will probably require planking in the same manner as full-size practice. You will have to "line off" your planking and spile the planks to shape no matter how you cut it. You might as well get out your drawing board and do your spiling on paper to determine your maximum planking widths and scale lengths. This will provide you with a pretty good idea of the amount and size of planking stock you'll require to plank the hull. I'd add 25 to 50% additional to the planked area of the hull for off-cut waste and "goofs." With this sort of build, you will be better off milling your stock on an "as needed" basis than trying to source expensive pre-milled stock from the various vendors. As a practical matter, particularly for a build the size you contemplate, I'd think you'd be well-advised to invest in the Byrnes Model Tools "trifecta, their table saw, thickness planer, and disk sander, (http://www.byrnesmodelmachines.com/index5.html), a decent scroll saw at the least, if not additionally a "14 bandsaw or a 10" table saw, and think in terms of buying your wood in fair sized billets and milling it yourself. (See: https://thenrg.org/resources/Documents/articles/MillingScaleLumber.pdf) These tools aren't inexpensive but they hold their value pretty well and can always be sold if you lose interest in the hobby and the savings you will realize milling your own stock will substantially defray their purchase cost. There are those, and more power to them, who will say that the great Navy Board Models in museums were built with hand tools (which isn't entirely true) and all you need is a coping saw and an x-acto knife and you're good to go. It is true some remarkable models have been built with remarkably primitive tools, but the reality is that the level of accuracy modelers aspire to today, and the time it takes to scratch-build a model, benefit greatly from a limited number of specialized power tools which can eliminate a lot of the tedium and drudgery which otherwise can go with the territory. (See: https://thenrg.org/articles/power-tools) Building an "as built" large scale model from scratch can be a daunting task, but, like any project, easy enough if it's broken into discrete steps and care is taken to do the best work possible on each step. It should be said, though, that unlike running shoes, advising a beginning modeler to "Just do it!" is more often a recipe for disappointment. A large scale J Boat can be a beautiful thing. They have remarkably graceful hulls. (Their tall rigs will often chase everybody out of the room when they're finished, though. ) I'd encourage you to begin and build upon what you've learned from your first model, but do it right and avoid the pitfalls that can take all the fun out of the enterprise in short order if you don't plan each process carefully in advance and...

No kidding! Don'tcha just hate waking up in a cold sweat dreaming about that "rare, but life-threatening infection in the skin of the perineum?"

Recognizing that I may be sticking my neck out here, I'll offer the comment that the warnings seen on many solvent-based materials these days exist more for the manufacturer's' protection against products liability lawsuits which often result from the misuse of the product than for the protection of folks who use the product "as directed for the use intended." If you read the warnings now printed on a common ladder, you'd never climb one again. This phenomenon has created a certain level of paranoia in the general public, many of whom shy away from anything that has an odor they've been conditioned to find disagreeable. While chemistry continues to make progress in developing non-solvent-based materials, in most instances these substitute "water-based" materials intended to replace long-established solvent-based materials are inferior to their solvent-based predecessors, particularly with respect to their archival qualities, an important consideration in modeling. When used as directed, meaning "in a well-ventilated workspace" and in the small amounts encountered in modeling, there is generally negligible risk in using solvent-based materials. Commonsense is the order of the day in this respect. Without question, pouring an excessive amount of solvent-based material in a paper bag and "huffing" it is hazardous to your health, but we aren't contemplating that sort of misuse. Sadly, the general public's conditioned reaction to these product warnings has reduced the marketability of valuable materials and chased many manufacturers out of the marketplace entirely. (The demise of Floquil paints being a prime example.) In jurisdictions like California, which requires warning labels on anything that "may cause cancer or birth defects," we find state-mandated warning labels to that effect on everything from gasoline to wine and many long-valued solvent-based products can no longer be legally purchased at all. Local "product safety" ordinances in some California "air quality districts" even go so far as to outlaw the sale of any volatile organic compounds above a certain content limit including simple oil-based enamel paint or paint thinner and the like and, consequently, all that can be purchased anymore are inferior water-based coatings. Mindfulness of shop safety is a good thing, but we should not "throw the baby out with the bath water." Otherwise, we will continue to find valuable materials becoming entirely unavailable to the detriment of our craft. That said, Bondo is a hygroscopic material intended for use on dented automotive body metal and is not intended for nor suitable for use on wooden surfaces.

True that, Roger, but there's a lot of difference between wood species that will be encountered. A hardwood gun stock of walnut, for example, will not "whisker" much at all. On the other hand, a piece of soft basswood will "whisker" a lot over repeated wettings. Sealing any wood with shellac will harden the surface of the wood and subsequent sanding to remove "whiskers," "fuzz," or raised grain will then only need to be done once, rather than repeatedly until there's no more grain rising when the wood is wetted.

I haven't specifically used Windsor-Newton Artesian water-soluble artists' oils at all. As I understand it, these are traditional oil paints using some form of treated linseed oil that is water soluble. This supposedly provides the advantage of avoiding the aroma of turpentine which is traditionally used as a solvent. I love the smell of turpentine in the morning... smells like... like victory! Other's mileage may vary, it seems. The use of water-based coatings on the bare wood of models is not advised because water soaks into wood and raises the grain and "fuzz" to one degree or another depending upon the wood species and grain orientation. Multiple coats of water-based coatings can be applied and any resulting raised grain can be sanded fair, in which instance the first coat(s) serve as the sealer. Oil-based coatings will also benefit from a sealer applied first to the wood surface, but will not raise the wood grain. Given Windsor-Newton's description of this product, I can't imagine any problem using it for painting wooden models. As you are an experienced oil painter, I need not go into detail about choosing between the various brands and types of tubed oils except to mention generally that one should choose a line of oil paint that is commensurate with the quality of the model and the personal standards of the modeler. As most of us hope that our models will last some time, color-fastness is probably the first criterion in choosing an oil paint. second in importance will be the amount and quality of pigment (the more finely ground, the better, pigment being the greatest determinant of a particular color's price,) and lastly consistency. For those who are unfamiliar with artists' oils and acrylics, there is a very wide range of quality between the various lines of each brand and you get what you pay for. Lower priced "student" oils are at the bottom end of the spectrum and high-priced "professional grade" artists' oils are at the top end. Internet research on brand and type ratings will be found beneficial. Learning to mix colors expands the amount of colors available from a limited amount of tubed colors and ship modeling has the advantage of requiring a very limited pallete of colors, generally black, white, burnt sienna, yellow, and red. There's no need to buy an expensive "starter set" of tubed paint. For those unfamiliar with tubed oil paints, suffice it to say that they are simply "really thick paint packaged in a toothpaste tube." You squeeze out a bit and then condition it to your desired purpose. Add solvent (usually turpintine) and/or linseed (or whatever oil is the carrier) to thin it and modify handling consistency. You might want to add a bit of acetone to oil paint or alcohol to acrylic paint (consistent with what is compatible with the paint) when airbrushing because these solvents will evaporate more quickly and speed "drying" time. (Sometimes a very small amount of Japan drier can also be used to speed drying, as can "flattening" additive to adjust the finish gloss to a more matte finish.) There is nothing special about painting wood except that water based coatings will likely raise the grain and thus require sealing before use, or sanding after a first coat, that serving as a sealer.) Others have their own preferred sealers and the modeling paint companies are only too happy to offer expensive sealers to accommodate their customers. In fact, the best sealer for wood modeling is simply two- or three-pound-cut shellac. This can be bought in just about any paint or hardware store in pre-mixed cans. (Zinsser "Bullseye" is a common brand in the US.) Shellac is often referred to as "white" or clear shellac," or "orange shellac." The "orange" (running to dark brown as the number of coats increases) shellac is its natural color. The "white" or "clear" shellac has been bleached so it imparts no color to the surface. This is preferred for most modeling purposes. Shellac is also sold in "flake" form and is then diluted in denatured alcohol The "pound cut" refers to the amount of shellac flakes added to a gallon of alcohol and thus the dilution, and consistency, of the shellac, Shellac, being carried in alcohol, dries very quickly. Alcohol does not raise wood grain like water does. (Once soaked in and dried, it will permit sanding off the "fuzz" on softwoods like basswood to achieve a perfectly smooth surface necessary for accurate scale effect.) After the alcohol has been applied to the piece, the piece can be painted with any coating one wishes. In some instances, one will want to apply a base coat to ensure color uniformity, followed by the final top finish coats. YouTube is full of instructional videos on the use of tubed oil paints generally and on miniatures specifically. Check them out.

Most of the stuff I know was learned from making mistakes!

The Model Shipways dory kit instructions may be useful: MS1470 Dory instructions.pdf (modelexpo-online.com) Here's a very good build log of the Model Shipway's kit: A True Novice Build of the Lowell Grand Banks Dory.docx (modelexpo-online.com) Even if you do locate a copy of the old Midwest plans, these Model Shipways plans and build log will be helpful supplements. If you do locate a copy of the old Midwest plans, I expect they will be rather sketchy if they are like other Midwest plans I've seen. This is not a criticism of the kit, mind you, but rather a function of the times. Instructions have improved greatly over the years, though even now some could use improvement.

Yes, you can spray, or brush, enamel or acrylic paint over dried shellac. Apply the shellac first and let dry, then sand lightly to remove any imperfections. If you sand through the shellac coat, apply another coat of shellac. Sanding the dried shellac will remove any "fuzz" from softwood, (e.g. basswood) and yield a smooth surface for painting.

You can take the measure of a man by looking at his tools. This fellow is quite a modeler. Very nice shop!

Lucky you! My stash of Floquil has dwindled to nothing at this point. I loved everything about Floquil, including the aroma, except for the Dio-sol thinner. It was pretty costly and I ran out of it before I ran out of the paint I had on hand. I never had any problem using it. I still think it's the best modeling paint ever. I mix my own from tubed artists' oils these days, but I still miss Floquil. I see where some are trying to sell old stock on eBay for as much as sixty bucks a bottle! What made Floquil so good was the incredible fineness of their ground pigments. For those who never had the opportunity to work with Floquil see: Floquil Paint | Paul Budzik I've heard that Tru-Color paint, a relatively new brand, claims to be the replacement for Floquil, in terms of accurate colors, at least. I've yet to try it. It's not widely distributed in hobby shops... then again, nothing is widely distributed in brick and mortar hobby shops anymore. See: Tru-Color Paint | When You Need Tru-Color (trucolorpaint.com)

Well, your in luck with a whaleboat, since they were pretty much only two colors, black and white. Sometimes the inboard was painted gray, but that's just black and white mixed together. (Some carried a brightly colored sheer strake for long-range identification from the mother ship, as well.) Any of the modeling paints would be fine. Seal the wood with clear ("white") shellac and then paint. Some use a sanding basecoat and then a finish top coat. The sanding base coat will permit a very fine finish which is required for the proper scale appearance. Review the painting section of the forum. It's full of good information on the subject.

Beautiful job! Clever solution!

If you want a motorized ropewalk, Alexi Domanoff makes a good one: https://www.shipworkshop.com/ He's in Poland. No problem with shipping to the US from the EU. He provides great service and support. He has a range, from simple to complex machines.