Bob Cleek

I came across this interesting video today. It shows the many knots useful in tying fishing rigs. Many were familiar to me and I expect would be to others, but it occurred to me that many of them are also useful for tying model rigging as well. The knots are designed for using slippery plastic fishing line, but can be tied with any sort of thread or line. Many of the knots yield a "served" appearance with the fall wraped around the standing part. Particularly in smaller scales, some of these knots will appear as a respectable representation of a served eye splice. I thought they might be of interest to some. https://www.animatedknots.com/

Whew! That was welcome news and not at all surprising. I'm only theoretically conversant with CAD. I know how it works and what it's limitations are, but I don't use it for a variety of reasons, not least of which are exactly the reasons Chuck mentions. I do my drafting "on the board" and I hang plank "on the boat" as in full-size practice. For my purposes, (okay, at my age...) I find that faster (and less expensive) than buying the really good software necessary and taking the classes to learn how to use it. (As chance has it, Autodesk's world headquarters are just down the road from my office.)

Excellent suggestion! I always keep an eye out for what some of us here in the US call "old 'arn." Tools were simply much better made before about 1950. This is especially so with metalworking tools and woodworking hand tools. The iron in them was higher quality and the tolerances seem to be better. There were "second grade" tools back then, too, but they haven't lasted. If I see an old tool that I expect I'll find useful at a garage sale or an online auction site that is reasonably priced, I grab it.

I would question whether in most smaller scales (1:24 and below) carvel plank seams should be visible at all. In most all instances, they certainly would not be visible at scale viewing distances on a prototype. There seems to be a determined fetish of showing exaggerated plank seams these days (and its corollary, "riveted" copper sheathing,) even when they are wildly out of scale. Perhaps after modelers go to the trouble of hanging plank to form a hull. they feel the need to make it clear that they did. I dunno, but it doesn't make sense to me.

Interesting question, really. It's just a matter of opinion, but I'd say "to paint or not to paint," or somewhere in between, is a matter of the modeler's artistic prerogative. Making the right choice often makes the difference between a great model and a pedestrian one, notwithstanding the level of technical skill involved. It's been a while, but when I visited the Admiralty model collection at the NMM twenty-five years ago, I recall that most models were indeed painted where paint would have been visible in the prototype, save for where they intended the construction to show (often where the below the waterline planking or decking was omitted,) their convention was to leave the wood "bright" (i.e., oiled or varnished, not painted.) That was their builder's choice. Your mileage may vary. There are those who are capable of near-perfection in construction and who use precious wood species most of us would be loath to paint or even stain. Other's do miniature masterpieces of the carver's art that, if painted or gilded, might as well be mass-produced plastic kit parts. If the modeler's intention is to portray the actual construction details, fastenings and all, and they leave their wood bright, the effect can be very impressive. That said, it is my personal opinion that there's little point in the work such "open construction detail" models require unless the research is available to ensure reasonable accuracy in the depiction. Such a model which is based upon the modeler's understanding of generic construction practices of the period and type of vessel may be a tour d' force of modeling skill from a technical perspective and a true work of art that provides pleasure to those who view it, but, in almost all instances, the construction details are the modeler's or the plans author's own interpretation, not an accurate model of the actual vessel's construction, and so of limited value as an historical record. It's a work of fiction, regardless of how good a read it may be. Another consideration is the modeler's strengths and weaknesses. If one doesn't paint, they have to be really, really good at modeling. There's no option to slap on some fairing putty and sand a planked hull fair and paint over it to achieve a perfect result. Again, it's just my opinion, but I really think that a lot of the so-called planked hull kits that suggest they be left unpainted don't provide wood that even comes close to being suitable for that purpose and the results often appear crude as a result. They'd produce better models if they were painted. Conversely, if one's paintwork looks like it was laid on with an old toothbrush, perhaps they'd best stick with Minwax wipe-on stains. On the other hand, if one builds for their own satisfaction, "for the mantle" as one might say, then it is really purely a matter of taste. If it satisfies the modeler, who cares what anybody else thinks of it? Bottom line, for what it's worth, my rule is "If it looks right, it is right." and if it satisfies me, it's served it's purpose as far as that goes.

Sort of. I set the depth of the plug cutter on the drill press so that it is slightly short of punching through the block of wood. When the quill is raised after a cut, the plug stays attached to the bottom of the block, preventing clogging the cutter bore. When I'm through cutting the plugs, I cut or sand off the bottom of the block through to the depth of the plugs I've cut and poke the plugs out of the holes. With large plugs (full-size) I lay the plug bores in straight lines on a grid pattern, overlapping the cuts at the edges of the adjacent plugs, I then saw the rows of plugs apart, leaving them attached to the resulting strips of wood beneath the bores. These strips make it easy to handle the plugs. They can be broken off the strip individually and driven into their counterbores, leaving the unbored strip at the bottom attached. The plug is then cut fair to the surface of the work. This saves time and energy. Plugs for counterbores are cut so that the grain runs parallel to the grain of the counterbore and the grain is aligned to match the direction of the counterbored piece. (Drilled across the grain.) Plugs are always cut from the same species as the counterbored piece, and from offcuts of the same stock, where possible. This prevents the plug from coming loose from differing rates and directions of wood movement between the plug and the counterbored wood. When cutting trunnels, the grain direction is parallel to the length of the trunnel. (Cut with the grain.) A trunnel cut across the grain won't hold diddly squat. It will break at the grain segments. (Full-sized trunnels are turned on a lathe or got out of billets driven through dies.) Trunnels are often cut of different species (e.g. locust) for strength and dried as much as possible (often stored next to the shop stove) to promote a tighter fit when they swell up after being driven. I mention this in the modeling context because a plug over a metal fastener is always nearly invisible in real life and certainly so at scale, while trunnels may be darker (e.g. locust trunnels in oak or larch planks.) Where planking was fastened with spikes and nails, the plugs aren't going to be a different color in real life. This is particularly so with decks, where harder trunnels would wear less that the surrounding softer plank and result in a "bumpy" deck surface. Some modelers use contrasting colored wood or plastic line for plugs and trunnels to show where the fastenings are in their unpainted models, which can produce a nice effect in a model built to show the various members of the hull in their original construction configuration. Real ships don't always look like that, though.

Answer: "It depends." There are variables, depending on the material and the purpose. Use the forum's "search" feature for openers under "glues" and "adhesives." There's more than anybody could hope for about them in here. You'll probably find an answer that way.

Model Shipways sells plans for their Charles W. Morgan model for forty bucks. https://modelexpo-online.com/charles-morgan-plans (Yours does not appear to be the current Model Shipways model.) The Model Shipways instruction manual (not the plans, but it may be of help to you) is available on line here: https://www.manualslib.com/manual/1087510/Model-Shipways-Charles-W-Morgan.html?page=33#manual Mystic Seaport sells the "official" plans, although for considerably more. You will find a lot of information on building and rigging the Morgan model here: https://www.charleswmorganmodel.com/ Your model portrays Morgan as she was launched, with her ship rig (square sails on the mizzen mast.) She was later "cut down" to a brig rig (fore and aft sails only on the mizzen.) The current Model Shipways model is of the brig rig. I don't know if they provide plans for the option of building her with her original ship rig.

If those blowers were added for passenger liner use after she was a troopship, just imagine what the ventilation situation must have been below decks when she was packed solid with troops who hadn't showered for the duration of the voyage, not to mention the seasickness issue!

https://www.reichelt.com/gb/en/screw-tap-set-m1-m2-5-30-pieces-donau-mgs1025-p214261.html?&trstct=pos_1 which somebody mentioned above, has that very same outfit for 49 pounds, which is about $64 US. I don't know what the shipping brings it to, though. I enjoy perusing the Micro-Mark catalogs and I have occasionally bought things from them when they have good sales, but I have found over the years that a lot of their tools aren't the best quality and are often priced substantially higher than elsewhere. I suppose they'll hate me for writing that, but I know I'm not alone in coming to this conclusion. If you watch closely, you can get some decent stuff for a reasonable price when on sale. (I hope that makes them feel better! )

Beautiful job! I hope your chemo turned out as well as your model! Just one suggestion: build or buy a nice display case for it. That will preserve what is truly a work of art for generations to come. Without a case, well, there's dust, curious grandkids, the cat... the list goes on and on. Any ideas for your next build?

Air dried is preferred, actually, particularly for steam bending, although sometimes with some species there's little or no difference between the two. That's especially true for the small sizes used in modeling. If wood moves when drying, you'll know it.! Keep mind, though, that dried wood will also sometimes move after it is cut, owing to stresses that are released when the parts are cut. The general rule of thumb for air drying wood is one year of drying for each inch of thickness of the thinnest dimension. Thus, a one inch thick plank should air-dry for at least a year. It sounds like you're probably good to go with what you've got.

Oh yeah! That's pretty nifty. I've never seen those before.

This is a promising lead. Those look exactly like the Asian-made sets that are all over eBay, but they probably are better quality, if they are like so much of the Asian tool products these days. The one factory makes the same product, but sells them wholesale at different prices depending upon the fit and finish. The US retailers set the specs they demand and check the quality control and pay a higher price for the product they want. This is why the apparently nearly identical 7X12 mini-lathe will be sold by Grizzly and Harbor Freight, but the Grizzly costs more. It seems with a lot of this Asian stuff, when they are stuck with production that doesn't meet the contract specs, they sell it off on eBay and elsewhere for lower prices. If Esslinger is willing to put their label on it, they've probably made sure the product isn't going to make them look bad. I might try a set from them.

I'm not sure what you mean exactly. Drill bits to match taps are certainly convenient when buying blister-packed tap, die, and bit sets in larger sizes, but, as mentioned in the quote in the original post, in "micro" sizes, the diameter of the hole to be tapped is likely going to vary depending upon the material being worked. You can cut deeper threads in softer material, like copper, which means you'd drill a smaller hole for the tap. In harder metals, the threads would have to be cut shallower to prevent the tiny tap from breaking which would mean the hole would have to be larger in brass or ferrous metals. Unfortunately, the manufacturer's instructions there explain that determining the proper depth of thread, and hence, the size of the drill bit for the tap, is a matter of trial and error! Tapping internal threads in small sizes on a lathe is done with a tap turned by hand power. Cutting threads on a lathe, of course, is done under power. Cutting small diameter fine outside threads can be done on a lathe, but I have never heard of cutting small diameter inside threads on a lathe. How does one get a thread-cutting tool on a boring bar inside of even an 1/8" diameter hole? Is that possible?

I was watching a British-made television documentary about the development of naval ships last night. ("Heavy Metal" it was called.) They were interviewing the curator of Victory aboard the vessel right next to a gun and carriage. The gun had a hammered lead cover on the flint lock, exactly as do yours! I expect you may know that, but I was very impressed with your eye for detail. If it weren't for this thread, I'd still be wondering what that "lead patch" was on top of the gun.

This bit of flotsam came adrif from in a discussion about making working turnbuckles, which require reversed threading and washed up here. I've also encountered the "turnbuckle problem" and "solved" it using the method Kurt describes (non-reversed threads, with one fork set a bit longer, and then just that fork alone tightened as required so both fork shafts appear about equal) , but I was frustrated by not having a reverse thread tap and die, anyway. I once encountered scratch-built quarter-inch scale working turnbuckles on a hundred year old model I restored and they were a joy to deal with. I went searching for micro taps and dies, and reverse threads and got a big case of "sticker shock!" There are the ubiquitous drawplate and tap sets manufactured by the People's Patriotic Jewelers' Tap and Die Manufacturing Collective available for less than $25 on eBay and elsewhere. I tend not to buy such tools, but they were the first I'd found and I figured, "How much more can the decent quality ones be?" Whoo boy! Eight taps and a drawplate in a mid-range priced set was $175 at Otto Frei, the jeweler's tools supply house, and that was their bottom-of-the-line "utility" grade offering. Newman Tools, a tap and die specialty house (http://www.newmantools.com/taps/micro.htm) had even more expensive offerings, but no doubt of acceptable quality. Their prices gave me visions of calling the Suicide Prevention Hotline the first time I broke a tap. Their webpage did have some interesting, if even more unsettling information. They explain that as of 1958, there is a "Unified National Miniature Thread Series" ("UNM") that replaced what was a hodge-podge of threads previously used. I also learned that there are "watchmaker's threads" and "jeweler's threads," although I'm not sure if these are superseded by the UNM standard thread sizes. The watchmaker's threads used to be finer than the jeweler's threads. Newman recommends that: "Because these small taps are fragile, it is recommended that 75% thread be adopted only for soft materials and short threaded holes. As the length of the hole increases, the percentage of thread should be decreased. The depth of the hole to be threaded (*) as a function of the major diameter is provided in three groups and each group has a minimum and maximum for tap drill size. The minimum diameter should be used for soft and ductile materials and the maximum drill diameter for harder and more difficult materials. In many cases the hole diameter does not correspond to a numbered drill, so the closest millimeter drill should be selected." Okay, I get that. Watchmaker's fine threads for brass and stainless and jeweler's coarser threads for copper and softer metals. (I think... assuming there's still a difference under the UNM standards.) But Newman Tools' final disclaimer wasn't particularly reassuring: "The tap drill sizes shown for form taps are only a recommendation as a starting point. Depending on the material being tapped and the depth of the tapped hole, the hole size may have to be slightly increased or decreased to obtain good thread form and good tap life." In other words, "If the tap breaks, the hole's too small and if the hole is too big, you've ruined the workpiece and have to start over." At forty or fifty bucks a tap, no less! (This will have more meaning for anyone who has experienced firsthand how easy it is to break a small tap.) I have yet to find any source at all for reverse thread micro taps and dies. (Big ones exist, of course.) So... I'm thinking that the only option until I win the lottery is one of those cheapo Asian sets. Does anybody have any experience or recommendations regarding the Asian micro tap and die plate sets? Do they work at all? Are they suitable for modeling purposes, if not for watchmaking? (I'm not expecting to use them on a Rolex anytime soon.) 　

Frank said: "Thanks everyone for your comments on turnbuckles and taps. I think any further discussion would be better on the Modeling Tools and Workshop Equipment forum, rather than this Skipjack Kathryn build log." Good Point! I was thinking the same thing myself, a second after I hit "save." I've moved it over there. Lovely build, by the way. HAER is a great resource for modeling plans. I wish they'd set up an index for them, though. It does take a bit of hunting to find them. I'm glad to see somebody building to them.

Properly maintained bleached teak decks are practically "white." (a light cream color) If left to weather, they turn grey. Any fine grained "white" wood will portray teak decks on a model. Teak, if varnished, has a somewhat varied color spectrum, ranging from light tan to dark brown, depending upon the subspecies and age, so pick your preference or match the prototype, if you have that information. As with all unpainted wood on a model, coarse grain is out of scale.

Yeah, I thought that not putting the swab back in your mouth was a given, but then I remembered the "Darwin Principle."

They are mid-Twentieth Century "decorator models." These were made on a production basis for export to the U.S. They were sold as household decoration. At this point, they are interesting as a type that are becoming scarce because most have been discarded. Yours have a connection to your grandfather and are worth preserving for that reason. Dust and clean them as best you can. After the dust is blown off, clean them using cotton swabs dampened with water and a bit of mild dishwashing detergent. (Not so much that it will leave a sticky residue when the water dries.) Some museum curators advocate using saliva to wet the "Q Tips" because it supposedly has chemical properties that clean better than water alone, but given that you probably have no idea what's in the dust that's collected on them over the decades, I'd hesitate to try that myself. The sails may be impossible to clean, although, if you can remove them without destroying them, you might try soaking them in warm water and handwashing them. Always test a small area of anything you clean to make sure it is stable. For example, if the printing on the sail fabric is water-based, washing them could make a mess of that. Find what parts you can that are broken and glue them back together using a good white or yellow wood glue or "Super Glue." Try to figure out where the "strings" that are broken were attached. (The length of the end of the loose string is usually a good clue to where it came from.) Replace the broken strings with new material as close in appearance to the original as possible. It's a worthwhile project and if you take care of them, you can leave them to your grandchildren, too!

I would be reluctant to hammer nails into a model without first drilling properly sized holes for them. The risk of splitting a plank or other piece would be too great. If I wanted to have brass nail heads (and clinched roves... see below) show black, I'd only apply liver of sulfur to the nail heads after they were driven and headed over. The liver of sulfur does not stain the surrounding surfaces. In that way, knocking off the patina with the hammer isn't an issue. Viking ship lapstrake planking wasn't nailed, actually, but rather riveted. Their hand-wrought nail heads were in some instances what we'd today call "rose-headed," and in other instances, more or less flat. For the purpose of depicting the construction methods of a full-size vessel, modelers may sometimes use blackened wire or black monofilament fishing line in the proper scale diameter to depict nails in wooden boats. In fact, most all of the prototype vessels were fastened with trunnels (wood pegs) or where nailed, would have had the nail heads countersunk and the countersunk holes plugged with a wood peg finished flush with the surface. The nail heads, or more accurately, the rivet heads, on Viking ships weren't countersunk owing to the thinner planking and lighter construction and the fact that the rivets ("nails") were clinched over a square rove inboard, as shown below. So, to replicate the fastenings in an open Viking boat model would require a lot of tedious work, even with "mock rivets," rather than real riveted fasteners, but it sure would look would really look spectacular!

I googled their web site. At a glance, they don't appear to have the same selection as Thurston did, but it looks like they have stuff that's close enough to get by.

I believe Ed Tosti and others use liver of sulphur gel. It blackens copper, brass, bronze, and silver. Soluble in water, it may be brushed on after hammering (and silver soldering) without staining the surrounding non-metallic material. It's relatively safe. The metal must be clean and free of oils. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liver_of_sulfur https://www.cooltools.us/Cool-Tools-Liver-of-Sulfur-in-Gel-Form-2oz-p/pol-802.htm or google for many retail sources. It's a standard product for jewelers. Follow the instructions. All you need to know.

Yes, but only when it's under water in an airless environment. When it's hauled out into the air and the barnacles and seaweed are scrubbed off, it would probably be more accurately described as blotchy "brown-green." Copper deters marine borers, but it doesn't do much to keep vegetative growth at bay, so a coppered bottom hauled out after a period of time in the water will likely have a lot of crud growing on it. When that is scrubbed off, it will initially turn green very quickly as new verdigris develops on the abraded copper when exposed to air. That will thereafter turn to a "brown" penny color. Think of it exactly like a penny you found on the bottom of a swimming pool or somebody threw into a fish pond for good luck. See: https://ussconstitutionmuseum.org/2016/11/18/new-copper-sheathing-2/ USS Constitution's coppered bottom hauled out for repairs. Green color a result of having been scrubbed (in this case, probably pressure-washed) and abrading previously oxidation. Note difference in colors of oxidation, perhaps from differences in plate alloys (e.g. plates wrapped around sternpost between above lowest gudgeon and the one above) and in other areas, perhaps due to intensity of pressure-washing. When she initially was hauled, she likely would have been pretty well covered with growth unless regularly scrubbed by divers while at the dock, which is also a distinct possibility. Note above how very well scrubbed rudder which was brighter green in earlier picture above has, perhaps a few days later, already started to mellow to "penny" color. Constitution being re-coppered. Copper tacked over (black) Irish felt underlayment. Original planking below that. Seams stopped with underwater seam compound. (Brown "stripes.")