Bob Cleek

Congratulations! All's well that ends well. Glad it came out. I make it a policy never to leave anything in a taper and to keep them super clean. They can freeze up pretty quickly. Too bad the previous owner didn't take better care of his toys!
 
 
 

Back with a bump! After examining the tailstock spindle in my other lathe, it was clear the spindle is blind bored from both ends. The centre's are a very snug fit in the front bore and have a steep (45degree?) taper land. There is no provision to drift it out if it gets stuck. The cure was application of gentle heat; the temperature differential released the stuck centre! Job done. Like most things mechanical, the best care is to use it and/or do the periodic servicing.
Thank you to Bob and Bruce for their welcome interest.

Shipman,
I have Unimats and must confess I can't picture this pin you describe. However, there is a locking screw on the tailstock to fix the ram in position: is it at all possible what you are dealing with lines up with that screw?
Also, I expect the penetrating oil is a good aproach although it may need a bunch of gentle urging with a hardwood dowel (assuming the pin mystery is resolved).

You'll be happy to learn that the Morgan has "rat battens" on her lower shrouds, at least, not ratlines.

It's a lot easier to use a drawplate, which will give you a perfectly uniform diameter of whatever size you desire.
 

 
Byrnes Model Machines (Makers of the Byrnes saw) offers a drawplate which produces very fine round material.
 

 
They are also available in any number of shapes, such as squares, rectangles, half-rounds, and so on.
 

 
 

I have that saw. It is far from vibration free, but for the money, it's not bad. This is my second scroll saw. Looking back I wish I'd ponied up for a true woodworkers one.

While I don't have much familiarity with Proxxon tools, they do have a good reputation in the modeling community and are reasonably priced. That said, they are "hobby grade" tools, and you get what you pay for in tools. 
 
When you consider you can purchase a brand new Sakura 14" parallel arm scroll saw for $550 right now, which is rated in the same top-end class with a $1,700 Hegner (but I won't argue that the Hegner probably isn't a bit better,) I'd hesitate to pay $350 for the Proxxon. Proxxon advertises that their saw has a "vibration reducing steel base" or something like that. There's a lot more to reducing vibration in a scroll saw than a metal base. I was lucky to be able to buy my American-made Sakura nearly new for $100 from a fellow who bought it and then had no use for it. It's light years ahead of the Craftsman and Delta scroll saws I've owned previously. The constant tension parallel arms make a huge difference in the higher quality scroll saws. So does a belt drive. Variable speed is essential if you want to cut both wood and metal and plastics. A variable speed foot pedal is handy, too. I'd take a hard look at the highly rated new Deltas and the Sakuras (http://www.pswood.com/scroll-saws/) before spending the money Proxxon wants for a lower rated machine. And, as always, there are surprising bargains to be had in top end tools on the used market. Craigslist can be your friend. (eBay, sometimes, but not so much.) Sometimes wealthy people buy very expensive power tools and lose interest, or for whatever reason want to get rid of them. Used tools in good shape are the best buy.
 
Sakura 14"
 
 

Manuals and exploded parts diagrams are available on line. Google around and you'll find them. The Unimat Facebook Group is also a helpful resource. I'm not going to hazard a guess on how to do it (although tapers usually pop out of the sleeve when the tailstock ram is pulled back into the tailstock...) I'd hate to be responsible for your having to replace some very expensive and hard to find parts if you buggered it up. Check the manual. You may well have to disassemble the ram from the tailstock and drive the dead center out with a drift. Be really, really careful not to gall threads or hit any castings with a hammer. They may break.

Ditto on LittleMachineShop. Double-ditto on spending more on tooling than on the lathe! That goes with the territory with lathes and mills and that's just for what I'd call essential tooling just to get done the basic operations one would expect the lathe to do.  

Manuals and exploded parts diagrams are available on line. Google around and you'll find them. The Unimat Facebook Group is also a helpful resource. I'm not going to hazard a guess on how to do it (although tapers usually pop out of the sleeve when the tailstock ram is pulled back into the tailstock...) I'd hate to be responsible for your having to replace some very expensive and hard to find parts if you buggered it up. Check the manual. You may well have to disassemble the ram from the tailstock and drive the dead center out with a drift. Be really, really careful not to gall threads or hit any castings with a hammer. They may break.

MicroMark has them in three sizes, called "ear polypus" forceps, which they aren't. They are properly called Hartmann ear alligator forceps. I have a cheap pair like MicroMark sells. You'll pay the same or less from a medical instrument supply house for a much higher quality instrument. The next set I buy will be the largest size I can get. They are very handy for rigging.
 
https://new-medinstruments.com/Ear-Instruments/hartmann-alligator-ear-forceps-serrated.html

I've used WordPerfect in my law practice since the mid-eighties. I'm now using version 7.0, IIRC. It has been expanded greatly over the years and remains head and shoulders above any other word processing program. There are no longer any translation problems with MSWord, although formatting is sometimes problematic. The only complaint I have is that I'd memorized all the DOS commands to operate it and then they went to a "windows" icon-based control model. There is, however, an option for operating the new versions in an "old version" mode if one wants to keep using the DOS commands. I went over to the icons gradually. It does so much now that it's not humanly possible to remember all the old keystroke commands (which still work in the newer versions.) It's a great program. It will now automatically generate tables of contents and indexes if you want it to.

An alternative to a metal pin is a bamboo treenail.  Using pieces of a good bamboo BBQ skewer, a Dremel and fine sand paper I can get a trunnel down to .5MM.  That and an 80 micro drill bit will work with really small parts.  You can go thicker with the larger parts.  I like bamboo because you can get very fine, yet it maintains strength due to it's fiberousity.

Sounds like business is good!!

MicroMark has them in three sizes, called "ear polypus" forceps, which they aren't. They are properly called Hartmann ear alligator forceps. I have a cheap pair like MicroMark sells. You'll pay the same or less from a medical instrument supply house for a much higher quality instrument. The next set I buy will be the largest size I can get. They are very handy for rigging.
 
https://new-medinstruments.com/Ear-Instruments/hartmann-alligator-ear-forceps-serrated.html

MicroMark has them in three sizes, called "ear polypus" forceps, which they aren't. They are properly called Hartmann ear alligator forceps. I have a cheap pair like MicroMark sells. You'll pay the same or less from a medical instrument supply house for a much higher quality instrument. The next set I buy will be the largest size I can get. They are very handy for rigging.
 
https://new-medinstruments.com/Ear-Instruments/hartmann-alligator-ear-forceps-serrated.html

It does appear that the paint was applied too heavily and, hence, the "orange peel" effect, although I've encountered much worse. As has been said, the surface preparation has to be perfect... smooth as the proverbial baby's bottom. Your fingertips are the best measure of this. You can feel the imperfections better than you can see them. I always use a sanding base coat which is made for the purpose of filling minor imperfections and easily sanding to a perfectly smooth surface. Anything more than very minor surface imperfections require filling with "surfacing putty." I generally take down my base coat to 320 or 400 grit. There's not much point in going finer than that before airbrushing.
 
If the entire surface is as in the last picture, I'd say that if you want it to be good, you are going to have to sand the entire hull with 320 and then 400 to get the surface fair to begin with.  Be sure to allow the paint to really dry for a few days so it's good and hard and doesn't gum up your sandpaper. As you will be sanding hard paint instead of sanding base coat, it may be a pain, but take your time and make sure it's really perfectly smooth. Hopefully, you won't sand through the paint surface and won't need to repaint, but if you do, then make sure your paint is thinned well. Several thin coats, allowing time to dry well between each, is the way to go. Try to resist trying to get that last bit of "cover" over a wet surface. Too much wet paint is going to give you that "orange peel" again. You might also consider adding some "flowing" conditioner to the paint. This retards the drying and allows the paint to "level" better. Your paint may require a proprietary "flowing" additive. If it's an acrylic, you might experiment with Flood's "Floetrol." https://www.flood.com/products/paint-additives/floetrol-latex-based-paint-additive
 
After you've sanded the hull fair, you can apply another coat of paint if need be. (Again, build up your paint coating with multiple thin coats. Never apply paint thickly.) I wouldn't waste time messing with proprietary varnishes of varying glosses. They are often tricky to use and get just right. Instead, I'd let the paint dry well and then rub it down to the gloss level you desire using rottenstone and pumice. These provide two degrees of very fine "grit," rottenstone being the larger grit. They are powdered abrasives applied with a water-dampened soft cloth. It will probably take some time rubbing, but you will be able to see the level of gloss as you use them. If you want, you can also speed up the process a bit by using finer grit sandpapers, and then go to the finer rottenstone and pumice abrasive. Continued rubbing with the finer pumice will bring the gloss up as high as you want. You can get pretty close with an airbrush, sometimes even "close enough," but rubbing out the surface is the only way I know to get a perfect finish.
 
Here's a two-part video that shows how to do it on bright-finished wood, but the process is the same for varnished or painted surfaces. You won't need an electric polisher because you've only got a small piece to do and the electric polisher won't do so well on your curved surfaces. (In these videos, he uses fine grit sandpapers instead of the rottenstone and pumice because they work better with a powered sander on flat surfaces. I use rottenstone and pumice on model hulls because the surfaces are curved and a damp cloth abrades more evenly on the curves. Rottenstone and pumice, available at any paint store, are a lot cheaper than fine grit sandpapers, too!) I'd advise you paint up two or three pieces of scrap wood and use these to practice on before attacking your model. It's a process of experimenting to see how much sanding and polishing you really need to do to get to where you want the finish to be.
 
 
 
 
 

While I don't have much familiarity with Proxxon tools, they do have a good reputation in the modeling community and are reasonably priced. That said, they are "hobby grade" tools, and you get what you pay for in tools. 
 
When you consider you can purchase a brand new Sakura 14" parallel arm scroll saw for $550 right now, which is rated in the same top-end class with a $1,700 Hegner (but I won't argue that the Hegner probably isn't a bit better,) I'd hesitate to pay $350 for the Proxxon. Proxxon advertises that their saw has a "vibration reducing steel base" or something like that. There's a lot more to reducing vibration in a scroll saw than a metal base. I was lucky to be able to buy my American-made Sakura nearly new for $100 from a fellow who bought it and then had no use for it. It's light years ahead of the Craftsman and Delta scroll saws I've owned previously. The constant tension parallel arms make a huge difference in the higher quality scroll saws. So does a belt drive. Variable speed is essential if you want to cut both wood and metal and plastics. A variable speed foot pedal is handy, too. I'd take a hard look at the highly rated new Deltas and the Sakuras (http://www.pswood.com/scroll-saws/) before spending the money Proxxon wants for a lower rated machine. And, as always, there are surprising bargains to be had in top end tools on the used market. Craigslist can be your friend. (eBay, sometimes, but not so much.) Sometimes wealthy people buy very expensive power tools and lose interest, or for whatever reason want to get rid of them. Used tools in good shape are the best buy.
 
Sakura 14"
 
 

While I don't have much familiarity with Proxxon tools, they do have a good reputation in the modeling community and are reasonably priced. That said, they are "hobby grade" tools, and you get what you pay for in tools. 
 
When you consider you can purchase a brand new Sakura 14" parallel arm scroll saw for $550 right now, which is rated in the same top-end class with a $1,700 Hegner (but I won't argue that the Hegner probably isn't a bit better,) I'd hesitate to pay $350 for the Proxxon. Proxxon advertises that their saw has a "vibration reducing steel base" or something like that. There's a lot more to reducing vibration in a scroll saw than a metal base. I was lucky to be able to buy my American-made Sakura nearly new for $100 from a fellow who bought it and then had no use for it. It's light years ahead of the Craftsman and Delta scroll saws I've owned previously. The constant tension parallel arms make a huge difference in the higher quality scroll saws. So does a belt drive. Variable speed is essential if you want to cut both wood and metal and plastics. A variable speed foot pedal is handy, too. I'd take a hard look at the highly rated new Deltas and the Sakuras (http://www.pswood.com/scroll-saws/) before spending the money Proxxon wants for a lower rated machine. And, as always, there are surprising bargains to be had in top end tools on the used market. Craigslist can be your friend. (eBay, sometimes, but not so much.) Sometimes wealthy people buy very expensive power tools and lose interest, or for whatever reason want to get rid of them. Used tools in good shape are the best buy.
 
Sakura 14"
 
 

Yes, exactly. For a 4mm plank width at the maximum beam, the tapering might be a bit tedious, but given the hull shapes of large vessels, as opposed to small craft, the tapering would be slight and generally at the ends of the vessel, particularly the bows. Remember when modeling that there is a scale to the length of planking as well as to its width. Plank stock isn't ever much more than 24 feet long in real life, given the limitations of tree size and handling. Given a scale plank width of 4mm at the maximum beam, there would be a lot of full length unspiled 4mm planks amidships, so that makes an easier job of it for the planker. (There are also standards for the spacing of plank butts which must be followed for an accurate scale planking job.) Keep in mind also that if the average plank width admidships is 4mm, when planking properly, there will be planks which may need to be wider than the average 4mm plank width to make everything come together without the need for "stealers." Kit manufacturers provide a bunch of pre-cut, square, finished on all four sides, strips for "planking." That stock isn't going to be suitable for all the planking at the size provided because planks aren't square.
 
You can find instructions for laying out plank in the "articles" section of the forum, so I won't repeat them here. However, if you lay out your planking at stem, stern, and each station (or perhaps every other, or even every three, frames or stations, depending upon hull shape and frame spacing,) You'll see that there's not much plank shaping to be done in the "wide open spaces" amidships.
 
If you divide the plank end widths equally at the bows, you should get a fair run on your plank seams and not end up trying to bend a "hook" in your plank seams. And sometimes plank width divisions vary, depending upon hull shape. A band of narrower planks at the turn of the bilge and wider planks (called "broads") in runs over "flat" areas is not uncommon. (In the drawing of the period planked hull below, note the "broads" below the turn of the bilge and running up to the stern post.) Planks in real life are gotten out of wider stock than the average plank width at the maximum beam. Plank stock in full size construction is often "flitch cut," meaning that it is cut as a rough slab sawn from the log, leaving the bark attached. These "flitches" are often slightly curved, as the log grew, which permits sawing out the curved plank shape to make best use of the run of the grain and lumber available. Planks are never bent across their width in full size construction, which is pretty much impossible anyway. Sometimes, a plank will be a bit "shy" and the plankers will "edge set" it by wedging it into place against its mate to get a tight seam, but edge-setting is a sign of poor fitting (which introduces strains on fasteners which can then let go) and not considered "best practices." Specifications sometimes go so far as to state, "no plank shall be edge set." When modelling with small stock of a species which will tolerate such bending, considerable stock can be saved by bending scale planks across their width to simulate what would have been a "dear" (costly) plank that in real life would have had to be cut from a very wide flitch, leaving a lot of wasted wood. That's the genius in Chuck Passaro's edge bending technique described in his great videos on the subject. Even with Chuck's method, though, some planks are going to require their own unique shape.
 
The smaller the boat, the more the plank shape differences are exaggerated. The below illustration shows the plank shapes needed to plank the hull illustrated. Note that the sheer plank shape colored white is actually wider at its ends than at its middle. In your planking job, the lack of the same sort of greater width at the stem rabet created a cumulative deficit in plank width which eventually created the upwards "hook" that became greater than you could bend your strip wood to accommodate. Trying to continue to hang 4mm wide planks in that rabet would only increase the deficit. (See the drawing of the period wooden hull planking below to see how the old-time plankers solved the problem you've got now.)
 

 
On a large wooden ship, the planking curves are not as radical, but do require curves to accommodate the shape of the hull just the same. In large construction, owing to the natural limitations of available plank stock width, "hooked," "doubler," or "stealer" planks are used to plank wider spaces than the available stock permits being gotten out of a single flitch. If a model is to show the plank seams, it must be planked as was its prototype. (Of course, if the plank seams are to be filled and the hull sanded fair and painted, it doesn't matter what the planking run looks like.) Look carefully at the plank seams in the bow and stern quarter of the below illustration to see the use of "hooked," "doubler," or "stealer" planks. (There's a larger picture and good planking instructions in the attached link.)
 

 
 
 
https://www.modelerscentral.com/blog/planking-tips-for-building-a-model-ship/
 
Don't let this discourage you. Kit manufacturers have been frustrating modelers with strip wood "planking" since kits were invented.  
 
 

Hi Mike,
Generally, the Proxxon tools are of good quality, so I assume that this one is also good, if the price is good too. I don't own one, but for many years I have and used a 2-speed Delta and have been quite satisfied with it. I use it quite often. It is not nearly as good as the Hegner or the Sacura saws, but pricewise it was v. competitive too.
Don't forget to get yourself some good blades for it, like Olsson blades sold by Rockler in Pasadena, for example.
Good luck with your Sovereign. It is an awesome model! Did you see the one by Ed Marple in the Maritime museum in Oxnard?
Regards,
Thomas
PS: I noticed that you are out in Santa Monica. I live in Glendale. Currently scratchbuilding the 74 gun ship by J. Boudriot in 1:48. A beast!

Normally, there would be two drain pipe holes in a cockpit like that one, placed at opposite corners port and starboard. Below, the drain pipes would be crossed, so that the port hole pipe drained to the starboard side and the starboard pipe ran to the port side. This permitted the cockpit to drain completely on either tack. With a single drain in the middle of the cockpit, when the vessel heeled, the lower side of the cockpit would not drain below the center hole. 
 
Also, the run of the deck planking is very unusual. Was this as portrayed in the plans? Usually, deck planking will never butt adjacent to another butt. There will not be straight lines of butts across the deck from port to starboard. That is a structurally weak assembly and also difficult to caulk and keep watertight. 
 
These are minor notes, but perhaps of help for future reference.
 
Very nice, crisp work! Excellent detail work on the hinged skylight.  Thanks for sharing it with us.

That steamship model in the background certainly caught my eye!

There's an old saying, "Different ships, different long splices." It means that rigging varied from ship to ship, depending upon the captain's or mate's preferences. There are many model plans sets and books that contain "belaying pin diagrams" showing where each line was belayed, but, truth be told, those were put together by a modeler who did the research, but may or may not have been exactly the way it was done in real life. When you want to know which line to cast off, you look at what you want the line to do and follow it down from there to see which pin it's belayed to. You might remember a particular line if you used it a lot, but I don't think anybody ever intentionally memorized the pin location of every line on a square-rigged ship. The names of the lines, yes, but not the pin locations. There are certain rules of thumb, depending upon the rig and time period, but if you can't find a similarly rigged model plan that shows the belaying schedule, you'll have to fake it. I expect there's a book somewhere that contains a better description of the principles than mine, but, generally 1) The line runs from the block aloft to the nearest pin, so long as it doesn't foul any other line, shroud, sail, or yard. 2) Where there are the same lines doing the same job port and starboard, they run to the same pin on their respective side, so long as they don't foul any other line, shroud, sail, or yard. 3) Halyards and lifts generally run straight down to the closest pin around the base of their respective masts, again, so long as they don't foul any other line, etc.  4.) Sheets and braces generally run to the closest pin on the pin rails on the rails, so long as they don't foul... anything, etc. 5.) Topmast halyards, etc. could be run to the pin rails as well, sometimes led throuigh bullseyes on the shrouds. Just try to keep it orderly and keep the run of the lines clear so they don't foul and chafe on anything. It's all pretty logical and organized. If you imagine yourself a sailor using each line for its intended purpose and ask yourself, "Where should I tie off this line, you won't go too far wrong, I expect.
 
I hope I'm not hurting anybody's feelings here, but I wouldn't give the way those lines are belayed and the falls hung on the pins particularly high marks. Line is flexible and not stiff. It hangs gracefully and not is stiff coils sticking out like is seen in the picture. The coiled fall isn't hung over the pin, either. The fall is belayed and the remaining fall from the pin is coiled. The hand reaches through the center of the coiled fall and grabs the free end of the fall where it comes off the pin, pulls it through the center of the coil while giving it a twist or two, and brings it up over the top of the coil and hangs that one doubled, twisted loop over the pin. Then the coil hangs down from that. In that fashion, one only need pull the loop off the toop of the pin and let the coil fall and the line is ready to cast off the pin and run free. 

There's an old saying, "Different ships, different long splices." It means that rigging varied from ship to ship, depending upon the captain's or mate's preferences. There are many model plans sets and books that contain "belaying pin diagrams" showing where each line was belayed, but, truth be told, those were put together by a modeler who did the research, but may or may not have been exactly the way it was done in real life. When you want to know which line to cast off, you look at what you want the line to do and follow it down from there to see which pin it's belayed to. You might remember a particular line if you used it a lot, but I don't think anybody ever intentionally memorized the pin location of every line on a square-rigged ship. The names of the lines, yes, but not the pin locations. There are certain rules of thumb, depending upon the rig and time period, but if you can't find a similarly rigged model plan that shows the belaying schedule, you'll have to fake it. I expect there's a book somewhere that contains a better description of the principles than mine, but, generally 1) The line runs from the block aloft to the nearest pin, so long as it doesn't foul any other line, shroud, sail, or yard. 2) Where there are the same lines doing the same job port and starboard, they run to the same pin on their respective side, so long as they don't foul any other line, shroud, sail, or yard. 3) Halyards and lifts generally run straight down to the closest pin around the base of their respective masts, again, so long as they don't foul any other line, etc.  4.) Sheets and braces generally run to the closest pin on the pin rails on the rails, so long as they don't foul... anything, etc. 5.) Topmast halyards, etc. could be run to the pin rails as well, sometimes led throuigh bullseyes on the shrouds. Just try to keep it orderly and keep the run of the lines clear so they don't foul and chafe on anything. It's all pretty logical and organized. If you imagine yourself a sailor using each line for its intended purpose and ask yourself, "Where should I tie off this line, you won't go too far wrong, I expect.
 
I hope I'm not hurting anybody's feelings here, but I wouldn't give the way those lines are belayed and the falls hung on the pins particularly high marks. Line is flexible and not stiff. It hangs gracefully and not is stiff coils sticking out like is seen in the picture. The coiled fall isn't hung over the pin, either. The fall is belayed and the remaining fall from the pin is coiled. The hand reaches through the center of the coiled fall and grabs the free end of the fall where it comes off the pin, pulls it through the center of the coil while giving it a twist or two, and brings it up over the top of the coil and hangs that one doubled, twisted loop over the pin. Then the coil hangs down from that. In that fashion, one only need pull the loop off the toop of the pin and let the coil fall and the line is ready to cast off the pin and run free.