Bob Cleek

I would caution you to steer clear of older second-hand wooden kits unless you are thoroughly familiar with a given kit. There have been tremendous advances in kit "technology" in recent years, notably, CNC laser cutting has made the newer kits less challenging to assemble. You will find that many of the kits sold forty, or perhaps even thirty years ago, especially solid hull kits, will demand as much scratch-building as an actual scratch build you do yourself, exclusive of the plans development and that what plans there are will often be simply a lines drawing, a spar schedule, and a rigging outline.  Make sure you are familiar with any used kit you contemplate buying. Checking the building log section for kit reviews will alert you to any potential problems with any given kit.  As you probably know, there is a huge difference between assembling a plastic kit and building a wooden kit that will require a considerable amount of cutting, shaping, turning and even carving.

Double ditto to Jaager's recommendation. There are a wealth of small craft designs available. Many plans are available in book form, such as Howard I. Chapelle's American Sailing Craft and Small American Sailing Craft and Basil Greenhill and Julian Mannering's Inshore Craft: Traditional Working Vessels of the British Isles. These small vessels are generally in the under-50' range, some even in the 10' or 15' range. They can be built to larger scales, 1/2" or even 1" to the foot are not uncommon for small craft models. They do not have a lot of complex small-scale rigging details. As they tend to be somewhat primitive types, their fittings and rigging blocks are easily fabricated. Assuming you get yourself one of Jim Byrnes' mini table saws, a Syren Ship Models "Rope Rocket," and perhaps a scroll saw, you'd be set up for the rest of your days to mill your own modeling wood from that really great Alaska Yellow Cedar you've got growing up there, spin your own scale rigging line, and be entirely free to build anything you wanted at virtually no cost.
 
Working in larger scales can be very satisfying. Smaller boats have fewer and less complex details and when modeled at larger scales little detail need be sacrificed as is otherwise the case with larger vessels at smaller scales. Another advantage of small craft modeling is that the models are generally smaller and easier to display, and you can build more of them in a shorter period of time, which avoids the inevitable boredom in the middle of a large model project that may take years to complete with a lot of repetitive tasks along the way. 
 
With no malice intended to plastic ship modelers (of which in my misspent youth I was one,) assembling plastic sailing ship models can be every bit as tedious as building wooden models (and yield a finished model of far less archival value.) There is relatively little difference in difficulty between rigging a plastic square-rigger and a wooden one. It would not appear that you would be gaining much in terms of compensating for your physical challenges by building in plastic rather than wood. I do admire your dedication in staying at modeling despite the "ravages of age." You certainly are among good company in this forum! I'm guessing a large majority of this forum's members have reached retirement age and by the time we get there, most have "old war wounds" with which to contend. My particular modeling challenge is the loss of feeling in a number of my fingertips due to peripheral neuropathy. Others, I believe, are wheelchair users and, of course, most of us have progressive deteriorating close-up visual acuity. Nevertheless, "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers," soldier on.
 
Additionally, small craft models are sadly overlooked by many. While I risk stepping on a toe or two here, I will say that in my opinion there is much  well-deserved accomplishment to be had by any ship modeler in doing a good job assembling yet another Victory or Constitution kit, but, at the end of the day, beyond that the result of all that work is no more than addition of another kit model added to the hundreds, if not thousands of models of these same ships built before. On the other hand, scratch building small craft offers the opportunity to create a unique model of a vessel which will have been rarely, if ever, modeled by anyone before and, if well researched and documented, it can be appreciated not only as a satisfying accomplishment of the modeler's skill, but also as a valuable addition to the historical record. 
 
Up in your neck of the woods, the Pacific Northwest canoes of the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian tribes raised dugout canoe building to perhaps its highest level of development. They carved thin-hulled canoes out of cedar and Douglas fir logs and then filled them with water and hot rocks to steam the wood which was then spread to increase the beam and thereby yield a graceful and seaworthy hull. These canoes were then colorfully painted in shamanistic themes. The construction method of these canoes perhaps explains the fact that they don't seem to be frequently modeled. That said, a clever modeler could perhaps take on the challenge and, if successful, really produce a fascinating and academically valuable set of models of these indigenous watercrafts.
 

 

 
BELOW: NOOTKA CARVED CEDAR DUGOUT CANOE MODEL Late 19th/Early 20th Century
Bow and stern with vertical incised carving. Length 30".
Auction catalog estimate $400 - $500.
 

Double ditto to Jaager's recommendation. There are a wealth of small craft designs available. Many plans are available in book form, such as Howard I. Chapelle's American Sailing Craft and Small American Sailing Craft and Basil Greenhill and Julian Mannering's Inshore Craft: Traditional Working Vessels of the British Isles. These small vessels are generally in the under-50' range, some even in the 10' or 15' range. They can be built to larger scales, 1/2" or even 1" to the foot are not uncommon for small craft models. They do not have a lot of complex small-scale rigging details. As they tend to be somewhat primitive types, their fittings and rigging blocks are easily fabricated. Assuming you get yourself one of Jim Byrnes' mini table saws, a Syren Ship Models "Rope Rocket," and perhaps a scroll saw, you'd be set up for the rest of your days to mill your own modeling wood from that really great Alaska Yellow Cedar you've got growing up there, spin your own scale rigging line, and be entirely free to build anything you wanted at virtually no cost.
 
Working in larger scales can be very satisfying. Smaller boats have fewer and less complex details and when modeled at larger scales little detail need be sacrificed as is otherwise the case with larger vessels at smaller scales. Another advantage of small craft modeling is that the models are generally smaller and easier to display, and you can build more of them in a shorter period of time, which avoids the inevitable boredom in the middle of a large model project that may take years to complete with a lot of repetitive tasks along the way. 
 
With no malice intended to plastic ship modelers (of which in my misspent youth I was one,) assembling plastic sailing ship models can be every bit as tedious as building wooden models (and yield a finished model of far less archival value.) There is relatively little difference in difficulty between rigging a plastic square-rigger and a wooden one. It would not appear that you would be gaining much in terms of compensating for your physical challenges by building in plastic rather than wood. I do admire your dedication in staying at modeling despite the "ravages of age." You certainly are among good company in this forum! I'm guessing a large majority of this forum's members have reached retirement age and by the time we get there, most have "old war wounds" with which to contend. My particular modeling challenge is the loss of feeling in a number of my fingertips due to peripheral neuropathy. Others, I believe, are wheelchair users and, of course, most of us have progressive deteriorating close-up visual acuity. Nevertheless, "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers," soldier on.
 
Additionally, small craft models are sadly overlooked by many. While I risk stepping on a toe or two here, I will say that in my opinion there is much  well-deserved accomplishment to be had by any ship modeler in doing a good job assembling yet another Victory or Constitution kit, but, at the end of the day, beyond that the result of all that work is no more than addition of another kit model added to the hundreds, if not thousands of models of these same ships built before. On the other hand, scratch building small craft offers the opportunity to create a unique model of a vessel which will have been rarely, if ever, modeled by anyone before and, if well researched and documented, it can be appreciated not only as a satisfying accomplishment of the modeler's skill, but also as a valuable addition to the historical record. 
 
Up in your neck of the woods, the Pacific Northwest canoes of the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian tribes raised dugout canoe building to perhaps its highest level of development. They carved thin-hulled canoes out of cedar and Douglas fir logs and then filled them with water and hot rocks to steam the wood which was then spread to increase the beam and thereby yield a graceful and seaworthy hull. These canoes were then colorfully painted in shamanistic themes. The construction method of these canoes perhaps explains the fact that they don't seem to be frequently modeled. That said, a clever modeler could perhaps take on the challenge and, if successful, really produce a fascinating and academically valuable set of models of these indigenous watercrafts.
 

 

 
BELOW: NOOTKA CARVED CEDAR DUGOUT CANOE MODEL Late 19th/Early 20th Century
Bow and stern with vertical incised carving. Length 30".
Auction catalog estimate $400 - $500.
 

Most will. Many will even replace parts you've botched up yourself! It would be good to do a search on this forum to see the policy of any particular kit manufacturer regarding parts availability. The second consideration after you confirm that they do have a part replacement policy is to confirm that they are able to provide parts for the model kit you have. Sometimes, a run of kits are manufactured and stocked by the manufacturer but spare parts are no longer available. Sometimes parts are generic and used for several different models in the manufacturer's line. (Which is why you will find out-of-scale or out of period fittings on the models sold by some manufacturers. E.g., an 19th Century anchor in a 18th Century model kit!) or some parts for a specific model kit are left over after the kit production run. Other times, Spare parts have been sold or are otherwise no longer in stock and you will probably be out of luck even it the company would have been happy to send you a replacement part if they still had any in stock.
 
Regarding purchasing kits in current production, I think that most experienced modelers would strongly advise you to start your wooden model building learning curve with the Model Shipways Shipwright Series of kits. See: Model Shipways Shipwright Series (modelexpo-online.com) Few kit manufacturers are as forthright as Model Shipways is in telling beginning wooden ship modelers the realities of the hobby's learning curve and the fact that there is no point in wasting a large amount of money and effort trying to build a square-rigged ship-of-the line bristling with cannon as your first attempted kit build!
 
 
 
 
 

You could consider building small vessels at a larger scale.  I am thinking boats.
Tell a story about their evolution - which will work better if all are the same scale.
Mystic and its fellows have a multitude of mostly ignored small craft plans to choose from.
 
I was recently bitten by a bug to explore the various classes of 18thC RN Establishments  liners.
The NA is my focus so the guns would just be a time consuming distraction.  So I will omit them.
 
If you tackle a multi masted subject, go for stub masts

Actually, I am potentially quite the fan - under one condition.  That is if the trunnels are used to actually secure the planks - they go thru the plank and into the frame or beam. (But they do make a hash of the frame or beam integrity.)  Hitch chocks on lills take care of any needed clamping.  However,  the cost has become too high for me now.  I have moved from 1:48 to 1:60 - so the diameter is a problem. 
Even the finest brass pins become too large.  Bamboo does not draw all that efficiently in the #76-#80 range and I do not have any pins that small anyway.  (The procedure is to use pins with hitch chocks to fix the planks, then pull the pins, use a broach in the hole and then drive in the Bamboo.)  Finishing out the proper pattern requires a lot of attention and a lot of time.  I have been considering using copper wire instead of brass pins along with Bamboo - since for at least one time period,  half wood and half metal was used.  But I find that the copper offers too much resistance to being drawn by me.  The contemporary French model have examples of brass trunnels.  I think that there is at least one old model where iron was once used - except that now it is a hole with an iron oxide stain in a broad ring in the wood around the hole.  No insult is intended to the fans of trunnels, but it seems seems absurd to me to go to all the work if drilling shallow holes and filling them with faux trunnels.  It might be worth the effort if the trunnels are actually doing a job.  For just looks that are essentially anti-historical - naw.

Excellent advice. I was able to find logs or at least reviews for every kit that I bid on at auction. It tales only moments online and saves a lot of pain. (It's also a good way to find out whether the kit is from a pirate manufacturer.)

I would caution you to steer clear of older second-hand wooden kits unless you are thoroughly familiar with a given kit. There have been tremendous advances in kit "technology" in recent years, notably, CNC laser cutting has made the newer kits less challenging to assemble. You will find that many of the kits sold forty, or perhaps even thirty years ago, especially solid hull kits, will demand as much scratch-building as an actual scratch build you do yourself, exclusive of the plans development and that what plans there are will often be simply a lines drawing, a spar schedule, and a rigging outline.  Make sure you are familiar with any used kit you contemplate buying. Checking the building log section for kit reviews will alert you to any potential problems with any given kit.  As you probably know, there is a huge difference between assembling a plastic kit and building a wooden kit that will require a considerable amount of cutting, shaping, turning and even carving.

I'm not aware of any negative effects of adding thinners or conditioners to paint which is thereafter stored long term. That said, "long term" is a relative concept. Anything less than an air-tight seal and the absence of any oxygen in the paint container (e.g., a partially-filled can) will permit polymerization to occur, causing skimming and eventually the hardening of the paint. (An oil paint can may be purged of oxygen by slowly filling it with propane from an unlit plumber's torch until the heavier propane displaces the oxygen, after which the can is securely sealed.) The more air, the faster this will occur. Additionally, long term storage will permit the pigment to settle in the bottom of the container and it may eventually become so compacted that it will be near impossible to stir and redistribute evenly in the liquid medium without mulling it again. 
 
It's my guess that as much as ninety percent of the small bottles of model paint, fingernail polish, and touch-up appliance and auto paint, and the like end up hard as a rock by the second time a consumer attempts to open the bottle and ends up tossed into the trash. Buying pre-mixed paint in tiny amounts is the most expensive way paint can be purchased and buying "ready to use pre-thinned "airbrush paint" is the most expensive way to buy paint thinner! This is one reason why some modelers have switched over to mixing their own paint using tubed artists oils and acrylics which have long shelf-lives and tend not to harden in the tube because there's no room for exposure to air nor any dryers added to the tubed paste. (The end user thins and conditions tubed paints themselves.)

I would caution you to steer clear of older second-hand wooden kits unless you are thoroughly familiar with a given kit. There have been tremendous advances in kit "technology" in recent years, notably, CNC laser cutting has made the newer kits less challenging to assemble. You will find that many of the kits sold forty, or perhaps even thirty years ago, especially solid hull kits, will demand as much scratch-building as an actual scratch build you do yourself, exclusive of the plans development and that what plans there are will often be simply a lines drawing, a spar schedule, and a rigging outline.  Make sure you are familiar with any used kit you contemplate buying. Checking the building log section for kit reviews will alert you to any potential problems with any given kit.  As you probably know, there is a huge difference between assembling a plastic kit and building a wooden kit that will require a considerable amount of cutting, shaping, turning and even carving.

I would caution you to steer clear of older second-hand wooden kits unless you are thoroughly familiar with a given kit. There have been tremendous advances in kit "technology" in recent years, notably, CNC laser cutting has made the newer kits less challenging to assemble. You will find that many of the kits sold forty, or perhaps even thirty years ago, especially solid hull kits, will demand as much scratch-building as an actual scratch build you do yourself, exclusive of the plans development and that what plans there are will often be simply a lines drawing, a spar schedule, and a rigging outline.  Make sure you are familiar with any used kit you contemplate buying. Checking the building log section for kit reviews will alert you to any potential problems with any given kit.  As you probably know, there is a huge difference between assembling a plastic kit and building a wooden kit that will require a considerable amount of cutting, shaping, turning and even carving.

I'm not aware of any negative effects of adding thinners or conditioners to paint which is thereafter stored long term. That said, "long term" is a relative concept. Anything less than an air-tight seal and the absence of any oxygen in the paint container (e.g., a partially-filled can) will permit polymerization to occur, causing skimming and eventually the hardening of the paint. (An oil paint can may be purged of oxygen by slowly filling it with propane from an unlit plumber's torch until the heavier propane displaces the oxygen, after which the can is securely sealed.) The more air, the faster this will occur. Additionally, long term storage will permit the pigment to settle in the bottom of the container and it may eventually become so compacted that it will be near impossible to stir and redistribute evenly in the liquid medium without mulling it again. 
 
It's my guess that as much as ninety percent of the small bottles of model paint, fingernail polish, and touch-up appliance and auto paint, and the like end up hard as a rock by the second time a consumer attempts to open the bottle and ends up tossed into the trash. Buying pre-mixed paint in tiny amounts is the most expensive way paint can be purchased and buying "ready to use pre-thinned "airbrush paint" is the most expensive way to buy paint thinner! This is one reason why some modelers have switched over to mixing their own paint using tubed artists oils and acrylics which have long shelf-lives and tend not to harden in the tube because there's no room for exposure to air nor any dryers added to the tubed paste. (The end user thins and conditions tubed paints themselves.)

If one is intending to accurately depict the prototype in miniature, I believe Jaager's answer is the only correct one. it's not a matter of personal opinion if the object of the exercise is to build a model that looks like the real thing. If metal fastenings were used, as was the case in later times, these would be countersunk and plugged as Jaager describes in order to minimize rusting of the iron fastenings. Depicting fastening locations in an unpainted fully framed model ("Admiralty Board style") can be nicely done by gluing black fishing line of the proper scale diameter into drilled holes, but such fastening "locaters" would never be visible in an actual full-scale vessel. However, if the black fishing line holes are not drilled precisely where the fastenings on the prototype vessel would have to have been placed, the job will result in a worse effect than if the fastenings were left unindicated. 
 
I mention this because the original poster asked, "I have fishing line at 0.23, 0.32 and 0.5mm, color black.  Is it appropriate color for hull and Deck treenails or is it too dark?  what size best (1/64 scale)?" I suppose we just have different definitions of the word "appropriate" in this context. Obviously, a model builder is always free to paint their model any color they wish. 

I would caution you to steer clear of older second-hand wooden kits unless you are thoroughly familiar with a given kit. There have been tremendous advances in kit "technology" in recent years, notably, CNC laser cutting has made the newer kits less challenging to assemble. You will find that many of the kits sold forty, or perhaps even thirty years ago, especially solid hull kits, will demand as much scratch-building as an actual scratch build you do yourself, exclusive of the plans development and that what plans there are will often be simply a lines drawing, a spar schedule, and a rigging outline.  Make sure you are familiar with any used kit you contemplate buying. Checking the building log section for kit reviews will alert you to any potential problems with any given kit.  As you probably know, there is a huge difference between assembling a plastic kit and building a wooden kit that will require a considerable amount of cutting, shaping, turning and even carving.

Dean's (Jaager)post is spot on.   One rule of thumb stipulated that <the breadth of> any timber that was to be secured had to be no more than three times  the diameter of the trennal, but it seems that the actual application of the rule was more flexible.  In one instance two trennals were used to fasten the ship's side planking where the total sum of he diameters of the trennals was only a quarter of the width of a 12 inch plank.  (Goodwin,  The Construction and Fitting of the English Man of War, page 60)   1.5" diameter range should work for the hull  in general so about 0.02" at your 1:64 scale.  For the deck,  half that size would be appropriate in most cases.  If the  fasteners were metal or you enjoy the look of small pox go with black trennals.  If you prefer a realistic look, don't put in treenails of any kind, especially on the deck planks.   If you opt to go with trennals something very subtle such as bamboo that can barely be seen would be appropriate. 
Allan  
 

It depends on objective and the type of model that you are building.
 
On the real ship, the deck fasteners were essentially invisible.  They were counter sunk, given a dose of sticky water resistant material and sealed over with a plug of the same species as the decking,  not end grain, but grain oriented to run parallel with the deck grain.  If you got on your hands and knees, and looked closely, the outer circle would be visible.
 
If it is a fad based modelers convention look,  anything goes.   A curiously popular look  with no basis in reality is plank butts on the same beam in every other strake and fake trunnels at just the butts.   It probably should include rhinestones, balloons, and glitter. 
 
On the contemporary models with hull planking trunnels, the trunnels were likely real fasteners.  I like the idea of mechanical fasteners, but because of the material physical limitations,  the trunnels are over scale.  Plus, it is really tedious to draw thousands of strings of fine bamboo.  On a real ship, the slush or paint would hide the trunnels and spikes. 

I'm not aware of any negative effects of adding thinners or conditioners to paint which is thereafter stored long term. That said, "long term" is a relative concept. Anything less than an air-tight seal and the absence of any oxygen in the paint container (e.g., a partially-filled can) will permit polymerization to occur, causing skimming and eventually the hardening of the paint. (An oil paint can may be purged of oxygen by slowly filling it with propane from an unlit plumber's torch until the heavier propane displaces the oxygen, after which the can is securely sealed.) The more air, the faster this will occur. Additionally, long term storage will permit the pigment to settle in the bottom of the container and it may eventually become so compacted that it will be near impossible to stir and redistribute evenly in the liquid medium without mulling it again. 
 
It's my guess that as much as ninety percent of the small bottles of model paint, fingernail polish, and touch-up appliance and auto paint, and the like end up hard as a rock by the second time a consumer attempts to open the bottle and ends up tossed into the trash. Buying pre-mixed paint in tiny amounts is the most expensive way paint can be purchased and buying "ready to use pre-thinned "airbrush paint" is the most expensive way to buy paint thinner! This is one reason why some modelers have switched over to mixing their own paint using tubed artists oils and acrylics which have long shelf-lives and tend not to harden in the tube because there's no room for exposure to air nor any dryers added to the tubed paste. (The end user thins and conditions tubed paints themselves.)

I'm not aware of any negative effects of adding thinners or conditioners to paint which is thereafter stored long term. That said, "long term" is a relative concept. Anything less than an air-tight seal and the absence of any oxygen in the paint container (e.g., a partially-filled can) will permit polymerization to occur, causing skimming and eventually the hardening of the paint. (An oil paint can may be purged of oxygen by slowly filling it with propane from an unlit plumber's torch until the heavier propane displaces the oxygen, after which the can is securely sealed.) The more air, the faster this will occur. Additionally, long term storage will permit the pigment to settle in the bottom of the container and it may eventually become so compacted that it will be near impossible to stir and redistribute evenly in the liquid medium without mulling it again. 
 
It's my guess that as much as ninety percent of the small bottles of model paint, fingernail polish, and touch-up appliance and auto paint, and the like end up hard as a rock by the second time a consumer attempts to open the bottle and ends up tossed into the trash. Buying pre-mixed paint in tiny amounts is the most expensive way paint can be purchased and buying "ready to use pre-thinned "airbrush paint" is the most expensive way to buy paint thinner! This is one reason why some modelers have switched over to mixing their own paint using tubed artists oils and acrylics which have long shelf-lives and tend not to harden in the tube because there's no room for exposure to air nor any dryers added to the tubed paste. (The end user thins and conditions tubed paints themselves.)

I'm not aware of any negative effects of adding thinners or conditioners to paint which is thereafter stored long term. That said, "long term" is a relative concept. Anything less than an air-tight seal and the absence of any oxygen in the paint container (e.g., a partially-filled can) will permit polymerization to occur, causing skimming and eventually the hardening of the paint. (An oil paint can may be purged of oxygen by slowly filling it with propane from an unlit plumber's torch until the heavier propane displaces the oxygen, after which the can is securely sealed.) The more air, the faster this will occur. Additionally, long term storage will permit the pigment to settle in the bottom of the container and it may eventually become so compacted that it will be near impossible to stir and redistribute evenly in the liquid medium without mulling it again. 
 
It's my guess that as much as ninety percent of the small bottles of model paint, fingernail polish, and touch-up appliance and auto paint, and the like end up hard as a rock by the second time a consumer attempts to open the bottle and ends up tossed into the trash. Buying pre-mixed paint in tiny amounts is the most expensive way paint can be purchased and buying "ready to use pre-thinned "airbrush paint" is the most expensive way to buy paint thinner! This is one reason why some modelers have switched over to mixing their own paint using tubed artists oils and acrylics which have long shelf-lives and tend not to harden in the tube because there's no room for exposure to air nor any dryers added to the tubed paste. (The end user thins and conditions tubed paints themselves.)

Yes, Steel’s book is English but it details rigging practices for large warships in the late 1700’s- Early 1900’s.  It Is a Primary Source as it was actually written at the time that you are concerned with.  The Anatomy of the Ship book mentioned above is a Secondary Source.  It was written a few years ago by a German author living in Australia.  Chances are, he based any rigging details on Steel or a book like it.  I am unaware of any book written in the late 1700’s- Early 1800’s that details American rigging rigging practices.
 
Nail Polish - just go to any store selling cosmetics and buy the cheapest lacquer based clear nail polish on the shelf.
 
Roger

"He who dies with the most tools wins!" That said, if you think you can never have too many books, just give it time! You'll get to that point soon enough.
 
Speaking of which... I'd encourage anybody who is building a reference library to buy real books instead of e-books. There's nothing like reading a real book and you'll find you will want to have a reference book at your elbow at your drawing board or workbench and a computer screen just doesn't work as well. 
 
As for Harold Underhill, buy anything he ever wrote and you won't go wrong. His two volume work Plank on Frame Models and Scale Masting and Rigging is an incredible basic text on scratch-building. I'm surprised it's going for $125 (or $75 used) these days, but that's a good example of the value of building a good reference library. I got my set fifty years ago from the old Dolphin Book Club (anybody remember them) for something like fifteen bucks if memory serves. That said, eBay has an entire section of nothing but Underhill books and you can find a copy of the Plank on Frame Models set for fifty bucks there. https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=harold underhill&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-34002-13078-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=102&keyword=harold underhill&crlp=_&MT_ID=&geo_id=&rlsatarget=kwd-76965989210900:loc-190&adpos=&device=c&mktype=&loc=43893&poi=136333&abcId=&cmpgn=395402853&sitelnk=&adgroupid=1231453229593206&network=o&matchtype=e&msclkid=fac4ea45a5a5170f4c298ebcdf27ca39
 
Stick with the "classics" for openers and stay away from anything with "made simple," "simplified" or "from kits" in the title.  There are a lot of books out there that are basically compendiums of previously published works. They may be helpful, but they don't stand the test of time. I'd put Zu Mondfeld's Historic Ship Models in the same category. As many copies as are out there, they are dirt cheap, so you won't be wasting your money if you get a used copy for less than ten bucks. It does have a very broad scope of information. I think he claims to cover somewhere from 3,000 BC to the present, but, hey, putting than information between two covers can only provide a very cursory overview. 
 
If you find books with good coverage of modeling techniques, grab them. (e.g., The Techniques of Ship Modeling by Gerald Wingrove.) The same goes for books that have good ship plans in them. Any book by Howard I Chapelle will be worth having in this regard.
 
Sadly, the days of spending hours picking over the offerings in dusty used book stores to find a treasure or two are long gone. Buy used books for the best value online if you must, but don't get carried away. It's easy to end up with well over a thousand volumes. Don't ask me how I know this.  

I"d suggest you get a longer polypus than the $15 short one.  Also, sometimes the cheapest isn't always the best, particularly with anything from the Chinese People's Patriotic Export Tool Manufacturing Collective! 
 
Nice collection of tools there. It looks like you've got the situation well in hand.  The side-locking tweezers are very handy.  So is the Castorviejo iris scissors, assuming it's from a quality manufacturer. (Knock-offs of the real deal are everywhere it seems.) If one has to cut corners on tools of these types, it is always best to economize on the forceps and needle holders (fine-pointed forceps) than on anything with a cutting edge. You want the best metal cutting edge tools you can find for cutting. They are a waste of money if they won't hold an edge. Unfortunately, good scissors are expensive. (My "Dearly Beloved" dropped about three hundred bucks apiece on a trimmng scissors and a thinning scissors for grooming her show dogs without blinking an eye. ... Ahem.) 

"He who dies with the most tools wins!" That said, if you think you can never have too many books, just give it time! You'll get to that point soon enough.
 
Speaking of which... I'd encourage anybody who is building a reference library to buy real books instead of e-books. There's nothing like reading a real book and you'll find you will want to have a reference book at your elbow at your drawing board or workbench and a computer screen just doesn't work as well. 
 
As for Harold Underhill, buy anything he ever wrote and you won't go wrong. His two volume work Plank on Frame Models and Scale Masting and Rigging is an incredible basic text on scratch-building. I'm surprised it's going for $125 (or $75 used) these days, but that's a good example of the value of building a good reference library. I got my set fifty years ago from the old Dolphin Book Club (anybody remember them) for something like fifteen bucks if memory serves. That said, eBay has an entire section of nothing but Underhill books and you can find a copy of the Plank on Frame Models set for fifty bucks there. https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=harold underhill&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-34002-13078-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=102&keyword=harold underhill&crlp=_&MT_ID=&geo_id=&rlsatarget=kwd-76965989210900:loc-190&adpos=&device=c&mktype=&loc=43893&poi=136333&abcId=&cmpgn=395402853&sitelnk=&adgroupid=1231453229593206&network=o&matchtype=e&msclkid=fac4ea45a5a5170f4c298ebcdf27ca39
 
Stick with the "classics" for openers and stay away from anything with "made simple," "simplified" or "from kits" in the title.  There are a lot of books out there that are basically compendiums of previously published works. They may be helpful, but they don't stand the test of time. I'd put Zu Mondfeld's Historic Ship Models in the same category. As many copies as are out there, they are dirt cheap, so you won't be wasting your money if you get a used copy for less than ten bucks. It does have a very broad scope of information. I think he claims to cover somewhere from 3,000 BC to the present, but, hey, putting than information between two covers can only provide a very cursory overview. 
 
If you find books with good coverage of modeling techniques, grab them. (e.g., The Techniques of Ship Modeling by Gerald Wingrove.) The same goes for books that have good ship plans in them. Any book by Howard I Chapelle will be worth having in this regard.
 
Sadly, the days of spending hours picking over the offerings in dusty used book stores to find a treasure or two are long gone. Buy used books for the best value online if you must, but don't get carried away. It's easy to end up with well over a thousand volumes. Don't ask me how I know this.  

I"d suggest you get a longer polypus than the $15 short one.  Also, sometimes the cheapest isn't always the best, particularly with anything from the Chinese People's Patriotic Export Tool Manufacturing Collective! 
 
Nice collection of tools there. It looks like you've got the situation well in hand.  The side-locking tweezers are very handy.  So is the Castorviejo iris scissors, assuming it's from a quality manufacturer. (Knock-offs of the real deal are everywhere it seems.) If one has to cut corners on tools of these types, it is always best to economize on the forceps and needle holders (fine-pointed forceps) than on anything with a cutting edge. You want the best metal cutting edge tools you can find for cutting. They are a waste of money if they won't hold an edge. Unfortunately, good scissors are expensive. (My "Dearly Beloved" dropped about three hundred bucks apiece on a trimmng scissors and a thinning scissors for grooming her show dogs without blinking an eye. ... Ahem.) 

I"d suggest you get a longer polypus than the $15 short one.  Also, sometimes the cheapest isn't always the best, particularly with anything from the Chinese People's Patriotic Export Tool Manufacturing Collective! 
 
Nice collection of tools there. It looks like you've got the situation well in hand.  The side-locking tweezers are very handy.  So is the Castorviejo iris scissors, assuming it's from a quality manufacturer. (Knock-offs of the real deal are everywhere it seems.) If one has to cut corners on tools of these types, it is always best to economize on the forceps and needle holders (fine-pointed forceps) than on anything with a cutting edge. You want the best metal cutting edge tools you can find for cutting. They are a waste of money if they won't hold an edge. Unfortunately, good scissors are expensive. (My "Dearly Beloved" dropped about three hundred bucks apiece on a trimmng scissors and a thinning scissors for grooming her show dogs without blinking an eye. ... Ahem.)