Bob Cleek

The material safety data sheet ("MSDS") is the first stop in checking out any material. This stuff is safe for kids to eat. Some of us learned this firsthand in kindergarten with the paste version.  See: https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/wc-prod-pim/Asset_Documents/Elmer's Clear Glue SDS.pdf
 
I learned in early childhood that whatever made my mother yell, "That could put your eye out!" was probably was the most fun. I've always applied a corollary to this principle to materials in my workshop: if somebody says the material is hazardous or environmentally unfriendly, I assume it is the better choice for the job than the "safe and sane," "environmentally friendly," or "green" options that have been "dumbed down" for use by people who can't be trusted not to eat or drink the stuff. . 
 
 
 
 

I've had similar success with Duco Cement. It's just a very basic nitrocellulose adhesive. The nitrocellulose is dissolved in acetone which evaporates quickly upon exposure to the air. See: 14445 TN.pdf (tedpella.com) and ANSIMSDS.RDL (onboces.org) The dried cement is primarily nitrocellulose, which is also known as "gun cotton." It can be highly flammable when exposed to enough heat. 
 
Duco Cement is sold in one ounce tubes for as much as ten or twelve bucks an ounce. On the other hand, ordinary PVC pipe cement, which is quite similar to Duco Cement, can be purchased in four ounce cans for as little a dollar an ounce, or one tenth the price of Duco Cement, so one may wish to experiment with plastic pipe cement and see how they like it. Another similar option is "sprue goo." Some plastic modelers use "sprue goo" as a plastic adhesive and filler material. "Sprue goo" is simply cut up pieces of plastic model sprues dissolved in acetone or a similar solvent. There are a number of how to make it online. 
 
 

No chimneys on my 9" Tung Woo running lights. I've never seen interior chimneys on ships' lanterns. They certainly make sense in the larger sizes. Nice polishing job! Maybe I'll tackle polishing mine.  

I use Duco cement for wood to wood. It (or something like it) has been around for as long as I have. I have wooden models that are 50 years old that were made with it and they are still firmly glued together. I do use PVA occasionally but I prefer Duco.
 
Duco contains acetone so it does have a slight odor. But it isn't as obnoxious as CA (cyanoacrilate) in my opinion. The acetone evaporates rapidly, so parts will bond together in about 20-30 seconds if not under stress.

I agree that adding some sort of peg is critical for small parts, especially if there will be shear forces.  As the surface area being glued increases the more comfortable I feel with glue only. Especially when using PVA.  

Thanks, gentlemen, though a bit belated for your encouraging comments !
 
*******************
 

Foredeck Chain-Rails
 
Progress has been slow over the last few weeks because of various travels in the course of May (Italy, Germany, Spain) and because installing the rails is actually a slow process with breaks in between steps to let glue or paint dry.
 
I was a bit worried about the various corners these chain rails take on the foredeck – not a problem in real life, but the fake chain made from double-twisted turned out to be surprisingly compliant, without getting kinks that could not be straightened out.



 
Also, the ventilators for the crew-quarters beneath the foredeck were installed now.
 
Next thing on the to-do-list will be the anchor-buoys that, according to the photographs usually were tied to the rails near the anchor-davits.
 
Apropos anchor-davits: I realised after taking the above pictures, that I didn’t put them back yet – I had taken them out to facilitate the threading of the chain-rails.
 
 
To be continued ....

Where one requires strength, archival permanence, or both, I think that it is important to mechanically fasten model parts wherever possible. Sometimes such fasteners can be simple wooden pegs in the case of wood-to-wood bonds, and other times a metal peg is called for when a metal-to-wood bond is required. Metal-to-metal bonds generally require soldering. It should also be remembered that a part simply glued to any painted surface is bonded no more strongly than the strength of the paint film between the parts and that a paint film is generally not considered a particularly strong bond, especially when under sheer loading. (In other words, little parts glued to painted surfaces get knocked off very easily.)

No chimneys on my 9" Tung Woo running lights. I've never seen interior chimneys on ships' lanterns. They certainly make sense in the larger sizes. Nice polishing job! Maybe I'll tackle polishing mine.  

No chimneys on my 9" Tung Woo running lights. I've never seen interior chimneys on ships' lanterns. They certainly make sense in the larger sizes. Nice polishing job! Maybe I'll tackle polishing mine.  

No chimneys on my 9" Tung Woo running lights. I've never seen interior chimneys on ships' lanterns. They certainly make sense in the larger sizes. Nice polishing job! Maybe I'll tackle polishing mine.  

Hi Nils!
 I'm glad to see more steam ship models on this forum.
I will follow your progress with interest.

No chimneys on my 9" Tung Woo running lights. I've never seen interior chimneys on ships' lanterns. They certainly make sense in the larger sizes. Nice polishing job! Maybe I'll tackle polishing mine.  

No chimneys on my 9" Tung Woo running lights. I've never seen interior chimneys on ships' lanterns. They certainly make sense in the larger sizes. Nice polishing job! Maybe I'll tackle polishing mine.  

Great to see you back again Valeriy and starting work on your next masterpiece.  These early “Steam Navy” models are interesting  and challenging to build.  From a Naval Architecture/ Marine Engineering standpoint I consider them to be far more interesting than the Nelson era sailing war ships.  Hull forms, Construction materials, Structural designs, Weapons systems, and Power plants were all evolving. 
Roger

There are many books on rigging and some are even reprints of contemporary instruction manuals. The Articles Database in this forum contains two contemporary rigging manuals. Nautical Research Guild - Articles and How Tos (thenrg.org) You may also wish to obtain a copy of John Leather's Gaff Rig, (Gaff Rig: Leather, John: 9780877420231: Amazon.com: Books) or The Gaff Rig Handbook (The Gaff Rig Handbook: John Leather: 9781408114407: Amazon.com: Books) which treat the gaff rigged schooner in detail. Lennarth Petersen's Rigging Period Fore-and-Aft Craft and Rigging Period Ship Models, while not without some shortcomings, are good basic treatments of the subject. Rigging Period Fore-and-Aft Craft by Lennarth Petersson | Goodreads   As for the "classics," every ship modeler's library should have copies of Charles Davis' Ship Models and How to Build Them (Ship Models: How to Build Them: Davis, Charles G.: 9798395212047: Amazon.com: Books) and The Built-up Ship Model (The Built-Up Ship Model (Dover Woodworking): Davis, Charles G.: 9780486261744: Amazon.com: Books). Another "classic" author is Harold Underhill. His basic modeling manuals, although, like Davis', somewhat dated today, are invaluable primers that do not presume the modeler requires thousands of dollars invested in expensive power tools. Grab copies of Underhill's Plank on Frame Models and Scale Masting and Rigging, Volumes I and II. There are lots of these available on the used market. Gerald Wingrove's Techniques of Ship Modeling is a great how-to-do-it book and widely available on eBay and other used book selling sites. The Techniques of Ship Modelling: Wingrove, Gerald A: 9780852423660: Amazon.com: Books Last, but not least, The NRG's Ship Modeler's Shop Notes, Volumes I and II are treasure troves of "tricks of the trade" and reference works you'll find yourself going back to time and again. (Available used from "the usual suspects" online and new from the NRG Store at this website. Of course, you'll find many valuable bits and pieces of information in the many build logs here, as well.
 
The above books are just some that I think you would find useful as a new ship modeler starting off with the build you've chosen. There is a wealth of other more specialized books (often at much greater prices) that you will probably find yourself lusting after once you've collected the ones mentioned above. 
 
One thing that those new to ship modeling often overlook is that research is as much a part of the hobby as anything else. Kit manufacturers often attempt to provide a detour around this "speed bump on the learning curve" by providing parts, plans, and insructions of varying degrees of quality, but taking that route often costs in terms of the ease, enjoyment, and quality of the build. You won't find a serious ship modeler anywhere who doesn't have a research library of some kind and you won't find a scratch modeler anywhere who doesn't' have a substantial one. Good books are a decent investment. As with anything else, there is a fair number of mediocre books out there, but the classics are easily identified and often available on the online used book market at rather reasonable prices. A nice library is not a difficult thing to acquire if one budgets for it and keeps a sharp eye out for used book bargains. A budget of twenty-five to fifty bucks a month, more than some spend at their neighborhood bar in a week, applied judiciously to acquiring good modeling books, will build a good library in no time.

There are many books on rigging and some are even reprints of contemporary instruction manuals. The Articles Database in this forum contains two contemporary rigging manuals. Nautical Research Guild - Articles and How Tos (thenrg.org) You may also wish to obtain a copy of John Leather's Gaff Rig, (Gaff Rig: Leather, John: 9780877420231: Amazon.com: Books) or The Gaff Rig Handbook (The Gaff Rig Handbook: John Leather: 9781408114407: Amazon.com: Books) which treat the gaff rigged schooner in detail. Lennarth Petersen's Rigging Period Fore-and-Aft Craft and Rigging Period Ship Models, while not without some shortcomings, are good basic treatments of the subject. Rigging Period Fore-and-Aft Craft by Lennarth Petersson | Goodreads   As for the "classics," every ship modeler's library should have copies of Charles Davis' Ship Models and How to Build Them (Ship Models: How to Build Them: Davis, Charles G.: 9798395212047: Amazon.com: Books) and The Built-up Ship Model (The Built-Up Ship Model (Dover Woodworking): Davis, Charles G.: 9780486261744: Amazon.com: Books). Another "classic" author is Harold Underhill. His basic modeling manuals, although, like Davis', somewhat dated today, are invaluable primers that do not presume the modeler requires thousands of dollars invested in expensive power tools. Grab copies of Underhill's Plank on Frame Models and Scale Masting and Rigging, Volumes I and II. There are lots of these available on the used market. Gerald Wingrove's Techniques of Ship Modeling is a great how-to-do-it book and widely available on eBay and other used book selling sites. The Techniques of Ship Modelling: Wingrove, Gerald A: 9780852423660: Amazon.com: Books Last, but not least, The NRG's Ship Modeler's Shop Notes, Volumes I and II are treasure troves of "tricks of the trade" and reference works you'll find yourself going back to time and again. (Available used from "the usual suspects" online and new from the NRG Store at this website. Of course, you'll find many valuable bits and pieces of information in the many build logs here, as well.
 
The above books are just some that I think you would find useful as a new ship modeler starting off with the build you've chosen. There is a wealth of other more specialized books (often at much greater prices) that you will probably find yourself lusting after once you've collected the ones mentioned above. 
 
One thing that those new to ship modeling often overlook is that research is as much a part of the hobby as anything else. Kit manufacturers often attempt to provide a detour around this "speed bump on the learning curve" by providing parts, plans, and insructions of varying degrees of quality, but taking that route often costs in terms of the ease, enjoyment, and quality of the build. You won't find a serious ship modeler anywhere who doesn't have a research library of some kind and you won't find a scratch modeler anywhere who doesn't' have a substantial one. Good books are a decent investment. As with anything else, there is a fair number of mediocre books out there, but the classics are easily identified and often available on the online used book market at rather reasonable prices. A nice library is not a difficult thing to acquire if one budgets for it and keeps a sharp eye out for used book bargains. A budget of twenty-five to fifty bucks a month, more than some spend at their neighborhood bar in a week, applied judiciously to acquiring good modeling books, will build a good library in no time.

Are you sure that water isn't coming in through your propeller shaft bearing?

Are you sure that water isn't coming in through your propeller shaft bearing?

Are you sure that water isn't coming in through your propeller shaft bearing?

The good news is that nobody knows what Columbus' ships looked like exactly. All we know is that they were a "type" of vessel and precious little is known of what those "types" actually looked like in any great detail. Your kit is only the kit designer's approximation of what he thinks it might have looked like, so you are free to do a bit of creative "approximating" yourself. If you wish, you can take a couple of thin rectangular strips of wood (about the thickness of a deck plank) and of a size suitable to cover the holes of the oversized eyebolts Mamoli provided and glue those over the "damage." You can make them so they fit right up against the side of the rail and transom and perhaps have rounded corners on the inboard corners. That will look like a "pad" commonly placed on decks to reinforce things like eyebolts (which may well have never been in use on any of Columbus' ships in the first place.) They will also give you more "meat" to drill into and glue your much smaller and correctly-scaled eyebolts. Your smaller eyebolts can easily be made by twisting some fine copper or brass wire around the shank of a suitably size drill bit. The twisted end will enable the glue to hold much better, too.
 
When judging the scale of fittings, it's always helpful to use a "manikin" to judge size. It doesn't have to be fancy. At the most basic, just take the scale of the model and then  draw a scale stick figure on a piece of card stock and glue it to a little block of wood so it stands up. Figure about five scale feet tall or a smidgen more. (People were smaller in those days.) You can then place your "little man" near where you are working and get an idea of whether the parts you are making "look right." Of course, a pair of calipers and a good rule will serve as well, but when estimating, I find the manikin is a helpful tool. If you do this, I expect you will see that the kit eyebolts are about the size of small automobile tires! 
 
When you drill your holes for the new eyebolts, take care to be sure your bolts are placed exactly as indicated on the plans. Don't trust yourself to "eyeball" placement. Measure and be exact. It may be helpful to make a small pattern out of paper or card stock and draw a straight line where you want your eyebolt holes and then mark equally spaced points on that line. You can then put the pattern over the deck where you want the eyebolts and mark the points where you want to drill by pushing a map pin or awl into the wood to make an indentation to start your drill bit. On your first effort, the eyebolts ended up here, there, and everywhere. You don't want to repeat that on the second try. 

The good news is that nobody knows what Columbus' ships looked like exactly. All we know is that they were a "type" of vessel and precious little is known of what those "types" actually looked like in any great detail. Your kit is only the kit designer's approximation of what he thinks it might have looked like, so you are free to do a bit of creative "approximating" yourself. If you wish, you can take a couple of thin rectangular strips of wood (about the thickness of a deck plank) and of a size suitable to cover the holes of the oversized eyebolts Mamoli provided and glue those over the "damage." You can make them so they fit right up against the side of the rail and transom and perhaps have rounded corners on the inboard corners. That will look like a "pad" commonly placed on decks to reinforce things like eyebolts (which may well have never been in use on any of Columbus' ships in the first place.) They will also give you more "meat" to drill into and glue your much smaller and correctly-scaled eyebolts. Your smaller eyebolts can easily be made by twisting some fine copper or brass wire around the shank of a suitably size drill bit. The twisted end will enable the glue to hold much better, too.
 
When judging the scale of fittings, it's always helpful to use a "manikin" to judge size. It doesn't have to be fancy. At the most basic, just take the scale of the model and then  draw a scale stick figure on a piece of card stock and glue it to a little block of wood so it stands up. Figure about five scale feet tall or a smidgen more. (People were smaller in those days.) You can then place your "little man" near where you are working and get an idea of whether the parts you are making "look right." Of course, a pair of calipers and a good rule will serve as well, but when estimating, I find the manikin is a helpful tool. If you do this, I expect you will see that the kit eyebolts are about the size of small automobile tires! 
 
When you drill your holes for the new eyebolts, take care to be sure your bolts are placed exactly as indicated on the plans. Don't trust yourself to "eyeball" placement. Measure and be exact. It may be helpful to make a small pattern out of paper or card stock and draw a straight line where you want your eyebolt holes and then mark equally spaced points on that line. You can then put the pattern over the deck where you want the eyebolts and mark the points where you want to drill by pushing a map pin or awl into the wood to make an indentation to start your drill bit. On your first effort, the eyebolts ended up here, there, and everywhere. You don't want to repeat that on the second try. 

Jackie, the eyelets/eyepins appear to be too big, IMHO. The eyelet ID is the same size as the deck plank width, it just doesn't look right. Were I you, I'd remove the eyelets, purchase or make new eyelets more to scale, sand the deck surface, fill if required, and paint/stain to match. If you change to a smaller eyelet size you'll have to drill new holes. You have to use a pen vise to drill, practice on scrape till you get a feel for how much pressure can be applied to drill a hole without snapping a drill. When you chuck the drill in the pen vise make sure you keep the drill length short. Too long and sure as heck you'll snap it. 

Just a mention in passing: ModelExpo doesn't appear to sell stud-link anchor chain at all. They only sell scale common chain. 
 
Following its invention and British patenting in 1819 stud-link chain quickly replaced common chain for anchoring chain in vessels over about 75 feet long or so. It was stronger than common chain of the same size, was less prone to jamming or jumping a wildcat, and stowed without "clumping" or kinking, always running free when the anchor was dropped. I would expect stud-link chain to be used by any of the American (including Canadian) fishing schooners. BBC - A History of the World - Object : Ships anchor cable chain link with stud. Most all of this stud-link anchor chain was initially and for a long time thereafter manufactured by Brown Lenox in England (suppliers to the Admiralty,) and, presumably, exported to North America. Since 1960, at least, Lister Chain and Forge in Blaine, WA has been supplying it to the United States Navy and civilian market. 
 

 
 

 
Scale stud-link chain used to be near-unobtainable and had to be fabricated by the modeler. Jewelry wholesalers offer stud-link chain in smaller sizes, known to that trade as "marine chain," but this is generally made of precious metals and cost-prohibitive for modeling purposes. About ten years ago, Mathews Model Marine was offering 3D-printed plastic stud-link chain in a range of sizes designed for 1:200 scale naval vessel models (which requires delicate hand-working to clean and separate the links,) but I don't know if this is still available. See: Ship review (modelwarships.com) Fortunately, Caldercraft and a couple of others presently offer brass stud-link chain in a wider variety of sizes on eBay. See: stud-link anchor chain for sale | eBay
 
For the more adventurous types, there's an excellent instructional piece on crafting stud-link chain from scratch in this forum's Articles Database: HowToMakeStudLinkChain.pdf (thenrg.org)

Just a mention in passing: ModelExpo doesn't appear to sell stud-link anchor chain at all. They only sell scale common chain. 
 
Following its invention and British patenting in 1819 stud-link chain quickly replaced common chain for anchoring chain in vessels over about 75 feet long or so. It was stronger than common chain of the same size, was less prone to jamming or jumping a wildcat, and stowed without "clumping" or kinking, always running free when the anchor was dropped. I would expect stud-link chain to be used by any of the American (including Canadian) fishing schooners. BBC - A History of the World - Object : Ships anchor cable chain link with stud. Most all of this stud-link anchor chain was initially and for a long time thereafter manufactured by Brown Lenox in England (suppliers to the Admiralty,) and, presumably, exported to North America. Since 1960, at least, Lister Chain and Forge in Blaine, WA has been supplying it to the United States Navy and civilian market. 
 

 
 

 
Scale stud-link chain used to be near-unobtainable and had to be fabricated by the modeler. Jewelry wholesalers offer stud-link chain in smaller sizes, known to that trade as "marine chain," but this is generally made of precious metals and cost-prohibitive for modeling purposes. About ten years ago, Mathews Model Marine was offering 3D-printed plastic stud-link chain in a range of sizes designed for 1:200 scale naval vessel models (which requires delicate hand-working to clean and separate the links,) but I don't know if this is still available. See: Ship review (modelwarships.com) Fortunately, Caldercraft and a couple of others presently offer brass stud-link chain in a wider variety of sizes on eBay. See: stud-link anchor chain for sale | eBay
 
For the more adventurous types, there's an excellent instructional piece on crafting stud-link chain from scratch in this forum's Articles Database: HowToMakeStudLinkChain.pdf (thenrg.org)

The wood decomposed in the dirt and left the earth a darker color where the wood had been. They excavated carefully until they reached the dark dirt and knew that was where the ship had been and were from that able to recreate the lines of the ship.
 
You can see the darkened earth defining the shape of the ship in the photo Louie posted above.