tarbrush

3b painting prep and firs paint
 
This update shows steps to get the lower hull ready and painted so I can removed if from the jig.
 views 7-8 show results of glazing putty repairs and marking of the waterline. the hull is wet as I just damp rubbed it to get off all the dust.
views 9-11 show my low tech means to build the gudgeons in brass and the plates and bolt heads using mylar fishing line
views 12-13 show taping out the black section above the water line and afyer painting it.  
views 14-15 show taping out to allow rattle can spray of heritage red for the bottom and "backside".  
I mentioned earlier that I am trying to build this model without buying new stuff.  As anyone knows, 12 years into retirement, our home collection of parts, wood etc. is ridiculous.  The problem came up when I started to spray red with a can that has sat for more than a year, it wasn't pretty.   We'll see in the next post how all came out.  
 
cheers
 

This looks like a great project. I'm a big fan of Amundsen as an explorer and leader, and will enjoy watching this story take shape.

I'm cooking with gas now on second planking.  The system of edge bending and then dabbing some water on a section of plank and working that section with my travel iron, then going on to the next section, is working really well for me.  I only have two planks glued on at this point, one each side, but two more just about ready. I'm doing two at a time to match them up either side.  My steps (just what works for me):
 
Nip the two planks to match the angle for the rabbet. Sand a bit on the rabbet end as needed. Mark one for the taper cut; double/line up with the other plank in the Dremel vice (metal jaws without the rubber covers).  Then it's easy to plane both planks at the same time.  The mini plane works great for this. Bevel the plank edges. Edge-bend the planks to the outer bulwark contour.  I clamp the end of the plank (first pic in my earlier post) and then just wet the plank in sections and work along with the mini iron. Then, one plank at a time, dab a bit of water on the section of plank nearest the rabbet, but without getting water on the rabbet insert, get it just wet but not dripping so as not to drip water on other planks/model. Insert the rabbet end and lay the plank in place. Work the wetted section with the mini iron.  The mini travel iron is working great, for the edge bending but also for this; I'm finding it heats up almost instantly versus the soldering-iron -type plank bender, and is way more manoeuverable and precise.  It only takes a few seconds to work the particular section. Repeat 8 as needed. Continue along the plank in other sections to get the bow curve, same as 8-9.  So far anyway, I don't need to work the middle section of the plank as the edge bending has done the job there. Work the stern section of the plank to bend and twist to fit.  Here I'm using steam from a kettle and bending with pliers. After a final fit check and any adjustment/repeat, it's ready to glue. I'll have to adjust once I get further down towards the keel, but I think it will be much the same, with just garboard and it's neighbours a bit different.
 
Nick

Gammoning & Bumpkins….
Despite the continuing heat, we had a few days where I could get some work done on the Syren.  I have been able to complete the bumpkins, including the mounting brackets.  I tried the copper strips folded over, but I ended up using some card stock.  The gammoning turned out to be easier than I expected, but ‘easier’ is very relative.  To complete the gammoning I did make a small hook out of a RC control rod so that feeding the line would be easier.

02 Starting the reading and preparing Drawings

In preparing for my builds there is always a lot of fun reading.  I just added about 8 books to my library, [ it's like stacking fireplace wood before winter] and I am sure more are in the wings.  I got the Fram Museum illustrated diary of Amundsen’s voyage through the passage, a joy.  I also bought the two-volume reprinted [ English] diary that Roald wrote.  The publisher printed it in the faint broken font of a 1910 typewriter. What fun
 
This build is but a chapter in the tale of the Scandinavians.  I believe my tale will include:
•    Nordenskiold on the Vega making the Northeast passage 1878 to 1880
•    Nansen- Sverdrup  [FRAM to be another build but same story} 1893-1896
•    Sverdrup FRAM. Canadian Arctic 1898 – 1902
•    Amundsen Gjoa  Northwest passage 1902-1906
•    Amundsen  FRAM Antarctica 1910 -1912
•    Sverdrup/Amundsen Maud 1917-1926
 
Before deeper study these are my understood points of reference.  Mostly from other reading or recent internet sources. I hope to expand my understanding though this winter as I build the two models.
Nordenskiold is our starting point. There is some cross reference as Sweden and Norway were not separated until 1905.  My reason to pull this story in is the geographical relevance, but more to our mission, a study in the evolution of active exploration vessels.  The  Vega  was a steam powered bark, a Sealer. She was launched in 1872.  Many of the vessels used by explorers up through 1913 included a wide selection of similar whaling/ sealing steam powered barks.  Robert Peary used them, including the Winward which the year before had recused Nansen from Franz Josef land. Greely and Hall used them 1860’s to 1880's, and MacMillan used them from USA up through 1913 and found much difficulty. He was finally rescued by Robert Bartlett in 1913 after being in Etah, Greenland for 4 years.     Nansen understood the effects of ice on the hulls though over wintering, and FRAM was all about the shape.  She was quite successful. The fact that Amundsen not only took her to the Antarctic but used her design for the third vessel Maud speaks to the correctness of “fit for purpose”.  Gjoa was a 1872 Norwegian fishing sloop [ cutter rig ]. Amundsen understood the need for less than 10 feet of draft, and a small profile to be able to maneuver through the narrow and shallow inshore passages which he both expected and indeed did find. He had a new type 13 horsepower engine that could burn many things.  I hope to learn more about it.  I look forward to the details by reading his diary. Off to the drawings.  
There are several exchanges in the MSW logs about drawings for these vessels.  The models of Gjoa are apparently not currently available as kits.  Dialogues suggested that the Model Shipways 1950 vintage drawings for their solid hull kit were even better than the expensive ones from the Oslo museum.  I found an old Model shipway kit on eBay and thus I have a set of prints.

Scale….I plan to build this vessel at 1:48 as that is the same scale as my Schooner Bowdoin. I will show these vessels side by side as an extended chapter. It will discuss the influence of this little gem of a vessel and its impact on MacMillan programing his schooner in 1920.
 
The scene….it is too early now but starting out I think it be good to show her moored in ice /water as she spent over 14 months in what today is Gjoa Haven, Nunavut.
 
Working
To change the scale of the drawings I scanned the lines, added them to TurboCad…simple 2d cad… and traced out the stations and what I call the “keelson” assembly. 
The first 3 images show the Turbocad effort.  First is the rescaled line drawing followed by a typical station layer. I added lines to mark the top plank [ planks are thicker below this line][ then the deck and the top rail.  The 3rd image shows the transom that needed to be stretched to accommodate the angle of the transom from the vertical line.
The next two images show the keelson drawing rescaled in front of the old kit box.  Not sure what I will use the hull for and all the other stuff all went into general supplies. The stations are all printed out and glued to 4mm plywood.
The next two images show the marking and cut out of the keelson assembly. I used a maple blank for this piece.  The paper plan is glued with kids glue, so with a simple brush of water it will all come off.
The final three images show front or back views of the glued stations and then the overall with the outer blocking supports. Next up is a slower process...it is all the prep needed before planking
 

3 partway  through the planks

We had a little excitement last month when our annual Northeast Shipmodelers Guild show took place in Bath Me.  We went this year to the shed associated with Maine's First ship.  That is the reconstructed replica of the 1607 Pinnace built here,named Virginia, known to the be first European vessel built in America. 
Here is their website internet image of her sailing from the shed Here is an image of Gjoa sitting with other of my collection at the show inside the shed. The idea was for all of us to bring models being worked on. The audience was lots of fun, some came for the models and others were waiting to go sail on Virgina.    Over the past several weeks I dove into the reading of Amundsen’s diaries of the venture across the top of Canada.  Wow. What incredible people and how, according to Amundsen they all got along so well. Lots of fun sailing tales too.  The gaff seemed to break several times, and the lack of wood was a big impact.  During their third winter they were on a beach loaded with driftwood and the tried to replace it....more on that later.
 
Progress
The next 7 images are the familiar porcupine type images of early planking and all the finagling we do to fit clamps.  Here are two images while at a breathing point, when the first two bands are done and planning the tough center ones commences. Since this is a painted hull, I am milling a few types of scrap wood.  most of the planking is cut down bass wood, but a few maple planks are in the stock.  

Hi shipmates~
 
Relatively short updates on the progress of fighting top. Firstly, the process applied to GH1 has been replicated in GH2 as below.

 
Followed by mizzen mast fighting top work on both GH1 &  GH2 as below.
 





At first, I planned and designed the structure of fighting top as below.

However, I soon realized that the 30 degree interval between pillars was making the floor of the fighting top too crowded. So, I changed the design to reflect a 45 degree interval.
 

 
With the first templates made out of the wooden hanger material, the tedious work of making each pillar and quarter piece continues.
 





 
I was pretty sure that I needed to do some reinforcement work (possibly near the floor area) as there are just 8 pillars (instead of 12). But, the end result with just 8 pillars is surprisingly robust. So, no further modification seems necessary. Finished second fighting top and continuing with the tedious work streams. 
 

 

Hi all~
 
Finally, the hull work on GH2 is complete. Below are some pictures of GH2. 





 
Comparing GH1 with GH2. GH2 is definitely simpler and darker than GH1. They both seem to have their charm.
 









 
Also, GH2 (as intended) has more contrast in color compared to GH1. Now, I am resuming the work on GH1 - masts, rigging etc.

Hi Everyone, thank you for your Comments and Likes. Tis update starts with the stanchions that are attached to the main deckhouse and support the boat deck. They were made and test fitted before the main deckhouse was installed. Gary @FriedClams recommended the Tichy phosphor bronze wire in his Pelican build so I picked up a variety of sizes and used the .020" wire to pin the stanchions in place.
 

 
 

 
The pins were CA'd into the pre drilled holes and then the stanchion was slid in place and the holes for the wire rope handrails were marked. The stanchion was removed and the holes drilled. The stanchion was slid back on the wire and CA was applied to the wire. The stanchion was then pushed into place.
 
Once the first stanchions were in place I was able to measure the size of the platforms that sit outside the smoking room doors port and starboard. They cover the steering rod which gets converted to a wire cable after it enters the trough that runs inboard of the stanchions
 

 
After the platforms were installed the deck planks were laid and the rest of the stanchions were fitted.
 

 
 

 
 

 
The pillar structure was next. A strip of 1/32" x 3/16" wood with a 1/16"x 1/16" glued to it's length was added to the top of the lower beam to match the height of the subdeck and cover the ends of the deck planking.
 

 
 

 
While this was going on a piece of 1.5mm x1.5mm x 1.5mm brass channel was glued between the last plank and the stanchions ( with CA ). This will represent the steering cable trough.
 

 
The knees for the pillars started as a shaped piece of 1/32" plywood. Then  1/16" AYC was glued to one side and sanded back to the plywood. The same was done on the other side but with 1/32" AYC
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
The iron work was attached after the pillars were painted
 

 
A bit of work was done on the deck box and the skylights.
 

 
 

 
 

 
The sheaves at the forward end of the trough for the steering cable look to be housed in a wooden assembly and protected by a wooden step/cover. My version is supposed to represent that
 

 
 

 
Brass wire was used for the hand rails but it may get changed out for rope
 

 
 

 
Still lots to do on the cabin deck

FINALLY!!!!  Will there be an element of Boudriot's 74 Gun Ship to it as well? Schematics and scale drawings, lines plans, sail plans, rigging plans... ooooh, all the good stuff..... 1:64 scale would be nice so as to model from if you just can't decide.  I can't wait for this one. Pretty sure you can count on a few others aside from me to purchase a copy. 

Just to let people know.
I have signed a contract to write a book on her structure along the lines of an AOTS series which will be late next year but all this will be released then.

Hopefully better than those book's as it will all come from a 3d model it will all line up.
It's something I have been dwelling on for years, but the chance only arrived 3 weeks ago and I grabbed it.
I plan to do the usual sections and elevations but also renders of the views in colour as well.
It's a first for this type of ship so it should be interesting

Still pretty much rince and repeat on  the planking.
 

 
Most of it is covered apart from the keel which is being dry fit.  Also cut out a rudder.  May need to fit some of the lower stern decking. Cut some out last week, since the bulwarks extend over the edge and the rear may be a bit oversized there is quite a bit of gapiness.   
 
In the photos, the cabins are set back a bit from the rail, so the top view of the cabin may reflect that setback.   I need this deck, to place the rudder hole.
 
I am liking the texture effect of the planking.  It is what shows in the old photographs.   I noticed that I may have used old growth redwood heart for the planking.  In looking at the cut sections of the board it looks pink now.   
 
There was some discussion in the NPS booth at the Maker faire, if redwood was used in these ships,  They did have samples of wood from the C.A. Thayer reconstruction.   One of the blocks does have a pinkish hue.  To me that looks more like the eastern red colored wood that comes from what they call red eucalyptus.  The western tree though is usually called blue gum in the southern hemisphere.  Wurlitzer used this wood in pipe organ valve blocks.
 
My understanding is that shipwrights were fairly conservative in the woods used.  Hence the controversy over the use of laurel in the Saginaw.   There is also debate if this was imported laurel from the southern US, Or the local bay laurel what grows like weeds in the local live oak forests.   To me importing wood thousands of miles (before rail) makes no sense, when there are local old growth forest locally.  Since most of these forests were clear cut, it is hard to say one way or the other.
 
 

Started planking the hull this week.
 

 
The hot hide glue is working really well.  I find that if I place a few drops into an old plastic spoon.  Upper right.  I can use a tiny paintbrush to apply a small drop or line to the thin planks which are about 1/32 inch square.  
Unlike other glues, I can let the blob of unused glue dry and throw it back into the pot.
Only minimal clamping is needed.  The push pins only need to go in about a milimeter or so.  Mostly around the curved parts.  On the bulwarks I could use tiny binder clamps.  Setup time is fast.
 
 
 
 

The Cabin: The final assembly of the small cabin posed its own set of challenges. Getting the structure square and ensuring a tight fit to the deck was critical. The fiddliest part was the detailing:
 
Curtains: Getting the tiny curtain material to hang with the correct, natural-looking folds inside the windows took several attempts and the precise application of small amounts of glue.
 
Roof Top: Attaching the final roof top required careful clamping to maintain its gentle curve and ensure a flush, clean joint with the cabin walls,

I have finished fabricating the davits... I added keepers to each pulley so the falls won't slip off. I extended the shafts to the correct length for St. Roch, based on photos. I also opened the eyelet at the tip that will receive the upper block for the falls, this should make it easier to do the final assembly...

The davits mount outboard, and period photos show they rest on the rub rail and fasten there as well as to the cap rail. The latter, from plans and photos, appears to be a strap that is wrapped around the davit and then bolted flat to the cap. I have replicated this using scrap brass from old photo-etch frets. The davits are also placed relative to the lower deck portholes based on photos.  

In the picture I am trial fitting the motorboat davits to the cap rail. I still have to make the base mounts and then it is off to the paint booth. I have also decided, in the absence of definitive evidence, to hang the falls' coils on pins that I will install onto the cradles. This keeps these lines handy, and more importantly, inboard!
As always, comments and suggestions are welcome!
 
 

I said earlier that the next time I showed the ship's boats they would be installed on St. Roch; and here they are!
First I lashed the lower fall blocks to eyes in each boat...

Then when I went to install the boat covers, some of the holes tore, so I had to digress a little bit and fit doublers of silkspan wherever there were grommet holes...

After trimming the doublers I could begin to lash down each cover, using bowlines at each of the 'darn cat ears'... this picture shows the motorboat cover lashing started, and the upper falls with their eye splices...

Next up are the bow and stern lashings on the dinghy cover...


And the motorboat cover complete. Keen eyes will see I have installed the boat's rudder and am waiting for the prop...

And finally here are the boats all lashed down and secured to their cradles!


I can't put it off any longer... I have to finish the davits!
Thanks for looking in, and as always comments and critiques are welcome!
Regard,
Bruce
 

For some strange reason I keep holding off on the boat davits... probably because I know I will knock them off the model more than once unless they are last to go on!
With that in mind I made the life rings next, St. Roch mounted four around her deck house. I started with plastic rings from New Cap Maquettes. They are the right size and cross section, but they come with plastic lines molded on around the ring. These were the first things I cut off, resulting in the picture below:

Next I trimmed up the molded seam lines, and painted the rope rings black. Then I used my miniature drill to make holes through the rope rings, and began stringing hemp lines around the perimeters.

Here are the four rings complete and looking much better than when I started... Again I used 'No Sew' at each rope ring to hold the line. It dries clear and flexible, and will allow me to make minor adjustments to the ropes once it has set up. 

Next I need to add the name decal to each life ring, and make the brackets that mount on the ship to hold the rings...

Progress on the boat covers... the No Sew worked a treat, and bonded the 'darn cat ears' very well to the cover... 
I moved on to drill the grommet holes, and like David Antscherl said the holes drill cleanly in the painted silkspan. I used a tapered cocktail toothpick dipped in Tamiya XF-18 Semi-gloss Black to paint the grommets. Just dip the pointy end into the paint then into the grommet hole, it leaves a neat painted circle.
After that I prepared the motorboat by gluing a spar bow to stern to 'tent' the cover like the original, and also glued the gripes in place.
The picture shows the boat and cover to this point.

Next I centered the cover over the boat and used a water soaked paint brush to wet it, enough to start getting a tent shape and fold around the edges, and the 'darn cat ears' stayed on, Yay!
I left it at this point to dry, I will give it another wetting before lashing the cover to the boat. First I have to lash the triple blocks to the eyebolts in the boat, these will be the lower part of the falls.
Almost made a mistake when I forgot to make sure the 'darn cat ears' would not interfere with the gripes, but fortunately there were no conflicts!

So far so good, so I made a start on the dinghy. Since it is done the same as the motorboat I won't repeat the details in this log.

Next time you see the boats they should be in their chocks with everything lashed down!
 
 
 
 
 

Santa arrived a couple of days ago, with assorted cargo for the hold! I was going to leave the hold empty to show the strong ice beams built into St. Roch, but once I decided to add a sailor unloading cargo I knew I had to have some cargo for him to work with! 
What arrived from Berkshire Valley (a model RR accessory company) was assorted sacks, crates, and barrels, all molded in O gauge, which is 1:48. There was just a bit of flash to clean off, then the parts, like anything coming from a mold, were rinsed thoroughly in warm soapy water to remove the mold release. Here is what they looked like:

The resin parts after painting...

And the cast metal sacks... the sailor has been glued to the plank he will be pushing his cargo along, in a sling suspended from the cargo derrick (one day soon!).

Here is the cargo down the hold. The hatch cover canvas and boards are fixed onto the main deck, and the sailor is posed to push a sling of sacks...

The details of the hold, and the ice beams, can still be seen. St. Roch shipped 150 tons of cargo for the various RCMP detachments she served, all had to be handled manually. If anyone asks me, she is at the far Eastern end of her supply run, thus almost empty!
I want to thank all the forum members who gave me thoughts and ideas about the cargo scene!
Regards,
Bruce
 
 

A rainy morning here in Alberta, so a good time to get some work done on St. Roch's boats...
First I needed to carve back the stern of the motorboat. The first picture is St. Roch's motorboat showing the rudder and prop; this is what I am trying to emulate with the second picture...


Then it was off to the paint booth...

 
After the paint dried it was time to reeve the lifelines around each boat.

I made eye splices at the end of each line...

Here are the boats with the line and glue I used, ready for the final line splicing once the glue dries. I used 'No Sew' fabric glue to tack the lines into position... this dries clear and flexible, and will hold the lines in the proper shape while I make the final splices.

Next I am going to make a start with the silkspan sails, and make the boat gripes and covers. Then the davits should complete the hull work on the ship except for putting some cargo in the hold.
It will be very exciting to put the hull aside and start finishing the masts!
 

I also got the boat cradles complete, now they are waiting for their boats...

I now fussed around with the spare rudder, and found two ways in which it could in fact be stowed aft...
The rudder is presently stowed on St. Roch's main deck, from where it would be tremendously difficult to get it aft, past the full breadth superstructure, if it was ever needed. The larger superstructure would also preclude the rudder from being stowed aft. I also don't believe the mizzen mast that was installed in 1944 had the geometry or capacity to replace the rudder if needed, unlike the previous main sail boom. 
I wasn't sure if there would be room after my 1930 deckhouse was built, but pictures do not show it on the main deck, so where else would it go? The next pictures give a couple of options:


I think the last picture is the best guess, since the rudder would not interfere with the boat lashings.
I intend to send my pics off to the Vancouver museum and ask their opinion... wish me luck!
 

A while back I said I wanted to create a cargo handling scene involving a sailor, to give scale to the model. A friend of a friend on another modelling site knew a guy on thingiverse.com who 3D prints figures for model railroaders... he showed me a photo of the figure below that he prints in 1:160 (N scale trains), and which looked perfect for my scene!
So the friend of the friend did one up for me in 1:48, and sliced the limbs off so it would lay flat, thereby saving about $15.00 in postage!
Here it is, out of the envelope:

And after assembly with CA glue, I drilled a hole up the leg for a wire to make handling the figure easier. It just needed a small smear of filler on the leg seam, the arms fit perfectly!

I haven't painted figures in decades, staying away from them since my previous efforts all looked very cartoon-like. But now I know how to dry brush, and there is You-Tube! I used Tamiya acrylics, first priming him with semi-gloss black, then air brushing flat white from above to highlight details.

Then I dry brushed various layers and colours to get the shading I wanted. I left his shoes and belt semi gloss black, adding a flat aluminum buckle and flat black cap.
The pants and shirt are dark brown, followed by flat white then light brown on the shirt.
Here I have posed him on the plank that he will walk across the open hold on, pushing his sling load of cargo...
I dry brushed some flat yellow onto his face and arms, but he looked jaundiced, so I made a skin tone from red and yellow, which makes orange, followed by a drop of white to tone down the colour, and finally a drop of light brown...

Here he is ready to install.
I need to make the cargo, and the sailor may not get mounted until the main mast and cargo boom are installed, which may be a while...
We'll see how it goes!
I think this is not perfect but a far cry from the cartoon finishes my previous figures sported!
Thanks everyone for looking in!
 
 
 

I thought folks might like to see the motorboat... so here it is, a much better quality casting similar to my aformemtioned RN dinghy, with a fully molded interior and separate parts for the motor housing and thwarts.
I have cleaned up the flash and installed the rings holding the life rope around the outside. 


Despite having a better interior, I am still going to cover the motorboat. St. Roch's boat is under cover and I have no details on the correct interior details, especially the motor!
Regards,
Bruce
 

I got the rudder and tiller attached to the dinghy, also the lifting lugs (which won't be seen once the cover is on) and it is now ready for paint. I'll set it aside until the motorboat is ready then I'll shoot them both together...
I sourced some silkspan from a friend on another modelling site, so once it arrives I'll start marking out the sails per David Antscherl's Sphinx Appendix volume.
That is getting ahead of myself, however I want some silkspan offcuts to make covers for the dinghy and motorboat. 
 
Meanwhile the dinghy's chocks are finished and glued in place on the deck and cap rail, per the ship's plans. I still have to add the braces, but the re-routed steering cables are now in the way, so I will have to adjust the braces a bit. I won't remove them, but I have to try and get into the shipwright's heads as they carried out St. Roch's 1930 refit!

A little bit of cleanup on the rail, and I'm also ready for the gripes and davits to be installed... again, I'll hold off a bit, it will be easier to rig these items once the boats are painted and installed.
 

So there's lots to do to finish the lifeboats, so I'd better stop here and crack on!
Regards,
Bruce