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KenW

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Everything posted by KenW

  1. KenW
    Thanks MtZigg. Hope your model comes out great. Cheers.
  2. KenW
    WOW! Just checked out this build. I think the work is unbelievable. Really first-rate. Glad to follow along. Cheers.
  3. KenW
    Next up is to step the main mast and its rigging. The shrouds, vangs and halyards are the same as on the fore mast; while the boom topping lift is different. I also changed the way the brails are tied off. The new method frees up space and is similar to most of my research. I also added the jib boom in preparation for rigging the fore stays and sails, as well as the fore topsail. Edit to enlarge the photos.
  4. KenW
    Thanks for the comments Dave, and yacht1255. Thanks also to MtZigg. In answer to your questions: As I remember the sequence of events, I first planked the deck and then the first layer of the hull. Next, I planked the inner bulwarks, followed by the final layer of hull planking. I've been using silk span from this site: https://brodak.com/silkspan-lite-white-only-2-sheets.html I use the thinest silk span, which Brodak calls "Lite Silkspan BH-916". As described in my entry I laminate three sheets together using white glue diluted with water at a ration of 1 part glue to 7-10 parts water. When it comes to furling the sail, I wet the sail with water and form the furl. Once the sail dries, it's stiff but looks good. You can always re-wet and re-form the furl it you think it's necessary. Hope this answers your questions; and, good luck with your model.
  5. KenW
    Excellent looking planking. It's going to be a beautiful model.
  6. KenW
    After some family visits, I ‘finished up’ the model for a presentation at the May club meeting. None of the rigging has been tied off and the shrouds have been ratted up.
  7. KenW
    Thanks Mark for the ideas. I still have the main spanker to do. Also thanks to Dave for the encouragement. Cheers.
  8. KenW
    After a long period of attention to my group build, I’ve returned to the Independence. Since the last post I’ve tenuously added, without glueing, the lower fore shrouds. But my main focus has been on the fore lower sail which is a gaff sail. I want the sail to be brailed and look proper. When I attended the meeting of the Northeast Clubs at New London, Connecticut, I acquired a collection of designs of ships published in 1882 in Paris. One of the plates shows a ship very much like the Independence with brailed sails. I want my model to look like that ship. But I couldn’t get either cloth or silkspan to behave. I came up with the idea to make the sail in two parts. The first part is what is furled up to the gaff; and the second part is what is furled to the mast. Some photos: The piece that is furled to the mast I done first. Then the diagonal part is furled to the gaff, with some effort to merge to two pieces together. (Not a good explanation, but it’s the best I can do.) The last photo shows the sail brailed exactly as shown in the 1882 plate. (I’m not able to get a decent copy of the plate to include here.)
  9. KenW
    So far looking good. Excellent work.
  10. KenW
    Thanks Rusty and come on down. And I always listen to Chuck.
  11. KenW
    I began to work on the inside of the boat. The first thing was to apply Wipe-On Poly. Then the floor boards and platforms. No real problems. Just to boring task of doing simulated nails. And after all that you can hardly see them in the photos.
  12. KenW
    I think you've done a fantastic job! This model is massive. Keep at it. Cheers.
  13. KenW
    Thanks Dave. You are too kind. Cheers
  14. KenW
    For this model I’ve decided to make the sails out of Silkspan. My club recently had a tech session on making sails from Silkspan, so I’ll be using the method put forth by our former president, Tom Ruggiero. The sail is made from the thinnest pieces of Silkspan. Three pieces of Silkspan are cut to shape; the middle has the cloth joins drawn in pencil. The lamination is done with white glue diluted at a ratio of 1 to 7, or even 1 to 10. One of the outside pieces is cut larger so it can be folded over lines that will surround the sail and include the loops or cringles. My sails will be furled, so I don’t need to add reefs, etc. I bend the sail to the yard using line to simulate robands and earings. Then a wet brush is used to pull up the clue and form the sail into a proper looking furl. Again, line simulates the gaskets. I also added foot ropes or horses. I made the fore topsail first since I think it’d be better to start with a square sail. Then I will move on to the fore gaff.
  15. KenW
    Congrats on a great build. Hope you visit us again. Cheers.
  16. KenW
    I’ve finished the third chapter of the Medway Longboat instructions. I drilled all the holes for the ‘nails’ and stuffed the holes with the monofilament. I must say that I should have simulated the nails in each plank as they were installed. It’s much easier to drill the holes INTO the frames. I can see several pieces of filament sticking through the inside of the boat. But after I cut them off and put in the floorboards, I’m sure they won’t be seen. I glued the freezes and the molding that I scraped into shape. I used a scraper that I got from Artesania Latina. The web site I used is: https://www.artesanialatina.net/en/162-micro-tools-for-modeling The model number of the scraper is 27300.
  17. KenW
    I sanded down the cap rail to Chuck’s specifications. No problems; just a lot of elbow grease and time. I used 220 and 320 grit sandpaper. I added the inboard sheer strake and sanded it down so the sheer top meets the cap rail. I also added the knee and sanded to insure that the seam is perfectly smooth. I finished it all off with 400 grit to get it even more smooth. And then I painted the rail red. A little sand paper removed any red paint that ended up where it wasn’t supposed to be. Overall, it looks pretty good.
  18. KenW
    What a great looking ship. Keep going.
  19. KenW
    Thanks Russ. And there is a saddle there; I guess it can't be seen in the photo. Cheers.
  20. KenW
    I made the lower fore mast and the fore mast boom and gaff. Nothing has been glued yet. The fore cross trees have also been made, and I still have to decide what blocks should be attached to it and where they should go. The cross trees have had their dead eyes attached. The fore mast has some cleats that I’m sure I’ll need. I need to make the cross jack yard since that must also go onto the fore mast before the cross trees are glued. In the first photo you can see the fore topmast which has also been made. The loose threads (lines) are for a block that is part of the peak halliard rigging. I want to be able to adjust these lines so insure they look good. The other blocks are for the brails.
  21. KenW
    Hey Rusty - Your workmanship is excellent! It was great to meet you and see your work in person today. Hope you got home safe and stop by often. Cheers.
  22. KenW
    Thanks Russ and Dave for the replies and encouragement. I have Harold Hahn's Halifax and Hannah plans. I'm also looking at the books, "The History of American Sailing Ships", and, "The American Sailing Navy", by Howard Chapelle. In addition, Harold Hahn has a good drawing of the US privateer Chaleur in his book, "The Colonial Schooner". While the Halifax and Chaleur have square sails on both masts, the Hannah has a gaff topsail on the main mast like the AL Independence kit. So I'm leaning that way. Anyway, I'm still researching, but I don't want to take too long.
  23. KenW
    Bad kit or not; that is still an excellent, high class build. You should be proud. I hope your health improves and continue to build models. Cheers.
  24. KenW
    I made the two channels for the foremast including their deadeyes. I’m doing one mast at a time, so next will be the lower foremast. But first, I have to decide on what other blocks and eyebolts must be added to the mast and its crosstrees. (I still believe in doing a much as I can “off the boat”.) So now, I have to figure out my rigging scheme. I’m not totally happy with the rigging plan that came with the AL kit. I’m considering rigging the model based on Harold Hahn’s plans for for the ship, Hannah. And, the sails will be furled, which will involve some lines not on either the kit’s or Hahn’s plans. I welcome any comments or opinions.
  25. KenW
    Thanks Jim for your comments.

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