Jack Panzeca

Well, I have reached a milestone of sorts so I thought it was time for an update.  
 
The five double frames are complete.  They took a long time to finish but by the end I had a good system down and the scarphs and chocks had gotten easier and more consistent.  The single frames should go much faster.  But who is in a hurry, this is a hobby after all.
 

 
I used a variation of the mobbsie/Grant method for the scarphs.  The razor saw was used to cut the side line and a tiny Ryoba that I bought in Japan decades ago to cut the long side.  With the futtock in the vice the saw lays really flat and it is simple to cut to the razor saw line.  Then a quick dressing with a file and it is done.
 

 
The five double frames.
 

 
This is one of the middle frames.
 

 
The D frame, which is the front end of the model, has a coat of Wipe On Polly just to see how it will look.  The contrast with the ebony bolts is nice.
 

 
If you click on this macro photo to enlarge it you can actually see the sandpaper scratches in the ebony bolts.  180 grit was used.  Photography stuff fascinates me.
 

 
Only rough sanding has been done, the plan is to do all the finish work at once when the single frames are complete as well.  I do not plan to attach anything until she is a lot further  along.
 
Thanks to all those who follow and the "Likes".  Special thanks to Grant and mobbsie for all their help.
 
I have been practicing on my Sherline lathe so that I can get get good enough to turn the cannon and mortar out of ebony when the time comes.
 
Thanks for looking.
 
 
 
 
 

The first picture is the junk pile.  Treenail (bolt) tests and joinery practice.  Some were not bad some are awful.
 

 
The next pictures are of frame 4A & 4B.  The practice is paying off.  I did all 40 ebony bolts even though, the best I can tell, when the model is finished only the 2 at the small chocks (8 total) will be visible.  Good practice.  A lot of sanding yet to go.
 

 
This sure is fun.  The emotional reward of finally getting it right is huge.
 
Thanks to all the "likes" always appreciated.  Special thanks to the rest of the group, their assistance is enormously helpful.
 
The rest of the double frames are next.

Well, my first keeper frame turned out to be another practice version.  I have not mastered the fit of the chocks. Starting on the most visible frame is probably a tactical error.
 
Just so you know that I am not napping, the latest try has produced some advancement.  I originally planed to use copper wire darkened with Liver of Sulphur for the double frame bolts (Grant's method).  I did not have much luck with it, staining the wood as well as the copper.  Grant graciously tried to coach me through it but I did not do so well.  I started to wonder how hard it would be to make the bolts from ebony.  I had a block of ebony in the shipyard so I started to play.
 
I cut the planks to 1/32 square dowels and with the help of the Byrne's thickness sander and finally the Byrne's draw plate they turned into .032 inch round dowels.  Not too hard, it was fun.  The first picture shows the frame and the ebony.  I really like the way they look and i only have 200 or so to make. 
 

 

 
I think that I will start on the interior doubles and see how I do with those.

Time for a small update.  I have been working on a couple of sets of double frames as my initial frame tests.  Both sets were D1 and D2 which are 2 of the outside frames.
 
The frame drawings were printed on letter size self adhesive labels and cut the futtocks out and stuck to the swiss pear.  First I followed Grant's example and used 3M painter's masking tape which makes everything easier to remove from the wood.  In this hemisphere it is blue rather than yellow.     I have to mention how much nicer swiss pear is to work with than oak.  Oseberg is almost completely oak and really hard to work in small scale.  Swiss pear is much softer but still holds an edge.  Sweet!
 

 
They were cut out loosely with a scroll saw and fine-tuned on a spindle sander and a disk sander.  These where my first frames and they were a long way from satisfactory.
 

 
The joints were not precise and the chocks were still a mystery.  I used only the 2 bolts shown on the drawings.  They were made from .81mm copper wire.
 

 
The second set was a lot better, I guess that is the point of practice.  I used mobbsie's flat vice method to file the scarph joints which helped a great deal.  I also replaced my decades old, not intended for prime time, Delta disk sander with another dream machine Byrne's model and that worked wonders for making the ends square.  (It is balanced so precisely that when I shut it off it continues to rotate for 30 seconds.)
 

 
Grant helped me with the layout of the additional bolts shown in AOTS.  I laid them out on a drawing copy and than transferred them to a sticky label and added them to the glued up frames.  I drilled them using a Vanda-Lay drill press with a Proxxon x-y table.
 

 
Here they are sort of finished but not glued together or faired.
 

 
They are much better but still not perfect.  Third time is a charm (I hope).   See you soon. 
 
 
 

Hi Guys,
 
Thanks Carl, Grant, Greg and mobbsie as well as the "Likes".
 
Well, once again real life is getting in the way of my model building.  I used to build multiplex cinemas before I retired and I have had a consulting gig looming for a while.  It has been encroaching on my shipyard time to some extent but lately it has taken on a life of it's own.  I have not done any work on the Bomb Vessel since my last update.  I have been in the shipyard but my workbench has been converted into a desk.  It is covered with paper instead of sawdust, very sad.  
 
I have been prepping for a 6 to 8 week job site stay to finish off a small cinema in a small town in Oklahoma.  I was the consultant for the original design several years ago and it makes sense that I should come back for the finish (shorter learning curve).  I start next Sunday and I hope to get home on future Sundays but I am not counting on it.
 
The good news is that it will help extend the retirement money and I have been thrilled to realize that I still remember how to do this.  The job site exercise will be good for me too.
 
I will still check in to MSW from the hotel room, watching with envy as Grant and mobbsie continue to get even further ahead.  Grant is right about the benefit of have their roadmap to follow when I do get to work on mine again.
 
Talk to you soon.  
 
I'll be back! (Terminator2)

Hi Guys,
 
Thanks Carl, Grant, Greg and mobbsie as well as the "Likes".
 
Well, once again real life is getting in the way of my model building.  I used to build multiplex cinemas before I retired and I have had a consulting gig looming for a while.  It has been encroaching on my shipyard time to some extent but lately it has taken on a life of it's own.  I have not done any work on the Bomb Vessel since my last update.  I have been in the shipyard but my workbench has been converted into a desk.  It is covered with paper instead of sawdust, very sad.  
 
I have been prepping for a 6 to 8 week job site stay to finish off a small cinema in a small town in Oklahoma.  I was the consultant for the original design several years ago and it makes sense that I should come back for the finish (shorter learning curve).  I start next Sunday and I hope to get home on future Sundays but I am not counting on it.
 
The good news is that it will help extend the retirement money and I have been thrilled to realize that I still remember how to do this.  The job site exercise will be good for me too.
 
I will still check in to MSW from the hotel room, watching with envy as Grant and mobbsie continue to get even further ahead.  Grant is right about the benefit of have their roadmap to follow when I do get to work on mine again.
 
Talk to you soon.  
 
I'll be back! (Terminator2)

Just brilliant Grant,
 
Your precision is something that I can only dream about.  Glad to see you back in action.

Time for another update.  Unfortunately, my pace has slowed due to a consulting gig that has been looming for a while and has finally kicked in.  I hate it when real life gets in the way of my hobbies. 
 
The frames are completed.  At least they are made, there is still a lot of work to do to call them "complete" and glue them into their permanent home. It is a shame that when I finally get them figured out there are no more of them to do.  They are fitted loosely and the first double frame has a coat of Wipe-On Poly.  The rest are very raw with a lot of sanding left to do.
 

 
The next step is to do the frame cutouts for the gun-ports, sweeps, etc.  
 
Grant:  I hope that you are doing well, I will still never catch up!         Good luck on your recovery.
 
Thanks for looking in and thanks to all the "likes", always appreciated.

Hi Guys,
 
Thanks Carl, Grant, Greg and mobbsie as well as the "Likes".
 
Well, once again real life is getting in the way of my model building.  I used to build multiplex cinemas before I retired and I have had a consulting gig looming for a while.  It has been encroaching on my shipyard time to some extent but lately it has taken on a life of it's own.  I have not done any work on the Bomb Vessel since my last update.  I have been in the shipyard but my workbench has been converted into a desk.  It is covered with paper instead of sawdust, very sad.  
 
I have been prepping for a 6 to 8 week job site stay to finish off a small cinema in a small town in Oklahoma.  I was the consultant for the original design several years ago and it makes sense that I should come back for the finish (shorter learning curve).  I start next Sunday and I hope to get home on future Sundays but I am not counting on it.
 
The good news is that it will help extend the retirement money and I have been thrilled to realize that I still remember how to do this.  The job site exercise will be good for me too.
 
I will still check in to MSW from the hotel room, watching with envy as Grant and mobbsie continue to get even further ahead.  Grant is right about the benefit of have their roadmap to follow when I do get to work on mine again.
 
Talk to you soon.  
 
I'll be back! (Terminator2)

Hi Guys,
 
Thanks Carl, Grant, Greg and mobbsie as well as the "Likes".
 
Well, once again real life is getting in the way of my model building.  I used to build multiplex cinemas before I retired and I have had a consulting gig looming for a while.  It has been encroaching on my shipyard time to some extent but lately it has taken on a life of it's own.  I have not done any work on the Bomb Vessel since my last update.  I have been in the shipyard but my workbench has been converted into a desk.  It is covered with paper instead of sawdust, very sad.  
 
I have been prepping for a 6 to 8 week job site stay to finish off a small cinema in a small town in Oklahoma.  I was the consultant for the original design several years ago and it makes sense that I should come back for the finish (shorter learning curve).  I start next Sunday and I hope to get home on future Sundays but I am not counting on it.
 
The good news is that it will help extend the retirement money and I have been thrilled to realize that I still remember how to do this.  The job site exercise will be good for me too.
 
I will still check in to MSW from the hotel room, watching with envy as Grant and mobbsie continue to get even further ahead.  Grant is right about the benefit of have their roadmap to follow when I do get to work on mine again.
 
Talk to you soon.  
 
I'll be back! (Terminator2)

Just brilliant Grant,
 
Your precision is something that I can only dream about.  Glad to see you back in action.

It's been a while since the last update. Recovery from my hip surgery has certainly slowed things down a little, but I have managed to make some progress.  The next stage was construction of the Mortar Pit.
 
Construction of the Mortar Pit
 
Construction of the Mortar Pit commences with the six Mortar Pit Deck Beams that sit atop the Shell Room.   These were cut from 1/4" Pear stock.  Six rectangular blanks of identical size were cut and then spot glued together. A single paper pattern for the beams was then glued on to the gang of blanks and the notches for the Shell Room headers (5/16”) and the Mortar Pit Boundary Timbers (1/4”) were cut on the mill to take advantage of the still square faces. The round-up of the beams was then shaped using the spindle sander for the inside curve and the disc sander for the outside curve.  After test fitting, the Deck Beams were used as additional support to ensure the Shell Room was squared up for final fixing. Once the Shell Room was securely fastened, the Beams were given a coat of Wipe-On Poly and glued in place.
 

 
The Mortar Pit itself is fairly straightforward construction, consisting of two Boundary Timbers of 1/4” x 5/16” Pear, a Primary Layer of planking (3/16” Holly) and a Secondary Layer of planking (1/8” Holly).  I decided to use pencil along the plank edges to simulate the caulking with these decks, rather than the black paper used on the deck of the Shell Room, partly because I was concerned about glue adhesion, and partly because I wanted to see what it looked like.  Once again, the “drill and fill” method was used for simulating treenails. In retrospect, I should have sealed the Holly before applying the filler for the treenails as some of the filler has gotten into the grain of the deck and slightly discoloured it.  Here are the component parts prior to receiving a couple of coats of Wipe-On Poly.
 

 
The Primary planking has a 1/8” brass spigot inserted – this will locate the base of the turntable in a later stage of construction.  The Secondary planking has a circular cut out for the turntable. This was formed by cutting roughly to shape on the Scroll saw, and then finishing on the spindle sander. 
 

 
Once both decks had been completed, it was a fairly simple case of finessing them to size to fit the space defined by the Boundary timbers.  Here are a few pics of the completed Mortar Pit in place:
 

 

 

 

 

 
Next up, fitting of the Upper Deck Clamps and preparation for construction of the Upper Deck.  Stay tuned.....
 
 

Marc,
 
Thanks for those latest photos. I think I recognize that model as the Kitamaesen kit that Woody Joe used to produce, but it's been upgraded quite nicely. I love the cargo on the deck, what a great idea!
 
It's actually a shame that they stopped production. I liked the large size of the kit. I think they are trying to make kits that are easier to build, and the older kits are very much more like the kind of kits we'd expect as ship modelers. I have one of their Sengokubune kits, which they still produce, and it's of the older pre-laser cut and less engineered style. It's actually quite a neat kit, but requires a lot more of the ship modeling skills. While less accurate perhaps, the nice thing is that it's a much larger model at about 25" inches. I wanted to get it before it too disappears from production. 
 
Because the kit is not laser-cut, I thought it would make a good pattern to build to a larger scale like 1/4" (pardon me... 1/4 sen scale).
 
 
Marc, as you pointed out, the Higaki Kaisen operated between the large cities of Osaka and Edo (Tokyo) on the Pacific side of the main island of Honshu. I have a DVD that my friend sent me of a symbolic trade journey the Michinoku Maru, a Kitamaesen, made along with Japan Sea coast from Aomori at the northern end of Honshu. That seemed to indicate (gathering this from context rather that from my bad Japanese language skills) that Kitamaesen differed in that they travelled from port to port picking up and dropping off goods along the way. More of a general trade ship.
 
Another friend I play music with likes to study and learn about Japanese music and dance and has often explained how certain kinds of Japanese songs and dances had different names in different parts of Japan, but were related because they were carried by the sailors that travelled up and down the coast. 
 
We really don't hear much about these ships (well, not at all in the U.S.) but it appears that they had a significant role in spreading of Japanese culture and the growth of cities in the relative peace and economic growth of Edo period Japan.
 
 
Bob, hope you don't mind this discussion in your thread. It just seems like th place to bring it up!
 
Is it still early enough in your build to add those interior details? One thing I wanted to add, but never got around to was to make a little Tenmasen, the small cargo boat that was often carried on deck. Don Dressel made one on his model, but I never quite got the hang of the design, though it should be pretty easy to build. PMing you!
 
 
Clare

Hi Rob,
Congratulation on your build, the Higaki Kaisen is an amazing ship and you've done a great job so far.
Until a few years ago, a life sized replica of an Edo period Higaki kaisen was exhibited at the Maritime Museum of Osaka. The replica even sailed for a while in Osaka Bay before they installed it in the museum. Unfortunately the museum closed a few years ago.
I am sending you few pictures of the Osaka Higaki kaisen I took in the museum.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Good luck with your build.
Marc
 

Well, she is complete in plenty of time for the Admiral's birthday.  The Admiral is happy and as we all know when the Admiral is happy everyone is happy.    
 
The build was 9 months of fun and learning.  Completion is very rewarding.
 
I would like to thank everyone who helped with the build especially Von_Kossa.  His log is what inspired me to build the Oseberg in the first place and his research kept me on the right track.   Also, thanks to Vivian Galad (we are watching your Oseberg) and all those who followed the build, your encouragement was necessary and wonderful.
 
I probably would not be involved in this hobby at all without the MSW community.  There was not much information out there the first time I tried years ago.  Now, whatever you need just ask.  Thanks for the help.
 

 
Time to move forward.  I will now attempt to catch up with Grant and Mobbsie with our first shot at the dark side "Bomb Vessel Granado 1742".

Ah.. update sooner than I thought.  Got the anchor planking done on the starboard side.  I've ripped off the wales and redid them.  Have one small area I'm not thrilled with in the pearwood part.  But I think I can fix that with some more sanding.  I'll sort it out when I go to plank that area.   Next in line is to continue up the rail (cutline).  I won't be cutting her free though for quite a while as like the security of the jig. 
 

Hi friends,
 
Completion of the main mast
 
with shrouds and ratlines.
 
Karl   
 
 
 
T e i l   5 8

I was really pleased to get these little devils out of the way, I cant believe you are disappointed they are completed.
 
You've done a wonderful job on them, well done.
 
Onwards and upwards mate.
 
Be Good
 
mobbsie

Jack,
 
Nice to see an update from you and your frames are looking great. At least by being a little behind, you have avoided the trap that both Mobbsie and I fell into with the gunport/sweep cutouts! Don't worry about pace - it's not a race but a mutually supportive build. The routine is that Mobbsie races ahead and finds all the traps, I come along and re-learn the same lessons, and then you get the benefit of both our mistakes!
 
My recovery is going well, thank you. I hope to be able to finish assembling the shell room this weekend, though I'm still not allowed near power tools - have to wait until I'm off the pharamceuticals for that!

Jack,
 
Nice progress, better to move slowly and surely ... looking good

Well, I have reached a milestone of sorts so I thought it was time for an update.  
 
The five double frames are complete.  They took a long time to finish but by the end I had a good system down and the scarphs and chocks had gotten easier and more consistent.  The single frames should go much faster.  But who is in a hurry, this is a hobby after all.
 

 
I used a variation of the mobbsie/Grant method for the scarphs.  The razor saw was used to cut the side line and a tiny Ryoba that I bought in Japan decades ago to cut the long side.  With the futtock in the vice the saw lays really flat and it is simple to cut to the razor saw line.  Then a quick dressing with a file and it is done.
 

 
The five double frames.
 

 
This is one of the middle frames.
 

 
The D frame, which is the front end of the model, has a coat of Wipe On Polly just to see how it will look.  The contrast with the ebony bolts is nice.
 

 
If you click on this macro photo to enlarge it you can actually see the sandpaper scratches in the ebony bolts.  180 grit was used.  Photography stuff fascinates me.
 

 
Only rough sanding has been done, the plan is to do all the finish work at once when the single frames are complete as well.  I do not plan to attach anything until she is a lot further  along.
 
Thanks to all those who follow and the "Likes".  Special thanks to Grant and mobbsie for all their help.
 
I have been practicing on my Sherline lathe so that I can get get good enough to turn the cannon and mortar out of ebony when the time comes.
 
Thanks for looking.
 
 
 
 
 

The first picture is the junk pile.  Treenail (bolt) tests and joinery practice.  Some were not bad some are awful.
 

 
The next pictures are of frame 4A & 4B.  The practice is paying off.  I did all 40 ebony bolts even though, the best I can tell, when the model is finished only the 2 at the small chocks (8 total) will be visible.  Good practice.  A lot of sanding yet to go.
 

 
This sure is fun.  The emotional reward of finally getting it right is huge.
 
Thanks to all the "likes" always appreciated.  Special thanks to the rest of the group, their assistance is enormously helpful.
 
The rest of the double frames are next.

Hi Grant, Greg David and mobbsie,
 
Thanks for the encouragement.  Thanks to the "Likes" as well, it always means a lot. 
 
The chocks are close but little things keep them from being perfect.  Just as an example the chock on the lower left of the picture has an uneven glue line and the one on the upper right is slightly off center.  (I enhanced the contrast so that the flaws would stand out in the picture.)  Don't get me wrong some are just fine, but the two end frames have to be absolutely perfect since I will have to look at them everyday for the rest of my life.  I am going to start with the double frames in the center and by the time I get to the 2 outside frames the chocks and the treenails should be perfect.
 

 
Thanks again to all who look in.  Also, thanks to mobbsie for the tip on filing the scarph joints and the keel notches using a vice.  It has really helped.  Actually I borrowed the idea from Grant after he borrowed it from mobbsie.
 
Time to make more sawdust. 
 

Time for another update.  Unfortunately, my pace has slowed due to a consulting gig that has been looming for a while and has finally kicked in.  I hate it when real life gets in the way of my hobbies. 
 
The frames are completed.  At least they are made, there is still a lot of work to do to call them "complete" and glue them into their permanent home. It is a shame that when I finally get them figured out there are no more of them to do.  They are fitted loosely and the first double frame has a coat of Wipe-On Poly.  The rest are very raw with a lot of sanding left to do.
 

 
The next step is to do the frame cutouts for the gun-ports, sweeps, etc.  
 
Grant:  I hope that you are doing well, I will still never catch up!         Good luck on your recovery.
 
Thanks for looking in and thanks to all the "likes", always appreciated.

Thanks again for all the good wishes folks.  After a week or so of complete rest following the operation, I was permitted to return to the shipyard in a very limited capacity, which has been enough to enable me to complete the assembly of the Shell Room.
 
Before commencing assembly, I thought ahead one more step and realised that the upper support beams will be let into the deck beams above them. To ensure a proper fit, I cut a 5/16" slot in a piece of scrap using a 5/16" end cutter in the Sherline Mill.  I then passed each of the three upper support beams through the Byrnes Thickness sander a couple of times so that they made an easy slide fit in the test notch.  This should mean that the Deck Beams will be easy to fit, allowing a little room for glue.
 
Here are a few shots of the third (and final) set of components dry-fitted as a final check for accuracy:
 

 

 

 
In order to provide easy access for both application of Wipe-On Poly and installation of the Bombs, final assembly was done in stages.  The first stage was installation of the centre-line racks.  In the next photo, you can see the centreline racks installed, with WOP applied and Bombs temporarily installed.  You can also see the brass pins used to aid alignment during installation.
 

 
After that the Bombs were epoxied in place in all racks, the port and starboard racks were installed and finally the header cross beams were added.  Here are a few shots of the finished product:
 

 

 

 

 
In the next post I'll add some of the completed Shell Room in place on the model.