Shamrock

When drilling several holes in plastic models (motorcycle brake disc vent holes scale 1:12) I have found that using a tool that you can hold like a pencil. Dremel or Proxxon multitool or a simple pin vice (I use Amatis), will put less stress sideways on the drill - thus less drill breakage
Shamrock

When drilling several holes in plastic models (motorcycle brake disc vent holes scale 1:12) I have found that using a tool that you can hold like a pencil. Dremel or Proxxon multitool or a simple pin vice (I use Amatis), will put less stress sideways on the drill - thus less drill breakage
Shamrock

I guess that she will be really impressed....... or am I wrong?
So far it has been with great delight that I have follow your progress - impressive (showed some pictures of PE where you can see the "smallness" - she was impressed but commented " I hope you are not going to build something as big as that"
Shamrock

I guess that she will be really impressed....... or am I wrong?
So far it has been with great delight that I have follow your progress - impressive (showed some pictures of PE where you can see the "smallness" - she was impressed but commented " I hope you are not going to build something as big as that"
Shamrock

I guess that she will be really impressed....... or am I wrong?
So far it has been with great delight that I have follow your progress - impressive (showed some pictures of PE where you can see the "smallness" - she was impressed but commented " I hope you are not going to build something as big as that"
Shamrock

I guess that she will be really impressed....... or am I wrong?
So far it has been with great delight that I have follow your progress - impressive (showed some pictures of PE where you can see the "smallness" - she was impressed but commented " I hope you are not going to build something as big as that"
Shamrock

I guess that she will be really impressed....... or am I wrong?
So far it has been with great delight that I have follow your progress - impressive (showed some pictures of PE where you can see the "smallness" - she was impressed but commented " I hope you are not going to build something as big as that"
Shamrock

I guess that she will be really impressed....... or am I wrong?
So far it has been with great delight that I have follow your progress - impressive (showed some pictures of PE where you can see the "smallness" - she was impressed but commented " I hope you are not going to build something as big as that"
Shamrock

When drilling several holes in plastic models (motorcycle brake disc vent holes scale 1:12) I have found that using a tool that you can hold like a pencil. Dremel or Proxxon multitool or a simple pin vice (I use Amatis), will put less stress sideways on the drill - thus less drill breakage
Shamrock

When drilling several holes in plastic models (motorcycle brake disc vent holes scale 1:12) I have found that using a tool that you can hold like a pencil. Dremel or Proxxon multitool or a simple pin vice (I use Amatis), will put less stress sideways on the drill - thus less drill breakage
Shamrock

When drilling several holes in plastic models (motorcycle brake disc vent holes scale 1:12) I have found that using a tool that you can hold like a pencil. Dremel or Proxxon multitool or a simple pin vice (I use Amatis), will put less stress sideways on the drill - thus less drill breakage
Shamrock

When drilling several holes in plastic models (motorcycle brake disc vent holes scale 1:12) I have found that using a tool that you can hold like a pencil. Dremel or Proxxon multitool or a simple pin vice (I use Amatis), will put less stress sideways on the drill - thus less drill breakage
Shamrock

A beatiful ship!! And the craftmanship looks really great.
No worries mate (about the frame thickness). As you say - when you are ready the overall impression will be great
Shamrock

Good day to you
There has actually been built a fullscale windwagon by som guys here in Sweden. They had a background as volunteers in building the ship "Göteborg" and found some information about a design by Thomas Smith, who built the original in 1853.
When ready they used the wagon named "Astrakan" and sailed through the Nevada desert to the film festíval "Burning man" 2012
Look in youtube - search "windwagon"
 

Good day to you
There has actually been built a fullscale windwagon by som guys here in Sweden. They had a background as volunteers in building the ship "Göteborg" and found some information about a design by Thomas Smith, who built the original in 1853.
When ready they used the wagon named "Astrakan" and sailed through the Nevada desert to the film festíval "Burning man" 2012
Look in youtube - search "windwagon"
 

Started hull planking.  Using basswood provided in the kit.
 
  Bob R.

Hi everyone. Ever since I first read about the famous Sparkman and Stevens' designed yawl (built over 80 yrs ago snd she's still racing), I've wanted to build a model of her. So, after thirty years of dreaming, I've now started to build a scratch built, miniature, fully detailed model, complete with interior accommodation, etc. The model is a true miniature, ie only 15 cms approx in hull length.
 
As you can see, I have tried to adhere to full sized construction practices by using a built up keel and bent frames. All the wood was cut using my miniature table saw, which, is a lot of fun and satisfying, not to mention, cost effective.
 
I still have a long way to go before I finish the masts, winches, blocks and rigging, but it's been a hell of a lotta fun so far.
 
I hope you enjoy the model and photos. I will post more pics as work progresses.
 
Comments, feedback and suggestions are most welcomed!

Hi all –
 
Thanks for your comments and suggestions.  I plan to incorporate them into the second iteration of the boat which will be built when the hardwood strips arrive from the supplier.
 
When we left the shipyard the hull of the boat had been fully planked with the shutter planks fitted on both sides.  The hull had been marked out in pencil for the rib locations in preparation for the nails which would have fastened the planks to the ribs.  Here you can see the lines for all of the ribs that sit square to the keel as well as for the two cant ribs, drawn on the port side of the hull.
 

 
For the fasteners I had to find a way to make them look right without devoting an excessive amount of time to the task.  Since there are 11 planks on each side, 25 rib or transom/stem lines that the planks cross, and two fasteners per crossing, the math says that there have to be 1100 fasteners for the exterior of each boat.  Add in some more for the interior work and you can see the magnitude of the problem. 
 
The original boat probably had the planks nailed to the ribs, with the ends peened over to clinch them.  I experimented with a plank/rib mockup and could never get the holes in the planks to come through the ribs in the proper places.  Instead, I decided to drill the holes through only the planks and worry about indicating the nails on the inside of the ribs later.
 
I first drilled all the holes.  Here you can see how there are two in each plank in an offset pattern.  I used a 0.012” drill, which scales up to 1/2”, which would be about right.
 

 
At first I tried inserting pieces of annealed iron wire into the holes, clipping them short, painting them with glue, then filing the tops flush with the face of the planks.  This was incredibly time consuming and fiddly.  I then decided to try the technique of leaving the holes empty, sanding the planks to fill the holes with sawdust, then painting on a finish to hold in the sawdust.  This looked good and I don’t believe that anyone can tell the difference with this short cut.
 
  *   *   *
Aarrrgh, scalawag that ye are!  Ye’ll not be taking any modern short cuts with me boats.  I be Dread Pirate Peter, and I’ll have yer guts fer garters if ye dinna do a manly and proper piece of work. 
 

 
No, no, it will be OK.  Really it will.  Here, this is what the nail holes look like after filling and staining.  I have had several critical people, including my wife, compare them to the ones with the iron nails in them and no one could tell the difference.  In fact, the slightly spread discoloration of the wood grain closely mimics the way old wood stains when a nail rusts into it.
 

 
*   *   *
Tis all very well and comely, but rest ye not on yer laurels, lest ye rest on yer ****.  I be watching ye. . .
 
*   *   *
Soooo, with that out of the way, I turned to fitting out the interior.  First the missing ribs were bent and fitted into the interior.  These were the two cant ribs at the bow and the aftmost rib at Station 21 that had been left off to make planking easier. 
 
The first interior piece to be installed was the tapered central plank of the flooring.  It strengthens the keel and is the location for the lifting rings and mast step.
 

 
To each side the rest of the floor planks were installed.  They are not tapered but fit against the tapered center plank due to the curvature of the hull.  They are held in place while the glue dries by inexpensive hair clips from the cosmetics section of the drug store.  They initially look like the one at the lower left, but are easily bent by hand to the shape in the lower right.  This now allows them to reach around the hull to apply pressure at the tips.
 

 
Next to be installed are the sheets, the planked platforms at the bow and stern.  They will appear in later photos, but I did not take pictures as they were being built.  Construction is straightforward.  Planks were glued to a pair of battens underneath to make a flat sheet larger than needed.  A paper pattern is cut to fit the space and the wood sheet is cut to that shape.  The edges are bevelled to match the curve of the hull and it is glued in place to the ribs.
 
Now the thwart stringers are installed.  I first bent one piece of  stripwood to shape and glued it in on the starboard side at the height indicated on the plans.  The matching strip was bent and trimmed for the port side and held in place temporarily while I balanced pieces of stripwood across from side to side and set perpendicular to the keel.  These are known in woodworking as ‘winding sticks’ although I don’t know why.  Looking across their tops you can easily see any variation from side to side and any tipping compared to the centerline and the edge of the sheets.  Once I was satisfied with the levels, the port stringer was glued in place. 
 

 
The plans show square section wood pieces running side to side just under the thwart stringers near the bow and stern.  They have a short section in the center that has a round cross section.  I do not know what they were for, but perhaps the rounded section would have a halyard led around it when the sail was raised, sort of a non-turning sheave.  Whatever they are they were shaped, fitted and glued in.
 
The lifting rings and mast step were located and attached to the central floor plank.  I also drilled the nail holes for the floors and sheets as I did for the hull planks.  My one regret is that I did not do this for the ribs at this point when they were exposed.  It turned out to be too crowded later – a detail that will be corrected on the next boats.
 
The thwarts were cut from 1mm thick stock, with the middle one being wider in the center and having added knees.  It holds and supports the metalwork that acts as the mast partner.  This fitting is made from brass strip which is chemically blackened, then glued and pinned with wire nails to the edge of the thwart.  A decorative beading was scribed into the edges of the thwarts, then they were installed on top of the stringers with spacers between them.
 

 
Unfortunately, once the thwarts were installed it was clear that they were sitting too high in the boat.  No rowers could have sat on them and had their feet reach the floor for leverage.  Here the flexibility of the Lineco glue came to my rescue.  With the tip of a #10 blade I was able to pry up the thwarts from the stringers and then remove the stringers without any damage to the hull or ribs.
 

 
The stringers were lowered 6 scale inches and reinstalled, followed by the thwarts, which looked much better after the adjustment.  I went back to the plans and determined that the problem was there and not in my measuring or building.  Just one of those problems that had to be built to be discovered.
 

 
Fitting out the rest of the interior is self-explanatory.  Working up from the thwarts the stern seats were planked up over battens.  They sit on top of the thwart stringers and the aftmost thwart.  The foremost thwart has a pair of knees set on top.
 
Square section stringers were fitted and glued to the inner sides of the sheer strake so their tops matched, and were strengthened at the bow by a breasthook and at the stern by two transom knees.  Thole blocks were set on top of the sheer strakes and stringers and will be drilled for the thole pins to be added later.  The locations of several of these had to be adjusted from the plans, which did not have them at a consistent distance from the associated thwart.
 

 
The only difficult woodworking came at the bow where the curved and carved fairleads on either side of the stem were joined with a double-dovetailed cross-support.
 


 
With the boat all but complete the rudder was fashioned to match the plans.  Two planks were fitted and tapered, then cut to the proper profile.  The pintle straps were made from brass strip, pinned through with iron wire and chemically blackened.  The tiller is brass bar that was tapered and blackened, with an epoxy bulb at its tip.
 

 
Top and bottom gudgeons were fashioned from blackened brass strip.  The upper one simply slipped into a hole drilled into the aft face of the sternpost, while the lower one had to be bent in several directions before being pinned against the sides of the sternpost.  It only remained for the thole pins to be installed and the boat was complete.
 

 
*    *    *
So ye think ye be quite clever, do ye? Quite the boat builder?  I be the judge of that.  I also bring me great-great-great grandson Peter who says he has worked with ye before.  He be a great galoot of a puppy, but he be useful to judge yer work.  He set up this temporary mast and I grant ye that said boat be mightily even side to side.
 

 
He sits well in the stern and nothing pulls my eye to say that he could not reach and steer the tiller, should he take it into his head to do some work, the lazy lout that he be.
 

 
It shivers me innards to grudge ye my approval, but i’ faith I canna find much to dislike.  But be warned that I will no be put off with such minor success.  Ye must do as well or better, or feel me wrath fall upon ye like to the Trump of Doom.
 


 
Well, there you have it.  The second boat will be made from hardwoods now that most of the construction problems have been identified, although I am sure that new ones will appear and demand solutions.  Those may be harder to find while looking over my shoulder all the time; Dread Pirate Peter seems to have very high standards, and a very short temper.
 
Till then, be well.
 
Dan

Fellow ship builders. A small update from a visual point of view, but rather big from a time perspective..
 
I am detailing the deck, starting my way from the bow. The holes for the deadeyes are drilled trough the main rail and further trough the respective stanchion.
 
Thanks for dropping by.
/Alfons
 

Hull Planking Complete, day 16, 67 hours
 


I decided to plank the top and sides of the hull with mahogany strips. I cut the strips roughly to length, soaked them briefly in water, and glued them with medium CA. The water makes the CA set up quickly. I only glued my fingers to just about every plank.
 
 

Unfortunately the kit did not have quite enough planks, so I visited my favorite local Woodcraft store. They had a sheet of 1/16" mahogany that I ripped into planks on my bandsaw. You can see a slight color difference on the outer few planks of the sponsons.
 
The nails are purely decorative. They were added after the the hull was planked, filled, and sanded. I marked nail locations along each bulkhead at the center of each plank. I had to drill holes for each nail to avoid splitting the mahogany. The drill was a couple thousands of an inch smaller than the nails, so the tails went in easily. I tapped the nails flush, and cleaned up with sandpaper. I still have a lot of nails to add on the back of the hull.
 

The instructions don't mention the bottom of the hull. I think you're supposed to just use the thin plywood bottom, but I knew it would look bad where I sanded through the top ply layers. So I visited my favorite local Woodcraft store again and bought a roll of flat mahogany veneer with a pressure-sensitive adhesive backing. I had to buy a roll 1' wide x 8' long for $45, but it turned out to be a good choice. It cut easily with a knife, stuck on perfectly, and looks beautiful.
 
Any suggestions for finishes?
I haven't decided what finish to use yet. I'll probably start with Watco oil to bring out the color, but I'm don't know what to use after that. Does anyone know about spar varnish? That's probably what was used on the real boat so it seems like a good choice, although I would prefer to use something available in a spray.
 
 

This picture from 1895 bears the note "Kiel restaurant" - to me it looks like a real ship (except for the entrances)......... or is it a fakebuílt restaurant posing as a ship?
 
At the same time the next picture was taken "Inauguration of the Kiel channel"

Fore to Aft
 

You just gotta love the jib with all those lines!
 

 

The longboat was one of my finer pieces of work.
 

I copied Augie's mount for the bell.
 
 

Hull sheeting Complete day 6, 30 hours
 
]
I finally found some laser-cut parts that didn't quite fit - the sides panels of the hull. I had to do a little cut-and-paste, but I finally got the hull closed up. Most of this will get covered wit mahogany planks.
 

A bit of ply sand-through on the bottom. I don't know how I can finish this to look right. Any ideas?
 

I applied a bit of planking to the stern. I sure miss Chuck Passaro's 130 pages of instructions for the Syren! The Amati instructions are very brief:
Fig. 20-21
Plank deck using mahogany strips. Remember to drive nails along guide lines you have already marked on deck.
 
Should I plank the sides? aft end? bottom? There isdefinitely not enough material for the bottom but I plan to do the rest.
 

I painted the styrene seat and made the attachment. Now that's red!
 

And here's where it stands for now.

What a kit! I do not think I can stop myself from getting it - even though I have too much in pipeline right now (three ships, two motorcycles)
For anyone wanting to put som extra effort (and too much money) into this kit, I found this http://shop.autographmodel.com/L-P-1-8-motor-kit-Arno-Hydroplane-Ferrari-Engine
"Only" 900 euro!!! I am lucky that it is not in stock - the Admiral would have me keel-hauled. But what a kit!!! The building instruction is downloadable if you want to torture yourself
Scamrock
 
 

From the Royal celebration - King Oscar II 25 years on the throne.
Outside Grand Hotel and a general picture from the Stockholm stream
Oscar - a small freighter that my great grandfather used in Göta kanal to ship bobins for spinning machines to Gothenburg
Some guys in Copenhagen who are ignorant about the use of razors.