themadchemist

Glad I could make you smile. Remember, hobbies are meant to be FUN

You could always paint one side and leave the other wood and put the less liked side towards the wall. ...or switch it every once and a while to make people think its a new ship . For all the attention most casual observers pay unless they could see the other side they'd probably never know it wasn't a new ship . Isn't it great how we agonize over details most wouldn't see even when pointed out . That's why I like this hobby, if were easy everybody would be doing it. Hey I think you stole my excuse, I always say I'm researching when the spirocetes are kick my buttock. This weather change of spring has my neuropathy screaming, so I'm right there with you my friend. Actually I just got the Cunliffe Pilot boat set for a steal on ebay, both volumes for about 1/2 what 1 sells for. Anyway it has lots of pictures which is great for research, reading has been giving me headaches. I've been looking at how longboats were used on pilots (actually they call them Canoes, but they are more short and fat like a cutter) and the holly and ebony longboat is completely out of scale and of the wrong format. So I suggest we start a MSW fund to invest in time travel so we can be more sure about these important details.

That brass piece on the bowsprit looks wonderful. I can't see solder marks. You didn't pull a Michael and carve it from a solid brass billet did you? Details please? BTW, is there a lower latch point for the bobstay? I don't seem to see one, or is there a bobstay? or is it attached another way? sorry for all the questions....(not really, I like learning from the pro's)

Also I found transparent tape useful for making patterns. For me it was easier then the paper or card stock. I would lay the tape over the leading edge to be planked next to making sure the tape doesn't kink. Using a pencil lead edge I would run it along the taped plank edge and emboss the tape with the edge. I would then place this tape over the next plank to be placed and use the tape pencil line for where to trim, Of course I'd pre-shape first. This is also illustrated in my swift log if interested. Using the 2 above methods for planking, I was able to plank both sides without any dropped planks. I'd highly recommend a planking fan for marking your bulkhead plank placement so you know how much to narrow the planks also. I find mindset also key, Think of each plank as a model unto itself and take plenty of time. Planking has become my favorite part once I slowed down and learn to focus on one plank at a time.

I found the limewood (basswood) just needed soaking in HOT water. My wood was also very unevenly cut. I would soak in HOT water then clamp in place on the hull. Then let dry on the hull. Once dry I'd check spring back during unclamping and in some cases re-soak and reshape. It was a slow process getting only a couple planks a day placed. Also in your last post with pictures I noticed a couple of things. Your garboard strake (the one next to the keel) doesn't seem to fit the curve of the stem line. It also appears that you could benefit from moving the garboard placement back a bit. Otherwise this will cause crowding as you continue planking at the bow. Trying to extend the garboard to the first bulkhead puts it to far forward. I remedied this by putting balsa between the 1st and 2nd bulkheads by the keel to get extra gluing area and support for the end. This is documented in my swift log. Also here's a picture of yours which I hope explains the idea better.

Congratulations. So does this make you Sir Mobbsie of Harwich. Let the festivals begin

She's a small bugger to work with. The stain matched really well and very little of the framing will show once the inside is fitted out anyway. She's a great looking little masterpiece. Its amazing how much you learn along the way due to working on such a small size. I can't wait to see how you progress.

Nice work on the windlass and belaying rack, Jesse. Shaping those small pieces can be a work in patience. How well I understand your struggle with Lyme. Its good to see your humor as it's better to laugh than cry. The weather change patterns this year seems to be pounding me also. Lyme is like building a ship in some ways, you know it won't be easy and it must be taken one piece/pain at a time. Unlike ship building, with Lyme, the struggle is rarely worth it though, except to make it through another day. Be Well, my friend.

Don't know if you all have seen this but here are some interesting pic's of the replica. http://www.newnetherland.org/ship.html Here's an interesting quote also: She was strangely old-fashioned in appearance, riding high in the water like the flat-bottomed boats the Dutch used on their insland waterway, the Zuider Zee. Her poop and fo'c'sle were higher than those of comparable English vessels, and her three masts looked perilously thin. Hudson's first reaction when he saw her was that she would be difficult to handle. 'I'm afraid' he complained ...'that she'll prove clumsy in foul weather." Noel B. Gerson, Passage to the West: The Great Voyages of Henry Hudson. from: https://shipwiki.wikispaces.com/Half+Moon

Well the seizures have subsided and thought I'd comment. Seriously though, it's amazing what a difference the trim makes. She's really going to POP with the diamonds and circles. Great job as always Popeye. So here's an odd question. In reading Laughtons book Old Ship Figure-heads and Stern he talks about that of the ships of the 1400 and 1500's, many had painted sails. I've found this quite intriguing and wondered was this common on ships of differing countries and styles. from Laughton (pg 9) It was the era of painted sails, of the royal badges painted on the Kings ships, sometimes all over them, of private ships painted in the colours of the owners, and of a gorgeous display of flags of all kinds, banners, standards, streamers, penoncelles, according to the nature of the ship, her ownership and her employment. As the Half Maen was sailed into New York Harbour in 1609 was she built in the late 1500's and with her colours it makes me wonder if she would have been adored so, with painted sails. Just wanted to feed your creativity monster Popeye

can't wait to see the decals and process.

We must be missing each other coming and going. I finally saw your log on page 1 today. Glad to hear that life may be restoring itself to a bit of normalcy as you have had a very trying time this past year. Your GF is look great. It makes me always wonder why they design painted hull ships with double planks. The use of masking tape to stay away from the CA is a grand idea. Tape and rubber bands are underestimated by builders as a very useful tool. Be Well My Friend.

Your moving right along. Nice work. So will you be teaching this summer? Or taking it off and having some Robbyn and Craig time. Be well.

A nice bit of improvements have occurred since last I stuck my head in the door. Great creativity as always. That picture you just showed of the replica? it doesn't have top masts? I cant wait to see the painted sides change as you add the striped rails and diamonds, and so forth, This point of the build they seem to change appearance so fast.

I like how every piece you build is a model all by its self. All put together they create something so much more as each part has a life of its own.

Beautiful metal work Cap'n'Bob. Lettie's turning into one elegant lady with all the gold showing.

Michael I so much enjoy reading of your latest R&D. I take so much useful knowledge from seeing your creative abilities at work. Thanks for sharing, seeing the parts made as real working models helps to understand the physics of the rig and how it works. From a person the was completely ignorant of anything about ship/boat rigging when 2013 started, I have come a very long way in my understanding. I can only get so much understanding from reading, your build log has given me not just the visual finished product, but the processes of how its made, why its made that way and how it is ultimately used. A perfect example would be the picture of the block assembly. The one picture where you show the line clearance... I always just thought the opening to have equal distances between the block and sheave, but I now see that the opening is only opened for the line and close on the opposite side. The light bulb went off as to how much stronger this would make a block assembly. The realization of this asymmetry in the horizontal plane of the block assemble was just an example of why I find your build log SO OUTSTANDING. Please know that your mentorship to so many of us is greatly appreciated. I stopped rigging my pilot boat build as I wish to modify the kit inaccuracies and am watch your masterful work as an online apprenticeship of sorts. I really like the personalized block brass piece. Such an amazing touch. Every time I leave your log I think, ok what else can Michael do that will be more amazing and without fail I always come back to see a job that just keeps becoming more engrossing. Your build log is like a great novel that comes in installments and one can't wait to see what happens next. Be well my friend.

seems the home build tools are usually the best. Nice idea, thanks for sharing.

I never cease to be amazing at just WHAT can be used as a modeling tool. Great idea Jesse. I didn't realized just how small she was until seeing your thumb next to it. WOW, she's smaller then my little build.

Nicely made videos, informative also. I really like your idea to use a syringe for flux. Thanks for sharing Paul.

Wow, thanks Dan. So is she classified as a clipper. I typically think of square rig when I think clipper. There are so many 1/2 and 1/2 vessels out there also as one form developed into another.

So that begs the question about your boat. What was the Scottish Maid? With her rig, I say a schooner, but they were used as fishing vessels as well as many other uses. I think I read somewhere once that the bluenose was a hugely successful fishing vessel, but also had one of the fastest china to new York tea runs. So have you found anything on the history of the Maid? or her type of vessel in that time period? I've search for similar info on the San Francisco but anything pre 1600 is so blurred. I did read in one of the texts on ships décor that many of the galleons of the 1500's had painted sails and I've been considering that as I'm still planning on that one. Sometimes its fun to create your own history for a build also. The DSotM definitely wasn't an 1805 pilot boat.

Jesse, There could be a difference due to type of vessel (naval vs merchant) and/or size. With a ship like the Victory, which had 6 ships boats, they also had LOTS of crew available to keep them dry and bailed out. There is also the issue of readiness to consider, but storm or battle was not something that would sneak up so fast that there wasn't time. I can also see smaller vessels with less crew, possibly stowing them upside-down to save on an already busy schedule. All this type of stuff I like to think about as it played a part in the everyday life of an actual human beings' actual daily existent life, many individuals actually. I was reading McKay's AotS and being the science/numbers nerd I am. It listed heads and who got to use what (roundhouse vs.on the beak), anyway doing the math if I recall correctly there was like 11 minutes per day per enlisted crew. Kinda makes you wonder why the naming of the poop-deck at aft but the heads in the bow. I wonder just how many of those enlisted just hung over the poop-deck side rail. LOL. I bet chamber pots were used, but think of the mess if upended in rough seas. So have you considered making a planked full version of the longboat using your block as a former? I'm having a blast working on that little bugger I'm messing around with. Its a great time killer, and helps keep you sharp. That's something I understand about your needs, as we're kinda in the same boat with this blasted Lyme infection. Your Maid is turning out beautifully and I just like watching skilled individuals create. I find some days it's tough to build (that's when I study, if that's possible), but when I do I feel better somehow. For me the act of creating something physical helps me cope. I found this hobby out of necessity. It has saved my sanity, at least what's left of it.

Hum, interesting.... It makes more sense to store the ships boat upside down to prevent water accumulation, but you typically see them displayed upright. I wonder if that just a model thing to show off the details or were the boats stored upright for faster unloading? I'm with Vivian though, I was kinda looking forward to seeing what you would come up with.

So is that going to be a solid block long boat or is that the former to be planked. Either way the shape looks great and It blows away the metal kit piece. If it is a solid block, it will be interesting to see how you hollow it out. I've seen (heck I have some of the little MS kits) of the bread and butter kits, where the inner boat is cleaned out. There are just so many interesting ways that boats and ships can be made and I want to try them all. Heck I've considered building another long boat using the solid block former method.