fmodajr
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Thanks for the birthday wishes George! My wife made my favorite Veal Cutlet Parm for my birthday and I did wash it down with some merlot! Anyway, another year older (and wiser perhaps?) Frank -
Hi Mark, Good to hear from you! So, there is a lot to be said for furled sails. I like the sails to be furled so that the rigging can really still stand out to the viewer looking at the ship from outside a case. (Sometimes the intricate rigging can be "hidden" behind a fully open sail). What I am thinking right now is to have the lower mizzen mast boom sail furled, the lower foremast sail furled, the sail under the bowsprit furled and the lower mainmast sail semi-furled (similar to Karl's sail on his log and the 1/10th at the museum. Hopefully I can pull this off!) Then have the upper mizzenmast sail, the middle mainmast and foremast sails fully open. I will then make a decision on what to do with the top mainmast, foremast, and bowsprit sails after the other ones are on. My thinking is to have the lower sails furled in order to not have the sails obstruct the views of the deck of the finished model. We'll see. Thanks, Frank
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Thanks for all the likes! George and Michael, Thanks for your comments. I am re-acquainting myself with my wife's sewing machine. I am working on the sticking of the vertical lines, then I will start the edges. Hopefully I'll have more updates in a week. Thanks again, Frank
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Hello! Continuing on with my sails: My next step was to transfer my sail templates onto tracing paper and add a 1/4 inch band around all sides in order to create a double 1/8 inch fold along the edges while sewing. I picked up a nice sheet of fabric from the fabric store. (Bleached white Muslin). Since the cloth is too white, I picked up some fabric dyes and after some trials on scrap pieces, I settled on a formula in order to "dirty up" or soften the look of the sail cloth. After mixing, per the instructions, with hot water, I dipped the whole sheet into the dye mix, in order to create an even look throughout the sheet. Then I left the cloth dry overnight After I pressed the wrinkles out of the cloth, I pinned the tracing paper to the cloth. Now I cut the sail cloth to size. I am now ready to start sewing. I picked up some sewing thread that matches the running rigging line I will be using and the bolt rope I will be hand sewing later in the process. Thanks, Frank
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Hi Mark, It looks great! I was worried there for a bit that I placed mine on incorrectly! Good luck with the rest of the Corel figurines! Frank
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Hi Karl, Thanks for the advice! I went to the fabric store today and I purchased a "premium bleached muslin" fabric and I am very happy with it. I think it will be thin enough, with a tight high density thread count. I also will be taking your advice and dyeing the fabric to "dirty" it up a bit! I am washing it now to remove any shrinkage, then I will be cutting the sails and start the dyeing process. We'll see how it goes! Thanks for the help! Frank
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Thanks for all the likes! I took the time to lay out the sail templates on paper. Since the Corel kit has no sails or sail plans, I used the dimensions Karl was kind enough to forward to me from his Billings kit. (Thank you Karl!) I only had to make some small modifications for them to work on my model. These templates are the finished size of a fully laid open sail. For the sails that I decide will be furled, I will cut off about a third of the template, to thin down the furled sail thickness. Also, when I cut the sails from the cloth, I will have to add about a 1/4 inch all around the periphery in order for me to create a double 1/8 fold along the ends of the sail. Bowsprit Sails Foremast Sails Mainmast Sails Mizzenmast Sails I'm off to the fabric store tomorrow to try to find some suitable cloth! Thanks, Frank
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Hi Mark, Great work! I love the look of the sheaves! Coming along nicely. Frank
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Thanks George! With the masts on, I feel I've turned a corner and that I am closer to the end than the beginning! Anyway, I finished constructing and tapering all the yards. Bowsprit Yards Foremast Yards Mainmast Yards Mizzenmast Yards Yards painted a flat black and sprayed with clear dulcote for handling My next step is to lay out all the sail sizes and shapes on paper, creating a template. Thanks, Frank
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Hi Mark! Thanks for the comments. I like your idea of reaching out to Fred Hocker. Right now I am thinking of leaving this tackle off my build, but I'll see if F. Hocker has any thoughts on the matter. Thanks, Frank
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Hello! Thanks for all the likes! Some small updates. I added the blocks to the masts where possible and also some blocks to the decks around the masts. After I was done, I fitted and glued the masts to the hull! The Corel kit plans show some rigging for cargo tackle. However, on the Vasa Museum plans and on the 1/10 model, I do not see it being there. It would make sense that there would be some sort of tackle for getting things on the ship! For the time being, I added the blocks and eyelets for this tackle on the back of the foremast platform. If I decide to eliminate this, it will be easy to remove. Any thoughts? More blocks Masts fitted and glued to ship So now I will put the ship aside and start working on making the yards and the long process of making and sewing the sails. Next week, I will take a ride to the fabric store and see if I can find something suitable (tight weave and thin muslin) that will work for this ship. Thanks, Frank
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Hi Mark! I love the look of the stern, especially the shade of red you are using. All the colors work well together! What brand of paints are you using? Thanks, Frank
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Hi Michael, Those cannon port lids are looking really nice! I' m sure you'll be glad when they are done! I had the same problem in the fwd port lid (not in the Corel plans) so I had it set up as a closed lid. Frank
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Karl, Congratulations! Well done! I hope you keep your photo's in this site, for inspiration and guidance, for other Vasa builders (like me) to follow! Frank
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Its a kit by Corel named Prins Willem (a Dutch east Indiaman 1651) I painted it in its original coulors and corrected some of to the rigging You can find the bull log on (I am sorry its in Dutch): http://www.modelbouw...c-schip-95.html (I am sorry its in Dutch), and all pictures on: http://www.modelbouw...m-1649-voc.html You are right in not using the Corel blocks they are to rough and full of splinters. I had to use them on the Prins Willem for I could not find 4mm blocks in the stores. Andy I have ordered the Wasa Hi Andy, Thanks for sending the links to your Prince Willem. Excellent work, especially the stern section! I wish I could speak Dutch! Frank
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Hi Karl, Yes! I keep using your picts as a guide! Thanks! I know what you mean about nearing the end! Fortunately for me, I have a ways to go and rigging is always my favorite part of a model build! I hope you can find a case and a nice spot for your Vasa to be viewed! Frank
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I forgot to mention in my last post, that I am not using the blocks that came with the Corel kit. I am using blocks made by Warner Woods. I really like them a lot and when I received them, I just applied a little stain to darken them up a little. Thanks, Frank
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Hello, Thanks for all the likes and comments! So, another snowstorm in Boston tonight! I am hunkering down and I thought it would be a good time to post some more picts before we lose power! I continued work on the bowsprit by adding blocks and eyelets for future rigging. I am using the Corel plans, but modifying it with the plans from the Vasa Museum (along with visuals from Karl's great log on his Vasa). The museum plans and Karl's work show the rigging with the sails. Since I plan to use a combination of furled sails and a couple of sails fully open, I added more blocks onto the bowsprit than what the Corel plans show. I now positioned and glued the bowsprit to the ship. Then I added the rigging to tie down the bowsprit. I previously added the cleats to the bowsprit and I mistakenly added them a little too close to where the lashings are suppose to be, but I think they will be fine and I will be able to work around them! Then I added the supports for the lashings and the stairs. My next step is to add the blocks and eyelets to the 3 masts and fit the masts to the ship. Thanks Frank
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Hello! I finished up some work on the bowsprit. I notched out the top of the bowsprit dowel and attached the posts. After staining, I added the metal strip and cleats. I will add the steps on both sides of the bowsprit and the wood support for the lashings after the bowsprit is glued and the lashing rigging completed. The platform and cap mounted onto the bowsprit. Adding the upper mast sections. Metal straps added to the mast and caps My next step is to add all the blocks and eyelets to the masts and bowsprit and then glue the masts to the ship. Thanks, Frank
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Hello Henry, When I was making the tops, I wondered the same thing. The plans show about a 15 degree angle between the mainmast and top. However, the mainmast itself is raked back somewhat. Still, I agree, it does not seem "safe". I found this statement from Landstrom's book on the Vasa: "No detail of the Vasa, not even her rich embellishment, has caused so much surprise among ship historians as the after rake of her mainmast and the angle formed between her mainmast top and the mast itself. But these are well founded, for the mast-holes in all the decks and the mast-steps have been well preserved." Thanks for visiting! Frank
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Hi Janos, I hope all is well. The only book I have is "Vasa I: The Archaeology of a Swedish Warship of 1628". It has about 7 or 8 black and white pictures of some of the figurines up close, but I don't know if this is enough for you. Hopefully some other Vasa builders will have some other book suggestions for you. Thanks, Frank
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Hi Mark, Nice to hear from you! I used a walnut stain and then put a coat of a satin polyurethane on afterwards. Quick question for you: The Corel plans show the lower platform of the mizzenmast slightly higher than the lower platform for the mainmast. On the Vasa museum plans (Fred Hocker's plan's from the 1980's) shows the mizzenmast platform slightly lower than the mainmast. Any thoughts? Right now my mizzen mast is slightly higher, but would be easy to lower. Thanks, Frank
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