Shotlocker

"One rule to rule them all...one rule to bind them."

"One rule to rule them all...one rule to bind them."

"One rule to rule them all...one rule to bind them."

I made the vertical grating today using brass strips for the supports. I drilled a series of holes in three strips using the sensitive drill attachment on the mill, then sandwiched the three strips using brass rod to hole them in the vise to shape them. I used a round and some flat files to shape them all at the same time. I added the brass rod in the holes and used thin CA to hold it all together instead of soldering them.
 

 

 
And here are both grates temporarily in place on the frame.
 

 
I also have started experimenting with painting using parts from the Syren kit stove. This is a black acrylic paint which so far looks good.
 

 
I think I'll tackle the doors, hinges, and door closures next.

Sure will!  

I started back to work on the Ole Reale De France after a nine- month hiatus, using the supplied Heller paper flags as a pattern to be transferred to fabric, these can be seen in post #167, I eliminated about half the Fleur De Lis and the stripes that ran between them as the flag was looking more gold than red on my first attempt. I've completed all the railing flags and the large and small pennant flags along with the tassels on the main yard and continued modifications to the endless oars. Thanks for looking.
Michael D.

 

My name is Michael Scarborough. I started building models with my dad in the late 50s and am still a passionate builder in a wide range of media and subjects. At present, my main area of concentration is 1/32 scale WWI aircraft models, as well as box dioramas, many of which are inspired by Japanese block prints. 
 
In terms of my life's work, I spent 25 years singing Opera internationally. I have always enjoyed working with my hands and, in 2000, having had enough of German food, living out of suitcases and dealing with pushy sopranos, I moved from the performing arts into the decorative arts. I began working in antique furniture conservation but that quickly lead to the realization that I wanted to design and create furniture for clients. Eventually, I added Japanese style lacquerware to the mix and have spent the past 10 years making pieces for collectors and galleries. Looking back as I write this, it all sounds rather easy, but, trust me, every facet of the past 25 years required a helluva lot of work and unwavering support from the world's greatest wife. That said, I have been very, very blessed to have had two successful careers in the the art world.
 
I retired from all work for clients in August, sold off most of my machinery, but kept and improved my model building area. I've also recently completed two years of intense training and am a docent at the Metropolitan Museum of Art here in NYC.  I now spilt my time between the Met and working on models, and writing about them, and making sure dinner is ready from Mrs. S. when she gets home from work. 
 
My dad was a career Naval officer and one major benefit of that was our living on the coast of rural Japan in the late 1950s and early 60s having spent 16 days on the Pacific getting there.  We had a beautiful, 24 ft. wooden sloop built and spent many amazing weekends sailing the Inland Sea. By the time I was 7 years old, I could tell you the difference between a backstay, a halyard and a sheet, and I could tie a bowline with my eyes closed. I then spent my high school summers working at a marina on the North Shore of Long Island. But, somehow, between all that time spent around salt water, and 60 years of building models, I have yet to make a serious build of a sailing ship, something I consider to be the highest form of fine model building. That important part of my model building oeuvre is about to end and, taking a long look at some of the truly amazing models on this website, it is clear I am in the right place and among the right artisans. 
 
Cheers from NYC,
Michael
 

I greet everyone in the new year and wish you all the best of luck!  
My work continues.
Making a stopper for a mooring cable.

Continuation....

You, sir, are indeed a master craftsman - beautiful work to behold and admire!

You, sir, are indeed a master craftsman - beautiful work to behold and admire!

You, sir, are indeed a master craftsman - beautiful work to behold and admire!

Cabbie, I highly recommend Historic Ship Models by Wolfram zu Mondfeld, published 1989 by Sterling Publishing Co. The book contains detailed information on building the ships of the era you're interested in from keel to running rigging with many excellent drawings and photos of finished models. A true wealth of information. Cheers!

Surprise! The model is finished. I got wrapped up in finishing it and kinda lost interest in documentation along the way. I'm actually pretty pleased with the result, some serious sanding and multiple coats of wood oil really brought out the colors and contrasts in the walnut, maple, and cherry. I painted the exposed basswood keel black since it didn't look right raw against the nicer woods. The maple had some really interesting patterning that adds a lot of visual interest.
 

 
For mounting, I dug out a slab of walnut from my wood shop with an interesting fault at one corner, and used a hand planer and orbital sander to smooth its face. It has a strong cup to it that I couldn't quite remove, meaning that the model doesn't sit quite flat against it, but this is only noticeable at close range and I don't really care. I glued some thick blocks between the model's framing and then screwed the hull to the mounting board from the back.
 
I made a nameplate from maple, had my wife hand-letter it since she's better at that than me, and attached it using several small magnets. This way, if the model ever gets remounted, the nameplate can go with it. Here are a few more photos:
 

 

 

 
This is a gift for my stepfather, now in his 70s, who has been a woodworker his whole life and is a true artisan in wood. I learned what skills I have, along with a love for building in wood, from him. He loves boats and fishing, and recently built his first wooden boat. The photo below shows us with that vessel in his small woodshop, where he still builds beautiful frames and other creations for sale at various art shows. He's never done model work and is fascinated by my projects, so this gift is pretty meaningful for me to give back to him.
 

 
I shipped it off today (he's ~900 miles away in rural Western New York), since I won't be traveling for Christmas. Looking forward to his reaction when he opens it. The model wouldn't win any awards for pure craftsmanship, I can see its flaws as much as anyone, but it's attractive and interesting and will look great on his wall. 
 
Thanks for reading this log. It's probably not been the greatest resource for others who want to do this project, but I do recommend the kit as a great way to learn and practice planking skills. Making the wood myself had a serious learning curve that I hope to draw from in future, but I'm not sure how to convey those lessons in a way that would be useful to others (other than that a thickness sander or other way to ensure plank thickness would have been very helpful). Thanks to Toni and the NRG for developing this kit; my next project will be its cousin, the scratchbuilt capstan, for further practice in making and using my own wood.

Raymond & ragove,
 
There actually is a kit of the Mary Celeste, made by Steingraeber, a company that I'm fairly certain is no longer in business. I bought the kit at a hobby shop
in Denver, Colorado, in 1974 (I was employed there at the time) and have worked on it on and off between moves ever since. Dang thing is nearly complete now.
Anyway, here are a couple photos of the model and kit box. The instructions that came with the kit are terrible so I had to do a lot of research and I think the result
on the build is about 25% actual and the rest artistic license, based on similar type ships that I've seen on this site. I know a lot of what I did is entirely not how she
actually was.
 
Ragove, that's way cool about your distant cousin owning that ship! Do you have any more info on it, such as a photograph or two?

Last weekend I joined MSW and would like to tell a little about myself.
 
My name is Jimmy and I was born and in Southern Sweden for 62 years ago where me and my wife still lives.
Model building I guess is probably like the most of you here, an interest that started when I was a boy, though back then
it was the cheap plastic models that I did and as I came from a not wealthy family there was only a few of them.
Over time the interest faded but it never vanished completely and 12 years ago it woke for a short while when my wife bought
me my first wooden model "Flying Fish 1860", I was not well equiped then so I just did a little on the ship then it was hidden away
somewhere as I was not really ready for it.
 
Around 7 seven years ago another of my childhood interest really came to live, Universe and astrophotography.
I bought some equipment and started and loved it. Though during summer I can't do anything with this hobby if you don't like to engage yourself in the sun.
So 2 years ago I expanded the photography to animals and nature so I can keep myself busy with that as well, I am at amateur level and will keep it like
that. The hobbies are excellent during Corona escpecially for me. Normally I would be rather occupied with astrophotography now but the weather is certainly not
getting any better here. I started a counter last autumn on my website and that counted 92 days without a whole clear night. The counter has been active this season as well and today I have reached 97 days without one chance to carry my equipment outside, so this hobby is very tough right now for me and I feels the interest is slowly fading.
 
As tha AP hobby is not giving me anyting atm a couple of months ago I remembered the "Flying fish" model and the interest woke again. I have now got myself tools and what I needs to complete the ship. I guess I will ask questions now and then as I am totally new with this kind of modelbuilding. And this ship is maybe not the easiest as a starter.
 
A little fun info is that my working life started at Oersundsvarvet as a trainee/apprentice ( don't know correct term ) on a 3 year school education to be a shipbuilder Oersundsvarvet is/was a shipyard located in Landskrona that build rather big ships, 123000DW, my education was actually sheet metal worker (thick plates ) and welder. My 2 older brothers also was on that school but another direction, one of the became a mechanic and the other a plumber. Oersundsvarvet large ship building time ended 1982. Actually yesterday I found a website about the ships build on the shipyard, it was odd to find that those large ships build when I was working there 1975-1980 is in use no more and has been cut down into pieces, some of them sunk, 25-30 years lifetime on a 123000DW ship.
 
I still work 40 hours week but are not sure for how much longer, as my work today is in an office and Corona hit us all, I have been working from my home since soon 2 years now. For me personally it is just fine as I am that kind of person that really do not need so much social contact.
 
So there you have it a little bit of my and my life.

I used to have subscriptions to Popular Science and Popular Mechanics when I was young, took about a months allowance for each one. Stopped then in my 20s when they switched from "Take your hammer, and build this house, car etc." to "This is a hammer, and this is what you do with it" type articles.

I actually began building this model in 1978 but it's spent most of the time since then languishing in a box packed with Styrofoam peanuts
as I moved around the country. Now it's complete at last freeing me up to finish other incomplete ships. My apologies for the mediocre photos.
 
Best Regards,
Gary

I actually began building this model in 1978 but it's spent most of the time since then languishing in a box packed with Styrofoam peanuts
as I moved around the country. Now it's complete at last freeing me up to finish other incomplete ships. My apologies for the mediocre photos.
 
Best Regards,
Gary

I actually began building this model in 1978 but it's spent most of the time since then languishing in a box packed with Styrofoam peanuts
as I moved around the country. Now it's complete at last freeing me up to finish other incomplete ships. My apologies for the mediocre photos.
 
Best Regards,
Gary

Allan,
I will certainly do that and try one of those hoagies if they still have 'em.
 
 

Good grief! I had to keep closing my dropped jaw - just...wow.

Keep in mind we did moderate that that topic.   And what you cant see,   is that we did speak to those who treated the OP badly.  There is and will be no tolerance for belittling other members.   We have hundreds of members who may not be experts or they may even be beginners.   To call what they have posted as a tip or suggestion "trash"   is not something we want to condone at MSW.  We have many new builders who are proud of what they have done.  They want to share their methods and work.  It may not be perfect or masterful.  But they dont deserve to be treated badly.  And you wonder why new folks dont stick around.   Its because of people like those members who bashed the guy.  I counted six.  And I must say if those six experts suddenly vanished from the site...it would be less impactful then the scores of new builders alienated and poorly treated by them. 
 
These so called experts who love to pontificate (you know who they are)  will not be allowed to treat other members like dirt.   They have been formally warned.   If they continue...they will be banned.  The OP of that topic was NOT banned.   Nor was the topic removed.  It was being cleaned up and pruned of the nasty remarks other members were making.    Such as the one below.  Who would actually have the balls to to post THIS!!!   ...on another persons topic no less.   They should be ashamed of themselves.  As if they are so perfect.   
 
Pompous posters who love to pontificate on their wealth of knowledge be warned....do not treat folks this way.  There is a way to teach and educate without being a bully.  You guys are certainly NOT mentor material.  You get three strikes.....if the behavior continues...you are out.  The bully below says the member wasted his time.   You know what wasted my time...cleaning up the hate you decided to post all over someone elses topic.   That was a waste of my time.   Sending you a private message and issuing warnings to the folks who think they are "genius" masters who everyone should kiss up to....that was a waste of my time.
 
found the video a total waste of time. So what's to respect in the effort to make it and why do you care whether the poster "is getting pleasure in his task?" I know I may be criticized for being "insensitive," but I don't respect the efforts people put into posting useless, let alone erroneous, "how-to-do-it" videos on the internet and I could care less whether the people who post such drivel are getting pleasure from it. They waste everybody else's time. Who has the bandwidth to waste on junk content?
 
And here is the kicker.....non of the so -called MASTER builders in their INFINITE WISDOM of all things...posted a better method...or the correct historical reference.  They made ZERO attempt to politely state that there may be a better way or a more historically accurate way.   No attempt to teach or mentor.  They just bashed the guy and went on long Rants...like this one I am now forced to write about how so many people dont know as much as they do and yet post on You tube and the internet all this bad wrong information.....making society more stupid.
 
18 posts by expert bullies were pruned from that topic leaving just two replies.   All 18 had no value other than to belittle.   Shameful.   Talk about a waste of time reading those.   The replies of the bullies had no value what so ever.  Except of course maybe to allow the bullies to hear themselves claim omnipotent dominance of all things in the Universe. 

Allan,
I will certainly do that and try one of those hoagies if they still have 'em.
 
 

Good grief! I had to keep closing my dropped jaw - just...wow.