Phantom by Elijah - FINISHED - Model Shipways - 1:96 - New York Pilot Boat

[DocBlake]

Carl:  what you say is true, but with very brittle hardwoods (blood wood, yellow heart, ebony, rosewood and even boxwood sometimes, the problem is blowout or ragged edges on the outbound side of the hole.   Progressively increasing the bit diameter and reversing the drill at the very end help reduce the problem  A backer-block will help a lot too if you can use one.

[Elijah]

Should deadeyes be painted black, or would they be left natural during the late 1860's?

[mikiek]

Not sure if they were painted on purpose but given that a lot of deadeyes, blocks, etc. were in contact with tarred rope you can bet they were not squeaky clean.

[genericDave]

I painted eyebolts and belaying pins black on my Phantom, but I found a lot of the paint quickly rubbed off once I started rigging.  That might work if you go for a 'dirty' look.  If you want it to look cleaner, you'll probably want to leave them natural or use some kind of chemical blackening (I haven't tried that yet).  On mine, I was constantly touching up the paint on the brass pieces.

[EJ_L]

As said, due to the tar on the ropes most eyebolts wouldn't be clean. Even ones that had non tarred rope would still be dulled, or otherwise worn and corroded over time. There are blackening solutions you can use, (I have not used them myself). Typically with brass parts that I need black I will spray a coat of black paint on them before assembly and then touch them up with a small paint brush afterwards.

 

The other thing I have begun doing lately is just making my own eyebolts out of black jewelry wire I bought at Hobby Lobby. It comes in many different sizes so matching your scale should be simple and one roll lasts a long time as you only use a tiny bit for each bolt. I bought 30 foot rolls for $3.50. This way I can make any shape/size I need and I don;t have to worry about painting them or the paint coming off.

[genericDave]

E.J.'s recommendation about making your own eyebolts is a good one.  The Phantom kit has *just enough* eyebolts to get the job done, but if you lose or break any, you'll be making your own anyway.  Also, if you use the kit-provided rigging line, some of the ropes won't easily fit through the provided eyebolts.  I had to make a few myself due to lost/broken pieces, as well as making slightly larger ones to accommodate the rigging.  Like E.J. suggested, get an inexpensive roll of black wire and you've solved all the eyebolt issues!

[mikiek]

E.J. ,  Dave - I don't want to hijiack Elijah's thread but I have decided that after my current build I will be making eyebolts and hooks. Sounds like a good activity for when you're bored and have a little time on your hands.

 

Have either you made any posts on how to?  Particularly hooks?

[cog]

Elijah,

 

In most builds, the deadeyes are left the colour the wood has, mostly a dark shade of brown. You could stain them, as that will penetrate the wood. painting will leave you with partly painted deadeyes, as mentioned above, the paint will be rubbed off when rigging

Edited September 26, 2016 by cog

[mikiek]

Just go rub them in the mud for a little while

[EJ_L]

E.J. ,  Dave - I don't want to hijiack Elijah's thread but I have decided that after my current build I will be making eyebolts and hooks. Sounds like a good activity for when you're bored and have a little time on your hands.

 

Have either you made any posts on how to?  Particularly hooks?

Mike, I have not made any hooks yet but eye bolts are fairly simple. You might look on my log where I built one of the gun port lids it might show. I will be making some more soon to lash down the ships launch which I am wrapping up building. I will be sure to show some detail pictures on making them. In short, it is basically just wrapping the wire around the jaw of a set of small pliers to create whatever diameter eye you need. The depending upon how much tension you will be putting on it you can either cut the end so it simply tucks back to the shaft much like a real eye bolt would or you can twist the ends together to form a stronger eye. The twists are not real but as they are sunk down into the wood know one will know. Again, I will try to upload some pictures later tonight or tomorrow.

[EJ_L]

Mike, I have not made any hooks yet but eye bolts are fairly simple. You might look on my log where I built one of the gun port lids it might show. I will be making some more soon to lash down the ships launch which I am wrapping up building. I will be sure to show some detail pictures on making them. In short, it is basically just wrapping the wire around the jaw of a set of small pliers to create whatever diameter eye you need. The depending upon how much tension you will be putting on it you can either cut the end so it simply tucks back to the shaft much like a real eye bolt would or you can twist the ends together to form a stronger eye. The twists are not real but as they are sunk down into the wood know one will know. Again, I will try to upload some pictures later tonight or tomorrow.

Mike, and anyone else who may be interested, I uploaded some step by step photos on my La Couronne log of how to make eye bolts. Hope that helps you out. Quick link is in my signature.

[Elijah]

Hello again! Yesterday I had a sick day, so I got the whole day to build! You won't believe how much progress you can make when you have the whole day to work! I built the fairleads, splash rails, chain plates and deadeyes, belaying pins with rails, and some more eyebolts! The splash rails were fairly simple. I took them off of the plans and painted them. The fairleads were made from Manila folder and wire. The chain plates took the most time. I cut brass strips to the correct lengths, bent and shaped the hooks, drilled the holes, and cleaned them over a candle flame. The hole drilling was a bit more involving, as I broke the drill bit that was the correct diameter . I just used the next size down and drove a pin through each individual hole, widening it to the right dimensions. I painted them, and painted the pins that hold them on the hull. The deadeyes are held on by a thin black line that's kookier on the hook of the chain plate, threaded through the cap rail, and tightened around the deadeye. The line is held in place with ca. The belaying pins were painted at the head first, then glued in to the cap rail. After they were in the cap rail, they were painted on the lower half. The paint is only on the visible side, so it shouldn't rub off during rigging. None of these items were made completely perfectly, but I chose some of the more appealing photos . Though it isn't perfect, I am still happy with it. Plus, there isn't much I can change now, so why worry about it? Anyway, here are the pictures.

 

 

 

I forgot. I also drilled the mast holes and have nearly finished the launching ways. Until next time!

Edited September 28, 2016 by Elijah

[EJ_L]

Great work Elijah! Those whole days to build are nice when they happen.

[cobra1951]

You have been busy, nice job

[_SalD_]

Nice work Elijah, deadeyes and chain plates look great.  Hope you're feeling better

[DocBlake]

You did get a lot done, Elijah.  Looks good!

[Elijah]

Hello again! I have finished the launching ways, traveler, and wheelhouse. Next up is the cockpit, wheel, and companionway. The wheelhouse is a block of wood that has been shaped and painted. The blocks are given their color with a minwax stain pencil, by rubbing it on them, and then rubbing them between my palms, spreading the "stain" all over the blocks. The traveler is a piece of wood with a slot carved into it, glued to two wires for legs. I only have a couple pictures right now, but here they are.

 

Until next time!

[cobra1951]

Looking good Elijah . Is that a nude stowaway on deck ?

[Elijah]

No, just an unpainted scale reference !

[DocBlake]

Good job, Elijah.  You are really making progress.

[dgbot]

Looking good Elijah.  Have you thought about replacing the ships wheel?  Most of the time I have found that the kit supplied ones leave much to be desired.

This would be a good challenge for you and a learning experience.  There are a few members of the club who can help you tremendously.

David B

[EJ_L]

Great work Elijah! I will second the comment to replace the ships wheel with a custom built one. It would be a fun project for you to do and it sounds like you have a great club to help you out. Plus you can always fall back on the cast one if you need to.

 

I always like having the scale figures to put on models. Adds a bit of life to them and the reference points that they provide make putting into perspective the size of these vessels easier. I typically prefer my sailors to have clothes though...

[mrshanks]

Hi Elijah, I been busy moving into a new house but have been following along.  All I can say at this point is:  impressive!!  Keep it up..

 

PS:  your eyesight is a lot better than mine!!  Great job working in small scale!!

Edited October 13, 2016 by mrshanks

[donrobinson]

Looking good Elijah, your skills are really getting honed

[Elijah]

Hello again! I have completed the cockpit, with the companionway, grating, wheel, and walls. The wheel is not a compound that was moulded. I know this because I broke it into ten pieces, and scattered them all over the floor! It took a while to fix, but I think it worked out pretty well in the end. The roof and seat material is stained Manila folder. Next up are the bollards for the aft deck, the stove pipe, the skylight, and mast coat with fife rail. Sorry, the images are not great.

Until next time!

[cobra1951]

Nice cockpit you have created

Strange design for it though, (not you, the boat designers i mean )

[Altduck]

Looks good.

 

The new wheel is a big improvement over the cast one.

 

Well done.

 

Richard

[EJ_L]

Excellent job on the cockpit and especially that wheel. Much better than the cast one.

 

I also was thinking that the cockpit is a strange design. Im sure there is a reason for it but I wonder why?

[Elijah]

How is it strange?

[Omega1234]

Well done, Elijah.

 

You're doing a brilliant job on this ship. And, what's more, learning and having a great deal of fun along the way.

 

I especially like the stand/base board that your ship's sitting on. It really looks the part.

 

Have a great week and happy modelling!

 

Cheers

 

Patrick