Bluenose by hamilton - 1:64 - POB - from Model Shipways plans

[hamilton]

On 9/3/2023 at 4:00 AM, allanyed said:

For more fun, if you have not already seen it, a fun few hours is watching the 1937 version of Captains Courageous.  I watched it several days ago and while I thought I had seen it before, it was pretty much all new for me.  Great scenes on board the Henrietta, a Grand Banks fishing schooner which was used in the filming of the movie.  Following your build log and watching this movie has me wanting to build another fishing schooner model in the not too distant future😀

Allan

Thanks for the recommendation, Alan - my son is a budding filmmaker (hard to believe given what's happening in Hollywood these days) and we have a weekly film club where we watch classic cinema - the farthest back we've gone so far is Night of the Hunter (1955), which he really enjoyed (as do I) but I'll add Captains Courageous to the list!

hamilton

[hamilton]

On 9/3/2023 at 6:58 AM, Snug Harbor Johnny said:

  I'm in full agreement with you, Hamilton.  The question to ask oneself is, "Am I having fun?", alternatively, "Is this project sustaining my interest?"  I like to use what's handy, or available without spending too much - the reason I bought some scribed basswood decking (for a smaller scale than your project) instead of trying to sweat doing tiny individual planks, although fiddling with infinitesimal details does 'float the boat' for some.  'Standard' quality blocks provided in most kits still can be worked a little by hand to improve their appearance, like enlarging the hole for the line a tad to make threading easier, and rounding the edges/profile a little by hand if they are not too tiny to begin with.

 

  'Love your Bluenose, and only wish I had the one my Dad made ca. 1950 ... I didn't see it among his estate items, so it may have been given by him to someone else along the way.

 

Thanks a lot Johnny - I agree wholeheartedly - if I could afford it, I would always go with Syren blocks. As it is, I have to save those kinds of expenses for builds where I have more of an eye to accuracy. 

 

The Bluenose is what I consider a kind of "recovery model" - a project that - along with a 1.5" = 1' rowing skiff I built last summer - I'm working on primarily to get back into modelling. When I first got into this hobby in 2009, I built 15 models in succession over an 8 year period. Then I injured my hand back in 2017 and have only worked sporadically on models from that time until the beginning of last summer, when I built the skiff, picked up Bluenose again and started working on HMS Bellona (Corel), which I am going to try to build to at least something of a level of historical accuracy (though there are Bellona and other 74 builds on here that outstrip my capacities in all ways!!!).

 

Like you my questions are the same - what do I want to achieve with this build? Where are my interests going with this or that model - most importantly what is available to me for resources! Bluenose is obviously well documented, but the aim of building it really is to get a modelling rhythm back in my life......

 

Thanks for dropping by!

hamilton

[hamilton]

Well - it's finally time for a real update on the build. I've been working on the standing rigging and this is something I always have trouble documenting because of my poor camera skills and equipment (iPhone).....but now that the standing rigging is almost done (only the fore lower shroud ratlines and fore spreader lift ratlines plus the fore topmast shrouds to complete) I can share the progress.

 

I won't spend too much time with descriptions here other than to say that I did not pay enough attention to the plans and ended up tying the ratlines across all four lower main shrouds instead of the first three with an occasional extension to the fourth.....I know I talked about historical accuracy above as something I'm not too concerned about, but this one sticks in the craw a bit - though I'm sure eventually I'll reconcile myself to it....

 

In any case, I really enjoy the rigging process - probably my favourite part of any build - as it really brings the model to life in such a big way. Even ratlines aren't too bad with a good podcast or audiobook! 

 

Next to give myself a bit of a break, I'm going to fabricate the main boom and gaff and the main sail and main topmast sail and rig those up before moving on to completing standing rigging on the foremast. Enjoy the photos all and bye for now

hamilton

 

[GGibson]

Nice work, hamilton!  And, yes, ratlines aren't that bad... tedious, but a bit fun, and rewarding when you are done and they look sharp!  But, I agree, some type of background noise, whether a podcast or music of your favorite genre, is highly suggested!  Can't wait to get to this point on mine.  Carry on, sir!

[Nearshore]

Hi Hamilton,

 

The Bluenose looks fantastic. You have done a very fine job. Keep up the good work.

 

Nearshore

[hamilton]

Thanks for the comments Nearshore and Gregg!

 

Another quick update - I spent the last couple of days fabricating and outfitting the main boom - a relatively straightforward process. I'll complete the main gaff and then make the mainsail and main topmast sail before adding all these elements to the model and moving forward. Here are some photos - hope all are well!

hamilton

 

[hamilton]

Looking at the photos I realise I'm not finished outfitting the boom - still have to add the clapper! And the parrell ropes and parrells, but those are for later.....

hamilton

[hamilton]

Very quick update - made some patterns for the mainsail and main topmast sail. Took a tracing from the plans, transferred this to bristol board using carbon paper and then trimmed up the bristol board patterns until the seemed to fit reasonably on the model as-built. It's been a long time since I made sails for any model - and I was never as expert a hand at it as some on the forum. But this weekend, I'm going to haul the sewing machine out and see if my wife will be willing to show me (again) how to thread the damnable thing...I'm sure that a bit of casual experimentation over the weekend will refresh my memory, right? HAHAHA!!

 

I think I'm going to invest in a little eyelet tool so I can add grommets to the sails, but I have to see if I can find something for this purpose - what do other people do/use for this?

 

Bye for now and hope you all have a great weekend

hamilton

 

[hamilton]

A small update - no photos, sorry!! I've now finished the standing rigging, including ratlines, and fabricated and outfitted all the spars. I realised as I was doing this that I forgot to make and install the jumbo jib sheet horse in front of the fore mast, so did that quickly, and also forgot until now all about the boom crutches, which I'll need to make as part of the process of adding the sails, spars and standing rigging...not a huge deal. Man there's a lot to hold in your head with this hobby!!

 

I'll be moving onto the sails now, as noted before. I have made sails before (kind of poorly, but satisfactorily enough for my own purposes) but it's been a long time and so I'll need to do some practice. I made templates for all the sails and have a decent quantity of thin cotton fabric in a kind of canvass-y tone, so I'll first do some experiments just reminding myself how to use the sewing machine till I get to the point where I feel confident enough to make the sails. I also invested in some tools to add grommets and eyelets, so I'm hoping this can up my sail modelling game a bit - I'll be doing some trials with those tools as well to see if I can get a hang of the process - if so and if the eyelets look decent and to scale I'll add these at the luff and foot of the main and foresails (1/16") and at the corners for lashings, etc. 

 

Though work is now picking up again for the next couple of months and I won't have a huge amount of time to work on BN, I hope to have her before Christmas. This is exciting as I've not finished a model since I completed the Mamoli America in October, 2016!!! For reference, I had already begun the planning process for Bluenose at that point! 

 

So ultimately, this project - as long as it has taken - has finally brought me bak to ship modelling as an earnest pursuit (rather than an occasional pastime as it has been these past 7 years), which I am very happy about....can't wait to return to Bellona once this one's done! 

 

I'll post an update with some photos once I get into the sail making process. In the meantime happy modelling

hamilton

[hamilton]

Managed to get in a couple of hours at the bench today and can report some progress on the sails. I made patterns a little while back for all the sails - you can see these arrayed in the first photo below - and transferred the pattern for the fore sail to some thin fabric I had lying around (nothing like ship modelling if you want to end up with a lot of random stuff just lying around...or maybe that's just life...) for experiments with the sewing machine.

 

After a lot of work wrestling with that demonic device, I finally got into a rhythm where the threads weren't seizing up and doing all kinds of annoying things. Feeling daring, I transferred the patterns for the main sail and main topmast sail to the cloth and started stitching the main sail - just the reef bands and outside "hems" - not sure how generally to refer to these....I forgot how time consuming making sails is!! I imagine I'll be at this for a couple of weeks given the limited time I have these days....Anyways, here are some photos - the sail patterns and some shots of the main sale with a piece of ceramic Swiss cheese for scale comparison.

 

Happy modelling and bye for now

hamilton

Edited September 25, 2023 by hamilton

[GGibson]

Nice work, Ted!  You are absolutely correct... a sewing machine is a demonic device!  Ever since I started my Bluenose, I've been torn on whether to include full sails, furled sails, or no sails at all.  Think you've convinced me, mine will probably be naked! <shrug> 

[hamilton]

Hi Gregg - go for it! It's "fun" to learn a new skill, though as soon as people start coming to me for drapes I might have to feign ignorance....Fortunately I have a couple of sewing wizzes in my life, so I got some decent tutorials, but unfortunately they were not willing to do this work for me!

hamilton

[hamilton]

Hello there:

 

I've now started rigging the main sail - a lot of elements to juggle here! The first step was to lash the sail to the boom and gaff and the clew, toe, throat and peak - the eyelets I added to the mainsail helped here, though I wish I had blackened them first....an oversight (or overeagerness) on my part. Regardless, After trying to rig the throat and peak halliards with the boom and gaff "loose", I added small brass nails to the ends of these parts and drilled holes on the main mast so the spars could be anchored in place to ease the rigging.

 

I also had to undo the tackles on the flying backstays since these were really getting in the way - I'll re-do these once the main sail and main topsail are finished. In any case, at this point I've put in the parrell ropes (but not added parrells or tied them off) and rigged the peak and throat halliards and tackles. There is still a lot to do here - including lacing the sails onto the gaff and boom, the sheets and boom crutch tackles, the topping lift and quarterlifts and the lazy jacks - I installed the flag halliard today, so that's taken care of at least - and of course I'll need to tie on the mast hoops and parrells.....sheesh! Then onto the topsail.....

 

Bye for now and happy modelling

hamilton

[Old Collingwood]

So loving what  you  are doing buddy.

 

OC.

[hamilton]

Thanks for dropping by OC!

hamilton

[hamilton]

Hello all:

 

I found an opportunity yesterday to spend almost the entire day at the work bench - what could be finer or more relaxing than throwing on an audiobook and doing some rigging and sail making?

 

I had a couple of small tasks to complete for rigging the mainsail - lacing the sail to the boom & gaff and tying on the mast hoops. This got done fairly quickly, so I decided to move on to the main topsail. I stitched the sail, and added eyelets and rigging elements, which is about as much as I could accomplish yesterday. This morning, I rigged the sail onto the model and then, in a fit of ambition, decided to start on the foresail. I traced the sail form onto the cloth and marked out the seams and reef bands and then stitched the entire sail before I realised I had done the whole thing backwards - I stiched on the port side of the sail, but the model is built for a starboard side display!! I managed to retrace it before my modelling time ran out, but completion will have to wait for another day - going to go play some mini golf with the family.

 

To all the Canucks, happy Thanksgiving!! Enjoy the long weekend and the photos

hamilton

 

 

[hamilton]

Hello there:

 

Another quick update on Bluenose - the foresail is now rigged onto the model. This was a more or less straightforward process, and I learned from my rigging of the mainsail to fasten lines with relative tension rather than one at a time! It's been so long (2016) since I rigged any model that I feel like I'm learning things all over again.....anyway, here are the photos. Next it's on to the fore topsail.....but since I'm heading into a few weeks of very intense work I may not get to this for a bit.....enjoy the photos

hamilton

 

 

[GGibson]

Nice rigging, hamilton!  Ehhh, so what if it's been since 2016... as the saying goes, "just like riding a bike", you never forget!

[hamilton]

True, Gregg! But as I crest the middle of middle age the remembering is taking longer and longer!

hamilton

[hamilton]

One more photo - in a burst of activity, knowing work's going to kick in seriously for a bit, I managed to fabricate and rig the fore topsail! Here's a last pick for the day.

hamilton

[hamilton]

OK - I promise I actually do have a job and it is about to get very busy...but once again I seem to have found some time today to fabricate and rig the stay sail....I won't belabour things with long explanations - things went pretty smoothly - I did simplify the halliard rig, as this is one area where the plans (otherwise very clear and readable) are a bit confounding.....anyways, here are the pictures - I actually also fabricated the jumbo jib sail, but I think I need to adjust the pattern for the model as built - the one I've made is a smidge too big.....bye for now

hamilton

 

[GGibson]

Really looking nice with the rigging and sails, hamilton!  

[hamilton]

Thanks Gregg - it's pretty incredible how the sails transform the model and give it what the marketers of shampoo call "body". I was considering this as a gift for a close colleague who is retiring at the end of the year, but now I worry that it's so big it'll be seen more as an imposition than a gift! But maybe I'm just looking for excuses to keep it for myself.......

hamilton

[GGibson]

Yes, the work you've done on the sails really do accentuate the deck and the entire ship.  Done very well, sir!  I've been discussing on my Bluenose log that I'm wrestling with how to finish rigging and attaching sails once I get to that point and am really leaning towards a furled sails presentation.  Not sure I can hang the sails as well as many of you have done.

 

Your gift consideration to a colleague is similar to what I have been thinking about.  My son gave me this Bluenose kit as a gift some 16-17 years ago, and after attempting a build as a newbie, I got frustrated and it ended up in a closet.  Well, after retiring and finding this hobby with a few smaller builds under my belt, I've now been working on that Bluenose.  My plan is to give it to my son upon completion, except that he now lives in South Florida and might be difficult getting it to him!  If I finish it during our Kansas winter time, though, it may be an excuse for a long drive...

 

You are almost done with your Bluenose!  Congratulations!

[hamilton]

Furled sails seem a challenge - I know that they are fabricated differently than when they are displayed set, but I've never tried doing furled sails myself....I've always admired the way they look, and I think that as a display option they probably read as more authentic in the context of a static model ship - looking forward to seeing your experiments!

hamilton

 

[hamilton]

Very quick update - with minimal time to spend on modelling each day, I managed to fabricate and rig the jib sail - there was nothing trickier about this than the other sails, though I did work out a better way to add the brass rings that lace the sail onto the jibstay - with the jumbo jib, I rigged the sail on the model first and then added the rings - a big mistake as this ended up putting a lot of pressure on the rig and I accidentally pulled a couple of things out of alignment and had to re-do them, which (as many of you will know) gets harder to do the more the model gets built up and the more you have to navigate the spider's web....this time, I opened the rings, added them off the model, and made temporary lines at the halliard and the tack to steady the sail in place. I could then easily pry the rings closed one-by-one, then add the rigging features. This proved to be much easier to accomplish without risking damage to the model.

 

In any case, here is a photo - I posted this already in the "state of the build" thread elsewhere on MSW, so if it looks familiar, that's why! Enjoy and bye for now

hamilton

 

[GGibson]

Didn't know there was a "state of the build" thread... <shrug>  Who knew?!?  😁

 

Anyways, as always, it all looks great, hamilton!  Very envious of what you have accomplished on your Bluenose.  Congrats!  

[hamilton]

Gregg - that envy goes both ways!! Yours is looking pretty fine

hamilton

[hamilton]

Hello there:

 

So the sails and running rigging on the Bluenose are now complete, though the model itself needs a number of finishing touches, namely:

 

1. The fore boom crutch - some quirks of the model as built will require me to position this differently than the plans, which presumably means it will differ from things on the actual vessel....oh well!

 

2. Barrels - there is room on the rack I made forward of the cabin for 2 more and I think this will look better than the 4 I currently have....

 

3. Sheer poles - on the lower shrouds - a pretty straightforward element

 

4. Running lights - I have to consider how to approach these - I had thought of doing what I did with the MS Phantom (my very first model) and banging something up that more or less suits the purpose, but after all the effort on Bluenose I feel like I need to try something more authentic....

 

5. Dorys - I had a go at these this past Spring, but I found it very difficult to get the basic parts of these together using the jig design included on the plans - I've seen other Bluenose builds using these to good effect, so I do plan on having another concerted go, but I feel like I need enough time and leisure to really focus on it - this is not the kind of thing (for me anyway) that I can just nibble at with 30 mins here or 1 hour there....

 

6. rope coils - I've never been to concerned with these in previous builds - though I did make an effort to add them to the Armed Virginia Sloop that I built was back in 2010 or something - one of the models of which I'm the proudest - and considering (once again) the effort put into Bluenose it seems appropriate to me to go a bit of extra distance with these details.

 

Here are a few photos of the model as it stands. The first one shows the 1:64 Bluenose next to the (now pretty ratty) 1:100 scale Amati version I built back in 2012. Enjoy and happy modelling

hamilton

 

 

[GGibson]

It all looks great, hamilton!  Your "finishing touches" list will be a nice completion!  Although, you mentioned rope coils on that list of final to-do's, but the picture of the rope coil/flake coming off the wood welp side of the windlass looks really sharp!