US Brig Niagara by mainstay - Model Shipways - 1:64

[Timothy Wood]

Nice worke on the frames!   

 

Cheers,

Tim

[mainstay]

Hi Guys,

 

It has been quite a while since I posted.  Progress has been steady if slow.  I am adding more pictures.

This is how I cut thin wood pieces all to the same length. It is a guillotine sold for cutting felts for pianos (Keyboard instrument restoration being one of my professions, I happened to have it lying around.  It cuts very precise lengths, although the cuts are sometimes angled vertically rather than square.)

T

 

I decided to prepaint planksheer and waterway.  Spent an evening cleaning out my airbrush, then had to learn how to thin and spray Acrylics, bought parts for the airbrush, did a lot of masking. After all that I decided I would hold off on any more painting until I have finished planking the hull but before the deck goes in.  Scotch tape makes a good mask but if you miss an area it's not obvious until after pulling off the mask.

Oh yeah.  Does that &*()& white primer have to be sanded before applying the final color?

Do I sound tired?  Sorry. I have sprayed finishes on too many pianos over the years. Thought I was done with all that.

Edited July 29, 2013 by mainstay

[mainstay]

This is how I am doing much of the planking, based on advice in the tutorial on ModelShipWorld.  Put gap filling Zap on the bulkheads and plank edge I am gluing to. Put accelerator on the piece I am adding.  Works great if the alignment is easy.  If I take too long, the CA glue may form fillets which hold the plank away from the bulkhead.  So I don't use this for really critical joints, opting for the longer set time of just CA glue alone.
Other problem is fumes. I bought a small fan which blows it away from my workspace. But it has been July and stinking hot and we are camping indoors, so fumes still stay in the house, although much diluted.

 

A scalpel works very well for opening up the gun ports and sweep ports  Scalpel plus 100 blades for less than $20. Primary use here is voicing harpsichords.

I used the wrong size planks for the ceiling here except for the stern.  Not planning to replace them. My preferred strategy is to buy a bottle of Single Malt for anyone who visits my house and actually realizes this is not authentic.

[mainstay]

 

Planking the outsides of the bulkheads.  It looks a bit clinker built in places but I am getting better as I go and I trust that sanding or scraping will level planks into (apparently) proper alignment.

 

My cleaned up and refurbished workspace, as of yesterday.  You should have seen it the day before!  I was getting claustrophobic from the clutter.  I just noticed the Bertha's Mussels bumper sticker on the wall. Has anyone ever eaten there (Fells Point, Baltimore)?

Planking Band 1 is nearly done at the bow.  Now I have to finish off the stern so I can continue the band aft.

[patrickmil]

That is very nice work so far. I don't think the single malt will be necessary, though a bit is always welcome. Your planking looks great and your work space is entirely too neat.

[rfolsom]

Looking good!  Your build is just a bit further than mine, so I'll be watching!

 

Bob

[mainstay]

Has anyone been following the celebrations of the War of 1812 up on Lake Erie?  I believe the 200th anniversary of the Niagara's famous battle is around September 10.  My state representative has sent me an email about some events but I seem to have deleted it.

 

I checked the Niagara's schedule and she is due to go to Put In Bay, Ohio, in late August. But there seems to be no re-enactment scheduled. There are tall ships coming to Erie on September 5th.  Perhaps Pennsylvania would rather not share tourist dollars with Ohio since the ship is here and the battle occurred there, but who knows. I think the battle may actually have occurred in Canada.

 

Does anyone else have any more information?  Erie is a long drive from here but it's not out of the question. Opposite corner of the state.

 

Joe Osborne

[trippwj]

I am looking for more details, but i did find this clipping:

 

On Labor Day (Sept. 2), at Put-in-Bay, Ohio, re-enactors will simulate the 1813 naval battle in which Oliver Hazard Perry and 557 sailors from the still-very-young United States of America defeated a fleet of the world's greatest naval power, Great Britain, in those same waters.

http://battleoflakeerie-bicentennial.com/events/bicentennial-events/

[mainstay]

HI Wayne,

 

Thanks for the information.  Looks like they are planning a decent celebration after all.   Wish I had known six months ago.

 

But we have made plans and won't make it to this century's celebration. Going sailing on the Schooner Brilliant out of Mystic. 

 

Joe

[mainstay]

Planking, Planking, Planking

 

I have been busy.  The first hull I have ever attempted to plank.

 

I liked dividing the hull into planking bands. It really helped organize the job and it gave me intermediate tasks to finish and celebrate.

 

I found the process to be:

 

-like doing a picture puzzle, except you have to make each piece

-like doing the roof on our treehouse- we used hemlock boards   It had the same feel of working toward a peak and slowly narrowing the gap

-very peaceful as long as there are no unfortunate 'discoveries'

-putting faith in the ability of sandpaper, wood filler and paint to smooth out the rough spots

 

[mainstay]

The Last Plank!

 

Finally, on a Saturday morning early...

 

Three to go!

 

 

The last one.  The structure is amazingly strong, especially compared to the balsa gliders I have built.

 

I think I'll take a break for a day or so.

 

Joseph Osborne

Carlisle, PA

[lb0190]

Joe, I'm right behind you. I'm reading up planking hulls and hope to install the garboard plank today. Your ship looks good. Congratulations on completing this milestone!!!      

[mainstay]

Hi Larry,

 

Thanks for the bubbly!

 

Yes, I read through the planking manuals from MSW and it took a while to decide how to approach everything. Bending was the biggest concern. I settled on an unmodified soldering iron, but was unable to do the tightest bends at the stern without breaking the piece.  Therefore many of my stern planks are glued on in two pieces.  All the tightest bends are charred.  But I believe some careful use of filler and sandpaper will get me past that.
  It is very good that this will be painted, not stained. So all I need is a smooth surface with some grooves between planks to put primer on. Color is irrelevant.

 

Best,

Joe

Edited August 17, 2013 by mainstay

[Rich_engr]

WOW!!!  Awesome!!!!  Congrats on this major milestone!!!!!  

 

Finishing the hull planking is definitely worth a celebration!!!  Looks really good- just some sanding and you're all set.  Before you know it, you'll have the deck done and the hull painted.  

 

Great job!  Keep it up!!

[patrickmil]

Finishing up the planking is always such a nice milestone! It really gives you a chance to admire something that actually resembles a ship. Your planking looks great. I look forward to seeing more progress on your Niagara.

[rfolsom]

Awesome job;  I can't wait to see how the paint looks on her hull; 

 

Niagara is my third wood ship model to be planked...  First one was A.L.s' swift which was double planked...

 

Second was Billing Boats' Cutty Sark, which was coppered below the waterline...

 

The Niagara will be my first attempt to "properly" plank the hull, as I hid all the butchered planking beneath the double planked, and coppered, surfaces on these previous builds.  BTW, neither of these other ships are finished;  both hulls are planked;  the Swift is ready for her masts, and the Cutty is ready for her deckhouses and fittings.  I like to bounce back and forth builds in order to learn and compare ideas between very different ships, and ship model companies..

 

Keep up the great work!!

.

[mainstay]

Hello rfolsom,

 

Thanks for the note.  I am looking forward to seeing your Niagara taking shape.

 

Joe

[texxn5]

Hi Joseph, I just found your log and will be following closely. This will be my next build. I was just visiting the Niagra museum in Erie, Pa, last week, unfortunately the ship was sailing and not in port. Looks great so far.

John

[mainstay]

Hello John,

 

I saw your pictures on Rich's build log. I really appreciated seeing them. They give me a different look at things I will be building soon.  If you have more, please post them.

 

Joe

[texxn5]

Hello Joe, today is one of the rare days I have had internet available to me in about a week. I have more pictures and will be posting them shortly. I am traveling up the coast in an RV so my time is very limited for now. It may be a few days before I can post some more. If there is any particular areas you have concerns with let me know and I'll try to post them first. I'm currently in Maine, and will be going to Boston next week to see the Constitution and meet with Popeye2sea (Henry) for a guided tour of the ship. I'm really looking forward to this, then off to Mystic, Connecticut to see the Morgan.

[mainstay]

Hello John,

 

No particular concerns about pictures, just looking for details that might not have emerged otherwise.  Nothing like actually seeing it, especially full size.

 

So you're going to Mystic!  We just spent four days there. My next few posts will be about the trip.  There is a wonderful cut-away model of the Charles W. Morgan in the tall red building where they are currently making the mainmast, right next to the ship.  There is another in one of the buildings in the exhibits area, at the north end of the site.  I will be posting pictures of both in the next few days.

 

Joe

 

Edited August 30, 2013 by mainstay

[texxn5]

Hello Joe,

Yes, we'll be in Mystic sometime next week. I have a friend who is also a guide for the Morgan, who will be showing us around. I have been there twice before, and currently building the MS Morgan which I have with me and have posted a log on this site. Fortunately, I am at a stage where seeing the real thing will really help. I am working on deck structures currently. I see you are in Carlisle, I have hoped to go there for the Mopar Nationals for a few years. I have a Concourse restored 1967 Plymouth GTX. There are some pictures posted on my build site of the Morgan. I haven't made it yet, but someday. I missed last year which would have been the 45 year anniversary.

[texxn5]

Hi Joe, yes, the Morgan was incredible.  I got pictures also of the models you reference.  Please post yours when you can and I'll do the same as I know I missed some areas probably.  Never hurts to duplicate the effort on these things.  I got some good pictues of the sister ship Two Brothers at the Collections and Research Building accross the street from the North Seaport entrance which was by appointment only.  Fascinating place.

[mainstay]

HI John,

 

Thanks for the nudge. I have started posting pictures in a gallery in the Museums, Clubs and Exhibitions forum.

 

Go to this link:

 

Mystic Ship Models

 

The first installment is there now.

 

Joe

Edited September 22, 2013 by mainstay

[mainstay]

I decided to put one model in my Niagara log. This is what else we did at Mystic when we weren't looking at ship models.

 

This is the Sloop Brilliant. Built in 1932 for Walter Barnum, cousin of PT.  Very seaworthy, very fast and very well maintained.  Beautiful mahogany woodwork in the cabin. They pull her out of the water every year and rework everything that needs it.

 

We sailed on the Brilliant for two days, to Block Island for a Schooner Festival and return.  Great fun. the first picture is of the actual boat (of course).  The model is the smaller of two which were sold by the giftshop.  Solid hull, all details already complete, a 10 step assembly, more or less.  Neither is commercially available now apparently.  I almost bought the larger of the two, the last in stock. But I didn't like the way they did the rig. Too many incorrect details.

 

 

 

Midge at the bow.  We were doing 10 knots.

 

 

Me on the bowsprit. What a great place to sit!.

Edited September 22, 2013 by mainstay

[mainstay]

Time to Post a Little Progress

 

I have been busy with my keyboard restoration shop.  We finally got the drywall taped and joint compound on it after 15 years of cracks and cold air and stink bugs.  It was a good time because the educational robot business was just sold and moving out, also there were energy rebates available from the power company.  Still, it has cost me three weeks of lost work already.

 

Had a contractor do it, then Nat (my assistant) and I painted walls and floor and added moldings.  It took a long time because we had to move workbenches, shelves and pianos into one end so the drywall guy could do the other, then move it all to the other end so he could do the first end.

 

Yesterday the final painting was done and on Monday we will start setting up a working shop again.

 

But with all this going on I often did not have a place to work when I wasn't too tired anyway.

 

I have gotten the hull masked and gotten three sprayed coats of primer on it.

 

Finally!

 

 

Hull with initial masking.

 

 

After adding a coat of red on top of the masking tape to prevent the primer from bleeding under. I dno 't know how well this will work because I have never tried it, but it sounds like a good idea.

 

 

Primed surfaces. I really like the way the basswood grain looks. A very accurate scale appearance.

Edited October 17, 2013 by mainstay

[lb0190]

Hi Joseph,

 

It looked like a great time on the Brilliant. THANKS for sharing!

 

Your ship is looking good and I wish I was caught up to where you are. We're heading out to sea this weekend (floating hotel...   :D ). I hope I can keep up with the MSW logs while we're gone. 

[mainstay]

Hi Larry,

 

Yes, I wouldn't mind trading a Pennsylvania autumn for the Panama Canal just now.  Have a great trip!

 

Joe

[patrickmil]

Joe, your masking job looks promising and I agree with you on the grain of the basswood.

[mainstay]

The Painting Process

 

The model gets really UGLY!

 

During Masking and painting, it really doesn't look like much.

 

Painting the top rail

 

Painting over the Waterline mask with the same color.  This was supposed to keep later colors from bleeeding through. It didn't work (or at least didn't work completely).  I think I needed to be spraying thicker paint

 

Painting Green. Inside top and outside bottom.