Charles W Morgan by texxn5 - FINISHED - Model Shipways - 1:64

[texxn5]

Thanks George, yep that's why they call them "Tall Ships"...lol

 

Thanks for the comments Ron, glad to have you aboard. The lathe is really hard to beat and I use it a lot. Sve your pennies and someday it culd be your's. Glad my site has helped you. When are you going to start a log? At what stage are you?

[texxn5]

Well, once again after finishing the Topmasts I've been looking at the overall appearance of the ship. I thought I was going to like the brown rope for the Fish Hook - well I don't. I think it's too small and too dark almost looking black unless it gets a bright flash from the camera. So I changed it to a slightly heavier light tan rope - I like it better.

[Piet]

Yeah John, that lighter colored rope on the fish hook looks much better, it matches well with the other lines I see.  She's really coming together very nicely.

 

Cheers,

[texxn5]

Previously, there had been discussions of whether the Morgan had rear stern windows and some trim work. Lester found a good picture that answers this. Yes, the Morgan did have windows as well as being painted with false cannon hatches to ward off pirates. Discovered in 1957 and restored for a bit in 1961. The file is too large for this forum but the picture is available on my website under the Historical pictures page for anyone interested.

 

http://www.charleswmorganmodel.com/historical-photosdocs.html

[JerseyCity Frankie]

Thats the part I have to do next on the whaler I am working on, the iron hoops for the guys aloft watching out for whales. Not sure what material will be strong enough to make the hoops out of, all the wire I have is likely to bend.

[texxn5]

Hi Frankie, good to see you back. Sounds like you're just about where I am --- when do we get pictures???? for the Lookout Rings, I had a small plastic tube that held some very small drill bits. I took my razor saw and cut some 1/8" wide round strips from the tube. It was hard to keep them even but I got 4 good rings from them. I did not like the wire rings I was able to make, and these worked great.

[popeye the sailor]

awesome progress John.........your moving like wildfire!

[texxn5]

Thanks Dennis, glad you stopped by.

 

Since Ive been waiting (hopefully tomorrow) I'll get my bullseyes from Model Shipways I decided to go on and do some things out of the order that I wanted to proceed. I'll follow the order on my website, but for here I'll go ahead and show the progress. I wanted to completely finish the ratlines, back stays and stays finished before I move on to this stage. So, with that in mind, I had completed the stays and backstays on the Mizzen, which in my opinion also needs to be finished on the main and fore masts prior to this procedure. So I have completed on Boat Handling Station, consisting of the Davits, Bearers & Cranes and the Slides for the Port Aft Whaleboat. Once the Main and Fore Stays and Backstays are done then I'll do the boat stations for them. One down - Four to go!

 

The hardest part was having to drill 3, .02" holes side by side with 3 more 1/4" farther down the 1/8"wide Davit. These holes represent 3 sheaves inside the Davit (the same as a tripple block) attaching to a stropped 1/8" Double block for handling the boat. That's a tiny spot, but using my Proxxon Drill w/compound table I managed to do it and not even break a bit.

[texxn5]

Back when I first got the kit in 2013, I was playing around trying to see if I was up to being able to build this kit. I started shaping one of the whaleboats before I even started bulkheading the keel. I set it aside until now. It is not completed, but I did set it on the bearers for making sure everything is correct. Only 6 more boats to go and to detail.

[GLakie]

Nice job on those davit sheaves John! Considering a compound table for my Rikon 8" myself. 

[texxn5]

Thanks George, yes the compound table makes a difference, but with holes that small, the drill has to have almost zero tolerance in the wobble department. If it move even a minute amount it'll break the bit. It's got to almost be mill quality or a real mill.

[Piet]

Nice work on the davids John and that without breaking a drill bit!  Whaleboat looks nice too hanging there.

 

Cheers,

[texxn5]

Hi Piet, thanks for looking in. The boat is only sitting on the bearers, it's not attached to the blocks yet, only after it gets heavy detail, then I'll attach it to the blocks and thighten the lines.

[popeye the sailor]

your more than capable in my book.  you were probably like me......daunted about starting one,  until you did    you've done a superb job thus far.......no doubt that it will finish in splendor!    whale boat looks good by the way....very nice~!

[lesterpalifka]

wow nice job on the davits... but the whale boat just doesn't look right to me...its probably the scale its done in...nothing that you did..model shipways probably didn't go to any trouble to make them accurate.. they still look good though... I did try to do the whaleboats on my morgan but screwed them up they sent me new whaleboats... I was thinking of taking my plans reduce them to that scale and build the boatsts by making a keel and planking them not using the bread and butter design and carving out the hulls.....what say you on that??????

[lesterpalifka]

it should be interesting to turn the logger head at that scale on the lathe...im gonna try one for ha ha's..

[texxn5]

Thanks Lester, I don't know much about the whaleboats other than I followed the plans. This one isn't finished only partially shaped. I don't like the Bread & Butter way of doing this, But I'll try. What about it isn't right? The loggerheads that come with the kit are Brittania, but if I don't like them I'll turn em on the lathe.

[lesterpalifka]

cant put my finger on it ..... looks a little too squat more like a skiff than whale boat...would think that laser cutting they could have gotten the lines a little better..i have been trying to do a 3d model using solidworks to do a whale boat.. that way you could 3d print one out and it would be accurate.....

[texxn5]

That's an interesting concept. Never thought of 3D printing. I've tried to look at Model Shipways pictures on their website, and they aren't close enough and you really can't tell much. I'm probably going to try this route and they'll probably be close enough for me. Since I have 6 more to make at least they'll all be wrong together maybe??? Do you think they'll be too noticable?

[lesterpalifka]

don't worry about it John.. I can be a pain in the _ _ _ _  sometimes as I get too picky.. its just me you are doing a fine job I only can hope that my MOrgan will be as great....

[Piet]

Hey John, if you don't like the boats that came with the kit you can always contact your friend at the museum and ask for a few detailed pics of the whaleboat and then scratch-build all six    That way you get your foot in the door for a future scratch build model.  You are certainly capable in doing so.

 

Cheers,

[texxn5]

Over the last few days I completed the Standing Rigging and the whaleboat stations. I'll just show the progress here and the details will be on my website for anyone interested. It's close to time for getting ready for our annual RV trip, so work in the shipyard will be slow if at all from this point until we return. I will be working on the whaleboats as we travel and will post updates as I can.

[texxn5]

a few more

[GLakie]

The boat stations and rigging look great John. Have a great trip and we'll be here waiting for your return! 

 

Cheers 

[texxn5]

Sorry guys, I didn't word my post very well. We're not leaving until May. It's just that I won't be working on the ship that much inbetween. I have a lot of work to do around the house and to get the RV ready to go. I'l post pictures and keep the websites up to date as to any progress I make. I'll also be working on the whaleboats in the RV. So - I'm not gone yet. Thanks for all the kind words though.

[texxn5]

Today has a beautiful bright blue sky and 80 degree temperatures so I thought I would take some outdoor pictures of the Morgan.

[texxn5]

a couple more

[texxn5]

and a couple more

[GLakie]

Nothing like real daylight to show off all those details john. Outstanding! 

[texxn5]

Thanks George, you're right the sunlight just seems to bring it out - almost looks real I guess. I get carried away with the photos and then want to share them, and I'm not sure whether I'm boring people or not. The rigging updates are hard to photograph, but the outside pictures seem to show them better than the indorr workbench photos, so I don't know - I guess I'll just show them and not worry about it...thanks for stopping by....