English Pinnace by EricWilliamMarshall - FINISHED - Model Shipways - Scale 1:24

[EricWilliamMarshall]

@Blue Ensign and @DelF thank you for the kind remarks! I tried files as suggested and that is the way to go but it he piece is too flimsy and it just ripped a part. I will have to find a different wood (or something) to work with. I also found I can make truly invisible tree nails using hair or fly tying line. Yup, you cannot see them.  In the piece I’m holding there are five pairs of tree nails.

 

Edited February 10, 2021 by EricWilliamMarshall

[EricWilliamMarshall]

The carving broke and I tried to save it with a coating of glue. I have to say these images are more magnified then what i work with, which usually means I see the imperfections as soon as I post the pictures.

 

Edited February 10, 2021 by EricWilliamMarshall

[Edwardkenway]

I'm impressed with your carving Eric, something I've never tried. 

Very nice work. 

[Bill Brown]

Beautiful craftsmanship Eric! 

[EricWilliamMarshall]

@Bill Brown and @Edwardkenway, thank you! I always appreciate a vote of confidence and support as I stumble along.

[EricWilliamMarshall]

@grsjax posted a link to a video on how to make your own chisels. I watched the video and gave a try. I used a propane torch, a bench grinder (not necessary but speeds up the shaping) and my regular water stones I use to sharpen my chisels plus a pair of vise grips for holding (as well as eye and ear protection). Instead of O1 steel used in the video, I bought HSS rods from Amazon (uxcell Round Steel Rod, 4mm HSS Lathe Bar Stock Tool 200mm Long) for 9 bucks. I untempered the steel, ground it on the grinder free hand then shaped it a bit more with my rough water stone. Then I heated and quenched with water and sharpened normally (with rough and fine water stones). I did this twice with in an hour and a half (not including cooling)! I didn’t make handles (yet).
 

Observations:

1. Vise grips are key to working with a round rod.

2. Free hand grinding is tricky - first pass, I kept regrinding all the sides and not getting the right shape. Second time, took 15 minutes to get the shape. A lighter touch and holding the same position longer helped a great deal.

3. If I do several in the future, I’ll make some jigs for the correct angles.

4. This worked! The blade sharpened and cut cleanly across the grain of pine and cleanly cut cherry end grain.

5. I’m not a metal worker or a machinist and I could pull this off first try, so the process is forgiving and can be repeated until good enough!

 

 

 

Edited February 12, 2021 by EricWilliamMarshall

[EricWilliamMarshall]

His post is here: 

and the video can be found here:

 

[Tigersteve]

Nice addition with your carvings! Makes the project more fun adding your own extras. Up to you of course but I would leave off the tree nails. You won’t really see them and the effort may not be worth it. 
Steve

[DelF]

Thanks Eric, you've tempted me to have a go at carving and making my own chisels.

 

I agree with Steve on leaving the trunnels off.

 

Derek

[EricWilliamMarshall]

I tried an different design, which turned out well enough.

 

Edited February 13, 2021 by EricWilliamMarshall

[EricWilliamMarshall]

The experts have spoken! No trunnels! Thank you @Tigersteve and @DelF!

 

 @DelF, as for the chisels & carving, give it a shot. I only spent a few hour on both aspects. While I didn’t do this myself, I would suggest carving something soft like clay or soap to get feel for roughing out something and then moving to details. Also keep a thought where a tool may slip and make sure you and your fingers aren’t there. Both prototyping and tool safety are old hat for most who are reading this, but I feel obliged to mention them. In any case, give it try since the only cost is really time, patience and perhaps pride.  But given the range of impossible tasks to learn here, what’s one more...
 

I will say I avoided carving humans since I know they notoriously tricky to get right, as are perfect symmetries. Also for me, drawing the rough shapes a few times helps me ‘internalize’ the shapes to carve. And lastly, keep the tools sharp! If you are fighting the grain of the wood, it’s time to sharpen your tool. 

Edited February 13, 2021 by EricWilliamMarshall

[EricWilliamMarshall]

Today’s adventure : turning! I was briefly taught the rudiments of turning a zillion years ago in the last century and have only turned once or so since then and it was terrifying (for the curious, there were internal cracks in the piece I was working on and it started to come apart violently!) Also at the turn of the century I picked a mini Taig lathe from Lee Valley, but never made good use of it. Some day, I hope to try basic machining on it. Fast forward to today - I worked on an oar and the tiller.

 

A few thoughts: the oar’s length and width are such that it flexes wickedly. The chisels could scape but not really cut. But files and sand paper worked. I tried a few different speeds and made sure the tools were sharp but files seemed to work best. I tried a cordless drill and the results were similar but a bit more wobbly.

 

For the tiller, I used the dowel that came with the kit was a harder wood than the bass wood. The hardness and shorter length meant I could turn it as well as scape.  I chickened out and it is thicker than it should be. I tried to bend the wood with heat gun and a jig with very limited success and a bit of burnt wood.  (I’m still working on whole wood bending.) 

Edited February 14, 2021 by EricWilliamMarshall

[tkay11]

I'm with you concerning the lathe. I certainly love my Taig/Peatol lathe, which I bought together with a lot of extras off eBay. Great value, certainly much cheaper than Sherline or Proxxon, and with a really practical tailstock. The only thing I would like in addition is an electronic speed control, but I get by without it.

 

Tony

[EricWilliamMarshall]

2 hours ago, tkay11 said:

The only thing I would like in addition is an electronic speed control

And there is now a power train retrofit. At some point, I would like to get or make some index plates. But I still need to learn the basic operations for metal work. In a few years, I would like to do work in the shadow of @michael mott or @wefalck ( I couldn’t type ‘similar’). It strikes me as an essential of the modelers pallet. And I like to think slightly less dangerous than similar full scale work.

[bruce d]

14 minutes ago, EricWilliamMarshall said:

I would like to get or make some index plates.

 

They are absurdly cheap on fleabay from China. I got one (didn't need it but had to look) and there is absolutely nothing wrong with what arrived in the post. This image is used by several sellers on the site:

 

It is iron so store it somewhere dry. I have several ways to index/divide in my shop and have to admit this is as good as some much more expensive methods. Cost about £4 = $US 5.

[EricWilliamMarshall]

7 hours ago, bruce d said:

absurdly cheap on fleabay from China

Thanks ever so much! There is now one swimming from China with my name on it! I appreciate you taking the time to share that with me. I had looked a while back on eBay, but didn’t have the right phase, I guess. I tip my hat to you, @bruce d

[EricWilliamMarshall]

I finally attached the rudder, with a bit of metal work. On an earlier model I attached it with paper and it kept falling off, so this time, it’s all metal. I used the first carving inverted behind the second one. That might be a slight historical liberty on my part, but I did see one fancifully painted, so I’m assuming a carving isn’t too far off. I had a chunk of cherry (from the ill-fated stool I mentioned earlier), which I cut on the table saw and cleaned up quickly with hand planes. I used 1/16th brass wire and hand drilled the holes to the same size. While I may circle back to do the rest of the oars and other bits, I’m going to call her done. Thanks to everyone who accompanied me on my little journey. For the curious, I would recommend the kit to those who are comfortable with clean plank bending, since there is no double planking and your work will be visible inside and out. When I bought this kit, it was pitched as beginner’s kit and it is longer sold that way.  Having said that, the kit was quick to build, was resilient to my missteps and had great instructions. A tip of the hat to @Chuck for his aesthetic taste and design choices!

[EricWilliamMarshall]

A few more pics.

[GuntherMT]

Nicely done, congratulations on finishing!

[Edwardkenway]

Beautifully done Eric, and with some very nice extra touches 😉

[VTHokiEE]

Congratulations! She looks beautiful and those carvings add such a nice touch. 

[Moab]

Absolutely beautiful boat!...Moab

[ccoyle]

Congrats, Eric -- very nice work!

[Blue Ensign]

Well done Eric, a very nice Pinnace. 👍

 

B.E.

[DelF]

Well done Eric - a lovely model. I've enjoyed following your log as you've put your own stamp on the kit.

 

Derek 

[Ryland Craze]

Congratulations Eric.  You built a nice model.  I enjoyed following your build log.

[EricWilliamMarshall]

Thanks again to everyone for your insights and support! My next adventure will be a double dose of the Baltimore clipper kit, Model Shipways’ the Dapper Tom. 

 

[Chuck]

Beautifully done...I cant wait to see it in person.

[EricWilliamMarshall]

8 hours ago, Chuck said:

Beautifully done...I cant wait to see it in person.

I’m tickled pink to hear such a kind word from you, the designer himself! Thank for your labors without which mine would have come to naught! 

[EricWilliamMarshall]

I meant to share this earlier; this is snapshot of my pinnacle with the one built by @Chuck himself! All were at the Model Con 2021 on the battleship, USS New Jersey in August. My thanks to Philadelphia Ship Model Society and the Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial for arranging and hosting the event.