Dapper Tom by EricWilliamMarshall - Model Shipways - Scale 5:32

[EricWilliamMarshall]

And now for your amusement and my possible edification, I’ll be attempting Model Shipways’ Dapper Tom. In a certain sense, this will be a dual log. I’ll be attempting restore a damaged finished Dapper Tom model that was on display in the Mathematics department where I work as well as working on new kit at the same time.  For the new kit, I wish to work on planking the hull and the deck, (in my continued journey learn the skills of a true ship modeler). The new kit will also present the most rigging I have yet to encounter. So I invite one and all to pull up a seat and watch the hi-jinks.

[ccoyle]

This kit makes a fine model. Good luck, and enjoy your project!

 

[EricWilliamMarshall]

I also just got one of Syren Ship Model’s Rope Rocket rope walks. It shipped to me almost instantly! The instructions were clear but for an earlier model, so I scratched my head a few times but no show stoppers. I used 100% polyester black thread. It isn’t great thread so I figured I would ‘waste it’ on learning to use the rope walk. 

[EricWilliamMarshall]

Here are the results using the three ‘hooks’ with one, three and four threads each time (as well, as a single source thread). I’m happy to say it works as advertised. I have also posted a failure.

Edited February 28, 2021 by EricWilliamMarshall

[EricWilliamMarshall]

I was watching some vids about making chisels and wound up watching this one. I enjoyed almost all of Sullivan’s videos. And the one below, struck a chord. But the true work is in the design. So I present my ‘hack’ for a quick a dirty and prototype. Just stab at an Amazon shipping box! While this is not interesting in itself.

I put it in the category of ‘rapid prototyping’! I found myself hemming and hawing over what wood  to cut for a prototype knowing I would ditch it later. The cardboard broke the stalemate and I will feel no guilt recycling the card board I would recycle anyway.

 

Plus I return to an approach I like, one home for one tool within easy reach.

 

 

Edited February 28, 2021 by EricWilliamMarshall

[VTHokiEE]

Excited to watch you build this; I’ve become pretty happy with the results on my rope walk but I still have some (well maybe more than I care to admit) failures when I rush through setting the line up. There’s a post by Chuck about using Gutermann Mara thread which I followed and have been mostly happy with (I’m still working to figure out the best way to set poly rope coils but other than that I have found some advantages to cotton that I didn’t realize at first). Good luck and have fun!

[EricWilliamMarshall]

This kit comes with templates, which is nice but the stem-to-stern template doesn’t match the plan! 
Since I wish the plank the deck and hull, I need to tweak the templates to allow for the thickness of the planking material. I used tracing paper to achieve this.

[Dr PR]

Eric,

 

I have been working on a topsail schooner model, and I have used the Dapper Tom kit instructions for reference for some parts. It is a beautiful ship (after all it is a schooner) and I will be following your build. I am especially interested in your plans to build it plank on bulkhead instead of using the solid hull in the kit.

 

For you this is  a bit premature, but I am to the point I need to start thinking about rigging the model. I found a lot of the information either confusing, inaccurate or incomplete, and the terminology impenetrable. After several months of scouring the literature I finally figured out how to rig topsail schooners - or maybe I should say many ways to rig topsail schooners. I decided to post the results of my investigations on the forum. Hope it is useful.

 

 

[Tigersteve]

Will be following your journey here. Looks like a fine kit!

Steve

[BobG]

I'm onboard, Eric. I've always thought that the Dapper Tom is a beautiful ship model.

[EricWilliamMarshall]

17 hours ago, Dr PR said:

your plans to build it plank on bulkhead instead of using the solid hull in the kit.

It is worse than that! I plan to plank the solid hull.

@Dr PR, I’d love to hear about your trials and tribulations regarding the rigging. While not the worst setup to be found at MSW, this will be my most complex so far, so, pardon the pun, we are in the same boat,

 

@Tigersteve and @BobG welcome back! I hope I don’t disappoint! 

[EricWilliamMarshall]

23 hours ago, VTHokiEE said:

Gutermann Mara thread

@VTHokiEE, I just tried some size 20 crochet thread called Ljiljan 20, which @Chuck also recommended. I have say it is darn nice. Here is a bit I did today, 4 stands to each of 3 points. The color is their ecru. I over-tensioned it on purpose.

 

I’ll check out the Mara thread as well! I also have to figure out what is scale correct sizes and the like.

Edited March 1, 2021 by EricWilliamMarshall

[VTHokiEE]

54 minutes ago, EricWilliamMarshall said:

Ljiljan 20

That looks very nice!
 

I’ve considered testing that thread as well (I have tested Aurifil thread which was nice as well).
 

What I liked about the Mara thread was the elasticity in the polyester rope so that the rigging lines looked tight (I found for cotton thread there wasn’t much wiggle room, but maybe I’m doing something wrong).

 

What I liked about the cotton thread was that diluted white glue is perfect for holding rope coils. Diluted white glue doesn’t work quite as well for polyester and the other “glue” I had on hand slightly discolored the rope. I think I need to try some shellac and see how that works but I simply haven’t gotten there yet.

 

Edit: If you use Mara this thread should help with sizes and recipes: https://modelshipworld.com/topic/19706-gutermann-polyester-thread-for-making-rope/

Edited March 1, 2021 by VTHokiEE

[EricWilliamMarshall]

I did actually work on the ship. I found the given templates don’t match the ship’s plans.  I did track down the drawing this set of plans was based on, in Chapelle’s book The Baltimore Clipper. The rights to the image below naturally belong to The Marine Research Society. Which in turn are from a plan by Marestier (number 6). I couldn’t find that plan but I ordered a copy of his book and I’ll share anything I find there.

[EricWilliamMarshall]

I fussed with the templates, marked the hull and started removing wood! I used a mini-belt sander for the outside curves and a Dremel tool with a sanding drum and with a bullet-shapped grind stone as well as 180 grit sand paper. After a great deal of time, I sanded the deck and then used a number 7 (in the English system) gouge to start removing wood from inside the bulwarks. I found securing the hull tricky. The curved shapes don’t lend themselves to clamping. I wound up holding the ship much like someone whittling. I have more chisel work to do but this isn’t a bad start.

 

Edited March 1, 2021 by EricWilliamMarshall

[EricWilliamMarshall]

On 2/28/2021 at 2:04 AM, Dr PR said:

For you this is  a bit premature

I can’t believe the work you have put into the topic of rigging these ships! You are getting perilously close to being an expert who should write the next book! Your annotated reading list, diagrams and spreadsheet are well worth the price of admission.  Many thanks!

 

 

Edited March 1, 2021 by EricWilliamMarshall

[EricWilliamMarshall]

On 2/27/2021 at 2:15 PM, ccoyle said:

Good luck, and enjoy your project!

Thanks, I’ll try not to burn through the good luck too fast!

[EricWilliamMarshall]

1 hour ago, VTHokiEE said:

slightly discolored the rope. I think I need to try some shellac and see how that works but I simply haven’t gotten there yet.

Thanks for the insights and the link! As for shellac, if used straight it has two down sides: 1) natural shellac is an amber-orange color. You can find ‘white’ or bleached shellac, which has much less color to it. 2) shellac is glossy unless cut heavily with alcohol. If you mix some and let it sit, the waxes will separate and that shellac behaves a little bit different. I love shellac but it isn’t a silver bullet. 

[BobG]

4 hours ago, EricWilliamMarshall said:

gouge to start removing wood from inside the bulwarks.

Did you hold the ship in your lap while you chiseled the bulwarks? I like to hold my model in my lap when I'm sanding the hull but chiseling would be tricky!

[EricWilliamMarshall]

5 hours ago, BobG said:

Did you hold the ship in your lap while you chiseled the bulwarks? I

In fact, I did! I after I tried a few positions winding up holding the ship in my lap and using both hands to limit the sweep of the gouge cut. (I have not interest in stabbing myself.). In that position, the cutting went quickly - may be ten minutes total.

[Duanelaker]

Eric,  i found while thinning the bullwarks down that the dremel with stones, and drums worked great, however, a sharp exacto knife really has no problem taking off wood small pieces at a time.  Worked quite well actually.   Nice to see you on another project!

[EricWilliamMarshall]

On 3/1/2021 at 8:08 AM, Duanelaker said:

Nice to see you on another project!

You are too kind! The Dremel is my next stop!

 

I went down the rabbit hole of rope making and haven’t come up yet! So I have a ton of rope trying to master this skill set (or at least become capable). I have tried both the Syren Rocket rope walk, with another image here. I also got one of Domanoff’s PL4 rigs. I’m still a little uncomfortable with my mis-use of the communal funds. The PL4 took a while to walk/swim from Minsk to New Jersey and arrived in a crushed wet box. Not good!  It was in fact damaged.

[EricWilliamMarshall]

@Alexey Domanoff was kind enough to offer to replace the unit or give me a partial refund. He also made a quick video of how to adjust the gears the drive to the largest gear in the rig, which was so jostled it no longer even made con tact. So hats off to Alexey!  Once dry and I had recovered my wits (such as they are), I was able to fix the the machine and give it a try. The PL4 came with thread already loaded and with rope on the spool. This is a nice extra, since you can literally turn on the power and it makes rope and also you can examine how the machine should be threaded and see how much nicer Alexey’s rope looks then yours! Which he made on the same machine you are using!?!  Speaking of power, the power supply arrived separately and well before the PL4. It wasn’t marked in any way that it was for the PL4.  So it sat with the mail for a few days as I tried to figure out why it was here! 
Now, I can make ‘ok’ rope with the unit by the bucket but I’m still trying to learn how to get it closer to excellent rope. The intuitions I have regarding rope making the Syren rig don’t apply to the PL4 directly since tension doesn’t seem to be used the same way.
 

On the Syren front, @Chuck, was so kind to take time from his day (I.e. i interrupted his earning his keep) to walk me through his process. Hats off the Chuck! It was great! It is hard to describe things like tension or pull, so to experience that first hand was fantastic! Among other things, I left his shop with some rope samples, a Medway kit (woo-woo! And yes, I have exceeded my hobby budget for quite a long while) and a bit of insight. I also, at Chuck’s suggestion, experimented with metal gears for the Syren Rocket. I found the metal gears could run a bit quicker and smoother than the original setup but the ability to make quality rope was the same as far as I can tell. Attached is yet another picture of rope. At this point in my adventure, the Syren Rocket is quick and easy to work with. As for the PL4, I’m still learning so I’m not in a position to compare yet. 
 

I did work on cleaning the inside of the bulwarks and thinning them. I did damage the front end, so there that to fix already. I’m thinking about just removing the bulwark and building it up as described by Chuck in his practicum for the Model Expo Sultana (as found here: https://modelexpo-online.com/Model-Shipways-SULTANA-SOLID-HULL-164-SCALE_p_1021.html#tab-6 under instructions or here: http://modelshipworldforum.com/ship-model-build-and-practicums.php at the bottom of the page.) since, if the bulwarks will be planked I have to get very thin indeed.

[EricWilliamMarshall]

I also received a cheap battered copy of the English translation of the Marestier's book Chapelle sites for the plate used by John Shedd (of Model Shipway) to make is plans. Memoir on the steamboats of the United States of America (Mémoire sur les bateaux à vapeur des États-Unis d'Amérique avec un appendice sur diverses machines relatives à la Marine) was published in English translation by the Marine Historical Association in 1957 and was available for the princely sum of $2.50.  It is Marestier's 1824 snapshot of America's use of steam ships. He describes ships, engines, infrastructure and the like. The plate I was looking for was not included - the focus of this edition is solely on steam. It is quite readable in the parts I dipped into but I have not read the book from cover to cover. The plates are crisp and beautifully drafted - there 7 plates of ships and 9 plates of engines.  (The rights to the images are of course are retained by the Marine Historical Association or those who hold those rights today.)

So long story short, this was a dead end for the Dapper Tom. 

Edited March 8, 2021 by EricWilliamMarshall

[EricWilliamMarshall]

I shaved off the bulwarks! We will see if I regret that decision.  I tweaked the rear of the hull and added a bit of strip which will become the rabbet for the hull planking. (Yes, I made some more rope, but I won’t bore you with the details!)

 

Edited March 10, 2021 by EricWilliamMarshall

[EricWilliamMarshall]

Here are a few shots of the ship to be restored.

Edited March 10, 2021 by EricWilliamMarshall

[EricWilliamMarshall]

I also got to work a bit on a 1:1 scale boat and carving for the Lower Raritan Watershed Partnership here in New Jersey.

[Chuck]

Very nice...interesting stuff.  I never even knew that partnership in Nj existed.

[EricWilliamMarshall]

A bit of progress on all fronts. I tweaked or replaced the kit parts for the keel. You can see a long thin peel of wood in one of the photos. That means I hit exactly the inscribed line from my marking gauge. It always gives me a brief sense that I know what I’m doing until the feeling is replaced with the usual swirl of uncertainty and problem solving. You can see I have a tiny sliver to remove as well. Last model the rabbet was too small, this time it might be too big. We will see.
 

 I also shaped the banner carving for the LRWP. And made yet more rope. I have noticed that spending a lot of time on the rope experiments bits into the other project’s time.  I figured out a way to make thicker cotton rope without using or adding any glue or size as a fixative.

 

Edited March 14, 2021 by EricWilliamMarshall

[Landlubber Mike]

Excellent work Eric!