Skuldelev Wreck 3 (Viking knarr) by Antyronnen - Billing Boats - 1:20

[Antyronnen]

The boat

This is one of 5 boats deliberately sunk in the mid 11th Century in the Roskilde channel in Denmark to serve as a defensive barrier protecting the upper reaches of the fjord near Skuldelev.  The wrecks were numbered by the archaeologists excavating the find and this model is of Skuldelev wreck 3, which is one of the best preserved.  The recovered boats are now housed in the Viking Ship Museum at Roskilde.

https://www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/en/

 

The kit

This the same kit I completed some 50 years ago.  The story behind its subsequent demise is briefly told in my introductory post (Hello from Mid-Wales, 24th August 2021).  The kit has been discontinued but I picked this one up on eBay.

As bought, all timber to build from the kit instructions is present, including sail material, rigging thread, wood stain in granule form, two sets of plans and a bag of small steel nails.  I presume the latter are meant to be used to represent rivets although their use is not detailed anywhere and in my original build of this kit I used drawn bamboo pegs; the kit instructions says that treenails were used (up to date literature shows this is actually not the case for most strake to strake fixing) and they could be simulated by ‘marking this with a ball-pen’.  I will have to return to the issue of rivets and roves later in the build.  Having decided that I wanted to do it better this time round I turned to the available literature for information and advice.

 

 

Research

My original source in 1969 was an academic publication from 1967 describing the initial findings from the Roskilde wrecks and on which the Billing kit was obviously based.  The more recent Billing kit ‘Roar Ege’ is based on the Roskilde Museum’s replica of Wreck 3.

In the past 50 years the literature on both the Roskilde find and research into Viking boat building methods has expanded phenomenally.  The Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde is an amazing resource, not least their experience in building replicas and thereby researching construction methods and rigging.  In 2002 much of this was consolidated into The Skuldelev Ships I, edited by Ole Crumlin-Pedersen;  the Billing kit is 1/20th scale and many of the illustrations of the original find material in this book are at the same scale.  Also of value has been McCarthy - Ships’ Fastenings, 2005, and, of course, the internet which abounds with illustrations of boats or replicas of such from the same era as the Roskilde find which are useful for deciding on how to build the stern section of the boat which was missing from the archeological find.  Sailing into the Past, edited by Jenny Bennet, 2009, gave useful insights into construction but the stricture made by Toni Levine in her recent workshop, that replica construction has to meet current safety standards certainly appears to apply to the question of the frequency of rivet fixing in a clinker built hull of this period (mid-11th Century).  It goes without saying that MSW is an invaluable source of information both regarding historical accuracy and building techniques.

 

First steps (in no particular order)

Build keel, construct planking jig, decide how to transfer strake outlines from printed 0.8-1 mm mahogany to 1.5 mm mahogany sheet.

I shall report back with the results.

[bolin]

Interesting kit. I have not seen this version before. It looks like it models all the parts in a faithful manner. Many of the currently available kits of viking ships uses a fair bit of exposed plywood etc. This will be interesting to follow.

 

At scale 1:20 it should be possible to model the rivets. I used strands from a dish brush and paper in my 1:30 medieval long-ship (see the link in my signature). The planks are joined to each other using rivets, while the frames are fastened to the hull using tree nails.

[Antyronnen]

Hi bolin

Thanks for that tip on the rivets.  The results are really convincing.  I’ve started cutting out now so will have plenty of scrap to experiment with.  One of the attractions of this scale is the ability to get closer to the original construction methods.  This model has very little plywood and I have replaced what there is with solid sheet timber.  Looks much better when stained.

The construction sounds similar to yours with the timbers treenailed to the strakes but not the keel or the garboard strake leaving more flexibility in the hull to cope with sea movement.

[Antyronnen]

The keel, stem and stern

In the original boat a single length of oak was scarf joined to a carved stem which incorporated rabbets for the ends of the strakes.  In the model the keel is built up from three strips, and the stem from a total of 15 layers.  The stern (which was lost) is assumed to have been of similar shape.  The central elements of the keel, the stem and the stern are supplied on 1.5 mm ply but I chose to replace these with 1.5 mm mahogany sheet.

 

 

The original ply was photocopied, the photocopy glued (using gum arabic) to the 1.5 mm sheet and the three components cut out, followed by the first layers of the stem and stern pieces and the outer sections of the keel which connect the stern and stem to the keel.  The paper has still to be removed from some parts and they all need a good deal of shaping to their final outlines.

 

 

The next 6 layers for each side of the stem piece were cut from 1 mm mahogany and the same for the stern, a total of 24 pieces in all.  The picture below shows the individual components on the left and a ‘dry’ stack on the right which when glued together, and to the central elements of the stem and stern pieces, will need to be carved and sanded to the final profiles of the original single pieces of oak.  I expect to have a bit of fun getting the pieces aligned properly as the side stacks are glued up.

 

This illustration (from The Skuldelev Ships I) shows the original stem during the excavation of the wrecks.  I very briefly considered attempting to recreate the stem (and stern) from single pieces of timber but thought better of it!

 

Things may go quiet for a bit while I set about gluing and fixing the separate bits to form the keel, stem and stern.

 

Antony

[Cathead]

Good start! That's a neat way to simulate the original carved stem, I was scratching my head about how one would do that on my recent Viking build. 

[Antyronnen]

Feels like slow progress but such work as I’ve been able to do has been in ‘snatched’ moments from other tasks.

 

The side pieces which give the ‘body’ to the stem and stern and also create the end rabbets for the strakes were built up with the layers sequentially glued in pairs (layer 1 with 2, 3 with 4 and 5 with 6 under compression).  Working with ‘doublets’ in this way was easier than trying to align all 6 layers at once.  The picture below shows one stage in a makeshift worktop clamp.   The clamp is based on three M8 tapped inserts into which lengths of M8 screwed rod are inserted and the pressure applied by the wing nuts and washers.  The inserts are normally filled by grub screws set level with the worktop surface to keep them free of dust.

 

The pictures below show the final stack of 6 layers glued and clamped and then without clamps.  The stepped construction will need sanding and carving to merge into the central element of both stem and stern.

 

 

The core elements of the stem and stern were then fitted to the keel ‘sandwich’ and once correctly aligned at the joints held in place by tape then by bamboo pins.  These were removable and their purpose was to ensure correct alignment when finally glued.  I decided on this strategy since I figured that it would be quite cumbersome to carve the side pieces to the correct shape and profile, and to clean up the keel, if the entire stem/keel/stern assembly was glued and had to be handled as a single piece.

 

The following pictures show the temporary assembly and then in its disassembled state.  The sockets for the ‘bench clamp’ can also be seen.

 

 

 

Viewed on edge the slot in the keel into which the tongue of the stem fits can be seen more easily.

 

 

So now I have the main elements ready for gluing, shaping and connecting.  The location pins should ensure the correct alignment when glued.  In this picture the side pieces of the stem and stern are just laid in place, not glued.  At the top are the templates I will use to ensure the prow and stern have the correct profiles in section when carved and sanded.

 

 

Antony

 

[Antyronnen]

Hi Cathead,

I still wonder if I should have tried carving the prow and stern from scratch!  I’ve just been looking at your own Viking build; very impressive.  Love the anchor; I’m already on the lookout for suitable stone and twigs.

 

I’m fortunate in having access to the full archaeological reports of the Skuldelev finds so at least the wooden elements of wreck 3 (which is the best preserved) are available for reference.  I’m undecided about rivets and will experiment but at the 1:20 scale using tiny (0.5mm diam, 6mm long) copper nails there is a chance it won’t look too much if patinated.

 

Antony 

[Louie da fly]

That's beautiful work, Antyronnen. A clever solution to the carved stem, and I like the way you've organised the joint between the keel and stempost.

 

Looking forward to further progress! 

 

Steven

Edited September 20, 2021 by Louie da fly

[Antyronnen]

Hi Steven,

Thanks for the supportive comments.  I guess it’s a function of age but I seem to spend 45% of my time researching the next step (how was it done on the original), 50% of my time fretting about the next step (imagining everything which could go wrong), and then 5% of my time just getting on and doing it.  The fact that generally the 5% goes OK suggests the other 95% is well spent!

 

Antony

[Louie da fly]

Sounds like a good plan, Antony. I find that when I don't do that, I end up regretting it. Main problem is not a broad enough scope of imagining what could go wrong - nature always seems to find an extra way . . .

 

Steven

[Antyronnen]

It's been a while since my last post.  Having found time for small steps I never seemed to find time to keep this log up to date, hence this rather long 'catch-up'.

 

The keel, stem and stern pieces

 

The stem and stern and their composite side pieces were glued together and then the complete structures were carved and sanded to their final shape.

 

 

 

 

Before                                                                                                                       After

 

 

The shaped stem and stern were then reconnected to the keel, this time with glue as well as the previously drilled location pegs.

 

Initial gluing (the masking tape on the Irwin clamp was being used to correct a minor degree of twist in the keel)

 

Final setting under compression

 

The entire assembly was then sanded and carved to give the final longitudinal profile of the ship and the cross-section profile of the keel.

 

The entire structure wobbled horribly when being shaped so I rigged up a set of extended jaws which reduced the movement considerably and gave more rigidity (and confidence!).

 

 

 

The keel and garboard rabbet

 

The original keel was shaped from a single piece of oak to form a ledge onto which the garboard strake was fixed.  The illustration below is from The Skuldelev Boats I, Crumlin-Pedersen & Olsen, 2002.  The numbers and letters refer to the frame position at which the section was taken.

 

 

I decided to reproduce this with a strip of 3x3mm mahogany pinned and glued about 4mm in from the lower keel edge, and to then profile this with abrasive sticks and chisels to approximate to the changing keel profile (in section).  Before fitting the strip it had to be curved to match the curve of the keel.  I decided the easiest way to do this was by immersion in boiling water but the length of the strips was larger than any basin I had and the bathtub uses too much water and cools very quickly.  I constructed a container from some 40mm drainpipe and fittings I had left over from an earlier plumbing job.

 

The strips were suspended on the end of a weighted length of cotton thread and the boiling water poured in and left for 10 minutes, then drained and repeated.

 

The softened wood was then sandwiched between two thin laths and nailed in position on a length of wood on which I had previously drawn a profile of the keel.

 

 

 

When removed from this extemporised jig the strips of wood held their curve and were then pinned to the side of the keel at a fixed height from the lowest edge of the keel.

 

 

 

Once the position was confirmed as satisfactory the strip and pins were lifted, glue applied and then the structure left to set under pressure.  The process was then repeated on the starboard side.

 

This is an underside view of the keel assembly.  Top layer is 3mm strip (at this stage just pinned), centre three layers are keel, and lowest layer 3mm strip, (pinned and glued).

 

 

The planking jig

 

This is relatively simple with only three formers set on the base with chocks to hold the down-curving stem and stern.

 

Having set the base level I used a building laser to ensure the formers were set square as they were glued in position.  They were given added rigidity with cross struts.

 

 

Once the jig was built the complete keel assembly was aligned in it and, having checked the straightness of the keel, stem and stern, was pinned in place.  The jig in turn was bolted to my work surface (using one of the inset M8 sockets) to give stability for the next operation.

 

 

Having gone to the trouble of fixing the 3x3mm strips the next job was to remove much of them!  I found a number 17 X-acto blade on a small handle the best way to achieve this.

 

 

The work was done by eye against pencil marks which continued the line for the garboard strake from the planking jig.

 

 

 

The work was slow but resulted in a satisfyingly Viking-like pile of shavings.  The Vikings worked their keel by axe, as do those who have built the modern reconstructions of the Skuldelev wrecks.

In passing the bamboo pins could be a nuisance since they constituted points of resistance in the timber (rather like knots).

 

 

 

The nearly completed profile

 

 

At this stage I need to think about my strategy for planking.  I want to use 1.5mm sheet rather than the 0.8-1mm supplied so I plan to use the thinner sheet to cut and spline templates and then transfer those shapes to the thicker sheet.  I know one issue I will have address is the mismatch between the plank thickness and the ‘rabbets’ at the stern and stem ends and I expect to have to thin the end sections, probably on the inside, to get a smooth transition.

 

I will also experiment with plank to plank fixings, looking at the options for reproducing the rivets externally and roves internally.  My initial calculations, based on the spacings recorded on the original wreck are that at least 1300 rivets were used!

 

Both these topics have received a good airing in Louie da fly’s Winchelsea Nef Build Log which I belatedly, and now frequently, have consulted:

https://modelshipworld.com/topic/29377-winchelsea-nef-1274-ad-175/

 

 

Antony

[Antyronnen]

Rivets

 

When I set out to build this kit again one of the things I was determined on was to make a better stab at the rivets holding the clinker built hull together.

Sorting through some old photos at the weekend I came across three from 1970 of my first effort.  I had forgotten even taking the photos but I do remember being inordinately pleased with the result;  looking back over 50 years I conclude this was youthful enthusiasm rather than an objective assessment, although much of the problem relates to the effect of excess glue preventing proper staining of the wood.  There were no internal roves.

 

Inside view (Upper) and outside view at junction with stem piece (Lower)

 

This time round I thought I would try to emulate the rivets by using the smallest copper nails I could find consistent with the 1/20 scale although the roves might prove to be a problem.  Copper has the advantage of being soft enough to cut or clench easily and it can also be patinated to grey/black simulating the original iron.

 

Copper Nail

 

 

Initially I tried clenching which was easy using a regular pair of pliers but I then ground the jaw profile so that the jaws could reach over the strake and controllably apply pressure solely to the nail.

 

Modified Pliers

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately the results, although quite pleasing visually, were quite inappropriate for the period (mid-11C). 

 

External view of initial attempts

 

Internal view showing clenched nails

 

 

This left me with no option but to consider how to make the roves.  I decided on 3mm (actually closer to 2.5 mm) wide adhesive copper foil.  This was sold as slug deterrent to fix around flower pot rims.  I have no idea of its efficacy but it proved to fill the need for model ship building.

 

 

What follows is a run-though of a test undertaken on some scrap wood cut to emulate the size and thickness of the strakes.  The 'strakes' were first fixed with PVA glue.

 

1.  Drill a 0.5 mm ø hole

 

 

2. Cut a 2-3mm length (approx) of copper tape

 

 

 

3.  Peel tape from backing and stick copper tape over hole pressing hard onto wood

 

 

4.  Push nail through hole from outside and right through the copper tape

 

 

5.  Trim nail internally using a brass template (for thickness) to leave 0.75 mm protruding

 

 

 

 

6.  Clench internally protruding nail remnant using modified pliers

 

Side view

 

Internal view

 

 

External view

 

7.  Trim excess copper tape

 

 

 

8.  Mix up liver of sulphur gel and water (for the test I used a single drop) and apply to clenched nail and head

 

 

Wash off once desired patination is achieved

 

Rove after patination and washing

 

 

Rove after drying

 

 

Rivet head after patination

 

 

Comments

 

The nail heads do not protrude as would have been the case with the original forged iron rivets, an effect which ironically was quite well achieved with the bamboo pins I used originally.  I could probably reduce further the length of internally protruding nail before clenching although once patinated the effect is quite convincing.

 

Although this method works technically and produces a quite acceptable (to me anyway) result it may prove a lot more difficult when done in the confined hull space once a strake is fixed.  Although this method can only be used as each strake is fixed (with attendant demounting and remounting of the hull on the framing jig) it is conceivable that a 'long reach clencher' could be designed or even built.

 

Before I embark on this as a solution (my initial estimate of 1300 rivets feels quite daunting) I would appreciate any thoughts, suggestions or criticism from all of you with far more experience than me.

 

Antony

 

 

 

[EricWilliamMarshall]

Looks great! Would there be any use to using copper wire and drilling in tricky areas instead? You may want to skim some of the Medway builds for that kit’s use of black fishing line to emulate nails, but that might be too far a field. https://modelshipworld.com/search/?q=Medway&quick=1  If it is of interest, part 3 of the instructions covers the details.

 

Again, if this not to your taste, then ignore. But hopefully it may prompt a reasonable ‘lead’ to pursue which may provide you a final solution.

Edited October 28, 2021 by EricWilliamMarshall

[Antyronnen]

Thanks for that suggestion; I’ll take a look at the Medway instructions.

I need to take a look at the potential space, especially near the stem and stern, to see if there is any chance of getting the pliers in.  Of course since some of these spaces will be invisible under decking and I could always leave off the roves although somehow that feels a bit like cheating!

[Cathead]

This might be crazy, but would it be possible to avoid the need for drilling and simply apply external details on either side of the planking? No viewer will ever be able to tell whether each rivet lines up through the plank if reasonable care is taken on spacing. This would potentially let you prefabricate roves and simply glue them in place, removing the need for complex clenching in tight spaces.

[EricWilliamMarshall]

24 minutes ago, Cathead said:

simply apply external details

Doh, I should have thought that! It will also feel like cheating, but is way simpler. Brilliant!

[Paul Le Wol]

Hey Antony, I am really enjoying your build log and watching you figure out the challenges you face. I am not experienced in any of this but I keep thinking that instead of copper tape you could make the roves  out of brass with a hole drilled through it that is smaller than the diameter of the nail and push it on with pliers that have a hole in one of the jaws. Kind of like the system they use for holding insulation to ductwork.  I have some duck-bill pliers from Lee Valley that have holes in the jaws although they probably wouldn’t work in your situation. But that’s the sort of thing I am talking about .

 

c

 

 

Paul

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  One could make a steel die set (does not have to be hardened since the workpiece is soft copper), where the base has a hole drilled in deep enough so the copper nail slides in not all the way - the flat head would be 'floating' slightly above the surface of the steel plate.  A 'punch' of steel (could be cut off from round stock, say 3 or 4" long) would have a round divot in the end made by using a ball burr and a Dremel.  This 'dink' would conform to the size you would want the head of the rivet to appear from the outside of the model.  The the punch is tapped over the copper nail head to form it into a small dome.  The bottom of the punch would 'stop' itself against the steel plate, so the rivet head can't be over-formed.  The distance the unformed nail head is above the lower plate - and the size of the divot in the punch will determine the exact look of the copper "rivets" ... a little trial and error to get it just so.

 

  Then a similar divot would be made in the face of the crimping pliers previously shown to maintain the shape of the external head, while crimping the projecting end on the inside as you have already shown.  Since the planks are laid one-by-one up from the keel, most of the rivets can be done with the pliers - except a few in very tight spaces fore and aft.  For those, a little application of PVA or even epoxy could be made over the uncrimped end of a rivet in a tight space.  Once dry, a dab of paint the color you want it to be should look fine.  In fact, since the crimping process can produce some variation of how things look on the inside, I might be tempted to apply a dollop of adhesive everywhere and just paint.  Either way should work.        Johnny

[Antyronnen]

Thank you everyone who posted such useful and helpful comments and advice.  It prompted me to examine the rationale of the way I was trying to achieve the effect I wanted.

 

This is the effect I'm seeking:

 

 

This image is from Roskilde Viking Ship Museum website describing the reconstruction of Wreck 3.

https://www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/en/news/iron-in-the-viking-ships-rivets-and-roves

They are using copper because of the problems with iron and sea water, as well as the properties of modern iron.  Although I am using copper my intention remains to simulate iron.

 

So, why did I start doing it the way I did?

1.  The Vikings did it that way but they also worked outside in the open air with axes and had someone else inside holding the rivet, so maybe not a good argument.

2.  I wanted to avoid using glue because of the lesson of 50 years ago and the effect unwanted glue had on any stain application; clenching seemed to proved a way of keeping the nail in place.  An unwanted effect of clenching proved to be the unsatisfactory degree to which the nail head was flattened onto/into the strake.

 

In my initial experiments I found that with a 0.5mm ø hole it was possible to unwittingly bend the nail as it was being pushed in and for that reason I changed to using a 0.6mm ø hole.  The nail goes in easier and when pushed through the rove is gripped by it and by using a different type of cutter (a cuticle cutter rather than a nail clipper) the inner end of the cut nail is slightly flattened and spread and so held firmly in place.  With this approach (no compression) the nail head could be left slightly proud, not ideal but at least less flush than before.

 

These are the clippers and the internal cut end of the nail:

 

 

 

 

BUT if the nail is soft enough for the shaft to be deformed so easily maybe the head alone can be rounded with a profiled 'pusher' as suggested by Johnny.

Using an old piece of aluminium I fashioned a tool to use as a pusher with a dimple slightly smaller than the nail head diameter which I could use to 'dome' the nail head.

 

 

 

This approach would require pushing against some resistance but to do this after inserting the nail would require an 'anvil', with the complication of working on both sides of the strake, or the use of a pair of further modified pliers.  It would also be complicated by the need to apply just enough force to deform the head but not so much that the nail head pushed too far into the strake.

 

I realised that the opposing force could be achieved by returning to the smaller tighter 0.5mm ø hole and rely on resistance from that.

And so it proved. I found my 'pusher' was working against sufficient resistance to dome the head slightly (a twisting motion helped) before pushing it though the rove at which point the inner end could be cut off.

 

This shows the comparison.  1, 3 & 5 have been domed with the 'pusher'.  2, 4 & 6 were inserted using my clenching pliers.

I should say that the spacing is not what will be used on the ship and was done this way to make comparison easier.

 

Before patination:

 

After patination:

 

To prevent any risk of bending the nail with the 'pusher' I use a surgical needle holder initially, then push the last bit in with the doming tool.

 

 

This a complete rivet and rove assembly after patination.  The rivet stands proud with a nice domed profile and the rove simulates the full size even though it is flatter than would have been the case in real life:

 

 

 

I'm pretty pleased with the results!  Whether I will still feel the same after doing 1300 remains to be seen.  I benefited so much from everyone's earlier comments and I suspect there are still ways of doing this better (or easier) so all advice will be gratefully received.

 

Antony

 

[Louie da fly]

That "pusher" is known in the trade as a rivet snap, used in rivetting metal sheets together. I've got one I inherited from my father which has several functions - it "pulls" the two sheets of metal together and is also used to dome the head of the rivet. 

 

 

Much too big and hefty for your purposes, but the technique is the same.

 

Steven

[Antyronnen]

Hi Steven.

Thanks for that information.  Just shows there’s nothing new under the sun, except my ignorance!

Antony
 

[Louie da fly]

Ah, you never see these things these days - just another piece of lost technology due to the loss of traditional rivetting.

 

This is what I made with mine . . . (the helmet) - Battle of Hastings re-enactment 2006.

 

[AnobiumPunctatum]

I will follow your log with great interest. I have in my collection also the old kit from BB. The scale of the model should ba 1/25 and not 1/20.

[Antyronnen]

Steven, that’s an impressive piece of metalwork.  Maybe a resurgence of hand-to-hand combat on the Sussex Downs will make people realise what they’ve lost!

 

Did the Saxons do any better in the replay?

 

Antony

[Antyronnen]

4 hours ago, AnobiumPunctatum said:

I will follow your log with great interest. I have in my collection also the old kit from BB. The scale of the model should ba 1/25 and not 1/20.

 

Hi Christian,

I think the discrepancy over the scale is a result of Billing Boats having produced 2 similar models.  The first, the one I am building, is from their catalogue of 50+ years ago based on the original 1962 excavation report of Wreck 3 which was the only reference available when I first built the kit in the late 1960s.  The full description of the Skuldelev finds was subsequently published in 2002 by The Viking Ship Museum, Roskilde, as Ships and Boats of the North Vol 4.1:The Skuldelev Ships I,  Crumlin-Pedersen & Olaf Olsen (eds).

 

In their figure 40, Torso-drawing of all preserved parts of the ship, the distance between upward projections of the prow and stern gives a distance of 13.9 m.  On the kit plans this distance measures 670mm.  The derived scale is 1/20.75 so I accept 1/20 is an approximation.  A further confirmation comes from the 1/20 scale drawing of the excavated keelson (figure 28) which measures 185mm compared to a measurement on the Billing Boats plan of 184mm.

 

Billing Boats current model is the Roar Ege which is based on the Roskilde Museum reconstruction of Wreck 3 rather than the original and so differs in some details but not size.  This has an advertised scale of 1/25.

 

At whatever scale I think it is an elegant craft!

 

Antony

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

   Well done, mate !  You've 'tailored' techniques to provide a great looking result ... don't let the notion of doing the 1,300-odd rivets dampen your enthusiasm, since the final result will inspire awe from anyone examining the finished model.  Cutting the copper tape to the size desired, piercing with an ordinary pin in the center (by eye) then using the pin to locate over the predrilled hole could largely eliminate the need to do a lot of trimming of the square washer after the copper nail is pushed through and trimmer with the cutter.  (Nice touch using a cuticle cutter!)  The scale of the Billing Oseberg ship in my 'stash' is a bit different, but there may be a way of adapting the method when I get around to that project.  And since a deck will be installed, most of the rivets won't need washers anyway.

 

   BTW, I know what you mean about exposed plywood in current laser-cut Viking ship kits, and reproducing the shapes in the builder's wood-of-choice is a good way to get around that.  Splitting of walnut or mahogany can be a problem, but I'm considering making my own 'plywood' out of layered cabinetry veneers where the grain crosses less severely than 90 degrees - so it will be flexible but resist nuisance cracking.  The Oseberg deck will hide most of the interior, so the lower planks provided might need only a thin veneer applied to the exterior - while the the top planks would be made solely of layered hardwood bonded veneers.  Your project is one where most everything will be visible, so the care you are taking at every stage will produce a fine model.     Johnny

[Antyronnen]

3 hours ago, Snug Harbor Johnny said:

Cutting the copper tape to the size desired, piercing with an ordinary pin in the center (by eye) then using the pin to locate over the predrilled hole could largely eliminate the need to do a lot of trimming of the square washer after the copper nail is pushed through and trimmer with the cutter. 

That’s what I love about this site.  Describe a process, ask for advice, and then laser-like come suggestions from members.  Tomorrow morning the thrice-revised method will incorporate this brilliant suggestion (thanks Johnny) which should deal with the one bit I was really unhappy about, namely the cutting of the roves onto the wood of the strake.  I should have time to try it out before going for my Covid booster jab.  Will report back (on the roves, not the booster jab).

 

Antony

[EricWilliamMarshall]

You're to report back on the jab as well if you like!  MSW is full service!

[Louie da fly]

7 hours ago, Antyronnen said:

Did the Saxons do any better in the replay?

 

Nah. It was all scripted. Foregone conclusion. Being an Anglo-Saxon freak, I was of course on the losing side (sigh).

 

Steven

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

   Since its 'on topic' in this thread, I'm including a couple photos from my younger days as a Saxon re-enactor.  The pic on the right shows my hand-made chain mail shirt, and you can see the fine mail coif I made (took a long time since the rings were small) and helmet.  Not shown are axe, sword and shield ... we used to do the battle of Hastings annually (I got to portray Harold Godwinson on two occasions ... yup, arrow in the eye - faked, of course) and Stamford Bridge against the 'other' Harold ... Harold Hardrata.

 

  The other photo shows me with other chaps from other periods and lands.  Some fine times were had back then - and much feasting went on the evening after battles ... sort of like all the dead and wounded brought back whole to carry on in Valhalla.