GGibson Posted November 14, 2023 Author Share #61 Posted November 14, 2023 A couple updates... I needed to complete the work on the chain plates before I did too much more on other things. I mentioned in my previous post that I figured to have some valid reason for not cutting the holes/slots for the chainplates while I was putting in the rails. And I was kicking myself now for every one of the twenty (20) slots I had to cut into the rails after-the-fact. Message to all future Bluenose builders... CUT THE CHAINPLATE SLOTS WHEN YOU INSTALL THE RAILS! OK, enough self-criticism... here's what I was able to accomplish. I marked the locations of the chainplates on the main rails and the monkey rails based on the plans. In order to assure that I was drilling the holes on the correct side of the bulwarks and, when drilling the holes in the quarter deck rails, going thru both the monkey rail and main rail, I decided to drill from the underside, from the bottom up, to give myself a better visual of where I was going with the drill bit. I also was reminded how crucial the placement of the main rails is on top of the bulwark and stanchions, in order to give you the spacing required for these chain plates. Anyways, I used a #61 micro drill bit to begin each hole/slot and then, using my 2 largest micro-size precision reamers, I enlarged each of the slots until a "test" brass strip could fit into the hole. The kit-provided brass strips are 1/64" thick by 1/16" wide. But, when the tops of the strips are folded over to secure the wire holding the deadeyes, that thickness doubles to 1/32" plus a bit more due to the twisted wire thickness. As the chain plates were slid into each hole for testing, the paint job on the rails and the hull was taking a beating. Definitely going to require a lot of touchup. Again, another reason for doing this cutting sooner. <head slap> Actually, preparing the chainplates and deadeyes was the smoothest part of this process. I prepared a small jig, similar to what was done for the pintles and gudgeons, in order to drill the holes in the chainplates per the plans. My new Proxxon drill press with the X/Y table came in handy once again! Then, using a pair of hemostat forceps and a vise, I wrapped the thin brass wire provided in the kit around the deadeyes and twisted them. That is what, then, was secured into the tops of each chainplate. Long story short (I know, too late for that), I was able to place each of the twenty (20) chainplates and deadeyes in their locations with some work. Drilled holes in the hull at the chainplate hole locations and, using small brass nails with heads on them and a spot of CA glue, secured the nails to the chainplates to simulate bolts. I then spot-retouched all of the paint job that I had damaged in the process. I hope they will all look good once I get to the rigging. Before I get to the anchors and cathead installation, I wanted to do some additional work on the deck. I was wanting to place some barrels just ahead of the cabin, but wasn't totally sure how to place them. I was then inspired by the work that John Ruy has done on his Bluenose, as well as looking at the pictures of the old Bluenose on the Nova Scotia Archives website. So, I constructed a little rack holding a half-dozen barrels along with a couple other barrels tied to the front of the cabin. The barrels I used were from Model Shipways, 35/64" x 15/32" (14x12mm), and I think were sized about right. I also had a slightly bigger alternative, but that sized barrel just looked too big for scale, even for the black ones that are tied to the cabin. Not perfect, but I think they came out pretty well, and they add nicely to the deck furnishings, as depicted in those old pictures. Thanks to John for the reminder and the inspiration! Now I think it's time for the catheads and anchors work. Let's see how well this goes... bhermann, JacquesCousteau, mtbediz and 5 others 8 Quote Gregg Current Projects: Completed Projects: Waiting for Shipyard Clearance: Bluenose 1921 1:64 - Model Shipways Norwegian Sailing Pram 1:12 - Model Shipways Yacht America Schooner 1851 1:64 - Model Shipways Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack 1:24 - Model Shipways RMS Titanic 1:300 - OcCre (Couldn't help myself when it was on sale) H.M. Schooner Ballahoo 1:64 - Caldercraft USS Constitution 1:76 - Model Shipways Santa Maria Caravelle 1:48 - Ships of Pavel Nikitin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Ruy Posted November 14, 2023 Share #62 Posted November 14, 2023 Nice 👍 work on the Chain Plates and deadeyes. Your barrels and bait cutting stations look great. GGibson 1 Quote Gallery Photos of My Charles W Morgan Currently working on New Bedford Whale Boat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GGibson Posted November 17, 2023 Author Share #63 Posted November 17, 2023 Another update - I finished the catheads and anchors. I didn't keep a whole lot of notes on this work during construction and install, so a pretty simple explanation. First of all, I did not like the Britannia castings of the catheads in the kit. So, like many others who have built this Bluenose, I scrapped the castings and created my own version. Not sure if they are totally in scale, but pretty close. For the pole portion of the catheads, I used a 1/32" brass rod and a small 1/8" square wood strip, sanded and tapered. At first, I bent the rods a bit too low (in that first pic), but before placing them on the ship, I adjusted their height. I also made a small little "stand" for the rod to sit in on the deck, using a rounded-off dowel cut very short. I really had to study and refer to several resources, especially the Bluenose II - Saga of the Great Fishing Schooners by L.B. Jenson, which I have referred to quite often in this build for information. This time it was to remind myself exactly how the catheads work in relation to the anchors and the windlass. Very interesting and informative. On page 55 of the book, Mr. Jenson has drawings of the working anchors and cables in various stages of operation, whether it was anchor positions during normal stowage, when the club anchor (port side) was ready to let go for normal anchoring in harbor, or when the fishing anchor (starboard side) was ready to let go. From that discussion, it appears that there was actually just the one cathead (davit) on board, and they would shift it from one side to the other depending on need. For this kit, though, we are putting two catheads in position. As I said, very interesting. With all that said, I placed the port side club anchor on the cathead and ran the anchor chain from the anchor, through the hawse pipe, looped it around the windlass a few times, laid a few flakes of chain on the deck (my flakes did not come out awesome), and the remaining chain in the wooden box. I thought that all came out pretty well. For the starboard side anchor, the cathead stands empty, with the anchor, wood stock and coiled hemp cable laid on the deck for display. Under normal stowage, according to Mr. Jenson, this starboard-side fishing anchor would be stowed with the lower fluke lashed to a ringbolt inside the rail with the stock hund outside the rail, nearly vertical against the side (which is pretty much how the port side anchor is secured). Dories are next. And, from what I've read of others' build logs regarding the dories, this will no doubt be challenging. And, with the Thanksgiving holiday approaching, I will be surprised if I get past these before then. With that said, to my fellow USA modelers, have a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday weekend. To all, fair winds and following seas! Diver, mtbediz, bhermann and 5 others 7 1 Quote Gregg Current Projects: Completed Projects: Waiting for Shipyard Clearance: Bluenose 1921 1:64 - Model Shipways Norwegian Sailing Pram 1:12 - Model Shipways Yacht America Schooner 1851 1:64 - Model Shipways Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack 1:24 - Model Shipways RMS Titanic 1:300 - OcCre (Couldn't help myself when it was on sale) H.M. Schooner Ballahoo 1:64 - Caldercraft USS Constitution 1:76 - Model Shipways Santa Maria Caravelle 1:48 - Ships of Pavel Nikitin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Ruy Posted November 17, 2023 Share #64 Posted November 17, 2023 Awesome work, nice progress. I agree, anchors can be a bit tricky to display. Looks great. 👍 John GGibson 1 Quote Gallery Photos of My Charles W Morgan Currently working on New Bedford Whale Boat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GGibson Posted November 17, 2023 Author Share #65 Posted November 17, 2023 8 hours ago, John Ruy said: Awesome work, nice progress. I agree, anchors can be a bit tricky to display. Looks great. 👍 John Thanks, John! Appreciate the follow and comments. Your Bluenose continues to look awesome! As I begin to work on the dories, I have a question for you (and whoever else cares to provide input) on placement of the dories and dory kids. Or, rather the timing of their placement. As I look at where these will be positioned on the deck, I am wondering if it might be advantageous to not place the stacked dories and racks on the deck until a good part of the mast rigging is completed. I can get the dories racked up, but wait to glue the kids onto the deck until all of the lines are tied in the deck ringbolts. As you all are getting to the masting and rigging, are you seeing this as a potential snagging or breaking concern, similar to, say, the main boom crutch back by the transom? Thoughts? Or am I just paranoid? mtbediz 1 Quote Gregg Current Projects: Completed Projects: Waiting for Shipyard Clearance: Bluenose 1921 1:64 - Model Shipways Norwegian Sailing Pram 1:12 - Model Shipways Yacht America Schooner 1851 1:64 - Model Shipways Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack 1:24 - Model Shipways RMS Titanic 1:300 - OcCre (Couldn't help myself when it was on sale) H.M. Schooner Ballahoo 1:64 - Caldercraft USS Constitution 1:76 - Model Shipways Santa Maria Caravelle 1:48 - Ships of Pavel Nikitin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Ruy Posted November 18, 2023 Share #66 Posted November 18, 2023 5 hours ago, GGibson said: As I look at where these will be positioned on the deck, I am wondering if it might be advantageous to not place the stacked dories and racks on the deck until a good part of the mast rigging is completed. I can get the dories racked up, but wait to glue the kids onto the deck until all of the lines are tied in the deck ringbolts. As you all are getting to the masting and rigging, are you seeing this as a potential snagging or breaking concern, similar to, say, the main boom crutch back by the transom? Thoughts? Or am I just paranoid? Greg, It really depends on how you plan to display the sails. By that I mean the placement of the booms. As you can see in the Fore Boom details below, the only attachment between the Dory Stacks is the Sheet Tackle to the Boom Buffer Ring. This is just aft of the Dory Stacks. The other Ring Bolts on the deck are unused save for the Dory Tie Downs. the Rigging and Blocks on the Fore Boom itself, including the lacing of the Sail will be done on the Fore Boom before placing it between the Dories. That said you may have the better idea, waiting to tie down the Dories. However, you will want to mount the Dory Stacks before any Shrouds are placed or running rigging is belayed on the Pins along the Rails. You can always build the Dories on the Dory Kids and permanently attach them later after you have the Fore Boom placed. It’s up to you. As for me, my lot has been drawn, I will be working the Fore Boom around the Dory Stacks. 😆 I will let you know how that goes. LOL As for the Main Boom Crutch, I will most likely present both Sails leaning into the Sheet lines and not sitting stowed on the Crutches. I hope this discussion was helpful. 🍻 John mtbediz and GGibson 1 1 Quote Gallery Photos of My Charles W Morgan Currently working on New Bedford Whale Boat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamilton Posted November 18, 2023 Share #67 Posted November 18, 2023 Looking great Greg! Nice work on the catheads and the fore deck looks nicely arranged! hamilton GGibson 1 Quote current builds: Corel HMS Bellona (1780); Admiralty models Echo cross-section (semi-scratch) previous builds: MS Phantom (scuttled, 2017); MS Sultana (1767); Corel Brittany Sloop (scuttled, 2022); MS Kate Cory; MS Armed Virginia Sloop (in need of a refit); Corel Flattie; Mamoli Gretel; Amati Bluenose (1921) (scuttled, 2023); AL San Francisco (destroyed by land krakens [i.e., cats]); Corel Toulonnaise (1823); MS Glad Tidings (1937) (in need of a refit); HMS Blandford (1719) from Corel HMS Greyhound; Fair Rosamund (1832) from OcCre Dos Amigos (missing in action); Amati Hannah (ship in a bottle); Mamoli America (1851); Bluenose fishing schooner (1921) (scratch); Off-Centre Sailing Skiff (scratch) under the bench: MS Emma C Barry; MS USS Constitution; MS Flying Fish; Corel Berlin; a wood supplier Colonial Schooner Hannah; Victory Models H.M.S. Fly; CAF Models HMS Granado; MS USS Confederacy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GGibson Posted November 18, 2023 Author Share #68 Posted November 18, 2023 1 hour ago, John Ruy said: ...I hope this discussion was helpful. 🍻 John Exactly the input I was needing, John. Thanks! mtbediz and John Ruy 2 Quote Gregg Current Projects: Completed Projects: Waiting for Shipyard Clearance: Bluenose 1921 1:64 - Model Shipways Norwegian Sailing Pram 1:12 - Model Shipways Yacht America Schooner 1851 1:64 - Model Shipways Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack 1:24 - Model Shipways RMS Titanic 1:300 - OcCre (Couldn't help myself when it was on sale) H.M. Schooner Ballahoo 1:64 - Caldercraft USS Constitution 1:76 - Model Shipways Santa Maria Caravelle 1:48 - Ships of Pavel Nikitin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GGibson Posted November 18, 2023 Author Share #69 Posted November 18, 2023 1 hour ago, hamilton said: Looking great Greg! Nice work on the catheads and the fore deck looks nicely arranged! hamilton Thanks, hamilton! Would have liked to have done the catheads a bit better, but I'm... content with the result. And, yeah, I really do like all the details on these Bluenose fore decks. Appreciate you peeking in and commenting. Quote Gregg Current Projects: Completed Projects: Waiting for Shipyard Clearance: Bluenose 1921 1:64 - Model Shipways Norwegian Sailing Pram 1:12 - Model Shipways Yacht America Schooner 1851 1:64 - Model Shipways Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack 1:24 - Model Shipways RMS Titanic 1:300 - OcCre (Couldn't help myself when it was on sale) H.M. Schooner Ballahoo 1:64 - Caldercraft USS Constitution 1:76 - Model Shipways Santa Maria Caravelle 1:48 - Ships of Pavel Nikitin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtbediz Posted December 8, 2023 Share #70 Posted December 8, 2023 Very nice work Greg. GGibson 1 Quote Mustafa Current Build, USS Constitution 1:76 Scratch https://modelshipworld.com/topic/34741-uss-constitution-by-mtbediz-176/#comment-991858 Finished, HM Cutter Alert 1777. Scratch https://modelshipworld.com/topic/31859-hm-naval-cutter-alert-by-mtbediz-finished-136-scale/#comment-902949 Finished, USF Essex, Scratch https://modelshipworld.com/topic/25954-usf-essex-by-mtbediz-150/ Finished, Santa Maria, Mantua Kit https://modelshipworld.com/topic/23113-santa-maria-by-mtbediz-finished-mantua-150/?tab=comments#comment-683297 Finished, HMS Pickle (Scratch) https://modelshipworld.com/topic/21684-hms-pickle-by-mtbediz-140-finished/?tab=comments#comment-651070 Finished, Santa Maria https://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/15541-santa-maria-by-mtbediz-handmade-kit-by-a-friend/&do=findComment&comment=483052 Finished, San Francisco II, AL Kit https://modelshipworld.com/topic/17344-san-francisco-ii-by-mtbediz-finished/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GGibson Posted January 8 Author Share #71 Posted January 8 (edited) An update on progress... (or lack thereof)... It was a bit frustrating in the shipyard these past few weeks. Besides the fact that I had several travels that interrupted shipyard time (spending some great time over the various holidays with family, though, so it was totally worth it despite the shipyard absence), my time in the shipyard was a struggle completing some things successfully. Guess it is all a part of the build journey and learning along the way. Wanted to start working on the dories and tried to use the supplied pieces in the kit. The dory sides were difficult to shape properly, so built a little jig to hold them after wetting, shaping and drying. That helped some but I still found it incredibly difficult to shape them and build them using the kit-supplied brackets. So, after visiting with another local builder who gave me some alternative options, I decided to shelve the dories project for a little bit. Hopefully, I should be able to finish some dories in the coming weeks, so... perhaps an update on those in my next post. I did, though, work on the dory kids that the boats will sit on while stored on the Bluenose deck. Measured, cut, fitted and glued the small wood strips. Set them aside for now waiting on what I finish with the dories. Time to work on the bowsprit. Shaped it to the measurement needed at certain points on the 1/4" dowel. Started at first using my small handheld planer, then went to various grit sandpaper. Squared off the aft end that fits into the bits and added a small brass rod to fit in the hole I had placed in the samson post. After it was shaped, it was time to add bands... after soldering some type of rings to the bands for the various backropes, footropes, and stays. Uggghhh.... I am still not very good at soldering. Getting better with some practice, but I was not able to duplicate the band rings I have seen on other build logs. So... I settled for using brass hooks placed through holes drilled in the brass strips. I also needed to determine how I was going to simulate the turnbuckles. Without a milling machine (yet), I didn't really know how to duplicate. Got online and found a company that had small model turnbuckles that looked the best (these are 16mm x 2.5mm), and decided to use those. Another "settle for" on this bowsprit. Worked on the gammon iron, the guy plates and the bobstay plates. The Proxxon drill again became useful for that operation. Completed, then, all of the rigging from the bowsprit to the bobstay plates and to the guy plates, and also ran the rope for the backropes and footropes and tying those together at three intervals along the bowsprit. Finally, ran the jibstops through the holes in the bowsprit strips. Not my most exciting work to-date on my Bluenose, but I'll get better. I'll definitely have to, though, as I look ahead to the next huge task, which is the mast work. Lots of detailed soldering work will be needed there, as I have looked at other build logs and the awesome work they have done on the mast caps, spring stay bails, shoulder bands, etc. Taking another quick trip to watch a granddaughter in her "senior day" basketball game, and then the hard shipyard work will start again. Appreciate all the guidance many have provided as I look at other build logs. Thanks! Edited January 8 by GGibson bhermann, bobandlucy, John Ruy and 2 others 5 Quote Gregg Current Projects: Completed Projects: Waiting for Shipyard Clearance: Bluenose 1921 1:64 - Model Shipways Norwegian Sailing Pram 1:12 - Model Shipways Yacht America Schooner 1851 1:64 - Model Shipways Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack 1:24 - Model Shipways RMS Titanic 1:300 - OcCre (Couldn't help myself when it was on sale) H.M. Schooner Ballahoo 1:64 - Caldercraft USS Constitution 1:76 - Model Shipways Santa Maria Caravelle 1:48 - Ships of Pavel Nikitin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Ruy Posted January 8 Share #72 Posted January 8 Greg, Your Bowsprit looks great! I found the Dories to be quite the challenge, as well. Glad you had a great Holiday with Family. It’s always good to take some time away from our obsession. 😆 Cheers 🍻 GGibson 1 Quote Gallery Photos of My Charles W Morgan Currently working on New Bedford Whale Boat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GGibson Posted February 2 Author Share #73 Posted February 2 An update on my dories... After not having great success using the kit-supplied pieces to construct the dories, I needed to come up with an alternative plan. One of the other participants in our local Kansas City-area shipbuilders' club also does a lot of 3D printing for tabletop RPG activities. I provided him the dimensions for the dories needed for this Bluenose, and he (quite easily, he states) printed out a handful of 3D resin models. Sweet! In the picture above, the dory on the left is what he was able to print and he printed a bunch for me to work with. The dory on the right is where I began to cut and paste the cleats and battens using 3mm wide strips. This is where a lot of trial and error came into play. It was very difficult for me to get these hand-painted well (still not good with the airbrushing technique...) with the wood pieces glued in. So, I needed to paint these first without any inside work. I also tried to prime these first and then apply paint, but I wasn't liking how that was looking on a few I tested. I finally landed on simply painting these directly with no primer, and the paint spread pretty nicely, albeit I probably put 4-5 coats of the acrylic paint on each dory. Once they were all painted, I was then having difficulty cutting the rails using 1/64" and even 1/32" thin wood, so I decided to use some thick 80 lb/118 gsm cardstock for the rails. I was still able to use the 1/32" wood for the cleats and battens, as well as for the thwarts (seats). I also drilled holes in the cardstock for the thole pins. I was also able to easily drill holes in the resin-printed dories for the beckets using a #74 bit (0.57mm). The beckets were made using 0.50mm tan rope. I made the oars using 1/16' x 3/16" stock. They were cut to 50mm length with a 30mm handle. They were stained with Red Oak and the handle grips were painted with Mars Black acrylic paint. I had previously built the dory kids and placed them aside. I now finished those dories, placing eyebolts at the base for the tie-downs. Although I am going to wait until I complete more work on the masts and some of the rigging on and close to the deck before I secure these dories and kids to the deck, of course I had to see how they are going to look on the deck... They look ok! So, now it's time to work on the masts! The work just keeps on getting more challenging! Appreciate the reads, comments, criticisms and advice! bhermann, Knocklouder, John Ruy and 4 others 7 Quote Gregg Current Projects: Completed Projects: Waiting for Shipyard Clearance: Bluenose 1921 1:64 - Model Shipways Norwegian Sailing Pram 1:12 - Model Shipways Yacht America Schooner 1851 1:64 - Model Shipways Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack 1:24 - Model Shipways RMS Titanic 1:300 - OcCre (Couldn't help myself when it was on sale) H.M. Schooner Ballahoo 1:64 - Caldercraft USS Constitution 1:76 - Model Shipways Santa Maria Caravelle 1:48 - Ships of Pavel Nikitin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Ruy Posted February 2 Share #74 Posted February 2 Greg, your Dories look great. 👍 Very creative alternative solution to those kit supplied parts. You are making very good progress. John GGibson and bhermann 1 1 Quote Gallery Photos of My Charles W Morgan Currently working on New Bedford Whale Boat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GGibson Posted February 23 Author Share #75 Posted February 23 Time for another update! It's been a bit of slow-going. One of the reasons for delays was for a quick trip to Iowa. For those of you who are in the USA and are sports fans, you have no doubt heard a lot recently about Caitlin Clark with the Iowa Women's basketball team breaking the all-time NCAA scoring record recently. My 91 year-old mother-in-law is a big basketball fan and a fan of Caitlin and her recent success. A few months ago, I bought tickets to a game in February in order to take her and some other family. Well, that just turned out to be the game in Iowa City when Caitlin Clark broke the record! So exciting to be there and to have my MIL witness the achievement in person! OK, now on to my Bluenose update... Began work on the masts. First task was to cut and shape the masts from the dowels provided in the kit. As others have probably done with their masts, even though I'm beginning with details on the lower masts, I shaped and tapered both the lower and top masts to start. That was pretty straight-forward. Also made a pretty crude stand for the masts to sit in while I work on them and the rigging that will take place prior to putting everything on the actual Bluenose deck. Next task was to work on the boom rest for the main mast and the pin saddle for the fore mast. Taking a 5/8" and 1/2" diameter dowel, I drilled 5/16" holes down the center of each several inches. Then, using my little DrillMaster 2" cut-off saw, I cut narrow "discs". The 1/2" discs were used as the center pieces for both the pin saddle and boom rest, so that 1/16 x 1/64" brass strips could be wrapped and secured around the center disc. It actually worked pretty well! I also cut two additional discs to eventually place at the base of each mast. After assembling both pieces, I painted them and then drilled holes in the appropriate spots for the belay pins on the piece that will be on the fore mast. Using some stock 3/32" x 1/8 " strips, I made the chocks that go on both pieces. A chafing piece was placed above the boom crutch on the main mast using a very narrow 0.05mm brass sheet that easily wrapped around the mast. The next thing to complete was the gooseneck on the fore mast. I carefully folded two 1/64" brass rods in half and, using my new Proxxon drill press, drilled a hole in each to place a .51mm brass rod thru the holes. Another opportunity to work on my horrible soldering skills! 🤣 Actually, did pretty well! Then, I opened and wrapped them around each mast, and marked & drilled holes on the other side for pins. So far, so good! Needed to now create the shackle piece that attaches to the gooseneck and is used to connect to the fore boom. This requires a NEW tool, right?!? I've been interested in getting a mill machine and have seen good reports on the little Proxxon MF70 mill machine, so... why not?!? It actually worked out really well (in my humble opinion) for a first-time use. Following genericDave's Bluenose build and his suggestion, I loaded the MF70 with a 1/32" thick brass strip (0.81mm x 6.35mm) and cut the brass strip to shape. Cool! I then cut and wrapped the shackle piece around a 0.82mm brass rod that I had shaped to fit into the gooseneck bands. I secured the entire gooseneck piece on the fore mast. The shackle piece may be a little oversized and out of scale, but once everything else is installed around it on the completed ship, any differences should appear negligible. Time now to work on things higher up on the masts! Moving along, slowly but surely. My retirement travels should be done until May, so I should be able to put some decent time in the shipyard. We shall see how I do. Quick question and recommendation request for those of you who have read this entire post to this point (thanks for hanging in there!). I still have not decided entirely on whether to put the sails on this Bluenose, to place furled sails, or to not put any sails on and just do all the rigging. I am guessing, though, that if I do not do any sails, I should still put the mast hoops on the masts, and they would simply be stacked at the base of each mast, accordingly? Would I do anything differently? I've glanced briefly for now at the rigging plans, but have not specifically determined how my plan would affect mast hoop placement. Any expert advice is greatly appreciated. For now, though, I'll work on the hoops and then on to the trestle trees! Thanks for peeking in! Fubarelf, Retired guy, John Ruy and 3 others 6 Quote Gregg Current Projects: Completed Projects: Waiting for Shipyard Clearance: Bluenose 1921 1:64 - Model Shipways Norwegian Sailing Pram 1:12 - Model Shipways Yacht America Schooner 1851 1:64 - Model Shipways Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack 1:24 - Model Shipways RMS Titanic 1:300 - OcCre (Couldn't help myself when it was on sale) H.M. Schooner Ballahoo 1:64 - Caldercraft USS Constitution 1:76 - Model Shipways Santa Maria Caravelle 1:48 - Ships of Pavel Nikitin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wmherbert Posted February 23 Share #76 Posted February 23 Certainly no expert. But I would have hoops stacked at base of masts. And if you decide to do sails they are there. Need to get them on before the trees or you'll never get them on. Easy to forget. (Don't ask how I know this? Bill John Ruy and GGibson 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtbediz Posted February 23 Share #77 Posted February 23 Great work on the mast Greg. GGibson and John Ruy 1 1 Quote Mustafa Current Build, USS Constitution 1:76 Scratch https://modelshipworld.com/topic/34741-uss-constitution-by-mtbediz-176/#comment-991858 Finished, HM Cutter Alert 1777. Scratch https://modelshipworld.com/topic/31859-hm-naval-cutter-alert-by-mtbediz-finished-136-scale/#comment-902949 Finished, USF Essex, Scratch https://modelshipworld.com/topic/25954-usf-essex-by-mtbediz-150/ Finished, Santa Maria, Mantua Kit https://modelshipworld.com/topic/23113-santa-maria-by-mtbediz-finished-mantua-150/?tab=comments#comment-683297 Finished, HMS Pickle (Scratch) https://modelshipworld.com/topic/21684-hms-pickle-by-mtbediz-140-finished/?tab=comments#comment-651070 Finished, Santa Maria https://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/15541-santa-maria-by-mtbediz-handmade-kit-by-a-friend/&do=findComment&comment=483052 Finished, San Francisco II, AL Kit https://modelshipworld.com/topic/17344-san-francisco-ii-by-mtbediz-finished/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GGibson Posted February 23 Author Share #78 Posted February 23 Thanks for your input, Bill. Yeah, I made a quick decision after my post above to put the hoops on the masts, and will probably tie them/secure them to the appropriate rigging just for the appearance that they are connected, albeit at the bottom of the masts, but sails are off. And, yes, they will go on before the trestle trees! 53 minutes ago, wmherbert said: Don't ask how I know this? Wouldn't think of asking.... Quote Gregg Current Projects: Completed Projects: Waiting for Shipyard Clearance: Bluenose 1921 1:64 - Model Shipways Norwegian Sailing Pram 1:12 - Model Shipways Yacht America Schooner 1851 1:64 - Model Shipways Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack 1:24 - Model Shipways RMS Titanic 1:300 - OcCre (Couldn't help myself when it was on sale) H.M. Schooner Ballahoo 1:64 - Caldercraft USS Constitution 1:76 - Model Shipways Santa Maria Caravelle 1:48 - Ships of Pavel Nikitin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim in KC Posted February 29 Share #79 Posted February 29 Thanks Gregg for responding to my log. Your Bluenose looks beautiful. I really like the look of your hull planking. I'm currently planking my Swift and I've been tapering the planks like you, but not as well. I've been using a 31/2 "miniplane. I fix the plank in my vise with with soft jaw pads but getting the plank positioned just right is difficult. As I've progressed, I have had to bend planks crosswise more. How did you taper your planks? I plan on not painting much if any - I want to show off the beauty of the wood. I am using cherry planks I bought instead of the thin walnut strips that came with the kit. But I am clearly going to need to do a lot of sanding and at least some filling. I saw that you used a Tamiya putty filler. Does that take stain? I know nothing of fillers - I've been thinking of using a Minwax wood filler. Any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GGibson Posted February 29 Author Share #80 Posted February 29 3 hours ago, Jim in KC said: Thanks Gregg for responding to my log. Your Bluenose looks beautiful. I really like the look of your hull planking. I'm currently planking my Swift and I've been tapering the planks like you, but not as well. I've been using a 31/2 "miniplane. I fix the plank in my vise with with soft jaw pads but getting the plank positioned just right is difficult. As I've progressed, I have had to bend planks crosswise more. How did you taper your planks? I plan on not painting much if any - I want to show off the beauty of the wood. I am using cherry planks I bought instead of the thin walnut strips that came with the kit. But I am clearly going to need to do a lot of sanding and at least some filling. I saw that you used a Tamiya putty filler. Does that take stain? I know nothing of fillers - I've been thinking of using a Minwax wood filler. Any suggestions? Hi Jim! Appreciate your comments! Yeah, on all four of the ships I have now worked on, the planking part (whether it's hull or deck) has been my least favorite and where I seem to most struggle. Regarding the tapering of planks, I do it the old-fashioned, manual way! If there is a better way to do it, I'm all ears. But, I have simply held the plank strips in my hand and, using a small wooden palm sander with appropriate grit sandpaper attached, (pictured below), sanded to whatever width needed. When I was doing the hull planking, it sometimes required getting the wood hot (either with hot water or with a hot iron) to bend the way it was needed, but the deck planking only required tapering, as I recall, no bending. Regarding the putty, when I was doing the deck planking and it required a bit of putty in spots, I was then using the Elmer's Carpenter's Wood Filler (also pictured below). Fortunately, I didn't use a lot of it, as it did not take the pre-stain and cherry stain all that well, as you can see from the port-to-starboard spots on either side of the hatch, as shown in the 2nd picture. Since this is where the two dory kids with the stacked dories will be eventually placed, most of those imperfections should be hidden. Hope that gives you some answers! Looking forward to seeing more of your work on the Swift Virginia Pilot Boat! Quote Gregg Current Projects: Completed Projects: Waiting for Shipyard Clearance: Bluenose 1921 1:64 - Model Shipways Norwegian Sailing Pram 1:12 - Model Shipways Yacht America Schooner 1851 1:64 - Model Shipways Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack 1:24 - Model Shipways RMS Titanic 1:300 - OcCre (Couldn't help myself when it was on sale) H.M. Schooner Ballahoo 1:64 - Caldercraft USS Constitution 1:76 - Model Shipways Santa Maria Caravelle 1:48 - Ships of Pavel Nikitin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim in KC Posted February 29 Share #81 Posted February 29 Thanks Gregg. I guess there's no easier way to taper the planks. What I have been doing is to shave off the plank to where it's close and then sand from there. I have messed up a few plank by getting the taper uneven, with a bump or dip. If I try to fix it I usually taper too much, and if I just install it, the next plank won't fit all that well. I appreciate your advise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GGibson Posted February 29 Author Share #82 Posted February 29 7 minutes ago, Jim in KC said: Thanks Gregg. I guess there's no easier way to taper the planks. What I have been doing is to shave off the plank to where it's close and then sand from there. I have messed up a few plank by getting the taper uneven, with a bump or dip. If I try to fix it I usually taper too much, and if I just install it, the next plank won't fit all that well. I appreciate your advise. Yep, there is a fine line (no pun intended) in getting the tapering just right. When sanding the entire taper distance, I think I would use an 80 or 100 grit sandpaper to get it down as best I could, then finish with 150 or 220 grit. And, sort of like you were describing what you are doing in your Swift post, I would have measurements for each plank at each bulkhead point, so that, for instance, at Bulkhead A, a certain plank needed to be 3.48mm wide, at Bulkhead B 3.75mm, Bulkhead C 4.05mm, etc. Sounds like you've got it down, though! I'd just be too afraid that I would snap the plank if I had it in a vise. At least in my hand, I can control the wavering a bit better. <shrug> 🤣 Quote Gregg Current Projects: Completed Projects: Waiting for Shipyard Clearance: Bluenose 1921 1:64 - Model Shipways Norwegian Sailing Pram 1:12 - Model Shipways Yacht America Schooner 1851 1:64 - Model Shipways Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack 1:24 - Model Shipways RMS Titanic 1:300 - OcCre (Couldn't help myself when it was on sale) H.M. Schooner Ballahoo 1:64 - Caldercraft USS Constitution 1:76 - Model Shipways Santa Maria Caravelle 1:48 - Ships of Pavel Nikitin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GGibson Posted March 11 Author Share #83 Posted March 11 (edited) Another small update on my Bluenose progress... this time working mostly on the upper portions of the lower masts, specifically the trestle tree area. Before attaching anything to the top of the lower masts, though, as Bill reminded me in the post above, I needed to place the necessary mast hoops around the lower masts. Whether I decide to do full sails, furled sails, or no sails at all, I think I will still want the mast hoops attached to rigging in some form, so... let's get that done first. The mast hoops were provided in the kit but needed to be carefully cut out from the laser sheets. Once I had them all cut out and cleaned up a bit with sandpaper, I wanted to stain them. I used the same red mahogany stain that I used on the deck buildings. I dipped them in a stain bath and then hung them to dry. They came out much darker than I expected, but I still think the contrast between the cherry stained masts and the hoops look good, so we'll go with that. Once they were completely dried and ok to stack on one another, I placed the larger ones on their respective masts, saving the smaller ones for the upper masts when the time comes. Now to the trestle tree assemblies. I first worked on the main mast band for the futtock shrouds, using a 1/16" x 1/64" brass strip. I wrapped it around for size and then soldered. (I'm getting a little better at soldering!) I then fit it onto the mast and drilled two holes in port and starboard sides for placement of U-shaped wires on both sides for the shrouds to ultimately tie to. Using my recently-acquired Proxxon mill, I shaved/flattened some spots on both sides of each mast for the cheeks and made up all of the needed parts for the trestle tree configuration. The spreaders were made from 3/32" square strips. I put pencil marks on the appropriate sides of each strip to help identify which ends were not to be tapered for sanding, which helped keep things straight in my mind. The trestle trees were made from 1/8" square strips. I lined them up together and used some parallel pliers to grip them as a guide for where they needed to be filed down, and that seemed to work well. For the bolsters, I sanded a long piece of 3/32" square stock down to 1/16" and rounded one corner. I then cut them down to size to fit between the spreaders. The slabs were cut from scrap sheets. I glued the cheeks and trestle trees in place on both masts, masked above and below the areas and painted white. I decided to paint the spreaders off the mast and added the end clips (using the 1/16" wide brass strips) before gluing the spreaders to the trestle trees. After the spreader trees were secure, I added the bolsters and slabs and painted the entire assembly sections white. For the iron gates, I had a 1" x 6" x 0.3mm thick brass sheet and cut a 1/8" wide strip and trimmed two of them to fit securely around the two trestle trees. 1/16" brass rods were then soldered onto the strip ends and cut to size to simulate the pins on each end. (Another chance to get better at soldering!) Spreader rods were made using 0.020" brass rods and were attached to both masts' spreaders using CA glue. The quarter lift bands were placed under the main mast trestle trees using the 1/16" brass strips. Four eyebolts were attached to the top of both foremast spreaders, four eyebolts were attached on the sides of the foremast spreaders for the fairleads, and two eyebolts were attached to the sides of the shorter mainmast spreader for fairleads. (I hope I got everything where needed!) All in all, I think the trestle tree assemblies came out well, considering. Now it's on to more mast work... and more soldering! Yippee! Appreciate the follows, likes and comments. I continue to learn from many others! Edited March 11 by GGibson bhermann, mtbediz, JacquesCousteau and 3 others 6 Quote Gregg Current Projects: Completed Projects: Waiting for Shipyard Clearance: Bluenose 1921 1:64 - Model Shipways Norwegian Sailing Pram 1:12 - Model Shipways Yacht America Schooner 1851 1:64 - Model Shipways Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack 1:24 - Model Shipways RMS Titanic 1:300 - OcCre (Couldn't help myself when it was on sale) H.M. Schooner Ballahoo 1:64 - Caldercraft USS Constitution 1:76 - Model Shipways Santa Maria Caravelle 1:48 - Ships of Pavel Nikitin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtbediz Posted March 11 Share #84 Posted March 11 Your build is progressing very well. GGibson 1 Quote Mustafa Current Build, USS Constitution 1:76 Scratch https://modelshipworld.com/topic/34741-uss-constitution-by-mtbediz-176/#comment-991858 Finished, HM Cutter Alert 1777. Scratch https://modelshipworld.com/topic/31859-hm-naval-cutter-alert-by-mtbediz-finished-136-scale/#comment-902949 Finished, USF Essex, Scratch https://modelshipworld.com/topic/25954-usf-essex-by-mtbediz-150/ Finished, Santa Maria, Mantua Kit https://modelshipworld.com/topic/23113-santa-maria-by-mtbediz-finished-mantua-150/?tab=comments#comment-683297 Finished, HMS Pickle (Scratch) https://modelshipworld.com/topic/21684-hms-pickle-by-mtbediz-140-finished/?tab=comments#comment-651070 Finished, Santa Maria https://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/15541-santa-maria-by-mtbediz-handmade-kit-by-a-friend/&do=findComment&comment=483052 Finished, San Francisco II, AL Kit https://modelshipworld.com/topic/17344-san-francisco-ii-by-mtbediz-finished/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GGibson Posted March 11 Author Share #85 Posted March 11 Thank you, Mustafa! Appreciate your encouragement! mtbediz 1 Quote Gregg Current Projects: Completed Projects: Waiting for Shipyard Clearance: Bluenose 1921 1:64 - Model Shipways Norwegian Sailing Pram 1:12 - Model Shipways Yacht America Schooner 1851 1:64 - Model Shipways Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack 1:24 - Model Shipways RMS Titanic 1:300 - OcCre (Couldn't help myself when it was on sale) H.M. Schooner Ballahoo 1:64 - Caldercraft USS Constitution 1:76 - Model Shipways Santa Maria Caravelle 1:48 - Ships of Pavel Nikitin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Ruy Posted March 12 Share #86 Posted March 12 On 3/10/2024 at 11:57 PM, GGibson said: All in all, I think the trestle tree assemblies came out well, considering. Now it's on to more mast work... and more soldering! Yippee! Looking good Greg… GGibson 1 Quote Gallery Photos of My Charles W Morgan Currently working on New Bedford Whale Boat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GGibson Posted March 12 Author Share #87 Posted March 12 Thanks, John! Appreciate your peeking in and commenting. Yeah, a few things I wish I'd done better, but as many have said countless times, only us as the ship builder will notice. For the friends, family, etc who will look at, they will be amazed... 😄 <shrug> Just finished the peak halliard bands on both lower masts and... I think I'm getting better at this soldering thing... 🤣🤣 The cranes and the mast caps pose additional challenges... Quote Gregg Current Projects: Completed Projects: Waiting for Shipyard Clearance: Bluenose 1921 1:64 - Model Shipways Norwegian Sailing Pram 1:12 - Model Shipways Yacht America Schooner 1851 1:64 - Model Shipways Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack 1:24 - Model Shipways RMS Titanic 1:300 - OcCre (Couldn't help myself when it was on sale) H.M. Schooner Ballahoo 1:64 - Caldercraft USS Constitution 1:76 - Model Shipways Santa Maria Caravelle 1:48 - Ships of Pavel Nikitin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knocklouder Posted March 12 Share #88 Posted March 12 (edited) Gregg, you do some awesome work. Thanks for posting, I am trying to finish a Mayflower, and was thinking off finishing off a Bluenose model that a friend started but eye site and shaking hands he had to stop. And gave me all his shipyard stuff. One of which is The Bluenose , so I will follow along if you don't mined. Bob M. Edited March 12 by Knocklouder More info GGibson 1 Quote Start so you can Finish !! Finished: The Santa Maria -Amati 1:65, La Pinta- Amati 1:65, La Nina -Amati 1:65 , Hannah Ship in a Bottle -1:300 The Sea of Galilee Boat-Scott Miller-1:20 , The Mayflower-Amati-1:60 Current Build: 1972 Ford Sport Custom, Viking Ship Drakkar -Amati-1:50 On Hold: HMS Pegasus: Amati Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GGibson Posted March 12 Author Share #89 Posted March 12 30 minutes ago, Knocklouder said: ...so I will follow along if you don't mined. Bob M. Absolutely fine, Bob! Always appreciate additional encouragement and criticism! I have no less than 10 Bluenose build logs that I refer to, as well, for insight and inspiration, including @John Ruy, @Fubarelf, and @JohnU, who all have active, awesome build logs, in addition to several finished Bluenose build logs from @genericDave and @Ed Ku20. I encourage you to find all of their build logs, as well! Speaking of following build logs, though, did you have a build log for your Amati Santa Maria? I was intrigued by Pavel Nikitin's Santa Maria, so I have added that to my shipyard shelf, and may do that one next... if I ever finish this Bluenose! Speaking of which... BACK TO WORK! 👍🤣 John Ruy 1 Quote Gregg Current Projects: Completed Projects: Waiting for Shipyard Clearance: Bluenose 1921 1:64 - Model Shipways Norwegian Sailing Pram 1:12 - Model Shipways Yacht America Schooner 1851 1:64 - Model Shipways Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack 1:24 - Model Shipways RMS Titanic 1:300 - OcCre (Couldn't help myself when it was on sale) H.M. Schooner Ballahoo 1:64 - Caldercraft USS Constitution 1:76 - Model Shipways Santa Maria Caravelle 1:48 - Ships of Pavel Nikitin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Ku20 Posted March 13 Share #90 Posted March 13 4 hours ago, GGibson said: in addition to several finished Bluenose build logs from @genericDave and @Ed Ku20. Hi Gregg & All, I'm happy to see that you have found my Bluenose build log to be helpful to you with your own build. I really enjoyed building Bluenose and creating the log. I continue to be active on model ship world with my current build of the Rattlesnake. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about my Bluenose log. Thanks, Ed GGibson 1 Quote Thanks & Best regards, Ed Kutay Current build: Model Shipways "Rattlesnake" Completed build: Model Shipways "Bluenose I" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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