Gorch Fock I 1933 by Snug Harbor Johnny - 1:100 - RESTORATION

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  We've has some splendid weather of late (for August ... I feel sympathy for parts of the country plagued by fire, floods and earthquake - disasters of 'Biblical' proportions), that I've been working a lot outside when not working at the hospital.  But the Gorch Fock I (GF1) is still on my mind.  A nice photo was found with the crew standing on the yards for show ... brave and steady men.  'Don't know what the signal flags say given that the photo is B&W, German signal flags may differ from other nationalities, and the message would be in German.  I can make out the Nazi flags atop the masts.

 

 

  So I looked some to find out more about the ship's namesake, Gorch Fock (a pen name, fock translating as 'jib').  'Seems he was a playwright and poet who got swept up into WWI, as so many men did to their peril.  So many artists, writers, teachers, scientists and men from all walks of life never made it home in that conflict ... and no one knew that even greater devastation lay further in the future.  He appears to have been stoic about his conscription, and was steadfast in duty to the end, as were many of all nations involved.  Ergo he must have been thought as an example of patriotism, as most nations honor those who die in service.

 

 

  I had a look at just two of his poems and did my own translation of them ... relying on what I can remember from HS and Collegiate (intermediate) German, plus a glossary.  Much poetry (in my opinion the best poetry) has both meter and rhyme, and this makes literal translation tricky to do in order to give as much of the 'feeling' of the original into another language.  So I gave my best shot.

 

Segle, Hertz, mit allen Winden,                                    Sail on, my heart, with every Wind,

wirst nicht deinen Hafen finden.                                 hope not your safe harbor to find.

Hafen?  Was soll dir der Hafen?                                   Harbor? What harbor's meant to keep?

Legst dich nur him zum Schlafen !                              Just lay you down and go to sleep !

Segle, Hertz, mit allen Winden.                                   Sail on, my heart, with every Wind.

 

 

 

Das erste Kriegergrab am Wegesrand,                          At a soldier's grave by the road so grand,

wir stehen mit der Mussen in der Hand.                       we stand with our kit and our hats in hand.

Ob Freund, ob Feind der Tote, der da liegt,                  Whether friend or foe, he's dead where he lies,

ein Blumenstrauss doch auf den Hugel fliegt.              while a flower row up the hillside flies.

 

Im Westen glimmt ein tiefes Abendrot;                        Off to the West glows a deepening red;

wir grussen ernst und feirlich den Tod !                       we earnestly, solemnly greet the dead !

Dann heult der Zug und es geht Russlandwarts ...     The wailing train will to Russia depart ...

Bleibst wie du warst, bleibst tapfer, du mein Herz !   Stay as you were, and be strong, oh my heart !

 

Edited August 24, 2023 by Snug Harbor Johnny

[Javelin]

Hi Johny, the flags don't mean anything, the triangular ones are pendants, they signify numbers and double/triple etc of the letter before or after them. 

considering they are alternated with normal signal flags shows there is no meaning. 

It is also normal to have the flags in this order, which is meaningless in any language to avoid offending anyone during a port visit. 

 

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  After some practice, the technique for making the turnbuckles was improved - and cutting them from pre-browned tubing makes for a nicer fitting.  They're still a tad large for units aloft, so I went back to a Hobby Lobby for more stock and found a smaller size to try.  Some finer brass wire was also bought.  The eyes are made from 1 1/2" lengths bent around a fine drill bit as a starting point.

 

 

  This is a method seen elsewhere on MSW, but I'm picturing it here.  Step 2 is to clamp in a vise and twist with the drill (prior to trimming off the end bits after forming).

 

  Turning smaller turnbuckle bodies is at about the limit in small size doable with my rig due to springiness, but I suppose smaller belaying pins might be done from rod held close to the chuck and cut with a form tool.

 

  26 gauge wire was used for the eyes (versus 22 gauge for the larger turnbuckles), because the through hole in the 1/16" O.D. tubing is smaller than the 3/32" O.D. tubing.  Below is the first trial part next to the larger version for comparison.

 

 

  Yeah, I'm still 'in the weeds' but plodding on with the prep work.  In the photo below, the top group of turnbuckles are the 'learning batch' ... perhaps OK, but I might re-make them to appear uniform with the improved method batch near the bottom.  On the lower right are the first pair of thinner fittings next to the larger size to be used to anchor the lower shrouds.

 

 

 

Edited August 25, 2023 by Snug Harbor Johnny

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  The print-on-demand Boy's Manual of Seamanship and Gunnery (2nd ed. 1871) finally arrived from India, and it is mostly text - with only a few illustrations ... definitely not the source of rigging detail I'd hoped for, but can be of interest to some.  One illustration depicts a temporary repair of a shroud (when shot away), where a pair of small deadeyes 'always kept fitted' have the tail from each spirally wound up then down the parted shroud - which is then tightened with the lacings through the deadeyes.  A wide variety of activities are covered including (aside from general seamanship); gunnery exercises, musketry, Snyder rifle drill, Naval cutlass exercise plus rules and regulations.

 

  Perhaps good for some reading on a rainy or winter day as a break from doing anything else.  Right now, lawn tractor maintenance calls (having run errands for the Admiral earlier).  Perhaps this week I'll be allowed to retire to the shipyard some.

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  The scribed deck planking came today - 3 sheets each of 1/8 and 3/32 wide scribe lines on 1/32" thick basswood on 4" x 24" sheets - as noted on another MSW thread.  I figure the 1/8 wide planks should be about scale for the Endurance (about 1:70 or so) and the 3/32 should be OK for the Great Harry at 1:88 - and is also good at 1:96 - as the 'target width' represented might be 8 - 9 inches.  I figure this will be a time saver, and a scoring blade can be fashioned for each size to place separation where individual planks butt.   I fancy that a staggered pattern for butted planks is likely the look to go for.  Making tiny dots at the butt joints is right out ...   'Guess at any scale there must be some formula to find the 'cutoff' to determine at what point tiny details may be omitted.  Maybe it was if the scaled-down size of something is less than 0.010" - don't worry about it.  Whatever.

 

  A photo below shows the decking, plus 19 of the 26 small turnbuckles needed made so far (I'l do 30 to have spares) - and some of the larger turnbuckles.

 

[Beth]

I would like to try this to clean the sails on my ship, but they have drawings on them.  Do you think this would remove the drawings?

[Keith Black]

  

1 hour ago, Beth said:

I would like to try this to clean the sails on my ship, but they have drawings on them.  Do you think this would remove the drawings?

 

 Beth, from my experience, even using mild soap and cold water,  the drawings/paint were removed from the sails. If the sails are dirty to the point of being unpresentable, IMHO, it's best to make new sails trying to match the drawings/pain as best as possible. Unpresentable sails are going to detract from a model no matter how beautifully it was crafted. There are several model ship restoration services listed by searching Google with "custom model ship sail restoration services". I wish you success in your efforts. 

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

    Ahoy Beth,  The method I used to restore the old sails to near whiteness (but they are by no means 'bleached' - just a tad off white, which is what I wanted), will likely remove decoration not woven in, embroidered on or otherwise achieved with a permanent dye.  Once again, a picture of the marked sails you are worried about can be worth many words.

 

  At last I've done enough turnbuckles in the two sizes need to think about what to do next on my restoration.  There are still many things to do around the house and outside before Fall really sets-in slows progress.  Doing the turnbuckles was not so tedious once a method was worked out and a few made for practice.

 

 

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  I decided it was time to 'clear the decks', so detached the remaining rigging - all really too old and not salvageable.  Most the 'fittings', such as they are, are molded of a flexible substance - sort of like a pliable rubber - and only some are usable.  With just a little twisting (gently) the main and mizzen masts came out of the hull, and as previously noted - this is a good thing.

 

  In the photo below the hull reminds me of a poem, 'The Wreck of the Hesperus' ... 'We're lost,' the captain shouted as he staggered down the stairs.

 

 

  There must have been some airborne particles raised, so next time I work on something old and dirty, I'll wear a mask to limit nasal congestion.  The next step will be to see how it cleans up, then decide what work is to be done on the hull.  The portholes on the original have narrow 'eyebrows', so something could be fashioned from some square wire I have.  Hmmmm, wrapping the wire around a core will produce a uniform coil, from which the semicircular 'eyebrows' can be released with flush cutters - and they will all be the same size and ready to CA onto the hull above the port holes.

 

  Some repair is needed here and there on the proud railing on the sides.  Perhaps rivets can be simulated (before repainting) with pinheads?  I have to restore the remaining sails as already pioneered.  A new stand is needed, then I can start looking to rebuild the deck structures.  Below are removed components.

 

 

[Wreck1919]

A very nice project, and good documentation if the work. Thanks, and keep at it 👍🏻
cheers 

sascha

 

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  'Thought I'd start with a gentle cleaning with water plus a little mild dishwashing liquid soap ... hey, if it can be used on ducklings, why not a deck?  There was obvious dust & grime picked up on the bunched paper towel used, but left on the deck was a grunge that didn't readily come off.  To the touch it was slightly tacky, so I let most of the water evaporate and tried to use a flat, low-angle carpenter's chisel (carefully) with short reciprocal strokes ... and a bunch of stuff started coming off ahead of the blade - revealing more of the underlying inked (or penciled - not sure) and over-lacquered plank pattern.  

 

  This might be compared to 'holy stoning', except on a model.  

 

 

  The idea is to skim very lightly without compromising the original surface underneath.  No way did I want to cut through the lacquer and expose bare wood.  The hull has a nice 'heft' to it, and might be maple (heavier than pine).  The next picture is a close up of the process.  All the eyes and railing nails were pulled before beginning, and the nail holes are oversized for the nice 3D brass stanchions procured to replace them.  The solution will be to glue round toothpick ends into the nail holes flush with the deck, then drill what size is needed for the replacements.

 

 

  So far, so good.  Since it was already determined that lacquer was used (rather than shellac - which alcohol would attack), I decided to try rubbing with denatured alcohol next.  Having worked with both finishes, I knew that lacquer would not be dissolved by the methanol.

 

 

  This time more grime was removed, but not completely, and the methanol flashed-off fairly quickly.   The next step was to use acetone (sparingly), and with the right pressure applied in the direction of the wood grain, most of the accumulation or 'whatever' did come off.  There was only so much it was safe to do, and the object is to restore - not strip.  I thought about it, and don't want to make this model something its not - so enhancements will be limited.  The rigging will be done better, as that is something I wanted practice at - but I can still respect the original modeler's intent.

 

  Below is the cleaned deck - the lighter area on the right is where the main cabin went, and fortunately it 'popped' off easily - being glued apparently with wood glue to the previously lacquered deck.  The orangey cast is how my cheap camera depicts some areas, but it is not quite that orange in real life - more of a yellow orange.  

 

 

 

A close-up is added to better see how it looks.  Maybe the plank lines were just penciled.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 17, 2023 by Snug Harbor Johnny

[Keith Black]

 Looking ever so much better. 

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

   Thanks, Keith.  I think its just fine as far as I went ... no use overdoing anything.  So today (after more garden stuff ... this ideal weather PA is having will only last so long) the remaining sails were treated with Restoration.  With confidence (and careful handling)  I did the step 1 rinse in hot tap water, then did 3 successive baths with the cleaning product.  Ceramic cookware was half filled with hot tap water, then heated to approx. 160 - 180 F on the stove, shifted over to a cool part of the cooktop, some rinsed sails added and a scoop of product - stirring with metal (stainless) tongs.

 

  It really foams up a lot, and if there is too much water to start with there is a danger of the foam going over the top (my first batch threatened to do that, so two pieces of paper towel were put on the foam to 'soak up' and break the bubbles).  After 5 minutes (or so) the hot pot was moved with pot holders to the sink, and cold water run in.  My gloved hand scooped the sails out and rinsed under cold tap water.

 

 

  Then I 'blocked' the sails on paper towel, covered with more paper towels and hand pressed.

 

 

  I have other 'irons in the fire', so rather than get the blow dryer, I took the blocked sails outside to get sun-dried ... 

 

 

  The dirty, old sails (likely starched originally as previously noted) now have a new lease on life.  Fragile when wet, they firm-up once dried.  I treat the reef points as already pictured, then pick something to do next - probably do work on the hull.  There is not enough space to install 'eyebrows' over the top row of portholes, so that, as well as any thought of simulating rivets should just go out the window.

 

  I might consider replacing the eyelets used as portholes - as conceived by the original builder.  That will make repainting the hull easier, as it really does need repainting.

 

[Keith Black]

 You may want to make sure the sails didn't shrink, they cleaned up nicely. 

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  

11 hours ago, Keith Black said:

 You may want to make sure the sails didn't shrink, they cleaned up nicely. 

  Good thought, Keith - and I had considered that as a possibility (just never said that in a post).   The Admiral previously showed me how to block a knitted sweater on a towel to prevent shrinkage.  By 'blocking' the sails on paper towel (with the scale being small for the sails) I figured that the roughness of Scott towel and the sailcloth were a fair match.  I had to pull the edges carefully to lay them out straight and nearly taught, because that is how I got into trouble on one of the sails I did earlier (and the repair was documented).  The moist material 'gripped' the paper towel and the sails dried without appreciable shrinkage.  

 

  There is some puckering within the sail area, but (as done before) they get a light pressing with medium iron (no steam) - and that removes wrinkling.  BTW, I thought the sails were slightly oversized to begin with, so a little shrinkage might make them fit the masts better ... but they are nearly the size they started at.  And then (as before), I'll straighten and tint the reefing lines.

 

  Its amazing how much grungy yellowing came out of the sailcloth - and Beth is using the same method on her antique Galleon sails.

 

Edited September 21, 2023 by Snug Harbor Johnny

[Keith Black]

 Using hot water as you did I'm surprised the sails didn't shrink but all's well that ends well. Do you plan on ironing the sails to help eliminate some of the puckering? A build log by Burma (see below) on his Cutty Sark, his sails are some of the best I've seen. If I were to ever build a model with sails I'd sure try to copy his techniques.

 

Edited September 21, 2023 by Keith Black

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

4 hours ago, Keith Black said:

 Using hot water as you did I'm surprised the sails didn't shrink but all's well that ends well. Do you plan on ironing the sails to help eliminate some of the puckering? A build log by Burma (see below) on his Cutty Sark, his sails are some of the best I've seen. If I were to ever build a model with sails I'd sure try to copy his techniques.

 

  You're right that Bruma has an outstanding build of the CS - one I could never come close to.  'Hidden' in my earlier post today, I do mention that ironing with a medium iron (no steam) will be the next step to de-wrinkle.  The Admiral assured me that the sails are made of linen gauze - something hard to come by today.  Cotton would have had a much higher risk of shrinking, but with either fabric, most shrinkage can occur if one 'tumble drys' (especially with heat) - just as woolen knit-wear will also do.  That's where the 'blocking' comes in.

 

  Also, if one makes clothes 9as the Admiral does), both cotton and wool from the bolt can be pre-washed to remove any sizing AND pre-shrink by tumble drying with heat.  With wool, this process was known as 'fulling'.  Further shrinkage of garment made with pre- shrunk fabric is unlikely.  Therefore, if I make sails on a future project, I'll pre-shrink the raw material first before cutting.

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  The small eyelets the builder used for the port holes can be lifted out, as they were not glued - just held in by pressure from a properly sized hole drilled for them ... and none are missing after all these years.   The first picture shows one removed.  A bit of grain shows through the now 'chalky' paint - I might lessen that a tad with a careful sanding rather than trying to fill.  The ship was riveted steel, and would show no grain, yet the solid wood hull on the model was made as-is.  'Guess its a balance between restoration and enhancement, and I don't want to overdo anything.

 

 

  The eyelets  have dulled over the years, but with a couple swipes of 'Nevr-Dull' treated cotton (still available) a satin brass (soft shine ?)  They have a 2mm through hole, a 5 mm flange width and a 4mm height.   I saw new ones available, but they'd look "too shiny", and might not have the same 'fit'.

 

 

  The eyelet was replaced after touching up, and it seems OK.  The picture is a little out of focus.

 

 

  Under consideration prior to a light repainting is to scribe some plate lines on the hull, and make some small divots to suggest rivets.  The next picture shows three as a test ...  'Not sure if indents will do as they can on copper plates or strips applied to coppered hull bottoms, as the small nails used on original copper plates do indent - versus the domed shape of a rivets holding plate hull together.  (Welding later made riveting obsolete.)  Perhaps tiny dots of dried glue could be experimented with - or tiny pin heads if they can be found.  OR I can just sand and repaint.

 

 

 

  Suggestions are always welcome.

Edited October 7, 2023 by Snug Harbor Johnny

[Roger Pellett]

Johnny,

 

A friendly suggestion:   I suggest that you forego rivets, plate seams, and just finish the hull smooth with a nice paint job.  There are two different reasons for my suggestion-

 

First, hull plating rivets were driven hot into a tapered hole.  As they cooled, they shrunk drawing the plates tightly together.  It was important that the rivets completely fill the tapered holes to provide enough force for tight joints. A big lump of material left on the outside of the hull was evidence of a sloppy job.  At most modeling scales, rivets would be next to invisible.  (The prominent dome head rivets seen on model railroads are “snap head” rivets used on light gauge steel.)

 

If you want to show rivets and scribed plating lines, you need to know the type of plating system used.  The usual plating system was the “in and out” method where each “in” strake was lapped on each side by its adjacent “out” strakes.  If this method were used to plate Gorch Foch’s hull then you would not see scribed lines but lapped plates.  There was also a flush riveted plating system used on very high end work  like yachts.  This was very expensive as all seams had to be backed up on the inside of the hull with metal strips.

 

The second reason has to do with all of those brass airports.  These are not realistic as in large steel hulled vessels, the brass air ports butt against the inside of the hull so all that you would see on the outside of the hull is a hole in the plating.  Never less, the model’s builder chose brass eyelets.  Your model therefore becomes something like one of the handsome models made by builders of steamships in the early 1900’s with their bright brass fittings.  The convention for these models was smooth hulls.

 

It’s of course your model, being restored in your Dockyard but I suggest that a smooth hull and a nice matt paint job would produce a more appropriate result.

 

Roger

Edited September 26, 2023 by Roger Pellett

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

   These are points well worth noting.  Do I want to save myself trouble (the imp on one shoulder), or do I want to go down a 'rabbit hole' (the Mad Hatter on the other shoulder)?  A long winter looms ahead soon enough, so I'm not sure.  Now there is the GF 1 riveted plate (as built, which is the model being restored) - renamed Tovarich post war, prior to some modifications -  and the GF 2 of welded construction (although the weld lines show in photos of her).

 

  Below is a close shot of the Tovaricsh (English spelling) showing the lapped, riveted plates - and the rivet do indeed stand slightly proud.  They are not 'domed' as seen on locomotives and other steam equipment of the 1930s, but still have a convex shape above the surface of the plate.  The air ports (port holes) are nothing like the eyelets used on the model as previously advised ... no flanges are on the outer surface.  If the eyelets are omitted, small 'eyebrows' could be put over the holes as seen in the photo.

 

  So to fool around with the idea of mimicking lapped plates, a piece of poplar was manipulated with the tools in the photo below.  1.) A shallow horizontal line was cut with an X-Acto, with a couple short lines at 90 degrees to the first.  2.)  Small and medium leather working bevels were tapped on one side of the cut line to try and mimic lapped plates.  I used to tool leather, so a light touch is needed. There is no groove, as the wood fibers are compressed on only one side of the initial cut.  3.)  The smallest pins I could find at JoAnn Fabrics were 1/2" long with about .050" heads, so the length was trimmed with a cutter (could have used dikes) - but the thin soft wire shank can be cut with a beader's flush cutter.  4.)  The pins were pushed part way with bent pliers (I should get a pin pusher), then tapped (not too hard) before setting with a nail-set (again, I buggers a couple learning the right amount of force to use).  The sample stick is also in the picture.

 

 

  The test of concept was 'freehand' - no measuring or guides, so I can do better.  The nail-set pictures below show the convenient concave center that nests well on the concave pin head.  Now the heads are not to scale (what 5" at 1:100, versus  something like 1 1/2" or so on the original), but the idea is to suggest riveted plates.

 

  Below is a close-up of the test piece.

 

 

 

  Now paint will 'fill in' some of the defects, as the first coat of some Testor's paint indicates.  After drying, bit of dust and wood fibers can be smoothed away before using a tack cloth and applying a second coat of paint (not done on the sample yet).

 

 

  The concept looks promising, so the question is which of the 'nudges' on my shoulders will sway me ... the imp (devil) or the Mad Hatter?

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 30, 2023 by Snug Harbor Johnny

[Keith Black]

 Johnny, whatever choice you make is the right one. Just remember, you're restoring a model, not building a new one. 

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

On 9/28/2023 at 12:29 AM, Keith Black said:

 Johnny, whatever choice you make is the right one. Just remember, you're restoring a model, not building a new one. 

   

    A good re-direct, Keith.   So often I'm overthinking various aspects of whatever project I'm on at the time - in part because there is almost never a re-do.   Past projects of various kinds represent closed chapters, yet sometimes there are thoughts like, 'What if I'd done it a little differently?'  So imagining all sorts of ways to progress on a present work still means that I have to choose a certain way to go.  Having discarded other paths not taken, there will be no 'what ifs' concerning them since they were consciously set aside.

 

  Only if I later think of something NOT mulled-over prior to acting will I muse over it.  But there has been progress in doing less of that, in part by doing more thinking beforehand ... which may drag something out - but maybe its better than rushing in.  In the present case, I'll keep the original eyelet-ports in the spirit of restoration.  The upgraded deck railings are brass, and I don't care to paint them - so they'll go with the eyelet ports.  I'd like to use many of the deck fittings from the original model, such as they are, where possible.  The fife rails will have to be re-done, in light of the improved rigging (simplified, though, as previously planned) - a main interest in doing this project.  Every line has to have a purpose and means of operation.

 

  While the hull is stripped bare, I may still do a little on it, in that photos of the original (as modified) still show some obvious horizontal join lines.  The present incarnation has them welded over for strengthening - which only emphasizes them more than when they were just riveted as she existed in the 1930s.  The lower green belt is discontinuous today, but was continuous as built.  Each horizontal 'belt' of steel was composed of neighboring plates welded together pretty flush, so those joins are not obvious.  The belts follow the lines of the ship and are not unattractive - rather , they provide interest.

 

 

   Another 'thumbnail sketch' was made to think about these belt lines for consideration. 

 

 

 

  I'm also seeing some advantage to a solid hull - at least for ships that have painted hulls (with or without copper bottoms).  There is always something solid to 'pin into', whether eyes, chainplate or whatever.  And solid hulls are 'old school' carving projects.  I'd likely use a drill press to make mast holes while the wood is still a block, setting a mast angle (if any) by shimming one end of the wood block to suit. 

 

  Obviously 'Age of Sail' men-of-war with multiple gun decks can benefit from planked construction, and any ship that was largely unpainted.  And most kits have laser-cut frames to plank.  Yet the time saved by not carving is taken up by everything involved with Plank-On-Bulkhead.  One may want to add additional intermediate frames, wood filler blocks (hmmm, so it starts to resemble a solid hull), then fairing like hell, then first planking - filling - sanding - putzing, before ... second planking.

 

 

 

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  I found that a dab of Tarnex (liquid silver polish) applied with a cotton swab (Hmmmm, could also swab the barrel of a miniature brass gun with a suitably sized bore) was the first step in neutralizing excessive tarnish on the eyelets. this was done in situ for convenience.  Then a light rubbing with Nevr-Dull shined the flange exteriors.  I wore a nitrile glove so not to blacken the finger tips.

 

 

 Step 2  

 

  Step 3 was to lightly work the rounded surface of the eyelets formed inwards with  a soft rubber bit for the rotary tool.

 

 

 

  The eyelets will be carefully removed to permit light sanding and repainting (plus some blackening inside the hole into the wood).  The railings will be new brass, so the eyelets and railing will then acquire a natural patina over the years at roughly the same rate.

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  I thought that one of the eyelets might go astray ... and that's what happened to one of them - and dang if I can find it now.  I've order  some on line, and as there are 200 to a packet there will be plenty as replacements.   And if the difference between a replacement and the originals is too pronounced, then new might be substituted for old.  The railings will be new brass as well.

 

  I told both the lazy imp and the Hatter to stop kibitzing and get lost.  It turns out that the paint on the heads of the pins (fake rivets) on my test piece previously  posted, flakes off easily due to the smoothness of the metal surface.  To get paint to stick, I'd likely have to use bent pliers to grip each pin shank and roughen the surface of the smooth head on fine sandpaper to give it some "tooth" for the some primer to grip.  This really makes the idea impractical, and has been suggested is inappropriate for this project.

 

  I do like the look of riveted plating as seen on the build of the Ergenstrasse elsewhere on MSW.  A test was done in an inconspicuous place near the keel with a 'dull' sewer's pattern marker (there are 'sharp' versions as well), and there are slight depressions that look interesting.  When painted over they'll partially fill, but still give a slight impression of rivets.  At a distance they'll hardly be noticeable.  

 

 

  There is the stand to build, as the present one is rather crude.  I like the ides of making cradles so the hull can be picked up and replaced while working on it.  Later for display,  screws from below (or simple pins, perhaps) can fix the hull to the stand so it does not shift if the case (to be built last) is moved.  I need to drill a hole for a new bowsprit if joining the original with a steel pin does not work out - replacement being 'plan B'.

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  The replacement eyelet was tried in the empty spot ... first, it was a little loose in the hole, and would require pushing a drill bit through to 'right size' it.  Second, it just doesn't look right at all, having a more prominent flare and is super-bright - as the photo below shows.  That had me thinking of what else I'd have to do to disguise it.

 

 

  One picture is worth a thousand words ...  So I resolved to try and find the lost eyelet, and searched all around the shop floor on my hand and knees (the other hand holding a flashlight).  'Thought I'd looked everywhere already (several times) when, at last, I saw something way underneath that looked like it ... and it WAS.   I'm resolved to be careful going forward, and perhaps use a little glue when re-installing after hull painting.

 

 

  The well-organized (and neat) builder may never know the sheer joy of finding something that was thought to be forever lost !

 

[Glen McGuire]

1 hour ago, Snug Harbor Johnny said:

The well-organized (and neat) builder may never know the sheer joy of finding something that was thought to be forever lost !

Sooooo true!  If I had a dollar for all the times I've said to myself, "It's GOT TO be around here somewhere..."

[Roger Pellett]

Tuna fish cans!  I keep a supply of these in my shop.  I try to get in the habit of putting small parts in one whenever I’m not actually working on it.  It’s amazing how far a dropped part can travel.

 

Roger

[Keith Black]

 Johnny, if you get in that pickle again I have a few of the old style flat eyelets and I may have the size you requite. The type of eyelets used on a model help determine the age. The flat eyelets are generally much older than round face eyelets. 

 

Eyelet types

https://www.iqsdirectory.com/articles/metal-stamping/eyelets.html

 

These kinda look flat.....maybe??

https://www.leffler.com.au/eyelet-shoe-45mm-antique-pkt-of-100-/

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

8 hours ago, Keith Black said:

 Johnny, if you get in that pickle again I have a few of the old style flat eyelets and I may have the size you requite. The type of eyelets used on a model help determine the age. The flat eyelets are generally much older than round face eyelets. 

 

Eyelet types

https://www.iqsdirectory.com/articles/metal-stamping/eyelets.html

 

These kinda look flat.....maybe??

https://www.leffler.com.au/eyelet-shoe-45mm-antique-pkt-of-100-/

  Thanks, Keith.  I'll keep that in mind.  The flat eyelets used are consistent with the estimate of 70 years on the original, as are other observations.  The toothed wheel (unmodified) made somewhat triangular indentations into the wood, so I used a tiny square file to reduce this effect - making the wheel more like 'nubs' - still not sharp.  This made for better indentations ( aprox. 0.020" dia. intended to simulate rivets at 1:100) - negative, yes - but just an indication.  Burrs from filing wanted to make micro tears in the wood, so burnishing solved that.  Light repeated passes (easy does it) were used.  More testing is on order before making any decisions.

 

  'Still thinking ahead on some other things - like bending the sails on the yards. Option 1 is to repeat what was found - a single thread spirally wrapped around the yard (going through the sail each revolution).  Option 2 would be to used individual ties through the sail and around the yard using a reef knot (just a 'square' knot, but with a bight of line so it can be undone with a tug on the loose end of the bight - otherwise the knot is solid and will stay under tension).  Option 3 is in the lower part of the sketch - a piece of wire serving aa a jackstay (not on top of the yard, but slightly on the forward side) where only the ends go through the yard, and are twisted into eyes on the bottom.  The sail is bent to the jackstay, but also around the yard at intervals.   Some try-outs will be done as tests.

 

 

   As there are no instructions, I'm having to make them as I go ... lots of hours (on and off) thinking about things and how they might work out.  Many years ago when building model kits, I was totally reliant on the "instructions" ... assuming that everything was accurate.  Hmmmm, a good reason to read and think about everything before hand - including NOT to make assumptions one way or the other on engineering, scale or accuracy.  Obviously, most modelers must make compromises - especially at smaller scales - but its good to choose them for a reason.  The project at hand isn't even a kit, but if building one, checking out any build of that kit on MSW is a SUPER idea, as there are lots of tips about pitfalls, fixes, and enhancements to pick from.

 

  

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  My next step was to remove the original eyelets to lightly sand the hull.  The eyelets have varying degrees of flatness to them, so I may make a small die to planish them uniformly prior to re-installation with a little glue.  I used flush cutters to get under opposing edges, and they pried out without much trouble.

 

 

  Now I had a good look at the paint, which is uniformly flat, and appears to be an interior casein paint that used to be common, and is consistent with the age estimate for the model.  I was the set painter for two High School musicals in 1971, and used this type of paint - specifically, Iddings Deep Colors.  They still are popular for theatrical work and interior murals, and has some similarity with artist's gouache.

 

  Casein paint goes back hundreds of years, but had to be mixed fresh to avoid spoilage - but was stable once dry ... an historic home in our area still has the original pastel hued paint on much of the woodwork.  If re-wet, it could re-activate - so overpainting with a similar paint 'welded' the layers.  A method of making an oil-water emulsion during manufacture made the surface less prone to reconstitution, and by the late 19th century methylcellulose additives further improved the product.  Preservatives were also developed to increase the unopened shelf life to about a year, and 3 months once opened.

 

  Cans of the stuff I used to use were VERY heavy (especially white), because of the lead oxide base ... banned in 1980.   So my conclusion is to assume at least some lead content on the hull paint - something to think about on an old model.   A test with a moistened water swab and a certain amount of rubbing on the green area did start to pull color from the surface, which began to soften a bit - confirming the paint type.  So was there anything else to worry about, given the shade of green?

 

  Copper arsenate pigment was widely used from the late 1700s through the mid 1800s for wall paint and wall paper- especially after a more stable form call 'emerald' or 'Paris'  green was developed, but died out by 1900 due to the awareness of toxicity and the availability of new and safe(er) green colorants.  Yet the use in art colors continued ...

 

 

  Copper arsenate is reported to have been used in early 20th century anti fouling paint, although the most common agents were red lead, cupric oxide and red mercuric oxides.  These were mixed with additives in a shellac/linseed type of paint for the U.S. Navy between 1908 and 1926.  From 1926, the Navy switched to a coal tar rosin type of paint.  Anti fouling paints in the 20th century were generally red or russet brown, but green was occasionally used, perhaps when copper arsenate was in the mix.  The Gorch Fock 1 had the green color, but the constituent ingredients are not known to me.  Anti fouling paints changed quite a bit after WW2, and have continually been reformulated as there are now World bans on many substances and chemicals considered dangerous to the marine environment.

 

  But more to my concern, I found this bit of information:

 

  So out of an abundance of caution, I decided to treat the old paint 'as if' there was some arsenic in it.  After all, copper arsenate in pressure treated wood was used until 1986 - when a 'safer' inorganic form called 'chromated copper arsenic' was used ... until a voluntary ban in the U.S. and Canada in 2003 !  

 

  My sanding was very light, done over a waste can - and mostly to 'skim' off the grime that had accumulated over the painted surface.  Then the surfaces were gone over with moist paper towel to remove all dust.  Duh, Johnny should have used nitrile gloves ... so washed his hands when done quite thoroughly.