RRS Discovery 1901 by gak1965 - 1:72 - First Scratch Build

[Lecrenb]

56 minutes ago, gak1965 said:

 

Thanks Rick. Let's just say it took more than one try and leave it at that!

 

I've been working on the stem now. I had earlier cut and bent two pieces of wood that would represent the naval hoods (?) which have the hawse holes and the scrollwork on the stem. Drilling the hawse holes was easy, I've been working on the scrollwork which is much harder. Here is the ship stuck in the ice in 1901, you can see the scrollwork (probably gilded since it is a different color than the white stripe).

 

 

Here is the ship in 2010 with (nominally) the original bow:

 

 

Here is the ship today with a replacement (nominally identical) bow (licensed CC-BY at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1901_wurde_die_RRS_Discovery_in_Dundee_vom_Stapel_gelassen._02.jpg: 

 

 

The scrollwork is, to say the least, complex. My original thought was to simplify somewhat, cut it out from 1/32" thick bass, sand the edges, paint them, and mount onto the naval hoods (or whatever the correct terminology is). However, I have found that I can't cut even a simplified version out of 1/32" bass, the things just break (repeatedly). I've tried cutting things out from polystyrene sheet. This seems more promising, but getting something that doesn't look like it was done by a child has proven complicated.

 

Any thoughts on this? I've looked at some of the carving tutorials on the site, but they seem more focused on taking pre-cut items and carving them to be more three dimensional. Are there other materials I should be thinking about? I know that I'm going to have to simplify it given the scale, but so far my best attempts have looked simplistic at best.

 

Anyway, appreciate any insights anyone might have.

 

Regards,

George

 

PS - The Union Jack is going to be made separately.

 

 

 

 

 

Well, if it was me, I know I could not replicate the scroll work with any hope of fidelity to the original. I would take a picture straight on, or manipulate one with photo shop to appear straight on, then size it to model scale.

Then I would make a negative of the picture and send it to a shop that does electronic circuit boards or brass photo etching. You will end up with accurate scrollwork in copper or brass on a substrate. 

The substrate can be painted and become part of your head timbers.

Best of luck!

Regards,

Bruce

 

[Kevin-the-lubber]

1 hour ago, gak1965 said:

Anyway, appreciate any insights anyone might have.

Have you thought of making it from card, possibly stiffening this up with diluted wood glue to reduce feathering? Just thinking that it’s much easier to cut card with a scalpel than plastic.

 

(It doesn’t really help but this would probably come out well as a resin print).

 

ps. Not just any old card - I mean the good quality, smooth surface stuff from an art supplies shop.

Edited April 12 by Kevin-the-lubber
Add info

[gak1965]

Thanks @iMustBeCrazy, @Lecrenb, and @Kevin-the-lubber, thank you for the suggestions!

 

I tried using card, but I found it tore too easily. Maybe my blades aren't sharp enough, but it didn't work. And unfortunately, I don't have access to a 3D printer or an entity that will make a brass copy alas...

 

However, I then returned to a thinner piece of polystyrene, and was able to make something that, I think works...? (the pieces are not glued on yet, they are just sitting there to see how they look).

 

 

It's not perfect, it's probably as good as I'm going to get at this scale.

 

I also made the shield that is the figurehead on the ship.

 

 

It's not perfect, but it is probably as good as I'm going to get.

 

Anyway, I need to make a duplicate of the scrollwork for the port side, and then I can mount on the ship.

 

On a more amusing note. My wife and I teach math to apprentice shipwrights at the Alexandria Seaport Foundation, and when I was there, I noticed two gaffs being stored on the roof. At the jaws of one, there were standard wooden parrel beads. On the other, were these rather atypical ones:

 

 

Waste not, want not, I suppose.

 

As always, thanks for looking in!

 

Regards,

George

 

Edited April 18 by gak1965

[Jared]

Well done George.   That certainly was no easy feat to make these!

[Lecrenb]

1 hour ago, gak1965 said:

Thanks @iMustBeCrazy, @Lecrenb, and @Kevin-the-lubber, thank you for the suggestions!

 

I tried using card, but I found it tore too easily. Maybe my blades aren't sharp enough, but it didn't work. And unfortunately, I don't have access to a 3D printer or an entity that will make a brass copy alas...

 

However, I then returned to a thinner piece of polystyrene, and was able to make something that, I think works...? (the pieces are not glued on yet, they are just sitting there to see how they look).

 

 

It's not perfect, it's probably as good as I'm going to get at this scale.

 

I also made the shield that is the figurehead on the ship.

 

 

It's not perfect, but it is probably as good as I'm going to get.

 

Anyway, I need to make a duplicate of the scrollwork for the port side, and then I can mount on the ship.

 

On a more amusing note. My wife and I teach math to apprentice shipwrights at the Alexandria Seaport Foundation, and when I was there, I noticed two gaffs being stored on the roof. At the jaws of one, there were standard wooden parrel beads. On the other, were these rather atypical ones:

 

 

Waste not, want not, I suppose.

 

As always, thanks for looking in!

 

Regards,

George

 

George, glad you found a method that works for you! 

Probably find plenty more parrels at the bottom of every water hazard!

Regards,

Bruce

 

[Rick310]

You’re doing a great job George!!

Rick

[Javelin]

I'm having some difficulty imagining the scale we're look at, but it might be worth a try to modify your current version with some tiny copper wire of various thicknesses to add a bit more complexity. (or build it up entirely ftom such wires, using CA as a filler between the wires) 

Depending on size, most people won't notice the joints after all. 

I'd probably glue the end of a 0.1 or 0.2mm wire to your carved piece with CA and then bend it to the required shape/curl that you need. Then cut off excess and glue the curl down. 

 

I find using slow curing CA easy, since it flows less around and allows removing excess glue for a while. 

 

I generally use stripped wires from power cables of telephone and other electric/electronic appliances. You find a variety of thicknesses between 0.1mm till 0.3mm wires like that. 

I'd have a go myself to better explain, but don't have access to my equipment at the moment. 

Below you see a built up crane jib from such wires. They can be bent very (too) easy and cut with any regular fine tip scissors.

 

Crane Sea Installer

Edited April 19 by Javelin

[gak1965]

It took more than a little bit of futzing around, but I tried @Javelin's idea of using wire, in this case, primarily 24 gauge annealed steel wire. The hardest part was actually making two sets of the wires. However, here it is, mounted on the ship:

 

 

It's not exactly the same as the real ship, but it is much better.

 

Regards,

George

[Rick310]

Looks really great George!!

Well done!!

Rick

[Jared]

Hello from Costa Rica.   Really nice work George.

[gak1965]

Hello, it's been a bit of time (looks to be about 3 months) since I updated this log. Partially, that was because I was working a bit on the Kearsarge but also because, as I've mentioned, I've been in job hunting mode, about which, more anon. I've now restarted work on the Discovery. Very brief update. First, I was not happy with the starboard rail (there was too much of a gap with the bulwark), so I removed it, cleaned everything up and reattached it. I'm happy with it now.

 

 

I also started the first piece of deck furniture - in this case the mount where the rudder post comes through the deck. Plans here:

 

 

The forward part is actually taller than the after part, and so the initial piece is thus:

 

 

The tiller will be made from brass, and the whole thing painted, and finished with some brass work that is visible in the side and top views. On the current ship it is black - I have no images to confirm or deny that suggestion, so I'm going to go with it (the whole thing is going to be hidden by the monkey poop that is missing on the current ship.

 

As I said, I've been job hunting, and I have found a new position in a new city, so we are going to be moving soon. Dealing with that, and a bunch of home repairs here has eaten up a large part of the last couple of months.  We aren't selling our current place, at least not yet, as both my father and my in-laws are quite elderly and in the area and I will be spending about 10% of my time where we currently live. Finding a rental house has been an interesting exercise; we have a place identified, but I'm having to negotiate with the management company whose lease, as written, would prevent us from working from the house, and prohibits the use of any extension cords or electrical adapters! Their response has been that they aren't worried about people doing office type work from the house, but that is not what is in the lease. I have pointed out that as written, you can't use a computer in their property as pretty much every piece of electronic equipment has an AC adapter. Hopefully, they will accept the proposed language that I provided as an addendum so I can charge my car, run a power tool outside, use a power strip, and plug in our computers. Otherwise, I will likely have to go back again to find someplace else, because I am not going to sign a contract that says one thing with only an email saying the opposite.

 

I can't speak to who the position is with (and anyway I think that we all tend to keep our work out of this), but I will provide a site appropriate clue as to where we are headed:

 

 

 

Not exactly subtle, I know. Anyway, come September, a 60 year old couple is headed to a new state to start anew. Exciting but scary, and our (adult) children are ambiguous about it. It will be interesting to see if they come visit us in the new location, or if they only visit us when we are in Rockville where many of their old friends still live.

 

Regards,

George

 

PS: My intention, BTW is to split the two models between the two locations. Work on the Discovery in the new place, and the Kearsarge here. And yes, the new place has somewhere for my worktable.

[Kevin-the-lubber]

Good luck in the new job. I admire your spirit, many’s the person that would have simply retired at 60 rather than up sticks and start over.

 

The build is looking good. Apologies if you’ve covered this earlier, but from where did you get those plans?

[Jared]

I wish you the best with your new job and adventures ahead Geirge.

[gak1965]

6 hours ago, Kevin-the-lubber said:

Apologies if you’ve covered this earlier, but from where did you get those plans?

 

National Maritime Museum in the UK. There are a couple of plans of the 1901 version available online but they are really hard to read. Dundee Heritage (which owns the ship) has a lot of digitized, high quality plans from her refit in the 1920s.

 

Regards,

George 

[Rick310]

George, congratulations on your new job!  Good luck!!

Had to laugh when I saw the picture, as I have been on board her!  The Mather!   Lived outside of Cleveland for 36 years, in Mentor, lake county, before moving to Maine full time in December, 2019!  My daughter and her husband still live there.

Would love to meet you next time we are in town!

Rick

[Rick310]

George, Cleveland is a great city that does not get the recognition it deserves!!  Great food scene, world class museums and symphony, professional sports  ect!!

Rick

[gak1965]

50 minutes ago, Rick310 said:

Cleveland is a great city that does not get the recognition it deserves!!  Great food scene, world class museums and symphony, professional sports  ect!!

 

So it seems! Once we settle down I expect us to subscribe to the Symphony and a local baroque group called Apollo's Fire. Sports are potentially more complicated. My wife grew up in Baltimore (where the rest of her family live), meaning that visibly rooting for the Guardians could be problematic (they are rabid Orioles fans). And, well, considering that the Baltimore Ravens were the artist formerly known as the Cleveland Browns and are in the same AFC Division... I grew up with the Washington Senators and then the Orioles, and then the Dodgers while we were in LA. I've been to a few Nats games, but I've never really connected with them, and they are NL anyway. I also grew up with what are now the Washington Commanders, but again, NFC, not AFC, so no problem.

 

Regards,

George

[gak1965]

1 hour ago, Rick310 said:

Would love to meet you next time we are in town!

 

Ping me. We are looking like we are going to land in University Heights. Only about 20 - 25 minutes to Mentor - heck, we were there on Wednesday, visited James Garfield National Historic Site.