replacing plastic mast and spars

[Frank Burroughs]

"Ship Modeling from Stem to Stern" by Milton Roth

[NoelSmith]

Lloyd McCafferey's book Shipbuilding in Miniature is a really good treatise on the subject. He goes into really good detail about different woods and their inherent qualities for various model ship parts and spars. It was interesting to read how he makes fine scale rope and ratlnes from very fine copper wire. Although aimed at the modeller who would be working in wood from scratch, there is much to be gained from his book by adapting some of Lloyd's techniques to improve models from plastic kits.

 

HIs book is a Conway Maritime Press publication.

Edited May 7 by NoelSmith

[dafi]

A small test I did for my Heller Victory ages ago:

 

 

Same dimensions, same weights. Guess which one is the original plastic kit´s part and which the wooden replacement 😉

 

XXXDAn

Edited May 29 by dafi

[Keith Black]

Which is the plastic? 

[Frank Burroughs]

On 5/7/2024 at 2:51 AM, NoelSmith said:

Lloyd McCafferey's book Shipbuilding in Miniature

SHIPS IN MINIATURE: The Classic Manual for Modelmakers Hardcover – March 1, 2003
by Lloyd McCaffery

This book?  He has two.

[NoelSmith]

Frank.    My apologies.   I got the book title I have wrong.

 

The Lloyd McCaffery book I have is Ships In Miniature a New Manual for Model Makers.

Published in 1988 by Conway Maritime Press

 

I didn't know that he had written another book.

 

[JerryTodd]

I've built several Revel 1:96 scale Constitution/United States kits, most of them modified for RC sailing.  The lower masts, topmasts, and lower yards are mostly hollow and made in two halves.  I would always put a wood rod, usually from a bamboo skewer or chopstick, and fill it with epoxy putty (plumber's epoxy).

Solid plastic spars I would replace outright with wood, and the real thin ones, like the mizzen t'gallant mast, with brass rod and plumber's epoxy to shape parts, like the heel and truck, etc.

 

Sorry, I can't seem to find any pictures of the mentioned models except for these, which don't show what I'm referring too very well.  This was the last such kit I completed for RC which used a bell-crank sort of set-up in the hollow lower mast to turn the course-yards, which is why all the spars had to be stronger than the kit's plastic spars could manage.

When I volunteered at the Naval Academy Museum shop in Preble Hall, I got to see the store rooms where the stuff not on display in the museum was kept, which contained a lot of these kits built by alumni and donated to the museum.  Pretty much all of their plastic spars had warped, curled, and deformed, just sitting on a shelf in a environmentally controlled storeroom.  The cotton thread rigging had also rotted away on most of them as well.  Here's one of many, tucked behind some other models on a shelf.

 

[Ian_Grant]

Sad to see these donated kits crumbling.....

[Frank Burroughs]

On 6/6/2024 at 6:11 PM, JerryTodd said:

The lower masts, topmasts, and lower yards are mostly hollow and made in two halves.  I would always put a wood rod, usually from a bamboo skewer or chopstick, and fill it with epoxy putty (plumber's epoxy).

 

That sounds good to me. My shipyard has been closed for a month because my lymphedema has me very sick.  When I start back this might be the approach to take with the lower mast. 

 

 

On 6/6/2024 at 3:32 PM, NoelSmith said:

Ships In Miniature a New Manual for Model Makers

 

The book has taken forever to come.  Should be delivered Saturday.   Been reading as long as I can stay awake with other books during the convalescence.  Best thing about being down, books!

[Frank Burroughs]

On 6/12/2024 at 6:20 AM, Frank Burroughs said:

Ships In Miniature a New Manual for Model Makers

I must say I was stumped on a few things until this book came.  This book and putting a rod in the lower plastic mast and filling them with epoxy is the breakthrough needed.

After five weeks of being sick, I'm back on track again!

[NoelSmith]

Glad to hear that you are feeling better Frank.