Lucia A Simpson 1875 by cdrusn89 - AJ Fisher - 1/64

[cdrusn89]

I have searched through the site and find no mention of the Simpson or A. J. Fisher so I suppose this is the first build log for this ship.

 

In case you were wondering the Simpson is a three masted Great Lakes schooner. She was one of over 1700 such vessels that plied the Great Lakes carrying general cargo in the last half of the 19th century.

 

My interest in Great Lakes schooners (aside from spending most of the first 20 years living very near Lake Michigan) was kindled by seeing the Denis Sullivan a replica of a Great Lakes schooner that I saw at the Tall Ships Erie in 2019. After I returned home from Erie (after a visit to Bluejackets and the Maine Maritime Museum at Bath) I started looking for a way to model the Denis Sullivan. Even though the Sullivan was built in the 1990s I could find no real info that would permit building a replica. I settled for the Bluejackets Fannie Gorham, a 3-masted, centerboard schooner.

 

I "stumbled on to" the Simpson after seeing an add in the NRG for A.J. Fisher solid hull models and found there were actually two models of  Great Lakes schooners available from them. I picked the Simpson because it was the larger scale (1/64 vs 1/96) and the larger vessel with three masts (the other was a two-master).

 

I ordered the kit by mailing an order form on 3/21 and received the kit today (3/28).

 

Being a solid hull model the kit contents are dominated by the solid hull.

The two circular items are plastic "jars" with all of the "fittings, rigging thread and paper flags.

A parts list is included along with a 52 page instruction manual.

In addition to the hull there are two pieces of engraved decking, a selection of dowels for the masts/booms/gaffs, a display stand (which is warped) and two packages of "strip wood".

 

There also three sheets of plans - one for rigging.

The plans were rolled up in the box so I will have to "hang them out to dry" to try and get them more or less flat.

 

One sheet with more details on the hull, spars and fittings.

And finally one with a belaying plan, details of mast rigging and hull templates.

So now that it is here I better start reading the instruction manual.

 

Edited March 30 by cdrusn89
corrected log title

[JacquesCousteau]

I'm looking forward to following along! I've often been curious about how AJ Fisher kits compare to similar ones--Bluejacket seems like the closest comparison. And a Great Lakes schooner is an excellent subject. How do the fittings look? The plans look great, very detailed. Too bad that the display base is warped, though.

[ccoyle]

2 hours ago, cdrusn89 said:

I have searched through the site and find no mention of the Simpson or A. J. Fisher

 

Yep, this has always surprised me a bit, since the AJ Fisher company has been around for a very long time -- obviously, somebody has been building their kits! I'm really looking forward to seeing how this one comes together. Curious about the scale, though -- you said 1/72 scale, but the plans and parts listing both say 3/16", which is 1/64.

 

BTW, here's a photo of the Lucia A Simpson at the Lake Superior Marine Museum to inspire you. She's a lovely vessel.

 

[cdrusn89]

 

 

I was not very good at math - indeed the kit is 1/64th scale which will make it easier to substitute a Vanguard 3D printed life boat instead of making one starting with a rectangular block of wood as the instructions suggest.

 

Although I did not specifically point it out the kit contains ZERO laser cut pieces (except for the laser engraved deck planking sheets).

 

Quite a contrast to the Vanguard HMS Sphinx which I just finished which (except for the hull planking) had ZERO strip wood pieces.

 

I guess I will be doing it "the old fashioned way" to quote an old commercial from Smith Barney (I think).

Edited March 29 by cdrusn89

[ccoyle]

1 hour ago, cdrusn89 said:

I guess I will be doing it "the old fashioned way" to quote an old commercial from Smith Barney (I think).

 

Yep, you are going to have to "earn it!" (also from the old Smith-Barney ads).

[cdrusn89]

Given that the kit included a "bag of pieces' I thought it prudent to see if all the pieces listed on the parts list were included. I concentrated on the bag with pieces 6" or shorter. I have plenty of basswood pieces if one or more of the 24" pieces is missing or (heaven forbid) gets damaged during construction.

 

Since I would have to "mark them off the list" I thought it a good idea to identify them for ease later on.

and indeed everything is accounted for.

 

On to the preformed hull.

 

The instructions say to sand the entire hull exterior with medium then fine grade sandpaper paying attention to the rudder skeg and stem to reduce them to 3/16" to match the keel dimensions. That was not too difficult as there were only a few "blips" where the machine left a dimple that had to be sanded out.  In my dream last night I actually thought about actually planking the hull. It would be an interesting activity as the curve at the bilge is much sharper than anything I have attempted before. I will have to think about that some more.

 

Now to the inside of the hull. Although the instruction say that the bulwarks are 3/16" thick I found them to be a bit thicker - more like 1/4". The instructions offer two options - 1) sand the bulwarks down to 1/16" thick and then cut a 1/16" slot from one end to the other for the scuppers. Wow - that sounds like a lot of work and I doubt I could make a thin slot like that look acceptable. 2) Draw a line 1/16" above the deck and remove the bulwarks down to that line (after sanding them to 1/16' thickness), cut a rabbet in the hull just outside the focsle and poop and install a new 1/16" thick bulwark leaving a 1/16" slot above the remaining 1/16" bulwark for the scuppers.

 

I thought it would be easier (for me) to cut the bulwark down (no sanding required) all the way to the existing deck level and the add a 1/16" X 1/16" strip to form the outer edge of the decking (which I also considering doing the "old fashioned way"). It adds another "joint" on the hull but I doubt I could leave a consistent 1/16" "lip" while removing everything above.

 

Here is the hull with one half of one side bulwark removed.

 

One side completely removed.

And with the "filler strip" added.

On to the other side with a bit less trepidation.

 

[cdrusn89]

The drawing shows how large to make the rabbet for the bulwark so I made all four.

 

Here is one - I might add that basswood is not very good at holding a sharp edge.

 

 

There appears to be some confusion (at least I am confused) about how large the bulwark should be and when it is installed. By my measurement it should be 7/16" but the drawing shows 9/16. That is the total height of the bulwark on the original hull but now there is a 1/16" piece on the hull which will be deck level and a 1/16" gap for the scupper slot soooo. I appears that the inner bulwark (that is what the instructions call this but as far as I can tell it is the only bulwark) cannot be installed until the timberheads are there to give it the proper shape and those come after the decking is installed.

 

At this point I am ready to put the sanding sealer on the hull and see what "issues" remain before installing the keel, stem and stern post which are the next steps in the instructions.

[cdrusn89]

While waiting for glue to dry I studied the drawing (besides two sheets mostly dealing with rigging there is really only one sheet) to see what "things" were going to be needed that at least so far I have not found on the parts list or included with the parts.

 

First item are turnbuckles - 8 required (four for jib boom stays, 2 for bowsprit stays and two for martingales). no mention in parts list or included.

 

Second item - hatch coamings - there are four cargo hatches but all that is included are four 3/16" thick rectangles of various dimensions.  Here are two of them on the drawing. Not much to go on and the instructions are almost silent on the subject  "Glue the hatch covers on the hatch bases, seal and paint." No hatch covers are included or identified in the parts list.

 

Third item - mast caps, 3 required. There is a drawing of one mast cap on the drawing but none supplied and no material identified to fab them on the parts list. And the drawing shows a mast cap with two round openings but what is needed has a square and round opening. I ordered an assortment of mast caps from Bluejackets as trying to fab them seems in the "too hard" pile since they appear to be readily available and I am generally lazy.

 

I am beginning to get the idea that these kits have been sitting around for awhile - it got here (MA to FL) in 5 days so it must have been "on the shelf" or whoever is minding the store does not have much to do and all (or at least most) of the parts are "on the shelf".

[cdrusn89]

I have been "at it" for the better part of three days now.

 

Unfortunately I seem to be "all over the place" doing a bit here and there without any noticeable "real" progress.

 

First the hull - I sanded it down per the instructions fabbed the stem and stern post and added them along with the keel. I also refashioned the stern in accordance with the drawing. I am not sure why the "carving machine" did not do it but it is done now - more or less.I mixed up so Good Filla (from the bag of dry) and applied it liberally to the joints on the stem and stern post to cover up the small (IMHO) gaps that my imperfect technique let between them and the hull. That is still in process. I noticed a seam between the two pieces of wood that were apparently glued together to form the block that was fed into the carving machine. I do not know if it will show through after the sanding sealer but decided not to take a chance and mixed up some pretty runny filler and spread it over the joint on the port side, let it dry, sanded it off and wiped the hull down with mineral spirits. Here is what it look like now. (please ignore the unsanded filler at the bow and stern).

I also fabbed the rudder and installed it. I looked at the rudder supports supplied with the kit and determined that I had placed the rudder to close to the stern post to use them. My bad but in my defense if I move the rudder any further back the rudder post will be very close to the stern/transom seam. So I rummaged around in the parts locker and found some Syren hardware and used that instead. Here is the rudder on the starboard side. As you can see above the port side is "next".

The difference in the "bolts" seems to be what clippers I used since they were different between the top and bottom set. It won't matter as they will all be painted green.

 

I fabbed the three lower masts and booms. Although they are not all cut to the required lengths yet they being prepared for paint/varnish before adding the "hardware". The three lower masts have one coat of ipe on Poly satin - the booms are unfinished.

The sharp eyed will notice a seam in the lower foremast (left most tall one) in the square section. As it turns out this will be under one of the mast bands so will not show (and the upper line marks where to cut it for length). I broke off the top section when I was tapering the lower mast with the squared section chucked in my drill press (poor mans lathe). I forgot to steady the mast when the drill press turned on and SNAP went the mast. I squared off the two pieces, center drilled both pieces and pinned them together clamped to a ruler to keep them straight and carefully dabbed on some medium CA.

 

After looking at the material provided for the boom jaws I decided to switch to boxwood which I have some left over from some previous project. To try and make sure the two sides of each set are "identical" I glued the plan of the jaw to a appropriately sized same piece of boxwood and glued another piece of boxwood behind it. I plan on using my disc sander to get really close to the final shape and then finish off  "by hand". When I am done I plan to soak the two pieces in isopropyl alcohol to break the glue bond. I have 99% isopropyl alcohol due here tomorrow (ain't Amazon useful?) since the 70% you can get at Walgreens is apparently much slower to act.

 

Here are the jaws for the fore and main booms getting the glue dried.

I found another issue with the kit - the mast coats provided are way too small for the main and fore masts which are 3/8" diameter at the deck (according to the drawing). I measured them and they are about .055" to small. They are probably 5/16" rather than 3/8". I have the correct size ordered from Bluejackets.

 

I also decided I did not like to two cast metal stairs supplied. I had some remnant stairs left over from Sphinx that are narrow enough but way too long. Hopefully I can get them cut down and replace the metal ones which I think I would struggle to make look "good".

 

 

 

 

 

[cdrusn89]

Today was "spar" day. I got all the gaffs, booms, yards and such completed.

 

The top masts were the hardest. The very top segment is 1/16" diameter the entire length and then there is a "gilt truck" on the very top. I spent almost an entire hour last night creating that segment on the fore top mast and figured there must be a easier way to reduce the 3/16" diameter dowel to 1/16". I have a desk top drill press that I have used on occasion to turn masts but never anything this delicate. It works best when there is plenty of extra length in the dowel as chucking the dowel in the drill press will usually mess up the part in the jaws. When necessary I used masking tape on the portion in the jaws if it was needed to get the spar the correct length but that is a last resort as it can make the dowel kinda wobbly which is not good - it leads to the dowel snapping off (don't ask me how I know.

 

 

Here is a spar (probably not a top mast - (I think this is the jib boom) chucked up in the drill press with the table adjusted so a small portion of the dowel in inside the table opening. I put my left hand on the bottom end of the dowel to keep it steady and used an 80 grit sanding stick to take material off the dowel as the drill press turned at about 1500 rpm. I still had to be really careful with the top masts and rather than going all the way to 1/16" I stopped between 3/32" and 5/64" and then finished off with 220 grit by hand. It still took all day to get the other two top masts, three booms, three gaffs, the foremast topsail yard, the jib boom and the staysail boom ready for varnish (and then paint). The tape you see in the picture below is to keep the varnish (Wipe-on-Poly warm satin) off the areas that will be painted white.

[cdrusn89]

I mentioned previously that I was going to use box wood instead of the supplied basswood for the boom and gaff jaws. I used the previously mentioned technique (it sounds better than scheme) of gluing the jaw outline to a piece of boxwood that is actually two pieces glued together. The disc sander does a good job of shaping both pieces at once with only a minimum of hand work afterwords.

 

Turns out, if left overnight 70% isopropyl alcohol will weaken the PVA glue joint enough to easily pry the two pieces apart. So now I have the jaws for the fore and main booms. The drawing shows three bolts on each side used to attach the jaws to the boom. I would guess that by 1875 iron working was reasonably advanced and they probably had large square (maybe hex) headed screws (or maybe bolts) to attach the jaws. Rather than use steel wire or monofilament fishing line (I have used both) to simulate the bolts I used some small, plastic bolt heads I happened to have on hand.

 

Here are the first two sets of jaws with the bolt heads in place. I had to drill the holes larger than technically necessary because there is a very short "stem" on the bolt and getting them in a smaller (I used #66 drill) was very difficult (for me). I used a small. hammer to tape the bolts in and then brushed on some WoP to act as a sort of glue. Hopefully the bolts will survive installation on the boom. I am going to take these two sets "all the way" to boom installation before committing this method to the other four sets of jaws.

 

Speaking of the other jaws - the drawing does not have a plan view of any of the gaff jaws only the boom jaws. Luckily I noticed that the gaff jaws "horns" are 5mm longer than on the booms. This allows the boom to be at an angle to the mast. I had to extend the horns on my copies of the drawing to use them as templates for the gaff jaws. Just one more of the "little things" that make this kit not something for a beginner.

Edited Thursday at 01:44 AM by cdrusn89

[Rick310]

Looks good !

Rick

[cdrusn89]

Thanks Rick.

 

I have the last coat of Wipe-on-Poly on the spars now. Next step is to get the cheeks added to the lower masts and start painting white. Speaking of white paint - there will be a considerable amount of white going forward so I took a look at my white paint inventory. I have a 17ml "bottle " of both the Vallejo 70-951 "white" and the 70-919 "cold white" neither of which is likely to be enough to paint all that needs painting. I tried ordering more of either but the prices (~ $7.00 for one "bottle" plus a delivery charge) were out of sight (can't be tariffs yet?) so instead I ordered the Vallejo "Premium Color" White (62.001) which comes 60ml to a bottle (I ordered 2 - they will be here tomorrow (4/5)) so that should be all the white I will need.

Here are the spars now "ready for action"

 

Not easy to see much difference from the last picture but trust me they are all getting smoother with each additional sanding and coat of WoP.

 

I also have the hull ready for it first coat of grey filler/primer. The sharp eyed can see several screw heads showing in the keel. I am building some jigs to allow me to use my Amati "holder" to host the hull once it is ready. I need to make sure the keel is "well and truly laid" as they say and will not pull off the hull since the "tabs" that will mate with the Amati holder are attached to the keel (and hopefully through to the hull as well).

I got all the boom and gaff jaws "completed" (aka the bolt heads installed and belaying pin holes drilled).

 

 

[Keith Black]

 Looking very nice, Gary. 

[cdrusn89]

I am still "toying" with the idea of planking the deck "the old fashioned way but I need to lay in a supply of whatever wood I decide to use if I go that way. I have enough boxwood (I think) but it is 3/64" instead of 1/16" I am n ot sure the lost 1/64" would be noticeable (since it would only be at the outboard edge but it would make getting the timberheads installed since that is exactly where they would go.

 

So to make planking a possibility I test mounted the hull in the Amait carrier and drilled the holes for the fore and main masts using the 25/64" bit as recommended.m I actually HAD a 25/64" bit much to my amazement and it appeared to be in original condition.

 

I am waiting for Amazon to deliver my new white paint before I can start painting white on the spars so I started to look at the boom rests. The instructions say to use 1/8" stock and drill the appropriate sized hole (3/8 or 5/16) and then file/sand to round. Having tried to drill big holes in soft wood (with generally unsatisfactory results)  I decided to make my own plywood from two pieces of 1/16" boxwood and then "follow the instructions." Here is the fore mast boom rest and example of the starting point. Getting the 3/8" hole in the center of the marked outer perimeter was not as easy as I had hoped. The fore boom rest is on the mast while I add the supports. I have scotch tape on the mast so the boom rest can be removed when all four supports are in place. I have hopes of putting furled sails on all the masts so the boom rests will come "later".

 

 

[cdrusn89]

Waiting for the next (and hopefully last) hull filler to dry i worked on the trestle trees and such.

 

I scanned in the applicable portion of the drawing with the details of the "trees". I printed out the portion scanned. Don't bask me how I know but it pays to be cognizant of the default scale setting on the printer you are using. Mine defaults to "fit to paper" which will cause no end of problems if not corrected to 100%.

 

Anyway with the correctly scaled drawing I used double sided tape to hold the various pieces of material in place while the medium CA set up. The kit provided list of materials shows 1/16" X 1/8" material for the cross trees but the drawing shows 1/32" X 3/32". I met them half way using 3/64" thick X 1/8" for the "floor boards"

 

Here are the trestle trees (aka fighting tops on war-of-war ships) ready for the "paint shop". And yes I did check that the rectangular mast tops will fit between the trees.

Edited Saturday at 06:57 PM by cdrusn89

[cdrusn89]

The hull is in the paint booth getting the flat white applied. I am using Testors spray paint. I agonized over the paint choice for awhile. For the out hull spray is great (I used the Testors spray paint on the hull of HMS Sphinx and it looks good. On Sphinx it was the lower hull that was white not the upper so I did not have to address how to paint the upper bulwarks, timber heads etc. Testors sells the same color white in a bottle. It is enamel so it takes forever and a day to dry but it is the only way I can see to get the same color as the spray (my air brush abilities leave much to be desired). I have tried using two different "whites" and it is really hard to get them within an acceptable range of the same color.

 

So while the hull is "otherwise occupied" I painted the tops and the spars (okay I missed one but all will get a second coat shortly) Here are the lower masts

Still some touch-up needed.

 

I also added one side of the jaws to the booms and gaffs. I am working on a jig the help get the second jaw attached without breaking off he first side. More to follow.

 

 

[cdrusn89]

With the first jaw now dry (hopefully) it is time to figure out how to get the second jaw on, hopefully directly across the spar from the first one.

 

My first attempt was to use a clothes pin with one side of both jaws sanded back so they would engage the spar while the outer jaws held the spar jaw. I didn't work out too well and the clothes pin spring was not strong enough to make me think it would be really secure.

 

My second attempt was to place the first jaw in the vice and then carefully sand a flat on the upward facing side of the spar hopefully parallel the the vice top. I had sanded a flat on the side of the spar for the first jaw. With the existing jaw positioned in the vice jaw with 5mm or so of the outboard end of both jaws visible outside the vice jaws I used a medium clamp (they are medium sized to me) to hold the jaw to the spar. It takes some finesse to get the clamp on correctly but it is relatively easy to see (and correct if necessary) the alignment along the spar.

 

A few drops of PVA on the area to be joined and this should work unless the mating surface of the jaw is not more or less flat.

[cdrusn89]

With the trestle trees ready for installation I started looking at the eyebolts (12 required) necessary. There are spreader lifts at each mast and that is what the eyebolts are for - to anchor the spreader end of the spreader lift. The spreader lifts are tensioned by deadeyes.

 

Therein lies the most recent disconnect between the materials supplied and the drawings. The list of materials shows 1/8" and 5/32" deadeyes but the rigging drawing lists 3/32", 1/8" and 5/32" deadeyes. For the spreader lifts the drawing 3/32".

 

3/32" is about 2.3mm which is really, really small. I do not know of a source for deadeyes that small and doubt I would be capable of using them (need really steady hands). I can get 3mm, 4mm and 5mm from Syren. They are 3-D printed so I would not have to worry (hopefully) about the holes not being particularly symmetric. The "problem" that I have found is that at least the "boxwood colored" ones are too yellow for my taste so I am going to order them in imitation Swiss Pear. That ought to be closer in color to what was supplied with the kit. But that means another 5-7 days delay in getting the trestle trees installed as I want to have the deadeyes attached to the eyebolts before they are in the trestle trees.

[cdrusn89]

Mast coats - the ones for the fore and main masts supplied with the kit are too small. Before I wasted any time trying to make them fit I ordered two 3/8" ones from Bluejackets. Imagine my surprise when they too are too small - about .05" too small (.325" instead of .375"). I tried to make one fit but it more file work than I was willing to try and when compared to some another mast coat from my parts bin (also in all likelihood from Bluejackets) the new ones are really plain.

 

So I hatched a plan to make my own based on the boom bases I was forced to build from scratch.

 

This time however I drilled the hole for the mast to fit through without worrying too much about getting it exactly centered (turns out al least for me that is not as easy as it might seem). With the hole for the mast drilled in the subject material in this case four pieces of 1/32" boxwood with the grain direction alternating with each piece - I did not have any more 1/16" boxwood readily available sooo...) I fitted the blank onto a short piece of 3/8" dowel that I had previously determined would be a very tight fit. Here is what I mean.

Then used a compass to draw the needed outside diameter - 3/32" in this case.

If you are following along turn the piece over on the dowel so you can see it while it is mounted in the drill press.

Like this:

A few passes with a 80 grit sanding stick to get to the correct diameter and then rounding off the outer edge and you have it.

 

Here are the three wooden mast coats (or mast boots as they are sometimes referred to on the fittings web sites), one Bluejackets that I filed out to fit the mast (in center) and the other two were supplied with the kit and older version of the Bluejackets (I think) mast coat

I am going to paint the mast coats white as well as the mast sections below the boom base.

 

 

 

[cdrusn89]

Since the trestle trees have to go on before I can dd the bands and blocks the the lower masts I took another look and noticed that I had not added the bolsters to smooth the transition of the shrouds over the cross trees. I looked at the material list and it shows a 1/4" half round piece for the bolsters. Half round? In all the previous models the bolsters were quarter round not half. And 1/4" seems awfully big since the cross trees are only 1/8". Maybe you are supposed to split the half round piece. Not what I had in mind so I rummaged around and found some quarter round styrene which has the additional advantage of already being white. So I added them to the cross trees. I probably need one more (thin) coat of white , to clean out the pass throughs for the back stays and add the eyebolts and deadeyes (which should arrive this week - they were shipped yesterday according to USPS) and these can go on the masts.

 

That is a piece of the supplied half round which is clearly too big. Maybe cut in half with a very thin kerf table saw blade...

Edited 47 minutes ago by cdrusn89