Preussen by Chasseur - BOTTLE - barque

[Chasseur]

Hey Michael that sounds very tempting. I'll see what the library says. If they say it will take a long time then I'll definitely take you up on your offer. I'll PM you when I know one way or the other!

Thanks for your generosity .... Jeff

[Chasseur]

Today I had a chance to get back at my seas technique and try out the new mediums I purchased. I was thoroughly impressed with my purchases of the modelling paste, gel, and acrylic paints. All of the products were a dream to use. I am extremely close to carving my 4 pieces, installing the location magnets and finishing them off. I also stumbled on another technique by a Greek modeller from the country of Greece. Everything I did today worked well. I just have to tweak my white caps on the top of the waves.The aforementioned need a bit more work.

 

 

IMHO I nailed the foam effect perfectly as you can see from the picture above. Also I found out the paste makes excellent foam by dry brushing it on. Yeah!

 

 

I am just waiting for a reply from the Greek modeller on how he did his wave crests and I should be in business. I am really looking forward to perfecting this technique as it will add realism to the ship model.

 

Stay tuned ... Jeff

[michael mott]

Looking good Jeff.

 

Michael

[DSiemens]

What you have is already incredible.  I would have used what you did a few posts back and your getting better.  I look forward to seeing more.  

[dgbot]

You are doing a great job Jeff.

David B

[Chasseur]

Gents,

Thanks to all of you for your encouragement! Just received an email from Thanasis and he has tracked down the Greek modeller which goes by the name of Captain Nemo. When I get a chance I'll mock up the wave crests and ... if to my liking then the final carving will begin. Then onto the fabrication of the hull as I have to get everything fitting right before installation of the seas.

Jeff

[Chasseur]

Christmas came and went and the new year is upon us. I figured it was time to start laying out the hull to carve from the red cedar blocks I had cut up and quartered. I initially glued the top and bottom sections together first then they are screwed to each other with 3 brass screws to start.

 

 

 

 

 

The next step was to pull the two end brass screw's out and replace them with some wooden dowels as I'll be carving and shaping in this area soon. Round tooth picks work well here.

 

 

I also decided to start laying out the hull lines onto the blocks. The first step here is; to start from the outside and work in by tracing out the lines on the wood, cut off the outer line on the template, then trace the next line, cut off, and so forth. Works well!

 

 

Next I needed to make a trip to Lee Valley and score some tools. I had some Christmas money to spend so off I went to may favorite candy store. I picked up a leather strop, Veritas compound, a Frost carving knife etc. The Frost knife on the left is from Sweden and is deadly sharp! I love Swedish tools they rock! I sharpened my old shaping knife on the right and I got the edge almost as good as the Frost knife. Still learning how to sharpen as it's truly a skill you do not learn over night.

 

 

I then started to lay out, then cut out, my hull templates starting with the stern section. These are made from some thin fir wood. More to make!

 

 

The next two pictures show me starting to transfer the bottom sheer and hull lines so I know where to remove material as I get ready to carve it down and shape it. Also what I learned from Clive Monk and Lloyd McCaffery's book is the the blocks quartered give a natural center beam and water line which works excellent when laying out the sheer. When I go to attach the bottom and top part of the hull together I'll insert a 0.005" piece of plastic sheet in between to give me a superb joint. This will also help me to separate the black and white paint colors on the hull and get a sharp delineation between the two. One thing about modeling at this small scale is every little flaw is noticeable when photographing at the micro level.

 

 

 

Finally is a shot of my new soldering kit. Another candy store purchase from Lee Valley. I also scored a wick as well. Torch is butane fired and the kit gives me an assortment of tips for the fine detail work I will get into on the masts and spars etc.

 

 

So there you have it. I slowly move forward. 

I am having fun and learning as I go.

P.S. still tweaking my white cap techniques as well.

 

Jeff

[michael mott]

Great stuff Jeff, looking forward to seeing how you use all the new toys.

Happy new year to you and your family.

Michael

[Chasseur]

Thanks Michael,

Happy New Year to you and yours as well!

let's hope it's a good one ... Jeff

[exwafoo]

Hi Michael,

 

Following with interest. 

 

You probably have lots of photos of Preussen, I've uploaded one I found in Square Rigged Sailing Ships (David R MacGregor, 1980). It may be of use.

 

Cheers

 

Al

 

 

[Chasseur]

Hi Al,

I have lots of info however thanks just the same for thinking about me .... Jeff

[Chasseur]

I thought it was about time to make a post and update my build. 2015 came in fast and furious. Work has been exceedingly busy which is a good thing. As well my wife wanted some much needed renovations to transpire so I had to pick up the "Big Boy Tools" and go to work on our house. Also I finished painting a bedroom for my Mom. There is a season for everything and sometimes one can get so immersed in a project that perspective can get cloudy.

 

As well both of my boys winter beaters broke down which had me pulling some wrenches while they were in the middle of writing exams for university courses et al. So no hobbies whatsoever for January and February :-(

 

I had spent the later part of last week and today pondering a small paint booth for the man cave. There are ready made units to buy on the net but quit pricy and shipping is a killer these days. Seeing ships in bottles are small and I and my boys want to build some model cars I'll design something small but efficient. One hurdle I have to overcome is I have no outside window in my man cave henceforth I have to plumb some ducting through a wall into the garage and then out the side wall to evacuate the nasty fumes from enamels and thinners. I still like the finishing results from enamels and they tend to be toxic so ventilation is not an option. I am pretty close to a design I want to move forward with.

 

Regarding my build I came across an interesting article written in Popular Science Monthly by Capt. E. Armitage McCann entitled: A mystifying bottle stopper and other hints for ship model makers. Mr. McCann wrote the article as the magazine was sponsoring a SIB contest and they asked Armitage if he would share some tips on bottle stoppers and making sails for ships in bottles. As well the winner of the contest was Charles V. Nielsen of New Jersey whose models demand attention from the avid builder. Mr. Nielson uses high grade window shade cloth to make sails from. BTW did I mention this article was printed in 1932?

 

Today is March 1st and I think I can finally say there is a strong possibility I can get back into the man cave within a few days and start back into the Preussen SIB. I have to finish the rest of the hull templates and then I'll be ready to start carving the hull. I have everything I need just have to get some time to have at it. Also I have a couple weeks off in April in which some serious hobby time Lord willing will take place. I am looking forward to it and will post some progress in the next couple of weeks as I get back into it.

 

I am back in the saddle, Yippee Ky Yay!

.... Jeff

[michael mott]

Sounds great Jeff, looking forward to the next installment.

 

Michael

[cog]

Looking forward to new developments. Glad you sorted everything out.

 

Unfortunately I can't get that issue of the Popular Science Monthly, any chance on a copy of the article by Capt. E. Armitage McCann?

[IgorSky]

BTW did I mention this article was printed in 1932?

Hi Jeff,

Can you tell in what month 1932 this article was printed?

I could find articles by Capt. E. Armitage McCann in magazines for May and June, 1932, but it seems are other articles.

 

Best Regards!

Igor.

Edited March 2, 2015 by IgorSky

[IgorSky]

Jeff, perhaps, you meant this article, aren't you? - How to Put a Ship in a Bottle. Making a full-rigged model that folds so as to enter the neck. By E. ARMITAGE McCANN

[molasses]

Life does tend to intrude on one's hobbies, doesn't it?

[cog]

Dave,

 

So it does seem to be. It is a force to be reckoned with, but do not rule out the ultimate force: (Rear) Admirals. I would say: "Make the best of your alloted time ..."

[Chasseur]

Igor it was February 1932.

Jeff

[Chasseur]

Igor and fellow modellers. I tried to  attach the article by Capt. E. Armitage McCann; A Mystifying Bottle Stopper and other hints for ship model makers but the software spit it back at me. The file size is under the limit but it doesn't like a word doc. I'll try another means.

 

Also thanks again Igor for the link to his other article. Greatly appreciated ... Jeff

[molasses]

You should be able to save your Word document as a pdf then post it without a problem.

[Chasseur]

Yeah Dave I thought about that. I'll have to do it tomorrow at work as my PC here at home has low budget software.

Jeff

[IgorSky]

Hi Jeff,

Can you send me this article in Word doc to my email?

 

Best Regards!

Igor.

[Chasseur]

Gents here is a printable PDF doc.

Igor I'll email you the word doc per your request ... Jeff

Bottle Stopper et al.pdf

[IgorSky]

Thanks, Jeff!

[Chasseur]

Best laid plans and intentions do change. Life got in the way of this modeller until today. I got back into the saddle and rode no where.      I am sure some of you can relate. Today I finally got to sit down in the Man Cave and slowly push forward. I finished the hull templates, traced the port side view of the hull with my new illuminator I built -  (illuminator article will be in the next journal of S.I.B.A.A.) glued port side to the hull blank, and then started to saw from the top down to the bottom of the topside deck. I made lots of lines on the top view deck plan to saw into; to make carving the deck sheer easy.

 

 

Above is the Port Side sheer plan traced with the illuminator!

 

 

 

Above you can see where I traced a bunch of lines so I can saw down to the deck sheer.

 

 

Next step is to saw down to the mark on the sheer and slice off the slivers. I am itching to get going on this project and I think I am all caught up on the 'Honey Do jobs' around the house.

 

Jeff

 

 

[Omega1234]

Hi Jeff

 

It's a good feeling to know that the 'Honey..Do' type jobs are over, because, you're now able to get back to some different work. Additionally, you're at the really exciting bit...you know, where the thinking and planning are left behind and the fun stuff begins, ie the actual construction.

 

As always, I'll be following with keen interest and wish you all the best.

 

Cheers

 

Patrick

Edited March 23, 2015 by Omega1234

[Chasseur]

Thanks Patrick I appreciate your encouragement and enthusiasm!

Jeff

[Chasseur]

Life got in the way with more home renovations, the kids vehicles to fix, a brake job to do on my Wife's car, and overtime at work. Life is good as I got a couple of days in the Man Cave to work on the clipper. The first picture is completing the saw cuts to ease in carving out the hull.

 

 

In the second picture I am starting the shaping process on the bow and stern with my new Swedish carving knife.

 

 

The next few pictures show the progress of cutting things down and shaping accordingly to the sheer lines etc.

 

 

If you look closly you can see the hull is split into two section's at the waterline... as well, there are no stantions/gunnels' attached yet. That will come later in the building process.

 

 

 

The next two pictures shows work on the bow section. I am really appreciative of the German naval engineering with regards to the sheer and lines of the bow. Below the waterline I am reminded of the look of a fast Frigate bow shape and above the waterline the look is of a typical clipper with lines that will cut and displace water in a hurry. I used some grey primer on the bow to show where the low spots are and it also aids in sanding. I'll do the same when I reach the stern area.

 

 

 

So there you have it a bit of progress and the stern will be a process in itself as the sheer has to incorporate the rudder section and the waist in this area tapers sharply. Measure three times, cut once, sand till the cows come home!

 

Jeff

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[DSiemens]

Your making some real progress now and she's looking great!  I think the real fun starts once the hull is carved.  

 

Your comment reminded me of a line I heard once.  

 

We could dance till the cows come home.  On second thought I'd rather dance with the cows till you come home. - Groucho Marx