Bluenose by mrcc - Billing Boats - 1:75

[mrcc]

Oh yes, I made the vent hatch (just in front of the wheel) but I think I need to add thinner strips on the top. This looks like a redo for me...

Edited January 5, 2015 by mrcc

[7 Provinces]

I like the way your deck looks julian! Even if it's only a picture, I like the color and the finish. I am sure the real thing looks better still. Makes me think again about the semi-gloss varnish I have planned...

[mrcc]

Finally some progress to report...I made/painted my fife rails, mast collars, hawse holes, vent stack, and name plates which required a trial run as I had never used the dry etch decals before. I think they turned out quite well.

[mrcc]

Here is how my bow is looking with the winch installed. I have also included another couple pictures of the wheel house and fore cabin entrance.

[mrcc]

Now ready to varnish...

 

One concern prior, is given all the touch-ups I did around the scroll work, which I did by hand, I noticed the sheen was very dull immediate to the scrolls as evident by the photos. Prior to the varnish, I touched and lightly buffed up the dull sections with a shoe polish compound which fixed it right up, which will be evident on my next set of pictures in the following days that I will post.

 

Not sure why that happened... but I did resolve it with the shoe polish. Also it looks much worse with the flash from the camera FYI.

Edited February 12, 2015 by mrcc

[mrcc]

Finally a picture of my stern with the dry etch decals. The decals were a bit finicky and I had some problems with centering but finally got it done with some additional paint (recovering the decals) and reapplying them.

[GuntherMT]

  Looking great!  If you don't mind sharing, where did you source the decals?

[mrcc]

Hi Brian...

 

I just got them at my local hobby store.

Maybe google "woodland scenics dry transfer decals" and see if you can find them locally.

I know Ebay has them for sale.

 

Cheers!

[7 Provinces]

Nice work Julian! Are these decals for self-printing? Or how does it work?

I like your shoe-polish-approach. Nothing like the use of everyday things around you to enhance your model. I think your name plate and scroll work really came out well.

Are you going to cover the whole ship in varnish? Or parts of it? Why exactly? I have read that others do this as well but I have not figured out why exactly. Is it because the paint might crack? Or to protect it from damage? 

[Mfelinger]

Forgive me Julian, I think that the position of ship name is not correct.

Look photo:

 

 

 

 

 

Regards, Matija.

 

[GuntherMT]

Thanks Julian

[bhermann]

 

Forgive me Julian, I think that the position of ship name is not correct.

 

 

Regards, Matija.

 

Actually the name appeared in both configurations over the life of the ship.  Around the rail and on the transom are both used, so it is builders choice as to which one to use.

 

Bob

[Mfelinger]

Thank you Bob for this information,  I did not know, nor seen in the photos.

 

Regards, Matija.

[mrcc]

Thanks Bob for the clarification and yes Matija I believe over the life of the ship, there were two different configurations of the ship name. I have included a picture from the plans of the Model Shipways kit that a friend has lent me as an extra resource.

[mrcc]

Also Jan-Willem, the decals were purchased in a sheet.

 

Just multiple letters in a single font but in various sizes. And as a dry etch, you simple put the sheet again the surface and with a dull pointed object, basically trace and darken out the entire letter that then transfers the letter from the sheet to the surface you wish. Simple and easy and looks good to me.

 

With regards to the painted surfaces ie: the hull, I used a matt water based varnish or clear coat and just lightly applied two coats with an overnight dry time of the first coat. It turned out beautifully!  Mind you I painted the full red with 7 coats and the darker color 3 coats.

 

I typically use an oil based varnish for the wooden surfaces that are not painted.

 

These coats are purely for protection of the painted surfaces and to bring a bit of "life" to the paint underneath. It looks great!

 

Cheers to all!

Edited February 13, 2015 by mrcc

[Mfelinger]

Thank you Julian, for an explanation ...

Must have been such, I found the same to the Bluenose II

... And Julian, praise for good work! Your Bluenose has a nice progress, I like it.

 

Regards, Matija

[7 Provinces]

Julian: ok now I understand what dry etch is. I used those a lot as a kid, but I totally forgot about their existence. Excellent idea!

[mrcc]

Finally an update as I have been working on my Bluenose but have just not taken the time or effort to post.

This image is the finished hull that has 3 coats of matt Admiral varnish.

[mrcc]

I also, 2 weeks previously, assembled the fore and main masts which I found quite enjoyable. 

[mrcc]

My mistake though was putting the mast collar on without the hoops on the main mast. Oops!

I corrected this by clipping the plastic hoops with a fine nail cutter and stretching the plastic ring delicately around the dowel and then gluing them and painting them on the mast. A couple of the plastic mast ring broke in half which require more delicate gluing and finesse.

[mrcc]

I am always striving to add more detail than what the Billing kit specifies. Here evident is cardboard strips that I painted and then simply glued with white glue to simulate iron bands on the mast. I noticed that the paint cracked and that an additional coat of paint was required. The one image shows some of the blocks and deadeyes attached.

[mrcc]

This last posting is the booms that are painted and banded with cardboard to simulate iron rings. Of course lots of extra details that Billings did not specify. I am happy how everything looks.

[mrcc]

Finally... on to the sails.

 

If anyone replies, please be patient if I do not reply promptly as for some reason I am not getting email notifications when people respond to my log. 

[7 Provinces]

Hi Julian, I envy you for your progress. I haven't been able to get anything done since New Year. 

A question: those deadeyes and blocks do not look anything like the original ones from the kit. Did you make them yourself or when not may I ask where you sourced them? As you may have read elsewhere I think I will order replacements but I just did not get around to it yet.

 

Thanks!

 

Clever idea with the mast hoops. And I like your cardboard strip solution!

[mrcc]

Thanks Jan-Willem, the blocks and deadeyes were sourced from Cornwall Model Boats from the UK. They are Caldercraft's deadeyes and are certainly top notch and the blocks less-so, being from Corel, but certainly better than the plastic ones that came from the kit.

 

Cheers,

[7 Provinces]

Thanks Julian, very helpful!

[mrcc]

Some progress... I had someone professionally sew my sails for me. Well worth the money in my opinion.

I took the templates from the kits and added a few extra details, passed them to her with separate sail material and "voila"...

[Jerry C]

This is to any Bluenose buildres that might happen across this blog. I have an original Billings Bluenose that I started over 40 years ago. I managed to keep the hull, masts and booms but most everything has been lost to time. Reading this building log has inspired me to try and finish it. What I need is a set of plans. I have built other ships in the past and have a good supply of deadeyes and blocks. If anyone could point me in the right direction for a set of plans I would greately appreciate it.

[fnick]

Hi Jerry

 

You can download the plans from CMB. Here's a linkL http://www.billingboats.com/instructions/BB576%20Bluenose_Instruction.pdf

 

Good luck!

 

Nick

 

PS: Oh and Julian. Nice sails! I too had to "outsource" the making of them

[mrcc]

Thanks Nick for the comment and yes the sails were worth the extra expense of $75 CD. They look great in my opinion.