Wappen von Hamburg by andy - Corel

[ChrisLBren]

Hey Andy,

I broke out the plans and instructions/notes from my WVH build - they are pretty confusing !  I don't know how many kits you have built - the WVH was my 4th and in some ways more difficult than scratch building my  Confederacy (Chucks plans and practicum are so much better and easier to follow).

 

So I would advise you not to make modifications to the planking run at the bow due to the way the structure (cofferdam I believe its referred to in the model) is built. This ship is built in levels and I think making modifications here could really throw you.  If you're going to paint the white stuff - you won't notice it anyway.  

 

Corel's version mainly leaves off quite a bit of decoration on the lower stern galleries and lower quarter galleries as well as the "curtains" surrounding the stern crest. There is also some filagree above the crest and below the lions at the stern that is also omitted.   The head arrangement is also simplified - its missing some filagree on the cheeks and the "spike" is missing on the tip of the head rails. There are some other minor deviations but mostly its cosmetic.  I can not speak for the rigging plans as I haven't gotten that far in my research to compare the books and various sets of plans. 

 

I'm here if you have any questions - have fun !

Chris

[andy]

Hi Everyone,

 

Chris, the website is a lifesaver and wonderfully informative. It has everything, and more, that I hoped would be in the instructions. I think the builder, who has done a beautiful job, is a woman with a small child and a cat! Without a doubt, you and she, have made a terrific contribution to my build. I thought I did a thorough search of the web, but failed to find this website. I am so glad you did.

 

I am going to halt construction of the WvH while I digest this whole website. I plan to create my own instruction manual from the words and pictures on the website, and put it in the form of a PDF file. I am a retired graphics designer, so I have lots of page design and other Adobe software. I have used Google Chrome to translate the web pages. It is not perfect, but much of it is understandable.

 

Since it will be a PDF file I can email it to anyone who is interested, once I complete it. I'll let everyone know when its finished.

[maggsl_01]

Hi Andy

 

this are great news. So I can use your instruction sheets for my build - if it ison time someday. Hope you dont mind BTW I visite Xandras page too and I am very deep impressed by all the painting she does and all the scratch esp for the galion. What an artist this woman is. Does anyone know why she did not do the rigging? or did I miss anything?

 

Cheerio

 

Max

[andy]

If I were 40 years younger and unmarried, and she was unmarried, I would fall in love with this woman. What a shipbuilding talent!!  Her name is Xander, and I only post her picture on the internet because she has already done so. She is from Russia, and I have just spent about 20 hours with her build of the Wappen von Hamburg, creating a PDF file of her build log.

 

 

 

I decided to cover only the first half of Xander's build log in this PDF because it was already 25 pages long and I was worried about it getting too big to conveniently email. Not only that but it must already cover 6 months to a year of build time, so I can wait for a bad build day(s).

 

Even though Chrome's translation from Russian is at times incomprehensible, the pictures are priceless, and her workmanship is awesome. It is a pleasure to study.

 

If anyone is interested send me a private message with your home email, and I will send it out.

[JPett]

Ahoy Andy  

 

You do work fast. Were you able to reach Xander. You realize that women can also be very good friends too. I would think she would find your work and log quite the compliment. Who knows, your wife and her might just hit it off too. 

[andy]

Hi J. Pett,

 

Given the fact that my best friend,aka my wife, is a women, I am well aware of the benefits of female friendship. I would very much like to contact Xander and thank her for her website, but I haven't quite figured out how to effectively communicate through the language barrier yet. I'm working on it.

 

If you would like a copy of the PDF file, send me your email address.

 

Andy

[andy]

Hi Everyone,

 

After a very long time we are actually getting a little rain here in Northern California, and I have found a little time to work on the ship. After a trial fitting I have glued the bulkheads to the keel after making sure they were aligned correctly in all directions. I had previously made the cuts required on the stern bulkhead and lined the cuts with thin strips as suggested in Xander' build log. I have printed out the PDF file and reference it constantly while building.

 

 

 

[ChrisLBren]

Looking good Andy - again watch the level on those bridle ports when you are cutting the preformed wood at the bow.  On one of the diagrams the levels depicted on those pieces are off - I had to re do mine - if you just make sure its the same height as the other ports from the deck while cutting it - you should be fine.

Chris

[andy]

Hi Chris,

 

I read your post a couple of hours after I cut the gun ports in question. I couldn't even find a a scale diagram in the kit's drawings, so I just followed Xander's photographs. I think I will be OK.

 

Andy

[Mirabell61]

Hi Andy,

 

thanks for helping Xander along with posting all these log Posts. Regards to her, its a beautiful build

 

Nils

[wq3296]

All,

 

I have built two Corel kits (Berlin and Endeavour) and, in my opinion, they are very fine kits in all respects. Yes, both are singled planked with very nice walnut strips. Both kits are for the experienced builder, especially the Berlin. I have no problems with single planked kits, having built several. I really don't care if a kit is single or double planked. I believe most actual ships from the age of sail were single planked.

 

If you can't do a good job with the first layer of planking, you probably can't do a better job with the second layer. Usually, it is not the kit but rather a lack of builder experience. You have no safety net with a single planked job, so you have to improve your skills for a good result. I don't think the kit is overpriced at all, since you get what you pay for. My kits had very high quality components, and the instructions and plans are detailed enough for an experienced builder.

Andy, if you laid out the money for this kit, I expect it is because you have the experience to build it. Go to it.

 

wq3296 

[andy]

Hi Nils - she is a talented builder, and wq3296 - I'm on it!!

[Ferit]

Happy beginning Andy...

WvH is in my hope, like a platonic love of my childhood...

[andy]

Hi Ferit,

 

Thanks for the good wishes. So far, things are going well. When you get around to building the ship be sure to visit Xander's website whose link is above, or send me your email address and I will send you the PDF file I am creating.

 

I have also read on the internet that the Wappen von Hamburg was part of the Brandenburg Navy, but I think that is wrong. At the time Hamburg was an independent city-state and part of the Hanseatic League. Her merchant fleet was being attacked by pirates so the city commissioned two warships to protect shipping. The other ship was Leopoldus Primus, and they were both build by a Dutch master shipbuilder.

 

Anyway, thanks again.

 

Andy

[andy]

Hi,

 

Studying the instructions I realized the lowest wale is a walnut strip 8mm wide by 3mm thick, and it must curve around the entire bow. I was trying to decide how and where to start the single planking, but given the size of the wale, I thought I'd better start there. I never have tried to bend such a big strip around a sharp curve like that, and if I couldn't get that done, ship building was going to take a down turn. Compared to the wale the regular planks would be a piece of cake.

 

I may have an unusual way of bending planks, and I didn't know if it would work on the wale. I have an old small coffee percolator and I start by getting water boiling in it and sticking in the planks for 30 minutes.

 

 

I bought a very handy little tool on Amazon. It is the blue strip in the photo below, and will bend around anything and then hold its shape. I use it to determine the shape required on the bow, and then transfer that shape to a piece of scrap wood. I then cut along the shape line with a hand held jig saw making a 2 piece bending jig. I then take the wood that has been soaking, and gently start bending it to conform to the shape, finally clamping and letting it dry overnight. I really didn't think the 2 wale strips would bend without breaking, so I went very slowly, holding my breath all the way. All went well, and we will see how it turned out tomorrow morning.

 

 

Prior to any soaking and bending, I sanded all bulkheads to provide a smooth curve for the planks.

 

 

 

[ChrisLBren]

Hey Andy,

A couple ideas for you - I created my wale using two strips of 4mm by 3mm strips vs one 8 mm piece - it was much easier to install this way.  Also you may want to consider mounting a strip equal to the thickness of your planking material and half of the dimension of your bulkhead former and mounted on your bulkhead former.  Then go ahead and add the stem assembly and keel assembly on top of the strip now vs later after you've planked.  What this does is create a rabbit for your planking and makes things much easier and cleaner when you plank - as the strips have a grove to mount into. I learned this technique from Chuck Passaro on my Confederacy build - Ive attached a photo of my bow so you can see.  

[maggsl_01]

Hi boys,

 

I also use that kind of boiler... was not so easy to get it out of the kitchen to my shipyard... My wife was a bit angry... so I got to the store and bought a new one ... stainless

 

So you see... modelling has an advantage to every one...

 

Cheerio

 

Max

[andy]

Percolator users of the world, unite!!!

[Ferit]

Hi Andy,

Thank you for your offer.

So kind you are.

 

And at the same website that J.Pett has sent the link, there is an another fantastic build: WvH III (1720) (3th generation)...

 

http://www.modelships.de/Wappen_von_Hamburg_III_1/Detailansichten_Wappen_von_Hamburg_III_1.htm

 

Click on photos enables more detailed inspections.

Edited September 30, 2014 by AlphaUrsaeMinoris

[andy]

Hi Everyone,

 

There is a link on the above post which shows a Wappen von Hamburg very different from the one I am building. Does anyone have any information about what this is?

 

I spent the morning attaching the lower wale to the bulkheads. I knew this was going to be a critical job, and I had spent quite awhile trying to figure out how to do it, but my approach didn't work. I then tried 2 other ways, but they didn't work either. The problem was that the wale strip was so thick and springy that even though I had bent it, it was still pulling out any fastening method I used.

 

I kept thinking, "Oh no, if I don't get this done the whole build is going to be ruined!", but I finally stumbled across an approach which worked. I figured I'd better stop for the day and let the glue dry.

 

Andy

 

 

 

[maggsl_01]

Hi Andy,

 

there were at least four sailingsships called Wapen von Hamburg (originally only one "p"), first one built 1669, last one 1740. You can find more Infos on Wikipedia (I am afraid only in German available). The ships were  ordered by the rich Hamburg trading families to protect the freightships.

 

Corels WvH is the No 2, built about 1684

 

Cheerio

 

Max

[Ferit]

Hi Andy,

The WAPEN VON HAMBURG historical background

 

 

In the 17th century the German Empire was a rather loose federation that had only limited naval power. It could not give its trading vessels a protection by an organized escort system. Especially the Mediterranean routes were endangered by corsairs of the Barbary States of North Africa, who were masters in using their fast and light chebecs.

 

 

In the years 1662 - 1667 the City of Hamburg lost altogether 13 trading vessels to pirates, and the shipping of the city was nearly disrupted. In 1667 the citizenry decided to build two strong warships as “convoy ships”. They were the Leopoldus Primus and the WAPEN VON HAMBURG.

The Leopoldus Primus undertook 33 long journeys, until she was broken up in 1705.

 

 

The WAPEN VON HAMBURG was built in the Deichtor shipyard in Hamburg by a Dutch shipbuilding master. The ship took up service in 1669. The ship served as an escort vessel on voyages to Malaga, Cadiz, Lisbon and north till Spitsbergen. In October 1683, on a trip to Cadiz, suddenly a fire started in the forecastle and rapidly spread throughout the vessel. The fire eventually reached the gunpowder depot and caused a terrible explosion that destroyed the ship.

 

 

To replace the lost convoy ship a new Wapen von Hamburg (II) was built in 1686 and 1687, which was used until 1719.

 

 

On 12 November 1720 a third ship of this name was launched. A contemporary dockyard model of this vessel in 1 : 16 scale still exists. It is displayed in the Museum für Hamburgische Geschichte.

 

The WAPEN VON HAMBURG (III) in 1724 went on a trip to Spain, but was severely damaged by a storm off the Dutch coast and had to return to Hamburg while the rest of the convoy continued their journey. Only in 1727 the ship was used again as convoy escort on a journey to Portugal and Spain.

After 1734 the WAPEN VON HAMBURG was anchored as floating battery to strengthen the southern flank of the Hamburg defenses. In 1737 she was sold by the Hamburg Admiralty to a shipping company and used as trader.

[Ferit]

And

 

Your WvH is the first generation if I'm not wrong.

 

http://www.finemodelships.com/Gallery-of-ship-models-sold.htm

[maggsl_01]

Hi Andy

 

I think I was wrong - Ferit is right: The Corel kit represents the first Version of the WvH. It is good to see on a drawing from that time what I attach - the WvH is the left vessel, right is Leopoldus Primus.

 

Compliments to Ferit

 

Cheerio

Max

 

 

[andy]

Hi guys,

 

Thanks for all the great information, but the real question I should have asked is, "Is the ship shown in the website scratch built or a kit, and if a kit, whose?" If the kit is scratch built, the carvings on the stern are terrific.

 

Andy

[Ferit]

Hi Andy,

 

From the website:

 

This model is a true masterpiece. It was built by Mr. Viktor Ovcharov, Sevastopol, Ukraine, with much love to details. The ship model was built to plans in the book of Heinrich Reinke and to photographs taken from the dockyard model.

The sails are excellently represented, one can easily imagine the force of the wind in the rigging. This impression is enhanced by giving the model a slight listing to lee.

 

The flag shown is the flag of the Hamburg Admiralty.

 

 

 

Please take your time to have a good look at the set of photos. There are several views of the entire ship model and closer views of hull, deck and rigging. If you click on a photo you will get that photo in high resolution. Only these high resolution photographs show how much work and handicraft ability were put in the model. (If you use Microsoft Internet Explorer or Firefox, press F11 to minimize navigation bars and have a larger screen with the photos.)

 

 

This model of the WAPEN VON HAMBURG (III) is 1 : 50 scale. Length is 127 cm, width 54 cm, height 115 cm.

 

 

 

This model is not for sale. My wife and I like it just too much. The best place for the ship is our living room.

The pictures and the data are shown in the gallery of the ship models sold only to let enthusiasts and model makers enjoy the photos and maybe get ideas or some guidance, if someone builds such a model by himself.

 

She is not a kit...

[andy]

Hi Ferit,

 

When you first sent me the link I thought the model was scratch built and in a museum, or there was a kit builder in the world that I didn't know about. I never suspected it was in your living room!

 

Thank you for all of the information. It is a humbling experience for we mere mortal model builders to see workmanship like that.

 

Andy

[Ferit]

Hi Andy,

 

I think I have been misunderstood.

Those are Mr. Viktor Ovcharov (Sevastopol, Ukraine)'s explanations: "This model is not for sale. My wife and I like it just too much. The best place for the ship is our living room".

 

If only the model would be in my living room

[AnobiumPunctatum]

Andy,

 

the kit and most models of this beautyful ship are based on drawings from Höckel or Quinger. Quinger published a book in the 70th of the last century.  I don't know if there exist an English translation of the book.

[andy]

Hi Everyone,

 

 I finally took the time to visit the home page of the website and realized the model was not in your living room, but in the living room of Dr. Michael Czytko, the author of the website. Sorry for the confusion.

 

Andy