Hanseatic Ship c. 1470 by Foremast - 1:50 scale

[Foremast]

Dear friends,

this evening I’ve found the time to restart my log. I propose you again the step by step building of an Hanseatic Cog. Perhaps it’s a Carrack or something close to it, as told me in the previous log, but  I’ll continue to call it “Cog” as his designer did. I used Heinrich Winter’s plans (Das Hanseschiff im ausgehenden 15.Jahrhundert – Delius Klasing ed.), a bit modified with the evidences of some pictures of ancient paintings found in the web.

During my work I've imagined to be on the Baltic Sea, where - between the '300 and early '500 lots of  typical boats sailed the waves of what was one of the first forms of trade cooperation between cities belonging to different social and political entities: the Hanseatic League. I’ve decided to choose the city of Lubeck: my Cog will have its insignas (red and white colour).

 

Now the ship is about 70% made, but I've managed building pictures, so this log will show the work from its beginning. The final ship will be, more or less, as shown in the picture with its upper parts red and white coloured.

 

Regards,

Foremast

[woodrat]

I look forward to your build. This is definitely not a cog,  sorry to say. A carrack, nao or nave would be a better description. 

Dick

[AnobiumPunctatum]

I am happy to see the model. It's mainly based on the reconstruction of Busley from the beginning 20th century. I think it shows a holk, but there are many deatils which are from later types.

[Foremast]

hello frineds, thanks for your visit in this log!

I agree, this is a strange ship and it's dificult to identify it in only one type (Cog, Nao, Carrack, Nave tonda). His designer called it  in origin "Hansekogge" (Hanseatic Cog), so I've decided to continue / to restart using this name. I only have tried to respect its shape - as shown in ancient paintings - but, youll'see ... the model is full of mistakes ... anyway I got fond of it!!!!

 

Obviously, in this log everyone is free to call this ship as he feels

 

Cheers

Foremast

 

[edit] I've edited the title of my log. Mates, you're right: "Ship", I think, is better.

 

@ Christian. Glad to see you again! What's a "holk"?

Edited February 28, 2013 by Foremast

[Foremast]

Let's start the log.

 

I haven't got picture about drawing and cutting ribs any more, but I think that isn't so interesting. Here is the ship's skeleton (poplar wood, 5 mm, 5 layers), and first planking; the model was designed in double planking. The upper part of the first planking was made with mansonia-walnut timber, the lower part with lime timber. I made the upper part with walnut because of some holes in the bulwark: if I had made all planking with lime wood... I would have had an effect like bread and butter, where internal holes would have been white (first planking, lime) and brown (second planking, walnut).

 

In the first picture, the imagine that has been inspiring me the changes to the original project (second picture). You'll see those changes forward.

 

Regards

Foremast

[mtaylor]

Nice to you re-starting the buildlog, Foremast.  This is an interesting ship/cog/boat....something that floats.     Anyway, I'll be looking forward to following along.

[Foremast]

Nice to you re-starting the buildlog, Foremast.  This is an interesting ship/cog/boat....something that floats.     Anyway, I'll be looking forward to following along.

 

Hi Mark,

we could start a poll about this ship's identification.  Whatever it is, I have been trying to reproduce - as close as possible - what appears in the first picture of the previous message. It is a XV century painting of my ship, so indipendently by what kind of ship it was, it would have had to exist. More or less ...!!!

New photos, deck planking and internal bulwark.

 

Cheers

Alex

[Paul Salomone]

Hello Foremast,

 

First of all - brilliant work.

 

it's good to see something different for a change. Not many construct ships of that period. I will surely follow your build.

 

Great deck planking too.

[Foremast]

Thanks for your visit, Paul!

The central section of the deck was made with wooden strips side to side, without axes simulation, because there will be placed a superstructure. I used maple timber to try a clear white effect; with a final straw oil treatment It darkens a bit and the color becomes truely interesting

 

Alex

[augie]

I know nothing of the terminology of the 13th Century.  But I do know this ---- she is blooming into a wonderful looking and unique vessel.

 

I am particularly fascinated with your use of maple for the deck.  Your craftsmanship here is outstanding!

[Foremast]

Augie, your valutation is very generous ... !

 

I discovered maple timber for chance. When I need wooden strips (timber in general) I prefer to see, touch, feel them between my fingers. A couple of years ago I needed some lime wood strips, so I went to the shop and found what seemed very good lime wood: thin, compact, brightly white. I chose 20 strips, than I leaned them on the shopkeeper's table. "Billing: 8 euros [a bit more 10 dollars], please", he told me. "Whaaaat? Perhaps are these ... gilded lime strips?" I answered, "20 strips of lime wood cannot cost more than 4 euros!". He explained me I was wrong ... that one was maple wood, not lime and showed me that it's more durable and elastic, making a knot with a strip of that wood. I was enthusiast  and bought those all 20. I also discovered, during my model building, that you can cut maple wood strips with absolute precision and the edge of the cut is perfectly shaped, without splinters.

 

Cheers

Alex

Edited March 1, 2013 by Foremast

[augie]

I'm going to keep this in mind.  Thank you for the information.

 

I was looking through a new book  --- The Sailing Frigate, A History in Model Ships by Robert Gardiner.  He depicts beautiful, old ship models from England, many of them 1:48 Admiralty models.  The finish on many of the hulls is gorgeous and I kept looking at them thinking 'what wood is that'.  I came to the conclusion it was maple.  It appears it can take any finish you desire.

 

That's why your post jumped out at me.  That AND the precision and neatness of the plank laying.

[Foremast]

Maple wood can really take any finish you desire. Maple wood, as any wood, must be however absolutely clean: no glue tracks or you'll have white dots on the surface of your timber. I use also pear wood and mansonia walnut wood. Pear wood has the same good working features of maple.

Edited March 1, 2013 by Foremast

[augie]

Further thanks!

[sonicmcdude]

Thank you for sharing your so far beautiful build! keep the pictures coming!

[Foremast]

Thanks, Sinan!

These pictures show deck's caulking. I did it in this way:

- first, I blackened vinilic glue with specific additive for paints. Some drops of it are enough to blacken sufficient glue without compromising its grip.

- then, I painted the deck's surface with thinned impregnating varnish. A thin film of impregnating avoids glue penetration in the wood's surface

- then, I "cleaned" all junctions with the top edge of a cutter blade. I used it reversed, to dig a bit every junction, so removing every remaining of impregnating in them.

- then I smeared black glue on the deck, with fingers, pushing the glue into every Junction. The first effect was terrible, hands and deck were all blackened and I thought - for a moment - I had made a great stupid thing. But ... It's easy to remove vinilic glue from the skin, even when glue is black!

- in the end, I scraped the deck's surface with a cutter's blade and .... the result is shown in the pictures here attached

 

Regards

Alex

[Blue Ensign]

What a fascinating build Foremast, I love the quality of your deck planking and use of hooded planks around the margins. What reference did you use for your decking plan or did you devise it yourself?

 

I don't think I've seen that method of caulking before, looks very scary, but the result is great.

 

Regards,

 

B.E.

[Foremast]

Hi, B.E.!

 

Sometimes it happens that I must stop my work because I've a specific problem to solve. Caulking was a long stop! I made many different tests, until I found a way, that one I've just described in the previous post. I add a detail: when you scrape the deck, glue must be not too wet and not too dry ... Not too wet: you risk to remove glue from junctions. Not too dry: it becomes hardly difficult to scrape the surface.

 

I saw the deck planking scheme around the margins in Mondfeld's book "Historic ship models" (page 99) and in an Italian book Bassi-Ostan "Costruiamo un modello di nave a vela" ["Let's build a sailing shipmodel"] vol. I, pag 126-129, where it's called "continental/french method".

 

Best regards

Alex

[Foremast]

Some picture of full-caulked deck and internal planked bulwarks. Planking was made with mansonia-walnut strips (size: 1x5 mm.) treated with wood stain (color: Wengè wood).

[augie]

I have never seen anything like your caulking method before.  Talk about going over to the 'dark side' !  But the finished result is stunning. 

 

It takes a brave man to post that low-level, full length deck shot.  Very precise work.

[Crowe]

I have used a similar technique. Icut the individual planks double thick then glue them up with a Titebond glue with a bit of black paint mixed in.

when its dried I run the glue up throug the thickness sander and the result is very convincinng as to the color and thickness of the caulking. I have not had any issues with glue strength even on models 30 years old.  Tony

[Foremast]

It took me a long time to find a satisfying method. First, I tried to colour the thinnest face of every wooden strip, but color seeped into wood fibers. Then I tried with thin black bristol sheets between wooden strips, but the work seemed me not realistic: despite a regular sanding, bristol continued to seem ... paper not tar. Then I tried with thin black threads between strips, but it didn't convince me, because of the irregular (and too deep) width of wooden strips. Finally, I tested the method above but ... the blackened glue penetrated in the deck's wood and the result would have been good only for an aged-effect. I tested again with a previous treatment with largely thinned impregnating and the result is what showed in the photos taken: glue simulates tar and its slightly irregular path (even a little lowering with the final drying) and penetrates deeply, to the bottom of the junction. You can see it in the last photo of my previous message.

 

If I had known before what Tony has said ... perhaps I would have saved a lot of time ... !!!!!

 

Given a look to previous photos, someone told me he got seasickness

[Arjan68]

I agree with the other comments: this caulking technique has a very good result ! I will try it out myself and perhaps use it on a future project.

 

Your project itself is also very interesting. Trying to recreate a ship type of which there is very little info and pictures available. It's like combining ship modeling with experimental archaeology   My own build is a bit like that too, but for flute ships there is much more data available.

[Foremast]

Hi Arjan,

thanks for your visit! I lke a lot Fluyts and perhaps one of them will be my next model. I'll follow your work.

I'm already working on Fluyt "Anna Maria"

 

Cheers Alex

[Foremast]

well, a new step: bulwark stanchions and various holes (hawse, rudder and bulwark)

[Foremast]

The thin wooden strip that crosses the deck delimitates the covered area under the quarterdeck. In that area, the deck planking isn't as good as other and I used it for my caulking tests!The s quare carvings at the top edge of the bulwark (quarterdeck and foredeck area), were the result of another long meditation period!!!!! The question was: how can I realize the beams shown in the picture? Pay attention: they're in different position.

 

In quarterdeck area (1) they are situated a bit under the middle-height between main deck and quarterdeck, and weapons are a bit over them. Conclusion: there was a middle-deck that held up weapons. Conclusion #2: I had to find how build something with a method that made sense !!!

 

In foredeck area (2) the conclusion is the same, a bit more simple for the protruding foredeck, because the supports are locked on the knee of the head.

 

You'll see the full solution forward, but those square carvings you see in the pictures are the coupling points of the beams.

I hope you understand what I have just written ... I'm not used to write a so long sentence in technical English ... if not, post me some questions!

 

Alex

Edited March 5, 2013 by Foremast

[mtaylor]

Alex,

 

Just lovely.  Very neat, clean, and precise. 

[Foremast]

Thanks Mark, even if my English isn't so good, I hope images speak by themselves.

 

Now, some pictures of the second planking, highest hull's part. These strips (mansonia-walnut wood) weren't reduced at their extremity because of the regularity of the top bow and the top stern. You can see why I made - in these areas - the first planking with the same mansonia-walnut wood (I used the same purchasing batch): so made, the internal part of every hole in the bulwark is totally identical to the external.
 

Alex

[augie]

Nice walnut, expertly laid.

[Foremast]

Nice walnut, expertly laid.

Thanks, Augie.  I'm used to choose every single strip in the shop. The shopkeeper is a quite patient girl, so I can select what she has for sale. The walnut shown in previous pictures has "Amati" brand