Charles W Morgan Whaleboat by Salty Sea Dog - Artesania Latina - Scale 1:25 - POF - first wooden boat build - SMALL

[Salty Sea Dog]

Hi Michael!

 

Thanks for the awesome comments and stopping by to see my build. The pinned bridle joint was my favorite part to make and the ax was my 2nd favorite!  I'm anxiously awaiting another Wasa fix from your build!  I've been thinking ahead to when I build my Wasa and that maybe instead of the blue or red color scheme, trying to make it look the way it does now. I think it's gorgeous! But then I can see the beauty in something like a rusty '46 Dodge pickup.

[Salty Sea Dog]

Hi Keith - The guitar thing is just a hobby now. It started as a hobby and then repair become my full-time occupation after moving to Kansas. I kind of got burnt out with it and I am just now getting back to it as a hobby after a hiatus of a few years. I learned that turning your passion into work can take the fun out of it. I've been trying to play for years and although I have fun, I kind of stink at it.  I'm much better working on them than playing them!

[Salty Sea Dog]

7) The Return of Making some little stuff:

 

Hello again! This thread is in need of some pictures. I had asked Mario aka Cap'n Rat Fink how he got the color on the hinges of his HMS Bounty Launch and he said that he had used a flat black acrylic paint from Walmart. So I got some and tested it on some scrap brass. I also found some Birchwood Casey Perma Blue that I forgot I had and tried some of it too. I fooled around, and under the guidance of Bosun Rat Fink, worked out a mix of the two (shown later). The sample on the left is the Perma Blue.
 

 

 

At the risk of too much info, here's a series of pics on making the boat's hatchet. The handle started out as a 3mm x 3mm strip and I marked off some shoulder cuts to match the width of the blade. The initial curves were then made in the remainder of the handle length and a shallow tenon was formed for the blade. The blade was folded around the handle and soldered and filed to sharpen it. The handle was finished with shellac. I really liked how it looked but the shiny brass was a bit wrong for a whaleboat hatchet head. Kinda looked like one of those fancy Liam Neeson hand planes! The Bosun Rat Fink custom finish blend was applied to the brass to complete it. Although this is just a minor part of the build, it was a lot of fun and felt like a model in itself.
 

 

 

 

 

 

After looking at some of the Lagoda photos in the "To Make a Whaleboat" book, I decided to try wrapping the oarlocks with sewing thread. I really am all thumbs, and my thumbs and fingers seem to be getting wider with age and it's messing with my dexterity. At this rate, I think I will be able to flip pancakes with my thumbs in 2 more years! After wrapping the oarlocks, I de-fuzzed the thread with a soldering iron. The camera shows some tiny fuzz that I missed. Oh well...
 

 

[Old Sea Dog]

Yes sir  you are a master.

[Salty Sea Dog]

Thank you for that Old Sea Dog!  I'm humbled to have you think that. I have a lot I still need to learn. Rigging for one. There are others on this forum who truly are masters. Check out Remco's Kingfisher in the scratch builds. This guy is good!

 

edit: I tried to add a link to Remco's build but messed it up somehow

Edited March 13, 2013 by Salty Sea Dog

[slagoon]

great details. thanks for sharing!

[bgarden]

Hey Salty,  It is great to see all the little details, they really are like little models within a model.  And I totally know what it is like to have flap-jack hands, half of the time these little parts that I am holding end up on the ground and there goes 10 minutes of modelling.  Lets just say I am well acquainted with my floors.  I am a little jealous about how easy it is too find blackening solutions.  Here where I live (and from what I understand all of Canada) these products are really limited and the only thing I could find is gun metal blue used to touch up guns but it does not work well.  

 

By the way I think your avatar dog truly looks like one gritty salty sailor!

 

Brian 

[Salty Sea Dog]

Hi Sarah! Thanks for stopping by. And thanks again for your work getting the calendar thing going!

 

Hi Brian! I'm glad I'm not the only one spending a lot of time looking on the floor!  I even keep a bright LED flashlight on hand to help find the stray boogers! Does Canada have gun shops that cater to folks that do re-loading and black powder?  That's where I ended up finding this stuff.

My avatar is our dog Buster and he's a great little buddy!

[trippwj]

Buck -

 

That is some really nice work on those teensie bits!  I hear you about the bright LED flashlight - I keep a headband one on the bench since i spend so much time searching the floor for the rascally bits and pieces...

[Salty Sea Dog]

Hi Wayne! Thanks for the kind comments. Lol about looking for stuff on the floor. I wonder how much time ship modelers spend looking for stuff on the floor (or on the bench)? If you were to add up the time spent looking for tiny pieces by all ship modelers per year, I wonder how many days that would be?

[hopeful]

He Buck,

 

Am learning bunches form you build log. Man are you clever with the small details that make a vessel unique. Love the oar lock!!!

 

Keep on.......

 

Cheers,

Hopeful aka David

 

 “there is wisdom in many voices”

 

Completed:      Sharpie Schooner (Midwest) Reposting the build log at present

On the bench:  Sultana (MSW)   Reposting the log and keeping on with the build

 

Next:  Lady Nelson (Amati Victory)

[russ]

Buck:

I have been wandering through your build log and your work in this whaleboat is just wonderful. I really like your finishing ideas. You are getting really fine results. Your detail work is quite good as well. Very nice attention to details.

 

Down here, we do not have much snow, but my first mate is a bit low to the ground like yours and I have to keep the grass cut short for her.

 

Russ

[Salty Sea Dog]

Hi David! The oar locks were fun but awkward to hang on to and wrap! I'm loving the Sharpie build!

 

Hi Russ! Thanks for stopping by. Your schooner is amazing and I've been lurking at your build awaiting more details! Your jig is great!  On a non-related topic, the best doughnut I've had was at the Krispy Kreem in Biloxi years ago. I don't know what they were doing different, but it's a good thing I don't live too close!

[russ]

Buck:

Thanks for the kind words on my build. I am picking up a few ideas from yours as well.

 

The doughnut was probably imbued with a secret "suthen" recipe.

 

Russ

[Salty Sea Dog]

8a) Sealing the deal:

Hello again! Here's an update on the latest progress. The lemon oil that was applied to the hull had dried and it was time to seal it. I really would have preferred the look of just leaving it oiled and rubbing a coat of wax on it and calling it good. I had actually done that years ago to this boat before it was set aside, but the splits in the planking occurred after that, so I figured I really needed to put a more protective finish on it this time.

I like using freshly made shellac from flakes, and since that is not that common of a finish these days, I thought I would give a brief Shellac 101 for anyone that's interested. I'm not an expert at it, but I've gotten pretty good results when I've worked on really old vintage guitars with shellac finishes. It's kind of fun to use and you don't have to worry about toxic issues. I think that M&Ms use a shellac coating so they melt in your mouth instead of your hand and alcohol, well it melts in your mouth too! Don't drink any of the de-natured stuff! I know of a classical guitar maker that swears that using an Everclear type of alcohol is the best for French polishing because it does not contain the chemicals added to de-natured alcohol that make it un-drinkable and therefore provides a clearer finish!

The first shellac sealer coat was applied to the interior and exterior with a brush using what's called a 2lb cut of freshly mixed blonde shellac (2lbs of shellac flakes by weight mixed to 1 gallon of alcohol). I mix up the same ratio in a much smaller 2oz weight of shellac flakes to 1 cup (8 fl oz) of alcohol. A 2nd sealer coat was brushed on the exterior of the hull to try to fill the pores a little better. When brushing a 2nd coat of shellac you need to move quickly because the new coat will melt the previous one and your brush can stick if you brush repeatedly in the same spot. The 2nd coat had enough build and friction to show brush marks, but it adds some nice depth to the wood.







To smooth out the brush marks in shellac, I like using pumice. Sandpaper can gum up too easily at this point. I put small piles of #2 (coarse) and #4 (fine) pumice on a piece of paper and pick up a little bit with a small moist piece of soft paper towel (Viva is my favorite). The paper towel can be worked into corners easily. Rinse out the paper towel every so often. It does not take much time and very little pressure to get great results. Wipe off the residue with a clean paper towel. Use a soft bristle toothbrush or nylon paint brush to clean residue out of crevices. NOTE: do not breath in pumice dust-I've heard that it will be in your lungs forever.









While getting the sealer coat leveled, it is really easy to expose wood if the finish is too thin in spots or you use too much pressure. No biggie, that will disappear with the next coat. A matte look like in this photo is what I intend to end up with except I want to leave a gloss finish on the cocobolo wales.

Edited March 24, 2013 by Salty Sea Dog

[Salty Sea Dog]

8b) French polishing the finish coats:

 

All the subsequent finish coats will be added by French polishing with a pad while wearing disposable gloves. I use a piece of linen cloth with shredded pieces of an old sweat sock inside for a pad. A little shellac and a few drops of alcohol are dribbled on the shredded socks and then it's wrapped up in the linen cloth. I use a straw with my finger over the end to dribble some shellac (about 6 drops) in the pad and an eyedropper for the alcohol (about 3-4 drops). A little baby oil is dribbled on the face of the linen pad to prevent it from sticking (about 3 drops).
 

 

Just rub away in little circles and figure 8s and keep moving. If the pad sticks, add a little more baby oil. You can work an area for a little while because of the oil. Re-charge the pad with shellac, alcohol and oil every now and then. It doesn't take much. The finish starts looking pretty good rather quickly.

This picture is after one 5 minute padding session.
 

 

Oooh - shiny! These 2 pictures are after the 2nd padding session and this may be enough build to start the final pumice rub out for the matte look I'm planning. If this were a yacht or a canoe, I would keep going about 2 or 3 more padding sessions to try for a deeper guitar-like finish.
 

 

 

Although the finish is dry enough to carefully handle in 5 minutes, I'll let this sit for about 4 days to really harden before I rub it out. I'll double check that the cocobolo has enough build first and pad once more tomorrow if needed.

 

Update: The site was down for the transfer to the new server before I could add these latest posts and I've decided to do a 3rd padding session to get a deeper finish on the cocobolo. I'm being tempted to go for the full-out yacht finish, but think that might be a distraction on a whaleboat. I would be interested to know what others think.

 

[russ]

Buck:

That is wonderful work on the finish. The glossy finish is really spiffy, but I would say go for the matte finish. This is a working boat.

 

Russ

[michael mott]

Buck that french polishing looks rather splendid, want to come and do my grand piano! just kidding I don't have one. It is great to see some traditiona finishing methods being used amid all the new polyurethane type finishes.

 

Michael

[slagoon]

*new thing to try* wow that looks great!

[augie]

More than impressive.  Because of your skill at this, I'm going to cast off my (predictable) 'but she's a working boat' hat and say go for the shiniest, deepest finish you can.  Because you CAN.

 

Yes, shellac (usually 3#) was used in the pharma and candy industries for sugar coating to keep the tablets from sticking together in the package.  It was applied in a large, 4-8 foot diameter coating pan and dusted with talc near the end of the application.  Two coats were sufficient.  3 or 4 coats produced what is called an enteric coating which would pass through the stomach unafftected then dissolve in the intestine.  5 coats and the pills could pass through the sun itself.

 

Congratulations on your first 'tutorial'.

 

WELL DONE!

[themadchemist]

hey Buck

Nice french polish, I've been planning a sprayed laquer finish for my peterboro canoe and had considered going old school but had no experience with the shellac flakes. Now you've got me thinking.

 

http://www.leevalley.com/US/Wood/page.aspx?p=20030&cat=1,190,42942

 

I'm assuming this is an OK version as my research on shellacs shows that it comes in many variations of colours. (Any Colour you like, PF ref). This is a orange variety and Lee Valley has free shipping until tomorrow. Do you have a better source? I love trying new things and I want a really glossy finish on the peterboro. This doesn't state if its dewaxed but I'm assuming it is? What do you think?

[themadchemist]

just an FYI, Lee Valley also has the pumice

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?cat=1,190,43040,20059&p=20059

 

Its a different brand then what you used though. Does brand matter?

 

Lee Valley has free shipping until 3-25 also (tomorrow)

 

From your experience (if you've used the orange shellac, I noticed you used blonde) how much colour does it (the Orange) impart?

You also mentioned lemon oil, I'm use to using tung oil and was wondering how the 2 compare as far as colouring.

 

Garward used 4 combos in a test before finishing his Montanes.

see: http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/82-montanes-by-garward-occre/page-21

and more angles on http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/82-montanes-by-garward-occre/page-22

 

The 4 he trialed were:

1. Karnauben wax, drying, some layers of orange shellac.

2. Some layers of orange shellac on a clear wood.

3. Some layers of lemon shellac on a clear wood.

4. Linseed oil, drying, some layers of orange shellac

 

Thanks for any help.

[Salty Sea Dog]

Hello Russ, Michael, Sarah, Augie and Keith! Thanks for the interest and kind words -much appreciated!

 

Keith, the orange shellac flakes won't be as de-waxed as a super-blonde shellac but will impart a nice warmth. The waxes and other stuff give shellac its colors with garnet shellac typically being the darkest. Here's a pic with a piece of cellophane with a drop of garnet on the "77" and a drop of blonde on the "66". The jars behind them show what they look like at a 2lb cut. The glob to the left of the "77" is varnish.

 

 

Belen makes the best stuff, so the pumice is good. I prefer their super-blonde shellac when I can find it, but there should be no problems with the orange shellac you are looking at. Spray lacquer would be the easiest (and safest) choice for your canoe, but if you are up to a new challenge, French polishing is fun. The inside will not be able to be polished of course. If you have any trouble with the exterior, you can always pumice it off until it's almost gone and then wipe it down with alcohol to remove it.

 

Augie, I might continue and finish the full gloss French polish just to show how to do it. There is a final step called "spiriting off" that is basically an alcohol wipe that makes the finish look like glass that I could demonstrate. I can always take pumice to it afterwards to make it a matte finish. It would kind of be like taking sandpaper to a new car though... I just think the full gloss might look a bit too much overkill, although there are so many structural and material inacuracies in this boat anyway, that it is just for looks. Not too many walnut and cocobolo whaleboats were ever made!

[hexnut]

That finish is beautiful.  Did Herreshoff make any whaleboats?

[themadchemist]

Thanks Buck for not just the reply but the scale of color demo with your picture. MUCHLY APPRECIATED! 

I'm wanting to darken the canoe a bit but not much and the orange should help with that. I'm assuming it will be between the Garnet and Blonde.

and yes spray laquer would be easier, but I'm more interested in learning new things.

 

We need a Salty Sea Dog Finishing 101 thread in the Painting, finishing and weathering products and techniques forum.

 

I was thinking about your comment about using everclear and I think its a drying time issue maybe. Methanol which is usually used to denature is much more volatile then ethanol and the faster drying would give less time for evening of the shellac, but thats a hypothesis. I've seen other chemists dip their hand in methanol and light it on fire, the methanol is so volatile that it burns inches away from their hand, it vaporizes faster then it can ignite.

 

I know in my past automotive days some over-thinned/reduced the spray for a faster dry, especially with enamels in cooler temps. Of course all that isn't not as much an issue with PPG's advent of catalyzed finishes. I use everclear alot for tinctures, so I always have a bottle on hand. Passion Flower tincture makes a great muscle relaxer.

[themadchemist]

Oh, I REALLY like your cocobolo wales.

Thats a beautiful wood, Ive seen it used alot in knife handles.

Do you have a source for it? I just love how different woods accent each other.

Edited March 24, 2013 by themadchemist

[JPett]

Ahoy Buck  

 

The whaleboat looks great. Your attention to detail and workmanship are really making a difference.

 

Thank you for posting the shellac tips. They were very helpful to me on my side build.

[Salty Sea Dog]

That finish is beautiful.  Did Herreshoff make any whaleboats?

 

Dang Bob! Why did you have to go and plant an idea like that in my head? Now my imagination has fallen down a rabbit hole and I'm having some Popeye sort of thoughts! From what I have read, there was a lot of competition between whaleboat crews and speed was a factor to be able to "dart" a whale and claim it for a boat's crew. I think many of the successful crews earned bonuses. It makes sense that the speedier you could make a whaleboat, the more advantage the crew would have. Herreshoff was the king of beautiful and fast racing yachts. If he had made a fast whaleboat....

 

It would need a super smooth and slick finish. It would need a taller mast and bigger sail and therefore a bigger centerboard. But it couldn't really stop there. Nope, the normal thwart seats would have to be replaced with the mechanical sliding seats out of a rowing shell and only the the most finely crafted harpoons and accessories would be used. So the shiny brass colored Liam Neeson looking hatchet would have been correct! I'm getting dizzy. I need to sit down with a little white dog in my lap and think peaceful thoughts about mountain streams. Get ye behind me crazy thoughts! 

[Salty Sea Dog]

Oh, I REALLY like your cocobolo wales.

Thats a beautiful wood, Ive seen it used alot in knife handles.

Do you have a source for it? I just love how different woods accent each other.

 

If you have a Woodcraft or Rockler store near you, they would have cocobolo lumber and hobby wood. You can actually buy it online, but you don't have the ability to pick your pieces. I have had good luck getting some wood off of eBay, and you would be able to see the pieces. Cocobolo can range from orange to almost purple, but I really am drawn to the deep red with black grain streaks like this:

 

 

(this pic was showing a jig in the making hobby wood thread)

 

Here's a current eBay listing for some fingerboard blanks:

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/COCOBOLO-LUMBER-QUARTERSAWN-BASS-FRET-FINGER-BOARD-/271175563660?_trksid=p5197.m1992&_trkparms=aid%3D111000%26algo%3DREC.CURRENT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D14%26meid%3D6477313459868969044%26pid%3D100015%26prg%3D1006%26rk%3D1%26sd%3D271175563660%26

 

You would need a way to mill this down to planking, but what finer excuse could you have for getting a Byrnes saw!

[Salty Sea Dog]

Ahoy Buck

 

The whaleboat looks great. Your attention to detail and workmanship are really making a difference.

 

Thank you for posting the shellac tips. They were very helpful to me on my side build.

 

Thanks for stopping by and the nice comments! I'm glad to hear the shellac tips were useful.

 

My wife and I lived in the DFW area (Allen) for 16 years before moving to Kansas 11-1/2 years ago. I'm still having withdrawl symptoms from lack of good Tex-Mex food and on-tap Shiner Bock!