Mayflower by Stuntflyer (Mike) - Model Shipways - 5/32" Scale

[Kelp]

Mike,

 

Fantastic job on the planking!  I have also worked on this kit (currently shelved while I'm finishing a different kit) and found it to be one of the best kits to build.  If I remember correctly, the instructions didn't mention when to drill the mast holes.  Just an alert to drill them before you lay your decks.

 

I look forward to watching the progress of your build.

 

Don

[Gahm]

Beautiful, clean work on your Mayflower so far! Well done!

 

Thomas

[Jimz66]

Mike this is looking very nice. Its funny, I just came across this website a few weeks ago. Until I started looking at these models I never knew the Mayflower had canons onboard. 

[Stuntflyer]

Don,Thomas and Jim, thank you for the compliments!

 

Since my last post I have bought some hand and power tools to facilitate the scratch building of the remaining boxwood parts. Some I can make by hand others would prove too difficult. I would have used the kit supplied gratings if they were closer to scale and better quality. Unfortunately, they are not. I have seen the ones from the Brig Syren kit and they are definitely better. Since I plan on building from plans on future builds this should prove to be money well spent. Updates coming soon!

 

Mayflower kit gratings

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Stuntflyer]

Looking at other MS Mayflower logs it appears that some of their kits supplied "Tops" made from wood. Here are mine which are made from Britannia metal. I definitely won't be using them.

 

Edited January 10, 2015 by Stuntflyer

[Chuck]

Ouch!!   Those are awful

[rsposito]

Yes,mine are made from wood. I purchased the kit from MS about 2 years ago. 

[Stuntflyer]

● Capstan: While waiting for the tools to arrive I thought it might be a good opportunity to scratch a few parts. Here is the first one, the capstan, compared to the kit supplied one.

 

Edited January 14, 2015 by Stuntflyer

[divarty]

Mike that capstan looks great, can't wait to see what you do with the tops, those britannia ones look horrible.

[Stuntflyer]

● Pumps: The pumps were made according to the kit instructions with one change. When I tried making the main cylinder from 3/16" dowel the diameter ended up too small according to the plan. I was successful when I used 3/16" square strip and a "V" groove jig to hold the strip in place while forming the eight sides. The black bands were made from card stock.

 

I glued the tiny spouts to a piece of scrap wood with PVA glue to hold it while sanding them with my newly acquired "True Sander". I dipped the spout into boiling water to release the glue.

 

 

This photo shows how small the spouts are.

 

 

Finished pumps with a coat of Wipe-on Poly.

 

Edited January 14, 2015 by Stuntflyer

[SkerryAmp]

Wowzers, great job on the capstan and pumps.  My pumps are okay, but I am thankful my capstan is partially hidden beneath the deck, it allowed me to turn it so only the good side showed  .   The one you made though I would proudly display!!  NICE job!!

[jefzee]

Mike:  I have just started construction of the Mayflower and have a question.  I purchased the MS fair-a-jig to ease  installation of  the bulkheads.  I am currently fitting the bulkheads (without glue) and discovered that there is no place to clamp the bulkhead former as the bulkheads extend to the bottom of the former.  The only thing that extends below the keel is the rabbet strip (1/8" X 1/16") which is far too small to clamp onto.  Do you have any suggestion as to how to assure the finished assembly is square and true?  Thanks,  Jeff

[Stuntflyer]

Jeff,

 

If you look at my photos on page 1 http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/8494-mayflower-by-stuntflyer-mike-model-shipways-532-scale/ you will see how I did the bulkheads. The first bulkhead was done using four 3" angle plates. The weight of the plates was enough to hold the first bulkhead in place. Instead of trying to clamp the remaining bulkheads to the former, I squared the bulkheads to the former using two angle plates and a few clamps. I did them one at a time until the glue was set. You should be able to add a bulkhead every 15 minutes with this method. It is important to have a slight amount of play so the bulkhead can move side to side before gluing. This will allow the bulkhead to maintain a 90° angle since the PVA glue will swell the wood and tighten the fit. Using this glue allows time to adjust the bulkhead-former vertically before the glue sets. I have never used the MS fair-a-jig so I can't tell you how to make it do what you want. The method I described has been used by others with good results. If you don't have angle plates you could substitute something that has a 90° angle. Hope this helps!

 

Mike

Edited January 18, 2015 by Stuntflyer

[jefzee]

Mike:  Thanks for you sugggestions.  I will attempt to follow your instruction and am confient I will be successful.  Jeff

[rschissler]

Very nice job on the small parts!  I look forward to seeing how you do your tops, as I'm debating what to do about the tops on my model.

 

--Randy

Edited January 20, 2015 by rschissler

[Stuntflyer]

Thanks Randy,

 

Your build is looking very nice and I really like the colors of the decorative parts. Scratching the "tops" seems like your only option. Those metal stanchions look really bad and I have no idea why the wood parts don't match the drawings. I might start on my "tops" soon but I first need to make some gratings which I will start on this week.

Edited January 21, 2015 by Stuntflyer

[Stuntflyer]

Randy, I found this on Ilhan Gokcay's log of the Matthew. He shows how he made his tops. Scroll to the bottom of the page. http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/566-matthew-1497-by-ilhan-gokcay-scale-150/page-3

Edited January 22, 2015 by Stuntflyer

[rschissler]

Thanks, I've been looking at Ilhan's log on this.  His tops came out very nice, though a little larger scale.

 

--Randy

Edited January 22, 2015 by rschissler

[Stuntflyer]

● Forward Cubbridge Head Bulkhead: Now that the Byrnes table saw has arrived I'm finally able to finish this bulkhead. The kit supplied ladders, although not too bad, were replaced with ones made from boxwood. There was only a tiny area in which to glue the ladders and the PVA glue I first tried did not hold well enough. I switched to 5 minute epoxy applied with a needle and that worked out very well. Any excess glue was easily removed minutes later with a sharp #11 blade.

 

 

Edited January 28, 2015 by Stuntflyer

[Stuntflyer]

● Great Cabin Bulkhead: I managed to get this one done today.

 

Edited February 13, 2015 by Stuntflyer

[Stuntflyer]

● Grating (Upper Deck): I made my first set of gratings today with 3/64" holes and 3/64" battens. The coamings were made from 1/16" x 1/8" strip with lap joints. I used the method described on EdT's Victory log to make the gratings. .http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/316-hms-victory-by-edt-196-pob/page-2#entry29518. No glue was necessary since the battens went together with a nice fit. Thank you Chuck, EdT and Michael Mott for all your help.

 

 

Edited February 12, 2015 by Stuntflyer

[Chuck]

Beautiful!!      Well done and the perfect size.

[Stuntflyer]

Thanks!

[rschissler]

Mike, nice job on your grates!  I did my tops.  You'll have to check my log, as I can't seem to insert a link...

[Gahm]

Very nice, clean built! A pleasure to watch!

 

Thomas

[augie]

Beautifully clean work all around.

[Stuntflyer]

Augie, Thomas and Randy, thank you for all the nice comments!

 

● Upper Deck Planking: The strips I received vary by as much as .020 in thickness so I ran them through my new thickness sander until they were all 1/32" thick. This proved to be very helpful during the sanding process. I had to be very careful not to damage the area around the coamings and Capstan base. For this I used a "0" barrette escapement file which was able to get right up to these parts without damaging them. I'm not sure how important it is to have the deck planking be uniform in color. Does anyone have a comment about this?

 

Edited February 4, 2015 by Stuntflyer

[russ]

This is a matter of taste. In reality, the planking would not be that uniform in color. This was a hard working aged merchant ship. It is up to you regarding how you want to see the finished model.

 

Russ

[jbshan]

I like a little variation in planking which is to get a clear finish.  I think it helps to show off all your work in doing individual planks which using scribed plank doesn't allow.  It isn't necessarily the way they built models in the old days, they might use scribed panels, but we have power tools they didn't, why not take advantage.  I just keep a small stack of planking stock at hand and grab a different piece each time.

Your planking looks well done and with a nice variation.

 

Joel Sanborn

[Stuntflyer]

● Bulwark Template Installation: I first glued the bulwark templates to the hull using CA at the area of the Great Cabin where the inward bend is most pronounced. Next, I glued the area at the Forward Cubbridge Head. These areas were not clamped as I found it easier to get a tight fit by using my fingers to push on the template. The area at the bow was done using CA and clamps. After that, it was simply a matter of working fore and aft using PVA to finish the gluing process. I lined the windows and other areas of the templates with boxwood to maintain uniformity where it will be seen. Both templates fit very close to the initial plank avoiding the need for a lot of filler. I still need to trim the templates where they overhang slightly. There are areas that will need a second coat of Wipe-on Poly, like the Forecastle deck, which I will do later after the remaining parts are in place.

 

 

Edited February 16, 2015 by Stuntflyer