Benjamin W Latham by frenchguy - FINISHED - Model Shipways - 1:48 Scale

[Elia]

Stephan,

 

The deck planking looks very good - nice work there!

 

Cheers,

 

Elia

[tasmanian]

the deck looks beautiful great work

[frenchguy]

It’s been a while since I posted my progress. I started this model back in November 2014, and yet according to my work log, I worked only a total of 170 hours on  it. So much for my determination at the time to complete it in one year… Over the winter, I built the deck furniture elements  and prepared the hull, waiting for warmer days to start the actual painting.

 

Well, I started the painting which has been so far and exercise in frustration. I usually use shellac to prime the wood and sand it with 400 grid sandpaper. I decided to use Badger modelflex marine paint and spray painting with my airbrush. I first applied a black coat, and then painted the  larger than desired yellow stripe, which I then masked with Testor 1/32th pinstripe masking tape. I then applied another coat of hull black paint. Removing the pinstripe tape was ok, but there was some black paint bleeding under the tape.

Then I marked the waterline and used electrical tape as masking tape before painting the bottom red copper. That’s when problems began. When I pulled the electrical tape, in some areas the black paint came along with it, leaving a mess along the water line. I believe the acrylic paint did not adhere well enough to the shellac substrate. I don’t recall having these problems with my previous models. I was using Floquill paint at the time, which may have been better quality.

Also, I forgot to burnish the tape also before applying it, which may have caused the problem, and maybe I should have waited a bit more for the black paint to cure before painting the hull red ( I waited 24 hours).

In any case, I will try to fix this, but It will not look great anymore. I have read –afterwards- on forums here that the Tamiya tape is the way to go.

 

Painting  the hull is always an exercise I dread, and with apparently good reasons. I don’t know if using Shellac in the first place is a good idea. I experimented some time back with Gesso, but I found it very difficult to sand. I wonder if other modelers are facing the same kind of issues. Also, I wonder if I would have the same issues, using enamel paint?

 

 

Edited March 27, 2016 by frenchguy

[Elia]

Nice!  I too dread the hull painting step.  (though I like the look of painted hulls)

 

I think Thomas McManus is smiling, Stephan.

 

Cheers,

 

Elia

[reklein]

I supose it too late, but a tip for masking different colors is, Paint the water line, mask the waterline. repaint with the waterline color to seal the tape. Then leaving the tape in place paint the hull color. I was also thinking if its not too late, after you paint the deck grey. Use a pin wash of a darker grey to bring out the the plank lines. You may want to cut across the planks at appropriate places to simulate plank ends. BTW the hull looks really good. Bill

[frenchguy]

Now you tell me!

Sounds like a great tip anyway, i'll do it on my next model. Anyway, I was able to repair the damage using a good old 3M blue tape that I burnished with my fingers. It came up easily without talking any paint with it this time. I removed it rather quickly after painting, and the result was surprisingly good, no bleeding under the tape.

Also (and I should really remember that), I use a Paasch airbrush, and I think the secret lies in multiple pass with really thin coats of paint. That way, the paint dries almost instantly and does not moist the tape, so the edge is really nice and clean. You veterans of painting must think Duhhh..

 

Regarding the deck, I have not started yet. Yes it would be nice to see the planking, I was thinking of airbrushing it, but that will surely cover the planking. What do you mean by a pin wash of darker grey afterward? How do I do it?

Stephan

[reklein]

Use a thinned version of a darker color. You might wanna build a little section of deck to experiment with. Load a small water color brush with the thinned paint and lightly touch it too the deck. It should run off the brush onto the deck and into the crevices between the planks,thus showing the joints'. Go lightly at first you may want to darken it with another wash. Some folks use india ink in a sepia tone , thinned with alcohol. Its a technique the airplane modelers use to make the panel lines pop. Bill

[frenchguy]

Work in progress. It did not start well, as the paint was still too thick and was clogging my airbrush. I tried a mix 50/50 with rubbing alcohol and that seems the right mix.

The deck furniture are just placed in place, not glued.

I still need to do a bit of a touch-up as some paint bled under the tape, but I  am relatively satisfied with the results so far.

Edited April 17, 2016 by frenchguy

[Elia]

Stephan,

 

Very nice deck furniture and painting. I really like the look and colors. Those radiused waterways areas look great.

 

Elia

[J_Lefever]

Hi,

 

...just saw your project for the first time. It's coming along wonderfully, clean and great craftsmanship.

 

 

Jim

[frenchguy]

Hello, not great progress since April, but it looks like I I am finding time to get back to it ( I think I said it before but I have a real sailboat to sail during the Summer . Some pictures soon....

One drawback of waiting so long to build a model: the paint I purchased last year, and used in April,  is starting to dry now that bottle has been opened...

Anyway, working on the chainplates now.

Stay tuned, and happy Labor day!

[frenchguy]

I finished the deck, well about 90%, and not a time too son. Looking at my log, I started this kit in Nov 2014, but I logged only 227 hours so far. Can't wait until retirement   . Anyway, here a few pics, I will start the masts and rigging next; with a bit of luck, I might be done this Summer...

The seizing on that bowsprit drove me nuts, and it shows. By the time I finished, I was able to do some decent seizing, but i did not feel like going back and redo them all, especially  becaue I had redone most of them already once...

 

Edited December 10, 2016 by frenchguy

[Elia]

Beautiful

[frenchguy]

thank you!

[dgbot]

You put me to shame

David B

[alde]

She looks fantastic. Great workmanship.

[frenchguy]

Ok, masts and spars ready. Let the  rigging begin! The last mile! Well, in my case, more like a marathon, the real sailboat is waiting, and so is the garden. Let see if I can be done by end of Summer.

I am planning to have her with furled  sails. I am still heavily inspired by the model Eric Ronnberg built that can be seen at the Essex Cape Ann museum, of which I took many pictures, going back and forth between Chapelles's book and these pictures.

I'll try to post pictures of work in progress.

Cheers!

 

[tasmanian]

can t wait to see the furled sails

[Tigersteve]

Looking great!

Steve

[frenchguy]

I can't believe my last post was April last year. Anyway I finally  found some time to resume the construction. With great help from my significant other, the main sail was roped, and seized to the hoops, then laced to the boom and gaffe. It is now ready to be installed with a temporary furling (I'll  complete the furling when the rigging is done).

Next, rigging the main mast; with a bit of luck,  I'll be done this Summer given the pace...

 

[frankr]

Hello, I am also building the Benjamin Latham. I have fi ished the hull and am starting on the spars. I can't figure out the purpose of the main and core boom tackles, which are numbers 16 and 22 on the rigging plan. Also, I can't see where they belay to. Any advice would be appreciated.

Regards

 

 

[tasmanian]

send us some pictures Frank . 

[tasmanian]

frankr I just look at the plan for # 16 and 22 and you are right it s confusing .I have to look on the Howard Chapelle book  to know more .

[frenchguy]

There is a detailed explanation in Chapelle book page 357 on Boom Guy or Boom Tackle.  The first paragraph reads “ Their purpose was to hold the booms outboard when running before the wind the vessel running”, which really does not make sense, but what I believe he meant to say is that the boom tackles prevented an involuntary jibe  when sailing downwind, and the boat was rolling because of waves. In modern sailing terms, we call them boom preventers.

In normal operation, they were belayed to a pin on the boom jaw. When sailing downwind, one end was detached from a hook on the boom, and attached to a hook on the rail cap, which prevented the boom to suddenly  shift from one side to the other.

 

I am still working on my model, and nearly completed the standing rigging.  Next and finally, the running rigging. 4 years to complete this model is way too much. Did I mention I am retiring soon, so I can do some real work on my models? :-)

Edited July 25, 2018 by frenchguy
added details

[Tigerdvr]

I've spent some time on the American Eagle Schooner out of Rockland. Wonderful experience.

Those schooners are something special. Your Latham is a very strong inspiration to tackle the kit.

Thanks for sharing.

Cheers, Harley 

[frenchguy]

I was going through my pictures of the Bluenose II when she came to New England some years back, and the Pride of Baltimore when she came to Boston in 2009. Maybe not the best pictures, but on the Bluenose, you can clearly see one end of the  Boom Tackle (and great details of the Main sheet & Crotch tackle which are the same on the Benjamin Latham), and the whole Boom Tackle on the Pride of Baltimore boom.

 

I should look at my pictures more often to verify details, especially rigging. We are fortunate in Boston to see schooners replicas come to visit regularly..

[frenchguy]

Sorry , one more picture, this one again of the Pride of Baltimore II when she came to Boston last year for the Sail Boston festival. I took this picture because I wanted to see how the sails were furled for my B.W. Latham. You can see the other end of the Boom Tackle, the end which is unhooked from the boom and attached to the rail when sailing downwind...  

And you can see the end of the Boom Tackle line belayed to the boom jaw.

Ok, I stop :-)

Edited July 26, 2018 by frenchguy
added details

[Tim Curtis]

Dear Frenchguy,

 

Do you have photos of your completed Benjamin Latham that you could put on this log? It looks like a beautiful build...love to see the finished product.

 

Tim

[frenchguy]

Hello Tim,

Thank you for your comment . the build  is not completed yet, as I am finishing up the rigging. I'll post a few pictures of the work in progress shortly.

Stephan

 

[Tim Curtis]

Thanks Stephan. Look forward to it.

Tim