Model Boat Mayhem
The Shipyard ( Dry Dock ): Builds & Questions => Yachts and Sail => Topic started by: Positive on June 09, 2013, 11:19:17 am
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I began this one a few weeks ago. The name will be disclosed when it is complete, but if anyone guesses correctly, I will confirm it! :-)
The hull is 9 1/2 inches long on the waterline. The ship is to be shown under full sail in a moderate sea. All the masts, spars and rigging (including ratlines) are metal - brass tube and rod, copper rod, silver steel rod, with copper wire rigging. The sails are airmail paper onto which I have printed the seams on both sides using the computer. I printed them in light grey rather than black, so they are not too prominent. I have just completed the fore-and-aft sails and standing rigging, and am about to start fitting and rigging the 21 square sails!
Bob
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Just beautiful Bob! :-)
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Thanks Martin,
Just set and partially rigged the lowest three square sails today! Can't remember when I made on that attracted so little interest as this one :((
So you have perked me up quite a lot! :-))
More pics tomoroow!
Bob
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another masterpiece
:-))
vnkiwi
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Looking very nice!!
Takes a long time to do all those sails..... must be tricky in this smaller scale...
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Bob, you truly are the master. Awesome work!
Dennis
Bellingham, WA. USA
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Thanks for replies. It takes about 50 minutes to make, set & rig each of the large lower sails. As I move upwards, the individual rigging of the square sails gets easier. So, working on three per day, the square sails would take a week. But the 6 t'gallants, 3 royals & 3 skysails only take about 20 minutes each!
I have always found it much easier to work on small scales. I don't have any knots to deal with as the rigging is mainly glued on. The only exception are the ratlines that were soldered on to the shrouds before they are fitted to the model. The sails and rigging are easy enough - it is the hull and deck fittings that are the most complicated part of the build!
Bob
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Can't remember when I made on that attracted so little interest as this one :((
So you have perked me up quite a lot! :-))
Fairs fair Bob, it had only been 8 hours. ok2
I am looking forward to seeing more. :-))
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I don't mean here! :-) When I began the build about 8 weeks ago, I put it on two other model ship forums, where it has been practically ignored. I have always had a good response here, but haven't posted very often of late, mainly because there isn't a definate section to put them in i.e. scratchbuilt merchant ships, sail & steam.
Bob
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Not really my style of boat but this is absolutely stunning!!!! :-))
Glad you added the pen in the pic’s as it makes one appreciate the scale and detail even more. Don’t be shy with the pictures.
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Bob, This level of scale detail is something that I find difficult to ignor. What kind of magnification do you use, what thread sizes and could you show us the tools you have that you probably made custom? In fact, if you don't mind, could you send us a pic of your work station/shop? I feel like I'm all thumbs at the 1:96 scale that I work with. Just amazes me what you do. Tks for sharing with us. Dennis
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Dennis
I don’t use any other magnification than reading glasses! There is nothing in the models smaller than a full stop, and I can see them OK when reading! I am now aged 69, but feel that building miniatures for so long has kept my vision up to a reasonable level for that age!
I don’t use thread at all. The rigging is all fine copper wire. No knots to mess about with, most of it I just glue on. No special work table, just an old desk that is normally in a state of chaos. No special tools, but have a Unimat lathe, a drill press and a hobby bandsaw.
Following pictures will illustrate. The German five-masted full rigged ship Preussen during construction. The Preussen complete and another of the model photographed from a low angle with a photograph of the sea superimposed over the lower part.
Bob
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Well Bob, what you do is amazing work and sure do enjoy seeing it. I'll try to attach a couple of pics of the "Flying Cloud" that I did a number of years ago at 1/8" scale. Took me 3yrs. I sold it to a chap in back East. Used lots of chain at 40 links/inch.. about drove me to drink.
Regards,
Dennis
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That is a very fine model of Flying Cloud! I could never face building one that scale though - too much like hard work :(( I once built a 32'=1" model of her though! Mine take about 60 or 70 hours, all timed on a stopwatch, usually spread out over 6 to 8 weeks.
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The foresail, mainsail and cro’jack have now been set & rigged. I have also set, but not yet rigged, the fore lower topsail.
Bob
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Nice Bob.... keep um comin.
Dennis
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The lower and upper topsails have now been set and rigged. The remainder, lower & upper t'gallants, royals and skysails have much less complex rigging with only single braces on each size and no running blocks, so things should proceed a lot faster now!
Bob
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Nice Bob, how do you make your sails set as if wind was on the beam...?
Dennis
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Dennis,
It took me years to figure that one out. If I cut the sails to the correct shape, they simply would not set correctly. Eventually, I realised that when a square sail was wind-filled, it was actually pulled out of shape and distorted beyond its normal shape. The lower square sails are the biggest problem. Here is a specailly cut sail as distorted by the wind. I mould them round an ostrich egg whilst wet to get the wind filled shape.
Bob
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Almost complete now! The three lower t'gallants have been set & rigged, leaving only the upper t'gallants, royals & skysails to set & rig. Only hours from completion!
Bob
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Tks Bob, truly awesome. You da man!
Dennis
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Very impressive Bob. Any clues as to the name of her ?
ken
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It is almost complete now. I have been beavering away today setting & rigging the upper t'gallants and royals. I had hoped to complete today, but by 1700 hrs, I was quite fed up with the whole show :(( I will set & rig the three skysails tomorow. As it is within a couple of hours of completion, I will say that it is the British four-masted barque Lord Ripon. Shown here anchored in an Australian port with sails stowed:
http://images.slsa.sa.gov.au/edwardes/13/PRG1373_13_19.jpg (http://images.slsa.sa.gov.au/edwardes/13/PRG1373_13_19.jpg)
Tomorrow, my wife will make the sea that has already been made. Tomorrow, I will return to completing the display case and carrying case.
Bob
PS. I don't know why the link to the picture is microscopic, but it does work! :-)
Well worth it .................
http://images.slsa.sa.gov.au/edwardes/13/PRG1373_13_19.jpg
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The model itself is now complete. At this moment, my wife is in the other room painting the sea. There is a bit of work left to do on the display case, but not much. Depending on whether the paint dries quickly, the model may be fitted into the sea sometime tomorow. None of the sails are flat! I dislike flat sails and flags! In order to make them bulge, I mold each one round an ostrich egg whilst still wet and that gives them a good wind-filled shape. The sail edges are lined with fine copper wire to improve the crispness!
Bob
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amazing again
:-))
vnkiwi
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Awesome Bob..... you just seem to be able to whip these little gems out. As I said, my last clipper took me 3 years. I must ask if I may... do you keep these as a collection or sell them? I would love to see a picture of all of them if you have a display at home?
regards,
Dennis
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Thanks for replies. I can build them quickly because they are small. I have no knots to slow me down. A single rigging line is just a length of copper wire. It can be made straight by stretching it slightly. Then the required length is measured on the model using a pair of dividers and the line cut to the correct length with a scalpel. I pick it up in the centre with a pair of tweezers, dip each end in glue and place it in position on the model. The ratlines are soldered on to the shrouds outside the model and glued on in one piece. It takes about ten minutes to make a set of shrouds/ratlines for one lower mast. I really haven't the patience span to take years over a model.
I think the Lord Ripon is number 161 since I started counting in October 1992. Too many to keep, so I do sell them, but do not take private commissions. I did private commissions until 2000, but it got too much for us. At that time, we had 24 on order and it was all rather overwhelming. They sell well enough because of their rarety value. Model shipbuilders really do not like building them, generally either thinking or saying "I could never do anything like that!" Another common statement is "I haven't the time!" But then they seem to find months or years to build a kit! Others say, I haven't got the necessary equipment! The only fancy equipment I have is a samll Unimat lathe (purchased second hand in 1973 for £69), a small hobby two-wheel bandsaw, that cost about £150, a drill press that cost about £100 and a chop saw for cutting wood mitres that cost about £75. That comes to a total of £394! How much does a decent kit of Cutty Sark or Victory cost? :-) None of the equipment is really necessary and when I was at sea, it was all hand tools, but these ityems do speed things up a lot!
I usually find the plans in old books, the David MacGregor series being very good for small sailing ship plans. Old technical journals for steam and motor ships.
I never make really famous ships as they are not collectable! I prefer the obscure and semi-obscure. I don't get anything myself when a model is sold. My wife gets the entire proceeds for household expenses and we both get our allotted spending money each month. The system works well as I am aware other modelmakers sometimes get a hard time from their wives for building large dust-catchers as well as spending money on their hobby! >:-o My wife also paints the seas and is quite enthusiastic about it all. :-)
I don't only build model ships, I desgn and build small radios using valves rather than transistors. I also do a lot of writing and have had several books published! :-)
From 1960 until late 1992, I was a radio officer in the Merchant Navy. Got fed up of it in late 1992 at the age of 48 and took voluntary redundancy to become full-time ship model builder, writer and marine historian. Retired seven years ago, but still carry on all these activities in order to have something to do. Take a look at my website by clicking on the globe icon under "location" above left under my user name.
Bob
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Bob, thank you for sharing. I am pretty much in awe of what you have accomplished and what you are doing with your ship modeling skills. I spent quite some time on your blog and visiting the links provided.... discovering this wonderful minature hobby of yours and other skilled folks. I must say that you have inspired me. As soon as I finished my current project (English Frigate).. which might complete by next Spring (I only model during the winter months... I build full size sailing skiffs during the summer months)... I just might take a crack at building one of these minature ships. I also wanted to comment on how real your seas appear. Now that, in my books is very difficult to achieve and have it come out looking real. Don't know how you do it... but its all to scale and spot on! :-))
Thanks again for sharing... can't wait for the next one!
Best regards,
Dennis