In this video, we take a look at treating commercially available wooden blocks to have a more accurate appearance. We will also look at using a serving machine and making custom sized wire.
Mr. Lauria I have been making models for sometime. 24" Cutty Sark 24"USS Constitution. Both plastic. Came out nice. I've built model's since I was 10. Now that I'm retired i want to build a 48" USS Constitution. Thought i knew how to. Ive been watching you and some others teach and build. Man I've a lot to learn. WOW!. Thank You for teaching so patiently. When I'm done I'll send a detailed set of picks. In about a year. Learning and building. Your Student Mike Q. Garcia Texas USA
You've pick a very ambitious subject. USS Constitution is has a very complex rigging plan. Luckily, there are a lot of good book you can refer to. Don't give up the ship, Baby!
G'day Tom. I've just stated my fourth effort, the U.S.S. Constitution. You're right about the quality of some blocks you get with the kits, they leave a bit to be desired. On my last one I remember sanding all the skin off my fingers just so they looked oval shaped to look better on the model. You.ve just helped me a lot. Thankyou.
Lawrence, I'm so sorry I didn't respond to you. If it's not too late, may I suggest two books that will help you out immensely. Harold Underhill's, "Masting and Rigging the Clipper Ship and Ocean Carrier" will deal with rigging practices in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Steele's "Elements of Mastmaking, Sailmaking and Rigging" deal with earlier vessels. There is, of course some overlap between the two (nothing wrong with that, though). Both have tons of tables and formulae for figuring out what sizes of line and blocks were used at different times for different tonnages of ships.
Hey Tom, what an insane amount of effort but more than worthwhile to look at and rewarding to do yourself. I was lucky in getting a fairly dusty rigging of the San Felipe I acquired recently. Most of the dust and fluffy hair I removed by pressing the lines and shrouds between scotch tape. The fire scorching method seems to me fairly risky. Would it be an option to wet the rigging first before scorching so that the line is still damp and the fluffy parts will dry first and can be scorched more safely ? Would alternatively painting the lines with oil paint or any other oiling method avoid the scorching and press the fluffy hair permanently against the line? A video on restoring ship models might be a good idea unless I missed that on your channel
Hi Thomas, Thanks for the comments. The little fibers are always a problem (less with good linen line than with other stuff). I found the scorching method about 30 or 35 years ago and have been using so long, it's like second nature. But yes, it is RISKY. A slip of the hand and the model becomes a temporary heat source instead of a work of art. I have no idea if either of the things you suggest would work. I tend to think the water would matt down the little fibers and you may not be able to singe them off if they're laying flat on the line. It's certainly worth a try, though. I do have a two part video that deals with the restoration of an antique model of a sidewheel steamer. Here's a link to Part One: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-J6lXOZ_My6w.html And, I am working on another two part video covering the re-purposing of a large model of Emma C. Berry. That should be out by the beginning of the week. Thanks, again. Hope you keep watching.
Before your comment, I had never heard of it. I searched it on RU-vid and found one video. Based solely on that one video, I was not really impressed. But, that's not to say it's a bad product. The guy in the video could have been using it incorrectly. But the bigger issue here is: if the blocks you're putting in the thing are sub-standard, they'll still be sub-standard when they come out, just rounder. I was never a fan of the Model Shipway blocks, or Bluejacket's wooden blocks. The dimensions are usually not accurate, the non-chamfered sheave holes are in the wrong place and the swallows are too deep. You'll do better with the block from Syren Ship Models or the Britannia metal blocks from Bluejacket Shipcrafters
The same question kept occurring to me throughout this video. How do you get to know what the details of the model should look like? I am looking into making an old English fishing boat which is almost identical to Billing's FD10. How would I know how all of the rigging etc. would look? I guess I am asking where is this information?
Well, the short and slightly flip answer is, "On the web". That would be the place to start. also, look for maritime museums in the areas where your subject were built and used. If the boat is a specific type such as a Yorkshire Skiff or a Scottish Zulu, or it was a boat from a particular time period, these are all search criteria that could bring about some results. As for specifics on what a particular boat looked like, that's tough because even though building and rigging practices for a specific fishery (or industry, or trade) were generally similar from boat to boat for a given time period, the owners of those boats usually had their own ideas about how things should be. There is one book I know of called, "Sailing Craft of the British Isles" by Roger Finch. It doesn't have details on the different types of vessels it lists, but there may be something in this book that could lead you to another, more fruitful source of information. Be as specific as you can with regards to time frame and area. That will help eliminate a lot of what is not applicable to your subject (i.e.: if you see blocks that were popular on fishing boats in the 1930s, but your boat is from 1883, then you can pretty much eliminate that as a good reference). Sorry I can't be more help than this and I hope it helps.-Tom
@@archiegrant6450 Archie, If you read my reply to Yetanother Person, you already have part of the answer-research. So much of it can be found on the web. But, be careful with what you find there. But before I suggest anything else, I will suggest that, if you're new to ship modeling , you start with a much simpler subject than Constitution. Large 18th century fighting ships were incredibly complex, especially with regard to the rigging. Add to that, the fact the ships were always being altered each time there was a re-fit or a change in command. Having a target date for your model is essential for such a long lived subject like Constitution. As for a simpler subject, I would suggest two kits: from Bluejacket Shipcrafters, the Grand Banks Dory kit is a great way to get introduced to planks on frame building and the kit makes it simple with good instruction and accurately laser cut parts. The second is the Virginia Pilot Boat, Katy. I think this is a solid hull kit that, on the face of it, looks very simple, but will get you acquainted with modeling techniques that you will use in any subsequent subject you choose. As with any endeavor, the depth to which you plumb your subject matter will effect the outcome. I was at a model show and saw an absolutely stunning model of Katy with accurate detail and realistic weathering. The level of detail showed that the builder clearly took a deep dive into the practices of the times and understood the way the vessel was used. The result was a very compelling rendition of what otherwise could have been just another ho-hum model. The dory kit from Bluejacket is one I've used in model building classes. I've built a couple of them for myself and I have to say, for someone who doesn't usually build kits, I really enjoyed this one. As a source of inspiration, while building it, I watched Captains Courageous. There is also a lot of useful information in that movie about the Grand Banks fishermen and quite a bit of footage of the big schooners under sail. Definitely worth watching. I know this is probably not the answer you were looking for, but as someone who did EXACTLY what you are considering with EXACTLY the same subject, I feel this is the answer that will, in the end better serve you. Thanks for watching and for taking the time to write. I will also be starting a series of videos on building a whaleboat from start to finish. Many of the problems and issues that face model builders will be addressed, so I hope you will subscribe and hit the notification bell and keep watching. Tom
Hello Tom. I noticed in your video you show the Charles w Morgan. have you built this model yourself? if so can you post a video of it? I am building one at present and have become increasingly discouraged by the myriad of variations undergone by the ship over the years. the transom seems to be different in every pic, sometimes they use 5 sails on main mast, sometimes 4 and the deck details are almost always wrong in size, shape and location. anyway, thanks for the great videos...
Hello Hans, No. I've never built the Morgan. I built a 1:48 scale model of the whaling brig, Kate Cory. Building something that has four whaleboats is quite enough for me. Building a ship like CWM, with seven would probably land me in a rubber room. As for your frustration at conflicting data, I feel your pain. My advice to you is to try and pick a target date for your model to represent. When the Morgan was originally built in 1841, she was rigged as a ship with single topsails. Sometime after 1860 she was re-rigged as a bark and carried double topsails on the main and fore masts. The look of the whaleboats would also be different from one period of the ship's life to another. So again, having a date, or date range (circa 1875 for example) in mind will allow you to fine tune your research will eliminate a lot of headaches and dead ends. Hope this helps and thanks for watching.
@@shipmodelguy thanks Tom, there is a huge amount of info and pics in its current state, but not too many along the way. I watched the movie with the CWM and loved seeing the old way of sailing men. are you posting any new videos? always a nice diversion from the hustle and bustle.
Hi Tom, For British ships, Steele's, "Elements of Mastmaking, Sailmaking and Rigging" is the go to book. For American ships of the late 19th and early 20th century, Harold Underhill's, "Masting and Rigging the Clipper Ship and Ocean Carrier" would be a good place to start. Both have many tables and illustrations.
Yes,@@shipmodelguy I have that one, it's just that I have also read that the Americans blocks had a larger dia pulley to 1. keep the rope "healthy" going over the smaller dia pulley weakens the rope over time and 2. to reduce the force necessary to use the system!
@Thomas Hockin Not much experience with British ships. I didn't realize the Americans and the British had different systems. Thanks for that bit of knowledge. It makes perfect sense when you think about it. Larger diameter stresses and compresses the rope less.
This is great but as one who uses metric, your measures are a complete mystery. I have never worked in thousandths or half inch scale. I just assumed you meant 1/24th and I think I was right.
@@shipmodelguy I was just trying to get an idea of the sizes you're working with, that's all. As an interesting addition to this, Olga Batchverova has on her channel, a design for a home made device that allows you to clean up the blocks all together. This is the next step.
@@thethirdman225 There are plenty of charts for converting thousandths to fractional numbers. And, although I haven't ever looked for one, I'm sure there one for thousandth to millimeters. But, just to give you a rough idea of the sizes I was working with, here are a couple of dimensions: 1"= 1.000" (easy), 1/2"=.500", 3/8"=.375", 1/4"=.250, 3/16"= .188" and so on. If you have a pair of digital calipers, they all measure in metric and imperial, so if you working between standards, the calipers will do the conversion for you. I do that all the time when work with metric threaded screws and nuts. Hope this helps. BTW: I checked out Olha's block tumbler. The block she used in the demo were pretty rounded to start with and the results was very good. I'm not sure how well it would work for block that need to have crisper edges, such as those from the 18th and 19th century. Maybe I'll make on and see. I've met Olha a couple of times and I watch her channel quite a bit. She's inventive and talented. Thanks for watch and I hope you stick around.
