Shipbuilder

Home-made Curve Cutter, using half a razor blade.    I would imagine this would be just as useful fror SIBs as large models!     I find it indispensable.
Bob
 

The British topsail schooner Minnie is now complete, although I have not yet built the carrying case.
The scale is 32 feet to 1 inch and the model has a hull length of 2.6 inches on the waterline.
Bob
 

The British topsail schooner Minnie is now complete, although I have not yet built the carrying case.
The scale is 32 feet to 1 inch and the model has a hull length of 2.6 inches on the waterline.
Bob
 

The British topsail schooner Minnie is now complete, although I have not yet built the carrying case.
The scale is 32 feet to 1 inch and the model has a hull length of 2.6 inches on the waterline.
Bob
 

Although it will not be of much interest here for obvious reasons, I have now made the display case for the Minnie.   The white sides are the protective plastic coating on both sides of the acrylic.     These will not be removed until I have French Polished the woodwork.    It took six hours to make the case.    It seems a long time, but not really when spread over a few days.   It was made from leftovers from larger models.
Bob

I have now found the photograph.   I completed this model in 1995.
Bob
 

Hi Jersey City Frankie,
I saw your post on Model Ship World about the Wavertree.     Glad to hear she is being restored properly.     I agree that it is very sad that hardly anyone builds models of this type of ship.    I have built Wavertree from the plans you posted, but can't lay my hands on a photograph of it at the moment.   But here is the sister ship Fulwood that I built some years ago.  
Bob
 

At that scale, the upper spars will be very thin.   Even at my scales, I use metal as it can be made much finer than wood.      For me, Preussen was a tedious build at 25'=1" and 70ft to 1 inch would require skills I can only dream of
Making that lot fold down at any scale are beyond my comprehension.      I couldn't even contemplate it with a model such as Minnie!     I have just downloaded John Fox III article of building BonHomme Richard  in a light bulb, and it is mind-boggling!
Here are two shots of my "under sail" Preussen.
Bob
 

Thanks,
The problem with wire is that although it can be made straight or curved very easily, it must not be messed with after that, because if you bend it whilst it is in position on the model (when folding down or up), it will not go back to being straight or having a smooth curve again!     The only SIBs I have made, I cut the bottom off the bottle and put them in the wide end, replacing the bottom when complete.     Naturally I was told that this was cheating   but they were very popular.     I made several of them at sea and they were raffled to passengers, the money going to seamen's charities!     I doubt whether I will make another, because I always felt the opitical clarity of glass bottles was generally not very good.    Light bulbs have perfect clarity, but are more difficut to open!       I am also lacking in patience and was getting a bit tired of the Minnie by the time she was complete!
Bob 

Thanks,
The problem with wire is that although it can be made straight or curved very easily, it must not be messed with after that, because if you bend it whilst it is in position on the model (when folding down or up), it will not go back to being straight or having a smooth curve again!     The only SIBs I have made, I cut the bottom off the bottle and put them in the wide end, replacing the bottom when complete.     Naturally I was told that this was cheating   but they were very popular.     I made several of them at sea and they were raffled to passengers, the money going to seamen's charities!     I doubt whether I will make another, because I always felt the opitical clarity of glass bottles was generally not very good.    Light bulbs have perfect clarity, but are more difficut to open!       I am also lacking in patience and was getting a bit tired of the Minnie by the time she was complete!
Bob 

The model of the Minnie is now complete.    The total building time came to 16.6 hours, spread over 9 days – an average of 1.84 hours per day.       I still have to build the display case and carrying case, although that does not take very long in actual work.    A lot of the time is used up waiting for glue and French Polish to dry.
Bob
 

Vacuum-formed lifeboats for RMS Carmania.
Bob
 

My home-made miniature vacuum box and a tiny lifeboat.
Bob
 

The model of the Minnie is now complete.    The total building time came to 16.6 hours, spread over 9 days – an average of 1.84 hours per day.       I still have to build the display case and carrying case, although that does not take very long in actual work.    A lot of the time is used up waiting for glue and French Polish to dry.
Bob
 

Nearly fiinshed now.   All I have to do is make and fit the boat, and rig the braces on the four yards.
Bob
 

The ratlines are 38swg tinned copper wire wound around a frame.   The shrouds are also tinned copper wire soldered across them.     The whole process takes about 15 minutes.   I then spray them with red oxide primer and then satin black.   The deadeyes are slices of thin resin cored solder stuck on before painting.    The rest of the rigging is also copper wire, but it is just glued on.   The block are blobs of white wood glue mixed with black paint.      This method of rigging is totally unsuitable for SIBs!
Bob

I got in 3.4 hours work today, and completed the standing rigging.     The next task is to fit the furled fore-and-aft sails, and then fit and rig the four yards.    Finally, make & fit the boat.    Then it will be complete - not long to go now.    Then, I will need to make the display case and carrying case.
Bob
 

I am now 11 hours into the build.   I made and painted the masts and spars this morning.     I have fitted and rigged the furled foresail between the boom and gaff, and also rigged the bowsprit/jibboom.       Not long to go to completion now.
Bob
 

I have now completed the hull, apart from the boat.     The masting and rigging will not take very long on something this simple.
I am now just over 8 hours into the build, spread over four days.     This little ship, although completed in 1878, was still in the Lloyds Register in 1931/32!
Bob
 

The ratlines are 38swg tinned copper wire wound around a frame.   The shrouds are also tinned copper wire soldered across them.     The whole process takes about 15 minutes.   I then spray them with red oxide primer and then satin black.   The deadeyes are slices of thin resin cored solder stuck on before painting.    The rest of the rigging is also copper wire, but it is just glued on.   The block are blobs of white wood glue mixed with black paint.      This method of rigging is totally unsuitable for SIBs!
Bob

I am now 11 hours into the build.   I made and painted the masts and spars this morning.     I have fitted and rigged the furled foresail between the boom and gaff, and also rigged the bowsprit/jibboom.       Not long to go to completion now.
Bob
 

I have now completed the hull, apart from the boat.     The masting and rigging will not take very long on something this simple.
I am now just over 8 hours into the build, spread over four days.     This little ship, although completed in 1878, was still in the Lloyds Register in 1931/32!
Bob
 

It was Schooner Sunset, by Douglas Bennet.     It is a very good book for anyone inetersted in modelling small sailing ships, as it has numerous plans for ketches, topsail schooners (2 & 3 masts), barquentines and brigantines,   Amongst others it has plans for Mary Sinclair, Squirrel, Minnie, Lochranza Castle, Brooklands, Susan Vittery, North Barrule, Henrietta, Mary Barrow, Flying Foam, Gaelic, Cymric and others.    You can find 2nd hand copies by going to:
www.bookfinder.com
and entering the details.
Bob
 
 

I started this today, 17th June.    It is 2.8 inches long on the waterline, and is a 79 ton two-masted topsail schooner.    Length 84.2 feet and beam of 21.3 feet, completed at Peterhead in  1878.     Scale 32 feet to 1 inch.      It has taken me 1.5 (1 1/2) hours to get so far.     It will not be going in a bottle, but I suppose this size is very suitable if you have the necessary skills to do it (which I don't ).        It is just a "quickie" because I haven't done anything for ages.     The hull is completed, and I have just started "fitting out"  with deck details etc.   
Bob

I started this today, 17th June.    It is 2.8 inches long on the waterline, and is a 79 ton two-masted topsail schooner.    Length 84.2 feet and beam of 21.3 feet, completed at Peterhead in  1878.     Scale 32 feet to 1 inch.      It has taken me 1.5 (1 1/2) hours to get so far.     It will not be going in a bottle, but I suppose this size is very suitable if you have the necessary skills to do it (which I don't ).        It is just a "quickie" because I haven't done anything for ages.     The hull is completed, and I have just started "fitting out"  with deck details etc.   
Bob