Windows for HMS Bounty

Shown here are some of the windows being made for the model of HMS Bounty. As we now have two models of Bounty residing on this site, the Bounty these windows are for is the one shown in the post titled, 'Earlier pictures of HMS Bounty.'

Boston Whitehall Tender

This is the first wooden boat model that this modeller has built. The kit is by Midwest and the model is 1:14 scale or 7/8" to the foot. The history of the boat on the box top reads, "The Whitehall originated about 1820, around the New York waterfront, and takes its name from the nearby Whitehall Street. Commonly built in Boston boat shops of that era, Whitehalls were originally used by runners who would row out to incoming deep water vessels to accost the crews, pitching the local brothels, ship chandlers, and the like. Because of their grace and beauty, there has been a renewed interest in the Whitehall boats within the last fifty years."
The plans shown here, included in the kit, are drawn to the full size of the finished model and provide the builder with all the information needed to build the boat. The forms on the far right are used to make the shape of the hull while the planking is being done. Later on in the construction they are removed.
The transom and some of the interior detail near the stern can be seen here. The interior has been painted with a buff colour.
The oarlocks, visible in this picture, are metal castings included in the kit. The seats and other detail can also be seen. As well as the purpose described on the box top of the kit, these boats were also used to carry cargo to and from the ships anchored in the harbour.
The bottom of the hull is shown here with the oars and written instructions that come with the kit. The oars are made from two pieces.
This is an excellent model for a beginner or an old hand who wants to build something quickly. A model of this size and relative simplicity can be completed in a fairly short time, gives the builder practice at working with wood and plans and solidly builds the modeller's confidence in his skills.

Nonesuch Restarted

The pictures of the model of Nonsuch that were posted here earlier and the ebony parts from it are all that remain of that model. The builder decided he didn't like it, and said that he put it on the floor and crushed it under his boot.

The intent to make a black and white ship model was thwarted. When the ebony parts were put in place and sanded to their finished size, the black dust from the sanding got into the pores of the holly where it was then impossible to remove it.

There is a silver lining in this cloud. We get to see the construction method in better detail.
Here you can see the hull of the ship taking shape on the plug that has been carved to the inside dimension of the frames. The frames above the bilge line have had filler added between them, to strengthen them when it comes time to cut out the holes for the gun ports and scuppers. This filler will be covered up when the hull is planked.
In this top view you can see the plug as it has been cut into five sections. The centre part on the top is held in place with spacers on either side. The plug's extension well above the gunwale allows the plug and hull assembly to be held in a vise, which makes working on the hull much easier. The dowels extending from the sides are used to index the parts of the plug.

When the centre part is removed, the middle fore and aft parts can then move away from the bow and stern. When they are removed the two side pieces can then be removed.
This is the keel part, which is held in place temporarily with pins. In the final assembly the various parts will be glued permanently. The hull above the keel is pinned and comes apart in two halves. In the final assembly they will be glued as well.
In the final picture you can see that the tops of the frames are uneven. They will be evened out later. When the holly parts have been finished and before the next step of working with the ebony parts, the hull will get a thin coating of a clear flat varnish to seal the pores.

Mast for a Model Yacht

Let's start with getting all the jokes about the missing boat out of the way. This is the set-up assembly of a mast for a radio controlled sailboat. The material for the mast is made specifically for this purpose. It has an aerodynamic shape and a longitudinal slot where bolts can be secured.
The mast and boom sections were cut to length and the other parts were either scratch built or 'borrowed' from places where they have other uses.
The wire that can be seen on the right is used for turning the fitting on the end of the boom. A closer view below shows this better.
All of the lines and the rubber bands that you see will be replaced when the mast and booms are installed on the boat.
The sail attaches at this point. A section of the boom has been cut away. The attachment point for the sail is on a threaded rod. Turning the rod adjusts the tension on the sail.
The part that extends from the boom is a ball joint connector that normally acts as a clevis for a connecting rod used with a radio control servo. Here it allows for the attachment of a turning rod so that the sail attachment point can be adjusted.

Earlier pictures of HMS Bounty

While viewing the posts on this site, please, keep in mind that there may be more than one member of the Capital Marine Modellers' Guild working on a model of the same ship. There is even one modeller who has built several models of the same ship in different scales.
These are some photographs of the model of HMS Bounty that was shown in a posting in November 2006. These pictures were taken earlier in the model's construction.
The deck framing for the main deck can be seen here with the deck beneath it completed. Most of what you see here has been planked over and is no longer available to be viewed. There are many ship modellers who build this way.
More of the deck framing can be seen here. I believe that it is informative as well as interesting to see the various stages in a model's construction.

Nonsuch Progress

The modeller who is building Nonsuch, brought it out again to show his progress with it.You can see here that some decking, gratings and other such detail has been added. As well basic masts are in place. These may be place holders that will be replaced at a later time with more complete masts.
This overhead view shows the decks more clearly. The clear piece on the right is a piece of plastic taken from a CD case. It is being shaped to fit the stern. Once the builder is happy with the shape and fit of the piece he will use it as a template to build the stern piece out of wood.

Another Bounty Model

At the February meeting a new member brought out his work in progress of his model of HMS Bounty. The model is completely scratch built.
This shows detail on the deck. There is a small scribed hole where the mast will go.
The model builder is thinking of putting stub masts on the model. This is a fairly common practice, especially when display height is at a premium.
Hopefully there will be more to show of this model as the builder progresses with it.

Bluenose II

This Bluenose II Ship model was made from the Artesania-Latina kit. This one was completed within four months. The model builder says that he did his best to make it look good. It was placed under Plexiglas cover to protect it from dust.

Some Useful Tools

At the January meeting one of our members gave a presentation on a variety of tools that he has found useful in his ship modelling and in other applications as well. This is a very small and inexpensive adjustable square. It's small size means that it can be carried easily in a pocket. This tool has proved to be extremely useful.
This is a small saw made by Veritas. It comes with a magnetic guide that includes a clamp, which can open to an inch. The clamp holds a length of wood. The saw blade held by the magnet insures a square cut every time. Veritas is Lee Valley Tools', in house brand name.
These are a set of punches, a nail set and a chisel. There is a strong spring in the centre. The way the tool is used is to place it where it is to do the work, pull the spring and release it. Doing that propels the business end of the tool as if the end had been hit with a hammer. The difference is that these tools do the job with greater accuracy.
This is a very small plane. Once the plane and the blade were lapped this tool proved to be very useful for model work as well as larger jobs. It has been used to build model ships and full size boats as well.
This is a small hack saw with a very thin blade. The tension on the blade can be easily set and the user says it cuts through the hardest woods like butter. The owner of the tool believes he purchased it at Princess Auto.
These are very small scale chisels. They are easy to sharpen and are very useful for cutting small channels, squaring off drilled holes, etc.
This is another saw made by Vertas. It has a very flexible blade and the saw teeth are all set on one side only. If you click on the picture to get a larger view you will see it has "this side up" etched on one side near the handle. This tool is ideal for cutting dowels or other protruding items flush with the surface without the need for further sanding or planing. The owner of this tool recommends that when using this saw that a protective glove be worn to prevent the very sharp teeth from cutting fingers.
This is a small inexpensive metal ruler with a movable square. It can be carried in a breast pocket and has proved to be very useful with a variety of applications.
This offset screw driver is made by Mastercraft, Canadian Tire's in house brand of tools. The person who gave the presentation said that this is the only offset screw driver he has ever found that is any good and that this one is very good. It comes with an extension and a set of attachments for just about every purpose. In the user's opinion it is very good value for money.

San Juan Nepomuceno

This model of San Juan Nepomuceno was built from an Artesania Latina kit. San Juan Nepmuceno was a seventy-four gun Spanish ship of the line launched in 1765. She served in the Spanish armada for forty years until captured in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805
The ship was 2700 tons with eight officers, eleven midshipmen, nineteen leading seamen and 492 able seamen. The model is 1:90 scale and took the builder three years to complete. A Plexiglas case protects it.

Otoko-tachi no Yamato

At our January meeting one of our members showed the final battle sequence from the Japanese produced movie, Otoko-tachi no Yamato. The film is very impressive, though there is no dubbed English version yet.

A trailer for this film can be seen here.

Conversion of a WWII “Big Gun” Cruiser to a Guided Missile Cruiser - Now Completed

The model in the background is the completed conversion of USS Boston as detailed in the post of November 26, 2006. The model in the foreground is of USS Los Angeles, the ship kit from which the USS Boston was built. These are both Baltimore class heavy cruisers.
This drawing of USS Boston was copied from a magazine, modified according to photographs and resized to 1:700 scale in order to provide a plan from which to make the modifications to build the model.
This is another view of the two ships from the reverse angle. This will allow comparisons between the two ships. You will notice that the shape and width of the stern is very different.

The construction of the tower mast structure amidships used an interesting technique. Double sided tape was laid down on a surface. The modeller drew the plan for one side of the tower on the tape. He laid plastic rod down on the drawing on the tape, cutting each piece to length on the tape. He then applied a small amount of liquid plastic glue to each joint. When the glue set the piece could be removed. This was done for the front and back of the tower. The following assembly task was relatively easy.

Beginning Nonsuch

Shown here is a model of Nonsuch in the very early stages of construction. Nonsuch was the ship with which Radisson and Des Groseilliers voyaged to Canada and founded the Hudson Bay Company in 1668. This model is being built in 1:96 scale (1/8 inch to the foot). The coin in the picture is a quarter.
The two halves can be seen here held together with clips. Once the research has been done and adequate drawings either having been obtained or drawn the first stage of building the model in this case was to carve a plug using the inside dimensions of the hull.This plug is then cut into five sections as can be seen here. There are two outside parts and three inside parts. Once the hull has been constructed, the center part of the plug can be removed. This allows the other two inner pieces to collapse inward and be removed after which the two outside pieces can be removed.
The various sub assemblies are held together with pins. This allows removal and adjustment until the parts must be finally glued or otherwise fastened together.
As can be seen here grooves have been cut where the deck shelving timber and other key longitudinal beams will go. As well there are lines drawn on the plug to indicate the location of key frames.
The model will be planked on the top portion only, leaving the inner detail below open for viewing. The builder chose to build this model exclusively from holly and ebony in an attempt to simulate the look of prisoner of war bone ship models of the Napoleonic era.