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Rescuing a lawn ornament.

B

Bob sav

Joined
Jun 4, 2024
Messages
164
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Location
New Port, Richey, Florida
I new here so please be gentle.. I'm 72 and retired and would like to try my hand at ship building. I'm want to get my feet wet by trying to rescue this what I call " lawn oranmant ".
I the features look way out of scale but I would like to try and re-do some of the obvious flaws. I thought I'd start with the deck railings . I also need ideas as to modify the round holes to make them look like gun ports. Any ideas will be welcome and I would also like to know if you think this is a waste of time. So I just trash it and start something else.

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You can add all sorts of details and more element to this, but it will always be a lawn ornament. I can't even figure out what type of vessel this is supposed to represent (Chinese fishing boat/spy trauler perhaps?). I think those holes are just porthole, and the hinged masts are definitely cranes. The anchors are purely ornamental in the current condition.
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Yes I believe this was someone's " interpretation " of a vessel. The scale is off and what features it has are crude. I'm still trying to decide what to do with it. Yes the holes are just port holes, I misspoke and called them gun openings. Someone spent a good bit of time creating this mess and now I stuck with it. I guess the bigger questions is if I did in fact " dress her up ' what the heck would I do with it then . I appreciate your input, thanks
 
If you like it, enjoy it. While it is not a real ship, one of the things that I thought was interesting are the hinged masts/cranes If you build a model of an actual ship, displaying it side by side with this one might make for interesting conversations with visitors that have an interest in ships.
Allan
 
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Bob sav said:
Yes I believe this was someone's " interpretation " of a vessel. The scale is off and what features it has are crude. I'm still trying to decide what to do with it. Yes the holes are just port holes, I misspoke and called them gun openings. Someone spent a good bit of time creating this mess and now I stuck with it. I guess the bigger questions is if I did in fact " dress her up ' what the heck would I do with it then . I appreciate your input, thanks
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There are so many things, it's hard to know where to start. If you want to keep the mono-tone orange color of the model, add some brass rings around the portholes. Rig some cargo nets hanging from the cranes (those are not masts, and do not carry sails). Anything you do at this point would be an improvement. It should probably continue serving as a yard ornament.
 
Interesting idea. Do you have any idea what I can use to make cargo nets ? No way would I want to weave my one from thread. Have you seen any photos of what this " ship " should look like. ?
 
Bob sav said:
Interesting idea. Do you have any idea what I can use to make cargo nets ? No way would I want to weave my one from thread. Have you seen any photos of what this " ship " should look like. ?
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I would find a 3"x3" square mesh from a craft store, tie a short length of line to each corners, make eyes at the ends of those for lengths, then hook the eyes on a hook that is at the end of the crane cable. This ornamental boat is not a model or replica of any particular craft, although it best resembles a Chinese fishing trauler. Search Google images for "Chinese fishing trauler" and see what you can come up with.
 
DARIVS ARCHITECTVS said:
I would find a 3"x3" square mesh from a craft store, tie a short length of line to each corners, make eyes at the ends of those for lengths, then hook the eyes on a hook that is at the end of the crane cable. This ornamental boat is not a model or replica of any particular craft, although it best resembles a Chinese fishing trauler. Search Google images for "Chinese fishing trauler" and see what you can come up with.
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" Ornamental " You are being too kind sir. !
 
Brother Bob:
Nice to look at despite lack of accuracy. Those are masts, not "cranes." A traditional cargo boom has to be rigged to a mast or king post, otherwise there is no way to hoist it (see pic below). Those are masts set on tabernacles. Whether a vessel of the size and type represented ever used tabernacles, I can't say. See 2nd pic below showing a catboat with a tabernacle. I wouldn't do much work modifying the model because that would reduce whatever charm it has as an artifact without making it significantly more accurate. You might want to change out the anchors and, if you feel ambitious, add sails, since junk sails are so interesting and distinctive. Whatever you do, preserve that nice patina. Have fun!

cargo boom.jpegtabernacle.png
 
Thanks for you input. This thing has a sort of " charm " that makes it "interesting "on hand as well as oddly crude on the other, I'm trying to figure out how these cranes were intended to be rigged, Your post gives me some ideas. I want to just toss the whole thing but something in me won't allow that, at least for now,
In the end it will be welcomed at the local Salvation Army thrift store :p
 
AndyA said:
Brother Bob:
Nice to look at despite lack of accuracy. Those are masts, not "cranes." A traditional cargo boom has to be rigged to a mast or king post, otherwise there is no way to hoist it (see pic below). Those are masts set on tabernacles. Whether a vessel of the size and type represented ever used tabernacles, I can't say. See 2nd pic below showing a catboat with a tabernacle. I wouldn't do much work modifying the model because that would reduce whatever charm it has as an artifact without making it significantly more accurate. You might want to change out the anchors and, if you feel ambitious, add sails, since junk sails are so interesting and distinctive. Whatever you do, preserve that nice patina. Have fun!

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I stand corrected.
 
While it is true that this is not a scale model of anything, and most probably anything you do to it will result in a fancier model of nothing, it is also true that the more you do to it, the more you will hone your skills, develop techniques, acquire or locate tools, all of which will help prepare you for your next model, as well as confirm that this is something that you want begin to do. Rarely do we get to do model ship work without the responsibility to have it as perfect as we can for future display, due to the dollars and time invested. Enjoy doing what you like on this ship, and while doing so, plan your next model.
 
Has anyone asked WHY this particular lawn ornament NEEDS saving? Wouldn't a beginner project be more useful if were ANYTHING else? There are plenty of beginner level kits out there, and they will yield far better results, both as a finished object and as useful experience for the builder.
 
While the focus of this forum is, appropriately, the construction of accurate scale models, other types of representations of vessels can be beautiful and useful. Differing styles are also apparent in other art forms, for example both paintings and sculptures can range from starkly realistic to abstract. Some wonderful models that are not strictly accurate, but give the viewer a good idea of the nature of the vessel are European votive models (pic is of a 15th century Spanish model of a carrack), ancient Egyptian tomb models (2nd pic is of a model from about 1975 BC), and a modern model of a Lenape dugout canoe. Each of us gets to define the purpose of our handiwork and go down that path. Fair winds!

carrack votive.jpgegyptian c1975 bc.jpeglenape dugout 1.jpg
 
Another example of a semi-accurate folk model. This is a schooner built in the 1980's by a retired fellow who grew up in Newfoundland in a family of fisherman and boatbuilders. He told of building his first boat when he was 12 years old. He built this solid hull representation of a Newfoundland schooner with hand tools.

julie ann 2.jpg
 
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