School for model ship building

Dave Stevens (Lumberyard)

Dave Stevens (Lumberyard)

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having finished the Alfred stern, i have the stern of the Hancock prepped up as the next project. After thinking about it i decided to do something different. I titled this school for model ship building because that is how i am going to create this next project. Starting with plans i will take you through the process of building a model of a ship. Focusing on one ship, i will keep the process generic so the information can be applied to any subject. The main focus will be around the work of Harold Hahn an engineer by trade, an artist by passion, a painter, illustrator, writer and master model builder. His work influenced a generation of model ship builders and his innovative approach to building a jig is used my kit manufactures around the world. I met Harold at a newly formed model ship club at the Inland Seas Maritime Museum. We hit it off and became friends for years after that meeting. i spent many hours in his library, office and work room. Over time the Lumberyards "timbering sets" were created for builders who did not have the machines to mill their own wood. One thing Harold made very clear he had a strong dislike for kits and that is why the timbering set never did become a full blown kit, he would not allow it. Harold reasoning was putting the art back into the art of model ship building. As he said "a builder has to develop skills. learn how ships were built" in order to create an original piece of art. Our relationship was more a master and student and i felt it was not my place to question the master, But, over time we became more of an equal (not in skills) and i did question his rule that never ever will his work be turned into a kit. My point was, i understand his purity of the art form but there is a need for builders to bridge the gap from building ships out if a box and jumping into the deep end of scratch building. Instructions were also a no, no again Harold's reasons you are following someone's else's methods rather than working out problems for yourself, it is your creation so figure it out and keep it original.
 
Embarking on a build project it is a matter of the subject being an actual historic ship or totally made up or built from a best guess. In the case of the Sir Edward Hawk it was an actual historical vessel which gives it credibility and you building a real historic ship.

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Hi Dave, I met Harold at the 1975 Nautical Research Guild Conference in of all places, Marietta, Ohio. I now realize that it was a meeting of Who’s Who of Midwestern Ship Model Building. Bob Bruckshaw and Dana McCalip were also there. Although not a midwesterner, Merritt Edson presided over the conference. Then living in Marietta, I was fortunate for the conference to be held at my doorstep. I 100 percent agree with Harold’s ship model building philosophy. Unfortunately the Guild today would muzzle Harold as their stated philosophy is learning by building successive kits each with detailed instructions. A sad change for what was once a great organization.

In 1979, my parents moved to a home in the Vermilion lagoons where my father was active in the Vermilion Yacht Club. I was briefly a member of your ship modeling club there and exhibited two models at the Museum’s ship model contest. I believe that you and I met then.

Roger
 
Dave Stevens (Lumberyard) said:
One thing Harold made very clear he had a strong dislike for kits and that is why the timbering set never did become a full blown kit, he would not allow it. Harold reasoning was putting the art back into the art of model ship building. As he said "a builder has to develop skills. learn how ships were built" in order to create an original piece of art. Our relationship was more a master and student and i felt it was not my place to question the master, But, over time we became more of an equal (not in skills) and i did question his rule that never ever will his work be turned into a kit. My point was, i understand his purity of the art form but there is a need for builders to bridge the gap from building ships out if a box and jumping into the deep end of scratch building. Instructions were also a no, no again Harold's reasons you are following someone's else's methods rather than working out problems for yourself, it is your creation so figure it out and keep it original.
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I wholeheartedly agree with Roger's comments in post #5 above. I also agree with Hahn's belief that a builder has to develop skills. learn how ships were built, in order to create an original piece of art." My own opinion, however, is tempered by the belief that simple, entry level ship model kits, if well designed, can serve as a "gateway drug" for the hobby. Unfortunately, in my opinion again, it seems that in their relentless pursuit of sales, kit manufacturers have sought to market increasingly complex models which they've led many modelers today to think of as the pinnacles of achievement when, in fact, they can never be anything more than a exercise in following instructions that yields extremely little, if any, academic historical or artistic achievement. There's nothing wrong with building kits, but Hahn is correct, I believe, in saying that a lot of bad habits can develop from never going beyond kit assembly.

I think all Hahn was really saying was, "Give a man a kit and he will assemble kit after kit but teach a man to scratch build and he'll build unique works of art for the rest of his life."
 



Hello Don
i am not sure of the reference to AQ Hunt but i assure you i am not asking for support or help in this endeavor for me it is a matter of paying forward. This idea for a "school for model shipbuilding " is all on me i do not expect anyone to step in and teach or add anything, i would welcome feed back or if anyone wants to contribute. I can see how the idea can blossom into a major data base of information, perhaps it will in the future. But for now it is the ramblings of a model builder. There is no worry about it really, really working at this point it is a matter of organizing and uploading. Now is the time as i am creeping up on 80 years so it is time to get it done. Fate had it way from the first day i met Harold Hahn and Robert Bruckshaw to the time Harold passed away and i got a call from his family asking if i would come over and if i wanted to go through his studio. I was told i could have anything and everything. These was sooo much so much it was a man's entire passion stacked everywhere and now it is my turn to move it all forward.

this is my wife EV and Harolds daughter

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this is Ev saying we are going to need a bigger truck

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in every corner on every shelf boxes full of research material. Harold must of had a hundred or more book published on ships and maritime
history. File cabinets full

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a few more boxes and piles and his studio will be cleaned, repaired and painted and sold.

does that answer your question Don Farr? moving his work forward. Harold Hahn's paintings, etchings, prints and models are in museums and private collections. Some of the successful model shipbuilders in our generation began with building models by Harold Hahn and influenced by his art.
It is about learning an art form.

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Hello Dave,

Wow! What a treasure has been bestowed to you. I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of writing down several of the book titles from the collection. I am looking forward very enthusiastically to following your new endeavor.

Bill
 
Bill, I also have a HUGE book collection but not quite in Harold Hahn’s league. It has outgrown the dedicated library in my house. I need to weed it out. In particular I want to dispose of “Nelson era age of sail” books. Send me a list of your needs and I have what you are looking for. Pricing, very favorable!

Roger
 
Bill-R said:
Hello Dave,

Wow! What a treasure has been bestowed to you. I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of writing down several of the book titles from the collection. I am looking forward very enthusiastically to following your new endeavor.

Bill
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the pictures are not close to his library many books were in boxes that i did not empty out to take pictures.

Wow! What a treasure has been bestowed to you.

the real treasure was the time spent with Harold and the many, many hours of conversations.
 
I for one would like to enroll in your new class at the school.

I only know basics from a few attempts at building from scratch, which you have assisted me on in past.

Hopefully we won't get time take like we all lost to COVID in past.
 
DISCLAIMER: My humble opinion

only a very few possess an artistic talent, gift, or ability of building ships from scratch. Most of the on coming communities that want to even get into this wonderful hobby, first have to learn the ships nautical terms and body plans which takes a long time unless a person is gifted in such areas. Instead of the encouragement of Hahn, I see a disconnect and discouragement from common folk that want to pursue the hobby. To me, his doctrine and philosophy is too strict and almost borders a line of arrogance against those that are unable to understand the complexities of scratch building. Which there again has a propensity of weeding out those that want to pursue the hobby. In other words, unless a person can’t build a ship from scratch they are not worthy in his eyes.
However, I also applaud anyone willing to take on the task to educate the rest of us on how to scratch building.
 
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Donnie
Actually you are right with this statement "To me, his doctrine and philosophy is too strict and almost borders a line of arrogance"

This is how i felt in the early days belonging to the model club at the Inland Seas museum. The core group of the builders were building for museums and private collectors they were the master class even the editor of the NRG journal was a member. You just didn't approach them and become buddy, buddy. If they did not see that burning desire to learn or basic natural talent they indeed did, just brush you off with don't bother me. It was the journeyman and apprentice situation. I saw this as the chocolate bunny there are two types the hollow bunny and the solid chocolate ones. Once you break the outer shell of arrogance there is nothing there it is hollow. Bite into the solid ones and you get a mouth full. That is how these guys were, they knew what they were doing, and they did it to a level of master class. Looking from the bottom up yes it appears like, you arrogant, smug stuffy know it all you elitists jerk how dare you look down your nose at me.
BUT they laid the groundwork for what this hobby is today from a simple kit to a museum piece.

only a very few possess an artistic talent, gift, or ability of building ships from scratch.

once again there is a truth to the statement Hahn had a degree in engineering and fine art and a natural talent Bob Bruckshaw was a designer and draftsmen by trade. members of the club were artists. teachers and Marine Surveyors a couple actually worked in shipyards, highly skilled machinists. There was the inner "club" Harold Hahn would travel to Bob Bruckshaw's shop it was Bob who mentored Harold, August Crabtree who's work is in the Matitime museum would come up in his camper and camp out in Harolds driveway. both Harold and Bob would visit Howard Chapelle in his home.
So yes. becoming a member of the master class is a long and hard road.
BUT,
that is not the goal here as Bob would say if you can build a kit you can build a museum piece. My brother and i owned a tree service business at one time. Trees are really heavy and my brother would say "if you can move it an inch you can move it a mile"

I see a disconnect and discouragement from common folk that want to pursue the hobby.
Which there again has a propensity of weeding out those that want to pursue the hobby. In other words, unless a person can’t build a ship from scratch they are not worthy in his eyes.

once again there is a truth to this and this master class of builders back in the day did shape the attitude of the Nautical Research Guild. The guild did not want to be a "hobby" level group or the journal to be a hobby magazine. They were into the dogma of the master class and articles like Models that Should not be Built were their main stay. However, in time the solid master class builders were replace by a hollow arrogance of a new generation.

this may not be for everyone, but it is about the bridge between the master class and the easy pass time hobby. you can take away from this whatever suite you and work it to your best ability.
 
There is another aspect to this. Many of the guys that Dave mentions were maritime professionals. I believe that the club that Dave mentions met in Vermilion, Ohio and there was a large shipyard building Great Lakes vessels at Lorain nearby. And of course Howard Chapelle was a Naval Architect. These guys were proud of their profession and building historically accurate ship models was a way to commemorate it. With a degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, I too count myself as a maritime professional. When I build a model, I enjoy not only enjoy doing the research, but figuring out why various modeling subjects were built the way that they were. It is these scratch built models that will commemorate our history.

I am not ashamed to say that I liked the “old” NRG and am disturbed at what it has become. We live in a society where there are all sorts of selective activities; athletics, entertainment, etc. Olympic athletes are not criticized for being “Snooty.” Actually, scratch ship model building is quite democratic. Dave’s club and the NRG accepted everybody, the materials are not expensive, and the know how is available to those wishing to learn. Those without a workshop; see the remarkable models built by post “shipbuilder” (Bob Wilson). With kits now selling for $500 and up, this must exclude many newcomers.

I don’t see that us old time scratch builders want to exclude anyone from our fascinating activity. Instead, we are here to pass on our knowledge to everyone on this forum who asks for it.

Roger
 
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