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School for Shipmodel Building School for model ship building

what i have here is a hull "as drawn" which does not mean i will be able to get a flowing shape and fair lines those "sweet curves" as they are called them down in the shipyard.

the two terms are as drawn and as built the war ships on the Lakes were built first and drawing made from what was built.

An impression some model shipwrights get is the planking of the hull gives shape to the hull. Not so. the planking is a skin over the hull shape. You need a good foundation under the planking.
This weeks work is the big test and to validate the drawings done in my virtual mold loft? or as they say back to the drawing board

story time

living on the shores of the Great Lakes there were ship builders still around and to this day you still find them. a story told to me by an old timer boat builder. his story sounds logical but believable well"
When the hull was framed up to the bow and sterns he said in the winter they packed the bow with snow and tossed water on the packed snow. It turned into an ice sculpture. They poured warm water along the stem and 1st frame so the entire piece fell out. Then it was sawn into patterns that were traced. The shape of the entrance and run make all the difference in how a ship sails and handles. Needless to say the shape of the hull and its planking was and is still the pride and joy of a shipwright.
 
Good morning class
Today is all about shaping the hull. It does not matter if you're shaping a bulkhead hull or a framed hull it is important to have the proper shape to plank over or show off the framing. Bulkhead hull are a little more difficult to shape due to the wide spaced bulkheads and lack of reference points between the bulkheads, a framed hull provides more points to work with. Bulkhead hulls are either double planked or filler blocks are used. The first layer of planking will tend to have low spots where the planks tend to lay flat between bulkheads or bend outward where the hull should have a concave shape. When the first planking is finished a wood filler should be used over the planking and the hull sanded to shape. Once the hull is ready to shape using a disk sander with a disk that will span 3 to 4 frames, or you can use a sanding black. The reason for the size of the sanding block or disk spanning 3 or so frames is because your using the frames as a reference to one another.
The disks are a DIY and made from plastic bottle tops.

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Starting the shaping of the hull begins at the main wales. This is where the bottom of the hull meets the upperworks and the shape goes from convex to concave which is known as the tumble home. I lightly touched the hull from the stem to the stern marking the wale location

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At the bow the forward edge of the frames are hit first and at the stern the back edge of the frames are hit. This is the start of the bevels. Now, some builders will build and finish each frame with the bevels sanded in. Then each frame is placed in the hull. I find it far easier to shape the hull as one unit rather than frame by frame.

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Another pass or two along the hull widens the sanding area. The idea here is to bring all the frames in line so you have an even belt from frame to frame. You can check your progress by using a batten. This is a strip of wood held against the hull to check high and low spots.
Same would apply to the first planking on a bulkhead hull.

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Keeping an eye on the bow and stern as the bevels begin to take shape. The bevels are smaller at the ends and get wider and wider as they blend into the mid-section.
Many time i come across builders cursing the laser char but in this case, it is a blessing because it is showing low spots, and it also is showing the hull shape as you proceed.

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Using the laser char to help shape the hull works great. So i thought for the 1st planking on a bulkhead hull what can be used to coat the hull so as you sand the hull you are removing the coating and showing high and low areas. Then again it may not be that critical and the second layer will even itself out.
 
As shaping of the hull proceeds the top of the sanded area follows the sheer or curve of the wales from bow to stern and at this point is even all along the surface. you can see the hull taking shape and the three main sections the entrance at the bow the body mid-ship and the run at the stern.
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Working the mid-section down to the keel is where the hull curves outward, what we have at the bow and stern the hull curves inward. At this point the shape of the hull along the wales and mid-section are established so now it is a blending in the hollow entrance and run. This is also where the bevels are most pronounced.

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The Dremel with a 90 degree is a great tool. the sanding pads are all made from stuff around the house. Don't use sanding paper sheets they are too thin and crinkle. use sanding belts they have a stiff backing and cut them up.

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while your buying sanding belts get some Velcro and glue it ti the back of the belt. You can buy velcro pads or make your own out of plastic bottle tops.
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Roger Pellett said:
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
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Roger,

It was a pleasant surprise to read your post and see my uncle, Merritt Edson, mentioned. After decades of military service I have time now to set aside to explore the hobby of ship modeling. How I wish he was still with us to be my mentor, with the added benefit of his complete workshop. Alas, all that remains are a much reduced collection of books from what was his extensive library and a couple of partially assembled kits he must have worked on. By chance I also happened across an early scrap book of his with photographs and notes covering many of the models he constructed. In addition I also have a first printing of the NRG Ship Modeler's Shop Notes of which he was the editor.

Dave "Eddie" Edson
 
Bob Cleek said:
While you're awaiting unpacking your shop (I feel your pain! :)), you might want to pick up a few books on wooden ship building in general and modeling in particular to read in your spare time and to save as valuable reference works. If you are interested in British Admiralty vessels of the Eighteenth Century (and American, for that matter - these being "close enough for government work"), you'll find any of the below volumes of great interest:

Building the Wooden Fighting Ship by James Moore and James W. Dodds

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Wooden Warship Construction - A History in Ship Models by Brian Lavery

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This volume, a quality paperback reprint of a contemporary work, addresses early 20th Century wooden shipbuilding practices:

Wooden Ship-Building by Charles Desmond

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If you are serious about building, particularly from scratch, anything from the broad spectrum of British Admiralty sailing warships, which for all practical purposes comes rather close to United States practices over the same time span, the "trifecta" is the below set of three volumes which, on their own, would suffice as a pretty good basic reference library on the subject. (Published separately, they were intended as a three-volume set and share the same format.) They can be a bit pricey, but these are large "coffee table" sized high quality hardback books that are chock-full of information and written by the recognized authorities on the subject today. They're widely available on the used market and if you shop around, some real bargain prices can be found. As they saying goes, "You can take these ones to the bank."

The Masting and Rigging of English Ships of War, 1625-1860 by James Lees
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The Arming and Fitting of English Ships of War, 1600-1815 by Brian Lavery

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The Construction and Fitting of English Man of War, 1650-1850 by Peter Goodwin

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For those who are interested in the why of shipbuilding in the age of sail, I haven't come across a better book than Seamanship in the Age of Sail. This huge compendium lays out in readily understandable terms not only how the ships were rigged but how much sail was set in each condition of wind and sea, how the various maneuvers were carried out, and the intricacies of operations like reefing sails or 'catting' an anchor. All of these details, known from firsthand experience by those familiar with the operation of full-sized square-rigged vessels but of which a "lay" modeler is uninformed, must be known if a truly accurate model is to be built. The devil is in the details that give real "life" to a model, details which the kit instructions rarely provide. Moreover, an understanding of how the ships we model actually worked makes modeling them accurately far easier. Few modelers in this day and age have had the opportunity to climb ratlines and stand on a footrope to furl a sail in a blow (not recommended if you can avoid it! ;),) hang a coil of line on a belaying pin, tack or wear a square-rigged vessel, or even spend any time under sail in "blue water." This book makes up for that. It's fascinating reading with lots of good illustrations, too! I must say it isn't inexpensive, but there are many used copies available, and your heirs will probably realize a reasonable return when they sell off your copy on eBay. This one is a classic.

Seamanship in the Age of Sail: An Account of the Shiphandling of the Sailing Man-of-War 1600-1860, Based on Contemporary Sources by John Harland

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For those who want to learn more about the techniques of ship modeling, especially scratch building, I don't think there's a better book on the subject than The Art of Ship Modeling by Bernard Frolich. You could spend years building a library of books addressing the techniques of ship modeling to learn all the "tricks of the trade," but many are now out of date and of limited usefulness. (Gerald Wingrove's The Techniques of Ship Modeling is an example. A great book, but if you don't own a no longer made and now "collectable" Unimat lathe, you'll find a lot of his great advice sadly useless to you.) Forlich's book covers it all in the context of contemporary technology. As one review put it, "The Art of Shipmodeling describes the author's experience and methods in 300 pages abundantly illustrated with numerous drawings, sketches and more than 600 commentated photos. In this book, Frölich describes in detail all the crafts that a shipmodeler must master : he must be in turn a shipwright; a carpenter; a cabinetmaker; a marqueter; a blacksmith; a ropemaker and a sailmaker. He shows that any beginner, if he is industrious and persevering, can master this art." This book was originally written in French, if memory serves, but is available in several translations. Be sure you are ordering the English translation! Like all good things, this one is recommended with the caution that it ain't cheap by a long shot. It's relatively recently published and "in print," so there won't be a lot of copies on the used market, but shop around and you may get lucky. The only criticism I have of the book is that it is so large and heavy that it's best read at a desk. It's not suitable for laptop reading in bed! As for the cost, its content includes what you'd have to buy a half dozen other books to even approach equaling. This one's definitely worthy of leaving on your coffee table so when friends see your models and ask how you build them, you can show them the book and amaze them with the extent of your talents! :D

The Art of Ship modeling by Bernard Frolich​


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Finally, for those who model British sailing warships and find themselves wondering about things like "What's the diameter of a mainmast on a 74-gun ship of the line?" or "What size block was used on a signal halyard?" or even "What's a crossed cat harpin?" I strongly recommend Scantlings of the Royal Navy 1719-1805 Comparisons of 1719, 1745 Establishments, Ship Builders Repository and Steel’s Elements and Practice by Allan Yedlinsky. While I'd have to say that although this book, which includes a readable reprint of Steel's Elements and Practice, the 1794 seminal work on the subject, is required bedtime reading for any insomniac, it contains everything we have in the historical record for the construction details used by the British Admiralty during the Age of Sail laid out in very accessible spiral bound wide "spread sheet" format and is, in my opinion, an indispensable reference work for anybody building British (and American) sailing warships of that period. It's recently published by Seawatch Books, so I doubt that there will be many copies on the used market as yet, but for what it contains, and the prodigious work required to compile and organize it, definitely worth the price and then some.

Scantlings of the Royal Navy 1719-1805 Comparisons of 1719, 1745 Establishments, Ship Builders Repository and Steel’s Elements and Practice by Allan Yedlinsky​


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seawatchbooks.com

Scantlings of the Royal Navy 1719-1805 Comparisons of 1719, 1745 Estab

This specially formatted book (14”x8 ½”) is divided into 2 sections. The first shows all of the scantlings from the 1719, 1745 and 1750 amended figures in an easy to use spread sheet format. The second section compares Steel and Ship Builders Repository in the same format. Additionally, the...
seawatchbooks.com seawatchbooks.com

This post isn't intended to "hijack" Dale Stevens' very promising "class" on scratch ship modeling but is only offered in response to Kurt Konrath's post above as what I hope will be a helpful "required reading" list for Dale's class. Not only do these volumes cover the subject comprehensively, but all are valuable reference works worthy of being close at hand on any ship modeler's bookshelf whether they assemble kits or build from scratch. All are thoroughly and clearly illustrated, so, a picture being worth a thousand words, seemingly costly as some may be, they are all worthwhile investments. If these books had been available when I started getting serious about ship modeling, I'd have saved a lot of money buying books over the decades that I've been building my nautical research library, and I'd have a lot more room on my bookshelves! A tremendous amount of information about period ships has become far more accessible in recent times and can now be accessed expeditiously in far fewer books than was once the case.
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Bob, thank you for your book recommendations, a few of which I have. I had to smile at your comment "Few modelers in this day and age have had the opportunity to climb ratlines and stand on a footrope to furl a sail . . . " In 1986 I was part of the crew sailing the Star of India, the culmination of two years of volunteer work learning the ropes, literally, that make up the standing and running rigging of a sailing ship, with many hours spent climbing the ratlines and standing on footropes furling sails. I count that experience among my life's best and most rewarding!
 
MarineGen3 said:
Bob, thank you for your book recommendations, a few of which I have. I had to smile at your comment "Few modelers in this day and age have had the opportunity to climb ratlines and stand on a footrope to furl a sail . . . " In 1986 I was part of the crew sailing the Star of India, the culmination of two years of volunteer work learning the ropes, literally, that make up the standing and running rigging of a sailing ship, with many hours spent climbing the ratlines and standing on footropes furling sails. I count that experience among my life's best and most rewarding!
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You are indeed one of the few. You should have little problem rigging a ship model, which is a lot easier than rigging a life size ship! You'll find a model is a lot less work. For one thing, when you drop a tool, you don't have as far to go to pick it up. :D

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Dave Stevens (Lumberyard) said:
It was a pleasant surprise to read your post and see my uncle, Merritt Edson,

Going through Hahn's archives i found a box of letters between Merrott and Harold, seems they were pen palls for a long time along with other master class builders.
From the Hahn archives

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Two of Merritt's earliest works, treasured family heirlooms that I remember from my earliest years, now having pride of place in my own home.

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