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Building the titanic

M

mickeyfinch

Joined
Nov 9, 2024
Messages
14
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8

Hi There are many examples of kits for the titanic. Ide like to approach this from scratch. Never done this or anything like this before. I have skills and tools.
Any advice would be appreciated
 
Justin said:
Start with a lifeboat.....:)
Click to expand...

He’s right. Thumbsup

I’m assuming that you want to build a big and detailed one and not just to whittle one from a stick one sunny afternoon?

While I admire your enthusiasm enormously, my advice is to slow down, take a breath. Read a few build logs here. Read the Beginners Corner part of the forum. All you need to know is already there for you including suggestions for starter projects.

Then start with a simple kit to find out what skills you don’t yet have. When you get stuck ask questions about the particular problem “What direction does the gruttoch flange spin on Thursday mornings in the Mediterranean?” Someone here will probably know.

Good luck with this hobby, the most important requirement for which is surely patience. :D
 
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Im really confused now. I've watched videos of constructions from kits and videos of scratch constructions. The scratch one I watched took four years to build. Times not a problem but I'm not sure that I can achieve the fine detail that comes with the kits. I'm a bit of a purist really and leaning towards the scratch job. The problem with that is I have no experience of adapting materials to become other things. Is there a sauce of information for this ,or do I have to obtain it all before I start.
as a example. Take the lifeboats. for a 200 to one scale model these will be quite small and the detail will be difficult . I've come up with a few ways to make them but not sure which is the best. I understand that I cant replicate other peoples expediencies but advice would be good.
 
Scratch building is all about planning and then problem solving.

You need to decide on scale. This is a balance between your skill level and the room available to display the model. I am scratch building a steamship model to 1:96 scale, close to metric1:100. At that scale, I am able to model fine detail. A popular Titanic scale seems to be 1:200 but detail becomes tiny.

Do you intend to use hi-tech ship modeling techniques like 3-D printing?

What materials do you plan to use? My model features a carved wooden hull plated with shellac saturated paper but everything else is soldered brass. Quicker and perhaps easier would be styrene plastic but would not have the long term longevity as brass.

If you intend to use plastic, those pesky lifeboats could be easily vacuum formed.

The hull is the basis for any good ship model. How do you plan to build it? POB, carved hull?

First project should be to accumulate a good collection of drawings. A lines drawing and plating expansion drawing can be found on the internet. I have no idea about their accuracy.

Modeling a 20th Century Steamship presents challenges different from building a classic Age of Sail warship model. Sometimes I have to try several different approaches to model a part. I don’t see a beginner’s kit as providing relevant experience for tackling this project. Get your research about the ship done, decide how to build it, and make some sawdust! You’re in for a long haul.

Roger
 
schooners are fun for a first ship. i scratch built the america schooner from model shipways plans. i had such a great time with her, i just got more plans n have building ships for over 50 years now. as you gain skills n tools, you can graduate to more complicated ship builds.

they may not be historically accurate, but they look great on display in my home. one step at a time.
 
Roger’s post is very informative!
“Scratch building is all about planning and then problem solving.”
That statement says it all.

I scratch build and have a few recommendations that work for me.

RESEARCH
I use an iPad with an app called Notability. This program allows me to create a Subject folder, in your case Titanic, and add Note pages where I can breakdown the individual parts of the Subject. For example Titanic Smoke Stacks. I then add and crop my research photos with text notes about the stacks into this Note. I will do this for each component of the build.

PLANS/DRAWINGS
I have used Corel Draw, Freehand and Illustrator on a desktop computer over the years. Currently I use Illustrator because I own it but there is a learning curve with any of these programs. There are probably other software programs out there but I have not researched them. 3D programs are probably more abundant.

In Illustrator, I can import scanned plans/drawings that might be low resolution and not well detailed but good enough to get an accurate shape. I will then just use that scan to trace over, creating a drawing. I can add more details or correct details using my Notes on the iPad as reference. Note, I am drawing in the scale size I want to achieve. I output a PDF and print as many copies as I please. If your printer is hooked up to your computer, you can print directly from the Illustrator program, no need to create a PDF (PDFs are native to Illustrator just to confuse matters). Just be sure you print out Actual Size and NOT Fit To Page which will rescale the drawing to the paper size.

MATERIALS
The material you choose will dictate how you use your plans/drawings. Since I model in brass, I use nail polish or cyanoacrylate to attach my print to the brass or use machinist dye to mark cut lines. This is where the planning comes into play. How best to make a part so there is less solder cleanup or what jig do I create to make multiple repeatable items look uniform.

Regarding the use of brass, I would recommend a resistance soldering unit. Well worth the investment.

There are many books that can give you direction.

Have fun!
Paul
 
Roger Pellett said:
Scratch building is all about planning and then problem solving.
Click to expand...
Ummm....I thought scratch build is all about skills and ability. You can do all the planning, but if you don't know how to read drafts, process materials, all of your research goes only for your history knowledge. What about having the necessary tools and knowledge using them, does this count?
 
Jimsky said:
Ummm....I thought scratch build is all about skills and ability. You can do all the planning, but if you don't know how to read drafts, process materials, all of your research goes only for your history knowledge. What about having the necessary tools and knowledge using them, does this count?
Click to expand...
That is the problem solving. What tools do I need. What skills do I need to acquire or hone. There are different levels of skill and ability. You acquire more skill and ability as you go, to the level you are satisfied with. The research channels those skills and gives you direction.
 
My post overlooked the issues raised by Jim but I agree with Paulpk. While there are a very few modelers who have the natural artistic ability to handcraft a highly decorated Seventeenth Century Warship, outstanding models can be built by much less talented modelers willing to put the time and effort into the necessary skills and research.

I graduated from Engineering School in 1965, a time when all engineering students began their education by taking two mechanical drawing classes. My degree was in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering where we made and used drawings specific to ship building. This included drawing a set of lines from a table of offsets. My career required daily use of drawings and the trigonometric relations involved. Reading and taking information from drawings is second nature to me. I do not use CAD nor do I feel the ned to do so.

Since beginning my career ex four years spent in the Navy I have been amassing a collection of tools. Actually my first purchase was during my Navy time; a set of socket wrenches necessary to keep my $250 1958 Chevy BelAire running on the streets of Washington DC. My first major power tool was a drill press bought in the early 1970’s. It is still in use today. In fact it is the tool that I use more often. My wife understands my ship modeling obsession and supports my buying the tools that I need.


I should add that my natural modeling skills are minimal, I have no artistic talent. No one would say that my work is naturally “clean and crisp.” I try, with some success, to offset this by making crude wooden jigs and fixtures to hold things while I work on them. I also have a Sherline Lathe and Mill that allows me to work to high tolerances. (.010” is about 1in for my current project.)

While I understand that many forum members may not believe that they have the necessary material resources and knowledge, I still believe if they truly want to tackle a challenging scratch building project they should do so. I do not agree that assembling a kit is necessary to develop the skills to do this. Break the project down into pieces, develop a plan to build each piece including the materials involved. I believe that most forum members will be surprised by what they can accomplish.

Roger
 
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mickeyfinch said:
Im really confused now. I've watched videos of constructions from kits and videos of scratch constructions. The scratch one I watched took four years to build. Times not a problem but I'm not sure that I can achieve the fine detail that comes with the kits. I'm a bit of a purist really and leaning towards the scratch job. The problem with that is I have no experience of adapting materials to become other things. Is there a sauce of information for this ,or do I have to obtain it all before I start.
as a example. Take the lifeboats. for a 200 to one scale model these will be quite small and the detail will be difficult . I've come up with a few ways to make them but not sure which is the best. I understand that I cant replicate other peoples expediencies but advice would be good.
Click to expand...
Hi Mickey. Justin is right, start doing it bit by bit. Experiment and try different ways. Videos and books are all great but the best way is to learn by doing. Sure, you will make mistakes but the the first attempt on your first piece doesn't have to be the final attempt. The skills and confidence come in time and if you have plenty of time and don't mind redoing things until you are happy with them the rest will come with patience and the desire to get better. Cheers Davydd
 
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You can do ANYTHING with wood or fix it with wood...Buy a cheap wood kit and build it...Time to get sawdust on your pants....Ask questions when your actually stuck...If your hellbent on scratch, but a cheap kit in a foreign language and follow the plans/pictures....X-Acto knife, piece of sandpaper and Titiebond (yellow) glue..All at Home Depot or Lowes..Maybe some pushpins and small clamps or rubber bands....

When its time to shoot, don't talk, shoot.....
 
Yea...The necessary skills can be learned and tools can be acquired with time, but I am talking about the abilities. One thing is 'I want to build this' another thing 'I can do it'!

We have many examples where underestimations of personal abilities lead to...unfinished project (in a better case), but frustration with the hobby to begin with...How many of us (including myself) ask if the project I want to build is for my teeth? I hear you; you may say that building from the kit may also lead to a fiasco and you will be correct! I am not saying that scratch build is a bad or good thing, same applies to the kit builders or kit bashers. A basic kit may\will contain almost everything you need to start with, (some kits may include the tools) while building the same basic model from scratch, will require a lot of knowledge from you to start the project.

I like to build from scratch, I really do, I like my skills to develop and excel. But there are things I will never learn, for sure. Maybe in the next life, perhaps? Honestly, I don't even know who I will be in the next life, if such thing exists, IMHO.
 
Having the dream of scratch building a detailed model of the Titanic when one has never done anything like it before can only end in disappointment, and discourage you from continuing on in this great hobby. There is nothing wrong with starting out with a scratch built model if you feel you have the basic skills. I would suggest start with a much simpler project, and there are lots of them to choose from, get an excellent set of drawings, do your research and have at it.
Jim
 
You might want to check out the Titanic build going on now. It is 1:144 scale which makes it over 6' long. There is a lot of info about it, but it is a kit build. Still a good source
 
One of the problems you may encounter is that the ship modeling world, and particularly the scratch building ship modeling world is focused on wooden Nelson era warships. While these surely make impressive models, skills required for these are different from those required for building models of steel hulled ships of the Late Nineteenth and into the Twentieth centuries. Often wooden hulls deckhouses, etc look like just that-wood. This means that you will be using other materials; preferably brass or possibly plastic.

One author who has produced beautiful models of steel warships is a guy named Brian King. I suggest that you track down one or more of his books on a used book site. One of his books is titled Advanced Ship Modeling.

And, if you decide to build a model from a kit before tackling Titanic, at least find one for a powered vessel. Maybe a fishing trawler? This will at least introduce you to some of the problems that you will encounter later.

Roger
 
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Bienvenidos al foro. Os aconsejo que empecéis con modelos para principiantes. Lo que os han dicho los miembros del foro. Para hacer un barco detallado hay que aprender. Hay que aprender a andar antes de poder correr. Entrar en un modelo experto suele acabar sin acabarse, quedándose en un rincón en algún sitio o entregándoselo a algún modelista para que lo termine.

Bien venido al foro. Yo te aconsejo que empieces con modelos de principio. Lo que te han indicado los compañeros del foro. Para hacer un barco con detalle tienes que ir aprendiendo. Hay que aprender a andar antes de correr. Meterte en un modelo de expertos, suele acabar no terminándolo, arrinconado en algún lugar o regalado a algún maquetista para que lo termine.
 
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