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Slanting Ship on a pedestal

Viggin900

Viggin900

Joined
Nov 26, 2021
Messages
13
Points
48

Location
Union, KY
Ahoy! Me ship be leaning wayward and need a few ideas to right her straight and true again. I used wood screws years ago to mount through the pedestals. I took it off the mounts and reattached it a few years ago to try and straighten it but she keeps tilting?
Should I try longer screws?
Glue along with new screws?
A wedge or something?
Thank you for "steering me in the right direction".

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The question is where is the lean occurring at. From the last picture, it looks like the keel is being twisted off of the hull.
This might be problematic. If you know ahead of time how you are going to mount it, you can make arrangements to add additional mounting blocks in the bottom of the hull. In a built ship, this would be difficult to perform. If you are going to have to remove the keel anyway to make a repair, it might not be too bad to put blocks in the bottom of the hull where the screws go up through the pedestal into the hull. Another possibility would be to cut holes in the bottom of the hull to allow the pedestals to actually go up into the hull and be held by the false keel, assuming this is a POB kit.

I hope that helps a bit.
 
I think you have captured one of the most important aspects of a sailing ship, if she was out to sea. I am actually thinking about mounting a full sail ship at an angle. You just inspired me to try and do this. I have fourteen sails on her and twenty-five to go. Looks like your ship has been smacked from one side in the aft.

Carry on.
 
Jwallkc said:
I agree with Corsair... If I were you I would take her off the pedestals as they are ineffective anymore and would mount the ship on cradle-like stand...
Click to expand...
I would do the same
 
Two things are apparent from the photo. The keel is not set deeply within the slots in the pedestal. Also, the pedestal contact with the hull offers no lateral support because the contact points are so close together. The keel appears damaged at the rear pedestal. The model should be removed from the pedestals and examined. If the keel can be repaired, and the pedestals reworked such that the slots grip the keep better, and the threaded within the pedestals are firmly fixed within the hull, then you can use the pedestals for mounts. If pedestals and mounting rods cannot be reinforced without substantial hull modification, using cradle supports instead of pedestals may be an option.

If you do use cradle supports, glue velvet or cloth to the contact surfaces to avoid scratching the hull finish.
 
Are the mounting bolts loose in the holes? Can you pack the latter with wooden toothpicks to hold them more securely? This works for door hinge screws that are loose in the frame...
 
I would do as jwallkc suggested and use a cradle.
Otherwise as Beau mentions, ream out the screw holes and glue in a dowel or toothpicks to provide some new (and hopefully deeper) wood grain for purchase and lateral support of the screws.
 
Viggin900 said:
Ahoy! Me ship be leaning wayward and need a few ideas to right her straight and true again. I used wood screws years ago to mount through the pedestals. I took it off the mounts and reattached it a few years ago to try and straighten it but she keeps tilting?
Should I try longer screws?
Glue along with new screws?
A wedge or something?
Thank you for "steering me in the right direction".

View attachment 436604

View attachment 436605
Click to expand...
It looks like the keel is not snugged to the base of the slots. I would file the pedestals down so that the depth of the slot matches the height of the keel. Next, fill the drilled holes in the keel with toothpicks dipped in glue. Let them dry completely and redrill pilot holes before rescrewing.
Make sure you press down firmly on the ship making sure the keel is seated snuggly to the base of the slot. Also check to see if the holes in the base are perfectly vertical. You can check that by placing thin dowel in each hole. If they are misaligned, again fill them in and redrill.
 
The brass pedestals you are using are too small for the model. I would get different pedestals…make your own that will be longer against the keel and have a shallow slot so the keel sits snugly. I make my own pedestals out of wood finials used for finishing railings…available online or in the railings/moldings section of your home store. I cut down the finial to the shape and size I need, cut a slot, and mount the ship. To understand what I am referring to search Amazon for “wooden finials.” The photo shows pedestals I made from finials cut down, slotted, and used to mount this model of the Kingfisher.

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When I decided to display my model on a fireplace mantle, I realized you couldn’t see the deck detail so I purposely tilted the ship a bit (like yours) to enhance the look of the model.
 
Great ideas everyone, I will give a few a try. It was the first ship I ever did 20 years ago so it was a learning curve. I like the idea of a wider, shallow finial.
When I screwed the pedestal in originally I could hear a wood crunch sound from the screw. I used wood screws that bit into the keel and pulled. I may try to correct it with new screws and the toothpick filler first.Thank you.
 
Why not just a simple copper/brass mounting rod from the base up to the wale at midship position as in many original dockyard models?
 
In honor of Memorial Day I decided to upright this American privateer once and for all. It was very difficult because of the fragile handling but she is staying firm on course.
Originally I liked the idea of getting wood pedestals that fit better but I figured if I'm going to pitch the brass ones I like so much it would be worth adjusting them. I grinded the openings wider with my dremel tool so it cradles the keal better. Than I sunk the screws from the bottom more into the base so they had more to bite onto in the ship. The tiny area that was still hollow I just made little wood blocks to fill it and painted them black. No one can tell the adjustments I made either unless they are really looking. Thanks all.

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Depending on the weight of your model, sinking the screws deeper into the keel may or may not make it more secure to the pedestals. Usually, a modeler will reinforce the area that the pedestal screw engage in within the hull early in the hull's assembly. Usually, a threaded metal fastener is encapsulated in the hull for the threaded rod to thread into. Any force to the side of the keel will usually not result in snapping the keel off, because the rods are firmly attached to a frame or built up material within the hull. If your model does not have sufficient reinforcement of the screws within it, you will probably better be served using a cradle style mounting.
 
Viggin900 said:
Ahoy! Me ship be leaning wayward and need a few ideas to right her straight and true again. I used wood screws years ago to mount through the pedestals. I took it off the mounts and reattached it a few years ago to try and straighten it but she keeps tilting?
Should I try longer screws?
Glue along with new screws?
A wedge or something?
Thank you for "steering me in the right direction".

View attachment 436604

View attachment 436605
Click to expand...
Mamoli's Rattlesnake...
 
Corsair said:
The question is where is the lean occurring at. From the last picture, it looks like the keel is being twisted off of the hull.
This might be problematic. If you know ahead of time how you are going to mount it, you can make arrangements to add additional mounting blocks in the bottom of the hull. In a built ship, this would be difficult to perform. If you are going to have to remove the keel anyway to make a repair, it might not be too bad to put blocks in the bottom of the hull where the screws go up through the pedestal into the hull. Another possibility would be to cut holes in the bottom of the hull to allow the pedestals to actually go up into the hull and be held by the false keel, assuming this is a POB kit.

I hope that helps a bit.
Click to expand...
I quote Corsair. The Issue is the kind of pedestal you elected, a figure that operate its leverage right on the wooden mahogany strake (I remeber that kit well enough) glued to the bulkhead and reproducing the actual keel. On my last model I drilled deeply two holes right in the plywood of the bulkhead and then I used two mere carbon rods of 3mm as pedestals. A minimalist (I hate whatever element of the presentation interferes with hull's lines), rigid and definitely robust solution. So, my hint is to fix the keel regluing it in place, restore the painting work and then to operate two brand new holes at a certain distance from the damaged areas.
Any screw seriously "biting" could otherwise damage model's inner structure even further... IMHO.
 
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