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More photos on the details. Once the buckets were trimmed off the base, Re-painted them. With a permanent drafting ink pen, drew lines to simulate the slats. Drilled a hole through the buckets and made some handles for them. While waiting for the glue and paint to set, made some supply trunks and placed them on the deck. To simulate the water in the buckets, later on filled the cavity with the white glue. The glue will dry clear and give the illusion of the buckets holding water. So much for now, see you all next posting.

The build continues and I will have to stop doing details or I will take over a year to make it.

In some ships, there are cannon ball tacks on the side walls and on this model, I also did a cannon ball rack around the cargo hatch opening. I also noticed that on some ships, they had what appeared to be a wooden crate with cannonballs in it next to the cannons. This version appealed to me and I used this method. Those cannonballs have to be held somehow and we cannot ave them rolling around the deck now can we.

The use of the rope rig, is to facilitate the placement in the pin racks. If you try to do a figure eight on the rack, it is very hard to do. The reasoning behind the jig, is to form the figure eight, tie it off in the center while still of the ship, and then pull the pins and stick the pin through one of the loops and hang it on the rack. (Whew, that is a long sentence!). With the ropes pre-folded/pre-formed, it makes it easier to place them where you want them.

It's all these little details like this that really make a model come alive. Honestly, I see my problem is that I would never even consider to do all this.

This just keeps getting better with each update. The ingenuity here is just outstanding, those cannonballs are great, but the rope and the jig to create it... Hats off to you...

I love pics 172 and 176 - sooo much detail in such a small area...

Valhalla130 wrote:It's all these little details like this that really make a model come alive. Honestly, I see my problem is that I would never even consider to do all this.

Details do make a model come alive. It is like a tank commander in the cupola and instead of holding a Las-pistol, cut off the gun and replace it with a coffee cup or a beer can. Imagination comes into play in the details.

Ruglud wrote:This just keeps getting better with each update. The ingenuity here is just outstanding, those cannonballs are great, but the rope and the jig to create it... Hats off to you...

I love pics 172 and 176 - sooo much detail in such a small area...

There is a lot going on in that deck. There is so much details but I have to stop somewhere. For example, one of the most important items on a ship, are the lanterns. I am considering on how to make them that minuative.


I finally got around to the window frames. I cut very thin strips of laminated card stock. The bend is tricky and you have to do the curvature quickly while the glue is still wet. If the glue sets, it will separate or kink up when bended. I am still deliberating whether to keep the trim white or paint it later a darker brown or red.

Somewhere between the painting of the hull and the mast mounting ring, I lost the build photos. I have to blame my oldest grandson who borrowed my camera and he accidentally erased them. The mounting ring was easy, it is just a thin strip of card stock wrapped around the mast and placing the mast into the mounting hole. As soon as the mast is placed, it is taking out while holding the ring in position. There is much to do with the mast, before It is ready to be mounted. Enjoy and see you all next posting.

Continuing with the thread, here is the half finished mini lathe rack. The channel is made so as to act as a base to place the ship while working on it. The channel also allows for the drill to slide in or out to the desired depth. Missing are the resting blocks for the knife edges. I will eventually finish it.

you do realize we all feel very humble when we see this great looking ship develop even further...

i was amazed by the making of the cannons...but then i saw those buckets...i am in awe...again...

the lathe looks good... cable binders for fixing it to the rig... aha... did you fix the whole lathe later on to the table? i bet there is much movement, unwanted at that into such a construction...do you use the slowest drilling speed by the way? or rather high speed?


Automatically Appended Next Post:
oh and i didn´t see it...but does the drill have a fixing button for constant drilling action or do you have to press the button constantly?

 Viktor von Domm wrote:
you do realize we all feel very humble when we see this great looking ship develop even further...

i was amazed by the making of the cannons...but then i saw those buckets...i am in awe...again...

the lathe looks good... cable binders for fixing it to the rig... aha... did you fix the whole lathe later on to the table? i bet there is much movement, unwanted at that into such a construction...do you use the slowest drilling speed by the way? or rather high speed?


Automatically Appended Next Post:
oh and i didn´t see it...but does the drill have a fixing button for constant drilling action or do you have to press the button constantly?

The way I made the buckets, is the same way that I make drinking mugs for my 1/35 scale Tamiya soldiers. For that, I use smaller size cylinders like the micro screwdrivers or small scale nails to wrap thin regular paper strips.

On the lathe, I am not finished with it and I freehanded the milling down of the dowel. A tool rest bar would have made it much better but it worked out in the end. The dremel has adjustable speeds but not the torque required for the larger pieces, or the size of the chuck for the larger dowel. This drill does have a hands free button to keep it spinning while shaving down the part. This is one of my old drills and it runs at 1200 rpms but it has the torque I need. The dremel does not have the torque and I can actually slow down dremel with the friction exerted on the dowel. On the smaller diameter dowels the dremel works just fine.

An now, for some more updates on the build and a few more techniques to boot. Checked the fitting of the mast. Lost the photos of the bell build up but the bell was done in the dremel and shaped. The archway of the bell housing is a mixed laminated paper and a carved wood arch. The basket build will continue with the next posting.

More updates on the observation basket (crows nest). This photos have two versions of the crows nest. One has less slats to the top section than the other one. I may place the missing slats later on. The finished basket is made from card stock and the later, is a mixture of wood and cardstock. I am still working on the masts and developing the connectors to the yard arms and booms.

I just am amazed at the level of detail you're putting into this. It hits all my OCD tics just right.

 Valhalla130 wrote:
I just am amazed at the level of detail you're putting into this. It hits all my OCD tics just right.

Thanks for looking in and I am glad that the techniques and detail have some appeal.


Big slow down making the deadeyes. First they are small and drilling is a bit harder than I thought. Made two kinds of jigs which I will show later when I get to that stage. Both of them are adequate but getting the eyes even is a slight problem. Here is an update on the build. For the basket support, i used a straight pin to hold the part steady while the glue sets. The pin will stay in place. The bowsprit had a tendency to slide to the center of the keel. I used a sharpie pen as a wedge to keep the bowsprit in place while the glue sets.

Here is another update on the build. I designed a jig for a more suitable deadeye but that will come later. For the chain plates, I do have scaled size chains but decided for the plate version. I am lucky in that I have a hand anvil I found at a flea market years ago. With the small ballpean hammer, I can flatten wire to imitate parts. Later on, I will be using it to flatten some more wires and construct the hinges for the rudder. For the plates, I kept the upper portion rounded and did not flatten it so as to not cut the ropes with it later due to the sharp edges.

And now for another field expedient tool. I made this one first and it is adequate but way to slow for the making of the deadeyes, If you make the deadeyes out of solid dowels, it will work much better. With the laminated parts, You have to be extra careful. The slowest speed of the dremel will tear the part up if you are not careful. I had to resort to a very slow speed drill for this. A push drill will work much better. This is only one version but I designed a multiple holding block which I will post next.

Here is the jig that I settled for in the deadeye construction. With this jig, I can make 6 deadeyes at a time but you can accommodate a larger piece for more pieces if you wish. You will have to make two stop wedges at both ends or one in the middle, it all depends how big a jig you want to make.

This build will probably take three postings to get all of the information in. What is good about this version, is that the pieces fit snug and do not spin around if you make a mistake. Some pieces will no doubt be damage but the mass production will even it out.

Another good thing about this jig, is that with the dowels, you can push the parts out when finished. When the dowels have too much damage from the drilling, you can replace them easily with another dowel piece. So here is the first batch of photos on this jig.

Right what I have I missed... Masts and crows nests, and a bell and, and.... Loads of work going on here and all superb...

Can't tell you enough how much I'm enjoying this build come together and your uber detailed WIP is the icing on the cake.

Shiver me timbers...

Amazing work! I have seen some scratch built ships before, but never appreciated how much work that the super detailing take! As stated, amazing!

Yay, a ship model! And she's turning a real beauty...

Ruglud wrote:Right what I have I missed... Masts and crows nests, and a bell and, and.... Loads of work going on here and all superb...

Can't tell you enough how much I'm enjoying this build come together and your uber detailed WIP is the icing on the cake.

Shiver me timbers...

Thank you for dropping in and your vote of confidence.

Lord_J wrote:Amazing work! I have seen some scratch built ships before, but never appreciated how much work that the super detailing take! As stated, amazing!

This is one of the few models that I have made that is taking so long to finish. It is full of stuff that it takes a while to build it. I can see why some take up to a year or more to make one. This is an intermediate model, if it was the Sovereign of the Seas or the HMS Victory, it would take a year or more to finish it.

Hruotland wrote:Yay, a ship model! And she's turning a real beauty...

Thanks for your kind words, There is still a lot more to do. The first hard part, was the hull, The second hard part is coming up soon, which will be the rigging.



Continuing with the deadeye jig. This jig came out good. Later I will make another that looks less rustic, but this rough one did the job. The dowels must coincide with the deadeyes. The dowels must also be cut or trimmed off with the deadeye in place. If this is not done, the the dowel will too long. The reason for the dowels to be trimmed, is that the jig must lay flat and if the dowels are too long, the deadeyes will no be able to be placed into the drilling holes. There are a couple more photos for the next posting. Stick around and see you all there.

Here are the final photos of the deadeye jig. The last photo is at what stage the ship is. I will post a few more photos later on but the ship will be in drydock for a couple of weeks while I take a sabbatical, but I will be back later with more especially in the rigging department.

And here are the final photos in my inventory for the moment. You can make out the finished deadeyes in this posting. I will not get around to working on the ship until the 20th of Feb this year. I am still on my sabbatical.

Oh yeah! I use Hemostats too, very handy tools.
That's one amazing ship! Your scratch-building is off the hook!

Great updates, the full shot you have in the previous post is awesome and is that a rigging jig I see in front?

dsteingass wrote:Oh yeah! I use Hemostats too, very handy tools.
That's one amazing ship! Your scratch-building is off the hook!

Thanks for your vote of confidence. I am pleased as to how this ship is turning out. In actuallity, this is a trial run for some other ships that I have in mind to build later on in the future.

Ruglud wrote:Great updates, the full shot you have in the previous post is awesome and is that a rigging jig I see in front?

Thanks Ruglud for your comment. At the bottom of that picture is a version of a ratline rig. It will look different when I am done but it is there to measure the spacing and the location of the standing rigging for the ratline. Unfortunately, it will be a while until I get back to the ship, I may have to build something in between to take care of my model building itch, maybe a warhammer tank or something along those lines. I will not be home until the 20th of Feb but who knows if I get too bore and start something over here at my moms place. (She is not into cleaning up too many small itty bitty paper strips and bits, I will have to clean as I go"

Well I am back a bit earlier than planned.

In the continuing saga of the San Salvador build, I have ran into various rigging descriptions so I will use the ones that seem logical in this build. Here is the start of the standing and running rigging starting from the prow, or beak. One of the first glitches, was in the Crows nest. The ratlines are supposed to go through the support brackets and the tied inside the observation bucket. I compromised and placed a heavy thread through the support brackets. this will serve as the connection point for the ratlines and the bottom standing rigging going to the bowsprit.

Nice to see you back. I find the rigging stage seriously exciting - I really don't know why though, maybe it's the Boy Scout in me and the thought of all those knots...

Is this finished?

 Valhalla130 wrote:
Is this finished?

No, not yet, I have the sails to construct and I lack a sewing machine, but I found some material that will not unravel and I may try a different method in doing them. Thanks for looking in and I will be back with this build again.

Time to resurrect this thread again. This portion will be on the standing line and some running line rigging. The reference on the rigging seems to differ from ship to ship but the Standing rigging is a standard. the running lines, seem to differ from ship to ship. i made the running lines as reasonable as possible. The next posting will cover the making of the sails. Until then, enjoy and see you all next posting.

On with the Build. The rigging is impressive but that will be for another thread. I was considering using cloth for the sails but from past experiences, the cloth seems to be too thick for the scale. I opted for white gift tissue paper, which is very light and about the thickness scale for the sails. The paper is very fragile and one way that I used to strengthen the sails, is to use a heavy thread around the edges. The purpose of the line is two fold. One, it gives it stability and cuts down on the ripping effect of the running lines when attached. The other, it gives a gripping or anchor points for the block and tackles and a point to attach the lines and the tackles. The tissue also has the added capability of adding symbols and lines more readily than cloth. Enjoy this portion and the next installment will show how the sails are attached, using the tissue paper and thick thread. Enjoy and see you all soon with more.