April 2023 Volume 13 number 4 |
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ShipShape
News, Tips and Happenings
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Later this month on April 29th is the 40th annual Joint Clubs of the Northeast meeting in New London, CT. It is the ship modeling clubs of Philadelphia, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts. There will be over 100 models on display as well as light breakfast, buffet lunch, an after lunch speaker, tabletop demos, raffles and vendors. You can see more information here; https://www.facebook.com/ShipCraftGuildNY |
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NRG'S MODEL SHIP WORLD
Model Ship World is an on-line forum of over 40,000 ship modelers. Topics range from kits to scratch builds, in-process continuing stories, tips, manufacturer information, technical topics. Too many to list here. Go take a look!
www.modelshipworld.com
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Rigging Class May 22-26, 2023 |
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NOTE: Room rate is $109 and the hotel has dropped their breakfast. |
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Our rigging class is a popular event. We run it from 9 to 3 for 5 days (although some people leave early on Friday.) IT IS A CLASS FOR NOVICES. We don't assume you know anything about rigging a ship model. All tools and materials are provided with the class fee of $475. You get a hull to work on, all the sticks and dowels, glue, blocks, deadeyes, threads, wire, beeswax, sandpaper and the following tools:
Excel hobby knife and blades
Pin Vise
Assortment of drill bits
Tweezers
needle nose pliers
flush cutters
clamps
cuticle scissors (best for clipping rigging)
and probably some other things I forgot
If you use magnifiers for your modeling work, you should bring them. By the end of the class you will have learned how to use the tools, tie a multitude of various knots, and will have completed what you see in the picture below. You can see shrouds, backstays, bobstays, gammoning, vangs, topping lift, ratlines, hearts, throat halyard, peak halyard, sheet tackle on a traveler, lifts, braces, forestays, etc.
Obviously, we don't waste a lot of time to make the model look pretty! We want to concentrate on the rigging. At the end of the class, BlueJacket will ship your model and materials to your home, again all part of the tuition cost.
Monday will include a pizza party for lunch and a behind the scenes tour of the BlueJacket facility. In addition, all students will receive a 10% discount on anything they buy during that week. Kits, tools, books, gift items, you name it!
The hours of 9-3 are flexible, we have the hotel conference room available 24 hours a day for the week. If you bring a family member, the 3:00 PM cutoff lets you do some sightseeing around the area. But if you need to catch up a bit, the room is yours!
Classes will be at the Fireside Inn in Belfast, 4 miles from BlueJacket on Route 1, tel# 207-338-2090. You can ask for the BlueJacket corporate rate if you choose to stay there. They are holding rooms at $109 for us. There is a pool, sauna and Jacuzzi, and all rooms have an excellent view of Penobscot Bay. If you are the camping type, Searsport Shores is nearby.
Class is limited to 12 people with payment in advance. Full refund up to 2 weeks before, 50% refund up to 1 week before. Unfortunately, cancellation less than a week in advance cannot be refunded except by extreme circumstances, which we reserve the right to determine.
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Nautical terms and origins |
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Becue - To fasten a line to the crown of an anchor before lowering, to facilitate tripping it when ready to weigh. The origin of this term is uncertain; it possibly is from the French queue, and this from the Old French coue, for tail.
Cardinal Points - The four principal points of the compass. This term is difficult to trace, but its use probably goes back to the XVI century, then relating to the four winds. Its current meaning is from the XVIII. The word comes from the Latin cardinalis, principal.
Haul - (1) To pull, as on a line. Earlier often spelled hall, the term comes form Old French hallier, haul or pull. (2) Relating to the wind, a shift in direction, clockwise. The origin in this sense is not clear. (See Veer) (3) To haul out, take a craft out of the water. (4) To haul her wind was for a square-rigger to sail closer to the wind.
Veer - (1) To run out a line.In this sense the word comes from Middle English, vieren, to let out or slack. (2) To change course. Here, the origin, via Old French, virer, is the Latin vertere, turn. (3) Of the wind in the northern hemisphere, to change in direction clockwise. It probably came from Old Fench in this sense, also virer.
Information is from the book "Origins of Sea Terms" by John G. Rogers
copyright 1985 Mystic Seaport Museum, Inc. and available from BlueJacket.
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Model of the month - Coast Guard 30 boat |
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This is from Greg G. of MN:
"Dear Sirs:
I was gifted a Red Baron Lobster Boat kit and as I began working on it I kept thinking back to my USCG days and the plethora of 30 Boats we used. The nomenclature is actually 30’ Utility Boat and it is very, very similar in design and size to the Red Baron; so I decided to build a Coast Guard 30 Boat using your kit as a starting point. Unfortunately I had already completed the construction phase of your kit and was ready to begin painting. I have shortened the cabin, reconfigured the cockpit roof and windows and will have to lengthen the engine box. So far:"
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"This is my first attempt at boat kit building, normally I am a balsa and tissue airplane guy but your kit is quite easy to adapt to…I only hope I haven’t ruined it all with my Coast Guard conversion.
I just finished (or stopped, many details could still be added but my wife says NO) my conversion of the Red Baron into a USCG 30’ Utility Boat. My painting skills need help but here is the finished product:"
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This is from Chris V, who lives in a motorhome. When he sent this, he was in Arizona.
"Nic, I've thoroughly enjoyed your newsletter for ages. Living in a motorhome can present some unique challenges, especially that of a work bench. I have I to use the dining room table and a TV tray. I hang my moto tool from the overhead cupboard. Other stuff, paint, glue, extra tools etc. are stored in a 3 drawer plastic filling cabinet between the driver and passenger seats.
The ship in these photos, Albatross, from OcCre was completely built here on this 'bench' as was a San Francisco cable car. I have an OcCre Beagle under construction at the moment but am taking a little break.
Enjoy"
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Nic's bench - Still rigging the Newsboy. In addition, we got this cute antique boat in for repair as well.
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Al's bench - Al is repainting this huge pond yacht. He is also finishing up the instructions for the Wyoming and the Oregon.
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Something Fun - Words of Wisdom |
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1. The biggest joke on mankind is that computers have begun asking humans to prove they aren’t a robot.
2. When a kid says “Daddy, I want mommy” that’s the kid version of “I’d like to speak to your supervisor”.
3. It’s weird being the same age as old people.
4. Just once, I want a username and password prompt to say CLOSE ENOUGH.
5. If I am ever on life support, unplug me and plug me back in and see if that works.
6. Do you ever wake up in the morning and look in the mirror and think… “That can’t be accurate?”
7. Last night the internet stopped working so I spent a few hours with my family. They seem like good people.
8. If Adam and Eve were Cajuns they would have eaten the snake instead of the Apple and saved us all a lot of trouble.
9. We celebrated last night with a couple of adult beverages …… Metamucil and Ensure.
10. You know you are getting old when friends with benefits means having someone who can drive at night.
11. Weight loss goal: To be able to clip my toenails and breathe at the same time.
12. After watching how some people wear their masks, I understand why contraception fails.
13. Some of my friends exercise every day. Meanwhile I am watching a show I don’t like because the remote fell on the floor.
14. For those of you that don’t want Alexa or Siri listening in on your conversation, they are making a male version….it doesn’t listen to anything.
15. I just got a present labeled, ‘From Mom and Dad’, and I know damn well Dad has no idea what’s inside.
16. Now that I have lived through a plague, I totally understand why Italian renaissance paintings are full of fat people lying on couches.
17. Now that we have everyone washing their hands correctly ….. next week….. Turn Signals
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Tip of the Month - ratline spacing |
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A great way to make a guide for ratline spacing is to use an Excel spreadsheet. For 1/8"=1' scale, 3/16" is the right spacing. If you make Excel rows 14.1 high, it comes out perfect. Here's a picture of the printout, and the guide being used. Remember, ratlines are always parallel to the waterline, not the deck. |
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Tip of the Month - Hobby glasses |
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I only have one submission of "let's see your bench" left. If you would like this section to continue, please send some photos. I'm also low on subjects for "model of the month."
Come to think of it, how about some tips of the month as well? I'm kinda tipped out.
All your inputs help to make this newsletter fun, vibrant and interesting.
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Nic Damuck
BlueJacket Shipcrafters
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