December 2021 Volume 11 number 12 |
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ShipShape
News, Tips and Happenings
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It is with deep sadness that I heard about the passing of Fred Nichols on November 16th after a short illness (not Covid.) He was 78 years old, and was the third owner of BlueJacket. He was the one who brought it up here to Maine from Connecticut, with a sales office in Castine and manufacturing in Stockton Springs. He and his son Little Freddy graced the cover of BlueJacket's 80th anniversary catalog, shown below. |
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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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When Fred owned BlueJacket (1982-1992) he had a partner, Rick Holt. Rick lives in Ohio, but came back for Fred's services. I am so glad he stopped in to visit BlueJacket. We spent about 2 1/2 hours talking about now vs. then and some of the history. |
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Nautical terms and origins |
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Beam - 1) The measure of breadth of a craft. 2) A structural unit, particularly a deck beam. The word is derived from the Anglo-Saxon beam, tree.
Cockpit - Now any small welldeck especially on small craft. Formerly it was a compartment on a warship where the wounded and ill were tended. It probably was nicknamed for the area where fighting cocks did their bit, the connection for which is obscure.
Matthew Walker - A type of stopper knot. This is said to be the only knot named for its inventor, who is believed to have been a rigger in a British navy yard.(See drawing below)
Stream - To stream an object, such as a sea anchor or a taffrail log, is simply to run it overboard.The word comes intact from Middle and Old English, possibly of this same meaning.
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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Back in 2017, a cute 8-year old named Angus came into the shop to buy parts for his PT boat. You can read the whole story by going to the newsletter archive on our home page and opening the September 2017 issue. Here's a picture of him then. |
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And last week, Angus returned with a new project. I was so happy to see him. He has grown, and his modeling skills have improved as well. Of course, he was precocious as an 8-y/o. I suspect he will continue to improve and enjoy his hobby. His neighbor and mentor, Jerome Morris, gave him a few boxes of parts to work with. What is interesting in talking with him is how aware he is about scale size and consistency. He explained to me that his blast shields are from 3x5 cards, and his quad mount comes off so he can paint the deckhouse. That's real adult planning from a 12 year old. |
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Model of the Month - City of Bangor steamer |
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"Hey you guys. Love your newsletter. I wanted to send you a photo of my workbench, but since it is covered with "junk" you would not see much.
Instead I am attaching some photos of a model of the Penobscot steamer
the City of Bangor. This steamer was the Boston Boat that sailed between Bangor, Maine and Boston; making stops at Rockland, Camden, Northport, Belfast, and Searsport . The model was scratch built in 2012, using photographs, post cards, advertising brochures, and BlueJacket plans of the Portland ( as a guide).
The model is presently the property of the Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport, Maine, although at this moment I have it with me to make some minor repairs.
Dick B of NH"
Marvelous work, Dick. Thanks for sharing.
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From Chuck M of CO ( he is also the tip of the month)
"The model on the bench is the Elsie I just completed. She is a 1910 American Fishing Schooner. If you want to see one in action I recommend the 1937 movie, Captain Courageous with Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney. I believe it is available on Netflix.
Best Regards,
Chuck M"
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Nic's bench - I have put the Wendameen aside because Al has finished Ellie Mara to the point of rigging, so he turned her over to me to at least do the standing rigging. Tiny little deadeyes!.
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Al's bench - With Ellie Mara off his bench, Al has returned to working on the 6-masted schooner Wyoming. The kit will come with the building board you see in the picture.
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Something Fun - If my body was a car |
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If my body was a car, this is the time I would be thinking about trading it in for a newer model. I've got bumps and dents and scratches in my finish and my paint job is getting a little dull....
But that's not the worst of it:
My headlights are out of focus and it's especially hard to see things up close.
My traction is not as graceful as it once was. I slip and slide and skid and bump into things even in the best of weather.
My whitewalls are stained with varicose veins.
It takes me hours to reach my maximum speed.
My fuel rate burns inefficiently.
But here's the worst of it:
Almost every time I sneeze, cough or sputter, either my radiator leaks or my exhaust backfires!
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Tip of the Month - CA glue station |
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This tip is from Chuck M of CO.
"I am sharing a few pictures of my work table and a modeling hint regarding my CA glue station. I use a small vial of acetone to keep my glue needle clean. I keep the vial in the wooden holder to keep it from tipping and spilling (don’t ask me how I now). I also use a small syringe and needle to apple single drops of activator when needed."
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Hard to believe the end of the year is in sight. This year we have upgraded our computer systems ( 5 new computers and a new server) and point of sale software. We will soon launch our new website with search functions, picture zoom capability, and real pictures of our fittings.. All of which takes a lot of time and resources. But in the end, we are better, stronger and more well-equipped to handle the future and serve you, our customers. |
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Nic Damuck
BlueJacket Shipcrafters
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