March 2023 Volume 13 number 3 |
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ShipShape
News, Tips and Happenings
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Last month we told you about the Discovery channel show "RV There Yet?" doing a segment in Searsport which included a visit to Bluejacket. If you missed that, you can see it here - the BlueJacket segment starts at 7 min 24 sec.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSlz6v9G7Ds
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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 and Jacuzzi, exercise room, 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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Awning - Shade over a deck, deck opening, or for a boat. The origin appears to be Old French, auvan, which meant a shade over a ship's deck.
Cadet - A student officer, in our Coast Guard and Merchant Marine, also in many navies. The word comes to us from French, thence from Latin, capitulus, a diminutive of caput, head, or chief.
Gammoning - The lashing that held the bowsprit of a sailing ship in place at the stem, befeore being replaced with iron. The origin is Old French, gambon gammon, and possible alludes to tying up a ham.
Gammon Iron - The iron band that replaced gammoning (whence its origin) to hold the bowsprit in place.
Scowing - An anchoring technique by which a line is made fast to the anchor crown to facilitate breaking it out. The origin is obscure in this sense.
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 - Lackawanna |
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This is from Bob M of NC. He did a really nice video of his building the Lackawanna tug boat and posted it on YouTube. Watch it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuO93zllmTg
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This is from Craig B. of PA
Hi Nic,
Looking forward to the new website.
Meanwhile here’s a picture of my workspace, and a picture of a boat we saw in the Fort Pierce inlet the other day. We thought the name was pretty original.
Thanks
Craig B
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Nic's bench - As is often the case, I am working on 2 boats. Rigging the Newsboy, and repairing a Sharpie-ish model that had broken mast, boom and bowsprit.
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Al's bench - Al hasn't done a lot on the 82' Coast Guard model, but has been finalizing the instructions for Oregon and Wyoming, as well as fixing a pond yacht.
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Something Fun - Things to ponder as you age... |
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Don't know if these are true, but...
The inventor of the treadmill died at the age of 54
The originator of gymnastics died at the age of 57
The past world bodybuilding champion died at the age of 41
The best soccer player in history, Maradona, died at the age of 60
And then . . .
KFC inventor died at 94
Inventor of Nutella brand died at the age of 88
Cigarette maker Winston died at the age of 102
The inventor of opium died at the age of 116 in an earthquake
Hennessy cognac, Irish inventor died at 98
How did doctors come to the conclusion that exercise prolongs life?
The rabbit is always jumping, but it lives for only 2 years.
The turtle that doesn't exercise at all, lives 400 years.
So . . .
Have a drink,
Take a nap,
And if you wake up, have bacon and eggs.
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Tip of the Month - Hobby glasses |
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I've always used those slip on your head magnifiers. But they have a problem - between my glasses and those magnifiers, there's 4 surfaces of glass to clean. Plus, they restrict your view.
Back around 15 years ago, I asked my optometrist to give me a special prescription where the overall prescription is my reading strength, and a 2.5 x magnifier in the bifocal area. I leave these glasses on my workbench. When I go to model, I take my glasses off and put my hobby glasses on.
Now, mind you, I can't see anything past 2 feet clearly, but I really don't need to.
Here's a picture of my regular glasses on the left, and the hobby ones on the right.
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Tip of the Month - Hobby glasses |
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Ohio club looking for new members |
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Shipwrights of Ohio
Composed of active ship model enthusiasts from Ohio, our members meet monthly to share skills, ideas, and expertise in creating realistic scale ship and boat models. Our membership has experts and beginners with interest in modeling all watercraft: sailing to steel navy, ancient to stealth, wood, resin, plastic, paper, kits or scratch built, static and radio control. Check out our website that is rich in resources, and join us!
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Our new kits of the Wyoming and the USS Oregon are up on our website, you can now order them. however, delivery will be the end of April / beginning of May. the new Half Hull America is ready now.. |
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Nic Damuck
BlueJacket Shipcrafters
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