Donna Francisca

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

I am in the fitting out process of my latest miniature ship, the British steel-hulled four-masted barque DONNA FRANCISCA OF 1892.

Bob

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

 The cargo hatches are now in place and all the rope coils fitted along the bulwarks on the maindeck. Although there is still an awful lot of deck detail to go on, I felt like a change today and completed the construction and painting of the four masts that I began yesterday. These were made from a combination of brass tube, and copper rod. The tops were 5 thou’ brass shim and the cross tree assemblies and spreaders were made from fine copper wire. Each of the square rigged masts consists of 17 separate pieces, whilst the jigger mast has only 10 pieces.
I have also assembled the carrying case and fitted the top to the display case.
Bob

[Robin LeeParticipant @robinlee31938]

High Bob,

Coming along nicely. Is the white line on the hull painted or something like TrimLine self adhesive coach line? I tried Trimline on the first RC model I built (a tug scale 36:1) and it was fine except at the point of the stem and under its counter stern where it all go a bit “iffy”.

Robin

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Hi Robin,

It is stuck on, but it is not Trimline.     I stick a piece of common paper masking tape on a strip of scrap acrylic (left over from making display cases).   I then spray it white using White Matt primer aerosol car paint from Halfords.    Then cut out fine strip, peel it off, and stick it on.    Under the counter it didn’t matter with DONNA FRANCISCA because the white strip just stopped at the knuckle.    At the bow, I terminated it about 1/2 a mm behind bow and painted the white bit around the bow with fine brush!     Masking tape is very sticky and very permanent.   Experimental pieces I stuck on years and years ago to test pieces are still stuck firmly down.

Bob

 

[Robin LeeParticipant @robinlee31938]

Hi Bob

That is a nice economic alternative to TrimLine Bob.

Robin

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Hi Robin,

It certainly is.   Another cheap alternative tip refers to “sanding sealer”    Normall highly expensive and highly toxic!     I use Evo-stik white wood glue diluted 50 – 50 with  water.   It is as good as any sanding sealer I have come across!

 

Anyway, back to DONNA FRANCISCA.    Another “damp squib” as far as general interest is concerned, but here is the latest progress.   I have completed the four masts, all made from brass tube, brass rod and copper rod and am now back with the deck detail.     I am very pleased with the way this one is coming along and work is

“flowing.!

 

Bob

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Coming along very nicely Bob. Just think though, if everybody built miniatures the way you do what would it do to the market?

 

Colin

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Thanks Colin,

That is true enough.     This one has been another “damp squib” as far as general interest to model builders goes.   That is good news though, because the “damp squibs” normally sell a lot better than more popular types for some reason.    The highly popular POLITICIAN (See Scratchbuilding section) failed to sell and is still languishing at the saleroom.

Anyway, here is latest progress on DONNA FRANCISCA.    Nearly ready for rigging now.

The latest additions to it are the rails and deck machinery, mooring bits etc, so not very visible!

 

Bob

[Robin LeeParticipant @robinlee31938]

Hi Bob, with the rigging how are you planning to attach the sheets(?) at the deck level? I would be tempted to drill a small hole amd insert the wire or tack directly onto the bulwarks with adhesive. I do know from your previous postings you do not do knots.

Robin

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Hi Robin,

If you enlarge the above picture by clicking on it, you will just about see the wire rope coils along the inside of the bulwarks.    These wire ovals were made by winding fine wire alongside two needles soldered next to each other.   The rope coils are glued on with contact adhesive, but there are no belaying pins as these would be too small to see.   The ends of the wires are just glued direct to the wire coils.    I have still to fit the wire coils around the fife rails at the base of  fore, main and mizzen.    On the jigger mast, the rope coils are glued to the lower part of the mast itself.      The actual ship had what was called a “spider band”  round the base of the jigger.   This was a metal band with belaying pins in it.

Bob

[Robin LeeParticipant @robinlee31938]

Hi Bob,

Very interesting. These “rope coils” presumably provide a good foundation for the wires whilst also giving the  appearance of .. . coils of rope. I do find your techniques you have developed over many models very informative Bob.

Robin

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Hi Robin,

That is correct.   The coils make a sound foundation for the wires to be glued to.    Models like this tend to be viewed as a “whole” and often fine detail appears generally a lot better than it actually is if as long as you don’t look too closely!

Bob

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

I would endorse Bob’s views. Once you start working at these scales you are producing a work of art as much as a model. It can be compared to the distinction between photographs and paintings. In the latter case you are capturing the essence of the original rather than just making a flat copy which does it greater justice and gives significantly more enjoyment to the beholder.

 

Colin.

Edited By Colin Bishop on 10/03/2010 09:22:00

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Hi Colin,

I agree with that.    If you look too close at most miniatures, they do not look very good at all, but the same goes for real ships.    You have to stand back for a better view.     Same with some paintings, in some cases, looking closely, they just seem to be a mess of lumpy oil, but stand back and they come into sharp and detailed focus.

Bob

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

It also explains why some commercially built models that you see in museums or shipping offices look rather ‘sterile’ as there is no creative spark from the builder in them which gives the model some character.

 

Colin

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

I have noticed that as well and I really think that it is the “perfection” that does for them.    Real ships were less than perefct practically from the time they went to sea with dents, bent rails, bits missing, rust etc being a continual process.      It is a matter of striking the correct balance and not having the model too ramshackle.

Bob

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Making good progress with the masting and rigging now.

Bob

[Robin LeeParticipant @robinlee31938]

Hi Bob,

Really looking good now. Is the rigging that of a schooner? Can’t see any yards.

Robin

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Hi Robin,

No, it is a four-masted barque.    I rig in a set sequence.    I begin with the fore-and-aft sails and as they are set, I fit the standing rigging of shrouds, ratlines and backstays.    When that is all complete, I fit the yards starting from the bottom to the top and working from forward to aft.;    The DONNA FRANCISCA carried fifteen square sails, five on each of  fore, main and mizzen masts.    The 4th mast, the jigger is complete – it does not carry any square sails.

Here is a picture of the start of the build with a few photographs undernerath the wood  block.    The photograph bottom left with painted ports shows the ship under German registry as the HERBERT when interened in Chile during the Great War.    My model shows her with here original colour scheme under British registry as DNNA FRANCISCA.

Bob

 

[Robin LeeParticipant @robinlee31938]

Thanks for the reply Bob. It was a bit of a daft question about the rig as it turns out  – I have just noticed that your initial post stated that the rig was a four masted barque!

Robin

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

I am now well-advanced with the sails and rigging.    All the fore-and-aft sails have been set and rigged and six of the square sails.    There are nine more square sails yet to be fitted and rigged.

Bob

 

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

The model itself is now complete and will soon be fitted into the sea.    My wife paints the seas, so I will just have to be patient now!   The display case was completed some time ago.

Bob

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

That is a very nice looking ship as well as an excellent model Bob. Do you have a buyer lined up for this one?

 

I have very much enjoyed watching the building sequence.

 

Colin

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Thanks,

No-one has shown much interest in this one and as we haven’t got a recent sailing ship model, will probably be keeping her as we like the general appearance and colour scheme of this vessel.

Bob

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