miniature ship models

[pete grahamParticipant @petegraham99294]

[pete grahamParticipant @petegraham99294]

I was not sure under which forum heading I should introduce myself but Scratch Building seemed to be appropriate,

I am a somewhat aged ex seafarer with a long interest in ship modelling……it more or less started in 1952 when I discovered that Bryant and Mays safety matches were contained in boxes made from very thin veneer- like wood which was a modellers delight ( once the paper covering was removed).

I never settled into any particular period or type of ship modelling and was happy to have a go at anything at all which included a hand built USS Constitution to a 6 foot long German Type 1X U Boat. Surface voyages only !!

About 5 years ago I started making merchant ship models to the popular scale of 1 / 1200 ( 1" to 100 ft) and was keen on the period from the 1920s to about 1960 , …… This was a period when "Ships still looked like Ships" . I decline to comment on what I think they look like now !!.

More recently, I adapted my preferred scale to 1" to 75ft which is just a bit more comfortable on my eyesight and "digital dexterity".

It would be very interesting to hear from anyone who models in these small scales .

Pete.

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Pete,

Take a look at Bob Wilson's threads on this forum.

Regards Ray

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

As Ray says, that is practically all I build. 100 foot to 1 inch is a bit too small for me, but I do like 32 feet to 1 inch or 25 feet to one inch. Here are four of them, but if you look in my photos, you will find hundreds more. They are all scratchbuilt from bits and pieces with no shop-bought parts. Extremely unpopular amongst model shipbuilders, but as you will probably know, collectors love them

Bob

Edited By Bob Wilson on 04/03/2020 07:28:00

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Some more. Winchester Castle – Kenya – Amarna –

[pete grahamParticipant @petegraham99294]

Hi Bob, I have realised that you are Shipbuilder from SN…..I recognised the Parker Pen and , of course, your magnificent models which I have long admired.

I note with great interest your comments about "scratch building" , "bits and pieces", and" no bought parts"…..this to me is the absolute essence of model ship building in the smaller scales. I know that like me, you will have boxes of all sorts of oddments which some day will get adapted to shipboard fittings.

I once bought from Ebay some moulded plastic lifeboats at an illusionary scale of 100ft to inch…….an utter disaster. So I continue to make them by hand as I go along . Perfectly at home for a 4 boat tramp but a bit of a pain for a double banked array on a liner. But an enjoyable pain.

I must mention the rigging on your models….it is superb and you must be proud to achieve this realism. I think that rigging on my mini scales is best left off……..to be practical at all it has to be under scale and perhaps even then it can be obtrusive. I don't think that I have ever had comments about missing rigging , even from "old salts" .

Thank you for replying to my post.

With Best Regards

Pete.

And a PS. I had written a previous response to your message about 40 minutes ago, much on the lines of the above. For some reason it "disappeared" in mid sentence . So might be anywhere.

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Hi Pete,

Thanks for reply. The Parker pen seems to have become my trademark I agree, 100 foot to 1 inch is really a bit too small for rigging, but no problem with it at 32 or 25 feet to the inch using wire rather than thread.

I am an "old salt" myself – MN1959/61 (training college) then early 1961 to late 1992 at sea. Last ship RMS St Helena –

Best wishes

Bob

[pete grahamParticipant @petegraham99294]

Bob., I was going to place this thread in the general forum but since you have mentioned bristol board elsewhere I wondered if I could bother you again . I have read many complimentary references to bristol board but have never EVER seen it. . John Bowen referred to it as suitable for deck cards ( the single ply) . I use home made decking material, made from brown envelope paper in 3 layers , each layer soaked in PVA and then bonded under pressure until absolutely dry. . Its as tough as old boots and cuts neatly but does not take a micro drill very well ….the exit is not too tidy. Would bristol Board have any advantage over this

Best Wishes

Pete.

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Hi Pete,

I don't recall mentioning Bristol Board. I think it is just good quality card, but I don't use it! My decks are all scored wood, in the form of either 1/32nd or 1/64th marine plywood obtained from either Ebay or model shops. Here is an example of my scored decks. Very good down to 32 feet to 1 inch, but don't know about smaller scales.

Bob

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

I see in one of my old articles written over 40 years ago, I did mention using Bristol Board, but I had really forgotten all about it. I have changed my methods so many times over the years, it is difficult to remember all of them – Bob

[pete grahamParticipant @petegraham99294]

Hi Bob, ,Nice of you to pin point your mention of Bristol Board way back 40 years ago. My "claiim" to have seen a reference you made recently obviously incorrect and I am wondering if it was something Bowen wrote.

Incidentally, re. the download. I have been a bit disorganised with an out of date card and hopefully will have it sorted very soon.

Peter.

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Peter,

I must have used it all that time ago, as I did mention it in an earlier article, but that was 40 years or more ago. As I said, my decks for the past two decades, have been wood, as shown above.

Bob

 

 

Edited By Bob Wilson on 11/04/2020 13:54:38

[pete grahamParticipant @petegraham99294]

Bob,

Not 40 years ago but at some time in the past I remember raising a post with you ( on SN) about fine wire for rigging.. Well, I didn't pursue my ideas then but just this last week I have sort of got interested again in the possibilities of rigging a 1250 scale model. It came about because I discovered in an old junk box…..a relic from model railway days long ago……, some so called "grain of wheat" bulbs. Tiny 6v bulblets with two long tails of 5 strand copper wire…….I have never seen such fine wire. So I'll try it and see how I get on.

Human hair was always a possibility but in my family the inmates have hair which is far too fine or no hair at all!

The Chief mate on one of my ships and a ship modeller helped me with some of my embryo efforts …..On scale, he used to say " If it looks right….it is right ".

Peter

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

I have built them at 100 feet to 1 inch, but rather too small for me. But wire is really the only option at that scale. I get it from

**LINK**

Here is a Utube link to me building the barque Gulf Stream, but this is 25 feet to the inch.

**LINK**

Bob

[pete grahamParticipant @petegraham99294]

What an astonishing business…..I had no idea that specialists like this existed. I worked for AEI Cables and they had a "fine wire " manufacturing section. Wouldn't be surprised if they used to supply this company with stock sizes.

Peter

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

I worked for AEI as well between early 1961 until they were taken over by Marconi, when I left. But I was in the marine communications section!

Bob

[pete grahamParticipant @petegraham99294]

Not really sure what happened to AEI as a company. . I left in 1965 after the company or some parts of it were taken over by General Electric Company. The huge cable factory here in the North East later became a victim of dropping markets,, became redundant and sadly lay derelict for some time.

Apart from industrial cables , a big part of the factory's output was instrument and equipment wiring for the electronics industry.

Peter.

[Jerry Oram 2Participant @jerryoram2]

Amazing work

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