# Another iron-hulled square rigger



## Shipbuilder

I am now working on the iron-hulled four masted barque PRIMROSE HILL, 1886. 
This is the ship to which Charles Lightoller (senior surviving officer of RMS TITANIC) was apprenticed when he first went to sea in 1888. 
The model is to a scale of 32'=1" and is to be shown labouring through heavy seas under shortened sail. Once again, a very unpopular subject for most ship model builders, but I love building this type of sailing ship. 
Bob


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## Shipbuilder

I have now completed the hull and am about to start the masting & rigging. The hard part is now over and the rather repetitive part begins. 
Bob


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## jerome morris

Bob, She looks beautiful!


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## Shipbuilder

Thanks,
Have now completed all four masts and am in the process of making & fitting the topmasts shrouds & ratlines.
Bob


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## Shipbuilder

Progressing slow, but sure.
Bob


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## Shipbuilder

This morning, I rigged 54 backstays on the fore, main and mizzen masts (the jigger was completed some days ago). The spreaders have now been cut down to their correct length. The model is now ready to have the yards and square sails fitted. Rigging the backstays was pretty boring stuff and took all morning, so I will be having the rest of the day off to recover. 
Bob


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## stein

Looks like a very good model of a very good looking ship. Will be interesting to see her placed in the sea.


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## Shipbuilder

Thanks. She is a three skysail-yarder with seven square sails on fore, main and mizzen. To be shown in a fairly heavy sea under foresail, topsails and lower t'gallants.
Bob


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## Shipbuilder

Moving rapidly towards completion now, with the topsails set and rigged and also the fore t'gallants. Still a lot of work to do on the display case though.
Bob


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## Shipbuilder

I completed the model itself earlier today. This is a photograph of it taken from a low angle with a photo of the real sea superimposed over the lower part. The hull is 9.5 inches long on the waterline. Now I have got to complete the display case and sea.
Bob


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## 6639

another astounding piece of art there Bob.

great photo too.



http://www.justgiving.com/lochnessscalesail


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## Shipbuilder

Thanks,
This is the real bit of sea that I put on the model. I was moving from HMS LEDBURY back to my own ship (RMS ST. HELENA) in a small rubber boat in 1982 in the South Atlantic - Great fun!
Bob


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## jerome morris

Nice camera work Bob. Nice model too!


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## commander

A superb model Bob.

I wondered where you got the picture of the sea.
I was possibly with you in that rubber boat.

What memories.
Chris.


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## Shipbuilder

Hi Chris,

Thanks. Different rubber boat. I went to LEDBURY, you went to BRECON, but it was possibly the same day.

At the moment, Christine is in the other room painting the sea ready for the model.

Bob


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## Shipbuilder

Completed it today.
Bob


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## jerome morris

Bob, She looks GREAT! Love the breakers.


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## japottinger

Getting good use out of that same Biro Bob!


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## Shipbuilder

It isn't always the same one though! Just got glue all over it, so may have to change it soon unless I can clean it off!
Bob


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## jerome morris

Bob, I think you need to upgrade to a Mont Blanc pen.


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## Shipbuilder

I hade never even heard of them, but when I Googled them, I see that three of them would cost more than the model!
Bob


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## jerome morris

Then Bob you'll know you made it to the top! model and pen.


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## Shipbuilder

Thanks, but I know I will never be as good as the late Donald McNarry - too old now at 67! I tend to churn them out at a rate of about one every 5 or 6 weeks. I have very little patience, so like to build quickly. Where a McNarry miniature usually fetches about £26,000, mine are very lucky to top the £1,000 mark. I could really make more collecting trolleys at supermarkets. The only reason I carry on building is that I enjoy it. Kits are a non-starter for me, because as well as being very expensive, they are usually far too big for the average house and take months and months to assemble. I really prefer obscure or semi-obscure ships and I sincerely hope the kit market does not start to widen its scope and cramp my style by moving away from the evergreen subjects such as CUTTY SARK, BOUNTY, VICTORY & TITANIC.

At present, I am building the intermediate Union-Castle liner HARLECH CASTLE of 1894 to a scale of 32'=1". That has a handy hull length of 11 inches. PRIMROSE HILL was "snapped up" last week and has now gone!

Bob


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## horst ruedel

What o wonderful ship model. I wished I colud built such models. Congratulations!!


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## R58484956

Once again Bob a superb model and we must congratulate Christine for her superb sea. Thanks for showing us.


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## Shipbuilder

Thanks for comments. Today, I have been battling with engineering problems on my small bandsaw and finally got it sorted out at about 1530 gmt, by which time I was too cold (worked on it outside) and bleeding from several superficial cuts to do anything more today. Packed up and read a book. Maybe back to work on HARLECH CASTLE tomorrow - bandsaw permitting!
Bob


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## Lucas Lee

Hi Bob,
As a new member and not too familiar with ships and nautical life, I was fascinated to see your skills to art and craft a model sailing ship as shown. I have recently acquired a model ship of the salamis in a glass case. Its very old about 90-100 years old and very fragile requiring some restoration. I'm not sure what to do with it and would welcome any advise on possible restoration if possible. I have photographs.
Best regards Lucas


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## Shipbuilder

Hi Lucas,
Thanks for comments. The SALAMIS was a quite famous sailing ship and an old model would probably be quite valuable. Would be every interested in seeing some pictures and I am sure a few other members of Ships Nostalgia would be as well.
Bob


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## rknibbs

Yes, a great model, beautiful. You say you have no patience - that rigging must take great patience. As a bit of a modelmaker myself I just don't know how you get your models so clean - but then get glue all over your pen!!


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## Shipbuilder

The rigging is the easiest part. The masts, yards and all the rigging is metal. The masts being a combination of brass tube and rod. The yards and booms are brass or silver steel rod. The rigging is all fine copper wire. The ratlines are soldered across the shrouds on a winding frame and the whole process takes about 20 minutes pair set (port & starboard). There are no knots in the rigging at all. Most of it is just glued on with contact adhesive. The PRIMROSE HILL took 66 1/2 hours to build. I began work on the 10th December 2010 and completed on the 8th February 2011. That time included building the display case, base and carrying case.

I tend to get the glue on the pen during construction, when I am making notes as I go along.

Click:

Miniature Merchant Ships (below)

To see more of my models.

Bob


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## Lucas Lee

Shipbuilder said:


> Hi Lucas,
> Thanks for comments. The SALAMIS was a quite famous sailing ship and an old model would probably be quite valuable. Would be every interested in seeing some pictures and I am sure a few other members of Ships Nostalgia would be as well.
> Bob


Hi Bob,
Thanks for your reply. The Salamis certainly looks a majestic ship and has caught my imagination. The model ship was built about 90 years ago by my wifes great grandfather who was employed within the HM coastguard service.
The model is very delicate and is scaled approx 1foot = 100ft (1:100) based upon my understanding that the original Salamis was about 211 foot long.
The model is complete on a sea scaped base enclosed within a glass case for display. I will send pics for your comments shortly as soon as I work out how to attach!
Very best regards Lucas


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## Shipbuilder

Yes, the SALAMIS was 211 feet long. The scale is probaly 8ft to 1 in (1:96) as that is quite common!

Posting images here is quite easy. Click on 

Manage Attachments (below)

Click on
Browse

Find the image in your computer and click on it and then on Upload.

The only thing to watch is that the image must be reduced to the parameters permitted by the system before you upload it.

Bob


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## Lucas Lee

Shipbuilder said:


> Hi Lucas,
> Thanks for comments. The SALAMIS was a quite famous sailing ship and an old model would probably be quite valuable. Would be every interested in seeing some pictures and I am sure a few other members of Ships Nostalgia would be as well.
> Bob


Hi again - I've managed to reduce my original pics so hopefully they will fit within the parameters! 

The model is in need of quite a lot of tlc - am wondering whether restoration is going to be too expensive. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Lucas


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## Shipbuilder

It looks like a sailor-made. Basically correct, but a bit clumsy in the rigging. As such, it is probably very valuable even as it is! Trying to restore it might reduce the value considerably. Having it restored professionally would probably cost a fortune. Have a look through the old Charles Miller Ltd illustrated catalogues. They are online, complete with the sale results. They often have similar items. It is a London maritime auction house. You will find the website easy enough on a Google search.
Bob


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## DURANGO

Shipbuilder said:


> It looks like a sailor-made. Basically correct, but a bit clumsy in the rigging. As such, it is probably very valuable even as it is! Trying to restore it might reduce the value considerably. Having it restored professionally would probably cost a fortune. Have a look through the old Charles Miller Ltd illustrated catalogues. They are online, complete with the sale results. They often have similar items. It is a London maritime auction house. You will find the website easy enough on a Google search.
> Bob


I just picked up on this model Bob I to am a professional ship model builder only mine are built in bottles , I make you right with regards to getting to involved with the restoration of this ship from what I can make out from the photos would you not think that it would suffice to try to re glue the sails to the yards that is if one was able to do this without disturbing to much of the rigging or do you feel that even that would be best left alone , I have not looked over the model in to much detail but with todays glues that are available I feel they are so much better than what I was using back in 1964 when I first started out regards Dave .


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## Graham P Powell

Quite Superb!. Are the hulls made from wood?. There is a firm of professional model boat builders in Weston Super Mare and I have a friend who worked there. He told me the hulls ( and these were large scale) were carved from wood by a chap who restored organs. They were then smoothed off , painted, smooth off again until they look like they were made of plastic. The people in Weston made a model of the complete Iranian navy. All vessels.
Anyway, wonderful work. Looking forward to seeing some more.
rgds
Graham Powell


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## NoR

How do you make the sails ?


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## Shipbuilder

I make the sails from white airmail paper on which I have printed the seams using the computer. Then I mold them round an ostrich egg whilst wet to get a wind-filled look. Finally, edge them with fine copper wire.

Click on Miniature Merchant Ships below to see more.

Most modelmakers seem to prefer sails cut from material with stitched seams, but I don't have that sort if patience!

Bob


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## NoR

Shipbuilder said:


> I make the sails from white airmail paper on which I have printed the seams using the computer. Then I mold them round an ostrich egg whilst wet to get a wind-filled look. Finally, edge them with fine copper wire.
> 
> Click on Miniature Merchant Ships below to see more.
> 
> Most modelmakers seem to prefer sails cut from material with stitched seams, but I don't have that sort if patience!
> 
> Bob


That's pretty ingenious they look good.


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