# 300-year-old model ship restoration



## Premier Ship Models (Feb 5, 2016)

Hi all,

We are a group of ship model builders and restorers based in London and I was recently doing some research about a model called the HMS Albion, where I stumbled upon a thread in your forum.

Last month, we completed a restoration of the HMS Albion model belonging to Trinity House and I thought you guys might be interested in some details of the project (Thumb).

Our work began with cleaning the model, the task of which involved using chemical compounds and solutions and between 6000 and 7000 cotton buds to clean away 300 years of dust and to implement conservation techniques to preserve the newly restored condition of the model for many years to come. We had to observe extreme timekeeping throughout cleaning as if chemicals were left on too long it could have damaged the model. 

Particular details and sections of the hull had to be retouched through meticulously mixing various shades of dye to match the original colouring's of the model. 

The majority of the rigging was rotten and had to be replaced with new ropes, the production of which required the use of special machinery and materials to ensure that the correct scale between the model and the real ship was upheld. The total length of rope required for the new rigging was greater in length than that of the real HMS Victory ship!

In order to ensure a high attention to detail carried out when working and maintaining the authenticity of the model, the project took a total of 800 hours to complete.

*Before and after photos*

Before









After









Before









After









I hope you guys enjoyed this little piece of information and if you want to read all the details you can visit our blog here: http://premiershipmodels.us/blog/56-the-task-of-restoring-a-300-year-old-model-ship

Take care(Wave)


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## John Rogers (May 11, 2004)

A fantastic job, many pats on the backs for all involved.


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## makko (Jul 20, 2006)

Well done and very interesting.


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## tugboat (Nov 23, 2006)

Thank you. Any chance of more photos of the whole model? How big is it? Hopefully TH might invest in a proper display case to protect it into the future. A model of that provenance needs looking after.


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