I am currently ready to begin my third model, the CSS Alabama, and probably bit off more than I am capable of. The hull is basically a 3x4 block of wood that needs shaping and I am lost. Are there any tutorials out there that cover how to shape a hull? This should be fun! Thanks
G'day iceman, I have built several ship's with carved hulls, if you look at my signature you will see the Naomi and the Mini Sims both were done with carved hulls just using a craft knife and sandpaper,
Hope they help you out,
Best regards John.
Duke of York 1836, 1/96 scale built by neptune
Captain Robert Morgan was appointed Master of the Duke of York, owned by the South Australia Company, The vessel was to take company personnel and settlers to Kangaroo Island, and then go whaling in the Pacific. Morgan joined the departing Duke of York at Gravesend on 25 February 1836. She...
shipsofscale.com
Minnie Sims Fishing Cutter 1/48 scale
I am reposting this build log , she is the South Australian Fishing Cutter, The Minnie Sims, 1/48 scale Year or period represented: 1898-1932 History: Built as a local fishing boat in 1898 and wrecked on Kangaroo Island South Australia, while riding out a storm, the winds changed and...
shipsofscale.com
Naomi South Australian Fishing Boat 1/24 scal2 by neptune
This is a small fishing boat that was built for the same family as the Mini Sims, see my other build log, I built this model for the same gentleman that I built the model of the Mini Sims for, only this time he did'nt have any plans for her, however he did have the dimensions and photo's of the...
shipsofscale.com
Hope they help you out,
Best regards John.
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. Hope mine comes out as good as yours. Thanks very much for the help.
It's like sculpture - take your block of whatever, remove anything that doesn't look like Venus de Milo/ CSS Alabama, and you're done!
I would recommend looking at a good tutorial for half hull model making. It's the same basic process. You have templates that show the curve of the hull at each station along the hull? And mark those station lines on the top deck surface (so they don't get sanded off). Start amidships and work your way to each end, removing material at each station until it matches the shape of the template, and progress toward the bow and stern. Your hull will emerge. Initially you can remove material with carving chisel, if you know how to use those, or a file, or rotary tool, and then conservatively (before it is too late!) switch to sandpaper. Coarse then fine as usual.
Does that help?
Does that help?
I am curious here. Is the CSS Alabama a kit or you are just scratch building and starting with a block of wood, OR, did the kit just come with a block of wood?
If it is a kit and came with a block of wood, I am very surprised about it being a rectangle block of BILLET. Usually, the manufacture will put in the kit a SOLID hull that has already been 80% finished all that is needed is fine-tuning. Then on top of that, the plans should have come with some stiff paper TEMPLATES that are used as "stations" to use as a guide.
Like the Model Shipways Sultana came with such a hull and had about 8 templates you use to obtain the FORM of the hull at eight different positions along the length of the hull.
I have never heard (but that doesn't mean anything) of a kit that gives you a billet of wood with no templates or cross-sectional views to go by.
If it is a kit and came with a block of wood, I am very surprised about it being a rectangle block of BILLET. Usually, the manufacture will put in the kit a SOLID hull that has already been 80% finished all that is needed is fine-tuning. Then on top of that, the plans should have come with some stiff paper TEMPLATES that are used as "stations" to use as a guide.
Like the Model Shipways Sultana came with such a hull and had about 8 templates you use to obtain the FORM of the hull at eight different positions along the length of the hull.
I have never heard (but that doesn't mean anything) of a kit that gives you a billet of wood with no templates or cross-sectional views to go by.
Thanks everyone for the helpful references and suggestions. I over-reacted when I saw the block in the kit and assumed I had to carve the hull. I was wrong. The kit is a bulkhead on keel. The block was for making spacers to fit between the bulkheads in areas that have intricate shapes as a backing for the planks. The kit is from Bluejacket. I may be in a little over my head (Admiral level) with this kit but I’m going to plow ahead anyway. Should be an interesting project and a learning experience for me. Thanks again.
I am glad that you figured this out - if you haven't can you make a build log of your progress. We are interested in seeing this project.