KIT VS SCRATCH-BUILDING; SCRATCH-BUILDING VS THE
PRACTICUM METHOD


Kits make a good starting point especially if you are new to ship modeling. Gradually as you become more experienced in your research and modeling skills, you begin to modify kit models. Scratch-building generally results in your wanting to model a particular subject but cannot find a kit, or your quest for more authenticity and accuracy leads you to begin scratch-building.
 

Scratch-building can be a daunting or intimidating experience if you do not possess the necessary skills in the various disciplines of research, hull frame construction, deck detailing, ship model carvings, masting and rigging, and in general, the art of the shipwright.   This is where the merits of the Practicum Method comes into play. A practicum is a systematic and orderly set of instructions. It takes you from point A to point Z. In other words, the practicum method does the necessary research for you as well as give you a step-by-step construction sequence

which closely follows the construction methods of the 17th and 18th centuries shipwrights.  Imagine trying to construct the model of the USF Confederacy (36), 1781, as depicted in this photo without any detailed set of instructions.
There is, however, one major drawback with the practicum method, which is the fact of the subject matter not necessarily being the one of your choice. This should not deter you from choosing the practicum method since the lessons learned are applicable to other model subjects. In fact, the various subjects were deliberately chosen by the author in sequential order with each subject becoming the foundation for the following one as well as each subject introducing the modeler into a particular area of ship modeling. For example, the first practicum, the Fair American (no longer available) had as its main purpose the transition from kit to modified scratch-building as well as teaching the authentic masting and rigging of a square-rigged ship. The second practicum, the Confederacy, taught the Harold Hahn method of framing a hull via the construction board method as well as special milling-woodworking, authentic detailed gun assembly, construction of ship’s boats, construction of specialty items such as belfry, barricade, gun port lids, galley stove, steering wheel/sweep mechanism, rudder, and especially ship model carvings. The third practicum introduced the modeler into the single foot hook frame construction, using the choice of Portia Takakjian's clamping-jig method, or the construction board of Harold Hahn.  Furthermore, the modeler was introduced into the area of painting the hull frieze using acrylate colors, in addition to advanced ship model carving (in the Baroque style), gold leafing, authentic hatch construction, stern lanterns utilizing the brass etching method, and the particular milling involved in the construction of the deck breaks.  The subject of this third practicum is that of HMY Fubbs, which is depicted in the next photo. 

The final and most ambitious fourth practicum offered in this series leads the modeler through the entire construction of a British seventy-four gun ship-of-the-line of 1781, HMS Warrior. Since this is the current practicum, and still under development with two of the four volumes already published and available, when the third and fourth volumes are completed, there will be ample advertising as well as special notices sent to all those who purchased the first two volumes. This practicum is based on the actual shipwright’s contemporary model which is on display at the British Science Museum, London, England. Not all practicums require the same length of time to complete. Each practicum has been designed to construct the model by Chapter sections. For example, the Confederacy has 34 chapters, therefore it would require about 36 months to complete, allowing a couple of months for catch-up.
The Fubbs has 24 chapters, therefore it would require about 24-30 months to complete, allowing a few extra months because of the number of carved figures. The
Warrior will require a minimum of 4 to 5 years, allowing one year for each of the four volumes and allowing extra time for the extensive masting and rigging.
On a scale of difficulty of construction, the Confederacy practicum is designed for the first time scratch-builder as well as those of greater proficiency and experience. I would rate the Confederacy, therefore, a level of 7. The Fubbs would be rated at a level of 9, and should be reserved for the intermediate as well as advanced modeler. The Warrior would be rated at a level of 10 mainly for its length of time to complete and the amount of detail. But because the lessons are so detailed, this practicum is designed for all levels of experience––beginners, intermediate, and advanced.

Unique to all the practicums is the photo-by-photo sequence in addition to the written text. Also included are hundreds of illustrations, with some of them adding to the general artistry of the practicum. The drawings and illustrations for the Fubbs and the Warrior were drawn by computer drafting for accuracy of detail. Some example of these drawings are depicted here under.
 

Fubbs practicum logo

Unique to all three Practicums is the innovative method of executing the ship’s carvings. The author takes the approach of dual sided cutting of a pattern so that the resulting plug is already three-dimensional. This is demonstrated in the bottom right photo which represents one of the supporting cherubs holding the Fubbs ship model in balance on the stand. So complete are the instructional text as well as documenting each cut in a photo essay that even a beginner will have surprisingly good results. Since the plug is already three dimensional, the remaining carving process is devoted to eliminating the ‘extra’ arms or legs or even heads. Gradually you are instructed to remove the excess wood and rounding off the various

Example of plug carving
components. What makes the carving process intimidating is the fact that once you remove the pattern or section of it, you still must visualize the pattern in the remaining wood plug. The instructional text helps you to focus on the ‘hidden’ pattern by explaining which sections of stock must be preserved for a future detail and which stock must be removed as excess.

 

Ship's boy listening to a conch shell, a Warrior logo.

The success in the carving process is the result of coordinating the text with your actual work progress. If you can read, then you can carve. And for those who have a disdain for reading, there is the photo essay which documents all cuts.

Most of the carving is accomplished using micro burs in the recommended Foredom flex-shaft rotor tool. The practicums are so complete that even charts are published which lists all the necessary burs as well as retail outlets for purchasing them. In fact, all practicums mention the recommended tools for quality as well as pricing. The only difficulty encountered with tools is the fact that a beginner must make a substantially large, first-time investment, but once these are obtained, the modeler has them for the entire duration of his ship modeling hobby. Also since the practicums recommend certain exotic wood stock, in order to bring out the natural color of the ship, the cost for this wood is kept to a moderate level by the vendors. You need not worry about the quantity, dimension, and types of wood as all the practicums give this information to you.

Warrior figure head

 

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