Onni Posted January 19, 2020 Report Share Posted January 19, 2020 Built in secrecy by John Laird in Birkenhead, England in 1862 for the Confederate States Navy Alabama became a feared raider; sinking or destroying many Union vessels until she was finally sunk herself by USS Kearsarge near Cherbourg, France June 19th 1864.In 1984 the wreck of the Alabama was discovered by a French minesweeper in the western approaches of Cherbourg roads at a depth of 60 metres (200 ft). I will do this build log in more or less real time with 'warts and all' (mistakes) just to show that our hobby is not so easy or straight forward as it sometimes seems.Select a bottle (which determines size of ship) and construct a simple stand for it.Had some old wood laying around that I thought would be good to use but actually wasn't,cuts badly and doesn't sand well.Cut out the deck using a 0.4 mm wood veneer that I will sand down and stain later on. Bernard Kelly, James w rogers, John Zuch and 7 others 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Goodwin Posted January 19, 2020 Report Share Posted January 19, 2020 Have made this vessel numerous times...and one for a descendant of Capt. Semmes. Looking forward to seeing your log on her. Chasseur, JesseLee and James w rogers 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onni Posted January 19, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2020 35 minutes ago, Jim Goodwin said: Have made this vessel numerous times...and one for a descendant of Capt. Semmes. Looking forward to seeing your log on her. Feel a bit of a sweat coming on when I looked at your beautiful models. I will try to do my best 😌 Jim Goodwin, James w rogers, Bruce Foxworthy and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff B Posted January 19, 2020 Report Share Posted January 19, 2020 I too like show-as-you-go threads. The good, the bad and the ugly. "Oww my finger!", comes to mind. Yours will be fun to watch! I'm certain I will learn a thing or two. Bruce Foxworthy, James w rogers, Onni and 1 other 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JesseLee Posted January 19, 2020 Report Share Posted January 19, 2020 I have always wanted to do this one James w rogers 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Goodwin Posted January 19, 2020 Report Share Posted January 19, 2020 A note about historic flags: the Alabama when launched carried the 1st National Confederate flag (Stars & Bars ). Not many folks can identify this flag I have observed. Later the 'Bama carried the 2nd National & Naval Jack which has the noted Battle Banner. I only make Confederate vessels upon request now and do not display them at art shows I attend. Given the association and controversy of the Battle Banner with current groups presently, it is the modeler's choice on what flag the vessel should bear. What one person finds offensive, another may find historically accurate. Certainly modelers striving for historical accuracy these days have a delima in view of our evolving culture. Still, the Alabama has a neat design and is a challenging build for a bottle. Cheers, Jim Chasseur, Donald, James w rogers and 1 other 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Goodwin Posted January 19, 2020 Report Share Posted January 19, 2020 A note about historic flags: the Alabama when launched carried the 1st National Confederate flag (Stars & Bars ). Not many folks can identify this flag I have observed. Later the 'Bama carried the 2nd National & Naval Jack which has the noted Battle Banner. I only make Confederate vessels upon request now and do not display them at art shows I attend. Given the association and controversy of the Battle Banner with current groups presently, it is the modeler's choice on what flag the vessel should bear. What one person finds offensive, another may find historically accurate. Certainly modelers striving for historical accuracy these days have a delima in view of our evolving culture. Still, the Alabama has a neat design and is a challenging build for a bottle. Cheers, Jim Bruce Foxworthy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Goodwin Posted January 19, 2020 Report Share Posted January 19, 2020 An interesting note about the sunken Alabama...it is a shared historic site, and Perrier bottles and golf balls have been found on her deck Onni, Chasseur, Bruce Foxworthy and 1 other 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onni Posted January 20, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2020 Jim,Thanks for your info on the flags. I know very little about the American Civil war so it is useful to get some advice. I presume your referring to these two flags so one can choose oneself which to use, anyway; its gonna be a long time before I haul a flag up on this build!😣 Donald and Jim Goodwin 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JesseLee Posted January 20, 2020 Report Share Posted January 20, 2020 Most people don't know this but the First National had 7 stars for only A few months. AS the other States joined another star was added until there were 13 stars which is the way it was from Dec. 1861 until it was changed to the 2nd National design on May 1st 1863. She would have had the 13 star version until the second was adopted. Here's a link to Wikipedia about it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flags_of_the_Confederate_States_of_America Jesse Donald, exwafoo, James w rogers and 1 other 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onni Posted January 20, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2020 Thanks Jesse. JesseLee and exwafoo 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onni Posted January 24, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2020 Positioned and checked mast heights. Drilled holes through the thin veneer for them and the jib. Also drilled holes carefully through the hull both horizontally and vertically so that the hull should go back together the same after cutting it in half and quarters by joining it with small pegs (cocktail sticks) The outside hull will be covered by a thin styreene that will hide any drill holes. I will have to cut carefully following my pencil line on the deck top so as to keep the mast holes secure and on the centre line. I won't cut the actual deck;it should go in whole.Have to travel to my craft/hobby club ( about half hours drive) to do the cutting of the hull on a band saw as I don't have one here at home. Jim Goodwin, John Zuch, Gwyl Blaser and 5 others 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onni Posted January 24, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2020 Sorry everyone ,especially James as I mistakenly posted my stuff on James's great build log. I was reading through his log and forgot to switch to my own log. Thats what silly old men do!😭 JesseLee, Bruce Foxworthy, Gwyl Blaser and 2 others 2 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Goodwin Posted January 24, 2020 Report Share Posted January 24, 2020 What bottle will this piece go in to ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onni Posted January 25, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2020 14 hours ago, Jim Goodwin said: What bottle will this piece go in to ? Its a bottle that I picked up here in Finland which is a one use bottle with calibrations on the side of it(which will be hidden under the sea; so to speak) It's a bottle that I have never seen before .Has 'Kertapullo' stamped on the bottom which roughly translates to 'one time bottle;' (disposable I suppose).Liquid volume of the bottle is about 2 pints if that gives any indication of the size of the bottle.Hope that helps. Jim Goodwin, John Zuch, James w rogers and 3 others 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James w rogers Posted January 25, 2020 Report Share Posted January 25, 2020 (edited) 23 hours ago, Onni said: Sorry everyone ,especially James as I mistakenly posted my stuff on James's great build log. I was reading through his log and forgot to switch to my own log. Thats what silly old men do!😭 That's OK onni! Put anything you like on there, I will just take all the credit! 😂 Your build is, looking great, love the deck, very nicely done also a great looking bottle, very nice shape! 😎 Edited January 25, 2020 by James w rogers Onni, exwafoo and Bruce Foxworthy 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onni Posted January 30, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2020 Some progress made but also some mistakes! I am using 0,5mm thick white plastic to skin the hull of 'Alabama' but it's a bit difficult to mould around the hull;0,3mm would of been easier but I am afraid that the bulwarks would be too thin and weak. Had a few cannons left over from the 'Black Pearl' so I can use them to check inside height of the bulwarks. On Tuesday evening had the opportunity to use a hobbymaster bandsaw to slice up the hull. As you can see that didn't go so well;cut a bit too much off the bottom but it is still usable. The wood is terrible,can't remember where I got it from but I won't be using it again! Even sanding it is difficult,always leaves a ragged edge,anyway it all pegs back together quite nicely.Last picture is the bottom piece cut off, just to show the grain of the wood. James w rogers, Jim Goodwin, JesseLee and 3 others 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James w rogers Posted January 30, 2020 Report Share Posted January 30, 2020 Nice job! That deck looks great! 😎 Onni and Bernard Kelly 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onni Posted February 6, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2020 Not that happy with the joining of the hull in the middle so I cut away the bottom section,cleaned off all the old glue and replaced with a new piece of styreene. The aft of the ship looks terrible but I will attempt to redress that later on by some sort of method! Before anyone points out that the'Alabama' only had a two bladed screw and not a four bladed one like I made; I have already fixed that issue with a stanley knife😂 JesseLee, John Zuch, Bernard Kelly and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onni Posted February 10, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2020 (edited) Managed to get quite a lot done on her this weekend.Cut out gun port doors from 0,3 plastic and glued them in place. That was a bit tedious! The stern was a problem;tried to form it in thin plastic but it was hopless (or maybe I'm useless)so I cut out a stern chunk from a thicker plastic and moulded it with thin stern bulwark and underneath with modelling clay.It dosen't look so great but when I've sanded it off and painted it, I hope it will look better. So now the stern slots in place. Worked on the masts and bowsprit just to get them the right lengths for the bottle. Tried a 3mm diameter brass tube for the funnel but it just didn't look right so I went with a 4mm wooden dowel which I will drill out an opening on the top later. Edited February 10, 2020 by Onni Spelling Bernard Kelly, Jim Goodwin, JesseLee and 4 others 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onni Posted February 17, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2020 Time to do some painting. Looks a whole lot better with a lick of paint😉 James w rogers, exwafoo, Jim Goodwin and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onni Posted February 17, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2020 Oop's,sometimes bad things happen. It's repairable though. Bernard Kelly, James w rogers and exwafoo 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onni Posted February 17, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2020 The workbench,aka,the kitchen table! Bernard Kelly, Jim Goodwin and exwafoo 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Foxworthy Posted February 17, 2020 Report Share Posted February 17, 2020 Onni: Your prowess in this creation just blows my mind. It will certainly turn out to be another wonderful example of your skills in replication of a famous ship.. Thanks for showing all the steps you are engaging in to make it. I'm especially fascinated with your use of the plastic sheeting. Can't wait for your next installment. regards Bruce. James w rogers, Onni, exwafoo and 1 other 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Foxworthy Posted February 17, 2020 Report Share Posted February 17, 2020 By the way our kitchen table is preoccupied with jigsaw puzzles 24/7. LOL. Onni 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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