Model making of arsenal
The model making of arsenal is an activity of leisure, which consists in building a model on reduced scale of the old ships out of wooden, mainly of the time of, starting from Monographie S.
Considered, from the point of view “model making”, like the top of art, the model making of arsenal obliges the model maker to in depth respect not only appearance external of the Navire, but also the methods of construction of the various constituent elements the ship: frame, Sheathing, interior installation, Gréement, while going until reproducing the techniques and artifices of assembly and assembly of the model of origin, such as Mortise S and tenons, embeddings of the parts, pins and pins, Caulking of the bridges, forages of the ropes…
The model maker of arsenal finds his pleasure in manufacture, closest to the model of origin, of all the parts entering the composition of his model, going until outputting his own wood starting from logs, and manufacturing itself his ropes with the adequate diameters.
This activity requires to seek reliable information sources in the files local, regional, national and international. Certain authors publish very complete monographs of old ships. Many sites and forums on Internet cover subject.
History
When Mazarin dies, in 1661, the wars and the internal struggles put the economy of France in ruin. The King, on the council of Mazarin, takes Colbert as Intendant of Finances. “ Richelieu had decided to make France a maritime power, which it was not up to that point. The vicissitudes of times had not made it possible to carry out this great ambition, and the navy of French war remained embryonic, weak vis-a-vis those of England and the Netherlands. When Louis XIV arrives at the capacity, assisted of Colbert, this ambition is taken again, with for objective being opposed to the Dutchmen ”. In a marked speech on August 3rd, 1664, Colbert denounces the causes of the ruin of the trade in France, by openly showing the Dutch, which control all, until and including the exchanges between the port S French. Dutch protects their trade with their own army, made up from 10 to 12.000 troops and from 40 to 50 vessels of war, they are the uncontested Masters of the trade on all the seas of the sphere.Colbert sees in the re-establishment of commercial independence the safety of the nation's economy. And to ensure this independence, one needs for the country a Naval force ready to defend its trade, and to reduce Dutch supremacy. The Royal Académie of Sciences, which it built, is put at contribution to publish a Atlas describing in detail each stage of the construction of a boat. The Academy applies for the first time mathematical knowledge in the design of the hull S and the Gréement S of the ships.
The project is imposing but simple: to industrialize the production of the raw materials necessary, by the scientific management of the forests and the development of the loader-gates, to industrialize the production of the ships, to industrialize the manufacture of the ropes and the castings… With its nomination as minister, the French fleet is summarized with a score of old men-of-war in a position to sail, from 16 to 56 guns, including only 9 ship of the lines. The English navy counts 157 vessels of all tonnages (of which 74 are important vessels, embarking from 30 to 100 guns), that is to say a ratio from 1 to 8 with the French navy. 15 years later, the French State has 196 vessels, without counting the galères, and in 1677, it counts 300 ships, and the best arsenals in the world: Toulon, Rochefort and Brest initially, assisted ports of Dunkirk, Harbor, of Calais and Boulogne. In about fifteen years, France, which does not have a maritime history strictly speaking, became the first world maritime power, and its models of vessels, in particular the Vaisseau of 74 guns builds later on on the basis of plan establish by Jacques-Christmas Sané (1740-1831), became so remarkable that they will be gradually copied by all the other maritime powers, to begin with the English and the Dutchmen.
The construction of the ships is not any more one approximate and artisanal work, many built vessels are the object on order of Colbert of a very precise realization of a model preliminary on a 1/12e scale until the 1/48e according to the ship concerned, making it possible to visualize what will be the future vessel: “ the intention of Roy is that it is made in each arsenal of the models into small of a vessel of each of the five rows in which measurements are reduced to the 1/12e or with the 1/20e of all their proportions and measurements. ”
These models being built at the origin in and for the royal arsenals, the term model making of arsenal remained.
It will be noted however to be honest that Colbert is not the inventor of the model of arsenal. Phineas Pett (1570-1647) is seen ordering in 1603 a small-scale model of a Galion for prince Harry, oldest son of James Ist It later on built of them many others for the British royal family.
Modern model making
So certain models of Colbert or its successors are carefully preserved in the national museums, it is not the same techniques of construction. The knowledge is lost gradually, until being almost forgotten.Some very rare impassioned however continues to build models out of wooden, starting from increasingly approximate information.
Kits
. After the Second world war, the plastic is spread, the company Airfix, undertaken moulding, with the idea to create a plastic model in Kit to be built. Its first model is a tractor Ferguson. Vis-a-vis the success of this new type of product, it starts to produce boats and planes. These is an enormous success which gives birth to immediately competition, as well as the market of the Modélisme.But the models remain relatively simple, and not very in conformity from the matter employed with the beauty of the vessels of antan. Certain manufacturers put on the market of limp of kit containing the parts precut out of wood. For economic reasons and techniques, these kits out of wooden use primary products quality, cuttings, even with the Laser, remain approximate, the scale of the parts is often disproportionate, the conformity of the model itself with reality is more than doubtful. These models are rather fast to go up, but quality is not with go.
The kit-bashing
The amateurs of model making, while working on a basis of kits, launch out in the improvement of the commercial kits. The model maker modifies the contents of the provided model, by manufacturing again certain parts, while adding to it of others, while supplementing and by specifying the level of completion of the model thanks to information collected in addition, such as the plans available near the Museum of the marine.
The scratch or construction on plan
By use Plan S to improve the model, the permanent search for quality leads the model maker impassioned to cross the step, and it is then put to make models in scratch literally (: from nothing). It is enough to begin to get a plan of the model, or a Monographie of the ship to be better built, wood small planks various thicknesses, a Couteau with retractable blade, a Scie to be jig-sawn manual, some files switches and of the sandpaper. With the experiment, the acquisition of electric machines makes it possible to sophisticate work.
Model making of arsenal
Until the middle of the years 1970, for lack of documentation or knowledge, the rare model makers building of the warships to veils out of wooden produce rather approximate models. They base their work on simplified levels, the hull S out of ordinary wood, are sometimes cut in the mass, only the final aspect is taken into account, and these boats comprise multiple technical and historical anomalies without speaking about the details out of scale.In short, these precise models not are very hardly able to point out the prestigious marine of our past to us. It is quite difficult at the time to find the necessary informations to improve this work. Except the models present in the museums, documentation is almost non-existent. Some old works treat technical of constructions, the rare specimens available are forgotten or jealously kept safe from the knowledge of the general public. The files sleep under a thick cover of dust.
Rebirth of the model making of arsenal
But thanks to research that Jean Boudriot continues during more than 20 years, and with the edition of its monumental work “the Vaisseau of 74 guns”, one at that time attends the rebirth of naval model making such as it was practiced in the royal arsenals during S. Appelée model making of arsenal, this activity, initiated by Colbert and finally found, is based on an exact reconstitution of the ship, as well for its frame as for its interior installations and its equipment.The model makers building in the spirit of the model making of arsenal base their work on the thorough research carried out by some scholar S for which the architecture and the equipment of the large vessels out of wooden are an inexhaustible subject. These studies are gathered in exhaustive monographs where the model maker has to only draw to discover the complete plans of a ship and either of a model, his history or simply the small detail which misses.
Following the theoretical work of Jean Boudriot melting the revival of this activity, some rare specialists as Gerard Delacroix pass, using the modern tools of drawing, with the practical application, i.e. with the publication of complete monographs, specifying in their least details the techniques of construction.
International expansion
The French school develops naturally following work of Jean Boudriot then of Gerard Delacroix, the members of the Association of the Friends of the Museum of the Navy not being the last support of this revival of the historical model.The quality of the work of studies realized on the French marine by the initiators of this revival crosses the borders, and one sees being distinguished some other schools, such as for example the Belgian school, which unite with the quality of the achievements a personal key in the esthetics of the end products. The model making of arsenal is spread in all the countries of the world, and of the artists of exception point out themselves by their works. Each one can admire the work of German like Canadian American, their neighbors, or of Italian, Russian, Estonians and of Japanese, without forgetting the discrete effectiveness of Chinese.
Activity of model making of arsenal
General principles
The model must be the exact counterpart of the original ship, without simplification. It is necessary to as well respect the characteristics of the time for the design of the hull as for the realization of the Artillerie, the installation of the Gréement or returned Sculpture S.
It goes without saying that the structural components resulting from the trade are systematically drawn aside, being prefabricated, they are never satisfactory on the dimensional or historical levels. In the same way, the techniques of imitation, Trompe-l'oeil or about here are imperatively banished. The models preserved in the National museums of the Navy, are the indisputable examples which are used as a basis and of reference to the realization of these parts of quality. The esthetic aspect is also sought, by employing noble materials, invaluable wood, natural fibers for gréement and of the Laiton even sometimes of the Argent for the metal parts.
By applying this rigor, the construction of a large three-decker of the 18th century takes several years of course but one can pareillement produce a smaller or simpler ship, or a “class of vessel”, which take much less time. The pleasure is quite as intense as satisfaction to have created a splendid object of which technical and historical reliability is remarkable.
The model making of arsenal is practiced by impassioned amateurs, the diversity and the richness of the tasks which they have to carry out before obtaining a part of quality are very justifying. It is necessary for them to be in turn Charpentier, Forgeron, Cordier, Voilier or Sculpteur. In this field, the reflection and research take much time, some will even say to you that a quite considered part is already almost finished. Many of these models, by research which they asked, the particularly rigorous application provided for their realization and the beauty of the result obtained, is often compared with the masterpieces the Compagnons the Duty. It is one of the most beautiful recognitions for this activity which, for some, could be comparable with a Art.
Awaited characteristics of the model of arsenal
the definition below was given by Arthur Molle .
The best of the references of this model making is undoubtedly the model of one 74 guns, built by Augustin Pic and preserved at the Palais of Chaillot in Paris. Although not gréé, this model one of the best examples of an erudite demonstration of the naval construction of the time is carried out with a particular care, but also with a very rare taste.
Let us quote also the model of the ARTESIAN , vessel of 64 guns, remarkable as well for the hull and upperworks, as for gréement.
This is worth of course for the manner, given that these references disregard chronological evolution indispensably sizeable. These references do not imply the obligation to treat a model in its entirety, the studies thorough and detailed learnedly showing the assembly of structural members, component of the complex parts of the building, are desirable.
This applies to the mechanical operation of the moving parts, which play a part in the operation of the vessel (capstan, rudder, pumps, set of higher masts, etc) this concept not being restrictive.
Whatever the part presented, it matters that it is it so that the detail is not eluded, while admitting that it is simply evoked, with all desired exactitude.
It is thus a question of choosing according to the studied parts, a suitable scale by facilitating the examination. The miniaturization with looked at excess as an end in itself is to be proscribed.
This leads us to admit certain conventions. Convention for example on the level of paintings. It goes without saying, that the vessels of the old mode received the protection of coating, tar and various paintings. It will be up to the model maker to cover his subject in the most suitable way, the models left out of natural wood preserving a nudity which reveals all the smoothness of the work of fitting, although this manner of making is not in conformity with reality. When it is made use of paintings, those, in the absence of other verifiable indications, will refer to the palette, delivered by Jean Boudriot in each one of his monographs, this use calling in any case with the good taste and the harmony. In the case or the model would be left out of natural wood, it can be resorted to various gasolines, so as to reveal certain fundamental parts or simply the opposition between the oak and the fir tree. The model maker will take care however that these oppositions remain subtle and harmonious, proscribing in any case, the gasolines presenting of disproportionate fibers or a flower compared to the scale. Certain wood should be avoided noble, in exchange of wood fruit-lofts such as the walnut tree, the pear tree, the cherry tree, or the apple tree and the plum tree. The lime, though foreigner with this classification, also indicates him for his qualities.
These remarks are also addressed to the mast, as for the choice of the gasolines and the adoption or not of painting, while taking care however that the aspect of gréement and the aerofoil is well the reflection of reality.
This kind of convention also applies to the presentation of artillery, generally very of iron at the 18th century, but also of bronze at the 17th century. This artillery could be out of natural bronze, this color agreeing with happiness to the hot colors of the apparent woodworks, but the recourse to the patinas giving the best aspect of oxidized bronze or painted iron of black will be accommodated with satisfaction. This applies to the innumerable metal elements, which strew the vessel all while taking care well not to give an aspect too foil.
Materials employed
The basic material is the Bois. But this wood must present a certain number of characteristics making it clean to produce a model of quality. Its Fiber S must be sufficiently fine to give an appearance in conformity with reality, by taking account of the scale. It must be resistant, stable in time, not become deformed, but also be easy to work until in the finest details.The fruit-bearing wood of , having a slow growth, among is appreciated, with a marked preference for the Poirier, which cumulates all the required advantages. The Boxwood, with very dense fiber and particularly fine, is very appreciated for the manufacture of very fine parts like for all work of sculpture, in particular the decorations of Proue and poop.
Another very hard wood, the ebony, is also sometimes used for certain elements, in spite of the difficulty of working it. Its particular color makes it possible to emphasize certain classically black or dark parts, while avoiding the use of painting.
But according to the availabilities and the esthetic research of the model maker, other wood are also usable, by preferably avoiding wood with broad fiber, or too light or too mottled. One can use without fear in particular all the fruit-lofts, such as the apple tree, the wild cherry tree, the lemon tree… Bordered and the bridges could be realized in beech, in mulberry tree or in acacia, according to the required esthetic effects, certain fine parts can also be carved in the olive-tree. One finds in the trade of the suppliers of wood small planks of quality, the reading of the dedicated forums makes it possible quickly to know the good addresses which sell by correspondence or on Internet.
The metal parts are generally manufactured starting from parts of Laiton, metal ductile and easy to work. Brass is with the need blackened using products Oxydant S. The rope S, impossible to find in the trade in correct quality and on the good scale, are manufactured starting from genuine silver wire by the model maker, according to the same techniques, on the scale near, as those employed in the arsenals of time.
The veil S are an main issue of the model maker, so much it is difficult to find a fabric presenting a screen which could approach the scale of the built model. According to the tastes of the model maker, it is made use of fabric of Soie or very fine cotton, tinted in order to obtain a result nearest possible to reality.
Tools
It is often the first question, because the first concern of that or that which launches out in the model making of arsenal: “which fortune will I have to invest in a Outillage sophisticated? ”.
That nenni! The model makers of the time of Colbert had neither electric turn, nor numerically controlled milling machine, but steel blade sharpened on a stone and patience. And one can admire the quality of their achievements in the museums.
It is often known as that the two principal tools of the model maker of arsenal are patience and perseverance. One could add an elbow grease amount to it. This one is helped then of some very simple tools, of the chisels, often manufactured by the model maker himself (because the tools which one manufactures oneself are most of the time the best and the most adapted), some fine files, of the sandpaper, small a Scie to be jig-sawn manual. Modernity helping, a mini electric drilling machine and its varied strawberries, but powerful (it is necessary to avoid the tools in 12 V which heats too quickly) is a complement quickly essential.
It is only with time that the model maker is equipped gradually with more sophisticated materials. And it is disadvised to the beginner running in the store of the corner to be encumbered expensive machines which will sometimes almost never be useful.
The first useful investments, when one definitively tasted with the drug of this activity, often refer to tools making it possible to output oneself its wood, starting from rough logs or of thick boards, because the raw material is also the expenditure first, if it is acquired in the trade in the form of small planks planed and sandpapered with the various thicknesses necessary, even if their cost remains very in on this side that of a commercial kit. One needs for that a Circular saw and a Raboteuse, tools which one finds at reasonable prices in all the stores of do-it-yourself.
With the experiment, and to facilitate certain delicate operations, certain model makers acquire other electrical equipment gradually, saws to jig-saw, Lapidaire and sander, mini Fraiseuse or turn making it possible to work gun S. But many model makers regards these machines as not being essential to their activity, the work of the hand and the glance remaining the best pledge of quality.
Stages of construction of a model
The construction of a old Voilier includes/understands several stages, common to all the models. The first step consists, either to acquire a Monographie quality, or, for most courageous, to build this monograph starting from information collected in the museums and the maritime Archive S.Once the monograph available, and the wood stock made up, it is initially necessary to build the hull, made up of the Quille, the Membrure and sound Bordage. Then the interior equipment of the ship must be set up on the various bridges. The Accastillage is a delicate part of construction, but it gets much pleasure in the success of tiny details, like the manufacture of furniture and the installation of functional hinges on doors from 1 to 2 cm in height, or the realization of Poulie S of a few millimetres. Then artistic creation comes, with the sculpture of the ornaments and tackles of the ship. Lastly, stage not of least in spent time and patience necessary, the installation of the Gréement, starting with the essential manufacture of the ropes of all diameters, their fodder, and the pouliage (together of the pulleys and other equipment of control of the operations) necessary to their setting in motion, without forgetting the multiples Espar S of all forms and all dimensions.
Frame
Before all things, the model maker builds his “building site”, form who will allow to assemble the structural members by respecting the regularity of the positioning of the many parts composing it. Then the construction begins, with the creation of the skittle, finished side prow by the Brion prolonged stem, and side poop by the stern post. This spinal column of the future vessel is composed of a score to forty parts.On the skittle a good about sixty couples rests. Each one of these couples includes/understands a pair of members, and is composed of 12 to 15 pieces of wood twists. Wood twists was classically cut in old man Chêne S bicentenaries having pushed in an irregular way, in order to have the curved parts necessary to the construction of the frame. It is a recent mania of the man to want trees with the rectilinear trunk, and the construction of such ships today raises of the exploit, because of the absence of wood twists in the forests. For the model maker, the solution is simpler, since it is enough to cut in the mass of a sufficiently broad piece of wood. But the task remains important, since for the only frame not bordered of the vessel, it is already with approximately 900 pieces of wood to be cut. History to be simplified the life, the model maker will represent the Goujon S of fixing of the components of the couples, that is to say from 35 to 40 fine brass stems from 0,3 to 0,6 mms in diameter, planted in holes carried out in each member of the frame. Easiest is made. Before frame is finished, it remains still to realize casing of prow and of poop, two parts of frame with forms complex, whose construction is at least as long as all that was carried out before, and with a difficulty of definitely higher realization. But the difficulty lies more in the care to bring to work and patience in front of the projection of work, that in the realization of the parts themselves. All the future vessel rests on the quality of the frame thus produced.
The finished frame, the shape of the vessel appears, but it is out of the question to handle it out of its building site, the unit, being solidarized by the only skittle, would break immediately during a handling with naked hands. Reinforcements fixed on the high end of the couples, envisaged longer than necessary, allow the need to reinforce the unit.
Hull
The Bordage of the hull will make it possible to solidarize the unit. This bordering is carried out using long boards. As there are no sufficiently large trees, each Virure consists of 5 to 8 end to end put boards of Bordé S, according to wood available. On certain vessels, them Aboutement is done by a particular variation, for example in Jupiter feature, in order to better solidarize them. Their form is not exactly rectilinear, because the strakes must marry the complicated shape of the hull in its horizontal cut, between the stem and the stern post. They are overall finer at the ends than at the height of the hull, and generally follow a layout slightly in “S”.The installation starts with the Lisse S and the Préceinte S, which as their name indicates it girdle the ship on the level of its greater width, in general about on the level of the principal bridge for the bends, and towards the top of the couples for the smooth. The Ribord and the Galbord finish bordering along the skittle, embedded in a Râblure realized in this skittle. The installation of these first elements rigidify sufficiently the frame so that it can now be handled out of its building site and receive bordering.
When bordering is finished, it remains to represent its fixing on the frame. There is not at the time of adhesives, all is fixed either by tenons and mortises for the parts supporting of the constraints, or by nailing and pegging. Bordered are fixed at a rate of two nails per member, and in the parts under the Watermark per a nail and a gournable (peg). The unit represents about 10.000 nails or gournables to be represented for the outside of the hull. The iron nails are generally carried out using genuine silver wire of Laiton, of a going diameter from 0,3 to 0,8 mms in diameter, whose sandpapered end is blackened using Tourmaline.
Finished bordering, the same operation is carried out for the interior sheathing of the hull. The frame constitutes from now on a completely rigid cast solid unit.
Interior equipment
With this stage of construction, the model maker is vis-a-vis a difficult choice. If it wishes to show the details of the interior equipment, the presence of the entirely bordered hull is a major hurdle. In practice, it is often selected to border one of the two edges only partially, and when the hull is finished, of the openings are sometimes practiced in the frame of the frame, which will let appear the internal details.Internal installations are very variable from one ship to another, they depend on the function of the vessel and its dimension. nondecked Launch with the 3 bridges armed in war, while passing by the Barge of transport, a great diversity exists, which makes it possible to the model maker to vary his choices of realization.
The main difficulty in the realization of the interior equipment is due to the miniaturization of the parts, and in many embeddings to be carried out between the various members structural internal. The unit calls upon the meticulousness and the care taken by the model maker to working of the elements, a small error of installation at the beginning developing as work advances.
Sculpture
The old ships had this characteristic to be richly decorated, especially for largest and most prestigious of them. The sculptures are generally mainly located at the poop and the prow. It is a long moment of pleasure for the model maker whom to represent on the scale these ornamentations, but which enormously patience requires and of care.The figurehead and the decorations of the back table are the required passage, but one finds often also parts carved all along the ship.
The model maker uses for that of wood to fine fiber, allowing extremely fine details. The boxwood is generally the primary product, its gilded natural color taking part in the development of these sculptures.
Gréement
Gréement the construction of the model completes. Its realization can take time as much than that which was necessary to the realization of the hull and its equipment.The masts and others espars, the innumerable pulleys, without forgetting the ropes with the multiple diameters, claim much patience in their manufacture and their installation. Fault of finding the components in the trade, the model maker must all manufacture itself. The ropes are made starting from wire with glove or another genuine silver wire, then dyed dark color pointing out the coating which protects them from the aggressions of the sea, the tiny pulleys are manufactured with one, some pushing the detail until equipping them with their wheel assembled on a metal axis. The veils are cut out in fine fabrics and are equipped with their seams of Lé S and their operations before being installation. Many model makers refuse to put veils, because of the problem of scale of the screen. Some however arrive at remarkable results, with the help of a work of utmost precision in the representation of the double seams of breadths.
Tricks and easy ways
A recurring interrogation of the model makers, especially from those which begin, relates to the tricks and easy ways of “old hand”. Since the rise of the model making of arsenal, the pooling of the techniques of the ones and others, especially grace recently to Internet and its forums, gradually made it possible to find simple solutions with apparently complex problems, which it is about working of pieces of wood, of work of metal, manufacture of the ropes or simplification of certain repetitive tasks.If there exist some works treating of these questions, the frequentation of an association of model making and the reading of the specialized forums remain the best solutions to find answer to all these interrogations, including sometimes with questions which the model maker does not even put, persuaded that there is no alternative to only it practices.
To admire the work of certain experts can seem frustrating with the first access, and sometimes lets escape one “I will never arrive there”, but the practical application shows that each one can obtain excellent results, with simple methods, for little that the will and patience guide the hand of the model maker.
Difficulty of the model making of arsenal
The other interrogation, which often results in a hesitation to launch out in this activity, relates to the difficulty of realization. As it was already indicated, the real difficulty raises more aptitude for patience and the care put to make a model, that with real technical difficulties.Without going until saying that no matter who can carry out of entry a model of quality, one can consider that a model maker having carried out some models wood in kit will be able without much difficulty of putting itself at the model making of arsenal. The starting tools necessary are weak, and the reduced financial investment, a model out of frame is more economic than a kit, for a qualitative result without possible comparison with the kits commercial.
The major difficulty is due to perseverance, a simple model such as a launch can take a few weeks, but the complete construction of a three-decker will take several years. It is inter alia why it is sometimes selected to carry out only one section of the ship: poop, central cut… The important thing is not to launch out in a model without being able to define with precision time that it will be necessary to devote to it to succeed, and the availability of the model maker will define the choice of the model mainly.
The frequentation of an association of model makers and the participation in the dedicated forums will allow the candidate model maker to measure the interest and the richness of this activity. Most difficult, that remains the acquisition of its first monograph.
See too
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