Naval model making piece by piece. Months and years to build model boats by hand

José Joaquín Heres has inherited by family tradition the art of naval modeling, and in His small workshop is dedicated to building replicas of vessels based on blueprints. raised up by their builders. Well, what I'm doing now is placing the frames on the keel, which would be the What is the ship's frame? I install the main ones, totaling twenty-five frames, including the stern mirrors. After placing the frames, some bands are installed that give Shape and mark the hull's frames, then gradually close them. This time he is building, piece by piece, a scale model of the Santísima Trinidad, the largest ship of the Spanish fleet that participated in Trafalgar. It was built In Cuba around 1790 and had 140 cannons. On the chestnut wooden keel, the shipwright sets each of the frames. previously cut from okoumé plywood according to the dimensions specified in the drawings. A Stick the quads together, holding them in place until the glue dries. After putting them all on, what I do in this case is place the baos of the first hull plating and some strips that will give it shape and will allow modifying the hull until that it has no dents and close the first cover, which will be approximately at this Height. The thing is, this structure is somewhat temporary. I'm trying to set them as vertical as possible, but when the cover is assembled, that's what happens. They will be moved and then left in place. This young ship modeler continues placing and centering the frames in the correct position, based on on the central line of the bracket. Then temporarily secure them while placing fine stakes that mark the locations of the roof joists. In this way will prepare the ship's skeleton at a scale of 1.50, based on the obtained plans at the Naval Museum in Madrid. This is just a small part of this great work being carried out. for the Maritime Museum of Asturias and will take more than a year in sessions of seven hours a day. After a few weeks, the reply The Holy Trinity has advanced further. On the frames, the model maker He has installed the beams and started the enclosure with boards on the side. The Cantones are wooden reinforcements that the shipwright attaches to the frames, securing them with pins until the glue dries. On original ships, approximately every 30 years All the boards had to be dismantled to replace them with new ones, even if they were constructed with high-quality wood, such as teak in this case. Many times what they used were bronze. Every certain number of years they had to dismantle almost the entire ship so it could dry out and replace the rotten wood. For its maintenance, once a year the hull had to be caulked, that is, recaulked. All the joints of the planks were caulked with hemp and pitch, preventing water from entering. In The part of the belts will accommodate the gun ports. Once the modeler has He has marked his position; proceed to open the gaps and check them over. The placement Each row of cannons was perfectly studied to ensure that the the ship's structure suffered as little as possible. On these ships, on each deck, it carried a row of cannons. They weren't stacked one on top of the other; they were moving them around to avoid weakening the hull at a location. In this case, this would be the first gun deck of thirty-six pounds. In this one would be carried twenty-four-pound cannons. In the second, in The third one, that the batteries will be approximately here, I think it's around here, cannons would go here. eighteen pounds. On each of the benches, José Joaquín He has marked the points where the guide rails should be placed. In this task, as in others, José Ramón helps him, his father, who was the one who introduced him to this craft. naval. On both sides of the guide rails, these model makers place one by one the planks on the frames, fitting them to the frames so they take the shape of the hull from the vessel. As has been done with the tinnings, the planks, previously cut in strips, they are applied with glue, temporarily pinned until the glue Yes, indeed. In this slow task, the objective is to gradually cover the hull starting from the planks. the guide they have placed. On the original ships, which were required to sail to tropical zones, They sheathed the hull with copper sheets to protect the timbers. Following the good turning the experience, these model makers keep adding different pieces to all this set resulting from the work of several months. By the late 1940s, as Following the model-making activity in Luanco, it was founded in this Asturian town. a workshop in which ship models were designed by shaping the hull with planks of wood until the client liked the shapes. Then the panels were dismantled. and with them and with the pieces used, the plans or templates were drawn up that the carpenters from Ribera began their construction. To carry out their work, the Model makers use the same tools as evanists, handled with the utmost care. In This refresher is used to level all the cover plates, and the craftsmen avoid damaging the finely crafted wooden pieces that make up each of the vessel's details. This area is the deck that separates the Castle of Proa from the Alcázar. Here would be some alleyways. narrow, just passing through, and here this would go lower. In this one, since it has cannons, They made it higher and widened the passage to allow the cannons to recoil. José Joaquín is a naval mechanic by profession, an occupation closely linked to his vocation. model maker, with whom he brings to life his dreams of building scale ships that can sail like real-size ones. A diverse library, enriched with reproductions of blueprints of the the most notable vessels in the history of navigation, greatly facilitate your task scale up the templates needed to build a perfect replica, although for It requires more than a year of work. After several days of installing planks into the hull, The moment has come to assemble the tajamar reinforcements. A total of four pieces will go here. including this upper one. Here, in this area, the laths for the rafters would go. naval, crew. Here, in the form of a half barrel, would go the petty officers, And that would be all. Well, here is the area where the figurehead would go. Once the reinforcements have been prepared and positioned in place, José Joaquín cuts the notches where they will be glued with carpenter's glue and secured with small nails pressure. Once the hull has been painted, all the rigging of the vessel must be installed. following the original model. This time, José Ramón is the one responsible for assembling the sails of an English merchant ship, dedicated to the transportation of timber, which carried out its First voyage in the year 1907. I am now fitting the bow chock of the foremast. This It's called the cangreja. Here, the masts aboard will be named the same: the foremast, the second foremast. After that The popel, second popel, second. The candles on the full-size vessels are made from canvas or other strong fabric, sewn together one next to the other. Each One of these candles would require 16 cloths. In the task of placing the candles, patience reaches its limit. to its limit when you have to hook the ropes onto the cleats so they can be gathered up and Stretch it as in the original. Let the candle stay, don't let it wrinkle, let it stay nice and stretched out, Well, the sail is uniform as it is now. Then, of course, it's the wind that gives the sail its shape afterward. Regarding the model itself, the craftsman drills the holes he needs to pass the strings through. which will allow us to steer the sails at will. Better to reef here below now to make the hole a bit wider so the cord can pass through. There are times when these The wires have a bit sticking out, and you can't let them go in there. Well, this here is what's visible A uniform, right? Then, of course, we have to make sure to tie it here so the candle doesn't fall out. wrinkled. Then you have to say that you need to go this way, and well, for now, this is going well. Now we are at the stern post crab. This is the largest of all, the four. Well, I'm now securing the peak of the sail to the boom. This is called the boom, the part above it is called the boom vane. This is the clew of the sail. The arrangement of the sails on this English merchant ship, whose original was nearly 70 meters long of long length, allowed her to sail under any kind of wind. Once the four Larger sails must be secured with the smaller ones located at the bow of the ship. Counterfo'c'sle, foretop, trinquete and trinquetilla. Now others call them differently, calling them foque, contrafoque, trinquete, trinquetilla. Each one calls it whatever they please. Little by little, displaying skill In handling the ropes, the rigger gradually secures the sails. And care must be taken. that they do not intertwine with one another, that they do not hook together with one another, that they are not crossed. And that is it. It's quite a hassle. With the final touches, the boat will be finished and ready for occupies a space in the museum. It is a section of a slave ship dating from around 1740. This It would be a section roughly located at the master's quarter, one of these here. Represents On one side, the ship's hull framework with the main frames, beams, and structural components the main components that form the ship's structure. Here, so to speak, is a platform where they went supported, as it is a slave ship, the slaves. And in this section, the enclosed part would be seen Fully equipped with cabinets and a pantry. Here you can see one of the barrels. This would be the kitchen. equipped with a chimney for a single stove, or by removing the cover, for two stoves, with some cages for live animals. And this piece, which was a special protection, in case that one The slaves will revolt, unable to attack the crew. Then, in this part, it is the ovenques. What kept the pole in place. I made one part, like this one, for example, which has the rigging for raise the mast, which is somewhat visible under construction, as well as the way of working Ship. One of the simplest, yet not free from difficulties, models built by José Joaquín, this is an approximately 12th-century Swedish merchant vessel, a scale reproduction of one. found in poor condition. Like all Nordic vessels, it is constructed using a technique known as clinker-built. and the frames were installed after the hull had been assembled. It was a vessel slightly over 14 meters in length. Length for four decks, with no cover, used for general cargo. The Victory is an English ship from the second half of the 18th century. It participated in the battle. as the flagship of Admiral Nelson at Trafalgar, and it is still preserved in England, moored at the dock where it was built. It is a three-deck ship armed with cannons. 32 pounds in the first battery. Another ship reproduced at scale by this model maker Luanco is the Great Felipe, built in Guarnizo, Santander, at the end of the 17th century, and it was for nearly 30 years due to political issues. The original ship, about 70 meters in length and more than 3,000 tons in weight, had three decks with a total of 112 cannons. This It is a typical fishing vessel from the area, called a Merlucera, a replica of one over 14 metros built in Luanco about 12 years ago. It also features radio control for make it navigate as if it were a real vessel. The imprint of the sea has has always been present in the models created by José Joaquín Herés, both of those ships more sophisticated vessels laden with history and legends, as well as the simple fishing boats that They are still being used along the Asturian coast. And indeed, due to the dedication to this craftsmanship, We must foster a strong commitment to preserving the tradition of naval modeling in Luanco. I'm Eugenio Monesma, director and producer of the documentary you've just watched. If you liked it, I encourage you to subscribe by enabling notifications from the bell icon and thus You will be able to enjoy the hundreds of documentaries I already have on the channel. and from which I will be uploading weekly.