Scratch
built wooden model of the clipper ship Lightning, 1/8 scale,
built
to the plans of William Crothers
One reason I chose this ship to model was its unusual deck arrangement. I started by installing plywood bulkheads
on a lemon wood keel, then filled between the bulkheads with basswood and finished the shaping. The bulwarks were built up
and planked inside, then the fancy panels with diamond and star moldings were installed using a mold making and casting technique.
(There are 50 panels) Then I established the positioning of all the fancy moldings on the exterior of the hull - the
hardest part of this was wrapping them around the ship's semi-elliptical stern. The deck has been planked with white holly.
In order to represent the presence of tar between the planks, I painted the edge of each one.
