ALTHOUGH other books on ship models have
been published, the beginner has had no real
manual or handbook to guide him in his work and
answer his many questions. Plans for specific ships are
obtained easily, but to translate these plans into a
well-executed model is another question. The amateur
without experience has had to experiment to find out
what materials are best suited for the work, what
tools should be used, and how the construction can be
simplified. At best, however, experience is an expensive
teacher.
To aid the beginner as well as the seasoned old-
timer, Popular Science Monthly has prepared this
valuable manual of kinks, short cuts, and time-tried
methods. For the first time in the history of model
making, the best hints developed by experts are now
available to the amateur. Instead of following blindly
from stage to stage in the construction of a model, the
beginner now can use the methods of the professional.
In the pages that follow you will find simple step-
by-step instructions that will help you to select and
make your tools, shape your hulls, build your deck
fittings, and apply your rigging and sails. Finishing
and decorating, one of the fine points of model mak-
ing, is simple if you know how.
