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 Author  Topic: MODEL SHIPWRIGHT'S LIST OF PROVERBS
  FRANK

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of FRANK  Posted on: Mar 21, 2009 - 11:31am
Ahoy there to all my message board friends and model ship builders-

While I was sitting at my computer this morning I thought I'd go through some of the stuff I had collected and sort everything out and throw out all the junk.
I came across this article that I would like to post here and pass on to all concerned, especially all my model ship builder friends on the board. This list is intended for woodcarvers but I had changed it somewhat to apply to model ship building. For those of you who enjoy other crafts as well, I am absolutely possitive that you will find a few gold nuggets to hold onto while going through this list.

*NOTE*- This feature appeared in a publication of the National Woodcarvers Society's , "THE MALLET", March 1988. The author is Dr. John B. Davidson. This article was adapted by Frank J. Ryczek, Jr. to meet the qualifications of a unique breed of craftsman- a model shipwright!

King Solomon in the "BOOK OF PROVERBS" submitted a collection of wise, universal axioms containing instructions concerning wisdom, justice, industry and temperance, In these pithy sayings he frequently drew sharp contrasts between two extreme points of view,

Though the process of model ship building has only limited applications in comparison to King Solomon's broader view, the literary form he used lends itself to such sharp, pithy, axiomatic sayings applicable to the model shipwright. In the following paragraphs the reader will find some counsel for the craftsman who loves to build ships in miniature.

20/20 vision is of little value, unless at every stroke, see the cutting edge of the knife.

Godliness with contentment creates great beauty.

The haste to finish a work inevitably brings future regrets.

A sharp knife and a good set of plans are the siamese twins of a ship modeler's workshop.

The road to completion was never too long or too hard.

Take due pride in a completed ship model but expect to see a better one tomorrow.

A rainy day and a good set of plans seem to have a common Providential source.

Senility and good art are not always in contradiction.

Don't throw away your failure; drop it in the pathway where a fatherless boy walks to school.

Don't impose on a good toll; tomorrow you will need it on the approprite job.

Time seems to work on the side of the honest craftsman.

Experience teaches a model shipwright to choose his plans with discretion.

Don't allow over-appreciation or under- depreciation to determine the concept you have of your own work.

Consider your product an honest expression of what you are. Product and essence are inseparable.

Count no time wasted which you spent modeling. It reconstructs something inside you which duty has burned out.

A tired body always carries weak discriminations.

An inquisitive child can sharpen the wits of even the most discerning mind.

Go slowly when the sanding is easy, you are probably removing too much.

Aloneness is powerful, if you know how to rightly talk to yourself.

Unrequited anxiety at the end of the day will allow little refreshment for a new beginning tomorrow.

A handsome ship model may often result from "snitches" of time.

Unfold the process in a diliberately logical order, and the end will always come with surprising suddeness.

Train your eye to see that which remains, not that which is to be disposed.

A ship model can not talk, but it's communication is load and continuous.

Successful ship modeling is not victories achieved; it is more often difficulties overcome.

Rank order rating is a poor method of evaluating one's work. Emotional response is more accurate.

Never try to weigh cost and self-gratification on the same scales; especially if it is a balance scale.

"Kill a little time." It won't injure eternity.

Smile a lot; fail sometimes; censure never.

Insight is that mysterious ability to put together the elements of your surroundings in the process of structuring a well-definied goal. You can't start nor finish a project without it.

Don't expect to make a worthy living from model ship building; but it will make life worth living.

You can't clone a man of vision- he most likely will turn out to be a visionary. There's a great difference between a dreamer of dreams and a day-dreamer.

Even the simplist tool is worthy of respect in the right place.

Over-anxiety to start and over- anxiety to finish leave little room in between for tranquil success.

Before you start, think through the process, then model around your "think".

Don't ever dream of building the perfect ship model. You will only bring it to an acceptable level of tolerance.

Assembly lines demand trip-hammer speed; ship modeling is never done in a hurry.

A tendency of frequently starting and seldom finishing is a sure symptom of an unhealthy mind.

A good perspective is maintained only by correcting the error as soon as you make it.

Don't paint to conceal a mistake. Painting to enhance the beauty of a craftsman's design is mature art. Natural is Beautiful.

When at last, the day is done and dark closes in, two questions also press in on the craftsman: "Have I maintained a fidelity to the law of my own being today?" and "How much have I accomplished??" Answer both questions honestly, but don't let quality and quqntity get thrown in adversarial positions.

Freely admit that in the process of completing even the smallest detail on a ship model, there is an important "ZERO" point. A point at which total failure and ecstatic success seem to exist very close together. Obsessive perfectionism says, "JUNK IT!! " The courage of one's own imperfections seem to say, "Move on to the next plateau. It will turn out alright!"


Thanks for letting me share these gems with all of you! Let me have your feed back as to which proverbs strike a raw nerve and those you intend to hold onto.

Frank Ryczek, Jr.
Modeler/Friend RON-10 PT-169 " ZEBRA SNAFU "

HIGH TIDES ALWAYS!

YOUR FRIEND THROUGH SCALE SHIP MODELING AND PT BOAT HISTORY!

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