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Sovereign of the Seas 1637 by modelshipwright (Bill Short) - Sergal - 1:78 - Port "as built", Starboard "as presented to King Charles I for approval"


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This photo shows the catheads with the 0.75 mm wide sheaves in place with boxwood axles produced with a draw plate. The sheaves were turned on a Unimat lathe. it remains to separate the two catheads and devise the mounting method. Then the actual cat heads must be carved and glued in place on the ends.

 

post-2916-0-77933700-1463598396_thumb.jpg

 

Two spare sheaves are shown along with a bit of the axle material.

 

More to follow..........

Edited by modelshipwright

Mediocrity will never do. You are capable of something better.” ― Gordon B. Hinckley

Current build: Sovereign of the Seas 1637

My Book: Carving Ornamentation for Ship Models  

Website: Http://carvingbook.weebly.com/

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The first of two cat heads to cap the end over the sheaves.

 

post-2916-0-67461700-1463658215_thumb.jpg

 

More to follow..........

Edited by modelshipwright

Mediocrity will never do. You are capable of something better.” ― Gordon B. Hinckley

Current build: Sovereign of the Seas 1637

My Book: Carving Ornamentation for Ship Models  

Website: Http://carvingbook.weebly.com/

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The cat head is carved and mounted against the slots for the sheaves.

 

post-2916-0-51324900-1463745477_thumb.jpg

 

More to follow.........

Edited by modelshipwright

Mediocrity will never do. You are capable of something better.” ― Gordon B. Hinckley

Current build: Sovereign of the Seas 1637

My Book: Carving Ornamentation for Ship Models  

Website: Http://carvingbook.weebly.com/

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Bill,

 

Would there even have been room inside for the gun crew to work any guns in those ports? 

Mark
"The shipwright is slow, but the wood is patient." - me

Current Build:                                                                                             
Past Builds:
 La Belle Poule 1765 - French Frigate from ANCRE plans - ON HOLD           Triton Cross-Section   

 NRG Hallf Hull Planking Kit                                                                            HMS Sphinx 1775 - Vanguard Models - 1:64               

 

Non-Ship Model:                                                                                         On hold, maybe forever:           

CH-53 Sikorsky - 1:48 - Revell - Completed                                                   Licorne - 1755 from Hahn Plans (Scratch) Version 2.0 (Abandoned)         

         

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

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In regard to the illustrations, I wonder if any are from the second iteration of the ship.  I was looking at a model of the second version, with the flat transom and blue background, and that was flat across the beakhead bulkhead also, with no room for the 5th and 6th openings.  Also note in the third illustration there are shields instead of cats at the bottom of the 'stack'.

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Bill,

 

Would there even have been room inside for the gun crew to work any guns in those ports? 

That is a valid question Mark. After some considerable thought about this area and a frank discussion with an experienced modeller and trusted friend,  I have decided not to include the extra two ports. Looking at the three presentations of this area, The Payne engraving, the Van de Velde sketch, and the Boston Museum painting, two out of three do not show the port. Only Van de Velde indicates that a port may have been there. As I have completed fabricating the catheads and can now see their size when held in position, I note that with the addition of a Satyr carving below them, there would be no room for a port. As well, we discussed the angle of the catheads relative to the centreline of the ship and determined that they might be at 15 degrees outward angle in order to clear the sides of the beak and allow anchor movement. With this placement, a port would be impossible as the Satyr would be in that area. I can only surmise that Van de Velde may have added it as extra detail. The good news is that as there is no original draught of the ship from that time, it is anyone's guess as to what it really looked like. Having to rely on contemporary paintings and drawings leaves me in a position to choose my own path.

 

More to follow.............

Mediocrity will never do. You are capable of something better.” ― Gordon B. Hinckley

Current build: Sovereign of the Seas 1637

My Book: Carving Ornamentation for Ship Models  

Website: Http://carvingbook.weebly.com/

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In regard to the illustrations, I wonder if any are from the second iteration of the ship.  I was looking at a model of the second version, with the flat transom and blue background, and that was flat across the beakhead bulkhead also, with no room for the 5th and 6th openings.  Also note in the third illustration there are shields instead of cats at the bottom of the 'stack'.

Yes, I did notice that Joel. My decision as to the cats was down to my reliance, for the most part, on the Van de Velde sketch as my prime source for the carvings as well as the fact that the Boston painting is considered to be "as presented" by Pett to King Charles for approval and not necessarily as built. The Payne engraving hints at a cat head between the sailors on deck but it is not clear. So, the cats prevailed.

 

Regards,

Bill

Mediocrity will never do. You are capable of something better.” ― Gordon B. Hinckley

Current build: Sovereign of the Seas 1637

My Book: Carving Ornamentation for Ship Models  

Website: Http://carvingbook.weebly.com/

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The catheads are loosely fitted to the bulkhead showing the space below that will house the Satyrs that hold them up.

 

post-2916-0-74427200-1463835768_thumb.jpg

 

There is some additional detail to be added to the sides of the catheads before final mounting.

 

More to follow........

Edited by modelshipwright

Mediocrity will never do. You are capable of something better.” ― Gordon B. Hinckley

Current build: Sovereign of the Seas 1637

My Book: Carving Ornamentation for Ship Models  

Website: Http://carvingbook.weebly.com/

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This photo shows a serpent that will be mounted on the aft side of the cathead.

 

post-2916-0-23705300-1463840096_thumb.jpg

 

The two serpents mounted on the aft sides of the catheads.

 

post-2916-0-93150800-1463840120_thumb.jpg

 

More to follow..............

Edited by modelshipwright

Mediocrity will never do. You are capable of something better.” ― Gordon B. Hinckley

Current build: Sovereign of the Seas 1637

My Book: Carving Ornamentation for Ship Models  

Website: Http://carvingbook.weebly.com/

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The catheads are mounted and next is to carve two Satyrs to be fitted underneath them.

 

post-2916-0-68572900-1463841305_thumb.jpg

 

More to follow.........

Edited by modelshipwright

Mediocrity will never do. You are capable of something better.” ― Gordon B. Hinckley

Current build: Sovereign of the Seas 1637

My Book: Carving Ornamentation for Ship Models  

Website: Http://carvingbook.weebly.com/

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Bill,

 

Superb work !!!

 

MIchael

Michael

Current buildSovereign of the Seas 1/78 Sergal

Under the table:

Golden Hind - C Mamoli    Oseberg - Billings 720 - Drakkar - Amati

Completed:   

Santa Maria-Mantua --

Vasa-Corel -

Santisima Trinidad cross section OcCre 1/90th

Gallery :    Santa Maria - Vasa

 

 

 

 

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Obviously no room for any ports there.

I hope you can keep the satyrs away from the ladies you've put on already.  They have quite a reputation.

I suspect if an artist had room to fill he would put something there, and if he ran out of room might leave off something that was actually there.  SOS has so many carvings, one more or less probably wouldn't have been noticed, until somebody actually starts looking for them.

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Thanks to everyone who dropped by. You are probably right Joel, nobody will notice when viewing so many carvings. My goal is to get her as close as possible to how the contemporary artists of the day viewed her.

 

Bill

Mediocrity will never do. You are capable of something better.” ― Gordon B. Hinckley

Current build: Sovereign of the Seas 1637

My Book: Carving Ornamentation for Ship Models  

Website: Http://carvingbook.weebly.com/

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Beautiful job on the cat heads Bill.  
Another example of your dedication to accuracy and detail that truly sets your work apart from all others.

I must say, since your build log was my sole inspiration to attempt this special ship over a year ago, I only regret that I wasn't smart enough to completely follow each and every step of your log without deviation.... (would have saved me a lot of re-working the errors created by the old plans I tried to use)

So now that you've gone back to work on her, I have this great resource for making important improvements to my own humble efforts.
Can't thank you enough my friend.

Sawdust Dave -

Current build - USS Constitution 1:60th (scratch)....

Visit my blog site - All previous builds.... http://davesmodelships.blogspot.com

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Beautiful job on the cat heads Bill.  

Another example of your dedication to accuracy and detail that truly sets your work apart from all others.

I must say, since your build log was my sole inspiration to attempt this special ship over a year ago, I only regret that I wasn't smart enough to completely follow each and every step of your log without deviation.... (would have saved me a lot of re-working the errors created by the old plans I tried to use)

So now that you've gone back to work on her, I have this great resource for making important improvements to my own humble efforts.

Can't thank you enough my friend.

Hey Dave, there is no one definitive answer as to how a model of the Sovereign should look. I have seen many representations of her in my travels and on the Internet and can say that they are all different. It is up to the modeller to determine what makes them happy with their build and you should be proud and happy with yours. Thanks for your comments.

 

Regards,

Bill

Mediocrity will never do. You are capable of something better.” ― Gordon B. Hinckley

Current build: Sovereign of the Seas 1637

My Book: Carving Ornamentation for Ship Models  

Website: Http://carvingbook.weebly.com/

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Hey Dave, there is no one definitive answer as to how a model of the Sovereign should look. I have seen many representations of her in my travels and on the Internet and can say that they are all different. It is up to the modeller to determine what makes them happy with their build and you should be proud and happy with yours. Thanks for your comments.

Regards,

Bill

Guess that is what brings us all to love this unique form of art, huh Bill?

Sawdust Dave -

Current build - USS Constitution 1:60th (scratch)....

Visit my blog site - All previous builds.... http://davesmodelships.blogspot.com

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In order to gauge the size of the Satyr carvings, I decided to prepare the side panels of the beak including capping the sides with a boxwood rail. This required bending the cap to the curve of the side with a brass tip on a soldering gun. Soaking the strip and repeatedly coaxing the wood to shape on the form shown at the top of the picture did the trick It is now glued in place and clamped.

 

post-2916-0-29623300-1464033386_thumb.jpg

 

More to follow..........

Edited by modelshipwright

Mediocrity will never do. You are capable of something better.” ― Gordon B. Hinckley

Current build: Sovereign of the Seas 1637

My Book: Carving Ornamentation for Ship Models  

Website: Http://carvingbook.weebly.com/

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This photo shows a boxwood trim piece being glued to the bottom edge of the port beak head side panel. The starboard panel and trim piece is shown above it.

 

post-2916-0-25710200-1464204392_thumb.jpg

 

More to follow..........

Edited by modelshipwright

Mediocrity will never do. You are capable of something better.” ― Gordon B. Hinckley

Current build: Sovereign of the Seas 1637

My Book: Carving Ornamentation for Ship Models  

Website: Http://carvingbook.weebly.com/

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After a few days of adjusting and fitting the bulwarks of the beak head, they are now assembled on the ship. The following photos show this progress. Now I have a clear idea of the size the Satyrs must be in order to support the catheads and rest hooves on the rail of the bulwarks.

 

post-2916-0-08711200-1464808225_thumb.jpg

 

 

post-2916-0-98924300-1464808231_thumb.jpg

 

There is additional work to be done with added bits and pieces at the front of the beak.

 

More to follow.......

 

 

Edited by modelshipwright

Mediocrity will never do. You are capable of something better.” ― Gordon B. Hinckley

Current build: Sovereign of the Seas 1637

My Book: Carving Ornamentation for Ship Models  

Website: Http://carvingbook.weebly.com/

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Nice progress and good photos, Bill! Am I seeing this correctly, or is it an optical illusion: is the upper part of the beakhead straight and the lower part slightly curved as seen from above?

Be sure to sign up for an epic Nelson/Trafalgar project if you would like to see it made into a TV series  http://trafalgar.tv

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Really love the slight radius in the bulkheads Bill. Can you show a direct overhead shot of the beak head at this point?

Edited by SawdustDave

Sawdust Dave -

Current build - USS Constitution 1:60th (scratch)....

Visit my blog site - All previous builds.... http://davesmodelships.blogspot.com

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Nice progress and good photos, Bill! Am I seeing this correctly, or is it an optical illusion: is the upper part of the beakhead straight and the lower part slightly curved as seen from above?

Both surfaces are very slightly curved. Must be the way the picture was taken.

 

Bill

Mediocrity will never do. You are capable of something better.” ― Gordon B. Hinckley

Current build: Sovereign of the Seas 1637

My Book: Carving Ornamentation for Ship Models  

Website: Http://carvingbook.weebly.com/

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Nice progress and good photos, Bill! Am I seeing this correctly, or is it an optical illusion: is the upper part of the beakhead straight and the lower part slightly curved as seen from above?

I can see what you mean..... optical error is a funny thing.

 

Bill, been away from this marvellous log for a while. As usual everything is just superb. I agree that there wouldn't be room for the extra 2 guns (as Mark has mentioned).

I also agree with Lawrence when he said that this makes your Sovereign yours by these tiny difference.

Happymodelling and Havagooday my friend

Greg

"Nothing is impossible, it's only what limitations that you put on yourself make it seems impossible! "

 

Current log : The Royal Yacht Royal Caroline 1749 1:32 by Greg Ashwood:...

 

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Thanks to everyone for dropping by and for your encouraging comments. Here is a top view of the beak that shows the slight curvature of the bulwarks.

 

post-2916-0-62509800-1464873389_thumb.jpg

 

More to follow........

Edited by modelshipwright

Mediocrity will never do. You are capable of something better.” ― Gordon B. Hinckley

Current build: Sovereign of the Seas 1637

My Book: Carving Ornamentation for Ship Models  

Website: Http://carvingbook.weebly.com/

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Bill: What a different the 2 bulkheads make.... wow. I can also appreciate the work that goes into those 2 pieces.. Congrats on the progress!

 

Mike Draper

G'day Bill

Mike has said it all. Congratulations on what must have been a difficult process.

Greg

"Nothing is impossible, it's only what limitations that you put on yourself make it seems impossible! "

 

Current log : The Royal Yacht Royal Caroline 1749 1:32 by Greg Ashwood:...

 

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The beak head with a little more finishing completed. 

 

post-2916-0-80823200-1465039727_thumb.jpg

 

More to follow......

Edited by modelshipwright

Mediocrity will never do. You are capable of something better.” ― Gordon B. Hinckley

Current build: Sovereign of the Seas 1637

My Book: Carving Ornamentation for Ship Models  

Website: Http://carvingbook.weebly.com/

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Beautiful work highlighted with beautiful photography.  Sweet.

Mark
"The shipwright is slow, but the wood is patient." - me

Current Build:                                                                                             
Past Builds:
 La Belle Poule 1765 - French Frigate from ANCRE plans - ON HOLD           Triton Cross-Section   

 NRG Hallf Hull Planking Kit                                                                            HMS Sphinx 1775 - Vanguard Models - 1:64               

 

Non-Ship Model:                                                                                         On hold, maybe forever:           

CH-53 Sikorsky - 1:48 - Revell - Completed                                                   Licorne - 1755 from Hahn Plans (Scratch) Version 2.0 (Abandoned)         

         

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

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