lamarvalley

Well ladies and gentlemen we are back with another thrilling installment of To Build a Mayflower!!
 
Please hold the applause till the end of the episode, thank you thank you.
 
Have sort of started hitting this project with a bit of a vengeance I guess.   I have a lot of catching up to do (by my own timeline and goals, granted ... it will be done when done yes, but I have gotten far too behind on these projects so....  rawr!!     )
 
I started this last session off by identifying a couple places I could work simultaneously.
 
First, the quarterdeck needed to be put on and the beakhead needs to be finished off.
 
So,  used a scrap of plank to get the stright line used to line up the locations of the bulkheads used to support the quarter deck..
 

 
Drew me a nice straight line  (well, line is straight but those nails don't seem to be any more... good thing there will be a deck over those =( )   By the way, trying to do some close ups... even though I am not comfortable that my work is close up worthy,  I figured I needed to break that comfort zone and put it all out there ( )  Like I have said before,  my ships are 3 ft ships - look at them 3 feet away please
 

 
With a nice straight line I added the bulkhead frames and overhead support beams.  the rear one broke - luckily it is still valueable as a support beam and since it is not seen I could still use it.
 

 
While that was drying nice and solid, I went ahead and added the cross beams to the beakhead.  It was a bit of a bear to cut but with some diligent cutting, recutting and sanding and shaping got them all to fit relatively well.
 

 
Once those were in and they were haivng their turn to dry I returned to the quarterdeck and installed the false deck, rear hatch and grate.  (kind of ugly without the decking and finishing....  luckily it is only temporary )
 

 
That was really driving me nuts so , installed the decking,  cleaned up the hatch and grates,  used a little of the putty that was used on the rest of the ship to weather it a little bit,  then stained it all up! I went over some of the surrouding areas with a little light stain to blend the old and new parts a little, worked out kind of well I think.
 

 
And finally, since i had the stain mixed and ready, went ahead and stained the beakhead.
 

 
I know the instructions suggest doing them all up and then installing them,  I tried and it just wasn't working for me, so installed the beakhead and will dress it all up in place.
 
 
 
You may notice the capstan is not in place.  This is because I am trying to not use the kit supplied white metal one, it is kind of .. well,  it is okay.   I am attempting to scratch build one but after 7 attempts still dont' have it down.   Will get it though, fear not...  I will get it!!!
 
 
So,  thank you again for stopping by all - glad to see folks again.... hope you enjoyed your stay and happy modeling!!!
 
 
 
 

Thank you all for visiting, comments and for hitting the like button.
 
Continuing ...
The instructions instructs to “drill holes” in the channel for the deadeyes.
but after “all my research”, I decided to do it a bit more authentic and wanted to “carve” dedicated slots for the deadeyes and to install a “capping strip”
 

 
I “thought” I was very thorough when I marked all the positions for the slots and preventers.  
 

 
But it turned out to be a real puzzle to get everything in place.
Somehow I placed this deadeye not so nice when looking at the shooting angles of the cannon behind it..
 

 
It turns out that there’s just not much space to play around with..
After a quick fix of this mistake and moving the slots "a bit more" to the left, it became a bit better but it’s still not really perfect..
 

On this picture you can also see that i have additionally strengthened the channel with (3) nails
 


 
Here’s the final result with all the chains installed. 
At least it can shoot “straight” without damaging the deadeye and rigging 
 

 
“Another bonus”,  I rigged all the canon hatches and have now installed all the cannons on port side.
 




   
.."Quite impressive firepower" she had..
 

The second go was a good decision… the copper looks a lot better and dare I say 'perfect' to these eyes.

Theo,
I have been out of the loop for awhile so it has taken a bit of time to catch up but what a fun trip it has been. Your work is as outstanding as always. She is looking fantastic.

Thanks, I know I would regret it so there was no other way than doing it again. Now the capstain. 
 
The kit has a bit simplified version so I created it to correspond to the TFFM plans. The reinforcing ring is made of copper sheet. 
 
 

 

 

Here's the propellor. It's a new one so I had to make it old. For this I used electrolyse. Take a powersource from arround 9 volts DC, salt water and a nut or somthing else wich is galvanized. Attach the + to the propellor and the - to the nut (or vice versa) and hang them separated in the salted water. (do not let them touch eachother) after a while you will see a lot of bubbles and green stuff and the propellor is being weathered. After the process I dryed the propellor and applyed en coat of clear varnish.

Hey Adam,
 
She looks great and I'm sure you'll do her justice… in time… but I am confused as to which of the five models is getting your attention of late. This one and Blue Jacket seem like the most recent.
Ya certainly got a lot of balls in the air there. I don't know how you do it… a little here and a little there.
Hats off to your ability to keep your ducks in the RIGHT rows.

Ahh, take your time. She, and the copper plates aren't going anywhere… 
Patience is a skill best learned  through the practice of being patient. --- yeah, I know what I said.  

Better to know and decide to redo it now than much farther along. I agree, have a scotch and reflect!

Sjors,
 
I had a lot to view in your build and still have not absorbed it all but from what I see, fantastic!
I guess if I ever tackle something so grand I have a yardstick in which to measure myself. Very nice work.
 
Randy

Sjors,
 
I had a lot to view in your build and still have not absorbed it all but from what I see, fantastic!
I guess if I ever tackle something so grand I have a yardstick in which to measure myself. Very nice work.
 
Randy

Robbyn,
 
Goodness gracious lady, it has been quite awhile since this vessel got much attention. I might hold the record for inactivity but still...
Hopefully it is the horror of repetitious planking that is keeping work to a minimum rather than an angry pinkie. 
To date, the Syren looks great!

Better to know and decide to redo it now than much farther along. I agree, have a scotch and reflect!

Sjors,
 
I had a lot to view in your build and still have not absorbed it all but from what I see, fantastic!
I guess if I ever tackle something so grand I have a yardstick in which to measure myself. Very nice work.
 
Randy

Randy, you did her proud! I am so glad you came back to show the finished build, I do hope you stay around for another, I could really use the encouragement and the fraternity of sorts we shared together.

Surprise... Congratulation Randy... Really fine... Excellent...

Welcome home Randy !
 
Your SF looks really great.
Congrats on completing a very nice model !!
 

She is spectacular.  Thank you for bringing her back to us!

congratulation randy!
your build looks great for a first one!
some détails to replace or rebuilt if you want to be perfect but it seem  to look like mine!

Randy my friend - outstanding!!
 
Decided today to pop on and get caught up on my well over 500 updates on various threads and decided to start with yours and boy am I glad I did.. what a way to kick off.
 
That vessel looks fantastic!   And am jealous - I love the feeling of finishing a project, you must feel great!
 
So awesome!

This is my first build of a sailed ship and my first build log.
I am sure help will be needed along the way.
Randy

Nice pic's Randy. She turned out beautifully.
 
The SF is a rather complex build for a 1st try but you built her like a professional, which shows the natural ability of the builder. Thanks for sharing your Florencia with us all. Plus the many lessons along the way, like the cannon spoked wheels and sealing iron for wood shaping. Your build log has been a source of enjoyment and learning for me. Thanks for your positive verve you bring to MSW.
 
Seeing her finished makes me want to restart the DSotM. Although I have a couple more books on the Gaff rig I'm waiting to arrive before tying into the rigging (pun intended)

Snowmans,
 
Yeah, I'm with Tom on this one. Wood is different depending on species so it matters. Also, most of the wood we use for kits is kiln dried to a very low percentage (I forget the standard % but it's single to teen numbers) and will suck the moisture almost instantly. If you don't have the bend in the first hour or so you're not going to get it and I don't think 6 hours beats 2 in terms of flexibility.
 
Ramdy

Snowmans,
 
Yeah, I'm with Tom on this one. Wood is different depending on species so it matters. Also, most of the wood we use for kits is kiln dried to a very low percentage (I forget the standard % but it's single to teen numbers) and will suck the moisture almost instantly. If you don't have the bend in the first hour or so you're not going to get it and I don't think 6 hours beats 2 in terms of flexibility.
 
Ramdy