ChrisLBren

Rail construction continues… And everything is lining up - unbelievable !!!

Not perfect - but the cheeks are carved and installed...

This phase is taking forever (then again my time in the shop is limited).  It takes a good amount of time to cut out and sand a rail that fits your model to spec and then this happens - the boxwood crumbles as you are carving the molding. And im using a hard wood...
 
The scrap box is growing......

With some care - Chucks Figurehead paints up nicely.  I'm hoping to get the rails and trailboards finally installed by the end of next week.

Hey Group
 
An update !  Working on the cheeks - have to say this is my favorite part of the build so far.  This is where the careful work i did almost four years ago on the stem is paying off - everything for the most part is lining up.  You can see I did rework the trailboards vs using the ones Chuck generously supplied - mine needed to be about 1/16 wider at the hawse holes for it to fit and align everything properly.  Some tweaking will still be necessary - my advice for people building the kit is to know going in - this area is probably more of a scratch building exercise than simply using the kit components.  Most will need to adjust/re work  parts  to compensate for the creep that is unavoidable in your build.  I also highly recommend using hardwoods for the cheeks.  
 
Next up will be to finish the cheeks by inscribing the moldings, dyeing the tailboards/stem/adding the carvings, painting the figurehead and installing everything to the model.
 
Lastly picked up a couple Ancre Monographs and am currently studying them for my next builds. I'm pumped !  I should be busy for the rest of my life with these - I intend to build both in 1/48.  
 
Chris

OK Group,
 
An update at last - starting the headrails.  Up first is the lower cheek.  After careful sanding to get it to fit - the next issue was devising a way to get straight groves along the faces of the cheeks.  The solution is simple - create a handle - which I did with a couple scraps of wood - and a brass nail elevated exactly 1/64.  Then all you need to do is run the piece along the nail several times to create a groove - which was then enlarged with a series of larger nails used by hand similar to an awl.  
 
Ive also attached a bow shot - alignment here is so critical - and by my eye the right side is a little lower than the left.  Not much can be done here to correct other than possible adjust the height of the hawse hole boards if need be to compensate for the upper cheek.  We will see how it looks once i remove the black strake above the cheek in order to install the hawse hole boards - hopefully this weekend if the twins allow.
 
 

I'm still working and not just daydreaming about my next project.  Chesstree installed - bit of glare as the tung oil dries - hoping to tackle the fenders and ladders next

Hey Group,
 
At last all deck furniture is finished with the re installation of the ships wheel (i lowered its supports 1/16) and the binnacles.  All thats left on this one is the headrails, dummy masts, channels/deadeyes, gunport lids/fenders and anchors.  I need to decide if i want to proceed to the head rails or revisit the WVH - it is painting and sanding season outside here in Chicago (if it cools down just a bit).  On the other hand Ive got some renewed momentum on the Confed.  Have a great weekend,
Chris

Here are the pics

Hey Gang,
An update at last !  Ive rigged and installed the rear cannon as well as the ships wheel.  As you can see by the profile photo - i probably should have mounted it about 1/32 further aft as the ropes arent centered on the drum.  And i think wheel stand is a little too tall by maybe 1/16.  Some corrections may be in order....
 
Stay tuned,
Chris

Hi Gang,
 
After a hiatus due to my wife and I having twins, she's dusted off and I'm hoping to recommence this build.  I've attached some not so great photos from my iphone - the idea here is just to get a log started and motivate me to get back in the shipyard - for at least a few hours per week.  
 
This build was started back in November of 2009 using Chucks plans that later were used in the Model Expo kit.  The woods used were swiss pear from Hobby Mill for almost exclusively with the exception of boxwood for the decks and a little bit of ebony for the false keel and checkerboard flooring in the great cabin.  Im a big fan of Fiebings dyed swiss pear and used this method for all black areas with the exceptions I just mentioned.  I used three finishes, pure tung oil for the hull, Watcos Danish Oil for the deck fittings and beams, and diluted sanding sealer for the deck.  
 
My goal is to at least get the 6 lb guns rigged and installed along with the ships wheel hopefully by the end of the month so i can begin the headrails this summer if the twins cooperate....
 
Thats it for now - by the way the photo posts looks a bit different than the old Modelship World - any tips on the best size to upload so they look more standard/fill the screen ?
Chris

Added a bed and a closet for one of the cabins. The palliasse, a straw filled matras, was made from sculpey. I found a picture on the internet and made one like it.
 

 

 

 

 
The pantry was made using the same technique as the sail room
 

 
Remco

Here are all the transoms made but they have not been glued and pinned yet, I had to make transom #4 twice as the first one was skewed.
I have finished making the acrylic stands and all I have to do now is finish marking the buildboard before bolting the keel down, then the transoms can be fixed in place.
 
Ben

Hi Chuck S.
I'm no chemist but I don't believe the stuff I use is water based. It's Elmer's Craft Bond
Rubber Cement . It also has a warning that it is flammable and has a smell like contact
cement. Like any liquid that you put on paper it could cause distortion.  When I place
the paper on the wood I try to lay it as gently as possible and not to pull or stretch it.
If I have doubts I'll closely compare it to the plans. So far no issues for me doing it this way.
 
Well all of the bulkheads and braces have been glued in place, and it is very solid. I won't
have to worry while fairing the main part of the hull. As I move up to the tops of the
bulkheads especially the longer ones I may use some bracing on them. I'll have to see
what's what when I get there.
 

 

Now the ship is on its "legs"

hull nearly finished

Hello friends.
 
 C  Gun - Deck      /  Equipment complete.
 
  8    Sheep-pen   -   Schafspferch
  9    Main hutch   -   Hauptluke
10    Bread - oven  -  Brotofen
11    After ladder (for crew)    -  Treppe nach achtern für die Mannschaft
16    After -hatch    -  hintere Luke
12    Lower barrel of main capstan   -   unter Teil von dem Haupt-Gangspill
 
Karl 
 
 
T e i l   44
 

cont

Thanks Greg, I think I started doing that on the Confederacy.
 
Glad to have you here Jim. Are you going to make it up to CT for the show?
 
Hi Dirk, I hope you do build her. I would love to see it.
 
Also thanks everyone for stopping by and all the likes.
 
I had a great weekend. The real world left me to my devices  and I had a lot of
shop time.  Bulkheads are all cut out and stacked as previously mentioned and I
then attacked the bulkhead former . It is laid out in two pieces and I thought of
just cutting it out as one whole piece. But as Chuck pointed out to me that getting
one piece of plywood that long that wouldn't twist would be extremely difficult.
So after an unsuccessful search I relented and cut it from two pieces. I knew  I
shouldn't have wasted my time but then again I'm not known for my better
judgment and decision making.  
 
Any way the former plans were cut out and glued up, then I cut it out on the scroll
saw and fine tuned it with the disk sander and a sanding block. Once satisfied I
applied glue to both pieces, put wax paper over and under the joint, placed a scrap
board on it and some heavy weights and allowed it to dry over night.
 

 

 

 

 
Now I will test fit all of the bulkheads and then start gluing them up.  

I finally finished the nailing of the courses of the topside and I have built a temporary basis to hold the model out of the yard

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We started Confederacy at the same time - Im still struggling to finish her and you've got two builds under your belt (maybe three) and starting another…...
Good on ya !

MODELING THE "IRON STAPLE KNEE”
 
In my last post, I described Oliver Lang’s unique modifications to HMS Terror’s stern to accommodate the screw propeller. A primary component of this modification was a massive 3.5 inch thick “iron staple knee”, which securely bound the keel, original sternpost, and rudderpost together.
 
To model this part, I originally attempted to bend and hammer a 1.85 mm thick piece of brass into the correct shape, but try as I might, I could not create the appropriate angles accurately and only produced a mangled mess. Finally, I resigned myself to the fact that I would need to cut three separate pieces and then silver solder them together. I had never attempted this before, but I found a great deal of information on Model Ship World, and decided to give it a try.  
 
 

Brass stock cut to match the dimensions of the three sides of the knee.
 

Preparing to drill the holes for the bolts.
 

The drilled pieces.
 
A rough jig necessary to hold the pieces in place while soldering.
 

My new pen torch and other soldering equipment.
 

Clamping the pieces to the jig. It was a tricky task not to burn the jig, but
thankfully the joints were small and the brass heated rapidly.
 

The knee after soldering. The joints are much stronger than I hoped they would be.
 

The final part filed to shape and compared to the plans.
 

An alternate view of the finished part.
 

The knee dry-fitted to the stern piece.
 

 

 

Well guys figure I couldn't let February end with at least a small update. Have been working on the cannons and a few other items such as the chain pumps, capstan along with redoing the helm port and upper deck transom. It seems the more I looked at those items the more I wanted to redo them and seems that that's what I did. Also added three more of the chain pump sprockets and not hoods along with the chain pin's for the capstan and drop pawl's. Did Montagu have the drop pawl's, maybe yes may be no, butt does seem that they were being used in the fleet as early as 1770 so figure I am safe adding them. Enjoy the photo's folks.  Only 6 more 32 pounder's to add and the guns for this deck will be done.    Gary   



 

 
 

 

Experiences in photography.
 
Working table, there is a 45 degres check on the left, because I use the saw with the left hand. This is very useful when clamping greatly improves workability angles.
 
After 3 months on working aft, it is time to change and come to work fore, just to give a better idea of the model exterior shape, but before I needed all the beams.

Hi Mark, I guess I'm very productive then cause I've surely made a mess.
 
No thumb twiddling going on here although work has gotten in the way a bit. As
suggested I cut as deep as I could and the used a jewelers blade to finish the cut.
 
Here is the first barrel painted and just set in the carriage.
 

 

 
 
Now comes the fun part! Trying to duplicate a second barrel that comes close to the first.