popeye2sea

Good to see all of you together.  I hope I can get the chance to meet you again sometime.

Your cannons look superb.  I know what you mean about a lot of love and determination.  I figure it's all part of the learning curve.  If I can make 2mm blocks and rigging look good It will be easy for the larger sized rigging.  My cannons should be completed in a few days.  Then I can close up the decks and move on to the stern galleries and transom.

Here is my latest iteration for 2 mm blocks stropped with a hook.
 

The blacksmith forge at the shipyard is working overtime making hooks, eyebolts, and ringbolts for rigging the cannons.  The riggers (unfortunately they are all neophytes and apprentices) are working out the proper ways to rig everything in ship shape fashion.
 
Here is the latest:
Breeching Rope with ring bolt
 

 
Thanks for looking in.

Happy Birthday my friend.   Your blocks look great.

Still working on my gun tackles also.  Currently working out methods for making beckets.  

Mast Tackles were rigged to hoist cargo and gear into the ship.  The pendants on the fore mast and the main mast would be connected by a runner so that the tackle fall would hang over the main hatch.  Yard tackles would also be employed to swing the cargo over the side and lower away onto the pier or boat alongside.
 
The burton tackle is just the name given to the mast tackle on the mizzen.

John,
the really large model that you speak of was never completed by the builder (died, I think).

I've finally found the time to reconstruct my build log after the great crash of 2013
 
Some of the pictures are lost so the log does not start at the beginning.
 
This is my first serious foray into ship modeling. I say first serious attempt because 30+ years ago I built a Revell USS Constitution. But I was still in High School and not very concerned with accuracy or craftsmanship. I just wanted to finish the kit and display it. This kit of Soleil Royal was given to me as a gift way back then and I am just getting around to continuing building it.
 
I am very much looking forward to a build that I can be proud of. Even though I know that my skills are not up to par with some of you I am trying to incorporate as much research and accuracy as I can muster in a plastic kit.
 
Here are some of the pictures of what has been done. I'll try to summarize what I've done so far to catch everyone up.





 
 
I decided to display the ship with all gunports closed to starboard and opened on the port side. Eventually I plan on setting just the fighting sails (topsails, mizzen, and perhaps the spritsail topsail)  with the courses clewed up. 
I did not like the look of the eyebolts supplied with the kit so I replaced them with brass. The holes for them were drilled and the eyebolts pass completely through the upper wale. The ends will be trimmed and bent over to lay alongside the inner bulkhead. The ends will lay inside the gap between the hull and the upper bulwarks, in an area that needs to be filled anyway. Doing the eyebolts this way should also prevent any pullout cause by strain from rigging.
 
I am leaving the lower hull unpainted for now until a proper cradle/base is finished. I don't want to ruin the paint job. It will be painted a dirty white to represent white stuff.  I also drilled a hole through the bottom of the keel, roughly amidships, and fastened a threaded nut inside the hull over it prior to fitting the decks. This will take a bolt from the base to fasten the model down to it. I don't know how other people secure their models to the display bases so I just improvised with what I had on hand.
 
The head grating in the bow has been noted by others to be a problem with this kit. It has no supporting structure to it and seems to be just floating there. I do not know how this would have looked with respect to ornamentations and design, so I have not decided what to do with this area yet.  [/size]
 
The decks went in easily. The kit has a series of stanchions along the centerline of the first battery deck to support the 2nd battery deck. There are none for between the 2nd and 3rd battery. As a result there is a lot of flex in the 3rd battery deck. Since there will be quite a bit of rigging fastened here that will produce an upward strain on the deck I added some extra support. I trimmed some sprue to length to make stanchions for the centerline to hold the deck up. And I added a boot (coat?) to the base of the mainmast to hold the deck down. The mast coat was fashioned from sheet styrene and quarter round molding. The masts are dry fit at this point. I do not think I will cement them to the step. I'm going to let the rigging hold them in.
 
I added some shims beneath the hatch gratings to raise the gratings above the deck level to give the appearance of a coaming. All of the eyebolts for the decks were replaced with brass.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
.

Here is my latest iteration for 2 mm blocks stropped with a hook.
 

Block and Tackle for Cannons:
 
I have been working for some time on a method for stropping blocks with hooks and I think I've decided on a workable solution.  The blocks I am using for the gun and train tackles for the cannons are Chuck Passaro's 2 mm blocks.  The strops are made with black polyester sewing thread and the hooks are formed from 28 gauge steel wire.  For this 2 mm block the strop is about 9 mm long.
 

An eye is made in the thread by tucking the end twice between the strands.
 

The serving machine is employed to serve over a couple of turns of the thread.
 

Hooks are either with the eye perpendicular to the hook or with the eye on the same plane.
 

A hook is threaded onto the strop and the ends of the strop closed by passing the end of the thread through the eyes of the strop.
 




I made a seizing jig by filing a pin down to fit the holes of a 2 mm block and placing a few more pins to tension the hook and strop on the block
 

Another pin is inserted to form the eye of the strop around
 

The free end is passed around the strop between the pin and the block to seize the sides of the strop together, hove tight, and secured with a clove hitch.
 
The finished blocks:


 
The 2 mm blocks are really hard to work with because they are so small.  I think as I get better with this I want to make the eye of the hook smaller, the eye of the strop smaller, and the strop itself thinner diameter.  They all seem to be a little large for this block.
 
Next up is figuring out how to make a good looking becket for the standing part of the tackle to seize to.

I have been working for some time on a method for stropping blocks with hooks and I think I've decided on a workable solution.  The blocks I am using for the gun and train tackles for the cannons are Chuck Passaro's 2 mm blocks.  The strops are made with black polyester sewing thread and the hooks are formed from 28 gauge steel wire.  For this 2 mm block the strop is about 9 mm long.
 

An eye is made in the thread by tucking the end twice between the strands.
 

The serving machine is employed to serve over a couple of turns of the thread.
 

A hook is threaded onto the strop and the ends of the strop closed by passing the end of the thread through the eyes of the strop.
 




I made a seizing jig by filing a pin down to fit the holes of a 2 mm block and placing a few more pins to tension the hook and strop on the block
 

Another pin is inserted to form the eye of the strop around
 

The free end is passed around the strop between the pin and the block to seize the sides of the strop together, hove tight, and secured with a clove hitch.
 
The finished blocks:


 
The 2 mm blocks are really hard to work with because they are so small.  I think as I get better with this I want to make the eye of the hook smaller, the eye of the strop smaller, and the strop itself thinner diameter.  They all seem to be a little large for this block.
 
Next up is figuring out how to make a good looking becket for the standing part of the tackle to seize to.

Here is my latest iteration for 2 mm blocks stropped with a hook.
 

Thanks Chuck,  That's a great compliment coming from you.  That is one of your blocks, BTW.

Here is my latest iteration for 2 mm blocks stropped with a hook.
 

Here is my latest iteration for 2 mm blocks stropped with a hook.
 

Block and Tackle for Cannons:
 
I have been working for some time on a method for stropping blocks with hooks and I think I've decided on a workable solution.  The blocks I am using for the gun and train tackles for the cannons are Chuck Passaro's 2 mm blocks.  The strops are made with black polyester sewing thread and the hooks are formed from 28 gauge steel wire.  For this 2 mm block the strop is about 9 mm long.
 

An eye is made in the thread by tucking the end twice between the strands.
 

The serving machine is employed to serve over a couple of turns of the thread.
 

Hooks are either with the eye perpendicular to the hook or with the eye on the same plane.
 

A hook is threaded onto the strop and the ends of the strop closed by passing the end of the thread through the eyes of the strop.
 




I made a seizing jig by filing a pin down to fit the holes of a 2 mm block and placing a few more pins to tension the hook and strop on the block
 

Another pin is inserted to form the eye of the strop around
 

The free end is passed around the strop between the pin and the block to seize the sides of the strop together, hove tight, and secured with a clove hitch.
 
The finished blocks:


 
The 2 mm blocks are really hard to work with because they are so small.  I think as I get better with this I want to make the eye of the hook smaller, the eye of the strop smaller, and the strop itself thinner diameter.  They all seem to be a little large for this block.
 
Next up is figuring out how to make a good looking becket for the standing part of the tackle to seize to.

Block and Tackle for Cannons:
 
I have been working for some time on a method for stropping blocks with hooks and I think I've decided on a workable solution.  The blocks I am using for the gun and train tackles for the cannons are Chuck Passaro's 2 mm blocks.  The strops are made with black polyester sewing thread and the hooks are formed from 28 gauge steel wire.  For this 2 mm block the strop is about 9 mm long.
 

An eye is made in the thread by tucking the end twice between the strands.
 

The serving machine is employed to serve over a couple of turns of the thread.
 

Hooks are either with the eye perpendicular to the hook or with the eye on the same plane.
 

A hook is threaded onto the strop and the ends of the strop closed by passing the end of the thread through the eyes of the strop.
 




I made a seizing jig by filing a pin down to fit the holes of a 2 mm block and placing a few more pins to tension the hook and strop on the block
 

Another pin is inserted to form the eye of the strop around
 

The free end is passed around the strop between the pin and the block to seize the sides of the strop together, hove tight, and secured with a clove hitch.
 
The finished blocks:


 
The 2 mm blocks are really hard to work with because they are so small.  I think as I get better with this I want to make the eye of the hook smaller, the eye of the strop smaller, and the strop itself thinner diameter.  They all seem to be a little large for this block.
 
Next up is figuring out how to make a good looking becket for the standing part of the tackle to seize to.

I had a bit of a set back (at least in my mind) and I would like your opinions.  After taking a long time with painting all of that gilt work on the ships sides, stern and quarter galleries, I wanted to put a coat of lacquer over all to protect the paint.  I sprayed the sides with dull cote and the result is to my eye a bit disheartening.  I do not like how dull the gold becomes, but I do not think there is any way to fix it, or if I should even try.
 

 
I am thinking of leaving the quarter galleries and stern with more of a bright finish even though there will be a contrast with the sides.
 
What do you think?   Any suggestions?
 
 

Finally have some new progress to report. Seems like there is never enough time to work on the build.
 
I am working on correcting the deficiencies in the head of the ship. Since no one really knows what this area of the ship looked like I took some artistic license. I was also pointed in the direction of a build log on another site which gave me some good ideas.
 
Here's what I came up with:
 
I filled the space between the cheeks with a billet carved from styrene stock. Then I cast some silicone molds using the decoration on one of the quarter galleries and cast some pieces in resin.
 




 
Here are the resin pieces mounted and painted

 
Next I carved some head rail timbers from strip styrene

 
And mounted them




 
Then I cast another decoration to ornament the head timbers and mounted them to finish out this project

 
And here is a couple of pics with the head rails and grating temporarily fitted


 
That's all for now.
Thanks for looking in on the build.
 
P.S. I'm hoping this is not too horrible a build. No one has commented yet

Here is the start on some of the brightwork. The unpainted area of the after bulwarks is where the quarter gallery will go.

I opened the quarter galleries. Still working on fitting floors for the quarter galleries out of sheet styrene. The ornamentation that was cut out of the openings will be mounted on the bulwarks.
 






 
 
 
 

I've finally found the time to reconstruct my build log after the great crash of 2013
 
Some of the pictures are lost so the log does not start at the beginning.
 
This is my first serious foray into ship modeling. I say first serious attempt because 30+ years ago I built a Revell USS Constitution. But I was still in High School and not very concerned with accuracy or craftsmanship. I just wanted to finish the kit and display it. This kit of Soleil Royal was given to me as a gift way back then and I am just getting around to continuing building it.
 
I am very much looking forward to a build that I can be proud of. Even though I know that my skills are not up to par with some of you I am trying to incorporate as much research and accuracy as I can muster in a plastic kit.
 
Here are some of the pictures of what has been done. I'll try to summarize what I've done so far to catch everyone up.





 
 
I decided to display the ship with all gunports closed to starboard and opened on the port side. Eventually I plan on setting just the fighting sails (topsails, mizzen, and perhaps the spritsail topsail)  with the courses clewed up. 
I did not like the look of the eyebolts supplied with the kit so I replaced them with brass. The holes for them were drilled and the eyebolts pass completely through the upper wale. The ends will be trimmed and bent over to lay alongside the inner bulkhead. The ends will lay inside the gap between the hull and the upper bulwarks, in an area that needs to be filled anyway. Doing the eyebolts this way should also prevent any pullout cause by strain from rigging.
 
I am leaving the lower hull unpainted for now until a proper cradle/base is finished. I don't want to ruin the paint job. It will be painted a dirty white to represent white stuff.  I also drilled a hole through the bottom of the keel, roughly amidships, and fastened a threaded nut inside the hull over it prior to fitting the decks. This will take a bolt from the base to fasten the model down to it. I don't know how other people secure their models to the display bases so I just improvised with what I had on hand.
 
The head grating in the bow has been noted by others to be a problem with this kit. It has no supporting structure to it and seems to be just floating there. I do not know how this would have looked with respect to ornamentations and design, so I have not decided what to do with this area yet.  [/size]
 
The decks went in easily. The kit has a series of stanchions along the centerline of the first battery deck to support the 2nd battery deck. There are none for between the 2nd and 3rd battery. As a result there is a lot of flex in the 3rd battery deck. Since there will be quite a bit of rigging fastened here that will produce an upward strain on the deck I added some extra support. I trimmed some sprue to length to make stanchions for the centerline to hold the deck up. And I added a boot (coat?) to the base of the mainmast to hold the deck down. The mast coat was fashioned from sheet styrene and quarter round molding. The masts are dry fit at this point. I do not think I will cement them to the step. I'm going to let the rigging hold them in.
 
I added some shims beneath the hatch gratings to raise the gratings above the deck level to give the appearance of a coaming. All of the eyebolts for the decks were replaced with brass.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
.

I've finally found the time to reconstruct my build log after the great crash of 2013
 
Some of the pictures are lost so the log does not start at the beginning.
 
This is my first serious foray into ship modeling. I say first serious attempt because 30+ years ago I built a Revell USS Constitution. But I was still in High School and not very concerned with accuracy or craftsmanship. I just wanted to finish the kit and display it. This kit of Soleil Royal was given to me as a gift way back then and I am just getting around to continuing building it.
 
I am very much looking forward to a build that I can be proud of. Even though I know that my skills are not up to par with some of you I am trying to incorporate as much research and accuracy as I can muster in a plastic kit.
 
Here are some of the pictures of what has been done. I'll try to summarize what I've done so far to catch everyone up.





 
 
I decided to display the ship with all gunports closed to starboard and opened on the port side. Eventually I plan on setting just the fighting sails (topsails, mizzen, and perhaps the spritsail topsail)  with the courses clewed up. 
I did not like the look of the eyebolts supplied with the kit so I replaced them with brass. The holes for them were drilled and the eyebolts pass completely through the upper wale. The ends will be trimmed and bent over to lay alongside the inner bulkhead. The ends will lay inside the gap between the hull and the upper bulwarks, in an area that needs to be filled anyway. Doing the eyebolts this way should also prevent any pullout cause by strain from rigging.
 
I am leaving the lower hull unpainted for now until a proper cradle/base is finished. I don't want to ruin the paint job. It will be painted a dirty white to represent white stuff.  I also drilled a hole through the bottom of the keel, roughly amidships, and fastened a threaded nut inside the hull over it prior to fitting the decks. This will take a bolt from the base to fasten the model down to it. I don't know how other people secure their models to the display bases so I just improvised with what I had on hand.
 
The head grating in the bow has been noted by others to be a problem with this kit. It has no supporting structure to it and seems to be just floating there. I do not know how this would have looked with respect to ornamentations and design, so I have not decided what to do with this area yet.  [/size]
 
The decks went in easily. The kit has a series of stanchions along the centerline of the first battery deck to support the 2nd battery deck. There are none for between the 2nd and 3rd battery. As a result there is a lot of flex in the 3rd battery deck. Since there will be quite a bit of rigging fastened here that will produce an upward strain on the deck I added some extra support. I trimmed some sprue to length to make stanchions for the centerline to hold the deck up. And I added a boot (coat?) to the base of the mainmast to hold the deck down. The mast coat was fashioned from sheet styrene and quarter round molding. The masts are dry fit at this point. I do not think I will cement them to the step. I'm going to let the rigging hold them in.
 
I added some shims beneath the hatch gratings to raise the gratings above the deck level to give the appearance of a coaming. All of the eyebolts for the decks were replaced with brass.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
.

I used 28 gauge steel wire.  The trick to achieving smooth and consistent bends is to use the pliers to hold the wire while you bend the wire around them with your free hand.
 
The first loop I make is the eye, completely closing it around the pliers.  Then I shift the grip of the pliers to the other end of the loop so that I can bend the shank back till it is in line with the center of the loop.  I then shift the grip again to the point along the shank I want to start the hook and bend the wire about 45 degrees.  The grip is then shifted again to the other side of the 45 degree bend and the final bend forms the hook.  Cut the finished hook off of the wire stock and go on with the next.
 
If you make sure the wire is always gripped perpendicular to the pliers all the bends will be on the same plane and you should not have to do any adjusting to get flat hooks

That is why I decided to use it.  I am wondering if I can maintain some more of the brilliance by using a satin finish or if it will look strange next to the dull cote sides.