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Blue Ensign

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  1. Blue Ensign
    Thank you Chuck for your confirmation and support. Cheers Thomas, my planking is not as good as I would have wished, particularly when I look at Chuck's version as photo'd above. Planking is not my favourite part of a build and if it turns out as well as on your Syren I will be a happy man. I would happily swap you for a bit of later stage detailing work. B.E.
  2. Blue Ensign
    That's not how Cheerful, a cutter of 1806 was designed, so the arrangements you show above have no relevance to my build. B.E.
  3. Blue Ensign
    Don't know about that, I'm following Chuck's example and at this stage he suggests fitting the framing followed by the vertical planking. B.E.
  4. Blue Ensign
    Don't know what you're talking about, the Transom is planked, the counter is planked, framing the Square Tuck is up next. B.E.
  5. Blue Ensign
    Thanks Dave and Ian, I'll check out those options. Post 26 Completing the first belt. As I progress with strakes seven and eight, there seems to be quite a sweep down in the tapering from B/h H to the stem, with more acute edge bending required. 8196 I also have to get more inventive with my clamping methods. 8271 It helps to have a range of clamping devices to hand. The planks are glued progressively along the hull starting at the bow ensuring the first three or four bulkhead points are well glued before moving on. Using a high quality pva glue there is sufficient 'grab' after around 20 minutes to move on. 8269 I use this period to start preparing the strakes for the other side. 8285 The last strake goes in. 8296 8309 8306 8304 8310 8314 8311 8315 So after eight days at the work bench the belt is completed. Needs a good sanding and scraping, but I'll leave that until the hull planking is fully completed. The Wales and the Port linings have also suffered during the process but that was to be expected. Taking a short break now before I return to tackle the Square Tuck - what joy. B.E 26/04 /2018
  6. Blue Ensign
    Big improvement on the carriages Peter, I don't know what period/origin Amati based their carriages on but they don't represent any style I've ever seen on British ships. The additions to the guns all help to add authenticity to the overall effect. B.E.
  7. Blue Ensign
    Hi HH, I think Modelspan would be just fine to kit the Soleil Royale out with sails. Here's an example of I think Tissue paper used on a Soleil Royale model completed some years ago by a fellow modeller (Michael D)on a different forum. Modelspan would be an even better option because of it's better surface finish and inherent greater strength. Cheers, B.E.
  8. Blue Ensign
    Thanks for the heads up on this harlequin, I am very familiar with Swan Morton scalpel blades, order them in boxes of 100, but these little beauties escaped my attention. Ordered SM61 and 62 SB blades yesterday together with the SF2 handle, they arrived today. In use already, they are fine narrow chisels perfect for those awkward places. B.E.
  9. Blue Ensign
    Thanks Al and Rusty, I'm some way off decking so exposing a Holly strip to the air with and without varnish is a good idea. ps. you make reference to Beech Al, which naturally has a more brownish tone and more pronounced grain pattern; it has its uses, it is quite flexible in strip form, but it is not a wood I would use for decking. B.E.
  10. Blue Ensign
    Thank you Dave, Personally I like the look of natural Boxwood, harkens back to those wonderful contemporary models of the 18th Century. I do intend to varnish it which tends to darken the wood a little but I do favour the look of the black wale against the pale hull. The only thing I'm not too sure about is the Holly I bought for the decking, I'm now thinking it may be too white for my taste, and may require a little tweaking, or even replacing with Boxwood. I'm some way off from that decision tho' B.E.
  11. Blue Ensign
    I have used Modelspan which is the same thing, excellent stuff particularly at smaller scales, also good for flags and ensigns. I used it on my 1:150 French Seventy-0four build. B.E.
  12. Blue Ensign
    Another beautiful build Rusty, and given that I have just ordered the kit from Chuck, one that I will follow with great interest. B.E.
  13. Blue Ensign
    I wish Martin B.E.
  14. Blue Ensign
    Thank you Chuck and Rusty. Post 25 Planking the first belt Chuck has set out the approach clearly in Chapter four and I hope to follow his example. I have tick marked each bulkhead for the first belt and tentatively prepared the first strake below the Drop plank. There is a fair bit to think about, marking the plank for the taper, remembering to mark the butt joints at the correct place, bevelling the plank before fitting, and marking the 'tar' line on the edge. 8016 The first plank below the Drop Plank is very short with a butt joint below the first port. I prepared a longer plank to include the second butt joint which is just forward of the third port from aft. The first butt joint was scribed, which allowed me to get a continuous run and more easily form the required lateral curve into the stem rabbet. 8015 The third plank running to the stern was fitted separately and required a little twist where it runs into the counter. 8038 Port side strake completed. 8037 I run planks port and starboard alternatively to monitor the match, and place an even stress on the hull. 8040 Once the plank is shaped a dry fit is required to mark the butt joints, which are then cut. The method indicated by Chuck really does take the guess work out of planking, which is not necessarily the same as saying I can match his peerless work. 8105 Five strakes completed below the wale, photo'd here in their unrefined state with only glue stains scraped away. 8108 8113 8114 8115 8116 I will now continue to finish the first belt. From this point onwards clamping the planks to the bulkheads gets a tad more tricky as they start to follow the round of the hull towards the keel. B.E. 19/04/2018
  15. Blue Ensign
    Hi Peter, a Caldercraft kit is a good choice to start with, I re-started my 'timber' ship building activity with their 'Pickle'. ps; when you refer to native speaker do you mean English or Yorkshire? English is easy, Yorkshire a little more tricky thaa knaws. B.E.
  16. Blue Ensign
    A lovely post Barbara and kudos to your Dad, that is a very fine model. You may already have the book The Masting and Rigging of English Ships of War 1625-1860 by James Lees, but there is a good section on sail making and dimensions in that book. B.E.
  17. Blue Ensign
    Cheers Guys, Post 24 The first planking Belt - Preparation I intend to follow Chuck's methods as closely as I can from this point on. So it's tick strips and pinstripe tape to try and get somewhere, anywhere, close to Chuck's example. Eight additional 3/16" wide strips required for this first belt at the centre. Simple enough to determine the limit of the eight strakes below those already fitted at the centre bulkhead using the tick strip. 7782 The stern position at the square tuck is easy to see. 7784 Counting down on the plan the first belt seems to terminate around the stem scarph joint at the bow. 7780 A tricky business getting the tape on, bally stuff was very reluctant to stay put and getting a nice run of tape along the hull took some time. 7777 Hopefully I've got it right. 7786 With the reference stations marked it's onto the tedious business of making up the tick strips for the rest of the bulkheads. 7789 For this job Cheerful is transferred to its low support base, easier on the arms and the eyes. B.E. 11/04/2018
  18. Blue Ensign
    Not really apparent on the photo's Doug A tip for the future, I don't tend to tie off the deadeye lanyards too soon in the build so that I can come back and tweak the shroud tension after I've completed the standing rigging but before I fit the ratlines. If it really is a bother you could re-do the deadeye lanyards or one cheat you can try for slack shrouds is to attach a line around the upper end beneath the tops, and bowse them in a little; but as you have fitted the futtocks this may slacken them off, requiring them to be re-done. Sometimes these things loom larger in the eye of the builder than the observer. B.E.
  19. Blue Ensign
    The shrouds and futtocks look good to my eye from the photo's Doug, what aren't you happy about? B.E.
  20. Blue Ensign
    That's so much better David, and quickly achieved, you should now be able to complete a good base for the second planking. Glad it all worked out. B.E.
  21. Blue Ensign
    She's looking very smart OC, lovely finish on both hull and inboard works. B.E.
  22. Blue Ensign
    David, the basic Fly and Pegasus hulls are the same, it's only in the detailing that the kits differ. There is quite a steep but graceful curve of the stern timbers running up to the counter and this is all down to fairing. There should not be a sharp break of the timbers at the last but one bulkhead. From what I see the angle you have is just too sharp to achieve a decent result and I can't see how sanding and filling are going to resolve this issue. I would be tempted to cut back the planking at the fourth bulkhead from aft, and re-fair the bulkheads running up the stern counter. Without a reasonable base on which to apply the second planking, problems down the road are going to be encountered. Regards, B.E.
  23. Blue Ensign
    Thank you Jason, and thanks for your apology Kurt, I also think you should start your own log that we can all engage with, but don't fret about it. on with the build..... Post 23 Fixing the Wales For this 1/32" x 5/32" strips are used. 7703 Not too onerous to fit as clamping is fairly easy along the hull. 7705 Before they are fitted I painted the top edge of the upper wale strip and bottom edge of the lower strip where they will meet the Boxwood finish. I decided to fit the wale strips in one length gluing progressively along the hull. This I felt allowed me to maintain a better natural curve to the upper wale strip, and as they stand proud of the hull marking the butt joints with a micro saw blade was fairly easy. Once fixed the forward 1" of the wale was sanded, scraped, and pared down to almost nothing where it meets the stem. 7708 Cleaned up I then applied three coats of thinned paint; I won't complete the painting until the rest of the hull has been planked. I decided to use Caldercraft Admiralty 'Metal Black' water- based paint, which is less shiny than their 'Dull black' version. 7722 7725 7726 7727 A period of general cleaning up now follows, and some revision and preparation before I continue with the planking. B.E. 07/04/2018
  24. Blue Ensign
    Always a good idea not to act too quickly Kurt. B.E.
  25. Blue Ensign
    Thanks Kurt, putting the twist in the last plank section for the tuck was the least of the problems. Just wet the plank, fixed one end in a vice, applied the twist using pliers, and applied heat from a hairdryer. Took a few seconds only to impart the required twist. ps, just remember to twist the plank the right way. B.E.

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