Blue Ensign

at last - Pinnace and Pegasus come together Seems to have taken forever but here are the photo’s of the union of Pinnace and Sloop. I am quite pleased with the way the Pinnace looks on Pegasus and whilst I have the momentum I am moving straight into making the other allocated boat for a 14 gun sixth rate sloop. B.E.

The Rudder The pattern was transferred to 1.5mm thick sheet and cut out on the scroll saw. The profile was tapered towards the aft side and a bevel put on the forward side. I cut the length of the head of the rudder a little long to allow for adjustment when I fitted the tiller. For the gudgeons and pintles I used Jotika 0.3mm eyelets and stems. For the straps I started to use the brass edging from the frets, chemically blackened, but then thought what the hell as the1:24 scale kit used card strip and it was easier to apply. The bolt heads were represented by blobs of pva, blackened once dry. At 1:64 scale an impression is sufficient. The tiller was shaped out of two laminated 0.6mm boxwood strips and finished by sanding and filing. The tricky business of oars Oars are tricky, they are quite graceful in shape unlike the oft kit provided versions that look like canoe paddles. If I can’t get down to the fine tolerances required I will omit them from the build. I require four seventeen foot scale oars for the Pinnace, these are single banked oars so they need sufficient length to cross the boat and exit on the opposite side from the rower. I fashioning the shafts from 1.5mm square stock boxwood and the blades from 0.6mm laminated boxwood strip into which the shafts would be glued. From that point on it is a matter of very careful sanding and shaping as the finished dimensions are very fine. This is my prototype oar. I fashioned the shaft first reducing and rounding the handle and shaft whilst leaving the loom in square section. This was then glued into the blade and the business of fining the blade down begins. From this point when shaping and thinning only the blade is held, holding the oar by the shaft when working on the blade will result in a breakage. Next post should see the Pinnace onboard Pegasus.

The Frieze decoration I thought a while about whether a Pinnace for a sixth rate would have a decorative Frieze or perhaps a simple painted stripe between the capping rail and the lower moulding. I decided that as Pegasus had decoration I would add an element to the boat. The advantage of using a paper frieze as supplied in the larger kit is that it gives a line to apply the lower moulding to, and avoids having to paint a clean narrow line between the cap rail and moulding, tricky at only 2mm wide. The paper frieze was reduced in scale but I decided not to use it because the blue background was at odds with the blue already used on Pegasus. So... I over-painted the frieze and then applied a design using a Sakura Gelly roll gold pen, after which a little shading was applied, before sticking to the boat with diluted pva. The lower moulding is very fragile and it was too much of a stretch for me to consider giving it a moulded profile at only 0.9mm wide x 0.5mm thick. The frieze was then given a coat of Humbrol Mattcote to protect it. Old Bob’s had a peak at it, and it doesn’t look to bad as a far as human scale is concerned. Progress continues but I’m now down to the fiddly and downright irritating little fittings stage. First up are the tiny knees that support three of the thwarts; holding the pesky little beggars proved quite a trial with several near completions pinging off into the ether never to be seen again. What to do about the Thole pins; at this scale I didn’t think I could replicate Chuck’s method with the 1:24 kit. I eventually settled on using 1.5mm square stock. Drilled 0.8mm holes into which fitted rounded 0.9mm square stock. The tholes projected 1.5mm above the base. I got down to close to finish size but had to stick them to the rail to complete they were simply too small to hold and work on. Ring bolts were made to fit in the footwaling and the breasthook above the forward platform. With those completed I then moved onto the splash guard panels. Not too onerous, I used two lengths of 0.6mm thick boxwood strip. The relief panels were cut out and stuck to a backing strip and the pieces were then sanded down to finished thickness at around 0.7mm. Heat was used to impart a slight curve to the panels. The biggest problem was gluing them securely to the rail top, there is very little area to take the glue and they will remain vulnerable. So this is where I am now with the rudder to complete and a little more adjustment to the finish.

Pinnace Inboard fittings cont’d For the risers I have used 1.5mm wide boxwood strip. Fixing one side first, and the second once the first was dry but checking the horizontal level by use of a thwart before the glue set. This revealed that the aft platform was slightly out of level so out it came. Also gave me the opportunity to further pare the frames down to get the platform a tad closer to the footwaling. Next up was the seatback which took a fair bit of fiddling with to get it to look anything like it should. Numerous paper patterns were made and tweaked before cutting out on the scroll saw and then more tweaking to fit. Onto the sharp end and a little platform. Quite tricky this and further modifications to the first two frames and adjustment of the risers in the bow area were required. Fortunately the less than beautiful hacking about of the frames will all be hidden by the platform. These photos show wip on the thwarts and stern sheets nothing fixed as yet just tweaking the layout. I am making minor changes to the layout compared to The Model Shipways kit which is of a 21’ four oared single banked Pinnace, circa 1750, mine represents a 25’ Pinnace of a period some 25 years later. Somewhat simpler and less ornate as befits a Sixth rate. The thwarts are fixed, the hinges applied to the small cockpit trunk, and the support stanchions fixed beneath the thwarts. I also added a small compartment face beneath the fore platform. The next and potentially tricky bit is adding the internal planking above the thwarts. For this I am using 3.7mm wide strip. This fortunately is just the size for the area above the thwarts. Wetted, clamped, and instantly heat dried the strip needs to be bent both laterally and curved to suit both the round and upward sweep of the bow. In practice it didn’t present the problems I first thought may arise. Applied a couple of coats of ochre to the inner planking and French polish to the thwarts. Onto the capping rails next and the tricky little problem of forming decorative mouldings to the inner planking The capping rails Cut from 1.5mm boxwood sheet on the scroll saw with the final shaping once they were attached. The Breast hook was then shaped and glued above the platform in the bows. At this point the interior paintwork needed rubbing down with P1000 and recoating. Here also I have started to apply the decorative moulding along the inside planking above the thwarts. The moulding does improve the look of the boat by reducing the plain expanse of Red Ochre, and I rather like the look of the boxwood against the ochre. Once the Helmsman’s seat has been installed I can return to the hull exterior for a little more fettlin’ and the application of the decorative frieze along the gunwales. Bashed it about a little clamping the moulding rail to the hull, the joints need resetting. The deficiencies in my planking require a tad of filler to even out the most noticeable flaws. For this I use Model lite filler, very fine, and with the addition of a spot of yellow ochre paint gives a reasonable match to the boxwood planking.

So removal of the frame braces begins. This small cutting blade that attaches to a scalpel handle proved very useful. No mishaps with the frame bracing removal. But left myself a fair bit of shaping of the inboard framing to do. Too delicate for any sort of machine assisted sanding, so it will be a fairly slow and careful process by hand. At this point I have marked out the capping rail pattern using the hull as the template., I can play with this on the scroll saw when I get fed up with frame sanding.... It became apparent that hand sanding of the internal frames was going to take forever, so I risked using my Minicraft mini tool to speed things up. Using a very light touch quick progress was made. The good thing about the Minicraft is that it can be held easily, comfortably, and securely in one hand whilst your other hand secures the boat. The first fitting out job is to install the footwalings, five boards of 2.7mm width. This is followed by the after platform which extends over the top of the footwalings. Here’s a comparison between the Caldercraft resin Pinnace and the Pinnace designed by Chuck Passaro that may be of interest. Having bought the Caldercraft Pinnace in a forlorn hope to avoid having to make one, its shape looked all wrong to me, too pointy at the bows and too fat at the stern, it just didn’t look right on Pegasus. I have to say that Chuck got it spot on with his design. Next stage will be fitting the risers and more internal fittings.

Onward with the build... I am quite pleased with the stability of the frames during fairing, but I have come across one or two which have needed bulking out to get a fair run of planking. Accuracy in cutting by hand is one of the downsides of working at this scale, at least for me. One needs to get a tad inventive when trying to secure additional strips to the frames. For clamping while gluing on small items, where not too much pressure is required, these Ladies hairgrips are ideal. A shaped piece of balsa is inserted between the last frame and the Transom to try and help keep the transom square. Whilst puzzling over the best way to secure the hull for working I came across this little beauty. (the vice not the boat) Just perfect for holding and angling bijou project such as a 1:64 scale boat. The weight of the vice is sufficient to use without securing down when working on these fragile items. The planking in the 1:24 scale kit has plank widths of 4.5mm. At 1:64 scale I had thought of using 1.8mm strips but these allow very little for tapering so I will be using 2.7mm wide planks generally although I do have wider planks to accommodate any spiling needs. The strip wetted and formed around a Humbrol paint tin held their shapes for the curve around the bows. The final bulkhead fitted post fairing is the Transom, this is simply glued to the edge of the false keel a somewhat vulnerable exposed place until secured by the planking but strong enough for fairing. Unlike the larger kit which has a decorative additional transom piece extending beyond the hull to encompass the rudder, my Pinnace will be a simpler affair ending with the Transom proper. Attaching the strips at the stern to the transom proved quite difficult due to the fragile nature of the Transom fixing and the awkwardness of clamping the strip to the transom without moving the transom out of line. I did micro pin the transom piece through the false keel to try and give a little extra rigidity to the set up but even so it was a tricky exercise and I made numerous attempts to get the planks to stick to the transom. I’m not entirely satisfied with the look of the planks thus far and I’ve only got 0.6mm thickness to play with for sanding. I’m also having to make constant minor adjustments to the fairing to get the planks to sit right. Not too sure at the moment whether it will be good enough but I will persevere to the bitter end, and if nothing else it will provide a valuable learning exercise. One positive thing is that with the top three planks attached the frame is strong and the transom no longer at risk of flexing. One of the unrealised benefits of adding the three strengthening strips longitudinally along the tops of the frames is that it gives the clamps a purchase when gluing the planks. Sort of achieved an even planking spread each side. All done and the stern post is fitted. Wasn’t too difficult sanding the strips down to fit flush with the stern post even tho’ it’s only 1.5mm wide. Kind of looks like a Pinnace, but it’s all down to sanding now and a bit of filling and fettlin’ to make it the best I can. If nothing else I has proven to myself that a scratch build of a boat at this scale is feasible for me even if the execution could have been better in places. to be cont'd........

Building a 1:64 scale 25’ Pinnace I have finally had to bite the bullet and consider scratch building a Pinnace at 1:64 scale using scaled down plans from the M.S 1:24 scale Pinnace kit. I first mocked up a framing set using a boxwood keel and card frames. Mainly to convince myself the project was feasible at this scale. Having trialled a practice piece I am now moving onto the real thing. The false keel and keel are separate on the plans but given the small and delicate size I decided to combine them rather than try to rabbet each side of the 1.5mm thick false keel which would then leave little glue contact with the keel. The rabbet line was first scribed and then cut freehand using my engraver. A bit wobbly but it will suffice. Next up the frames These are also cut from 1.5mm boxwood sheet. Before starting in earnest I was keen to establish which was the best way to orientate the frames, with the upright part running with the grain or across the grain. To this end I did trial cut with examples both ways. As might be expected the piece cut with the grain across the upright proved the least strong, but either way these are quite delicate pieces. The frames were cut out on the scroll saw, a tool that has proved invaluable. The quick release of the blade allowed easy access to removing the frame centres. A bar was left across the top to afford a little strength to the frames during fitting and planking. I did have a few failures with the frames but they are easily replicated. With the frames cut out they were sanded down to fit within the keel slots and squared up. There are 24 frames along the keel to accommodate. I started with frame 0 midships, ensuring it was square and level. My idea is to fit every third one or so along the keel and use those to sight and align the remainder. Once the outer planking is done the bar will be removed and the internal frame faces reduced in depth – well that’s the plan, but this is my first attempt at a fully scratch framed boat - we’ll see how it goes. With the frames in place I can now start the process of fairing. I intend to glue some strips along the top of the frames to provide a little more stability during the process. I was curious to see how this new enlarged Pinnace would fit on Pegasus. Even in frame I can see the elegant shape of a Pinnace which is what I was after. It remains to be seen if that holds good once I’ve been at it with the sanding sticks and the planking is applied. to be cont'd.....

The Boats of a Sloop of War The question of a ships boat for Pegasus is something that has been dwelling on my mind for a while now and I need to get it sorted. W.E. May in his book The boats of Men of War gives the establishment of boats for Frigates and Sloops introduced in 1769. This authorised for sloops of 16 guns a 19’ Longboat and a 26’ Pinnace, and for 14 gunners an 18’ Longboat and a 25’ Pinnace. For ship modellers there does seem to be a little leeway as the boats actually carried could differ from the official establishment due to circumstances or special request. Desperately seeking an option that will avoid a complete scratch build I have been looking at available alternatives. The kit supplies a metal boat that looks like a Longboat and at 103.81mm scales to a 21.79’ boat. Not too bad for size on the gallows, and I have seen examples made up that look just fine, but as I don’t wish to paint the boat, this is not an option for me. Caldercraft/Jotika supply a 28’ Pinnace @1:64 made from thin walled resin. Here with a 19’ cutter inside the Pinnace. It rather overwhelms little Pegasus on the Gallows, and I’m not particularly happy with the shape. My idea of a Pinnace is a rather elegant boat fairly narrow in relation to its length, with a decidedly narrow and distinctive stern, with a separate Coxwains’ seat behind the backboard of the sternsheets; a shallow draught and fairly rounded bow. What we have in the Caldercraft hull doesn’t quite fit this description as can be seen against a drawing of a Pinnace and the outline tracing of the Caldercraft hull in the above pics . Too broad in the stern, too pointy at the sharp end, with quite a deep draught. There may have been Pinnaces that looked like that but not in my Navy. This is the tarted up Caldercraft 19’ Cutter I made for my Pickle. Looks better in terms of size on the Gallows, but I have set my heart on a Pinnace, and Pinnace I will have. B.E.

Hatch Guard Rails. I wanted to replicate something more realistic than simply using long stemmed eyebolts with line threaded through, but my usual fudges are insufficient to meet the needs of doing this. A new skill set is required that is Silver soldering. To make the stanchions I will be using 0.8mm diameter micro bore brass tubing and 0.3mm brass etched eyelets. (Caldercraft) Two of the brass eyelets are required to be fixed to the stanchion towards the top at right angles to each other. Here is the raw material for the makings. Those who are familiar with the Caldercraft 0.3mm brass etched eyelets will be aware of how fine they are. After cleaning the brass tube is held in position on the heat pad and the eyelet is held by self closing tweezers. A tiny amount of ‘medium’ paste is applied to the stanchion. The eyelet put on top of it and the heat applied, all done in seconds. For the second eyelet ‘easy’ paste is used (to avoid melting the solder on the first), again a matter of seconds and it’s done. I was amazed that the bond was so good it withstood filing of the ring once I had cut the stem off it, and even bending the eye slightly into a horizontal plane. Good stuff this silver soldering, or brazing as we experts prefer to call it. First tentative fitting:- A lot of cleaning up and finishing to do including finials for the posts, but for me the exercise was a success and the objective achieved. I would recommend this method of fixing fine parts together to those who haven’t tried it; it really extends the possibilities for enhancing a kit, even for a beginner like me. My initial results with the brass rod were successful, but the finials less so, so I searched around for an alternative. The replacement material is stainless steel and I initially had concerns whether the brass eyes would braze satisfactorily to them, no problem. An added advantage is that they are far more robust than the micro tubing. Seems to be the right height in relation to Capt. Silver. Can’t believe how long it has taken to finish these little items, the brazing was the least of it. These finials are a tad over 1mm in size and the stanchions 0.8mm diameter. The blackening process differed, this time I used Carr’s Metal Black for Steel, but it also blackened the brass rings and solder. Oh, the origin of the stanchions..... Donated from William’s dog brush. Not too impressed is he To finish off this section, the railings for the Fore hatch have now been completed. B.E.

Rudder coat and Chains Not the prettiest fitting on a model, but required for the sake of realism rather than have the gaping hole of the helm port on show. I had already fitted a rudder coat made from finest handkerchief cotton, but it needed finishing off. They are tricky things to get right for the shape and to allow sufficient ‘bag’ in the coat to allow for rudder movement. The ffm describes the attachment thus: The wider end is nailed around the inside of the Helmport. The excess loose canvas hangs down allowing the rudder to move freely. I’m not clear whether this means the canvas hem is nailed thro’ the edge of the boards that make up the lower counter or the inside face of the counter boards which would be tricky for access. I had originally coloured the coat as below but have since gone off the brown colour. The hem for nailing around the helm port is made from shaped micro- porus tape pva’d around the coat edge, here in an unfinished state. Painted the coat an off black colour and took the opportunity to tidy up a couple of things on the counter. Noticed I had also lost the eyes to the Spectacle plate, now replaced with slightly more robust versions. Much more satisfied with the new look coat. Rudder chains These are shackled to the Spectacle plate, run up to and along the lower counter and have the Rudder pendants attached to them to aid steering in the event of problems. This is another area where size information is scant. The ffm does make mention of the chain, but David Antcherl supposes in the absence of contemporary information that the links are of 1” iron 3-4” in length. At scale, chain is usually described in links per inch or length/width of the links. Those measurements would equate to a scale chain of 0.4mm diameter with links of between 1.2 – 1.6mm in length. Deciding on the chain gauge for a model can be tricky and result in multiple purchases to get one to suit, minor differences in given sizes can look quite marked when fitted. This sample has 16 oval links to the inch with a 0.3mm dia and 2.3mm in length. It was obtained from http://www.scalelink...aSLCH03#aSLCH03 They call it Medium light chain. Nice chain, Looks ok, but borderline acceptable for scale, strikes me as just a tad heavy. Here the Scale link chain is on the port side, and an alternative Artesania Latina 1.5mm oval chain, on the Starboard side. The scale link chain by comparison has a flatter profile and is of a heavier gauge. Here is the AL chain fitted to both sides in close-up. There are 19 links to the inch with a diameter of 0.3mm. and a length nearer 2mm than 1.5mm. The width of the links is 1.6mm. The code number of the AL chain is AL8608. Overall I think it has the edge, and this is the one I will use. Three hooks are set along the counter onto which the chains are secured when not in use. B.E.

..... His name was Chuck, Chuck Passaro, and he designed the sweetest lantern in the West. An hexagonal lantern that is just right for Pegasus. http://www.syrenshipmodelcompany.com/ I could no way match this so my own feeble efforts were quickly put aside. What a great little lantern this is. This photo shows the lantern at near real size and just how small it really is. The moment of truth – a trial fitting on Pegasus...... A vast improvement in the look from my previous effort and the style suits Pegasus so much more. Well done Chuck, and thanks for designing this fine little lantern kit. B.E.

The Stern Lantern I have had a couple of previous attempts at making a lantern using the Caldercraft etched lantern set for their 1:72 scale Victory model. The main issue is that the style and number of glazed sections within the octagonal shape are too many, and the octagon shape is not quite the style. From around 1707 the standard pattern on British ships was hexagonal. This is the larger central lantern from Victory, unmodified, and I put it together to get a feel of how the thing would look. I don’t like it and it will not stand. Slightly too big and too many glazing bars to sit comfortably with scale. The side lantern at 21mm high is pretty fair for scale to suit the Pegasus at 1:64. Here with reduced glazing bars. For this I trialled using acetate windows fixed with epoxy. Messy business and the result was an unholy mess. I persevered with various versions. I think the size sits well with Pegasus, and the style doesn’t look altogether out of place, but I'm still not entirely happy. The execution could have been better but the principle is established as basis for modifying the Caldercraft Victory lantern to better suit the Swans at 1:64. But..... just when I thought I would have to settle, a saviour rode out of the West. B.E.

Fettlin’ the Anchors Part 1 The procedure will be the same for all of them so I’ll report on one of the Bowers. I am using a Jotika 1:64 scale 21cwt anchor of a style circa 1770. The stocks These are of Walnut, pre shaped with the taper from below and with the notches to fit around the Shank pre cut. The stocks are supplied in two halves as were the originals. To improve the authenticity the stocks also need tapering from beyond the centre portion to the ends on the fore and aft faces, being reduced to about half the width on each piece. Holes are bored in the centre section to take what would be iron bolts, and three further holes along each side of the stock for treenails. The uncut end of blackened eyebolt stems will be used for the iron bolts. Four iron hoops also hold the two halves together once fitted around the shank. At scale these hoops are a mere 1mm wide and 0.2mm thick. Here being formed around the stock. Note the relative difference between the central hoops and the oversized Amati supplied brass hoops for their much smaller anchor For Treenails I am using boxwood strip reduced to fit the 0.7mm holes. The colour difference should provide a subtle indication, no point doing it if nothing shows. The next step is to fine tune the fit of the iron hoops now blackened. The treenails now trimmed. The Anchor I had been attempting to chemically blacken the white metal anchor. This was done using some stuff called Pewter Patina. But the result is patchy at best. I prefer a sort of darkish iron grey for the colour but before I resort to painting I have ordered some Carr’s Whitemetal Black which I hope will give an improved coverage. New Blackening trial on the anchor. So I tried the Carrs Whitemetal for black and it had absolutely no effect on the white metal anchor. The only thing that seems to darken it is the Pewter patina stuff, but not a sufficiently good cover to stand. Has possibilities tho’ for a weathered anchor complete with reddish rust stains and salt deposits. I resorted to using Humbrol enamel No 67. So here’s the completed set. The ring The outer diameter of the Bower anchor rings should be 8.6mm and the thickness 1mm. Quite often these are far too small on kit supplied anchors. Puddening When I get around to it I will be using 0.25mm dia line equiv to 2” circ rope for the Puddening, and 0.1mm dia line for the seizings. The Stream Anchor (top) and Kedge (bottom) Stream Anchor For the Stream I have used the Caldercraft 12cwt bower, a pretty good match for the 7cwt stream, only a couple of mm short in the shank length. The supplied stock is too large at 50mm, at a 9’ length the required figure is 44mm. The maximum depths and thickness also need reducing by a couple of mm. all round. The Kedge Anchor Another Caldercraft offering; at 36mm. A couple of mm. over long in the shank, but acceptable in relation to the others. I thought about modifying the anchor to have an iron stock, but in the light of the Swan book went with a wooden version. This again had to be scratched to suit the scale. The anchors have taken a surprisingly long time to complete, not least because of the multi processes on each one. Now for a little tip given to me by an MSW member. Anchor stock bands. I had struggled to make these ‘iron’ bands from blackened brass fret, a frustrating exercise involving much trimming and re-blackening. The tip involved using Heat shrink tubing to form the bands; cut into strips, the tubing was placed in position on the stock and heat applied to secure it. I got a supply off e-bay and did a trial using a spare Caldercraft 20cwt anchor. Here is the result. My main concern was that the tubing may have looked too rubberised, but it has the right look of a dull iron band, and is so much easier to apply. I used a hairdryer on full heat to shrink the bands on. I wasn’t over-careful on cutting the strips on the trial but I like the look of the effect so much that I intend to replace my blackened brass fret bands. B.E.

Anchors for Pegasus - yet another conundrum According to Steel a 300 ton Sloop of 14 guns would have carried five anchors:- 20cwt anchors (3) 7cwt stream (1) 3cwt 2qtr Kedge (1) The given dimensions:- 20cwt Bower Length of Shank 13’ scale @1:64 = 61.9mm Length of arms 4’ 4½” 20.8mm Breadth of palms 1’ 9¼” 8.6mm Outer Ø of ring 1’ 9¾” 8.6mm Thickness of ring 2½” 1.0mm 7 cwt stream Length of Shank 9’ SCALE @ 1:64 = 42,9mm Length of arms 3’ Breadth of palms 1’ 4” Outer Ø of ring 1’ 4” Thickness of ring 1¼” 3 cwt kedge Length of Shank 7’ scale @ 1:64 = 33.3mm Length of arms 2’ 4” Breadth of palms 1’ Outer Ø of ring 1’ 1” Thickness of ring 1¼” I seem to have a problem with the kit supplied anchors; these are four 40mm size anchors (No 4015/40) The kit part list indicates 50mm long anchors (No 4015/50) Maybe they put the wrong size in the box but even so the sizes still appear to be seriously under scale.. I have mocked a 20cwt Bower up to Steel proportions and this is the result compared to what Amati have supplied. The provided stock of the Amati anchor is but a poor thing with all the attributes of a dry biscuit. Those who intend to use it are advised to take great care when enlarging the hole to accept the anchor shank. However once fitted to the ship......... The Steel dimensioned anchor looks way too large. Whereas the Amati 40mm will probably fit the bill for the Stream anchor. Jotika do a 1:64 scale 20cwt Bower at 57mm. another one at 54mm , and a 3.5cwt kedge at 36mm. I placed these on order so I can assess the relative sizes, and how they suit my eye on the model, and in the meantime I have checked and re-checked the scale anchor proportions according to Steel, and also the ffm Vol 1V and the scale drawings in several AotS books with appropriately sized anchors. I have also looked at many contemporary models, and these Bower anchors do appear large in relation to the ship. The result is still the same the Amati anchors whether 40mm or 50mm are seriously undersized. Still the Jotika anchors have now arrived, they are designated by scale and period, unlike the Amati items. These are white metal affairs with a wooden stock. The good news is that the stock comes in two halves as it should be, although will need some tapering on the fore and aft faces to reduce the overall width to around half at the ends of the stock. The 20cwt anchor (circa 1750) has a 57mm long shank and comes with separate palms which have to be glued on. The hole for the anchor ring has also not been drilled. The 21cwt anchor (circa 1770) is somewhat shorter at 54.5mm shank length which is also slightly thicker. On this anchor the palms are already attached and the ring hole pre-drilled. On both anchors the stocks are a big improvement over the Amati offerings, but the separate palms are a bit of a pain to attach firmly even with c.a. The small relative size of the supplied Amati 40mm anchor is evident in this shot. The cynic in me gives cause to ponder whether Amati chose their ‘generic’ anchor sizes to suit the Fore channel length. The stowage arrangement of the anchors as shown on the kit Plan (sheet 6) does not work with re sized anchors, and is in any case not necessarily accurate having the palms of both anchors secured on the Fore channels. Having fiddled with the anchors I have come to the conclusion that the Jotika 21cwt anchor is the best compromise and gives the best scale effect. The Amati anchor is a near fit for the 7cwt Stream anchor, but would require a new stock. The deficiencies in the provided piece are clear to see in this shot. In reality the Stream anchor would be fitted to the Portside Fore channel. So this is the plan. Jotika 21 cwt bowers will be attached to anchor cables and held in place by painters secured to the timberheads both port and starboard. The port Bower is designated as the ‘Best Bower’. Behind the Port bower on the channels will be secured the 7 cwt Stream anchor. The Starboard Bower designated the 'Small Bower' I may suspend from the Cat Block. The third Bower designated as the 'Sheet Anchor' is secured along the Fore Channel behind the 'Small Bower. The 3cwt Kedge Anchor will be lashed to the third bower (Sheet Anchor) The three bower anchors despite their different names are all the same size. In the next post I will get down to assembling the anchors. B.E.

Bolsters, Billboards, and Linings. A bit more non standard kit stuff here. The Billboard is a run of planks protecting the foremost chains of the Fore Channel from the anchor flukes, when the anchor is being raised. The Bolster is a beam that supports the Billboard, and also provides a narrow platform that allows a crewman to stand and take a sounding. The linings are a run of planks fitted over the Main Wale again to protect the timbers from the anchor. Starboard Lining. Port Billboard completed. The Billboards are simply planks nailed to two wooden stanchions that fit between the bolster and the channel. B.E.

Stanchions and stuff The kit version of Pegasus has hammock cranes running along the waist rail, but then the kit version doesn’t have gangplanks. My version has stanchions fitted with a roughtree rail, very necessary as a safety barrier when moving between the Quarterdeck and Foc’sle. Netting will be attached along the waist. Stanchions are also required along the Foc’sle but of less height. The ffm also indicates Hammock netting stanchions along the QD rails. These are not of the ‘U’ shaped design as on Victory but are a half ‘u’ shape to allow a 7.5” space between the stanchion and the rough tree rail. How this would work in practice unless netting was also strung between the roughtree rail and the Qtr deck capping rails I don’t really know, and if it was put in place it looks to me that it may interfere with belaying of lines to the Rail and timberheads. I haven’t seen any examples on models of sixth rates of this arrangement so I remain undecided, it is all getting very crowded around the QD rail area. The stanchions are natural snag magnets so will be removed until much later in the build. B.E.

Deadeyes, Chains, and Preventer plates Deadeye sizes according to Steel. Fore & Main channel shroud deadeyes 10” ø (scale = 3.96mm) Backstay deadeyes 7” ø (scale 2.78mm) Mizen channel shroud deadeyes 7” ø (scale = 2.78mm) Topmast shroud deadeyes Fore & Main 7” ø (scale 2.78mm) Mizen topmast shroud deadeyes 5” ø (scale 1.98mm) The kit provides two sizes of deadeye, nominally 5mm and 3.5mm. In practice these ‘nominal’ sizes range between 5.15mm - 5.28mm and 3.88mm – 3.94mm in the samples I checked. To my jaundiced eye the channel deadeyes do look way over- scale, the 10” deadeyes actually scaling to 13.3” and the 7” to 9.8”. An accurate set of three sizes 2mm, 3mm, and 4mm would have been better, but it looks like Amati have supplied the kit from their standard after market range. Having said that, what joy to have all these splendid little etched parts that make up the deadeye fittings. So nice not to have to make them from scratch as I did with the Heller Victory. The deadeye strops, chains, and preventer plates were finely formed, best I’ve seen in a kit . Took some little time to blacken them all though. Having played around with the deadeyes I’m finding it difficult to accept the provided 5mm+ ø deadeyes for the lower shrouds. The nearly 4mm smaller deadeyes look better to my eye for the shrouds, and 2.5mm versions (nearer 2.7mm) for the backstay and Mizen channel deadeyes. The top portside photo shows 3.5mm and 2.5mm deadeyes The bottom starboard photo 5mm and 3.5mm deadeyes. Note how crowded the shroud deadeyes on the starboard side are. I’ve ordered some samples of different size deadeyes to trial before I proceed. 4mm Occre deadeyes are in the range 4.24 – 4.27mm diameter. This scales to a deadeye of 10.5”ø The Amati 3.5mm dia actually measure 3.8-3.9mm = to 9.8” ø at full size. Here the sample range. from the left, 5mm deadeye as supplied: 4mm Occre deadeye: 3.5mm Amati deadeye: 2.5mm Amati deadeye: The Occre 4mm are a great improvement on the provided 5mm size deadeye but then we are left the problem of size differential, insufficient if the 3.5mm size are used to represent the Mizen and backstay deadeyes ,or too much if the 2.5mm size is used. The Amati 3.5mm ø are closer to proper scale and so they will be the lower Main and fore channel Shroud deadeyes. So the Mizen and backstay deadeyes will be represented by the Amati 2.5mm deadeyes, (actual measurement 2.7mm) which scales to 6.8” ø, close enough for a 7”ø deadeye, and with a clear size differential which is important for the proper look of the thing. Now the decision is made I can proceed with a bit of stropping. Chains and plates. In setting up the deadeye chains and plates consideration has to be given to the line of the shrouds which the iron work should as far as possible follow. To this end mast lengths have to be made in order to check the angles with lines temporarily run to the deadeyes. As I said in my earlier post the etched chains and plates are the best I have seen in a kit. One point to be noted; both preventer plates and the associated chain loop are recessed where the upper bolt is fitted so the fitting lies flat. A nice touch that. Fixing the fore channel was no problem with the plates sitting just above the wale on the black strake (which happens not to be black on my Pegasus) The Main plates proved less easy, because with the standard fitting the preventer plates came down over the wale. Quite why I’m not sure as the wale position and channels look to be placed correctly. Fitting thus entailed shortening the first link so that plates sat along the wale top . This was a bit of a fiddly time consuming exercise with over 30 to do but necessary. The same applied to the Mizen chains which also had to be reduced in length to sit in the correct position. In addition to the supplied channel/shroud iron work, there should be:- Preventer bolts These are eyebolts set in the ships side for securing the shrouds with a jury rig should damage or loss be sustained. They are set between the chains -, four each side on the Fore and Main channels, and two each side on the Mizen. In addition there is a Swivel bolt set in the Main Wale below the Mizen channels for securing a ships boat to the side. I wasn’t entirely happy with my first stun’sl eyestraps so I re-jigged them. I also had to mock up a stun’sl boom with the hook in the forward end to gauge the outboard extension of the strap. The lower stun’sl booms do not form part of the kit, but the proportions are readily available in Steel. This concludes the long saga of Deadeyes and Chains. B.E.

Channels. The kit parts are standard walnut jobs but the proportions seem ok. The main difference to the ffm style is that Antscherl shows the Fore Channels are sniped towards the aft end, apparently to facilitate anchor stowage. I can’t identify this arrangement either in contemporary models or my books, so I will leave the channels as per the kit design. A little bit of shaping was required to fit the Channel to the hull line on the inner edge. Cut off brass pins were used to secure the channels to the hull. Because I wanted the Channels to match the boxwood hull planking the tops were planked with boxwood strip. One modification I am making is the fitting of standards (brackets) to the upper side of the Channels and the hull. These were fitted to counter the upward pull of the shrouds. There are three on the fore channels, four on the Main and two on the Mizen. A pair of ringbolts are also fitted to the Fore and Main channels, and on the Main, an iron gooseneck and eyestrap for the stun’sl boom. None of these fittings are included with the kit. The stun’sl fittings were made from a strip of 1mm x 0.5mm brass. There were quite a few failures en route to getting a full set of standards, but I think the model looks better with them. Next up Deadeyes, chains, and preventer plates. B.E.

The Fish davit I have been fretting for some little while about the Fish Davit. The davit is not provided for in the kit but as they do in fact provide the Fish Davit cleats, and the ffm provides details of the davit, the temptation was too much. However, once I had roughed out the davit to scale I had trouble getting my head around the proportions. I did raise the subject on MSW but the many Swan builders on that site showed no interest in the subject whatsoever, or at least in my question, but thanks to Daniel who gave me a lead by providing some very useful photo links to contemporary models with the Davit rigged. Firstly the Spanshackles are fitted, at this date one each side of the centre line are fitted. These hold the inner end of the davit. Given the length of the davit one of the problems I had was in deciding whether the inner end fitted into the opposite side spanshackle. Daniel came to the rescue with this shot of Lowestoft 1761 The double spanshackles are shown and the davit is fitted to the same side shackle. The Davit looks long enough to span the Foc’sle. Note how far the davit is extending outboard. The Pegasus Davit The length is the width of the Foc’sle with the ends resting on the Fish Davit cleats. Antscherl refers to the Galley cowl obstructing the passage of the davit across the deck, as it happens it doesn’t foul the cowl on my build. The davit is made from some 4mm square boxwood section, it is tapered slightly towards the ends. Set in the top are two eyebolts for the Topping Lifts, and along the sides hand ropes to manipulate the beam. A necking is fashioned at each end to take the Fish Tackle. The davit extends quite a way outboard. Excuse me ain’t we been ‘ere long enough, at my age I’m only supposed to work a few hours. Onto the Channels. B.E.

Topside decoration I had pondered for some little time as to whether to apply the lower layer of brass etch decoration to the Topsides, or leave it plain blue. On balance I decided to fit it as it was in keeping with the look of the contemporary models I am trying to reflect, but even so I have not used all the decoration, most notably leaving off that which would be applied to the Headworks. A little bit of manipulation and shaping of the etch was required to get the fit. One of the drawbacks of using etched decoration is that minute bits of paint are lost during fitting which then show up bright under direct light. Similarly there are shiny spots where any ca has got on the surface of the background paintwork. I suspect a long process of touching up will ensue as bright spots are revealed as the light catches the topsides. On reflection looking at the photo's above my light and shading efforts were too timid so I have taken a bolder approach using Artists Oils. For the Highlights I have used Soft mixing white with a touch of yellow ochre. For the shading I have used Raw Umber mixed with Indian Red, and toned down with white. Both mixes thinned with distilled turpentine to quite a thin consistency. Port Stern Qtr natural light indoors Port Stern Qtr LED ceiling lights Starboard Stern Qtr natural light indoors Starboard Stern Qtr LED ceiling lights. This is a result I think I can live with. B.E.

Port lids A slightly contentious issue; how many should be fitted and where. The kit indicates four each side, the foremost port and the aftermost three. Antscherl suggests three, the foremost port and aftermost two. Contemporary models vary, the Atalanta shows two aftermost, the Sphynx shows three, as do several other contemporary models of Sixth rates. I have decided to follow the Atalanta model with two aft. (any excuse to avoid work) The foremost port beneath the Foc’sle is a Bridle port and according to the Admiralty plans should be somewhat narrower than the regular gun ports.. Too late for me, I had already cut a regular size port and I am not at this stage prepared to mess with the boxwood hull planking to change matters. Besides, the contemporary painting of Sphynx shows her with a regular port. Well that’s my excuse...... If you want to go beyond the simple rectangular walnut squares that represent them in the kit, the ports need to be made from individual planks, horizontal on the exterior, and vertical on the interior. A reasonable representation of the lid straps is provided in brass etch, with the rivet heads already moulded in. To my eye they look a little on the small size for the lids involved. The straps have tails which I suppose are intended to be inserted into holes in the hull above the port to hold them in the open position. I decided not to use the kit provided straps. On the subject of straps the kit indicates a single tackle ring bolt fitted to the lid rather than two attached to the straps, which is the arrangement given by David Antscherl in the ffm. I rather think the kit arrangement is correct with a single ring bolt for a small ship such as Pegasus. All the photos I have of contemporary models of sixth rates show the single arrangement, and Lavery in Arming and Fitting suggests this was applicable to small ships. Interesting little job port lids, but as with many other aspects of the build working out a strategy for making and completing them is a major part of the exercise. Each one requires a card template to fit the port exactly and this is transferred to a blank which is then planked with boxwood strip and fitted to the port and any final adjustments made. The lid is then sanded back to the thickness of the port rebates so it sits flush with the outside of the hull. A rectangle of wood is then added to the back of the lid to plug the space within the port. This is scribed with vertical planking lines. The straps are applied to the lid and secured with rivets. (cut off pins) With the port lid in place the port tackle hole is drilled in line with the lid tackle ring bolt and 0.25mm line is threaded thro’, knotted and pulled back. Still working on how to best represent the hinges which in practice are only really relevant to a closed port. I would really like to have the aftermost port closed so the hinges are a feature but I’m struggling for ideas at the moment. The foremost port I currently have as top hinged. I have a slight concern that with the port open it may foul the anchor rigging later in the build, so I am toying with the idea of split side hinged doors ala Victory. I need to sort out the port lids before I can move onto the Channels. The port hooks ( hinge brackets) are in place for the closed ports, and the lanyards rigged. The port lanyard tubes fashioned from short sections of telephone wire insulation, and painted to represent leather. Aft lids in place. Bridle port lid. B.E.

Swivel Mounts The most interesting and potentially most tricky feature along the Quarterdeck rails are the swivel gun mounts. A little bit of work to do here as replacements to match those on the Foc’sle are required. There are five running along each side and they follow the sheer line getting shorter as they go aft, but maintaining a level top line. At least I had worked out the method of making the mounts when I did the Foc’sle swivels. These mounts also need to be worked in conjunction with:- The Roughtree Rail (Quarter Rail) The kit provided part for this is quite substantial scaling to 12” wide and 3¾” deep. It is designed to fit in notches in the provided swivel mounts. Steel reckons it should be 6” wide and the ffm suggests it was bolted to the swivel mounts, so the kit version is probably a simplification to aid construction. This was in effect a safety hand rail so 12” width seems excessive and looks heavy to my eye. A rail of the proportions adjacent to the Gangway looks more in keeping. I decided to keep the provided rail but reduce it in width so that the swivel mounts fitted into notches in the rail rather than have recesses cut into the mounts into which the rail would fit. (as per the kit arrangement) The difference in width of the Roughtree rails can be seen here. The rail was next pva’d onto the supports; this needs to be fixed in order to take off the heights of the mounts. I fixed the foremost mount first to get the run of the rail correct, then numbers three and five followed by two and four. I had a slight concern that the fixing arrangement wouldn’t be as rigid as the kit set-up but my fears were unfounded. So the Quarterdeck swivel mounts are all made and fitted; not such an onerous job as I first thought. The reduced in width rail looks far better to my eye. I also decided to make the rail endings a little more stylish rather than simply use a piece of walnut strip angled downwards. These were carved from a bit of Mr Rabone’s ruler. To complete the basic fitting of the mounts the iron bolts were secured thro’ the mounts and into the hull which gives added stability. The thinned down rails are evident in this shot. This all but completes the work on the Quarterdeck, time to move back to the hull. B.E.

Quarterdeck Bulwark rails Firstly the timberheads are fitted into the slots in the capping rail, and provision made for two additional timberheads adjacent to the Quarterdeck rail and the gangway. Mortises cut to take timberheads. The kit version only has one. The support stanchions for the Quarter rail or Roughtree rail as it is also called are fitted next. These will help in coordinating a fair run of the swivel gun mounts. Two additional fixed blocks are also required; for the Main sheets and Main braces. These are not included in the kit which has the Main brace feeding thro’ a block at the extreme end of the QD spirketting,(OK) and the Main sheets feeding thro’ a hole drilled in the spirketting opposite the Mizen Mast. (Not OK) These fixed blocks fit around the timberheads on their aft side. The Fixed blocks were knocked up from a bit of Boxwood square section, and sit atop the rail in a similar manner to the Fish davit and cat snatch block on the Foc’sle. All installed and given a coat of Black paint. Next to consider the swivel gun mounts and Rough tree rails. B.E.

Pegasus - a flight of fancy. Well a white horse is a white horse, but a thin wash of slightly less than white was applied to bring out the shadowing of the wing feathers. So I sez to Mrs W how do you like Pegasus; Why is it so white sez she; because Pegasus was a white horse sez I. Oh, sez she, obviously far from impressed, then added it doesn’t go at all, looks like a piece of plastic stuck on the front. Never shrinks from offering a bit of positive encouragement Mrs W. Now every Pegasus kit build I have seen has a white Pegasus, but she did get me wondering whether it looked a little stark against the muted scheme of the hull and whether it would be more in keeping if I toned it in with a natural wood finish, afterall most of the contemporary boxwood models seem to have a natural finish, and I am trying to reflect that look on the model overall. Only one way to find out. For this I am going to use Artists oils. This is the effect after a couple of coats and I’m sold on it already. The beauty of oils is that you can rework and blend tones almost endlessly. The downside is they take half a lifetime to dry. So there will be no white horse on this Pegasus. B.E.

Covering Boards There are covering boards that fit over the faces of the Head timbers once the lower rail is in place, and the head timbers require one more bit of tweaking. This is to impart a slight concave surface to the timbers so that looked at particularly from the head, they appear to curve gracefully in towards the stem. Have a look here at Victory, a little of that effect is what is required. On many kit builds these boards look too flat faced or even convex. There is not a great deal of scope for imparting curve to the Pegasus head timbers due to the short length, but it is possible to impart a slight concave profile which I think improves the look. I used boxwood strip of 0.6mm thickness for the boards. The kit arrangement includes a fair bit of bling on the head timbers and rails which looks too ott to my conservative eye. I therefore left the head timbers plain with a simple blue panel. The gratings with the SoE’s now fixed. The False Rail This decorative board has a very mundane function to cover the aft SoE’s where fitted. Not provided in the kit one can be drawn on the plans and a template made. The version shown in the ffm books is quite fancy, but often they were much plainer – this is what I decided upon. I hope it will also impart some strength to the Main rail. In fitting the False Rail the angle of the Boomkins has to be considered so these are temporarily fitted so the position where they cross the FR can be determined. The prototype False rail pattern is seen here with the boomkin temporarily in place. Those sharp eyed amongst you will spot one of my able dockyard shipwrights checking the downward angle of the Boomkins. Another step backwards Ever since I did the Ekeing rails (Oh no not them again) my eye has been drawn to the starboard rail which I felt had a small but noticeable difference to its Port neighbour, something to do with the angle of the curve I think. Having stared at it over a period of days, trying to convince myself it looked ok, I finally couldn’t live with it any longer and off it had to come. An afternoon spent carving another with the hope that this time my eye would not detect any difference, well maybe the teeny tiniest difference may pass muster. Once again the ekeing rail (Mk three or four is it) was coerced into shape having been soaked and clamped for twenty-four hours. I’m now sufficiently satisfied with the new rail, and I can move on. I also decided to remodel the False Rails. The grooves for the Boomkins need to be cut but this will be done once the rails are fixed. The False Rails can’t be fixed until much later in the build, after the Bowsprit and gammoning are in place. B.E.