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Blue Ensign

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  1. Blue Ensign
    Post One Hundred and Thirty-two Inboard fittings A necessary job before I start is to add the bulwark tackle rings for the guns. 3294 A ‘long pole’ drill is useful for clearing the pin holes. 3296 As with the Main gun-deck I have replaced the kit items with Amati fine eyebolts and 2mm rings to make ringbolts for the breechings. 3297 3298 Look better to my eye than simple eyebolts. 3301 3321 To complete the bulwarks there are belay racks, cavel blocks and cavel cleats to add. 3302 I did wonder about the set of three cavels on the Fo’csle, they do appear on the restored Victory but I could not find examples on Navy Board models of Frigates and other larger ship types. Even so, they do make useful additions for rigging of the model. Chris has allocated the aftermost cavel (31) for the Fore Topsail tye, the centre (39) for the Fore-yard lift, and Fore-most (87)- Main course Bowline. 3311 The Foc’sle carronades are fitted with brass nails into the deck which holds them secure whilst allowing them to swivel. A spare carronade slide is used as a template to mark the nail holes on the deck. 3305 The cowl for the Brodie stove is fitted with a length of copper rod which secures it in place whilst also allowing rotation. My preference with fittings is to avoid glue where possible. 3304 3309 The Foc’sle Bitts are completed. 3310 Still a way to go, with lots of fittings left to make. Onwards. B.E. 20/01/2024
  2. Blue Ensign
    Coming along very nicely Andrew, I like the replacement gratings. 👍 B.E.
  3. Blue Ensign
    Post One Hundred and Thirty-one Completing the Carronades. One of the most tiresome aspects of completing the carronades is assembling the iron straps and breeching rings. 2mm ø Amati rings were used. 3268 3272 These are tiny things attached to the side of the bed and I found it useful to hold the beds in an angled vice to perform the attachment, using ca. 3273 With the Iron work completed, the barrels are glued into place. I have set the bed to the inboard position as I prefer it to the ‘outboard’ look. 3280 3290 3287 3291 Following a test fit on the deck, the carronades will be squirrelled away as work continues. 3293 Relieved this tiresome aspect is completed, but more tedium beckons with the ironwork for the inner bulwarks. B.E. 16/01/2024
  4. Blue Ensign
    Just Beautiful Glenn, the harsh eye of the macro is testament to the quality of the your work. B.E.
  5. Blue Ensign
    Wonderful build Nils, I love your choice of subjects and artistry in creating them. You have a most interesting collection of ship models worthy of a more public display. Regards, B.E.
  6. Blue Ensign
    I can imagine Chris, and not worth the expense given the scale. Macros don't reflect what the eye sees at normal viewing, and this is a very minor feature. The winding bars are feasible, but even these are very small, they have to fit between the eyebolts for the port tackle. B.E.
  7. Blue Ensign
    Post One Hundred and Thirty Carronades. The 42 pounders are nicely made with resin barrels, Pear beds, slides, and etch fittings. They will be highly visible items on my build, without the distraction of top hamper. I had already made up four carronades for the cabin area, and those seemed to take an age to assemble with the multiple stages. 3230 Assembling the remaining 14 is an endurance exercise but it helps to set up a production platform. The iron work was chemically blackened, and the barrels treated with dark brown weathering powder after painting. I replaced the kit breeching ring with Amati 2mm rings and added the Royal Monogram to the barrels. 3236 These are available as laser board items in different sizes from Syren. Always worth having a supply on hand. 3233 The Monograms were applied before priming and painting. 3238 3241 Three days’ work to complete the painting of guns, beds and slides. My mind returned to the possibility of adding winding bars to the elevation screw. 3253 I played around using cut-down 0.6mmø pins for the screw to which tiny eyebolts are added for the winding bars. 3255 3258 I thought about representation of the threads. The smallest threaded bar I can find is M1 which at 1mm ø is too large, but at 1:64 scale such detail would be very fine, and barely seen. 3251 On balance it looks better to my eye with them than without. There still remain the iron work to attach to the bed and slides before I can complete assembly. Onwards, B.E. 14/01/2024
  8. Blue Ensign
    Very nicely done Daniel, it's always the eyes that give me the most trouble. B.E.
  9. Blue Ensign
    Thank you Daniel and Allan, I hope the resin gudgeon/pintle arrangement developed by Chris for 'Indy' is something he will adopt for his future kits, and even as a modification to the Sphinx set-up. Cheers, B.E.
  10. Blue Ensign
    A fitting presentation, to complete a great build, well done David. B.E.
  11. Blue Ensign
    Great looking build Rick, a very nice job, well done! 👍 B.E.
  12. Blue Ensign
    Post One Hundred and Twenty-nine Gudgeons With the rudder in place the line of the straps can be marked. 1782A The straps are easily lined up on the hull to butt against the Gudgeon centres. Trickier to fit than the rudder straps and care must be taken to avoid ca spread. The tape helps a little with this. 3216 3217 The Laser Board straps adhere well to the hull. 1787A A touch-in of black paint on the stern post edges finishes the effect which should be the look of complete iron brackets attached to the hull. Has the design achieved this; in my view it has. 3221 This is also a convenient time to apply the Horseshoe and Fish plates to the lower hull. 3227 These are brass etch versions, but they are another item suitable for Laser Board production. 3219 3222 A carronade assembly session looms, what joy.🙄 B.E. 10/01/2024
  13. Blue Ensign
    Asking the same question over and over won't change the answer. You can pre -order now, but delivery is now expected from 21 January, but delivery has been put back several times since my pre-order in May 2023. There's no guarantee.
  14. Blue Ensign
    Post One Hundred and Twenty-eight Shipping the rudder I thought I would add the rudder now as fitting involves positioning the hull for access. The rudder has a central Pear core with facings engraved to represent the tablings and other sections that properly make up the rudder of a large ship. 1754a As I won’t be coppering, all this detail will remain visible. 3198 Before assembly of the rudder it is a good idea to check the fit thro’ the rudder port and against the stern post. I found I needed to fettle the port a little to get the head of the rudder into position. 5434 With regard to rudders I have mostly used the Syren system which produces a moving rudder on individual pintles and gudgeons. 2271(2) On Sphinx the kit provided ‘faux’ pintles/ gudgeons (above) were a thin brass etch affair which didn’t do it for me, and I used the Syren system. The arrangement on ‘Indy’ is a much-improved resin version of a pintle/gudgeon combo and with laser board straps replacing the brass etch. 1750a Chris has done a fine job in replicating these items and I am sufficiently impressed to use them on my build. These little widgets slot into the Rudder beautifully, and the corresponding gudgeons match to the slots in the stern post. 1759a The strap positions are marked on the rudder for the pintles, for accurate fitting. I think it is also a good move to make the straps out of laser board, saves all that brass blackening and then messing it up during fitting. 1778a The manual indicates use of brass pins inserted into drilled holes on the straps. I prefer to represent the bolts on the straps using blobs of pva applied with a toothpick. The final addition to the rudder is the Spectacle plate. 1763a This is chemically blackened brass etch. 1767b 1786a 1765a The fit of the rudder is excellent, with a good push fit. With this system there are no worries about getting a close fit to the stern post. Well done Chris.👍 B.E. 09/01/2024
  15. Blue Ensign
    Mine just builds up, I could open a shop selling Amati and other kit line. 3205 I never use black thread in my builds, and kit provided thread rarely if ever provides sufficient sizes for proper scale rigging. These days I only use Syren, and Morope for very fine lines, useful for seizings. B.E.
  16. Blue Ensign
    Completion in only seven months, that’s an impressive work rate ECK, and an impressive result, well done👍 B.E.
  17. Blue Ensign
    Post One Hundred and Twenty-seven Channels The channels each comprise laminations of three parts. The core centre part is rounded on the edges and extends slightly beyond the upper and lower pieces to create a decorative profile. 1748a In practice the edges of the channels were open to receive the deadeye strops, and a cover strip was nailed over the top, decorative or otherwise. Quite a straightforward business prepping the channels; largely making sure you have the correct cores and matching outer pieces, carefully applied to each side of the core, and aligned with the slots and holes. 1740a The Main channels require more bevelling on the aft side to account for the greater tumblehome. 1739a The Fore channels require bevelling and a little fettlin’ to match the round of the bow and take a little more time to fit. 3192 The Mizen and stools for the main and Mizen backstays require little attention and there are location holes in the hull for accurate fitting. 3194 3189 A well-designed set-up by Chris for what can otherwise be a tricky exercise. 1733a Whilst in the area of the Poop I added a lead sheathing to the Gallery roof, this will tone down to a dull grey over time. 1731a 1744a 1745a Before I permanently fix the channels I think I will return to the deck and inner bulwark fittings. At this point the channels will just present another incumbrance to be careful about when working inboard. B.E. 07/01/2024
  18. Blue Ensign
    You are right Chris, As a builder of the 1/64 scale Vanguard' Indy' I can attest that it is a large and heavy model on its building board, and at times moving it around to work on can get quite wearing. Fully rigged, this model will require a significant display area, and I don't think I could accommodate a 1:48 scale version. The link on my original post to 'The art of age of sail' shows the scale as 1:64? B.E.
  19. Blue Ensign
    Post One Hundred and Twenty-six Side Steps There are ten of these fiddly little items to assemble for each side. The step equates to a depth of around 7” and length of 2’ 4” which seems about right. One of the trickiest things with steps is attaching them to the hull with correct spacing and alignment. 1711a To assist with this a copy is taken from the plan and attached to the hull adjacent to the actual line. This provides a guide for both position and level. 1712a Pva is used to attach the steps. 1723a 1725a The fenders and Chesstrees are fixed into position, they took me a fair amount of fettlin’ to get them to sit right against the hull. 1726a I wonder if it might have been a better option to cut the moulding rather than notch the fenders. 1722a Once fitted I drilled and ‘bolted’ the items to the hull. These were items subject to wear and tear and needed to be replaced fairly easily. B.E. 04/01/2024
  20. Blue Ensign
    Very nicely presented, beautifully clean work. 👍 B.E.
  21. Blue Ensign
    Post One Hundred and Twenty-five Looking at Chesstrees and Fenders. The kit provides a basic shape for the fenders and Chesstrees but they both stand a degree of enhancement to achieve a more authentic look. They are made of uniform 1.5mm laser cut pear which is about right for the bottom end at the wale but ideally should be slightly broader at the top, around 2.5mm. Using dimensions from the Adm. plan I cut replacements out of some Boxwood scrap. 1687a The sheaves were marked and drilled out on the little miller, and the shape cut out on the scroll saw. 1688a 1689a At this stage the same pattern as the kit items but with a taper applied. 1699a Together with a taper, a more elegant serpentine shape is better representative of how these things should look. 1694a 1695a Testing for fit. Altho’ I have used Boxwood to match my hull timbers, the kit parts could be laminated to allow for a taper, and a little more shaping to be applied. The same approach was taken with the fenders. Even on completion I thought that the depth of the fenders looked too much, almost out of scale for the hull. I looked at many photos of fenders and chesstrees on models contemporary, and modern, and they all seemed finer than the kit offering. 1707a I didn’t have any exact dimensions to work from but I fined down the pieces until they satisfied my eye. 1704a 1705a This is the result. Getting there but I still think I can go a tad further. The convex shape of the fenders initially looks odd given that on purpose built single deckers they are more concave in shape with a slight serpentine effect, due to the tumblehome. On ‘Indy’ the tumblehome element of the waist has been cut away leaving just the lower hull round for the fenders to follow. Before completing the fenders I will make the side-steps. B.E. 02/01/2024
  22. Blue Ensign
    That's the trouble with canine assistants, my spaniel considers anything that hits the floor is his. I have to take great care, particularly with stuff that may harm him. I was once missing a needle; that cost me £200 for x-rays, and I then found the needle on the kitchen floor, well away from my workshop. I'm sure you will get around this Chris, an interesting build you have chosen, and I look forward to seeing progress. B.E.
  23. Blue Ensign
    Post One Hundred and Twenty-four Back to the Bow … and several things to attend to. Areas of paintwork that I needed to tidy up particularly around the mouldings. This is a tiresome task with touch-ins on touch ins, ad nauseum. 1684a The Decoration is added to the Trail boards Fit of the Figure/ Bowsprit. Left naturally the stive of the Bowsprit was insufficient to clear the top of the figure. Whether this is specific to my build due to moving the Bowsprit stop aft to its proper position between the foc’sle bitts, I don’t know, but we are where we are. 1667a 1673b I didn’t wish to change the figure so a little inventive jiggery pokery was required on the Bowsprit. 1654a The heel of the Bowsprit is visible below the Foc’sle deck, and the aim is to fool the eye of the observer. 1673a I intend to fit stump masts; for these I use Ramin my favourite dowel type. Light in colour, it provides an excellent match to Boxwood and other light wood types. 1685a My only use for Walnut is for yards where the colouring is black. I’ve probably got several lifetimes worth of walnut dowel in my wood stock. 8778 Not that I have an interest in yards on this build, but the stump masts will be kitted out with those fittings applicable, as shown here on my Sphinx build. B.E. 30/12/2023
  24. Blue Ensign
    Well done Peter, a beautiful looking model. 👍 B.E.
  25. Blue Ensign
    Post One hundred and Twenty-three Naming the ship. The kit provides a water-slide decal for the name with a spare just in case you mess it up. 001 An issue for me is that the lettering colour, fine for the kit indicated scheme, is a little bright for my scheme. I decided to create my own version on word incorporating a curve to match the counter. I chose Baskerville old face at 36pts which equates with the kit provided version. 3155a 3155b I created two types as above. 3153 The solid background version was tested for fit on the model. The background match to the stern paint looks pretty good to my eye. Previously I have used Letraset dry rub transfers, a method I like, but I can’t seem to find the correct size or font in this medium. Maybe just as well, with a name of thirteen letters, accurate positioning could prove a trial. I have decided to go old school and use the printed version applied over the counter. I did this for Sphinx, after Chuck’s ‘Winnie’ build, and that turned out well. 3160 The print was sprayed with fixative before cutting out using a template from the plan. 3170 I used spray mount applied to the back of the cut-out to fix into place. 3163 I think I could have imparted slightly more curve to the first and last two letters but overall, I like the look. 3168 The important thing is that I have proven the system to myself, and I can re-visit at any time. B.E. 28/12/2023

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