Blue Ensign

Thank you Mark, TJM, and Alan. @ TJM - I was hoping to avoid the nasty stuff like Ammonia and Copper sulphate, and even the option of hard boiled eggs would require a large bag to to hold the hull, and a fair bit of puff to inflate it. @ Mark - I'm in no hurry to follow this up. @ Alan - I have kept the test samples exposed to air pinned to my plan board, I will leave them to mature. 0394 You can see the current state compared to the virgin plates for the Rudder. B.E.

Hi John, I was spoilt really by the beautifully matched Pear wood I obtained from Hobbymill E.U. that I used on my Sphinx and Indy builds. I thought I would get away with it on Harpy as there was to be only a few strakes on view. I dare say I will grow to love it.🫤 Cheers, B.E. Post 38 Thinking about Patina. During the plating I had also been playing around with patina. I set up a test sample of plates. Day 1 0204 These were scoured using fine steel wool, followed by cleaning with acid dip and Isopropanol. Having long been a fan of the copper finish achieved by Alistair (Aliluke) on his ‘Fly’ build. I next tried his ‘natural’ approach. Unusual maybe, but the chemical is widely available, free, and instantly on tap. 0278 0279 My own supply had no instant effect, but after several applications over several hours this is the result. 0284 Washed with clean water, and a comparison with the old penny look I am after. A way to go yet, I think. 0286 A further application and left overnight. 0287 Again, washed with clean water. If I was looking for a weathered effect maybe, but not what I’m after. Day 2 Fresh supplies and several more applications. 0288 Result after overnight. 0289 I am also applying the urine method to a sample of plates as supplied, without any cleaning beyond a wipe with isopropanol. Day 3 0349 More fresh supplies, and several applications later, and result overnight. Not a great deal of difference. 0353 Neither with the other sample. Day 4 0382 Not much changed, and I’m not impressed with the look. I prefer the look on the model as is rather than either the rather dirty looking treated plates, or a bright and shiny look that would result from the wire wool treatment. Movin’ on… B.E. 18/02/2025

Nice work on those Drop planks Richard.👍 B.E.

Thank you Frank, and you're welcome. My Pegasus build was on the stocks for 7 years which makes your build now in its 15th year. The standard of fittings now available are so much better, look up Vanguard Models, run by the original designer of the Amati Pegasus kit, Chris Watton. Regards, B.E.

Post 37 Back to the Construction Three coats of W-o-P have been applied between Wale and Water-line, but I’m a tad disappointed. 0369 Despite my efforts to colour match the Pear strips, there is some striping evident. 0355 The mdf tabs have been removed in preparation for deck planking. The lower deck has been covered to prevent dust which may be tricky to completely clear. 0357 0359 A second support cradle, has been re- purposed, from Cheerful I think, for working with the hull upright. The supplied working cradle is good for some things but holding the hull steady ain’t one of them. 0362 0368 0374 0378 The kit instructions now indicate use of the engraved deck section before adding the inner bulwarks. I am looking to plank the deck using Boxwood 3.4mm x 0.7mm strips, and I need to work out a plan before I begin. B.E. 17/02/2025

Thank you Mark and Ron. @ Ron - Jotika/Caldercraft are still supplying those domed headed plates, difficult to understand why. They don't seem to have moved on very much in their fittings, but I do like their sets of 0.3mm etched eyelets sold in sheets of 250. B.E.

Post 36 The copper saga continues. I decided to add a batten along the copper top line. 0323 0326 For this I used 1.0.x 0.7mm Pearwood strip. 0327 0329 0332 0334 0337 A fairly easy process using cyano on dampened wood, working along the hull by degrees. Acetone was kept handy to clean as I went along. Any tiny gaps were sealed with thick copper paint. The next stage is clean-up, apply w-o-p to the woodwork between wale and copper. Add the Outer Bulwark sheer rails, and remove the mdf bulkhead ears to clear the deck for planking. I will return to the copper sheathing in due course. B.E. 15/02/2025

I did decide to fit a batten, spent today fitting it. It does neaten up the copper line. B.E.

Post 35 A critical look at the coppering. At this point I do a finger test of the plating. Any snags felt require additional gluing or replacing of the plates. 0258 Plates do remove easily once a scalpel blade is inserted beneath one corner. Cleaning the plates with Acetone as they were applied has paid dividends in that the surface colour is even and without any indications of glue marring. It is quite tricky to get a completely smooth and even line at the copper top line because inevitably small pieces are required to meet the marked waterline. This is an area where use of copper tape makes life easier. To address this, tape is once again applied to the copper to show any areas that require further trimming. 0261 A new scalpel blade does cut thro’ the copper plate, but care and a steady hand is required. I took this series of photos to check how the line looked and if anything caught my eye. 0264 0265 0267 0271 0272 Doesn’t look too bad I think, but when I coppered Pegasus I added a batten along the copper top line. Brian Lavery makes reference to this, and indicates use of a 3” elm strip, which equates to around 1mm at scale. 5390 5492 Use of a batten does cover any minor irregularities in the copper line. I will have a play around and see if I prefer the look with or without a batten. As an aside it is interesting to note that Harpy is slightly bigger overall than Pegasus. Heavier, broader, and only shorter by 1’7” on the gun-deck. She is also much more heavily armed, and with an official complement of only four less than Pegasus. What she lacks is the aesthetic beauty of Pegasus. Personally I prefer the more decorative vessels produced up to the last quarter of the 18th century. B.E 14/02/2025

Post 34 Coppering cont’d The eighth day sees the Starboard bow section completed. Many small pieces require cutting to fill in at the water-line and stem, and these take a lot of time. The cutwater is next plated. I needed to think a little about the approach. The facing plates of the cutwater run vertically and are folded over the horizontal plates that extend from the hull. These in turn are lipped over the hull plates by around 3” (1mm at scale). The concern at model scale is that the effect does not look over bulky. The provided plates exceed the width of the stem by the line of the outer nails each side which allows for a very fine return around the stem. With the horizontal plates fixed up to the edge of the stem, the vertical plates were started at the waterline. 0215 I scored a line down each reverse side of a plate which allowed a lip to be formed for the return around the stem. 0254 This eased the fitting and allowed the cyano to quickly bite. The ninth day sees completion of the plating. 0243 0245 0246 0247 0250 0228 0229 0234 0236 On completion I have 237 plates unused, so Chris has included plenty to cover mishaps and miscuts. 0257 I had very few off-cuts left at the end. Not quite the end as the water-line needs cleaning up, I have a couple of options for this. Some plates to be replaced, and then there’s the final cleaning and deciding on the finish. B.E. 13/02/2025

Post 33 Coppering cont’d. 0205 Sixth day and the cutwater is reached on the Port side at least. 0208 0211 0212 0213 Seventh day and the second sheet of plates has been used up, around 600. One sheet to go. 0210 The Port side has been completed, bar the cleaning up and fettlin’ the waterline. So far, so good, I don't dislike the colour, a sort of sea scoured pink, but my model preference is for flatter and browner, as in old penny. B.E 11/02/2025

Cheers Guys, @ Glenn, UK – I suspect a few of those plates will be coming off again for re-setting once I’ve completed the whole thing. @ Glenn (USA) – I’m glad I went down the route of coppering side and side about, it removes that sinking feeling of going thro’ the whole thing again. Even so, I’m glad I didn’t copper ‘Indy’.😉 It was Cheerful that gave me the info and example to follow on the Square Tuck, there’s so much in Chuck’s builds that are useful on any other projects. @ Ron – Ha , Ha; I’ve already got the largest room in the house, as my Office/studio/workroom, completed in 2016. As I lurch towards decrepitude I think that phase of my life is done with.🫤 Thanks for the heads up on the Pic n stic , Amazon UK don’t have them, maybe just as well given the price, but I think I will get by with my poor man’s tooth-pick. Thanks Bug, and Mark for your supportive comments.👍 B.E

Nice work ECK, I like the shade of Red used, which paint is that? B.E.

Post 32 Coppering cont’d As the copper plates follow the lines of the hull it becomes apparent that in some areas the plates won’t fit square to both edges of the adjacent plates. I find using a needle file to impart a slight concave curve as necessary to get a reasonable fit works, together with a slight angle cut on the short edges. 0176 0182 The most time- consuming aspect is cutting the plates to match the curve of the water-line. 0190 0192 At this point after four days work I have used up the first of three sheets of plates, 299 plates applied. 0197 I can see that one or two plates will need re-fixing and a careful run of fingers over the hull gives a sharp reminder where corners stand proud. I test the fit before applying the cyano. Here I'm using a small pick-up stick that doesn't obscure the plate edges. 0199 0200 Five days and a long session yesterday, but still a way to go. B.E. 09/02/2025

Certainly with cyano, I applied w-o-p to the hull before plating. My test on bare wood suggested the cyano does not take as well. I also applied sanding sealer to the hull following the first planking layer. Applying a primer is a good idea, you could also use copper paint. B.E.

Nothing special Glenn, simply a length of dowel with the end rounded a little. I have also used one of those cheap mechanical pencils with the rubber in the end, that works too. You can see it here on the right hand side of the tile next to my pick-up tool. That could also easily be a small diameter length of dowel, covered in micro-porous tape, and dipped in tacky wax. B.E.

Well done Chris for re-visiting this model she looks splendid. .... and well done James for the great artistry in the paintwork and finish. My order for the 1:48 scale version will be going in. B.E.

Post 31 Coppering cont’d I did a test using different specs of Deluxe cyano. Each sample plate was glued to a piece of pear to which w-o-p had been applied. Roket Max – thick and non-runny. Slightly more tricky to apply to plates as it tended to drag, and resulted in excess squeezing out from beneath the plates when burnished down. Roket Rapid – Medium viscosity, flowed well onto plate, little excess squeeze. Both held well but will create undesirable fumes. Roket Odourless - Flowed easily onto plate, bonding time 10-20 sec. Has the great advantage of no fumes. I had originally tested this with a long-opened container, so may have become less effective, new stock held fine. Roket Super’Phatic – Has the colour and consistency of milk, did hold the plate but with longer grab, and is far more messy to apply. Cleans up with water, and again no fumes. I am relieved that Roket Odourless cyano did the job, and that is the one I have decided upon. Approach One sheet of plates (299) has been separated for use. The back of the plates have been cleaned with Isopropanol. I will start with the standard naval procedure working from stern keel forward, and keel up, but from there any relationship to reality will end. There will be no overlap of plates which I will butt match albeit in a brick laid pattern. 0167 I am working both sides as I go along, better than the thought of having completed one side, to think I’ve got to do it all over again! 0166 I have started by running strips of copper tape along the keel bottom and the stern post. Atop this I will eventually look to add a wooden strip to represent the False keel. 0171 As each plate is applied I immediately burnish, and clean with a cotton bud dipped in Acetone. Dried on cyano can be a pain to remove later. 0172 It is a long and repetitive business, but once into a rhythm I find it quite relaxing. B.E. 06/02/2025

A great rigging job you're doing there, Bug 👍 B.E.

Thank you David, I'm still waiting for the stuff to arrive together with a fresh bottle of the 'odourless Cyano..' I'm hoping it will work, the other stuff gets on my chest with the prolonged exposure when plating, and it's tiresome wearing a mask. B.E.

Coming along very nicely Walter, that planking will sand down to provide a good base for the second layer. Nice work on the Pinnace, tricky little beggars they are. B.E.

Well done Bob, I like the look of her. Model completed, process enjoyed, a little knowledge gained along the way, that's what it's all about. Regards, B.E.

Thank you Mark, there are a lot of repetitive and tedious tasks in ship modelling, tying ratlines, rigging guns, fitting deadeyes, and indeed coppering. I don't mind, I'm in no hurry. I want the build to last a while so I'm not tempted by the next offering to beguile me from the fertile mind of Mr Watton.😉 Post 30 Coppering Before I begin, I have given the hull an application of w-o-p which should provide a better contact with the glue. 0152 0157 0153 0154 Use of Poly surely brings out the planking, but as a purely varnished hull it wouldn’t do for me. I don’t like the striped effect of differently toned planks randomly applied, as can be seen here on the lower hull. Apart from aesthetics the effect is out of scale. I used all the colour matched planks which fortunately covered above the waterline, but there were insufficient matching planks for a full bare hull. With Harpy, only six Pearwood lengths were unusable for my purposes, but the odd few defects will always get through. 0203 I am not a fan of vertically grained or mottled strips, but they can be used beneath copper or a painted hull. In larger projects such as Sphinx and Indefatigable where my intention from the outset was for varnished hulls, I replaced all the Pear strip with milled timber from Hobbymill E.U. an excellent supplier of quality timber. With coppering preparation is everything to assist a smooth operation. I have assembled my application kit. 0161 Acetone for cleaning off ca marks. Isopropanol for cleaning plates. Disposable vinyl gloves. Pick-up tool and burnishing stick. Tacky Wax for picking up plates. Scalpel and cutters. I am now conducting tests on various cryanolates to see which suits me best. I would prefer not to have to use the standard ca with its undesirable issues for eyes and breathing, but early indications show that the odourless version I have is a little suspect. I noticed that Knocklouder had mentioned in a post that he had used Deluxe Super’phatic glue (no fumes) with good result so I have ordered a bottle for test. B.E. 03/02/2025

Post 29 Preparing to Copper the Hull. I have decided to copper the hull, the first since my Pegasus build, way back in 2011. At this point in the build the kit instructions suggest moving onto progressing the fitting of the deck, and inner bulwarks before coppering the hull. My inclination is to copper the hull before I do any more internal fitting which may be scuffed or damaged with the hull inverted. Having dodged doing waterlines by leaving the hulls of Sphinx and Indefatigable varnished wood, I must attend to this first. 0114 Not one of my favourite jobs and it usually takes several goes to get a line I am happy with. 0122 0133 0134 0116 0142 0143 0148 I may still tweak the line at the bow a fraction, as I recall the words of Dr C.N. Longridge in relation to coppering Victory. If you lay your copper strakes strictly up to the line you will be very disappointed when you have finished the coppering because it will appear to sag downwards at the bows and stern. This is an optical illusion produced by the curving inwards of the ship’s body. To prevent this you must raise the line at each end of the ship and then the top line of the copper will appear horizontal. Begin to raise the line at the level of the Foremast and Mizen which is roughly where the cant frames begin. Victory of course has a much bluffer bow and the degree of tweaking will differ between ships, but something to bear in mind. 0149 This is a good point to get some paint down on the wale altho’ many touch-ins will be required before the model is complete. I am using Vallejo Black/grey which I think gives a better scale tone. I am using the Vanguard supplied plates rather than use copper tape. 0129 Three very thin sheets of plates are supplied marked with the nail patterns. There is also a separate set for the rudder and stem face plating. Unlike the Amati plates (smaller strip to right) I have used previously, these are not handed Port and Starboard with nail markings to represent an overlap, nor are the plates so obviously scored for removal. The Vanguard Plates do come easily away with careful bending. The plates are a close match to the Amati version and with regard to relative costs there is not a lot in it. B.E. 02/02/2025

Post 28 The Square Tuck I had played around with framing the Square Tuck earlier in the build. 089 Neat as it is I was trying to avoid the exposed end grain planking of the kit arrangement and add a sort of faux framing to better represent a more authentic look. This is what I have come up with. 090 I had made the ‘frames’ earlier. 092 The original laser cut boarding below the framing. 094 The boarding fitted between the frames consist of eight boards of decreasing length which would prove tricky to fit individually. I opted to board over a template card pattern off-model and fit as a single unit. Still involved a careful trim and dry fit by degrees. 096 099 The boarding is then sanded flush with the frames. 0104 0109 B.E. 01/02/2025