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Blue Ensign

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Everything posted by Blue Ensign

  1. Post One Hundred and Eleven. Foc’sle Capping Boards and Timberheads The instruction is to have the inner edge of the rail flush with the inner bulwark. On my model at least there was a little lining-up mismatch in the curve around the bow area. This is most probably due to the way the round on the hull was faired all those months ago. 6564 The capping rails were on and off the model numerous times before eventually painting and gluing in place. The timberheads are individual and position specific. It took me some time to locate them on the parts sheet (sheet6) and the location plan (sheet14) and then find the actual timber sheet. 6608 The Timberheads are quite nicely shaped and only need cleaning up before painting. I was pleased that they slotted into the capping rail with a perfect fit. Note that the bottom edges are angled to suit the sheer line. The Fish davit supports and Snatch block at the Cathead are nicely detailed. Cathead supporters There should be a smooth curve to meet the Eking rail but at this scale it will be a tricky thing to carve the curve out of a solid block, so I tried the water/heat bend approach first. The kit item was used as a template to draw the shape with a much longer tail onto a piece of 2mm Pear wood. I use the spare fret from the kit as a donor piece. The shape is cut out on the scroll saw and left to soak for several hours. 6578(2) The bend is then induced to match the pattern of the eking rail. 6577(2) This took more than one soaking to get as close as I could without splitting the wood. An alternative approach would be to laminate three separate strips of thinner stuff which may be easier to curve. 6580 The top of the supporter where it meets the Cathead requires to be angled to sit right with the curve. This is a bit of a compromise but at least achieves a smooth curve. At the bottom end the Cathead needs to be fayed to meet the Eking rail. Part of the sheer rail pattern that sits beneath the Eking rail needs to be removed to allow the Cathead to sit flush with the hull. 6593 6595(2) 6598 6599 6609 Am I satisfied with the result, perhaps not 100%, but I will reserve further judgement until I come to fit the Main Rail of the Head works. B.E. 21/04/22
  2. Post One Hundred and Eleven Catheads Tricky things Catheads. The good news, the Catheads align with the previously installed Cattails. The less good news the Catheads are proving a pain to install. From the blurb pics it looks like the Cathead only fits inboard to the extent of the angled base. Even with the slot cut down to deck level on the inner side and to the bottom of the top rail on the outer side, the cathead stubbornly refuses to allow the Gunwale to sit flush. 6481 The Cathead stive is 30° which looks a little steep to my eye, Goodwin (The Construction and Fitting of the English Man of War) gives the angles at between 15° - 20° 6482 In this shot the Starboard side Cathead is set at 20°, the Port side as per the kit arrangement at 30° 6483 20° suits my eye much better. Adjusting to a revised angle will entail fiddling with the deck fit but will resolve the fit issue below the Gunwale. Fettlin’ the Cathead. The Cathead is a constructed part with three sheave holes pre-drilled. A star emblem is lasered into the decorative cap that fits to the outer end, a nice touch. Greater realism can be given to the sheave holes by using a scalpel blade and micro file to give more form to the sheaves, and by inserting a pin thro’ the sides of the Cathead to represent the sheave pins. There is a simplification with the sheave holes, which are drilled vertical to the beam. The sheave slots should really be vertical in relation to the stive. Not an issue for me on this occasion as I am not rigging the Catfalls. I have decided to leave the Catheads bright with the panels painted blue and the cap decoration also coloured. This accords with the Marshall painting. 6535(2) I have set the angle at 20°, a simple jig is used to match the pair. 6534(2) 6551(2) 6540 6541 5639(3) 6556(2) 6554(2) I am trying not to think about the Cathead support bracket at present which I know should follow the curved line of and fay into the Eking rail. The manufacture of the kit provided Laser cut item precludes this feature. I will have a go at making a replacement but forming the compound curve is no easy task, unless because of the small size a curve can be induced in a length of 2mm thick Pear strip. Still I have the covering boards / capping rails/ Gunwales to consider before I need worry about that. B.E. 18/04/22
  3. Thanks Bug, the major dust making aspects of the build have now been completed, but there is an ongoing need for sanding and re-painting here and there apart from the general dust that just appears. I have temporarily modified the Dyson hand cleaner (Mrs W hasn't noticed yet) by taping a length of flexible Evergreen Tubing over the nozzle. Crude but effective.😉 B.E.
  4. Post One Hundred and Ten Foc’sle Breast rail More tiny little pieces to assemble and fit. It’s these small fittings that soak up a lot of time, I have been fiddling with these for two days. 6518 Made more difficult by my deck modifications resulting in the need to tweak the support knees so that they sit on the carlings whilst retaining the above deck height. 6527 As with the Bitts the belay pin holes have been filled in. 6524(2) 6520 6528 The support knees for the Belfry are added. Constant soft brushing is now required to keep the dust down, must try and find a small nozzle cleaner to get between the beams. In the next post I return to the Cathead. B.E. 16/04/22
  5. Can't quite recall what I used but around 3mm square is close enough. It needs to be flexible, and once I had cut the notches, the strip was heat bent to follow the sheer. B.E.
  6. Nice Rudder Head cover Chris, 1 like the compass design on the top. 👍 These little details make all the difference, at least to me. B.E.
  7. Post One Hundred and nine Foc’sle fittings. Belfry. I have been looking forward to assembling this important feature on a ship model. 6496 This is a laser cut assembly of multiple delicate parts. In cleaning the char, I used very soft hands and a mini vice to prevent any flex during sanding. As I intend to leave the Belfry bright good cleaning is essential to show the Belfry at its best. The Belfry on my Pegasus build is a little fancier than that supplied with Sphinx, and I can’t really let a sixth-rate sloop outshine a ship rated for a Post Captain. On my build there will be little around the Belfry to distract the eye so there are enhancements that can be made and one that should be made. The basic main patterns and canopy look fine, but I feel the supplied lower support patterns let the structure down. To my eye they look ugly and very obviously stick-ons, lacking the elegance of the Classic design employed during the 18thc on this feature. The Headstock can be tweaked to a more stylish shape. A crank arm can be added. There is very little brightwork on my version of Sphinx, so I have indulged myself a little with the Belfry. As with Pegasus I intend to copper the Canopy roof, this will have the additional benefit of masking the layered assembly. I’m not sure what the purpose of the two cleats on the aft face of the columns are for. On Pegasus two cleats are shown on the sides of the columns, indicated for the Fore T’gallant braces belay. For Sphinx these are indicated belaying at the Foc’sle rail. 6497 I begin by replacing the lower support patterns, using 3mm x 0.8mm Pearwood strip to build up the base of the column fore and aft to reflect the chamfered pattern of the athwartships design. 6500 This instantly improves the look of the columns. A shaped Headstock is cut from some 2mm thick Pearwood fret. 6507 The pattern cross bar is cut away from the Main pattern (scary) and replaced with a more stylish version. The bell fits into the base of the new Headstock. The Bell is quite a nicely modelled Brass item. 6512 A Crank arm is formed using an old Hammock crane and fits into the top of the Headstock. 6516 Finally, the Canopy top is coppered using some copper foil tape also used for a representation of the metal strapping on the Headstock. Still some fettlin’ to do and the support knees to add but overall I’m pleased with the result. B.E. 14/04/22
  8. Have IPSFocus been playing around with the Theme display? Mine suddenly went into a strange linear display with oversized logos, virtually unusable on a desk top monitor. It seems that it is what they call the default mode, and to get anything recognisable the option is 'Uniform' which sort of looks like my old preference. My old display theme. Anyone else experiencing this, you need to scroll to the bottom of the page and change the selection in 'Themes' B.E.
  9. Post One hundred and eight Snaggins. Not for the first time I take a backward step and start ripping up the work I did the day before. Why I didn’t stop when I sort of knew the colour match wasn’t ultimately going to satisfy my eye I don’t know, a case of hope over experience perhaps. It is not that difficult to remove planking without disturbing the adjacent planks. Dampening the strake and easing using a thin blade they can often be removed intact. 6470 6472 6473 Another day to rectify what I should have done in the first place but I am now happy with the colour match. Movin’ on. B.E. 12/04/22
  10. Post One Hundred and seven Completing the Foc’sle planking. The inner bulwarks patterns were put into place following the kit blurb. The Cathead slot was then cut to match the outer bulwarks. The Margin planks proved stubborn with initial attempts thwarted when the planks broke at the cross grain of the sharp curve. This was addressed by the simple expediency of applying sticky backed labels to the underside of the strip before cutting. With the margin strips fixed the thin bulwark skins were glued into place. At this point the decks were covered to hopefully limit as far as possible sanding dust dropping to the lower decks. 6413 The bulwarks are sanded level, but I had the Foc’sle gunwales handy to check progress. There are only three strakes of planking along the bulwarks. This involved a couple of hooded planks, as nibbing was not a general feature of this period. 6419(2) Forming a hooded plank, cut out of 10mm strip and edge bent slightly to match the margin. Planking completed, but it will require scraping and sealing. 6457 6456 6451 6453 6450 Still a fair bit of fettlin’ to do and more stuff to add. I am thinking about removing the three paler hooded planks and try to find a better colour match. They keep catching my eye in an annoying sort of way. B.E. 11/04/22
  11. 'Although they will be completely hidden! ' Not on my build they wouldn't 😉 Sounds like the best approach with those below deck guns.👍 B.E.
  12. Looking impressive Chris, I'm pleased to see you have included the ledges with the deck beams, nice touch. 👍 Are the gun carriages the same style as Sphinx with the built in cap squares? I like the system but it does prevent pre drilling the carriages and decks to take securing pins. Just thinking of ways to secure the numerous guns below decks. Those lower deck guns will be in position fairly early on in the build, with a lot of handling of the hull to follow with the inherent risk of dislodgement. Regards, B.E.
  13. Thank you Dave, Syren do a 1.4mm and 1.6mm ø line, and I see that Ropes of scale do a cable laid line in 1.3. 1.45, and 1.6mm diameters. I often find that the calculated line size doesn’t sit quite right with my eye on the model, so I always let my eye be the final arbiter, and I tweak the size to suit. I usually buy a couple of sizes around the indicated size, and pick the one I like best. B.E.
  14. Just knew you would say that Bug, 👍 what else should I expect from a guy who knits his own netting. 😉 B.E.
  15. I don't think so Alan, circumference meant circumference, and line dimensions were always given in inches circumference. We model makers tend to work in mm diameter or fractions of inches diameter in relation to model line as that is how it is supplied. All we need to remember when using contemporary records is to divide the given circumference by 3.142 before doing the scale calculation. B.E.
  16. Hi Dave, Have a look at Post 70 on page eight of my cutter Alert log. It details how I worked out the anchor cable size for a cutter at 1:64 scale, and how the given formulas compared to the kit given sizes and those given in the Aots book on Alert. Hope this helps. B.E.
  17. Nice looking bees Moon, and I admire your persistence and result with the rope netting for the waist rails.👍 On the question of the Bowsprit cap did you allow for the Jack staff, I can't quite tell from the pics? B.E.
  18. Thank you Ron, what you see is only a temporary building board. I favour displaying the model on keel blocks which will be fitted within the case that I already have for her, but that’s a while away. Regards, B.E.
  19. That is quite some project Chris, and looks so good even in macro. Must require a lot of concentration working on such fine parts, very nice work. B.E.
  20. Post One Hundred and Six Foc’sle deck cont’d. 6396 6403 The sub- deck is glued into position. The first consideration is the Margin plank, Sphinx has a tight turn at the bow which makes fitting more difficult. There are two options, cut it out of suitable sheet stock or edge bend it using heat. Edge bending 6mm wide x 0.6mm strip is an almost impossible option, even with repeat soakings, bendings, and the application of a hot iron, the result is not pretty. Where is a piece of 0.6mm Boxwood sheet when you need one to cut the margins, not in my workshop. An order is submitted and the item delivered in 24hrs, great service from Original Marquetry. 6399 When I ordered this ‘sheet’ I hadn’t quite realised how long it was, I was primarily concerned with width and depth. 6400 Still, I now have more than enough to satisfy any future needs. 6405(2) A template for the margins is taken from the sub deck and glued to the Boxwood sheet. 6407 This is thin enough to cut with a scalpel; needs tidying up and adjusting for the inner bulwarks yet to be fitted. The plan is to fit the inner bulwark patterns directly on the engraved deck pattern, now my sub -deck, fit the margins to them. and add the thinner inner patterns atop the margins. B.E. 07/04/22
  21. On my Pegasus build I secured the trunnions thro the brass barrels before blackening. I use a spot of ca. Once blackened any ca overspill is clearly shown. This was scraped off and the blackening process repeated until satisfactory. I also used a spot of ca to secure the monograms and vent, again clean up was required using a fine point scalpel blade before re- blackening. If you’re using brush applied varnish a light touch is required to avoid marking the blackening. I have never glued the barrels to the quoins, why would you. With Pegasus and the guns fully rigged I pinned the guns to the deck, the most secure approach. This is easier if the carriages can be temporarily positioned before the barrels are fitted, and the pin holes pre-drilled. This is the arrangement I used. With my current build the guns are simply secured using pva, but the built- in capping squares which means the barrels have to be fitted during the carriage assembly, makes the pinning approach more difficult. B.E.
  22. Post One Hundred and Five. Foc’sle deck cont’d A representation of the Cat Tail (beam) is attended to next. Part of this will be visible thro’ the unplanked deck so needs to be in place. Because of the design of the kit I can only display the aft end of the tail as it fixes beneath the deck beam forward of the Bowsprit stop. 6374 The forward end is abruptly terminated against the kit bulkhead beneath the extra beam I fitted at the very forward end. The Cathead position is marked on the bulwark and it is suggested that this be enlarged by filing out to suit once all the decking and inner bulwark patterns are fitted, and the Cathead inserted thro’ from the outside. This seems to be an awkward approach to the job, I cut a slot in the outer bulwark to facilitate a trial fit. 6392 I need to ensure that the Cathead aligns with the Cat Tail. 6388 The ‘false’ deck is temporarily pinned into place with a deck piece to facilitate alignment and fitting. 6387 Not fully adjusted at this stage but the stive looks pretty steep. A small adjustment to the cross beams of the Bitts; I filled in the belay pin holes. 6380 There is evidence that such items were not in use at least in the early years of ships of this era, and many contemporary models do not show them. 6373 The Foc’sle steam grating/ Flue assembly is modified to reflect its fixture to the deck beam/carlings, and is given a slight round-up to the head ledges/gratings. The provided veneer deck pattern deck piece is modified to suit my arrangement, and will be planked over using Boxwood strip. 6371 I have already fitted the breast beam decking strip with slots to take the rails and Belfry which will sit directly on the carlings. Before I glue this in place I will check out how the planking strips actually relate to the pattern. B.E. 04/04/22
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