Blue Ensign

Post Twenty-eight A small diversion – an inspection visit by Royal decree. I mentioned a while ago about crewing the barge and today my ‘Queen Anne’ arrived to audition for the part. She is an Edwardian figure at 1:24 scale produced by Modelu in the UK. 1508 She represents one of several sitting figures designed for a model rail setting and produced in various scales. 1808 As can be seen she is good fit for the Royal Barge. 1806 The lines and folds of of her long dress are also a good fit, altho’ the head will require some surgery to replace her hat with the more voluminous hair style of the early eighteenth century. Queen Anne 1812 A little surgery was required to her clothing to allow her to sit square in the Stern sheets. 1813 1814 1811 1815 I will continue to modify her appearance, but I need to get back to the main event. B.E. 13/05/21

Thanks Glenn, The chisels are made by Swann Morton. This is the supplier I use in the UK, but they are available from many sources. Swann Morton Fine Blades and Handles Range - Scalpels & Blades (scalpelsandblades.co.uk) The SM61 Blade is 1.5mm and the SM62 IS 2.5mm. I couple them with an SF2 handle - 103mm. Regards, B.E.

Post Twenty-seven Hull decoration This consist of seven strips of Acanthus leaf decoration (three per side) Boxwood blanks are provided, and whittling consists of stop cuts, paring, and rounding. More complex than the Monogram because tight curves present greater difficulty. Fortunately, Chuck has provided excellent large-scale drawings indicating the stop cuts, the positions of which are transferred to the blanks. Again, there is a fall-back position in the form of a resin version of the decoration. Knowing that it is available reduces the ‘fear’ factor in starting this task. 1798 The aftermost section being progressed, the corresponding blank below it. Chuck's fine examples. This is what I’m aiming for… 1795(3) … and this is the reality as work progresses on the aftermost moulding. A couple of extremities have broken away but were re-attached with water-proof glue. The tiny scroll at the Transom end pinged off into the ether never to be seen again. Fortunately, this is the end that may require trimming to fit so its absence may not be missed. The depth to the moulding is beginning to show as the stop cuts and paring take effect. As the sharp square edges of the blank pattern are softened it is starting to resemble a decorative moulding, but still a long way to go, but I will persevere. As luck would have it my replacement thwarts arrived this morning which means I can return to the main event and progress the whittling at a more leisurely pace. B.E 08/05/21

Thanks Chuck I will persevere with the Acanthus leaves, and hopefully they will make the cut so to speak. 😀 @ Glenn, Lack of patience, I don't believe it, given your exemplary work on Cheerful. I wish my completion was in the plural, the acanthus leaves are still the blanks, only the Monogram has received chisel and knife. 😀 B.E.

Post Twenty-six A little more whittling I continued to fettle the Monogram using a combination of micro chisels and sanding sticks shaped to fit in the nooks and crannies in an effort to impart some round to these tricky areas. Chuck makes reference in his log to ‘Analysis Paralysis’ 1759 Each check of the macro lens reveals tiny areas displeasing to the eye that are not there at a viewing distance of eight inches, and even less so on the model. 1763 Once I reached the point of satisfaction to my admittedly old eyes, but assisted by the optivisor, I brought proceedings to a halt. The Monogram was placed in a small container of Isopropanol to free it from the backing. I had used a thin smear of dilute pva (non waterproof) to secure it but even after four hours it showed no sign of releasing. At this juncture I did what Chuck wisely advises against. I tentatively slipped a scalpel point beneath the top part which has the least fragile parts, and gently eased it a fraction before replacing it in the alcohol. I repeated the process a few times until I could get a sliver beneath it thus allowing greater access to the alcohol. Over the next two hours, by degrees, I eased the part until it came away intact. Macro views of the Monogram temporarily in place on the Flying Transom. 1793(2) 1788(2) 1790(2) From a normal viewing distance as gauged below, it looks ok to my eye. 1783 1792 I will leave as is for the present and turn my attention to the hull decoration. Even tho’ I escaped without issue with the Monogram, I think the pva is perhaps a little too strong for the purpose, so I purchased a Pritt stick to temporarily secure the hull decoration. I took the precaution of doing a test piece before committing to the real thing, and release was much easier after around four hours. 1771(2) The decorations have been labelled to run fore to aft and I was careful to ensure I had the Portside decorations the right way up to mirror the Starboard set. Looks like I’ll be whittling away for a while yet. B.E. 07/05/21

I think the Press was a predominantly British thing particularly in the 18th /early 19th centuries. Britain had a large empire, was mostly at war from the late 18th c to the end of the Napoleonic era, and had a huge standing navy, in constant need of crews. British sailors were rarely allowed shore leave. By comparison the French Navy which spent a lot of time blockaded in their ports even allowed crews to live ashore. I've not heard of foreign navies operating a 'press' but as Welfalk says Land army recruitment, also in the British army, didn't pay too much attention to civil rights, promising long to potential recruits, and delivering a very different reality. B.E.

That's a relief Chris, fingers crossed for a speedy recovery. B.E.

Hi Glenn, your masting and rigging is an equal to the beauty of the completed hull.👍 For the extent of progress, twelve months seems quite speedy given the quality of your work, hardly a blink in time.😀 I spent 18 months on my Cheerful, and I didn't mast and rig her, and my Pegasus build was seven years on the stocks to completion. Regards, B.E.

Thanks Chuck, I'll carry on smoothing 🙂 Quite enjoyable doing this, almost therapeutic, a great idea to provide the makings and opportunity to have a go. B.E.

Thanks Rusty, and to those who have posted 'likes' Post Twenty-five That subject of carving Chuck has very thoughtfully provided some nice Boxwood blanks for the decoration of the barge, to give us an introduction to carving. In practice it is more like adding definition and a rounding to the profiles, but even so, easier said than done. If all else fails, and exasperation wins the day, there is the fall-back position of a resin set to take away the pain. 1738(3) My assembled kit to tackle this first foray into this new adventure. As suggested, I am starting with the Queen Anne monogram. 1749(2) The 'carving' in progress. 1750(2) The Swann-Morten micro chisels at 1mm and 2mm widths work well along with the No11 scalpel blade. 1751(2) The rounding and the deeper profiling of the letters can be seen in these shots. 1756(2) From left to right, the wip Monogram, the Resin version, and the original blank. Even at this stage I am preferring the look of the Boxwood versions, altho’ I think the Resin version would look better once coloured. 1749 The question with all exercises of this type is when to stop. I think a little more smoothing, and softening the rounds, but the more you do the greater the risk of a breakage. I will make a back-up Monogram just in case. B.E. 06/05/2021

I hesitate to say Peter, but there are 15 placed around the house, 1 wip, and 1 under the bench. There are also several laid up in ordinary in the loft. You can probably deduce why I am now concentrating on relatively slim models. 🙂 B.E.

I appreciate your problem Peter, I too would be reluctant to cut a build short having put the work in, and Bellerophon would look magnificent fully masted and rigged. I had prepped the Topmasts and the Main Yard for Victory when reality cut in and I had to accept that I simply didn't have a suitable location for a fully rigged version, the house is already full of models. My solution was to rig the topmasts in the lowered position using the heel ropes to secure, a sort of re-fit display mode. I have now given up building large square riggers to avoid the torment of the decision making. 🙄 B.E.

Love the lighting in that last photo Peter. 👍 If space is going to be a serious problem, you could always display her with lower masts and standing rigging only and without yards. It is an option I had to take with my Victory build due to the space issue. Regards, B.E.

I enjoyed a visit to HMS Unicorn back in 2013, I do hope she is preserved, she is an important historical artefact. Here's a few photo's I took at the time which may be of interest. B.E

Post Twenty-four Stretchers These are bars running athwartships across the floor boarding for the oarsmen to brace their feet against to give purchase when rowing. They are secured by chocks cut into long timber strips that run along the inner sides of the boat above the decking. The question is how to approach the job, it seems quite tricky at first thought. The strips that hold the stretchers need to be even on both sides, remain vertical, but have both a convex curve on the horizontal plane, and a concave curve on the vertical plane, to follow the frames on which they sit. Chucks Model The plan in my kit (2018) does not reflect the required set-up, and the exact positions can be seen in the instruction photo’s as shown above. My approach. The two easily determined points are at either end of the strip. I glued the Port and Starboard strips at both ends to the frames in the correct positions and used temporary cross pieces (stretchers) to check the squareness before the glue fully set. At this point I have not glued the remainder of the strip length to the frames. 1692 The related temporary thwarts were put into place to check they ran in line with the stretchers. 1694 One side of the strip was then glued down using weights until the glue grabbed. Small wedges were used to make sure the strip didn’t move downwards towards the decking. 1697 I then glued the stretchers in place at the two end positions followed by the remaining contact points on the opposing strip, which was also then weighted. 1720(2) The remaining stretchers were then glued into place having checked that all the thwarts lined up with the stretchers, and that the stretchers were level across the deck. 1708(2) I had an issue with the laser cut thwarts in my kit which Chuck has quickly sorted out, but I used the now scrap (inverted) thwarts for test fitting purposes. 1711(2) The thwarts sit well along the risers and I am content with the result. 1712(2) Satisfying to see that the stretchers are not a bad fit for the test oarsman. 1713 1716(2) 1717(2) While I wait for the new thwarts to arrive there is plenty of other stuff to get on with, not the least the carving aspect to the decoration. B.E. 01/05/21

Hi Ian, I am in contact with a company called Modelu. Modelu – Finescale Figures (modelu3d.co.uk) This is the company that produced the figures I used on my fishing boat builds. B.E.

He first put in an appearance on my Pinnace build also at 1:24 scale 0922 His origins are a Dean's Marine 1.24 scale figure, but he underwent some serious surgery. Originally he was a Vietnam War period American soldier in Jungle gear. His arms were broken in two places, his uniform and jungle hat cut away and he was given some clothes from the slop chest. I was pleased that at a given 1:24 scale he fitted the boat spot on, as he seems to do on the Royal Barge. I am seriously tempted to crew the barge in the style of the Museum model, but it won’t be cheap having a crew of nine plus the Queen at 1:24 scale made. B.E.

Post Twenty-three Rising to the occasion Well at least installing the risers, but before I begin I take one last critical look at the frames and apply a little more fairing. I also gave more attention the inner face of the lower planking that will be seen below the risers and cleaned that up before applying wop. The top level of the riser strips is taken from the plans and copied to the model using a strip ‘T’ square. The recesses for the thwarts are pre cut so it is important to not only ensure the risers are level across each side but that the corresponding thwart slots are square across the boat. Having marked the riser line I needed to get a feel for the fit. 1653 Temporary thwarts are set across the risers that are simply wedged into place against the top line marks. 1658(2) So far so good, and I bring my scale oarsman into use to check the relative height. 1654 He’s above average height for the early eighteenth century but even so doesn’t look out of scale to my eye. The next suggested task is to fix the risers, but before I went further I thought it a good idea to check the Fore-deck position as its relative height to the risers is important. After some faffing about I decided to fix the deck in place first, which will give a firm level to adjust the risers to. A small notch was cut out of the aft edge of the deck lip to allow the risers to pass and meet the bulkhead. 1667 To get the deck to sit flat on bulkhead ‘I’ I needed to pare down the frames a fair bit more. I note on the plan that the deck is shown as boarded, this is not reflected on the provided Cherry kit piece. 1669 Even tho’ the deck is intended for painting, I think it is worth scribing plank lines which should subtly show thro’ the paint. 1673 With the Fore deck in place a further dry fit of the risers. Can’t be too careful at this stage, out of square or level thwarts will ruin the look of a boat. 1677 With the riser of one side glued, temporary thwarts are again used to check that they sit parallel and square across the boat. The process is overseen by the critical eye of my boat yard assistant. 1688(2) Both risers glued into place and fitted with full size temporary thwarts. 1686(2) With some relief it seems that I don’t have to reposition a riser, and my eye detects nothing untoward. 1682(2) Satisfied with the result I can now move on to the stretchers. B.E. 29/04/21

A wonderful build Michael, full of interest, and you've created a great period look. She looks splendid in the display case, nice job. 👍👏 B.E.

Great progress Michael, I think your canopy looks wonderful, love the decoration and the impression given of a heavyweight fabric. B.E.

Thank you Glenn, I quite enjoy writing the logs, something to keep the grey cells occupied, provide me with an aide memoire of how I did something, and hopefully answer some of the questions others may be thinking in relation to the same build. Cheers, B.E.

Thanks Chuck, I see what you mean about the gold, it does look better in reality, but a simple thing to change. 👍

Post Twenty-two Completing the stern area Before I started multiple coats of thinned paint were applied to parts previously completed. The bench seats were next added. These took a fair bit of tweaking to get a good fit. 1613 I found it necessary to reduce the width of the bench tops from the back edge towards the aft end to allow adequate space for the smaller central piece, without reducing its size too much. The overall effect looks proportional, to my eye at least, and the fit was otherwise fairly good. It is not reflected on the model but I would imagine that parts of the bench tops were hinged to allow for storage. At this point I turned my attention to fitting the Coxswain’s benches. The height measurements were taken from the plan and transferred to the model. 1620 I decided to add bench supports in the form of 2mm square stock to aid the fitting of these tricky little pieces. 1624 Checking the level of the support rails. The space for the Cox’n between the stern sheets backrest and the Transom seems quite tight at 18”, but I suppose with an average height of 5’5” in 1700, it must have been adequate particularly if smaller men were chosen for the task much as in the case of modern racing shells. Still I digress… I left the final length of the Cox’s benches until I had got the fit of the back rest. I found this a tricky little beggar to fit. I started with a card template but I still scrapped the original Cherry piece due to over enthusiastic bevelling. I fared better with a replacement cut from a bulkhead centre, but this still entailed what seemed an endless trial and error process. 1627 I made up a simple jig using thin strip, to gauge the seat back angle. Once eventually happy with the fit, I returned to the Cox’s seats. 1628 Having fitted the supports I made a template covering the full width of the seat area. 1632 The seat back is glued into position against the template. 1642(2) The actual seats are then cut to size, bevelled, and slotted into place. I had toyed with the idea of leaving the bench tops natural but I didn’t find the dark Cherry shade against the red paint appealing. I think Box or perhaps Cedar would have given a more aesthetically pleasing effect. 00109 I left the Boxwood bench seats and thwarts natural on my Pinnace build (above) which I think does give a more pleasing contrast. 1641(2) A final check that the Cox’s seats match for level. 1648(2) 1647(2) I decided to detail the laser cut edges of the bench tops in gold, which I thought appropriate for a Royal Barge. 1649(2) The handling, gluing, and minor filling left its mark on the paintwork and inevitably further fine sanding and painting is required now the parts are all in place. I will attend to this before I move onto the risers. B.E. 26/04/21

Thanks Guys for your interest and nice comments.👍 Post Twenty-one Internal stern fittings I am following Chuck’s suggested order of work for the internal fittings, starting with the stern area. Progress has slowed a little mainly due to a relaxing of covid restrictions, and a spell of fine weather tempting me out with the camera. This next part also bears some thinking about, even tho’ Chuck has laser cut all the parts, careful positioning and a little tweaking is still required, and I wanted to take my time with this important area of the build. 0172 The bench armrest were fitted first followed by the stern sheets internal boarding. 0173 For these I made card templates to tweak the fitting requirements before I committed to the Cherry versions. 0175 These were trimmed to fit and heat treated whilst clamped in place. 0183 I also made card templates for the bench seat supports before fitting. The ‘T’ square is used to mark the frame positions for the supports, taken from the plan, and to check the vertical line. A spacer is taped to Frame 10 to position the aft support piece. 0186 The pinky red colour reproduction on these photos is not realistic. On the model the Vallejo flat red is true. Once the glue has set, this area will be painted before moving on. B.E. 21/04/21

The 'B' reference indicates different types of blocks. Have a look on page 107, you will see different types of blocks annotated H7/1, H7/2 etc; These references relate to different types of block as identified on p 106. Look at Block H7/6 there is a small notation 'B9' which is described as Common single and double blocks A very convoluted way of doing things in my opinion. 'C' - cleats 'D' = Deadeyes B.E.