Blue Ensign

Post Twenty -two Hull Planking begins. As per the manual I start with three strakes of planks, which I pre-fit and heat to take the stress out of the bow curve. They are then glued and pinned until set. 0532(2) I start at the bow and progressively glue and pin along the hull. 0535(2) The lowest of the three strakes I terminate three bulkheads from the stern as this requires a tight bend up to the stern lower counter, better managed as a separate section. 0540 The plank is pre- bent using water and heat and the bend needs to be made from a much longer plank to avoid harsh angles or splitting. 0566 With the three strakes each side fitted, for this first layer I will follow a modified tick strip approach, and the first stage is to work out the plank runs and determine the width of the Garboard plank. Before I start planking I need to devise a method of securing the hull both upside down and the right way up. I do a lot of planking with the hull inverted. The Amati keel clamp is useful for holding the hull at angles for specific jobs, but not so good for planking. My ageing version has an alarming habit of suddenly lurching to either port or starboard. 0546(2) For holding the hull inverted I found some stiff packing foam, cut to fit within the hull. 0561(2) This sits down on the deck and holds the hull firmly but gently. 0543(2) For sitting the right way up my old Cheerful build board is a good match. 0544(2) Once the keel, stem, and sternpost are in place a further design of board will be used. Moving on….. B.E. 02/09/21

Hello Admiral, I have looked back at my build notes and this is what I wrote at the time. The side colour For this model I wanted to achieve that mellow golden look between the wales that is representative of ‘bright’ sides ie payed with rosin, as seen in many marine paintings contemporary to the period. After some trialling I decided upon Humbrol Matt Cream (103) as the base coat. Once dry I coated it with white shellac, which dries very quickly, and then over-painted with mellow pine wood dye. This may seem a little unorthodox to many model painters, but I obviously tried out the operation on a spare plastic hull before committing to the real thing. I think I have got close to the colour I am after. The Wales and Topsides are blackened, (Humbrol 33) but I have reduced the black paint by the addition of quite a proportion of sea grey (Humbrol 27) to give a finish several shades less than the original black. Overall this is not as complex as Victory to paint the broadsides as the strakes follow the lines of the wales, but the Topside mouldings do take a little careful masking given the smaller scale. Inside the hull halves the bulwarks were painted Red ochre – what else, much easier done before assembly as the tumblehome restricts access. On the subject of air brushes, I have little to say. I prefer to hand paint model ships, I think it gives a more natural look. Regards, B.E.

No mean feat to find a builder these days, and the materials to do the job, hope it all goes smoothly Chris and you're soon back up to speed. Exciting time tho' B.E.

Thanks for looking in Admiral. I scribed three lines of planking between the ports using a styrene strip as a guide. The scribing was done using a curved dentists probe altho’ I think Tamiya make a plastic scriber tool. I also scribed the wales in the same manner. Hope this helps. B.E.

Very kind of you Glenn, the jobs yours, what address shall I send it to.😉 ... and the first of course is the fairing. B.E.

Post twenty-one After Fairing The blurb now indicates that the Upper Hull patterns are fitted to the hull. Before I do this I need to think about what is required to further modify the stern end to open up the Quarter galleries. 0471 Firstly, the casings are added for the QG door which I had previously cut out on the internal bulwark pattern. 0476 These are easily fashioned from the 4mm mdf bulkhead fret. The patterns are pre- bent around the hull as indicated; accurate positioning is essential before marking the opening. The doorway is then cut out on the Upper hull pattern by drilling a series of holes around the edges and using a scalpel to make the cut. 0479 I used my entire stock of clamps to secure the pattern around the hull, plus fine pins along the lower edge. Gluing the patterns was a bit like plate spinning, getting the pattern in position before the glue starts to set while ensuring that the gunports are all lined up with the frames. 0490(2) I was pleased that the port cut-outs were a good match to the hull framing and the patterns met uniformly at the bow. 0492 0510 I was slightly thrown by the manual build photo (136) which appeared to show the slot for the upper pattern for the Quarter gallery above the level of the internal framing. 0502(2) Plan sheet 8 does however, show the top line of this slot level with the stern framing. 0517 The doorways will be cleaned up later in the build. 0499(2) A milestone of sorts is reached. I will leave any internal detailing, including deck laying, until the hull is planked. So, onto my second least favourite modelling job. B.E. 28/09/21

Post twenty That fairing business Looking at the hull, the topsides have a subtle and rather elegant concave shape to the bulkheads and gunport frames. On my model the gunport frames stand a little proud of the bulkheads, and I am concerned not to alter the shape of them. 0437 My first task is to sand the vertical gunport frames in the vertical plane, flush with the bulkheads. 0440 I then sand the longitudinal frames. At this point you will see that all but one of the aft bracing jigs has broken off. 0445 Finger Sanders are used for this job. 0442 I then move onto sanding the whole side down to the point where the char is removed from the bulkhead edges. For this I use the coarse side of a soft sanding block, moving along and downwards. 0447 I am now starting to use a test plank to check along the topsides. I check at different points down to the Upper deck level What I am looking for is any indication of lumps or depressions as the plank passes across the bulkheads. Moving on, below the lower deck, fairing the bulkheads continues. Bulkheads 5- 7 only need the char removing, from 8 aft the chamfer increases as with from 5b forward to the bow. 0456 0458 0461 Again, a test plank is constantly used to check that full contact is made across all bulkheads. 0468(2) 0470(2) I’ll faff around with this for a while yet, or at least until my patience wears out, but time spent on this not particularly enjoyable phase of a build does pay dividends later on. B.E. 29/09/21

I do have a question which I've not been able to sort out. Do the wales stand proud of the planking? Should they? I've looked at everyone's build and can't tell from the photos posted. I've looked in the manual, the on line builds, and all the drawings and can't tell. I'm also asking this James' prototype log. It's just nagging at the back of my brain. I think it does Mark but only by the width of the pattern, 0.6mm. Have a look at the manual photos on page 40. I checked out the cross section plans in the AotS Pandora book which I think Chris used extensively in his design, the wales do stand proud of the other planking, but not by much. I think Chris has also included a pre formed 'Black' strake which sits above the wale. On the Pandora plans this is shown as narrower than the wale but a tad thicker than the planking above. I had a look in my David Antscherl ffm on Swan Class sloops regarding the relative planking differences. What we are interested in are the scale differences, this works out at 0.4mm between the wale and the black strake/ topside planking, and less for the planking below the wale (0.2mm) This shot of James's fine build shows the definition a little clearer. B.E.

Thanks Jacek and Mark, it's reassuring to know that others have not experienced any issues, just as well, I have broken two in the early stages of sanding this morning.🙄 @ Kirby. Kind of you to say so Kirby, but I’m just an enthusiastic amateur whose knowledge of the subject is not always matched by the ability to reproduce it in wood. 😄 If it’s a pro you’re after then look no further than Chuck and there are quite a few others whose work I can’t hold a candle to and follow as my guidance. Modifying kits does add a deal of interest for me and keeps my brain active, but the important word here is ‘fun’ if you’re getting pleasure out of it, its doing you good.🙂 Sermon over, back to the sanding. B.E.

Mark said. BTW, for those building the Sphinx, don't toss the wood after removing the parts right away. Hang onto it until the removed parts are sanded, shaped as needed, and installed. I found if I break one, and I have done that, that the piece where the part was removed is an excellent template to make a replacement. Good advice Mark, I always keep the frets until the build end, and in the case of the 'expensive' wood frets I retain them not only for templates but as material for modifications to the model. They are too useful to throw away. Your fairing looks to be coming along nicely. 👍 B.E.

You're welcome Jacek.👍 A reconsideration. Back in Post 15 I expressed my doubts about the validity of the Quarterdeck area bulkhead extensions designed to hold bracing jigs to prevent spread of the hull. I had to splint four of them where they had broken off, seemingly by the simple act of looking at them.😉 0431 Oh, me of little faith, with the bracing jigs in place they have become quite firm and the splinting has held good. The splinting can be seen on two of the extensions. 0435 0432(2) 0429(2) 0433(2) In fact all the bracing jigs fitted perfectly across the hull, and I have to commend Chris on both the fit and the initial idea for this design feature. I'm still not entirely sure what difference the jigs will make, my hull feels pretty solid without any flex evident, but I will use the jigs as indicated. Movin' on. B.E. 24/09/21

Post Nineteen Fitting out the Foc’sle A modest modification but one that cleans up the area around the bow. 0411 A paper pattern from the plan is used to mark out the area. 0420 Fairly straightforward, spare Pearwood from the bulwark and spirketting frets cut to fit. 0421 Frame 1-1 (with the notched extensions to take the carlings for the Fore deck) may yet be shaped to represent a knee below deck level. 0426 I am pleased to note that Chris has taken into account the difference in size of the Bridle port, something I failed to modify on my Pegasus build, and it still niggles. For the present that’s all that’s required for this modification. Before I add any paint to the model or add the upper deck planking it makes sense to me to get the outboard fairing done, so this will be the next task. Oh what joy. B.E. 24/09/21

Thanks Glenn, The only reason I bought this kit was that Chris tempted me with great detail and the option to allow conversion to a Navy Board Style model, I have no real interest in a pure assembly job, pretty as the finished article is. I am following Chuck's Winchelsea build closely and it is of great help, gotta love that mans work. This is how the bow should be but even with the Sphinx kit limitations , a fair bit of it can be replicated. On this fabulous 'Winnie' shot it is all there to see. To his credit Chris has provided all the important stuff, and it is only the section equivalent to halfway past the first deck beam above, that is solid on the Sphinx. I'm happy to accept the kit limitations, and well placed Foc'sle decking will cover this. Regards, B.E.

Post Eighteen Modifications, Modest and Middling. Waterways I fitted waterways and scuppers to Pegasus, so there’s no reason not to do so on the larger Sphinx. Rooting around my timber stock I found some 1mm Pearwood square stock, probably also supplied by Chris with one of his other kits. The tricky bit is chamfering an angled face on this tiny strip to take part of the scupper. I fitted the strip first and then used a micro chisel to cut the angle. 0400(2) Scuppers are 4”ø in the round, scaling to 1.5mm holes. The pre-cut scupper holes on the provided etched deck are around 1.2mm ø. 0402(1) The scupper is angled downward part thro’ the waterway and part on the Margin plank. That’s it for the present, I will need to represent the lead flanges at some time later in the build. What to do about the Bow space. As mine is a modification build my eyes are constantly being drawn to that area of the Upper deck below the Foc’sle. 0399 This is an unfinished area, no internal bulwark planking, unfaired frames, and an engraved closed bridle port lid on the outer planking pattern, which closes off any possible view of this area. What should be there is internal planking running to the stem and breast hooks with the hawse holes between. What is provided is the Bowsprit step, the Riding Bitts, and the Fore Jeer Bitts. Full modification is not possible because of the kit design but there is stuff that can be done that gives a more realistic impression. 0409(2) To get an idea I put into place those fittings in this area. Note: Stage 522/523 of the blurb covers the Fore Jeer Bitts(463) There is a note that the slot in the Gundeck on early batches of the kit needs easing to accept the shaft of the bitts which plugs into the lower deck. One of the arms of this ‘Y’ shaped piece broke along the grain line whilst trial fitting, Glued together using Aliphatic Resin glue, but it remains to be seen how strong the repaired piece will be. With the parts in place, I can see how to proceed. The bulwarks will be faired, planked and spirketted with the intention of leaving the Bridle ports open. Manger boards will be installed between the Bowsprit step and the forward side of the Bridle Port. The Foc’sle will be planked to the extent that the forward Bulkhead is covered and obscured from view. Better get on with it then. B.E. 23/09/21

Thanks for looking in Malcolm, I don't know about skill and experience, I'm making it up as I go along most of the time.🙄 B.E.

Well done Jacek, that looks impressive. 👍 B.E.

Post Seventeen Bulwarks and Margin planks. For the Margin planks I am using 4.5mm wide Boxwood strip. Nothing too severe in edge bending requirements, and I use the etched deck as a template to form the curve. 0355(2) Using the water/heat edge bending treatment, there is no need to pre-cut the margin. The Spirketting is handed Port and Starboard, fore and rear; it is nicely etched with Top and Butt planking, and I added a slight bevel to the top where it meets the quickwork planking above. Strictly speaking a waterway should be fitted before the spirketting into which the scuppers are fitted. Unless the spirketting is reduced in width to allow the fitment of a waterway,(not a good idea) the waterway would need to fit on the deck in front of it, which would cover some of the Top and Butt planking, altho’ only to the extent of around 1mm. Without this fitting the scupper holes drilled in the margin plank make no sense and are probably best not drawn attention to. On a practical level very little of this will be seen on a model fully built to the kit specification so not really an issue. The deck clamps are fitted above the quickworks, again laser cut parts. A bit of a puzzlement here, the blurb indicates that the top edge should be slightly higher than the adjacent bulwark. There are a series of pre-drilled holes in both the spirketting and deck clamp pieces above the gunports, which would suggest are to be aligned. These are described as being for gunport tackle eyebolts, presumably for muzzle lashing when the guns are run-in and stowed. However, if they are aligned the deck clamp pieces encroach on the top of the gunports. 0356(2) 0359(2) Plan 11 does show the forward deck clamp strip positioned between 0.6mm and <1mm above the ports, the aft sectioned following the top line of the ports. 0364 Along the bottom of the deck clamp strips are a series of notches. These are for the support brackets for the Gangboards. (many steps ahead) They need to be carefully positioned to neither encroach on gunport or tackle eyebolt slots either side. 0366 The aft deck clamp strips are less complicated only need to ensure that the gallery doorway slot is nicely positioned. A slight trimming of the forward end to meet the fore part is required to fit. I fitted the deck clamp strips without concern for aligning the drilled holes, my main objective to avoid fouling either the gunports or side tackle drill holes. 0370 Internal planking of the bulwarks now completed. 0382 The fairly easy run of the Margin planks can be seen in this shot. 0371 The ‘false’ scarph joint is marked with a scalpel and lined with a pencil. 0376 Before I progress further I will think about adding the waterway because my eye expects to see it and I doubt very much will be seen of the fine top and butt beneath even a light coat of paint. B.E. 22/09/21

Thanks for looking in Kirby. Painted 'Floor cloths' were provided by the Admiralty for high ranking officers of prestige ships, wealthy ones sometimes added carpet at their own expense. Low rated ships such as Sphinx probably had nothing at all unless provided by the Captain, who may have used the crew to create some minimal furnishings from what was to hand. Still, such adornments do look nice on a model and create interest particularly when viewed thro' open deck beams. Regards, B.E.

Looking good Glenn, 👍 B.E.

Post Sixteen Dressing the bulwarks This is the point where some paint is laid down on the Inner bulwarks, and I need to decide the shade of ochre to use. I will be hand painting the model, I prefer the look to the spray paint effect, and I simply can’t be bothered with all that masking. The cabin area will also be painted a shade of white, altho’ the Rudder head cover and bench will be varnished. Initially I couldn’t see any reason why the spirketting and deck clamp patterns should not be fixed before painting the Bulwarks but looking ahead the spirketting is fitted atop the etched deck pattern. As I’m not using the deck pattern it seems I need to fit at least the margin plank at this point. Out of curiosity I thought I would fit the etched deck just to see how it looked. 0343(2) It took a fair bit of sanding of the edges to get a flat lie, but I have to admit it looks ok. Chris is to be complimented on the flexibility and strength of the deck. It took me a while to figure out what the series of holes were running along the deck edges – doh they’re scupper positions.🤔 This will also have implications for the spirketting on which scuppers generally impact, so, I’m glad I spotted it now. 0348 At the rear there is a rather smart chequer pattern flooring in shades of brown and beige. Chuck has something similar on his Winchelsea build. This sort of floor pattern was very popular in Georgian England, usually in Black and White and can be seen in the Great cabin of HMS Victory where it is represented by painted sailcloth. I recall that we had something similar in our kitchen in the 1950’s but we used lino rather than sailcloth.😃 The kit coverings remind me of the parquet flooring evident in French ships, but I’ve not previously seen it in British ships. There was a feeling against anything smacking of Frenchification in the British Navy during the 18th century, but many officers succumbed (initially unofficially) to the fashion of the Epaulettes worn on the uniform shoulder as the century progressed. The Navy regulation didn’t cover such fancy additions until 1795. Even Nelson who originally sneered at such adornments eventually succumbed to this growing fashion. Still, I digress. Not sure I will use it on the model, nice as it looks. 0351 0347 0350(2) No need to rush to decision and I may change my mind yet, the muted shades also have appeal. Tomorrow I will be making margin planks. B.E. 20/09/21

Thanks for looking in Kevin and Gregory. @ Gregory - true, cleaned up char doesn't usually present gluing issues, but as Jacek notes above the blurb indicated that removal of char from the inside frames was a fairing indicator prior to installation of the Gunport patterns. Cheers, B.E.

Post Fifteen The routine stages Once the false deck is in place the next stage is to add the vertical gunport frames. I like this idea of Chris’s, together with the longitudinal frames the ports are formed in a manner that reflects a traditional way of making them. 0315(2) I found that some of the frames benefitted from a pass with the sanding stick to fit smoothly into the notches; they are quite delicate at the extremes and some of the tips broke off. 0311 The filler pieces at the bow and stern were bevelled. No need to sand these, a scalpel blade cuts thro’ the mdf like butter, and no sanding dust. Sanding the internal framing is a pain, I always find that removing char seems to take forever. 0318 I start with P80 grade paper to get the rough off and then proceed to finer stuff. The char on the inner faces of the bulkhead tabs was particularly stubborn to remove. 0320 That done, the inner bulwark patterns fitted beautifully; I did apply pva to the faces of the framing to ensure a strong bond, rather than rely on the diluted glue to the rear approach. 0322 The bulkhead extensions designed to take hull support jigs seem very weak All but two of them have supporting splints and I can’t quite get my head around how they would have any effect on preventing hull spread. The Quarterdeck beam spacing patterns are fitted before the rear bulwarks. 0323 Delicate items these that require gentle handling. I found that the aftermost slot above the stern frames required easing to allow fitting. 0327 Before I glued them into place, I fitted some dummy deck beams to check the athwartships line-up. With a mostly open deck I didn’t want anything looking askew. 0329 The rear panels took a little fettlin’ to fit beneath the beam spacers, together with a little more tweaking of the internal framing. 0334 At the rear panel you can see the first modification to the Quarter gallery; the doors have been removed. How this will all tie in with modifications to the Quarter gallery fitting to come, I haven’t worked out as yet. 0333 The final action on this part is to sand the pattern gunport openings flush to the framing. For this I make up size specific sanding sticks with P240 paper. 0336 Moving on… B.E 20/09/21

Thank you Phil. B.E.

It has always felt alien to me fitting the stem and stern posts after planking, but it seems to be the current trend with kits. Hope the fix holds hard for you Glenn, but that is the beauty of working with wood there isn't much that can't be rectified. Your hull is looking great. 👍 B.E.

Now there's a scary thought. 😨 Post Fourteen The sub deck fits in without issue, I’m pleased to say. 0275(2) Only weights were used to secure the deck centre line. 0296 Framing was then installed beneath the deck openings both for visual effect and more importantly to support the weak areas along the centre line of the deck. 0299 This particularly applies to the tabs that separate the Main Hatch and Ladderway. 0286 2.7mm square section Boxwood was used for the purpose. 0305(2) 0306(2) That’s it for the modifications at the moment, I will now return to follow the basic constructions as per the manual. B.E. 16/09/21