Blue Ensign

Thanks, Keith, and Martin, for your comments--you're right, the admiration and inspiration we get (not to mention knowledge gained) from those who work at the highest level is often what drives us to do more, and better, than we ever could on our own.
 
 
Today's minor update:
 
As much as I've rhapsodized about the joys of my little cutter, I'm also feeling a little burnt out!   I didn't spend very much time on it today.
 
But I did decide that it would be better to do the gunwales before the thwarts, just in case I need "elbow room" while gluing the gunwales on, without the thwarts in the way.  (I do try, at least sometimes, to think ahead!)  In anticipation of that work, I also determined that the apron at the stem needed to be cut down from where I initially had it-- 
 

 
 
The gunwales need to be 1 1/2 inches thick, by two inches wide.  Using my rotary tool "thickness sander" I roughly sanded some stock down to approximately 1/16th inch square (about 3" x 3" in scale), wet and heated it, to set the curve. The piece on the left I have started sanding down to final thickness--
 

 
 
The next photo shows the difference between the rough form, and final thickness.   There's also a pretty significant kink in the curve of the un-sanded piece, but I think it will disappear by the time it gets down to its final dimensions.  In the background you can see I also had to re-glue the starboard rising piece.  It had come loose on some of the frames.  This is not a good thing--some earlier varnishing of the interior may have compromised the gluing integrity on the frames-- 
 
  
 
 
I think I am going to stain the gunwale black.  I'll do this before I glue them on.   The other pieces that attach to the gunwale--the breasthook, and a piece and some angles at the transom-- willI also be stained, but not the washboard.   The port gunwale has been sanded to the correct thickness, but not yet the width.  The starboard is still rough--
 

 
 
And that's it for now.
 
Ron

Thanks man, there are many ways to paint so google and youtube model weathering and you'll find great tutorials and info, at least on plastic models.
 
I've been working on the gunports lately. The look I want is when the gunports are not strictly opened, but some are closed or halfway opened. I like the uneaven rough and everyday life look of it. Here are some pics of Batavia and Götheborg with the look I like:
 

 

 
 
 

 
 
That ment I had to plan for the cannons to be inside. I also had to plank the back of the hatches as the original BB are hollow. That was actually good as it was easy to stain the planks in the same color as the rest of the ship. The closed hatches are scratched. Here is how far I've gotten:
 

 

 

 

 

 
 
/Matti
 

A fine bit of shipwrighting going on there Nigel, what a beauty your Mordaunt is going to be.
 
B.E.

Work continues moving forward with the framing.When it came to sanding back the inside,unfortunately the 'binding' stringer that will be fitted at the top falls below the level of the temporary stringer on the outside.I measured the overall thickness including the outside temporary stringer on the thinned section on the stern using the verniers and used this dimension as my point of reference to sand down and profile the central section.Work now concentrates on completing the obechi infill.I have already started at the bow,this will need increasing in height at the sides as the hull edge flows down in an arc to meet the stem.
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

Thank you Holty I'm pleased you like it, Pickle is a sweet little kit, well worth the building of in my opinion.
 
The brass plaque is part of the kit, it says:-
 
HM SCHOONER PICKLE
CARRYING COLLINGWOOD'S
DISPATCHES AND NEWS OF
NELSON FROM TRAFALGAR.
 
Cheers,
 
B.E.

Look forward to seeing this build evolve Frank.
 
She looks more schooner than cutter to my eye and a book you may find of interest is The Global Schooner (Origins, Develoment, Design, and Construction 1695 - 1845) by Karl Heinz Marquardt.
 
A nice book in its own right but one section includes American Revenue cutter (schooners) of the early 19th century,  and there is also useful information about masting and rigging sizes.
 
Cheers,
 
B.E.

Thanks all for the likes.
 
BE thanks for the compliment. I am starting preparations for making the masts so I have been looking at your log - particularly relating to Steel. He and Corel don't seem to match. I know which I believe!
 
Well I started work in earnest on the cluster of deck furniture around the main mast. I am assembling this group as a complete sub unit. The first photo shews the components I made for the main topsail sheet bits, main jeer bits, and the gallows crosspiece.   My last delivery of walnut was rather grainy and much prone to splitting compared with previous lots. So before turning and milling the uprights I gave the pieces a coat of varnish which seemed to hold it together. Where they are to be glued the machining removed the coat of varnish - so that was OK.   My last delivery also had a piece of 5 x 5mm walnut strip that was badly split over about a third of its length. I cut a section of the split part off and ran it through my milling contraption (see previous part of log). This gave me a nice sound piece of 3 x 5 for the crosspiece.   I turned the main topsail sheet bit uprights with 2mm diameter extensions top and bottom. These fit in to 2mm diameter holes in the deck and the underside of the crosspiece.     For assembling the sub unit I used a jig - simply a bit of wood with holes drilled in the appropriate places. The next photo shews the start of the assembly process. As more parts are made and added I will use this to ensure everything fits together before committing it to the main model.      
 

A fine looking Pegasus Nils, fits perfectly with your chosen scheme. Love the interior pics.
 
B.E.

Build log part 24
 
 
 

chainpump Station with housing, drain plugs, the discharge sides ore closed whith slide shutters
 

crank handles for chainpumps and Forward bearing supports, and Support for the spare masts and spars as well as Posts and belaying rack. The three mid Pins will be replaced with smaller ones
 

the grating cover of the main load hatch is and stays removeable
 

 
 

 

it is amazing how fast the dust settles in the open portside interior, Need to carefully brush it out now and then
 

all the aft cabin bulkheads are waiting to be set
 

it was always my wish and Intention to have a figurehead in cast brass instead of resin, it was impossible to get it anywhere, acc. to Chris Watton Amati would`nt do it because they favour resin, but I would not give up..., so now after Research and activity I have my own prototype one in scale 1/64 and it fits very well and gives the model a Special note
 

 

 
 
 
Nils

I think Bob is setting the bar pretty high for all of us builders, Essex or not.
 
Fine work Bob.
 
B.E.

Beautiful work on the rudder Augie, nice and tight against the stern post, and the blackened iron work looks great against the natural hull.
Fine work.
 
B.E.

I think Bob is setting the bar pretty high for all of us builders, Essex or not.
 
Fine work Bob.
 
B.E.

While working on the next batch of guns, I decided to make the lower main capstan, the first of three capstans that will be done. As with the other deck items, I chose to make the capstan from boxwood strip and sheet. It was a very enjoyable piece to make, with the exception of the 16 tiny chocks that had to be individually fitted between the whelps. Very fiddly work, but satisfying to get it done.
 
The guns are well along and should be mounted and rigged in the next few days.
 
Bob

Finally the buntlines were attached according Lees and belayed on the quarterdeck rail. This is all the rigging which will be installed on the main yard for now.
 
 

Buntlines installed
 
 

Belaying the buntlines. Note the 2 blocks stropped together end on end for the buntlines.

Hi Nils and Mike
 
Thank you.
It’s actually fun to try to find out about the function of all those lines in the rigging (quite often I feel like Steven Maturin ) and to install them correctly. There are some differences between the kits plans and Lees book. Sometimes I go with the book and other times (especially if it’s simpler but still looks reasonable) with the plan. My Pegasus seems to have a unique bosun: sometimes he is very conservative and using old fashioned solutions and suddenly his work borders on science fiction. But over all I enjoy the setting up of the running rigging more than is right.
 
Cheers
Peter

Thank you Keelhauled,
 
This has been a work in the making for some time and I intend to finish it soon. But right now I am busy with a few other things.

As you can see there are two more sails (and all those lines and blocks) to be added. After that I need to 'blow them to smitherines' to get them filled so they will look like a real ship sailing on a starboard tack, etc.
 
All it means is to get rid of wrinkles, and that is tough . . . . .

The rudder, gudgeons and pintels have been installed.  We'll be adding some additional photoetched details to the hull next, including the sweep port hinges.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Hi Mates,
 
I took a detour from the carriages to install four swivel guns at the stern. According to Landström these would have eventually been mounted.
 
Needed to deepen the shallow openings a bit more, easy enough.
 
Then prepared the guns by modifying the mounting pins using small brass nails. I flattened the round heads as well. You will note that I made small wood mounting bits, but it turns out that, what do they say? "You can't put a square peg into a round hole". They did not fit.
 
Luckily the guns were easy to insert and "mount" in a believable fashion without the use of wooden bits.
 
Next, I used an aluminum tube to make the four small decorative rings. I used that material because of its softness, and the rings were to be painted in any case.
 
Fairly simple used a rod cutter for an initial deep groove, then on to the sander to thin the tip. Lastly back to the cutter for a couple of delicate turns, a bit of detailing and then paint. 
 
---------------------
 
OK back to the carriages. As always thanks for dropping by.
 
Regards,
 
Michael

Hello Mates,
 
I think that I'm becoming boring for some of you here, BUT I think that I have resolved the weather deck cannon carriage issues.
 
1)  reduced their length front and rear
2)  lowered and deepened the upper groove, in which the cannons pivot
3)  "tucked in" the wheels a bit closer to the under frame. Not right I know !!
4) will install two smaller guns on each side towards the stern, and built four smaller carriages.
 
 
A BIG thanks to Nigel, and to B.E. (got an email but your quote did not post?) Both of you, as usual were very kind in helping me. Also thanks to all of the kind folks who drop in, click or just look in -- Thanks so much (:-)
 
So it should work out. I won't post any more silly cannon issues until they are set for metal bits, wheels, and installation. Though as I have mentioned I know that these cannons are not "Vasa" types nor the correct lengths. But they look a heck of a lot better than kit included generic cannons IMO.
 
Regards,
 
MIchael

Hi Mates,
 
Still plodding along with carriages putting all of the bits together. It turns out that each assembled cannon will have just shy of 50 parts including the 10 parts that make up the wood carriage itself.
 
So 50 X 14 carriages;  Hmmmm 700 bits, I hope that this obsessiveness "pays off" (:-) I think that it will.
 
Next step is putting all of those brass bits into the blackening caldron then assembling them one at a time.
 
Thought the right angled and lengthy brass bits that attach to the upper and front edges of each carriage will have to be "blackened" carriage by carriage, as the bits are specifically sized to each carriage that have, it turns out, minor variations in size here and there. 
 
My error for the lack of standardized forward thinking. So throwing all 56 of those bits into the caldron would turn into a minor puzzle on the backside.
 
Please note that the method employed for drilling the axle hole stop pins was an absolutely Brilliant suggestion from Nigel, the sage that he is. Worked effortlessly. Once set up, the twenty-eight axles were drilled in less than fifteen minutes. That in-and-of-itself saved me lots of mental wear-and-tear. Thanks my friend.....
 
FYI: the red markings on the axles were so that I knew that I had adjusted the front and rear track widths, and the tips were OK to be drilled, and the longer left-over bits Dremel'd off.
 
Also regarding the Proxxon Milling tool, I did purchase a Proxxon chuck. I have sooo many tiny drill bits so this attachment becomes a one size fits all helper. It will accept the tiniest of bits and keep them super straight during use. Highly recommended part.
 
Again thanks so much for dropping by always so appreciated.
 
Regards,
 
Michael
 
 

Love the look you are creating with your Pegasus Nils, full of detail with the cut away decks, nice work.
 
B.E.

Thank you Holty I'm pleased you like it, Pickle is a sweet little kit, well worth the building of in my opinion.
 
The brass plaque is part of the kit, it says:-
 
HM SCHOONER PICKLE
CARRYING COLLINGWOOD'S
DISPATCHES AND NEWS OF
NELSON FROM TRAFALGAR.
 
Cheers,
 
B.E.

Status update....
 
drilled the 6 bulwark holes for the oars using a copied template from my plan on starboard side, am filing These square now
 

 

 
 
 
Nils

Build log part 23
 
 
 
I would so much like to carry on with the bow area, but realize that there is a lot to still be done underneath the forecastle deck first. Think I will have do the stove and other Details in near future
 
 

the portside guns will be rigged Standing on the Support rails under the carriage wheels
 

all te svivel gunposts are only in "raw" condition, may want to get them 8-sided in upper portions
 

Status overview
 

just Setting the new guns in place for Dimension checking
 
 

I tryed to get the rudder coppering only, shiny again, used Lemon concentrate Juice, it works very easy
but I don`t know if I should have done that. I love the greenish Patina look like some others have tryed already
 
 
 
Nils

Thank you Holty I'm pleased you like it, Pickle is a sweet little kit, well worth the building of in my opinion.
 
The brass plaque is part of the kit, it says:-
 
HM SCHOONER PICKLE
CARRYING COLLINGWOOD'S
DISPATCHES AND NEWS OF
NELSON FROM TRAFALGAR.
 
Cheers,
 
B.E.