Blue Ensign

I look forward to seeing the fruits of your labours Hamilton, whichever design you settle on.
 
Re the tiles: my approach would be to cut them from paper or perhaps adhesive backed foils. The lead may well have been coloured with ochre to give the appearance of gilt, but on the Victory the lead sheeting has been left natural. When I built my Victory model I used exhaust repair tape coloured grey to represent the lead.
 
B.E.

Hi Hamilton nice work on the decks.
 
Re the Quarter gallery.
 
Drawing D4/2 is quite difficult to picture in 3d, I would imagine it is not quite as angular as it looks, but rather had a slight round to it. The little roof which would be slightly concave would possibly have been tiled in decorative shingles, using overlapping semi circular discs of lead.
 
I’m a little puzzled by the broad timber running from the cill to the rail as the dotted line looks to be the transom line, and I’m struggling to see the relationship between that timber and the gallery.
 
I think you initially need to make up the basic shape and see how it looks on the model, and think about the mouldings and decoration later. Had you considered using sculpey to form the lower finishing, I would imagine it would lend itself to forming those fancy shapes as shown in the drawings.
 
One other thought drawing D4/1 shows a Quarter badge similar to Pegasus, it can be made either flat or canted as Andy (realworking sailor) has done on his build, and there you have how he went about the job.
 
At least with that type you would have a reduced number of glazing bars for the lights. Certainly the flat version can be cut from thin sheet and the window frames made up on the base. Styrene strip could even be used to form the  curves and glazing bars if they are to be painted.
 
Cheers.
 
B.E.

Thanks everyone for your kind comments.
 
ZyXuz - welcome to my log.  Grab a seat and help yourself to some popcorn from Sjors.  If you need a drink, Mark is tending the bar tonight.
 
Marc - not too sure about the skills thing, but I'm trying and I'm learning at the same time.
 
Sjors - you'll have to wait and see what the new scratch project will be, but I guarantee you're gonna love it!
 
A further small update to keep "you know who" happy:
 
Finished the exterior planking today.     That's one good thing about these miniatures - they may be fiddly, but there isn't much of them! I noticed that when I held the boat up to the light, I could see right through the planking:
 

 
That pic was before any sanding.  Here's a few following some sanding/polishing.  No finish has been applied yet - what you see is just the natural timber (Holly) sanded and polished:
 

 

 

 
And just to remind you all of the scale of this little thing, here it is next to my ham fist. (Note the bandaid on the finger - managed to stab myself with the Exacto, but fortunately kept it from bleeding all over my lovely Holly).
 

 
That's it for today.  After a productive long weekend, it's back to W@#$ tomorrow   .  Oh well, at least it pays the bills and allows me to indulge in my Hobby.

The Rudder...
 
The kit provided version was noticeably lacking any copper plating so, just for yucks, I thought I'd build my own version of the rudder...
 
It has always struck me as odd that the Revell Constitution has a cylindrical rudder head instead of a squared one similar to other period ships.  My first thought was to replace that... But then I did some research.  It turns out that the good folks at Revell probably got that right!  We do see the cylindrical rudder head on the Hull model:
 

 
When Constitution was first launched she had a typical "rule joint" type rudder with the square rudder head.  This rudder type required a larger opening in the lower transom to allow for the arc of the rudder head as it swung back and forth during turns.  Howard Chappelle notes in his American Sailing Navy book that the US Navy had replaced all of their  rudders with the newer "plug" type by 1801 or thereabouts.  This new innovation utilized the cylindrical shape and moved the rudder head forward so that the center aligned along the same axis as the pintles.  This eliminated the arc pattern of the rudder head - instead it spun exactly in line with the pivot point of the pintles.  This allowed for a much smaller opening under the transom - and perhaps a tighter feel for the helm.  Learn something every day.
 
Here was my approach:
 
I glued together four strips of .100 x .156" styrene (Evergreen 177) and did the basic shaping on a small vice using a heavy file.  Next I carved a groove into some appropriate rod styrene (same as what I used on the Galley Stove pipe) and affixed that to the top - centered, of course, over the leading edge.  Once done, I came back along and notched in the locations for the rudder pintles:


 
Now I needed to copper plate the thing. I used .010 x .125" (Evergreen 106) for the plates.  I whipped up a quick jig (using some available scraps) to help align the "copper" strips while I rolled in the rivet pattern on one edge.  I used the smallest roller in my collection to approximate the pattern existing on the kit plating.  The rest of the bolt heads I did by hand using my trusty scribe tool.

 
Took me about an hour to plate each side:

 
Lastly I came along and added the various straps, spectacle plate, etc.
 
Here is the result:



 
BTW - It turns out, the kit provided rudder is actually pretty good.  As noted it properly represents the "plug" type version.  This is not surprising since it is based on the Campbell plan and he consulted extensively with Chappelle. The rudder edges also taper nicely from forward edge to after edge, and from top to bottom.  Ultimately, a very nice upgrade could probably be had by simply adding the copper plates.
 

 
Thanks again folks for wading thru my entries!
EG

Good progress Hamilton, she's really starting to look the part now
 
B.E.

Thanks everyone for looking in and for your kind words - there seems to be a bit of extra interest in this little side project
 
Sjors - yes, a complete scratch build project is on the books - just have to finish this one first!
 
Ben - yes, they are delicate but I am finding that the little building board provides good support and allows me to handle the whole thing without fear of damage. Plus, once the planking starts going on, it gains strength (or at least rigidity) very quickly.
 
Mark - you have much to look forward to! 
 
A small update then:
 
Commenced the planking today.  Followed Chuck's advice in his Longboat instructions by first of all attaching the sheer plank and one extra, then "lined off" the remainder of the hull.  I decided not to attach string, tape or temporary battens with the lining off - it's just too small!  Pencil marks will have to do as a guide.  Then it was on to the garboard strake, which seemed to take forever, and I'm still not convinced I got it right.    It will have to do though.  Have attached one more plank next to the garboard as shown in the pics below.
 
I'm using Holly for the planking at 1/64" x 1/16", which is about right for scale.  The Holly is beaut to work with - a short soak in tepid water and you can almost tie pretzels with it.   For the lower strakes (ie garboard and the next few), because they will be covered on the inside by the footboards and therefore won't be seen, I've coated the entire inside of the planks with PVA glue as they've been layed.  This will add a bit of extra strength to them.
 
The hardest part of the planking so far has been finding clamps small enough to fit around the frames, and light enough (pressure wise) not to destroy the whole thing.  For the most part, I've resorted to the Mk 1 finger clamp.  While it's fairly slow, the adjustable pressure of this clamp makes it worthwhile! 
 
Here's a few pics to keep "you know who" happy:
 

 

 

Nice work on the capstan Mark, bang on for scale with the figure.
 
Cheers,
 
B.E.

Beautifully crafted tops Ferit, very well done.
 
B.E.

It's all looking very good Jason, you really do neat work.
 
Re the  capsquares on the long guns:-  I used a small eyebolt with a small portion clipped off the eye to  represent the hinge that fitted on the rear of the capsquare. The shortened stem of the eyebolt fitted in a hole drilled immediately behind the capsquare and the now open eye  fitted into the hole in the capsquare. At the scale involved I think it does a fair representation of the hinge.
 
I searched for a while to find chain that was sufficiently small for the capsquare securing bolt. I eventually found some at Jotika at 42 links per inch which is what I used.
 
Here's the link to their online shop.
 
http://www.shipwrightshop.com/shop/contents/en-uk/d59_Thread-Chain-Wire_02.html
 
For the bolt I just used a squeezed together 0.3mm brass etched eyelet, also from Jotika.
 
http://www.shipwrightshop.com/shop/contents/en-uk/d58_Mast-Detail-and-Rigging-Fittings_01.html
 
Incidently those etched eyelets sold in packs of 250 are always worth having, they come in handy for lots of modelling jobs where tiny eyebolts are required.
 
Regards,
 
M.

Thanks for the compliments, greatly appreciated always.
 
Build update:  
 
Presently have been working on the headrail and associated pieces, but while I was waiting for some bending pieces to cure I decided to build up the six carronades required for the poop deck.
 
When purchasing the material for this build I decided to purchase the carronades from Caldercraft.  These seem to be the closest size for this scale, plus the came with the elevation screw.
 
Carronade assembly as follows:
1. Added breeching ring 20 gauge wire.
2. Shaped out of boxwood piece, drilled hole for mounting pin and glued to bottom of carronade.
3. Cut 1/8"dowel 1/16", drill center hole, slipped down screw, drilled two hole and glued 24 gauge wire handles.
4. Screwed onto carronade and cut screw (looking at magnified picture will cut off more, plus pic shows I need some cleanup).
5. Painted after treating brass pieces in Blacken-it.  Paint used Admiralty matt (metal) black.
 
Carronade carriage assembly as follows:
1. Cut and shaped two platform pieces out of basswood and painted red.
2. Made nine eyelids for each carriage out of 28 gauge wire and attached.
3. Added two more eyelids and rings out of 24 gauge wire for breeching rope.
4. Made and shaped wheel assembly plates out of thin styrene, cut round toothpicks 1/8" for wheels, glued pieces and added to bottom of carriage.  Initially, had an additional wood pieces on bottom as my carronade drawing showed, but when I put this on the ship was too high off the deck therefore removed and cut wheel plates in half.
5. Made the pin for the carronade out of filed down toothpick through draw plate.
6. Made the two side pin holders out of 1/8" dowel, filed bottom flat, and a strip of wood for bottom piece, glued together then drilled the hole for pin.
7. Glued carronade to carriage.
8. Made front pin plate out of thin styrene, added pin, painted black and glued to carriage.
 
Next up: mounting and rigging to poop deck.
 
Take care and if your reading this thanks for looking in.

If you go down the toggle route Andy I would suggest you drill the slots for the strops before you fit the battens that radiate across the top. I had to remove and re-jig some of the battens because they cut across where the slots should be. The slots incidently fall behind the forward crosstrees and aft of the aft crosstrees.
 
I found this quite a tricky exercise at 1:64 and I'm not sure how much will be apparent once all the top hamper is fitted. Still it satisfies the inner masochist I suppose.
 
B.E.

If you go down the toggle route Andy I would suggest you drill the slots for the strops before you fit the battens that radiate across the top. I had to remove and re-jig some of the battens because they cut across where the slots should be. The slots incidently fall behind the forward crosstrees and aft of the aft crosstrees.
 
I found this quite a tricky exercise at 1:64 and I'm not sure how much will be apparent once all the top hamper is fitted. Still it satisfies the inner masochist I suppose.
 
B.E.

If you go down the toggle route Andy I would suggest you drill the slots for the strops before you fit the battens that radiate across the top. I had to remove and re-jig some of the battens because they cut across where the slots should be. The slots incidently fall behind the forward crosstrees and aft of the aft crosstrees.
 
I found this quite a tricky exercise at 1:64 and I'm not sure how much will be apparent once all the top hamper is fitted. Still it satisfies the inner masochist I suppose.
 
B.E.

Hello again Bob, here's a couple of mock-up pics of how the set up looks.
 

 

 
One of the attractions of the DB250 for me is the compactness, don't need a lot of room to work it, and it handles most of my modelling jobs.
 
My idea when I set it up is to have a detachable baseboard for the extension bed, or perhaps have it hinged in some way to fold back behind the machine board or maybe beneath it.
 
That way I can retain the benefit of the small size, but extend it to around 30" workable length when required.
 
I don't know if flex would become an issue at that length but I have worked on 8mm dowel up to 18" in length without a problem.
 
Cheers,
 
B.E.
 
 
 

Yes, we had to focus not on the instructions, and the finished model, such as this http://www.modelismonaval.com/galeria/category/100-navio-qel-montanesq-salvador-pallares-ruiz
 

Hello again Bob, here's a couple of mock-up pics of how the set up looks.
 

 

 
One of the attractions of the DB250 for me is the compactness, don't need a lot of room to work it, and it handles most of my modelling jobs.
 
My idea when I set it up is to have a detachable baseboard for the extension bed, or perhaps have it hinged in some way to fold back behind the machine board or maybe beneath it.
 
That way I can retain the benefit of the small size, but extend it to around 30" workable length when required.
 
I don't know if flex would become an issue at that length but I have worked on 8mm dowel up to 18" in length without a problem.
 
Cheers,
 
B.E.
 
 
 

Hi Ferit, I’m not very familiar with that arrangement because with British ships some time around the mid to late seventeenth century the make-up of the stern timbers changed. I believe it is referred to as from a square tuck to a round tuck at the stern.
 
Prior to the round tuck the rudder was as shown on your Berlin with the rudder head completely outside of the hull and with the tiller taken in thro’ a square hole below the transom. Because the hole had to be large enough to allow movement of the tiller, it presented problems in keeping out water.
 
With the round tuck the stern post and rudder head lengths were increased and the rudder head was taken up inside the ship thro’ the much smaller helm port and the tiller was entirely within the ship.
 
I understand that many European Navies retained the old style arrangement for some years after the British had changed, so the arrangement on your Berlin would appear to be entirely in keeping with the period.
 
The use of a whipstaff which was the primary methods of steering for larger ships of the period would be operated under both stern arrangements.
 
Sorry if my original comment raised a doubt in your mind.
 
Regards,
 
B.E.

Interesting stern post and rudder arrangement Ferit, but beautifully executed. Love the carved work beneath the transom.
 
B.E.

Thanks very much Alexander.
 
Slowly but constant. Here's a new update.
I added the Channel Wale and planks between the Main Wale and the Channel Wale.
 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry you've hit this problem hamilton, it's so frustrating when a desired plan fails to work.
 
I think the question you have to ask yourself is which is the most important feature that will contribute to a successful look or otherwise to the completed hull.
 
If I may venture an opinion, I would say the positioning of the wales; if the run of the wales isn't correct then the graceful sheer lines and balance of the hull will never look good.
 
You are not that far advanced, would it not be possible to blank off the sweep ports and redo the wales first, which will allow for a decent run of planking up to the topline, and a better proportion to the below waterline hull.
 
You would then be in a better position to gauge the line of the sweep ports which if re-cutting them proves too testy could at least be represented by closed blanks.
 
I do hope you resolve the problem to your satisfaction.
 
Cheers,
 
B.E.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Nice work on those Kevels Ferit, look much better than the cast version
 
Regards,
 
B.E.

Well she certainly looks better, and these things we fixate on tend to fade as more detail is put on the model to divert the eye.
Glad you feel happier about her now.
 
I like the colour contrast you are achieving.
 
Cheers,
 
B.E.

I'm rather with Greg on this one, and prefer the bare stick look on stand displayed models, and there is a great precedence for this with contemporary models of the eighteenth century. A ship in harbour for any length of time would have the sails taken down so it's not inconsistent to display a model 'bare stick'
 
The problem with kit provided sails is that the material is mostly way over scale and lacks the detail that sails should properly have such as the reinforced areas. Out of scale stitching and poor reef points can further detract from the overall look.
 
On the other hand fitting sails does allow the modeller to show the function of the running rigging and I do like to see sails on waterline models in a diorama setting, but that's the only situation I would personally fit them.
 
In the end tho' it's all down to personal preference and what individual modellers like.
 
B.E.

...

OK, I'm BACK!!!!!!!!  The relatives have headed back East with Syren none the worse for wear.  She did manage to survive a Tsunami started by an errant can of Coke.  Whew
 
But you folks have been having so much fun in my absence that I feel I must contribute something --- even a minor update.
 
So here are the mainmast lower yard buntlines and falls.  Yes, they're hard to see. 
 

 
I know I promised an overview shot but I want to finish the buntlines on the foremast first and set the next yards.
 
And tomorrow I simply MUST go catch some fish    
 
But it's great to be back tying knots and herding the spiders !