Blue Ensign

A small update at last.  I've been having some computer problems (Windows died) but all seems well now - that's why this update is a bit late.
 
Last Wednesday at the museum I got a little done, but spent most of my time talking to visitors and discussing the museum with one of the staff, rsther than in modelling.  Never mind - there's always next time!
 
Most of the hardware in now fitted to the mast and I must say I'm rather pleased with the overall look.  Everything is just sitting the loose at the moment.  Hopefully I can get a bit of serious rigging done next time I'm in.
 
John
 

hamilton,
 
The drawings in the book are at different scales 1:96, 1:48 and 1:192 but no matter. all you need to do is multiply the sizes in the drawings by say 96 and divide by 100 and you will have the measurement relevant to your build, that is supposing the kit is a true 1:100 scale.
 
I wouldn't worry about the rigging at this point; the sizes of all the rigging lines are given in the book in inches circumference which is the norm.
 
To convert say the Main stay which is 101/2" circ.  to mm diameter which is the norm for scale line the calculation is:-
 
10.5" circ  divided by 3.142 = 3.342"(dia) x 25.4 = 84.88mm (dia) divided by 100 (your scale) = 0.85mm diameter line (or nearest)
 
Similarly the six pounder guns carried by Blandford are listed as being 7' 6" long, so at your scale  that is 90" x 25.4 = 2286mm divided by 100 = 22.86mm long.
 
I think the Blandford book will contain all you need to  improve your kit.
 
Hope this helps.
 
Cheers,
 
B.E.

Thanks all! Greg the squares are 1 cm so a bit larger than you thought.
 
Time to make the cleats that will support the blocks from the mast. For one second I thought of setting up the mill but decided to make the cleats by hand. Glad I did, it's fun to do and there is something about cutting wood with a well honed chisel. A couple of files did the rest.
 

 

 

 

 
I made the cleats for both the fore and the main mast the same size, not sure if this is correct.
 
Remco

Time for a small update.  Didn't want Andy to sail off without some fond memories.
 
We have ventured into the realm of running rigging (the brown stuff) with the installation of the spanker boom and gaff.  Their addition has certainly filled out the stern.
 
It was a little hard getting the right background but I think you'll get the idea.  She has now reached her full LOA.
 

 

 

 
Will be moving forward now with topmast halliards, etc. before we get to YARDwork  .

For those who may not wish to go to the trouble of making their own serving machines there is one available from Shipahoy Models based in Boston USA.

 

I came across the link on the old MSW. Here are the contact details.
 
Robert Prezioso shipahoymodels@yahoo.com
 
B.E.
 
 

Hi Mark,
 
I was alerted to your build by your question on rigging, your craftsmanship and artistry are of the highest order.
 
Bellona is a beautiful ship and you are building a wonderful model of her, a pleasure to see.
 
Regards,
 
B.E.

Hi Pat, I think there was  more than a touch of artistic licence taken in portraying some of those below decks scenes, and some of the deck heights are very suspect.
 
The differences in below deck space between say Victory of 1765, and Warrior of 1860 are quite marked, it's very interesting to do back to back tours of both ships, and see the advances made in living conditions between the two eras.
 
B.E.

Hello Mark,
 
Lees refers to the Breast B/S set up in the usual fashion ie with deadeyes, but considers that very few English ships carried them, basing his view on having found only two contemporary models of ships of 1719 and 1733 fitted with them, and then presumably a model circa 1839 also with them.
 
Lees differentiates between a Breast b/s and a running breast b/s which is set up with the tackle on the channels.It may be that by the time Steel was writing, breast backstay (with tackles) was the norm as the other form had not been in use for many years and there was no need to specify between the two.
 
In the AotS book Bellona by Brian lavery he shows 3pr of standing b/s on the Fore topmast and what he also calls a Fore Breast b/s  having the tackle and falls set up. He shows on the main topmast in addition to the three pr of standing b/s a shifting b/s, something Lees says were not generally seen. A breast b/s is not shown on the main Topmast.
 
Longridge writing about rigging his model of Victory decribes three forms of topmast b/s, standing, breast and shifting and he includes all three on his model on the fore and Main topmasts.
 
Personally if I were rigging  Bellona I would include the 3 standing pair, and the breast b/s (with tackles) on both Fore and Main Topmasts.
 
B.E.
 
 
 
 

Hi Daniel, I've looked thro' my reference sources but can't find any specific information on the tray sizes as yet. There is a lot of stuff on the organisation of messes, collection of food, and even that a lot of sailors had their own plates, bowls and cutlery.
 
Here's a shot of a table in the Gunroom of Victory which may help you to gauge the tray size. Note the pewter plates and drinking  vessels.
Not sure how authentic the table is, but pehaps the Petty Officers of the gunroom had  a better arrangement.
 
Boudriot isn't of much help in relation to British ships, as the French rank and file ate sitting on the deck out of communal  mess  bowls, they didn't have individual  plates and bowls. The Petty Officers fared somwhat better having tables to sit at.
 
If I come across anything more I will post it.
 
M.
 
 

Thanks, Ryland, Bob, Grant and Alistair.
 
Here are the final photos.  By the way, the mounting is only temporary. The model will go in a case. Now that this project is done, I am going to try to redo my prior build logs for Fair American, Kingfisher and Syren, at least in very summary fashion.
 
Bob

The picket boat is now complete. I have set the steam plant components in place and have rigged the funnel guy lines to eyebolts in the funnel and rail. With that, work on the model is done.
 
My camera battery required recharging, so I'll post a few more photos of the finished model tomorrow.
 
Building this model was a pleasure. I will again commend the kit designer, Bob Crane, and Model Expo for a fine product. I would recommend it to anyone with or without experience.
 
Bob

I use Carr's Metal Black for Brass
 
Here's my kit.
 

 
The  Blackening  solution is diluted by 30% with de-ionised water.
 
My procedure is:-
 
A dip in the acid dip, then scrub.
 
A dip in the neutralising rinse.
 
Insert in the blackening solution until evenly black, (less than a minute.)
 
A dip in the de ionised water.
 
Blow dry with a hairdryer.
 
Leave for a few hours
 
Coat with Humbrol mattcote varnish.
 
This is the result on my Pegasus guns.
 

 
If the finish isn't quite even enough after the solution dip, I rub off and re dip.
 
Not really had a problem with blackening guns, the secret is I think the thorough clean and scrub before blackening, and the sealing of the surface afterwards.
 
B.E.
 
 

Great work Doris, such beauty, such wonderful execution, the headworks are a marvel to behold.
 
A pleasure to see.
 
B.E.

Nice job on the planking Alex, I really like the look of her.
 
Regards,
 
B.E.

I'm jumping around a lot currently.  I have a back-log of things I want to work out.  With each little task, though they're not directly related or in order, I feel like I gain some knowledge that might help dissipate some of the "fog" that lays ahead, and make the way forward clearer.  That probably sounds overly dramatic, but I'm really slowly feeling my way at this point.   I'm pretty happy with how it's turning out! but there is trepidation.   Some of the things I've been concerned about for a long time.  Like the dead-eyes.  The fact that I didn't have an answer for them was weighing me down a bit.  
 
 
My problem was that, in seeing the web site photos from a lot of supply places, the holes aren't really in the right places on the dead-eyes.  They shouldn't really be an equilateral  triangle in the center, at least from what I've learned about a ship of my era.  But even if that was the desired location, the variation from piece to piece looked pretty bad.  On the other hand, I've seen fantastic examples on here of folks making their own with great results.   But they all have lathes, and precise equipment.  What to do?
 
Then, today, I saw Russ' post in his cross section log, and the light went on.  In making his dead-eyes he used a jig based on Underhill's, and though I own the book, I hadn't though to look at it.  I have now, and the technique is do-able.
 
I have a couple of pieces of old dowel in my wood supply, that I hadn't measured.  I'm not sure what kind of wood they are, but lo and behold they are the two sizes that I need for my dead-eyes.  The dowel for the larger size isn't perfectly round, so I'll have to figure out if I can deal with it, or whether I need to buy more.  But it's good enough to practice on.
 
First comes some brass fabrication: a ring of brass strip made to the size of the dead-eye.  And a brass "plate" with the guide holes for drilling the dead-eyes (for the plate I used some thin brass sheet that could be cut with regular scissors)--
 

 
 
They need to then be soldered together--
 
 
 
 
My first attempt didn't quite make it.  The holes, though nicely symmetrical, were not close enough together.  I unsoldered the ring, and a process of slow refinement took place.  After six or so tries to get the right spacing, I settled on the piece on the far left--
 

 
 
Soldering was tricky.  Due to my single overhead light and shadows, it was hard to tell if I was putting the ring precisely where it needed to be to put the holes in the right spot.  But this version looked good--
 

 
 
The little jig is then simply placed over the end of the dowel, and the holes drilled--
 

 
Then the dead-eye's contours are fine-tuned with a file, and it's cut off the end of the dowel.  The result was pretty good.  The spacing isn't perfect, but I think it's okay--
 

 

 
 
I learned a few things to improve as I go forward (like making sure the holes are drilled straight through--the back side of my test piece doesn't look as good as the front!), and I need to decide whether to use the dowels I have or maybe something better, but I'm just happy that this looks like it's going to work!
 
 
Ron     

I set about reducing a square cherry piece to a dowel for the larger dead-eyes.   The piece was a little over 1/4" square--9/32" to be exact.  I needed to get it down to 3/16".
 
This was done all by sandpaper.  First sanding it square down to just a hair over 3/16"--
 

 
 
Then, sanding at a 45 degree angle on the 4 corners of the square, creating an octagon.  Then just twisting the piece in a loop of sandpaper until it was round.  I used 80 grit, then 160, and finally smoothed it a bit with 320--
 
 
 

 
 
(The caliper in this picture was set to millimeters--it shows just under 5 mm)
 
 
Yes, it took a long time, but I was in no rush.
 
Then I used the jig, drilled the holes and roughed out a deadeye--
 

 

 
 
I'm not sure how thick to make the deadeyes.  I need to work with the shroud line, and chain links to determine this.
 
My short list of the next steps is--(1) finish my experimentation on how to make the deadeyes (I don't necessarily need to make them all yet, just settle in my mind how I'm going to do it).   (2) experiment with making belaying pins, (3) make the pinrails.
 
 
Ron

You are a fine artist Doris and a true inspiration to all model makers.
I am pleased to see your work once again.
 
B.E.

Nice job on the planking Alex, I really like the look of her.
 
Regards,
 
B.E.

Thank you Karl. 
 
Thanks Mark, it's just a line for positioning. I have to make a special cleat and rope to attach the blocks to the tops. You'll see.
 
Mark II, here's the how to. I used this link to understand how it works: http://www.animatedknots.com/spliceshort/index.php?Categ=splicing&LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.animatedknots.com
 

First the length I need is laid out and tied off at both ends. The tips of the ropes are dipped in CA to prevent from unraveling
 

The ends are brought together and tied again
 

Then the lines are spliced using a needle, it took some time to understand how this works as its quite confusing 
 

I opened the eye of the needle so I can insert the rope easily
 

The finished splice
 

The loop is glued to the block
 

And then seized at both ends
 

 
The result
 
 
Remco
 

It feels great to be back in the shipyard after some absence due to work and holiday. So got my building report out of page 47 and undusted it ...
 
A friend of mine once said, it is no etch, if it doesn´t hurt, so I tried one of the last parts, with some tiny lilies ...
 

 
... but I think they still need some water to grow a tad ...
 
:-)
 
XXXDAn

Thank you, blue ensign, i hope, i can serve you with my log.
 
On he last picture, the stern-section is build and i will show you my way.
First, i think about a simple key to build those section. I found a way on the modellboard.net. The plywood i saw in various parts, all parts a little bit different (the foot was longer) from the other and glue the stern together on the last bulkhead.
 

 
So i became a smooth bowline and i have enough plywood for sanding the rigth form.
 
Sanding was very easy, because the bulkheads are removeable and i can easy replace them for sanding and control.
 

 
After the stern is sandet, i saw holes for the windows in it. To find the rigth position i use the plan and mark the windows with pencil and cut out with my Proxxon. I saw small cuts into for the frames of the windows and glue veneer stripes (0,6mm thickness, 1mm breadth) and the first windows are ready.
 

 
For the galleries on the side i use he same procedure.
 

 

 
You can see the various plywood sections glued together and cutted for becoming a window.
 
On Upper-Deck i will have a large front of windows and doors, i made them nearly in the same way, only stripes of plywood and Veneer and glued on the plan to find the rigth positions. Cutting sluts for frames are easy way for making windows. And making windows directly on a copy of the plan makes it very easy.
 

 
The glass of the windows will be lead-glass. I print the glass on my laser-printer on printer-foil. To find out the structure, i construct the glass by using a scan of the plan in COREL DRAW.
 

 
Easy to make various glass with a laser-printer!
 

 
Thicker and thinner lead, you must only change the thickness of the lines. Next step is glueing the glass into the window-section and glueing the windows on the rigth place.
 

 
Here you can see inside the captains cabin. Later, you will only remember, because you will see only shades.
 

 
Here is the stern with colour and "glass" planked in the same way like the body of the ship before.
 
After a big failure, i cut the stem and stern and replace they with newer parts, a work for round twoo weeks... But, i learned more and more during the build and is use several hints on your logs, so i will thank you for showing and posting your ways in modelling!
 
Now, the hull is nearly ready, i begun to plank the gundeck. In the same way like the hull i cut a few planks and i use black colour (charcoal for painting) to black the sides of the planks. I glue the planks on deck with PONAL-EXPRESS, so i can glue a few  in one hour. After glueing i sand the deck and the charcoal makes an "used-look"-effect.
 

 

 
I try to make "treenails". A way i see in this forum and i bougth some hypodermic needles and cut the tip, so i have a round ring on tip of the needle. Then i use candle-ligth and heat the tip of the needle nearly yellow-red and a half second later i press wih ligth pressure on the position of the "treenail" on the plank.
 

 

 
Thats all for now, update coming later.
 
Best regards!
 
 
 

Most important messages fast set ...  
 

 

... there she sails, the proud frigate, only the storm jib set, driven by the devastating energy of the elements, riding the crests, her flag beaming with pride, being pushed by her crew to the limit, always facing abyss and downfall!
 

 
The crew is fighting the elements, the earth is splashing high, each hand movement is set with precision. With concision our master guides this pride of the austrian mountain marine towards new shores ... 
 

 


  

... my Heart will go ooooo-o-ho-o-n ...


 
 
 
 

... and the crew becomes one.

  
 

 
But what is this? The pilot missed the ship? Still stands on the far off 
shore? This in these extremely difficult waterways? Hastily the crew puts up the blue and yellow flag ...
 

 
  

... but he? He stays calm ...

  
 

 


... he knows that he is best equipped ...

 
 

 
 

... and so he keeps sailing towards Victory :-)
  



 

 
Epilogue:
Sometimes later, I was taken out of that wonderful dream, being sent downhill again. But this moment, I took it with me ☺
 
Liebe Grüße, Daniel
 
The complete story to be found in german:
http://www.segelschiffsmodellbau.com/t532f317-SMS-Trinkstein-in-schweren-Wellenbergen.html

Now, i will research some datas and post it after a translation by babylon 10. I hope, this will work.
 
The beginning.
 
I start the build after an massive infection by a build-log on modellmarine.de
 
I bougth some plywood, the famous "Architectura Navalis Mercatoria"   and a bottle of PONAL-EXPRESS.
First of all, i scanned the plan and resize it to my scale 1:72.
This will be a waterline-model. I found, in 1:72 each bulkhead is 10mm in thickness. Wonderful, every trader for plywood in germany has 10mm ply to sale!
Then i saw all (round 60) bulkheads (i bougt a PROXXON DSH for sawing) and he first step was done.
 

 
I marked he line of the middle and sand the body step by step to the form. Not ready, the last sanding will start afer glueing. At this time all bulkheads are free removable and this is a great hint, when i must saw a new one after a failure...
 

 
Plywood comes from poplar (ligth wood) and beech (darker colour). his is for good stability and easier sanding.
Next step was the gundeck. I use the plan and cut a paper for the rigth bowline and mark those with a pencil. Then i saw along the line. No problem, i saw always beneath the line, so i can sand all bulkheads to the rigth form.
 

 
After sawing i controlled the form by placing the bulkhead beneath the others.
 

 
The removeable bulkheads makes the easiest way walkable to find positions for gunports and other marks. I use the plan, places the bulkhead on the rigth position and mark with a pencil all positions.
 

 
Cutting is very easy and each bulkhead can easy rebuilt afte a failure.
 

 
62 bulkheads later, the body is ready for planking. The planks are cutted from maple veneer, using a sharp knife and a ruler. I made a few and cut all 3mm in breadth, 60mm in length and the veneer is nearly 0,6mm thick.
 

 
For cutting it is very good to use paper-rulers. I made a few with my laser-printer using CorelDraw. I show you the picture, you are free to use a print of it. Or you search in IKEA, their paper-rulers are nearly 100mm long and free.
 

 
Be sure you use the rulers in the rigth way. The rigth position is 90 degrees to the wood grain. So you will become easy a few of planks in one or two hours. Note: call a carpenter for veneer, sometimes they will have litle quantity useless in ther firewood...
 
Here you can see the jupiter planked. The thicker and blacked planks are only three planks glued together. So i can use one plank for all types... Coloured with oil-colour for painting like Schmincke or others.
 

 
Thats all for today. Will updated in some days. Hope, you will enjoy my way of modelling.
 
Best regards!
 
 

Continuing...
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
She will now take her place in the Dining Room to compliment the Naval cutter model that I bashed quite some time ago.
 

They are a good match I think, and more importantly have the full approval of Mrs W
 
Specific reference works I have used during this build I list here.
 
The Naval Cutter Alert -  Peter Goodwin  (Conway AotS series)
 
The Global schooner - KH Mardquardt
 
The Colonial Schooner - H. Hahn.
 
Rigging Fore and Aft Craft - Lennarth Petersson
 
News of Nelson John Lapenotiere's race from Trafalgar to London  - Derek Allen and Peter Hore
 
My thanks to all who have  made such supportive comments on this log which I hope will provide a useful reference to those contemplating the build.
 
Regards,
 
B.E.
 

Completion Photos
 
This post concludes my log of a nine month build.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
More to follow
 
B.E.