jwvolz

Sophie is safely mounted on her base now (should have been done a long, long time ago in the process...)
 
The base is Canarywood, which I routed a simple round-over  edge onto, leaving a small lip. The pedestals are Model Shipways brass. I had to shorten the slot depth with a razor saw as they were too deep for the keel. Scratches and dings were polished out and then I rubbed them down with Scothbrite to give them a brushed finish. I was going to seal them with lacquer, but decided I'll let them tarnish naturally, which will look good next to the copper. 
 
 



 
 

Another long overdue update. I have done a good bit of work over the last few months, but again have been bad with the documentation.
 
Anyway...Standing rigging is complete. Again, obviously I did a ton of work with no updates. That was no mere few days of effort. 
 
I've also gotten the boom and gaff rigged. Line is from a variety of sources and all of the blocks are from Syren. Finally the launch was installed and secured in place. 

Making rigging progress.
 
Will have more details once I get back from the dentist.  But here is what the longboat looks like today.
 
Just have the bowsprit to install and some running rigging.  Almost there.
 
Gaff was rigged first...then it was time for the shrouds followed by the backstays.  Most of the lines were attached prior to placing this on the model.
 

 


 
Deadeys and shrouds are hooked to the straps.  So they were prepared ahead of time.  Including the straps and hooks for the backstays.
 

Finally the forestay...
 


Note how the straps were bent to fit around the molding.  

The shrouds, backstays and forestay were served but only where they are seized around the mast.  The area served extends about 1" below the where it was seized.   This is an optional detail.  You dont have to do this.  But it does look good.

 
Chuck

Work continues on stern decoration. CNC machining could be very frustrating.
I have great difficulties with machining, due to unexpected movement of tool into the part (-Z axis). Full inspection of machine was needed incl. mechanical and electrical parts. Also programming was changed and I finally (after two weeks of work and several destroyed parts/ tools) managed to get undamaged part. 
Windows were also made from 0,3mm transparent plastic sheet.

The cap rail has been completed, painted, the friezes added and the molding under the frieze scraped to shape and added.
 

 

 

 

 
As you can see there is still some paint touch up needed on the cap rail. Once I'm satisfied the paint is done I'll move on to start the simulated nails on the hull planking.
 
 

The lower yards are now in place and some of the rigging is complete. I'm rigging them according to the brig Irene book. It's well researched and most of it is backed up by Steel and Levers. Note the crossjack yard only has a parrel and sling, no jeers per the book and well explained there. 

Sophie is safely mounted on her base now (should have been done a long, long time ago in the process...)
 
The base is Canarywood, which I routed a simple round-over  edge onto, leaving a small lip. The pedestals are Model Shipways brass. I had to shorten the slot depth with a razor saw as they were too deep for the keel. Scratches and dings were polished out and then I rubbed them down with Scothbrite to give them a brushed finish. I was going to seal them with lacquer, but decided I'll let them tarnish naturally, which will look good next to the copper. 
 
 



 
 

That looks really good for being a synthetic. Doesn't have the usual "plastic" look to it. I'm intrigued...

That looks really good for being a synthetic. Doesn't have the usual "plastic" look to it. I'm intrigued...

That looks really good for being a synthetic. Doesn't have the usual "plastic" look to it. I'm intrigued...

That looks really good for being a synthetic. Doesn't have the usual "plastic" look to it. I'm intrigued...

The lower yards are now in place and some of the rigging is complete. I'm rigging them according to the brig Irene book. It's well researched and most of it is backed up by Steel and Levers. Note the crossjack yard only has a parrel and sling, no jeers per the book and well explained there. 

So I've finally had some free time and completed the first planking (I also installed some new overhead LED lighting which are making a world of difference in lighting up the workshop).  I used my palm orbital sander to sand the hull down - it's a great tool that makes sanding much easier and quicker for jobs like these.  I need to do some touch ups and finalize the heights of the bulwarks, but figured I could do that once I had a better idea of how things were lining up with the gunports, rails, etc.  Wont need much filler at all, but I want to take another look at the top area near the stem, where the bulkheads seem to suggest a more vase-like curvature:

 
Before doing all that, I spent considerable time measuring and adjusting the bulkheads.  Part of the issue is that the replacement keel Euromodel sent me to replace the kit's warped keel was itself slightly warped with a very tiny twist beginning near the eighth bulkhead.  I thought I had largely resolved it (using blocks and wood brackets between the bulkheads), but when looking at the stern directly from the back I noticed that there was a slight lean about 2mm towards port.  That meant that the starboard side was too high and too far to the midline, and the port side was too low and and a touch too far to port.  So that required hours of measuring, adding/subtracting material, etc.  Everything now looks much more symmetrical and square.  It was a pain, but I'm glad I took the time.
 
I also had to make some adjustments to the quarterdeck area bulkhead tops.  As PiratePete notes in his very helpful build notes, BH 14 needed extra material.  I also ended up having to add material to BH 11 - BH 13 to varying degrees to get the proper slope to the quarterdeck.  I noticed, however, that one of the plans has the quarterdeck more level while another plan has it more on an incline.  I went with the latter and will deal with it once I am closer to installing the quarterdeck.  I also added material to the ledge where the rear balcony sits (just aft of the stern extensions in the picture below).  In part I needed to adjust for the twist in the keel.  The plans also suggest that the balcony is a touch higher than where the kit parts end up, but that might ultimately depend on how I build the balcony.  In any event, I can remove any excess height from that area when I figure out what needs to be done.

 
The plans can be somewhat inconsistent with one another which can be frustrating, but they are usually pretty close.  Much better than the Corel Unicorn where measurements differed by as much as 5-10mm amongst the plans!  I imagine this is one of the issues builders had to contend with when kit bulkheads were/are hand cut and plans hand drawn.  New kits probably are a lot more precise and consistent with laser cutting and computerized plans.
 
I'm pretty excited about how things are coming out - it looks more like a ship every day.  It's also got a lot of curves and some decorative elements that should make for a nice model.  It's been fun in the meantime as this kit, as I understand other Euromodel kits, bridges a little of the gap between pure kit builds and scratch builds.  It's also been fun and a big learning experience comparing notes with PiratePete, whose build notes are a real asset for people building this kit or other Euromodel kits.
 
Happy holidays!

The lower yards are now in place and some of the rigging is complete. I'm rigging them according to the brig Irene book. It's well researched and most of it is backed up by Steel and Levers. Note the crossjack yard only has a parrel and sling, no jeers per the book and well explained there. 

hi all
time for a short update......been busy making a few fittings.
gunports are now fitted...just need to get the ropes rigged.
still lots to do but the list is getting smaller!!
 
festive greetings to one and all
 
cheers....mick

The lower yards are now in place and some of the rigging is complete. I'm rigging them according to the brig Irene book. It's well researched and most of it is backed up by Steel and Levers. Note the crossjack yard only has a parrel and sling, no jeers per the book and well explained there. 

Done with deck except for clear coat. Starboard side fought tooth and nail to go off the rails, starting when I managed to put a big belly sweep into the first nibbed plank that's supposed to be all nice and straight. I had to make wider planks and then taper the rest of them on the starboard side to slowly remove that bend over four planks, lots and lots of fitting and sanding. But it looks reasonable now.
 
 

Post 56
Inboard Fittings
With the deck laid there are areas requiring re-touching, and the treenails to be added.
I pondered a little about doing the treenails, as I don't think Chuck added them. In the end I decided to add them.
I mixed a fresh batch of filler tinted with a paler tone to fill the around 600 0.6mm holes.

4893
The deck is then re-scraped for a final time before sealing. I use 'Admiralty' brand Flat Matt Varnish. A water based varnish which I don't particularly like, but it does give an unvarnished look to the deck whilst at the same time sealing it.

4897
The treenails are barely visible, which is the effect I was after.

4899
With completion of the deck it's all about fittings from this point on.
Windlass
This is the most prominent and interesting deck fitting on Cheerful, and I am using Chuck's beautifully thought out mini-kit for the purpose.

4865
I have decided to leave the barrel of the windlass natural but paint the standards red.
Associated with the windlass is the Bowsprit Step and pawls Bitt; these are assembled next. Again I have used a Chuck mini kit; it fits together with very little adjustment and very nice it is too.

4862

4863
Not completed at this point, these two items along with the Bowsprit will be considered together a little later in the build.
Elm Tree Pumps
Once again I avail myself of Chuck's little mini kit.
The provided square stock for the body does need converting into the traditional octagonal shape, and for this I bring a little 'V' jig into use, last used on my Pegasus build.

4944
The body parts are only 20mm long so it helps to have a method of securing them whilst the octagons are formed.

4952
A busy day in the workshop, and Cheerful has to make way on the bench.
The body does need drilling out and the centres were marked prior to shaping.

4948
The hollow centres were drilled out on my mill using a 3mm bit.
A little bit of fettlin' of pump handle and brackets and they're ready to assemble.

4970
For the iron bands around the body I use slices of heat shrink tubing, a thing I favour for this type of feature.

4966
Undecided as yet whether to leave the Brake handles and discharge pipes natural.
 
There is still the Winch to do but Shock, horror, 😲 I find there is no comforting little mini kit from Chuck which means I must shake myself out of complacency and do a bit of scratching.
So this seems to be a good point to end the posts for 2018 and thank all my fellow builders for their interest, support, and help over the past twelve months.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from me and my stalwart Shipyard Assistant, William.
 
B.E
21/12/2018
 
 

The lower yards are now in place and some of the rigging is complete. I'm rigging them according to the brig Irene book. It's well researched and most of it is backed up by Steel and Levers. Note the crossjack yard only has a parrel and sling, no jeers per the book and well explained there. 

The lower yards are now in place and some of the rigging is complete. I'm rigging them according to the brig Irene book. It's well researched and most of it is backed up by Steel and Levers. Note the crossjack yard only has a parrel and sling, no jeers per the book and well explained there. 

The lower yards are now in place and some of the rigging is complete. I'm rigging them according to the brig Irene book. It's well researched and most of it is backed up by Steel and Levers. Note the crossjack yard only has a parrel and sling, no jeers per the book and well explained there. 

The lower yards are now in place and some of the rigging is complete. I'm rigging them according to the brig Irene book. It's well researched and most of it is backed up by Steel and Levers. Note the crossjack yard only has a parrel and sling, no jeers per the book and well explained there. 

The lower yards are now in place and some of the rigging is complete. I'm rigging them according to the brig Irene book. It's well researched and most of it is backed up by Steel and Levers. Note the crossjack yard only has a parrel and sling, no jeers per the book and well explained there. 

Greetings David and OC,  thank you for your nice comments and thank you all for the likes.
 
Finished the upper gun deck lighting and all fittings in place.
 
Beams fitted and lanterns in place all wired up and tested.  I will paint all wiring in white to make them less conspicuous.



 
Lanterns fitted on the sides of the skid beams.

 
 Lanterns under skid beams with quarter deck dry fitted.


 
Image with lanterns on without quarter deck.

 
Images with quarterdeck dry fitted.



 
It is a pity that a lot of the lighting effect is not easily seen with the quarter deck fitted.
 
Robert

Thank you Wallace, 
 
Finally fixing the fittings I have been preparing for the upper gun deck
 
A quick jig to glue the ladders in place


 
Carriages glued in place with breaching rope eyelets fixed to the bulwark.

Tackles at the back of the carriages finished with a hook I made from the eyelets (480) supplied with the kit.
 
I added some detail to the cannons that will be showing through skid beam assembly.  I bought these monograms from Syren Ship Model Company.

 
 
Carriages all glued in place.

 
 
Finishing the tackles at the back of the cannons.  I found these wire holders really useful to hold the ropes in place while knotting them.

 
 
Making the side tackles



 
Squaring the ends of the pillars.  A piece of grooved scrap wood became very handy.



 
Companionway guard rails in place.

 
I finished the ends of the rails to the truncheons by seizing imitation. Thread wound round a needlepoint, covered with CA glue, pulled out of needle and cut to small pieces. Rail end passed first through one of them, through truncheon and back through seizing imitation.

 
Fittings on Upper gun deck in place.  Pillars are already trimmed to the right height and glued in place, only the Bitt Pins are dry fitted. 




 



 
 
Next step is to fit the beams and wire in the lanterns I have already prepared for the upper gun deck before I glue in the quarter deck.
 
Robert