Moonbug

My method for the stealer isn't really historically accurate, but I still think is a pretty functional way of handling my botched math. I ensured that planks didn't come to a sharp taper, and basically did a combo - split stealer - kinda deal to fill the remaining section. I started by gluing two of the planks together to create a wider double plank. Then I cut off the ends to create the same kind of butt that I use in a more 'traditional' stealer in the stern section. I traced out what needed to be filled then put a brand new blade in the x-acto to cut out and match the section to piece I created. Filling in the stern stealers rounded out the second layer. These pictures are all before any sanding of course.

Second layer of planking has been ongoing. Probably should've made a few posts as I went - so don't think this post represents the second layer all done at once or any of that kind of madness. All my planking is done simultaneous to things like grates and deck fixtures. As @SpyGlass mentioned above, I needed to do a fair amount of trimming prior to the second layer, so that's where I start. Curbing the stern and crating a new rabbet for the walnut planks. After that, I split the hull into three sections instead of the four I used for the initial layer. These 'divider' planks are just tacked there to help me count out the planks. I then started planking from the bottom up and top down to meet in the middle. The kit provides walnut planks for the second layer, but there's some pretty significant inconsistency in terms of color - so I did my best to separate the planks to get some coloring that was at least in the same ballpark. As you'll see later - I was only partially successful. We'll see how the bulwarks end up and then I'll decide whether or not to do any staining - even though most of the planking is painted in some fashion. I took the lessons I learned from the first planking and did a whole bunch of measuring and math to try and figure out how much to taper the planks for each section of the hull. If you take a look at some of the pictures you'll see lots of little notes and marks along the way. Here's the thing - while I definitely think this all benefitted me - it still ended up basically being 'best guess' with me measuring out the last section one bit at a time. After soaking and bending wood - it never seems to return to the same size, or I'm off by a fraction of a millimeter or something. Honestly, I think I'd have had more success with a harder wood like box or pear - but I didn't really want to fork over the extra cash. I've already invested quite a bit into the deck wood as well as ropes, canons and other miscellaneous stuff. Besides - I was pretty sure I was going to end up coppering the hull. From there it's pretty much what we've all seen before. Measure, soak, mount, dry, glue. When I got to the final middle section I realized a couple of things - I botched the measurements at the stern and didn't taper correctly. I was thrown off by the "L shape" and didn't get the math right. This lead to a pretty wonky looking section that needed to be filled. So I used cardstock to take a template and try and measure out what needed to be done. In the end, it was pretty clear I was going to need a stealer regardless.

This is a must in nearly every occasion...

Hey Bob - I ordered the soldering paste from a website called wirejewelry.com. They were pretty prompt with the order, so I was happy with them. Not knowing the metal requirements, I ordered one each of soft, medium, and hard as well as some spray flux. I already had the torch - it's basically just a culinary torch I bought years ago from a department store. I watched a handful of silver soldering videos on YouTube, then It took a little getting used to.

I will totally be blaming the tool.

I've done more damage and used more profanity trying to use a pin pusher... I either end up using a tool similar to the one Jaager has shown, or when possible I find a way to 'squeeze' the pin into place.

Man - that's a nice looking one @druxey! Thanks @Blue Ensign - I was a little cautious of it being too elaborate; as you also noted in your build. I wanted a nice touch, but not necessarily something that looked out of place for the rest of the ship. Seriously - thanks to you two and everyone else. Hopefully this thread will serve as a good reference for others look for binnacle options and research.

Really nicely done - and, the combination of workmanship and photography skills make it a good source of reference for others.

Thanks @Gregory and @druxey - really appreciate the input. I have Mondfeld's book also and I looked through his info as well as "The Sailing Frigate" by Robert Gardiner and the pretty popular shot of the binnacle from the Victory that's floating around. I finally decided on a lamp in the middle, a compass on the left, and a 'boxed' compass on the right. Here's what I ended up with - posted over in my build: https://modelshipworld.com/topic/30091-hms-pegasus-1776-by-moonbug-victory-models-164/page/2/#comment-863975

As evidenced by my post in the "deck furniture" section of the forum, I've also been working on the binnacle. This is a super prominent pieced of deck furniture and undoubtedlyl draws attention from viewers. After looking at a variety of sources consistent with not only Swan class ships, but also other ships at the time - I decided that my binnacle was an opportunity for a little artistic license. I didn't want to "over-do" it in terms of adornment, because I don't think that's consistent with either the Pegasus (a humble vessel in her own right) or other sloops. I ended up with a combination of Mondfeld's notes, some research from "The Sailing Frigate" by Robert Gardiner (which coincidentally has the same model to which @druxey referred me), the binnacle aboard the Victory, and other folks' build logs. Putting it together was pretty basic using boxwood and added a little bit of 'flair' to the feet and edges. I went with two compasses (one open on the left and the other still in the 'box' on the right) and a lamp in the middle and the vent holes for the lamp in the rear. I used the kit's pre-fab binnacle parts as a sale gauge. The "compass" on the left - that you'll sorta-but-not-really see inside was part of some leftover brass photo-etched pieces from one of the Tamiya WWII planes I've put together. The "boxed" compass on the right is some random leftover piece from the San Juan Nepomuceno kit. The Lamp is a combination of a brass tube cut off and topped with some random piece I had lying around that kinda looked like a lamp with a wick. I literally have no idea where it came from. Contrary to the picture above, I didn't actually use glaze for the windows because that jar was rock hard. Instead I used a little piece of plastic from a random container. You can't tell in the picture, you can actually see the lamp and other bits inside when a little light is shined through.

My supplies from a jewelry supply place came in - thanks @Blue Ensign for the tips on silver soldering! After some playing around a learning the ropes - I made my first attempts at it to create the pump cranks! As B.E. mentioned, the trickiest part (at least for me) was getting everything held in place and held still for soldering. I blackened the pieces subsequently. All of the posts and pumps (and capstan) are temporarily placed and will get some touching up prior to final placement.

More to come in the log Drux - but here’s a tease of my interpretation of the binnacle:

It's all about the 5 P's - Preplanning prevents **** poor performance. I know the feeling of anxiety right before you start planking. Just remember - go with the flow - even though you've got it all planned out, there are always imperfections and variations. Don;'t sweat it - you're going to do great!

Ha! That’s amazing! Is this one of those “Sorry, not sorry” kind of situations? 😆 Gotta show us all that display when you get her done.

Not sure how many Pocher fans are out there, but I ordered this 1/4 scale Ducati abut a year ago. I put it together a month or so ago. First production run so a few errors on the instructions, etc - but all in all pretty sweet. The box gives you an idea of the size of the thing.

I wanted to post a short update since it's been almost a week. Last week I had laser eye surgery, so time in the hobby room has been limited. The surgery went fabulous; a little weird having to wear reading glasses to do the work as I'm using being able to see up close and that's it. Anyway - the big thing is not being able to get dust or anything in your eyes for a week or so; not conducive to woodwork... In the interim, I have been able to do some second layer planking - taking it very slowly. I'll have a more detailed post on second layer planking forthcoming. But I also took the opportunity to do a little bit of inventory of wood and some general tidying up in the hobby room. Thought it might be interesting to see the cave.

Thanks Drux for digging up the resource. Given a peripheral discussion in another forum, I'm pretty tempted to chastise you and sulk for providing me with information that differs from my expectation - but I'll resist. 😆

Welcome aboard Smokey - my guess is; if you can't find it here, you'll at least find where to find it.

Hello all - I've rooted around a bit in both my books and here and I think I've got a decent idea of what I'd like to do for the binnacle on Peg. My question is this - When and in what cases did the vent start to appear on binnacles to account for the lamp? Was this more regional than dated?

Beautiful planking job.

Thanks for the comments gents. And thanks for the info BE - I already have a micro burner and some pretty decent setups for "holding" small parts in pace. Here I was trying to use a traditional soldering iron and roll of solder. I'll definitely order some tube style soldering and give it some practice! I've got a handful of swivel guns to create coming up - so this will be very helpful.

Here are the post sanding picks. I know this borders on sacrilege to the purists out there... but I gave it a first pass using my really cool Dremel/rotary tool extension and a 60 grit tip on slow speed. The extension allows you to hold it like a pencil and really lightly and specifically cover areas. After I evened out the hull in general terms, I gave it more traditional sanding with 150, 220, 400, and 600 grit. There are a few slight gaps that I filled in with glue/sawdust (which is why they show up a little darker) or "Wonderfill". Next steps are to carve out a new rabbet line for the second planking layer, then I'm going to draw out the planking plans with pencil onto the light wood so I can scale out the necessary tapering and (possibly) stealers.

Very nicely done - clean work.

Good morning @BobG, Thanks for the comments. My soldering iron is a K-Tronic 3020. I do like it quite a bit. Honestly - I didn't put too much effort into research, I just looked for a reasonably priced model, but a variable temperature was a must. It heats up quickly and works well - so I'm pleased.

Hey Mark - as someone who struggles with planking, I still admire your work here. Also understanding we are rightfully our own strictest critics.