pollex

Another little progress

 

 

 

 

 

 

Matija

I cut paper patterns for the sails and pinned them up on the shop wall above the profile to see how things would look.  It looked pretty darned good to me,  Let's make some masts!

 
I made the masts using the "Bird's Mouth" method.  There's a lot of math and geometry available on DuckWorks if you're interested in trying this system.  My friend Mark, who was building a 12' skiff at my place, made the skiff's 12' mast using this method.  Made from 12 foot 2x4's, it turned out a mast that was extremely light, and incredibly strong.
 
 
In short, Using the formulas for the size mast you want, you cut strips of whatever wood; in my case white cedar scraps left over from making Constellation's masts and spars.  The bird's mouth is cut into the correct face.  I used a V groove bit in a router set up in a table with finger boards everywhere to hold the work down, and against the fence.  It took a little experimentation and playing around, but I eventually got the grove at the right depth.
screen shot from the noisy video of cutting grooves in strips.
 
These strips do not need to be the length of the mast as you can butt them to get the right length.  Just remember to stagger the butts, and not put any beside each other.  The strips are then glued together.  It's best to lay them out in some order of assembly as you do this.  I used Tightbond III liberally, to glue things up.  Take strips from your layout starting at one end of the mast and work toward the other end.  Use rubber bands to hold things together as you go.  You have to work fast because once it's all together you need to make sure it's straight, and you may need to adjust it, which you can't do once the glue sets.
 
 
Once the mast is made up, check it for alignment, fix it, and let it set up.
 
 
The spar is made 8 sided by planing off the corners.  I then made an 8 sided dowel of pine to slide inside the mast at either end.  The bottom one extends about 2" above where the boom jaws will sit, and extends out of the bottom for the step tenon.  The top one about 2" below where the gaff jaws will land and extends out of the top about 1/2" for the cap tenon.  These pieces primarily stiffen the spar from the step to above the deck, and at the doublings.  The mast is shaved to 16 sides, then a rough 32, and sanded, a lot, to get it round where it's supposed to be.
     
 
I made cross-trees and trestle-trees from the wood I used for the bitts and every joint is pinned with brass rod CAed in place.  The mast head at the doublings was squared and hounds glued and pinned with brass rod.  The mast caps were cut from 3/8" plywood.  I figure there's going to be a lot of stress on this area when she's sailing, so made it as strong and light as I could.
 
 
Pride's mast head furniture was all painted flat black, so, so is the model's.  The rest of the mast was stained and then given a coat of matte clear.  The bottom of the masts were painted a cream color, which I hadn't gotten yet.

Some flowers for Christmas.
Parts in the first picture are almost longer to prepare than to carve.

Continuation.
 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
The beginning of the relationship is available at this address:
 
 
http://5500.forumact...ndre-1-24#66516
 
Regards, Paul

HI all - 
 
After finishing up some other projects and some chores on the "honey-do" list, I am back building the QAR.   Here is my progress.
 
I realized that I had not planned or installed any scuppers from the gun deck to the outside of the hull.  Using a set of outside calipers I located and drilled five on each side of the hull.  I lined them with lead from a wine bottle wrapped around a toothpick, glued, and slid into place.  Once the glue was dry the excess was trimmed with a sharp blade.  They fit well when they were located under the gunports, though this meant that the upper ends in the waterways at the edges of the deck were all hidden by the guns.  Here are two on the port side of the hull.
 
1
 
Next I turned to the guns.  First were the stowed guns on the starboard side.  I played around with the test gun station that I made up a while ago to see how it might have been done.  I figured that the crew would have used the breaching rope and the train tackles which were already available.  I found that the breaching rope could be tightened up through the rings in the bulwark, which would have secured the gun pretty well.  Then the train tackles could run from the eyebolts on the carriage to the hooks in the bulwark.  Once they were tightened the remaining length of running line could be frapped (overwrapped) between the blocks.  I found that two layers perfectly used up the free line.  This seems a workable solution, but there certainly can be others.
 
Note that I have installed a lead vent cover secured with light line, which would have been used to keep water from entering and rusting the vent hole.  
 
2
 
Here is the line of four stowed guns in the waist. The guns are secured with a metal pin through the rear axle and into the deck, which is hidden between the truck and the carriage. There are two others, one forward under the foredeck and one aft under the quarterdeck, which can only be seen at a low angle.  Those that cannot be seen were not installed.  
 
3
 
On the port side the guns are run out, so all of them can be seen to some extent.  The three aftmost and the one in the bow were simplified.  The trucks were replaced with cleats for added glue surface and security, while the capsquares and rigging were not installed.  These were pinned in place as well.
 
4
 
The visible guns were glued to the deck and a metal pin was drilled at an angle through the rear axle and into the deck.  The breaching rope was rigged through the rings in the bulwark and secured to itself with two round seizings.  The rope was softened with water and shaped to 'droop' onto the deck.  Once it was approximately positioned it was painted with dilute pH neutral white glue and teased into final position as the glue dried.  This also secured it to the deck.  The train tackle was rigged from the carriage eyebolts to the bulwark hooks with the running line coiled on deck.  I did not flemish the coil since I do not think that a pirate ship would be that 'shipshape' or fastidious.
 
5
 
As long as I was rigging the guns, I experimented with loading procedures.  I was surprised to see that when the gun was fully run in for loading the back of the carriage covered up the deck ring behind it.  I double checked the length of French six-pounder cannon and the breadth of the deck and they were correct, so it is likely that this was what happened.  The only way I could make the system work was to hook the run-in tackle to the ring on the opposite side of the deck.   
 
6
 
With the copper clips standing in for the gun crew this seems to be a workable solution.  But again, this is speculation and may not be correct.
 
7
 
The rest of the port broadside was installed and rigged.
 
8
 
There are no pumps in Budriot's plans, but they do appear in a photograph of Berti's model of Le Mercure.  His are round, which I did not like, so I made mine hexagonal.  This was done in a straightforward way.  A length of half inch maple dowel was cut and the end marked with a six pointed star.  The lines were extended down the dowel then the wood was carved away between the lines.  The pump bodies were cut to length and the sides adjusted by hand sanding.
 
9
 
The well at the top was drilled, milled and darkened.  Blackened brass reinforcing rings were installed, as was a blackened brass outlet near the base of the pump.  The yoke for the handle was fashioned, installed and secured with three metal pins.  The handle was shaped and given a pivoting lifting bar at the business end that dropped into the well.  The handle was mounted on a metal axle pin through the yoke and the finished pump was given a coat of clear finish.
 
10
 
The completed pumps were installed adjacent to the main mast location.  Their bases had to be angled slightly to match the round-up of the deck, then secured with metal pins into the deck.  The handles are angled outward where they can be accessed easily by the crew without getting in the way of the rigging to come (at least I hope that there will be no problems).  
 
11
 
Using Pirate Pete for comparison, I am happy with the size, scale and look of the pumps.
 
12
 
More soon.  Be well.
 
Dan
 
 
 
 

Thank you, friends!
I finished the planking of the bridge

 

 

 

 

 

 

slow progress because of work committments. Hull is complete. Next job is to install rudder and some accommodation in stern. Where should the galley be positioned? Dick

through the rudder port.

Regarding Diagonal Frame Strapping;
It is my understanding that British clippers were composite built, as illustrated in
George Campbell's book "China Tea Clippers", eg. "Cutty Sark" and "Thermopylae";
whereas most of American clippers had fully Wooden construction. More suitable
wood sources were available in America and Canada, and American clippers were
larger by 1-1/2 or double the British tonnage. Diagonal (iron) strapping would have
been introduced when larger wooden timbers became scarce.  Regards,  pollex

Hi, i have been working on this since 10th May. I make also plastic ships, so i can start on Bon Homme Richard finally, thanks to Holidays.  This was my best project in 3D ever i started, so iam glad it looks like this. After seeing your works, like Pandora i was like - WOW. This is my work. I have to say something before you will see this.
 
I like when the ship is smaller and the cannons,helm,... are bigger than the normal size of the ship :-)
 
Two more photos here http://mcerget.webnode.sk/news/aquila-lod-inspirovana-fregatou/ .

Continuation.
 
I fit components of the deck.
 

 

 

 
 

 

 
 
 
Regards, Paul

binnacle

Monday, September 22, 2014
 
Today I started the final assembly of the pieces so far prepared (keel and bulkhrads). It's a simple job, provided the dry fitting showed no problems, where the only precaution required is to glue the bulkheads so that they are perfectly perpendicular to the keel. 
There are so many ways to get this perpendicularity in gluing the bulkheads, in this case I found it easier to use the method that can be deduced from the photos that follow here below. 
The elements are a plank of squared wood the lines which project on the mounting base the location of each bulkhead. By placing the plank on the pencil line and secure it with a clamp you get the support base for a proper mounting. That's all.
 
01 Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/P1090971_zps391d581b.jpg

 
02 Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/P1090972_zpse3e57f44.jpg

 
03 Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/P1090973_zps54cd7277.jpg

 
04 Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/P1090975_zpsf0002b7f.jpg

 
05 Brick%20de%2024%20Plans/P1090976_zps5c106ed7.jpg

 
For the moment that's all, see you soon. Jack.Aubrey.

"American Clipper Ships" 1833-1858 Vol.2. by Octavius T. Howe & Frederick C. Matthews
     I have just moved and am finding some old "treasures" as I look through my many ship books.
This is an old Dover (1986) publication from Canada which is a delight to read. This Volume 2.
runs from 370 to 780 pages. The original work was published by the Marine Research Society,
Salem in 1926. The ISBN numbers are given as: (Vol.1.)  0-486-25115-2 and (Vol.2.)
0-486-25116-0.  This 1986 purchase cost me C$12.95 in Toronto. I don't know if this book is
still available.  Regards, Pollex
(Note to Admin.) Please move my post to a more appropriate place if this subject has already
been covered. Thanks

Chinese "Treasure Ship" 15th Century
     This is a fascinating picture of a model representing a huge "junk" or ocean-going vessel. This period of
Chinese maritime history has been studied by the British author Gavin Menzies. Gavin is a retired career
naval officer, having formerly been Captain of a Royal Navy submarine. Gavin has written several books
on the subject of Chinese ocean-going ships sailing all over the world, long before Columbus reached
the Caribbean.  Gavin and his research team contend that  Admiral Zheng He 's fleet of ships (several
squadrons each numbering several hundred), sailed around the continents of Africa & Australia, and sailed
up the West and East coasts of South and North America!
     Of particular interest to ship modellers is the fact that an 80' rudder made of wood about 600 years old
was found in China (can't remember the seaport) verifying that a 450' long junk could easily have been
made using teak and ferro-cement compartments.  A large replica has also been made.
     Regards, pollex (Calgary)

Chinese "Treasure Ship" 15th Century
     This is a fascinating picture of a model representing a huge "junk" or ocean-going vessel. This period of
Chinese maritime history has been studied by the British author Gavin Menzies. Gavin is a retired career
naval officer, having formerly been Captain of a Royal Navy submarine. Gavin has written several books
on the subject of Chinese ocean-going ships sailing all over the world, long before Columbus reached
the Caribbean.  Gavin and his research team contend that  Admiral Zheng He 's fleet of ships (several
squadrons each numbering several hundred), sailed around the continents of Africa & Australia, and sailed
up the West and East coasts of South and North America!
     Of particular interest to ship modellers is the fact that an 80' rudder made of wood about 600 years old
was found in China (can't remember the seaport) verifying that a 450' long junk could easily have been
made using teak and ferro-cement compartments.  A large replica has also been made.
     Regards, pollex (Calgary)

Chinese "Treasure Ship" 15th Century
     This is a fascinating picture of a model representing a huge "junk" or ocean-going vessel. This period of
Chinese maritime history has been studied by the British author Gavin Menzies. Gavin is a retired career
naval officer, having formerly been Captain of a Royal Navy submarine. Gavin has written several books
on the subject of Chinese ocean-going ships sailing all over the world, long before Columbus reached
the Caribbean.  Gavin and his research team contend that  Admiral Zheng He 's fleet of ships (several
squadrons each numbering several hundred), sailed around the continents of Africa & Australia, and sailed
up the West and East coasts of South and North America!
     Of particular interest to ship modellers is the fact that an 80' rudder made of wood about 600 years old
was found in China (can't remember the seaport) verifying that a 450' long junk could easily have been
made using teak and ferro-cement compartments.  A large replica has also been made.
     Regards, pollex (Calgary)

Chinese "Treasure Ship" 15th Century
     This is a fascinating picture of a model representing a huge "junk" or ocean-going vessel. This period of
Chinese maritime history has been studied by the British author Gavin Menzies. Gavin is a retired career
naval officer, having formerly been Captain of a Royal Navy submarine. Gavin has written several books
on the subject of Chinese ocean-going ships sailing all over the world, long before Columbus reached
the Caribbean.  Gavin and his research team contend that  Admiral Zheng He 's fleet of ships (several
squadrons each numbering several hundred), sailed around the continents of Africa & Australia, and sailed
up the West and East coasts of South and North America!
     Of particular interest to ship modellers is the fact that an 80' rudder made of wood about 600 years old
was found in China (can't remember the seaport) verifying that a 450' long junk could easily have been
made using teak and ferro-cement compartments.  A large replica has also been made.
     Regards, pollex (Calgary)

Chinese "Treasure Ship" 15th Century
     This is a fascinating picture of a model representing a huge "junk" or ocean-going vessel. This period of
Chinese maritime history has been studied by the British author Gavin Menzies. Gavin is a retired career
naval officer, having formerly been Captain of a Royal Navy submarine. Gavin has written several books
on the subject of Chinese ocean-going ships sailing all over the world, long before Columbus reached
the Caribbean.  Gavin and his research team contend that  Admiral Zheng He 's fleet of ships (several
squadrons each numbering several hundred), sailed around the continents of Africa & Australia, and sailed
up the West and East coasts of South and North America!
     Of particular interest to ship modellers is the fact that an 80' rudder made of wood about 600 years old
was found in China (can't remember the seaport) verifying that a 450' long junk could easily have been
made using teak and ferro-cement compartments.  A large replica has also been made.
     Regards, pollex (Calgary)

Thank you Jo, but sometimes 24 hours is not enough in a day!
 
Photography background in an existing picture
When a photograph takes a picture, he is careful in the composition. If he is inside he will place the model in front of a photography background.  I was looking different photography background and I thought how about associating a modelship in front on a background. Sometimes we try a white or a black background. In this particular case, I want to add a background after the picture was taken. I have powerpoint presentation that I will be using this autumn. Let’s try version 1.1. I added a black background in the slides when the picture is not filling the page 100%. I did a research, on Internet again; in this case the key words were paper texture in a first try and old paper texture in a second try. Many samples are needed in colors in the same group or complementary. Here are some examples of incorporating background to a picture already taken.

This model will not be built as a Plank On Frame model for many, different and personal reasons: 
 
the ANCRE monograph and the related drawings contained in it does not show the outline of the framework as, for example, the case of other similar books from the same publisher;
for the reason previously listed the well-known ship modeler Bernard Frolich, the author of "The art of shipmodeling", built this ship in the more traditional system known as Plank On Bulkheads, so if he made this choice with all the support that surely should have found in France from his followers, why should I do it myself ? 
even the British plans of these bricks, made ​​after their capture and preserved at the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich (NMM), do not allow to reconstruct the frame structure;
I just decided to build the model in the configuration when he was serving in the Royal Navy, that is, with english ordnance, english masting and rigging and who knows what else (maybe not visible) in order not to confront with the equivalent models based on ANCRE plans only;
I would like to deceive myself to make a model almost "unique," or at least I hope so;
I have a strong inclination towards the dislike for modeling in POF, after some past critical experiences on italian forums with some kind of italian POF modelers and the present is not likely to change my mind. 
 
So do expect to see a ship hull made up of all those little pieces of pearwood; this model will be a peaceful sailship with keel and bulwarks in poplar plywood, double planking and so on. As far as I know now I will complete everything, hull, masts, rigging and sails though, knowing myself, I will have to spend a lot of time to see this model finished and during this time lapse it's possible i'll change my mind in the future . . . 
 
Regards, Jack.

Pride got out of the house for a bit, being displayed at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum's Model Expo.

 
This got me wanting to get something done on her so maybe next time she can actually sail.  One job is finally figuring out how to handle all those over-lapping sails.  For the expo I installed a test set-up in Constellation which, though it needs some adjustment, looks like it'll work.
 
I'm using a large "sail-arm" servo for the main sheet, which will be rigged as shown below to look more prototypical.
 

 
This arm will also move a pair of sheet arms that will handle the rest of the fore-n-aft sails.  When the sail-arm is centered, every thing is sheeted out.  Moving port or starboard will sheet in the main either way, but will only move one sheet-arm, sheeting those sails to that side while leaving the other sheets slack.
 

 
Here's the test rig installed in Constellation
 
 
 
I haven't decided if I'll use an arm or winch servo to handle the squares, but I'm leaning towards a winch, mainly because I have a couple of spares.  I'm also considering putting the main sheet on a separate servo for better balance and control.  I may put all the running stays on that servo as well.

BTW folks:  Don't forget you can click on the images in these posts to see them full sized.
 
I took Pease's book to the local hardware megastore and had thier paint department use their color gizmo to create a sample jar of the cream color Pride's inboard things were painted; the sides of the cabin, hatch coamings, base of the masts, and eventually, inside of the bulwarks.  This ran about $3 US and I should be able to get the color matched easily if I need more.  It's funny actually, both the real boat and my model of her will have their inboard surfaces painted with latex house paint. 
 
I wondered about what to make mast hoops from.  I liked bamboo, but I didn't have any that wouldn't require a lot of work just to get into the right sized strips.  Just for giggles, I tried 3/32" sheet bass.  Cut it into a strip the right width; shaved the ends down so they tapered to nothing; wet it in warm water; and wrapped it around a 1" dowel.
 
 
That worked so well I tried another and made a few.
 
 
Then I precut all the rest of the strips plus a few, cause a couple snapped while wrapping them around the dowel.

 
Once made and glued up, I dipped them in oak stain.

 
I made the cleats that go at the base of the foremast.  They were glued and pinned on - after loading the mast with it's requisite number of hoops.
   
 
Two weeks before, a couple of yards of Supplex arrived for the sails.  When I cut out Constellation's sails, it was a pain.  To seal the edge of the after cutting it I would run it along a hot soldering iron.  It didn't take much, just the slightest pause, to burn a scallop in the edge.

 
This time I resolved to use a hot knife.  Oddly, I had a very hard time finding one for my iron, so I made one.
I happened to have a couple of copper machine screws in my loose fastener bucket that had the right threads to fit my soldering iron.  I drilled a hole, then cut a slot and inserted a portion of an XActo blade.  I pressed the slot closed onto the blade and peened a bit of brass rod in the hole to rivet it all together.
 

 
The first sail I cut with it was the mains'l, and it worked like a charm.  There's a little technique to it, but you pick it up fast.  When I was researching making one online, everyone said it's best to cut on glass so as to not wick the heat off the blade, so I used an old picture with glass in the frame as my cutting board.

 
I had the knife made on June 2nd, and laid out and cut the rest of the sails by June 3rd.  I even made Pride's pennant and that ugly Lord Baltimore eblem they had on the t'gallant sail.
   
 
The panels were marked on the cloth with a very fine point black marker, just as I had done on Constellation.  Other parts of the sails were cut with the knife; reef bands, tabling, corner reenforcing, that ugly emblem, etc.  These were applied to the sail with fabric adhesive.
   

Hello Morne;
Your post reminded me of my very ambitious project 50 years ago. I had redrawn R.C.Collin's "Myrmidon"
from 1:72 to 1:24 giving a hull length of approx. 63". This was not the real challenge, as I had Dad's work-
shop then. Back then, there was little info available for ship modellers; certainly no Internet!  What I did NOT
know was that I didn't need to build the model in the same species as the original vessel! So I had demolished
an old oak gramophone box and trimmed very seasoned oak into 3/8" & 1/2" pieces. As a reminder, I still
have a deep scar in my left thumb of a slipped chisel. Had I used spruce, pine or cedar, I might have finished
the model, but I only got as far as completing the keel & keelson, stem & sternpost & several frames. :-(
Later, HAU's 2 volumes of "Plank on Frame" models became available detailing British modelling options.
Regards, pollex

I have been working on the yards a lot lately.  There is a lot more to do than I remember from my Victory Model 30 years ago.  I am trying to get as many blocks as I can on the yards before installing them.  As this ship will not have sails, I do not need the leech or bunt line blocks, so I will be leaving those off.  Everything attached to the yards needs to be served, and attached primarily with rose lashings (or a close approximation).  I made the slings as you can see, and I am making the trusses now (no photos of those yet).  I am also putting on shrouds at the top gallant to royal yards tressel tree.  I will post photos of how I attached them later.  I also made and sort of installed the spanker and gaff booms.
 
I apologize for the messy deck, I will vacuum it clean when I finish installing the yards.  Once the yards are done, I think all that is left is the anchor assemblies, the davits, and the ships boats???