MEDDO

There is a model expo version it’s just that no one on this site has built one before that I can find.

There is a model expo version it’s just that no one on this site has built one before that I can find.

There is a model expo version it’s just that no one on this site has built one before that I can find.

There is a model expo version it’s just that no one on this site has built one before that I can find.

The coppering on the starboard side is now finished.  You can see the difference between the port side with a finish applied and the starboard with none.  I have decided to delay applying the finish until the wale has been redone.




While doing research for another project, I discovered that the coamings were built several inches too short (8 inches instead of 13).  You can see the difference in the picture below.  Time to rebuild them all.
 

The Boom Crutches
 

 
I had to sort through how to get started on the boom crutches, the monograph picks up with how to approach the angles, which is essential to the process, but has the basic crutch already made, I had to figure out how to get to that point. I started with some rectangular blanks of ¼ sheet cut a little larger than the finished width and height then, with my pencil and paper constructed a series of measurements and lines to work from to create the initial Y. I suppose some can free-hand such things, I cannot. I wanted a precise beginning to get me to a precise end. 
 

 
I used a router bit on the mill for the half circle and the jewelers saw with the blanks in my small vise to cut out a starting point. As Chuck points out these need to be extra thick, the ¼ barely covers it. The reason is distinct angles that have to be accounted for and the resulting sanding and cutting to get those. The monograph starts with the side, I found it easier after a couple of false starts to start with the back angle first, then the side then the front. The two remaining angles, the top and the turn in towards the mast are best done after mounting.
 

 
I had to get it to a size that seemed in scale. The crutches are not on the plans so I was eyeballing it based on the monograph photos and mostly what looked right to me. I went through several of my blanks, in fact I got one (show in the photo) very close to a final product only to decide it was two wide, so out it went.

Once I sorted out a process and the scale and finally got one about 50% near what I wanted I stopped and made the second one. One of the many challenges of these things is making the second one identical to the first. My approach, rather than finish one at a time was to bring two along together. There is a lot, a lot, of sanding to get from the Y blank to the shape and size I wanted and get the angles needed. I kept the two in balance with frequent measurements at key points with digital calipers, and kept track on a series of small papers (only the final one is shown) kept next to the sanding tools. I used of different grits, blocks, sticks and holders and a needle file or two here and there. It took two days of taking my time, slowly reducing the blanks into identical crutches resulting in what the photo shows finally attached to the stern then finished it all off with wood filler along the seams of the stern rail. Did I mention there was a lot of sanding. 
 

 
I recommend this approach. Rather than make one and copy it, make two together, reducing and shaping slowly just tenths of millimeters at a time. As I noted, I had several false starts on the first one - but once I had the basic Y blank right I had no repeats on the second crutch. I pinned and glued them on then made the final adjustments, filing the tops parallel to the water line and then turning them inward on the angle the boom, connected to the mast,  would rest, Finally I lightly smoothed and rounded all the edges and it was ready to paint.
 
Stern Complete
 

 
I’ve reached something of a milestone. The stern of my Cheerful is complete. I’m pretty happy with how its turned out so far. One challenge after another has been met, I’ve learned more new things than I can count and used tools I didn’t know I needed (ok, wanted). I have more challenges ahead, like how to shape and file brass strip for the stays which is up next. So I’m off to do that, but I can look back (see what I did there) and see a portion of the hull now finished.

Thanks for stopping by.

Small things take time and iteration to get right. That’s the lesson I have to remember at this stage of the build.
 
The Tiller V.2
I decided to re-make the tiller. As I did the last time I started with a square length of boxwood, a couple of inches longer than the tiller, and turned it on the lathe after following the 7-10-7 rule to remove the edges with my mini-planer. I wanted a different tiller handle and did most of that on the lathe with needle files and sanding sticks.
 

 
Out came the bending station. Just as it is for planking, the heat of the iron made for a relatively easy bend, though it did require a couple of iterations to more slowly work the shape than with a standard plank. By using a metal clamp in the center I was able to tilt the iron onto it so the iron didn’t physically touch the round tiller - I used steam, it worked well and took very little time to get right.
 

 
I got a better result the second time around, more of a bow instead of a bend, beefier, and a better handle so I’m glad I took the time. I checked it’s height with mini-me on the deck, it looks right to me now.  And then off it came and along with the rudder up on the shelf it went until I install them later. I have a lot of stuff on the shelf now, install day is going to be fun whenever that is.
 
The Knees

 
These were not simple and serve as a reminder this is mostly a scratch build, I doubt even if they were laser cut it would have helped much. I started by duplicating the drawing from the plans with the scroll saw - it wasn’t even close and I tossed it aside. Back to card stock to determine the angles, always the angles. The first step is getting the stern and sides and to decide on the length for both. I settled on 25mm on the stern and 20mm on the bulwark for no other reason than it looked right and it was more or less in line with the plans. I used my Byrnes saw to cut the blanks from 4mm sheet. 
 

 
There were a few iterations as I discovered the various angles and notching I had to account for, it wasn’t initially obvious to my untrained eye. I quickly determined the yellow cedar was a bit soft for all the shaping, sanding and beveling required (my problem not the wood’s) so I turned to my precious and limited store of boxwood. Before cutting them to their ‘knee’ shape I worked to get the proper fit snug into the corners and just below the cap rail. More angles, the transom curve and the flat cap rail required beveling both top and bottom, and then there are the stern frames, the knees are a tight fit between the rail above and the frames below.
 

 
It wasn’t pretty - I notched the bottom of the knees and had to remove a bit of the frames, seaworthiness is assured by the tight fit, or so I decided. I scraped some paint off the transom just to ensure good surfaces for the glue. I chose TiteBond for this, I needed a few minutes to get them seated with the proper angle along the bulwarks and I didn’t want to test the strength of just PVA. These knees are there to stay.
 

 
The boxwood sands nicely into shape, I gently rounded the outer edges before I glued them in. I was momentarily tempted to leave them natural - it would make no sense but they look nice.
 

 
I added the smaller cleats as shown on the plan. I’ve used three different sizes on the model so far, all from Chuck’s store. As before there is some sanding to remove the char and to shape them a bit. Like the other cleats these are pinned on using the stem of an eyelet. Having gotten past my natural look impulse, I painted it all my usual Red.
 
The knees were another of those things I had to stare at and think about to decide the process and order of things. It was a good move to get the fitting right before cutting them into their final ‘knee’ shaped, it gave me something to hold onto as I tweaked and tweaked and tweaked again to get the required tight fit, top, bottom. left and right. It took a good deal of time, several days, to get through the iterations for something seemingly so simple and maybe not that noticeable in context of the larger ship. I will say though it was rewarding when they were done. Something I can look at, know what went into it, and think to myself - I made those. I showed my wife, who took a look, looked at me, and said “those are nice…..” and walked out.
 
Timber heads

 
I’ve come up with my own way for making pillars and by result, timber heads. I know there are better ways in using the mill for the total job, Derek has been kind enough to share one of those. My method is a hybrid. For the timber heads I’ve cut the “cap” by cutting in .8mm from the top and .4mm deep on all four sides then dropping down 4mm and cutting a .3mm deep all using a 1mm cutter bit.  I usedmy freshly sharpened chisels to slice from the top down to the cut to shape the timber head, which of course isn’t square. At this point I’m just more comfortable, and considerably faster, cutting it partially by hand with the chisels. I really like the mill, I’m learning more how to use it - but it’s a process to set an accurate zero on two, sometimes all three axis and repeating that for each side after I flip it and again for each of the 5 additional timber heads (actually 6 additional, I choose the best six after cutting seven) so that all are completely identical. While it’s true I can make .4 and .8mm cuts, that only happens with an accurate, repeatable zero starting point. The Proxxon mill is great, but I wish the zero turning dials were a little bit smoother as I set those zeros, maybe they wear in over time. Anyway.
 

 
In addition to the chisels, I finish them up with files and sanding sticks. You might notice the paper below in the photo, I spend a little time, and that iteration thing again, getting to the sizes and cuts I think look right. There is no clear design and the size is a bit flexible. I once again got to exercise my -  if ‘it’s not right rip it off and do it again’ motto. After making all six timber heads I decided they were too wide and tall so I tossed them and started over. I guess I could have figured that out after making one - but I didn’t until I saw them sitting (not glued fortunately) on the cap rail. I drilled holes and pinned them all into place using those ubiquitous little nails from past models with the heads removed.
 

 
The four on the bow were straightforward, once I got the size right, the two on the stern are a little tricky - they need to be perpendicular to the water line, while mounted on a cap rail that has a significant sloop at the stern. I leveled the boat in the Amati working stand then used another level (these little ones come in handy over and over) and some scrap wood to determine the angle, cut the scrap on that line as a template and transferred it to the timber head.. I had made all the timber heads intentionally long to give me grip when cutting and filing and plenty to work with to cut the angle. BTW, that’s light glare, not bad painting on the wales and fashion piece, along with a little dust which will all get cleaned up later. …close up photos reveal all …
 

 
I have “The Cutter” I normally use to chop small pieces on exact angles, but in this case it would not get as flush a cut as I needed on the thicker wood.  I got this jeweler’s saw to cut the stern frames way back when, it’s coming in handy again now. In addition to this cut on the stern timber head I used it to cut the knee part of the knees (much too small for the scroll saw, at least for me) after I had fitted the pieces as described above. It makes short work of cutting wood too thick for my #11 blade and is accurate in staying on the cut line.
 

 

 
Here they are all glued on and painted with Admiralty Dull Black, its all good and on to the next thing. I’m betting this is more than you ever wanted to know about timber heads. Everything is more interesting to me when I made it from scratch I guess.
 
Speaking of which, time to move to the next fun item, the boom crutches - and guess what - there are a lot of angles involved. Thanks for stopping by, the likes and especially the comments are always appreciated.

Post 50: Constructing the Mainmast
 
All the deck features are now complete and it is time to start on making the main mast.
 

 
 

 
The mast itself was made from 13/32 square boxwood.   I decided that it would be easier to establish the square section at the head of the mast before rounding it.
 

 

 
Once this was done I first planed the edges to form a hexagon using the 710 7 rule and then turned the lower section on my home made lathe powered by  a hand drill as described earlier.
 

 
The next task was the curved cross pieces for the cross trees. I cut these using my Knew Concepts jewelers saw.
These saws are a joy to use.  The lever system ensures that the blade has the same tension every time and I find I can cut really close to the line
.
 
 

 
They were then sanded to shape  using sanding sticks and files
 

 
The slots in the linking pieces were cut on the mill and the unit put together.
 

 
The mast cap was simply made from 5/32 sheet with two round holes drilled at the appropriate distances and one of the squared with file to take the square tennon at the top of the mast.
 
The boom support ring and the mast hoops were fabricated on the mill using the rotating head as described earlier for the mast coat.
 

 

 
Cleats from Syren were sanded to shape and added below the boom ring
 

 
The cheeks were fabricated from 3/54 sheet and the metal bands simulated with black pin-striping tape
 

 
 
John
 
 
 

Hard to believe it has been over a month since I last posted an update.  December was a good month for me as I got a lot of work done on my Longboat and was hoping that I would finish it by the end of the year.  I wound up with a bad cold a few days before the end of the year and for some reason I have not done any work on my Longboat since then, even though I feel fine now.  I guess it stopped my momentum.  This is where my progress stopped, having completed the shrouds, forestay and backstays. Here is a photo of the forestay and the shrouds:
 

 
Here is a photo of the backstays along with the straps with the hooked blocks:

 
And here is a photo of the shrouds, forestay and backstays where they meet at the top of the mast showing the lines served:

 
I am getting close to finishing my Longboat, needing to install the bowsprit, construct the oars and add some more rigging and rope coils.

Thank you Gary for your words of encouragement and thank you to all the 'Likes'.
 
I spent several hours cutting carefully bulkheads 8, 10 and 12. I must admit that using my Proxxon Delta sander OZI/E was really useful. Indeed, it can be equipped with an 8 or 4 mm saw blade.
 

 
Fortunately, I didn't break anything and I could see that the positioning of the floors was quite precise.
 

 
However, I had to add two fine fillers (0.3mm) on the floor between bukheads 12 and 14. Then I did a light sanding.
The structure is really solid thanks to all the reinforcements I applied.
 

 
A small test allows me to see that the necessary space is sufficient. I just have to build the interior layout...
 

 
I also have to order the electrical equipment necessary for the future lighting of the two rooms. By chance scrubbyj427 is currently doing a remarkable lighting work on its Winchelsea frigate project and has given the references for the purchase of micro leds.
Once again a great example of the interest of this forum 😀
 

Thank you to all the 'Likes'.
 
The two forward chase ports were cut after determining their position on the filler pieces.

 
The opening is slightly smaller than the final measurements. The openings are then sanded with sanding blocks manufactured to the correct dimensions.

 
I will probably cover the wood with a thin coat of 'Gesso' before doing a final sanding with very fine sandpaper.
But the next step will be to cut out the space that will house the two rooms.
 

Thank you to all the 'Likes'.
Today, I proceeded to mark the position of the gunport sills.
Two thin battens were placed temporarily following the reference lines of each bulkhead. Slight adjustments were then necessary to obtain a smooth run from bow to stern. It was also necessary to try to obtain the same line on both sides of the hull.
 

 
Once I was satisfied with the position of the two battens, I drew a line above the batten on each bulkhead with a sharp pencil. The batten strips were then removed.
 

 
I will now proceed to cut the 2 forward chase ports that will be located on the filler pieces at the bow.
 

The fairing is over.
I protected the keel with masking tape and used different models of 'Soft-Sander' blocks. These blocks are really handy at the bow or stern because they fit the hull shape more easily.
I started with an 80 grit and then switched to a 120 grit to finish with a finer grit.
I will probably have to make some final adjustments when I sand the port sills.
 

 

 

 

 
Next step: marking the position of the gunport sills.
 

1:48 HMS Granado ‘Cross Section’
CAF Model
Available from CAF Model for $325.00
 

 
The Granado, a bomb-vessel that was originally fitted out as a sloop (and ended her life as a sloop, also) was thought to have been designed by Thomas Slade. She is definitely a subject which has proven quite popular over the last 20yrs, with POB kits of this released by Amati etc. CAF Model’s intention to create a POF of this model was met with much interest, but before an eventual release of a full hull model, they have released a cross section kit in the same 1:48 scale. For only a section of a complete vessel, the box for this release is quite heavy and still of a reasonable size. Packed into a slimline corrugated box with a Granado label affixed to the lid, the kit reached me in the UK wrapped in a thick layer of extra card to protect it and reached me unscathed. 

Tom at CAF Model sent this kit minus two small sheets of parts which are now en-route to me, as he wanted MSW to be able to feature this as soon as possible. When those parts arrive, I’ll update this article with those extra photos. I quite like innovative features in model kits, and we’ve certainly got that here with the unique (at least I’m pretty sure!) building jig that accompanies Granado. Remember, that like all my reviews, this is an ‘in-box’ review and is designed to show you the contents of a kit as it comes, with any observations etc. How a model builds will be dependent on various other factors, but I will be featuring this as a build log on MSW in the coming days. 
 
CAF kits now have a break seal on them that needs to be cut through before opening, and when the lid is up, this quite heavy box can be seen to be totally chock-full of parts and other components. This kit has four heat-shrunk packs of timber in both laser and CNC cut types, a pack of strip wood, a box of detail components, a box containing the build jig, two sheets of rolled plans, and an instruction manual in a sleeve, also containing a small fret of photo-etch parts. 

I’m not too sure what timber this model is made from, but it has a nice pale-yellow hue and a very fine grain that’s certainly akin to some of the fruit timbers I’ve used over the years. As stated, all the parts sheets are sealed in shrink wrap. This is quite thick and needs a sharp knife to break through. Many of the parts sheets are just a few inches long, ranging from some quite thick sheets, to one which is just a veneer. Most are CNC cut and also pre-shaped on a multi-axis machine. 
 

Two similar packs to this are included in the parts total, and all contain exclusively CNC-cut/routed parts. The steel rule in the photo will give a good idea of the size of these sheets.
 

Here you can clearly see the CNC routing and the extra shaping on some parts. Also note the laser engraving too, for the bevelling lines. These lines are also engraved on the rear of some of these sheets. All sheets are clearly numbered with laser-engraved marks too, but the actual parts numbers will be checked against a part plan in the manual. This helps to save precious production time as engraving the sheet would doubtless add extra expense to the modeller. 
 


The fames for the model (18 in total), are constructed in the same manner as their real counterparts, and also include the ‘bends’ in them that were typically seen in vessels of this period. This is where the CNC routing comes into effect, producing those complex shapes for the modeller, saving not just time but also the complications that result from recreating such parts by hand. To be able to position these frames against each other accurately, a series of temporary resin inserts are also included. We’ll see those shortly.
 



Here you can see the breakdown of the frames into the various components including futtocks and chocks. A nice enhancement would be to use something that would represent fastenings in the complete frames…maybe black fishing line/filament which would look like nail heads.
 


Deck beams are pre-cut to shape, including rebates for deck support timbers etc.
 


More frame timbers with their engraved position/bevelling parts. Here you can also see the frame sections (top) which form the bottom of the frames that sit upon the keel.
 



These photos give an excellent idea of the CNC shaping of the most complicated timbers, allowing this to be a nice introduction into POF modelling, whilst removing what would be the most frustrating elements. 
 

Two longer packs include more CNC-machined/routed parts, but also a series of laser-cut sheets. 
 

Clearly seen in this photo are keel parts, knees and parts for the gun mount. 
 


And now some laser-cut wood! One thing you won’t need to worry about is shaping any planks, especially internally, where that is a little more complicated. Granado is planked internally and externally, on one side only, giving the viewer the ability to see a complete hull on one side, and skeletal on the other. You will also see cannon carriage parts here too.
 

This is the last pack of timber parts, again comprising both CNC and laser cut elements. 
 



More planking here, and also parts comprising the gun deck and hatch covers. Sheet 1A is a veneer. These appear to be facing parts for at least two frames. 
 

This is a highly prefabricated kit, making it perfect for that intro to POF, as can be seen from more pre-shaped planking etc. Whilst a gentle sanding of all laser parts is a good idea to remove any surface heat marks, you would need to see how the edges look when together as far as the char goes. Instead of using this for ‘caulk’, it could be a good idea to remove this char and simply use a pencil to represent caulk, as it’s less stark. 
 





The largest box inside this kit contains that unique feature I mentioned earlier. That is a clear acrylic building jig. Not only does this take over from the traditional ply jig we are used to seeing, but it’s also engraved so you can check alignment from every conceivable angle. This is assembled using short screws which also fasten into a series of specially cast resin blocks which keep everything square. The jig itself is a work of art. It’s a shame it’s disposable. However, more acrylic parts are included for a final display stand, engraved with the ship’s name. All acrylic parts are protected with a layer of peelable film.
 


The second and last box contains all the various fittings etc. 
 

These are the resin blocks which are used to construct the clear assembly jig.
 
 

I mentioned earlier about resin inserts which temporarily sit between twisted frames, to help with their positioning in relation to each other. These are those. When the frames are set, these are disposed of.
 
 

Screws for assembling the acrylic building jig.
 
 

These parts are very obvious. Here you see not only the main mortar with its beautiful detail including royal crest, but also the two cannon for the framed side of the hull. The other pack contains the capsquares for the mortar, and these are actually workable! Casting really is very nice and there’s minimal clean up. As these are brass, that aspect will be very simple with a nice set of files. 
 
 


More packs contain eyebolts, bombs, deadeyes, eyelets, swivel gun mount, rigging cord etc.
 
 


There isn’t too much strip timber in this kit, but there really doesn’t need to be. A small length of brass wire is also included.
 

A single fret of PE is included. Production is excellent, with small connecting tabs. You’ll find cannon and hull fittings here etc. 
 
 
Plans and instructions



 
Two sheets of plans are included. One of those covers all the frame assemblies, whilst the other also has various illustrations of the completed hull to help with overall assembly. These are quite long sheets and need double rolling to remove the curl in the sheets as they are quite tightly rolled. 
 




 
The instructions are line drawing format but also contain colour. These look pretty easy to follow and the writing is clearly understandable. 
 
Conclusion
As well as being an interesting subject of a popular vessel, this is going to be a perfect introduction to the world of POF. Being 1:48, this is also a nice size too without being too large for your shelf. I know some modellers would like to build in 1:48 but could find it restrictive when it comes to displays. This should alleviate that problem! Overall, this looks a very nicely designed and produced kit with some very nice and innovative features. Most importantly too, it looks to be real fun to build! Head over to CAF and snag yourself one.
 
My sincere thanks to CAF Model for the review sample seen here.
 









 
 
 
 

In that first picture it looks like the one in the background has a quoin.  Not sure if there was a time period or any specific reason to use one or the other.  
 
btw MS 32 lb Carronade kit has the screw mech.
 

Coming along nicely Doc

I have always used old t-shirts for the wipe on poly. (I basically have a lifetime supply from my time in the military). They seem to work great and don't ever produce the "fuzz".

Definitely go for it.  If it cannot be built by us mere mortals then at least you have learned something along the way

Ensign...conclusion:
A tiny bit of steam was used to soften the ensign while various "rounded implements" with different radii (dowel, metal file shafts etc.) were used to try and introduce various folds.  I'd love to be able to describe a reproduceable scientific process, but thats not what happened.  It was really just a continual serious of tweaks, leaving to dry and most importantly trying not to introduce creases.  Steam worked fine to initially soften and allow the structural folds to be introduced, but isn't really a good ongoing solution as it tends to undo any previous work.  Real care is also needed to not 'over wet' the painted flag, not sure I was completely successful here.  Final tweaking was done by wetting very gently any tools used and trying to hold in position while it dried and the fold takes.

...and with that milestone, I'm declaring this build FINISHED!  
 
This was my first wooden ship build, and first model I've built for over 30 years.  Its taken probably 8 years to get this far off an on (probably 7 years more than it should), but I have to say I'm glad I was able to finish her.  I've come to realize that I enjoy the journey more than the destination, and I certainly experienced moments when I could easily have put her aside permanently, mainly due to me recognizing unfixable mistakes or compromises that that could so easily been enhanced had I known more at the time.  Given the length of time taken to complete, this progression in knowledge and execution is very apparent to me, but I hope is less apparent to others.  All in all, this was a most enjoyable project that exposed me to the necessary knowledge and techniques that I hope build on and leverage in the future.  I still need to make up a protective case, and will probably continue to see needed fixes and touchups before she (hopefully) is put in a place of rest.  I would like to thank this entire community for the ongoing help, support and encouragement - without which I would not have reached this point.
 
Few pictures to celebrate, apologies that these aren't exactly studio quality.

 

Dear all
 
I am no wood worker but I have come to appreciate what a wonderful tool a very sharp chisel can be. However, no matter how expensive or cheap a chisel is, it will need to be honed continuously and will only work as intended if it is really scary sharp.
There are many ways to hone a chisel and various types of stones and jig are available, some very expensive. Please allow me to share how I sharpen my chisels. Now, there are a few tools that are needed but are not too expensive and will last for a very long time.
 
I recently bought a new chisel, an 8 mm Narex so I thought it was a good opportunity to show how it can be turned into a useful tool. I hope that this will be of help to others.
 
I like Narex chisels very much but out f the box they are of no use at all. The tip is covered but some kind of lacquer and is not sharp. The bevel and the back of the chisel are very rough.





Now, for the chisel to be sharp, both surfaces need to be as polished as possible. So lets start honing this chisel
 
We will first concentrate on the back of the chisel. This surface will only be worked once, on purchase and will not be touched again. Until the back is flat and polished to mirror finish, we cannot proceed.
 
I will use only a cheap combination diamond stone 400/1000 grit, a slightly more expensive 1200 grit diamond stone, an old leather mouse pad turned upside down, a sheet of flat MDF and green polishing compound. I also will use a honing jig I make myself. This jig is absolutely needed unless you have a very steady hand and lots of experience, it can be made with whatever scrap material but some accuracy is needed in its construction-basically a drill press or a very steady hand.


Another thing needed is some kind of jig to make sure the bevel is grounded at roughly the same angle each time the guide is used. I just use scrap wood for this

Now, we start by positioning the chisel on the jig, finding the angle and then marking this position on the scrap wood. The little pieces of wood are glued and then screwed on.



Now we start honing. I start with the 400 grit trying to remove the machine marks. This is the starting point

And this is how it looks after a few passes

Then we move on to the 1000 grit. This is how it look afterwards

Then on to 1200 grit, this is the result

However there is a problem. The back is not flat as the next photo shows

This is a problem. The back needs to be flat or better concave, so that less material needs to be removed making the job easier. So back to 400 grit to remove enough material to make the back completely flat, so the tip touches the stones. The diamond stones are very aggressive, they do not need any pressure, just to move the chisel back and forth. 
 
This is how it looks now at 400 grit...

at 1000 grit...

and at 1200 grit.

The chisel is already very sharp but we have a long way to go. Next comes the strop. This is how it looks after a few minutes of stropping.


I have found that the fastest way at this point is using MDF. I charged some MDF with the green stuff and starting polishing like crazy moving the chisels in all directions. After just two minutes the results are impressive.

30 sec later

and after 30 more seconds of polishing, we are there. These are my fingers holding the phone shown on the surface, it is like mirror.

Good, now we move on to the bevel. This is our starting point.

Using the jig we made earlier, the chisel is positioned on the guide. However although close, the positioning is not accurate so we actually need to create our own bevel. So we start with the 400 grit. This is how the new bevel is progressively formed.




Then on to 1000 grit...

and to 1200 grit.

Then we move on to the strop. The bevel takes much less time to polish than the back and actually the leather works better than the MDF. This is the result.



We now need to do a few passes on the back to remove the excess material hanging of the edge.
 
The chisel is now very sharp, sharp enough for what I needed for. It can of course be further polished, the green stuff I think is something like 25,000 grit but it is enough for now. During use, every few cuts, I make a few passes over the strop. With some use, it will get further polished.
 
I hope this has been helpful for some, a video follows showing the surfaces of the chisel
 
 
Regards
Vaddoc
 
 
 

To Hubac´s Historian - Thanks for compliment.
I still have some rest at the stern - decorations.

Fitting and Rigging a 74-gun Model Ship
Francis Jonet
ANCRE (www.ancre.fr) – December,2020
118 pages-color photos-diagrams
This is an updated reprint of the original book’s first printing and is available in French, English, Spanish, and Italian.
 
 
 
 
Overview:
While not part of the seminal books by Boudroit of the 74 Gun Ship series, it is an add-on that complements the series. This book provides references and how-to instructions.  Numerous images (both color photos, drawings, and tables) illustrate the items and the techniques using a minimum number of tools.  Everything included relates to construction of the 74-gun ship from late 18th to the early 19th centuries.  Do note that the first chapter is dedicated to finishing the upper works and fittings as well as what’s required to add the rigging. 
 

Contents by Chapter and sub-headings:
Chapter I – Fittings and more, Tools, Laminates, The sandpaper file, Working on the stern and stem, Making gratings, Upper deck and Poop deck breastwork, The breast rail stanchions and belaying pins, Ladders, Shroud chains, Anchors, The guns, The figurehead, The stern lantern
 
Chapter II - The Masts – Making the spars, Lower mast and lower yard hoops, The yardarms, Building the tops, Topgallant trestletrees and crosstrees.
 
Chapter III – Blocks – Preparing slats, Making the shells, Finishing the blocks
Chapter IV - Rope Work – The workspace, Theory, In practice, Serving, Particular cases for small cables
 
Chapter V – Finishing the Ropework – Eyes and mouse (stays), Shroud masthead rigging, Rope bights, The shrouds, Wall knots, Ratlings, Hammock nettings, To clap on blocks to the yards, Small block straps, The thimbles or rings, Hooked return blocks, The anchor buoys
 
Chapter VI – Making the Sails – The cloths, Tabling, Linings and patches, Eyelets, Bolt ropes, Foot ropes, Head ropes, Bolt ropes cringles, Reef point, Gaskets, Grommets, The bent sails
 
Chapter Vii – Installation of the Sails – Leading and belaying the ropes, Jibs, Staysails, Lower sails, Topsails and mizzen topsail, Topgallant sails and mizzen top gallant, Driver, Jib sheets and Installation of anchors, Finishing the Installation of square sails, Staysails sheets, Inspection of the work done
 
Chapter VIII – The Ship’s Boat – Construction method, The forms, Framing, Keel, Stem, and Sternpost, Sterns, Planking, Form removal, Stern sheets, Floor timber and inner planking, Thwarts, Stem and stern inner areas, Rudders, Finishing details
 
Chapter IX – Technical Data – Making the ropes, Shrouds, back-stays, stays, Preventer stays, bowsprit mast, Catharpins, range cleats, belaying cleats, Blocks, sheet blocks, staysail stays, bolt ropes, foot ropes, etc. Fall tackles, yard tackles, Sail tackles, anchor ropes and cables, Yard rigging, Lower sail clusters, blocks for the stays
 
Chapter X – Block Distribution – Rigging parts for the masts and for the operation of the yards, Rigging parts for the operation of the sails, Rigging parts for the operation of guns.
 
Chapter X – Return Tacks – Forecastle, Quarterdeck, Poop deck.
 
Technical Data – Tables for all of the rigging, blocks, and tackle sizes,
 
Review:
This is basically a journey, in which shows not just the author’s successes but also his failures, both of which are useful.  Every chapter details the jigs he used along with the methods, along with photos of this process which, was eye-opening to me and would be useful (with modification) of any ship of the period.

 
While there are minimal plans (you will need the monograph for the model you’re building), the appendix has much to offer in the way of tables which not only surprised me but somewhat overwhelmed me by the amount of data there.
 
The book is well-written with the photos being annotated to explain what is being done. Everything is broken down into bite-sized chunks and processes used explained.

 
Though I have no intention of building a 74, as my preference is frigates, the same techniques and tools will be very useful and save me a lot of “re-do’s” and figuring out how to do it.
 
Would I recommend this book?  Yes, very much so as it will help any builder come terms with the complicated rigging.  I’ve decided that this is one the books to keep at all times near my workbench instead of in the library.  I really can’t recommend this enough.
 

I’m continuing to do mini-projects in no particular order - following the ‘why don’t I do that next’ plan. So:
 
Mounting the rudder

 
When I first looked at the Pintles and Gudgeons mini-kit I wondered what do you do with those. Turns out it’s another brilliant design and a simple way for attaching the rudder. Simple in concept anyway.
 

 
The first step was to paint the gudgeons Ironwood Black then dust them and the straps with weathering powder, because you know you can never do enough weather powdering. Attaching to the rudder itself was straight forward, I left the pintles long initially then trimmed it back after some test fitting.
 

 
Then came the more challenging part, attaching the gudgeons to the hull in the right place to fit the rudder and in line. After some careful measuring and marking I used a piece of brass wire to make sure they were aligned. There isn’t any forgiveness here, everything has to be in the right place.
 
I encountered a problem, I couldn’t get the glue to adhere to the hull, after several frustrating attempts I determined that glue sticking to wood with too many coats of WOP doesn’t work - I simply had let it get it too thick on the stern post. I roughed up the wood with some 220 grit, and after that no problem. I of course knew this, but sometimes in the thick of it you just want the wood to shut up and do what you tell it to do - the wood laughs. I also shouldn’t do these things at night, or maybe not at night after drinking scotch, or maybe just not after drinking scotch.
 

 
Anyway. The straps and bolts are added. I liked how drilling holes as marked on the strap, inserting wire a little long to glue it in and then cutting it near flush made for nice bolts after touching with Ironwood Black (a little touch up there to do on the hull too, oops).
 

 

 
And there you have it, my ship can now be steered should it find itself adrift in the ocean somewhere. I still think I’m going to remake the tiller, we’ll see, it’s just hanging there loose for the photo. So with that done the rudder is removed and put on the shelf to be permanently installed later, bye rudder.
 
The Catheads

 
Then, since it can be steered I figured I better be able to anchor it, so do the catheads next. That meant it was time to play with the mill again and pretend I know what I’m doing. Following the monograph I constructed the catheads in two parts. First the upright, which to fit tight against the bulwark had to be notched for the spirketting and again for the waterway. I cut both notches with the mill. While it takes the unskilled like me a bit of work and trial effort to get the measurements right, the mill cut nice and clean once I had it correct (actually it cut nice and clean when I had it wrong too). I bought a car engine feeler gauge, took it apart and used the thinest one to set a good zero for between the bit and the wood for the X,Y,Z axis. This proved pretty handy in getting a consistent starting point for the cuts.
 

 
It was fortunate I read the monograph first (not that fortunate as I always do). Before starting on the catheads, the forward pin rail has to be made and installed. That has to be sized carefully so that the cathead doesn’t impede the flow of the anchor rope through the hawse hole or restrict the gun tackle for the forward chase port, there isn’t that much room between the two. I had to do a little fine tuning on the pin rail not related to the cathead as shown here.
 

 

 
Next up is getting the correct angle on the upper piece of the cathead, hint, it’s not 90 degrees. There needs to be some upward angle to it, while also accounting for the bit of lean of the upright on the bulwarks. After some experimenting I determined 85 degrees was best (or 95 degrees depending on how you look at it). Since the Byrnes gauges don’t do notch anything less than 15 I set the angle on the sander for a smooth edge using a digital protractor. Then to get a good feel for it I set the top piece on for a look. I decided this made a great ship's crane and installed it just like shown here. Well, it did cross my mind for a second. When I know I’m going to need multiple equal sized pieces, plus several more for testing I cut a properly sized long length and cut everything from it, hence the long piece shown.
 

 
Then its back to the mill to cut the sheaves into the top piece. This is so incredibly easier and better than doing it by hand with a blade as I’ve always had to do in the past. Just cut the slots a 1.5 mm deep and drill all the way through on both ends. I added flush-cut 24 gauge wire to either side later but it doesn’t go all the way through and is just for simulation.
 

 
This little Veritas triangle, a new tool, has been coming in handy a lot for deck work, here to make sure the cathead is perpendicular to the deck.
 

 

 
Some filing at the leading edge, paint, a couple of cleats, and I have catheads. No anchors yet so the ship is still drifting, but at least they have someplace to attach one, or maybe attach Fred, their fellow crewman who drank all the grog, and just let him hang there a while. BTW, they are straight, the photo is a warped perspective due to the angle. 
 
The Seats of Ease
I struggled with the concept of this a bit. These seats are such a prominent feature of the deck. I have this vision of two crew members availing themselves of the seats, just a few feet from the helmsman. There is no cover on them (I almost added one) so I wonder, given the prevailing wind on a sailing ship is generally from either rear quarter, if the helmsman - often the captain on a ship this size - was constantly bombarded by the smell. So I almost turned them into lockers and let the crew poop over the rail. In the end I decided to stay true to Chuck’s design and accepted they’d be a topic for conversation once the ship was finished. So I began to build my two onboard outhouses with apologies to the helmsman…courtesy flush dude (which would be a bucket of water I suppose).
 

 
It seems simple, just glue together three pieces of wood, the top, one side, and the front. The thing is, again, there are a lot of angles and curves involved - plus you are making two and the two have to be both identical, level and even in  height with the spirketting since that forms the outboard side, and the width of the inboard stern frames. Here’s hoping I installed all of those equal on both sides so long ago. I started by cutting card templates (as Chuck suggests) - its kinda essential here to get the right fit. I’m sure there is a geometric name for the shape of the top, let’s just say it doesn’t remotely resemble a rectangle. I also cut a long strip 9mm wide from 1\32 sheet so that the front and sides for both seats came from the same piece of wood.
 

 
This photo is from later in the instruction. I first did the sides since everything else is based on them. The challenge is cutting the curve of the counter on the bottom, having both end up the same height and level, be the same length coming forward, and the leading edge perpendicular to the deck…no problem…who doesn’t love geometry.
 

 
And what do you know on the first try both sides are level…or maybe not on the first try…
 

 
After cutting the fronts - with the outboard side beveled to fit snug to the bulwarks, it was on to the top. There is no substitute for card templates here. I marked the measurements, tested it and remarked until I had the varied lengths on the four sides required for it to fit, the angle of the hypotenuse or something like that. I used the cross cutting table on my Byrnes saw to get precise cuts on two of the sides, there is likely some way to do it with the saw, but I opted to cut the remaining two sides with my heavy steel rule and #11 blade. It’s possible I didn’t get all this right on the first try, card stock or not.
 

 
With the pieces cut and only the sides glued in I test fitted everything, and found it’s all level and equal sized, how’d that happen.
 

 
The last step before mounting and painting is the ease part of the seat, cutting the hole, which after all the work to get two fitted tops I didn’t want to screw up. So I went slow with a small pilot hole, then a bigger one, then a round needle file, then a larger file marked with a sharpie to finish at a 4mm hole, and finally an ultra fine sanding stick to smooth it out.
 

 
I added two large cleats and 4 smaller ones then painted it by brush with thin coats of my favorite RED (again some iPhone camera distortion on the angles). The cleats come from Syren, available in multiple sizes. I had to remove the laser char (it would show through the red paint) and shape them a bit. I used the stem of a standard eyelet to pin them to the bulwark so they can take rope tension later. I also added the horse, created from 24 gauge wire. I used the eyelet portion, cutting off the stem flush to the circle, to accent the horse either side, painted it Ironwood Black and weathered it to finish off the stern - except the knees and boom crutches which are up next…maybe…
 
Pin rails and cleats

 
I finished up this phase by adding the bulwark pin rails along with the rest of the cleats noted on the plans. Turned out to be a pretty tight fit for the cleat nearest the ladder. I’m glad I checked that, I had to give it a little extra turn to allow the ladder and gun tackle to fit with room for the future lines shown on the rigging plan. It’s generally a good idea to take a look around at what might happen or be added later to make sure nothing gets in the way of something else. That was evident here and especially evident with the catheads.
 
As I noted I’ve been turning pages in the monograph and doing what I felt like doing next - at this phase, at least so far nothing has to be sequential, though that will change soon. Thanks everyone for the likes and for stopping by. I better go check to make sure the crew didn’t actually drown Fred.
 

You could also use the actual interior for Cheerful.....rather than use one from the much older Alert.
 


 
 

I made some more of the frames that decorate interior. Gluing was a little fiddlely but yielded to practice. I traced the shape from the frames on to the boat. I then added some paint to what will be inside of the frames when attached. The one frame in the boat is just a dry fit.