MEDDO

Had the guys over to the shop.  Tale of two Winnies.  One is mine and the other is Mikes (stuntflyer).
 

Thanks guys.  There will be a barge but I am taking a break from Winnie for a bit.  I am going to catch with with making inventory of blocks and rope once I get back and maybe start work on Speedwell.  
 
I also have to write the last chapter and cut parts for folks.

You are welcome.   I will be the first to admit that I take forever to design and produce these projects.   I cant rush through them.  So many kit mfgs seem to announce the availability of new kits every few months.   That is something I can never do.  This next project will be a bit of wait.   Hopefully worth it.  POF projects have triple the parts and more complexity.   I prefer quality over quantity any day.
 
I am also trying out some new design features to make it easier to build.
 
Chuck

Thank you so much guys.  Its always a bit weird when you finish project that took years.  I cant believe its done actually.
 
writing the last chapter today.

Congratulations Chuck on this fine build.  I have to echo the comments of those above.  Truly a masterpiece.  The build log is wonderful as it was interesting how you developed the various components and the thought process behind them.  Truly enjoyable.

Congratulations on the end of a wonderful journey Chuck! Didn't even take you the full two weeks to finish her up. I'll bet you're already in the workshop catching up on orders.

Well, hearty congratulations at the end of a long trail, Chuck. This is a lovely prototype of your kit. Hopefully it will spark more interest in the 18th century aesthetic that these ships represent and inspire other model makers. Well done indeed.

Almost 5 years to the day....she is finally finished.   Always a bit anti climactic.   Thank you all for following along all these many years.  For those of you building her,  I hope you are having as much fun with it as I did.
 
Well here goes the final pics.  The top picture is of course of the Winnie contemporary model which inspired me as well as the Amazon.   I hope I did them justice.   Everyone should build a Georgian style model of an English frigate at least once in their lifetime.
 


 












 
 

The cabin walls and internal cabin screen are now painted, and the screens fitted out.
 


 
 
 
I can finally glue into place the cabin walls, screens and partition. Note the eyelets are added to the ports and floor. 

 
 
 
Did I say this came with a cabinet? No? Well, it does, and this is now fitted into place.


 
 
 
The carronades in this area differ from the others as they will retract into hull during the hull painting process. They can be rolled out into position when that job is complete. These are now fitted to the cabins area.




 
 
 
Time for some furniture and maps too. 


 
 
 
Hope you like the work so far. Onwards!!

Thanks Jeff!
 
The fcastle work continues. The coamings were added along with the planking and the bitts that
were made quite some time ago. Also the mast coat was made from the Syren laser cut parts.  
 
Next I'm on to the belfry.

Hold on a minute!
 
You live on a paradise island in the Caribbean and you need a get away cottage?  🤔
 
When are you going to post a schedule for your modeling pals to visit?  Obviously we just want to see you model in person 😎

Good morning, capone crane arms.

Shingles, Friezes, and Moldings
 
This title sounds like a 80’s rock band or a law firm specializing in medical malpractice. It isn’t, it is about my hull becoming all fancy.
 
It’s been a minute since my last post. My wife and I took an Alaskan cruise, it was a great adventure filled with good weather, good food and drink, and fun adventures - time well spent with my best friend of 46 years. Finally back to Winchelsea I turned my attention to the hull sides and its combination of quarter gallery, friezes, and multiple moulding strips.

One little shingle, two little shingles, three little shingles… The quarter gallery roof is a fun little mini-project. I had earlier shaped and sanded down the roof block to match my galleries. It takes a little work to mirror the two as close as possible with two angles and the curve at play, the etched line on the top helps. Then the shingles; first I sanded them down to near 1/64th while still in the sheet, from there installed the first row using PVA (see I don’t always use CA). There are options in deciding the spacing, I preferred them in tight minimizing the gap. My roofer friends would approve I think.
 
Once dried I sanded them (as Chuck suggests) even more thin with 320 and 400 soft sanding sticks, particularly on the top, before laying the next row. They actually look pretty nice left bright.

I elected to paint them with Admiralty Paints Ironwood Black, as I noted earlier though meant for iron works it’s a nice matte black, and the same paint used on the wales. Though it may be a bit hard to tell in the photograph, the right one is weathered, the left still in the matte black base. I weathered them using Doc O-Brien’s Grungy Gray weathering powder. I really like the 4 brush set (from Micromark) for application, I use them all, the smallest to apply, the round to remove excess, the (actually in back in the photo) the third to feather it and finally the larger brush to buff. I think it makes for a nice look, the shingles now appear to be gray slate (in my humble opinion). I’m going to experiment with some form of fixative, but multiple tests before I try it on the roof. Any suggestions that doesn't make them shiny appreciated.

With that the gallery is complete, except the very detailed railing on top which I’ll save until later when I’m less likely to break it off. Neither the roof or the nice lady on the side are glued in place as yet.

A pause for a maintenance break, replacing the 320 grit sandpaper and cleaning my ever faithful Byrnes Sander. I use Denatured Alcohol to clean the aluminum tables and mitre gauge, also to remove any residual adhesive from the front of the wheel.  I was surprised how well GlideCote (which I learned from Jim Byrnes) works. Making the table more like a sheet of smooth ice, the wood glides easily and consequently is easier to manage. This plays a bigger role on the saw and thickness sander, it’s still handy here as well.

After installing the first more narrow middle moulding I decided I didn’t like the look. So, like I do, I removed it and made a new moulding.
 
The top moulding is laser etched. All the moulding is attached with CA except the volutes.  They are also laser etched, I needed time to get them positioned so used PVA. I also broke two sanding them, @Chuck was kind enough to provide replacements, I then decided they looked really great not sanded…..
 
Then it was on to more life lessons of paper glued on wood. I mentioned in the last post my initial reservations on using printed paper and how wrong I was. It is easy to apply and looks great. I print them with highest quality on my Epson ink jet printer then spray them with Winsor & Newton Fixative. Once dry I outsource them to my much more talented wife to cut out. With the need to always align at least one edge directly up against (and not under) wood moulding, having a clean cut line is imperative, she’s far better at that than me.
 
The frieze was relatively easy to cut out  from the ports with my Swann-Morton #11 scalpel - though I started with a fresh blade. The key is to first let the glue stick adhesive thoroughly dry so its rock hard.

Having intentionally covered the fixed blocks I located them by drilling from inside, slowly, through the holes made back when they were installed. I threaded some nice Syren Rope through both holes from the outside and pulled it back and forth from the inside to restore the grove making it a block once again. A sharpened #2 pencil completes the look.
 

A dilemma. The upper stern hull frieze did not fully cover the area above the roof for my model.


The solution was easy, once I thought of it, print out that same frieze at 150%, cut between the solid blue and the frieze, match the seams when glued on the model. It worked out great.

For me the proper line from the forecastle volute to the stem did not follow the planking as it does from the volute to the stern. I spent time with the plans and came up with a couple of jigs to get the correct spacing for the run of the moulding. (it is not coverging at the stem, just the aspect angle of the photography).


I’ve been clear in my posts that all of my work is perfect, I never do anything wrong, nor ever need to fix anything…NOT! Lesson learned in my new paper world. As shown in the previous moulding its been my practice to have a continuous run of moulding over ports. I’m confident of my skills to then free the ports with my Excel #11 blades. Paper, unlike wood, is very unforgiving, a small mistake results in the paper tearing. It initially was a tiny tear but I couldn’t just leave it. Once the moulding was removed, it didn’t matter, I was removing and replacing the frieze. As Rusty noted in a recent post I could have just showed the finished work and pretend it never happened, I prefer to share what went wrong as well as what goes right.
 
Though it took time there is no harm no foul. As Chuck points out on his model, it is difficult to find any seams once the pattern is matched and new frieze section glued in.

Having tossed my continuous run approach I switched to cutting the lower moulding section by section, matched up the width with the gentle use of my freshly maintained Byrnes Sander, then glued it in place. I cut a spacer clamped up tight to the upper moulding to keep an even line though all the sections.
 
With that a few photos of the finished side. Though a semi-professional photographer I just use my iPhone for all my build photos. An as all seasoned photographers know a badly wrinkled piece of material is a proper backdrop. Not true, I just didn’t feel like ironing it. While the iPhone does nice work, it does tend to squeeze curves and warp aspect a bit. So things are actually straighter, or curvier, than they seem. Also I removed the tape, but not the residue, from the stem.





Now all I have to do is turn the ship around and do it all again on the port side. As always, thank you for your likes and especially your comments. I hope I’ve provided a bit of entertainment for your day.

Thanks again, everyone.
 
The floor will be reinforced concrete continuous with the floor of the garage. Who knows, someone may want to work on something heavy in there some day.
 
I will need mats on the floor, at least in front of machines (mill, lathe) that I will be standing in front of for long periods. I'll use adjustable height stools or chairs that I can move in front of other work areas.
 
I like the way the bench was constructed in the video vaddoc linked to. There will be a "L" shaped bench across the end of the room and along the short side where the outside tool locker will be. I think 30" (76 cm) deep will be about right. This bench will be about 12 feet (3.66 meters) on the long side and ?? feet (?? meters) on the short leg.
 
Here is an overhead view of what I have in mind:
 

 
It is a small "retirement" house, with a single car garage. The workshop is an extension of the garage. The wall with the door is 13.75 feet (4.2 meters) long and the wall along the long side of the fixed bench is 11.65 feet (3.55 meters) long, inside dimensions. You can see the 6.5 foot long (2 meter) CLG hull on the moveable bench. The benches are 30 inches (76 cm) deep.
 
The "tool locker" is an outside accessible store room for a lawn mower and gardening tools. They currently occupy the space in the garage between the end of the cabinets and the upper wall in the picture. When I put in the doorway I will need somewhere to put all those things. I will put the vacuum and air compressor in the cabinets in the garage and plumb them into the work room. That way the noise will not be in the work room.
 
The shop isn't very large but it is a major improvement. Right now I do most of my work on the kitchen table with hand tools.
 
Now I just need to draw up 2D plans and get some bids from contractors. I'm sure there will be changes. I will need at least one window. I have been building and remodeling houses since I was a kid, and I suppose I could do most of this except the concrete work. But I'll have a contractor build the foundation, framing, exterior walls and roof. That's a caveat to my age (and my significant other). I can finish the interior myself.

Hi Kevin. I've been going through your videos starting at the beginning of your build. I just finished up #14. In that video you mentioned and asked why you were doing all the work of posting these videos and hoping they would be useful to future builders. I can attest that they are and will be helpful to me. I've ordered the four books on this project and like you plan to take it on once my skills have further evolved and improved. I'm finishing up an 18th century longboat now and will then move to the group project of the Winchelsea that Chuck Passaro is overseeing. After this, if I'm confident in my skills, I will begin this build. So please know these videos are of tremendous value to this craft and I really appreciate this roadmap you have and are providing for all of us.
 
Finally, I am in awe of all your wonderful tools! An amazing workshop that all of us "tool nuts" aspire to! Happy building.
 
Best,
Jim

Hi All -
 
I'm delighted to announce that we are now accepting pre-orders for Rob Napier's new book Caring for Ship Models: A Narrative on Thought and Application. 
 
This excellent book on his life's work is both a revealing look into his professional career and also a treatise on how to care for your models to last for generations. Caring for Ship Models is delivered in four parts: Part One, a prologue, introduces Rob and his involvement with ship modeling. Part Two offers perspectives on various aspects and philosophies of the ship modeling experience. Part Three focuses on physical processes Rob has used during his career. Part Four reviews what might be called case studies that examine influential and interesting projects.
 
This book is one you will absolutely want in your collection and will be a valuable reference for years to come.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER ON SEWATCHBOOKS.COM

Just thought I'd post to say that Ranger kits are now complete and in stock, so all orders will be sent next week.
 
Also, I have a quite a few emails recommending books. I think over the years, I have bought any book I feel relevant to hobby, and later job. The first books on this subject I bought were in the late '80's, early '90's, Frank Fox's The Battlefleet of King Charles II and Lavery's Ship of the Line. (And the Sailing Navy List being the most perused by far..)  The older books have been moved around 8 times over the years, so some look a little worse for wear, both from travel and me reading them. The latest are from Ancre and Seawatch. Only one book doesn't fit, and that the mammoth Commerce De Marseille monograph! James Lees Masting and Rigging is missing from the pics, as I am using it right now.

Thank you Chuck, Glenn and JJ and for the likes.
 
Progress here is slow not least because I've had cataract surgery on both eyes. Its a miracle operation: I can see long distances with sparkling clarity and detail and without specs for the first time in 50 plus years. But reading and model work is all to pot. Over the counter reading specs are OK for reading but not adequate for model work. I have to wait a few weeks for everything to settle down before getting some prescription readers - and then with any luck I shall be up and running again.
 
In the meantime I've done those little shaped pieces at  the bow, The margin planks (too wide, I think, but I'm hoping the waterway, cannons and deck clutter will disguise that) with scarf joints ( practice required!), the companionway housing ( a bit dollshouse-ish possibly. I'm still thinking about it) and some preparation for the deck planking. I was very unhappy with my deck planking of the Winnie - all down I can see now to a lack of preparation. There is no substitute in this hobby for experience and I don't have much. But I'm learning!
 





 





There is a gentle bend in the deck planking though it does not really show in the pictures. The planking was cut in Imperial sizes by Hobbymill EU. In metric the planks I will use are a smidge over 5mm and I will sand them down to 3.5mm at bow and stern remaining 5mm at the centre. I wonder about the central planks remining un-sanded -5mm straight through as Chuck shows them and as, no doubt, is authentic. I think I prefer all of them gently curved. 
 
My deck furniture bits and pieces are winging their way across the pond from Syren as I write so I'll put those together and have a play around before deciding.
 
At the moment the only finish on the planking is sanding sealer. At some point I will have a jolly good clean up and apply a permanent finish Matt varnish I guess.
 
All the best everyone
Fred
 
 
 
 
 
 

I have started working on the windlass. Some parts in the photos have not been glued and fixed yet. Just dry fitting.

I am back at my shipyard after a long summer break. I started with the main hatchway to make the deck fittings. As always, I use milling machine when making the grating elements. I used a sandpaper that I attached to a pot to make the camber on the grating. (for those looking for a practical way to create this camber)
 

Swallow is finished, other than a few touch-ups which will be addressed after I mount her.  My plan is to duplicate the base from RMG as much as possible.  It will probably take me a few weeks to source the wood and draw up the plans.




  

Nice work. Have fun at the workshop!
 

Hi all ,
Great to be here , have previously been a miniature modeler / painter and plastic plane / car modeler . 
have been an avid diver for past 6-7 yrs , got into sailing this year and so started looking for sailing vessel models 
being a fan of the Patrick O’Brien Aubrey/maturin series I was looking for period ships and then came across wooden ships and fell In love 
right now I purchased my first kit 
ITs by model shipways , their shipwright series , the first being a Lowell Dory to get a taste for basic wooden ship building 
thanks for allowing me to join , as I progress I will both keep you guys posted and keep pestering you with questions 
 
thanks
Gill 

I was able to mill the wood for the curved carlings and am starting to make the first one - currently I am milling notches where the carling fits over the floor and will finish tomorrow.
 
I have also completed a pattern made from a thinner strip of wood that is being used to map out the actual carling. One of the straight carlings was used to hold the strip in position so that I could mark the shape with a compass. The shape was cut out and also marked for where the notches mentioned above will be located.
 

Works great thanks for the hard work.  Both SSiS and OSiS work now.  (Can't comment on the other 2)