Martin W

Started to work on the channels and the bits beneath the channels.

These are proving to be a challenge to get initial attachment to the hull. 
 
Currently I’m using a spare piece of dowel, measured to show where the shroud line would attach, with a piece of string to get the closest angle for the pieces to attach in line with tension. I think I have the angle mostly right (or as close as I will be able to at this point.  I may improve or figure it out as I move back and then do the other side).  
 
This side profile shows the angles in getting now as well as an idea of how everything is laying. 
 
Please feel free to offer any and all advice on making this process more efficient or better.
 
These took me about 2 hours to get all the pieces cut, measured, blackened, glued and pinned. 
 
have a great night all!
Tim

Hi Tim,
The kit provided Amati swivels are of very poor quality, I replaced them with RB Models brass 15mm guns which are perfect for scale but do need the yokes making to hold them.
I think Chris Watton may have some swivels as supplied with the Cutter Alert kit, but I don’t know if he supplies these as a separate fitting.
I also have an idea that Chuck (Syren) also makes a gun suitable for use as a swivel.
If you wish to stick with the kit versions you don’t have to fit them to all of the posts, I left some of them off on my Pegasus build.
Cheers,
 
 
B.E.

Hi all
 
i was able to make some more progress this last week with adding a bunch of the tiny deck fittings into their respective locations. 
 
I was able to complete the midship section that includes the ships pumps, gallows(?), poles and ropes around the stairs, and my addition of elm tree style pumps
 
not sure why, but I have been excited to complete this specific section for quite some time. 
 
I was also able to complete the decorative railing in this section as well after I modified the side deck section that still needs ladders. This part was fiddly to get the fit right.  I actually had to extend the cross length of the hook section of the rail.  Other wise it was not wide enough to meet the side extensions properly.  All turned out well though 
 
Today I was able to get the rest of the railings and timber heads painted and attached along with the swivel gun posts.  Time consuming but pretty easy overalll. 

 
unfortunately I have found that I am missing or have lost one of the swivel guns.  This may be the push I needed to get replacement guns that are better quality and more suited to the time period as I have seen in other logs.  
 
Does anyone have input on a decent replacement and a recommended company that you like? 
 
thanks for looking !
Tim 

Small update this time.  Completed the upper capstan with some mods that I saw in TFFM even though I couldn’t do it nearly as well. 
 
also decided that I wanted to add pumps as I’ve seen in other builds.  These I made 100% from scratch.  The most difficult part was the portion that holds the handle. I’m actually quite happy with the effect I was able to achieve.  Feeling much better making my own pieces where I can! 

 
cheers all,
Tim

Thank you for the comment Richard. Also thank you for the likes from everyone else 
 
I got a bit more accomplished over the last few days, especially with the snow on the east coast here. I was able to get the rear deck planked and glued in place after finishing the guns beneath that section.
I left a few unfinished in the middle of the ship, but will finish those last 3 this week. I decided to use decking around the crossbeam above the pumps. I felt like it fit better with how I have chosen to color things.  Plus it matched what I had done of on the forward deck
 
i was also able to complete a fair amount of the bits on the rear deck including all of the hatches, ladder, skylight, binnacle, and tiller housing section.
 
I used the frame of the binnacle pieces and added decking to overlay it and create a more complete piece to my eye (taking ideas from BEs log).  I attempted to make a more fancy skylight but I couldn’t get the wood to work properly.  After 4 failed attempts I went with the kit pieces.  I’m happy with it but I would have loved to complete the modification.  I’ll have to gain those small detail skills for carving/cutting.  
 
I used spare walnut to give the tiller housing a more wooden plank look instead of the plain ply and I used two glued walnut pieces that I carved down to replace the kit tiller arm   
 
Lastly, I decided to remake parts of the ships wheel...more to gain the knowledge of custom making pieces that are achievable than anything else, but also because I felt the others didn’t look completely right for the time?  I closed the ends with left over cannon PE. The wheel still spins!  I think it came out pretty decent and I’m happy with the effect, especially with the rigging installed.  I left a block out of each side as I felt it was too cluttered.  May not be functional but I think it looks better 
 
that’s it for now.  I will most likely get more done this weekend
 
thanks for taking the time to look. Have a great night
 
Tim

Small bits of progress this week so far with completion of a majority of the bow features. I added the upper rail that rims the bow as well as the main mast bits.  I decided to keep them stained instead of red.  I find the Puritan pine stain on the walnut to be very nice.
 
I also added the gratings and coamings around the bits.  I decided to sand them down to about 1.8mm from the deck.  The 3 mm just seemed to be way too tall compared to the other pieces (by my eye anyway). I also added in a simple smoke stack for the stove using spare dowel fit to size. The piece at the base of the mast I tried to carve out of walnut but it kept falling apart, so I ended up using the kit piece and putting the deck planking on/around it for more depth (also lightly stained). 
 
next up was the belfry which was decently straight forward.  For the upright rails I used walnut strips so that I could add a little offset at the top for finer detail.  Not excellent but not horrible. On the bell piece I added some darkened wire around the wood for No other reason than it felt like it belonged there...and I included a piece for a rope to actually rock the bell 
 
I’m happy with how she’s coming along.  Starting to really come together.  Hope to have more later this weekend 
 
cheers all 
tim

Glad my log was of some help.  It of course builds on the work of some really good Swan class builders on here.
 
I haven’t done any work on the Pegasus recently.  I got to the point where I was going to start scratch building the quarter badges to give them more of a three dimensional look from the kit PE, but then wasn’t sure of my skills so decided to start the Morgan (which i got burned out from all the planking), and then went to the Renommee.  Then I got bit by the plastic bug so I’ve been working in plastic for the past year.
 
I’ve been thinking about getting back to the Pegasus, though I’m wondering about my earlier plans of scratching the quarter galleries, carving the stern and figurehead, etc.  All that seems a little daunting, but I guess I won’t know until I try.  Your log and excellent work has rekindled my interest for sure though. 

ok so I have started the portion of this that has me the most nervous..planking.  I have read a lot of information on here and watched a lot of videos, but I feel as if i only loosely understand it.  I am not a math inclined person, which makes me more anxious....i am a muscle, joint, and ligaments guy in my real life.  Anyway, i have dry-fit the first 2 planks under the gunport strips without needing any taper since they lay smoothly without needing to force anything unnatural.  I would assume the tapering begins where i would need to unnaturally force or bend the planks to fit in an area.  THe ones i have fit look symmetrical to my eye and seem to lay nicely, so im not sure if I should have tapered them at all just because the numbers say to?
 
Ill use BH 6 as my reference here:  I took measurements of the length under the gunport strips to the upper edge of the keel prior to my dry fit and noted roughly 93mm.  With the kit supplied 5mm plank that equals roughly 18.6 planks.  Now, to get the planks at the other BHs, I would take this # of planks and use the distances of the other BH measures to determine those plank widths at each section.  For instance, if my BH 1 measures 56mm, that would be 56/18.6= 3.01 width to fit 18.6 planks, yes?
 
Now, since i laid the first 2 planks without taper, should I redo the measures starting under those planks? or should i have tapered the top edges of those planks originally? 
 
Best,
Tim

She ain’t perfect but I think she’ll float! 
 
on to planning out the planking 
 
so far I’m pretty happy with it, hasn’t been the easiest, but I’m definitely learning the process. It’s super satisfying to see the progress :) 

Hi all,
 
I did a first try on the gunport strips.  Any issues that you can see that I should correct?  My measurements show that I'm level across and equidistant between BHs and the gunports.  I had to remove a bit from the front end of the strips to allow the jigsaw to sit around BH 9...this allowed the rear portion to sit fllush with the end of the rear upper deck, but now I will have to reshape the hole for the bowsprite. 
 
I also used some of the kit cannons to judge gunport positions relative to the deck and they seem good to my naked eye.  I think I will buy the upgrade set though for the better cannons.
  
 
I feel pretty decent about it for a first shot, but i will likely re-soak and shape a few times to make sure I get the subtleties of the BH curves before I finalize anything.  Please feel free to leave any constructive criticism for me to improve upon!
 
Thanks for looking in
Tim

Hi all,
 
Lots of pictures on this one, apologies in advance
 
I got a good bit of work done today.  Just got back from hiking in Shenandoah Valley (Appalachian Trail) the past few days with my girlfriend and our 3 pups so being up and about wasnt on the top of my to do list. 
 
Anyway, I was able to get the main deck planked, except the portions on the mid ship where the ends of the bulkheads will be removed later on.  I think it came out pretty good with just a layer of varnish on top of the raw wood--room for improvement next time though...or even on the upper decks when I do them. 
 
I dry fitted the support beams along with the upper decks fore and aft.  I used this to start getting my lines to shape the frame of the ship which seemed to work out well so far.  I then started to use the gunport strips to help with planning the beveling for the planks.  I was very unsure of how to approach this so I just went with the idea that as the plank bends around the frame, it should lay as flush as possible wherever it contacts the bulkheads--this seems to be what most videos and forums say on the matter--please correct me if I have this incorrect.  Very unnerving being the first time, but it looks pretty good holding the limewood up to it with a light bend.  I also used a piece of the deck planking to check the flush-ness of the fit since that bends much more easily.  Getting the limewood to bend will be an experience I'm sure. 
 
I have not attached the stern counter patterns yet.  From placing the rear upper deck, if I were to glue them in line with the pre-cut rear bulkhead, it would extend laterally out past the end of the rear upper deck.  I angled the attachment sites of both pieces to allow a flush fit against the pattern of the rear upper deck---I think that was the right move. 
 
I spent a decent amount of time trying to figure how much to bevel the stern portion to make planking easier for me there...everything I see on here is that you need to take more off than you'd think to avoid a massive bend.  I'm happy with it right now, but i guess i can take more off as I go.  I still have to taper the rear portion of the keel (deadwood??) to accept the width of the planking against the rudder.  I assume I should have done this earlier, but here we are! 🙃
 
Thanks for reading this novel, the sequel will be out shortly
Tim
 
 

There are 22 swivel gun mounts, even though there are only twelve swivel guns.  These were made by photo-etching brass.  Photo-etch is another one of those techniques I rarely use but when you are making several copies of the same piece, it comes in handy.  These pieces were made with the ProEtch system sold by MicroMark.  I designed the pieces in CAD and then laid them out, adding register marks and sprue lines.  As the metal is placed between two pieces of photo-resist, a mirror image of the design is also made.  

 
 The next slide shows the photo-resist sandwich prior to light exposure.  The second one shows the metal after light exposure.  I redid the artwork on the gun mounts after seeing how it came out but did not take additional pictures.  Finally I have a picture of  the empty etching tank.  An aerator allows more uniform etching.


 


 
And here are the results before blackening.  

 

Work has been progressing slowly on Swallow.  The next item to work on is the armament.  Swallow carried fourteen 4-pound cannon and twelve 1-pound swivel guns.  There are no commercially available guns that are the correct size so it was necessary to make them.  I intend to make one of each gun and then cast them in pewter.  I have never done any metal casting before, so this could be interesting.  The basic shape of the guns was made on the lathe.  Then, using thin strips of tape, I made the reinforcing rings.  The monograms are from Syren.





I made a simple casting box from scrap basswood.  I glued a piece of paper on the bottom to keep the clay from sticking to the table.  The next step was to embed the cannon half-way in clay (I used Sculpy).  Once the piece was secure, I transferred it to the casting box, added air vent sprues and made depressions in the clay with a square rod to facilitate registering the mold halves.  There is also a spout at the barrel muzzle for pouring the molten metal into the mold.



Unlike casting plastic or resin pieces, a high-temperature silicone rubber mold is required.  I used Mold Max 60 by Smooth-On.  The instructions recommended using a vacuum to remove air bubbles but I had no access to one and compensated by constantly tapping the mold box until the rubber had set.  The picture shows the cannon attached to the rubber and freed from the clay.

The next day, I liberally coated the mold and gun with Vaseline to prevent sticking and poured the other half of the mold.  I waited another day to unmold.  For a first attempt, I am pleased.  Even the monogram is visible in the rubber.  One of the problems with a flexible mold it that it can be easily distorted.  I used four parallel jaw clamps to gently hold the two mold halves together.
 



 
 

Thank you Steve for your kind words, I'm glad you enjoyed the log.
I'm sure you will enjoy the kit it's a great little build.
 
I have a visit to Anstruther on my bucket list, maybe next year, a bit of a haul at around 350 miles, and I would want to make sure the Reaper was doing trips.
Regards,
 
B.E.

The two supervisors are doing a good job, because the one working seaman has tied those ratlines nice and neatly.
 
Cheers,
 
Martin

The two supervisors are doing a good job, because the one working seaman has tied those ratlines nice and neatly.
 
Cheers,
 
Martin

Standing rigging
 
 
Mizzen mast
Again I started low and aft at the mizzen mast with the standing rigging.
First I prepared the tackles and shrouds around the masthead. Then, after putting up the first three shroud pairs, I installed the respective stay and tried to balance the forces on those lines, while keeping the mast upright. Several deadeyes had to be reset to get an more or less even distance from the deadeyes on the channels. Then the remaining shrouds were set up. First priority always has an equal pull on all the shrouds and the deadeyes forming nice parallel lines only second. In fact I think that on real ships all those ropes constantly worked and resetting of the shroud lanyards probably was an constant process, keeping an even pull on all that shrouds during hot, cold, dry and humid weather. I doubt that every time the deadeyes were newly aligned as well. At least this is my excuse for the uneven line of my deadeyes.
 
To set up the ratlines (yay!) I used cow hitches at the ends and clove hitches between.
 
Finally the crowfoot was set up.
 
A first few corrections to the strength of some lines in the plans were necessary:
- the strength of the futtock shrouds on all masts is of course the same as that of the associated topmast shrouds.
- the catharpins in the plans are to fat. According to Lees they should be 25% of the main shrouds which are 1,3mm - I took 0,25mm line for the catharpins.
 

 
one seaman to set up the ratlines and two to supervise him - efficient would be different...
 


 
 
 
 
 
 

Hello Admiral,
I have looked back at my build notes and this is what I wrote at the time.
The side colour
For this model I wanted to achieve that mellow golden look between the wales that is representative of ‘bright’ sides ie payed with rosin, as seen in many marine paintings contemporary to the period.
After some trialling I decided upon Humbrol Matt Cream (103) as the base coat.
Once dry I coated it with white shellac, which dries very quickly, and then over-painted with mellow pine wood dye.
This may seem a little unorthodox to many model painters, but I obviously tried out the operation on a spare plastic hull before committing to the real thing.
 
I think I have got close to the colour I am after.
 
The Wales and Topsides are blackened, (Humbrol 33) but I have reduced the black paint by the addition of quite a proportion of sea grey (Humbrol 27) to give a finish several shades less than the original black.
 
Overall this is not as complex as Victory to paint the broadsides as the strakes follow the lines of the wales, but the Topside mouldings do take a little careful masking given the smaller scale.
Inside the hull halves the bulwarks were painted Red ochre – what else, much easier done before assembly as the tumblehome restricts access.
 
On the subject of air brushes, I have little to say.
I prefer to hand paint model ships, I think it gives a more natural look.
 
Regards,
 
B.E.

Thanks for looking in Admiral.
I scribed three lines of planking between the ports using a styrene strip as a guide. The scribing was done using a curved dentists probe altho’ I think Tamiya make a plastic scriber tool.
I also scribed the wales in the same manner.
 
Hope this helps.
 
B.E.
 

Thanks to everyone for the likes.
 
Thank you, druxey.  Your explanation was much more explanatory than anything I would have said.  The fashion piece was a pain to fabricate because of the compound curves.  But by following the little-bit-at-a time approach, I ended up pleased with the result.   As you can see in the picture, the model does not have a fashion piece.  In fact, the aft ends of the hull planks are unusual; typically the lapstrake would have gradually diminished to a smooth surface.
  

In fact, I had the same idea when I first came into contact with sailboats. Either as shown in figure, or chamfering contact. With no reliable information to go on, I've always wondered how it was handled there. As you said, exposing the end of the plank will accelerate the rot. But a friend of mine told me that it's usually on the side of the tailgate. Perhaps the surface has been embalmed. But what I saw today raises questions again.  I just want to know if the real hull is treated like this? After all, it wasn't hard to make this part.

That is a very practical detail, called the fashion piece. It is actually part of the framing of the stern. It is rebated two ways, one to end the bottom planks into and the other way for the stern planks. The reason is that if that were not there, the plank ends would be exposed. Water penetration quickly causes rot. 
 
There are other places in a ship where the end grain of wood is protected for the same reason. This is a detail most ship modelers are either not aware of or choose not to show. It is a difficult piece to model, as the rabbet for the bottom planks keeps changing angle. Toni has done a fine job of it.

Hello, Toni. The whole boat looks beautiful. I hope you don't mind me asking, but the problem I see in the stern of a ship is that the hull plate presses directly on the stern plate. But you have a "tag" at the end (name unknown, allow me to call it that) . Was this part of the ship designed this way or was it added for its beauty?
 

It has been almost two months since my last post but I have been busy doing small projects.  Having recently completed a capstan in 1:16 scale, it was time to duplicate my efforts at 1:48.  If you have purchased the Capstan Project, I used the approach outlined in the advanced version.  The capstan on a ship of this size and from this era has five whelps and six bars.  I turned the spindle in a lathe and then used a mill to make it ten-sided.  The pencil marks are to help the edges stand out.  

The whelps were glued-up as a sandwich; the thickness was the maximal thickness of the whelp.  The sandwich was then glued to a block of wood, which was put into the mill vice.  The face was milled and the whelps were separated by soaking in isopropanol.  I made a few extra to allow for mistakes.  The whelp is wider at the bottom and on its face.  The final shape was achieved with a sanding stick.

The drumhead was made from four semicircular pieces and a cap.  I used thin adhesive-backed copper sheet as the iron ring.  I used liver of sulfur to give the copper a patina.

After the whelps were glued to the spindle, the chocks were made and installed and the bolts were installed.  The iron ring looks much better than the photo would suggest.  And the final result...

The next item I needed to address was the decorative molding.  The plans show the molding at the level of the bottom of the gunports.  The model shows the molding halfway up the gun ports.  The plan shows the bottom of the oar ports raised by the width of the molding.  The model shows them at the same level as the gun ports.
 
As it turned out, I (accidentally) built them at the same level, as shown on the model.  If I left the molding where it is seen in the plan, it would have gone through the oar ports.  So my choices were to rebuild the upper works to lower the oar ports or raise the molding, as seen on the model.  I went to the RMG site and looked at other models with oar ports; they were most commonly positioned at the same level as the gun ports.  Therefore, I decided to move the molding instead of the oar ports.  
 
The ship has eleven swivel gun mounts on each side, although she only carried eight guns.  These were located per the plan.  They were notched to fit over the rail.  Bolt holes were drilled.  The metal work will be installed later.  

 
The cathead and cathead knee were made next.  The cathead was sawn from a single piece wood.  Two sheaves were installed.  The cathead knee was made up of three pieces, as seen in the picture below; the final shape was attained with sanding drum and disc.  The cathead and knee were then temporarily installed.  No finish has been applied to either the swivel posts or the cathead.  As you can see in the third picture, the tops of the swivel posts have not been shaped yet.  They will be horizontal across ship and will parallel the shear when seen from the side.  Also temporarily fitted are the first oar port and gun port covers.  They will all be hinged horizontally.



Other small items which have been installed are the cleats (three per side) and the mast coats.  The entry ladders, pumps and capstan are temorarily in place.  

 
 

Nice work Peter, I found the rigging and configuration of the martingale to be one of the harder things to figure out, even with Lees as as reference, so glad you have a plan.