Jack12477

Looking good so far Erik. Just take your time. It's not as daunting as you think.

I glued on the transom and bow filler pieces.  I then faired them.  I took Canute's advice and laid one of the planks over various bulkheads to make sure I faired everything correctly.
 
Now it's on to planking.  Gulp. 
 

 

 
Erik

I bet that every sailor had a knife and perhaps a spoon, but not a fork, Mark.
Chopsticks, may be??? That would be easy to add.
 
One reason I wanted to see what this would look like is that the riding bit has a slice of blood-wood on its back. Some Worcestershire sauce and a touch of red might be just fine.
But enough is enough.

A knife and a fork....    

That'll be a nice touch Jay. Just add a little worcestershire sauce and you'll never know the difference.   

Well, guess what?
I just had to make sure that the turkey would not be forgotten. So here it is (with a carving knife) on top of the big riding bit. 
I am sure those large blocks of wood would be used for just that purpose.
It is in a perfect place for all the butchering that might take place aboard a ship.
 

I promise, that this is the last of this series. Well . . . . .
 
The turkey may have to pass also. It tasted like BBQd kangaroo or perhaps crockodile. Both are tough and need sharp teeth and a tolerant stomach.  But the usual, spicey sauce is alright. (At least it covers the after-taste, if you have any).

Just incredible and it looks that door would actually work...  almost scary how realistic it looks. 

Thanks very much Greg, John, Nils, Jan, George, Russell and Pat .
 
 
Jan - it's 28mm tall.
 
 
Russell - Because I could . I don't doubt the PE one would be accurate though.
 
 
Vulture only needs the one.
 
Here's the finished job. I've just now given it a coat of Minwax which hasn't dried yet :
 

 

 

 
 
 
 Danny

Good catch and great save Brian. Can't even see the joint. 

The catheads turned into an unexpected issue.  The angle built into the laser cut parts appeared to be completely wrong.  When the 'flat' on the bottom of the cathead was placed on the cap rail per the plans and instructions, the base was standing proud of the inside of the bulwarks near the deck by about 1/4".   Not sure if they are cut wrong, or if I somehow managed to get the angle on my bulwarks that far off of what they should be.
 
The solutions that I could think of were:
1) Cut an angle into the cap rail making the catheads stick up at an angle more severe than that shown in the plans.  Issue being that I was not sure the cap rail had enough thickness to actually support that angle, and the base of the catheads on the bulwarks would be lowered, possibly enough to interfere with the waterway.
2) File the bottom of the cathead  to make it fit, again causing a fairly steep angle, and presenting issues with how to shape the bottom edge of the cathead once that much of and angle was built into the 'flat'.
3) Modify the catheads by separating them into two pieces right at the corner, and changing the angle.  Issue - getting them aligned properly upon re-assembly, and making the join neat enough to not be visible on completion.
 
I eliminated #1 almost immediately, as if it didn't work right, I would have the problem of wrecked cap rails which would be a huge task to replace.
 
#2 seemed to be a problem with the shaping and the angle both.
 
So I went with #3.  Using the UMM micro-saw, I carefully sliced the cathead into two pieces, right at, and parallel to the 'flat' where the cathead would sit on the cap rail.  I then filed the piece that would go on the bulkhead, a little bit at a time, test fitting until I hit the right angle, and to keep the mating surface reasonable close through the entire process.  I then drilled a small hole into the bulkhead piece, and inserted a small brass nail cut to leave just the pointy tip exposed.  I then pressed the two pieces together carefully aligning them.  The tip of the nail gave me a point to drill the hole into the top piece, and I then replaced the pointy brass nail with a slightly longer one cut to be a pin to help secure the two parts together.
 
I took a picture after the first one was complete, overlaid on the one that was still unmodified to show how much angle I changed.

 
Seemed to work ok, so I cut the other one and followed the same procedure, and then mounted them both on the rail.  Right after that I realized I forgot to drill the other hole in the cathead for the rope.  Doh!  So I carefully drilled out the other hole while supporting the cathead with a finger.

 
Issue defeated.  I'll decide after I finish all the knightsheads and swivel gun supports whether these will be painted per the instructions or left natural, as I'll need to do a fair amount of touch-up painting where I removed the paint to get a good joint between the bulwarks / cap rail and the catheads.

Thanks guys,
 
I also have Ken's book and I've had private correspondence with him before as well - he is a very helpful gentleman as well as an extraordinarily talented modeller.
 
I was thinking of using aluminium for the splinter, but I guess copper or brass would work equally well and as you say is readily available in a number of thicknesses.

Grant, Richard, pose that question to Ken Foran (his build log is US Brig Niagara by xken - Model Shipways - Scale 1/64 ); he's written a great book on Modeling in Brass. Should be able to answer any soldering questions.

Richard, I have his book; it is a good read - lots of helpful information. I got it thru Barnes & Noble

Marvelous woodwork and craftsmanship. 
David B

Wow, lots of likes and comments.  Thank you all very much.
 
 
Nigel, the only stain used on the model is the cleats, the barrel of the ships wheel, and the body of the pumps.  Everything else is just wood or paint with clear poly.
 
 
 
You won't be plagiarizing me, the pumps are built exactly per the kit plans with the exception of using paper for the bands instead of brass, so go right ahead!

Looking good.  You'll love the rope when you get it, and will be happy you made that decision.  It was the first (and only) 'change' I made to my first ship, and one that I've never even come close to regretting!  

Looks great Ken! Very nice!!

Well I think I have sorted out the tackle blocks and have decided to wait for the rope shipment to arrive to make sure I use the correct tackle rope. Just received notice this morning that the order has shipped so should arrive by Monday or Tuesday if all goes well.
 
I have moved onto the yards and again had to dip into my personal stock of dowels since the kit had no 1/8" dowel as I sorted out the dowels provided against the plans.
 
I started with the topsail yards having the smaller hexagon center section to start with that was marked in the center area.
First I shaved the rough cut taper using the small plane and then chucked in the lathe to finish the taper using a file then sanding block and finally a sanding stick for a smooth finish.
 

 
Once both were cut and finished I drilled the locations for the eye bolts and then added them and adjusted their alignment using a .020" brass rod. The stop chocks and batten were also added.
 

 
Once finished then painted black. 
 

 
Next I will move on and finish up the rest.
 

Thank you fellows. So far it is still fun.
 
Moving down one deck, I am making a bunch of hooks to be mounted to the gun deck beams. They are for the numerous hammocks.
I also have made a lantern to be mounted in a corner behind one of the C-knees. But it will have to wait until the inside of the frames are planked. I just want to make sure I have the location right for the LED wiring.
Then it is back to the sewing machine to make some hammocks. This will all take some time . . . . .

Looking at photos #7 & 8 above of the cabins (overhead views) reminds me of the cabins my wife and I stayed in some many years ago when we cruised on the Nathanial Bowditch out of Rockland ME.  Bunks were attached directly to the side of the hull.  Great time tho.

Brilliant work Danny! Is one lantern all you'll need, or do you have to repeat the process? 

Lantern
 
The construction of the Lantern begins by milling a plug around which it will be built. I used plastic which had a quite slippery surface to prevent as much glue as possible from sticking. The lantern is tapered from top to bottom and is also at a 15 degree angle from the vertical. I used the dividing head shimmed up to the 15 degree angle on one end :
 

 
The vertical munions are cut to 30 degrees on the edges. They are left overly thick whilst assembly goes on, I'll trim them to the right thickness when all is assembled :
 

 

 

 
The top and bottom are rather tricky to shape, as the 15 degree angle applies again but they are also rounded. I milled the hex to the angle and rounded them with a sanding stick :
 

 

 

 
Continued next post .....

It should be ok where it is

I have a funny suspicion that I'm only going to fully understand the nuances once I've installed the shrouds

She looks marvelous Brian, very nice indeed!!