Justin P.

Me too. I went slow and burned through a few really sharp scalpels. Of course you are using boxwood so your experience will likely be different then mine (basswood), but what I found worked was to make the basic shape in the dummy plank and then trace it on the margin plank. Then I carefully cut out the shape in the margin just under the tracing mark so the actually cut shape was smaller than the tracing. I then shaped the actual plank to fit and had pretty good success (it was my first time doing this). By cutting smaller I could sort of force the plank into position and would get a nice tight fit. Good Luck!

If it helps, I was successful soaking in recently boiled water for 10 minutes or so, and then bent over the form using a small clothes iron as I bent. Did mine in one piece and all in one go, no breaks. Clamped down and left to dry for several days.

Ha! Thanks for the kind words Bob, at this point I just hope she comes out able to be shown at all!

Thanks fellas. I wish I could take credit for them, ha! I agree they look pretty good and am happy I made the investment. Aligned? Im not sure what you mean - Im aligning them using the overlapping method described in the instructions and mostly by eye. Following the pattern suggested in the diagrams provided. I'll likely need to make some accommodation for the curvature of the hull, but Im not there yet. Medium CA applied with a micro applicator. Holds very well.

Maybe it won't be so dramatic when you've got more of it complete? What will you use for the waterways? That would be an opportunity for a third color - worth considering.

Ive abandoned by quarter badge project for the time being as Im able to return to the next steps per kit instructions. I really was not happy with the color, look or process of creating copper plates per the supplied materials and so opted to outsource. I went with Amati 1:64 scale copper plates which have the same nailing pattern and come pre-made, they also have a matte finish which appeals to me more than the bright polish of the kit provided option. I picked up two packages from Age of Sail, which come with a sheet of plates for port and starboard each. They do not have the self-stick backing, but are nice quality and I don't mind individually adhering them despite the time it takes. They are only slightly different dimensions overall. Normally I would prefer to find a DIY solution, but I think there will always be a few components I don't mind shelling out for: blocks/ropes/cannon among them. Ive spend a solid 8 hours working on the coppering and have gotten about 1/3-1/2 way on the port side only. Its slow going, but nice to see it come together. Im happy with the choice.

What a nice little addition! Beautiful.

Looks like a good start! Cant wait to see the final result!

Hear! Hear!

Badges Part II: Still plucking away, not sure exactly how these will turn out. It feels mostly like an experiment at this point. I don't love the results, but I don't hate them either...

Im very interested in how you guys are rescaling to build the scratch version. Im not suprised by the difficulty either, its seems the smaller the boat the harder it is! I remember thinking that when I tried the MS Longboat some time ago (a project I never completed). Looking forward to seeing your scratchbuild efforts on this piece of the project. Good Luck!

Hey I appreciate the compliment, but must admit that I use a combination of suggestions and methods I've gathered from correspondence with @Gahm, and through reading tutorials and build logs of @Chuck. One thing I have experimented with this time around has been the use of sanding sealer. After sanding thoroughly smooth, I apply the sanding sealer and sand back to smooth (it will raise the grain of the wood). This has the benefit of sealing the wood so it wont expand or absorb the moisture from the paint. Without it I was always battling the wood grain raising and fibers popping up. With the sealer the finish or "smoothness" of the fine finish sanding is preserved. For paint I use the Model Shipways, heavily diluted with water and apply many, many layers. After each layer dries I sand it with 1000+ sand paper. Essentially, I paint and then sand about half of it off and then paint again so on and so forth... eventually the color becomes saturated without being bulky or looking plastic (i.e glossy).

Really impressive work with carronade wheels! As well, great sourcing of the 3d printed carronades themselves... I suspect 3d printing is going to take up more and more space in our lives going into the future.

Phew, almost month since my last update. Apologies to those friends whose own build logs Ive not caught up on but who take the time to check in on my own. Ive been keeping my head down lately just trying to recover from this last debacle, trying to manage family during a COVID Christmas and making time for some paid work as well. I hope to catch up on everyone's builds soon! Correcting the error in my bulwarks has taken a lot more time than I initially thought. Sanding the thickness down inboard resulted in some very think inboard planking as was expected, what I didn't anticipate was that as I started to repaint the moisture would cause some expansion of those thinned planks. The result was a very cockled look and not at all acceptable. What transpired since first starting this correction has been a long sequence of filling, sanding, repairing, painting, etc, etc, etc... it has taken a long time to get where I I could progress forward again. After all was said and done, I came out a good 1/8" or more narrower at the caprail. After the endless cleanup, touching-up and checking and rechecking I finally decided it was ok to lay in the decking which I completed with the supplied basswood strip stained with a diluted Golden Oak to give it a distinctly lighter tone than the outer hull planking. I made a mini mistake in the shift pattern, but I don't think anyone will catch it unless they are looking for it. After installing the waterways I then moved on to exterior hull details. The first thing I tackled were the sweep ports which went well. I used the supplied brass bits, blackened in the usual way and later added the wire hinges (not pictured). Im currently thinking about copper plates and the badge as I wait for some items in the mail that may make some or all of that process a bit easier. Until then Ive been working on the side badges. Ill be *trying* the layered cake approach used by others to reconstruct these. The first thing I did was laminate some quarter inch basswood to meet the required dimensions for making two sides of the middle or window portion. Seen below is a relative comparison, I cut two pieces per side to account for error. Once roughly laid out I could set the gauge on the Byrnes to roughly 75 degrees and cut my 1/4" high window section. This gives me the appropriate sweep to carve by. Im not sure how the rest of this will go, but I feel good about progress so far and will update as I move ahead.

This is a great idea, I was thinking about trying something like that myself.

Each step out does the last, great progress! I like the hammocks.

There are a few solutions for the odd numbered shroud, the only common thing being that the odd one goes aft and is the last one rigged, with the port side being the final. Typically the first two are starboard (2), then port (2), then starboard, then port. This being only one way to do it, I think the very best thing you can do to answer these questions is buy a book or two on the subject. It can be difficult to get a clear picture of some of the more complex rigging structures by weeding through build logs. Not only are the structures a bit puzzling, but details can get even more complex depending on how "accurate" you want to be. My best recommendation would be: Historic Ship Models - Wolfram Mondfeld For actually completing these steps, then yes the build logs can help. There are a lot of ways people work these things out, Ive tried many of them - on one model I must have rigged shrouds a dozen or more times until I figured out which technique worked for me. Getting those deadeyes taught, of level distance along the channel and not twisting all over took a lot of patience - not mentioning how to get them seized onto the shroud where I wanted them, etc. etc.

I actually think the only thing titanium is the handle, but don't know enough about it. According to the website: "Expertly crafted from premium Japanese and French stainless steels and combined with titanium..." The blade stock feels like stainless, no different than their earlier series - just now with an upgraded handle. I had assumed the handle was what made them "Titanium." I, too, prefer a high-carbon steel which is why I often reach for my flexcut stuff or make what I need from hacksaw steel.

It does! Ive done a similar thing with razor blades, but those carbon disks look like they make a much cleaner result. Ive only used thicker Dremel discs and diamond cutters for this task and have found them imprecise. Ill be investing in some of these.

Wow! Gulp... that's an ambitious undertaking, can't wait to see it come together as Im sure you'll knock it out well!

That cap rail looks extra good, how did you cut the molding in? Scraper?

Ive got a complete set as a gift earlier in the year. They are good, but I think perhaps a bit overpriced. They do come very sharp, have good build quality but I do not trust the steel as it seems run of the mill and I would not expect the edge to hold long, especially if working something harder than basswood. As small as they are it might be nothing to hone them up from time to time, but will need to be extra careful when sharpening. There really isn't much to them at the cutting edge, so one could easily go too far if they were inexperienced on sharpening stones. I use mine very occasionally for when no other tool can be used or if I need to just trim somewhere delicate. Though I do find that I reach for my flexcut micro chisels more often, and these if I need longer reach. These are not heavy use tools in my opinion.

Unless you have some reason to need a power saw for the type of work this thing targets, I would say invest in a nice manual alternative. There are some very good razor saws out there that will do the work this thing does in half the time, half the clean up and twice the accuracy.

That looks so good. Great little kit!

And a tiny one at that!