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Louie da fly

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  1. Louie da fly
    Fascinating work, Dick. Very interesting to follow your working out of the structure. Steven
  2. Louie da fly
    Latest progress on my Varangian guardsman. I've done my best to simulate mail (NOT chain mail, please - that's a term invented in the 19th century and unknown in the Middle Ages), but it's rather difficult. To show what real mail looks like and at the risk of blowing my own trumpet, here's a photo of me and my Hearth troop when I portrayed Leofwine, the brother of King Harold, at the re-enactment of the Battle of Hastings on the actual battlefield on the 940th anniversary in October 2006 (I'm in the back row, fifth from the left, with my hand resting on the axe-head.) To duplicate that isn't easy in a carving at 1:50 scale. Here's a few contemporary carvings at a considerably larger scale (probably 1:1) I first did a test piece on the figure I'd already decided wasn't good enough to go on the ship. Here's one method, which didn't satisfy me: and another, which seemed to work better: and here's the guardsman with the mail in progress: It's a bit coarse and I'm not sure if I'm totally happy with it, but at this scale anything with a finer "weave" is likely to be invisible. I'd hate to discard this guy after all the hard work I put in - we'll see how it goes when he's finished. Steven
  3. Louie da fly
    Oh no, Druxey. You got the quote correct. I was just quoting the next line, to keep the game going. But there was only ever one mamelon - it was a hill in the Crimean campaign, which looked to the French soldiers like a mamelon (=nipple). Both it and a ravelin are/were defensive works. Alan, I look forward to the progress on the figurehead, even if you end up throwing it away and doing another. But I find in my own carving (see my dromon build log) that once it's roughed out you just "cut away anything that doesn't look like Bellerophon and Pegasus". The most difficult thing seems to be the face, and I usually concentrate on that first, once the roughing out is done, because if you stuff that up there's no point in doing the rest of it. It's like anything else in a build, though - patience and care, and don't hurry. And do it again if you're not satisfied - you're the one who has to be happy with it. Steven
  4. Louie da fly
    "when I know what is meant by "mamelon" and "ravelin" I'd never heard of a mamelon so I looked it up. Worth checking out. Revisiting the spear vs javelin thing for a moment, spear is the generic term for a "knife on the end of a stick" - pikes, javelins and lances (and assegais, for that matter) are all spears, but their functions are different. A (military) javelin does have a head, but it's usually very small, as it's a thrown weapon. Most javelins are quite short - compared with, say, a 15 foot pike a javelin's more likely to be between 6 and 8 feet long. Love the figurehead, by the way. Any progress since the last photo? Steven
  5. Louie da fly
    Just finished this book. I found it very informative, not only about the battle itself but the strategic, religious and political circumstances surrounding it, and the "mythology" it generated. If I have any criticism, it's that in attempting to demolish the "Christians good - Turks Bad" that normally accompanies traditional accounts of the battle, he goes a bit too far the other way. He makes the point that for all the celebration that attends the battle, it was in no way decisive - the Holy League were not in a position to follow up the victory, and any effects of the battle were very temporary - Cyprus remained in Ottoman hands, and the ships of the Turkish fleet were fully replaced within a year (albeit with unseasoned timbers and inexperienced crews). And the mutual suspicion and antagonism between the members of the Holy League, particularly Spain and Venice caused it to disintegrate within the same period of time. One thing I found extremely interesting was the Holy League's galleasses. They were much heavier than the galleys and had to be towed into position (against a headwind) forward of the main line of galleys, in the centre of the line. They were too unmanoeuvrable to take part in any but the initial stage of the battle, where the Turkish galleys swept past them to engage the galleys of the Christian fleet. Their broadsides are only known to have sunk two Turkish galleys before they were left behind, but in splitting to bypass them, the Turkish centre lost much of its cohesion. Another fact of which I was unaware is that after an initial cannon volley, renaissance galley battles were very similar to classical and mediaeval ones. Normally only one cannon volley was discharged before the vessels met, and the rest was done by boarding. The Holy League knew (from their own experience from Christian fleets fighting each other), as the Turks did not, that firing at point-blank range was far more effective than firing earlier. After that initial salvo, galleys would attempt to "gang up" on galleys of the opposing fleet and sweep their decks clear of defenders in hand to hand combat. Once one enemy galley had been emptied of its crew, they would move on to another and repeat the performance. The Holy League didn't have it all its on way - the number of galleys taken by the Turks with all the crew killed was considerable. But though it was a "famous battle", it really didn't decide very much (except perhaps for the fact that the Turks began to build their own galleasses.) The deconstruction of the myth surrounding the battle is also very interesting and informative, though I must take issue with his contention that Tolkien's Lord of the Rings was substantially based on the conflict between Catholic Christianity and Islam. Thoroughly researched though the rest of his book may be, I really don't think he took the trouble to read Tolkien's. Nonetheless, very well worth a read. Steven
  6. Louie da fly
    Looking good, Yancovitch. I'm fascinated by galleys as well. I find them intensely interesting. Before you start making your oars, I thought I'd mention a small point; though we don't have complete information on them, different periods and regions seem to have had different oar types and shapes. For example, Ancient Greek ones are often shown on pottery, such as at https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1NHXL_enAU770AU770&biw=1600&bih=758&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=7X5KXNfTD4SGoASiz5DgAw&q=ships+in+ancient+greek+pottery&oq=ships+in+ancient+greek+pottery&gs_l=img.3...18345.20265..20600...0.0..0.216.1533.0j5j4......0....1..gws-wiz-img.......0i8i7i30.ezBdCT3ec8E#imgrc=Ipq6qQ1dtRMhfM: Egyptian ones can be seen at https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1NHXL_enAU770AU770&biw=1600&bih=758&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=wH9KXPP-HNXr-QaPpJuQDw&q=ships+in+egyptian&oq=ships+in+egyptian&gs_l=img.3...48668.52248..58708...1.0..0.271.1574.0j7j2......0....1..gws-wiz-img.......0j0i5i30j0i24.NY93QXYebF0 . Unfortunately these sites include modern "interpretations"; naturally it's best to stick to original representations from the time. Egyptian ships are also represented by contemporary models, which can be useful. I haven't been able to find any of Viking oars, and as far as I know no Viking oars have been found, though several steering oars have. I researched Byzantine oars for my dromon model. You can see the results on my build log. Best wishes, Steven
  7. Louie da fly
    If he's lying down rather than sitting on his haunches, the leopard would be described in heraldry as "couchant" - if he was looking at you, rather than straight ahead, he's "gardant". So he'd be "a leopard proper couchant gardant". Steven
  8. Louie da fly
    Thanks for all the likes and encouraging comments. I think I've come a long way since the first figure I did for the ship (which I now consider not good enough to be included). Christos, I've got quite a few figures made now - they're scattered through the build log. The helmsman is incomplete till I get the steering oars in position (I have to work out exactly where his arms go), and the seated Captain probably won't be included now because he has to give up his seat when the Emperor is aboard. There was a quantum leap in the quality when I got the magnifying headset, though. Though I'd carved wooden figures before, I'd never tried to carve anything that small with that amount of detail, and the headset made it so much easier to see detail. Compare the face of this guy with the Emperor and his courtiers and bodyguards, which I made after I got the headset. Steven
  9. Louie da fly
    Started work on the pseudopation (forecastle), making use of the lessons I learnt making the xylokastra - such as making the deck and parapet before I make the supports. Here's the cardboard mock-up (version 2) along with the lion's head which forms the outlet for the nozzle of the siphon for Greek Fire (which will be added after the structure is complete and in place). Deck structure, Decking added And in the meantime for a break, a bit of carving - the Emperor's second Viking bodyguard. More to do, but coming along nicely. I believe the faces are getting better as I gain more experience, but the magnifying headpiece has made a big difference as well. Steven
  10. Louie da fly
    Thanks everyone for the likes. Patrick, I may still have to adjust the frames. The upper part of the new frame second from the front seems to have a slightly different angle to the others, and may have to be packed out a bit. I'll be better able to sort this out when I replace the upper planking. Steven
  11. Louie da fly
    Thanks, Druxey. Yes, it's 1:200. You can blame Bjorn Landstrom (sorry, can't add the correct accents to his name) - I directly copied it from the 1:200 reconstruction side view in his book The Ship. When I built it in 1970-odd, I carved three people out of bamboo to inhabit the ship. They were pretty tiny. Sadly, they got lost along the way along with many of the other nice detailed bits I made. Still, 1:200 pales into insignificance compared with the guys who routinely make ships at 1:350. I have no idea how they do it. Patrick, you were right; the frame was out of line. I've fixed it and moved on somewhat, putting in cross-beams which will support the upper deck. This is all a bit rough and ready - I have yet to work out exactly the run of the deck - the black lines are where I think the deck will run - and of the hull below the water line. Which is part of the reason for using balsa - it's so easy to work and to "bodge" if it's bit out. Still lots of work to be done, but slowly making progress. Steven
  12. Louie da fly
    Thanks, Pat. Patrick, I'll check this out. You may well be right, but photos can often be misleading. Steven
  13. Louie da fly
    Igor, I missed your return to this project back in May. I'm so glad you came back and completed it. You've done a beautiful job. Steven
  14. Louie da fly
    I agree, Dick. However, it will be a while before I'm confronted by this problem and I've decided not to worry too much about it till then (the problems I have to resolve at the moment are quite enough for the time being). I'll be re-using as much of the original upper-work planking as I can, but there'll be a certain amount of new stuff I'll have to add, and the whole of the hull below the water line needs new planking. What I have now is walnut, rather than the "Queensland walnut" I used when I first built her. I think I'll be trying to match the timbers as closely as possible; the overall goal is to repair her to be as she would have been at the time, rather than to show up the repairs. The main deck is bamboo, made from old blinds. I may be able to get something similar. If not, I have a piece of bamboo I'll probably cut into planks for the upper deck. I've added the extra frames I needed. I had to reverse engineer frames, to be the right size to fit inside the existing planking (instead of making the frames first and then putting the planking on afterwards). The second-last frame is a bit skewiff so I'll have to undo and re-glue it, properly square. I've marked where the tops of the upper deck-beams will be on each of the new frames, and now I have to decide exactly what to do next. I'll be putting beams in, of course, but I may cut the frames off above the beams and add false frames where they're visible, in some wood more appropriate than balsa. Steven
  15. Louie da fly
    Welcome to MSW, Paolo, from far-flung Ballarat. You'll find everybody here very helpful. Are you going to start a build log? Steven
  16. Louie da fly
    I think the idea that "My work is not good enough" is common to 90% of the people who start build logs, and often a disincentive to start one. But do it anyway. Nobody's going to criticize and you'll get a lot of support in your build. And (from my own experience) the "faults" that loom so large to you often turn out to be part of the learning experience. We've all been there, even the legends of MSW (which I hasten to add, don't include me). Fear of making mistakes often stops us doing anything at all, so jump in regardless - make mistakes and learn from them. And next time you don't make that mistake again. And every time you make a new model, it'll be better than the last one. Steven
  17. Louie da fly
    Hi Kevin, Welcome to MSW. I agree, the members of this forum are unusual in their helpfulness and generosity. It makes it a lot better just knowing there's someone out there who can probably help with information or problem-solving if you happen to get stuck or need to find something out. It would be good to see some photos of your models in progress. Are you planning to start a build log? Steven
  18. Louie da fly
    A nice piece of work. The ships of this period - the great days of exploration - are really interesting, and you're making very good progress with a very good-looking model. And I agree, a scratch build is a very special thing. I like the fact that you are cutting and seasoning your own timber for the ship. Walnut and pear are beautiful woods, and pear is also great for carving. You're lucky to have these timbers growing native in your country. In Australia where I live most people have to pay a lot of money to get even small pieces of European timbers. However, my home town of Ballarat is unusual; the street trees are mostly European - ash, oak, elm. Two of my neighbours have pear trees, and one had a walnut tree that died, so I got the timber. The translator seems to be working well. Though it uses unusual words for some technical terms (such as "plating" where we would say "planking") it's quite easy to make out your meaning. Best wishes with your project. I'm enjoying following it. Steven
  19. Louie da fly
    Thanks everybody for all the likes. Cog, unfortunately the wood is as tough as old boots, so I can't just shove a pin into it, much as I'd like to. And the smallest drill bit I can get is considerably larger diameter than a pin, so it would slop around in the hole. Druxey, Pat and Patrick, thanks for the comments. And Christos, Ευχαριστώ πολύ φίλε μου. Best wishes to all for the New Year, Steven
  20. Louie da fly
    Beautiful weathering work, Greg. She really looks like she's been at sea for a good while. Looking at your post #173 I couldn't figure out why a WWI battleship would have a WWII funnel. Then looking further on I realised it was the funnel of the model behind her . . . Yamato? Steven
  21. Louie da fly
    Another piece of "learning by doing" - probably the only possible way to construct the bow framing; hard to predict in theory, but the obvious road to travel when doing it in practice. Steven
  22. Louie da fly
    Thanks for all the likes, and thanks Druxey and Pat for the encouraging comments. Very much appreciated, particularly with what turned out to be a very frustrating stage of the build. Well, I've finished the xylokastra at last. Parapet planking nearly complete on the first one - with a crewman for comparison. Planking complete. I sanded it all smooth, but it looked a little bare, so I added some horizontals nominally to strengthen the structure but really to make it look better. Another column came loose, so I "pinned" it. I ended up doing this to all the corner columns, and even then I had to repeat the procedure with at least one of them because the pin broke. Next time I do this (for the forecastle or pseudopation) I'll do the columns last, because a lot of repair had to be done to damage which occurred while I was working on the superstructure. And I'll carve an integral pin into the end of each column to hold everything together, rather than (a) butt-jointing the tops of the columns and/or (b) drilling holes in the tops of the columns to add the pins. The same problem came up with the corner pieces of the substructure, and in future I'll pin these as well. As you can see below the corner piece came away along with everything attached to it as I was working on the superstructure, and the whole thing had to be repaired. The first xylokastron complete. The second one under way. And a comparison with the finished one. Both xylokastra complete and inhabited, with a crewman, a Varangian guardsman and a flute-player (for giving the rowing pace to the oarsmen). These aren't the guys who will be there - they're to go elsewhere on the ship. In fact I might leave the xylokastra completely uninhabited, as the vessel's not in combat. It's been a long and difficult process, but I've learnt a lot while doing it, which will stand me in good stead later in this and future builds. Steven
  23. Louie da fly
    Thanks for the likes. I discovered I'd made the frames too narrow for a smooth curve of the hull where they were supposed to be. Not too much of a problem - I just moved them sternwards till they fitted within the curve. The furthest aft frame stayed where it was and I glued it in place. I had to work out some sort of temporary jig to get it square to the hull and the keel - voila! Pins and a couple of bits of balsa. Clamped the jig to the keel with a clothes peg and glued the frame in place. When I wanted to remove the jig, I just pulled out the pins. Then I clamped the existing planking to it with clothes pegs to get the curve I wanted, placed the next frame so it just reached the inside face of the planking on both sides and glued it in place using the same type of jig. And same technique with the third frame from the stern/ Now I need to make some more, wider frames, which will fill the gap forrard of the ones I relocated. Steven
  24. Louie da fly
    Beautifully clean, precise work, Peter. And she looks good, too! Steven
  25. Louie da fly
    A nice bit of history. I think I've been to Esperance once, many years ago. Steven

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