Louie da fly

Thanks everybody for the likes and especially thanks Robin. (Of course I got the idea for the "waterline" from you.) Steven PS: My wife also thinks it looks like a basket.

Beautiful, precise work, Patrick. This is an excellent build. Steven

Working on the keelson, stemson and sternson. I've hedged my bets - the masts are supposed to be stepped into the keelson, but I still haven't decided whether I want one or two masts. So I worked out where the holes for the masts should be in a single and dual masted set-up, and bored holes for each and all. From what I can see, the keelson in this model just isn't thick enough for a large enough hole for a mast step, so I'll probably fudge it and make a more substantial step to be sure the mast(s) are properly supported. It'll all be invisible below decks anyway, so I'm not going to get too concerned. I'd rather have the masts properly secured than have an accurate (but inadequate) step which nobody can see. Interestingly, the contemporary Byzantine texts talk about ships' masts unstepping themselves in a heavy blow, and maybe now I can see why. I didn't have a long enough straight enough piece of wood for the full keelson so I've scarphed two pieces together, and also made scarph joints for the stemson and sternson. I think I'm getting better at scarph joints . . . Here they are dry fitted to each other: And some progress on the support frame for the lower bank of oars. I've spent a lot of time agonising about how to do this, and it looks like I've come up with an answer that will work. A frame that follows the curve of the hull, far enough inboard of the sides to allow for the inboard section of the oar-looms. To get the vertical angle right I made up a temporary support at water level and rested the oar blade on it. This then determines how high the oar handles have to be, and so where the top of the frame should be. Once I figured that out I made temporary supports out of balsa to support the oars at the right height, and these will be replaced in due course with a permanent frame. I also angled the sides of the frame so the oars would rest along its surface, rather than just touch at a point. Viewed end-on the curve isn't as smooth as I might like it to be, but this will all be invisible - this frame is purely functional - it never existed on the real ship. The idea is for the outboard part of the oars to be properly oar-shaped, but inboard they'll be flat in section and each one pinned to the frame with a small brass pin which will allow them all to swivel, so I can move the frame forward and aft till I get the horizontal angle right. I've cunningly decided to have the oars at the end of their stroke - that's to make it easier for me to make the upper oarsmen, as then their arms will be right up against their chests rather than extended, and that will make it easier to carve and cast them. Steven

The repairs to the planking are now complete: I think I'll extend the gunwale up to the pencil line on the tail, which is how it was before the disaster. I think it will look better. And the stringers are all in place. They look quite a bit better than I'd expected. And I've been back to the figure carving in between times. This is the VIP passenger - Emperor Alexios Comnenos, who I chose because he was the one who initiated the use of fearsome animal heads to shroud the "business end" of the Greek Fire projectors, adding to the shock and awe. Early stage -roughing out, which I call the Megatron stage - (look at his face) He's sitting on a "portable throne" with a bolster behind him, which appears over and over again in contemporary representations. They were gilded and very ornate. Here is a contemporary picture of him, with Christ sitting a throne of this type, though the one I'm making has four fairly hefty legs - also a common feature. Hmm, I'll have to make a footstool as well. I'll try to reproduce that as best I can at this scale. Next stage - finer shaping Next stage - nearing completion Still quite a bit to do on him - smoothing off and trimming etc. And of course painting. My faces are getting better, but I just haven't been able to capture the slightly rogueish expression on his face. My next project will be to make the framing to support the oars of the lower bank below deck level, standing in place of the oarsmen themselves. Steven

Hi Michael, Beautiful work. The march of archaeological progress can be a real problem - it can turn what we "knew" on its head. A model based on this can only be accurate to the best knowledge to date - subject to further discoveries. I am in awe of anyone who completes a ship model as complex as this, and you've done an amazing job of her. By the way, regarding the Viking shields, you might be interested in this link. The Gokstad ship's shields alternated - one plain black and one plain yellow shield, then black, yellow etc. The black was probably charcoal with some kind of binding substance (I experimented back in the day with animal fat - it works well, but attracts files like you wouldn't believe), and the yellow is though to have been arsenic sulphide. Unfortunately, conservation techniques when she was discovered were not what they are now, and no trace of the pigment survives. Steven

SUCH a pretty ship. I went on board the replica while she was still a-building, and still have the little oak off-cut with her name burnt into it with a branding iron. I'll be following the build with interest. Steven

Just guessing here, but I think it would to a certain degree depend on the Captain's finances - a well-off captain would probably provide his own furniture and it would most likely be in the fashion of the day (there should be lots of images on the Net if you do a google search), though unless he was very wealthy, I'd expect it to be a relatively plain version of that style. If he wasn't well-off, the ship's carpenter would probably make it for him and it would be VERY plain. Steven

You can be justly proud of this model. It's been an inspirational journey and I've learned a lot which I might be able to put to use in my own build. Steven

I don't know if "boring" in your language also means "drilling" as it does in English. Or is it just a wonderful coincidence? Steven

Making good progress, Ondras. She's starting to take shape. I have a rather more personal interest in this build than usual, as Lowe is my surname (although I'm not "red"). Steven

Thanks, Backer, and thanks to everyone for the comments and "likes". Yes, I know enough organic chemistry (did a single semester at university and never went on) to know these are two very different animals. Isopropanol is a considerably bigger molecule. I don't know how that would affect the two substances' ability to dissolve white glue. I might experiment with "metho" (methylated spirits) on some waste pieces and see what happens. You can get it at the supermarket, it's cheap and doesn't have colouring added. Steven

A really interesting solution to the problem of mounting oars. I've been pondering the same problem myself for some time and I'm taking inspiration from yours. The dromons had the leather sleeves as well, and I was thinking of using aluminium foil from the kitchen for both those and for the flags when the ship is finished. I don't know how it would compare with yours. Looking very good, and I love your case as well - shows the model off to its best advantage. Steven

I love your weathering. Your models really look proper work-boats that are worked hard and not looked after well. It's a real skill, and something I'd like to emulate myself one day. Steven

My bad. It appears Hearns only have OO HO and N gauge (1:87, 1:76 and 1:148). But there are two worthwhile looking modelling shops in Ballarat which might be worth a phone call - Collector Models in Canadian and Harpers in Harold St Wendouree. There's also Toyworld in Howitt St and Handcrafts and Collectable Models in Sturt St, though they don't seem as likely. And it still might be worth contacting Hearns in case they can get O gauge figures in for you. But maybe the Net is your best bet. There are plenty of overseas suppliers if you do a search for O gauge Victorian figures. Steven

Glad the book was useful to you. I was impressed by how much information the author had managed to pack into such a small book. And for a change, it all seemed relevant, rather than being padded out with a lot of bumf and waffle. Steven

Thanks, Druxey. If I do something like that again I probably will cut the pieces to shape. Bending is too uncertain. But I wanted to try it out - hubris, I suppose. I've kept an eye out for those plastic-covered clamps you asked about. No joy so far, but I'll keep looking. By the way, I looked up "rubbing alcohol" and apparently what it is depends on where you are - in the US iso-propyl alcohol is called rubbing alcohol. Elsewhere (as in the UK) it's ethanol ("drinking" alcohol) with about 5% methanol (wood alcohol) to make it undrinkable - otherwise known as methylated spirits. Best served cold from the fridge . Which one is it you use to get glue off? Regards, Steven

Hearns hobby shop under the arches at Flinders St Station in Melbourne - down Flinders St walking away from Swanston St. I think it's still there, and might have the figures you need, intended for model railways. As Kurt says, "O" gauge is 1:48 - close enough to 1:50. Maybe you could phone them and find out (saves you a trip to Melbourne if they don't). Steven

I’ve been away for a while – life’s been getting in the way. But I haven’t been idle; there’s been slow but steady progress, though a little erratic. I put in place the through-beams for the steering oars and began on the support structure . . . And then - DISASTER! The extensions to the gunwales that formed the tail of the ship had been shaped by heat bending, and when I put them on I didn’t realise they were exerting a sideways force on the sternpost. On a routine inspection I discovered they’d pushed the sternpost into a quite dramatic curve to starboard - and the tail planking was following the off-centre curve. It took a week to decide whether I should correct it, with the chance of completely stuffing up the whole ship – the frames and planks are very delicate - or leave it as it was and have it sneer at me for the rest of my life. In the end I took my courage in both hands and started pulling it to bits – with horrible memories of what happened when I decided to re-do the Great Harry model – it’s still waiting for me to rescue it once I’ve finished this one. I should have taken a “before” photo to show how bad it was. But I at least got some directly after I’d cut both sides away from the sternpost, which gives a fair idea. I’d thought I’d have to put the ship back on the plug to have a stable base for the repairs, so I removed the through-beams and the partly completed steering structure as well. It turned out I didn’t need to use the plug, but removing the through-beams has made it easier to put in the stringers (see below), so it wasn’t a total loss. Fortunately the port side wasn’t too bad, and the sternpost came almost back to its correct shape once it was cut free. But I had to take off quite a bit of the planking on the starboard side. And the “tail” of the starboard gunwale. It turned out that the residual bending in the port gunwale and the sternpost cancelled each other out, and i was able to bring it all back into square by squeezing them together. I didn't have a suitable clamp so while the glue dried I just held them together with my fingers. And it's now about as straight as it can be. A tiny bend in the head of the sternpost, but it's almost invisible and I've decided I can live with it. I’d been worried I’d have to make a new pair of “tails”, but I was able to re-use them with a minimal amount of tweaking, and re-position them so they didn’t push the sternpost sideways. I’m pretty happy with it now - it’s nice and straight and as the off-centre forces have been removed I’m satisfied it won’t happen again. But the starboard “tail” was now about 3mm (1/8”) too short, and I had to use filler to make it good at each end. While under repair it looked pretty ghastly, but I’ve finally got it to a point where it only needs a bit of planking and it’ll be right as rain. Another learning experience. Sigh. By the way, having finalised the steersmen’s positions, I realised the handles of the steering oars were way too short. Serves me right for making them too early. As I was going to have to re-jig them, I thought I’d have another look at the 11th century picture I got the design from. Not good, I’m afraid. The rudders I’d made didn’t look much like the original at all. So I might as well be making completely new ones. Below are the steering oars, with the contemporary picture for comparison – from the left, one of the original pair; then the first new one, carved out of pear wood (which I discarded because although the shaft was the same thickness as in the picture, it looked too thin for the forces involved in steering a ship of this size); and the last two are my final version. I still have to put the tillers (visible in the picture) on them. I’ve also made a bunch of stringers, based on those found on one of the Yenikapi galleys. Only two of the galleys found had stringers. One had only a single pair, each made from half a youngish tree split down the middle, and placed face down at the turn of the bilge. The other had four stringers each side of the keel, made of planks the same thickness as the strakes of the ship (about 25-30mm, or one inch), and 150mm (6”) wide. Though the first configuration did seem attractive, I decided to follow the second. Here they are: And here is the first one in place at the turn of the bilge. There’ll be another three between this and the keel on each side. And here it is bent to shape. I didn’t have clamps that reached far enough to hold it in place while the glue dried, so I acted as my own set of clamps. Only seven to go. Steven

Hi John, Did you end up getting that book? You're making good progress so far. I'm looking forward to seeing it taking shape. By the way, us Aussies probably have no more idea of Maori culture or artefacts than you do. Our own aboriginal population are completely different racially and culturally, with totally different origins. Ask us about New Zealand cricketers, and we'd probably be able to answer. Steven

There are quite a few galley (bireme, trireme) build logs here and in the scratch build section which might be of use to you as you make your model - sometimes when you encounter a problem, someone else has already solved it in their own build. I'm pretty sure there's at least one Amati bireme amongst them. 55cm - that's a respectable size. Good luck with it! Steven

Wonderful stuff. I'm looking forward to the archaeological reports (though that won't be for a number of years, as they sift through all the information). This is a fantastic find for those of us interested in mediaeval and ancient ships. So many questions waiting to be answered! Steven

It's well worth going. I had to go 12,000 miles to get there, but you're within coo-ee of the place. But then, there's so many worthwhile places to see in the UK. It's hard to see them all in a lifetime (let alone a three week visit). We went in 2009, the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII coming to the throne, so there was a huge amount of stuff laid on especially to see for those interested in that sort of thing. But the Mary Rose was inaccessible - they had just started building the new enclosure and nobody was allowed near it. On the other hand, the collection of artefacts was increased greatly, so we got to see shoes, a fiddle, wrought iron swivel guns, a parrel truck etc etc . . . (We also went to Bristol to see the Great Britain, and were lucky enough to see the Matthew reconstruction while we were there - carrackly goodness!) Steven

Well, that's news. I didn't know about this picture's Victorian connection. I thought it was done in the 17th century. The Embarkation at Dover is still in existence. It's on a wall in the Wolsey Room at Hampton Court Palace. And the painting of the actual tournament at the Field of the Cloth of Gold is at Hampton Court as well. The mural in Cowdray House depicted the sinking of the Mary Rose. The Great Harry is in the picture as well - there's a reasonably good Victorian copy of the mural, but it's infuriating to think some of the strange details in it may simply be copyist error, not original features. By the way - though the Great Harry was one and a half times the burthen of the Mary Rose, she wasn't much bigger to look at - only about 1.145 times as long - because she was 1.145 times as long, and as wide, and as deep (1.145 x 1.145 x 1.145 = 1.5). Steven

Thanks everyone for the likes. Thanks for the info Druxey. I'll try the rubbing alcohol and see if it does the job. I've been using white glue (PVA). I'll have a look for those bulldog clips. I don't think I've ever seen them before. On reflection I think I'll have to move the transverse beams back just a little, to make sure there's no clash between the side-rudders and the aftermost oars. Steven

This is neither by Holbein nor is it the Great Harry. It's a ship from considerably later. There are in fact two contemporary pictures of the Henry Grace a Dieu, one by Anthony Anthony and the other by an unknown painter, showing her with sails painted to resemble cloth of gold. I think both are shown in my own stalled build (see signature below). She should in fact look very much like the Mary Rose - they were built - and rebuilt - at pretty much the same time - the Great Harry was about one and a half times the size of the Mary Rose. It's a shame this picture in the NMM is still wrongly referenced. Steven