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Louie da fly

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Everything posted by Louie da fly

  1. Louie da fly
    Nice to see another bireme under way. Congratulations! And welcome to the special kind of insanity that goes with building a model of a galley - an extra level above the normal insanity of ship modelling (I should know!). Steven
  2. Louie da fly
    Thanks, Mark.
  3. Louie da fly
    I haven't been back to this for awhile. It's really looking good!
  4. Louie da fly
    Thanks, Rodolfo. It sounds like you've got it all worked out well in advance. Once you have everything made, you can see how well it all works together. My own blocks so far have simply been carved from a single piece of wood, with the "sheave" made by drilling two holes and carving out a groove between them. (Note the giant matchstick ). I like your idea better, even if the sheaves don't pivot. Steven
  5. Louie da fly
    That looks good, Bolin. It looks like it should work. There's always a bit of "try it and see" with this kind of activity. Steven
  6. Louie da fly
    - Actually, from the archaeology I've seen, planking usually was a case of "what can we get hold of ?"
  7. Louie da fly
    Thank you, Roger. When I first built her I had the lines at the stern completely wrong - the bilge was almost down to keel level. in fact it wasn't until I was making the new frames for the rebuild that I realised that with a flat stern the bottom of the hull shouldn't go all the way down - it should end near the waterline so the water could flow past it and reach the rudder. And that was one of the main things I had to change with the rebuild. One of the big advantages (apart from increased accuracy) is the much more beautiful underwater lines at the stern. Looking back on it I myself am amazed at what I was able to achieve at that age. I'd previously done two pretty basic solid hull waterline models (a brig and a frigate), I'd made two fair-sized plastic models of the Victory (Revell and Airfix) and I'd built a (probably very inaccurate) balsa model of an excursion ferry called the Zephyr that plied across to Rottnest Island from Perth in Western Australia where I lived. (I think it must have been POB - I don't remember). Some of the things on the Great Harry model - to be honest I have no idea how I did them back then. But I agree - despite having to replace/rebuild much more than I'd expected, I believe she was definitely worth restoring. Because of the difference in wood colours, it's pretty obvious which bits are original and which are new - but though I didn't like it to start with I now think that's a good thing. Steven
  8. Louie da fly
    The Great Harry planking has been a real trial for me, but I must say I'm glad I decided to make it a learning process rather than try for perfection. I've made quite a lot of mistakes - the planking of the two sides isn't equal and as it's effectively POB (i.e. there were only a small number of "frames") I could only have the planking shift repeat every three rows, not the four I'd hoped for. And I kept losing track of the planking shifts - another lesson to learn, particularly when the arrangement was affected by drop planks. Still, unless you're really looking for the mistakes they're not obvious, and once I've sanded the planking I think it'll look pretty good. Note the lack of symmetry between the planking of the port and starboard sides. But who's going to notice except me? And in future models I'll take much more care to keep it even. Lots of excess messy glue but the sanding will take care of that. And here's the planking of the port side finished: Ever since I heard the Flanders and Swann song Have Some Madeira M'dear I've wanted to use the word antepenultimate (the posh way of saying "third last") in a sentence. And I've finally got my chance. Here is the antepenultimate plank in place . . . going. . . Going . . . Gone. And now for the sanding . . . Steven
  9. Louie da fly
    Not sure if a shieldmaiden would be on a ship like that, but assuming she would, her sword and sax (dagger) are extremely accurate, as is the equipment of the axeman. That's a very pretty axe head (as axeheads go - I guess you have to be really into this stuff to call an axehead pretty, but look at these ones . . .) Just from an aesthetic viewpoint, I think that is such an elegant shape. And then there's the decorated ones . . . Unlike where you are, it's high summer here in Ballarat. So why is it so cold and rainy? (or is that an oxymoron? (Ballarat = cold and rainy).
  10. Louie da fly
    That sequence sounds good - but only trying it out will tell you if it's right. I see you have the crosstrees in the list but haven't mentioned he trestletrees. Are you doing them at the same time as the crosstrees? I do like your blocks. Next time I make blocks I think I'll use this method (I've bookmarked this page for later reference). Do the sheaves turn or are they fixed in place? Happy New Year, Steven
  11. Louie da fly
    You've done a really nice job with her, Chimp. "Beginner", indeed! I was in Bristol in 2009 and saw both the Great Britain (which was why we went there) and also the Mathew, which I wasn't expecting. Didn't get to see Brunel's wonderful bridge close up, but saw it from a distance. Unfortunately, the camera ran out of puff just at the wrong moment, so only got a few photos. I had a friend from Bristol so I was ready fr the accent- at least I thought I was . . . but getting directions from a bus driver showed me how wrong I was . . . Steven
  12. Louie da fly
    Nice. The raven's probably based on this coin of Anlaf Guthfrithson (939-941).
  13. Louie da fly
    Beautiful - just beautiful.
  14. Louie da fly
    Beautiful work on the painting, Ondras. I want to be you when I grow up . . .
  15. Louie da fly
    Beautiful work, Patrick - as usual! Wonderfully precise and the detail is fantastic. Oh, and you were very close - the word is wooldings. Steven
  16. Louie da fly
    That boat's looking good. I'm just starting on the boat for my own Great Harry, so I'm very interested in what you're doing.
  17. Louie da fly
    Nice. Looking forward to seeing more.
  18. Louie da fly
    Not trying to put you off Le Cerf, but if you do decide to do what Kurt suggests and go for a simpler model first, then go back to Le Cerf, there are plenty of models available that give a gentle lead-in and enable you to build your skills to be ready for the more complicated builds - see Whichever way you choose to go, make sure you start a build log - it's the best way to get help and advice as you go along. And ask lots of questions, just as you already have. The people here are very friendly and helpful and can often give you assistance that helps you overcome an obstacle you've encountered without your having to "re-invent the wheel". Instructions on starting a build log are here: And have fun with it! Steven A
  19. Louie da fly
    As you're probably aware, this model is based on the so-called "Mataro ship" in the National Maritime Museum Prins Hendrik, Rotterdam. One of our members visited not long ago and took some photos of the model - see As you can see, the cross-trees and trestle-trees on this model are in the same plane, so it's probably right to base yours on this. I agree about the blocks being "upside down" and I believe this is simply a mistake in the kit. Go with your own knowledge on this one - the ropes should come out at the top of the sheaves. I'm not sure about the halyard, but it's possible the yard was never meant to be hauled all the way up. These pics are pretty typical of how ships of the time carried the mainyard - as you can see, it's not hauled all the way up. Note also the top is made differently on the Mataro model than it is in your kit, and there is possibly enough space to get through the bottom from a rope ladder. If you haven't already made the top, perhaps you might consider making one that is closer to the original design. The rigging of the Mataro model has been messed with over the centuries and perhaps shouldn't be relied upon too much regarding the placement of the rope ladder. I think you should use your own judgment how best to do it. Steven
  20. Louie da fly
    Looks very good. I don't know whether you've already seen this, but I just came across this: Lots of videos! https://webtv.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/?poditemid=56372&tagsid=121&soegeord=
  21. Louie da fly
    And to you, Keith.
  22. Louie da fly
    Good to know it hasn't fallen by the wayside. Merry Christmas to all. Steven
  23. Louie da fly
    Well, that's fair enough. It was just on an issue of workability. They've obviously proved it is workable that way. Steven
  24. Louie da fly
    And a Merry Christmas to you too, Jo.
  25. Louie da fly
    OK. Thanks.

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