Elijah

Hope you are feeling better soon! I love your little "helper cat" 
 
Thomas

Sorry to hear you've been feeling poorly Jesse. Clearly though, you've had a cat scan! :P

That's such a terrific workshop that I'm sure the humidity & lighting issues will become things of the past. 
 
Am I just a wee bit jealous?
 
Cheers,
 
Martin

Thanks Daniel, Greg H., Bob and Lawrence for the kind words.  Bob, I know I read somewhere that the stave was inboard but of course now I can't find where.  But I have seen it in both locations so i'll be leaving it where it is.
 
And thanks again to all that hit the likes button. 

Ben,
 
yoùr comment is right, and as the warp is only effecting the stern end, I suggest to end the horizontal circular saw cut appr. 15-20 mm before the transom. The keel will then be fixed at the end and the warped part will pull into the correct position. For safety reasons I would put a (removable) clamp over the aft keel area in order to prevent this portion from splitting and giving the sternpost stability during the process (depending on the keel`s ply quality). There`s no risk in ruining the model, as the warp is minimal as you said....
 
Wish you good success, thumbs up....
 
Nils

Hello again, Nils,
I have a question regarding your proposed solutions; (I still did not correct it because this issue is still bugging me in my mind)
 
I think your suggested method works perfectly if the keel is warped in the midsections; however, as you can see in my photographs, my keel is warped from the one-but-last bulkhead (BH6) over BH7 up to  to the transom (T).
If I use your method, I'd have t make a circulasaw cut from the start of the warp (BH6) all the way to.. the end (T)??
If i then correct the keel, will my transom not become stepped and look like this? :
 

 
Or will it also be possible to correct the last section by only adjusting the part of the keel between the last two bulkheads (BH6) and (BH7 and the transom with your method? Because I'm afraid there's not enough wood there to keep it from splicing when I put force on the keel to adjust it after making the horizontal cut... As you can see, the last bulkheads don't go down to the bottom of the keel....
 
 
Sorry to bother you with this again, but I'm just afraid that if I do this wrong I'll ruin the model...
thank you already,
 
Ben

Onward and upward
 
Literally, as we move up the ship deck by deck!
 
Wanting to get the colour scheme as accurate as possible (although finding the definitive information of how the ship appeared in or about 1805 is near impossible), I did a lot of research. The applicable photos in my McKay are alas in black and white, so little help, but most other authoritative sources indicate the hold and orlop deck were in "drab" or unpainted natural wood, whilst the lower and middle gun decks were painted white and the upper gun deck and above in yellow ochre. So this is how my Victory will be painted. I was incidentally quite sure in my own mind that the decks were painted red - to help disguise certain nastiness whilst in action. I could find no evidence of this, so didn't bother.
 
Originally I painted the frame structure in what I believed was the more obvious way (see photo below). As I'm sure will be agreed, this looked awful! So I painfully sanded her down and redid it to compliment the intended deck colours. This seems to be what most other builds decided upon also.
 

 

 

 
Once decided the build continued at quite a pace. I am quite pleased with the hold, complete with its stanchions, ladders and deck structure (powder room?). The ladders were tricky to construct and I had to employ "super glue", which I dislike using, during their fiddly construction. The manual in fact recommended it for these. The orlop followed without much trouble and this is where I am currently at.
 
A bit of "bashing" did take place; in all deck photographs I perused, I observed in all cases the deck above had to have considerable support in the shape of beams. This is obvious when you consider the weight they support! The kit makes no provision for this, so I created my own, as is evident by the photos below. I actually used matches! I was a little concerned about the scale, but when you in fact scale them up, they measure between 10" and a foot square, which can't be far out!
 

 
It all makes little difference this far down the ship, as they can hardly be seen, but further up, I'm sure they will add a lot to the detail and interest to the model.
 

Your fairing looks perfect, time well spent with dividends to pay off soon. Well done

Lots of progress today. I've finished carving my gun ports and sweeps. I found carving with a sharp blade much easier the sanding, and far less messy. It's not 100% faired yet, especially on the inside, but I'm close. I then started on the stern assembly:
 

 

 

 
I have found my Dyson hand vac to be one of my favourite ship building tools!

Hello all! I got a good amount of time in my papas shop on Saturday, and I was able to do a couple things. Firstly, I finished cutting out the paper hull templates.

I then made a wooden side former and made sure it fitted along the second station line on the building board. I also started another one. I may have to adjust the height, but not at this time.

I got an idea from David (dgbot). He suggested that I make something that will make sure the hull always ends up in the same place when I place it on he building board. I needed to make a sternpost simulator that is removable because I might want to use the building board after I have the keel on. I made a cutout of the sternpost. I think I am getting better at cutting paper with an Exacto knife !

I then nailed it, with miniature nails, to a sheet of wood.

After that, I cut it out with my papa's coping saw. I will need to buy my own soon.

Sadly, the little nub sticking off, that would help support the rudder, came off. It isn't essential, but I will have to be careful when making the real thing. The smaller photo in the bottom right corner is the unedited photo.

I will finish touching it up with sanding, when I am home, and I will start work on the stern holder. I will call it the stern holder from now on, unless there is a better name.
Until next time!

I decided I wanted to take a short break from cutting paper, and tried to make a side frame. I'm not allowed to use the scroll saw, so I used a coping saw and this nice small saw Kurt gave me. I'm sure it would have turned out great, had I used the scroll saw or positioned it so the grain ran in a different direction. This wood is a soft wood, and it split along the grain. Oops !
I will have to re-draw the frames with the grain in better position, but first, it's back to cutting paper. Once I'm done cutting the paper and drawing the frames, I will try to make the frames again. I hope I have better luck! I wonder if I should keep or re-do frame number 7. Hmmm…
Until next time!

I mean about the wood stripes for the planking - do I still need to soak them in water and then use the above bending tool or just use the tool right away
 
From this video I get the idea I can get without the exposure to water
 

Like Mike and Mark said amazing website, I made sure to sign up for the newsletter. Thank you

Thank you Craig and Elijah.
 
I have finished planking the forward inner section and am looking ahead to the deck. I've taken a stab at the first of many lodging knees. This one is hand carved. I think a power tool might help. Alas I'll have to wait till we move in about a month to consider a dremel or scroll saw to help out in this department. I'm currently undecided about paint vs staining the model. I'll have to think on it yet.

I decided I wanted to take a short break from cutting paper, and tried to make a side frame. I'm not allowed to use the scroll saw, so I used a coping saw and this nice small saw Kurt gave me. I'm sure it would have turned out great, had I used the scroll saw or positioned it so the grain ran in a different direction. This wood is a soft wood, and it split along the grain. Oops !
I will have to re-draw the frames with the grain in better position, but first, it's back to cutting paper. Once I'm done cutting the paper and drawing the frames, I will try to make the frames again. I hope I have better luck! I wonder if I should keep or re-do frame number 7. Hmmm…
Until next time!

Hello all! I got a good amount of time in my papas shop on Saturday, and I was able to do a couple things. Firstly, I finished cutting out the paper hull templates.

I then made a wooden side former and made sure it fitted along the second station line on the building board. I also started another one. I may have to adjust the height, but not at this time.

I got an idea from David (dgbot). He suggested that I make something that will make sure the hull always ends up in the same place when I place it on he building board. I needed to make a sternpost simulator that is removable because I might want to use the building board after I have the keel on. I made a cutout of the sternpost. I think I am getting better at cutting paper with an Exacto knife !

I then nailed it, with miniature nails, to a sheet of wood.

After that, I cut it out with my papa's coping saw. I will need to buy my own soon.

Sadly, the little nub sticking off, that would help support the rudder, came off. It isn't essential, but I will have to be careful when making the real thing. The smaller photo in the bottom right corner is the unedited photo.

I will finish touching it up with sanding, when I am home, and I will start work on the stern holder. I will call it the stern holder from now on, unless there is a better name.
Until next time!

Hello all! I got a good amount of time in my papas shop on Saturday, and I was able to do a couple things. Firstly, I finished cutting out the paper hull templates.

I then made a wooden side former and made sure it fitted along the second station line on the building board. I also started another one. I may have to adjust the height, but not at this time.

I got an idea from David (dgbot). He suggested that I make something that will make sure the hull always ends up in the same place when I place it on he building board. I needed to make a sternpost simulator that is removable because I might want to use the building board after I have the keel on. I made a cutout of the sternpost. I think I am getting better at cutting paper with an Exacto knife !

I then nailed it, with miniature nails, to a sheet of wood.

After that, I cut it out with my papa's coping saw. I will need to buy my own soon.

Sadly, the little nub sticking off, that would help support the rudder, came off. It isn't essential, but I will have to be careful when making the real thing. The smaller photo in the bottom right corner is the unedited photo.

I will finish touching it up with sanding, when I am home, and I will start work on the stern holder. I will call it the stern holder from now on, unless there is a better name.
Until next time!

I hope you get better soon! My cat usually wants to be around someone, be they sick or not! You have a nice cat. I'm sure she just admires your wonderful work!

I hope you get better soon! My cat usually wants to be around someone, be they sick or not! You have a nice cat. I'm sure she just admires your wonderful work!

I hope you get better soon! My cat usually wants to be around someone, be they sick or not! You have a nice cat. I'm sure she just admires your wonderful work!

I hope you get better soon! My cat usually wants to be around someone, be they sick or not! You have a nice cat. I'm sure she just admires your wonderful work!

Hi All.
 
Well, the bulk of the fairing work has been completed.  Safety timbers were added to brace the bulkhead extensions as recommended in the instructions. I also added some lengthwise bracing to add more strength as one bulkhead extension was especially weak due to a knot.  These lengthwise timbers also raised the hull and protected the delicate stem assembly while the hull was inverted.
 
Fairing was mostly done using 220 grit paper and sanding sticks that would always bridge across three bulkheads. The 220 grit made the fairing slow going, but I hoped it would stop me removing too much wood. A shorter, thinner stick was used at the bow given the very sharp curves and to avoid sanding the stem.  Battens were used to check the hull during fairing, especially at the bow and stern. At the bow especially, a lot of wood needed to be removed given the filler pieces and sharp curves so here I also checked the distances to the bulkhead former to makes sure things were staying symmetrical.
 
There is still some  tune up work to be done, but I need to complete the shadow box and cut away section with the false hull frames in place before tackling that. Hopefully the fairing is good as this will make planking go much easier down the line!
 
Images below and as always thanks for all the kind comments and the likes.
 
Cheers,
 
Nigel.
 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi All,
 
Well all the bulkheads are now glued in after checking each one was square the bulkhead former. The numerous bow and bulkhead fillers along with the stern half bulkheads were then scrapped to remove the char and glued in. I took a lot of care with the bow and stern pieces to try and make sure the alignments were correct. I then planked the three sub-gun deck platforms with the caulking simulated using a soft pencil. I tried to select basswood strips of the same color and texture as Chuck points out in his instructions, but a couple still seemed to come out darker once the wipe on poly dried. These platforms will be hardly visible in the final build, but I'll perhaps need to be a bit more selective down the road once I start planking the hull and main decks to get a consistent finish.
 
Thumbnails below...thanks for reading.
 
Cheers,
 
Nigel.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome Mike and Phil...glad to have you aboard and thanks for the kind words!
 
Phil,  
 
You see anything that doesn't make sense, please just sing out! I am happy to take all the help I can get!
 
Cheers,
 
Nigel.

Nigel
I am going to enjoy watching you build the vessel but wont be offering any advice as I am just starting out on my first boat. Good luck and enjoy.
PhillB