David Lester

Hi Matt,
You'll find a couple of things like this throughout the build where the plans don't seem to line up with reality exactly right. I had a bit of trouble with the profile of the counter and another area where you will find this problem is the side galleries. They aren't especially difficult to build, but the piece that is the roof of the gallery is too short as shown on the plans. I debated what to do and in the end decided to make and add a filler piece at the aft end of the roof. It's about 1/8" if I remember correctly. I decided I wanted the front end of the roof to line up more or less where I thought it should in relation to the gunport that it's very close too. Overall though, I agree with you that it's a pretty nice kit and it gets easier as you find the "work arounds" for these little issues. 
Davdi

Hi All,
Here are a couple of pictures of what I've been doing lately. As I mentioned earlier, while I was contemplating what to do about my deck, I worked on the main mast top which you can see below. When I got back to the deck, got it all stripped down and refinished, I began to add the details back in. I'm working on the gun carriages. As you can see I've become overly cautious about getting glue on the deck again, so I am masking it like crazy, exposing only the areas where the carriages sit. I'll work my way through the whole process like this, and like a surgeon, only expose the immediate area that I'm working on, whatever that might be. Knowing me (and quite unlike a surgeon) as I remove the final bit of masking tape I'll probably drag my sleeve across the deck having just inadvertently dipped it in some glue. But I try not to let me mind go there.
David

Hi All,
Here are a couple of pictures of what I've been doing lately. As I mentioned earlier, while I was contemplating what to do about my deck, I worked on the main mast top which you can see below. When I got back to the deck, got it all stripped down and refinished, I began to add the details back in. I'm working on the gun carriages. As you can see I've become overly cautious about getting glue on the deck again, so I am masking it like crazy, exposing only the areas where the carriages sit. I'll work my way through the whole process like this, and like a surgeon, only expose the immediate area that I'm working on, whatever that might be. Knowing me (and quite unlike a surgeon) as I remove the final bit of masking tape I'll probably drag my sleeve across the deck having just inadvertently dipped it in some glue. But I try not to let me mind go there.
David

Hi All,
Here are a couple of pictures of what I've been doing lately. As I mentioned earlier, while I was contemplating what to do about my deck, I worked on the main mast top which you can see below. When I got back to the deck, got it all stripped down and refinished, I began to add the details back in. I'm working on the gun carriages. As you can see I've become overly cautious about getting glue on the deck again, so I am masking it like crazy, exposing only the areas where the carriages sit. I'll work my way through the whole process like this, and like a surgeon, only expose the immediate area that I'm working on, whatever that might be. Knowing me (and quite unlike a surgeon) as I remove the final bit of masking tape I'll probably drag my sleeve across the deck having just inadvertently dipped it in some glue. But I try not to let me mind go there.
David

Hi All,
Here are a couple of pictures of what I've been doing lately. As I mentioned earlier, while I was contemplating what to do about my deck, I worked on the main mast top which you can see below. When I got back to the deck, got it all stripped down and refinished, I began to add the details back in. I'm working on the gun carriages. As you can see I've become overly cautious about getting glue on the deck again, so I am masking it like crazy, exposing only the areas where the carriages sit. I'll work my way through the whole process like this, and like a surgeon, only expose the immediate area that I'm working on, whatever that might be. Knowing me (and quite unlike a surgeon) as I remove the final bit of masking tape I'll probably drag my sleeve across the deck having just inadvertently dipped it in some glue. But I try not to let me mind go there.
David

Hi All,
Here are a couple of pictures of what I've been doing lately. As I mentioned earlier, while I was contemplating what to do about my deck, I worked on the main mast top which you can see below. When I got back to the deck, got it all stripped down and refinished, I began to add the details back in. I'm working on the gun carriages. As you can see I've become overly cautious about getting glue on the deck again, so I am masking it like crazy, exposing only the areas where the carriages sit. I'll work my way through the whole process like this, and like a surgeon, only expose the immediate area that I'm working on, whatever that might be. Knowing me (and quite unlike a surgeon) as I remove the final bit of masking tape I'll probably drag my sleeve across the deck having just inadvertently dipped it in some glue. But I try not to let me mind go there.
David

Hi All,
Here are a couple of pictures of what I've been doing lately. As I mentioned earlier, while I was contemplating what to do about my deck, I worked on the main mast top which you can see below. When I got back to the deck, got it all stripped down and refinished, I began to add the details back in. I'm working on the gun carriages. As you can see I've become overly cautious about getting glue on the deck again, so I am masking it like crazy, exposing only the areas where the carriages sit. I'll work my way through the whole process like this, and like a surgeon, only expose the immediate area that I'm working on, whatever that might be. Knowing me (and quite unlike a surgeon) as I remove the final bit of masking tape I'll probably drag my sleeve across the deck having just inadvertently dipped it in some glue. But I try not to let me mind go there.
David

Breakage of the bulkhead extensions is a pretty common problem and can (and probably will) occur anytime until they are planked. Fortunately it isn't a difficult one to repair. Often the break will have a ragged edge in which case you can even glue the original piece back in place without any problem.
David

Hi Dave,
They look amazing.
David

Yesterday and today I have mostly been working on mounting bulkheads, and repairing the defective one.  This was just a process of fitting each one, squaring it and waiting on the glue to dry enough to unclamp it.  It is an easy process, if somewhat tedious, but it is done.  I intend on adding bracing between each bulkhead for extra strength, but the ones installed yesterday are quite stiff, and I doubt that it is really necessary.  But I am going to do it anyway... It can't hurt, and can only help or be an exercise wasted.  Perhaps it is just because I will feel more comfortable with braces in place.
 
While waiting on glue to set this morning, I decided to hack out the counter.  This is a deceptively complex piece, I discovered, as it has some curves that need careful attention.  I am happy I bought those belt sanders years ago now.  I did not finish it to final size at the side curves, since these will need to be trimmed to match the stern filler blocks.  But it was a lot of fun to build, and I think it turned out well except for the hole for the rudder.  Some sort of filler will be needed to clean up the tear-out caused by the drill bit.  I first drilled it undersized, and then went up a few sizes, and finally to the final size.  It still tore out.  In hindsight, I would drill it half-sized, and then use a needle file to open it up.
 
Looks like filler block construction and fitting are on the schedule for tomorrow.  I doubt more progress than that can be made in one day, since it is a new thing for me.  Plus, I am careful, since I don't like remaking parts.  But the counter was the hardest part of the five to construct, I think.
 
Enough of my babble though.  Here are some picks.  (apologies for using my dryer for my backdrop):
 
 
 
 

Hi Dave,
They look amazing.
David

Hi Dave,
They look amazing.
David

Breakage of the bulkhead extensions is a pretty common problem and can (and probably will) occur anytime until they are planked. Fortunately it isn't a difficult one to repair. Often the break will have a ragged edge in which case you can even glue the original piece back in place without any problem.
David

Hi Matt,
I wouldn't worry too much about the bulkheads not matching the drawings perfectly. The main thing is their relationship to each other and that after fairing you have a good smooth contour. I paid no attention to the bevel lines on the plans and just glued the bulkheads in place on the keel and only then began to fair them, frequently holding a test strip of planking across them until I was satisfied with the contour. Something that is important is that they line up properly with the top of the keel and that they meet the bearding line. I think it's best to make them line up flush at the top first and do any fixing that's needed at the bottom. If one or more of them falls a bit short of the bearding line, which might happen, just glue a strip of wood along the edge of the bulkhead from about the middle point down and sand it into shape. I had to do that on a couple of mine. If one seems a bit too long, just sand it back. Similarly, as you're fairing and you hold a test planking strip along the side, if a bulkhead seems to cause a low spot, you can glue a strip to its edge and then sand it into shape. I think you'll find that approach will give you a satisfactory result and save some frustration trying to reconcile the parts and the plans.
David

Breakage of the bulkhead extensions is a pretty common problem and can (and probably will) occur anytime until they are planked. Fortunately it isn't a difficult one to repair. Often the break will have a ragged edge in which case you can even glue the original piece back in place without any problem.
David

Breakage of the bulkhead extensions is a pretty common problem and can (and probably will) occur anytime until they are planked. Fortunately it isn't a difficult one to repair. Often the break will have a ragged edge in which case you can even glue the original piece back in place without any problem.
David

Breakage of the bulkhead extensions is a pretty common problem and can (and probably will) occur anytime until they are planked. Fortunately it isn't a difficult one to repair. Often the break will have a ragged edge in which case you can even glue the original piece back in place without any problem.
David

Looks good!

Hi Matt,
I believe the stem and stern pieces should be beveled, but not the keel. This is what I did on my model. Bevel them to about 1/8", leaving them full thickness (1/4") where they meet the keel. The bevel extends pretty much the full length of the stem piece and the leading edge of the stem piece is rounded over. The stern piece is beveled from the point near the top where it curves in slightly all the way to the bottom but the edges are left square. On both pieces just blend the bevel in where they meet the keel piece. Hope that's of some help.
David

Hi Brian,
Thanks for your imput; very much appreciated. I'm quite interested in the micro saw and mitre box you mention. I have a very old (40+ years) xacto saw and mitre box, but they have seen much hard and inappropriate use over the years and are not functioning at their best. It looks like I could add these two new ones without breaking the bank.
 
David

Good Morning All,
Just a brief update. I've done quite a bit of backtracking, so no pictures util my next post. I added the four rear gun carriages on the port side and just to compare with the starboard side, I left the flemish coils off.
 
I now had some decisions to made and factors to take into consideration.
1. I was torn between which look I preferred.
2. My rigging on the second set of four was considerably cleaner than on my first set of four
3. If I decided on going without the coils, it would mean removing the first four which would leave quite a mess on the deck where the glue was.
4. I had been a bit sloppy and had two dabs of glue on the deck which I covered with some paint. It was passable but not really very nice.
5. If I was going to make any changes, it had to be now before I had any more details in place.
 
All of this was rolling around in my mind and it seemed to leave me with two options - either carry on as is and add coils to all of the lines and live with the two dabs of glue and so-so rigging on first four carriages or (shudder) remove the eight cannons, strip the finish off the entire deck, refinish it and then start over, being much more careful with the glue.
 
So, I set all that aside while I considered my options and built the mast top for the main mast which was quite an enjoyable diversion until I reached my decision. In the end I removed the carronades, masked the entire model from stem to stern and removed the finish on the deck with paint stripper. I've applied a new finish, which turned out to be better than the first one and I've now masked most of the deck to help ensure a tidier job as I reinstall the carronades. As for the coils, I'm going to install all of the guns without them and will decide whether or not to add them later.
 
I've have a couple of pictures in my next posting.
David

Good Morning All,
Just a brief update. I've done quite a bit of backtracking, so no pictures util my next post. I added the four rear gun carriages on the port side and just to compare with the starboard side, I left the flemish coils off.
 
I now had some decisions to made and factors to take into consideration.
1. I was torn between which look I preferred.
2. My rigging on the second set of four was considerably cleaner than on my first set of four
3. If I decided on going without the coils, it would mean removing the first four which would leave quite a mess on the deck where the glue was.
4. I had been a bit sloppy and had two dabs of glue on the deck which I covered with some paint. It was passable but not really very nice.
5. If I was going to make any changes, it had to be now before I had any more details in place.
 
All of this was rolling around in my mind and it seemed to leave me with two options - either carry on as is and add coils to all of the lines and live with the two dabs of glue and so-so rigging on first four carriages or (shudder) remove the eight cannons, strip the finish off the entire deck, refinish it and then start over, being much more careful with the glue.
 
So, I set all that aside while I considered my options and built the mast top for the main mast which was quite an enjoyable diversion until I reached my decision. In the end I removed the carronades, masked the entire model from stem to stern and removed the finish on the deck with paint stripper. I've applied a new finish, which turned out to be better than the first one and I've now masked most of the deck to help ensure a tidier job as I reinstall the carronades. As for the coils, I'm going to install all of the guns without them and will decide whether or not to add them later.
 
I've have a couple of pictures in my next posting.
David

Looks good!

Looks good!

Good Morning All,
Just a brief update. I've done quite a bit of backtracking, so no pictures util my next post. I added the four rear gun carriages on the port side and just to compare with the starboard side, I left the flemish coils off.
 
I now had some decisions to made and factors to take into consideration.
1. I was torn between which look I preferred.
2. My rigging on the second set of four was considerably cleaner than on my first set of four
3. If I decided on going without the coils, it would mean removing the first four which would leave quite a mess on the deck where the glue was.
4. I had been a bit sloppy and had two dabs of glue on the deck which I covered with some paint. It was passable but not really very nice.
5. If I was going to make any changes, it had to be now before I had any more details in place.
 
All of this was rolling around in my mind and it seemed to leave me with two options - either carry on as is and add coils to all of the lines and live with the two dabs of glue and so-so rigging on first four carriages or (shudder) remove the eight cannons, strip the finish off the entire deck, refinish it and then start over, being much more careful with the glue.
 
So, I set all that aside while I considered my options and built the mast top for the main mast which was quite an enjoyable diversion until I reached my decision. In the end I removed the carronades, masked the entire model from stem to stern and removed the finish on the deck with paint stripper. I've applied a new finish, which turned out to be better than the first one and I've now masked most of the deck to help ensure a tidier job as I reinstall the carronades. As for the coils, I'm going to install all of the guns without them and will decide whether or not to add them later.
 
I've have a couple of pictures in my next posting.
David