David Lester

This is where I am right now just getting ready to start plaking the lower hull. After I watch  Chucks video  on plaking again.  I see the Speedwell is coming along, He must be so excited about it, I was when I started the Mayflower, this will be my first plank on bulk heads  Pob.  Lol
 Well get to try my new Amati plank Bender , the bow on the  Mayflower  is quite rounded this will be fun .I let you know how it goes .  Ok later my friend's 
 
.
 

Well today I went to the old barn and found some mohogany from an old room divider we had.  There is about 4 pieces  that are 1x6 and 10 feet long, 4 eight footers and some others. I reached in, grabbed one and cut it to the length I wanted.  Then sanded them roughly and put two away for the Nina and Mayflower. 
   Then I picked one and finished it, it's a bit light in color  but It Will Do  . Then mounted it to the Pinta and hung it up to dry. Now that's done back to rigging lol  . 
  Having so much fun,  learning lots  Frist time I ever used a router....not bad lol. Well that's it, talk soon I am sure Lol

Crowsfeet & Topmast Backstays
 
Thanks guys. I decided to stick with the 6/0 fly tying line for the crowsfeet. Here's the current state of play, with the crowsfeet on all three masts (now that I've started the rigging in earnest I've put the model in my dust cabinet, which makes photography a bit trickier):

I've also rigged the topmast backstays, seen above with the small clips holding the laniards in place prior to final adjustment. Each backstay is made from a single line (I used 0.50mm for the mizzen and 0.65mm for the main and fore masts) fitted with a horseshoe splice in the middle to fit over the masthead:

I served the central 40mm of each line, and created the horseshoe by splicing in a short 6mm length of line to form the straight piece. 
 
Here's a description of the method I used.
 
I seized a 3mm deadeye into the end of each backstay and used 0.30mm for the laniards connecting them to the deadeyes already fitted to the channels:
 
Topmast stays next.
 
Derek
 

I have started on the planking.  I shaped and installed the garboard strake on both sides.   I this marked the first belt, based on the plans and marked out the plank widths at the stern and each of the bulkheads, along with the end point along the keel, where the planks taper into the keel.   That was the easy part!  
 
I had planned to work evenly on both sides as I installed the planking, but after installing the first plank on each side, I kept going up the port side.  What you see in the 2nd picture below is the second attempt.  I was up to 3 rows of planking above the garboard and didn't like how it was turning out.  So, I took all that off and started over.  Having only done the NRG half hull before this, I am still learning, so lots of trial and error.  Slow going , but in no rush...


Tim

You can't see were I messed up the deck,woo hoo. Now its time for all the standing rigging, then the sails which will be done after Christmas  because I  order some Gac 400 ,to save on shipping my buddy is bringing me some at Christmas. So if I finish what shall I do lol 😆 

Good Morning,
I have not been working on my Agamemnon for a while, but found some time this week, (when I was not raking leaves!)
 
I always find that at certain stages of a build, I become paralyzed and am not sure what to do next. It seems that every time I set out to do one thing, it's dependent on another being done first. I'm at one of those points with Agamemnon. It seems there are any number of ways I could go and I'm not sure what's best - add hull details, add deck details, work on the stern, work on the bow?
 
In any event, before I can work on the hull details, I need to do some more painting, so I've been doing that, but it's fairly slow going. I always find painting the top edge of the wales very hard to do. I haven't started that in the picture below, and depending on how it goes, you may or may not see a picture of it. 😄

Similarly, in order to work on the stern area, I need to have the windows ready. This is a huge job in and of itself. There are 38 of them. Each has to be fitted to a specific location and it's pretty important to keep them organized.
 
These windows are amazing, very detailed and have a good side, where the muntins are slightly recessed from the frames. They fit their locations very well, but nevertheless still need a bit of filing to seat properly. (I think that's partly due to the black paint slightly filling the rabbet where the window sits.)
 
I divided them up into pairs and worked through them a pair at a time. I filed them to fit properly and then placed each pair in a small bag, numbered to correspond to its location.
 

 
I wanted to paint them all at the same time to avoid going through the multi-step process repeatedly, so I placed strips of masking tape on a scrap piece of wood. Then I numbered where each pair would go and added a piece of double sided scotch tape.
 
Working in pairs, I washed the windows in some acetone and after they dried, placed them on the double sided tape, ensuring they were right side up. They hold really quite well and this way I can get them all painted at the same time, without too much fear of mixing them up.
 

One coat of white on so far. I think two or three coats will do it.

So that's where I am so far with Agamemnon. Not a lot to show, but there is a ton of slow going detail to work through.
 
Thanks for checking in.
 
David

Time for a coppering update. I've spent the past two weeks coppering the starboard side, and here is my take on the experience.
 
I had so much trouble getting a decent job using copper plates on my Speedy, that I abandoned them and resorted to using copper tape, which I had used successfully a few times before. So I wasn't sure if wanted to use the copper plates again this time, or just go immediately to copper tape. In the end I opted to try the copper plates first, with the idea of falling back on the tape if I ran into serious trouble.
 
As it turns out, I managed to get an acceptable job using the copper plates. I think part of the reason that I had an easier time here than with Speedy is the fact that the hull is so much larger but the plates are the same size. Overall, though, I think I now have a decided preference for using the tape. It's much more forgiving and to my eye gives a very nice result. That being said, I'm pretty happy with this result too.
 

 
Since the plates can only be applied perfectly if they're in a dead flat, straight line, I wasn't sure how to accommodate the curve of the hull. It seemed I would have to leave gaps in certain places or overlap them. These Caldercraft plates don't lend themselves to overlapping very well, because there is a row of pretty big bumps right at the edges. I thought an overlap would be too pronounced, so I settled on small gaps, but how to minimize them? Just about everything I read suggested to just start laying them in rows from the bottom to the top, with no mention of belts or gores etc. However, on the other hand almost every build log I could see showed signs of partial in-fill rows being necessary.
 
So, with trepidation,  I decided to just start in, play it by ear and see what happened. When I got to the 8th row, I started to find a problem at the stern. In order to keep going, I would have to leave very big gaps to continue, as the hull curved. So I decided to let the 9th row take its natural path and do some in-filling. I did the same thing at the bow, and had to do it one more time further up at the stern. This seemed to be a good approach.
 

 
 
Because I didn't overlap the plates, I found it best to start laying them in the centre and working in two directions. This helped minimize any accumulating error in aligning each plate over the one below it. I found if I worked in one direction only, despite taking care there would be a noticeable shift in the plates and by the time I got to the other end, they would be poorly centred over the one below.
 

 
I'm sorry that I can't recall what build log I found it in (I think it was a Victory build log, but I'm not sure and apologies to that builder), but it contained two really great tips. The first was how to cut the plates. They tend to curl if cut with scissors, but if you use a Stanley utility knife blade and a hammer, you can get a beautiful cut.
 

 
I did find however, that the two pieces would tend to fly off in all directions, so I found that if I taped them to the cutting board with Scotch tape, it held them in place, and I could still see exactly where to place the blade. A really nice thing about this method is if you cut the piece a little bit too big, you can still trim a really small sliver off with no trouble at all.
 
The second great tip I found from that build log is the idea of placing a strip of copper tape along the the waterline and gluing the last row of plates over it. The cutting at the waterline is especially tricky and this really helps hide any minor imperfections.
 
One other thing that helped me get a smooth waterline turned out to be the particular masking tape I used. I know Tamiya tape is great, but for this job I used narrow Probrand Fine Line tape. It sticks incredibly well and takes the curve of the hull beautifully. It's a little thicker than Tamiya and I was able to butt my row of copper tape up against it easily and accurately. (It's the narrow orange tape between the copper and the green masking tape.)
 
 

 
 

 

 
So that's my experience with coppering using plates! I think I'll put Agamemnon aside for a little bit and return my attention to Speedy. I never thought I would like working on two models at the same time, but I'm finding I really like being able to change gears completely.
 
Thanks for looking in, likes, etc.
David
 
 

Good Morning,
I have not been working on my Agamemnon for a while, but found some time this week, (when I was not raking leaves!)
 
I always find that at certain stages of a build, I become paralyzed and am not sure what to do next. It seems that every time I set out to do one thing, it's dependent on another being done first. I'm at one of those points with Agamemnon. It seems there are any number of ways I could go and I'm not sure what's best - add hull details, add deck details, work on the stern, work on the bow?
 
In any event, before I can work on the hull details, I need to do some more painting, so I've been doing that, but it's fairly slow going. I always find painting the top edge of the wales very hard to do. I haven't started that in the picture below, and depending on how it goes, you may or may not see a picture of it. 😄

Similarly, in order to work on the stern area, I need to have the windows ready. This is a huge job in and of itself. There are 38 of them. Each has to be fitted to a specific location and it's pretty important to keep them organized.
 
These windows are amazing, very detailed and have a good side, where the muntins are slightly recessed from the frames. They fit their locations very well, but nevertheless still need a bit of filing to seat properly. (I think that's partly due to the black paint slightly filling the rabbet where the window sits.)
 
I divided them up into pairs and worked through them a pair at a time. I filed them to fit properly and then placed each pair in a small bag, numbered to correspond to its location.
 

 
I wanted to paint them all at the same time to avoid going through the multi-step process repeatedly, so I placed strips of masking tape on a scrap piece of wood. Then I numbered where each pair would go and added a piece of double sided scotch tape.
 
Working in pairs, I washed the windows in some acetone and after they dried, placed them on the double sided tape, ensuring they were right side up. They hold really quite well and this way I can get them all painted at the same time, without too much fear of mixing them up.
 

One coat of white on so far. I think two or three coats will do it.

So that's where I am so far with Agamemnon. Not a lot to show, but there is a ton of slow going detail to work through.
 
Thanks for checking in.
 
David

Time for a coppering update. I've spent the past two weeks coppering the starboard side, and here is my take on the experience.
 
I had so much trouble getting a decent job using copper plates on my Speedy, that I abandoned them and resorted to using copper tape, which I had used successfully a few times before. So I wasn't sure if wanted to use the copper plates again this time, or just go immediately to copper tape. In the end I opted to try the copper plates first, with the idea of falling back on the tape if I ran into serious trouble.
 
As it turns out, I managed to get an acceptable job using the copper plates. I think part of the reason that I had an easier time here than with Speedy is the fact that the hull is so much larger but the plates are the same size. Overall, though, I think I now have a decided preference for using the tape. It's much more forgiving and to my eye gives a very nice result. That being said, I'm pretty happy with this result too.
 

 
Since the plates can only be applied perfectly if they're in a dead flat, straight line, I wasn't sure how to accommodate the curve of the hull. It seemed I would have to leave gaps in certain places or overlap them. These Caldercraft plates don't lend themselves to overlapping very well, because there is a row of pretty big bumps right at the edges. I thought an overlap would be too pronounced, so I settled on small gaps, but how to minimize them? Just about everything I read suggested to just start laying them in rows from the bottom to the top, with no mention of belts or gores etc. However, on the other hand almost every build log I could see showed signs of partial in-fill rows being necessary.
 
So, with trepidation,  I decided to just start in, play it by ear and see what happened. When I got to the 8th row, I started to find a problem at the stern. In order to keep going, I would have to leave very big gaps to continue, as the hull curved. So I decided to let the 9th row take its natural path and do some in-filling. I did the same thing at the bow, and had to do it one more time further up at the stern. This seemed to be a good approach.
 

 
 
Because I didn't overlap the plates, I found it best to start laying them in the centre and working in two directions. This helped minimize any accumulating error in aligning each plate over the one below it. I found if I worked in one direction only, despite taking care there would be a noticeable shift in the plates and by the time I got to the other end, they would be poorly centred over the one below.
 

 
I'm sorry that I can't recall what build log I found it in (I think it was a Victory build log, but I'm not sure and apologies to that builder), but it contained two really great tips. The first was how to cut the plates. They tend to curl if cut with scissors, but if you use a Stanley utility knife blade and a hammer, you can get a beautiful cut.
 

 
I did find however, that the two pieces would tend to fly off in all directions, so I found that if I taped them to the cutting board with Scotch tape, it held them in place, and I could still see exactly where to place the blade. A really nice thing about this method is if you cut the piece a little bit too big, you can still trim a really small sliver off with no trouble at all.
 
The second great tip I found from that build log is the idea of placing a strip of copper tape along the the waterline and gluing the last row of plates over it. The cutting at the waterline is especially tricky and this really helps hide any minor imperfections.
 
One other thing that helped me get a smooth waterline turned out to be the particular masking tape I used. I know Tamiya tape is great, but for this job I used narrow Probrand Fine Line tape. It sticks incredibly well and takes the curve of the hull beautifully. It's a little thicker than Tamiya and I was able to butt my row of copper tape up against it easily and accurately. (It's the narrow orange tape between the copper and the green masking tape.)
 
 

 
 

 

 
So that's my experience with coppering using plates! I think I'll put Agamemnon aside for a little bit and return my attention to Speedy. I never thought I would like working on two models at the same time, but I'm finding I really like being able to change gears completely.
 
Thanks for looking in, likes, etc.
David
 
 

Hello All,
I'm taking a little break from Speedy and doing some more work on Agamemnon.
 
I've now finished the second planking on both sides and I'm currently installing the wales.
 
The second planking is filled and sanded and is pretty good shape for painting.
 
There is a main wales and an upper wales and getting them located properly is fairly important and it takes a bit of care.
 
The two wales run parallel the whole length of the ship.
 
I started by marking the water line with masking tape (I realize this will need re-marking when I do the painting and coppering, but I want it in place now to ensure that the main wales ends about where it's supposed to.
 

 

 
I then marked the position of the top of the upper wales with masking tape -
 

 
I installed the upper wales first. I then set a compass to the distance between the wales and ran it along the lower board of the upper wales to mark the top location of the main wales.
 
Before adding the main wales, I glued up a short "panel" of the same width and noted its location with respect to the waterline. It's just fraction higher than shown on the plans, but I think it's perfectly acceptable. I have a bit of filling and more sanding to do.

 

 
It's always a nightmare painting the upper edge of the wales when it's a contrasting colour from the hull and I never know the best way to tackle it. In the past I have tried painting that area of the hull first (in this case that would be the yellow) and then painting the edge of the top board black before applying it. It looks great initially, but when I paint this soon, despite my best efforts, I always seem to mess up the finish somehow (drops of glue, holes drilled in the wrong spot etc.) and much touch up is needed. Sometimes the touch up is so much that I am essentially repainting anyway and the whole advantage of having painted first is lost. So this time, I'm adding the wales before painting and we'll see how that goes.
 
It looks like I'm getting quite close to coppering time and I am of two minds on this. On the one hand I would like to use the kit supplied plates. On the other hand, I had so much trouble with them on Speedy, that I think I might be better off just using copper tape, with which I have had good success in the past. I'm still thinking about this one.
 
David
 
David
 
 

I'm working away at the second planking layer. There is a lot of ground to cover with this one!
 
On my Speedy, I didn't bother to lay out belts for the planking. Its hull is quite small and it didn't seem essential to me. On this one however, because it's so large, I think it is necessary. I wanted to try using a planking fan this time and it works amazingly well. I like because it is a very elegant solution - it's simple, low tech and works so effectively. (And it's a lot less expensive than a set of proportional dividers.) I downloaded a template from the forum.
 

 

 

 

 
Here is my progress so far.

 
Thanks for looking in!
David

I mentioned in another post that a nearby fellow model builder asked me if I'd like to take on a partially built Agamemnon that his late father had started, but was unable to complete. I am happy to be the recipient of such a great kit. All the work that has been done on it is first rate, so it's just a matter of moving forward; nothing to be re-done. I'm really honoured that Peter Rumgay, a very skilled modeller, has entrusted me with his dad's unfinished project.
 
I going to work on this kit simultaneously with my Speedy project. I've never worked on more than one project at a time before, and so far I'm enjoying the process. The key for me was getting properly set up and slightly changing my modus operandi. In the past, (mostly through laziness) I usually had too much stuff piled on my workbench, so it looked like a hoarder's workbench, sometimes to the point of leaving only the tiniest workspace. That just wouldn't work this time, so I have cleared it completely. Fortunately I have a lot of room in my shop so I set up two separate tables, apart from my workbench, and have one table dedicated to each kit, including plans and all parts. and just move over from the table the immediate things I need at any given time and then move them back. This makes it very easy to switch projects and keep everything organized. I should have been this organized all along.
 
Here's the model as I received it.
 

 
It would appear that the first order of business for me is the second layer of planking and I've made a start.
 

 

 
I'm thankful for the other Agamemnon builders on the forum. I've been studying their build logs and I know I'll be turning to them again and again as I work through this very large undertaking.
 
David
 

Good Morning,
I have not been working on my Agamemnon for a while, but found some time this week, (when I was not raking leaves!)
 
I always find that at certain stages of a build, I become paralyzed and am not sure what to do next. It seems that every time I set out to do one thing, it's dependent on another being done first. I'm at one of those points with Agamemnon. It seems there are any number of ways I could go and I'm not sure what's best - add hull details, add deck details, work on the stern, work on the bow?
 
In any event, before I can work on the hull details, I need to do some more painting, so I've been doing that, but it's fairly slow going. I always find painting the top edge of the wales very hard to do. I haven't started that in the picture below, and depending on how it goes, you may or may not see a picture of it. 😄

Similarly, in order to work on the stern area, I need to have the windows ready. This is a huge job in and of itself. There are 38 of them. Each has to be fitted to a specific location and it's pretty important to keep them organized.
 
These windows are amazing, very detailed and have a good side, where the muntins are slightly recessed from the frames. They fit their locations very well, but nevertheless still need a bit of filing to seat properly. (I think that's partly due to the black paint slightly filling the rabbet where the window sits.)
 
I divided them up into pairs and worked through them a pair at a time. I filed them to fit properly and then placed each pair in a small bag, numbered to correspond to its location.
 

 
I wanted to paint them all at the same time to avoid going through the multi-step process repeatedly, so I placed strips of masking tape on a scrap piece of wood. Then I numbered where each pair would go and added a piece of double sided scotch tape.
 
Working in pairs, I washed the windows in some acetone and after they dried, placed them on the double sided tape, ensuring they were right side up. They hold really quite well and this way I can get them all painted at the same time, without too much fear of mixing them up.
 

One coat of white on so far. I think two or three coats will do it.

So that's where I am so far with Agamemnon. Not a lot to show, but there is a ton of slow going detail to work through.
 
Thanks for checking in.
 
David

Good Morning,
I have not been working on my Agamemnon for a while, but found some time this week, (when I was not raking leaves!)
 
I always find that at certain stages of a build, I become paralyzed and am not sure what to do next. It seems that every time I set out to do one thing, it's dependent on another being done first. I'm at one of those points with Agamemnon. It seems there are any number of ways I could go and I'm not sure what's best - add hull details, add deck details, work on the stern, work on the bow?
 
In any event, before I can work on the hull details, I need to do some more painting, so I've been doing that, but it's fairly slow going. I always find painting the top edge of the wales very hard to do. I haven't started that in the picture below, and depending on how it goes, you may or may not see a picture of it. 😄

Similarly, in order to work on the stern area, I need to have the windows ready. This is a huge job in and of itself. There are 38 of them. Each has to be fitted to a specific location and it's pretty important to keep them organized.
 
These windows are amazing, very detailed and have a good side, where the muntins are slightly recessed from the frames. They fit their locations very well, but nevertheless still need a bit of filing to seat properly. (I think that's partly due to the black paint slightly filling the rabbet where the window sits.)
 
I divided them up into pairs and worked through them a pair at a time. I filed them to fit properly and then placed each pair in a small bag, numbered to correspond to its location.
 

 
I wanted to paint them all at the same time to avoid going through the multi-step process repeatedly, so I placed strips of masking tape on a scrap piece of wood. Then I numbered where each pair would go and added a piece of double sided scotch tape.
 
Working in pairs, I washed the windows in some acetone and after they dried, placed them on the double sided tape, ensuring they were right side up. They hold really quite well and this way I can get them all painted at the same time, without too much fear of mixing them up.
 

One coat of white on so far. I think two or three coats will do it.

So that's where I am so far with Agamemnon. Not a lot to show, but there is a ton of slow going detail to work through.
 
Thanks for checking in.
 
David

Good Morning,
I have not been working on my Agamemnon for a while, but found some time this week, (when I was not raking leaves!)
 
I always find that at certain stages of a build, I become paralyzed and am not sure what to do next. It seems that every time I set out to do one thing, it's dependent on another being done first. I'm at one of those points with Agamemnon. It seems there are any number of ways I could go and I'm not sure what's best - add hull details, add deck details, work on the stern, work on the bow?
 
In any event, before I can work on the hull details, I need to do some more painting, so I've been doing that, but it's fairly slow going. I always find painting the top edge of the wales very hard to do. I haven't started that in the picture below, and depending on how it goes, you may or may not see a picture of it. 😄

Similarly, in order to work on the stern area, I need to have the windows ready. This is a huge job in and of itself. There are 38 of them. Each has to be fitted to a specific location and it's pretty important to keep them organized.
 
These windows are amazing, very detailed and have a good side, where the muntins are slightly recessed from the frames. They fit their locations very well, but nevertheless still need a bit of filing to seat properly. (I think that's partly due to the black paint slightly filling the rabbet where the window sits.)
 
I divided them up into pairs and worked through them a pair at a time. I filed them to fit properly and then placed each pair in a small bag, numbered to correspond to its location.
 

 
I wanted to paint them all at the same time to avoid going through the multi-step process repeatedly, so I placed strips of masking tape on a scrap piece of wood. Then I numbered where each pair would go and added a piece of double sided scotch tape.
 
Working in pairs, I washed the windows in some acetone and after they dried, placed them on the double sided tape, ensuring they were right side up. They hold really quite well and this way I can get them all painted at the same time, without too much fear of mixing them up.
 

One coat of white on so far. I think two or three coats will do it.

So that's where I am so far with Agamemnon. Not a lot to show, but there is a ton of slow going detail to work through.
 
Thanks for checking in.
 
David

OK, I've been procrastinating long enough and need to get going on this build again.
I've finished up the fighting tops.
 
I decided to paint the top of the tops gray, as is done on the Constitution kit, I think it looks better and it makes sense from a practicality viewpoint since it makes all those trip hazards more visible than if everything was black on black:
 

 
All the blocks have been added, more on the bottom than on the top. The kit provides britannia metal blocks but for small ones I find wood is easier to work with. Brittania looks better than wood since they are already properly shaped but I find it easier to strop with thread than with wire so this build will probably have a mix of wood and britannia blocks.
 

 
The railings have been added. The netting is just tacked glued along the upper edge since it will have to be moved to accommodate some of the rigging like the stays:
 
Note from later in the build: I ended up taking off the railings when I started the rigging - having them there just made things harder than they needed to be. I'll put them back on near the end of the build.

 
Finally I ordered some swivel guns from the BlueJacket catalog. They are just dry-fitted here which is why they are a little crooked. I'll permanently mount them once all the rigging is done.
 

Pretty straightforward beginning... Assembled the center keel with Titebond.  Used some scrap wood to reinforce the two joints on both sides.  Then worked on cutting the rabbet into each side of the center keel.  Someone else had mentioned in their build log, as well, after doing three previous ship builds, this is the first build that has instructed me to cut into the keel like this.  This operation may have been what scared me away from this project 16-17 years ago, fearful of messing it up right from the start.  Anyways, it worked out pretty well by using a couple different Xacto blades.
 
 

       
I prefer the curved #10 blade rather than the standard #1 or #11 "pointy" blade to cut the rabbet.  Then, used a #18 flat knife (almost like a chisel) to clean out the area between the bearding line and the rabbet.  Thought I might have an issue when I attached the scrap wood for the joint supports before I cut the rabbet with the keel being wobbly as I was attempting to cut, but I think it worked out pretty well.  I also have not yet installed the sternpost.  Thought I would be able to taper the hull to its proper depth on each side without the sternpost attached.  We'll see if that was a good decision.
 
Now on to the bulkheads.  I have "dry-fitted" each and they all fit pretty well.  One or two are a bit looser than they probably should be, but once they are set and glued, they should be ok.  Have not yet cleaned up any of the char on the bulkheads, as I figured I'd do that as a part of the fairing process.  Reading ahead a bit, I'm still a bit unclear on the bulwark stanchion extensions, stern blocks, horn timbers, etc., but will address those as I get to them.  Much more to learn!

Continuing to take advantage of the weak pound, I added HMS Snake to my retirement stash.
The instructions are indeed quite slim.
Reminds me of a British Baking Show Technical Challenge; Step 1: Make a ship.
 

Drilled holes for the inboard cleats. There are 12 cleats port and starboard. I used cutouts from the Port Bulwark on Sheet 3 as templates to mark the locations of the drill holes. Filed the kit-supplied lead cleat prongs down to a smaller size for easier insertion in the drill holes. Painted the cleats with Model Expo Deck Light House Buff – it’s a nice contrast with the green paint. Applied a little yellow glue to each cleat and inserted it into the pre-drilled holes in the ceiling planks.


While I was on Sheet 3, I decided to study the plans for the locations of other eyebolts. There are five eyebolts located on the outboard port and starboard sides of ship as noted on Outboard Profile.  I drilled the holes for the eyebolts. I assume the ten (10) large eyebolts (1/16” x ½”) furnished with the kit are intended for these eyebolts – this is not clear in the manual or on the plans. However, after checking some other build logs, it was clear that the large eyebolts are to be used. No photos of these - I covered them over with blue tape before I could photograph them.
 
Removed the laser cut mooring cleats and sanded them to remove char. I painted them black – I didn’t bother to prime them because the black paint covers well. I had planned to pin them but decided against it. I will install these later.

Getting ahead of myself, while reviewing some other build logs, my attention was drawn to the number of eyebolts needed for the yards. This caused me to look at the plans further. Based on Sheet 6, if my math is correct, 104 small eyebolts are required for the yards. In addition, based on Sheet 4, 6 eyebolts are required at each of the 10 gun ports (7 if you include the train tackle) for a total of 60 eyebolts. The kit is furnished with only 120 small eyebolts. So, there is a shortage of eyebolts, not to mention the additional eyebolts that are required for the rigging. I brought this to the attention of Model Shipways, and they promptly sent me another package of 120 small eyebolts – kudos to Model Shipways. I did find at least one build log that noted the shortage of eyebolts.

 I made up the small eyebolts (.75mm x 6mm) with 1/8" split ring needed for the cannon rigging. I blackened these with Brass Black. Before adding anymore eyebolts I wanted to study the plans further.  So, I began looking at the rigging lines for the carronades and realized that the breech line (.031”) won’t pass through the 1/8” split rings. I wish that I had paid more attention to the plans before I assembled all of the eyebolts and rings.  The Deck Plan on Sheet 3 clearly shows 3/32" rings (see photo).  Needless to say, I had to remake 40 eyebolts with split ring. Also, the eyebolts will have to be glued into the pre-drilled holes in the ceiling planks after the breech ropes are served to the split rings.

I’m getting ahead of myself here again, but the kit supplied rigging lines do not match up with the plans. The following is summary of the kit supplied rigging lines:
.008” black, .021” black, .028” black, .051” black, .008” tan, .021” tan, .028” tan
Of course, you know this because you checked the parts list prior to starting your build. Here are just a few of the discrepancies in line size that I have found so far:
Lines Sizes Shown on Plans:
.014” tan – reef tackle, .010” tan – tiller tackle, .012” tan – spanker tackle. .016” tan cannon tackles., .031” tan – cannon breech lines
.010” black – back ropes, .018” black – sheets, .021” black – sheets, .031” black – bob stays, .035” black – yard sling.
 
I may purchase rope from Syren as others have done. I'll deal with this at the appropriate time.
 
Moving on, I installed the spanker sheet horse. Sheet 5 says there is a ring on the transom horse, so I added a 3/32” split ring. I used 26 gauge wire for the horse. Added the eyebolt for the boom sheet fairlead (port side near gun port as noted on Sheet 5).

Made up the pin rails. The kit is furnished with Walnut 5/16" (8mm) belaying pins (MS0392BW) but the parts list says the belaying pins are MS0410 which are 5/16” (8mm) brass belaying pins. The walnut pins require larger holes and the pins are closer together when the holes are drilled as per the plans. This could be problematic when the time comes to belay the lines – time will tell. I added pins to secure the pin rails. The original ship pin rails were natural finish, so I decided to paint them the same color as the main rail (MS4821 Deck Light House Buff) – it’s a nice contrast. I’m holding off on installing the pin rails until the main rail is installed. Right now, I going to start the hull planking. But, first, I applied water base polyurethane to the bulwark to protect the paint. For further protection, I covered the bulwark with blue tape.

Using 1/16” x 3/32” strips, I marked the belt seams for Belt A along the bulkhead and then tacked a 1/16” x 3/32” batten strip. I measured the distance between the second strake and the batten and divided by 8 to get the approximate width the planks at the bow. I soaked the 1/16” x 3/32” strips in water overnight and put them in the jig that I made for the ceiling and bulwark planks. I started staggering the planks in a 3 butt shaft pattern, but that went somewhat array. I found it easier to work with shorter planks. In some cases, I tapered the plank edge to getting better “butt flush” fitting. I completed the starboard and port side Belt A planking. The width of the starboard and port side Belt A doesn’t quite match at the bow, and the starboard side planking isn’t quite a straight as the port side at the stern.  Whence the hull planking is complete and painted this won’t be noticeable. I did some initial filling and sanding. So far, I’m satisfied with how Belt A planking turned out. Next up, Belt B.

 
 
 

Crowsfeet
 
In my Speedy log I described fitting the crowsfeet in some detail so I'll just cover some changes I made rather than repeat everything here. Here's the link to the earlier description:
 
 
On Speedy I used DMC Cordonnet thread, run through a beeswax block to make it easier to thread through the holes in the tops and euphroe block. I used my thinnest thread, which I measured at about 0.15mm. In the real ship the crowsfeet line would have been very light - 0.75" circumference/<0.25" diameter, which equates to a fraction under 0.10mm at scale. As an aside I've yet to find commercially available 0.1mm rigging line that actually measures 0.1mm - it's often nearer 0.20mm - so I looked for alternatives.
 
I checked in The Fully Framed Model by David Antscherl and he used 6/0 fly tying silk. I use thinner 18/0 fly thread for seizings, and it measures 0.04mm (human hair territory!) so I thought I'd give the thicker material a go. Not sure of colours, I ordered brown and beige:
 
 
On arrival I was pleased to find that my micrometer agreed with David's, measuring the line at 0.10mm.
 
The thread was a little tricky to rig to the euphroe block. I used 18/0 line for the seizing, and as both the line and the seizing were smooth silk they tended to slip apart. I found I had to leave the fly tying cement to set firmly before moving the line otherwise the seizing wouldn't hold. Once set, everything was fine. As with conventional thread I dipped the end in CA to harden it and facilitate threading through the tops.
 
As with Speedy, I rigged the crowsfeet according to the descriptions in Lees and Antscherl rather than the kit instructions, with a slight modification to allow for the even number of holes in the tops (the method I use requires an odd number of holes, namely twice the number of holes in the euphroe block plus 1). All this is covered in the Speedy log. I used the brown line as the beige just look too light.
 
Here's the foremast crowsfeet. I've not tied the line off yet as I haven't finally decided I like the result yet:

...and a comparison with the same crowsfeet on Speedy:
 

I must say the 6/0 line on the left was a lot easier to rig. It was much easier to get the tension right, and the whole set up seemed to need less tension to get the line to sit straight, which in turn meant there was less tension on the stay which therefore wasn't pulled out of line too much. The lack of beeswax made the whole process less messy as well. 
 
So, the question comes down to one of appearance. I think I'm happy with the way the 6/0 silk looks, but I'm going to give it a few days while I get on with other jobs before deciding whether or not to use it on all three masks.
 
I'd be interested in other folks' views.
 
Derek
 

I have always struggled making rope hanks. I've tried every method I can find on this forum and on YouTube, but it always boils down to the same problem. Every method seems to work for me until that point at the end when it calls for "a small dab of glue." Well, for me diluted PVA glue never seems to hold and a small dab of CA glue never seems to hold the whole thing together either. So I end up using enough glue to hold everything together, but the result is usually the glue wicking into the line, darkening and hardening it and it generally looking terrible. The best I have ever been able to do is to try to minimize this effect, which means that at least half of the hanks I make for every model end up in the garbage and I'm only somewhat happy with the ones I do use.
 
So here is the result of my experimenting yesterday and I think it just might be a good solution to my problem. I was trying (for the umpteenth time) the method outlined by Tom Lauria in his YouTube video. I was having the best luck with this method of any of the others I've tried, but still having the glue problem at the end, so here's how I adapted his method to try to avoid the glue problem.
 
I wrapped the line five times around three nails - two at the top, with a narrow space between them and one at the bottom. The distance apart is the length I need excluding the loop that goes over the belaying pin; in this case 3/8".
 
Tom outlines a perfect oval with a series of closely spaced nails, but I found it's not necessary to do that. The hank comes out more or less the same with the three nails as it does with several. Many methods only use two nails anyway, one top and bottom. However I found it necessary to have a space at the top, hence two nails at the top.
 

Then I wrapped a length of matching sewing thread around the coils at the top and tied a knot. I'm not worrying about the loop for the belaying pin at this point. This knot around the coils ensures that they will not come apart and it's actually easy to get a small dab of CA glue on this knot without touching the main line. The glue only has to hold the knot; the thread is holding the coils.

When the CA glue was set in a couple of moments, I trimmed the threads off, leaving just the knot.
 
Then I pulled one of the long ends of the line underneath the coil at the top and up through the centre -
 

Made a loop out of it and pulled the end back through underneath the coil at the top -

And then, just like Tom Lauria did, I secured the loop with a drill bit in a previously drilled hole and pulled the loop snug against the drill bit -

Here I took a length of matching sewing thread in a needle and stuck in down through the middle of the line on one side of the loop and through, at least part of, the coil below -
 

Then I transferred the needle to the other end of the sewing thread and did the same thing on the other side of the loop -
 

This ensures that when I tie the two ends together, the knot will be on the back of the hank -

Then I just tied the sewing thread into a knot on the back side of the hank. Just like before it's easy to put a small dab of CA glue on this knot without touching the main line.
 

When the CA glue sets, it's just a matter of trimming off all the lines -
 

This hank cannot come apart because the coils are tied together in a bundle and the loop for the belaying pin is sewn directly to the hank. There's no glue visible on the surface and the sewing thread is completely invisible. I think this is the best hank I've ever made and the process didn't end up with the garbage men wondering  "what's with all the gluey coiled thread coming out of this house?"
 
So that's my good news for this weekend.
 
Happy Thanksgiving to the Canadians out there! ( or should I say "Happy Hanksgiving?")
David

Hi Gregg,
The Model Shipways plans for the Bluenose indicate that all the blocks were internally stropped and any pictures I've seen would appear to confirm that. If you are thinking of replacing the blocks anyway, why not use BlueJacket's internally stopped blocks. I used them on my Bluenose and I think they're great. They're made of cast metal and need to be painted. From the old photos, it appears to me that they were white, so that's how I finished mine.
 
If I remember right, I ignored the sizes of the provided blocks and took the sizes from the plans and then approximated as closely as possible from what was available with the exception of the 3/32" size, which are very small and difficult to use. I sometimes found it necessary to drill out the hole of the strop and it was almost impossible to do on this size without "tearing out" the strop. For these ones I ended up substituting 1/8" blocks and look fine and they were wasy to work with and of course, anything over 1/8" presented no problem at all.
 
You can also get internally stopped blocks from Syren, but I don't believe they are available in small enough sizes. Also, they appear to be so beautiful that I didn't have the heart to paint them, so I opted for the cast BlueJacket ones, which need to be painted, so they seemed like the perfect choice. They come with a becket, which you don't always need, so when that was the case, I just snipped it off and filed that end of the block smooth.
 
With respect to deadeyes, I also used BlueJacket's. The lower deadeyes are attached with a "shackle" type fitting and I knew I could never get a satisfactory result trying to duplicate that with wire and/or brass rod, so I opted for the BlueJacket cast ones and I was quite happy with them.
 
So that's one suggestion.
David
 

I don't know for a fact that they were painted, Allan, but it's my best guess based on the old black and white photos of the Bluenose. In the first picture of my post above, comparing the blocks to the parts that we know were white, such as the rails and then to the boom, which appears to be natural, I think they look white. In any case, rightly or wrongly, painting them white was an easy approach when using cast metal blocks. It's easier to paint a white finish than a natural looking wood finish.😀
 
On the Bluenose II however, they are definitely natural. Those Syren blocks would look great finished like this.
David
 

Hi Gregg,
The Model Shipways plans for the Bluenose indicate that all the blocks were internally stropped and any pictures I've seen would appear to confirm that. If you are thinking of replacing the blocks anyway, why not use BlueJacket's internally stopped blocks. I used them on my Bluenose and I think they're great. They're made of cast metal and need to be painted. From the old photos, it appears to me that they were white, so that's how I finished mine.
 
If I remember right, I ignored the sizes of the provided blocks and took the sizes from the plans and then approximated as closely as possible from what was available with the exception of the 3/32" size, which are very small and difficult to use. I sometimes found it necessary to drill out the hole of the strop and it was almost impossible to do on this size without "tearing out" the strop. For these ones I ended up substituting 1/8" blocks and look fine and they were wasy to work with and of course, anything over 1/8" presented no problem at all.
 
You can also get internally stopped blocks from Syren, but I don't believe they are available in small enough sizes. Also, they appear to be so beautiful that I didn't have the heart to paint them, so I opted for the cast BlueJacket ones, which need to be painted, so they seemed like the perfect choice. They come with a becket, which you don't always need, so when that was the case, I just snipped it off and filed that end of the block smooth.
 
With respect to deadeyes, I also used BlueJacket's. The lower deadeyes are attached with a "shackle" type fitting and I knew I could never get a satisfactory result trying to duplicate that with wire and/or brass rod, so I opted for the BlueJacket cast ones and I was quite happy with them.
 
So that's one suggestion.
David
 

I don't know for a fact that they were painted, Allan, but it's my best guess based on the old black and white photos of the Bluenose. In the first picture of my post above, comparing the blocks to the parts that we know were white, such as the rails and then to the boom, which appears to be natural, I think they look white. In any case, rightly or wrongly, painting them white was an easy approach when using cast metal blocks. It's easier to paint a white finish than a natural looking wood finish.😀
 
On the Bluenose II however, they are definitely natural. Those Syren blocks would look great finished like this.
David