GuntherMT

Also, I have done some research regarding the frigate La Flore/ Vestale and the hawseholes, anchor cable, etc.  In most pictures I have seen of the more intricate/famous models (like the one in the JFK Library), the anchor chain just sort of seems to disappear into the ornamentation of the bow.  In none of the models I've seen are the hawseholes readily visible, as you can see on the example below.



 
And from another model (Amati) here:

 
This is good news for me, since I am too scared of messing something up to drill hawseholes (had a lot of trouble getting the bow ornamentation to sit right...and it still doesn't quite sit where it should).  Given this, I think I'm going to just kind of cheat and hide the anchor cable by having it feed up into the bow and maybe disappear at the appropriate place- as it seems to do in the pictures above.

Edit: Adding an index
 
Section 1 - Pre-planking work.
Beginning the bulkheads
Shimming the bulkheads
Cutting the Rabbet
Reinforcing the bulkheads
Fairing bulkhead tops and placing sub-decks
Shimming bulkhead extensions and fairing
Stern building issues
Stern construction
Knights heads and first planks
Waterways and transom work
 
Section 2 - First planking and surrounding work.
Stern windows and planking
Outer bulwark planking
Lower planking part 1
Side-bar - Reno trip
Lower planking part 2
Lower planking part 3
Lower planking part 4
 
Section 3 - Wales and inner bulwarks
Wales part 1
Wales part 2 and spirketing plank 1
Spirketing plank 2
Inner bulwarks
The black strake & inner bulwarks painting
Scuppers and inner bulwarks painting
Outer bulwarks 2nd planking and more painting
Outer bulwarks 2nd planking and Cap Rail
Stern cap rail and planking
 
Section 4 - Outer painting and 2nd planking below wales.
Bulwark painting
Lower planking part 1
Lower planking part 2
Lower planking part 3
Lower planking part 4
Lower planking part 5
Lower planking part 6
Planking time-lapse video
Lower planking completion
Sweep ports part 1
Sweep ports part 2
 
Section 5 - Deck & furniture
Main hatch and scuttle port
Companionway
Deck planking begins
Remaking the galley hatch
Deck planking continued
Deck planking complete - tree nailing
Planking the poop deck
Guns!
Rudder
Rigging the Cannons - beginning
Ships wheel
Rigging the Cannons - continued
Rigging the Cannons - rope coils
Stropping a single block
Making the Catheads
Elm tree pumps
Ladders and Binnacle
Swivel gun posts and channels
Chain plates & dead-eyes
 
Section 6 - Masts & Standing Rigging
Bowsprit sheaves & main mast construction
Jib boom & Top mast
Gaff, boom & yards
Swivel Gun yoke jig
Swivel Gun soldering - mount, yoke, handles.
Main mast standing rigging begins
Shroud Lanyards
Mounting the Bowsprit
Bobstay & Forestay
Naming Day
 
Section 7 - Running Rigging
Beginning the running rigging
Sidebar - San Diego Festival of Sail trip (link to other thread)
Running rigging completed
Rope coils
Anchor buoys
End of the line
 
------------------------------
Beginning of build log:
 
Just starting up the log with what appears to be the traditional 'unboxing' post.  This was actually done on September 6th, but I did not see any point in opening a build log while I was still working on the Carmen, as I'm not going to attempt to do multiple builds at once yet (no room, even if I wanted to).
 
I took inventory using the parts list included, and everything seems to be ship-shape.  I will likely not actually begin working on this until the weekend, as I've got an idea for a display stand for the Carmen to take to my office (my not at home office), and now that I'm done building the Carmen, I want to read through the instructions and some build logs for the AVS before I begin.
 
Until then, here are the unboxing photo's.
 

Edit: Adding an index
 
Section 1 - Pre-planking work.
Beginning the bulkheads
Shimming the bulkheads
Cutting the Rabbet
Reinforcing the bulkheads
Fairing bulkhead tops and placing sub-decks
Shimming bulkhead extensions and fairing
Stern building issues
Stern construction
Knights heads and first planks
Waterways and transom work
 
Section 2 - First planking and surrounding work.
Stern windows and planking
Outer bulwark planking
Lower planking part 1
Side-bar - Reno trip
Lower planking part 2
Lower planking part 3
Lower planking part 4
 
Section 3 - Wales and inner bulwarks
Wales part 1
Wales part 2 and spirketing plank 1
Spirketing plank 2
Inner bulwarks
The black strake & inner bulwarks painting
Scuppers and inner bulwarks painting
Outer bulwarks 2nd planking and more painting
Outer bulwarks 2nd planking and Cap Rail
Stern cap rail and planking
 
Section 4 - Outer painting and 2nd planking below wales.
Bulwark painting
Lower planking part 1
Lower planking part 2
Lower planking part 3
Lower planking part 4
Lower planking part 5
Lower planking part 6
Planking time-lapse video
Lower planking completion
Sweep ports part 1
Sweep ports part 2
 
Section 5 - Deck & furniture
Main hatch and scuttle port
Companionway
Deck planking begins
Remaking the galley hatch
Deck planking continued
Deck planking complete - tree nailing
Planking the poop deck
Guns!
Rudder
Rigging the Cannons - beginning
Ships wheel
Rigging the Cannons - continued
Rigging the Cannons - rope coils
Stropping a single block
Making the Catheads
Elm tree pumps
Ladders and Binnacle
Swivel gun posts and channels
Chain plates & dead-eyes
 
Section 6 - Masts & Standing Rigging
Bowsprit sheaves & main mast construction
Jib boom & Top mast
Gaff, boom & yards
Swivel Gun yoke jig
Swivel Gun soldering - mount, yoke, handles.
Main mast standing rigging begins
Shroud Lanyards
Mounting the Bowsprit
Bobstay & Forestay
Naming Day
 
Section 7 - Running Rigging
Beginning the running rigging
Sidebar - San Diego Festival of Sail trip (link to other thread)
Running rigging completed
Rope coils
Anchor buoys
End of the line
 
------------------------------
Beginning of build log:
 
Just starting up the log with what appears to be the traditional 'unboxing' post.  This was actually done on September 6th, but I did not see any point in opening a build log while I was still working on the Carmen, as I'm not going to attempt to do multiple builds at once yet (no room, even if I wanted to).
 
I took inventory using the parts list included, and everything seems to be ship-shape.  I will likely not actually begin working on this until the weekend, as I've got an idea for a display stand for the Carmen to take to my office (my not at home office), and now that I'm done building the Carmen, I want to read through the instructions and some build logs for the AVS before I begin.
 
Until then, here are the unboxing photo's.
 

Edit: Adding an index
 
Section 1 - Pre-planking work.
Beginning the bulkheads
Shimming the bulkheads
Cutting the Rabbet
Reinforcing the bulkheads
Fairing bulkhead tops and placing sub-decks
Shimming bulkhead extensions and fairing
Stern building issues
Stern construction
Knights heads and first planks
Waterways and transom work
 
Section 2 - First planking and surrounding work.
Stern windows and planking
Outer bulwark planking
Lower planking part 1
Side-bar - Reno trip
Lower planking part 2
Lower planking part 3
Lower planking part 4
 
Section 3 - Wales and inner bulwarks
Wales part 1
Wales part 2 and spirketing plank 1
Spirketing plank 2
Inner bulwarks
The black strake & inner bulwarks painting
Scuppers and inner bulwarks painting
Outer bulwarks 2nd planking and more painting
Outer bulwarks 2nd planking and Cap Rail
Stern cap rail and planking
 
Section 4 - Outer painting and 2nd planking below wales.
Bulwark painting
Lower planking part 1
Lower planking part 2
Lower planking part 3
Lower planking part 4
Lower planking part 5
Lower planking part 6
Planking time-lapse video
Lower planking completion
Sweep ports part 1
Sweep ports part 2
 
Section 5 - Deck & furniture
Main hatch and scuttle port
Companionway
Deck planking begins
Remaking the galley hatch
Deck planking continued
Deck planking complete - tree nailing
Planking the poop deck
Guns!
Rudder
Rigging the Cannons - beginning
Ships wheel
Rigging the Cannons - continued
Rigging the Cannons - rope coils
Stropping a single block
Making the Catheads
Elm tree pumps
Ladders and Binnacle
Swivel gun posts and channels
Chain plates & dead-eyes
 
Section 6 - Masts & Standing Rigging
Bowsprit sheaves & main mast construction
Jib boom & Top mast
Gaff, boom & yards
Swivel Gun yoke jig
Swivel Gun soldering - mount, yoke, handles.
Main mast standing rigging begins
Shroud Lanyards
Mounting the Bowsprit
Bobstay & Forestay
Naming Day
 
Section 7 - Running Rigging
Beginning the running rigging
Sidebar - San Diego Festival of Sail trip (link to other thread)
Running rigging completed
Rope coils
Anchor buoys
End of the line
 
------------------------------
Beginning of build log:
 
Just starting up the log with what appears to be the traditional 'unboxing' post.  This was actually done on September 6th, but I did not see any point in opening a build log while I was still working on the Carmen, as I'm not going to attempt to do multiple builds at once yet (no room, even if I wanted to).
 
I took inventory using the parts list included, and everything seems to be ship-shape.  I will likely not actually begin working on this until the weekend, as I've got an idea for a display stand for the Carmen to take to my office (my not at home office), and now that I'm done building the Carmen, I want to read through the instructions and some build logs for the AVS before I begin.
 
Until then, here are the unboxing photo's.
 

That's a lot of ropes and knots!
 
Square rig is going to be a big step up in that department.  Not sure if I'm looking forward to that given the 'interesting' time I'm having with my little schooner rig.
 
Very nicely done David, she's certainly something you can display proudly.

I'm sure the suspense between posts was killing you.  Heh.
 
For the running rigging without sails, there is no plan in the kit, and not enough blocks to really do it right in a lot of areas (like the bowsprit done like the AVS).  I looked at all sorts of different schooner build photos that were done without rigging in the gallery, and just sort of winged it.
 
I posted earlier that I was short 3 single blocks.  Well, it turned out that I was actually not short 3, but only 1, and that one was a block that I dropped sometime last week, and I've never been able to find it.  The other two were attached to the booms where I actually should have installed double blocks.  Woops.  I cut off the singles and installed doubles in their place, leaving me only short the 1 block.  I sanded down a double block to single thickness, and unless you know which block to inspect up close, there is no way to tell, so success!
 
I also decided that the 'natural' seizing on all of the standing rigging just looked weird to me, so I changed it all to black.
 
After one marathon rigging session, I present to you.. 
 
The finished Carmen! 
 

 
I'm obviously not a photographer, nor do I have a 'real' camera.  Mixture of flash and no flash without great lighting.  I should try to take some better photo's outside at lunch tomorrow if the hurricane doesn't actually decide to hit us.

Hello friends,
 
I have been quietly and slowly working on the O19.  I finished the starboard railing, which worked out better then the port side.  At least I didn't have to go back and redo two stanchions    All of them are as close to being correct as possible, at least I'm happy with the results.
 
Then it was off to installing the sense antenna.  This one is laced to a steel cable that runs from the port side of the con to the bow and back to the starboard side.  
I used 0.2 mm brass wire for the support cable and stretched it to make it harder and stiff.  I had already made the bow attaching hook a few months ago but now I had to put both ends of the support cable into the hook assembly and solder them.  I also cut a bunch of 1 mm brass tubing into 0.5 mm pieces to act as simulated tension devices.  (sorry Amateur Jan, just simulated  )  The antenna cable tensioners I used when I was running an aircraft repair facility were some ver nifty gizmos.  The were internally spring loaded and the cable is attached at one end and the other end to the airframe.  
 
These were all soldered to the support cable at their appropriate locations per the drawings I have.  I took the finest black sewing thread for the actual antenna cable and laced that to the support cable at set intervals.  The lacing cords I made up from splitting the sewing thread and used the two nylon filaments inside the tread.  This is thinner then fly-tying thread and strong too. 
 
I used clear nail polish to secure the lacing to the support cable with the antenna cable and tried to leave a few sagging like loops.  In real life the weight of the antenna cable will sag naturally between the lacings.
 
Well, it looks like that most of the hard work is done except for painting the railing and general paint touch-up, the replacement of the ship's numbers, the boarding ladder and the dingy.  
Remco was able to obtain new white numbers with black outlines that are printed on clear decal paper.  I am mighty obliged to him for his help.  He was not happy himself with the color mismatch and now I can just put these new decals right over the paint, awesome        
 
That'll be my next project before painting.  I don't know how much damage I may occur by removing the decals.  I did already spray them with a sealer so soaking with water may not work.  But then again, touching up paint is not a big problem for me.  After I'm done no one will ever notice
 
Okay, here are a few pics of my efforts of the last few days.
 

This shows the antenna installation and the starboard railing.  Emphasis is on the antenna.  The details I mentioned above may be visible when you enlarge the picture.  We can now find our way by using radio beacons or low frequency broadcast stations.  On the last picture you'll see the DF antenna.
 

I made a close-up for a more detailed look at where the support cable is attached to the torpedo loading boom bridge.  Those two and three little humps are the tensioners.
 

This is a detail pic of the con side antenna hoop-up.  You can see where the antenna cable is routed through a conduit down to the radio / navigation room.  That round black thingy is the Direction Finder antenna or DF for short.  It works real well after you get used to it, "flying the nul" as we called it.  When I learned to fly I learned how to operate it and of course the VOR.  Things have evolved to Satellite Navigation and now to GPS.  But when my father sailed on this boat this was the best available with "shooting the sun or the stars."
 
If anyone sees anything that needs attention or fixing please tell me now or forever hold your peace 
 
Cheers, 

INTRODUCTION
 
 
This is the build log for Hr. Ms. O 19, one of only two submarines in her class of the Koninklijke Marine (Royal Navy).  Please forgive me for making this introduction very personal because she was part of my life and therefore holds a very special interest for me.  My father, Opperschipper (Adjudant) Petrus W. van Warmerdam, was with her from about one year before her launch September 22, 1938 till his promotion to Opperschipper in January 1941.   
At the time he was placed on the build he had the rank of Schipper, with the added function of Quality Control and Assurance Inspector and liaison between the Navy and the ship builder Wilton-Fijenoord in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. 
 
His second tour of tropical duty started right after his marriage to my mother in October 7, 1931, and they started a family while in Surabaya, the former Dutch East Indies.  My sister and I were born there, November 14, 1932 and April 15, 1934.  When his second six-year tour of tropical duty ended in the end of 1937 he had to return to the Netherlands.  Of course his family, my mother, sister and I, followed shortly after on the passenger liner M. S. Christiaan Huygens of the Stoomvaart Maatschappij Nederland, Amsterdam. 
 
When we arrived in the Netherlands we first stayed in Den Helder, the Royal Navy Base, but after hearing about the new class of submarines being build he immediately requested to be placed on them.  Because of his expert technical knowledge of submarines the Royal Navy agreed and he and his family moved to Vlaardingen Ambacht, Narcisplein 3 to be exact, a small town near Schiedam, in March of 1938.  Sjors and Anja know this area quite well.
 
The shipyard was located in Schiedam, the Netherlands and the boat he was assigned to happened to be the furthest along of the two in that class, mine laying submarines. 
 
The original design concept for a mine lying submarine was completed in December, 1934 and assigned numbers O 17 and O 18. (Reference pictures can be found in the DRAWINGS section)   However, the design was altered to a more squarish form amidships for better loading and discharging of the mines by engineer G. de Rooy.  (Reference pictures can be found in the DRAWINGS section)  Rumors have it that it is based on the design of the Polish submarine Orzel but cannot be confirmed.  The Orzel was also a mine-laying sub but I believe that the mine tubes were carried inside the main hull and not on the side as the O 19 class subs.  
 
The O 19 and O 20 were also the first subs equipped with “getrimd diesel system ,” where the boat could run on diesel power while submerged to charge the batteries and for ventilation.   This is commonly known as “Snorts,” or “Snorkels.”    Navigation was done via the navigation periscope.
 
The KM (short for Royal Navy in Dutch) used to classify submarines for domestic waters with O and those for the colonies with K (K stands for “Koloniën ” which means colonies).  They were originally assigned the numbers K XIX and K XX, which was changed to O 19 and O 20 sometime during their fabrication.  All subsequence submarines received the O designation till the end of WW II.  After the war all subs received names instead of numbers.
 
The O 19 was launched September 22, 1938 with my father onboard of course   and officially commissioned on July 3, 1939, my mother, sister and I were present for that event.  I was standing on extreme left of the photo, hidden behind the bow flag, next to my mother.  The ensuing trial runs were successfully conducted near de Scandinavian coast and the fiords where proof diving could be done more successfully.  Although the boat was designed for a maximum depth of 100 meters these proof dives were limited to 60 meters.
 
Special tests were to be conducted on the voyage to the Netherland’s East Indies to measure geological differences in the Earth’s crust when sailing over the continuation of a mountain range underwater as well as wave action while submerged.  She and her crew arrived safely and without any technical difficulties at the Navy Base in Soerabaja (old Dutch spelling) in September 1939.
 
My mother, sister and I followed in December of 1939 on the passenger liner M. S. “Johan van Oldenbarnevelt,” of the Stoomvaart Maatschappy Nederland.   Both the Christiaan Huygens and JVO served as troop transports during WW II.
 
On January 1, 1941, my father was promoted to Opperschipper (Adjudant) and had to be transferred to a surface ship of the KM, which was the light cruiser Hr. Ms. Java.   The reason for the transfer was dat that rank was not maintained on submarines.  That was the second time in my short life that I saw my father shed a tear.  He loved the submarine service that particular boat and the crew.   As all submariners know these small crews on the subs become like a family.  He hated the Java, that “old rust bucket,” as he called it and he was subsequently killed in action on that ship during the “Battle of the Java Sea,” 5 minutes before midnight on February 27, 1942.  A long-range Japanese torpedo hit the Java in the rear port side just where his battle station is.  Fortunately he never knew what hit him when the powder room exploded and 20 meters of that part of the ship just evaporated.
I have photographs of the wrecked stern section that lies 70 meters down on the sea floor and now have closure and sort of a “grave marker.”
 
Our lives changed dramatically shortly afterward when the Japanese successfully invaded the Dutch controlled Indonesian islands and made us “guests of the Emperor” of Japan, i.e. prisoners of war, and placed us into concentration camps for the duration of the war.  Yes, even women, and children, all non military people were classified as combatants and came under military rule and in charge of the Kempeitai.
 
Fellow ship model builders, something you may not know but the Japanese High Command gave orders in the beginning of 1945 to exterminate all POWs in September of 1945.  As terrible as the two atom bombs that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki are, it saved millions of lives and is the reason I am alive today with two beautiful daughters and a grandson.  My wife too was a “guest of the Emperor” in a concentration camp in Semarang, Java.  It is also giving me the great pleasure counting all of you as my friends.
 
The O 19 served with distinction during the entire war and I am sure that my father would be proud of her and the crew.
 
Well then, this model is in memory of my father and I dedicate it to him and the crew he loved.  The boat is still with us today, albeit as a wreck on Ladd Reef in the South China Sea (19.93 Lat, 174.57 Long).  Due to a navigational error she ran right smack in the middle of that reef at low tide.  And yes, the crew survived and was rescued by the USS sub “ Cod,” which is moored permanently in Cleveland, Ohio, as a museum.   There are some interesting films on “YouTube” of the rescue 
 
My model will be at a scale of 1:50 which translates to 1.6 meter and only shows the exterior of the boat, except for the side-launch torpedo tube assembly.  This unit is mounted outside the main pressure hull, between the hull and the deck structure forward of the deck gun location. 
It will be plank on bulkhead, using poplar wood for the majority of the build.  For the deck structure I may use 1/32 inch plywood over a frame of poplar, covered with epoxy resin.  The simulated hull plating will be 150 lb hot pressed watercolor paper over 1.5 mm poplar planking and epoxy resin.   Other materials will be brass rod, brass and copper wire, plastics, cardboard material and whatever comes to mind to achieve the desired effect.
I’ll be using red Titebond glue, Elmer’s Carpenter’s WoodGlue Max, which is an interior/exterior glue and waterproof.  Of course CA will also be used when appropriate.
 
I am still doing research on the original paint scheme at the time of the commissioning but that point is still in the future.
 
The drawing section is to follow.
 
Cheers, 

Update for the last couple days. 
 
So when I started test fitting the yards it occurred to me that holding the proper angle was going to be really difficult using the rigging, let alone making sure they stayed straight front to rear, so I drilled some holes and added pins. 
 

 
Test fitting, pins worked great, look ma, no glue (or hands)!
 

 
I didn't care for the "tie a rope between the jaws with square knots" method of yard attachment the kit instructed, so I got some small black glass beads and put them on with thread.  I've decided after this that people who do beading for fun must be more insane than people that build little wooden ships.
 
And mounted the yards in preparation for doing the running rigging, since I've decided not to do sails on this build.
 

 
And, after taking this picture, I started working on the rigging, and completely forgot to take any progress photos.
 
Oh well, next post will show the end of this evenings progress...

The quarter galleries were the most challenging part of the build at that point.  Lots of curves meeting each other, requiring earlier framing to be aligned very carefully.  If the early parts are off, I suspect it would be almost impossible to make the galleries look right.  I started by planking the curved parts of the stern out to where they meet the lower parts of each quarter gallery.  In order to get the edges mitred properly I needed to make balsa support blocks at each corner and very carefully shape them to the desired curved corner profile.  Then I used 3mm veneer as the planking, starting at the base and working upward.  The topmost piece of each level is curved to match the lip of the gallery.
 

 
I then painted the planked areas - you can see the result in the following two pictures.  It turned out reasonably well -- once all the sculptures are mounted there, you won't see much of the base.  Again the color for some reason looks pinkish.  The actual color is a dull red.
 

 

 
Once the stern planking was finished, I needed to plank the lower half of each quarter gallery and get it to meet at the back with nice mitered curve.  The balsa support block really helped here; the only other tricky part was that the gallery curves slightly, so various planks needed a little edge bending to line up properly.  I figured this would happen so I started at the top where the joints are visible, and worked my way down.  By the time I got to the bottom I needed an oddly shaped plank but it's basically hidden at the very bottom of the gallery.
 
 

 
Finally I needed to make the front nose of the quarter gallery bottoms.  The kit supplied balsa, and I couldn't think of a better solution so I used it.  I glued a block into place and then shaped it in situ until it looked reasonable.  The texture's different from the strip wood but it's not that noticeable.  The joint will be covered with a sculpture
 

 
 
And with that I moved to the turrets, something I was not looking forward to, but which turned out quite well in the end.
 
 
 
 

Rigging the spiritsail yard. Lots of rope required, but it works out quite well. I can't yet complete the clue lines as I've run out of blocks and I'm awaiting more.

Like I told Sjors last month ,"I will return", well, I'm returning..... with an update that finishes up the laying of the Alert's hull. Still need to sand it up and doctor it up here and there. It was a lot of fun planking the hull this way( spiling). There's some goofs here and there but after all is said and done, I can live with it ... it could have been a lot worse!! . The only thing I was a little disappointed with was the basswood. It's not that it's hard to work with,it's ...ah,... just not that good. .... I don't know if there are different grades of Basswood available, but I certainly didn't come across any. Although I shouldn't complain , the price was definitely all right!! Thank God for stains and paints.
 
Well enough complaining .... following are a few pictures confirming that I really did finish !  All comments  good... bad.... or indecent. are welcome!!
 
 
 

This shows the transfer of the outline of the plank to the basswood . I then used my ships curves to make the final lines.
 

 this is the last stern strake being set on the s.b. side
 

final strake being set on p.s.
 
Following pictures are just different views of the completed hull . Thanks for looking in!!
Frank
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Thanks again Russ for all your help!!!!
 
Frank

Well,  my goal was to start rigging this week, however the set back on waiting for a few loose end parts and my approaching vacation this weekend will push rigging off to a start time of next week when I return.  Taking the wife and brother down to Hershey Park in PA tomorrow night and I don't think they will be too keen on me packing my ship and materials and working on it in the hotel - although it is very tempting!!
 
So,  got my parts and finished up all the little loose ends. 
 
Finished the pin rails;  pretty straightforward really just basswood and golden oak to blend it all together.
Put the "hinges" on the gun lids;  just used some pactra black trim tape. Cut it to size and stuck them on!
Then sprayed the whole thing down with a couple coats of sealer to bring out some of the colors and deepen the stain a bit and that is where she will remain until Next week.
 
So, as I head off to finish up some other work and tasks I need to wrap up before tomorrow night i will leave some pics of where she sits today, the hull for the most part finished and now waiting for some masts and rope!  Then it will be to attach the anchors, the flower the rear pole and mount on the base and wallah!
 

 

 

 

 

 
Until later all!
 
Enjoy and happy modeling!!
 
 
 
 
 
 

Greetings everybody
Well I am back on the ship for a few days finishing off all the odd jobs and repairs that need to be done before the ship is encased. I have added the netting to the rail on the tops which I needed to do, so I reckon there is still half a dozen or more repairs that need doing and then a good clean of the whole ship. The making of the case is stopped while I wait for the Acrylic/Perspex to arrive. I have moved into my new blue shipyard with loads of space and taken a few photos. I think the blue background makes a difference on the photos which can be seen when you see how clear the rigging is shown. Anyway hopefully the glazing will arrive soon, and the case can be completed and then the tidying up finished. Thanks for viewing and all your comments. DAVID

Looking great!

Thanks Keith, that is an interesting setup.  Based on the noise it was making while working on this kit, I think my drill is not long for this world however!
 
So I'm looking at the running rigging, and it turns out that my run of having 'extra' parts in this kit has come to an end.  I am short 3 single blocks.  I do have 3 extra deadeyes and 3 extra double blocks.  I may try to sand down a double block and see if it will work as a single.

Hi
 
Finally finished the first false deck planking. Big thanks to Ulises Victoria who posted a guide on the way to get the different patterns. I did lose the order a few times but very little will be seen so thinking of this as a training run. One day I will get the courage to do trenails but think this scale is a bit too small. I used Danish oil to seal based on advice from this forum and really happy with the result.
 
In the top deck I may try to improve my planking by having them run into a margin plank (not sure if that is the right term). Did not do it this time around as you can see it is pretty rough at the edges. Carved away the false deck that was over hanging so I could get a nice smooth line on which to lay the outer planking. Started already on the hatches as you can see as need to do some detail things done to motivate me for the first planking which usually causes me the most challenge.

Hello Everyone.
Today was work on davits day and try and get them hinged to the starboard side and rigged.  As everyone knows things take a lot longer, especially when your feeling happy and what you're working on is a model ship.  However, I did manage to accomplish my goal and the the starboard davit is attached and rigged.  Now all I need is a ship's boat to replace the clips hanging from the hooks.  Here are some photos of the work as it was in progress.  Please place your mouse ove the photo for its caption.
 
Many thanks...Jerry

Hola:
 
Before going into the sailing process I decided to finish the anchor fittings.  Here some pictures:
 
For the first step it was necessary to do the blocks due that the ones included in the kit seems not the appropriate.  To accomplish this I used a little piece of redwood, brass wire obscured with Black Patina (the one used to the lead in staining glass) and the metal strap for the pulley was made with a paper strip painted black.

 
The second step was to fix the anchor ropes. Here you can see the little pieces of wire in the opposite side of the anchor that were used to fix them inside the anchor ports

 
And finally, installing the anchors in its place. This was done according to the BB instruction manual, except I added little wood caps in the extremes of the anchor davits.  I made this because the ropes tended to slip off the pulleys due to the low weight of the kit anchors (in the original this did not happen due the great weight of the anchors)

 
Thanks for your comments and likes.
 
Saludos, Karl
 
 

The Sovereign of the Seas has been completed, The Wappen von Hamburg's box has been moved to the shed (AKA the Boatyard) and all tools have been cleaned. I guess it is time to get started.
 
For the past several weeks I have been admiring fifteen large format images of Corel's Wappen von Hamburg that I found on the internet. As inspiration I printed out 3 of the pictures, framed them, and hung them on the wall in the boatyard. (They can be seen in the picture above) The build is perfect and exhibits the kind of workmanship I have always hoped to achieve.
 
Today, I went back to the site and actually read the text. Imagine my surprise when I read that it took the builder thirteen years and eight thousand hours to complete the build. Right from the start I know I won't spend that amount of time, but I will do the best job I can. The link to the site is;
 
http://www.modelships.de/Wappen_von_Hamburg_I_1/Wappen_von_Hamburg_I_1eng.htm
 
Time to take inventory and look over the instructions

Time for rudder gudgeons. According to the kit plans, their pins should be created using 1mm wire drilled right into the rudder and bent 90 degrees. That would be hideous, so I decided to solder them to the outer side of the gudgeons creating a gentle toe like this (Proxxon butane torch rules)
 

 
But then the pin appeared to me too thick, so I replaced the 1mm wire with thin brass nails. 
 
I don't have good experience with blackening brass, so I painted the parts using metal primer, tamyia acrylic and semi-matt Nelson varnish to protect the paint. There is a bit of silver paint to add the shiny metal effect, but not on the photo. 
 

 
 
Almost finished rudder
 

 

 

Hi all, sorry its been a while but every time I touch this model something goes wrong, It's lucky it's not been thrown at the wall or been used for target practice, don't get me wrong it's not the k, it went together perfect all fits great it just seem not to want to be built. after the last post I tripped over the step into my model room and emptied a cup of tea over it.
Well anyway I've glued the decks to the hull all there is to do now is the rest of those blooming seats some rigging and some rails round some of the decks,oh and the lifeboat hoists.

 

 

 

 

 

 

some pictures

Nice work Brian, just catching up after a bad weekend.
 
Just starting out and not wanting to send huge sums on tools, consider this
http://www.grizzly.com/products/Hobby-Lathe-Disc-Sander/H2669
 
its a good starter and someone, sorry can't remember the thread gave it excellent reviews. 
 

Thanks Russ,
 
I owe it to another member here - I used a method from Bob's (bhermann) Bluenose build log.  I marked the dowels at multiple points and transferred the size mechanically to the dowel at that point from the plans using the caliper.  I then used sandpaper (for two of them chucked into a drill, and for the two shorter ones, I just sanded by hand while slowly turning the dowel) to sand them down to the marks.  I then laid them on the plans directly to compare and finish.
 
In this picture you can see all the bits and pieces, and the main boom has had the taper points transferred, but not yet sanded.
 

 
This method worked very well for me, but I still want a lathe.