Ryland Craze

It's been a while.
 
I was working on Victory, but then I was sent my new designs for the Prince in laser cut and PE parts, so I figuered I'd build up the prince hull first, so that I can courier the hull over to Amati. They will then get a very good carver to make all new carvings for the model, have them cast, and then send me back the hull and loose catings. I can then continue, and finally finish the Prince!
 
When the prince is with Amati, I shall complete the Victory drawings/plans/instructions, which should be no later than Summer.
 
I know Amati are keen to finalise both Prince and Victory, and I am hoping Victory will be ready for release either late this year or very early next.
 
I have attached a couple of pics of Prince in progress. I have just completed the first planking. I re-done the designs to include three more main bulkheads, (almost) full length decks from lover gun deck upwards, and the new gun port designs that are now intergeral to the hull, rather than the 1mm ply gun port patterns of the old design.

Very small update, as I haven't done much work on the ship the last couple of weeks, just had a busy schedule and other things going on.
 
For anyone interested I added an 'index' to the first post in this thread, so if for some reason you want to find a specific point in the build, it should be much easier now.
 
I've gotten the main hatch, and the scuttle port completed - I am using cherry for the planking and the kit walnut for the coaming, I think it makes a nice contrast.  The hardware was chemically blackened.
 

I have used a similar type - Optivisor.  The one  had been using for years just wasn't cutting it any more and at a trade show I tried their glass lenses  - this made a bid difference.  Check the Optivisor brand with the glass lenses.  They are a bit pricier but they are so much better - 8 hours w/o eyestrain.  The Optivisor plus good bright light makes a world of difference.  A big help for aging eyes.
Kurt

Well almost complete !  Have to get some primer and black paint for the grappling hook - paint it and install it and I think I am done.
 

Hey all,
This will be my second build log.  After spending a little more then a year on my Half Moon I thought I'd do something a little smaller.  I had picked up the 18th Century Longboat from Model Shipways last year and thought it would fit the bill, this kit was designed for Model Shipways by our own Chuck Passaro.
 
The kit consists of laser cut basswood parts, basswood planking, dowels and all the fittings and hardware.  Also included are some nice printed decorations to apply to the sides and transom, two pages of in scale plans and a excellent practicum written by Chuck.
 
Before I get into the details of the build I'd like to share a recent experience.
  You may know that Chuck has a business making and selling model ship fittings, Syren Ship Model Company.  I recently ordered some brass cannon barrels for a future scratch build project, and looked forward to their arrival.  Which never occurred...seems the Post Office lost my order.
  I contacted Chuck to find out what kind of package was used as I needed that info for a lost package claim, well imagine my surprise when they arrived today...not my original order but a second shipment Chuck had sent, totally unsolicited, to replace my lost order.
   In this day and age this type of customer service is unheard of...and I believe noteworthy, this gentlemen has earned my future business and I hope my tale will prompt you to visit his site and maybe place an order, excellent product line and as I've stated superb customer service.  Give the site a visit. http://www.syrenshipmodelcompany.com/
 
The Longboat build:
I plan this build to be pretty much be out of the box...with the exception of the paint scheme and the supplied decorations.  I'm also toying with the idea of adding sails, billowing ones! but we'll see.
 
I started by cutting the rabbit into the false keel and gluing the keel to it, the frames were then separated from their backings and test fit... all of mine had a distinct stbd cant to them...this was easily fixed with some light file work.  The frames were then glued up, once dry they were marked with a compass to indicate where the first stark will lay. 
THX for your time and attention...Pics follow
J
 
 
 
 

Haven't really made enough progress for a proper update but there's something important I need to point out ... and now is the time.
 
The bulkhead beakhead doors were made the usual way by laminating 3 sections together, thinning them down, applying the finish and hardware.  They required only minor adjustments to fit the openings properly.  The two outermost doors will be covered by the roundhouses down the road.
 

 
Next, we fabricated the bowsprit step out of 3/16 and 1/4" strips.  After painting, it was securely pinned to the deck:
 

 
OK, here's what I wanted to discuss.  The bowsprit hole in the beakhead is quite a bit undersized for the bowsprit.  The bowsprit will be tapered but the hole still needs to be enlarged.  With the stem already in place, getting the proper angle and size on that hole is somewhat problematic.  Also, the next steps will include installing additional deck fittings as well as forecastle deck beams which will largely cover the bowsprit step.  I could visualize painting myself into a corner and being unable to properly fit the bowsprit 6 months from now.  So I fabricated and aligned this NOW and I'd strongly suggest you do something similar.  If you check Rusty's great Confed log you'll see that he left off the upper part of the stem (that which holds the figurehead) at this point ----that would give you room to work.  But I didn't think that far ahead.
 
I don't like breaking out my dad's old Craftsman 1/2" drill for work on a 1:64 ship model.  So I slowly enlarged the hole using slightly tapered sticks (old paint brush handles) wrapped in sandpaper.  Yes, it's just this side of Neanderthal (and slow) but it works..... and nothing got destroyed in the process.  Here's what we have:
 

 

 
The bowsprit has a tenon cut in to sit nicely in the step.  That will need to be painted red just prior to final installation.
 
Didn't mean to bore anyone with this as I'm sure you all know it's good to think ahead.  But now my conscience is clear.
 
 
 

Time for a small update.  I have been working on a couple of sets of double frames as my initial frame tests.  Both sets were D1 and D2 which are 2 of the outside frames.
 
The frame drawings were printed on letter size self adhesive labels and cut the futtocks out and stuck to the swiss pear.  First I followed Grant's example and used 3M painter's masking tape which makes everything easier to remove from the wood.  In this hemisphere it is blue rather than yellow.     I have to mention how much nicer swiss pear is to work with than oak.  Oseberg is almost completely oak and really hard to work in small scale.  Swiss pear is much softer but still holds an edge.  Sweet!
 

 
They were cut out loosely with a scroll saw and fine-tuned on a spindle sander and a disk sander.  These where my first frames and they were a long way from satisfactory.
 

 
The joints were not precise and the chocks were still a mystery.  I used only the 2 bolts shown on the drawings.  They were made from .81mm copper wire.
 

 
The second set was a lot better, I guess that is the point of practice.  I used mobbsie's flat vice method to file the scarph joints which helped a great deal.  I also replaced my decades old, not intended for prime time, Delta disk sander with another dream machine Byrne's model and that worked wonders for making the ends square.  (It is balanced so precisely that when I shut it off it continues to rotate for 30 seconds.)
 

 
Grant helped me with the layout of the additional bolts shown in AOTS.  I laid them out on a drawing copy and than transferred them to a sticky label and added them to the glued up frames.  I drilled them using a Vanda-Lay drill press with a Proxxon x-y table.
 

 
Here they are sort of finished but not glued together or faired.
 

 
They are much better but still not perfect.  Third time is a charm (I hope).   See you soon. 
 
 
 

Hi everyone!
Thank you for stopping by and all of your advice and help. The problem is that the angle of the starboard side planks is greater than the port side. The distance from center line on the starboard is grater than the port. I was able to realign the mast blocks with the stem and keelson. I also moved the forward port side the the forward cabin 3 inches closer to the side. I will have to trim some of the planks on the foc's'le to try and hide the difference. I have only 1 deck beam to complete on the foc's'le. That is the very first one. I placed a stub mast and a temporary sampson post to get an idea of how it will go together. I have not glued in any of the deck beams. The are a couple of additional tasks to complete on the hull before I can glue them in place.
Disassembling the mast blocking.

Making sure the mast is straight this time.

It looks straight this time.

My current status.






 
Thanks again everyone.

I continue to make progress.  The photos show the assembled frames from the dead flat forward.  I use price tags as labels for each frame.  My writing is barely legible and trying to write on in the notch at the base of the frames is not so easy.  Plenty of room on the price tags.
 
Each full frame is made up of 9 pieces while the half frames are made of 10 (5 per side). 
 
I have multiple projects going that I rotate through.  I always look forward to working on the PH as it is really a fun build!  Really enjoying this journey...

Almost finished with chapter five!!
 
The hull is sanded down and stained.  Reading through a number of Syren build logs here on MSW regarding staining the hull I decided to go with a 40-60 mixture of golden oak and natural stain.  I tried this mixture on some test strips and liked the shade however when I used it on the hull itself the color came out a little darker than what I was looking for. It’s not bad in fact the admiral really likes it so I guess it’s a done deal.
 




 
 
For the treenail layout instead of drawing lines on the hull I used something similar to what Dirk did in his build.  I used a transparent sheet to print out the reference lines denoting the location of the bulwark’s.  Holding this sheet on the side of the hull with clothes pins I was able to make small indentations into the planking by poking holes through the plastic sheet with a compass point held in a mechanical pencil.  To make the holes I used a pin vise with a 0.02 inch (0.5mm) drill bit and then rounded them out by inserting the tip of the compass point.  To fill the holes I first tried a dark shade (#8 minwax) blend stick but thought the holes stood out too much. I wanted a more subtle look so I went with a lighter shade (#3) blend stick.  The holes can be seen when you look at the hull at different angles so you can tell they are there, but they don’t over power the ship.
 
 
 
 
 
Treenails on left of the gun port are the lighter shade,darker to the right.
 

 
After marking the waterline (not one of my favorite tasks) I taped the hull ready for painting.
 

 
Almost forgetting, I finally glued the lower deck in place.
 

 

● Grating (Upper Deck): I made my first set of gratings today with 3/64" holes and 3/64" battens. The coamings were made from 1/16" x 1/8" strip with lap joints. I used the method described on EdT's Victory log to make the gratings. .http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/316-hms-victory-by-edt-196-pob/page-2#entry29518. No glue was necessary since the battens went together with a nice fit. Thank you Chuck, EdT and Michael Mott for all your help.
 

 

● Great Cabin Bulkhead: I managed to get this one done today.
 

I'm finally finished with my AVS!
 
Dave

Greetings, a snowy morning in Virginia Beach makes for a good day at the building bench!  I managed to get the Breech Covers, Impulse Chambers, and all the Access Covers on the  torpedo tubes and some work on the Day Cabin.
 

 

 

 
 

 

 
Cheers,
Tim
 

My next task was to place the front and rear saddle on a flat surface, set the tube into them, align each saddle with the center of it's reinforcement plate, then glue them to the tube.  This step was quite easy!  
 
The next step requires a more steady hand and a set of magnifying visors, (at this point I wish I had bought the type with LED lights).  Then I snip two front and two rear gussets from the photo-etched sheet and glue them in place on top of the reinforcement plates.
(See photos below).  There will be four for each tube for a total of sixteen gussets to mount.
 

 

 

 

 
Cheers,
Tim

One down, fifteen to go!  
 

 
Cheers,
Tim

Patrick, I sometimes wish that I could show of the internal framing. I too like the way it looks. I like the way you do the cut-away on your models.
 
I left off a "8 hinges" from the list of items I need to make.
 
A last update before the end of the weekend. I made the deck beams that will support the forward cabin. It went pretty quick, I only had to remake a couple of the parts.

Patrick,
Thank you for stopping by and for your kind works. This being my first scratch build I am happy with how the planking has turned out. But the pictures do not show everything, there are gaps at the edges and some of the planks did not lay as flat as they should. The plank thicknesses are not uniform, so I have had to soften the edges of some with a chisel blade or else they would be trip hazard.
 
I am also working at 1:24 scale, not the small scale you work at. Patrick, your planking on that scale is amazing. 1:24 scale has some advantages. I believe the gaps are not as obvious as they are in smaller scales. The drawback I am finding, is that a lot of the detail that can be omitted at the smaller scale, would be noticed if missing at 1:24 scale. When I started I figured I could get this done in about a year. I have been working on this for 7 months (I did take 2 months off over the summer, so say 5 months actual working). I think I will be doing good to have started the deck planking when 1 year rolls around.
 
I am trying to plan out long term, so I will not have to rush to get supplies when I need them. There are several items that will need to scratch built.
Windlass Stove Coffee Pot ( You can't go to sea without Coffee) Winder (Dredging Winch) Dredge Rollers Oyster Dredge Dredge A-Frame Steering Mechanism 2 Lanterns Running Lights I have been on the look out for Items that would be useful in building those parts. I believe my best find was some decorative gears at the local Michaels Craft Store. I have picked up 2 sizes of wooden barrels, fish hooks with straight shanks and some assorted brass.

Hopefully I can use some of the gears in the winder and the windlass.

The bearding line was drawn on the fore edge of the rudder and cut in with a chisel.  The advantage of the 4-part rudder blade is apparent here.  The junction between the port and starboard halves of the rudder make an easily followed line.  The width of the bearding is narrower at the bottom and gradually increases towards the top of the rudder.  The bearding stops below the mortise for the tiller.
 

 

 
The rudder was positioned and the locations for the gudgeons were marked out.  The recesses for the pintles were drawn and then cut out, leaving a little extra wood for final positioning later.
 

 

 
The width of the rudder is the same thickness as the stern post and tapers top to bottom.  I took measurements off the sternpost and drew them into the pintle recesses for easy reference.  The taper was sanded.  I had taken the sole plate off earlier but have temporarily replaced it so one can see the amount of wood removed.
 
Next comes cutting the mortise for the tiller and then the dreaded metalwork.
 

The shaping of the cap rail especially at the stem area is a slow work.
Wonder if anyone has come up with an ingenious way to have them shaped the same?

So, it turned out that the conversion chart provided with my new digital caliber (birthday gift) is wrong.
All the numbers are correct down to 3/64 vs. the metric,
no wonder I thought the 0.04 seemed a bit off.
1/64" is equal to 0.3967 (not 0.03967 according to the chart) or easier measured 0.4mm
I am glad I found out before I didn't have any cap rail lip left.

The Build Continues
 
Planking is complete. That is, the first planking is complete! I‘m not very proud of it, but for reasons explained below, while it has to be competent, it doesn’t have to be tiptop.
 
Much to my surprise this ship build has 2 skins of planking, the second laid directly on top of the first, the only difference is that second build also covers the bulwarks, inner and outer. Being a newcomer I don’t know how common this is. My first ship, the Albatros only had the one layer of planking.
 
The bulwarks themselves were added, and all the bulwark tabs exposed over deck level had to be removed. This boring and lengthy sanding job was made infinitely easier with my new toy; after much research I purchased a Dremel 7700 cordless rotary tool. I like it! It made jobs like removing the tabs blissfully easy, although one had to be careful obviously. (It features in one of the images, at the stern of the ship in the shot looking downwards at the deck. It’s actually going back and being replaced, as the battery unit doesn’t sit securely in either the charger or the actual tool, which can’t be as intended).
 

 
Once the bulwark tabs had been removed and sanded down to deck level, the second planking could commence. This is going to be a long job. I’ve elected to start it from the deck; up the bulwarks, then down over the outer bulwarks and down the side of the ship. One photo shows the inner planking in progress. Note my patent pending struts, under tension, helping keep the planking in position as the glue dries.  All the apertures in the bulwarks; gun ports etc. have to be kept clear obviously. This is where my set of needle files came in.
 
The second planking continues. I may well lay the deck planking at the same time when I feel the need for a break in the hull planking.
 

After many adjustments with the starboard cap rail (and yes I didn't get it right towards the stem, still there is a gap) I have the rail in place.
The connection between port and starboard is almost invisible.

I am behind schedule, according to my planning the cap rail should had been attached and with hull painted.
Anyway, I am back at the yard, hopefully some work will be done this weekend as there is no important football going on.
Don't know if I went against my better judgement but I decided to attach the cap rail before doing any painting.
Here the port side with "lots of extra meat" has been "white glued" into place.
Very little of the wood of the cap rail at the stem will be trim to fit the starboard side. Hopefully I will be able to create a "seamless area".

Holy moly,
Sanding the cap rail and for them to have an 1/64" ( 0.04mm) lip, that is almost next to nothing visible.
I think the frieze has the same thickness.