Ryland Craze

Thank you, it is the only part of this whole endeavor that I didn't have to learn all the skills from scratch . The hardest part of shading and highlighting is just understanding how the light falls on something. Some people have a natural eye and it comes easy to them. For others (like me) take lots of practice and looking at pictures. At the moment my biggest problem is I only have a few nights a week available for hobby time and I can't both paint mini as work on Alert...
 
Thanks. Just to be clear (as I am not sure if you mean I was suggesting painting it off the model) I was just referring to the point before all the moldings started obstructing my access. Around this point:

 

24lb Cannon Production (26 to make) - The Start
As detailed in my last post I built a simple jig to aid the assembly process of the 26 off 24lb cannons. With the front and rear axles loaded in the jig glue was applied to the joints and the two carriage side panels were added. The carriage sides were clamped to the front axle as the glue was curing.

I am really pleased that I invested time in building the jig as it has really helped me with the assembly process. In a short space of time the first 4 cannon carriages were assembled and they are now ready to be painted before the wheels can be added. I have found the ideal storage area for the assembled frames.

It was then time to book another river cruise along the Blue Danube from Budapest to Salzburg, via Vienna, departing middle of next month. After a spot of lunch the next cannon was added and the 6th cannon was assembled in the jig.


Production is going to stall due to family birthday celebrations (not mine) and visitors coming to stay for a few days. I am hopeful I can still sneak a few hours in the shipyard.

Now is it time for the first spit. Enjoy
 
Model: Supermarine Spitfire MK1a 
Scale: 1:48
Manufacture: Tamiya
Extras: None
Colors: MRP
 

I ended up modifying the Chapelle sail plan substantially, although the mast and spar dimensions are similar (slightly shorter as it's a smaller vessel, though) and I'll be following that example for rigging the snotter. I'm modeling a slightly shorter vessel than in the Chapelle plans, and one that isn't a dedicated sailer--the sheet is just held by hand instead of run through a block at the stern. So I shortened the foot to make a more manageable sail. I also raised the tack and foot a bit higher so the sail wouldn't interfere with any fishing equipment in the boat (althoughto be honest the sail on the peapod I showed earlier looks pretty low). Finally, I lengthened the head a bit so that, with the other modifications, it wouldn't be too small of a sail. I tried a few templates cut from scrap paper, eventually finding one I liked.


I followed the Norwegian Pram instructions to make the sail. I made a few mistakes with my first attempt. First, I should have waited to draw the sail template onto the fabric until after I added the watered-down glue, as I read in build logs that the pencil lines become impossible to erase after gluing. Second, my sail material was a bit larger than the non-stick flat backing I had (a spare flooring tile), so I ended up doing a poor job taping it. It seemed fine at first, but after leaving it to dry I found that the material had bubbled. The material was still useful for cutting reinforcing strips and corners, but I thought it wouldn't work for the sail.


For my second attempt, I cut a smaller piece of the material so it could be better taped down. It turned out much better, although it still had some very slight bubbling later (after I added another coat of glue with the reinforcement strips).


I added reinforcing strips around the edges. I also decided to draw on the seams and stitches with a pencil, especially because the fabric is a bit too thick and the reinforcements don't show through the other side very well unless it's held up to light. I was pretty happy with how the sail looked.

 
Meanwhile, I had been working on figuring out the rigging. Some articles online about sprit rigs suggested that you could just tie things down around the thwart, but that a cleat was easier to handle and better organized. Tying off around the thwart sounded like something that would make unshipping the mast harder--after all, I'm trying to model something that would be taken down and set up quickly when the opportunity arose--and also like something that would look messy. Ultimately, I decided to go with two cleats, on the fore and aft sides of the mast. This would keep things orderly and allow the mast to be easily unshipped, as a unit, or for the sail to be let down if desired. I made the cleats from scrap basswood.


I then made the spar from some scrap basswood. As with the mast, I found it a little hard to smoothly sand it round, and there were a few minor gouges during sanding. Ideally I think I would like to use a harder wood for masts and spars. I drilled a hole for the snotter and carefully trimmed the end for where the bolt rope loops around the sprit at the peak.


Next, the bolt rope. I wasn't fully happy with how my rope dyeing was turning out, so I decided to leave it as-is. In any case, I'm not planning on weathering the sail, so I don't want it to look out of place. I read a post, I think by ccoyle, somewhere on the forum saying that, if you're careful, you can attach the bolt rope right on the edge of the fabric. I actually had an extremely easy time doing so, which is a clear sign that my sail cloth is much too thick--the bolt rope is actually a bit thinner than the sail at the corners where there are multiple layers of reinforcements. In my defense, I couldn't find anything more suitable despite going to three fabric stores. Seemingly everything available is polyester.

The bolt rope, and sail more generally, turned out well, but I'm considering whether I should try a few more fabric stores to see if I can find thin cotton fabric. On one hand, it would be more accurate. On the other hand, it would be more work, both finding the fabric and making a whole new sail from it. In any case, I feel like I've learned a lot about sail making from this.

 
Finally, I also decided that I didn't much like the look of the cleats, as it was too obvious that they were the same material as the mast. I made new ones from a coffee stir stick. The wood was a bit brittle so it took a few tries, but they turned out better by the end. New ones at top, old ones at bottom.


Next to attach the cleats (again) and make a decision about the sail before I lash it to the mast.
 

Morning work shows the completed beams and knees with a visit from Adm Cochrane

There is definitely some logic to it. Without going back and poring over it again, I’m pretty sure that Paul Koo covers this in his written instructions. If I recall correctly (and that’s no guarantee!!!), he talks about it in the introductory part.
 
However, as my wife will tell you, these days I am far more often certain than I am right!
 

Absolutely! A must have guide for anytime you take a trip into Pocher land...

Once you start down the road of building one of these kits, you quickly realize that nothing fits without massaging the parts. And I literally mean, nothing fits. It's not a complaint, just a warning to anyone who decides to undertake a project like this. Consider it a challenge, even for the most experienced of modelers. No wonder there are so many partially started kits out there for sale. In the case of my particular kit, it's easy to see that the previous owner who started this one was not an experienced modeler. Lucky for me that all that was started was the engine. Some of the parts are close to being ruined but I believe I can save them with a little elbow grease and determination (and patience).
 
@gjdale Thanks a ton for recommending that assembly disk from Paul Koo. It's invaluable. I still haven't figured out the numbering system for identifying the kit parts. Maybe it's part of the information covered in the DVD and I just have not found it yet. 

Spritsail yard.

Thank you guys.
Before installing the yards on the mast, it was necessary to make the belaying pins.

Before installing the yards on the mast, I added a few more details - mast and shroud cleats, spare masts and yards, rigging of the rudder.

That looks fantastic Mike. So clean and precise! 

Keeping the cants vertical is really important. When the spacing started to get tight, I simply angled the machinist square to clear the frame already installed. A strip was used to hold the frame against the machinist square while the glue set. It was easy enough to get the right strip thickness by adding layers of painters tape. At the top of each frame, I added boxwood wedges to fill the gap between the frame and the numbered support strip. This ties everything together and should give a lot more support when fairing the cants.

It's hard to see the true run of the cant footing since some of these cants are further away from the keel than others. Actually, the square frames where the same way, giving me the false impression that they would not fair in properly. I'm sure that things will work out okay for the cants as well.

Mike
 

It is a monofilament and I found some on eBay a while ago.

She's looking really nice. So smooth and clean. I can't wait to see it with the wales and fancy molding. 

Its bot braided line.  The brand is sunset Amnesia.  I am not sure about the material.  I dont think it matters.  Just has to be smooth and consistently colored.

Not yet…I want to get well ahead before releasing this this.  Nothing worse than having folks waiting on me for their next chapter. 
 
 

A number 78 drill bit.  Although one could use a 79 as well.  Its more fragile and more
prone to breaking and tougher to insert the fishing line because its a super tight fit requiring no glue at all.  So I started using the 78 now.
 
Still no glue needed though.  Stick the line i nto each hole…i use a straight razor to slice off flush.  Sand the surface lightly with 400 grit paper after a few rows are done.  Apply wipe on poly which eventually acts as a glue if ever it needed it to secure the fishing line.  
 
I almost used a dark brown fishing line but couldnt see that much difference on my tests so I decided to stick with the black.
 
Chuck

It has been a little while since I have posted an update.   But I have indeed been working on Speedwell.   I have finished planking up to the molding level and not the sheer.   I have stopped to treenail the hull planking which takes a while to do neatly and precisely. I am using 10lb black fishing line.    Work has been slow because I am taking my time to line everything up with the frames and keep it all neat and tidy. The starboard side is complete,  and the port side is underway.  Once I am finished with this I will complete the outboard planking up to the shear.  Then I will add the second layer of wales and the fancy molding.  
 
Its getting there.   Treenailing is optional of course but it does make a difference when not overdone and if the treenails are not too large.   Even though only a few strakes need treenails,  it still takes a bloody long time to do!!!
 


 

That about sums it up, Toni. Thanks for the comment.

Looking good.  Half the battle is understanding the process, the other half is accomplishing it!

Been a bit since my last update, took a week or so to do some camping. Back in the shipyard now, so here’s the latest.
I decided to remove all the pieces from the billets and get them all cleaned up from the char. This way I could get all the sanding and cleanup done at one sitting rather than doing each piece as needed. I think removing the char from all the pieces took 2-3 hours total. I ended up using a variety of tools for this; sanding sticks, files, disk sander and Dremel drum sander.
 

 
After trimming the curved piece of keelson to the proper length I drew the rabbet line on the keel, keelson, stem and stemson. For the 45 degree angle needed for most of the rabbet I cut some scrap pieces of wood at a 45 degree angle and glued sandpaper to them. The picture below shows this, but since I couldn’t get the sanding block to stand on its own I glued it to a scrap piece to show how it worked. By holding the 45 degree cut side of the block firmly against the table top I could slide it back and forth along the keel and keelson to get a pretty consistent angle. Being the obsessive compulsive person I am, I made the blocks with 3 different grades of sandpaper to get a nice smooth edge. 
 

 
 

 
It was a bit tricky transitioning the rabbet from a 45 to 90 degree angle on the stem. Did the best I could and only time will tell if I did it correctly.
 

 
Time to double check the fit of these pieces and then glue them to the build board.

Frames, bars on the windows I draw in autocad or in corel. Then I cut it out on a CNC machine from wooden dies of different thicknesses. I draw the decor in 3dmax, then cut it out on a CNC machine and bring it to the final with a drill. For guns I make a master model from wood, then I cast it from tin. Then all the copper is electrolyzed and then blackened with a chemical solution. It's so hard to describe everything in detail. If you have specific questions, write, I will answer.
I twist the ropes for rigging on a special machine, which was made for me according to my drawings. For tying blocks, always caged ropes. I also check the first shrouds and all the loops that touch the spars.