davyboy

I glued together the eight included bulkhead former uprights ready for the build board and then glued the “rabbit” strip to the former as well.
 
Now to work on the Knee!
 


 

Hi All
 
I've not posted in a while as I found an issue with my build that began 3 1/2 years ago when my building skills and general ship understanding were very much in their infancy I guess.  I first noticed this problem when I fitted the stern timbers and stern windows.  I could see that the counter timbers did not go fully to the top of the stern timbers and the quarter deck rear beam seemed far too close to the top of the windows.  The issue is -  I have set the counter timbers at the wrong angle which to correct at this stage would be very difficult indeed.
 
I felt that this would be the end of the build as I have tried my very best to keep as accurately to the plans as possible.  I decided just to have a break and come back to it later with a fresh outlook and see how I felt about the problem.
 
So with a renewed outlook I took loads of measurements of the entire ship.  I discovered that everything forward of the stern post is fine.  I also discovered that everything rearward of the stern post is 5mm out of spec.  So I have a ship that is 5mm longer than it should be and the issues that accompany it.
 
Upwards and onwards - The build continues but first I had to address a couple of problems.  I would need to lift the rear beam upwards to the correct height and the quarter deck would have to be bespoke behind the stern post.   So firstly the rear beam - Rather than remove the beam I have just made it 1.5mm thicker by adding a piece on.
 


Next I made the beams  - here's a few pictures of the process that I use.

Just rough cut on the band saw

I prefer to sand the inner curve first but I'm sure it makes no difference 

Then the outer


Next I cut the dovetail joints - I really like doing this part its so satisfying 


Then I cut them into the clamps using a height gauge to make sure that they are at the correct height.  I also sense check the alignment with a steel rule as they must be level with the stern post.




Then I made the beam supports 




Finally I made the waterways which sit nicely on the level of the planksheer
 




So although I'm not exactly to the plans anymore I think I've pulled it back enough to get away with it.  I do have knock on issues such as the taff rail will be longer etc etc.... but I've got my head around what needs to be done.  On the positive side you are getting 5mm more ship for your buck!!!  Also stepping away sometimes is a very good thing to do!  I'm very much back into it now - A slight delay though as it's my wife's 60th birthday next week so we are off to Crete for a fortnight to celebrate.  I can now remove all of the beams and start some of the interior detail.
 
Mark
 

I don't have a tonne of progress to show, but as it has been about a week since I last posted I figured I would give a short update.
 
I continue to work away at the bulkheads and am now nearing the end. The only bulkheads left to put in place are the final two at either end. I have left these till last as the stern ones are the most fragile and the bow ones need some pre-fairing before I glue them in place.

Still lots of structural work to go, but she is starting to take shape now.

Some spacers were needed to centralize the last piece of the bulkhead former in position and then it was glued up.

Following on from my last post I thought I would detail how I went about resetting the distance between the channel and shroud deadeyes.
 
I started by marking both the current position of the top of the shroud deadeye and the required height of 20mmm on a template, as shown below.

Once all the old seizing threads were removed, with the exception of the deadeye positioning thread, a new positioning thread was added using the marked template as a guide. This is shown in the next photo.

A new deadeye loop was formed and held in position using the quad hands.

The deadeye loop seizing was then added using three cross over knots, as shown in the next two photos.

The formed loop was then closed up around the deadeye and the excess thread trimmed. A touch of ca glue was used to secure the loop seizing. The shroud line was then placed in the quad hands so the remaining seizing could be added, using a series of cross over knots, 5 cross over knots per side.

The shroud line was then test fitted and the distance checked. As can be seen below the distance now seems to be about right.

In my last post I noted that the gap between the channel and shroud deadeyes need to be redone. After reworking the right-hand foremast side I was eventually reasonably happy. The shroud deadeyes are not perfectly level which each other, which is true on the real ships, but they are close enough to satisfy me and then can all be adjusted slightly when I tie of the lanyards. The white powder on the channel is some excess beeswax which I will clean up.

Moving on to the left-hand side after an initial check I was happy with the positioning of the deadeyes in the shroud lines. However, after adding the seizing it was clear I had made an error, as can be seen in the photo below. Stupidly I had managed to mix up the first two pairs shroud lines when I was positioning the deadeyes and when, after adding the seizing, I used the correct pairs the mistake became very apparent.

I am using a template to check the position of each deadeye, the pencil mark is set to 20mm which is where the top of the shroud deadeye should be positioned. The only one that is correct is the final shroud line as that one line that did not get mixed up.

In the photo below the shroud deadeye is less than the 20mm spacing by a couple of mm.

Thankfully it is an easy task to release the shroud deadeyes and to then remove the seizing and fingers crossed I will get it sorted on my next attempt.

Hi Jan,
 
All my life I have been building models of historic buildings in addition to ship models.
These are all commissions from museums in the Netherlands. Sometimes also from government agencies.
There are currently 34. I have been building them since my childhood when I already had a great interest in castles.
Recently I built a large model of the city of Zutphen, my hometown, which indicates what the city looked like in 1485. It required an in-depth investigation that I carried out together with an archaeologist and a building historian. I am also a building historian. Before that time, we already knew a lot about the city through the many studies we have done here in the city over more than 30 years. If the three of us agreed on what a certain house should look like, I built that house on a scale of 1 : 500. And that happened about 1400 times. In total, it took me five years in more than 6500 hours. 
It was determined in advance where the model should be placed. Especially for that purpose, a Medieval gun tower from 1557 was restored and a steel floor was made in it where the model could stand exactly. That place remains the definitive city place. That tower is further furnished as a small museum and is open to the public free of charge.
In that tower there is also a cannon from that time that I built especially for that purpose on a scale of 1 : 1. I have already published the description of that construction on this forum some time ago.
The last commission came from the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden. For a permanent exhibition, they needed a model of a prehistoric Tell, as found in Syria, and which are about 6000 years old.
On my website there are a number of models and ship models, but I need to update that website.  www.constantwillems.nl
Attached photo's of the model of Zutphen. A one-hour documentary has been made about its construction. It has already been on television a few times and that documentary has recently won awards in documentary festivals all over the world (San francisco, Milaan, Oslo, Oxfort). The latter was the first prize at the famous Cannes festival.
An

Constant

@jdbondy
Yes, the Paasch is really very helpful for translating old nautical terms.
I can therefore recommend it.
 
Continued: Fore yard – Bowlines / Boulines
Since I don't equip my corvette with sails, the question inevitably arose as to how the bowlines are attached. Originally, I intended to simply tie the bowlines around the yard, like on the original Paris model, without bridles. Since I was naturally interested in how bridles work, the next question arose: What happens to the bowline bridles when the sails are taken down?
I found the answer to this question in K. Schrage's book – Rundhölzer, Tauwerk und Segel – on page 144. There, you can see an illustration of how the bridle legs are attached to the yard with timber hitches when the sails are taken down.

Source: K. Schrage – Rundhölzer, Tauwerk und Segel – p. 144
 
Since I find this arrangement very logical, I decided to show it this way for my model. Regarding the number of bridle shanks, I'm guided by the monograph, as diverse variations can be found in relevant contemporary illustrations.
I intend to implement the bowline bridles as in the original, using real eye splices. The bowline bridles in the foreyard had a diameter of 19 mm (1:48: ø 0.35 mm – 2 x 3 Kimono Japanese silk yarn). Splicing the thin ropes is now very easy.

In order to finally attach the bowline, I still had to tie the guide blocks to the bowsprit, as shown in the next picture.

I'm also currently working on the correct mooring of the running rigging.
But more on that soon.
To be continued...

The bulkheads have been installed as well as the sub decks for both the main deck and quarterdecks. There is a foredeck, but this is open to the main deck along its aft portion.  I will not do a subdeck but rather a single plank on beams. I found two slightly different sets of plans from the NMR. One has two masts while the other has three and the quarterdecks are different lengths. I went with the 3 masts as this is how she is depicted by John Cleverly the Younger on her Nordic expedition with the Racehorse. Next job is fairing.

Rabbet line is done, and bulkheads have been cut out. I will trim them to fit the keel assembly as I go. Also next up framing out the stern assembly.
Rich

Today works :

Hello Cisko,
as you can see in the picture, the stand is made of 3 parts. I haven't found more parts in the trash bin anymore. In this case, the stand itself must first be dressed. That's the difficult part. Everything else will explain itself, hopefully.

Hello,
the first stand (?) is installed. This is the fourth version of it. 😟  I worked here after a drawing from Frederik Johannessen, he reconstructed the ship.



And at least the whole ship

The build has officially begun, the MDF former made of 3 pieces glued together on a nice flat surface and left overnight to dry fully.
 

Post 81
A look around Harpy at this six month build stage, a very enjoyable experience overall.
In my search for authenticity, there has  been some frustration with detail queries, and some things still remain a mystery.
Even so, she is shaping up into a fine model, Harpy is a worthy addition to Chris’s  range.

4487a

4488a

4489a

4491a

4492a

4493a

4494a

4495a

4495a
All the hull work bar some minor fittings, is now essentially complete, time to move onto the Masting.
 
B.E.
25/05/2025

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We are taking the appropriate legal measures to try to stop this activity.
Our website is artesanialatina.net, no other.
Thank you for your understanding.

I’ve completed the aft frames 44-52, these frames are not perpendicular to the bulkhead former and require tapering at the bottom and a slight angle that progressively increases as the frames get closer to the stern.

First the laser cut deadwood needs to be tapered. this can be achieved by attaching a 1/4” scrap piece to the stern of the bulkhead former 

this will establish where the inner stern post will sit on the deadwood so you know where to sand to.
The same is done where the deadwood meets the keel and frame 43B. Except you will need to sand it slightly below the line at the keel so you have a rabbet for a plank to land on

I sanded it down to shape but left material for final fairing of the hull once completely framed 

once attached you can begin the frames. Two frames will fit on each step and require tapering at the bottom, the taper will be provided in the instructions, try to get the as close as possible 

Begin framing aft at frame 44A, all the full frames are A’s and the short ones B. I installed all the A frames first and then completed the B frames afterward, it’s much easier to correctly fit them in this order.

you can see above, frame 46B going in, once the bottom is correctly tapered it’s just a matter of sanding and test fitting until the B frame fits snug.

Once all the aft frames are complete it’s time to move to the wing transoms. Frames 52 A and B have landings for the wings etched into them

The wing transoms range from 3/16 to 9/32 in thickness and they are all numbered from 7 at the top down to 1 At the lowest .
A quick test fit  of the #6 wing transoms appears to fit well. Keep in mind there will be a ton of sanding in this area once these are all installed, especially around 52B.

Next up is the completing all the wing transoms and the vertical timbers above the deadwood.
Thanks for looking in
JJ

Blade of rudder :

Thanks for all the likes and comments, and to those who have just stopped by.
 
Some more progress. The first thing to do was assemble the fore platform, only four parts. It was glued together, then dryfitted, gently sanded, dryfitted etc until it was a good fit into the bow. When I was satisfied it was glued in place.


The two short steps to the platform were added at this point.
 
A longer set of steps were assembled and glued in place.

The companion way fits above these, and making this proved to be a little tricky in places. The parts for it are shown below, with some pieces already glued together.

The more interesting facets of this build were the two doors at the front and the hatch on top.
The instructions say that these can be left closed or open. I chose to have them open.
 
The doors were no particular problem, except for adding the hinges, provided as PE. I glued the doors in the open position then added the hinges (the handles, ring bolts, had been fixed already), but ran into some problems with the PE hinges in trying to get them to fit correctly. I finally used some of the Syren hinges I'd used previously. 
 
The hatch however needed a little more attention. As Blue Ensign said in his log, the hatch needs support in the open position. For the two supports I used some leftover PE, bent into a curve, glued to the underside of the hatch with the lower ends held in place by small eyebolts fastened to the sides of the companion way. Syren hinges were again used.


The guns were assembled over several days, usually while waiting for glue or paint to dry. Assembly  line. Patience is required. 


I didn't add Part 227, described as the "quoin" in the instructions for the long guns. Instead I replaced it with a short piece of 0.6mm fret to represent the bed of the carriage and added two separately made quoins. (The left carriage needs a paint touch up.)

Finally, a word of thanks to Blue Ensign (Maurice), who continues to suggest improvements that can be made to an already superb kit (thanks Chris), some of which are obvious in my build.
 
Cheers.
 
 
 
 

The box you see is laser etched with a drawing of the ship along with the serial number of the kit, my kit is B0001 as it’s a prototype.
This box contains Chapter 1 of the model which comprises  all of the main hull structure and jigs, the box weighed in at a hefty 29lbs, you can see more pics of some of the contents, also this kit will have  framing of Swiss pear and I will be planking in Boxwood ( planking material not included with the kit just like the Winnie ).
Everything is very well packed and protected and the quality of the materials and laser cutting is superb.
 

Today look :


 

Scuppers

Thank you very much for yours comments and likes, photo Anson.

Last frames, thanks Gary and thanks for likes.

The macro shots are merciless...
 

 
...but slowly it is taking shape.