davyboy

Hi folks,
 
Apologies for the delay since my last update but I have had a couple of weeks away from the bench after having a minor operation. I am now back on the build and have spent the last couple of weeks working on the fashion pieces. This was fairly tricky delicate work for me so I thought it best to wait until I had everything in place before making this update.
 
I spent a lot of time making sure I had the wing transom square and level and even as any mistakes here would affect much of the rest of the build. I also undertook a fair amount of work on the fashion pieces before I glued the wing transom in place. On the underneath of the port side of the wing transom two scores need to made into which the uprights of the timber port will later sit and of course these scores need to be made before the wing transom is glued to the sternpost.
 
According to David's instructions, the fashion pieces are 9" thick but are actually formed out of two layers of wood. This first layer is 6" thick and sits flush with the aft side of the wing transom. Later in the build a 3" thick section will be added to the rear of the fashion pieces and this will help form the rabbets for the transom and hull planking. I read the instructions several times but for some reason I still managed to make my initial shapes for the two fashion pieces out of 9" thick wood! Luckily it was easy to thin these down to the correct thickness when I realised my mistake. Shaping and beveled each fashion piece to sit flush with the underneath of the wing transom and slot into the notches on the sternpost was quite a job for me but I took everything very slowly and only removed the smallest pieces of material each time until I was satisfied with the fit. Using a variety of squares and levels and clamps I was able to place the wing transom correctly and this was glued and pinned in place.



The starboard fashion piece was then glued to the sternpost and wing transom. I really couldn't figure out a good way to clamp these odd shaped pieces together so I had to resort to just holding it in place for a minute or two whilst the pva set.
 
The two uprights which form the vertical sides of the timber port were then cut from 6'' square stock. The top of each upright was then beveled to match the angle of the underside of the wing transom. The port fashion piece is made up from two sections of material, the main piece itself and then a triangular piece with forms the horizontal lower sill of the timber port. Two scores were also cut in this lower sill for the the bases of the two uprights. The port fashion piece was then glued to the sternpost and the wing transom and then the two uprights for the timber port were slotted and glued into place.

I tried very hard to get my cuts and joins as clean and neat as possible but I did find that there were one or two very small areas where I had the tiniest gaps - as you can see with the bottom of the timber port uprights above. I will mix up some dilute pva and sawdust and fill these in and hopefully they will blend away when I give the fashion pieces a quick sand in the next day or two. I am trying to be as clean and accurate as I can with my work but at the same time I am aware of a delicate balancing act between ambition and skill - I'd like everything to be perfect but I also have to appreciate my limitations and sometimes you just simply know that your attempt is as good as it is going to get!

I left plenty of excess wood on the outer edges of the fashion pieces to give me lots of room for fairing in the correct lines when the hull is eventually faired.
 

Post 12
More patterns to add.
The final action of this section is to add the stern counters and Gunport patterns.

0272
The lower counter is fitted first, I soaked this piece before clamping into place.

0276
The Upper counter follows; I did need to tweak this a little to follow the run of the Lower.

0285

0286
The lower counter includes the discharge hole for the Port side seat of ease, quaintly described as the ‘Necefsary’ on the Adm Plan.
 
Gunport patterns

0304
The forward end was soaked, clamped around a tube, and given the heat treatment.

0295
The parts can then be dry fitted along the hull.

0297
There is a guide-line on the pattern to match with the line of the ply sub-deck, to maintain the ports at the correct level above deck.

0337
On this basis, where the pattern reaches the stern I found it sat just below the level of the stern deck cabins. Not entirely sure if this is correct, but there is not a profile drawing of this stage on the plans. The Manual photos would suggest perhaps not, but not very clear on this particular aspect.
 
Still, I am where I am, and I need to maintain the gunport levels.
 
The Starboard side pattern was fitted using pins and pva.
It goes without saying that glue is not applied to the bulkhead extensions, but I did glue against the side of the stern cabins, and the forward end into the prow slot. Diluted glue was then run along the joints below the sub deck. Before pinning I Painted glue on the bulkheads below the subdeck.

0306

0311
The Portside was fitted 24 hrs later, but firstly I checked that the sides were level with each other. Once satisfied I pinned and glued as before.

0336

0343
Some tidying up and then onto planking.
 
B.E.
28/12/2024
 

I am slowly covering the ship's hull.

Once frame is roughly shaped/sanded, pilling off template was very easy with a little help of a water to soften the glue...


Rising wood filling piece was also made and installed on the keel..



Does not quite fit properly so replacement will be made but the main concept is the same..


Floor timber chocks also assembled...


Frame assembly progress.... hardly waiting for a final sanding to give it a nice shape...



Main supervisor arrived after spending Christmas break...



Happy modelling..

For the correct attachment of the deadeyes, I have set up a temporary mast with the exact spot where the shrouds will be fitted. In this way, by pulling a line all the way over the channels, I can define the perfect inclination of the chains:
 





 

Post 11
Preparing the hull
Fairing of the bulkheads didn’t take long, one of the advantages of mdf is that it shapes easily, but care is needed to avoid going too far too fast.
Stem, keel, and Sternpost
There is a core Pearwood stem, keel, and sternpost, that are ultimately faced up with engraved detail veneers also in Pearwood.

0235
The stem piece fitted ok, but I did manage to break off the fiddle head design which is a weak point. Not too much of a disaster as the veneer side pieces will support it when fitted.
 
The stern post, fitted next, presented me with a problem.

0237
It fitted correctly at the keel and slotted into the keel mortise 2/3 of the way up, but the uppermost end looks to fit over the aftermost bulkhead, but doesn’t, it is too deep. I can’t see a clear photo of this, or on the plan detail.

0241a
I opted to increase the rebate.

0247
This seems to cure the problem, and the fit looks good.
 
The final piece is the Keel that slots perfectly into mortises along the false keel.

0244
I seem to have a small gap where the keel meets the stem, hopefully the outer veneers will cover this but I inserted a filler piece.

0265
Reaching this stage is one of the milestones of a build, and in the case of Harpy is reached very quickly.

0257

0259

0269
I am conscious at this stage that the keel is quite thin and could snap where the tabs fit into the false keel should lateral pressure be inadvertently applied to the hull.
It is vulnerable in the Amati keel clamp, and I will be moving it to a building board.
 
B.E.
26/12/2024
 
 
 

Thank you Keith,
and also the same wishes for you and your family.
 
At least, I'm started not again with the Tiger. There I had to carve now the quarter pices and I'm not in the mood for that. The weather here is rainy and cloudy since october. In november they told us, that whe have had 5 houers sunshine here! I thought it where less than that. And also now outside it is fogy and 7°C.
 
So both Tigers, and I'm, are looking out of the window and waitig for sunshine.

Chapter 13
In which there are few interesting events, so the author makes a joke about toenails. What else is he supposed to do?

Finally something to show! 
Lately I have been working on small details to complement the transom decorations. These works were unremarkable, so there are no photos of the process, only final shots.
But there is still a lot to tell. Life sometimes makes adjustments: because of health problems I had to take a break. When I came back, I found that some glued parts had moved away from the body. The reason was the material itself - the thin elements of the tagua walnut had deformed like chips and had come off, despite the strength of the glue.
This is what some of the slises look like in the billet box.
 

 
And this is what some of these problems look like already on the ship model
 

 
If you work with this material, be aware of its tendency to warp.

I tested different glues before I started, primarily for bone. For tagua walnut, I then quickly chose the second glue - it showed strength on large surfaces. But later it turned out that for small parts and complex carvings it is not suitable, especially if it is not possible to use clamps or weights.
Secondary glue is only good for temporary fixing. I use it to secure the workpiece to the slipway. Once the carving is complete, the piece can be easily removed. But to glue the elements to the hull of the ship, you need a more versatile glue.
Given my previous problems with paint, I started looking for a glue that:
1. Would be suitable for different materials - wood and tagua walnut.
2. Will allow future removal of the decor without damage if repairs or repainting is needed.
3. Will account for possible warping of the walnut due to changes in humidity or time.
In the end, I chose a soft silicone glue. But, as practice has shown, it cannot withstand the stresses that occur in the thin thread elements.
I am now thinking again about changing glue. Perhaps I will return to organic glue, for example, from rabbit's feet - it perfectly holds the bone. But for now, for the sake of easy disassembly, I left the decor on silicone glue.
If you work with tagua nut, be prepared for its unpredictability. And of course, I am open to advice and would appreciate any recommendations.
 

 

 
 
 
There is another topic that I wanted to discuss. I have talked about it in the past. It concerns the white color of walnut. 
Tagua walnut is so light that it optically “steals” volume from the figures. Even shadows on it look too soft and details are lost. On photos it is especially noticeable - instead of a clear carved ornament you get either a shapeless white mass or something ghostly-glowing, which makes you want to cover your eyes with the palm of your hand from this glow.

I decided to change it. But how? With a brush and paint. I decided to try and do a patina. I know that sounds obviously not what the idea looks like in my head. And when I tried telling the customer about this idea, he expectedly said he didn't like the idea. White carving and patina is not the most obvious combination. Admittedly, I myself would have been wary of the idea if I had heard it from someone else.
But then chance intervened. In fact, a lot of time passed between my question and answer. I don't remember exactly what the pause was. Maybe it was days, maybe even a week. And for me, every second of waiting seemed like a century. You can even imagine such a picture: I am sitting in front of the monitor and waiting for an answer. I have already grown a beard, I continue to sit in anticipation, biting my nails with impatience, looking at the clock and seeing that already from the moment of sending the letter has passed Terrible .... FIVE MINUTES!!! And still no reply. I sit again, staring at the screen. My beard is already wrapped around my chest. I'm biting my nails again, already on my toes. And there is still no answer. Now make this wait into days. I've already seen some stars explode around me and others born. Can you imagine exactly how I felt? And all the while I was thinking that the customer wouldn't understand what I was trying to say. And at one point, I couldn't take it anymore. I jumped up, rushed to get my brushes and started to make the right tone for the patina. In fact, you could almost call it a transparent composition. The paint came out with a slight yellow tint, nothing more. I understood that for a white color, you don't need more than that. In the end, I carefully used a thin tip of the brush only in the deepest hollows. For the experiment, I chose a faun's head that I had recently been working on. It was interesting, but it was lost against the background of the rest of the carving.
 And this is what I ended up with.
 

 

 
I think it's gotten better now. Although it's still not so obvious in the photos the difference between before and after. But I'm happy with what I can see for myself.
Finally, I will mention that I went to the hospital right after the patination was finished. By that time I had not heard back from the customer. All this time I was thinking that he may have already written that he was against the idea. And I, without waiting for his opinion, redesigned the whole thing. 
So now I'm waiting for his reaction and preparing for any outcome. Maybe he'll get angry, or maybe he'll come to me, give me a hard time for being AWOL, and take Fulminant away. Then the last thing I'll have time to say in this thread will be a joke about biting my toenails. And who knows, maybe that's what everyone will remember better than all the previous stories about this project!
That would be a scandal. 
 

CHAPTER THREE
 
The Square Tuck And Counter Planking
 
Because of a Canada Post strike, delivery of Chapter Three parts was delayed.  I wanted to carry on with the project by scratching these parts.  For the square tuck I used 1/8" thick  AYC billet for the planking. The border was shaped with files and sanding sticks from a 1/8" AYC sheet. 

It is tricky to get good symmetry between the two sides and reproduce the run from the plan.  If you want to make your own square tuck, the width of the planks needs to be very accurate.  The planks should be 0.248-0.250" wide, except for one plank (second from the top) that is 0.225". It really does not take much to offset the planking pattern. 
 
For tree nailing I used 15 pound fishing line and the taper was adjusted to fit my framing. Overall, I am quite please with the result.  For the counter planking, I cut planks from a 3/64" AYC sheet. These planks were shaped according to the drawings with very little tweaking needed. 

 
 
 

Stern Framing
 
Merry Christmas to all! For the stern framing I followed the instruction. The notches on the jig really help to position the stern frame accurately.  This is something I struggled with in previous builds.  Here everything went smoothly.
 
The fillers were useful to position the light sills. The angles of the provided parts fit closely to the model with only minor tweaks required. Note that an additional slight taper is needed to fit the outer edges of the sills where they meet the quarter pieces. For gluing the transom, I proceeded with caution as recommended. Not much issues here. The final step was to glue the triangular pieces on top of the quarter pieces. I left enough room for later adding the fairing cap and final cap.  
 


The last item not discussed here is the adding of the upper port sills. When doing those I realized that some of my lower sills were slightly off (angle and height). The variations are small (typically 1/64"), but it is bugging me. I will do minor adjustments before planking. More about this in Chapter 3.
 
 
 

Rising wood filing pieces were made out of one long part, groove cut to the appropriate depth on Proxxon saw and 6.8mm length was cut on slicer.





First pair of frames were put in place.. with rising wood filler piece in between.


Happy modelling..

Post 10
A change of plan.
I think I may be looking too far ahead to be designing the deck openings.
Fitting the Plywood sub deck is the next stage, slotted into notches along the bulkheads. It should fit into rebates in the deck beam ends and sit flush with the deck beams.

0231
The idea is that the engraved upper deck will run over the sub deck directly onto the deck beams, but that’s a good few steps ahead.
I cleaned out the bulkhead notches before fitting the sub  deck but still found it a bit of a faff.
I did get it fully notched but at the stern area and along the rebates for beam 1 at the bow, a little glue will be required when I return to this stage.
The hull needs to be faired now and more external construction work done.

0232
It is a good idea to cover the lower deck to keep the dust out during the fairing and hull planking process.
 
 
B.E.
23/12/2024
 

What wire, I don't have any wire...

Found this video of uss iowa turret being rotated recently
looks like about 90 seconds through 180 degrees from starboard to port 
 
 
 
 
 

@Keith Black
Thank you for your nice comment.
 
Continuation: Addition of the lifts of the lower yards – Balancines de basse vergue
In the last post I described why and how I will carry out the tackles of the lifts from the lower yards. I have drawn a corresponding sketch for this.
First I made a swivel for this, as can be seen in the following picture. It was made in the same way as the swivel hooks for the topsail halyards.
Two opposing notches are filed into a brass disk d = 0.3 mm with a ø 2.3 mm and a bore ø 0.8 mm, which then accommodate the ø 0.4 mm thick brass bow wire for soldering. The eyebolt is secured so that it can rotate freely with a soldered brass sleeve.
Next, the double and single blocks for the tackles have to be made. I will again equip the larger blocks for the lifts of the main and fore yard with real disks.


At this point I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a good start into the New Year!
 

It's time to cut out the "windows" in the unplanked half of the hull.
And since Christmas and the end of the year are approaching, I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2025.

Ice fishing looks like fun. I've never been. I'm definitely a dog person as I'm allergic to cats. My dogs aren't pulling a sleigh though. I work for them. 😁
 
That forecastle.....marvelous. Now she looks like a carrack. Beautiful work...as always.

Fore castle update

The general shape is ready, my own free interpretation. In the open parts on the middle deck shields still have to come

Current status

Progress was slow in decamber. because...
Went ice fishing in Lapland

Dreamed about a big (fish) catch... 😇

Actually I like cats more then dogs, but this was fun

And the aurora borealis was fantastic

And in between a new small project

Thanks for following

Did some serious hull wood grinding and test layout of masts.

Only a small update: the galion, inspired by Boudriot and much simplified.




I hope to find some time to do the deadeyes on starboard and the rudder.
 
Cheers,
Gregor

Merry Christmas !

 

Post 9
Completing the deck beams.
Adding the carlings completes this stage of construction.
Preliminary to this I took the precaution of planking the inner faces of some of the aft partitions, as I don’t know at this stage how much may be seen.

0220

0221
The fit of the deck beams is very precise, a joy to work with, and how good to see nicely laid out scale beams, a tribute to Chris’s design skills.
Note: the Stove needs to be fixed in place before the Carlings that support the Upper deck grating are added.

0207
This is a neat little resin item engraved with all the major features one would expect to find.

0212
I painted the stove with Vallejo Black, highlighted with Black/Grey. A light touch of weathering powders was then applied.

0217
Not a very clear view of the stove will be possible, but I will seek to maximise it.

0206
I do like to open up the lower deck to reveal as much as possible, but there is a trade-off with the Upper deck detail which has to take precedence.

0204
I think Harpy will prove trickier than Indy to get the effect I am looking for.
The next stage is playing around with the deck pieces to get a feel for the planking layout.
 
B.E.
22/12/2024