CharlieZardoz

So I returned from the lab with a bag o parts! And while much of it was for Sultana I did the two keels and some of the acrylic templates (ran out of material darn it)
 
Note the pic with the two keels alongside each other ain't that just fascinating how there is a slightly straighter "sheer" on the 51 ton ship.

The last step is to move or rotate the pieces to fit since the keel is stronger when going with the wood grain also it saves space. Rotating is just a double left click and last step is to change the px to .001 which is what my laser uses for cutting. Cutting is done in red and etching in black though different lasers use other settings. That's all there is to laser cutting!

I did the same for the templates.

After tracing bitmap is done, go to stroke paint and use the hollow box. This traces the image and then go to fill and x it out. Now you have an inner and outer line with white in the middle. Delete the inner line, the outer line will allow for some extra meat to the piece you want to laser burn since lasers will burn away a tiny portion of material at the edge and will make anything you burn too thin unless you compensate. After that you have to correct the image. Scanned images will be very rough and go to the upper left where it says edit nodes and simple delete or move the nodes which don't belong. The end result if done correctly will make a smooth line or curve.

I then prepared laser parts by scanning everything into inkscape/adobe. The keel was cut into 3 parts which increases strength by going with the flow of the wood. The templates will be scanned and cut in acrylic which like I did with Sultana help shaping in the final stages since they aren't flexible like cardboard can be. The process of creating laser parts is as follows. first add the image into inkscape, then trace to bitmap which makes a rendered copy of the image. After delete the image and keep the render.

The keel and hull lines are all separated same as I did with Sultana and templates cut out with carboard. I did this for both models. NOte my Sigmund Frued action figure to the left. he assures me that I am perfectly sane!

So step 1 for me anyways is to take apart the plans into the pieces necessary for shaping and constructing the hull. Note that I superimposed the deck hatches etc. over the lines using bitmap so that way I can justge placement and size of everything that will have to be built on the deck. Also shows mast placement which on the wood block will be moved appropriately. Here are the top and side profile templates of both ships and both keels alongside.
 
 

Greetings all! Here is my June check in. The weather is lovely and been out in the back yard alot helping my partner w her garden. As such I decided to switch gears from the 30 ton cutter to the 80 ton model whose frames I put together a few years back. This one will be the Vigilant which severed as replacement for Active and was described as "twice the size" Since none of these ships have much history I assume she was of the 80 ton design. Where the 30 ton model is 9" this one is 13".
 
Part of the change was simple the need to send wood and work on something I can take around with me without being so delicate. All three will be part of my diorama so I plan to build them all! It's been nice to shift gears and have something to whittle away on. Even bought a new dremel! The shaper frames required an extra plank. I realized when I made them I didnt take into account the curve of the hull. I thought of remaking them w the laser but the shop has been closed. Figured adding a little strip of wood would do just fine. And last I added the bow and stern blocks and have been sanding them into shape. 😌

Next update was to recreate the small bulwark. To avoid making the same mistake last time I created a sample dummy piece that I could get a feel of how it would look completed. Part of this process led me to design the scuppers which I picked from a series of small crimp beads. Then drilled a hole and added it snugly. Overall looks good and ready to make the real bulwark. Stay tuned.

Before I decided on adding the railings I wanted to make a bit of ship furniture. So decided to make the belaying pin racks which as per usual 3rd times a charm. This was also done using the dremel drill press, strips of wood that are 5/64" by 5/64" and an aluminum sliding jig. I was especially proud of how I carved the top block.   I also thought it time to add all the parts on deck so I could get a scale perspective. The height is about 7/16" and this rack was slanted to the degree of the mast! I also took the time to refurbish my little bilge pump and added a superior handle. Look at them all together now and also for scale you can see the boat on my palm. Only 9"!!  
 

So once I made the jig I realized that the hull was not smooth enough for copper plates. After a years time heat and convention has separated and warped a few of the veneer planks. Wood expands and contracts that's simply a fact so I looked over the hull and decided to smooth out the rough patches and also fill in any spacings and gaps. The result meant I had to retail one whole side and also once putty and detailing was in place the model was not colored to the cherry wood so with a bit of paint and staining I did a little artistry to match. Since the lower hull will be coppered anyways it's no big deal but for my own sense of completion it looks like a nice weathering affect that actually came out nicely! 
 
Also of note is the masking tape. I ripped off my first toerail/upper bulwark which didn't set right and had taken some damage and repainted the black strip which is supposed to represent the top of the main hull.  The strip had lost some paint over the years time.  I also intend to add a little bit of black under the wale as well. Once that was done I made new upper bulwark strips using pear. Hence why they are of a reddish color than the sepia Cherry. These while shown in place will not be glued in just yet.

Returning after over a year! I thought it was time to finally return to my build log. Alot has happened since the last time I posted here feels like a few lifetimes ago.  Firstly I grew to become a successful performing artist and became part of many highly successful productions. I found a place for my art skills in costume and head piece creation. This year was going to be the production of a Broadway play which I was to act as manager and would have begun production as of this month. Of course we all know what has happened since... 😣
 
The changes in my life came at a cost. My old partner and I separated after 7 years. She was not able to accept the changes and also there were problems brewing for many years. So for a good year I found myself in transition without a stable space mentally and physically to build the model. Eventually came a new partner, new perspectives and a new work space and alot of emotionally support and freedom I hadn't experienced in a long time. It was a wild ride and still going however making the most of the current situation, now is a time to stay in and create so here we go! 🎨 Also I'm currently in Virginia waiting out the storm. 😊🌈🙏🌳🌳🌳
 
So with all that out of the way, the end result led me back to building the boat which started back in December however I wanted to have enough actually completed before I posted. I wanted something to show so I waited until some progress had been made. After a year it was interesting to see how time affected the model. Some refurbishing was required. Partially due to a change in my perspective on how I wanted to proceed and partly due to how the wood set. I will explain all this in the next post.
 









 

Thank you John! So yeah I am never one to leave well enough alone when something doesn't feel right. So atm Ive started working on some minor corrections to parts I though hmm could I do better? First and foremost are the gratings, the holes were simply too big. I realized the grating set is likely for a 1/48 model so I scaled it down and scratch made my own using the laser .75% to 1/64 scale. The new grating goes much better with the plans Ive seen and aside from some minor corrections of the hatch coaming, it fit in perfect. Now just have to make the smaller hatch but what do you think?

Thanks so much Mike! I am very excited for the next bunch of steps. As you can see I've already added some decking material and glued the hatches down once and for all. I added some extra parts on deck just to get a look at it all together. So now it's a question of what comes next... 
 
The plan is to finish planking but that means adding those waterways and edge planks and also means adding a toe rail. But  alsoI plan on painting the too and bottom of the wale black. So it'll have a nice strip across. Then I also need to copper. As you can see the little sailor guys are exhausted just thinking about it all.

Good morning! Decided to do a mini-update today I added all the treenails to the finished side of the hull. Basically I the process was poking them out with an awl then filling the hole with colored putty (which I darkened with paint) then used the colored pencil to define the area a bit more and here is how it looks!  I know some of my steelers are a bit off location but that will be colored with copper anyways. I realize now that the nails are effectively showing where the ships frames are (an obvious concept but I now I see the logic behind it). Next step now will be doing the other side hopefully won't take me nearly as long

Hi all! I totally forgot I put this one together and thought I'd share. It's a Talos style size comparison chart of various small ships schooners etc. I was going to wait and add the HMS Swift as well but figured ah let me put it up now and see what you all think (Swift would be just a bit larger than Berbice). Look at how small the 31 Doughty cutter actually is!

Hi all! Sorry its been so long been toiling away on planking and just finished the left side. Since the shape is so wedge shaped on this boat alot of planks needed to be spiled. That said it taught me alot and I think I did a reasonably good job for a first timer. Now starting the treenails using an awl, colored putty to fill the holes then a color pencil to add some detailing. Got more to go but thought I'd share

Thanks so much Mike! I am very excited for the next bunch of steps. As you can see I've already added some decking material and glued the hatches down once and for all. I added some extra parts on deck just to get a look at it all together. So now it's a question of what comes next... 
 
The plan is to finish planking but that means adding those waterways and edge planks and also means adding a toe rail. But  alsoI plan on painting the too and bottom of the wale black. So it'll have a nice strip across. Then I also need to copper. As you can see the little sailor guys are exhausted just thinking about it all.

Thank you John! So yeah I am never one to leave well enough alone when something doesn't feel right. So atm Ive started working on some minor corrections to parts I though hmm could I do better? First and foremost are the gratings, the holes were simply too big. I realized the grating set is likely for a 1/48 model so I scaled it down and scratch made my own using the laser .75% to 1/64 scale. The new grating goes much better with the plans Ive seen and aside from some minor corrections of the hatch coaming, it fit in perfect. Now just have to make the smaller hatch but what do you think?

Greetings all! Here is my June check in. The weather is lovely and been out in the back yard alot helping my partner w her garden. As such I decided to switch gears from the 30 ton cutter to the 80 ton model whose frames I put together a few years back. This one will be the Vigilant which severed as replacement for Active and was described as "twice the size" Since none of these ships have much history I assume she was of the 80 ton design. Where the 30 ton model is 9" this one is 13".
 
Part of the change was simple the need to send wood and work on something I can take around with me without being so delicate. All three will be part of my diorama so I plan to build them all! It's been nice to shift gears and have something to whittle away on. Even bought a new dremel! The shaper frames required an extra plank. I realized when I made them I didnt take into account the curve of the hull. I thought of remaking them w the laser but the shop has been closed. Figured adding a little strip of wood would do just fine. And last I added the bow and stern blocks and have been sanding them into shape. 😌

Next update was to recreate the small bulwark. To avoid making the same mistake last time I created a sample dummy piece that I could get a feel of how it would look completed. Part of this process led me to design the scuppers which I picked from a series of small crimp beads. Then drilled a hole and added it snugly. Overall looks good and ready to make the real bulwark. Stay tuned.

Before I decided on adding the railings I wanted to make a bit of ship furniture. So decided to make the belaying pin racks which as per usual 3rd times a charm. This was also done using the dremel drill press, strips of wood that are 5/64" by 5/64" and an aluminum sliding jig. I was especially proud of how I carved the top block.   I also thought it time to add all the parts on deck so I could get a scale perspective. The height is about 7/16" and this rack was slanted to the degree of the mast! I also took the time to refurbish my little bilge pump and added a superior handle. Look at them all together now and also for scale you can see the boat on my palm. Only 9"!!  
 

So once I made the jig I realized that the hull was not smooth enough for copper plates. After a years time heat and convention has separated and warped a few of the veneer planks. Wood expands and contracts that's simply a fact so I looked over the hull and decided to smooth out the rough patches and also fill in any spacings and gaps. The result meant I had to retail one whole side and also once putty and detailing was in place the model was not colored to the cherry wood so with a bit of paint and staining I did a little artistry to match. Since the lower hull will be coppered anyways it's no big deal but for my own sense of completion it looks like a nice weathering affect that actually came out nicely! 
 
Also of note is the masking tape. I ripped off my first toerail/upper bulwark which didn't set right and had taken some damage and repainted the black strip which is supposed to represent the top of the main hull.  The strip had lost some paint over the years time.  I also intend to add a little bit of black under the wale as well. Once that was done I made new upper bulwark strips using pear. Hence why they are of a reddish color than the sepia Cherry. These while shown in place will not be glued in just yet.

Ok so back to the USRC Active, the first order of business was the making of this very special tool as per Dan Pariser's direction. It was basically a tool designed to create the rivet patten for copper plates. It comprises of sewing needles warn down slightly and added to a jig. I built about 3 of these before it got precise enough for me to like the results. The matter of keeping the pins arranged in as uniform a pattern as possible required me to use my dremel drill press which has been the most amazing tool I could use right now!  Once the jig was completed I felt a small sense of satisfaction that indeed building the ship would begin again! That said while I tested the pattern on copper tape, I have yet to add any plates but it led me to my next task. Refurbishing the hull!
 
Kitten assistance not required by welcomed of course! 😽
 

Returning after over a year! I thought it was time to finally return to my build log. Alot has happened since the last time I posted here feels like a few lifetimes ago.  Firstly I grew to become a successful performing artist and became part of many highly successful productions. I found a place for my art skills in costume and head piece creation. This year was going to be the production of a Broadway play which I was to act as manager and would have begun production as of this month. Of course we all know what has happened since... 😣
 
The changes in my life came at a cost. My old partner and I separated after 7 years. She was not able to accept the changes and also there were problems brewing for many years. So for a good year I found myself in transition without a stable space mentally and physically to build the model. Eventually came a new partner, new perspectives and a new work space and alot of emotionally support and freedom I hadn't experienced in a long time. It was a wild ride and still going however making the most of the current situation, now is a time to stay in and create so here we go! 🎨 Also I'm currently in Virginia waiting out the storm. 😊🌈🙏🌳🌳🌳
 
So with all that out of the way, the end result led me back to building the boat which started back in December however I wanted to have enough actually completed before I posted. I wanted something to show so I waited until some progress had been made. After a year it was interesting to see how time affected the model. Some refurbishing was required. Partially due to a change in my perspective on how I wanted to proceed and partly due to how the wood set. I will explain all this in the next post.