ccoyle

More fiddling work done this morning like more sanding on the hull after I added another coat of wood hardener on, painted the aft-outside of the cabin bulkhead before starting the wrestle with the sliding hatch.
I decided to use 1 mm birch ply for the track guides instead of brass shim.  I felt that the brass would not hold up with the CA.  After the four small pieces were cut and CA'd on the hatch side braces I tried the fit.  Hmmm, not good, so I had to fiddle with the track width some more and that finally worked out okay.  Hatch slides nice and easy now.
 
I have made a few pics to show what it looks like.
 
After this was done I turned to the cabin doors.  I am using paper for the hinges.  After they are painted black it'll look like wrought iron 
I glued them on with a little thinned down TiteBond and let it cure.
 
Next step was to make mounting blocks for the oar locks that'll go on the deck just aft of the fish well, per the kit instructions.  The actual oarlocks I'll made tomorrow after I come back from the oncologist's visit.  
 
Then I made the three parts that'll make the bowsprit samson post.  I deviated from the drawing and made it the same way as I did on my Friendship Sloop model.
The bowsprit will slide between the verticals and cross beam and is secured with a bolt that'll run horizontal through the vertical posts.  These will be pinned and CA cemented to the deck.
I used poplar wood for these things instead of the kit supplied basswood.  I dislike that stuff and it was also what gave me greef with the hatch tracks.
 
I think that after these things are done I can finally cement the cutwater to the bow.  I'll be using a few bamboo pins to help secure it to the keel frame. 
 

This shows the hatch track with the groove for the track guides.
 

This shows the bottom or inside of the hatch with the four track guides cemented to the side braces.
 

Paper door hinges in a rough cut.  I'll dress them up after they are glued to the doors.
 

Door hinges glued to the doors.  They'll be ready for final trimming after te glue has set.
 

These are the door handles, also still in the rough.
 

Cabin doors are now installed and working.  This shows the doors in the closed position with the hatch closed.
 

Here the doors are open with the hatch slid forward, welcome into the cabin and enjoy a drink from the wet bar 
 

Pillows on the bunk mattresses.
 
Cheers,

Little progress of lower deck planking.
 
Cheers
 
 
.

Thanks all.
 
David B, well the thing is I'm building Admiralty style so as I'm not adding any more planking it looks like the straps are underneath the planking. But if you  look closer you can see small shims I used to compensate for the lack of planking on the lower two gudgeons.
 

 
Remco

OK, Druxey, here is my step by step.
 
I am no artist and the results will probably reflect that but so far the results don't look too bad.  I made the first trial section of frieze only to discover that I painted it upside down and without enough background aft to run out to the hance of the forecastle.  So I used this "opportunity" to document a step by step method for painting the friezes.  For my technique I used the instructions given in Vol II of TFFM.  I also had the pleasure of sitting in on a demonstration of frieze painting by David Antscherl at the most recent NRG national meeting.  
 
The first step is to have a background of the correct color.  I chose a blue background although there is a contemporary model of Atalanta in the NMM holdings that has a red background. The next step I found to be the most difficult.  David says to moisten bond paper (aka printer paper), stretch it gently, tape it to a flat surface and allow it to dry.  Then the background is painted.  The prestretching is supposed to prevent the paper from wrinkling when the acrylic paint is applied.  Well...  I tried three different types of paper, different moisture levels, different tape and weighting the paper under a sheet of glass.  I occasionally ended up with a strip of paper that looked passable.  After that I painted the paper with artist acrylics and ended up with wrinkled paper!  I could not find any blue archival markers.  Ink would cause the same problem.  Regular blue marker would bleed when I apply my solvent based finish.  I seriously thought about printing a sheet of blue paper but was concerned about the lifespan of inkjet pigments.  My solution was to use enamel spray paint without prestretching.  Three coats with a quick sanding of 600 grit between coats gave me good depth of color while smoothing out any imperfections in the paper.  It is still flexible and accepted acrylic paints well.
 

 
Although there is no freize shown on Atalanta's plans, there is one for Fly.  I used these for my design.  I traced the design on to regular bond paper.
 

 

 
The plan shows the starboard side but I am putting the frieze on the port side.  So I turned the paper around and traced the sketch on to the back of the paper, giving me a mirror image.  The drawing was placed on the painted paper and transfer paper was used to transfer the outline.  Transfer paper is found at any craft store and is used for stenciling and applying patterns onto cloth.  It comes in several colors.  White is best for this application.
 

 

 
The images were painted with two coats of ochre.  All the paints used were Liquitex artist acrylic.  
 

 
The highlights were applied with a mixture of ochre and white.  
 
 
 
The lowlights were applied with a mixture of ochre and burnt sienna.  Finally details such as the stems and leaf veins were added with a mixture of burnt sienna and burnt umber.
 

 
I used a pencil eraser to remove any white lines and powder from the transfer paper.
 

 
At these extreme magnifications, the detail work is a little heavy.  At normal viewing it looks much better; definitely better than I thought I could do.  

I am living without a table saw, band saw, scroll saw, disc sander, and scratch-building.  It's hard, but my support group helps me cope.

Okay - have started the coppering and it is something I don't like, I think I'll stick to planking hulls - that I can do!
 
The kit has etched sheets for the coppering, it was easy to seperate them into strips - no cutting needed, simply bend along the 'score lines' and they easily come apart.
 
I marked the waterline using my trusty 'helping hands':
 

 
First I put copper strips along the keel bottom edge. I found sticking a strip centrally along the keel the overlapping edges could be bent down easily. I did this first for a neater finish:
 

 
Then I planked the sides of the keel:
 

 
Then I proceeded with the first row of plates:
 

 

 
After three rows:
 

 

Last dast day of the holidays
 
Further work towards the stern, starting to look like a real "jager"!
 

 
 

 
Freek

For the record - here goes . . . . Build Report 01 
 
 
Still awaiting the delivery of the actual Trumpeter 1/200 Bismarck model. Has been cleared through customs and should arrive soon!
 
Ordered and received the Pontos 27001F1 Detail Up Set Advanced upgrade kit late November 2014:

 
Promptly started to short all the different parts:

 
Started building the catapult first - less intimidating? 

 
Small gets another meaning when you work with photo etching parts:

 
Good progress with the masts and some ladders and walkways:

 
Again, small gets another meaning - building the 20mm flack guns:

 
Some of the upgrade parts completed, painted, weathered and ready to be fixed on the actual model:

 
I decided to complete the future base for the model as well. Dimensions 1450mm x 400mm - ironwood. (6mm glass panels to be ordered on completion of the model). I think once the hull is completed and painted, I will mount it to the base and work on the rest of the build from this position.

 
Lessons Learnt 01
 
Early days, but I feel can share the following:
 
1. The Pontos upgrade kit is both excellent and intimidating! Don't underestimate the patients and skill required to construct these parts.
2. In some cases their is a definite lack of detail to construct some of the parts. This makes it difficult and sometimes very frustrating to complete!
 
Will appreciate any feedback, comments and/or build suggestions going forward.
 
Regards,
 
Dawie.

Happy New Year Everyone,
 
I can say: hull and deck almost done.
 
I fixed the 66 eyelets, added the bowsprit support (with some fixes because it was too high - the front of the bowsprit was under the water line), and varnished the hull and the deck (flat matt).
 
I started the installation of guns and the anchors, taking into consideration the pictures of the kit box instead of the plan instructions (following them, the anchors would have hampered the swivel guns).
 
From plan instructions
 

 
From box pictures (my choice)
 

 
You can see that I lost all the swivel guns. Not a good idea to put them befoare finishing the deck: my hands was too wide . I think that I will fix them after the rigging operation.
 
Another pictures:
 


 
Regards

Q. What does one do when it is 40 degrees C outside?
 
A. Go inside, switch on the A/C and start building a new model. A very small one (1:72) so the rigging is going to be fun when I get to it.
 
And I have.
 
First off, I must say that I really like the laser cut ply that is used for this model. Very strong, and the laser cuts are spot on. I found that when putting the parts together, I really did not require any glue most of the time. The fits were tight and perfect.
 
As I mentioned earlier, I now know that the drawings are only "simplified". ie. Not perfect. But, so far, that is not causing me any problems.
 
The first step is to use the "to scale" drawing to mark on the keel the contour lines of the planking. This helps in aligning them later on. Having done that, I then started installing the frames.  The frames are installed in groups. The first set cater for the main decking.
 

 

 
Now the support for the deck planking is installed on these frames.
 

 
Now comes the next section of framing which is for the bow and stern, and their associated small decks.
 

 
The remainder of the main frames are now installed.
 

 
The Mast foot is now assembled and installed followed by the deck planking for all 4 decks. Transverse strips are also installed across the deck planks.
 

 
All the installed frames are now held together in place by the installation of the Inner frame.
 
In the drawings, the Inner frame is located a distance below the top of the frames. There is nothing to tell you what the distance should be. If you do not glue this immediately (the fit is tight so you will not have a problem with it falling out) you can go to the next step where you have to install small frames that sit on top of the transverse strips and fit into cut aways in the Inner frame.
 

 
The last set of frames are small deck/secondary frames spaced out between the main frames.
 

 
I glued these in and once they were dry, fitted the Inner frame. Everything seems to be in line from stem to stern so I am looking forward to starting the hull planking in a day or so.
 
And the weather has now changed and we are getting some rain. A fun weekend.
 
 
 

The Admiralen class destroyers were a series of eight destroyers built between 1928 and 1931 for the Dutch Navy. All were lost in WW2, one in Rotterdam and seven in the Dutch East Indies.
The kit is from Pacific Crossroads, designed by Boris Mulenko, who is Russian and has built models of many of the Dutch ships that fought in the Pacific. The kit is a mix of resin parts and PE, and I have never used either.
 
Here are some of my pictures of the start of the project
 
Started with my (also new) airbrush. I practiced a bit on a small helo project (still visible!) but now started using it in earnest. Waterline is nice and straight and painting the PE before use seems to work. I put the resin parts onto double sided tape.

 
The hull after painting on the box from Boris.

 
First experience with PE - I bought one of those bending tools and read a bit on Internet. Main tool seems to be patience and it's still holiday...

 
The nearly completed bridge, I count only 7 errors (all of them thinking errors - wrong parts on wrong places etc) !

 
And a start on the 75 mm gun platform between the funnels.

 
All for now - so far I like the work and I very impressed with the extreme detail in the kit.
 
freek

Made up the stern facia.
 
First layer of brass etch glued into place on the window surround:

 
Second layer of brass etch applied with third laid out ready:
 

 
Third layer applied:
 

 
Windows and columns added to facia:
 

 
Window surround added to facia. Now complete.
 

 
Finally a pic of the cabin with the lights on:
 

The New Year brings with it ....... a small update!
 
There are two bulkheads under the quarterdeck.  They are constructed from laser cut pieces and laminated:
 

 
Here they are, laminated and the blackened brass hardware affixed to the doors:
 

 
The farthest aft of the two encloses the Great Cabin.  It, in combination with the deck beams I've put in, pretty much covers the checkerboard floor.  But we'll still be able to see it as only 1/2 of the quarterdeck will be planked:
 

 
Another view, showing the first of the hanging knees installed:
 

 
There will be both hanging and lodging knees installed for each of the deck beams as we move forward.  I've installed wire inserts to simulated the bolts in the knees.
 
Here's the aft bulkhead taken from the front.  I've also added the mizzen mast cap, some eyebolts and the speaking tube (only temporarily).  It's made from painted brass tubing and extends up to the quarterdeck just where the ship's wheel will go.  I'm not sure what the helmsman would communicate to those down below but I can't shake the mental image of John Wayne at the helm bellowing down "Engine room, more steam".
 

 
We'll be moving forward now to install that second bulkhead.  But first some gangway railings and the capstan need to be installed.
 
Best to all for 2015 !
 
 
 
 

Any of those ships you list is going to be a challenge to finish within a year.  As for Caldercraft instructions, the comment about "as good as you can get" certainly does not apply to their early kit offerings.  They only started producing detailed instructions on later kits, and the only large model from that period is HMS Victory; even with that one I'm not sure about the instructions.
 
Hope you find what you're looking for!

And finally the bridge, it needs a bit more photo etch attached to the gun tubs
 
 
 

Hi all,
 
Nearly a year gone (bar 3 days) since I started, unfortunately things have really slowed up recently on the build, as I've come off the employment scrap heap. Great being back at work, but it really gets in the way of my hobby.
 
Anyway this is the state of play now on the upper deck.

After Taking a break ,I decided to build the Herreshoff Buzzards Bay 14ftr. This boat was designed by L. Francis Herreshoff . What he had done was to lengthen his father's ( Capt Nate ) Famous 12 1/2 . I have the plans and have built one ( it can be seen in the Gallery ) I did get the Keel layed out and next will layout and cut out all the frames. The boat will be built in a 3/4 " = 1' - 0" Scale Here are the results after day 1

Hi all
 
Please find the final photos of Ingomar on her new display stand. As such, Ingomar is now completed.
 
Pls enjoy and thanks to all who liked and commented during Ingomar's construction.
 
All the best!

Hi everyone. I've glued the ships boats permanently onto their davits. Ingomar's just about completed, apart from the display stand. Here's the latest photos. Thanks for everyone's comments and support. It means a lot to me.
 
Hope you enjoy these photos.

In 2010 I started a blog on this first build. The blog continued for perhaps 6 months when model ended up behind cupboard doors next to the Christmas tree decorations and a pile of books on boat building and rigging. Last week the hull found its way back to the building board  for final stage of planking. .
After three years of abstinence I had to get it all back in my fingers again; wood bending and cutting, doing all the checks before application of glue, getting it right
 
My old MSW account and blog are gone, but I still got the pictures:

Purchased by my dad somewhere in the eighties

The instruction drawing, the big white area pretty much sums up the Corel planking instructions; must have left my dad with a huge question mark above his head and perhaps explains why it took a next generation to muster the courage to add glue to the various components  - with inspiration derived from internet, especially MSW.

I suppose Corel must have taken note of the work of Frederick af Chapman.
 
Fredrik Henrik af Chapman http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fredrik_Henrik_af_Chapman

the Ketch, no. 3 in Chapmans' Architectura Navalis Mercatoria, published in 1768. The book contained 62 illustrations of ships and smaller vessels, both Swedish and foreign designs. Some of these were Chapman's own designs, but many were also types that he had seen during visits to foreign countries. Everything from large warships to small fishing vessels were represented (Source: wikipedia).
 

Set up of frames

Solid Surinam hardwood handle keeping everything in check
[
Many planking instructions suggest you should divide the space over the frames evenly according to the number of planks and then taper and hang the planks accordingly,thats what I did with the first layer of planking. Its wrong. With 5 mm planks the planks decide how they run, they are too narrow to allow for spiling, only with wide enough planks (planks which allow for spiling) the planker may devide the space according to his will

looks like its made of match sticks
But add filler and sand it all down, and youre ok..

with first layer, that is

addition of false stems and keel (not included in kit), made from oak

Problem: the instructed planking scheme for the second layer does not match the dimensions of the first layer as defined by the frames, I therefore find it necessary to heighten the bull warks therewith altering the the side profile / the run of the gunwale.

And commence planking of second layer,
I then find this picture on the internet...

A revelation: planks do not necessary end at the bow but may turn upward and form "saddlebags" underneath the whales.

Saddlebag

After completion of the saddlebags (the segments which require dropplanks) I commenced at the keel with the lower concave sections (the sections which require stealers).
.
I let the first planks envelop the stem

The two sections meet at the one plank which connects straight and free from bow to stern
 

Another important find is that all you need for woodbending is a glass of water and a candle
 

Stick the end of the wood in the glass, and let it soak until its wet about 3 cm above the water, then you know its soaked enough...then hold it above the candle and bend it, you will feel the wood give in. Dont overbend it, you cant bend it back. If the wood burns easily it probably means you did not soak long enough. If the wood dries up on the outside while heating use a brush to keep the wood wet on the outside of the bend.
 
Do not only bend the wood but give it the right twist at the same time..

to ensure stress free gluing...

for each and every plank..
 
 
[to be continued]

Hi, and introduction.
 
I was on MSW I until it sank without trace; I had several hundred posts including my build-log for HMS Cruizer. I was busted to OS and no posts  when MSW II started up!
 
I had completed Billings' Marie-Jeanne, a scratch-built Clyde puffer, and I posted my build-log for HMS Cruizer (which overrlapped with cancer, two operations and chemotherapy which slowed me down somewhat) and the free card yacht Viacosa.
 
Since MSW I crashed I've done HMS Saumarez and the trawler Consul Pust in card (fun but frustrating, although no posts. I probably won't do a card model again. I've just given up on a card DH Mosquito - the compound curves don't work well with card).
 
The First Lord of my Admiralty is somewhat less than encouraging, as we have a small-ish home. - comments such as "Where do you think THAT'S going to go?" gave me a hint. So the next model is half-width, will be mounted on a plank of some sort and hung on a wall - clever, eh? no space needed on top of bookcaes etc, all I need to do is get rid of that old Picasso hanging in the lounge.
 
I've chosen as base HMS Ballahoo. It looks interesting and importantly it's a true schooner rig with no yards, so it should be safer/easier to build as a half-hull. It's going to be the port side, using the provided keel, and so the new centreline will be about 1.5mm to the starboard of centre (as the keel is 3mm ) - that'll allow me to set masts and booms with perhaps the starboard side of the dowelling sanded down to sit flat on the mounting board.
 
I'm going to bash it a bit - I'm going to build her as a rigged half-hull commercial schooner, so there will be some departures from the base model:
 
1) no gunports. I'll do a continuous planked bulwark, with an entry-way probably marked out on the planking.
 
2) a larger, cargo, hatch between the masts.
 
3) the masts and yards will be full height, and rigged for centreline and port side only. I may have to smooth the masts to 3/4 width? Still to be assessed.
 
4) It will be finished in bare timber, varnished, possibly with a narrow black strip for the waterline but no other painting, so almost an Admiralty model! Not sure of the colour of the mounting board yet.
 
5) concerns about the anchor for later - the set provided seems too large, and no capstan or windlass seems unrealistic. More research needed!
 
I've made a start by cutting the bulkheads and false deck 1.5mm to the starboard of centre - that way they'll line up with the 3mm "keel" backbone (which was gently curved to starboard, and has needed some persuasion to become straight). The bulkheads and deck and keel are glued and drying now, and I've made a solid block to mount the build on while I work on it.
 
And of course, being a cheapskate, later I get the chance of a second model (starboard side) for free!!!!
 
I'll try to post pictures: apologies if they don't appear, it's a while since I posted.

During the collection of facts about the jib sail I found that the traveller needs a hook for the sail. I amended one made of an eye pin.
 
The sail was made in a similar way like the topmast staysail. It was bent to the jib stay and furled. Despite the by 40% reduced surface the furled sail still made quite a large packet. But the sail is quite large and I hope the proportions are correct.
 
During the photo session I found that I forgot the sprit topsail yard lifts and installed them. Now just a few braces remain to be installed and the cleaning up of the forecastle cannot longer be postponed.
 
By the way - during all that work on those sails I had to tighten several already installed lines and was glad that most of that installation was provisional only.
 
 

The new hook on the traveller is not yet painted
 
 

Jib is finished
 
 

The jib is set
 
 

Detail with the traveller
 
 

The furled jib (and the missing sprit topsail yard lifts)
 
 

The lifts are installed

Bowsprit installed onto samson, and the capstan also in place. Here we go!
 

Chain-stoppers
 
One pair of chain stoppers is located immediately behind the hawse pipes as usual. A second pair is placed above the chain locker, which is located immediately in from of the armoured barbette. The bodies of the stoppers are rather complex castings, calling for some complex machining operations in model reproduction. The same basic technique as for the bollards was used. Given the complex shape, however, machining is not possible in one set-up. For certain operations the axis of the spigot has to be perpendicular to the milling machine, while for others, such as drilling it has to be parallel. For the latter and for milling the various slots, I choose to transfer the dividing head to the lathe. This has the advantage that its centre line is at the centre of the lathe spindle.
 

Milling the profile of the fore chain stoppers
 

Milling operations using a dividing head in the lathe
 
The slots were milled using a micro-tool made from a broken carbide drill, the end of which was ground flat. This results in a non-ideal clearance of 0º, while the cutting angle and side rake are that of the original drill bit. However, not much metal is removed so that this doesn't really matter here.
 

Home-made milling bits made from broken carbide drills ground flat
 
One set of stoppers was milled from brass, while for the other one I used PMMA (PLEXIGLAS®, PERSPEX), the main reason being that I ran out of brass stock. However, genuine PLEXIGLAS®, is pleasant material to machine and easy on the tools. It holds sharp edges and it easier to see what you are doing than on the shiny brass. Acrylic paints seem to key-in well - basically it is the same molecule, of course. On the downside one may note that small and thin parts are rather brittle. Using diamond-cut carbide tools gives a nice smooth finish, but normal CV- or HSS-tools can also be used.
 

Milling in an upright collet-holder on the milling machine
 
While for the bollards and the front pair of stoppers the spigot could be on the geometric centre of the part, making it easy to measure while machining, for the after stoppers I had to place the spigot to the centre of the pipe down to the locker, so that the concentric rounded edges could be milled. The pictures show this operation.
 

Round-milling the body of the after chain-stopper using the rotary table of the milling machine
 
The stoppers have now completed with etched brass releasing levers, etc. The fore stoppers were also soldered to surface etched base plates.
 

The completed chain-stoppers (right column, the grid of the cutting mat is 10 mm x 10 mm)
 
To be continued ...

Thank you Mark.
Actually, I like to learn to take photography on a white background.
They use this type of photos when they want to sell a product in the commerce.
Here is an example.