russ

Dave:
The stern looks great. The planking in general looks great. Very nice work.

Russ

The rope looks good. I doubt I will ever use kit rope again. Once you make your own, especially for smaller projects, nothing else looks as good.

Russ

Excellent work. Love the paint job and the bright work.

Russ

Basswood is much softer and does not hold and edge nearly as well as boxwood. I would check with HobbyMill or the Lumberyard. They both sell premilled boxwood as well as many other species. You can make fittings in very small sizes using boxwood that are not possible with basswood.

Russ

Basswood is really too soft for this kind of fitting. I would suggest you could use something harder and with a tighter grain like boxwood strips or perhaps cherry. That, or look for some Britannia metal cleats in the same or similar size.

Russ

What material are you using to make the cleats? That could be one problem. I like to have the grain running along the length of the horns. That seems to provide the most strength for the cleat.

Russ

The model is looking great so far. Nice work on the deck fittings. I like your solution on the mast coats. Well done.

Russ

That planking looks very good. Nice work.

Russ

Andy:

The vertical lines would be a great help in keeping the shrouds aligned.

Russ

Larry:

Your model is coming along well. The paint colors are very good. Your deck looks good so far, but I see a couple of things that you might consider and I hope you will welcome a few hints.

First, laying the deck planking in single strips over the entire length is going to be problematic. It is VERY difficult to get a good fit at both ends. You are having trouble at the stern because of using single strips. It would be better to plank in scale lengths and get both the end joints done first and work your way back to the middle. Fitting this way will yield much better results.

Second, applying the stain before the plank is laid may be a problem. I understand why you are doing it, but a laid deck such as this will usually require sanding or more properly scraping after it is laid to get a really smooth surface upon which to apply finish. A clear finish might be a better choice to apply to the bare planks after the deck is planked.

I hope this helps.

Russ

This is a beautiful model so far. Both hull planking and deck planking came out really nice. Both were well executed.

I think that making the masts out of square stock will really be a good idea in the long run. Much less chance of any nasty warps or twists showing up down the line.

Russ

The hull planking looks very good. I do not see any big gaps, the lines of the seams look good, and that difficult bend at the stern was handled. Well done.

Russ

Andy:

That looks pretty good. The knots look like they came out fine. The main thing is, are you satisfied with how it looks? You will always be your own worst critic.

Russ

I would think the cannons would not be fitted with the flintlock mechanism. While possible, they were probably second hand and a bit older. They probably armed these privateers with what was available.

Russ 

Jon:

So far your model looks very good.

Please allow to me add a word of caution though. I would strongly advise checking the fillers at each end for fairness. At the bow, you want the planks to come into the bow without much bend. It might be the camera angle, but it looks like there needs to be more material taken off the bow fillers. I would also check the stern fillers to make sure you do not have to bend the planks too much as they meet the tuck of the transom. For the most part this hull has very clean lines and there should not be any extreme bends, especially at the ends of the hull.

Russ

Good start on the deck furniture. The deck house looks good.

Russ

Andy:

An average deck plank length will be about 15-20 ft. So, at your scale, it would be about 2.5 to 4 inches, give or take. 

Russ

The bamboo really looks great. Go for it.

Russ

Max:

Nice work. I like how the details are coming together.

Russ

Ken:

Nice work on the head rails and figurehead. The model is really looking good. Nice color choices.

Russ

For holding the hull, you take a piece of scrap wood and screw it into the deck with a couple of screws. Then, mount the hull in your vise upside down with the wood block in the vise jaws. Later, the wood block is removed and the screw holes can be filled. Since the deck is planked, no one will see the holes or the fillers.

Russ

Although I have never seen bamboo used for deadeyes, it might work. Nothing lost in the attempt.

If it does not work, I would advise using boxwood.

Russ

The carriage came out beautifully. Great details. Well done.

Russ

I agree. Very neatly done. Good work on the small details. In the proper proportion, they add a great deal of interest to the model. You are doing good.

Russ

Dave:

That paint job is really nice. Excellent work. Love the colors, the crisp lines and the finish.

Russ