NMBROOK

I thought it was about time I blew the dust off this log  
Work has been 'hopping' about a little on the hull.I have been concentrating on sorting the exposed areas of framing.Because of the line of the main deck,various knees,beams and a black ebony waterway would appear in this window between the frames.Although this would be historically correct,I decided it would add a 'ramshackle' appearance to the build and looked for an answer.I decided that an intermediate layer of thin Pear planking from the deck clamp upwards would alleviate the untidy appearance.The basis of this layer has been added on the portside but will be completed when the deck clamp has been installed.On the starboard side are temporary ABS plastic strips tack glued with CA.These guide the fitting of the pear cappings between the open frames.These ensure a nice flow along the top and bottom of the cutout to match the edges of the upper wales.When overlong caps have been fitted and the aliphatic glue has dried,these strips are removed and the cappings sanded flush inside and out.The Aliphatic wood glue does not stick to the plastic.
The three rectangular holes in the hull are to receive the deck beams.There are many more to cut,I have just done these as they were so close to the cappings and also provide a reference point as these three beams delineate the hatchway opening and capstan.
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

Work on the forecastle is now proceeding. First up was to plank the small bit of inner bulwark with boxwood. After that, I proceeded to do the hances and cap rail. For the hances, I again used the laser cut kit pieces for the carved end and fitted them to the rails which were cut from boxwood sheet, using card stock templates. 
 
As I generally do, the rail assemblies were prepainted black on the edges before mounting to avoid the need for masking. The rail tops were painted in place.  BTW, I am not among the 10 -20 coat painters. For better or worse, I am satisfied with 4-5 coats, particularly with black.
 
After the rails were done, I made the galley stove stack and the forecastle barricade and belfry. The stack was made from styrene tube with wire handles. The barricade and belfry were made from boxwood, with the exception of using the laser cut rail piece from the kit, because it had the square openings for the stanchions cut into it, and I used two shaped stanchions that I had on hand to support the belfry itself. The bell is a brass piece that I had on hand.
 
I'm now moving on to the remaining forecastle work.
 
Bob

I thought it was about time I blew the dust off this log  
Work has been 'hopping' about a little on the hull.I have been concentrating on sorting the exposed areas of framing.Because of the line of the main deck,various knees,beams and a black ebony waterway would appear in this window between the frames.Although this would be historically correct,I decided it would add a 'ramshackle' appearance to the build and looked for an answer.I decided that an intermediate layer of thin Pear planking from the deck clamp upwards would alleviate the untidy appearance.The basis of this layer has been added on the portside but will be completed when the deck clamp has been installed.On the starboard side are temporary ABS plastic strips tack glued with CA.These guide the fitting of the pear cappings between the open frames.These ensure a nice flow along the top and bottom of the cutout to match the edges of the upper wales.When overlong caps have been fitted and the aliphatic glue has dried,these strips are removed and the cappings sanded flush inside and out.The Aliphatic wood glue does not stick to the plastic.
The three rectangular holes in the hull are to receive the deck beams.There are many more to cut,I have just done these as they were so close to the cappings and also provide a reference point as these three beams delineate the hatchway opening and capstan.
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

Thanks Rob,Ian Major had posted about this and I have kept an eye out.Unfortunately could only find the preceding issue,but now I know it is out,I am off to the newsagent in the morning
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

Hi Keith
 
The Black Pearl is the ship from Pirates of the Caribbean.A few members on here have started a part work kit build on here but have experienced supply issues with the manufacturer.
The Mary Rose part work model under discussion is by a company called Hachette.
Official information on the additional forecastle deck is thin on the ground at the moment,my guess is that full research is being carried out being anything 'official' is being announced.
Unofficial information was released when the deck was discovered (due to additional dredging of a shipping channel in the Solent) and whilst I did not see the news article,my wife did,and explained that it was believed this would alter the appearance of the design as she was believed to have looked.There is a separate thread discussing this forecastle debate.I do believe that if it is confirmed that the design is different from what CCraft based their model on,they would probably revise their kit.However it could be years before anything is stated officially,so a revised kit would be a long way off.The CCraft kit is an exact a replica of the vessel to the original information,but very much like Vasa,new discoveries are made throwing original research into doubt.
The extra deck would indeed make her more true to the images shown in tapestrys of the period.
Here is a link to the partwork model we are discussing http://www.maryrosecollection.co.uk/
One of the news articles I have found discussing the more recent finds http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/3552860.stm
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

I thought it was about time I blew the dust off this log  
Work has been 'hopping' about a little on the hull.I have been concentrating on sorting the exposed areas of framing.Because of the line of the main deck,various knees,beams and a black ebony waterway would appear in this window between the frames.Although this would be historically correct,I decided it would add a 'ramshackle' appearance to the build and looked for an answer.I decided that an intermediate layer of thin Pear planking from the deck clamp upwards would alleviate the untidy appearance.The basis of this layer has been added on the portside but will be completed when the deck clamp has been installed.On the starboard side are temporary ABS plastic strips tack glued with CA.These guide the fitting of the pear cappings between the open frames.These ensure a nice flow along the top and bottom of the cutout to match the edges of the upper wales.When overlong caps have been fitted and the aliphatic glue has dried,these strips are removed and the cappings sanded flush inside and out.The Aliphatic wood glue does not stick to the plastic.
The three rectangular holes in the hull are to receive the deck beams.There are many more to cut,I have just done these as they were so close to the cappings and also provide a reference point as these three beams delineate the hatchway opening and capstan.
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

I thought it was about time I blew the dust off this log  
Work has been 'hopping' about a little on the hull.I have been concentrating on sorting the exposed areas of framing.Because of the line of the main deck,various knees,beams and a black ebony waterway would appear in this window between the frames.Although this would be historically correct,I decided it would add a 'ramshackle' appearance to the build and looked for an answer.I decided that an intermediate layer of thin Pear planking from the deck clamp upwards would alleviate the untidy appearance.The basis of this layer has been added on the portside but will be completed when the deck clamp has been installed.On the starboard side are temporary ABS plastic strips tack glued with CA.These guide the fitting of the pear cappings between the open frames.These ensure a nice flow along the top and bottom of the cutout to match the edges of the upper wales.When overlong caps have been fitted and the aliphatic glue has dried,these strips are removed and the cappings sanded flush inside and out.The Aliphatic wood glue does not stick to the plastic.
The three rectangular holes in the hull are to receive the deck beams.There are many more to cut,I have just done these as they were so close to the cappings and also provide a reference point as these three beams delineate the hatchway opening and capstan.
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

Things are getting interesting now    I have tack glued some temporary stringers to keep all the frames plumb and true and placed a couple of key braces to keep things following the centreline.I had come up with a fancy jig design but sacked that as to be honest it was unnecessary and would only restrict access.The hull was then infilled from the gun deck upwards partway using Obechi simply because it is easy to sand and shape and the local modelshop happened to have some 1/4 inch sheets..These followed the shear,but the tops were then trimmed down so that they a parallel to the waterline below the top of the first upperwale.I won't call this a chainwale as the channels sit above this according to photos of the builders model.Some extensive draughting was required to sort theTransom side timbers as there is no frame here in Euromodels design,simply fresh air.The transom is still a flat block as this permits easy measuring and marking out.There is a 10mm arc in the transom face which will be added later,but is why there doesn't appear to any overhang of the stern counter at the moment.I want to fill the gaps between the frames to coincide with the top edge of the upper wale.The futtocks would have in reality finished lower down,but I am doing this for asthetics and then there won't be unsightly holes.The visible section of the upperframes and gunport linings will be in Pear to provide an interesting contrast to the boxwood.The 'combs' that provide an anchor for the upperframe sections and fill the gaps I chose to make from European boxwood to further highlight this detail.Rectangles that are horizontal and follow the centreline were cut form box making sure there was enough material to allow contouring to the hull lines later.These were then milled on the MF70 with 5mm wide slots to accomodate the upper frames.The slots are deep enough to ensure the base of the frames lie below the top of the wale and the top of the blocks are high enough to go above it.The idea being that once they are all in place,temporary wales will be attached and the shear marked and trimmed on the top of the combs.The rectangular blocks had the bulk stock removed after milling prior to gluing in place.Final shaping will be done when they are all inplace.I am concentrating on the aft section of one side as there is a temporary upright holding things true at the stern.When this section is complete,I can fit another upright the otherside of the centreline then remove the existing one.This will give me the access to work on the inside of the hull at the inside.I am trying to avoid fitting the transom framing until later as it will make sanding the inside much more awkward.
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

Ok then,I thought I would take the opportunity of waiting for glue to dry and upload some more pics.
I was not happy with my original strategy for the topsides as I thought in the long run it would be more work.The tops of the bulkheads have been replaced with solid Pear to a more authentic profile.These can be integrated in the topside framing detail,whereas the ply would have needed replacing later.The ply deck beams were inconsequential,I only left them in place as temporary braces.An authentic deck construction will be used gun deck upwards when I get to that stage.These pear extensions have been fitted with brass dowels epoxied in.The extensions have also been tweeked to allow for single planking.The remaining section of the bulkheads have been 'banded' with 1.5mm lime strip to compensate for single planking.I have incorporated a small section of orlop deck in front of the mizzen step as a ladder runs down here.There is also one right at the bow which will result in a significant amount of work in this area.I am leaving this until the 'donkey' work is complete on the rest of the hull as it will involve removing considerable amounts of material from the false keel.As you may have noticed the lower hull is filled with limewood.This is to provide substantial support to the single planking and is a good aid as this is one of the most complex shaped hulls I have worked on.The area where the pear frames meet the deck is a crucial point.The sheer on the outer edge has to be perfect as everything will be measured from here.This is the reason for setting 6mm lime sections in around the perimeter.It ensures the ply subdeck will conform to exactly the right profile.One section is clamped in place while the glue dries.I have clamps ranging from 20p up to £95 but sometimes the easiest solutions are the best    
Kind Regards Nigel

I am going to try and get technical now and provide text with each picture  
The first step is to copy the drawings regarding the bulkheads.This is due to the between deck areas not be cut out from the factory.These were pasted to the relevant bulkheads to allow cutting out with the scrollsaw.Some areas were not shown,mainly the first and last bulkhead which will require some drafting to get the cutouts.

The design of the kit intends for a 3mm by 7mm stringer to be fitted each side of the hull.This stringer does not coincide with anything and to a certain extent will be in my way,so the bulkhead notches were filled with scrap timber.

These are pictures of the skeleton so far.You will notice I have cut my own notches out on the lower deck.These are for 5mm square stringers supplied by me.These provide support for the lower gundeck,which is the only deck that will have a plywood subdeck.The plywood additions to the structure are to incorporate dimensional stability and resistance to twisting.The triangle design makes the skeleton rigid,it is impossible to twist it for and aft.The lower hull will be infilled with lime wood.This triangular structure reduces the wood required and also prevents any distortion that can occur due to the moisture from the glue when fitting the infill.                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
That brings things up to date for the time being.
Kind Regards Nigel

I thought it was about time I blew the dust off this log  
Work has been 'hopping' about a little on the hull.I have been concentrating on sorting the exposed areas of framing.Because of the line of the main deck,various knees,beams and a black ebony waterway would appear in this window between the frames.Although this would be historically correct,I decided it would add a 'ramshackle' appearance to the build and looked for an answer.I decided that an intermediate layer of thin Pear planking from the deck clamp upwards would alleviate the untidy appearance.The basis of this layer has been added on the portside but will be completed when the deck clamp has been installed.On the starboard side are temporary ABS plastic strips tack glued with CA.These guide the fitting of the pear cappings between the open frames.These ensure a nice flow along the top and bottom of the cutout to match the edges of the upper wales.When overlong caps have been fitted and the aliphatic glue has dried,these strips are removed and the cappings sanded flush inside and out.The Aliphatic wood glue does not stick to the plastic.
The three rectangular holes in the hull are to receive the deck beams.There are many more to cut,I have just done these as they were so close to the cappings and also provide a reference point as these three beams delineate the hatchway opening and capstan.
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

In case anyone is interested Model Engineer is starting a series of articles by Patrick Puttock about his model of the 50-gun ship HMS Isis. The first instalment is now out.
 
Patrick's model won a gold medal at last year's Model Engineer Exhibition as well as The Earl Mountbatten of Burma Trophy.
 
Rob

Thank you Nils It is good to be back doing a few jobs on her and moving the build on a little
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

I thought it was about time I blew the dust off this log  
Work has been 'hopping' about a little on the hull.I have been concentrating on sorting the exposed areas of framing.Because of the line of the main deck,various knees,beams and a black ebony waterway would appear in this window between the frames.Although this would be historically correct,I decided it would add a 'ramshackle' appearance to the build and looked for an answer.I decided that an intermediate layer of thin Pear planking from the deck clamp upwards would alleviate the untidy appearance.The basis of this layer has been added on the portside but will be completed when the deck clamp has been installed.On the starboard side are temporary ABS plastic strips tack glued with CA.These guide the fitting of the pear cappings between the open frames.These ensure a nice flow along the top and bottom of the cutout to match the edges of the upper wales.When overlong caps have been fitted and the aliphatic glue has dried,these strips are removed and the cappings sanded flush inside and out.The Aliphatic wood glue does not stick to the plastic.
The three rectangular holes in the hull are to receive the deck beams.There are many more to cut,I have just done these as they were so close to the cappings and also provide a reference point as these three beams delineate the hatchway opening and capstan.
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

I thought it was about time I blew the dust off this log  
Work has been 'hopping' about a little on the hull.I have been concentrating on sorting the exposed areas of framing.Because of the line of the main deck,various knees,beams and a black ebony waterway would appear in this window between the frames.Although this would be historically correct,I decided it would add a 'ramshackle' appearance to the build and looked for an answer.I decided that an intermediate layer of thin Pear planking from the deck clamp upwards would alleviate the untidy appearance.The basis of this layer has been added on the portside but will be completed when the deck clamp has been installed.On the starboard side are temporary ABS plastic strips tack glued with CA.These guide the fitting of the pear cappings between the open frames.These ensure a nice flow along the top and bottom of the cutout to match the edges of the upper wales.When overlong caps have been fitted and the aliphatic glue has dried,these strips are removed and the cappings sanded flush inside and out.The Aliphatic wood glue does not stick to the plastic.
The three rectangular holes in the hull are to receive the deck beams.There are many more to cut,I have just done these as they were so close to the cappings and also provide a reference point as these three beams delineate the hatchway opening and capstan.
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

Thanks Nigel and Robert, I tidied up the Doghouse paint-work today, it looks much cleaner, some of the marks visible in the photos from earlier are a result of the 'Noooooooooooooooo' moment :o
Will put the doors in place next week (I have a BBQ to go to tomorrow) then look at doing the rudder !
 
Thanks for stopping by folks
 
Be Well
 
Eamonn
 
Hey there B.E. .. we must have posted at exactly the same time.. Thanks for the kind words .  We don't want to have tooo many of those moments though !  
E

Thanks Buddy All was going fine on two wheels until middle of this week when I got struck down with a stomach bug     On the mend now .Looking forward to watch team Confidis put my bike through it's paces in tomorrow's T de France TT Ok well,not my bike,but the same model  
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

Excellent work mate,the doghouse looks great   I am very familiar with the said moments    
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

Tanks for the good word.

Congratulations on your purchase.In my opinion the Santa Ana is a beautiful ship and probably my favourite in Artesenia's collection.I did stumble on one build on the net that was mildly modified and was stunning.I regret I didn't save the address or I would have given you the link.From memory,very little was changed other than the gratings,but the colour scheme was changed to reflect Spanish ships of the period.All I can suggest is having a hunt on Google.
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

Hi Again Folks... It's Photo Time Again.
 
The wee doghouse is almost finished, just a little tidying up to be done, oh and attach the doors of course (not forgetting the various handles too)
The rope hand rail ring (where it attaches to the sides of the doghouse will be painted black.. they were painted black to begin with but it seems to have rubbed off in the fitting process !!
The steps are glued in place but no other deck fitting is permanently in place as yet (I threw in a close up photo of the 'L' shaped Anchor Rope reinforcing brackets on the forward hatch coaming)
 
By The Way I had one of those slow motion 'NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO' moments earlier as I was gluing the roof arrangement onto the Doghouse.. Clamps were being used to secure the whole affair when suddenly a clamp slipped causing the near total collapse of the doghouse.. there were doghouse sides, sliding roofs, rope hand rails & coamings flying through the air just like Cirque du Soleil !! How I kept my cool I'll never know ^_^ I just calmly reassembled the whole thing.. very Zen moment
 
Stay Well Folks
 
Eamonn a.k.a. Mr. Keep Calm & Carry On..

Cracking good stuff mate.. tis great to see her moving along !
 
Stay Well
 
Eamonn
PS how goes the cycling ?

while excellent kit manufacturers announce kits that never seem to come on the market (Caldercraft HMS Surprise, Amati Revenge), one tends to think about the costs involved with new designs.
 
On the other hand, they could easily score with updates of their existing kits, and Jotika's Mary Rose certainly would deserve the treatment.  I think not only the foredeck could be modified, but I suspect when I look at pictures of the time, that the rear decks too should be significantly higher.  And then there is the colouring that makes ships of that period such desirable modelling subjects, and which is rather absent from the original Jotika offering (flags, painting scheme...).  
 
I suppose this could all be scratch built with the Jotika kit as a base, but that would be a tricky business without plans.

I thought it was about time I blew the dust off this log  
Work has been 'hopping' about a little on the hull.I have been concentrating on sorting the exposed areas of framing.Because of the line of the main deck,various knees,beams and a black ebony waterway would appear in this window between the frames.Although this would be historically correct,I decided it would add a 'ramshackle' appearance to the build and looked for an answer.I decided that an intermediate layer of thin Pear planking from the deck clamp upwards would alleviate the untidy appearance.The basis of this layer has been added on the portside but will be completed when the deck clamp has been installed.On the starboard side are temporary ABS plastic strips tack glued with CA.These guide the fitting of the pear cappings between the open frames.These ensure a nice flow along the top and bottom of the cutout to match the edges of the upper wales.When overlong caps have been fitted and the aliphatic glue has dried,these strips are removed and the cappings sanded flush inside and out.The Aliphatic wood glue does not stick to the plastic.
The three rectangular holes in the hull are to receive the deck beams.There are many more to cut,I have just done these as they were so close to the cappings and also provide a reference point as these three beams delineate the hatchway opening and capstan.
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

i am so glad,today a made the jump,
i by this kit as the next build.
My creole queen is moving forward and i was looking for my next build for the last few month,
and now the kit is home with me.
 
I was unable to resist to open the box.
My first impression is,watt a kit,my last 3 kit were badly cut on the wood,this one the wood is 
very thick and just playing with the piece by pressure those one release from the wood.
 
I will take time to check all parts and see if everything are included.