NMBROOK

More progress in the shipyard - First thing I did was assemble all the ladders & glued them in place. Next I built a base for the capstan from 1x5mm strips edge glued together & added the small timbers around the base. One small problem I had was when I built the capstan I shortened it to fit under the forecastle deck beam but forgot to take into account the thickness of the base. So I just cut a hole in the base just big enough for the capstan to fit into. After fitting the base in place,I could just slide the capstan into place .  Then I fitted all the bitts in place - all were pinned & glued. Next up were the forecastle & quarter deck railings. Their construction was pretty straightforward - just a matter of cutting a bunch of short timbers & gluing them together. Bending some of those 2x3mm timbers was a bit tricky,but I got `em done. The railing on the gangway was a bit fiddly due to the timbers were only 1.5mm square. The S shaped piece of railing joining the gangway railing to the quarter deck railing kept splitting or kinking when I tried to bend it,so I ended up just carving it from a larger timber. Also the plans showed that the grating between the quarter deck railings appears to have larger openings than the gratings on the decks,so I used a little larger spaced grating from my stash.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Mark

Hi all -
More progress - I figured it was as good a time as any to get the 12 guns at the waist mounted as the rigging would be difficult to do after mounting the gangways. I won`t go into a lot of detail on the building of the guns,but I did modify the carriages a little by thinning them down a bit & putting a slant on the front to match the slant of the inner planking. The gun barrels were simply painted semi-gloss black & the trunnion caps were made from some copper strip & painted black also. The blocks I used were from Syren - very nice blocks. They are slightly larger than I would have liked,but smaller ones are a bit difficult for me to work with. After fixing the guns in place,the previously built gangways were installed. The front edge is level with the forecastle deck,& the rear edge is 2 steps lower than the quarter deck. Next up is some ladders & railings. Thanks everyone for looking in.
 

 

 

 

 

 
Mark

Another small update - I decide to make the gangways that go between the forecastle & quarter decks. I made the base for the gangways from a leftover mahogany ply sheet that the false decks were removed from. Then I planked the top side with leftover deck planking strips & covered the outer edge with a 2x2mm strip. Then I made some support knees from some 2x12mm walnut strip & glued them in place. The gangways will not be glued in place until later - after the cannons underneath them are in place. At that time the bottom side will be painted red & hand rails added along with some steps to the quarterdeck. 
 

 
Mark

Hi all - a little more progress has been made. The roughtree (hand) rails are now done. All 114 stanchions were cut,pinned & glued in place. The kit provided 2x5mm walnut strips for the railing,but it seemed a little too wide. So I narrowed them down to 2x4mm & made the curved ends with my old Aeropiccola plank bender. That company is no longer in business,so I am wondering why no one has tried to make one like it - it really works well.Then I made all the timberheads on the forecastle railing & pinned & glued them in place. Lastly,I made the sheaves that are at the fore & aft ends of the railings. The pulleys in the sheaves are small deadeyes filed flat to fit in the slots. A coat of poly was then applied to finish them off. I may work on the deck furniture next.
 

 

 

 

 
Thanks for looking in
 
Mark

A little more progress - all the head rails & support timbers are done . Also,while waiting for paint to dry I figured I might as well make the bow knightheads,& install the front railing of the forecastle. All the timberheads were painted black to offset all of that gold.
 

 

 

 
Mark

A little more progress - first thing I did was determine the best position for the figureheads,then pinned & glued them in place. Next,the middle & lower head rails were bent & cut to fit,painted,& glued in place.After that,I drilled the hawse holes & finished adding the bolsters. The upper cheek rails were then filed & shimmed to fit,painted,& glued in place. hard to see in the pictures,but a curved block was added to the underside of the cheek rail to allow for a more gentle curve to glue the decorations to. Next will be to add the bow decorations,lower cheek rails,& head rail support timbers. Thanks for looking in & all the likes.
 

 

 
Mark

Update - I fine tuned the fenders by tapering the lower ends & glued them in place. The tops will be trimmed off after the railings are in place - if I don`t break them off first. I then added the bolster for the hawse holes - another layer will be added when the cheek rails are fitted. I simulated the double doors at the bow by simply cutting into the planking with a chisel & added some hinges from my spare parts box. Then I put a coat of polyurethane on the hull below the upper wales. I think it may be a good time now to start working on the side decorations.
 

 

 

 
Mark

Update - before adding the upper wales,I pre-shaped the fenders to the contours of the hull. They were made from some 4x4mm walnut strips. After bending them with my plank bender,filing,& sanding they ended up being 2.5x3mm. I figured it would be a good time to put a finish on the hull below the lower wale,so on went a coat of polyurethane. The ship was getting a little top heavy with all the metal work,so I felt it was a good time to mount it on the stand,which is a beautiful solid mahogany - not plywood as in most other kits. All the upper wales were then glued in place & notched for the fenders,which were also notched to fit over the wales.
 

 

 

 

 

 
Mark

Hi Again Folks .. Well I have the Bob Stay and the Bowsprit Shrouds done and in place,  they are only temp tightened at the moment .. final tightening will take place much later (along with all the rigging)
The shrouds are slightly thinner 'rope' than the Bob Stay 
I just need to Blacken the Shroud Hooks and cover them all (the Served Ropes) in watered down PVA Glue to keep fuzzies at bay 
 
All The Very Best And Thanks For Stopping By
 
Eamonn
 
 

Hi Frank ... Thanks for stopping by and for the nice comment, I've been busy over the past few days with small detail work (kinda difficult to photograph without bringing out the big guns, but time hasn't allowed for that so I'll stick with the fairly trusty Camera Phone  .. and to be honest it probably does just as good a job for this kinda work .. though I could have held it steadier .. Oh Well   )
 
The first photo is a close up of the 'Cranse Iron' on the tip of the Bowsprit.. I know the block should have an 'eye' in it but I'm happy enough with it. 
 
Photo Number 2 is of the Base of the Bowsprit where I secured it with a bar through the bits and the B'Sprit itself, I then fed a small 'Locking Pin'  through a hole previously drilled in the Bar (0.3 mm hole for the Pin and the Bar itself is 0.75mm .. that was fun  ) and fitted a line from the Pin to a small eye in the bitt. 
Photo 3 is of the Bob Stay which has just been Served with a Hook 'spliced' at the Bowsprit End and a Metal Eyelet 'spliced' into the other end .. I will be using a lanyard rove between this Eyelet and a Ring already in place on the Bow near the waterline .
 
I need hardly say that all of the above are not per Kit Instructions...     which calls for a much less satisfactory approach.
 
The Bowsprit Shrouds will be done in a similar manner to the Bob Stay .
 
Thanks For Stopping By Folks and Thank You for all the Comments & Likes .. Always Appreciated .
 
Eamonn 
 
Photo Time .. 
 
 

Hey There Dirk .. Thanks for stopping by and for the comment 
 
 I have another photo update. I know right, nothing for almost a year and now 2 in as many hours !!   
 
Well I had a kind of 'strike whilst the iron was hot' moment and decided to get on with the Elm Tree Pumps ... So this is what I did, I mean, they were just sitting there so they might as well be attached to the actual boat 
All deck fittings are glued in place and have a wire drilled into them and then into the deck for added security !
 
Almost time to decide on what to do about the Anchor .. some research will be needed cos the supplied one just looks too big for a small boat like Ballahoo (Ballahoo is approx 55 feet overall)  having been around similar length and indeed longer wooden fishing boats most of my life (I live only a  hundred meters from the Harbour) I have seen the anchors on them and they are much smaller, the anchors on the Sailing ships (many examples of which are dotted around town) which operated from this harbour in the past would have had anchors similar to that supplied with Ballahoo and they were circa 100 to 120 feet or more.. The Anchor size is why I'm confident Ballahoo would not have had a Windless.
 
Take It Easy Folks
 
Eamonn
 
Oh and thanks for all the Likes and Comments are always welcome too !
 
 

Hi Again Folks .. I managed to get some more work done on Ballier today and took some quick photos of the current state of affairs (Sorry in advance for the poor quality, it's kinda dull in Arklow (Home Town) at the moment and I'm sure you don't want to see the state of my Build Table so I covered it with an old sea chart.. kinda appropriate  )
Anyhoo .. The deck fittings are almost all in place now .. all that is left are the Elm Tree Pumps, which are already made up and await fitting ! The Bowsprit/Jib boom is only 'dry' fitted and the Rudder Tiller Arm just needs to be finished off with a 'strengthening'  band around the Rudder Head, and perhaps something around the end of the Tiller itself .
You may be able to see where I diverged from the Kit in the shape of the Jib Boom inboard end deck fitting (where it will be 'secured') I dispensed with the Kit supplied piece and made up a 'better' fitting as discussed and photographed earlier in this log on pg 37 post #730, (least I think it looks Better  ) one of the original plans of the Haddock (same class as Ballahoo) show it done this way, so I must be on the right track ..
 
OK Folks enough Prose .. on with the Photos .. 
 
All The Very Best
 
Eamonn
 
Oh And Thanks For Dropping By.
 
 

All Righty Then .. Got the Block And Tackle's for the guns attached, so am best pleased with the week-ends work .. 
All told the guns were easier than expected (fiddly but easier) Admittedly not quiet finished, but nearly there.. all that's left is to clean up, make some rope coils .. sure what could be easier  I hear you say .. Cough Cough   
 
OK OK Photo Time Again .. See how I spoil ye all !!
 
All The Very Best
 
 
Eamonn
 
 

OK Folks .. The Guns are in place,  the Breech Ropes are done and attached to the hull,  all that's left is to attach the Tackles and clean things up a bit ( You Know.. the usual scratches and scrapes (mostly on myself..    ) associated with using ever so gentle taps with Sledgehammers, Crowbars other nefarious items on model boats ... 'Huh !!'   says you  ..      ) 
 
Oh and just to really keep ye all interested there are even Photos .. Yup you read that correctly Actual Photographs   See how I spoil ye all !..
 
Anyhoo .. Here come the Photos ..
 
 All The Very Best Folks  Oh and Thanks For Stopping By .. !
 
Eamonn
 
 

After experimentation and actually using this technique on my Mordaunt build,I decided I would post a small tutorial of this system I developed due to the interest it caused.
Whilst I am not reinventing the wheel,this is a variation I adopted on the common method of using black paper.There are disadvantages with using black paper,firstly,that it reduces the glue penetration in a joint and secondly,it can appear too thick at the smaller scales.Some may say,the strength is not an issue for planking on a false deck,fair point,but I wanted a system that could be used for all joints where some caulking or similar would be used.This would include scarph joints in the keel where strength is important.
There are many similarities in techniques between using paper and tissue,but there are small differences caused by the delicate nature of the tissue.
This is a pic of the lower gun deck on Mordaunt using this technique.The timber is Pear and the planks are 6mm wide max(the planking is tapered)

To demonstrate the technique,I will be planking a small deck section that goes under the main deck hatches on Norske Love.This piece doubles up as part of the structure and is made from 6mm birch ply.No camber is incorporated as this will be unnoticeable as the only real view is through a companionway.It does have some shear and this is conveniently catered for by the bow the ply has attained,being stood in the corner of the workshop for several months.
The planks are cut from 3mm boxwood sheet.Cutting from the edge of the sheet,using the thickness as the plank width,helps maintain consistency.I cut the planks @1.5mm thick.To me this is less important as the deck will be scraped/sanded smooth.All gluing is done using Deluxe Materials Aliphatic Resin.The black tissue paper is acid free and bleed resistant.I obtained mine from WHSmith in the UK and can be found in the present wrapping section.

A section of tissue was placed on a small piece of clean glass.Glue was added to one side and one end of the plank.The plank is placed edge down on the tissue,ensuring the tissue develops no creases and the plank is firmly down on the glass.I then slice the tissue with a new scalpel blade to form a 'finger' that can be curled up on the plank end.The process is repeated until you have a good quantity of planks 'edged'.
]
When the glue goes clear,but not fully set,slice through the paper between the planks.The individual planks will simply break off the glass with a little twisting pressure.The tissue should remain intact on the plank.Whilst the glue is still in the 'green' stage (a bit like cheese as it hasn't fully hardened),carefully trim the tissue flush with the plank faces.Keep the scalpel blade cutting toward the plank,not away as this can drag pieces of tissue off the edge.You can wait until the glue has hardened overnight,but I found this much harder and more time consuming.

Lay the planks in a conventional manner,ensuring to keep the tissue covered faces going the same way.I brush over the surface with a small wetted paintbrush.This consolidated any glue that has oozed out and is added insurance against the tissue dragging with the sanding and scraping.

 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

I have to admit my patience has been stretched several times working on the prow deck.I have had numerous pieces filed in the 'recycling section' and have had to remake them.I feel I am on the home straight now,but I can't believe how long it is taking.I include some pics of as it is today.The gratings are caldercraft 1mm ones as small children could fall through the ones supplied.
Kind Regards Nigel

What I did glean from Alex was that,other than the fact he uses a waterbased stain to make the shades of pear much more uniform(the orange hue on Cumberland)prior to applying anything else,he applies beeswax first before using the Bitumen solution.Applying the solution without reducing the absorbency of the Pear can result in a very patchy finish.This is similar to what you are doing Chris by applying two coats of Tung oil before adding the bitumen.I wish you all the best at getting this process 'nailed' Chris,the effect is well worth it
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel
 
P.S.Mitchel,the only photos I have seen are of the Russian 'road trip' ,lots of pictures of sights,not so many of the models.

That looks great Chris Alex has a post on there describing the technique he uses but the translator makes it almost comical to read As well as 'ageing' it does seem to bring detail out,similarly to a wash in plastic model building.I assume you are referring to Mr Shevelev,the ageing on his 74 looks the business.Incidentally his 74 took a silver at Haydock Park IMBS in the UK this summer(second only to another Russian entry)
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

I shall ask the million dollar question Chris Once you have this technique sussed,do you not fancy using it on your Confederacy?In theory as your model is finished in Tung oil already,it would be an ideal candidate.
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

What I did glean from Alex was that,other than the fact he uses a waterbased stain to make the shades of pear much more uniform(the orange hue on Cumberland)prior to applying anything else,he applies beeswax first before using the Bitumen solution.Applying the solution without reducing the absorbency of the Pear can result in a very patchy finish.This is similar to what you are doing Chris by applying two coats of Tung oil before adding the bitumen.I wish you all the best at getting this process 'nailed' Chris,the effect is well worth it
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel
 
P.S.Mitchel,the only photos I have seen are of the Russian 'road trip' ,lots of pictures of sights,not so many of the models.

That looks great Chris Alex has a post on there describing the technique he uses but the translator makes it almost comical to read As well as 'ageing' it does seem to bring detail out,similarly to a wash in plastic model building.I assume you are referring to Mr Shevelev,the ageing on his 74 looks the business.Incidentally his 74 took a silver at Haydock Park IMBS in the UK this summer(second only to another Russian entry)
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

Having read through your log Bob,I must say seriously impressive work!!No way anyone would think this was your first build without you having stated it.
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

Hi Vince
The bulkheads in my Mordaunt have no labelling on them.However I am fitting the lower gun deck out and have to cut the bulkheads to suit.They are not cutout at the factory like your William.The information is on the plans so will involve gluing a copy to each bulkhead and then some work on the scroll saw.How thick is your false keel?I only ask because the one on K Julier's build looked like it was about 10mm
 
Kind Regards Nigel

After experimentation and actually using this technique on my Mordaunt build,I decided I would post a small tutorial of this system I developed due to the interest it caused.
Whilst I am not reinventing the wheel,this is a variation I adopted on the common method of using black paper.There are disadvantages with using black paper,firstly,that it reduces the glue penetration in a joint and secondly,it can appear too thick at the smaller scales.Some may say,the strength is not an issue for planking on a false deck,fair point,but I wanted a system that could be used for all joints where some caulking or similar would be used.This would include scarph joints in the keel where strength is important.
There are many similarities in techniques between using paper and tissue,but there are small differences caused by the delicate nature of the tissue.
This is a pic of the lower gun deck on Mordaunt using this technique.The timber is Pear and the planks are 6mm wide max(the planking is tapered)

To demonstrate the technique,I will be planking a small deck section that goes under the main deck hatches on Norske Love.This piece doubles up as part of the structure and is made from 6mm birch ply.No camber is incorporated as this will be unnoticeable as the only real view is through a companionway.It does have some shear and this is conveniently catered for by the bow the ply has attained,being stood in the corner of the workshop for several months.
The planks are cut from 3mm boxwood sheet.Cutting from the edge of the sheet,using the thickness as the plank width,helps maintain consistency.I cut the planks @1.5mm thick.To me this is less important as the deck will be scraped/sanded smooth.All gluing is done using Deluxe Materials Aliphatic Resin.The black tissue paper is acid free and bleed resistant.I obtained mine from WHSmith in the UK and can be found in the present wrapping section.

A section of tissue was placed on a small piece of clean glass.Glue was added to one side and one end of the plank.The plank is placed edge down on the tissue,ensuring the tissue develops no creases and the plank is firmly down on the glass.I then slice the tissue with a new scalpel blade to form a 'finger' that can be curled up on the plank end.The process is repeated until you have a good quantity of planks 'edged'.
]
When the glue goes clear,but not fully set,slice through the paper between the planks.The individual planks will simply break off the glass with a little twisting pressure.The tissue should remain intact on the plank.Whilst the glue is still in the 'green' stage (a bit like cheese as it hasn't fully hardened),carefully trim the tissue flush with the plank faces.Keep the scalpel blade cutting toward the plank,not away as this can drag pieces of tissue off the edge.You can wait until the glue has hardened overnight,but I found this much harder and more time consuming.

Lay the planks in a conventional manner,ensuring to keep the tissue covered faces going the same way.I brush over the surface with a small wetted paintbrush.This consolidated any glue that has oozed out and is added insurance against the tissue dragging with the sanding and scraping.

 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

I used to go out of my way to get them ,now I'll pick up a copy if its under my nose.
I have to agree with you Chris,Keith Julier is instrumental to introducing so many of us to the 'black' art of building period ship models in the days before the internet.Euromodels Royal William,beautiful model,unfortunately if you are in the UK you have to get it direct from Italy.Kicking myself now because I passed up on the last one Westbourne Model Centre had.
Kind Regards Nigel