NMBROOK

It seems that once I start on the rigging, it's very difficult for me to stop. Two almost full days of work have resulted in completing the lower backstays and the forestay. The work was relatively straightforward. The lines were served at their upper ends. The large 5 hole deadeye for the forestay had been supplied by Chuck with the set of plans. I made the fiddle blocks using 1/4" and 3/16" blocks attached to one another. Attachments to the chainplates were done with Chuck's 4mm hooks. BTW, while I was doing the backstays, I made the entry rope stanchions from wire and added them in holes drilled in the rail.
 
Before adding the topmast, I'm going to bite the bullet and do the ratlines next.
 
Bob
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Rigging continues with the addition of the pendants and their tackle, and the shrouds.
 
The pendants were done as a single rope put over the masthead with a simulated eye splice. The line was served for it's full length. The tackles were rigged as shown on Chuck's plan. The tackles were tied off temporarily until after the shrouds were in place.
 
The shrouds were made up in pairs and placed over the pendants. They were all served on their upper portions. I did not serve the full length of the foremost shroud because that was a done to prevent chafing by a lower square sail, and it does not appear that these cutters carried such a sail. After the shrouds were in place and the laniards tied off, I added the sheer poles.
 
The last task was to finally adjust and tie off the pendant tackles and add rope coils.
 
Next up will be the lower backstays and the forestay.
 
Bob

I have heard Amati rigging line is probably the best off the shelf non rope product
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

Excellent work Nigel
 
Kind Regards
 
The other Nigel

Hi All,
 
A small update as I've finished the first part of the stern framing.
 
First step as usual was the clean off the laser char and here I went very light given the stern timbers have complex curves I didn't want to alter by mistake. The stern timbers were then glued in place, making sure they were firmly seated against bulkhead 8 and that their angles matched the template.  I copied the paper templates onto clear transparency film so I could see the timbers completely and so line them up easily. I did double check there was no scale offset when I copied them as Chuck warns in his instructions. The film is also much stronger than paper so I could use clips to hold the template against the frames without risk of tearing.
 
The upper side pieces were then chamfered so they fit snugly against the stern timbers and, together with the hull frames, were glued in place following the laser etched reference lines. I used my steel rule to make sure the upper pieces were not tilted in or outboard, again as warned in the instructions as these pieces form the bottom sills for the aft cannon ports. Once the glue set, my final check was to overlay the window template to double check the spacings.  Seems to be OK, but please sing out if you see anything amiss so I can correct it! 
 
Next up is some careful fairing of the upper pieces and then adding the sills and lintels to complete the window framing.
 
Thanks for reading and again for all the kind comments and "likes".  
 
Cheers,
 
Nigel.
 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

Hi All,
 
Welcome Kevin and I really think you'll be very happy with this kit...she's a beauty! My thanks to all as well for the kind comments and the likes!
 
One of the really nice design features of this kit is that it can be built showing some exposed hull framing. First step is to build a shadow box from the laser cut pieces. Two of these have very fine spacers to set the framing separation.  A heads up to anyone with this kit is many of the spacers were not cut all the way through especially at the corners in my kit. It took quite some time to safely release them using my finest Xacto knife as the spacers are quite fragile. After sanding and gluing in place, the shadow box was  painted matt black.
 
The double frames were glued up making sure the tops matched up and then all the frames were glued into place. I used wood glue as this gave me time to try make sure the spaces were even and the frames vertical using my small square to guide my eye. Fairing to the bulkheads was done using my sanding sticks and 220 grit paper. I thought about staining the frames to match the keel, but there was quite a lot of grain visible so I decided against it. I am really glad I left well alone as the frames still took on a really nice, deeper color after a protective coat of poly. Seems when I select planks for hull and deck planking, I will need to really watch how the grain is running and perhaps pre-stain or add a light coat of poly to help match the finish.
 
One last thing is I decided to copy Ed Tosti's board design (link below to his fabulous Young America log)  and added T track's to my board. I can now hold the hull firmly using the simple clamps you can see in some pictures and they also let me square the hull to the board which should be helpful given next up is Chapter 3 and the stern framing!
 
Thanks for reading!
 
Cheers,
 
Nigel.
 
Link to Ed Tosti's Young America log.
 
http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/3453-young-america-by-edt-extreme-clipper-1853/page-1
 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi All.
 
Well, the bulk of the fairing work has been completed.  Safety timbers were added to brace the bulkhead extensions as recommended in the instructions. I also added some lengthwise bracing to add more strength as one bulkhead extension was especially weak due to a knot.  These lengthwise timbers also raised the hull and protected the delicate stem assembly while the hull was inverted.
 
Fairing was mostly done using 220 grit paper and sanding sticks that would always bridge across three bulkheads. The 220 grit made the fairing slow going, but I hoped it would stop me removing too much wood. A shorter, thinner stick was used at the bow given the very sharp curves and to avoid sanding the stem.  Battens were used to check the hull during fairing, especially at the bow and stern. At the bow especially, a lot of wood needed to be removed given the filler pieces and sharp curves so here I also checked the distances to the bulkhead former to makes sure things were staying symmetrical.
 
There is still some  tune up work to be done, but I need to complete the shadow box and cut away section with the false hull frames in place before tackling that. Hopefully the fairing is good as this will make planking go much easier down the line!
 
Images below and as always thanks for all the kind comments and the likes.
 
Cheers,
 
Nigel.
 

 

 

 

 

 

Fantastic Marsalv! Do you plan on leaving some of the deck planking off so this is visible when the model is complete?
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

Fantastic Marsalv! Do you plan on leaving some of the deck planking off so this is visible when the model is complete?
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

After shaping the bottom figure,I decided to relieve the back of the carving.This lended to a more 3d appearance allowing me to open up the area between the legs.
 
Since taking these pics,the carving has been separated from the stock and has had a thin coat of yellow ochre acrylic.The reasoning behind this is that the wood I use for carving is far too yellow for this model.The carving would not blend with other boxwood the hull is planked with. I hope that after applying a coat of poly it will blend better.If not,it is small enough to strip and try again to find a suitable method.If I get this right,it means I can use the cast wreaths around the gunports.These are good quality from a detail point of view and a better alternative to carving 22 identical ones!!
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

Thank you very much Don and Jason
 
The reason I chose epoxy in this instance Jason is two fold.Firstly,I couldn't guarantee a perfect fit to the inside of the planking.The epoxy fills gaps whereas pva does not.Secondly,epoxy sticks to ebony better than pva and I needed this joint to be as strong as possible.
 
Ok,I have now started work on the decorative figures that run between the windows.These are to be carved out of boxwood(yes I know,I can see where this is heading   )I could cast them,but they are all different due to the angles involved.I am trying to mirror what is illustrated on the kit castings.
This is the start of the first piece.It comprises of two figures on top of one another.I have started with the top one as I want the feet to fall on the rail below the windows.This is very much in the roughing stage.Weight loss,breast reduction,then detailing are on the menu
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

Hi Nick
 
Two sales fallen through,so house is going to auction 1st October.We desperately need to move so we just want an end to it all
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

Fabulous work Mark and some ingenious solutions That gold paint also looks really good as well and sets everything off nicely.
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

Fabulous work Mark and some ingenious solutions That gold paint also looks really good as well and sets everything off nicely.
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

A little more progress - all decks now finished & gratings in place. I ended up cutting the openings for the gratings larger to match the plans. After laying out all the side ornamentation castings I marked out & cut the bulwarks down to very close to their final shape. Difficult to see but I added some narrow strips to the edges of all the decks to cover the plywood & ends of the deck planks.
 

 

 

 
Mark

Update - I thought I would work on the bow bulkhead next. First I cut a piece of leftover false deck plywood to match the previously built forward most bulkhead. After painting the metal decoration I glued it to the top of the false bulkhead. I made the roundhouses by cutting a 12mm dowel in half. Then I laid out the strips for the double doors & gun port lids. After painting it black I added the trim using some 1mm strips painted gold. The "portholes" are brass eyelets from the fabric shop. Finally the stanchions across the top were made using very small belaying pins filed flat on one side & cut the bottom of the pins off & painted gold. the gold paint I am using is a vallejo color called polished gold - very nice paint.
 

 

 

 

 
 
Mark
 
 

I have to chime in and agree with Mark on this one E J.My research on Sovereign revealed cannons facing towards the maindeck.Main aim to mutilate any boarding party that dare attempt it.Yes it would work,but half the masting and rigging would be destroyed in the process Mary rose had similar cannons None of it makes sense now,just the way they built ships back then
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

I have been working on a small project that required some small silver nails, these nails are 1/4 inch long and .035" at the largest diameter.
 
step 1 was to cut a wedge of silver from some annealed sheet silver, and using a tiny watchmakers hammer forge it roughtly into a rounded shape
 

 
step 2 was to clean up the long blank with a fine file
 

 
Step 3 using the same small watchmakers hammer to upset the head
 

 
step 4 back to the steel plate to tap the head into a round shape
 

 
step 5 with the rough nail in a pin vice a second peening to dome the head.
 

 
step 6 the top was polished with a leather polishing stick (Basically a strip of wood with some leather off cut stuck to it with double sided carpet tape)
 

 
The finished nails I actually had to make 2 of them.
 

 

 
Michael

Thanks to all for very nice comments.
To toms10: The lettering is made with scroll saw. The same procedure is used for ornaments (with some hand carvings).
To EdT: I am very happy that you like my work because YOU are the true master on this forum .
I started with preparation of aft cabin bulkheads.

One will go a long way Dar,when you eventually finish the bottle,I would rather get a 'fresh' one nearer the time
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

Fabulous work Tadeus I love the precision and consistency of the nailing.Incidentally,I do follow the builds on the Koga forum,there are many very talented builders on there.
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

One will go a long way Dar,when you eventually finish the bottle,I would rather get a 'fresh' one nearer the time
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

Hi Dar
 
Jaager has pretty well covered all bases.Your best bet is to order some Titebond from Cornwall model boats.Pretty much everyone on here,myself included uses CMB for bits and bobs materials kits etc.It is worth the expense.Normal evostik type PVA from B&Q isn't quite the same.Building PVA stays rubbery when fully set,not ideal on models.Here's a link for the wood glue,Titebond is near the bottom
http://www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk/acatalog/wood_glues.html
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

Hi guys
 
Thanks for the feedback!
I completely agree as long as it at least looks like the same species of wood!    My lighting setup in my garage ( two fluorescent bulbs) doesnt help show what  I mean on the photos. I probably should take some pictures with natural light but UK weather is not the best at the moment!!
sure does...  
it already is Nigel!
 
Cheers 
 
Nick

Great to see an update Nick It may feel like three steps forward and two back,but it will be worth it in the long run
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel