KeithAug

Yes I was wondering if it required 4 per crank handle - 2 in front and 2 behind.

Just catching up Richard. The woodwork continues to look impressive and the metalwork is excellent.

Very interesting Eberhard, I particularly liked the simplicity of the human powered rotation and elevation gear below deck. Do you know how many crew were needed to man the gun?

Eberhard - it was etched - from my bits bin. I will have to make a couple of hand wheels in the near future for the anchor capstan brake as I don't have anything the right size / shape.

I enjoyed catching up on all the fit out details Geert. It is a pity this build is nearing its end.

Thank you Richard The weekend was quite productive and I seemed to make reasonable progress that I will cover in a couple of posts. It started with a bit of a Arggggh!!!! moment while looking at the next photo. This position is looking forward towards the bow and I had completely missed the 2 valves indicated. So the weekend stated with a valve making diversion. That done I mounted the 3 shock absorbers for the main and foremast booms. The one on the stern rail was most tricky with the danger that i would drill through to the underside of the stern. I used card and a wooden template to get the position correct and drilled carefully. All went well. The other 2 were more straightforward. I also made good progress on the foremost deck house. I will post the details over then next couple of days.

Very nice work on the blocks, particularly as they are freehand. Work can be a bind but retirement comes around eventually.

Eberhard - you may be right and as I was going to build based on this interpretation I should be ok. Druxey/John - thank you

Incredible work on the chain guard Gary. It is impossible to tell it isn't real.

Yet another one that turned out really well Javier

She is coming along rather quickly Paul. Your shed is clearly warmer than mine.

Thank you Shipman, Druxey, Keith, John, Richard and Pat for your much appreciated comments, and thank you to everyone who has visited and or liked my log. Shed work has been severely disrupted recently by a influx of house guests, fortunately they have now gone and I can get back to work. I did manage to do a bit of investigation during their stay and also a minuscule amount of manufacturing. So here are the results:- I did a bit of a review of the bowsprit detail as shown on various photographs. I still needed to make the mast band as per the next photo:- This band anchors the turnbuckle which tensions the forestay:- The anchoring lug leans forward. The turnbuckle detail can be seen in the next photo:- The stay runs out along the bowsprit and a number of features seem to be interposed between the stay and bowsprit:- It took some time to understand what these were but eventually I dug up the following photo:- I think what I am looking at is odd bits of strapping/sailcloth wedged in place to prevent damage to the bowsprit. If anyone has a better interpretation please let me know. The forestay itself is also a bit of an enigma. In the following photo you can see the stay rounding a sheave before heading skyward:- In another (I think more recent) photo the forestay seems to be looped around the cranse iron and presumably the turnbuckle has become redundant????? Anyway I think I am going with the earlier arrangement. As for the bowsprit hoop it was tuned from 1/2" rod and then drilled with 3 holes before being cut in half and parted it off. I decided that the lower half of the ring could be omitted (as it can not be seen). This makes assembly simpler. The forward leaning anchoring lug (mentioned earlier) was turned as a mushroom before being shaved flat on the mill. The off centre hole for attaching the turnbuckle was then drilled. The lug was then freehand filed to shape and a stem turned for mounting through the bowsprit hoop. Hopeful this weekend will be more productive but I must take some time to catch up with all your builds.

Having made the bowsprit it was time to sort out the bow rails, in particular the the infill between the rail and the bowsprit. From the photo it can be seen that the rails are cut off square at the bow end and that the space between the rail and the bowsprit is filled by an insert. This insert masks the lower half of the bowsprit hoop and the previously made staysail bracket. I started by shaping and inserting a strengthening piece immediately below the level of the rail. The middle section of this needs to be removed so I partly cut it through with a razor saw to make the later removal easier. I made a former to ease the creation of the rail infills. The previously installed capping rails were cut back and the infills were then glued on to the strengthening piece / rails and the middle of the strengthening piece was removed. I then test fitted the bowsprit. Then took a couple of general shots:-

Greg - sometimes I am an idiot.

Druxey - 50rpm - no splash - but brush not heavily loaded.

Having made the cranse iron the next logical step was to make the bowsprit. The bowsprit is some 14 inches long with the first third parallel at .450" diameter. The second 2/3 tapers gradually down to a diameter of .320". I had a piece of .5" diameter sapele left over from my previous build and I turned this on the lathe as a series of cylinders of reducing diameters (see top right hand corner of sketch below). With a slender turning of this type it is often necessary to use a fixed steady (a moving steady can't be used when taper turning). Anyway I decided to improvise by using my cupped hand as a steady and this worked remarkably well but but the friction made my hand quite hot - in reality too hot. Having turned the series of parallel diameters I smoothes out the steps with sandpaper to get a smooth taper. The large end was then bored to take the shaft on the foot and the narrow end was turned to match the bore of the cranse. I painted the bowsprit with poly while rotating it at low speed on the lathe.

Lovely paint job Javier. Very nice detail for something so small.

Nice to see more progress Pawel.

Eberhard - very fine work as usual. I will be interested in your perspex polishing technique when the time comes.

Thank you Richard. I had a good look round the internet but they don't seem to be available over this side of the pond - pity really.

Richard, nice diamond file set. Where did you get them please?

You are a glutton for punishment Phil. So many small and detailed guns, I admire your dedication.

Superb work on the mouldings Richard. Have you considered scratch building?

Yes Steve that's how I work. "Only a few to do so I will short cut it". When I am done I usually look back and think it would have been simpler and quicker to do it by the approved method. I actually break more micro dills by dropping them a few inches on to the milling table than by drilling with them - I am an expert at it. I now buy every size in multiples of 10 - one of each size just doesn't cut it.

The feeling is mutual Michael. I must have an open day. Eberhard - I do have a rotary table which can be mounted vertically but it is a bit of a bind to set up and my mill table isn't quite big enough to have the mill vice and rotary table usable at the same time. I think I may have to fashion something simpler as you have done.