Cathead

An observation, then a question:
 
 
In planning to wrap my oars, I developed a concern. As shown in the plans, I thought the wrapping would be too far down the oar; it did not not look proportioned. Recalling that Milton Roth's "Ship Modelling from Stem to Stern" had a diagram on oar proportions, I went to page 145 and found that, sure enough, the wrapping location here was noticeably further from the blade. 
 
In the image below, the "true" oar is wrapped at the Roth location. The yellowish scrap is wrapped at the plan's location. Note that if wrapped to the plan, the oars will set between the pins so far in as to catch against the mast, whereas Roth's location allows for free movement.
 

 
So I wrapped all my oars at this location instead, and am happy with the result.
 
On to the question. I have decided to display the model with yards lowered and sails furled, partly to save work & time, partly because it is a different look than I have seen elsewhere, and partly because I just do not find the full sails attractive. So I am experimenting with furling while Mrs Cathead does the basic sail sewing (bless her!).
 
I have been surprised to find little information on proper furling, especially for simple sails like these rather than full ship-rigged square sails. Below is a test run with scrap fabric and dowels. I am curious of folks' opinion as to whether something like this approximates the right look. Two notes: this scrap is not tied onto the dowel, so the head wraps over the upper edge of the yard more than it would in the final product, and I did this quickly so that the folds in the furl are larger than I would work carefully to achieve in the real thing. Oh, and as there are no lines attached to the clew and tack, those also look slightly different.
 

 
All diagrams of furling I have seen apply to large sails with lines running up to blocks along the mast, etc, producing a different and more complicated pattern. It seems to me, after reading the research done by Matt and Steve, that this very simply rigged boat would simply have had its sails folded up under the lowered yard and lashed onto the yard. 
 
What think you all?

Work was interrupted by a visit to the in-laws last weekend, but I am moving forward. I have a deadline; I would very much like to complete this model by the end of February, as we will be travelling for most of the month of March and I would hate to leave this log, and project, hanging unfinished.
 
Unfortunately, following the work CaptainSteve and Matt has influenced me to do more than I initially intended, so we will see. I have gone from not even intending to include masts, to now wanting sails and wrapped oars. This is not good for my agenda.
 
Here is where the launch stands today.
 

 
Oars are carved with first staining. I think I will do one more coat, then wrap them. These took less time than I expected, perhaps two hours for all of them. Masts are carved and stained, with brackets attached. They are not glued in, though.
 
The metal work I was so agitated over is done, to my acceptance if not my satisfaction.

I found that the small drill bits I purchased for this project from ModelExpo do not drill through brass, even chucked into my cordless drill. This threw me for a loop as I could not pin/nail anything in place. So for the mast partners, I shaped the brass strip, then nipped off the heads of four nails (viva la France!) and glued them in place to simulate the effect. I then painted the partners with black model paint and weathered them with brown pastels. I glued them in place, and they look well enough to me.
 
As for the pintles/gudgeons, I went to a hardware store and bought compatible lengths of brass tubing and rod, then used these to make the basic structure by wrapping brass sheet carefully around the tubing using pliers. It is not perfect, but it represents the form well enough for me. They ended up slightly oversized from the plans, but I can live with that. I painted them as I did the mast partners.
 
Again because of the drill problem, I glued these onto the model. This meant I needed a good flat surface to clamp onto, so I did not add the nail heads as I did the mast partners. Now that they are solidly attached, I will scrape some paint off to provide a good gluing surface for nail heads, then carefully repaint the final result and weather with pastels. Again, good enough for me if not for a real craftsman. I do not like metal and am glad to be past this part.
 
Okay, not quite. The tiller is shaped and stained, and I will soon be attaching it with brass strip handled as for the mast partners.
 
Next up: 
- Staining and wrapping oars
- Shaping & staining spars
- Cutting & finishing sails. I am leaning toward displaying spars lowered, with furled sails, as I do not find the shape of the raised sails very attractive. This lets me show detail and full rigging without full sails.
 
I have no idea if I can complete all this in the next two weeks, but deadlines can be marvelous things for focusing one's attention.

An observation, then a question:
 
 
In planning to wrap my oars, I developed a concern. As shown in the plans, I thought the wrapping would be too far down the oar; it did not not look proportioned. Recalling that Milton Roth's "Ship Modelling from Stem to Stern" had a diagram on oar proportions, I went to page 145 and found that, sure enough, the wrapping location here was noticeably further from the blade. 
 
In the image below, the "true" oar is wrapped at the Roth location. The yellowish scrap is wrapped at the plan's location. Note that if wrapped to the plan, the oars will set between the pins so far in as to catch against the mast, whereas Roth's location allows for free movement.
 

 
So I wrapped all my oars at this location instead, and am happy with the result.
 
On to the question. I have decided to display the model with yards lowered and sails furled, partly to save work & time, partly because it is a different look than I have seen elsewhere, and partly because I just do not find the full sails attractive. So I am experimenting with furling while Mrs Cathead does the basic sail sewing (bless her!).
 
I have been surprised to find little information on proper furling, especially for simple sails like these rather than full ship-rigged square sails. Below is a test run with scrap fabric and dowels. I am curious of folks' opinion as to whether something like this approximates the right look. Two notes: this scrap is not tied onto the dowel, so the head wraps over the upper edge of the yard more than it would in the final product, and I did this quickly so that the folds in the furl are larger than I would work carefully to achieve in the real thing. Oh, and as there are no lines attached to the clew and tack, those also look slightly different.
 

 
All diagrams of furling I have seen apply to large sails with lines running up to blocks along the mast, etc, producing a different and more complicated pattern. It seems to me, after reading the research done by Matt and Steve, that this very simply rigged boat would simply have had its sails folded up under the lowered yard and lashed onto the yard. 
 
What think you all?

Work was interrupted by a visit to the in-laws last weekend, but I am moving forward. I have a deadline; I would very much like to complete this model by the end of February, as we will be travelling for most of the month of March and I would hate to leave this log, and project, hanging unfinished.
 
Unfortunately, following the work CaptainSteve and Matt has influenced me to do more than I initially intended, so we will see. I have gone from not even intending to include masts, to now wanting sails and wrapped oars. This is not good for my agenda.
 
Here is where the launch stands today.
 

 
Oars are carved with first staining. I think I will do one more coat, then wrap them. These took less time than I expected, perhaps two hours for all of them. Masts are carved and stained, with brackets attached. They are not glued in, though.
 
The metal work I was so agitated over is done, to my acceptance if not my satisfaction.

I found that the small drill bits I purchased for this project from ModelExpo do not drill through brass, even chucked into my cordless drill. This threw me for a loop as I could not pin/nail anything in place. So for the mast partners, I shaped the brass strip, then nipped off the heads of four nails (viva la France!) and glued them in place to simulate the effect. I then painted the partners with black model paint and weathered them with brown pastels. I glued them in place, and they look well enough to me.
 
As for the pintles/gudgeons, I went to a hardware store and bought compatible lengths of brass tubing and rod, then used these to make the basic structure by wrapping brass sheet carefully around the tubing using pliers. It is not perfect, but it represents the form well enough for me. They ended up slightly oversized from the plans, but I can live with that. I painted them as I did the mast partners.
 
Again because of the drill problem, I glued these onto the model. This meant I needed a good flat surface to clamp onto, so I did not add the nail heads as I did the mast partners. Now that they are solidly attached, I will scrape some paint off to provide a good gluing surface for nail heads, then carefully repaint the final result and weather with pastels. Again, good enough for me if not for a real craftsman. I do not like metal and am glad to be past this part.
 
Okay, not quite. The tiller is shaped and stained, and I will soon be attaching it with brass strip handled as for the mast partners.
 
Next up: 
- Staining and wrapping oars
- Shaping & staining spars
- Cutting & finishing sails. I am leaning toward displaying spars lowered, with furled sails, as I do not find the shape of the raised sails very attractive. This lets me show detail and full rigging without full sails.
 
I have no idea if I can complete all this in the next two weeks, but deadlines can be marvelous things for focusing one's attention.

An observation, then a question:
 
 
In planning to wrap my oars, I developed a concern. As shown in the plans, I thought the wrapping would be too far down the oar; it did not not look proportioned. Recalling that Milton Roth's "Ship Modelling from Stem to Stern" had a diagram on oar proportions, I went to page 145 and found that, sure enough, the wrapping location here was noticeably further from the blade. 
 
In the image below, the "true" oar is wrapped at the Roth location. The yellowish scrap is wrapped at the plan's location. Note that if wrapped to the plan, the oars will set between the pins so far in as to catch against the mast, whereas Roth's location allows for free movement.
 

 
So I wrapped all my oars at this location instead, and am happy with the result.
 
On to the question. I have decided to display the model with yards lowered and sails furled, partly to save work & time, partly because it is a different look than I have seen elsewhere, and partly because I just do not find the full sails attractive. So I am experimenting with furling while Mrs Cathead does the basic sail sewing (bless her!).
 
I have been surprised to find little information on proper furling, especially for simple sails like these rather than full ship-rigged square sails. Below is a test run with scrap fabric and dowels. I am curious of folks' opinion as to whether something like this approximates the right look. Two notes: this scrap is not tied onto the dowel, so the head wraps over the upper edge of the yard more than it would in the final product, and I did this quickly so that the folds in the furl are larger than I would work carefully to achieve in the real thing. Oh, and as there are no lines attached to the clew and tack, those also look slightly different.
 

 
All diagrams of furling I have seen apply to large sails with lines running up to blocks along the mast, etc, producing a different and more complicated pattern. It seems to me, after reading the research done by Matt and Steve, that this very simply rigged boat would simply have had its sails folded up under the lowered yard and lashed onto the yard. 
 
What think you all?

An observation, then a question:
 
 
In planning to wrap my oars, I developed a concern. As shown in the plans, I thought the wrapping would be too far down the oar; it did not not look proportioned. Recalling that Milton Roth's "Ship Modelling from Stem to Stern" had a diagram on oar proportions, I went to page 145 and found that, sure enough, the wrapping location here was noticeably further from the blade. 
 
In the image below, the "true" oar is wrapped at the Roth location. The yellowish scrap is wrapped at the plan's location. Note that if wrapped to the plan, the oars will set between the pins so far in as to catch against the mast, whereas Roth's location allows for free movement.
 

 
So I wrapped all my oars at this location instead, and am happy with the result.
 
On to the question. I have decided to display the model with yards lowered and sails furled, partly to save work & time, partly because it is a different look than I have seen elsewhere, and partly because I just do not find the full sails attractive. So I am experimenting with furling while Mrs Cathead does the basic sail sewing (bless her!).
 
I have been surprised to find little information on proper furling, especially for simple sails like these rather than full ship-rigged square sails. Below is a test run with scrap fabric and dowels. I am curious of folks' opinion as to whether something like this approximates the right look. Two notes: this scrap is not tied onto the dowel, so the head wraps over the upper edge of the yard more than it would in the final product, and I did this quickly so that the folds in the furl are larger than I would work carefully to achieve in the real thing. Oh, and as there are no lines attached to the clew and tack, those also look slightly different.
 

 
All diagrams of furling I have seen apply to large sails with lines running up to blocks along the mast, etc, producing a different and more complicated pattern. It seems to me, after reading the research done by Matt and Steve, that this very simply rigged boat would simply have had its sails folded up under the lowered yard and lashed onto the yard. 
 
What think you all?

An observation, then a question:
 
 
In planning to wrap my oars, I developed a concern. As shown in the plans, I thought the wrapping would be too far down the oar; it did not not look proportioned. Recalling that Milton Roth's "Ship Modelling from Stem to Stern" had a diagram on oar proportions, I went to page 145 and found that, sure enough, the wrapping location here was noticeably further from the blade. 
 
In the image below, the "true" oar is wrapped at the Roth location. The yellowish scrap is wrapped at the plan's location. Note that if wrapped to the plan, the oars will set between the pins so far in as to catch against the mast, whereas Roth's location allows for free movement.
 

 
So I wrapped all my oars at this location instead, and am happy with the result.
 
On to the question. I have decided to display the model with yards lowered and sails furled, partly to save work & time, partly because it is a different look than I have seen elsewhere, and partly because I just do not find the full sails attractive. So I am experimenting with furling while Mrs Cathead does the basic sail sewing (bless her!).
 
I have been surprised to find little information on proper furling, especially for simple sails like these rather than full ship-rigged square sails. Below is a test run with scrap fabric and dowels. I am curious of folks' opinion as to whether something like this approximates the right look. Two notes: this scrap is not tied onto the dowel, so the head wraps over the upper edge of the yard more than it would in the final product, and I did this quickly so that the folds in the furl are larger than I would work carefully to achieve in the real thing. Oh, and as there are no lines attached to the clew and tack, those also look slightly different.
 

 
All diagrams of furling I have seen apply to large sails with lines running up to blocks along the mast, etc, producing a different and more complicated pattern. It seems to me, after reading the research done by Matt and Steve, that this very simply rigged boat would simply have had its sails folded up under the lowered yard and lashed onto the yard. 
 
What think you all?

Thanks, lads. I was attempting to further answer last night, but we lost power due to the gale force winds. Sounded like I had a freight train outside my window. The interweb connection crashed.
 
Anyway, the initial frames soaked in hot water, just under a full boil, for 15-20 min. Guess I'll add a wee bit more soak time. Looks like I need to do 4 frames over. I did flex the frames to see which was the best flex direction, but admit I was rushing things. Must remember "Patience, grasshopper".

My experience was that after 5 minutes on boiling water, the frames bent easily in combination with my bending iron. I tried a few without the iron, and it still worked. Steve is right about the grain, the few I cracked were mostly because of that. I still have a full length of cherry leftover.
 
As for the twisting needed toward the bow, I did some of that free-hand with the pieces before I even put them on the mold. Just put a good, solid twist in them between your hands (in the right direction!), because it will slowly try to straighten later on. Overdoing it slightly meant that it twisted back INTO the right bend once clamped and drying. 
 
And to confirm, I re-soaked a few with no problem.
 
Agreed that the bending process is rather mesmerizing.

My experience was that after 5 minutes on boiling water, the frames bent easily in combination with my bending iron. I tried a few without the iron, and it still worked. Steve is right about the grain, the few I cracked were mostly because of that. I still have a full length of cherry leftover.
 
As for the twisting needed toward the bow, I did some of that free-hand with the pieces before I even put them on the mold. Just put a good, solid twist in them between your hands (in the right direction!), because it will slowly try to straighten later on. Overdoing it slightly meant that it twisted back INTO the right bend once clamped and drying. 
 
And to confirm, I re-soaked a few with no problem.
 
Agreed that the bending process is rather mesmerizing.

Very nice indeed. If I ever build the Endeavour, or similar vessel, I will use the same technique. Thus I will have a barque on bark.

Very nice indeed. If I ever build the Endeavour, or similar vessel, I will use the same technique. Thus I will have a barque on bark.

Very nice indeed. If I ever build the Endeavour, or similar vessel, I will use the same technique. Thus I will have a barque on bark.

Very nice indeed. If I ever build the Endeavour, or similar vessel, I will use the same technique. Thus I will have a barque on bark.

Go, CH !!!
 

Arrr ...
Precious little accomplished (again !!). CaptainSteve was absent from his shipyard this past week, as he had to house-sit for CaptainAndrew. This involved looking after the Captain's dog, cat and wide-screen TV !!
 
However, the base-stand has now been completed, and thus ...

... one further item he didst ticketh off.
 
The base-board was trimmed to size, the pedestals fitted, the edging added, and a couple of coats of subdued gloss Tung Oil applied ...

 
To be honest, Our Hero be mightily chuffed wi' the outcome ...

Work was interrupted by a visit to the in-laws last weekend, but I am moving forward. I have a deadline; I would very much like to complete this model by the end of February, as we will be travelling for most of the month of March and I would hate to leave this log, and project, hanging unfinished.
 
Unfortunately, following the work CaptainSteve and Matt has influenced me to do more than I initially intended, so we will see. I have gone from not even intending to include masts, to now wanting sails and wrapped oars. This is not good for my agenda.
 
Here is where the launch stands today.
 

 
Oars are carved with first staining. I think I will do one more coat, then wrap them. These took less time than I expected, perhaps two hours for all of them. Masts are carved and stained, with brackets attached. They are not glued in, though.
 
The metal work I was so agitated over is done, to my acceptance if not my satisfaction.

I found that the small drill bits I purchased for this project from ModelExpo do not drill through brass, even chucked into my cordless drill. This threw me for a loop as I could not pin/nail anything in place. So for the mast partners, I shaped the brass strip, then nipped off the heads of four nails (viva la France!) and glued them in place to simulate the effect. I then painted the partners with black model paint and weathered them with brown pastels. I glued them in place, and they look well enough to me.
 
As for the pintles/gudgeons, I went to a hardware store and bought compatible lengths of brass tubing and rod, then used these to make the basic structure by wrapping brass sheet carefully around the tubing using pliers. It is not perfect, but it represents the form well enough for me. They ended up slightly oversized from the plans, but I can live with that. I painted them as I did the mast partners.
 
Again because of the drill problem, I glued these onto the model. This meant I needed a good flat surface to clamp onto, so I did not add the nail heads as I did the mast partners. Now that they are solidly attached, I will scrape some paint off to provide a good gluing surface for nail heads, then carefully repaint the final result and weather with pastels. Again, good enough for me if not for a real craftsman. I do not like metal and am glad to be past this part.
 
Okay, not quite. The tiller is shaped and stained, and I will soon be attaching it with brass strip handled as for the mast partners.
 
Next up: 
- Staining and wrapping oars
- Shaping & staining spars
- Cutting & finishing sails. I am leaning toward displaying spars lowered, with furled sails, as I do not find the shape of the raised sails very attractive. This lets me show detail and full rigging without full sails.
 
I have no idea if I can complete all this in the next two weeks, but deadlines can be marvelous things for focusing one's attention.

Matt has it as well, but just to beat the subject to death, I found the quotes I was thinking of from Caroline Alexander:
 
I share in the interest of scientific knowledge, and so that neither Steve nor Matt are tempted to add more detail than necessary to their models!

A thought on the...digestive question. Given how short their rations were, there may not have been much scatological activity. From my reading of other survival account, the digestive system pretty quickly starts saving almost everything from very short rations. After the first week, perhaps, I suspect this wasn't much of a problem. I seem to remember Caroline Alexander's book on the Bounty touching on this as well, but am not certain. And I suspect that between dehydration and low rations, what was coming out also didn't need much cleaning off.
 
Also, as someone who has built a barn with trees felled & milled on-site, I agree that quick material removal is important. Granted, I used a chainsaw and bandsaw mill, but the principle is the same. It takes a heckuva lot of waste material to create even basic structural shapes out of a tree, and that's not something you do with a chisel. On the other hand, getting those rough shapes to fit together into any kind of watertight structure requires some serious and delicate shaping work. So, you know, you need some of everything. There are specialized tools even for fence-building; such as an axe with a narrow blade for chopping out pre-augered rail holes in posts.

Well, the advice squad has saved the day. I did spend Friday outdoors with a chainsaw and tractor mower, but never did I intend to resign the launch to such implements. 
 

 
Using full-strength wood glue, smeared on hull joints and sanded down, worked charmingly. Embarrassingly well, given my reluctance to follow such advice earlier. Mea culpa, as Bligh would (not) say. Above you see three views of the hull after three more rounds of sanding, staining, and gap filling. It is better. It is still too damaged and streaky for my liking, but the gaps are solid and the color is better. Acceptable, and I have moved on, already looking forward to doing it properly on my next build.
 
I also want to point out the swiveling work stand which I purchased from Model Expo, and absolutely adore for this work. With the bolts tightened down, it holds any position desired and makes fiddly work much more pleasant. I have used it on previous builds but want to give it full credit here as a marvelous piece of equipment. Note the piece of felt stuffed in the vice grip to protect the hull/keel surface.
 
I did find one annoyance. For forming and gluing in the thwart risers, I used the same style of metal clamp shown in the instruction, as they are the only ones that can reach that far in AND are strong enough (clothespins, even reversed ones, did not hold). However, these clamps left noticeable dents in my otherwise finished hull. I have not yet attempted to sand them out, but it may be necessary. This was bothersome to say the least. I could not have inserted a protective spacer as the jaws do not spread that far.
 

 
On to the next stage. Thwart risers and such are attached, and I have begun on the main floor. Careful notching was required to get plank 2 around the main-mast step. I also felt the need to install two small pieces of scrap cherry framing at the bow end of plank 2 (both sides) to support the tip, as it was otherwise hanging in mid-air. The bright piece of wood you see at left is just a temporary spacer holding the unglued plank 2 away from the rest, so the notch and support can be seen (the hull is tiled at 90 degrees in this photo for best light).
 

 
The finished floor.  I felt that a few of these pieces did not match up well, and attempted to shape them with mixed success. Some really wanted to flex out of position. I used CA to install these quickly, as no clamp can reach in here and I would be at this all week with wood glue. The instructions call for thin wood spacers, but I was afraid these would glue themselves in, so used pins gently inserted into the hull instead. Worked wonderfully.
 

 
On to the next dilemma. Upon test-fitting the thwarts, I discovered that the hull seems to have formed wider than desired, I assume due to pressure from the ribs spreading outward. In the photo above, every thwart is inserted fully to starboard, and you can see that toward the middle the hull is progressively too wide for them.
 
I assume that I will need to warp the hull back into shape for the gunwales anyway, and am considering gluing in all the thwarts on one side first, then somehow squeezing the hull into shape before gluing the other side to hold it all in shape. 
 
The consideration here is that doing so means installing the quarterdeck beneath the glued-in thwarts. I am afraid that installing that floor first, as called for in the instructions, will make the hull too rigid to flex back into shape. 
 
I remember reading someone's launch log talking about forming the hull back into shape, but cannot find it.
 
As you can see, I am not trying for the ultra-realistic weathered look, more of the slightly model-like "pretty" look. So far it is fitting reasonably with my goals for the project.

I plan on doing the whole thing stained. I like the look of natural wood on a ship model more than an authentic paint scheme. Also, our house's interior is mostly wood, as are the cedar bookcases on which this will be displayed (built from wood cut & milled on our property), so the natural finish will fit in well. I do intend to finish it with some form of varnish, as I saw another Bounty launch build do (cannot remember which now), which both I and Mrs. Cathead found very attractive.
 
In other news, I am rather put out with a problematic discovery. I had finished sanding the hull and applied my final coat of stain. When I checked the hull the next morning, I found that the wood filler I had used had either dissolved or fallen out overnight, as there were suddenly many gaps visible between the planks again. It was as if I had done almost none of the filling work that consumed many hours. It looks rather shoddy to my eyes, and this second coat of stain seems to have brought out more of the flaws in my planking than I expected. I think it looks wretched at the moment and have not yet brought myself to take a photo to share with the support network here. 
 
I do not think I have the patience to start over with a different gap filler, and I am fairly certain only a real ship modeler will notice the small gaps and uneven finish once the rest of the model is completed. Virtually all lay visitors are likely to coo over it. This is what I am telling myself. I will think it over until the weekend, and in the meantime will start bending the 'tween frames into place as that does not affect the exterior one way or another.
 
But the discovery led to a Bligh-worthy rant, at least in my head. 

Work was interrupted by a visit to the in-laws last weekend, but I am moving forward. I have a deadline; I would very much like to complete this model by the end of February, as we will be travelling for most of the month of March and I would hate to leave this log, and project, hanging unfinished.
 
Unfortunately, following the work CaptainSteve and Matt has influenced me to do more than I initially intended, so we will see. I have gone from not even intending to include masts, to now wanting sails and wrapped oars. This is not good for my agenda.
 
Here is where the launch stands today.
 

 
Oars are carved with first staining. I think I will do one more coat, then wrap them. These took less time than I expected, perhaps two hours for all of them. Masts are carved and stained, with brackets attached. They are not glued in, though.
 
The metal work I was so agitated over is done, to my acceptance if not my satisfaction.

I found that the small drill bits I purchased for this project from ModelExpo do not drill through brass, even chucked into my cordless drill. This threw me for a loop as I could not pin/nail anything in place. So for the mast partners, I shaped the brass strip, then nipped off the heads of four nails (viva la France!) and glued them in place to simulate the effect. I then painted the partners with black model paint and weathered them with brown pastels. I glued them in place, and they look well enough to me.
 
As for the pintles/gudgeons, I went to a hardware store and bought compatible lengths of brass tubing and rod, then used these to make the basic structure by wrapping brass sheet carefully around the tubing using pliers. It is not perfect, but it represents the form well enough for me. They ended up slightly oversized from the plans, but I can live with that. I painted them as I did the mast partners.
 
Again because of the drill problem, I glued these onto the model. This meant I needed a good flat surface to clamp onto, so I did not add the nail heads as I did the mast partners. Now that they are solidly attached, I will scrape some paint off to provide a good gluing surface for nail heads, then carefully repaint the final result and weather with pastels. Again, good enough for me if not for a real craftsman. I do not like metal and am glad to be past this part.
 
Okay, not quite. The tiller is shaped and stained, and I will soon be attaching it with brass strip handled as for the mast partners.
 
Next up: 
- Staining and wrapping oars
- Shaping & staining spars
- Cutting & finishing sails. I am leaning toward displaying spars lowered, with furled sails, as I do not find the shape of the raised sails very attractive. This lets me show detail and full rigging without full sails.
 
I have no idea if I can complete all this in the next two weeks, but deadlines can be marvelous things for focusing one's attention.

Matt has it as well, but just to beat the subject to death, I found the quotes I was thinking of from Caroline Alexander:
 
I share in the interest of scientific knowledge, and so that neither Steve nor Matt are tempted to add more detail than necessary to their models!

Matt, you can add a hunneybucket, just leave it empty. No Pooh in your hunney.

Work was interrupted by a visit to the in-laws last weekend, but I am moving forward. I have a deadline; I would very much like to complete this model by the end of February, as we will be travelling for most of the month of March and I would hate to leave this log, and project, hanging unfinished.
 
Unfortunately, following the work CaptainSteve and Matt has influenced me to do more than I initially intended, so we will see. I have gone from not even intending to include masts, to now wanting sails and wrapped oars. This is not good for my agenda.
 
Here is where the launch stands today.
 

 
Oars are carved with first staining. I think I will do one more coat, then wrap them. These took less time than I expected, perhaps two hours for all of them. Masts are carved and stained, with brackets attached. They are not glued in, though.
 
The metal work I was so agitated over is done, to my acceptance if not my satisfaction.

I found that the small drill bits I purchased for this project from ModelExpo do not drill through brass, even chucked into my cordless drill. This threw me for a loop as I could not pin/nail anything in place. So for the mast partners, I shaped the brass strip, then nipped off the heads of four nails (viva la France!) and glued them in place to simulate the effect. I then painted the partners with black model paint and weathered them with brown pastels. I glued them in place, and they look well enough to me.
 
As for the pintles/gudgeons, I went to a hardware store and bought compatible lengths of brass tubing and rod, then used these to make the basic structure by wrapping brass sheet carefully around the tubing using pliers. It is not perfect, but it represents the form well enough for me. They ended up slightly oversized from the plans, but I can live with that. I painted them as I did the mast partners.
 
Again because of the drill problem, I glued these onto the model. This meant I needed a good flat surface to clamp onto, so I did not add the nail heads as I did the mast partners. Now that they are solidly attached, I will scrape some paint off to provide a good gluing surface for nail heads, then carefully repaint the final result and weather with pastels. Again, good enough for me if not for a real craftsman. I do not like metal and am glad to be past this part.
 
Okay, not quite. The tiller is shaped and stained, and I will soon be attaching it with brass strip handled as for the mast partners.
 
Next up: 
- Staining and wrapping oars
- Shaping & staining spars
- Cutting & finishing sails. I am leaning toward displaying spars lowered, with furled sails, as I do not find the shape of the raised sails very attractive. This lets me show detail and full rigging without full sails.
 
I have no idea if I can complete all this in the next two weeks, but deadlines can be marvelous things for focusing one's attention.