trippwj

That stand is very nice - and the planking is coming along well.  Ignore them....you're not crazy, just easily distracted!

Mark---- Those sets seem kind of pricey--- a simple small exacto handle with a hefty supply of #11 blades should get you going--- available at Wally. In addition to the good stuff mentioned above, I'd suggest some good quality small needle nose pliers-- try Xuron-- a pair or two of tweezers-- stolen from the Admiral's make up drawer--- a cheap plastic architects scale which gives you the 1/96 you need, a box or two of single edged razor blades, a pack of wet-or-dry sandpaper in various grades, and a bunch of fingernail files, also from the Admiral's stash--- unless she has locked the drawer after the tweezer heist, and some basic rasps including round for solid hull shaping. Tools are a fetish, and most of us web junkies have a ton of useless stuff---- until that magic moment when a freak need arises and you can dig into your box and come up with a single purpose bit of arcana that does the job. I feel SO smart on those rare occasions....
john

Hamilton, thanks for the support, the bulwarks were a little bit tough and I ended up shedding some blood, making a late night trip to the ER and getting my first stitches ever.  They better look good!  If you are interested, when I was carving out the bulwarks at the aft end of the ship where the grain of wood is not ideal for carving the way that is needed for the bulwarks and the wood gave way and I learned very quickly to make sure the area behind whatever you are working on is clear.  I wanted to just use some gap filling CA and call it good but the wife insisted we go to the ER when she saw that there was fat coming out of the wound, probably the right call. lol.
 
Mark, welcome to my build log and thanks for the kind words!  Feel free to ask away if you think of any questions, I'll answer to the best of my ability.  
 
As for the build, I have been working on carving out a new cap rail since the one I carved out originally did not fit properly and it was not wide enough to cover the bulwark stanchions.  It has proven difficult because the wood at the aft end (same area that broke and gave me stitches) keeps breaking and then I have to re-glue it together and make a little more progress before it breaks again.  I will post pictures once I finish carving it out.  
 
On a side note, I think I underestimated how little time I will have for the next few months to work on this build.  Again, I will work on it when I can but my courses will take up most of my time.

Well, gosh!  This place sure got crowded in a hurry!!!!   I guess I'll pull up a seat here in the balcony between the moose and the gnomes. 
 
On with the show!!!
 

Hello, mmott.  I think either set would be a good starting point.  For the Phantom, a good set of blades, the plane and a pin vice with a couple of bits would be useful along with an assortment of sand paper.  If you can find some forceps (locking tweezers) those would also be helpful when you get to the rigging.
 
For the most part, you will start to figure out what you need beyond the very basic tools John posted as you get further along with the model.  I am adding to my collection a little at a time - usually after I run into a challenge and look for a new way to overcome.  For example, a couple of pairs of small pliers when I started the rigging and needed to hold some small fiddly pieces of wire.

Okay, I know I should be packing as we leave first thing on Monday morning, but........
 
I still had the tools set up, so I ran another "production run" of the 3/16" (4.75mm) blocks, experimenting a bit more with the sheave hole placement.
 
Here's the result......
 

 
I think these are just about "export" quality, although there are a couple that need to be weeded in the QC process (one right near the centre front for example).
 
Alright, that's me done in the shipyard until early October.  I will no doubt drop in on a few of your logs over the next month, and I may even post the odd "tourist" pic.

Floyd ----- patience!
 
Chris---- Thanks for the complement on Syren.  I can't even imagine scratch building Confed! 
 
Ben ---   The wood is a secret ----- only Jeff @ HobbyMill knows.    .  Cabin floor will be as per instructions.  No ebony allowed around here!!!!!
 
Talk about service, I emailed Jeff the order yesterday and I got a quote this morning.  Little did I know he follows MSW so closely that he knew what model it was for!  There's a man who knows his business  .
 
Back to 'the book'

Slow and steady, Sjors...slow and steady!  Boredom is your friend when recovering - just not a long term friendship! 
 
Glad to hear you are fever free today and that you are following orders from Anja!
 
Here is a small picture to brighten your day.  This is the cooking hearth at a local Bed & Breakfast.  Ro (my Admiral) wants me to install one like this in our house....
 

Slow and steady, Sjors...slow and steady!  Boredom is your friend when recovering - just not a long term friendship! 
 
Glad to hear you are fever free today and that you are following orders from Anja!
 
Here is a small picture to brighten your day.  This is the cooking hearth at a local Bed & Breakfast.  Ro (my Admiral) wants me to install one like this in our house....
 

Well, gosh!  This place sure got crowded in a hurry!!!!   I guess I'll pull up a seat here in the balcony between the moose and the gnomes. 
 
On with the show!!!
 

Last week was my 50th Birthday and I'm still trying to decide which kit I want as my "gift to me".  I know I don't *need* another kit, but heck you only turn 50 once, right!  I've been waffling between the Confederacy and the Essex.  I really want the Essex, but Expo hasn't offered a discount yet and I missed the pre-order , and Confed has a nice discount right now that's really tempting.  I honestly don't need both, but since when has that stopped me?
 
As the Confed build logs pop up and I see what folks are doing with it, plus it's larger scale, it's starting to pull me in.  I already see a few things I'd like to do a tad differently that might interest you folks.  I think I'm gonna bite the bullet and order it now.  Then, get the Essex for Christmas.  Hopefully by then Sam will be well on his way with the masting plan for her.
 
Then my next 5+ years of ship modeling will be mapped out...  Until Sam or Chuck comes out with something else...  I will need an English vessel(s) for my US Navy fleet to shoot at after all!   

Been installing and planking down to the lower gunport sills.  I found out during this I put the transom extension in the wrong location!  I looked at this before I installed it more times than I care to count and I STILL put it in the wrong place  ARGH!!...  So I just glued a filler piece in and will reshape it.
 
Anyway, here's my method for installing the gunport sill.  I cut 2 pieces of styrene to use as gauges.  Wood wouldn't have stood up to repeated use.  It also helps to set sill parallel to the lintel.

 
Starboard side planked and sanded.  I may sand some more before I start finishing.  Also, I'm really glad I'm painting this as leaving the basswood natural (or stained) would bug me big time.  The color variations are so extreme!  It's tedious enough sorting for size, but adding in color also would make me pull my hair out...



 
Still working on the port side.  Really getting tired of building and planking gun ports.  Ready to move onto something else!

 
 

making the rings has been the worst bit it was not until i looked at Gils did it occur to me that each rope has two rings on it - at 90 deg to each other like a chain, so i am having to make them, by wing some brass wire around a drill bit
 

Cruizers, part 8:  HMS Penguin
 
The Cruizer-class brig-sloop HMS Penguin launched on 29 June 1813 and commissioned in November under Commander Thomas R. Toker, replaced the following month by Commander George A. Byron.  In June 1814, command of Penguin transferred to James Dickinson.
 
HMS Penguin’s Specifications
Length: 100 ft 5 in (gundeck), 77 ft 6 1/2 in (keel)
Beam: 30 ft 7 1/2 in
Tonnage: 387 (bm)
Rig:  brig-rigged sloop
Armament: 16 x 32 pounder carronades + 2 x 6 pounder chase guns + 1 x 12 pounder boat gun on the forward platform
Complement: 120 (+12 marines on the day of the battle with Hornet)
 
On 1 September 1814 Penguin left Portsmouth as escort for a convoy headed for the East Indies and the South Pacific but apparently returned the same day to escort a different convoy the next day headed for Brazil and the Cape of Good Hope where Penguin was to join the South Africa squadron.
 
At the South African station, the admiral loaned 12 additional marines to supplement Penguin’s crew on a mission to capture or destroy the large American privateer Young Wasp which had been ravaging British shipping in the vicinity.
 
Penguin arrived near Tristan da Cunha on 23 March 1815. Tristan da Cunha is about 1800 miles west of South Africa and the Cape of Good Hope and about 2100 miles from South America.
 
 
The American sloop-of-war Hornet, after sinking Peacock on 24 February 1813, sailed north to New London, Connecticut. Master Commandant James Biddle (the former first lieutenant on Wasp when she captured the Frolic) took command of Hornet after James Lawrence’s promotion and assignment to Chesapeake. Hornet was assigned to the blockaded squadron in New London commanded by Commodore Stephen Decatur of USS United States and Captain Jacob Jones (Biddle’s commanding officer on Wasp) of USS Macedonian.
 
While blockaded in New London in June 1813, these officers ventured out to pay their respects to the officer in command of the British blockading squadron – Commodore Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy. Hardy had been Admiral Nelson’s flag captain on Victory and his close friend. Near the end of the battle at Trafalgar, Hardy went below to inform the mortally wounded Nelson of his victory and held Nelson in his arms as Nelson died. The American officers admired Horatio Nelson as much as the British admired him, and here was a living legend just a few miles off shore. Biddle and Jones recognized one of the ships in the squadron – HMS Peacock, the ex-Wasp renamed for the Peacock sunk in 15 minutes by Hornet earlier that year and Hornet’s sister ship. During his meeting with Hardy, Biddle asked his permission to challenge HMS Peacock to a ship-to-ship duel. Hardy, knowing quite well the records of the former Wasp and the challenging Hornet, declined. Hardy soon after this meeting with the captain and first officer of the ex-Wasp sent HMS Peacock away southward – no doubt to avoid the public relations nightmare if Hornet should win such a duel and possibly to save face. HMS Peacock foundered with all hands in a storm off the Virginia Capes on 23 July 1814.
 
Hornet broke out of the blockade of New London on 14 November 1814, sailed to New York to join Commodore Stephen Decatur’s new squadron of the frigate President, ship-sloop Peacock, stores brig Tom Bowline and hired stores brig Macedonian, taking a prize en route.
 
On 14 January 1815, President and Macedonian tried to break through the blockade heading for the South Atlantic to raid British shipping and rendezvous with the rest of the squadron at Tristan da Cunha and on to the East Indies. President engaged HMS Endymion (40) and surrendered, damaged and unable to escape, as the rest of the blockading squadron closed in on her. The stores brig Macedonian evaded the blockade during the chase. The loss of President was not known in New York when Peacock, Hornet and Tom Bowline slipped past the blockading squadron without incident on 22 January. Soon after breaking out, Hornet separated from the other two, captured two prizes and sent them back to the states with prize crews, reducing Hornet’s crew by eight.  
 
USS Hornet’s Specifications
Length:  106 ft 9 in
Beam:  31 ft 5 inches
Tonnage:  440 (burthen)
Rig:  ship-rigged sloop
Armament:  18 x 32 pounder carronades + 2 x 12 pounder chase guns
Complement:  150 (133 at the time of the battle - eight out as prize crews, nine more incapacitated on the sick list)
 
Beginning in August 1814, representatives from the United States and Great Britain met in Ghent, Kingdom of the Netherlands (now in Belgium) to negotiate an end to the war. The negotiators signed the Treaty of Ghent on 24 December 1814 ending the war pending ratification by both belligerents, which occurred on 30 December by Parliament and on 16 February 1815 by Congress. It took several weeks or months for news of the end of the war to reach all the far-flung forces around the world. The treaty returned all captured territories to their original countries (except a small portion of the future state of Florida captured from Spain which was a nominal, but non-participating, British ally). The treaty also set the border between Canada and the US that had not been clearly defined after the United States had won its independence some thirty years earlier. A significant part of the Treaty of Ghent was the agreement that the United States and Great Britain were to work cooperatively to end the international slave trade – the first two countries in the world to work actively towards that goal. This cooperative effort by the navies of these two nations over the next forty years helped to heal the wounds of two wars and started them on the voyage towards the friendship that exists today between them.
 
Peacock and Tom Bowline arrived at Tristan da Cunha on 18 or 20 March 1815 but a gale drove them from the rendezvous.
 
Hornet arrived on the morning of 23 March with a fresh wind from the south-southwest and prepared to anchor off the north point of the island when the lookouts noticed a sail to the southeast steering west at 10:30. Master Commandant James Biddle immediately ordered the pursuit of the unknown sail.
 
At almost the same moment Penguin’s lookouts spotted Hornet and Commander James Dickinson changed course to engage her. Hornet then hove to, waiting for Penguin to close.
 
At 1:40 pm Penguin, at about 100 yards from Hornet, turned onto the starboard tack, hoisted her colors and fired a gun. Hornet luffed up on the same tack, hoisted her colors and the engagement began with broadsides from both sloops. The two vessels ran along for about fifteen minutes, gradually coming closer together when Dickinson turned to run aboard his American adversary. At this same moment, he received a mortal wound and command of Penguin fell to his lieutenant, James McDonald, who carried out his commander’s intention.
 

USS Hornet and HMS Penguin - 23 March 1815
National Maritime Museum, Greenwich
Notice that the date is incorrect on this lithograph.
 
At 1:56, Penguin collided with Hornet with her bowsprit over the Hornet’s deck between her main and mizzen masts on the starboard side. The American seamen were at their posts to repel boarders, but the British did not attempt to board. American cutlass men climbed the rigging to board Penguin but the very calm Biddle stopped them, “it being evident from the beginning that our fire was greatly superior both in quickness and effect.”

Very nice work, Kevin!  The craftsmanship is quite pleasing to the eye!!!

Fear not for room, Wayne.  We're doing a 'workshop in the round' so there's plenty of space.  Just leaving the far corner open for when Sjors recovers and installs his popcorn machine.
 
Wood Update-  Spent a lot of time (and did a lot of head scratching) on possible replacement woods.  Firstoff, I've got to comment that the basswood supplied by MS this time is far superior to what I had with Syren.  I'm happy for that as this is one big gal.  After massaging some numbers and ideas, I have decided to order new wood only for the decks which I think will result in what I'm looking for.  I am not, after all, Bill Gates.  The order went into Jeff at Hobbymill yesterday so we'll see how that works out.
 
Spending today continuing to digest Chuck's 'bible' and plans.  This manual is every bit as good as that for Syren ----- maybe better !!   

Well, gosh!  This place sure got crowded in a hurry!!!!   I guess I'll pull up a seat here in the balcony between the moose and the gnomes. 
 
On with the show!!!
 

Greetings,
We have had great weather the last few days which gave me a chance to get outside and plane my wood.  After I did my basic planing and cutting to size I still needed to plane each lift to the correct thickness.
 

 

 

 
This last photo is of all the lifts at their correct thickness with the profile drawing of the Atlantic placed on top for size.  
 

 
My next step will be to cut each lift to the basic hull shape at it's corresponding position in the hull.
 
Cheers,
Tim

Le Mirage is a lot more complex then the kom Sjors
 
added the door and some of the wall planking
not much but at least a start

hello Robbyn . yes sorry i haven t been on much but all is well and my leg has improved lots. Today i finaly am wearing normal shoes to work . and yes i had fun doign some of the jobs around the house that have been waiting for me ever since this started.
 
Thanks David good to have you back
 
Thanks edwin lifting my glass too had a nice cold beer yesterday to celebrate no more anitbiotics
 
Thank you Darryl for the comment and the best wishes and you are just in time
 
Thanks Mick . no havent doen any more jigsaw puzzles. i have one on order but its not going to be here for another 2 weeks
 
 
that brings me to the good news. last night i have for the first time in weeks done a bit of sanding. not on the kom as i have to get my mind back in to what i was doing with her. I know sooon i l be hating the never ending sanding but it felt good to do something again
 
i will be gearing up (mask,gloves, long pants,..) to minimize any contact with glues and paints and hopefuly i wil get no more allergic reactions
 
so basicaly i am back !!!!!
 
 

Hi Mobbsie
 
There I finally find time to visit MSW after a few weeks and what did you do in the meantime? You put at least a year of fabulous work into your Agamemnon. She really looks good. A pity that paint and ropes will cover a lot of that fine work on the catheads or won’t they? I wonder if the pulleys still are visible or if John’s excellent suggestion of simplified dummy sheaves would work almost as well.
 
And not even Nelson could offer any critical comments on the color scheme as long as you shoot straight    and handle bravely and without shipwreck such tricky pieces of navigation as 'the stairs’ (or that nasty piece of landscape called ‘door frame’ with a ship which will have a beam of 50cm and a height of 1 m!).
 
Good luck on all the navigation mate, and keep up the fine work
Peter

Well done on the stern and I like the catheads.  I also approve of the orientation of your paper towel roll.  I like them coming over the top as well

Hi Guys,
 
Thanks John, that's a method I will be practicing at some time in the future, it sounds good to me.  
 
As promised some pics of my efforts on the catheads and the completed stern.
 

 

 
Still to be rubbed down with a fine paper

 

 
mobbsie

Ah....got my reservation from Modelship-Tickets-R-Us....   Looks like I made it with time to spare. 

Hello Augie,
 
Not the first seat, but still in the first row. Looking forward to this.
Including today, 9 days and counting.
 
On behalf of myself and Sjors .....
Good luck with your Confed, but most of all, HAVE FUN and ENJOY.
 
Anja & Sjors