hdrinker

Tafrail complete

Pegasus emerges

I found a posting within the forum in fittings, etc. dealing with this subject and suggesting Tulle netting fabric in beige and was able to order a small sample. We’ll see what comes.

In contemplating the netting for the birthing rail, the gauge is just too narrow for my skills to undertake. Does anyone have a resource for its purchase? I have some which I bought for my Gros Ventre but it’s black. Maybe I ‘ll spray it tan, which is the preferred color, unless there are better recommendations.

Beautifully done! Did you do the rails with a scraper or knife? I found the former produced more irregularities than the #11 blade.

Main elements of the head completed. Does anyone know of a good resource for relief carving?

You’ll notice that I don’t try to sanitize my work, however humbling that of so many on this forum is to me. The dirt, dust and imperfections, however, are the real thing. The important message I try to convey in sharing my stuff is that there are no short cuts, that the time and effort, as well as the imperfections, are there, in plain view. While I follow many of your builds and am inspired beyond words by your images, which render me speechless, I will continue to share my progress and learn from your example. Thank you. Henry

Progress on the head construction.

Thanks, Kevin! Putting a bit of time in with the weather as it is here. Gotta make headway before fishing season. Henry

Plankshears, swivel gun mounts and head cheeks.

Gangways

Breastworks, belfry and waist guns completed.

Breast work, wheel tackle. Pausing before tackling the belfry capital.

Wheel and tiller, minus riggings

The wheel

Progress on the quarterdeck. Starting the wheel, using Greg’s method, which so far has worked really well. I found that making the spokes by hand is easier for me than using the lathe.

Where does one order coffee wood in sufficient bulk to accommodate a figurehead carving? Qq

Further progress on the focs’l

I put the cowl away somewhere so I wouldn’t lose it, and of course, I couldn’t find it…..so, made a second one. They’re soldered brass made over a dowel template which I left within.

Stove cowl and baffle.

Further progress .

Aft bulkheads added. I found these a challenge. The construction varied a little from the book. I found it worked OK to use holly of the prescribed thickness and make the beveled panels with a #11 blade cut in at an angle. Getting the right fit to the inner sides was done first for the fore and aft bulkheads using heavy cardboard. These were then incorporated into a cardboard blank which provided an exact pattern of the whole bulkhead. The section and panel lines could then be drawn on this template. I used the band saw to cut the sections so the kerf of the saw blade had to be considered, as subsequent assembly of the various sections together would otherwise result in a shortened bulkhead. So a new pattern was made in cardboard redrawn to a greater length with the kerf lines added. The pattern was then transferred to a wooden blank with all the lines drawn and the sections and doors cut out. The result was a pair of bulkheads very close to the necessary width with the lines for the panels straight all across. The final challenge involved the fore and aft bulkhead between the transverse bulkheads. This joins the transverse bulkheads at the inner frames of the starboard doors and is meant to be parallel to the center line of the model. To accomplish this, the starboard doors of the transverse bulkheads need to line up with each other accordingly. This required that the door positions of those bulkheads be drawn in the right location initially. That location, moreover, needs to be close enough to the center line to accommodate the ring bolt of the gun tackle between those two bulkheads. I admit to not being aware of this last detail when I drew the original lines for the doors and panels. As a result, my fore and aft bulkhead does not lie parallel to the center line. Not a big deal since it won’t be seen anyway. But for the perfectionist these considerations might avoid redoing the bulkheads after the matter is discovered. It will be noted in the second image that the gun port lid tackle has been added only for the port gun lids. My plan is to tackle the focs’l next before completing the deck beam construction.

After guns and lids done. Preliminary quarter deck beam fitting.

Have started the gun carriage tackle. Not including the hardware on the carriages themselves, there are a total 96 blocks, 96 eye hooks and 80 ring bolts. All to be blackened and lacquered. A daunting task of which making the metallic components alone occupied the day today and will do so for another several days for blackening, etc. Haven’t begun the blocks.