Chuck

Look at this shop.....particularly Albion brass tubes....crazy small sizes I use this stuff almost exclusively and it works well. You cant cut it with a nippers or saw. Its so small that you roll a sharp #11 blade over it and make clean precise cuts. http://www.hobby-time.com/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=1026&zenid=924sarv0jl7nbi1sglngeu21r2

Probably....or the parts were cut wrong. Just measure the scale bar on the plans. Each segment should be 1/4" long.

See attached....sheet two. 26ftlaunchsheettwo.pdf

Its really difficult for me to say other than to measure from the plans. Did your kit come with the plans. You should be able to measure from the sheave holes to where the bands are located.

Today I tackled the channels. No easy way to make these. You just have to go old school. These are unlike the channels most have grown accustomed to. These are much thicker (5/32") and they are not as wide. When viewed from the side they gradually get thinner buy a little bit. The bottom is beveled or angled so the outboard edge is just 1/8" thick. Maybe a hair thicker. Note how the usual cover or cap molding isnt shown. Basically small notches are filed into the edge and the chainplates will be bolted to the edge. Many cutters show this feature but there are other arrangements too. But I figure the original draft should be followed here. Its an interesting feature. Then the profile along the edge is made old school with a round file, sanding sticks or whatever you are comfortable with. Note how the gunport splits the channel in two lengths and the edges in the break are not profiled. I had hoped to make the eyebolts and chainplates today but I dont have enough brass strip so it has been ordered. While I wait I will continue finishing up the outboard details like the scuppers and rudder. The channels are not glued on yet as I await arrival of more material. They will be finished up first with eyebolts. The outboard details shouldnt take very long to do.

I am just following the original draft. Its identical. I dont want to make stuff up, I am being 100% faithful to the original draft. I agree but it seemed to have not bothered the designer.

I did start working on the model again today. Nothing big. I just fabricated the boarding ladder steps today. I made a scraper with the profile I wanted and then cut the steps from the strip. I was careful to angle the back side so the top of each step was flat and not angled once held against the hull. There are three steps per side although one is on the wales so its impossible to see after you paint it black. Maybe if I adjust the camera settings a bit. The sides of each step were filed to mimic the front profile and then they were glued into position. I had to cut away some molding for the top step. The top of each step is deeper than the bottom. I started with a 3/32" x 3/32" boxwood strip. Chuck

No...I will ship mine to Bob and he can finish it all up!!!!

Nicely done Bob You will be passing me by in no time. Chuck

San Diego

Guys.....please quit with the metric vs. imperial bickering please. It is what it is.....for Christs sake!!!! Its like watching my kids argue about who would win in a fight......Superman or Batman........its beyond silliness and gets heated everytime. I have deleted the last few posts because if read by anyone I can just see them shaking their heads...WOW!!!!! Plus....we all know that after the alien invasion the entire world will have to convert over to fractenoids anyway!!! Chuck

It was definitely the Giants!!!

Shrouds are .021 black rope.....I prefer a dark brown however but ME didnt have any. from the instructions... Rigging the shrouds… The shrouds are seized to the mast in pairs. Seize the shroud around the masthead with .021 black rope. Then seize a deadeye on the bottom of each shroud so they are both an equal distance from the deadeyes on the chainplates. A lanyard will be rigged between both deadeyes as shown in the illustration. ....also, when looking up this info I found my master word doc which I believe is un -edited by ME. I have uploaded that to my pinned log topic. Maybe it will clear up some wackyness from all the ME edits and changes over the years.

Beautiful work Brian!!!!!! Really outstanding.

Well as you know the Washington has been released. The First effort project is being wrapped up slowly. We are hoping for a launch early next year....In addition there are a few new projects being mulled over as well. Chuck

Thank you Frank for the kind words. It was a pleasure meeting you as well. Unfortunately when I got back from the conference I caught a bit of Bronchitis. I havent been in the shop for five days now. Its a slow recovery. But I hope to get back in there tomorrow. Chuck

indeed I meant every word. I enjoy the company. As promised here are some step by step for making those pesky boom crutches. Its important to start with an extra thick piece and cut the crutches out so the tail is extra wide also. You will soon see why. I find it easier to concentrate on one angle at a time. To get these pieces positioned properly you must get the four angles done separately....one step at a time. Start by filing the fashion piece flush with the cap rail. Then viewing the boom crutch from the stern try and establish the correct first angle. This would be the angle of the fashion piece along the transom as shown below in green. You do this by filing the bottom of the crutch stem. Then turn your attention to the angle when viewing the crutch from the side. You are trying again to establish the fore/aft angle of the fashion piece as shown below. This is why you made the crutch so much wider and cut it out of 1/4" thick boxwood. Sand it to shape with a file. Then.....we have to make the boom crutch face the lower mast. On most models I see they are facing forward or even outboard. This wouldnt serve its purpose to well. The reason for making the stem of the crutch wider is so you can turn the crutch to face the mast. Note how the fore edge of the crutch is flush with the fashion piece...BUT the aft corner hangs off the fashion piece. Mark the aft side of the boom crutch as shown below and file this bevel into the outboard edge. The round crutch remains untouched. You are only beveling the stem. Then also bevel the inboard edge of the stem to complete it. Its at this stage where I glued it in position. Then I filed and sanded it further to shape. I filled the joint with wood filler and sanded it smooth so the crutch and fashion piece looked like one piece. Thank God it is going to be painted black. The last angle we should concern ourselves with is the angle of the top of the crutches when viewed at the side. This is easier done while it is glued into position. See the angles established in red so the crutches match the sheer or are at least level rather than slanting upwards. This is important and the bottom of the crutch....inside the crutch should also be addressed and angled downward slightly or at least leveled off if need be. Think about how the boom would REST in each crutch when establishing the angle inside the crutch. When you are done....do it all over again on the other side and try very hard to get a matching pair. Note how the stems are not very long and the crutches are so very close to the top of the transom. If you hide the seam well and paint it the results are very convincing. You will no doubt have many parts added to the waste pile as I did. These are a bit tricky.

That looks very good Mike. I cant wait to see it in person.

What a wonderful few days indeed...... Ben, Duff, Rusty, Druxey, Ron, Mike, Ryland and so many others from MSW...It was great to spend time with all of you and chat. Now its time to start working on Next years Conference in San Diego . Get ready Chuck

Thank You....if you are ever in th e neighborhood let me know.. I love getting company during the day.

nicely done

Don....why not actually start a build log of your own. I do think it would be much better and so not to have kinda to builds going on in one topic. I think it would be easier to ask your questions that way. We would all love to see your Washington develop and progress. Chuck

The conference is just two weeks away!!!! I just wanted to let folks know to be sure to visit the NRG registration table when you arrive. Get your name badges and welcome packet. Your name badges will get you free entry into Mystic Seaport for the entire duration of the conference including Wednesday I believe. So you will be able to come and go as you please. Even though the seaport is just a mile and half from the hotel, you will certainly need a car. Although I am sure somebody will get you there with over 175 folks signed up for the conference. There will be plenty of model builders there. I wish everyone a safe and comfortable trip and I hope to see you there soon!!!

Thanks!!! To my knowledge nobody sells blackened eyebolts commercially. I wish I could make them from the acrylic I make my hooks out of, but the acrylic doesnt like any type of glue and it simply wouldnt work. Best to just use 28 gauge black annealed wire to make your own eye bolts from scratch. Chuck

Guys All I can say is that I am careful and slow to a fault. Its tough to get stuff done this way. But I do agree everyone should just slow down. Its what I recommend a lot of folks to do... Anyway...back to Cheerful. I was able after two attempts to shape the boom crutch and create a procedure for doing so. The key was starting with a much thicker piece and making the boom crutch a bit over-sized to start. I cut out the boom crutch on a piece of 1/4" thick boxwood and carefully adjusted for three angles. When completed it will be just 1/8" wide to match the width of the fashion piece. Now that the starboard side is complete I can do the other and take pictures at every step. This is certainly one piece that needs slow and attentive care to the angles involved. The boon crutch must be turned inboard slightly so the boom can actually sit in it. This is tough because the fashion piece and the side of the hull goes in the opposite direction!!! This one piece took me over four hours to produce, shape and paint to a finish I found acceptable. A few careful reference marks and filing...then turn the piece inward and you are good to go!!! I will have a step by step soon. You can see the second boom crutch over-sized and ready to shape in one of the photos. Note the tail is left long so the proper angles can be created while sanding it shorter. Because the boom crutch was painted black it might be hard to see in these photos but essentially the boom crutch must match the angle of the fashion piece when viewed from the side and from astern in two planes while being turned to line up with the path of the boom (or the main mast). All while hiding the seam between the two pieces...thank God it is supposed to be painted black.