Chuck

Chapter 6 is just adding the guns. Its not written yet as a pdf chapter but is described in robust detail in my log. It is also described in the instructions for building gun carriages in my store. Its the same carriage. Kent...when are you gonna start a build log?

Very nice. She looks perfect and to scale. Well done!!

Beautiful start. Enjoy the project!!! 😊 I will follow along....

That looks fantastic Glenn You are almost all done. The ratlines came out really good. It will be a nice relaxing coast to the finish line now.

Its coming together. I am not sure about the pear deck and cherry external planking. I probably would have stuck to one or the other. But you are making great progress.

Yes indeed.....chapter 7. Chapter 8 will be the fittings and beams for the forecastle....

The chain were completed. I finished the crank handles on the aft side of the pumps. They were done exactly the same way as the forward crank handles. Then those two remaining qdeck beams were permanently glued in position along with the lodging knees. It feels good to get those done. All that remains in this chapter is to make and add the two elm tree pumps. I may start on those tomorrow.

Today was a good day to work on the model....cold and rainy. Continuing the chain pumps.... The crank handles are next but I needed to make the forward stanchions for them. I posted some contemporary examples of those earlier. You can make these all out of brass if you like. Like so many other parts, they can be made using boxwood if your careful and neatly built them. It becomes all about how you finish them or paint them. The stanchions will hopefully look similar to these. I used a 5/64 x 1/16" boxwood strip and shaped it as follows. Attached to this was an actual brass strip that was bent to the curved shape needed and blackened. I drilled a hole for the crank in the top of the boxwood strip and rounded off the top. I determined the height of the stanchion by using the 1mm brass rod as before. Once the height was good I glued the bent brass strip....1/64" x 1/16" brass strip to the wood stanchion. Its the same width so it will all look like the same piece if carefully sanded and painted and weathered. Here is what it looks like on the model. This is also how I determined their height. Then it was time to make the crank handles. I cut the center brass rod to length and blackened it. It was cut so the crank handles would clear the horizontal cross timber on the gallows. so the brass rod overhangs the horizontal timber of the gallows and jeer bits on the other end. See below. The crank handle was bent to shape from the same size 1mm brass rod. But the square portion was once again made from boxwood. I left it unpainted in the photo below. I used the same 5/64 x 1/16 strip. I drilled one hole for the main shaft and another for the bent crank handle into the end of the piece. I glued it onto the end of the bent crank handle. Its a very simple concept. Once painted black and brushed with some weathering powder it will all look very convincing....I hope. To position it, slide the wooden end onto the main shaft first. But the crank handle needs to be in the "up" position. just rotate it so the bent crank is on the top. This will allow you to clear the cross beam of the gallows. Slide it on and then insert the forward end in the "iron" stanchion on the edge of the grating. Below both crank handles are completed and painted....with some weathering powder. Next I will repeat this for the bent crank handles on the aft side of the chain pumps. I think it turned out pretty good for a low tech assembly.

Simply beautiful!!! No other words for it. Well done. I am glad you enjoyed the project. That is a superb model.

They sell pre cut small square sheets of copper like gold leaf. Its thicker than gold leaf and is quite durable. It sticks on any surface just like goldleaf would with the same techniques. Easy to cut and perfect scale. You take several sheets at a time and cut them to plate size with a scissors. Then apply. Its easier to cut when you hold several sheets together. Its super cheap and you get a million sheets in a package. This is the stuff the apply to picture frames and architectural items. so its sturdier and thicker. https://www.google.com/search?q=copper+foil+sheets&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjGtM31iO_wAhUMeDABHcLpC20Q2-cCegQIABAA&oq=copper++Foil&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQARgFMgQIIxAnMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAOgYIABAHEB46CAgAEAgQBxAeUJSSGVjKpBlg8boZaAFwAHgAgAGjAYgB9wSSAQM3LjGYAQCgAQGqAQtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZ8ABAQ&sclient=img&ei=YUuyYIaACozwwbkPwtOv6AY&bih=594&biw=1293&rlz=1C1CHBD_enUS907US907#imgrc=r9I6_xHdNEextM

This model is 1/2" scale so I believe he went with 3 layers of silkspan. I cant remember. This is what it looks like completed. Note how the jib sail is furled and brought in close to the fore staysail. Just a small portion of the sail on the bowsprit with the traveller ring brought in a bit more. I will have better photos soon enough and hopefully Tom will post his step by step....all three sails are on the model and look very natural and to scale. These furled or semi-furled versions are smaller in size than if you set them full sail.... Below you can see the two sizes of sails. The full sized sails as if you were setting them raised. The three smaller versions are on the top row with bolt ropes ready to be used as the furled versions. If you tried to furl the full sized sails it would look to heavy and thick and out of scale. So Tom reduced their size accordingly....before setting them on the model as naturally laying furled/semi furled sails.

I love the look of furled or partially furled sails on a small boat like this one. A good friend of mine and fellow club member "TomShipModel" was kind enough to take my Medway Longboat model and do just that for. I am horrible at this and would have certainly made a mess of it. Tom is certainly an expert at it and I have seen the work he does with sails on his models. So I was so happy he agreed to do this. It has been a learning experience just watching him do this. He used the sail plan that is available for download here. Here are a couple of in progress photos. Tom said he has a bunch of pics and post a how -to of sorts when its all done. I will certainly post more pictures. The sails are made of silkspan. And one of the fore staysail underway....just beautiful work. Hanging very naturally.

That s looking great. The wood worked out nicely. Perfect grain pattern or should I say lack of grain pattern. Those boards/planks look like butter!

National Balsa..... https://www.nationalbalsa.com/BalsaWood_s/2.htm

That looks lovely. I am close to getting a shipment of milled cherry so I will soon have more of these kits available. You are doing an excellent job on it. Very elegant indeed.

That looks great to my eye. Keep going. I also imagine if you did a couple more it will get better with each attempt. You have to get your carving sea legs back.

I doubt anyone would want to pay for that. The biggest issue is laser cutting the thicker boxwood. Its not easy using a 75 watt laser. The laser kerf is too thick and lots of burning. The Cheerful is easier because most of all the parts are laser cut from thinner boxwood sheets easier to laser cut. It would end up costing someone well over $2000 - $2500 to build it in boxwood because its so big. so probably not.

Thats great. Thank You. He has the list of wood required for the Cheerful wood packages. So if you want the pre-milled strips for the model in the Option B wood package....you can order it from him. Because he can do that now, I am even go to go back to offering an all Boxwood Cheerful starter package. You will be able to buy the parts all in Boxwood once again and get both the wood packages in Boxwood from Joe. That will be in stock next week sometime. He will start keeping lists of what is needed for all of my Syren projects for the strips needed and even other kit MFG's. Chuck

Joe is all set up and ready to go. Here is his website. He should have Swiss Pear in a couple of weeks. But for now....Boxwood, Yellow Cedar and Cherry. Contact him for stripwood needs. http://www.modelerssawmill.com/ Joe will be coming onboard as a sponsor real soon....so look for his banner. He has signed up as a member as well. If you need to send him a PM. His username is "Joe V" Chuck

I am helping him look for it but other than Domex its hard to find folks selling raw billets thicker than 1”. This is problematic. And when you do it is selling for $65 to $75 a board ft. With no guarantee it will be white like we expect. So the search continues. so for Holly it will be the last thing he probably sources and mills. Prices are crazy.

A bunch of people were PMing me about what he will offer.....I have this from his website under development.....wood sheets. He is starting with just these three species as he is awaiting delivery of others like Swiss Pear and Walnut etc. As he gets organized and gets the other stuff I will let you know. I asked him to sign up here and he will be a sponsor of MSW too.....just takes time to get it all off the ground. and strips will be for sale.... So all those folks who were reluctant to sign up for the Winnie project because you couldnt mill your own strips. This should solve that issue. Its gonna be a week or so before he opens up for orders. Chuck

Looking great. Nice and tidy. The ratlines will go just fine. Just keep them straight and evenly spaced. The worst thing that could happen is pulling in your shrouds to get that dreaded hourglass shape. No pressure.

Yes you could do that. Absolutely.

Once he gets going he will join MSW as a member so he can get to know his customers. I will keep giving updates.

Just a heads up. A new company…actually a one man shop like Hobbymill is starting up in the USA. Finally another source to by stripwood and sheets of precision milled wood. His name is Joe Volpe. He will start off slow increasing the species he offers over time. To start, He will be offering Boxwood, Cherry and Alaskan Yellow Cedar. Joe is the guy who currently mills all of my wood for Syren Ship Model. He has decided to open up to everyone. He also has some swiss Pear coming soon. He is finalizing the website and I will announce when he opens. No online store as its going to be very similar to Jeff at Hobbymill. You send Joe an email with what you need and he will give you a price. You pay via PayPal and he lets you know when the order ships. At least for now anyway. Joe is a really nice guy and mills with precision. I am very happy with his product and if you ever bought wood from me then you have seen his work. I encourage you to give him a try once he opens.