Chuck

Thanks. I dont have a clear picture of that so I just went with wood. One could try it as it would be interesting. I havent seen that done. Actually I dont think this particular Contemporary model has railings around any of the companionways. That is also an option. Many didnt show them at all. Some only show the railings around the companionway on the quarter deck. I am not sure why but I suspect safety wasnt a priority except on those companionways that were used by the captain and officers. If a common sailor fell down the ladderway it wasnt a huge concern for the admiralty....LOL.

Moving forward... Stanchions and railing around the companionway. There are many ways to do this. Contemporary examples show wood rails....metal stanchions etc. You guys can choose once again. Painted versions are either red black or white ...even a combination of those colors. I chose wood because I dont like messing with metal work. I turned these using my dremel. Just like I do when making belaying pins. They are only about an inch long so you dont get any wobble in your dremel and it doesnt take much time to make. You only need four of these. Try your best to make them identical. I started with a 1/16" x 1/16" boxwood strip. I marked the breaks in shape in pencil on all fpur sides so I can see them as its spinning. Its basically just the center thats rounded. I leave the top and bottom square. I also shape a small ball on the very top. But you can make these as fancy as you wish. Then I painted them black and cut the bottom of each away so they were all the proper height. I pegged them into the coaming using some 24 gauge wire. The rails are just 1/32" x 1/32" boxwood strips painted black ahead of time. The segments were cut to length and added between the stanchions. I took care to get them level while not pushing the stanchions out of alignment. They are just glued in with Tite-Bond. Then I touched up the paint. Its slow and methodical work. You have to constantly check that each rail is level etc. These pieces are thin so they dont look out of scale. I see so many rails around a companionway that are so thick and out of scale. Now to add more beams and knees as I move forward...

That is just not my style. I dont like all of those little add-ons. Never did. Makes me feel like im working on a dollhouse. Its just not my thing. I am sure someone will add one before its all done. Plus I want to leave some stuff for you guys to make it your own.

1/8” thick. About 1 3/4” long. I agree with you Greg. I will be using the red capstan also. chuck

I was about to glue the column into position when I thought to check out a few more contemporary models. I was browsing through "The Legacy of a Ship Model" by Rob Napier and most of the columns were red and I really liked the look. The natural column got kind of lost which is probably why you see most them painted red or white (ivory). So I decided to paint it red....long story short and I think it looks even better. You at least now get to see it both ways and hopefully it will help you decide.

That is lookin very good. I imagine you are happy to get this messy stage completed.

Moving further forward....I needed to make one column next. All together we will eventually need 4 of these. I pondered how best to make them for a while. You see all manner of columns used on contemporary models. Round turned wood columns. Metal pillars of various sorts. Some are made of ivory, while others are left natural wood or painted red. In the end I opted for wooden pillars left in the square profile. Mostly because I know most of you dont own a lathe. But this is something you can change to your liking as well. I did manage to laser cut them to their basic shape and etch some details on both sides for more reference points. But you must still sand away the char and also use some files or even a #11 blade to shape the flat sides. In the end it turns into a respectable column. I am very happy with them. I even like that some of the char remained because it helps define the details more. These are laser cut from boxwood by the way. Finally I added that next deck beam. This is where we will start adding those with painted red sides. If you look closely I also added the knees which were called for. These will now also have there sides and bottom painted red. The column isnt glued in yet but I will do so before moving on to do more work. I will probably leave the columns natural. I am also trying to decide on the capstan.....shall I paint it red as it was seen more often on contemporary models or leave it natural? Tough decisions... But if left natural I fear it will just get lost under the deck beams and will be be very hard to tell its even there once the qdeck is planked. In the end I will probably use the red one. You can choose which ever you prefer. I also carefully opened one of the doors for this photo and also used the scale figure under the beam to show you how tight it was....not a lot of head room..LOL. Although I suspect folks were a little shorter than these more modern figures.

Yes a light coat of WOP. No warping at all. I oriented the grain up and down to miniize that which seams to work. Cedar is very stable. We shall see how it goes with cherry but I think having one layer helps that. Gluing those thin layers together is a pain and thats when I usually get warping. But a solid piece is so much more stable. Like the tops for Speedwell. I hope you get that model back soon. I would love to see some progress. Chuck

Thank you.... Do any of you guys have questions up to this point? You have been very quiet. I will continue to wok my way towards the waist at any event. Next up I have to make some columns.....and stanchions for the companionway.

Moving forward towards the waist....the one fitting on deck that needed to be done next was the mast coat for the mizzen mast. I decided to do all three mast coats and get them done. These are laser cut for you in boxwood. The mizzen mast coat is only in two layers. The thicker top layer should be rounded off on the top edge and then glued to the really thin disc which is slightly larger. The laser char was carefully removed while paying attention to keep these round. I didnt bother with the inside because this will be painted black or dark gray. Making these in layers is a great way to avoid using a lathe. I just sanded and shaped them by hand. The main and forward mast coats are made in three layers. Basically another thin layer is added on top after rounding off the TOP edge of the thicker center layer. If that makes sense. The main mast coat also has some eyebolts along each side which were added. See the plans for details. That means I can now build out that forward bulkhead next.... The center section was added first just like before but this was worked in conjunction with the panel that spans both bulkheads. See below. You want to position both and shape both to fit. Dry fit them and when satisfied glue them into position. This next part is optional because you wont see any of it. But I went ahead and did it anyway. To avoid having a gap above that cross panel once the qdeck is planked....I added some 1/16" thick laser cut pieces between the beams. The beams were placed in position only temporarily. Then the strips were glued to the top of the panel. You can see the last one ready to be glued. Then you can remove the two deck beams and it will look like this. I removed those beams so I could build out the rest of the forward bulkhead. It makes it easier to get your finger in there. You can proceed to build out the remaining panels for the forward bulkhead just like you did for the aft version. Build the doors and then add the outside pieces. See the pick below. Once done you can absolutely glue the other two deck beams into position. You can also add the 3 lodging knees on both sides. There are no hanging knees here. Sand them to fit snug and make sure they face the right way. You can simulate the bolt head pattern on these if you want. But on my model they wont be seen at all so why bother. I would use 20lb. black filament for the bolts if you want to show them. Dont forget to glue your cannon in permanently so it wont come loose. Otherwise break out the tweezers because it will be hard to work under those beams should anything come free or if you get any debris down there.

That is looking fantastic...nicely done...

You need to ask for it in the comment section of your order so the person who packs up my orders knows to include it.... Chuck

You are getting close! Almost done.

That is correct.

Beautifully done Mike... Chuck

Thanks guys. Greg...i havent really caught up. Still have lots of inventory to make. But I really wanted to make some progress. Luck for me, with no more rope to make, I can work on the model as the laser cuts other parts for inventory.

Today I started some deck details. The way I work the gun deck fittings is to start at the stern and work my way forward. With that in mind, the first thing to be done is the aft bulkhead that defines the great cabin. The aft few deck beams were permanently glued in position. But I left a few off so I could get my fingers in there while working the bulkhead sections. The bulkhead sections are all laser cut for you. This aft bulkhead will have all parts labelled as "G" when you get them. They are actually laser etched with the paneling on both sides so no need to glue two halves together or anything like that. The sections are 1/16" thick. You start by centering the "center" section of the bulkhead under the beam and on the separating line between the checker floor and deck planking. I have cut these slightly taller just in case there are subtle difference from model to model. So sand a bit from the bottom and the top until you get a nice snug fit.... But not so snug that you can see beam raise up under the pressure. The beam must stay where it is so dont force it under there or you will suffer later when you try and plank the qdeck. That beam should flex at all. Remember to face the correct side facing forward which has a laser cut reference line for another panel that span the gap between the two bulkheads and create two cabin spaces. Check out the plans for that. In that same photo you can see two doors that will go in next. But first you have to build them. Its laser etched on both sides but you still have to add the window which is thinner.....and add the door kn0b and hinges. First glue the 1/32" thick window into the opening so its uniform and shows the laser char evenly around it on both sides. Dont remove the laser char because these were cut with care to fit perfectly in the opening. You can also see below that I stuck a 28 gauge black wire through the door knob hole and clipped it off so it sticks out. You will be gluing the door Knob on this wire. So ensure it sticks out on both sides. Push it all the way through the hole and clip it so maybe 3/64" is sticking out on both sides. Note the knobs and hinges below as well ready to go. The door knob is carefully placed on the wire but dont push it against the door. Let it sit proud of the door a bit. Then paint it black These are laser cut for you also. The hinges are laser cut from black laser board. Glue these on but make sure you allow the other side to hang over the edge. That part of the hinge will be glued to the bulkhead panels and hold the doors in position. Make sure you evenly space these so they are all at the same height across all the doors or it will look awful. To finish the doors add the small acetate window pains on the aft side of the windows. Or you can just leave those off the model as they tend to be dust magnets. Finally glue the one door into position only by its hinge. The one that gets glued to center panel section below. But then place the second door in position only so you can mark the deck and beam with a light pencil reference line. You want to know where the hinged side of the door ends so you can shape that last panel against the bulwarks to fit perfectly. Remember that the doors are also slightly taller just in case. Sand them to fit nice under that beam. After you mark the end of that door for reference set it aside. Finally the last outside panel needs to be shaped and fitted. This shape should be pretty close but everyone's model will vary slightly. It depends on how much you faired the frames before you planked the bulwarks. That curve of your bulwarks may vary.... This last panel is a bit wider and taller so you can shape it to first fit tight against the bulwarks. Match the curvature of your bulwarks first. Then sand the top and bottom so it fits under the beam. Last you can test it to see if that second door fits alongside of it to close the gap tightly. You can show the door open or a variety of open and closed. Its up to you. I prefer them closed. Here is a look at the finished bulkhead wall spanning across the deck. With this bulkhead done I can glue a couple cannon in permanently now and move forward to the work on the mast coats and then the next forward bulkhead. I will slowly work towards the waist in this fashion.....slowly adding the beams and knees as I finish making the fittings that will go under them.

Frapping Is what that is called. I dont much care for it. They do that on a lot of museum ships because folks wont trip over the tackle coiled on deck. Its not something I would ever do on a model but I have seen some do that. They choose to do it rather than create coils on deck. Its just personal preference. Chuck

Really nice pics. It shows how careful and attentive to craftsmanship you have been. i also love the tone and color of the cedar when its cleanly worked. Just beautiful.

Nicely done!!!

That looks great Jack. The wood has a wonderful color and texture.

Thanks... Today I finished this beam along the transom. I removed it from its temporary placement and painted the inboard side of the transom red. But you can see where I stopped at the bulwarks. Dont paint the area above the q galleries. You can also see some iron straps which form a right angle along the ends of the beam. These were laser cut from black laser board and glued into position in two pieces to simulate the strap. It really finishes it off nicely although the straps wont be seen anyway. Before adding them however I added a strip of 1/8' x 1/32" cedar to to deck clamp between both beams to clean it up and make the deck clamp flush with the paneling below it. Then I added the strap section on top of that....I am referring to span between the deck beams.

That looks pretty good to me. I think you did an excellent job.

Here it is with the top 3/64" thick layer (margin). See how it creates a rabbet or ledge for the deck planking. The last beam is actually a pretty good width and leaves a nice size ledge for the deck planking. I may leave it as is or just sand it a little. But hopefully this helps you guys visualize how it works. Chuck

I actually think its a bit wide as well. I am going to make it just a tad narrower...but i will paint the transom after its glued in. There is another board that goes on top which makes the rabbet so i dont have to be so careful.