Chuck

I thought I would post these two images of a cross section model from the science museum.  I thought it might help or at least act as inspiration for those building teh cross section Triton.  What I find very pleasing is the change in the plank thickness.  Especially the outboard planking.  I have no idea which ship this is as I didnt write that down when I saved it.  It is one of hundreds of pictures I saved and now I am trying to organize. Based on what I see it may be a later vessel...but still worthy of inspiration.
 
Chuck

PayPal is great. I've using it since its inception with no problems. I think it's safer than credit cards.

Mike,
 
Beautiful work. You will definitely need to rest your eyes after completing those decorations.

Thank you all for the likes. I see that you are all "liking" it as much as I am!
 
aliluke, It is a great adventure into scratch building. The Cheerful looks like a wonderful
project too and that will be a build waaaaay down the road for me too.
 
Hi Bob, and I always look forward to your posts my friend.
 
Hi Grant yes it is such a shame that I have to toil away at this day after boring day.
 
Alright then. On to the hance pieces. These were cut from boxwood and are oversized
width wise. Once glued in place they were faired to match the hull lines. I have only
faired the outboard portion of the hull at this point.
 

 

 
To give you an idea of the length of the practicum this completes the third chapter.
In the forth chapter I will be planking the hull from the wales upward.
 

Looking good do far...enjoy the kit.
 
Chuck

Hi Chuck, Not gonna happen. The planking of the hull will take a loooooong long time if
I hope to come even close to your work..
 
Thanks Augie. They are so much fun aren't they!
 
Thanks Mike and Ben.
 
Thank you Al D. The practicum and plans are outstanding. You will love it.
 
Hi Bob, The pleasure is all mine.
 
Ok I've squirreled myself away most of the last few days and have made a good deal of progress.  
 
Here is a picture of the plans depicting the stern framing.
 

 
There are eight stern frame sections  that fit into the slotted bulkhead section.
 

 

 

 
The next step was to add the sills for the stern lights and the lintel filler pieces above
them. I used both the plans and the transom cut out to alien everything.
 

 

 
In case you can't tell I'm having a ball here!
 
Once it all dried the stern was sanded smooth. I then added framing the quarter
gallery entrance and the aft-most gun port.
 

 

Thanks for the kind words.
 
I actually have thought about it...but its one of those ...where do I find the time.......things.   I am sure I will get around to it at some point.
 
Chuck

The finished stern for now - I'll fit the three remaining Lights much later in the build, as they will be in the open position and may get damaged during further construction :
 

 

 

 
The Pilasters are of similar design to the Quarter Badge ones :
 

 
  Danny

From the old site,  I will once again create a post about this company.  This guy is pure evil.  If you you send him your money you will never see a product.  He is also not licensed to sell any of them. He is a crook and it is well documented.  I deleted a topic promoting it by an unsuspecting Jpet...
 
 
For those of you that dont know them.....stay away.  Dont even think about it.
 
I hope that was clear.
 
 
This guy should be in jail.
 
 
There was a long topic on the old site where the owner and crook himself took part in the conversation.  He is a disgrace.
 
Chuck

It wont hurt anything.  I do it all the time.   Its coming out just great so far.  Well done!!!

Molding strip under friezes and some interior details completed. The red paint is much smoother than it appears here. I applied 4 coats thinned just a little bit with water. Used 1/64" and 1/32" shims to get the floor spacing as close to the plan as I could. The front platform required a lot of sanding and fitting to place it low enough thereby making room for the risers which I have yet to work on.
 

I finally have my head rails finished.  As this is one of the more challenging assemblies of the Syren build I will summarize in more detail the method I used to make these head rails.
 
The whole assembly was built out of (regular) pear wood as the firmness of the wood facilitates getting clean looking edges and inscribed lines, and especially helps with the making of the tiny head rail timbers. Contrary to Swiss pear regular pear with its yellowish look blends in nicely with the color scheme chosen for my Syren, especially once stained with Golden Oak wood stain (MinWax).
 
Cheeks and rails were all built according to the same method which is demonstrated with the example of one of the middle rails in images 1 – 4. I first used the laser-cut bass wood part from the kit to transfer the correct lines to the pear wood sheet (images 1a and 1b). Then I took the remaining negative shape of the same part, which is left in the kit-provided bass wood sheet when the respective positive part was cut out, as guide to impress and carve the “decoration” lines into the pear wood (images 1c and d). Finally the part was roughly cut out (image 1e).  In the case of the middle rail the part was cut in 2 pieces using the dimensions of the kit provided parts as guide (image 2f). However, to ensure that the head rail timbers would all end up with a concave shape I increased the length of the middle rail piece, which is supposed to run closely along the ship’s hull, by about 2mm. The middle rail was then fitted to the ship’s hull (image 3), the 2 pieces glued together and its shape refined via sanding (image 2g). Finally the knee for the cathead was fitted to the middle rail, the whole piece sanded to its final shape (image 2h) and permanently mounted on the ship’s hull (image 4).
 

Image 1
 
 

Image 2
 
 

Image 3
 
 

Image 4
 
 
That was the easy part  .
 
 
The challenge with making the head rail timbers lies in making the 2 pieces of each timber appear like you are looking at one continuous piece. As demonstrated in image 5 this can be more readily achieved adjusting the timbers like shown on the left side (a)) of the drawing. However, this method implies making tiny pieces with “crooked” angles (image 6). Once mounted these parts need to be adjusted to their final shape. To be able to do so it is very helpful to have easy access to the head rails from the top and the bottom and therefore to mount the ship’s hull upside down when needed. I also made a good number of special sanding sticks (image 7, top) to be able to do the fine sanding required within the head rails with the timbers mounted, and I needed a special wire tool (image 7, bottom) for mounting the head rail timbers, which are closest to the hull. My finest tweezers were too big to get these parts in their correct place.
 

Image 5
 
 

Image 6
 
 

Image 7
 
 
The top rails were built following Chuck’s instructions in the Syren booklet. They did not pose any significant challenges. Images 8 - 10 are different views of the finished head rails.
 
 

Image 8
 
 

Image 9
 

Image 10
 
 

Never a kit...just the plans and book.  It will be a while to Seawatch Books dismay.   But they will publish a book with plans.  I will supply some materials and laser cut parts,  but not a kit.
 
Chuck

That is coming along very well.  You will soon be caught up with me!!!!

First two friezes finished. Used Krylon Workable Fixatif 1306 to protect them and 3M Super 77 Spray Adhesive. If you happen to get some of the adhesive on the out side there is a great product called UnStik (see below) that will easily remove any excess without harming the frieze or the planking. I used it for many years when I was in the picture frame business. You can even use it on glossy photos.
 


 
 

Well done sir!!!
 
Those are just some stands for the hull.  If you glue them to a scrap board it will keep your hull upright so you can work on the interior details.   I found myself just holding the hull in my hands most of the time but I figured what the heck....why not throw them in there anyway.
 
You did a really nice job sanding down the interior frames.  There area  few details I omitted from the kit but if you are up to the challenge I can explain what they are.
 
Under each seat in the cockpit there should be a panelled support...but that is a really experienced little doo-dad on each side to build.  they couldnt be laser cut because there are too many variables depending on how well the inside was sanded down and where the risers were placed.  So I just left them out of the kit for simplicity.   But if you are up to it...give it a shot.  see this image for an example.  But not all small pinnaces had them.  In fact the small pinnace the kit was based on did not have one as you can see by the second photo below.  This first photo is a larger more impressive Admirals Barge.    But some smaller pinnaces did have the panels under those seats as well.
 

 
 
In addition...On the fore side of the seat back there should be a panel as well.   Again this would be quite a challenge to make the fancy molding for and keep it thin so it doesnt look bulky.  I decided to leave the feature off the pinnace kit for simplicity as well.   Once again it could not be laser cut because there are too many variables.   The depth of the seatback and the width would change for every model built depending on how well the interior was sanded and where the risers were placed.  It is also difficult to bend the top of the panel if it wasnt laser cut.  This is another challenge I have yet to see anyone add to the model.  Note that the panel outline is let-into the seatback.
 
See below.
 

 
 
The last detail I omitted was the long boards down the center of the hull between the thwarts.  They only appear between the two aft-most thwarts.   They are also let-in to each thwart which could get tricky for some folks.   
 
Also note how thin and elegant the cap rail is.   If you can get the tops of the frames inboard sanded down even thinner you may be able to achieve the same results.   Most often they are left too thick and it begins to look very clunky and heavy.     But yes....the hull is very light but surprisingly strong at this point so dont be afraid to try it.    Once the panels and thwarts are in position the whole thing gets really rigid and strong.  Just be careful with it until then.
 
Thats it for the stuff I omitted but they remain optional at any rate.
 
Chuck

No dont use a bigger dowel.  It will look way out of scale.  The opposing tensions on that dowel by the rigging will hold it in place.  Wait toil you make the topgallnt masts.   Talk about flimsy.  You must work on the tensions to make sure the wood doesnt bend the while rigging.
 
Everything looks great.  Fantastic job on the headrails.
 
Chuck

Al
 
You can use the plans and use CNC to cut out the parts.   As long as they are for your own personal use on this project then feel free to use any method to cut out the parts.  As the hobby matures,  folks are starting to use new tools and technology.   Who are we to stand in the way.  I happen to prefer a sharp chisel or a scroll saw but other now find CAD and CNC or even laser cutting just as much a part of the process.   Its no different than someone using a Sherline Mill or Lathe vs.  a jewelers saw and chisel.   
 
The project is an introduction to scratch building and scratch building techniques.  CNC is just one of those techniques that are newer.  CAD and CNC are fast becoming a fun part of this hobby for lots of people.  They should be made to  feel welcome here.  So again I will welcome you to the group and forum.
 
Build away and enjoy the project.
 
The only disclaimer is that it be for your own personal use and you cant distribute cut parts to other builders.   I will enjoy watching you progress and dont hesitate to ask me any questions.  You have the complete blessing and authority from ADMIN and Owner alike.
 
Chuck

This area is intended for your build logs of any scratch-built models you are working.  Whether they are wood, plastic, card, or RC kits.  This is the place where you can document your step-by-step progress.  Post images of your work and share your techniques and ideas with your fellow Model Ship World members.
 
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We have a "Build Log Naming Convention" to enable the Search Engine to sort them Alphabetically by "Ship's Name" and/or "Builder's Name".
 
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This is how your Build Log Title must be set up for Static Wooden Ships :
 
HMS Victory by Fred Bloggs - Scale 1: 75 - 1805 as she appeared after Trafalger - First wooden ship build
 
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Check other Build Logs for an existing one to see whether the "HMS" (or other prefix) is used before the Ship's Name.
 
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USS New Jersey by giblets - PLASTIC - Superdetailed with PE
 
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HMS Victory by Simmo - BOTTLE - 1/700 scale
 
Vosper PT Boat by whereami - RADIO - A nice model to build
 
Instructions on how to use the Search to find a Build Log list of the Ship you are looking for are in a pinned Topic in "Questions/instructions on how to use and post to this forum/Site Problems or suggestions".

The bulk of the heavy lifting on the stern and quarter galleries has been completed.  Here are a few different angles:
 

 
The photo etched garlands and metal castings were finished with Model Master 'Wood' color (never claimed to have much imagination) then given a coat of clear flat acrylic.  We've already discussed the glazing.
 

 

 

 
And now for the classic CONFEDERACY shot: 
 

 
Have a few things to add to complete the stern.  Neptune (he's at about 11 o'clock) needs his Trident, the gun ports need hinges, eyebolts and lanyards and there's a little touching up to carry out (one or 2 stern lights needs 'caulking').  That will all wait until I get the rudder and it's fittings mounted.
 
I have to fess up and admit I didn't think I'd get it to come out as well as it did.  But thanks to Chuck's design and a little care with all the alignment going back to the stern framing I feel pretty good about the way she looks at this point.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Dont be afraid to sand the heck out of it.   You can sand all of that off and restain it.   The planks are thick enough.   Try t again but make sure you use a mixture of more natural stain vs golden oak.  I would start with something like a 20 % stain mixture to 80% natural.   See what happens.    You can remove that stained layer if you just sand it off.   Then sand it with a very fine 400 - 600 wet dry paper.   Then apply the stain mixture.
 
Chuck

To complete the model...the grapnel was painted and rigged. I made mine from scratch using boxwood.  I think they replaced the one in the kit with a cast metal version they had in stock,  It was added to the model so the rope looked natural.  I made some oars and placed them in there as well.  They were just cut from a 1/16" sheet and the handles rounded off.  Then they were painted.
 
That is essentially the end of the project.
 
Chuck 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Progress
1.Bowfillers

2.Stern - I decided to complete this before fairing the hull, but am I going to pay for this later?

3.Lintels and sills going in

4.Checking the alignment against the future window placement

5.Fairing the hull on my fairing station

6.Lower decks are going in - the pencil line for caulking

 
Last Day of Summer here - could this mean more modelling time?
 

Never a kit...just the plans and book.  It will be a while to Seawatch Books dismay.   But they will publish a book with plans.  I will supply some materials and laser cut parts,  but not a kit.
 
Chuck

I'm still working and not just daydreaming about my next project.  Chesstree installed - bit of glare as the tung oil dries - hoping to tackle the fenders and ladders next