donrobinson

Hello All, Thanks for stopping and for your likes and comments.
 Well a week has gone by and I don't have that much to show, For some reason I thought I would have had lots more to show, but I have started on the planking and all is going smooth. At this stage Stefano is 810 mm long so I suppose this is maybe why it is going slower than I thought. No matter there is no rush. The transom has proven to be a little bit of a hair puller outer but fortunately with my already thinning hair there was not much to grab onto and all worked out 
 
The first row of planking installed at top of bulkheads, no tapering done on this strake. The bulkhead extensions are to be removed later on, therefore there is little glue applied to these points of contact with the planks. It is necessary then to pay special attention while installing the first four strakes and be sure there is adequate glue applied to their edges and proper clamping is applied.
 

 
The new shipyard aka dining room
 

 
And here Stefano is beside the Pegasus, the Pegasus is 500 mm in this picture 310 mm shorter than the Stefano. Pegasus is 1:64 and the Stefano is 1:63

 
 This week is the Trabaccolo,
 
See You All Later

Here are some of the plans, first one is an overall, second one showing how to build masts and spars and the last two are all about the rigging these are just for the foremast. The plans are all scale size so any measurement can be accurately taken off of them , I believe they are 35" x 50" and there is 14 of them. The main mast has three dedicated sheets and the mizzen has one. One sheet is all about the sails and the rest are the construction of hull and various items required. The instruction book is 36 pages which may seem small but with all the information you need on the plans the instruction book is more than adequate. It does an excellent job of outlining the various steps and is easy to follow.
 




 

Hello All, Thanks for your comments, likes and for stopping by
 
 This is Barque Stefano week for me so I will show you some progress from this morning
 
Today was bow and stern filler blocks, the kit supplies these in a block that is partially laser cut I finished cutting mine with my scroll saw. The stern filler block requires you to glue three 20 mm thick pieces together, then shape accordingly. The top of the filler block rises to the stern to allow for the planking or madiere, this rise is approx. 7-8 mm. This should be done first, the next profile can then be made by measuring down approx 20 mm from this edge. The last profile is made by tracing the outline of the last bulkhead from the fore side.
Blocks cut from blank

 
Showing the rise of filler block and how planking will fit

 
Showing the formed blocks, the red marker is just added to better see the lines

 
Stern block attached

 
The bow blocks are much easier to make and follow the same principle, marking the profile lines and shaping
 

 
This last picture is just to show the lines of the hull, started to fair the starboard side to show how things should meet up. Still required are two small pieces of filler on either side of bow, then start fairing tomorrow. Ignore gap on starboard side, that was fixed. Tools used were belt/disc sander, dremel and sandpaper.
 

 
Have a Good Day

Here is the start of the build:
 

 Pieces for the keel have been removed from billet and laying on plans. Notice how exact the plans are
 

 
Squaring of bulkheads, some very minor adjustments were required. Unlike other kits MarrisSella's bulkheads are not glued in place at this time. They are a tight fit, so are tapped into place and left at this point.
 

 
Installation of mast steps
 

 
 Here all bulkheads have been fitted and installed, no glue yet. The support dowels have been slid into place, there is a total of eight 14 mm walnut dowels. As far as I know this system is unique to MarrisStella, it adds considerable strentgth to the frame and also helps to properly align the bulkheads.
 Another check on the alignment of the bulkheads and glue will be brushed on to all joints.
 
 You may have noticed in the pictures the cloudy skies , well they since have parted and the sun is starting to shine so that means the shipyard will have to close down  .
 
See You All Later
 
 
 

Well here she is all done, this was a fun little kit to build and I hope the grandson enjoys it even though it isn't much of a toy to play with. I am thinking I am going to put it on a base, for added security.
 One down and one more to go for Santa, now to finish the carriage.

This is the start of my Pegasus log which I have been putting off for far too long and decided I would get it going. When I started this hobby a little over a year ago I seen a picture of the Amati Pegasus and instantly wanted her, however, for once in my life I held off starting her as I knew my skill level was not there yet. I feel now if I take my time and with the help available here at MSW I should be able to stumble through and do a fairly good job.
 I know this is a bold step starting this kit as there is some excellent ones on the go now, Blue Ensign and Landlubber Mike  are just two examples of some of the skilled craftsmen here at MSW. Although I do not plan on following in their footsteps, I mean who could, I do plan on making some changes mostly to the kit wood and possibly a few other features(cannons, rigging line etc.).
 I did not include pictures of the contents but if anyone is interested in seeing the contents of this great kit just say so and I will be more than happy to add them.
 Enough of an introduction, it is my hope that I do this girl justice and maybe someday be allowed into that elite Pegasus/fly fraternity. 
 
 To date I have fitted the bulkheads and transom supports. All went together good and there was very little adjustment required. I am impressed with the mdf so far and do not see any problems arising in the future from it, it is defiantly quite a bit denser  than the stuff found in the local lumberyard and should out shine the normal plywood that is typically used.
 The one picture shows the plywood forecastle deck in place, it is not glued down that was just me playing around. In the past year I have had this kit the box has been opened and closed no less than 30-40 times and this piece keeps falling out. So I just put in in place for safe keeping .
 

Hi there Loupy(?), I'm not sure where the kit was made but it was bought two years ago. I did have problems with one of the billets holding the bulkheads, the glue had de-bonded leaving the bulkheads in two pieces. I had that replaced and as for the rest I had replaced most of the wood with my own so I did not have too many issues.

Good Morning All, I trust and hope you all had happy holidays and are now back to the reality of life once again.
 I took the last five days off of my Trabaccolo build to do a little work on my neglected Pegasus, she was very happy to be in the shipyard once again.
First up was fairing the hull, sorry no pictures, then was to install the plywood gun deck. Before doing this supports were required as per so many other logs such as Mike's(Landlubber Mike). So you can see in the pictures how I accomplished this using some 3 x 3mm posts and 1.5 x 5 mm planks.
 

 
Next was the infamous plywood gunport pieces, I had little problems with these which still worries me  . I soaked them for about an hour then bent them using a curling iron. I needed to move them approx 5mm forward as one of the oar holes was being blocked by a bulkhead, but other than that it went smoothly.
 

 
While waiting for glue and paint to dry I thought I would put together the cannon carriages. Many have complained about the Amati carriages , mostly about the quality of the plywood. I am thinking they must have changed their stock as I found these ones to be quite durable and easy to work with, you can be the judge as to how they look. Amati does include 18 carriages and 16 cannons, I'm thinking these extra carriages will work fine as stocking stuffers next Christmas or even mount some chocolate in them and they could be a Easter bunny thing, at any rate they will not go to waste.
A point to note is Do Not paint the bulkheads black above the deck if you wish to paint red later    . Mine took a minimum of ten coats to cover then I just quit.
Here I am using the mill with the sensitive drilling attachment to drill the axles for the pins that hold the trucks on, then it was on to assembling.
 

 
A little out of order but here you can see the result of moving the gun port sides ahead by 5 mm. The stem post and bowsprit are not glued in place, looks so good I feel like making the real bowsprit now.
 

 
And here she is ready for a battle, well kind of, and loaded up for next stage of deck planking
 

 
Here the planking has started using the kit supplied planks. I decided on a four plank shift using 120 mm planks. I built the aft bits as they are noted for not fitting properly mine required minor adjustments and fit perfectly. So with the gunport sides causing no problems and now the bits fitting good I am really getting concerned about my usual not so good luck.  
 In my excitement to start planking I forgot I should have built the hatches first, I don't think this will pose too much of a problem, I will carry on as is and see what happens later with the hatches.
 

 
Have a Good Day

That is funny Mike, when I bought the kit I was real new to this hobby and I to promised myself I would not change anything. Heck I even said I was going to leave the photo etch plain and not paint or blacken it, well I'm very certain I will break this part of the promise to myself . As for the rest I'll see how things go  

Thanks Mike, I have looked over your log concerning the hatch and bit location and I will have to give that some thought. I do not have any of the TFFM books, my hope for my Pegasus is to have one that pleases my eye so that may not include all the historically correct additions or changes. I love what you have done with yours and really enjoy watching you work on her, I'm afraid my talents are not up to yours so I will not be attempting some of the changes you have masterfully completed. Maybe on my next Pegasus   . I sincerely appreciate you looking in and helping me out, if it wasn't for you and your log (which I have used lots) my progress to date would have been a lot more difficult.
Thanks Again 

Thanks Dave, I had a quick look at that site and it looks pretty good. I am going to have a closer look and maybe take some notes.

Thanks for stopping in and for your comment Martin. I will have to check out the gun carriages a little closer and see how they are fitting.

Good Morning All, I trust and hope you all had happy holidays and are now back to the reality of life once again.
 I took the last five days off of my Trabaccolo build to do a little work on my neglected Pegasus, she was very happy to be in the shipyard once again.
First up was fairing the hull, sorry no pictures, then was to install the plywood gun deck. Before doing this supports were required as per so many other logs such as Mike's(Landlubber Mike). So you can see in the pictures how I accomplished this using some 3 x 3mm posts and 1.5 x 5 mm planks.
 

 
Next was the infamous plywood gunport pieces, I had little problems with these which still worries me  . I soaked them for about an hour then bent them using a curling iron. I needed to move them approx 5mm forward as one of the oar holes was being blocked by a bulkhead, but other than that it went smoothly.
 

 
While waiting for glue and paint to dry I thought I would put together the cannon carriages. Many have complained about the Amati carriages , mostly about the quality of the plywood. I am thinking they must have changed their stock as I found these ones to be quite durable and easy to work with, you can be the judge as to how they look. Amati does include 18 carriages and 16 cannons, I'm thinking these extra carriages will work fine as stocking stuffers next Christmas or even mount some chocolate in them and they could be a Easter bunny thing, at any rate they will not go to waste.
A point to note is Do Not paint the bulkheads black above the deck if you wish to paint red later    . Mine took a minimum of ten coats to cover then I just quit.
Here I am using the mill with the sensitive drilling attachment to drill the axles for the pins that hold the trucks on, then it was on to assembling.
 

 
A little out of order but here you can see the result of moving the gun port sides ahead by 5 mm. The stem post and bowsprit are not glued in place, looks so good I feel like making the real bowsprit now.
 

 
And here she is ready for a battle, well kind of, and loaded up for next stage of deck planking
 

 
Here the planking has started using the kit supplied planks. I decided on a four plank shift using 120 mm planks. I built the aft bits as they are noted for not fitting properly mine required minor adjustments and fit perfectly. So with the gunport sides causing no problems and now the bits fitting good I am really getting concerned about my usual not so good luck.  
 In my excitement to start planking I forgot I should have built the hatches first, I don't think this will pose too much of a problem, I will carry on as is and see what happens later with the hatches.
 

 
Have a Good Day

Thanks Martin, glad to have you on board

Hi Mike, Thanks for your kind words and encouragement, the light wood on the deck was a bit of an experiment. If you look close you will see some narrow strips down the middle and again framing the main room those are maple, the rest is basswood. Not much difference in looks in the pictures but the maple does finish much nicer.
 Thanks for the links to your log I was just going through your log to plan my next steps so this really helps me out. I think those supports are a real good plan and I will be doing something similar on mine. The bitts I have heard you and Spyglass talk about and I am still trying to wrap my head around that, a little more studying and hopefully the light will come on.
 Thanks Again much appreciated

Thanks Paul, I agree with you about the planking I prefer the dark colours versus the light also. From what I have read here at MSW the light coloured decks are more historically correct and that is what everyone is trying to portray. If you want, though, I'll follow along with you and do dark coloured decks even though it may jeopardise our membership here     .
 As for the bulkheads again it was probably a waste of time as I am sure not many of them will be seen through the hatches but I started painting a few and just kept going. I even went so far as to give them a coat of poly. I think what it all amounts to is me stalling before all the hard stuff starts to come.   

Thanks Ian and Zoltan

Hello All, hope things are all good. Since last post not too much has happened. I corrected the stern extensions, thanks Mike and Spyglass, and then went on to planking the lower deck. For the most part a waste of time as it won't be seen but it was a lot of fun and a planking exercise is always a good thing . This was leftover planking from my Mayflower so a bit of a salvage operation as well.
 Next up is the false deck and planking it.
 

 
Take Care

There is lots of room Zoltan, so come on in and grab a seat

Hi Spyglass, thanks for the advice. Thanks to you and Mike I have the stern extensions repaired, and I beg of you to keep watching and correct me when needed. It is always a good feeling to know someone is watching your back. The rabbets are done already, although, I did not take a very good picture of them and they hard to see with the mdf. I don't plan on using pedestals for mounting, I'm not so sure how I am mounting her yet but I will keep you informed when I make a decision.
 I have read about the gun strips and the fun involved with the installation of them, I really can't say that I'm looking forward to them.
 I'll be following your log and probably stealing some ideas so I'll apologise for that now. 

Hi Ken, Thanks for stopping by. You are more than welcome to stop by at anytime.

Hi Mike: Thanks for your comments and the welcome into the Swan club. I am glad you pointed out the stern extensions as they have been bothering me for sometime now. They have since been corrected and I will post pictures later. One question I do have though is what size lumber did you use for your anchor stock and what length? I am thinking of trying that also but would like to practice off boat first.
 I will look into the TFFM books, although I have spent my allowance on some upgrades to my tools so they may have to wait for a bit. The NMM plans really are beautiful I first seen them in your build log and have since bought them and have them framed and hanging in the shipyard. I thought they were a pre-requisite to being part of the "club"
 Thanks for your help and feel free to step in anytime, always appreciated.

Good morning David: Thanks for that, displaying shouldn't be too bad as she is only about 3 inches longer than the AVS. Your daughter must be one happy gal knowing that the Connie is moving in with her

Hey Chris, how are things with you? I think this one should be a lot of fun it's a matter of splitting my time between both builds and hope things work out. As for the storage space I have a basement that I am renovating into one large display area that I'll hopefully finish some day soon. Until then the dining room table still has room for two or three more   .

Hi Bob, Thanks for your encouragement it's the masters like yourself that help push me on wanting to do things better.