tkay11

Side wings

The build of the side wings posed something of a problem. This was because the build shown by Fissore in his photos differed radically from the plans.


 
The plans showed a complex S-curvature to the wings, whilst the photos of Fissore’s build showed them as straight panels.


 
The side panels as shown on the plans:

 

 

 
You'll note that in the plans forward four of the side panel strengthening timbers seem to come straight from the frames below. This would clearly be impossible, and, as you will have seen from the photo of Fissore's actual build, they are as they should be. The side panel made by Fissore (the author of the plans) follows.
 
 

 
 
It was clearly easier to cut the wings as flat panels, so as I could not figure a way of shaping the panels with their internal supports and top rail symmetrical on either side, I chose the easy route and made them flat without curvature.
 

 
Rear superstructure

This is supported by the main top rail. I am unclear about its function. One thought would be that it could provide a base for a tarpaulin to protect the helmsman. Another would be that it helps support the sometimes enormous loads that could be carried by the allèges.

Again I made a prototype in card strips to check fit and alignment, then made the final with pear wood.
 

 

 
 

 
Next up, bow timbers.
 
Tony

Mast & calcet
The calcet, or mast cap, is described as follows in the monograph:
 
Masts with a calcet are similar to those used on Mediterranean galleys. The difference between masts with a calcet and regular masts is in the fact that the former are big and short and carry a lateen yard much longer than the mast, and they have no top. Vessels that carry one or more masts with a calcet are galleys, xebecs, pinques, tartans, feluccas, Provence barks, etc. They are all Mediterranean vessels.
 
The problem for me was that the calcet is 2.87mm square, and this stands on top of a round mast. I couldn’t work out how to turn this easily, as I’d have to start with 6mm square stock for the mast.
 
Fissore’s method is to cut a long diagonal joint at the top of the mast, but that looked way to complicated for me. I decided I go for a simple pin to hold a separate calcet to the mast.
 

 
My first attempt at a mast was with pine wood. However, no matter how I sanded it, there were still flat surfaces left around the mast, so I discarded it and went for my usual pear wood.
 
 

 
I set up the 6mm square pear stock in a lathe and centred it using a dial indicator as shown:
 

 
 
I again used the sticky tape to point to the changing circumference of the mast, and, after rounding the mast to a constant 5mm diameter using lathe chisels, sanded it down (from the deck level upwards) to the correct dimensions. I then cut the steps at the top of the mast as shown in the plans diagram above, and drilled the 0.6mm hole in the top of the mast to take the steel pin as described above.
 
Those with a keen eye will note that neither the base of the mast nor the top have octagonal sides. This is quite deliberate as I know if I tried to make them so at this scale the result would look atrocious.
 
 

 
 
After using the lathe to cut the small steps at the top of the mast for the shrouds and rigging, I made the calcet, its brass sheave and the 0.5mm flagpole.
 

 

 
 
The combined mast and calcet was then fitted to the hull.
 

 
I will now go on to making the yards and rigging the model, which will probably take quite a time.
 
Forgotten addition re bollard
Just as a small postscript, I found a spare bollard that allows me to show one before fitting. I had wanted to include such a picture in the earlier logs, but hadn’t taken any photos of one; so this one will be inserted into the relevant log.
 

 
 
Thanks again to everyone who is following this build.
 
Tony
 

Slowly making progress though sometimes it's two step forward and one in reverse.   This bit was a combination.  I was one plank too high on the aft.. had to remove it.  But planking above the wale is installed, gunports cut and sized.  Also a light sanding.  Gap filling will happen after all hull planking is done.  

Time to bring this log up to date and maybe call it "proof of life" during the virus.   After being unhappy with the first strakes and ripping them off, I did them again... and again.   Finally happy.  It's just 6 rows but methinks I'll be picking up some speed on the rest.   I still need to give it some more sanding and a bit of filling and also finish opening the gunports to upper sills.  The starboard side has been trimmed and as I said, needs more sanding.  The port side is only planked at this point.  Overall, I'm feeling pretty good about it.  Much of my memory has returned since the stroke and that helps in sorting things out.   In the background is the planking wood waiting for me to lay into place.
 
Here's photos....

Mast & calcet
The calcet, or mast cap, is described as follows in the monograph:
 
Masts with a calcet are similar to those used on Mediterranean galleys. The difference between masts with a calcet and regular masts is in the fact that the former are big and short and carry a lateen yard much longer than the mast, and they have no top. Vessels that carry one or more masts with a calcet are galleys, xebecs, pinques, tartans, feluccas, Provence barks, etc. They are all Mediterranean vessels.
 
The problem for me was that the calcet is 2.87mm square, and this stands on top of a round mast. I couldn’t work out how to turn this easily, as I’d have to start with 6mm square stock for the mast.
 
Fissore’s method is to cut a long diagonal joint at the top of the mast, but that looked way to complicated for me. I decided I go for a simple pin to hold a separate calcet to the mast.
 

 
My first attempt at a mast was with pine wood. However, no matter how I sanded it, there were still flat surfaces left around the mast, so I discarded it and went for my usual pear wood.
 
 

 
I set up the 6mm square pear stock in a lathe and centred it using a dial indicator as shown:
 

 
 
I again used the sticky tape to point to the changing circumference of the mast, and, after rounding the mast to a constant 5mm diameter using lathe chisels, sanded it down (from the deck level upwards) to the correct dimensions. I then cut the steps at the top of the mast as shown in the plans diagram above, and drilled the 0.6mm hole in the top of the mast to take the steel pin as described above.
 
Those with a keen eye will note that neither the base of the mast nor the top have octagonal sides. This is quite deliberate as I know if I tried to make them so at this scale the result would look atrocious.
 
 

 
 
After using the lathe to cut the small steps at the top of the mast for the shrouds and rigging, I made the calcet, its brass sheave and the 0.5mm flagpole.
 

 

 
 
The combined mast and calcet was then fitted to the hull.
 

 
I will now go on to making the yards and rigging the model, which will probably take quite a time.
 
Forgotten addition re bollard
Just as a small postscript, I found a spare bollard that allows me to show one before fitting. I had wanted to include such a picture in the earlier logs, but hadn’t taken any photos of one; so this one will be inserted into the relevant log.
 

 
 
Thanks again to everyone who is following this build.
 
Tony
 

Side wings

The build of the side wings posed something of a problem. This was because the build shown by Fissore in his photos differed radically from the plans.


 
The plans showed a complex S-curvature to the wings, whilst the photos of Fissore’s build showed them as straight panels.


 
The side panels as shown on the plans:

 

 

 
You'll note that in the plans forward four of the side panel strengthening timbers seem to come straight from the frames below. This would clearly be impossible, and, as you will have seen from the photo of Fissore's actual build, they are as they should be. The side panel made by Fissore (the author of the plans) follows.
 
 

 
 
It was clearly easier to cut the wings as flat panels, so as I could not figure a way of shaping the panels with their internal supports and top rail symmetrical on either side, I chose the easy route and made them flat without curvature.
 

 
Rear superstructure

This is supported by the main top rail. I am unclear about its function. One thought would be that it could provide a base for a tarpaulin to protect the helmsman. Another would be that it helps support the sometimes enormous loads that could be carried by the allèges.

Again I made a prototype in card strips to check fit and alignment, then made the final with pear wood.
 

 

 
 

 
Next up, bow timbers.
 
Tony

Thanks for all the likes, which I'm very grateful for as good wishes for the future outcome! I just hope you won't end up a little let down as for me it's been like starting all over again with scale and card. Both these require new skills and techniques which I'm still learning.
 
PLANK ON BULKHEAD

As the next stage of my apprenticeship, I wanted to try my hand at making a POB version of a ship based on the plans. In particular I wanted to see the possibilities of building the frame in card but finishing the planking and the rest of the model in wood. This definitely is a plus for a scale of 1:100, since the frames have very small sided and moulded dimensions: the frame sided measurement being only 1.2mm (moulded 3mm). I could have used the method of Javier Baron by making a mould, as done for longboats, but preferred the opportunity to do something new.


 
There are advantages and disadvantages of making a model at a scale of 1:100, as opposed to the 1:48 at which the plans are drawn. The main disadvantage, of course, is the level of detail that can be provided. A quick look at the photos of M Fissore’s build at 1:48 provides amazement at the detail, finish and skills in making such a model. But bigger models require more wood and space.


 
Smaller models are the reverse. One question is that of rope. The sizes at this scale should be 0.2-0.6mm. My smallest thread is 0.3mm, which means I have to drill 0.4mm holes for the sheaves. This is probably ok visually, but the problems for me come with making the smallest blocks while still retaining the shape of blocks. At 1:100, the smallest blocks would have to be 1.49 x 1.19 x 0.76.  The smallest block I found I could make comfortably was 2.27mm long, which certainly looks a bit large for the blocks holding the tiller.


 
I could try to buy manufactured blocks (e.g. photo-etched), but I like the challenge of making things myself whenever possible. I suppose I will just have to try harder in future, but for the moment I’m sticking to 2.27mm blocks.


 
On the subject of detail, as usual I discarded the idea of treenailing as they would be next to invisible at this scale, and only displayed larger bolts, as for the bitts.


 
THE FRAMEWORK

I prepared a suitable holding frame from card and used the frame stations as sites for the bulkheads. So far, so ordinary.
 

 

 
I used a copy of the base from which to cut the spacers between the bulkheads so they remained at right angles to the longitudinal spine.
 

 
The stem, keel and stern were cut in card as one single piece, and fitted into corresponding grooves in the frames. I much regretted not making them from wood. Although I had strengthened all the parts with gesso, this proved inadequate to resist the problems of chafing, distortion and sanding during the handling of the model. CA glue might have been more effective, but I found even that not enough when I tried to use it on the tops of the bulkheads and the stem.
 

 
The base for the deck was then installed.

 

 
Followed by card plates for the flat bottom.

 

 
My problems started when I tried to emulate those card modellers who fill between the bulkheads. It feels like I’m starting modelling all over again as I clearly botched it this time! But I put it all down to the necessary learning experience.


 
I used a water-based filler made up from powder to fill the spaces between the bulkheads. This was supposed to avoid the problem of an irregular surface when I came to applying the sheets of card over the bulkheads to serve as a surface for the planking. I made the paste as thick as possible in order to avoid much shrinkage, but there were some essential problems which I failed to overcome.


 
First was the contraction of the filler as it dried, making it difficult to have an absolutely flush surface to the hull.

Second was the difficulty of providing an accurate base for the deck as it curved in both directions.

Third was the discovery that the water from the filler distorted the card both of the deck base and the bulkheads themselves – making it difficult to keep them square to each other. This also resulted in making the timberheads distorted and expanded. This problem might have been avoided if I had covered the bulkheads with CA glue in advance. The gesso only absorbed the water. I think in future I'll go for filling with wood blocks as these can be shaped so much more easily.

Finally, I came to realise that I had to leave a space for the mast, and this made filling of that area rather tricky, again rising to distortion in the framework.

 

 
This is where the wooden parts of the build began. I started on the waterway, which I cut from 0.5mm thick pear wood. This would stand in contrast to the deck planking which would be from lime wood.

 

 
This was followed by the deck planking, using 2mm strips of lime 0.5mm thick, so as to be close to scale as possible.
 

 

 
After completing the waterways and the deck planking I moved on to pasting strips of card to act as the base for the hull planking.

 

 
A strip of low-tack transparent tape was laid on which the outline of the top sides could be traced, and then cut out on some pear wood.

 

 

 

 
The wales were made from card, again something I later regretted when it came to sanding as they proved very easy to fray at the edges.

 

 
The hull planking was also made from card. This was ok until I tried sanding it. I found that my sanding produced a really dreadful surface for painting. It led me to understand why so many card modellers then use a plasticised laminate for the planking. More experienced card modellers have somehow cracked the problem, producing beautiful surfaces, but I have still to learn and practice much!


 
I thus decided I would complete the upper planking in wood to make my life easier. In addition, because the sternpost was by then quite distorted, I replaced the card version with a wooden one for strength as well as appearance, since it would have to hold the pintles for the rudder.

 

 
The rudder

I completed the initial basic structure with the rudder, using a 0.5mm hole for the tiller. The photo shows the brass rod I used to check the angle of the tiller.

 

 
I ended by making up the ironwork for the rudder in the usual ways.

 

 
Till next time!
 
Tony
 
 

This is the first time since three years that I look back to this log.
Looking to the amount of dust that covers my model, I realize that I neglected this project too long. I was rigging the spars when I ceased regular updates. The rigging work is finished but I failed to take regular notes and pictures on the progress.
Before reviving this log today, I'll give you a short summary of what has been done since my story began to sleep. From next week on I promise again weekly updates until the shrimper is ready to set sail.
The necessary rope is made:

Fastening the forestay:

 

Rigging the mast and shrouds.

 

 

 

For whom I fly a little too quickly through this topic I refer to cross-section-fishing-smack-by-gl-scale-1/20-pof-approx-1920-finished . Here a more detailed explanation is included.
From here I don't have pictures any more of the rigging work.
This is like I presented her the last time to my modeling friends long before we even heard of corona or covid.

 

I restart now with deep cleaning the model (when it will be finished a display case will be necessary).
Next week I will start with sail making.

Fini!  More photos of the completed model are in the gallery section at:  https://modelshipworld.com/gallery/album/2294-misainier-french-fishing-boat-1906/
 

I have completed some detailed work on oar ports and reinforcing bars above the gun ports. 
 

 
The reinforcing bars are shown as a horizontal dotted line on one Admiralty drawing. My interpretation after guidance from other MSW members is that the ends were iron plates which were set into the gunwale (also known as the cap-rail by some). The reinforce itself is probably a bar but could be a rod; there is not much difference at 1/64 scale with a 2-foot viewing distance. The iron plates are rectangles of card and the bar is a staple that has had one leg straightened and then bent again to give the correct spacing. 
 
The oar (sweep) ports are keyhole shapes on the drawing. The round hole was easy to make by drilling and trimming but the slot was tricky because it is less than 1mm wide. I drilled a couple of 0.5mm holes to start the slot then joined and extended them with delicate knife work. There are 12 of these ports on the schooner and every one has to be good, and there is no option to make more and choose the best ones. (The gun ports are 9mm wide to give you a sense of the scale.) I found it essential to work with an illuminating magnifier for these. 
 


 
The gunwale will get a coat of black paint, as will the other wales. I will probably paint the outside face of the bulwarks between the gunwale and the upper wale in yellow ochre. The inner face of the bulwarks is currently stained with walnut and I think I will leave it natural. John Roach's log book mentions painters coming on board but he did not record what they painted or in which colour so the choice is fairly open. 
 
George
 

Mast & calcet
The calcet, or mast cap, is described as follows in the monograph:
 
Masts with a calcet are similar to those used on Mediterranean galleys. The difference between masts with a calcet and regular masts is in the fact that the former are big and short and carry a lateen yard much longer than the mast, and they have no top. Vessels that carry one or more masts with a calcet are galleys, xebecs, pinques, tartans, feluccas, Provence barks, etc. They are all Mediterranean vessels.
 
The problem for me was that the calcet is 2.87mm square, and this stands on top of a round mast. I couldn’t work out how to turn this easily, as I’d have to start with 6mm square stock for the mast.
 
Fissore’s method is to cut a long diagonal joint at the top of the mast, but that looked way to complicated for me. I decided I go for a simple pin to hold a separate calcet to the mast.
 

 
My first attempt at a mast was with pine wood. However, no matter how I sanded it, there were still flat surfaces left around the mast, so I discarded it and went for my usual pear wood.
 
 

 
I set up the 6mm square pear stock in a lathe and centred it using a dial indicator as shown:
 

 
 
I again used the sticky tape to point to the changing circumference of the mast, and, after rounding the mast to a constant 5mm diameter using lathe chisels, sanded it down (from the deck level upwards) to the correct dimensions. I then cut the steps at the top of the mast as shown in the plans diagram above, and drilled the 0.6mm hole in the top of the mast to take the steel pin as described above.
 
Those with a keen eye will note that neither the base of the mast nor the top have octagonal sides. This is quite deliberate as I know if I tried to make them so at this scale the result would look atrocious.
 
 

 
 
After using the lathe to cut the small steps at the top of the mast for the shrouds and rigging, I made the calcet, its brass sheave and the 0.5mm flagpole.
 

 

 
 
The combined mast and calcet was then fitted to the hull.
 

 
I will now go on to making the yards and rigging the model, which will probably take quite a time.
 
Forgotten addition re bollard
Just as a small postscript, I found a spare bollard that allows me to show one before fitting. I had wanted to include such a picture in the earlier logs, but hadn’t taken any photos of one; so this one will be inserted into the relevant log.
 

 
 
Thanks again to everyone who is following this build.
 
Tony
 

Mast & calcet
The calcet, or mast cap, is described as follows in the monograph:
 
Masts with a calcet are similar to those used on Mediterranean galleys. The difference between masts with a calcet and regular masts is in the fact that the former are big and short and carry a lateen yard much longer than the mast, and they have no top. Vessels that carry one or more masts with a calcet are galleys, xebecs, pinques, tartans, feluccas, Provence barks, etc. They are all Mediterranean vessels.
 
The problem for me was that the calcet is 2.87mm square, and this stands on top of a round mast. I couldn’t work out how to turn this easily, as I’d have to start with 6mm square stock for the mast.
 
Fissore’s method is to cut a long diagonal joint at the top of the mast, but that looked way to complicated for me. I decided I go for a simple pin to hold a separate calcet to the mast.
 

 
My first attempt at a mast was with pine wood. However, no matter how I sanded it, there were still flat surfaces left around the mast, so I discarded it and went for my usual pear wood.
 
 

 
I set up the 6mm square pear stock in a lathe and centred it using a dial indicator as shown:
 

 
 
I again used the sticky tape to point to the changing circumference of the mast, and, after rounding the mast to a constant 5mm diameter using lathe chisels, sanded it down (from the deck level upwards) to the correct dimensions. I then cut the steps at the top of the mast as shown in the plans diagram above, and drilled the 0.6mm hole in the top of the mast to take the steel pin as described above.
 
Those with a keen eye will note that neither the base of the mast nor the top have octagonal sides. This is quite deliberate as I know if I tried to make them so at this scale the result would look atrocious.
 
 

 
 
After using the lathe to cut the small steps at the top of the mast for the shrouds and rigging, I made the calcet, its brass sheave and the 0.5mm flagpole.
 

 

 
 
The combined mast and calcet was then fitted to the hull.
 

 
I will now go on to making the yards and rigging the model, which will probably take quite a time.
 
Forgotten addition re bollard
Just as a small postscript, I found a spare bollard that allows me to show one before fitting. I had wanted to include such a picture in the earlier logs, but hadn’t taken any photos of one; so this one will be inserted into the relevant log.
 

 
 
Thanks again to everyone who is following this build.
 
Tony
 

Some more done on Le Rochforte.  Another 720 bolts drilled and glued in - I find this job strangely therapeutic and relaxing which is just as well.  I've also thicknessed and cut the wood for the final 5 frames at the stern all of which are rising frames.  These bring up a new challenge as they are built on chocks on the half floor side.  It's been nice to look at the plans and understand them without scratching my head too.  Tomorrow I'll hopefully get all of these parts sanded to shape and then start the assembly.
 
 

Mast & calcet
The calcet, or mast cap, is described as follows in the monograph:
 
Masts with a calcet are similar to those used on Mediterranean galleys. The difference between masts with a calcet and regular masts is in the fact that the former are big and short and carry a lateen yard much longer than the mast, and they have no top. Vessels that carry one or more masts with a calcet are galleys, xebecs, pinques, tartans, feluccas, Provence barks, etc. They are all Mediterranean vessels.
 
The problem for me was that the calcet is 2.87mm square, and this stands on top of a round mast. I couldn’t work out how to turn this easily, as I’d have to start with 6mm square stock for the mast.
 
Fissore’s method is to cut a long diagonal joint at the top of the mast, but that looked way to complicated for me. I decided I go for a simple pin to hold a separate calcet to the mast.
 

 
My first attempt at a mast was with pine wood. However, no matter how I sanded it, there were still flat surfaces left around the mast, so I discarded it and went for my usual pear wood.
 
 

 
I set up the 6mm square pear stock in a lathe and centred it using a dial indicator as shown:
 

 
 
I again used the sticky tape to point to the changing circumference of the mast, and, after rounding the mast to a constant 5mm diameter using lathe chisels, sanded it down (from the deck level upwards) to the correct dimensions. I then cut the steps at the top of the mast as shown in the plans diagram above, and drilled the 0.6mm hole in the top of the mast to take the steel pin as described above.
 
Those with a keen eye will note that neither the base of the mast nor the top have octagonal sides. This is quite deliberate as I know if I tried to make them so at this scale the result would look atrocious.
 
 

 
 
After using the lathe to cut the small steps at the top of the mast for the shrouds and rigging, I made the calcet, its brass sheave and the 0.5mm flagpole.
 

 

 
 
The combined mast and calcet was then fitted to the hull.
 

 
I will now go on to making the yards and rigging the model, which will probably take quite a time.
 
Forgotten addition re bollard
Just as a small postscript, I found a spare bollard that allows me to show one before fitting. I had wanted to include such a picture in the earlier logs, but hadn’t taken any photos of one; so this one will be inserted into the relevant log.
 

 
 
Thanks again to everyone who is following this build.
 
Tony
 

Thank you Tony, I persevered sanding the marking off and with the rule cut into strips it was easier. 
I continue to slowly produce blocks, I now have 16,  4mm singles 
As you can see from the blocks Chris Watton stocks I still need to refine my skills, but I'm quite enjoying the experience.
Thanks for hitting the button and visiting. 
Cheers

Mast & calcet
The calcet, or mast cap, is described as follows in the monograph:
 
Masts with a calcet are similar to those used on Mediterranean galleys. The difference between masts with a calcet and regular masts is in the fact that the former are big and short and carry a lateen yard much longer than the mast, and they have no top. Vessels that carry one or more masts with a calcet are galleys, xebecs, pinques, tartans, feluccas, Provence barks, etc. They are all Mediterranean vessels.
 
The problem for me was that the calcet is 2.87mm square, and this stands on top of a round mast. I couldn’t work out how to turn this easily, as I’d have to start with 6mm square stock for the mast.
 
Fissore’s method is to cut a long diagonal joint at the top of the mast, but that looked way to complicated for me. I decided I go for a simple pin to hold a separate calcet to the mast.
 

 
My first attempt at a mast was with pine wood. However, no matter how I sanded it, there were still flat surfaces left around the mast, so I discarded it and went for my usual pear wood.
 
 

 
I set up the 6mm square pear stock in a lathe and centred it using a dial indicator as shown:
 

 
 
I again used the sticky tape to point to the changing circumference of the mast, and, after rounding the mast to a constant 5mm diameter using lathe chisels, sanded it down (from the deck level upwards) to the correct dimensions. I then cut the steps at the top of the mast as shown in the plans diagram above, and drilled the 0.6mm hole in the top of the mast to take the steel pin as described above.
 
Those with a keen eye will note that neither the base of the mast nor the top have octagonal sides. This is quite deliberate as I know if I tried to make them so at this scale the result would look atrocious.
 
 

 
 
After using the lathe to cut the small steps at the top of the mast for the shrouds and rigging, I made the calcet, its brass sheave and the 0.5mm flagpole.
 

 

 
 
The combined mast and calcet was then fitted to the hull.
 

 
I will now go on to making the yards and rigging the model, which will probably take quite a time.
 
Forgotten addition re bollard
Just as a small postscript, I found a spare bollard that allows me to show one before fitting. I had wanted to include such a picture in the earlier logs, but hadn’t taken any photos of one; so this one will be inserted into the relevant log.
 

 
 
Thanks again to everyone who is following this build.
 
Tony
 

Mast & calcet
The calcet, or mast cap, is described as follows in the monograph:
 
Masts with a calcet are similar to those used on Mediterranean galleys. The difference between masts with a calcet and regular masts is in the fact that the former are big and short and carry a lateen yard much longer than the mast, and they have no top. Vessels that carry one or more masts with a calcet are galleys, xebecs, pinques, tartans, feluccas, Provence barks, etc. They are all Mediterranean vessels.
 
The problem for me was that the calcet is 2.87mm square, and this stands on top of a round mast. I couldn’t work out how to turn this easily, as I’d have to start with 6mm square stock for the mast.
 
Fissore’s method is to cut a long diagonal joint at the top of the mast, but that looked way to complicated for me. I decided I go for a simple pin to hold a separate calcet to the mast.
 

 
My first attempt at a mast was with pine wood. However, no matter how I sanded it, there were still flat surfaces left around the mast, so I discarded it and went for my usual pear wood.
 
 

 
I set up the 6mm square pear stock in a lathe and centred it using a dial indicator as shown:
 

 
 
I again used the sticky tape to point to the changing circumference of the mast, and, after rounding the mast to a constant 5mm diameter using lathe chisels, sanded it down (from the deck level upwards) to the correct dimensions. I then cut the steps at the top of the mast as shown in the plans diagram above, and drilled the 0.6mm hole in the top of the mast to take the steel pin as described above.
 
Those with a keen eye will note that neither the base of the mast nor the top have octagonal sides. This is quite deliberate as I know if I tried to make them so at this scale the result would look atrocious.
 
 

 
 
After using the lathe to cut the small steps at the top of the mast for the shrouds and rigging, I made the calcet, its brass sheave and the 0.5mm flagpole.
 

 

 
 
The combined mast and calcet was then fitted to the hull.
 

 
I will now go on to making the yards and rigging the model, which will probably take quite a time.
 
Forgotten addition re bollard
Just as a small postscript, I found a spare bollard that allows me to show one before fitting. I had wanted to include such a picture in the earlier logs, but hadn’t taken any photos of one; so this one will be inserted into the relevant log.
 

 
 
Thanks again to everyone who is following this build.
 
Tony
 

Mast & calcet
The calcet, or mast cap, is described as follows in the monograph:
 
Masts with a calcet are similar to those used on Mediterranean galleys. The difference between masts with a calcet and regular masts is in the fact that the former are big and short and carry a lateen yard much longer than the mast, and they have no top. Vessels that carry one or more masts with a calcet are galleys, xebecs, pinques, tartans, feluccas, Provence barks, etc. They are all Mediterranean vessels.
 
The problem for me was that the calcet is 2.87mm square, and this stands on top of a round mast. I couldn’t work out how to turn this easily, as I’d have to start with 6mm square stock for the mast.
 
Fissore’s method is to cut a long diagonal joint at the top of the mast, but that looked way to complicated for me. I decided I go for a simple pin to hold a separate calcet to the mast.
 

 
My first attempt at a mast was with pine wood. However, no matter how I sanded it, there were still flat surfaces left around the mast, so I discarded it and went for my usual pear wood.
 
 

 
I set up the 6mm square pear stock in a lathe and centred it using a dial indicator as shown:
 

 
 
I again used the sticky tape to point to the changing circumference of the mast, and, after rounding the mast to a constant 5mm diameter using lathe chisels, sanded it down (from the deck level upwards) to the correct dimensions. I then cut the steps at the top of the mast as shown in the plans diagram above, and drilled the 0.6mm hole in the top of the mast to take the steel pin as described above.
 
Those with a keen eye will note that neither the base of the mast nor the top have octagonal sides. This is quite deliberate as I know if I tried to make them so at this scale the result would look atrocious.
 
 

 
 
After using the lathe to cut the small steps at the top of the mast for the shrouds and rigging, I made the calcet, its brass sheave and the 0.5mm flagpole.
 

 

 
 
The combined mast and calcet was then fitted to the hull.
 

 
I will now go on to making the yards and rigging the model, which will probably take quite a time.
 
Forgotten addition re bollard
Just as a small postscript, I found a spare bollard that allows me to show one before fitting. I had wanted to include such a picture in the earlier logs, but hadn’t taken any photos of one; so this one will be inserted into the relevant log.
 

 
 
Thanks again to everyone who is following this build.
 
Tony
 

Mast & calcet
The calcet, or mast cap, is described as follows in the monograph:
 
Masts with a calcet are similar to those used on Mediterranean galleys. The difference between masts with a calcet and regular masts is in the fact that the former are big and short and carry a lateen yard much longer than the mast, and they have no top. Vessels that carry one or more masts with a calcet are galleys, xebecs, pinques, tartans, feluccas, Provence barks, etc. They are all Mediterranean vessels.
 
The problem for me was that the calcet is 2.87mm square, and this stands on top of a round mast. I couldn’t work out how to turn this easily, as I’d have to start with 6mm square stock for the mast.
 
Fissore’s method is to cut a long diagonal joint at the top of the mast, but that looked way to complicated for me. I decided I go for a simple pin to hold a separate calcet to the mast.
 

 
My first attempt at a mast was with pine wood. However, no matter how I sanded it, there were still flat surfaces left around the mast, so I discarded it and went for my usual pear wood.
 
 

 
I set up the 6mm square pear stock in a lathe and centred it using a dial indicator as shown:
 

 
 
I again used the sticky tape to point to the changing circumference of the mast, and, after rounding the mast to a constant 5mm diameter using lathe chisels, sanded it down (from the deck level upwards) to the correct dimensions. I then cut the steps at the top of the mast as shown in the plans diagram above, and drilled the 0.6mm hole in the top of the mast to take the steel pin as described above.
 
Those with a keen eye will note that neither the base of the mast nor the top have octagonal sides. This is quite deliberate as I know if I tried to make them so at this scale the result would look atrocious.
 
 

 
 
After using the lathe to cut the small steps at the top of the mast for the shrouds and rigging, I made the calcet, its brass sheave and the 0.5mm flagpole.
 

 

 
 
The combined mast and calcet was then fitted to the hull.
 

 
I will now go on to making the yards and rigging the model, which will probably take quite a time.
 
Forgotten addition re bollard
Just as a small postscript, I found a spare bollard that allows me to show one before fitting. I had wanted to include such a picture in the earlier logs, but hadn’t taken any photos of one; so this one will be inserted into the relevant log.
 

 
 
Thanks again to everyone who is following this build.
 
Tony
 

The mill is indexable on each axis.  So I mark out the width with pencil and then touch to cutter to the surface.  Then drop the cutter 0.5mm and make the passes.  I check the width using a vernier so that I know its correct 
 

Blocks


 
As mentioned before, I still have a long way to go before I can make blocks below 2mm which look like blocks. At 1:100, the smallest blocks have to be 0.76 x 1.19mm, the next ones up 0.98 x 1.48. So I had to settle for the third size up as my smallest block at 2.27 x 1.27mm.


 
The smallest thread I use that still maintains a semblance of rope is 0.3mm diameter, so I have to use 0.4mm holes in the sheaves as my smallest. The largest rope at this scale should be 5mm, so that’s no problem. However, I’m still thinking about whether to serve some of the 5mm ropes. I probably will.


 
These measurements pretty much dictate the size of the blocks at present, and I still have problems with making them presentable.


 
The blocks for this ship range from a large number of ordinary single and double sheave blocks, 12 fiddle blocks, and two large blocks for the halliard tackle, each with four sheaves each.


 
Halliard blocks

Having made the small and large single and double blocks, whose photo you will see later, I started with the two 4-sheave halliard blocks. Although I had made the other blocks from boxwood, these larger blocks I made from castello since their dimensions are larger than my boxwood rulers would allow.


 
The plans show them as follows:

 
Although there is no further detail of these in the monograph, other than the plans, I found it useful to refer to the excellent diagrams available in the Ancre monograph of La Diligente, a two-mast lateen-rig boat of the same type.
 

 
The plans show them as follows:
 

 
And Fissore’s build photo shows them as follows:
 

 
I decided that making sheaves at this scale would be impossible, so I just drilled the holes for the ropes. I started by copying the three sides of the block and pasting them to a boxwood block of the correct dimensions.

I then milled out the rear face to a depth of 0.5mm as per the plans. The photo below is of an early attempt and shows that this was a little too small, so I milled to a depth of 0.8mm in later blocks.
 

 
I then drilled the holes accordingly. As a matter of interest, although the cheap Chinese tungsten-carbide bits are famed for their fragility, once I started using them in the mill I haven't had a single one break. They have a great advantage in being very accurately made. They are so cheap I bought a good range from 0.1 to 1mm, with packs of 10 of those between 0.3 and 0.5 just in case.
 

 
And then sanded to their end points, using the following way of keeping these small blocks vertical to the drum sander.
 

 
Once I had rounded the lower halliard block I made the fiddle block in much the same way.


 
Fiddle blocks


 
These hold the shrouds, or sartis, and also required care. You can just make them out in Fissore’s photo of the blocks shown above. The plans show them as:
 

Again I pasted the plans to correctly sized boxwood strips, and milled down the sides of the lower blocks.
 

 
 
I then found that using the larger type of Swann-Morton blade (the number 11s were too flexible) was a good way of outlining the edges before a very fine final sanding. The picture shows them before final sanding.
 

 
Although there has been discussion about the merits of keeping the lovely colour of boxwood as my initial experiments showed the results to be very blotchy, I decided that it would look much better to have them the colour of dark wood, as on other contemporary models of the allèges. So I made up a solution of walnut crystals, and kept them overnight in the solution to ensure penetration of the wood. The result is as follows. As you can see, not perfect, but acceptable to me.
 

 
I’ll now spend the next few days (maybe longer) making the mast and the calcet, then the yards. Once I have achieved that I’ll post again.


 
In the meantime, thanks again for the further ticking of the likes!


 
Tony

Speed is not so much the point, but regularity is important. For this you need a constant pull on the serving yarn and regular feed along the rope being served. This is on a model scale difficult to achieve by other means than a serving machine.
 
Essentially, a serving machine is nothing else but two hooks that are driven synchronously so as not to impart a twist onto the rope being served. On of the hooks needs to be adjustable in position so that the rope can be tensioned.
So, you need two identical sets of cog-wheels. Plastic ones are the cheapest, brass ones more posh and durable, but also far more expensive. Plastic ones can be found in model shops. There are also speciality suppliers, such as hpc-gears in the UK, who sell gears in brass, steel, nylon and delrin (https://www.hpcgears.com/). I gather cheapo plastic ones can be had for a couple of quid.
Then you need some steel rod for the connection and the axles cum hook. That you get in DIY stores.
You also a crank or something to turn one of the cog-wheels into a crank.
Finally, you need some sort of base-board and two pieces of wood as brackets plus some screws to keep everything together.
You can improve the machine by adding some self-lubracting bushings, rather than just drilling holes into the wood. They can be found on the Internet or in some model shops.
 
For added sturdiness, I would probably make such machine much lower than the ones offered commercially. Not sure why they choose such spidery design. On the other hand, a high clearance under the rope being served allows you to use a self-travelling spool of yarn, as per the design by 'archojofo' here on the forum.
 
If you had an old meccano set, you could fashion such machine also from those parts. Lego might work as well.

More building to report. 
 
The gunwales are now in place. The relatively straight sections are in 2x4mm lime wood and have two fake scarph joints scribed on them. The fore ends of the straight bits have a real scarph joint where they meet the bow sections. I soaked and bent the gunwales to shape, then put a row of pins in the underside of them so that they would not slip sideways while they were gluing to the tops of the bulwarks. 
 

 
The fore section of the gunwales over the bow has a tight curve and I made them by laminating two 2x2 pieces of walnut which were individually bent to shape. I used two different lengths of wood and found that for one them 2x2 was not quite right and I had to add a third layer to get the correct width. That's why the photo below shows a pale inner face to the bow section of the gunwale. I will paint the gunwales later. 
 

 
I sanded the inner and outer edges of the gunwales to get the angle (parallel to the bulwark) and the overhang right. 
 
The transom revealed a mistake I had made with the ply former which should have been 2mm higher. I cut and edge-glued an extension before planking the outside faces of the counter and transom with a generous overhang at the sides. Between the counter and transom is a 2x2 piece of walnut, glued to the face of the transom.  I then drilled holes through the corners of the gun ports to give datum marks on the inner face. (The photo does remind me of an owl.) 
 

 
The inner face then received four uprights (2x2 walnut) and planking that matched the outer face. For the inner face planking I used 0.5mm deck planks to keep the thickness down. I also planked the forward face of the transom where it projects outside the bulwarks with 1mm walnut. The schooners had 'wings' on the transom which I think were fashion statements. On the model they are 2mm thick and I sanded them to shape. 
 

 
There was a frame around the transom and at the top-centre I cut in a piece of 1x4mm walnut. A piece of 0.5x4 deck plank then went around the whole transom. Once the glue had set I put in two extra laminations of the same wood on the inside face of the frame. Careful sanding afterwards left a nice lip around the transom. I also glued a layer of 0.5mm over the join between the counter and transom to build up its thickness. 
 

 
The gun ports in the transom remain blocked with thin ply. I still have not decided whether they should be open or if they should have port lids. If I do choose closed lids then I will plank onto the ply to represent them. 
 
George

Hi clogger the floor side is the side of the frame that sits the lowest on the rising wood.  The half floor is raised slightly - If this doesn't help drop me a PM and I'll do my best to help you more.
 
The good news is I've now sorted out the home heating I'm just waiting on the plasterer to arrive tomorrow to patch up the holes that we had to make in the walls and ceiling.  So I'm now back onto this build and I'm very happy about that.  Today I've been milling the slots for the floor chocks and drilling the holes for the frame bolts.

INTRODUCTION & RATIONALE
I was given the Ancre monograph of the Fortuné Joseph, an Allège d’Arles (the English translation), and, as I was wondering what next to build, this looked like a good possibility. There were lots of variation to these allèges, or lighters, in the 19th Century, but all had in common their lateen rig and general shape. Ever since being taken on an Arab felucca on the Nile (the one in my picture below), I have been intrigued by the lateen rig.
 

 
I haven’t been able to find any plans or construction details of a Nile felucca (if anyone knows of any, please do advise me), but this Mediterranean version seemed near enough and I liked the lines – so I decided to jump in and try my hand at a build.
 

 
I have treated my previous builds as a kind of enjoyable apprenticeship, learning the different ways of approaching builds, experimenting with wood and card, understanding the various types of tool that can be used, and getting to grips with plans and CAD. In particular, I have tried to figure out what aspect of model-making interested me most:
the type of model, the historical research, the level of detail, the level of skill, the level of accuracy, the general image, the balance between thinking and practical building, the presentation of the model when finished.  
 
My first realisation was two-fold: I am far more interested in working or merchant craft than in warships, and completion of the model holds very little interest for me. I simply don’t know what to do with the completed models, other than give them away.
 
The second realisation was that, partly because of my lack of interest in the completed model, and partly because I have nowhere to place them when finished, I would like to explore the creation of small-scale models. I had seen Javier Baron’s 1:200 build of the Allège, and thought that that scale would be an ultimate aim for me, but for the moment I thought I’d focus on a similarly large scale.
 
After seeing kondzik’s build of the card kit of the Allège d’Arles published by WAK, I bought the card kit and built it just as far as the completion of the hull and its planking. This kit seems to be very similar to the allège in the Ancre monograph (although there are lots of differences – such as the dimensions of the quarterdeck) so this would give me not only a good idea of the overall lines and problems that might have to be overcome, but also an insight into the use of card to scratch build a hull. I had had the idea of building hull bulwarks just with card and finishing the rest of a model with wood, as I’d seen someone do that with a Shipyard card kit of the Alert.
 
At first I wasn’t going to make this into a log for a model forum since it really was an experiment just to explore the possibilities as I will explain further on. However, I decided in the end that there may be enough interest in reflections on the Ancre publication to justify a log of my build that is definitely full of mistakes, and a rather ramshackle construction and finish. For these I apologise.
 
 
The build of the card kit also gave me a little experience with using filler on a card model to provide a good surface for the planking, as so many card modellers have said that without filler it is quite difficult to avoid depressions in the curve of the hull. I followed Ab Hoving’s suggestion of a standard water-based filler.
THE PLANS
Unfortunately, the monograph and plans drawn by F. Fissore of the allège (as others have noted with builds of the Gemma and S.Caterina) do not match the excellence and comprehensive nature of the monographs from other authors published by Ancre such as Jean Boudriot and Gérard Delacroix. Thus this monograph has a very different approach: the usual detailed analysis of the plans in the monograph is instead merely a list of the parts shown in each plan, there are no scantlings provided for any parts or rigging (we are not even given the dimensions of the keel), and the guide to the building of the boat is almost entirely in photographs of the author’s build (most of which are very small, of poor resolution and thus hard to demonstrate detail).
 
This approach might not be so worrisome to those used to working from plans. It should also be pointed out that the section on rigging is good, especially given the fact that each aspect of the rigging is given its own illustration in the manner of Lennarth Petersson, and this will be discussed later. Another big plus is that the plans are laid out on long pages whose height is that of an A4 page in portrait mode – making it easy to photocopy and then stitch the pages together.
 
[The dimensions of this photo have been modified to avoid replication.]

 
However these positive aspects are offset by lots of errors in both monograph and plans which need correction.
 
My first realisation of problems with the plans came when I compared Plan 1 with Plan 2. They showed the rudder and tiller entirely differently as follows:

In this instance, Ancre immediately responded to my request for clarification and they sent me a pdf of a revised Plan 1 which corrected this anomaly – Plan 2 showing the correct dimensions.
 
The anomaly made me study the monograph more intensely in case there were further problems which I needed to bring to the attention of Ancre. I soon found lots. There are four main types of problem:
 
1.    The plans are inconsistent with the method of building shown in the photos of the monograph.


(a) There are many details in the photos of the actual build which are not shown in the plans. This led to my having to undo some of the work I had done when I finally spotted the often important detail. One of the many examples is that there are inconsistencies about the number of beams running under the bowsprit fore timbers.


(b) Less importantly, the plans show the frame top timbers extending to the top rails throughout, but the pictures of the build showing the method of construction show the frames ending beneath the lower waterway with the timberheads being constructed separately and fitted into square holes in the waterways and rails. The confusion is worsened by the fact that the plans of the frames themselves do not show the position of the ends of the top timbers at all accurately. Of course, once this is understood, the experienced modeller will be able to adapt their thinking and modify the plans accordingly, but it is at first very confusing when comparing photographs with the plans.
 
 
2.    The second type of problem is that the plans of the frames are incorrectly drawn, especially in Plan 4 of the frames which shows the floors of each frame extending only to the top of the keel rather than to the top edge of the rabbet. Once this has been spotted by the modeller who has been careful to examine the measurements this again will not be a problem. The base of the floors has simply to be extended by a few millimetres (depending on the scale that will be used).
 
 
3.    The third type of problem is that of inconsistency between the plans. Thus in some the waterways are shown correctly, and in others they are simply not there. There are many other similar discrepancies.
 
 
4.    A fourth, more irritating problem, is that the numbers on several of the plans do not match the text of the monograph, nor are they consistent on different pages of the monograph. On some of the plans the numbers are duplicated, with different parts having the same number, on some the parts are given the incorrect names (e.g. a rudder blade is given the same number as a top rail; the keel and the sternpost are both referred to as the sternpost); and some parts are given no reference at all.

Some of these difficulties may possibly be due to the very poor translation into English (some pages are not translated at all from French, which is itself a translation of the original Italian) but obviously the experienced modeller will be able to manage once aware of the difficulties.
 
 
All of these are a great pity as excellent models of the Gemma and S.Caterina (both plans by Fissore) have been built (although they do mention but do not detail the difficulties they faced with the plans), and the ships themselves have great attraction. M.Fissore himself shows photos of the builds of his various models including his own of the allège (at Archeologia e Modellismo d'Arsenal) and it is well worth the visit as the photos there are far, far clearer than in the book). I have written a fairly detailed list of these various problems and submitted them to Ancre for consideration by M. Fissore, so it may be that future editions of these plans and monograph will be made more amenable for a wider range of modellers.
 
A very similar boat, La Diligente, which was a lateen Navy messenger boat of the 1750s, whose monograph is published by Ancre and written by Gérard Delacroix & Hubert Berti, has the same level of complexity but is not only incredibly detailed and thorough together with complete scantlings: it also provides a set of plans that will allow the less experienced modeller to make it POB rather than POF.
 
In the interim, as long as one is aware of the problems with plans and monograph, the experienced modeller will be able to use the correct body, sheer and breadth plans on a corrected Plan 1 as the basis for their model.
 
I'll be adding stages of the build over the next few weeks, so I hope it will be of interest. As usual, don't hold your breath!
 
Tony