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Phill Elston

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Everything posted by Phill Elston

  1. No word from Caldercraft/Jotika yet, but to be honest, I think I'll be lucky to get anything from them at all, let alone on a Saturday, having only emailed them at 16.45 Friday. So today, I didn't have a huge amount of time... But I progressed the galleries a little
  2. Thanks Boyd, Though I fear that construction like that far exceeds my capability... And equipment. I'm more of a wood butcher that a joiner.
  3. Thanks Brian. Where I'm going is trying to get away from the "flat and inorganic" cast metal. I was going to try and drill out the glass areas on the metal castings and rework those. But then I noticed that they weren't actually the same - or even close to the same - as the actual ship. If what I'm aiming at misses the mark, I can always go flat and inorganic LOL
  4. Well, good and bad today... The galleries are progressing well but I noticed something that I had otherwise either not seen, or at least failed to register on the 23' launch. When I looked at the galleries as I had left them last evening, I decided that I didn't like the 1mm x 1mm uprights that I'd set in place. So out they came, and I started to frame up the windows. I'll go back to the 1 x 1 for the glazing cross bars but for now... I'd forgotten quite what a gooey medium Milliput is to work with! I tried to do as I said I was going to with the cling film... It didn't work. So I had to apply it direct to the pieces. hopefully it'll carve/sand/file OK in place. The round blobs of setting milliput, I envisage carving into the rosettes that can be seen above and below the galleries in the pictures from the book above. Then I went back to the launch... I was quite pleased wit the progress I'd made. And then, as I say, somehow, I hadn't noticed the buckle in the hull overall. I did write to Jotika/Caldercraft. I have had no reply in a week, so I have just written again. To say that I am unimpressed would be an understatement. I sincerely hope that this doesn't reflect the quality of the larger, more complex Caldercraft kits? Has anyone else experienced such difficulties?
  5. So the kit bashing of the 23' Launch is progressing... But I forgot to take photos before i set it aside to dry earlier, so I will post more photos another time. But otherwise, I've been bashing the main build a bit too... The Quarter Galleries supplied are not as authentic as I'd prefer and so I set out to make my own. I only had a couple of hours to work on them today but I got enough done to post here... There are a fair few differences between the supplied galleries and the ones shown in "The Anatomy Of The Ship". So, using the supplied cast metal ones, I mapped out the shape onto some 1/16" basswood sheet and then cut the tops/bottoms of the bays from some scrap 1mm Ply. These were glued to the bases and then I fitted the first two uprights. I will form the rest of the framing from 1mm x 1mm walnut stock. The domed uppers and lowers to the bays, I intend to shape from milliput. I hope to mould it into place using some scraps of cling film to stop it from adhering to the wood. Once set and dry, I'll free them from place, file and sand to shape, add detail and then glue them into place. The filigree type adornments on the base will be added using relief medium - a kind of putty like paint often used for glass painting. The frames for the windows in the bays will be made from 1mm walnut. And then I'll glaze the bays! As I've said before... watch this space!
  6. What... Not stuffing them for the authentic amount of bounce?? Call yourself a model maker??? :-p
  7. So having had several days doing the secondary planking on one side of the build, I kind of find myself "planked out"... Needing some sort of break. As it happens, a packet arrived this morning from Cornwall model boats. One of the things in there was the 23' Launch I ordered. There's my diversion. Nice, easy & relatively quick. So I pull the bits out of the bag and have a good look at them. Not a lot for what you pay, but scratch building such a hull would, I believe, be beyond my current level of expertise... Thankfully, there wasn't any moulding "flash" and little or no unwanted marks on the resin. But, when I take my time to inspect the parts, I am disappointed to realise that the hull of the launch is bloody awful! The transom is SO Far out of whack, it's going to take fairly substantial surgery to put it right. (Picture 1) Luckily, the work required to rectify the fault is fairly straightforward... Mark, cut, trim, cement, fill & fair. The resin hull glued fairly easily with CA and, realising that I didn't have any filler, I used walnut wood sanding dust sprinkled into a film of CA. It seems to have worked quite well and I'm quite chuffed with myself!
  8. So you're not going to bother putting much detail in then ;-) ?? I just sit and gawp as this build progresses. Awesome!
  9. Evening Hof I too am building in 1:60 at the moment. In my case, Bounty. I am far from being an expert, though I was in the RN, I have served in ships with wooden decks (both warships and sailing vessels) and I have spent FAR too much time scrubbing them! My build is the first that I have undertaken, but I have received compliments on some of my work thus far. I cannot remember whereabouts on the net I found the lengths to cut my deck planking but I do remember it scaled (give or take) at 8cm. I used a three butt shift pattern because it was a pattern that I had learned about during my time in the mob. In my case, for symmetry, I drew a centre line on the supplied plywood deck base and worked either side of that. I've attached a couple of photos of my deck piece once I had cut around the edge of the deck and cut out the various hatches etc. in the ply template. I hope this is of some use to you. Regards Phill PS, I tried to simulate the caulking by running a 4B pencil along one edge/end of each plank, but it didn't really show as well as I would have preferred, so I stepped the lines in with a 4Hpencil after laying the planks. I used the same pencil to step in the treenails.
  10. Does anyone have drawings (preferably 1/60 scale - but I guess beggars can't be choosers) for 4 pounder guns as carried on the bounty? I am building the Amati model and I'm not overly impressed with the supplied cast metal carriages so I want to build some "more correct" ones. Searching the net brings up loads of 18, 24 & 32 pounders but none of the little ones! Looking forward to your help...
  11. Well today was working on the bulwarks, gunports and construction of various upper deck fittings (gratings, bell gallery, ladder etc.) and, of course, more filling. The keel was set yesterday, along with the stern post and the cutwater. At least it will now sit in the keel clamp (for what that's worth - another LONG story) The frame points are pencilled in ready for second planking, though I haven't had time to think about marking the waterline yet. Knowing I have more filling and sanding to do, I have held off doing that. I'm planning on "copper plating" the hull (using tape) so I want the get the hull - especially the lower hull - as smooth as possible with no dips or bumps in relief as these will show up glaringly. The gun ports I have cut are higher than the pre-cut ones on the plywood bulwarks as they were not authentic. For some reason, no "eyebolts" were supplied with the kit (just bent wire as far as I can ascertain) so I have ordered some better looking etched brass ones. They haven't arrived yet, so I can't do too much more to the gun-sites until they do. The supplied (cast metal) gun carriages look - in my opinion - pretty crap, so next week will involve some of my first proper scratch building in wood... Watch this space.
  12. http://www.shipmatesreunited.com/german-wwi-warships-rediscovered-in-portsmouth-harbour-after-lying-forgotten-for-decades/
  13. I found this tool on eBay the other day... Thought it might be of use to some. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/400458179782?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
  14. This has helped me too. I've just cut the gun ports on my build (though there are but four!) and was also wondering about stuff like this.
  15. So... First planking is pretty much complete. There's more filler than I would have preferred, but it IS my first attempt and the first planking WILL be covered by the second... And I read somewhere else on here that "filler is your friend". There is seemingly far more filler at the stern than at the bow... Most of the bow filling is correcting my not having got the compound, two dimensional bends correct in the planks laid into that area. I have learned from that, so that next time I build, I'll focus far more attention into this aspect. As for the filler at the stern; a lot of that is making up for the appalling lack of instruction and diagrams of the stern area. That, and the fact that the supplied white metal castings that are meant to fit around the stern area simply don't! The etched brass stern gallery windows are great... But they are instructed to be simply fixed to the stern planking. Looking at the "Anatomy" pictures, and having seen several sailing ships, I see that the stern windows would generally be a "bowed" group. So with that in mind, I built a bowed relief onto which I will fix the frames... AFTER I have "glazed" them (having found this product - https://www.deluxematerials.co.uk/gb/scale-plastics/49-glue-n-glaze-5060243900333.html) I will also carve away the balsa behind the window and then paint it to add some depth. The quarter galleries are probably going to get a makeover too... the metal castings that make them are a little lacklustre in my opinion - watch this space for development there! I have fully planked the bulwarks, rather than use the pre-cut gun ports. Reason being that the gun ports shown in the "anatomy" are somewhat higher in the bulwarks than the ones pre-cut. The tops of the bulwarks have yet to to be cut down to their correct height and then internally lined but that is a work in progress... So I guess the next job is to fit the cut water, true keel and sternpost. Thereafter, it is to mark the waterline and wales before starting the second planking. On that note, please,,, anyone reading this... I need advice on the maxim length at which to cut the planking that will show on the ships sides?
  16. https://www.thevintagenews.com/2015/12/01/the-defiance-a-sailing-ship-frozen-in-time/?src=fba&type=int&page=tvn
  17. Hi Vossy, I looked at Romans website link and although I was a Comms Tech in the RN, my reading of Cyrilic is not up to communicating with him or reading his pages... I can't even work out how to scroll to the next page! You are right though, his version of the gallery windows would look better at the very least. I too an not sure about the second planking being in the same wood as the deck. I was going to buy some Tanganika strip until I realised that it was £0.32 a strip and I would need about thirty or forty strips! My more simple answer will be to varnish the deck with a very Matt varnish (http://www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk/acatalog/admiralty_varnishes.html) while staining the hull planking down some. (http://www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk/acatalog/admiralty_stains.html) I'm just getting toward the end of the first planking of the hull and yes, you are right... The supplied 1.5x 6 is a bugger to work around 3D curvature (especially when it is the very first time you've planked a ship!) I'm getting there, but I'm running out of filler! LOL I'm going to copper the lower hull using copper tape and a ponce wheel A) because it will look WAY better than paint and, more importantly, it means that I won't have to do "fine planking" around the tight curve of the bow! I think I'm going to plank down below where the copper starts and fair that in. I too am missing some parts from my Amati box... As far as I know though, it is only the eye bolts. Rather than go through the hassle of contacting Amati, I am buying some etched brass ones as I think that they will look better. Are you running a build log on your Bounty? If you look at my build log (http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/12953-hmav-bounty-by-phill-elston-amati-160-ostensibly-from-the-kit-plans-but-potentially-modified-to-more-authentic/) you will see how I blocked in the bow sections on mine. It's far from perfect and in retrospect, I shaved a bit too much balsa away, so I've had to build a lot back up again with filler. As I say, I progressing well with the first planking, and all being well, I should finish that stage by early next week. Then it's sanding dust time! Please feel free to swap thoughts and ideas on the builds you see it. Best regards Phill PS... Did you serve in River class frigates? I served in several Leanders. Great ships!
  18. So over the past week or so I've been working on the first planking of my Bounty... Please remember that this is the very first ship build that I have done, Admittedly, in my youth, I made a LOT of models, but not one wooden one. Miniaturised wood butchery is turning out to be pretty good fun though! Luckily, I was reading another build log that urged other builders to exercise caution when planking the hull and to plank port and starboard sides equally - otherwise there is a chance that the hull could buckle or warp with the uneven shrinkage of the planks set. I've planked the hull down six planks from the bottom of the bulwarks and a similar number up from the false keel. I'm now reaching the point where there is no hard frame at the forward end of the planks to pin them to while they are drying... So the method that seem obvious to me to pinion the planks in position whilst they dry - either from soak/forming or gluing. I have several pieces of 1mm plywood scrap that will pin to a hard point on the keel frame and then bend over the setting plank until it's dry (as seen in the first photograph below) Throwing a question out there to all you more experienced builders now... I was able to work out deck planking because I have real life experience of deck planking. However, all the ships I ever served in were steel... So I have no Idea what lengths to cut the secondary planking for the hull, and I have even less Idea of how the joints between those planks were staggered? As I type this, I'm thinking I should simply "google" or "YouTube" it... Nothing though, in my opinion, beats hard experience from first hand, so please readers... Throw me a tip or two? Many thanks
  19. That's pretty much where I am at the moment. Looking at a Caldercraft 1:64 23' launch and the supplied Amati "lifeboat" (with changes to the internal fit.) adding scratch built mast booms and spars as well as sails. Thanks for the thoughts all.
  20. Yes it's double planked. 1st layer is 1.5 X 5, second layer is 0.5 X 4. Not SO concerned about that layer as they should bend really quite easily (watch this space to see me eating my words!) Not doing holes from here on in as I've changed to a flat based map pin as you can see from the keel / bow view above.
  21. As I am looking at Coppering the hull of my build, can I ask... Did you run the pounce wheel onto the copper plates AFTER sticking them down? If so, was that after EACH plate was fixed or after each row? I'm building in 1:60 so I guess I'll have to work out what width tape to get. Last questions... Did you make your copper chopper or was it bought? If you made it, what from/how? Sorry for being a pain but I want to do the best I can. I'd already thought that butted plates just didn't seem to be authentic and had considered copper tape - which I'm thinking is going to be far less expensive than buying pre-made plates, easier than using CA adhesive and in the long run, be more pleasing to the eye. Looking forward to reading the rest of your build. It looks impressive as hell!
  22. Oh you want clamping? I've been camping/wedging/tying/pinning/taping... you name it! So I got the first planks onto the hull frames at deck level today, with both good results and OK results... For some reason known only to the gods of sleep deprivation, I started on the port side with a plank that was way shorter than the hull. (I thought "I shall'nt be making that mistake again") I glued the dry plank from the stern, drilling it so that the map pin wouldn't split it... but the map pin drove through too far and split the bugger anyway! I glued this plank (and a corresponding plank on the stbd side as well as adding an extra piece of planking on the "short" side) on each frame up to the third from the bow (where the curvature starts to get harsh) Once this glue had gone off, I then stood the remainder of the planks in hot water for a few minutes before gently teasing them round the bow curve. On one side, again, I'd drilled holes to allow map pins to pass through... but again, it split - re-think required! So I changed tactic and I changed map pin type from conical type pins to flat bottomed pins which i could position each side of a plank to hold it in place. I gave the planks that I'd formed around the bow time to dry (a couple of hours). Before lifting them slightly, squirting some glue underneath and then pushing the wedging pins back down. and again setting aside to dry. Planking the hull won't be a quick thing, but if the results I got from the first two planks are anything to go by... It'll be worth it. I set the next two planks in place from the stern fwd and clamped them up. They could be drying while the bows set too. Then I thought, looking at the plans, Planking also starts from the keel... So I cut and sanded a pair of planks to fit one each side of the false keel. I glued these at their contact points and once that glue had gone off, I bent them round and down to be glued on the curvature. Getting there I believe...
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