gjdale

Hi David,

That's a very nice start you've made there. Great explanations of your process steps and some really useful photography tips. Thanks for sharing. I shall enjoy following your build.

Oh yeah Danny,

The thing I've missed most over the last week or so has been being able to enjoy a nice single malt. I truly look forward to that one of life's simple pleasures!

Thanks Augie and Ben

Improvement in the last 24 hours has been quite remarkable. Feeling almost human again now.

Ben,

Regardless of how much your bonus actually is, rest easy knowing that postage is not going to cost you an extra 50% as it does for those of us buying for the other side of the world! Though I have to say, that even with the postage costs, they are still well worth the money and you will be delighted with whatever you get.

I can't wait to hear what you end up with!

Thank you Mobbsie, Keith, Mark and Kevin for the well wishes.

@Mobbsie - don't worry, plenty of ice-cream being devoured here!

@ Keith - yes, the ops are related to severe sleep apnea. Three ops in the nose/sinuses at the same time. It's all about opening up the airways to get more oxygen while sleeping. I'm keen to avoid (or at least delay) the CPAP machine! Nose ops seem to have been relatively insignificant by comparison to the two throat ops, but I think I can safely say I've turned the corner in recovery now. Started reducing the pain med regime yesterday, so that's definitely a good sign. And thanks for the Chemistry lessons - I'm sure the pictures will keep Sjors happy for a while

@ Mark - yep, I've been tempted to do bits in the shipyard, but have had exactly that thought going through my mind. "Building Under the Influence" is not recommended. I also need to keep right away from dust for a little while. Plus, the Admiral has taken "Carer's Leave" and is taking this role a little toooooo seriously!!! To save myself from going insane with boredom, I've recently upgraded my CAD software to TurboCad Mac Deluxe ver 7 and have been learning that in preparation for taking on some plan tracing as part of the plans project over at MSB. I've been pretty impressed with the software - it seems to be quite a significant step up from ver 6.

In the meantime, thanks again for all the good wishes and I hope to be able to post a proper update in a week or so.

Wow! Congratulations Ben - both on the bonus and on the Admiral. She either REALLY loves you, or sees this as a way to keep you out of her hair for longer ......

I'm leavin' you to work out which.......

But either way, HAPPY DAYS ahead!

Hi Rusty,

Just caught up on this one of yours (you have so many!). Beautiful work as usual. I really like your method of cutting the nothes for the carlings and ledges - will keep that in mind for the next project.

I'd love to see stats that split the building/thinking time - I do spend a lot of time fiddling and staring without tangible progress...but that's part of the fun.  Luckily I don't have a launch date scheduled.

I reckon I would spend more time on the thinking, studying, planning than on the actual "doing". And you're right, that's all part of the fun - the intellectual stimulation and challenge, as well as the physical skills acquired and developed.

I do enjoy a good "s@&$ disturber" every now and then but it's nice that there's also a build log here too

Looking forward to the next update Augie.

So then Kevin,

I guess that means that the longer it takes you to finish, the lower the cost per hour, and therefore the greater the value for money. Yep, I just know the Admiral is gonna buy that!

Great work Sjors,

And now that you can tell Port from Starboard, it might be safe for you to put to sea

Hi Mobbsie,

I'm curious as to why you are using CA for your second planking. As you know, I (like many others) hate using CA at all. It's been a long time since I did my second planking, but I seem to recall using a rubber contact cement - paint it on the hull, paint it on a plank, then join. My recollection is that it is fairly forgiving to use and progress was extremely fast. Just a thought for you my friend...

Hi Mobbsie,

Thanks for the good wishes my friend. It's been a tough week in terms of pain management. The throat ops (UPPP and tonsillectomy) have been the worst and have required some really heavy duty drugs. Just as I got that under control, the side effects kicked in and I was back at the hospital again on Saturday and again yesterday to try and get the " inners" working again (I'm sure I don't need to elaborate, you get the picture! ). Got some new drugs yesterday and they seem to have worked a miracle overnight. I think I've turned the corner at last now and I'm looking forward to being back in the shipyard by the weekend.

Great to some more updates Paul - a truly exceptional piece of work.

Fabulous Danny, and with your usual great explanations too! The ebony looks great but I'm still curious as to why you chose to use this instead of, say, brass (did I miss this?) or was it "because I could"?

Here's where I bought some online:

http://westernfirearms.com.au/cleaning-gun-care-bluing-wood-metal-care-brass-black-p-1599.html

Klaus,

You can use water to dilute the brass black. This will slow the process down and should help get effects you are looking for. It's something of a "black art", but most advice I've seen has been to use a solution of 1 part brass black to 8 parts water. Demineralised water would be best, and you should rinse in this after treatment to stop the chemical reaction.

And Randy is correct about thoroughly cleaning the parts first. Some people use vinegar to wash the parts first, then rinse in water, then blackening solution/mix, then rinse again in water.

Nice looking build Roger. Your son should be well pleased!

Nice to see some progress at last there Anja. It must feel good to get back to it after the stress of the job situation. And some good innovative solutions too!

Harvey,

Don't think of it as spending 4 hours to do something that used to take 20 minutes. Think of it as spending some quality time getting to know your new toy!

Hec,

If you wish to replace any timber, then I would thoroughly recommend contacting Jeff Hayes at Hobbymill (one of the sponsors of this site). I bought some from him to scratch build a couple more of the ship's boats. Jeff's timber is excellent and his customer service is nothing short of outstanding.

The McKay book is useful, but if I could have only one, it would be the Longridge book. I have used it more than I have used the kit instructions, particularly now that I'm into the rigging stage.

Hi Hec and welcome to MSW. I'm also building this kit (link in my signature below). Be very careful about reading ahead and planning with this kit - the instructions have a habit of painting you into corners! If they haven't already done so that is. Check your QD cannons and install them BEFORE you glue the poop deck in place. The instructions tell you to fit them through the gunports - but they don't fit. As for "copper" tiling, I opted to go with the kit supplied green wood, painted copper and partially rubbed back. You can see the effect in my log - I think it looks okay, but proper copper tiles might be better if you feel inclined. I look forward to following the rest of your build - with a little (or a lot) of "bashing" this does make up into a nice model.

The only other tip I'd give you for now, is to buy a copy of "The Anatomy of Nelson's Ships" by C. Nepean Longridge. This is the "bible" for all Victory builders and has been an enormous help to me so far.

Very nice Mobbsie, very VERY nice!

Great work Kevin.

but like always I have questions, Why are smaller deadeye always incorporated in the channel. I've always wondered as I've seen that done in many different kind of ships and never found a reason while researching. Again just curious.

 

Keith,

The smaller dead eyes are for things such as backstays, which run from the topmast (ie higher up), and hence use a smaller line than the shrouds.

Nice picture Sjors - it really shows off the two-tone timber stripes very well.