gjdale

Thx Keith. No, the burner issue has not yet been resolved. I’m pushing on with the rest of the build while we cogitate on that one. We have a club meeting this week and there is another steam guru there who may be able to offer some further advice. If all else fails, I’ll have a very expensive static model……

It’s been a little while since the last progress update, but work has continued apace. The first job was to finalise the placement of the steam plant and build a mounting for it, along with a support block for the stern stuffing tube. I used a piece of 7mm thick Queensland Maple for the support base and another to create the support block for the stuffing tube. As the plant is held to its own metal base by screws inserted from underneath, it was necessary to make allowance for the screw heads. With that temporarily in place, the engine drive shaft and the propellor could be aligned, allowing the support block for the stuffing tube to me made and fitted. Once these had both been double checked for fit and alignment, they were fixed in place and the internal surfaces painted using my large airbrush / mini spray gun and Stynylrez White Primer – despite it being a primer, this will be the final colour for the internals.
 

 
In the next photo, you can see that two M3 threaded inserts have been incorporated into the aft end of the mounting plate. These align with two corresponding holes in the metal base plate to secure the plant in the boat.
 

 
Here is an overhead shot showing the steam plant in place along with the complete propellor shaft. Also shown in this photo is the large brass flywheel that my friend made for me, as well as the universal joint (the red piece in the photo).
 

 
The next task was to begin addressing the decking. Having adjusted the plywood sheet as previously described, I decided to stain the plywood to act as the margin plank while additional planking was added for the deck. Here is the plywood after staining.
 

 
To create the decking, I have used a combination of 12mm x 1mm Brown Hornbeam and 1mm x 1mm Black Hornbeam to simulate the caulking. The first task was to create the centreline plank by sandwiching a piece of the Black caulking between two Brown planks.
 

 
The remaining planking was created by gluing one piece of Brown plank to one piece of Black caulking. Once dry, the resultant pair was scraped to remove any excess glue. Rinse and repeat for all remaining planks. Here is what they look like when put together.
 

 
Once all the plank pairs had been prepared, they were applied to the decks starting with the centreline sandwich and working outwards from there. The planks were shaped to fit the outline of the margin plank as I went. Here are some shots of the planking in place – not yet given a coat of finish (which should make it pop a little), and not yet glued down.
 

 

 
Finally, an overview shot of progress to date. Note that the upper deck is not yet glued down – it will sit down on the gunwale around the centre once glued.
 

 
I think the next task will be to paint the external of the hull before proceeding to permanently fix the decks. I will also need to address the small matter of Radio Control in the not-too-distant future. I have a cunning plan………..
 

Thx Keith. No, the burner issue has not yet been resolved. I’m pushing on with the rest of the build while we cogitate on that one. We have a club meeting this week and there is another steam guru there who may be able to offer some further advice. If all else fails, I’ll have a very expensive static model……

It’s been a little while since the last progress update, but work has continued apace. The first job was to finalise the placement of the steam plant and build a mounting for it, along with a support block for the stern stuffing tube. I used a piece of 7mm thick Queensland Maple for the support base and another to create the support block for the stuffing tube. As the plant is held to its own metal base by screws inserted from underneath, it was necessary to make allowance for the screw heads. With that temporarily in place, the engine drive shaft and the propellor could be aligned, allowing the support block for the stuffing tube to me made and fitted. Once these had both been double checked for fit and alignment, they were fixed in place and the internal surfaces painted using my large airbrush / mini spray gun and Stynylrez White Primer – despite it being a primer, this will be the final colour for the internals.
 

 
In the next photo, you can see that two M3 threaded inserts have been incorporated into the aft end of the mounting plate. These align with two corresponding holes in the metal base plate to secure the plant in the boat.
 

 
Here is an overhead shot showing the steam plant in place along with the complete propellor shaft. Also shown in this photo is the large brass flywheel that my friend made for me, as well as the universal joint (the red piece in the photo).
 

 
The next task was to begin addressing the decking. Having adjusted the plywood sheet as previously described, I decided to stain the plywood to act as the margin plank while additional planking was added for the deck. Here is the plywood after staining.
 

 
To create the decking, I have used a combination of 12mm x 1mm Brown Hornbeam and 1mm x 1mm Black Hornbeam to simulate the caulking. The first task was to create the centreline plank by sandwiching a piece of the Black caulking between two Brown planks.
 

 
The remaining planking was created by gluing one piece of Brown plank to one piece of Black caulking. Once dry, the resultant pair was scraped to remove any excess glue. Rinse and repeat for all remaining planks. Here is what they look like when put together.
 

 
Once all the plank pairs had been prepared, they were applied to the decks starting with the centreline sandwich and working outwards from there. The planks were shaped to fit the outline of the margin plank as I went. Here are some shots of the planking in place – not yet given a coat of finish (which should make it pop a little), and not yet glued down.
 

 

 
Finally, an overview shot of progress to date. Note that the upper deck is not yet glued down – it will sit down on the gunwale around the centre once glued.
 

 
I think the next task will be to paint the external of the hull before proceeding to permanently fix the decks. I will also need to address the small matter of Radio Control in the not-too-distant future. I have a cunning plan………..
 

It’s been a little while since the last progress update, but work has continued apace. The first job was to finalise the placement of the steam plant and build a mounting for it, along with a support block for the stern stuffing tube. I used a piece of 7mm thick Queensland Maple for the support base and another to create the support block for the stuffing tube. As the plant is held to its own metal base by screws inserted from underneath, it was necessary to make allowance for the screw heads. With that temporarily in place, the engine drive shaft and the propellor could be aligned, allowing the support block for the stuffing tube to me made and fitted. Once these had both been double checked for fit and alignment, they were fixed in place and the internal surfaces painted using my large airbrush / mini spray gun and Stynylrez White Primer – despite it being a primer, this will be the final colour for the internals.
 

 
In the next photo, you can see that two M3 threaded inserts have been incorporated into the aft end of the mounting plate. These align with two corresponding holes in the metal base plate to secure the plant in the boat.
 

 
Here is an overhead shot showing the steam plant in place along with the complete propellor shaft. Also shown in this photo is the large brass flywheel that my friend made for me, as well as the universal joint (the red piece in the photo).
 

 
The next task was to begin addressing the decking. Having adjusted the plywood sheet as previously described, I decided to stain the plywood to act as the margin plank while additional planking was added for the deck. Here is the plywood after staining.
 

 
To create the decking, I have used a combination of 12mm x 1mm Brown Hornbeam and 1mm x 1mm Black Hornbeam to simulate the caulking. The first task was to create the centreline plank by sandwiching a piece of the Black caulking between two Brown planks.
 

 
The remaining planking was created by gluing one piece of Brown plank to one piece of Black caulking. Once dry, the resultant pair was scraped to remove any excess glue. Rinse and repeat for all remaining planks. Here is what they look like when put together.
 

 
Once all the plank pairs had been prepared, they were applied to the decks starting with the centreline sandwich and working outwards from there. The planks were shaped to fit the outline of the margin plank as I went. Here are some shots of the planking in place – not yet given a coat of finish (which should make it pop a little), and not yet glued down.
 

 

 
Finally, an overview shot of progress to date. Note that the upper deck is not yet glued down – it will sit down on the gunwale around the centre once glued.
 

 
I think the next task will be to paint the external of the hull before proceeding to permanently fix the decks. I will also need to address the small matter of Radio Control in the not-too-distant future. I have a cunning plan………..
 

It’s been a little while since the last progress update, but work has continued apace. The first job was to finalise the placement of the steam plant and build a mounting for it, along with a support block for the stern stuffing tube. I used a piece of 7mm thick Queensland Maple for the support base and another to create the support block for the stuffing tube. As the plant is held to its own metal base by screws inserted from underneath, it was necessary to make allowance for the screw heads. With that temporarily in place, the engine drive shaft and the propellor could be aligned, allowing the support block for the stuffing tube to me made and fitted. Once these had both been double checked for fit and alignment, they were fixed in place and the internal surfaces painted using my large airbrush / mini spray gun and Stynylrez White Primer – despite it being a primer, this will be the final colour for the internals.
 

 
In the next photo, you can see that two M3 threaded inserts have been incorporated into the aft end of the mounting plate. These align with two corresponding holes in the metal base plate to secure the plant in the boat.
 

 
Here is an overhead shot showing the steam plant in place along with the complete propellor shaft. Also shown in this photo is the large brass flywheel that my friend made for me, as well as the universal joint (the red piece in the photo).
 

 
The next task was to begin addressing the decking. Having adjusted the plywood sheet as previously described, I decided to stain the plywood to act as the margin plank while additional planking was added for the deck. Here is the plywood after staining.
 

 
To create the decking, I have used a combination of 12mm x 1mm Brown Hornbeam and 1mm x 1mm Black Hornbeam to simulate the caulking. The first task was to create the centreline plank by sandwiching a piece of the Black caulking between two Brown planks.
 

 
The remaining planking was created by gluing one piece of Brown plank to one piece of Black caulking. Once dry, the resultant pair was scraped to remove any excess glue. Rinse and repeat for all remaining planks. Here is what they look like when put together.
 

 
Once all the plank pairs had been prepared, they were applied to the decks starting with the centreline sandwich and working outwards from there. The planks were shaped to fit the outline of the margin plank as I went. Here are some shots of the planking in place – not yet given a coat of finish (which should make it pop a little), and not yet glued down.
 

 

 
Finally, an overview shot of progress to date. Note that the upper deck is not yet glued down – it will sit down on the gunwale around the centre once glued.
 

 
I think the next task will be to paint the external of the hull before proceeding to permanently fix the decks. I will also need to address the small matter of Radio Control in the not-too-distant future. I have a cunning plan………..
 

It’s been a little while since the last progress update, but work has continued apace. The first job was to finalise the placement of the steam plant and build a mounting for it, along with a support block for the stern stuffing tube. I used a piece of 7mm thick Queensland Maple for the support base and another to create the support block for the stuffing tube. As the plant is held to its own metal base by screws inserted from underneath, it was necessary to make allowance for the screw heads. With that temporarily in place, the engine drive shaft and the propellor could be aligned, allowing the support block for the stuffing tube to me made and fitted. Once these had both been double checked for fit and alignment, they were fixed in place and the internal surfaces painted using my large airbrush / mini spray gun and Stynylrez White Primer – despite it being a primer, this will be the final colour for the internals.
 

 
In the next photo, you can see that two M3 threaded inserts have been incorporated into the aft end of the mounting plate. These align with two corresponding holes in the metal base plate to secure the plant in the boat.
 

 
Here is an overhead shot showing the steam plant in place along with the complete propellor shaft. Also shown in this photo is the large brass flywheel that my friend made for me, as well as the universal joint (the red piece in the photo).
 

 
The next task was to begin addressing the decking. Having adjusted the plywood sheet as previously described, I decided to stain the plywood to act as the margin plank while additional planking was added for the deck. Here is the plywood after staining.
 

 
To create the decking, I have used a combination of 12mm x 1mm Brown Hornbeam and 1mm x 1mm Black Hornbeam to simulate the caulking. The first task was to create the centreline plank by sandwiching a piece of the Black caulking between two Brown planks.
 

 
The remaining planking was created by gluing one piece of Brown plank to one piece of Black caulking. Once dry, the resultant pair was scraped to remove any excess glue. Rinse and repeat for all remaining planks. Here is what they look like when put together.
 

 
Once all the plank pairs had been prepared, they were applied to the decks starting with the centreline sandwich and working outwards from there. The planks were shaped to fit the outline of the margin plank as I went. Here are some shots of the planking in place – not yet given a coat of finish (which should make it pop a little), and not yet glued down.
 

 

 
Finally, an overview shot of progress to date. Note that the upper deck is not yet glued down – it will sit down on the gunwale around the centre once glued.
 

 
I think the next task will be to paint the external of the hull before proceeding to permanently fix the decks. I will also need to address the small matter of Radio Control in the not-too-distant future. I have a cunning plan………..
 

It’s been a little while since the last progress update, but work has continued apace. The first job was to finalise the placement of the steam plant and build a mounting for it, along with a support block for the stern stuffing tube. I used a piece of 7mm thick Queensland Maple for the support base and another to create the support block for the stuffing tube. As the plant is held to its own metal base by screws inserted from underneath, it was necessary to make allowance for the screw heads. With that temporarily in place, the engine drive shaft and the propellor could be aligned, allowing the support block for the stuffing tube to me made and fitted. Once these had both been double checked for fit and alignment, they were fixed in place and the internal surfaces painted using my large airbrush / mini spray gun and Stynylrez White Primer – despite it being a primer, this will be the final colour for the internals.
 

 
In the next photo, you can see that two M3 threaded inserts have been incorporated into the aft end of the mounting plate. These align with two corresponding holes in the metal base plate to secure the plant in the boat.
 

 
Here is an overhead shot showing the steam plant in place along with the complete propellor shaft. Also shown in this photo is the large brass flywheel that my friend made for me, as well as the universal joint (the red piece in the photo).
 

 
The next task was to begin addressing the decking. Having adjusted the plywood sheet as previously described, I decided to stain the plywood to act as the margin plank while additional planking was added for the deck. Here is the plywood after staining.
 

 
To create the decking, I have used a combination of 12mm x 1mm Brown Hornbeam and 1mm x 1mm Black Hornbeam to simulate the caulking. The first task was to create the centreline plank by sandwiching a piece of the Black caulking between two Brown planks.
 

 
The remaining planking was created by gluing one piece of Brown plank to one piece of Black caulking. Once dry, the resultant pair was scraped to remove any excess glue. Rinse and repeat for all remaining planks. Here is what they look like when put together.
 

 
Once all the plank pairs had been prepared, they were applied to the decks starting with the centreline sandwich and working outwards from there. The planks were shaped to fit the outline of the margin plank as I went. Here are some shots of the planking in place – not yet given a coat of finish (which should make it pop a little), and not yet glued down.
 

 

 
Finally, an overview shot of progress to date. Note that the upper deck is not yet glued down – it will sit down on the gunwale around the centre once glued.
 

 
I think the next task will be to paint the external of the hull before proceeding to permanently fix the decks. I will also need to address the small matter of Radio Control in the not-too-distant future. I have a cunning plan………..
 

It’s been a little while since the last progress update, but work has continued apace. The first job was to finalise the placement of the steam plant and build a mounting for it, along with a support block for the stern stuffing tube. I used a piece of 7mm thick Queensland Maple for the support base and another to create the support block for the stuffing tube. As the plant is held to its own metal base by screws inserted from underneath, it was necessary to make allowance for the screw heads. With that temporarily in place, the engine drive shaft and the propellor could be aligned, allowing the support block for the stuffing tube to me made and fitted. Once these had both been double checked for fit and alignment, they were fixed in place and the internal surfaces painted using my large airbrush / mini spray gun and Stynylrez White Primer – despite it being a primer, this will be the final colour for the internals.
 

 
In the next photo, you can see that two M3 threaded inserts have been incorporated into the aft end of the mounting plate. These align with two corresponding holes in the metal base plate to secure the plant in the boat.
 

 
Here is an overhead shot showing the steam plant in place along with the complete propellor shaft. Also shown in this photo is the large brass flywheel that my friend made for me, as well as the universal joint (the red piece in the photo).
 

 
The next task was to begin addressing the decking. Having adjusted the plywood sheet as previously described, I decided to stain the plywood to act as the margin plank while additional planking was added for the deck. Here is the plywood after staining.
 

 
To create the decking, I have used a combination of 12mm x 1mm Brown Hornbeam and 1mm x 1mm Black Hornbeam to simulate the caulking. The first task was to create the centreline plank by sandwiching a piece of the Black caulking between two Brown planks.
 

 
The remaining planking was created by gluing one piece of Brown plank to one piece of Black caulking. Once dry, the resultant pair was scraped to remove any excess glue. Rinse and repeat for all remaining planks. Here is what they look like when put together.
 

 
Once all the plank pairs had been prepared, they were applied to the decks starting with the centreline sandwich and working outwards from there. The planks were shaped to fit the outline of the margin plank as I went. Here are some shots of the planking in place – not yet given a coat of finish (which should make it pop a little), and not yet glued down.
 

 

 
Finally, an overview shot of progress to date. Note that the upper deck is not yet glued down – it will sit down on the gunwale around the centre once glued.
 

 
I think the next task will be to paint the external of the hull before proceeding to permanently fix the decks. I will also need to address the small matter of Radio Control in the not-too-distant future. I have a cunning plan………..
 

It’s been a little while since the last progress update, but work has continued apace. The first job was to finalise the placement of the steam plant and build a mounting for it, along with a support block for the stern stuffing tube. I used a piece of 7mm thick Queensland Maple for the support base and another to create the support block for the stuffing tube. As the plant is held to its own metal base by screws inserted from underneath, it was necessary to make allowance for the screw heads. With that temporarily in place, the engine drive shaft and the propellor could be aligned, allowing the support block for the stuffing tube to me made and fitted. Once these had both been double checked for fit and alignment, they were fixed in place and the internal surfaces painted using my large airbrush / mini spray gun and Stynylrez White Primer – despite it being a primer, this will be the final colour for the internals.
 

 
In the next photo, you can see that two M3 threaded inserts have been incorporated into the aft end of the mounting plate. These align with two corresponding holes in the metal base plate to secure the plant in the boat.
 

 
Here is an overhead shot showing the steam plant in place along with the complete propellor shaft. Also shown in this photo is the large brass flywheel that my friend made for me, as well as the universal joint (the red piece in the photo).
 

 
The next task was to begin addressing the decking. Having adjusted the plywood sheet as previously described, I decided to stain the plywood to act as the margin plank while additional planking was added for the deck. Here is the plywood after staining.
 

 
To create the decking, I have used a combination of 12mm x 1mm Brown Hornbeam and 1mm x 1mm Black Hornbeam to simulate the caulking. The first task was to create the centreline plank by sandwiching a piece of the Black caulking between two Brown planks.
 

 
The remaining planking was created by gluing one piece of Brown plank to one piece of Black caulking. Once dry, the resultant pair was scraped to remove any excess glue. Rinse and repeat for all remaining planks. Here is what they look like when put together.
 

 
Once all the plank pairs had been prepared, they were applied to the decks starting with the centreline sandwich and working outwards from there. The planks were shaped to fit the outline of the margin plank as I went. Here are some shots of the planking in place – not yet given a coat of finish (which should make it pop a little), and not yet glued down.
 

 

 
Finally, an overview shot of progress to date. Note that the upper deck is not yet glued down – it will sit down on the gunwale around the centre once glued.
 

 
I think the next task will be to paint the external of the hull before proceeding to permanently fix the decks. I will also need to address the small matter of Radio Control in the not-too-distant future. I have a cunning plan………..
 

A good while since I posted. We were away a couple of weeks hiking in various canyon national parks at the corner where Utah/Nevada/Arizona all meet. Great trip which we hugely enjoyed given terrain which was like nothing we'd ever seen.
 
Here are a couple of shots taken at Bryce Canyon. There are various trails which go down and wander among the hoodoos, each of which ends with a climb back up to the rim! One day there was snow, 0 deg C, so the family opted out but I had a great hike; muddy at first but tee-shirt warm at the bottom.
 


And here is a fun photo taken at the trading post near Bryce Canyon. We will hang it next to a similar western-themed sepia shot taken when the kids were four and eight.

Now back to the ship.  I finally painted the bottom and the main wales black, actually "Dark Secret" from Home Depot which I would liken to Humbrol "Tank Grey". It was a relief to finally see the seams between the various small pieces of plywood skin disappear. The oars and mechanisms have been removed to allow mods. I want to make the lower oar blades the same increased size as those of the upper oars; shorten the upper oars by 1/2 inch; elongate the mounting holes of the upper oar beams to allow adjustment relative to the lower oars.

I had a brief panic about NiMH batteries. Way back at the start of this project, I looked around and saw NiMH 5-cell "packs" at 6V and thought, ok, we're good to go with 6V analog servos. But recently I read that a 5-cell NiMH pack charges to something over 7V but soon drops to 6V when loaded. Consulting with the Hitec technical support line yielded the info that it's fine; the analog servos will be fine.
 
Now I've been looking for a suitable battery pack and charger. I put my ammeter at the battery when rowing in water and was surprised to see it only draws about 3/4A whereas I'd been expecting maybe 2 or 3 amps. I have my eye on a pack and charger but haven't ordered yet.
 
I also have the bigger resin-printed ballistas from my brother. He is now tasked with printing the rudders for this thing in transparent resin, which I really need quite soon in order to progress further.
 
 

Thank you guys...we leave tomorrow.
 
Yes I am headed out to the north and south fork of Long Island.   Gonna check out some maritime stuff including some museums that have small boat collections.  Still researching that block island Cowhorn.  There is supposed to be a nice one in the museum there.  I will be online using my phone though....me always needs some MSW time....lol.
 
Planking has started...today.
 
The facstle is completed.  Nothing to really add except that I followed the planking scheme provided on the plans.   You can see that here.  You guys may of course change it.  I cut these from a 3/64" sheet following the plans rather than use strips.  There is quite a pronounced curve to these and they are small enough so it wasnt a chore.  I basically traced the plan sheet.  Tweaked and sanded to suit.  I used a #4H pencil to simulate the caulking between the planks.
 
Progress below.  One plank at a time.  The outermost planks are the hardest but not terrible.
 



 

I am between modelling projects at the moment. Some time ago, I managed to acquire some additional stocks of very nice modelling timber from Jeff Hayes when he closed down his Hobbymill operation, so I decided that the Capstan model project from the NRG would be a good use for some of that stock and would give me a nice entry back into the scratch building side of things. Plans and instructions are by Toni Levine. As I have all of the toys, I decided to go straight for the Advanced version – hopefully, I won’t regret that decision down track!
 
I will be building at a scale of 1:16, as Toni did in her version.
 
I have downloaded all of the instructions and plans, ensuring that I had the amended version. The first challenge was to create a cutting list to determine the stock sizes I would need. As Toni has provided drawings with full size measurements in decimal inches, I decided that the easiest approach would be to create a spreadsheet to do all of the conversions for me. As my lathe and mill are both calibrated in metric units, I set up the spreadsheet to spit out measurements in both scale millimetres and scale inches (both decimal and fractional). I then went through all of Toni’s drawings and entered in the full size measurements and let the spreadsheet work it’s magic. While I was at it, I made a separate part of the spreadsheet a simple converter to use for other measurements as they crop up. This is proving to be a very useful tool, so I’ve attached it here in case anyone else might want to use it and save themselves from having to duplicate the effort. I take no responsibility for the accuracy of the information!!!
 
Capstan Parts Scale Converter.xlsx 
 
With that task completed, I then went through my stash of timbers and selected some pieces that were close to the right thickness and processed them through my full size drum sander until I had all stock material to the appropriate thickness. I’ll be using Pear for the Beams and Carlings, Red Heart for the Hatch Coaming, and Box for the majority of the rest. I may use Red Heart for the Capstan Bars also, but I’ll reserve a final decision on that until I reach that point.
 
Toni’s Practicum is very well laid out and not only identifies parts by part number but also groups these together into sub-assemblies. This is a really useful inclusion (thanks Toni 😊). Although the sub-assemblies can theoretically be completed in any order, I will follow along in the same order that Toni has used – I figure that way there is less chance for me to screw it up.
 
The Deck and Hatch collectively make up Assembly 100. This comprises sub-assemblies 101 (Grating), 102 (Hatch), 103 (Deck) and 104 (Capstan Step). We begin with the Deck.
Deck (P/N 103)
Although I will need to use metric measurements when it comes time to use the lathe and/or mill, for the most part it is more convenient to work in fractional inches, simply because of the way the scaling works out (eg 1/2" vs 12.7mm). My spreadsheet gives me the scale size to the nearest 1/16 inch (although I can check against the decimal inches (thousandths) if required. A glance at the spreadsheet tells me that the Beams are made from 1/2" stock and the Carlings from 9/32” stock. These were cut to final length and width on the Byrnes Saw. The Beams were then numbered and marked with a carpenter’s triangle to ensure correct alignment before being arranged in my magnetic holding jig for marking out. I first marked the centreline and then laid out the mortices from the centreline. 
 

 
Markings were made lightly in pencil to begin with, with the inner edges of the mortices being defined from the measurements in the drawings, and the outer edge defined by placing the actual Carling on the beam to get the exact width.
 
The marks were then transferred onto the vertical surfaces and a knife used to mark all cross-grain lines, while a marking gauge was used to mark all along-the-grain marks. This gave me some very well-defined layout lines. (I went over the cut lines in pencil just for greater visibility).
 

 
The mortices sides were then cut using a razor saw (in much the same way as one would cut the sides of a half-blind dovetail) and the remaining waste removed slowly and carefully with a full sized very sharp 3/8” chisel. The tenons were cut on the Byrnes saw using the sliding cross-cut table and a stop to ensure that all tenons were exactly the same size. I had one very minor “oops” with the chisel – see if you can pick it. Here is the result:
 

 
Once satisfied with the fit, the pieces were glued up. I was reasonably happy with results.
 

 
I then made up a mixture of pear wood sawdust and diluted white glue and rubbed this over the joints and allowed it to dry overnight before giving it all a final sand with 240 grit today. As per Toni’s instructions, I also gave the underside edges of all Beams and Carlings a very slight round-over. Here is a shot of both the upper and under sides ready for the next step:
 

 

 
The Capstan Step will be next...
 

Page for the launches are now live:
 
24′ and 26′ Launches (3D printed hulls) – VANGUARD MODELS
 
26 foot – 123 long x 37 mm wide - £29.00
24 foot – 112mm long x 34.5 wide - £27.00
 
Each mini kit has three 3-d printed parts and one sheet of 0.8mm pear laser cut parts.
 
I am very happy to have started to produce these, and the forthcoming boat types. I remember the choices always being pretty slim (to put it mildly) for pre made hulls, usually having to settle for some generic type that was always too much of a compromise - and I also know that many have trouble, or do not like the plank on bulkhead mini kits. I am hoping these will help fill a gap...

Little update.
 
I will soon have a new 24 and 26-foot launch for sale later today. These have 3-d printed hulls, windlass and stern davit, and a 0.8mm pear laser cut sheet containing knees, thwarts, oars etc. Both in 64th scale for now.
 
I have also commissioned a 22- and 24-foot cutter, 22-foot yawl, 28 and 32-foot pinnace and another launch, so ultimately, I shall have complete pre made hull sets (along with the laser cut wood parts to go with them) for all of my kits, including future developments, as an alternative to the plank on bulkhead versions.
 
Also almost ready are the new Nelson figures. This will be available in 72nd, 64th, 48th, 32nd and a few in 1:16th scale. These have a separate base.

Post One Hundred and Seventy-six
 
Casing the model.
Today 'Indy' was finally encased and moved to her display position.

4713
Quite a fraught business lifting the heavy glass cover over the base, but at least there are no tall masts to negotiate and yards to snag.

4717
The cover was set with the model/base on the floor, and the combination case lifted in two stages onto the chest of drawers.

4715
I had been waiting for the arrival of the ‘Indy’ Admiralty  plan which I have had framed. This was also a tricky exercise to hang being 53” in width, supported by three hooks.

4708
This is the last available space I have for a large model, but I think I can still accommodate a few smaller ones.

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The final act is to compile the build photo record book that I do for all my builds, this is now ready to go to the printers.
 
I can now finally declare the project completed, and I again thank those who have shown an interest.
 
Regards,
 
B.E.
18/05/2024

One last update for today. I used the markings on the tape strips attached to the right angle plates to mark out the lines on the front face of the deadflat frame. I then cut a tick strip and marked the lines on it from the profile drawing and checked against the marks on the frame. With a very small adjustment on the starboard side, the markings were nice, even & symmetrical. I then unclamped the frame and extended these marks across the face of the frame using a straight edge, and then extended the lines around the frame, so each line is marked out on all sides.
 
I still need to add trunnels to the futtock joints, which should be interesting - the joints are such a tender spot that I'm not sure how to approach it in terms of supporting the frame so it doesn't break under even the controllable pressure of hand drilling....My current idea is to put the frame in my bench vice so the outside edge of the frame is just above the jaws and going for it from there....I have some cast-off futtocks that i made while practicing my scroll saw work so I might just glue up a couple of those just to see how it feels and how it goes....I guess I'm not in any rush!
hamilton

Just a quick follow up....All of the coamings and hatches and partners are now glued onto the model.   Not much to see but here are the details.
 
The mast partners went in first.  Really important was to get them down the center line so your masts arent slanted or crooked.   It is best to use a dowel or even any strip of wood near the same diameter as the masts to also check the rake of the masts to determine the position of the partners.   I dont have a picture of that but you guys mostly know this already.
 
The main mast partners needed to have the pump tubes made before I could glue it on the model.  I am only making the pump tubes below deck at this time much like Greg did on his model.  I used a 1/4 x 1/4 cedar strip and marked it out to become octagonal.  I used the 7-10-7 template provided on the plans.   You can see it in the picture below.   Then I drew lines down each side so I could begin shaving the corners.  I just use a sharp #11 blade to carefully shave the corners down to the lines.  Just before the lines actually.   Then I use a sanding stick to finish it off.   Some of you may have some machines that could do this more accurately but this works just fine.   
 

You will notice a small length of 19 gauge black wire I inserted into the top end.  This will be inserted into the holes laser cut in partners.   The pump tubes are not vertical...so when glued into the bottom of the mast partner I created the slant for these using the plans as a guide.
 

 
Then it was just a matter of gluing the main mast partners onto the model.  You can barely see these pump tubes under the partners but here is a bad photo showing them entering the well below deck.  We will make the top half of the pumps much later and the same holes on the mast partners will be used to register them so they look continuous through the deck.  So dont make the wire too long on the top of the tubes.  Make them short enough so some room remains to do the same when we add the top of the elm tree pumps later.
 

The other gratings and hatches were added down the center line permanently.
 
The last remaining issue was the capstan partners.   We need to make the capstan drum below deck.   This is easy enough.  Its just a round drum that tapers.   I started with a 3/8 x 3/8 strip of cedar.  Then I converted that into an octagon just like we did for the pump tubes.  I have provided another 7-10-7 template for this strip so you can proceed to make it an octagon. 
 
Here is a photo after I rounded it off and tapered the octagon.  I just dis this by hand but you can chock it in a hand drill or if you happen to have a lathe....have at it.  The length can be taken from the plans as well as the diameter at the bottom so it fits in the capstan step below deck.
 

 
Once completed I glued the capstan partner onto the center line of the deck so the drum sits in the step nicely.  You might also notice that I made the drum a certain length so there was still room in the hole of the capstan partners.   This will allow me to register the actual capstan above deck after we make it.  Hope that makes sense.
 

 
Thats it for now as I am off to the beach for a few days to recharge....and decompress.   I will be back sometime next week ......or maybe not....
 
 
 

Thank you Wayne. 
 
And thank you Bob. I can’t really answer your question Bob as I don’t record hours spent on the model. But looking at my start and finish posts it was about 3 months from start to finish - noting of course, that I am one of the slower builders goin’ around!

I finally received the name plaque for my SIB. A couple of final photos – the curvature of the glass bottle made it somewhat difficult to get a good shot.
 

 

Thanks for the kind comments and the likes folks.
 
I made a simple display base from some scrap walnut I had laying around in the “big” workshop. I had considered doing something more elaborate but, in the end, decided that less is more. I have ordered a small brass name plaque that will be placed on the front bevelled edge, but otherwise I’m calling this done.
 
Final photos (pending receipt of name plaque).
 

 
 

A Ship-in-a-bottle has been on my “bucket list” for some time now. A little while ago, I was re-enthused about such a project when I saw Glen McGuire's excellent rendition of this kit. A heavy hint was dropped to my wife, who duly produced the kit for my birthday in November last year. Completion of another modelling project, the holiday season, and work on a new furniture project has kept me out of the shipyard until now.
 
I will forgo the “unboxing” photos as there are several of these already on the forum. Suffice to say that the only item that immediately jumps out at me for replacement are the sails. These have heavy black lines drawn on them and they look nothing like the box art. I have asked the Admiral (an avid sewer) for some assistance in sourcing an appropriate replacement material.
The Hull
 Building commences with the hull, which is assembled from a series of lifts. I have read in other build logs where some have found that these did not accurately match the 1:1 templates provided in the instructions, however I was pleased to find that in my kit at least, they were a very close match. These templates each have a couple of crosses on them, that I can only assume to be alignment marks. The instructions are silent on this point, and I do not recall reading in anyone else’s log where they have been put to use. The instructions simply invite you to assemble the lifts in numerical order, with no further guidance on alignment.
 
I decided to make use of these marks to help align the lifts correctly. I scanned the 1:1 scale drawing, printed it and cut out the individual patterns. I then pasted these temporarily onto the lifts with a UHU glue stick and drilled a 0.8mm diameter hole through each of the reference marks.
 

 
 
 The paper templates were then peeled off, leaving the lifts ready to be assembled.
 

 
I used two pieces of 0.8mm diameter brass rod to dry fit the lifts together. There are several more lifts to be added under the stern, but these will be fitted in two pieces to accommodate the keel.
 

 
This seems to have been a reasonably successful process, so I will now go ahead and glue them up.
 
It feels good to be back at the bench!
 

Thank you one and all for the very kind comments and likes on the completion of my Longboat model.
 
Unfortunately, as I was setting up to take some "what's in the box?" photos for my new build, I knocked the camera and tripod over onto the Longboat. By a stroke of good luck, damage was minimal and relatively easily repaired - a little glue, a lick of touch up paint, and some re-tensioning of the rigging and all is good. No photos of before and after but rest assured all has been put to right. Just need to find a safer temporary place for the longboat until her permanent home is decided.

My Longboat is now complete! The finishing touches were applied today – some rope coils, the oars, grapnel and final fixing to the base. For added security, I used a 1/16” brass rod as a locator pin between the pedestal stands and the base, secured with epoxy. So here are the final photos. You will note the date on the stand says 2019….only two years late….
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
I'd like to thank you all for the kind comments and likes along the way, and a special thanks to Chuck for his ongoing support and advice throughout this build. Despite the false start and need to start over, I have enjoyed this little build immensely.
 
I'll see you for the next one...

Thanks Alan - yes, this seemed like a much better approach than trying to line up tick strips. It'll be a little tricky as the model progresses, and I may need to modify the framing squares to allow me to continue using this method as I work aft - the framing square that I built from the Admiralty templates is too wide for me to be able to slide the acrylic squares in back of the frame for transferring marks. I'll see if I can puzzle this out over the weekend as I try to get my first frame raised. One thing I will definitely need to do is mark out the station lines as verticals on both the disposition of frame and profile drawings, so I'm sure I'm correctly laying the tape strips. This wasn't necessary for the deadflat frame as there is a little reference for it on the drawing itself, but it will be much better to mark them all out as verticals to ensure the reference lines are correct.
 
In the meantime, I spent a bit of time last night testing the method and seeing if I could set up the deadflat frame with accuracy. Using the vertical measurement jig and some 1/2" masking tape (turned out I didn't have any more 1/4" stuff, which I think would be better), I took measures for the upper & lower deck beams at side, the height of breadth line and the design waterline. I then just peeled this tape off the jig and carefully lined it up with the edges of the square at the bottom and along one side - repeated for the port side square and that was that. The port and starboard squares were lined up with the height of breadth line on the drawing fixed to the building board and then clamped in place.
 
In the photos below, I've set the frame up and clamped the fore and aft framing squares and the lateral squares. I found it useful then to take a tick strip with the lines marked out and used this to test the port & starboard symmetry of the frame  and make minor adjustments to its positioning before final clamping. What you see in the final shots below is the frame set up on the building board ready to be marked out for the various lines noted above. The deadflat 1 frame needs also to be marked out for the sweep port notches on its aft face. In fact there are, I think, only 4 frames total that don't need to be notched out for sweep ports, gun ports and/or scuppers.
 
A brief observation - the process of constructing frames has really re-oriented my focus and attention in modelling. The necessity to approach each component with care and thought for its relations is so much more on the surface of things than I've experience in my work on model kits, where I feel like I lag in conscientiousness here and there where the kit manufacturer has done the work for me....Even with my scratch Bluenose there were a couple of "auto-pilot" moments where I was leaning much more on the documentation supplied by MS for their kit, and where I felt I could fudge things without any overall bad effect. Here, there's no fudging things! It has to be right or it's not going to work - it's a lot of pressure, but it feels like there's a lot of learning happening too, which is fun.
 
Here are some photos - I hope to have the first frame raised by the end of the weekend - I just need to mark it out, trunnel the joints, work on the keel notch to ease the fit, and it'll be ready to go......deep breath....
hamilton