gjdale

My set from Mikhail arrived this week.  Got stuck in customs and took about 6 weeks, but well worth the wait:

 As everyone said, they are really well made and at a nice price.  I bought some micro gouges and other tools from Dockyard years ago, but these are much higher quality.  As you can see, I opted for the more decorative handles and glad I did so.  The tools are almost too beautiful to work with and dirty.
 
Mikhail is a very nice guy, and google translate worked very well for our communications.  He stayed on top of the delivery to make sure that the package got to me and periodically checked in.  I’m sure some may have misgivings about communicating in a foreign language with someone halfway around the world, but it was a very smooth process, customs delay aside.
 
I believe he makes batches of these twice a year, so if you are interested, it’s best to contact him sooner rather than later.  Mine was the last set for this batch, otherwise I would have had to wait until the fall.
 
Thanks Mikhail!

I’ll second what Bill has just said. I too tried to place an order a while back but had to wait until Mihail returned in October. I received my set last week and they are every bit as beautiful as others have said. Again, communication was via Google translate and payment via PayPal - both painless operations. Mikhail has been a thoroughly nice person to deal with as well.

Druxey,
 
Would you please PM me Mihail's email address too? I don't think I can resist these much longer!

Cheers guys for your comments and likes 👍
Quickly moving on.
Post 88
Positioning the anchors
The position Chuck has placed the anchors on his model has a nice symmetry about it,  looks aesthetically pleasing, and shows the anchors off to good effect.
This placement  however seems to put them a long way from the cathead which is unusual at least in respect of the Bower anchors, and this is the source of some puzzlement that has been engaging my mind.
 The two timberheads either side of the first port are there to do with anchor tackle, but it seems to me that there should be another one further back to to secure the shank rather than have that function achieved by seizing around the rail above the second port.
... but bringing the anchor ring closer to the Cathead and Cat block  means the shank crosses the first port and the stock inhibits the line of fire available for the chase gun, The sole example we have of the Cheerful/Surly model shows the anchor ring close by the Cathead with the shank running across the first port.

This is not unusual as demonstrated by many models of all ship types. I have scoured my books and endless photo's of cutters to try and establish anchor stowage arrangements.
My solution to this particular problem is to add a bulwark cleat to secure the aft shank painter.

8523(2)
 The forward painter can then be secured around the second timberhead, and a stopper secured thro' the ring and over the first  timberhead.

8518

8531

8534
This is the arrangement I have opted for on the starboard side, crowded as it around the cathead area.
On the Port side I have the anchor hanging from the Cat block and secured by the stopper.

8529

8520
I like this position, it is aesthetically pleasing, indicates the use of the Cat block, and removes all of the issues around stowing the anchor.

8540
Getting some drape into the cables.

8527
I can see myself fiddling for some time adjusting the cables along the deck.
In general I find securing the anchors to the boat a tricky business; they seem to have a life of their own, and temporary seizings are required whilst the first proper seizing is applied.
 Syren wooden anchors are far more delicate than their metal equivalents, and extra care has to be taken when attaching the puddening and cable to the anchor ring.   
Knock the shank and there is a risk of snapping it.

8539
Still have a nagging doubt, but for the present I will turn my attention to a bit of lathe work.
 
B.E.
04/05/2019
 

Ahh, line in from Chuck. Progress can continue.
Here are the latest pictures. It is odd how the camera shows things distorted like the masts looking out of line. 
 
Jesse
 

Thanks for the many LIKES.
The bowsprit shrouds and the preventer-bobstay with chain have been completet in the meantime.


 
The bowsprit shrouds with eye splices, the bobstays and the preventer-bobstay with chain were installed so far. The lashings are only made firm if everything fits.
The bobstays are covered with leather.
The conclusion of the leather coats was secured with a closed band.


 
 

Hi Marc,
 
We stripped 144 linear feet of 12" diameter logs--I did half--and I discovered muscles today that I did not even know existed. This is definitely a young person's sport!
 
Mark

I took some time off from the ship after competing the cannon to help a neighbor get some logs for a dock project nearby. I learned how to use a draw knife for stripping the bark.
 
This gave me a great sense of the woodsmen who found and prepared the trees for ship construction. I can hardly imagine what it would be like to do this all day, every day, for your entire working life.
 
I borrowed the orange kevlar chaps, which helped avoid knife cuts to the shins. They are also supposed to prevent cuts from chainsaws, but I didn't test them for effectiveness.
 
Now if I could only find some boxwood trees in this Rocky Mountain softwood forest....😀
 
 
Mark
 
 
 

Christ, Mark, how’s your back after all of that?!  Mine hurts just looking at those pics.

Suffering from modellers block in relation to the anchors, I turn my attention to another tricky subject.
Post 87
A boat for Cheerful
The only reference photo I could find of a boat onboard a cutter is this one of a model of the Hawke of 1777.

Hawke
The Cutter Alert book by Peter Goodwin indicates a boat stored on the centre line but from the plans there is room only for a 13' boat. On Cheerful in this position a boat of only 10.5'  could be accommodated.
The  Model Shipways kit of a 1:48 scale Longboat would be in scale but is far too large for a deck stowed boat, and at 26' is on the large size for a towed boat.
Before I consider scratching a boat as I did for Pegasus, I  knocked up a version of a 14' cutter to assess whether I like the look of a boat on Cheerful's deck .

8424
The boat is based on a Caldercraft resin hull kitted out with thin boxwood planking and fittings.

8425

8426

8429

8431

8432(2)

8433(2)

8437
Not quite sure if it's what I'm looking for but I'll leave it in place  to see if it grows on me whilst I return to the anchors, and making the boom.
 
B.E.
03/05/2019
 

Post 86
Thinking about Anchors
... or ground tackle as we professionals call it. 😉
I have usually purchased metal anchors for my models, I check out the weight sizes according to Steel for the vessel concerned, work out the shank length at scale which gives me the size to buy.
Anchors were allocated to ships by relative size and tonnage and Steel gives tables covering all rates.

His reference to cutters appears to indicate (3) anchors of 10cwt + a figure for quarters which is not clear. This is at variance with Goodwin's figures in the Alert book which suggests anchors of 18cwt, 15cwt , plus a stream of 6cwt, and a kedge of 3cwt
 
I don't know how Chuck arrived at the sizes for the anchors, they have a shank length of 55mm which scales up to a length of 8' 6" which according to Steel equates to an anchor of 6cwt  but I made up the Syren wooden anchor kits, and in truth I do like the look of them.
 
I used a toned down black paint for the anchors followed by weathering powder, dark brown and a smidge of rust.
 
For the puddening of the anchor ring I used 0.30mm line (2" circ at scale) and 0.1mm line ¾" circ at scale)
The stocks I drilled and pegged and coated with wipe-on poly.

8394
To represent the iron stock bands I used my favourite medium of slices of heat shrinkable rubber tubing.
A short blast from the hairdryer on top heat and it moulds securely to the stock.
 
Rigging the anchors
I am trying out various arrangements, mainly using John Harland's reference work, Seamanship in the age of Sail.
In relation to anchor cables and windlasses he describes thus:
The cable is taken three times around the barrel, the turns coming off the top, the inboard end being kept to the outer end to facilitate the turns.

8402

8404
The cable is 1.5mm dia stuff equivalent to a 9" circ cable.
The Alert cable is given as 11½" circ - 1.9mm ø at scale.
I decided to stick with 1.5mm stuff.

8408

8409
Normans (wooden pegs) have been inserted into heaver holes to which the cables will be seized.
This is a stylistic arrangement to display the run of the cables  around the windlass and onto the anchor ring.
I continued to rig the Cat blocks and falls  using a 6mm double block with the ironwork represented  once again by a slice of heat shrink tubing.

8418

8420
That is the easy bit, but as with other questions relating to Cheerful, positioning the anchors is a different story, and one that is giving me a headache, and  brought me at least for the present, to a shuddering halt. 😖
 
B.E.
01/05/2019
 

Thank you everyone, the heartfelt responses are great & I'll be sure to show my daughter the interest in our project. 
 
The drawing was from www.architecturalprints.com.au & we scaled photocopies to suit. I don't have progress photos but the method was old-school: cardboard backing with the photocopies on top & covered in plastic film, the sides of the tower were cut & then pinned to the board, & glued with PVA - the brownish Titebond is a good colour match.
 
I will attached some daylight photos below, they will show also the wiring, the lights & the details more clearly. One note is that the wiring is done so that a DC transformer plugs from a wall plug to the socket on the side; & the wall plug (power point) is hard wired so the tower can be turned on from a usual household wall light switch if you leave the tower's toggle switch on.
 
Lou, we agreed it should sit on a corner table in the Living Room, it's safer in the corner & the light effects are nice. 
 
John, it could be fun for her to make a nautical model, but honestly I'm struggling to keep up with the things she makes....recently it's functioning lolly dispensers from cardboard, a log-cabin house from scrolled paper,  & a copy of her favourite going-out shoe in cardboard & string.... I'm the one that's looking very short of ideas...a boat.
 
Steven, it's a vey interesting object to look at as you sip something relaxing - the balance between visual stability of the wide base & the stretched length of the top part is very interesting. A milestone in engineering, prefabrication & structural aesthetics.
 

 

 
the brass work was interesting work - discussing how to make it:

 
low voltage plug, toggle switch set back in a strip at the base::

wiring layout, resolved with assistance from small scale lights; working this out was new & the decisions were shared; hot-melt glue was handy & fast

the paper-scroll log cabin, no technical assistance from dad in this case:

 

What a great thing to do with your daughter Mark! You can both be very proud of the results.

What a great thing to do with your daughter Mark! You can both be very proud of the results.

What a great thing to do with your daughter Mark! You can both be very proud of the results.

What a great thing to do with your daughter Mark! You can both be very proud of the results.

What a great thing to do with your daughter Mark! You can both be very proud of the results.

What a great thing to do with your daughter Mark! You can both be very proud of the results.

What a great thing to do with your daughter Mark! You can both be very proud of the results.

What a great thing to do with your daughter Mark! You can both be very proud of the results.

Thanks for all the likes folks. And for Popeye and Mark - I won't be adding a figure to this model, though I do appreciate your thoughts.
 
The Base was a little too shiny after the varnish, so I knocked it down a little with some 0000 steel wool and furniture wax. Here is the completed stand:
 

And here is the stand with the fuselage attached (note: I later replaced the steel phillips head screws with brass slotted screws, with slots aligned to the grain of the wood of course!):
 

 
Then it was simply a case of following the instruction sequence for attaching the wings and the tail section, along with the rigging. The instructions for this phase were particularly poor but we got there in the end. 
 
It was very difficult to photograph the completed model because of the wing-span, but here are a few overall shots:
 

 

 

 
And here are a few close-ups of various sections:
 
Top View:

 
Underneath:
 

 
And another from underneath:
 

 
Posting these last couple of photos showed me that one of the rigging lines had parted company with its pulley - that has now been rectified.
 
That completes the construction of the Da Vinci Flying Machine. One year and eight months in the making – would have been a lot less if procrastination and other priorities hadn’t interfered! For those who may be curious, the wing-span is 102 cm / 40 inches.
 
Now I can turn my attention to the next project(s)....
 
I will be starting on Chuck's Medway Longboat shortly, but I may also try to multi-task and start on one of my two Pocher car models. We'll have to see - there is still a bunch of 1:1 scale woodwork going on in the "big" workshop!
 
Thanks to all who have followed along with this build, for your support and encouragement. I hope you have enjoyed watching as much as I have enjoyed building this kit.

My daughter & I finished our co-build, a timber scale model of the Eiffel Tower. I'm not sure what scale it is, but it's about 550mm tall, the base & solid details are Kauri Pine, the structure is from pre-cut American Walnut 2x1 & 1x1mm strips, & the stage levels are 2mm plywood. The top is soldered brass, & the lighting is LED.
 
Our daughter has long been fascinated with this wonderful structure, & because she has always preferred to make something than to play with it I proposed we make something challenging together. It's taken more than 2 years & has been fun, difficult & a great experience all round. 
 
A special note is on the the LED lights, which are especially nice & it's worth noting that they came from https://www.smallscalelights.co.uk , the ever helpful Jennifer Smith patiently helped us to resolve a wiring layout & sent the very nice & appropriate small spots. See how the shadowing on the walls is, that's just from these tiny spots. The spotlights are mounted on timber bases, similar to a timber cotton thread spool.
 
The shadowing on the wall is fantastic, & we kept on a table in the corner so that the lighting looks good & it won't get bumped.

 

 

 

And the ship should be displayed in the library.

Thanks for the tips guys. Her only real concern was potential damage to the model, so my “temporary” solution is no real problem - will only be “temporary” until she forgets that it’s “temporary” and then it is “temporary” no more!😄😁😁
 
Our son dropped in for a visit yesterday and thought it was a really cool model, so another vote of confidence to help it keep its place.

Thanks for the tips guys. Her only real concern was potential damage to the model, so my “temporary” solution is no real problem - will only be “temporary” until she forgets that it’s “temporary” and then it is “temporary” no more!😄😁😁
 
Our son dropped in for a visit yesterday and thought it was a really cool model, so another vote of confidence to help it keep its place.