gjdale

Hello,
thanks for the encouragement, one and all!
Here is the continuation:
 
The first image shows all installation parts of the cutters.

 
On the next two images all built boats can be seen that I have built for the French corvette.
Only thing missing is the gig.

 

Well my inexperience of ship building reared its ugly head again and not understanding certain relationships of ship elements. However, in looking around at previous builds I see others did the same which lead me back to the instruction manual and page 13, Fig 1-11 adding the transom extensions. In my opinion these extensions should not be added until the gundeck and spar deck gunports are framed in. Then the extensions should be added and aligned with the bottom edge of the gunports to get the galleries located in the correct position. This also assumes the issues with the transom framing is sorted out as well.
 
The following rework is for the benefit of those who will follow since there is no clear instructions in adding the bottoms of the galleries and molding which are critical visual elements of the build.
The pictures are self explanatory and questions or suggestions are welcome. The solution I am describing is based upon looking at several pictures of the real ship and the interpretation of them. 











 
Once finally ready, I will add the pre stain wood conditioner and then the black stain and then clear Satin finish. The one regret is that I will lose the wood board definition due to the previous staining process filling the grain and now being sanded. Hopefully the transom molding and decoration will mask this up.
 
The lesson I have learned is to refer to the pictures of the real ship, check the plans and resolve any differences. I will look at the instruction manual with a real jaundiced eye; but I am learning more about ship building.

I am now 60-hours into this build and am exceedingly happy with the results.  This is the first time I have tracked my hours in a build and I actually like doing so.  I average about an hour a day.  My goal is to get into the shop for atleast a few minutes each night, which usually turns into more.  This tactic has kept me fresh and keeps progress steady. 
 
Understandably, I took very few pictures of the rework and am finally on to new stuff.
 
Below is a shot of the port bow. Please note that everything is in the "rough" at this stage.  I will fine tune later - yes, this drives me crazy...  The air gaps still need to be cleaned out and filed straight as well.
The shoe should be thinner than it is here.  I missed that tiny detail, but its small.  Note the absence of Hawse Timber #5, that is yet to be done.  An interesting detail to note is the size of the stem as compared to the knee of the head.  Note the subtle taper?  These are the kind of details you get in an authentic scratch build.  Obsessing about these things is a passion.
 

 
Note the use of the uprights in aligning the toptimbers to the base drawing.  The photo shows them just slightly off due to the angle of the shot.  They are dead on.  There still needs to be some slight tumblehome added to these hawse pieces.  There are templates to help with this.
 

 
Here is a shot from the inside.  I used boxwood chocks to contrast the swiss pear frames.  Most of these will not show in the final product, but I will be spending a lot of time with this build, so I wanted them to look pretty.
 

 
The last show is of the first free standing cant frames.  I will put temporary pine spacers to secure them in place as Ed describes in the book, Naiad.   You can see how the framing square and uprights are used to ensure the frames are both perpendicular to the base line and the toptimbers are on the mark.

Completed a number of non-related projects on my "to do" list this weekend, including sharpening some tools, but did manage to try the spot of black water based paint mixed in the yellow wood glue.  I must confess I did not like the results so I did it again with the paper and had better results this time.  Trimmed it with a scalpel before gluing the other section of keel to it.
 
I also worked on one half of the boxing scarph joint at the bow and it turned out pretty good.
 
No photos though as I am not satisfied with this overall attempt and so will be redoing the whole thing.
The material is not scrap, just won't be the keel.
 
I am not disappointed, feeling good about the whole experience.
Found myself wanting to jump ahead, fighting the urge... taking a breath and working on one piece at a time... this part is difficult for me.
To use to multitasking.

Hey, great news Danny! Best wishes for a pain-free move.

Hey, great news Danny! Best wishes for a pain-free move.

Hey, great news Danny! Best wishes for a pain-free move.

The kit provides a .pdf template of the nibbing strake.  the four pieces are cut out, rubber cemented to some holly stock and then cut out with a scroll saw.  I then glued them in place.

Something like that Greg . It's used where the strains on the planking are greatest, such as the Spirketting and Deck Planking around the Gunports, and the Wales.
 
Thanks to all the others for their comments and Likes .
 
I started the Upper Deck framing the same way as the lower deck by temporarily installing the three Beams. Next I made the Upper Deck Main Mast Partners.
 
You may remember from the full model that these differ significantly from some of the earlier Swan Class ships in that they are angled :
 

 

 
I've also made and (once again temporarily) fitted the Lodging Knees and most of the Carlings, some of which can be seen below marked out for the Ledges. All these pieces will be removed later to cut the various mortices :
 

 

 

 
Last thing for now I've made up the Main Topsail Sheet Bitt Pins :
 

 

 

 

 
This will be the last I can do on my model for a little while as I'm ONCE AGAIN (6th time in 7 years) moving house, having sold my caravan where I've been living for the past couple of years (I just got word that the money has been deposited into my account ) and I'll be moving back into my own house. Ironically, this is where I first built my workshop .
 
See you all in a couple of weeks when I get settled in again.
 
  Danny

Well, a start has been made on the inner sheathing of the bulwark. The compound curves involved make this an interesting exercise!

Yes, staying in Bristol. Moving out of rental house in Bradley Stoke and buying house over in Willsbridge. It's got a 2nd garage/car port which will be getting converted to man cave/workshop.
 
Reserves are taking a hammering! Getting married in September as well.....

Two steps forward!
 
I finished forming the bow block.  Like I said in prior posts, this will allow me to make the compound curve at the bow and give the hull sections something to bite into when glued in place.
 

 
The hull starts looking like a hull now...
 

 
I was very careful to make two, identical, sides of the hull.  No way they were going to align on the model if they weren't the same off the model.
 
One tricky thing was getting those hull sides glued at the bow.  The bow block made a big difference, but this 1/32" plywood is very stiff and it doesn't want to hold the hull shape.  I had to re-glue it twice to get it to stick, even using Titebond III, which is a very strong adhesive.  When I pulled the clamps off and it held, I figured I'd made a big step forward.
 
But wait!
 
Two steps forward ... one step back.
 
Check out the misalignment:
 

 
That's a misalignment of about 3/32", way too big to ignore ... and the bigger question:  how did it happen?
 
Looking bow on, the bow block looks right.  The two hull sections below it were identical.  So where the gap come from?
 
I think it's just a misalignment.  Check this out.  I laid a batten on the port side of the hull and it followed the curve of the hull just fine.
 

 
And then on the starboard side:
 

 
There's the gap.
 
I think it's a little more than the bow block that's off.  If I measure to the bottom of the bow block on both sides, there's a little gap there too:
 

 

 
So here's what I'm going to do, much as it pains me.  (I was really looking forward to fiberglassing this hull and moving on to different things.)
 
Heat up the joints and remove the starboard side.  I might loosen up the port side in the process, but I don't see how I can avoid that. Clean up the glue and re-align the side so that the bow lines up properly. Glue it back in place. Fill in the gap with 1/32" stock and make all the angles work out. This is a form for the fiberglass, so it really doesn't need to look perfect, but it has to be dimensionally perfect.  That's what I'm shooting for.  
 
Anyone got any other suggestions?
 
 
 
Dan
 
 
 
 

To begin making the carriages,  I first removed the laser char from the mini-kit pieces.  Even just making the four remaining carriages for the port side takes considerable time.  I used a sanding stick and there are many pieces.  
 
In addition,  the outside ends of the axles were rounding off and all of the pieces were painted red ahead of time.  
 
Finally I decided to make a small jig to make assembly easier.   You can see it in the photos and its simple to make.
 
Step one was placing the axles into the jig.
 
Then the two pieces ....the transom was added atop the front axle and another strip was added across the rear axle.  Note how the front axle is shorter than the rear axle.
 

 
Step two was when I added the sides (brackets) to the carriage while they were in the jig.   The carriage was removed and a length of 24 gauge black wire was pushed through the holes in the sides of the bracket.  The carriage bed will sit on top of this eventually.  The wire is snipped off so each end stands a little proud of the surface.  
 
To finish of step two the wheels (trucks) were put into position.
 
  
 
Now to finish these four carriages off....the next steps will be shown soon.
 
Chuck

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 151 – Ship’s Boats 7
 
Thank you for the comments and likes since the last post.  I am looking forward to completing the work on these small (3 to 4”) long boats!
 
After the last post I made some modifications to the 25’ clinker built cutter.  I took some advice from my good friend Druxey that the lapstrake planking needed to converge to a carvel form as it approached the stem and stern rabbets.  This is well illustrated in his posting on the Greenwich barge.  I applied a cosmetic fix to the installed planking as shown in the first picture to remove the overlapping at the ends.
 

 
The clinker style overlap at the rabbets would cause a complication in sealing and that is probably the reason for bringing the planks flush at those points.  Anyway, because of this, I decided to lapstrake the 4th boat using the correct process.  I had intended to make this carvel planked, but decided I needed to do one more clinker to fully understand the correct planking process.  The next picture shows another view of the current state of the first three boats.
 

 
You will notice that eyebolts have been installed in the skid beams and the boat sterns have been lettered.  The next picture shows the plug for the 4th boat, a 22’ cutter that will be suspended from the starboard quarter davits.
 

 
I reused the 25’ cutter plug as a starting point for this, hence the pinholes.  The plug has been primed in the picture – not very photogenic I’m afraid.  In the next picture the frames have been bent over the plug.
 

 
They of course need to be aligned.  The first step in securing them is shown in the next picture. 
 

 
A temporary guide and holding strip has been nailed to the plug over the frames at the boats topside height.  A hole for an additional nail is being drilled in the picture.  With the frames secured topside the stem piece is being fitted in the next picture.
 

 
This piece was then pinned to the plug and glued to the first few frames.  The keel was then fitted and glued to the frame floors as shown below.
 

 
The last step before planking was to add the stern deadwood as shown below.
 

 
This is glued to the keel.  The connections are all pretty fragile at this point, but the addition of the garboard strakes will strengthen it significantly. 
 
Ed

Another photos 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Mark,
 
Have you tried cleaning with a wire brush in your favourite rotary tool? I find this the best way to get a clean bright finish on the brass prior to pickling in vinegar. I used this also on the refurbishment job I'm doing at the moment, and it worked really well.

Some more progress on the beakhead.
 
Alexandru

Thanks for everyone's continued interest.
 
More pattern making is required to define the shape of the aft deck. I've modified the design of Prince Frederick's barge to suit this vessel. On this deck, furthest aft, will be a raised area for the steersman, but that cannot be defined yet. The aft deck with its scuttle needs to be made and installed first, as well as a thin panelled lining on the inner sides of the bulwarks.

Thanks for the "likes" and comments.
 
When I laid the keel, I also cut the stem, the stern post, and the rudder from the same chunk of wood.   I've been busy with other things recently, but did spend a lot of time researching the rudder and sorting things out.  I found that many of my assumptions and some of what is on the plans wrong.
 
Here's what I've found (including from those responding to a post on this)...
 
1) As built in 1755, there's minimal vertical taper.  It wasn't common to do this, but not uncommon either.  Which makes me wonder that maybe it was a shipyard decision.   The rudder follows this. 
 
2) There is no fore and aft taper to the rudder.  That one caught me by surprise.
 
3) There is a cavitation/turbulence groove.  This would have been added when the ship was rebuilt/overhauled at some point later in time.  It would have been present in 1778 when captured.
 
4) The fore side of the rudder was beveled at about a 45 degree angle.  The pintle and cudgeon<SP?> straps were recessed only at the fore side of the rudder and at the aft side of the sternpost where the straps bend to the side.  They were recessed as on some other nation's ships.   
 
5) No spectacle plate.  There's an eyebolt with rings on each side just above the strop hole for the emergency steering.  The strop hole is nominally rigged to two eyebolts.
 
So.. I machined the rudder blank as shown in the pictures below.  There's two mortises in the top of the rudder, one for the normal tiller (which on Licorne is in the Great Room) and one for the emergency tiller which is on the quarterdeck.
 


 
I'm off and running with the metalwork.  I've started silver soldering and wondered why I didn't do this years ago.  It's pretty fast and gives a nice result.  
 
 

With the deck finally complete on the second model,  i was able to convert my mill from a thickness planer back to a mill.  I have been putting off turning the paddlewheel shafts because they have hexagonal bosses that require a dividing head on the mill.  This week I was able to make some progress on the paddlewheels. 
 
Turning the paddlewheel shafts.

 
Milling the hexagonal bosses.

 

 

 
Test fitting the paddlewheel flanges.  On Heroine, all of the flanges were damaged to some extent.  A few had several of the arms broken off and were reinforced by flat iron strap.  Next week I will reproduce this damage and repairs.

 
 
Bearing timbers in place with iron tie rods.

 

 

 
Paddlewheel spokes fresh from the mill.

 
 
The mill cuts the mating pieces so accurately, there is almost no fitting required.  Just a little clean-up and they slid tightly into the channels in the flanges.

 
Test fit of the starboard paddlewheels.

Thank you Gerhard!
  And now, what were those parts?   ...hihihihihi...   They were a provocation!!!   Why?!? As always, when i find obscure details, I just build and wait for the horrified outcries ;-)   These parts are the shoes for the fishing david, mentioned in Marquardt and described by Lee, but only found two very vague contemporary drawings that do not really define the form. The shoe serves for the david not to damage the hull or channels and also avoids it sliding sidewards.   To define the form of the shoe, of course the davit is necessary, just to fit like a shoe :-)     Some blocks help rectangular sanding. Eine erhöhte rechtwinklige Unterlage und ein fixer Führungs- und ein geführter Schleifklotz sorgen für geraden Abschluss.     As already done with the anchors, I used my Edding-technic ...     ... as the color shows nicely ...     ... if the sanding is getting even ...     ... also at the conus. Applied some paint and it is finished fast ;-)     And to see if the shoe fits, immediately applied to the place McKay suggests.     But that looks strange as the deadeyes are in the way. I think one more deadeye aback there is the opening for the chasing gun, that would be the mire appropriate placement also no hammock netting in the way there, which would facilitate handling a lot.   XXXDAn

Wait til you see the Syren line - you won't believe the difference!

Wait til you see the Syren line - you won't believe the difference!

Update
 
Prototyp winch is now complete (requires a few paint touch ups)
 
Two of these winches go on the forecastle deck and one on the forward waist deck, behind the foremast
 
Two reciprocating steam drives mounted, also outer winding drums and brake. The framework was chemically blackend.
 
2 of these winches go on the forecastle deck and one on the forward waist deck, behind the foremast
 
Nils
 

 
 

Hello,
I am always happy to have you here.Thanks for the nice comments.
Likewise, of course, I am delighted with the many LIKES.

The two cutter have received all thwarts.
For this purpose, additional images: