petervisser

Over the last few days (very time-consuming work), I fabricated and installed the wooden forecastle railing.  I made extra posts for when I get to the poop railing.  I kind of dreaded this as I own no micro/watch making lathe.  This is the first occasion I wish I had more than my handheld Dremel and small files.  Never-the-less, I found a way.  For each pillar I used two 12mm "walnut" belaying pins that came with the original model kit.  I was happy I could use them in this way.  The stem on each pin chucked up nicely and was useful in handling the posts.  I made the acorn finials out of 8mm brass belaying pins.  The wood rails and blocks I made out of cherry and stained.
 
On a separate topic, I ordered some 3mm studded chain from AliExpress (China) in hopes it would be useable.  It was the closest to being scale and didn't find anything else that was promising.  I think it will work out fine once painted and weathered.  I was pleasantly surprised that the chain fit the scaled windlass drive pockets perfectly.  Once the chain is prepared, I can wrap the windlass and install it permanently.  I will also add a couple chain pipes that will deliver the chain to the alternate chain locker located in the former crew berthing area under the forecastle.  All this, of course, will be almost impossible to see once the model is done.  I'll have pictures 🙂
 
 

Hi G. I went through this dilemma a while back and tried to source the self same eyebolts. Like you, none were small enough so I tried fabicating my own. The results were less than ideal as each one was slightly different than the one before. And the length of time to produce a single eyebolt seemed quite time consuming. Not sure where or how I came up with this method but it has been a game changer for me. Below are the steps taken to manufacture these little fittings consistently and quickly. The size of the eye will vary with the size of the needle and gauge of the wire. Just experiment to get the size down to your satisfaction.
Cheers,
Peter
 

Hi G. I went through this dilemma a while back and tried to source the self same eyebolts. Like you, none were small enough so I tried fabicating my own. The results were less than ideal as each one was slightly different than the one before. And the length of time to produce a single eyebolt seemed quite time consuming. Not sure where or how I came up with this method but it has been a game changer for me. Below are the steps taken to manufacture these little fittings consistently and quickly. The size of the eye will vary with the size of the needle and gauge of the wire. Just experiment to get the size down to your satisfaction.
Cheers,
Peter
 

A really interesting subject Keith and at such a small scale. You're a braver man than I. It sure is starting to come to life!
Peter

Hi G. I went through this dilemma a while back and tried to source the self same eyebolts. Like you, none were small enough so I tried fabicating my own. The results were less than ideal as each one was slightly different than the one before. And the length of time to produce a single eyebolt seemed quite time consuming. Not sure where or how I came up with this method but it has been a game changer for me. Below are the steps taken to manufacture these little fittings consistently and quickly. The size of the eye will vary with the size of the needle and gauge of the wire. Just experiment to get the size down to your satisfaction.
Cheers,
Peter
 

On to the next phase of rigging the yards. I have prepped all the blocks for the sheets, tacks and clew lines. Because of the use of the stock blocks that come with a Billing kit, I have painted them all black with 2 coats of Humbrol paint. A bit tedious to say the least but worth the effort. There are also a number of coils ready to hang from the belaying pins once the rigging starts.
 

Hello All,
I have a small update on Bellona. I know that I am a long way off before Bellona is ready to be placed on her display stand, but I couldn’t resist putting together the stand that I plan to use when the Bellona is completed. The stand that was supplied with the kit is somewhat boring and after all this time and effort I am putting into this model, I wanted something that was going to be subtle but also stand out. I was able to locate a plank of Black Walnut with a live edge for the base. I purchased 4 figures of Hercules that I will use to support the ship. I sanded and applied a finish to the Black Walnut plank and blackened the figurines using rub-n-buff black wax. The grains of the plank and the antiquing of the figurines flow nicely with the walnut hull of the ship. She is a long way off before she is placed in the stand for the last time, but for now, it will be a nice berth for her to be placed on in between sessions of assembly.  Well, that’s all I have for now. Enjoy the pictures and as always, your comments and guidance are always welcome.
Cheers
Nearshore

Hello All,
I have another small update on Bellona progress. The upper canon ports have been looking pretty rough up to this point. The 3 layers of planking have different color contrasts, and they really have not flowed with the rest of the ports. I decided that I would go ahead and paint them red to match the port post on the false gun ports. This was a fairly easy task to complete, and the results are very satisfying and pleasing to the eye. There are a few of the ports that are going to require some filler to smooth them out. The camera has a way of enhancing the flaws that otherwise look ok in person. I will circle back on this later. Well, I think it’s time to start working on some of the armament. I am planning on preparing the 18 pound shot canons that will be on the upper gun deck. The rigging supply that came with the kit is not of the highest quality in my humble opinion. I have researched quite a bit on making scaled rope over the past couple years and decided that I was going to give it a go and try and make my own rope for the Bellona. I purchased an infinite rope walk a year or so ago and have been practicing for a bit now. I do not have much room in my workshop, so this tool seemed to make sense to me if I were to make my own rope. I am starting with making the breeching and gun tackle for the canons. I have included some pictures of the kit supplied rope and the rope that I made with the rope walk. I think the rope walk did a pretty good job, but it did take quite a bit of trial and error, mostly error, before I started getting good results. I have included some pictures, and a short video of the rope walk in action in case anyone has an interest. Well, I don’t have anything else to add for this post and will provide another update when I make some progress on the armament. As always, your comments and guidance are always welcome.
Cheers
Nearshore
 






20250201_071511.mp4

Returning to the project after a somewhat lengthy and unexpected hiatus.
 
So, last May, Mr. Boyd amended his Hull Corrections document to include some double strakes that are missing on the kit hull. Honestly, my first reaction to this was "Ugh. More corrections. I'm NOT doing them.". But alas, it's winter and I've done them. (Well...not ALL of them. To be explained later).
 
I purchased some 0.25mm x 4.0mm styrene strip for this task.
The thickness is very close to bang on (perhaps a wee bit thick), but the width is not.
I used a set of calipers to scribe two strips to 3.75mm wide and then trimmed them with a #18 blade. Having said that, I found I still had to trim the width of each strake a tad more just prior to cementing in place. With using strips, I was guaranteed to have one edge perfectly straight. 

 
Port Fwd....


 
I struggled with the Port Fwd section somewhat and had to fill quite a few gaps. I used Milliput Superfine epoxy putty.

 
Port Aft.....


 
Port Aft went quite a bit better....

 
Starboard Forward....


 
Starboard side went very well. Just one small gap to fill in the forward section.....

 
Starboard Aft....


More on the yellow and blue circled sections in a bit.
 
Starboard Aft went well also....

 
Regarding the strake circled in yellow, (both sides, Port and Starboard), two images above.....this is already flush (on the kit mold) and adding a strake here would just create another inaccuracy, in that it would then NOT be flush as reference photographs indicate there are strakes above and below this strake. To make this "flush" would require adding strakes above and below it as well. Therefore, I did not add a strake here.
What is missing, however, is a lower panel line here, as indicated....

 
Panel line added, Port Aft.....

 
Starboard side aft. I used the edge of an erasing shield as a guide for the scriber, (both Port and Starboard).....

 
And the result....

 
And finally, regarding the strake circled in blue.....
Again....this part of the kit mold is already flush. To add a strake here introduces yet another inaccuracy. For the same reason. Referencing historical photographs shows that there were strakes above and below this strake. To make it accurate would require strakes above and below to be added as well.
But that begs the question, where does it end? I have come to the conclusion that the kit hull has LOTS of inaccuracies. How much? 20%? 30%? I have no idea and I'm not about to try and find out.
My model is not going to be a museum piece. Myself and my wife are essentially going to be the only ones who see the completed project. And anyone else who does see it will not know in the slightest.
Having said that, I still have lots to do to the hull to correct other inaccuracies. I have already committed in my own mind to do so. But chasing the inaccuracies of the double strakes ends here, for me.
 
Thanks for looking. Suggestions are welcome.
 
Cheers,
Mark  
 

Continuing onward. Mini Brass Hull Details PE aftermarket kit. This is my first experience with photo etch. Looking forward to it. I think I'll do the Condenser Discharge Ports first.

 
Cheers,
Mark

On to the next phase of rigging the yards. I have prepped all the blocks for the sheets, tacks and clew lines. Because of the use of the stock blocks that come with a Billing kit, I have painted them all black with 2 coats of Humbrol paint. A bit tedious to say the least but worth the effort. There are also a number of coils ready to hang from the belaying pins once the rigging starts.
 

On to the next phase of rigging the yards. I have prepped all the blocks for the sheets, tacks and clew lines. Because of the use of the stock blocks that come with a Billing kit, I have painted them all black with 2 coats of Humbrol paint. A bit tedious to say the least but worth the effort. There are also a number of coils ready to hang from the belaying pins once the rigging starts.
 

Once the decks are on it's time to start working on the inboard veneers. These are not as easy to work with as the concept might sound. The veneers are beautiful, but also thin and therefore brittle and prone to warping when wet, as when coated with wood glue. I learned this last bit through trial and error -- mainly error. I got the port veneer on in one piece, luckily. The starboard side had some fit issues -- only the first gun port cutout aligned properly; the others were off by about 0.5mm. So I did this:
 

 
I then glued in the forward piece and trimmed the second piece so it would align properly.
 
And then things went south.
 
The aft piece of veneer resisted not one but TWO attempts to glue in and seat properly thanks to the veneer's aggravating tendency to curl when wet. There's a narrow channel between the deck and bulwark that the veneer is supposed to be seated in, and curling didn't help. Each time I pulled the veneer off I had to scrape the cured glue out of the channel with a dental pick. Then I did this:
 

 
This allowed me to install the piece in smaller chunks. Things worked out this time.
 

 
The process is going rather slowly because I am first wetting, shaping, drying, and varnishing the veneers before installing them, so there's a lot of drying time added to the schedule.
 
That's it for now! Next up will be the quarterdeck veneers, followed by the covering boards.

The name "Blanco de Sal" is odd, since it literally means "white of salt." I think whoever manufactured that curio meant to say "Barco de Sal," which means "ship of salt."

On to the next phase of rigging the yards. I have prepped all the blocks for the sheets, tacks and clew lines. Because of the use of the stock blocks that come with a Billing kit, I have painted them all black with 2 coats of Humbrol paint. A bit tedious to say the least but worth the effort. There are also a number of coils ready to hang from the belaying pins once the rigging starts.
 

Hi All,
Update time....
 
Over the past few weeks, I have not been a "Slouch...."
I have continued on the Masts/Yards.
 
(I know the Hull needs some love, I'll get on to this after I have drilled holes for Pedestal threaded rods.)
 
Today I painted the various Mast components and put them together, (Without Glue at this stage (With the exception of Mainmast fittings and alternate Mast Caps to enable disassembly.)), to see if everything lined up. Not too bad, some touch-up work required.
Mast Coats brought all Masts into line and the Mast Plug-In Housings were a real bonus. (I am pleased that I spent the time on these.)
(The Top Mast Tops/Backstay Spreaders are yet to be assembled/painted. (The Tops require small holes for Topmast Yard Lift Blocks.
 
Mast Coats required quite a bit of work to get them to fit as did the majority of Mast/Yard fittings.
 
I assembled the Yards, again, no glue at this stage apart from the inboard Stunsail Boom fittings. (Yards need painting first, Bocks installed and then Stunsail Booms/Jackstays, Etc.)
 
So, there you have it!!
 
A footnote: Some castings are extremely brittle.... 🙂
 
Cheers....HOF.
 
Photos:
 
 
 
 

Planking of Bow Deck and Main Deck (30th Jan 2025)
Limited progress this week due to having three gigs (in three different bands... that's lots of songs to remember!). Deck planking well underway now.  The instructions from Corel suggest doing this after constructing the hull, but that would necessitate fitting the front and rear decks which would overhang the main deck areas and would make it more challenging to lay the deck planks.  So, like several other builders on Model Ship World, I've done the decking earlier.
For the caulking I'm just running a marker pen along both sides of the wood before glueing in place.  I've seen various discussions about the most authentic colour for that period being a dark brown, but I've used black and I'm very happy with the results.

Congratulations on your fine model. You did a masterful job and she looks terrific! You are a brave builder to put a full suit of sails on. It doubles the amount of rigging and at this scale it is not the easiest to reach all the areas as you point out. But the results look amazing. Well done!
Peter

Congratulations on your fine model. You did a masterful job and she looks terrific! You are a brave builder to put a full suit of sails on. It doubles the amount of rigging and at this scale it is not the easiest to reach all the areas as you point out. But the results look amazing. Well done!
Peter

So,here she is in all her glory!! I am glad that I altered the bow to be sharp like the real vessel, for some reason Occre had it quite blunt. In the end my version of the ship is a mixture of her various incarnations over the years like various colours of the masts, placement of portholes, different pinstriping etc. I am quite  pleased with the end result.
For future builders the rear handrail on top of the stanchions is a real beast to put on. I love the beauty of tall ships and how elegant they are but the rigging is a nightmare, so many ropes and so little room but the perseverance is worth it.
 
 

There are a fair number of tools and supplies necessary for rigging the model. Styrafoam trays are pretty handy in keeping sets of tools herded together and reduces the amount of time spent looking for the tool you need. My work bench is still a bit of a dog's breakfast at times but organizing it once in a while saves alot of foul language... I've also added a picture of the chain used on the model along with some reference material from Harold Underhill's book, Masting and Rigging the Clipper Ship and Ocean Carrier.
 

Back to the CS after an all-consuming home renovation project.
 
Produced a capstan, windlass, and two mooring posts fitted on/under the forecastle.  From an historical point of view this was fun as none of these items are as they might have been when the CS was originally launched.  What I have modeled are Portuguese owner modifications.
 
Capstan – This was no mystery as I have clear pictures of the double-head iron pattern.  I neglected to add whelps to my model but don’t think anyone will notice.  I used greeting card stock to fabricate the iron head discs.  Simply cut out the circles and apply water thin CA to harden.  The pawl tray was built up by rolling up two widths of printer paper and then saturating with water thin CA to harden.  Worked pretty well.  The pictures below should help.
 
Mooring/Towing Posts – These are for sure a carry-over from the original CS design.  Would have also served to support the original windlass.
 
Windlass – This was really interesting to research but very hard to decide what it might look like.  I got clues from Longridge who described it as of an “ordinary” pattern with bevel drive gear and drum (band) brakes, installed by the Portuguese.  I was also able to pull some detail from a Falmouth photo (see below) that clearly shows the anchor chain and pocket drive sprocket (wildcat).  No brake drum outboard of the wildcat so that helped narrow it down.  I eventually decided that some version of an Emerson/Emerson-Walker was used.  Of course, I don’t know that for sure and it hardly matters as all my modeling efforts are essentially hidden.  You can only capture a glimpse of it when looking at a shallow angle with illumination.  Once the ship is all finished you will be hard pressed to see it w/o a bore scope or dental mirror.  It seems like a terrible waste of effort, but it was important to me to have it there.
 
 


 
The pigsty turned out good enough, but I used paint brush bristles for the bars, and they keep moving around as temp/humidity fluctuate.  Not good.  Will probably replace with something metallic for stability.


 
 
Capstan



 
 
Windlass
Wildcats cut from small brass washers and backed with thin high-density polystyrene packaging rescued from trash can.  Spacer between halves made from rolled up printer paper and frozen with CA

 
Brake drums made with small steel washers ground down on Dremel "lathe".  Cast iron supports made out of greeting card stock and frozen with CA.

 
Made shaft bearings out of rolled up printer paper to make a tube and then frozen with CA.  Worked well.

 
The pawl wheel is made out of a steel washer and hand cut with small file.  Warping drums are wood turned on my Dremel tool.  Didn't bother with including a vertical drive pinion gear.  As with most everything else on this part, there is a big reduction in detail as who is ever going to see it!

Hello everyone!
 
Well....after 40 years of work, I retired 2 years ago and have been trying to find things to do. As a teenager, I certainly worked on plastic models, with all their glue stings and poorly fitting parts and horrific paint jobs. I remember getting a small Cutty Sark wooden model, with poor instructions and parts that were only printed to wood sheets. Everything had to be cut out and even the hull was a solid block of wood that had to be shaped and sanded....never came close to finishing.
 
Last year I took on a plastic model, Trumpeter's Titanic. It was a massive undertaking and took just about a year to finish. I had to learn how to handle photo etch, a paint gun, the use of CA glue and manipulating teeny, tiny parts. I took most of last summer off in the build as I own a sailboat in upstate NY, USA and that took priority, but I finished her last November or so. Is she a show room piece? Lol, no, but I am very proud of how she looks.
 
I have fairly good wood working skills and can problem solve a lot of things with wood. I love sailing and have always wanted to buy one of those pre-made wooden ships for my office. The ones that cost about $500-$700 USD. Instead, I decided, why not try to build one!!!!
 
I know this kit is VERY hard and having never even tried to build a wooden model or the subsequent issues and tasks concerning rigging, I just wanted to take a stab at it.
 
So I found a kit in stock in the UK through Arrow Models. I ordered her and within about 2 or 3 weeks it arrived in the USA. Arrow did a great job and while I was a bit nervous working with an overseas company where I could find little feedback, they were tops! Great communication and great customer service.
 
There are a few Caldercraft 1:72 build logs on MSW (I see more now as I've learned the search process here) and a few YouTube video logs that I am using. Perhaps (upon my initial search) not as many as some of the other models and kits. I thought I would add a log that is from a person with absolutely NO experience with this type of kit and certainly a kit that requires a high degree of skill or expertise or as is my hope....just the patience and perseverance to gut it through!
 
I've posted a few Titanic pics in this post, I promise going forward it will be all Victory all the time. I just want to see how the posting process works and I will start adding right away. As of Feb 21, 2024 I am on the first planking task, about 5 planks up. So.....I'll see you at the finish line and thank you!
Chris
 
 



 
 
I use 3 books and they are a tremendous help. I looked for used versions. Longridge's took some time. The book has many pull out plans that help with any model's build and I wanted to be sure the book I bought had them intact. I included Google links.
 
 
Used Books
 
Anatomy of Nelson’s Ships – Longridge, Nepean
HMS Victory – McGowan
The 100 Gun Ship Victory – McKay
 
I use many videos, and many listed below have dedicated playlists that help keep their HMS Victory builds separate from their other work.
 
YouTube Video Blogs
 
Wooden Ships – Greg Wislon
 
Just A Good Place
This is a Spanish blog for Artesania Latina model
 
Johns Wooden Ships - John Aliprantis 
Many blogs of wooden ship models including HMS Victory (NOT Caldercraft)
 
John Builds Iconic Military Models – John Mansell
Huge playlists for 2 different HMS Victory models
 
Olha Batchvarov – Olha
HUGE database of builds, how to’s and more including DeAgostini version
 
Paul Vickers – Paul Vickers
There are only 8-9 videos before he stopped posting. So good for a new starter only
 
 
I am a member of two model ship builder sites. Both are great and offer so many tips, hints, links, etc.
 
Ship of Scale
The site has an advanced search enabling you to input exact issues you want to research and the ability to 'watch' build logs and get notifications when the builder adds new content.
 
Paulv1958 – Paul Vickers
Hasn’t done much and incorporates the use of his YouTube blog
 
Traumadoc –
As of 11/8/24 he is finishing up stern and hammock rails. I believe he is a novice builder just like me, but has done remarkable work while juggling a full-time job and taking the time to log his work.
 
Peterg –
Major blog with high quality build, including lighting and custom features. As of 11/8/24 on quarterdeck w/ cannons
 
Serikoff – Sergey
Custom built HMS Victory using Mantua plans. Just started builders log in October, 2024 but has brought it up to date with what he has done.
He provides EXTENSIVE information concerning his build, how to’s and more.
 
Julian –
Occre model, but has similar build issues that will help
 
Y.T. –
Mamoli scale 1:90
 
 
Model Ship World
A great site, a lot of interaction between builders, a great search engine and the ability to monitor other builders as they add content.
 
Kiwiron – Ron
As of 7/24 completed quarterdeck, stern, bow and more
 
Robert29
Finished Caldercraft HMS Victory – one of the best builds I have seen and use extensively while doing mine.
 
Charter33
As of 5/24 he has finished quarterdeck and is working on outerhull trim and deadeye platforms. Very good build, meticulous
 
Heinz6672
Wood only (no paint) museum quality work, but stopped posting while doing rigging around 2020
 
Paulb – Paul
Last posts around 2023 with work on standing rigging. Very detailed work
 
 
There are many other blogs on both sites and searching will also pull many recommendations for help on various tasks needed during the build. 
I didn't include links to topics such as laying hull planking, deck planking, rigging tips, making rope, etc. These are things each builder will have to do to get to know the process.
 
I am a NOVICE builder with just one model under my belt. A plastic large scale model of the Titanic. It took me a year to build and that was pretty quick given that I have a lot of time as I'm retired. 
 
In addition to the above, I spend a lot of time searching specific issues when needed. When working on cannons, I would search keywords: cannons 1700 era ships, hms victory cannons, cannon rigging, cannon tackle. Once Google provided me with their search, I would save pictures for future reference. 
 
Hope this helps and good luck!
Chris

Just doing my best Bob... thanks!
 
Some photos of the grating kits and their assembly. The original wooden gratings that came with this vintage kit were extremely soft and crumbly and I just had to source them from elsewhere - Jotika, but unfortunately one package was short 10 out of the 30 laths and fortunately for me, I was able to use that last grating and the remnants of such to make the tiny grating in the last photo.

There are a fair number of tools and supplies necessary for rigging the model. Styrafoam trays are pretty handy in keeping sets of tools herded together and reduces the amount of time spent looking for the tool you need. My work bench is still a bit of a dog's breakfast at times but organizing it once in a while saves alot of foul language... I've also added a picture of the chain used on the model along with some reference material from Harold Underhill's book, Masting and Rigging the Clipper Ship and Ocean Carrier.