Tigersteve

Using the techniques described in the manual, I tapered and shaped the oars. To get a consistent tapering across all oars, I used the technique shown in the first photo where I sanded towards the blade. 
 
The oars were treated with several coats of natural stain followed by two coats of golden oak, which were wiped off after about a minute of saturation. Leathering is next. 
Steve

A square strip is provided in the kit to create the thole pins. I rounded the strip and pre-painted before cutting 1/4” pieces. Test fitting before applying glue will give you an idea how much time is needed to set the pins.
 
After the glue dries, lightly sand the pins to the same height. Touch up the paint afterwards. It was difficult to capture a good photo of the result. 
Steve
 

A square strip is provided in the kit to create the thole pins. I rounded the strip and pre-painted before cutting 1/4” pieces. Test fitting before applying glue will give you an idea how much time is needed to set the pins.
 
After the glue dries, lightly sand the pins to the same height. Touch up the paint afterwards. It was difficult to capture a good photo of the result. 
Steve
 

Brief update.   I'm still planking (rather slowly it seems) but with the Sphinx coming in tomorrow, I've put the Hen away for now and spent the day cleaning up the shop and rest of the place.   I'll continue to work on her while doing the Sphinx.  So here's where the build is... I have about 6 more strakes to do on the hull then I can turn to the stern.  She's not sanded or filled below the wale but I'm happy with her.

 
 

Continuing on with the caprail....
 
The next stretches of the caprail are the drifts above the hances working our way aft.  The first piece is the one you see painted black.  All of these pieces pieces were painted black off the model.
 
Make sure you orient this piece the correct way.  There is a laser etched arrow on the bottom of each piece which points forward.   This is crucial because there are notches cut out of the cap to accept the timberheads.  The rail along the quarter deck is quite detailed.  These are always a challenge to build and have look good.  So I am using this system to locate the timberheads and uprights.  So do not adjust the length of this piece or your timberheads and uprights wont line up later.  Just sand it smooth and round of the outboard edge.  Keep the length exactly as is.  
 

Once that piece is glued in position so the inboard edge is flush with the bulwarks, you can assemble the rounded front edge.  This curved piece (C1) is laser cut for you and is 5/32" wide.  You want a really wide piece to start because these are tricky.  So glue two of them together side by side to make a really wide curved cap.  You can see the laser cut sheet sitting on the deck frames.  I am test fitting the curved part of the cap against the first length I added.  Carefully mark the proper with on the bottom of this piece and sand it to fit the width of the cap rail.  You want it the exact same width as the piece it is attached to so it looks like one continuous board.  You can round off the outboard edge and glue it in position.  
 
If you look really hard at the picture you can see the two halves glued together.  The angles are trickier than you might thing and you will thank me for providing these two halves making a wide piece.   It enables you to get the proper skewed shape you will need.  You will see what I mean about slightly skewed or angled when you try and fit it before marking it for the proper width.
 
Glue it in position and do your best to completely hide the seem between the two pieces.  Apply wood filler if needed and sand it smooth.  Then paint touch up the paint.  Once again this complex curved piece was painted black ahead of time but after sanding and filling to hide the seam some paint touch up will be needed.  You can see the results in the next picture.
 

You might also see that I was testing how the fancy rail would work and go together on the port side.  You can see some timberheads and a rail being tested.  It worked out pretty good.
 
Anyway...back to the caprail.  We will continue working our way aft.  Another curved section is made up of two halves....laser cut pieces (C2).   Same as before.  Dont sand the aft edge too much.   A really long piece of caprail will be placed against this curved section as you can see in the photo above.  If you alter the length of the curved piece it will change the location of all of those small square holes for the timberheads.  You might have a little wiggle room...but not much.  You will want the qdeck cannons to appear between the gundeck cannons below them.   Check the plans for the locations of all timberheads and uprights and you will see what I mean.
 
This long length doesnt go all the way to the transom.  It stops short about an 1" or 2" of the transom.  You will be shaping another short length to finish off the cap rail along the quarter deck.   Make sure you hide the seams nicely and take your time with this.  That last small length needs to be beveled which is why I made it a separate section.   This way we can control where all of the square holes for the timberheads where be located. 
 
It makes a big difference tp see the model with a black painted cap rail.  Below you can see I finished the cap rail along the qdeck bulwarks.   I only have the bow to do in order to complete this step of adding the cap rail.   
 
Any questions.  Did I explain the steps clearly enough?  Let me know if you have any questions.
 

 

 
 
 
 

Well this is the third time I've posted something to the following effect - I'll soon be getting back to the Bluenose. Except this time, it has actually been happening! 
 
I dedicated some time over the summer to scratch building a small model of a rowing skiff - mostly to get myself back into ship modelling in general but also because it seemed like a nice, small, self--contained project that I could easily complete in a couple of months casual work. The skiff is now very near completion, with only a couple of things to go, and I've turned back once again to the Bluenose. 
 
Since my last actual update on the build, I have done and redone the bulwarks/scuppers three times...I found this very difficult to get right, and even now I am not happy with the results - but I also know that as the model gets built up the more obviously offensive aspects of them will begin to fade into the background so it is definitely time to move on.
 
And (at long last) move on I have. Once the bulwarks were done, I painted them inboard (white) and also finished the waterways (grey), after much sanding and a bit of filling. I also spent a bit of time making a stand and mounting arrangement for the finished model - using 3/4" ply with 3/4" x 1/4" hemlock as trim around the edges. You can see the stand a little bit in one of the photos below. The last thing I've done to this point is install the bulwark stanchions - as yet unfinished - that's the next step.
 
At the moment it is a bit rough looking, but a bit of tidying up will bring it up to a more or less decent standard. I'm very happy to back into the swing of modelling - I've missed it a lot in the years that my practice has languished - I only wish it were still Spring and I had a more regular 40-hour work week to sustain a more regular modelling practice - but...modelling will not put food in my kids' stomachs or pay my mortgage, so.....
 
Enjoy the pics
hamilton
 

Thanks for the words of thought Alan. I think what got me discouraged in the first place was trying for perfection and realizing I could never achieve it.  I even figured that all I needed was better tools and equipment.  That really didn't work however,,,,, well there really is nothing bad or negative to say about that. 
 
Thanks also David for the information.  It will definitely be helpful.  I am putting off painting for a while as I want to sand and fill the hull more plus I want to install the rudder. 
 
I am working on the cap rail.  I haven't included any progress pictures of that yet.  I have started the rough work and hope to be sanding shortly.  I will post progress pictures soon.  My idea above didn't work with the precision I had hoped so I'm in the process of waiting for copious amounts of wood filler to harden.
 
In the meantime I've been working on all the deck furniture.  Once completed these will all either get painted or have a coat or two of Polyurethane applied.
 
The main cabin was roughly completed.  I will do some finish sanding before painting.
 

 
I plan to add a base molding but will do that after installation to hide the natural curve of the deck.
 
For the bitts, I used a bit of thick metal wire I had on hand.
 

 
For the hatch, I cut the shape from some scrap wood I had laying around.  The thickness was correct and it gave a textured appearance.  I wrapped the edges for a finished look and sanded it all smooth.  I once debated the merits of keeping off cuts and bits and pieces of leftover wood but I can honestly say for the deck furniture I haven't had to use my kit wood very much.
 

 
There is also a piece on the drawings that refer to an "unidentified object".  Although not true to scale as it should be 1/2" diameter, I had a length of 3/8" dowel in my shop which I used.  I simply cut it to length.  I will paint it to suit later.
 
For the base of the boom crutch I used the same technique I used to cut in the scuppers.  I had a 1/8" wide file which I used to remove the material.
 

 
I see I need to change my depth of field on my camera.  I am in the process of setting up lighting and my DSLR in my shop in order to take better pictures of my progress.  In the meantime I have been using my cell phone.
 
I've started to work on the wheel box and have completed the base.  I've also started on the fife rail.
 
 

Hi Derek,
Glad to see you're back at your Bluenose. You mentioned that you're not a fan of painting, but you're right that it's pretty much essential for this hull. The white stripe that separates the red from the black is relatively easy to do. I just used 1/16" masking tape and it was straightforward. However the upper yellow stripe is actually quite tricky, but I think it's important to the look of the hull. If I'm not being too forward, I thought I would give you a heads up on it and how I approached the challenge.The problem is the fact that it goes immediately above the scuppers. There's plenty of room for it towards the bow, but towards the stern where the suppers are higher, there is very little room for it, and it can't spill onto the plank above as that plank is recessed.
 
On the real vessel, the yellow stripe is actually a groove and it's very narrow. There just isn't enough room to create a neat and tidy groove especially in basswood, so it really needs to be applied to the surface. I'm currently building my second Bluenose model. I'm not doing a build log for the second one, as it would be a near carbon copy of the first, but I did handle the yellow stripe differently in each case and I think both results are acceptable.
 
The first time around, I didn't have any really narrow masking tape, but I had a lot of Evergreen vinyl strips kicking around, so I painted one yellow and glued it on. It's very narrow and while it actually sits proud of the hull surface, it's so minimal that it's really undetectable.

 
The vinyl strip is .01" x .03" and I think it's pretty close to the right width.
 
This time around, I didn't have any vinyl strips of the right size, but I did find find 1mm Tamiya tape. It's just a bit wider than the .03" vinyl strip, but it seems to be acceptable too. I think anything wider than 1mm is going to be very difficult to fit on that plank and I think it will begin to look too wide relative to the real Bluenose.

 
Overall, I'd say that the masking tape version is the easier one to do and probably the better solution, but at 1mm in width it just barely fits in. The other annoying problem is the colour of the tape which almost perfectly matches the yellow paint. It was hard knowing if I was placing the tape straight or wavy; there was almost no contrast.
 
Anyway, not sure if that's at helpful to you or not, but I hope it's of some value. BTW I found the 1mm tape at Sunward Hobbies. I don't recall seeing it anywhere else. I'm enjoying your build log.
David

While I craft the thole pins, here is option #2 for presentation. This was my original idea for the bucket placement. If you are following this log or just came across it, please let me know which one is your preference. Your feedback is appreciated.
Steve

Vacations over and back to real life.
Read all this on vacation.
https://www.hnsa.org/manuals-documents/age-of-sail/the-elements-and-practice-of-rigging-and-seamanship/sail-making-vol-i/   (HNSA)
https://www.hmsrichmond.org/sailmker.htm
https://textileranger.com/2016/08/01/even-more-sail-history/       (textiles)
http://www.bruzelius.info/Nautica/Rigging/Sails/Wasa-sails.html
 
Available info 16th century : virtually nothing;    17th century : some;    18th century and later : good.
 
All this is internet info, so it could be wrong
Thread thickness : Vasa would have had an average of 10 threads per cm. Converted there should be about 450 threads per cm on a scale of 1/45 (impossible)
Tabling : from a few inches (sailmaker) to a detailed description (HNSA page 93)
Clotchs width : 24 inch (sailmaker) 23-30 inch (textiles)
(bolt) ropes above and around the sail (HNSA page 95)

Very nice sails can indeed be made with the silkspan, modelspan. But personally I don't like to see them on a wooden 16th century model.
That's why I continue my my cotton. 
I think I found something to make the texture less rough.
 
First :stitching seams

 
"hem" (bad English ?? ) "omzomen" (in Dutch) and glue with diluted pva 
sew, sew, sew... Then smear the sail on both sides with colorless shoe polish ( beeswax and carnauba wax, wow)

result

Not quite yet what it could be, but better than the diluted black wash test (bad picture)
Thanks for comments, likes and following

After tiny shellac coat i ran each grove and All surfaces  again with 400 -600 grit paper as shellac conserved Also some fuzzy edges coarses, precisely what i wanted to get rid off...
As you Can see  now Massive difference IS visible  comparing to bare Wood before shellac. 
Now someone tells modeling IS easy. My gosh...
 
 
 
 

Timberheads and planksheer (I don't know if it's the right term).

Well, a brief note. We were at Mystic Seaport and the Charles W. Morgan was out of the water on blocks getting some restoration work, including, it appears, its copper. Here are a couple of pictures of the ship on blocks and her copper. 
 
First, the whole ship.
 

 
Her copper, fore and aft. I note that in contrast to the way it was described in the Fish instructions, the lower layers seem to overlay the upper belts.
 

 
I also note that the copper is cut around the gudgeon, rather than being mounted on top of the copper. This makes sense, but I hadn't thought about it looking at models.
 
Other observations. The foremast chain plates have backing links, the main and mizzenmast do not. The mizzen is smaller, so that makes sense, but why is the fore different? Extra strain from the jibs? The man at the museum didn't know.
 


 
If you want to look at the Morgan's spars, now us the time. They are out for all to examine in forensic detail.
 

 
And, I got a copy of this book!
 

 
George K

Keith, I think I will have LOTS of sweet fruit after all the work on this Pram!  Teehee!
 
Steve, I really like the "look" of the Pilot Boat, and its a much better price!  But where can I find the practicum?  I searched this site, but couldn't find anything from him on the Pilot Boat, although I found numerous other postings/writings/blogs of his.  (Admittedly, I am not very adept at finding things online!)
 
(Update - I just realized the "practicum" pdf's are included with the Instructions in the kit!)
 
Starting over with the mast.   Vertical is better now!

The painting process continues. I’ll share a photo of the exterior hull as it stands. There’s a bit of a sheen that I want to eliminate.
 
I’ve been alternating between exterior and interior. The interior needs more attention. I am also utilizing this project to hone my painting finishes. It will take a while. 
Steve

While I craft the thole pins, here is option #2 for presentation. This was my original idea for the bucket placement. If you are following this log or just came across it, please let me know which one is your preference. Your feedback is appreciated.
Steve

Here’s a couple of reference photos of the presentation I’ve settled on. Let me know if it’s too “kitchen sink” with the extra oar stowed underneath the thwarts. The rope and thole pins should complete the look nicely. (I hope!)
Steve

Thank you very much gentlemen! I am not looking forward to creating or installing the thole pins 
Steve

Leathering is completed and one coat of Wipe-On-Poly (second photo). I suppose I will need to eliminate one for the presentation. 
Steve

Using the techniques described in the manual, I tapered and shaped the oars. To get a consistent tapering across all oars, I used the technique shown in the first photo where I sanded towards the blade. 
 
The oars were treated with several coats of natural stain followed by two coats of golden oak, which were wiped off after about a minute of saturation. Leathering is next. 
Steve

Lynn, it does not look too complex for you but it seems expensive for what you are getting in that kit. Looks like a solid hull also, which comes with its own challenges. 
 
Looking for cost effective options for you. Another option is the Model Shipways Pilot Boat. Chuck Passaro has written a great practicum to supplement the instructions. https://modelexpo-online.com/Model-Shipways-PHANTOM-NY-PILOT-BOAT-196-SCALE_p_1017.html

Lynn, "patience is bitter, but it's fruit is sweet". Hang in there, you'll get it. 

Lynn, it does not look too complex for you but it seems expensive for what you are getting in that kit. Looks like a solid hull also, which comes with its own challenges. 
 
Looking for cost effective options for you. Another option is the Model Shipways Pilot Boat. Chuck Passaro has written a great practicum to supplement the instructions. https://modelexpo-online.com/Model-Shipways-PHANTOM-NY-PILOT-BOAT-196-SCALE_p_1017.html

Longboat is a great kit with great instructions, but I have to disagree with that as your next choice. The scale and the planking make it very challenging and it could be frustrating. You have many choices though. Message me if you want specifics. 
Steve

Well, if you got it on the first try that would not be normal! Lol You’ve already learned that the redo will always be better. 
Steve