Tigersteve

Perhaps he was infiltrating other workshops. 😎
Steve

Perhaps he was infiltrating other workshops. 😎
Steve

Perhaps he was infiltrating other workshops. 😎
Steve

Perhaps he was infiltrating other workshops. 😎
Steve

It was so great to see everyone at the New London show yesterday.  There were some fantastic models on display.  I hope everyone has a safe trip back to their workshops.
 
And talking about a safe journey back to the workshop.  Many of you may recall that 4 and maybe even 5 years ago, Someone swiped my mini-me off the Winnie model under construction at the show.  
 
I am happy to report that after several years as hostage…and with no ransom paid,  someone anonymously released mini-me and placed him in the depths of the speedwell model at this years show.  I was happy to find him below deck upon my return to the shop.  No harm was apparent on “mini-me” and he is in good health.  Thank you goes out to person for having a change of heart and I am sure that both of you will sleep a bit  more soundly this evening!!   Since I have lost 30 pounds this year so far...mini-me will now undertake the same dietary and exercise regime that I am now unfortunately tolerating.
 
You cant make this stuff up!!!
 

As always, thanks for the likes.  I do appreciate you all following along.  After all the metal work of making the chain plates, backstay plates, eye bolts, and deadeye strops, I decided I'd work on a relatively straight forward sub assembly.  I went ahead and installed the rudder, and gudgeons and pintels (I had shaped the rudder itself a couple of months ago).  I used Chuck's mini kit for those.  You have a choice in the mini kit of .010" thick paperboard material or .028" thick plywood.  I opted for the thicker plywood and sanded it down to .018" thick.  By my eye that's a good compromise.  I used .020" diameter styrene rod for the bolts.  Yes, yes, I know it's probably sacrilege among purists to use plastic on a wooden ship build.  Haha.  But since the bolt heads are covered in paint I chose the easier to cut and work with styrene rather than metal wire.  Everything was painted with black paint and then once mounted I taped the simulated metal straps off and applied rust brown weathering powder. I haven't glued the rudder on yet.  I'll do that at a later date after I drill the final hole to mount the tiller (I did drill a small pilot/locator hole though).  That said, the rudder sits correctly straight and true with the pintels snugged down into the gudgeons.
 
On a related note, I received the last few packages of blocks I'll need for the build, and a serving machine, from Chuck this week.  If I'm inventorying correctly, I think that may be the last stuff I need to complete the build.
 
Erik

Thank you! Initially, I believed the build would be complete in just 1.5 years, but how mistaken I was—it's turned out to be a 6-year journey. LOL. I've been observing your progress from the early stages. Looking forward to seeing you get back at it😊

Garnet Tackle work. 

I finished the deadeyes and deadeye strops this week.  And set a new personal record for the most discarded/rejected parts.  Haha.  I can laugh now, but at the time, it was the height of frustration.  I think to get the 8 usable deadeye strops shaped correctly and mounted, I wound up with an additional 15 or so I scrapped.  Admittedly most of that was trying to get the first couple formed.  Once I had a system down for shaping them, things went more smoothly.  I wound up chipping the paint off some of the chain plates, so had to touch that up.  And I wound up rubbing off the finish of the annealed wire I used for making the strops from handling too much, so had to blacken those again . . . which made a bit of a mess on the deadeyes from blackening smudges coming off of my fingers.  So, I had to re-sand some of the deadeyes to remove that.  All in all not the most fun part of the build.  So, I'm happy that buttons up Chapter 9 of Chuck's monograph, and I look forward to getting away from handling metal and back to working with wood for the next parts of the build!
 
Erik

After pulling some hair out, and the remainder going gray, haha, I have finished the backstay plates and chain plates . . . on the port side anyway.  I revisited blackening them, using advice here and on the internet.  My test brass strips looked OK, but I couldn't avoid bare brass spots being rubbed off after lightly wiping them down with a dry cloth.  I'm pretty sure I didn't clean the brass well enough beforehand.  After being left frustrated by that, I just went ahead and followed what Chuck had done on his, and painted them black and used a rust brown weathering powder to give them that iron look.  I'm happy with the results.  A trick I learned years ago as a model railroader with brass, is to bake the brass after painting.  Just put the parts under a hot halogen or incandescence light bulb, about an inch away from the bulb, for about five minutes.  This hardens the paint on the metal surface and makes it much more scuff resistant.  The nails themselves I ordered from ModelExpo (being my first ship build I didn't have any extras from prior builds to use).  They are the smallest ones they offer.  They're slightly rounded on the bottom of the heads, so don't appear the sit flush when pushed in.  So I used a larger diameter drill bit than the holes in the brass were drilled with, and counter sunk all the holes in the backstay and chain plates.  I also ran a sharp angled file on the underside of the heads of each nail.  This helped get the nails to snug down flat when pushed in.  After getting the parts mounted and nailed in place, I went ahead and touched up the paint and weathering powder.
 
Of all the processes involved on this build, metal working is probably the one I have the least experience in.  The backstay plates and chain plates have taken a lot longer than I thought they would.  That said, I've learned a lot, even with the error part of Trial and Error being frustrating at times!
 
Erik

It’s perfect!
Steve

Wow! 
Steve

Found my rhythm and finally produced first parts!
Admittedly got carried away with the shape of these mast posts, they are supposed to be much more boxy-looking and utilitarian. I was inspired by a few other models with very elegant posts For the same aesthetic reasons iron bolts are omitted and edges are aligned with the run of the planking.
I really love the look of curvy pear parts, big fat black dots would spoil it a bit. And after all these parts would be hidden deep in the hold.
It is more labor intense without a disk sander, so shaping and beveling involved a lot of chiseling. Though it is a pleasure with a nice and honed chisel.

The most pleasuring moment was chamfering these edges with some relaxing background music Super happy, the joy is back!
 
Finished with my new go-to finish Osmo Polyx 3062. Contemplating leaving smaller parts unfinished later during the build, but these are right next to the dark shiny pear frames, would be too much of a contrast. 
Before and after the finishing, side by side:

 
In the hull (dry fitted). Quite ashamed with the quality of planking at the bow, who left all these giant gaps? 🫣 Did not look that bad on photos from 2021...
No big deal, it only means I should be more careful next time. Also spotted an obvious misplacement of the top breast hook notch, it was the same guys fault. I was too young back then  


 

Work continues on the forecastle area.   With those first two beams in position I can now start working on the bulkhead that sits against them.
 
In this first picture,  I am just test fitting the three sections of laser cut bulkhead.   These (like all others)  are laser cut slightly wider and taller than needed.  
 
First...work on getting a nice fit on the center section between the riding bits.  Only worry about the width on both sides...dont worry about the height of these yet.  The two pieces on either side are next...sand the outboard side ONLY to reduce the width and get a tight fit against the riding bitts.  There will be a space between the frames and the bulkhead where the inboard planking would have been.  Try and make it a consistent width.  Again dont worry about the height.
 
Only after you get the widths taken care of should you then sand the top of each bulkhead section down so the height is flush with the top of the lower beam.  The photo shows the three sections with a proper fit all around...now its time to detail them.

Remove the three sections so you can add the uprights and simulated deck beam.  First up...sand the char from the laser cut beam pieces.   These are glued to the top edge of each bulkhead flush.  They are laser cut longer than needed so you can sand the sides flush as well.
 
Then the uprights go in position.  These are the uprights for the cabins on the lower platform.  We will be adding them a little later.  But it is easier to add these now.  They are just 1/8" x 1/8" strips cut to length and glued in place.  There are laser etched lines that show you exactly where they should go.   

 
Then glue the three sections in position permanently on the model.  Note the riding bitts will not be glued on permanently yet.  They will just get in the way when we are doing so many other things in this chapter.  So make sure you can remove it after the three sections are glued in place.
 

Riding bitts removed.

 
Now for the next layer above that.   this is handled in the exact same way.   I could have just included these on the first three section only a bit taller, but I wanted to be able to paint them cleanly and get a crisp edge.  But the same principle applies here.  Sand the widths of each first....then get the heights done.  These are flush with the top of the fcastle deck beam.   Then remove them.....
 
Paint them red.   Then add the laser cut and etched molding along the top edge.   The molding was rounded off on top and bottom.  You could also scrape your own if you want to.  
 

Then sit this on top of the lower sections of bulkhead as shown below.  The riding bitts are still removable but you must use them to get a good fit.  Glue these bulkhead sections in position now as well.
 

 
Top this off with the margin plank along the beam.  Cut a 1/4" x 3/64" strip for this.  Basically, just like you added for the quarter deck margin plank.  It hangs over the bulkhead a little bit.   The aft edge hanging over is rounded off a bit to your liking.   The forward side will leave a nice ledge or rabbet for the fcastle deck planking.
 
The only difference here is that you must notch out this plank for the riding bitts.
 
see below.   Also the riding bitts are not yet glued in position...I will let you know when its best to glue that in position.  BUT I did finally glue the fire hearth in place permanently.   Just remember to do so without its stack.  That will just break off later without a doubt.  And if you want to add anything else to the galley...do it now.   We are about to close her up for good with deck beams and knees, etc.


The three fcastle deck beams were cut to length and are just resting on the deck clamps.  I must locate their exact positions using the plans.
 

 
Thats it for now...BUT I did get a chance to cut the plan sheet up to see how my planking design will look.  Its always tricky deciding how much planking to add or leave off the model.  I think I am liking this particular cut-away with some planking removed.  You can still see quite a bit of stuff down there...
 
The hearth stack was just placed on top for giggles and a test.
 

 
I also did the same for the quarter deck...once again plenty of detail is still viewable down there.   I will live with these templates for a while and mull over some other possible planking schemes.  But so far I think these will do just nicely.  What do you think?

 

It’s perfect!
Steve

It’s perfect!
Steve

It’s perfect!
Steve

It’s perfect!
Steve

One last photo for the week.  I drilled the interior scupper holes.  This was a bit nerve wracking.  I hadn't anticipated how easy it would be for the 1/32" x 1/32" waterway strip to split while being drilled.  I wound up starting with a much smaller drill bit and then using three more progressively larger sizes to only take a slight bit of material off at a time.  I made sure to turn the pin vice really slowly.  If the waterway split, the split part was still attached at one end.  I took a sharpened toothpick, applied a tiny amount of wood glue, and glued the fragmented sliver back down.  I had to do that with three of the holes.  The splits are invisible.  Glad I'm done with that part!
 
Also, I'm not sure of the properties of wood in general, but I'm curious if my boxwood, which I've had for 9 years in an inside climate that has a humidity of around 25% most of the year, splits easier because of that.
 
Erik

This week I decided to mix things up a bit, taking a break between making the backstay plates and the chain plates.  I made the 22 eye bolts for the hull exterior and cap rail top.  While I have every manner of small diameter wire -  lead, brass, copper, phosphor bronze, steel - down to .002" diameter, I didn't have the type of wire best used by ship modelers for these types of things.  So after some research on this forum I ordered both 24 and 22 gauge Hillman Group dark annealed wire.  I must say, trying to make 22 identical eye bolts was more of a challenge than I thought it would be!  I never did get to a point where they were consistent.  That said, I selected groups that were close to identical to one another to fasten in the same area.  I figure if the port side eye bolts are slightly different than the starboard, a viewer would never know since you only see one side of the ship at a time.  I followed what Mike (Stuntflyer) had done in his Cheerful build log, and filed a little channel around the holes so the eye bolts snug down a bit.
 
I also drilled the scupper holes in the outside of the hull.  This was pretty straight forward, other than when I went to photograph the model I could see the bright wood on the inside of the bulwark.  I wound up taking a fine brush and painting the interior black, followed by running a pencil around the plank edge of the hole.
 
My next step will be to drill the scupper holes on the interior bulwark/deck area.  Does anyone have any advice or wisdom on that?  Am I drilling all the way through the interior planking?  I know I need to make the holes so they notch into the lip of the waterway at deck level.
 
Erik

A little bit of progress this week.  I'm new at metal working, so it took some trial and error to figure out how I am going to make the backstay plates and chain plates.  One of the main issues to getting the ball rolling was figuring out how I was going to make these without the availability of 1/64" x 3/32" brass strip.  It would appear that K & S has discontinued nearly its entire line of brass strip, and I couldn't locate any of the size I needed in my internet search.  Many years ago I had bought a package of various sizes of 6" x 12" brass shim stock (used to shim the plates when molding parts in plastic injection molding machines so that they align correctly) just in case I ever needed sheet brass.  These sheets came in thickness of .001", .0015", .002", .003", .004", .005", .006", .007", .008", .010", .012", and .015".  The .015" thickness is the decimal measurement of 1/64".  So I have my material.  I used a pair of ancient tin snips I have in my toolbox to cut 3/32" wide strips off the sheet.  I then had to flatten the strips since they curled both along the face and the edge.  Next I filed the sharp edges flat.  Then used flat pliers to eliminate the lengthwise cupping caused in cutting the strips off the sheet.  Now that I had my self-made strips ready, I then shaped the backstay plates following Chuck's instructions in his monograph.  Since the strips I created were rough and with blemishes, I polished the finished backstay plates with a fine file after shaping was complete, just because I'm a perfectionist, and that's how I roll!  Yes, I know they'll be painted black.  Haha.
 
Erik

Not a ton of progress this week.  I did finish fashioning and installing the boarding ladders and channels though.  I must say ripping the boards by hand out of sheet stock to make these parts is a bit of a pain in the rear.  lol.  Also, it was tough getting the pattern cut into the scraper to make the boarding ladder profile.  I think my limitation there was my lack of precise small files.  I deliberately made the filed notches in the channels that will house the chainplates narrower than they'll be.  I just wanted to get the notches placed correctly and the angles in, according to the plans.  I'll finish the notches up when I fit and attach the chainplates.
 
And lastly, I'm patting myself on the back.  My third photo below manages to capture the elusive and hard to photograph lower step of the Cheerful's boarding ladder (located on the wale and painted black).  Haha!
 
Erik

Evening, 
Hope everyone is well and warm. 
It's been a cold snowy and icy week of work. Too exhausted to build, but I think an update will suffice. 
 
With the fore lower shrouds in place and the sheer poles installed. 
I wanted to get the Tye and Halliard for the topsail yard rigged in before moving onto the rest of the shrouds. 
My thinking, it will be easier to do first, before setting in the topmast and topgallant stays. 
In the end it was all fiddly but was more difficult in my head. 

The set up will be fully installed on the pin rail with a rope coil done later. 

What you do to one side, you do to the other. 
Ship building at its simplest. 

With things falling into place, I could move onto the topmast backstays. 

Just worked my way down that side of the ship. 
I would alternate when installing shrouds. Set two on one side, then the other. 
I never favored one side, finished it, then do the other side. 
Tried to be as symmetrical as I could. 
 

The topgallant backstays could then be set in. 
Once both sides where completed, it put a fair amount of tension into the rigging running to the bowsprit. 
This was by design. 
The royal backstay will be installed next. 

Be good, 
 
Tom E 
 
 

Thanks Mike.   I am working on it a lot lately.   Mostly because I lack the wood to make many parts that are now out of stock.  So as I get more I will be busy with inventory.  So while I wait...
 
I managed to get the transom beam in position.  Much like the Winchelsea, it was made in layers to simplify it.  These are all laser cut.  But slightly longer than needed just in case.  They were pre-bent in a jig set up.  This is crucial.  I used some scrap 3/16 x 3/16 wood under the center to bend it.  I just clamped the end and then blasted it with the hair dryer on super hot.  Note the wood scraps on the ends too.  This protects the ends from denting and other damage.  All of the layers are done like this.  Using the 3/16" x 3/16 strip makes the perfect bend we need..
 
 

Testing it in place. Layer one.  Not glued in yet.  but pretty tight.
 

Then repeat with layer two on top.  No need to bevel the back edge.  Just slide it against the stern frames.  Then glue the top layer onto the bottom one while on the model.  I found that helpful.  You will be able to remove the whole thing because the bottom layer isnt glued in.   This way you can sand it a bit if needed and clean it up.
 

Testing the transom beam with the other six.   They should be the same height and a test with a strip of wood confirms this.  The deck planking will lay nicely on top.
 

To finish off the transom beam, you can glue the final 3/64" thick layer on the top.  This one will show so take your time cleaning it up.   The back side was beveled to sit flash against the stern frames.  The same was done on each end against the bulwarks so I got a tight fit.  One of the red arrows shows this top layer.  Note that it is narrower and leaves a nice rabbet on the forward side to accept the qdeck planking.
 
The other red arrow shows a laser cut filler on the 3/64" thick.  This is glued to the bulwarks and will be important in the next step.
 
And finally...the iron straps are added.  These are laser cut on black laser board.  Each iron strap is in two pieces.  One on the beam and the other curved section on the deck clamp.  These will hardly be seen.  In fact I think they are mostly covered later...what a pity.
 

Next up was the planked inboard side of the transom.  This is laser cut in one piece with etched lines to show the planking.  Just bevel the sides for a tight fit.  Also bevel the bottom edge as well.  This was actually pre-bent in that same jig set up to establish the curve.  It worked great.   Use the 3/16" x 3/16" strip in the center like before.  Once I got a tight fit I removed it and painted it red before gluing it in permanently. This helps me keep a crisp edge on the bottom with no sloppy paintwork.  Then glue it in...
 

The top of this area was prepared next.  It is laser cut in a way that the grain makes it super easy to bend.  So no jigs are needed.  In fact be careful as it is delicate.  The top is done in two halves.  I have given folks and extra set just in case.  There are notched for the stern frames.  They are laser cut smaller than needed so you will need to enlarge them to fit tightly around the stern frames.   The back edge was also beveled so it fit nice and tight.
 
Then repeat with the other side.  Note how the top is flush or nearly flush with the cap rail.

Then a front mold piece finished it all up.  Sanded to fit tightly and all prepared for painting.  It is also 3/64" thick.
 

 
Then its all painted and cleaned up...once the paint work is tidied up, this really finishes off the inboard side of the transom well.
 


 
Next up I remove those six qdeck beams once again and start work on the locker benches and rudder trunk.

Pop the champagne, I'm finished with the deck planking!  While a challenging and rewarding experience, I'm happy to be finished with planking.  Like everything else with this build, planking the deck didn't quite go as planned, even with the tick marks and planks drawn out beforehand.  And as you other perfectionists out there can sympathize with, there are a bunch of things that didn't turn out the way I would have liked.  That said, I'm happy with the results, and the quality of the deck planking is in line with the rest of the build.  Which is all I can really ask for as someone being new to this wooden ship building thing.
 
After thoroughly cleaning my hobby area of sawdust, which is also my home office, I'm happy to be moving on to less dusty parts of the build!  I plan on starting Chuck's mini-kit of the windlass this weekend.
 
Erik