Tim Curtis

Hello,
after a short break, the report continues again.
First of all, I would like to thank you for the nice comments and the many LIKES.
Today I'll show you how to make the ninepin blocks. These are located behind the foremast and the mainmast.
These are single and double blocks, which are guided on an iron bar.
The fittings I manufacture from brass strips with a width of 0.8 mm.
 

Quelle: Monographie La Crèole 1827 v. J. Boudriot


Continuation follows ...

Thanks for the compliments once again John, Pat, Reg and Mark.
 
There are two Arado 196 Floatplanes on Bismarck. These took me three days to make. Once AGAIN the Instructions were pretty woeful - luckily I found a couple of good pics of the "real thing" online. Here's the best one :

 
The parts for both planes :

 
Fitting the engine cowling edge piece :

 
The major pieces of the fuselage, wings and tail rolled, folded and glued :

 
The parts for the floats :

 
And some pics of the finished planes. The float supports were not easy to cut and fit :




 
  Danny

Tim,
 
I just saw this build and am very impressed, especially with the way that you have integrated historical research into your model.  My parents had given me this model many years ago, and your efforts have inspired me to build her.  I hope that I can do at least half as well as you did on yours!
 
Bill

Small update. Here is the fore gaff, with outhaul, and peak halliard block attached.

Small update. Here is the fore gaff, with outhaul, and peak halliard block attached.

On going sail-making. Fore staysail, topsail and topgallant sail complete.
Temporarily fixed.
 

 
 

I have started on sail making.
Using vellum as a material.
Died with tea.
Small steel wires in seams.
Here are preliminary results.
Will post more info about the process shortly.

Slow progress. 
Ratlines finished.
Two yards in place but not quite finished.
One set of braces in place. Note that these start at the main shrouds, and return and run through a block attached to the shrouds. This is how she is rigged in the contemporary print I have published above.
Forecourse lifts.
Topsail sheets.
Lettering on the stern. 
Wooden grating around the binnacle.
Main top rope.
 
Small little pieces falling into place. Each one more satisfying than the last.
 
Tim.

Thanks to all for your kind words. Thoroughly enjoying rigging. It's my favourite bit. Every separate line and block is like a little model of its own!

I have completed topmast shrouds and backstays. Begun the long slow process of adding the ratlines. Spend many happy hours listening to Winston Churchill's history of the second world war on Audible whilst doing it. Utterly relaxing. Most wonderful escapism. Here are the current results.

Here is an update.
Have been working on the of the main mast. I have totally revised the main top and cross trees from the AL plans, which have no resemblance to the contemporary pictures of the boat. In fact they do not show any shrouds to the main or fore topmasts on their plans. Inspection of the print below suggests the main top mast had two shrouds running down to the main channels passing through a wide cross tree at mainmast top. See below.
Also have been putting main mast shrouds and deadeyes in place. Including revising the chainplates to make them narrower. I have gone for a solid iron chainplate, which may or may not be accurate, but was not an uncommon design for the period. Its much easier...made from plastic from a milk carton, and brass pins. Painted with a pentel paint marker. Connections to deadeyes are simply brass wire and a brass pin. Again blackened with a pentel paint marker.

Making slow progress on the ship's boat. Here is an update.

Hi Pavol.
Here you go.
Tim
 

Small update. Here is the fore gaff, with outhaul, and peak halliard block attached.

Small update. Here is the fore gaff, with outhaul, and peak halliard block attached.

Made a little detour and built the ship's boat. This is a (separate) Caldercraft kit that I picked up from Cornwall Model Boats. Nice little kit.
 
I modified it by making a cap rail out of some spare maple, adding thole pins when complete. I made the thwarts and stern sheets from boxwood, to replace the kit supplied walnut. The Photo-etched oars and boat hook are included and just require painting. I also added a freshwater cask, and scratch built the rudder/tiller. I also made what is likely the smallest piece I've ever done: a bailing scoop carved from boxwood, that is ridiculously tiny. You can just see it sitting on the bottom.

Slowly    I typically only find a few hours per week to work on it.  I have the garboard strakes cut to some workable shape, and glued on.  I am working on cutting the first "broad strake" above the garboards.  I have one for the starboard side pretty close and have started to work on the other.  Once I get both of those done and glued on I'll post another picture.   The strakes have a pretty good twist from almost vertical to almost horizontal....once I get them cut, I soak them in water a bit, then clamp them on and let them dry.  Once dry I glue'em on.
 
Oh, I guess I also did a bunch more carving away at the stern block to make it a bit smaller and thinner.

Hi Gary,
How is your America build going?
Keep posting....really look forward to seeing what you are doing with this great kit.
Tim

Just quick update.   I've fixed my mistake, I think.  I also noted how the plans show stern and rail cap really flaring upward above the transom.  It is more noticeable here than on other models of America that I have seen, and perhaps more pronounced than shown on contemporary paintings.  It also seemed the transom area is less thick and heavy than mine was.   So, in addition to fixing the issue with the frames, I took the carving knives and sanding block to my stern filler piece, and cut it down a bit.  I also put a few additional pieces at the top of the rail around the back to give it least a little bit more of an upward flare.  I failed to take a "before" picture, but I can show what it looks like now.  I think I still need to take a bit more off of the stern, though it is a bit tricky carving it now that it is attached.
 

Thank you all for the comments and encouragement. It has been a bit difficult to work totally in the blind. I regret not finding out about the NRG sooner.
I have worked steadily for the last two weeks as time allowed focusing on the smaller details on deck. 
 
I will have more pictures later this month after I return from vacation.

Continuing.

As long as I still have easy access to the deck I added the anchor cable along with 2 stoppers on each side. The stoppers were built according to the description in Charles G. Davis ‘The Built-Up Ship Model’ consisting of an eye around a thimble (img 1) secured with ‘round seizing’ and with a ‘double wall with ends hitched’ as stopper knot (img 2) at the other end. Img 3 shows the finished stoppers. In img 4 the lanyards are attached (simulated splice). Imgs 5 – 7 show the anchor cable arrangement with the stoppers in place.
 
Thomas
 

Img 1
 

Img 2
 

Img 3
 

Img 4
 

Img 5
 

Img 6
 

Img 7
 
 

I have started the cross section model...mostly drafting.  But I figured I would start a log.  I am waiting on arrival of a variety of machine screws and nuts to finish drafting the keel parts.  They will be set up in the usual fashion you folks have seen but I will post that once its ready.  Here is the overall plan I am working from. Hopefully it will look like this once done...planked on one side and open framed on the other.
 

I have started drafting the frames.   There will be some bent frames with curved top timbers but this is just a plain straight one.
 
Here are the laser cut pieces.....but you will not build the frame with the parts laid out like this.
 

Because the laser cuts on an angle,  it is best to strategically flip certain parts to get the tightest fit possible.  You wont get one side with a large gap which is typical.  Therefore no sanding of the char is needed ...nor should you attempt to sand the char from the edges of all joints that fit together.  They will fit perfectly as is.  The only drawback is that you will see the seam which in some instances was not the case as they werent tarred.  But thats OK....
 
So I flipped them as I show in the photo below....flip parts "C" and "D" for the best fit possible.  Note the dirty side on the flipped parts.
 

There is no need to build each frame on top of a plan trying to get the frame to come out the correct shape.  I have created some tabbed guides which make it very easy.  I built five of these frames and they all came out the same...Each one took just a few minutes.  I used titebond on the seams.  Just take care not to glue the guides to the frame.  See below.  All glued up.
 

 
Then the guide tabs are cut free leaving the frame strong and ready for sanding.  I sanded every edge to remove the char except for the notch in the bottom chock which stays unsanded.  It needs to be a perfect press fit into notches I created in the rising wood...which I will show later.  But the finished frame all sanded up up looks like the one below.  The top cross bar is added for strength and also to help register all of the frames once they are glued onto the keel.  That is what those two notches on the cross bar are for.  After I draft more frames it will make more sense.
 

 
Chuck
 

I agree 100%.
I recently purchased the Master Korabel Phoenix plus kit.
Amazing quality.
Great value.
Perfect for someone without brilliant woodworking skills, without lots of free time, but who loves model making on a table in his study.
Tim
 
 

Small update.  A back log of house projects kept me away from the bench for much of the weekend.  I did find a little time to install the cheek knees, mooring ports and paint the outboard planksheers.  Onto coppering.