aliluke

I'm no expert on ratlines...but I used self-closing tweezers to keep the shrouds aligned and stop any hourglass effects - and then used a backing template with the distances marked. I didn't do clove hitches, just really simple overhand knots with a dab of PVA to thicken the knot a little and a dab of CA at the outer shrouds to totally secure. At any scale an overhand knot with a bit of glue to thicken does the part I reckon. Don't let the rats get you down!

Cheers

Alistair

Hi Denis

Only just came upon your log. Great work and amazing - amazing! - rigging. Ratlines aside the rigging between the sprit and foremast does my head in just looking at it...Incredible.

Cheers

Alistair

Hi Mihai

It is a very nice ship and a great model. I look forward to your progress. I'm a slow builder of the same kit in the HMS Fly version and I'm sure we can share tips as all builders here do.

Cheers

Alistair

Brett

I think Ken is referring to fillers that you need to support the ends of the inner bulwark planking where it meets the bulkhead wall between the quarter and poop/cabin deck. There is no support there and these fillers will become an obvious need when you get to that point. They are referred to in Part 2 of John Earls free AVS practicum on his modelboatyard site. While John's mini practicum has a few "reading between the lines" tips do not follow it over and above Mr Hunt's or you will get confused...

Cheers

Alistair

Stunning work Mike, a master class! I would have called those "skids" "chines" but I maybe wrong...Whatever they are called they are a little detail that adds to your model in the best way.

Cheers

Alistair

Amazing work Danny. I like your approach of fitting the detail to the level of the previous attempt rather than to your own exacting standards. That makes perfect sense to me in terms of the commitment on your part and the expectations at the other end. Man, I would have given up before I'd even started. Your devotion to a promise is to be admired. Well done and hats off to you.

Cheers

Alistair

Looks good mate. A fine looking ship! Tell those little buggers - Hands Off! . Well I guess they can touch in the meantime, well made hulls are strong enough and inspiring a new generation of modellers is what MSW is all about. Keep it up. It looks great.

Cheers

Alistair

Hi Brett

I'd use a 1mm thick plank x 4 or 5mm wide. I use a sanding block and hand held sanding, the latter particularly at the bow and stern. Although it is tedious don't go so fast and hard that you fair too much otherwise you end up chasing your tail. I also found that I'd add shims and sometimes end up sanding them off. The stern fillers are often under sanded. The planks need to turn up to the counter in such a way that they don't snap and this needs more sanding than you'd expect - I think there is a reasonable shot of this in my log.

Cheers

Alistair

Hi Brett

I may have been a little bit alarmist and misread your photo - I was seeing something different. Do not worry about the stern frames yet. Loose laid is good. You need those fragile little window frames to position them. The stern fillers leading up to the counter need to be heavily sanded and his needs to be coordinated with the pain of shimming and sanding all the misaligned bulkheads along the entire hull. This is the nature of this kit - the bulkheads are never right and the misalignment is a kit problem not yours. The shimming and sanding takes a bit of time and is back and forth but should be done before you go any further and should be combined with bow and stern fillers. Leave off the stern frames until you have sorted this. These in turn need a lot of shaping but once you are past this it really starts to work out. You need a lot of shims by the look of your kit. If you take the time to get the planking flow right you'll be away.

If you have Bob Hunt's practicum follow it to the letter, it will get you there in all aspects of the build and any other guide is redundant and dangerous. Bob's way of sequencing things and getting the relationships right is the best part of his practicum and will stand you in good stead for future builds.

I'll keep following and if I can assist, I will.

Cheers

Alistair

Brett

Stop! You are going in the wrong direction. It is an easy save - I'll send you a PM shortly.

Cheers

Alistair

Your rigging is looking superb Jason. Serving seems well worth the effort and I will attempt it when I get there - a while away. What machine do you use or did you make your own?

Cheers

Alistair

It all looks fantastic Jay. You are nearing the finish line I feel. It must be a strange place to be in some ways on such an epic and challenging build. I love the sails but I'm not ready to go there yet on my current ship even if it makes more sense of it as a sailing ship. Great work and I hope you have the champagne ready for that last tweak when it comes.

Cheers

Alistair

Great work Len. I like seeing your own notes in the background of the photos as you figure through the complexity of all of the parts. I can not imagine tackling a ship of this size but it is clearly well within your grasp.

Cheers

Alistair

Great work Vitus. Your carriage romps all over the kit supplied ones and is easily equal to those after market ones you can buy. Although I still have doubts about the kit barrel in terms of scale, your treatment of it makes it look the part well. Superb photos too by the way.

Cheers

Alistair

Hi

Although I have only skip read your log it is amazing and this build is one I'll follow. Your research is incredible and I'll re-read all in time.

I guess you have read "Barrow's Boys" by Fergus Fleming? It is no doubt fluff compared to your references but a great read telling the story of the post Napoleonic period at the Admiralty when Barrow commissioned a programme of massive exploration - the NW passage, the North Pole, the source of the Niger River and Antarctica. So it picks up on the voyage of Erebus and Terror in its text. Some of the plates in your log are included. Both the madness and sheer courage of these explorations is well painted in Flemings text. Anyway if you haven't read it, which I doubt, do so. Would also recommend to other followers here too. (Please excuse me if I didn't find a reference to it in your log).

Cheers

Alistair

Hi Ollie

I ended up with the same issue with my margin plank. It was mostly covered by the linings and waterway so a lot of effort lost but I prioritised the correct bulwark set out over that loss. I should have planned it better. You could use a thinner trim but it should be slightly thicker than the combined main bulwark lining and frames. In the end a too thin bulwark will look worse than a slightly hidden margin plank IMO. A lesson for both of us in the future!

I'd definitely ditch the metal port lids and make my own. You can always experiment off the model and then compare but I reckon cast fittings for this sort of part are always going to look crude. The gun port should have stops at the base and sides. These should be set back from the outer planking by the thickness of that planking. These stops set the size for the lids inner lining which you can cut from sheet wood, ply or styrene. The outer part is planking aligned with the hull planking and to the same thickness. The hinges, bolts etc; can al be made in brass - in fact you can probably buy such bits as accessories - not sure. Maybe have a look at Dirk's (Dubz) Syren log or Gil Middleton's Victory log - the best lids in the business with working hinges...(but there are many great examples out there). All this is offered when I haven't made a gun port lid in my entire life!!!!

Hope that helps.

Cheers

Alistair

Bill - wait. There is so much time invested in this craft that the cost of better product than that which comes in a kit is trivial in comparison. You are right you'll kick yourself later and you are doing a great job as it is, your model deserves the best you can afford. Remember your own motto!!! "Passion is Patience".

Cheers

Alistair

Hi Vitus

I only just noticed that you took out the stern frames to allow for the cabin details. Good move. I find my outer frames overlap with the outer windows and fixing this will require excavations. Peter (Mr Hollum) had this sorted much sooner but I missed it.

You seem to have removed the upper part of the wale where it turns into the stem. I'm curious about that.

All in all a very fine looking ship, you are taking the kit much further than I and I look forward to seeing your cabin details even though I have no intention of trying to do the same on my Fly.

Cheers

Alistair

Hi Basic

I agree with all that Floyd has said. However, looking at your photos I can see laser char on almost all the bulkheads. There should be none if your bulkheads are properly faired and I think this is your undoing - but that is for next time. The fairing should be full length of the hull and only the bulkheads in the middle should be square to their breadth. Even then the char should be gone. 

Use fill like mad next then sand and then lay the second planking on a well formed hull. Everything underneath that will disappear! As Floyd says, for that second layer, get the garboard plank in parallel to the keel and the waterline or wale plank (depending on your instructions) in and then work down and up. Always keep the planks rising, follow Floyd's half plank tapering rule and you'll be OK.

I like double planking - it gives me a sense of what is next and you can break all the rules in the book on the first layer and still make a good job on the second!

Cheers

Alistair

Looking really good Ollie. Your nibbing is superb - nice and tight. I like the smaller nail holes and I reckon 1 hole per plank rather than two, except at the butts. I know there is historical evidence to tell you the correct way by I go by what my eye likes. I stagger my single holes (have a look at Fly to get what I mean by that). Another trick is to use masking tape across the deck to get the hole alignment right. Anyway, good to see you experimenting with this, I think it is worth it.

Cheers

Alistair

Great deck Bob. I use the wood paste method as well but made mine even paler than yours by mixing in neutral paste with the palest other colour that I could find. Kind of crazy as the nails become almost invisible - yours might be the better choice but too late for me.

Cheers

Alistair

Just caught up with this log Dan. Great work - it looks fantastic. Spotted your question about mounting it on a base - for something as fine as this I'd go for brass rods rather than pedestals. These make the boat look like it is afloat. The finer the rods the better but just two straight rods and you are sorted in my opinion.

Cheers

Alistair

I said "Stunning" before. I now add "Brilliant". Amazing work Ron - be proud.

Cheers

Alistair

Looks good Ron. I'm guessing you are going to use solid plugs for the bow and stern? A clever method to complete a difficult hull, if that is so. Look forward to updates.

Cheers

Alistair

Amazing and nice touches on the base board Mike. How many years went into this? However many they are all worth it!

Cheers

Alistair