aliluke

Have a look at my HMS Fly log Blue Ensigns HMS Pegasus log - nothing wrong with copper if you get it right and when you do it looks great! I used copper strips - sort of like a tape but you can snap off the individual plates to tune it to the curves. I disagree with Keith, the scale is fine but you have get it right as once you start there is no going back. Other choice, if you don't want all natural, is paint in off white/cream. Unless the planking is immaculate, see Blue Ensigns logs (his planking is always immaculate), copper or paint hides all of the ills of us less skilled. I also used an unusual aging technique for my copper plating. The outcome looks good to my eye but it does need a leap of faith...

Have a look at my HMS Fly log Blue Ensigns HMS Pegasus log - nothing wrong with copper if you get it right and when you do it looks great! I used copper strips - sort of like a tape but you can snap off the individual plates to tune it to the curves. I disagree with Keith, the scale is fine but you have get it right as once you start there is no going back. Other choice, if you don't want all natural, is paint in off white/cream. Unless the planking is immaculate, see Blue Ensigns logs (his planking is always immaculate), copper or paint hides all of the ills of us less skilled. I also used an unusual aging technique for my copper plating. The outcome looks good to my eye but it does need a leap of faith...

Have a look at my HMS Fly log Blue Ensigns HMS Pegasus log - nothing wrong with copper if you get it right and when you do it looks great! I used copper strips - sort of like a tape but you can snap off the individual plates to tune it to the curves. I disagree with Keith, the scale is fine but you have get it right as once you start there is no going back. Other choice, if you don't want all natural, is paint in off white/cream. Unless the planking is immaculate, see Blue Ensigns logs (his planking is always immaculate), copper or paint hides all of the ills of us less skilled. I also used an unusual aging technique for my copper plating. The outcome looks good to my eye but it does need a leap of faith...

Have a look at my HMS Fly log Blue Ensigns HMS Pegasus log - nothing wrong with copper if you get it right and when you do it looks great! I used copper strips - sort of like a tape but you can snap off the individual plates to tune it to the curves. I disagree with Keith, the scale is fine but you have get it right as once you start there is no going back. Other choice, if you don't want all natural, is paint in off white/cream. Unless the planking is immaculate, see Blue Ensigns logs (his planking is always immaculate), copper or paint hides all of the ills of us less skilled. I also used an unusual aging technique for my copper plating. The outcome looks good to my eye but it does need a leap of faith...

Have a look at my HMS Fly log Blue Ensigns HMS Pegasus log - nothing wrong with copper if you get it right and when you do it looks great! I used copper strips - sort of like a tape but you can snap off the individual plates to tune it to the curves. I disagree with Keith, the scale is fine but you have get it right as once you start there is no going back. Other choice, if you don't want all natural, is paint in off white/cream. Unless the planking is immaculate, see Blue Ensigns logs (his planking is always immaculate), copper or paint hides all of the ills of us less skilled. I also used an unusual aging technique for my copper plating. The outcome looks good to my eye but it does need a leap of faith...

Rigging -Continued
 
At this point the standing and running rigging associated with the masts is installed but not belayed - tied off.
 
Sun in the shop this afternoon put light on the subject.
 
Have a good weekend!
 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you all for the likes! 🙂
 
@mugje, thanks dude, but there is still a lot of room for improvement 😉

I was not sold on the white oars:
 

 
So I repainted them, even if it was not so easy as the first time, when they were still on the sprue. Nevertheless, like the brown a little bit more, fit out the rest and but it on the boat for a photo shooting:
 

 
Because I did'nt paint the hull, I could not use the photetchparts for the rudder. Instead I faked the hinges with paper strips. Only the macro shows the shrotcommings of this:
 

 
Some final views before the launch will be get stored to prevent damage during the rigging:
 

 

 
Perhaps the both securing-lines are too thick (0-6mm). If there are more lines on board from the rigging, eventually I will use some thinner one here.
 
And its very possible, that I will tune down the bright yellow, if I look closer at the photos...
 

More Rigging
 
Rigged the aft mast derrick with this setup.

Then installed it on the ship.

The round nose pliers make “S” hooks easy.

Foremast rigging is coming along.

 
 

Excellent model! That is exactly as far as I intend intend to take HMS Fly although that still feels a long way away...

Excellent model! That is exactly as far as I intend intend to take HMS Fly although that still feels a long way away...

Excellent model! That is exactly as far as I intend intend to take HMS Fly although that still feels a long way away...

It is Nipper, in my opinion they are the trickiest sections that can make or break the look of a model. Always a relief when those two tasks have been completed, hopefully with satisfaction.
 
Post Seventy-two
Quarter deck beams
This section starts with yet another not very exciting task, that of prepping the Qtr deck beams.
These are nicely proportioned Pearwood beams with the necessary camber and containing the slots for the carlings.
These need careful cleaning up as they are heavily charred on the top and bottom surfaces. The danger is that with the camber it would be all too easy to put too much pressure on a beam resulting in breakage.

1936
Soft hands are required for this job, and I use a cambered former to support the beam during cleaning of the top surface.

1935
I begin by scraping, using a scalpel blade to remove the heavy char, it would soon clog a sandpaper.

1938
Fitting the beams is a slow business with great care needed to avoid breaking the tabs off the beam ends.

1939
The aftermost deck beam is fitted first.  A tricky exercise involving cutting away sections of the mdf frames both sides and sanding the ends of the beam. I found that the recesses at either end of the beam needed a lot of fettlin’ in order to sit right down on the beam housing.
Note:
Were I starting this section again I would have trial fitted the beams before I set the gun carriages in place.
 
I found that I had to remove sections of all the mdf frames to get placement of the beams without the risk of stress both to the beams and myself.
My veneer saw proved useful for this task.
The forward beam at the break of the Qtr Deck has a classic curved design typical of the Ardent class of ships.

1941
Chris has designed a former over which to shape the laminated beam to give it the proper camber.
I will retain this little jig, it has potential for use on other projects.

1943

1945
The forward beam sits perfectly over the Main  bitt standards.

1946
The final check is to confirm the beams are seated properly and present a level surface across all points.
Two days work on this task, I can now remove the beams for a final cleaning up and painting.
 
B.E.
30/08/2023
 
 

Log #42: Mass Production
With two of the breaching ropes attached and the problems ironed out, I have moved to simultaneous production of the remaining guns. This is a general principal that I like to follow. Do an initial test, often redoing it until I am happy. Then do a second to get the process down and then move to mass production.
 
The first step was to cut all of the breaching ropes to size (as I have already noted 95mm)

Next I attached it at the mid point with a small drop of super glue to the bottom of the cannons.

Once this had dried I wrapped the rope around the and secured it in place with another small drop of super glue.

I then attached the ring bolts to the end of each breaching rope using a small drop of super glue to hold the folded rope in place. To control the super glue I place it on a plastic lid and apply it using sewing pins. I didn’t take any pictures of this part of the process, but what I did was to set my micrometer to 4.5mm and then would place one end of the breaching rope in the gap. Using the micrometer as a guide I then pinched with a pair of small tweezers at the 4.5mm distance and folded the rope over attaching it in place using the super glue. You can see the result of this below.

I had found that the thread I used for the first two cannons was a bit thick so I made it thinner by removing one of the three strands that it was made of. I then used a sewing needle to secure one end of the thread before wrapping it around the breaching rope.

After 4 loops, I tied off the 5th to secure the thread in place. Once both seizings were in place I secured them with some ultra matt varnish. In the picture below the varnish is still wet and looks a bit shiny, but it dries to a clear matt finish.

And below you can see the final result.

I still need to trim the ends and once I have done so I can attach them to the ship. I have also been playing around with the gun tackle and have my first one done. I will discuss my plans for mass producing gun tackle more in a later post.

You are very organised! For the cannons have a look at my Fly log or Blue Ensign's Pegasus log. Mine were from RB. For the swivels I used Syren. There are many more alternatives out there these days with 3D printing coming on stream...but the RB version is just fine in my opinion. The kit supplied versions are a shocker.

Hi Bob
This is a great kit designed by Chris Watton I believe. Since it was produced things have changed. The cannons are not up to scratch but these are details. Heaps of logs for Pegasus here, but "Blue Ensign" is the definitive one that I'd refer to. 
 
As said, it is a brilliant kit and even without incidental upgrades it will turn into a beauty - upgrade the cannons though - the kit ones supplied are shockingly bad. Blue Ensign's and my Fly log give you advice on that.
 
Enjoy the build - a great kit choice!

You are very organised! For the cannons have a look at my Fly log or Blue Ensign's Pegasus log. Mine were from RB. For the swivels I used Syren. There are many more alternatives out there these days with 3D printing coming on stream...but the RB version is just fine in my opinion. The kit supplied versions are a shocker.

Hi Bob
This is a great kit designed by Chris Watton I believe. Since it was produced things have changed. The cannons are not up to scratch but these are details. Heaps of logs for Pegasus here, but "Blue Ensign" is the definitive one that I'd refer to. 
 
As said, it is a brilliant kit and even without incidental upgrades it will turn into a beauty - upgrade the cannons though - the kit ones supplied are shockingly bad. Blue Ensign's and my Fly log give you advice on that.
 
Enjoy the build - a great kit choice!

Good Sunday morning readers.  Wife's out riding the horse, kids are asleep or at least quiet upstairs, time for an update.
 
I'm starting on the port side planking.  I'm again making it in 3 bands and I used my previous method of running thin strips of blue tape lined up with the starboard side planking.  Once I had the blue tape running fair I compared it to the starboard side, using a compass and tick strips to make sure both runs were reasonably close.
 
This process led to a new question- how do I line up the planks at the stem so they look relatively even on both sides.  I usually eyeball stuff, sometimes to my detriment, so I decided to make a jig.  In carpentry I've heard this called a "preacher," I think because it could be imagined as 2 hands held together.  But it does work well as a second opinion.

Pretty simple device, made of scraps.  I put in the garboard first which I believe is often wider than the other planks.  As i noted before I made my lower starboard planks probably too wide overall, especially compared to the upper strakes which were much thinner.  But rather than do another planking scheme on the port side I decided to do my best matching the widths so the hull planking is symmetrical.  Full commitment to "no, i meant to do it that way."
 
Here is the preacher on the starboard side.  Sorry if its a little out of focus.  You can hopefully see the point of the preacher is just touching the top section of the garboard where it goes into the stem rabbit.

And here is the port side.  Again I apologize for out of focus pics, but in real life it was clear I needed to remove a little more of the top of the port garboard.

I did so with my little Veritas chisels and judicious sanding until the 2 sides matched.
 
Presently I am gluing the next strake, figuring widths with the usual paper tick strips and comparing to the same plank other side with a small drafting compass.

You can see I'm using my standard pins, wedges, and gentle clamping which works very well for me.  Still using Gorilla yellow glue.  This plank had a significant twist which I set in with a hairdryer off the model before final sanding to fit.
 
My kids have been quiet for too long; time to see what they've been up to
 
thanks for reading, enjoy your Sunday
 
cisco

Speed definitely doesn't equal poor work in your case Dan. It looks superb. 

Superb! Such a great rendition of a great subject. Love it.

Superb! Such a great rendition of a great subject. Love it.

Superb! Such a great rendition of a great subject. Love it.

You are very organised! For the cannons have a look at my Fly log or Blue Ensign's Pegasus log. Mine were from RB. For the swivels I used Syren. There are many more alternatives out there these days with 3D printing coming on stream...but the RB version is just fine in my opinion. The kit supplied versions are a shocker.

Superb! Such a great rendition of a great subject. Love it.

Superb! Such a great rendition of a great subject. Love it.