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Jackson7
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Everything posted by Jackson7
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Today I finished the window bars on the side windows. It was pretty much exactly what it looks like. Super glue holding 1mm by 1mm in place. Cutting it to shape was a bother, but with careful measuring everything went fairly well. In the end, the superglue softened the look of the glass. I think I got what I was hoping for. I'm hoping the transom will prove easier.
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I put the central window bars on today. My method was the same as with last time. Measure carefully, then superglue it into place. 16 tiny horizontal bars to go, and then I'll have these two things done.
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Success! The starboard replacement window went on perfectly. It's all glued in place now, and I will start putting the little window bars on after this weekend. I'm not up to more tonight, and I have plans for this weekend. Doing it this way looks so much cleaner and more real than the kit parts.
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It was annoying, it was exasperating, but now one side is done! I used superglue to attach the fake glass, and it binds fast to the blue stained glass stuff. On the starboard side, it got messy and I had to cut out another piece of fake glass for it. Staining the glass takes a solid 24 hours. So I will have to wait until tomorrow for the next step.
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Life has been busy, so my next steps have been delayed. I've started building the side windows. The glass is cut already. And today I finished making the little side pieces. I basically chiseled a 4x4 to be 3mm at the bottom and 4mm at the top, then worked to shape the rest of the piece into something reasonable. I glued 1x4mm pieces on the top, and trimmed them to shape until they looked good.
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I attached the little side protector pieces over the last couple days. They were fairly straightforward. I measured some distances, cut out a place for them on the parts of the hull that stuck out, then boiled and bent them to fit the hull's curve. So... maybe not that straightforward. The last two weeks have been very busy, so progress has been slow. However, the end is in sight.
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Happy 4th of July! Last week was very busy. But not on ship related matters. The good news for us here is that my package of 1x1mm, 2x2mm, and brass hinges have finally arrived! I also finished the most time consuming part of the windows I'm building. I'm working on the rest of them too. They will be very similar to @hamilton's build. Thanks for a good example, pal.
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Your woodwork looks pristine! Very well-fitted planks.
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I know what some of you are wondering... Are those just planks? What kind of build log shows just plain walnut planks? Any build log that features the Greyhound, that's what kind. One of these humble 1mm by 4mm walnut planks began life as one of seven surplus 2mm by 4mm plank that Corel generously provided for reasons unknown, given that hardly any wood in the kit requires wood of these measurement. At the same time, I need 1 mm by 4 mm walnut to build my own transom, given that the metal one Corel provided is slightly off in terms of shape. Therefore, with the help of my patented X-Acto Knife and 400 grain sandpaper program, our patient lost half his body weight in under an hour! * It was exactly what the ship needed. Although steps like these aren't quite as thrilling as building something new or getting something into the perfect shape, they nevertheless remain an important part of ship building. *(I do not endorse this weight loss technique as a legtimate medical remedy for any condition.)
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Still waiting on the remaining pieces. Today, I finished everything about the rudder that I can do without hinges. It was a pretty simple matter to clamp and glue it all together, and use a mix of knife work, sanding, and a circular file to round it into the right shape. It all went well. It's nice to have an easy step that feels very satisfying to complete, once in a while.
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I discovered last night while installing the catheads that I had angled mine way too much, even if they did look roughly like the ones in the instructions. Believing the instructions on this was simply a mistake. After cutting out the slots in the bow for them, I had to make new catheads. Unlike the old ones, the new ones were vere slightly sanded to an angle. Cutting out the slots was relatively easy. After measuring and cutting with an X-Acto knife, I used a file to sand the final bit to shape. I was worried about the potential to cut the slots too wide, but I was careful, and it worked. It's fortunate I had extra wood to make a full seven catheads. Here's the finished product.
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To the surprise of perhaps no one, a day of reflection led me to re-drill the holes on the catheads. The new ones are to the left. And to my surprise, it worked! Now for the next step.
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I've ordered the parts I need for my next few steps. But while they are waiting, I'm skipping ahead to keep working on other parts of the ship. This morning, I finished the cathead beams. No matter what the instructions say, the correct size for them should be 4mm by 4mm. I looked ahead in the kit, so I knew I had to drill holes in them for some rope to pass through. This task would have been almost impossible if I had mounted them on the bow where they go first. As it was, drilling the holes out took three pieces to do. They are quite good enough for my standards at this point, and I think if I tried four or five more times, I'd just have the holes slightly off in a different way. Drilling stuff is so finnicky. Now all that remains is to cut out a slot for them and glue them on.
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I've attached the side ladder. It's pretty much exactly what it looks like. L-shaped wood pieces glued to the side., After I smoothed the side with a little knifework and sandpaper, it went on fairly easily. I only had to bevel the L-shapes a couple times.
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The clown show continues. I decided I might as well get the rudder done tonight so I can be certain that all the stern pieces I plan to use are safe to build with and not reserved for some other, more important role later. It turns out the rudder directions are total nonsense. The 1-to-1 scale pieces are nowhere near 1-to-1. The kit calls for a 4x4mm piece when the three is the only one that fits. And to top it off, one of the hinges is broken. I'm thinking of buying more hinges from Amati or some other place. I'll need more 1mm x 1mm wood anyway, as mine is basically all used up.
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This step is fairly self-explanatory. I put the ladders, final gratings, and planks around the gratings on. It's probably pretty obvious that as much as possible, I put the ladders in first. Then I cut them to be relatively flush to the deck. This step was difficult, and I had to make a correction with glue at one point. But overall, it went well. Finally, I put on the gratings. When I was done, I sanded the gratings, planks, and ladders until they were level with each other. Here's a picture. With this step, I've come to a point where I must decide: build my own stern out of wood pieces, or use the kit? Predictably, I've decided on building my own. But I won't make a final commitment until I know the 3D pieces my friend is printing for me work and look good. Of course, that means progress will prove slow and sporadic.
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Yesterday, I finished the grates on the stern. As Corel's instructions have no comprehensive and clear pictures on how they should look, I copied from the work of @hamilton and @harlequin. Thanks guys, your pics of the Greyhound have been extremely useful to me. I couldn't have done it without y'all.
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Thanks so much! I'll take a look sometime!
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These last few steps have been so finnicky and small that they have hardly felt worth photographing. For the stair to the poop deck, I measured and cut a set of stairs, glued the ladder together seperately, then glued it in. I've left some stairs measured to its length over so that all the ladders can be the same consistent size. For the gratings, I glued and assembled them, then sanded them with 800 grain sandpaper until they were smooth. So far, I've attached three. I've been framing them with leftover 2x4mm wood. I have a lot of it. Each time, I sand the gratings on the left and right sides with about 20 strokes, then check if they fit. By "fit," I mean "can be just barely jammed in without making me afraid they will break." If not, I repeat the process. I've decided to kitbash a stern with the help of a good friend of mine who owns a 3D printer. But I'll only take action on that once he visits me with his completed prints. I need to see that it works before committing to a course of action.
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At last! The final plank has been bent onto the ship! It's far from perfect, but like most parts of the Greyhound, it's good enough to look mostly right from a distance. After the glue has a chance to dry a little overnight, it should be all good. Here's the result. In the background, you can see I have glued together and stained my stand.
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Putting on the port railing was a doozy. I'm not sure how much that was because I'm making it hard for myself versus the nature of the work. Here's the process. First, I put the 1x4mm walnut piece in boiling water for about two hours. I then bent it sideways to the shape of the edge overnight. After that, I cut the railing supports. Rather than just gluing them to the side and the railings, I cut the bottom of them into wood joints that inserted into corresponding holes I carved into the rail. I put each of them 12 mm apart, after I figured out that was about how much rail I had. The final part of the process was cutting them top a smooth height on top so the railing could naturally curve downward. I had to measure and recut many times on each one. The trick was to only slice a tiny bit off at once. The result wasn't quite what I expected, but there's solid contact between each post, the bottom rail, and the top rail. If anyone else wants to take this approach, I advise them to measure everything multiple times. If the starboard side goes just as well, I will be very pleased.
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This step went on less horribly than I first imagined. The bow railing of the Greyhound consists of five 1mm strips, all bent to shape and glued side by side to form what will appear to be one plank. 1mm wood bends sideways much easier than 4mm wood, thankfully. I used the same jig I used for the rest of the hull and bent all five pieces to shape at once. After a good 2 hours of boiling, a bend on the jig, and 24 hours to learn its new shape, the wood went on perfectly. After the glue has several hours and I sand the wood a little for smoothness, it should make a nice, clean railing.
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Welcome! I'm in North Georgia as well and working on an HMS Greyhound with awful instructions too. I'd be glad to talk with you sometime!
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