Hubac's Historian

I was kind of hoping you would disappoint me - even just a little bit - so I could feel a little better about my relative talents and abilities 😉.  You know - maybe, a slightly open seam, or worse - the use of off-color putty as filler, or maybe an errant fastenner or two.  Maybe a weird dip or bump in the hull.  But nothing.  Nope.  Nada.  Zip!  Just a seamless work of utterly awesome perfection 👏👏!!
 
Marc, I can see a little better the arc of your sheerline, in these pictures, and I think that it looks really very good.  Maybe it could drop a liiiiiittle more, but it is not as straight seeming as I thought before.  It's just a problem of perspective, where none of these pictures focuses on the rise of the sheer, so it is difficult to perceive.
 
One little bit of fun, is to use the screen margin of my phone, to scroll down (on several pics) so that the ship appears to sit on her waterline.  The figure she cuts in this view is absolutely a convincing portrait of a 17th Century first-rate ship.  Even without all of the ornamental embellishments, one can see where this is headed.  And that is not to minimize the form of the lively works, which display perfect symetry and a sense of draft befitting of such a heavily armed ship.
 
BRAVO, Marc!!
 

Marc,
 
I just sent you the file (at your mail adress).
 

In front of these important works, the means of Brest were revealed
insufficient; and as early as October 20, the minister writes to. the steward
Le Havre: "Siem Caffieri (Philippe), but a secteur,
it is necessary in Brest, do not miss to order it from
go there anyway, anyway, the work he may have
begun at Le Havre would not be completed. But. at the beginning of November,
he writes to her that having sent from Paris a master sculptor
in Brest, it is useless to send Philippe Caffieri; and, I 10 of
same month, he informs Desclouzeaux, steward in Brest, in these
words: "The _Roy having charged the named Regnault, master sculptor
to serve in this capacity at the port of Brest and drive the
s ~ ulpt ~ r ~ Sun-Royal ,. His Majesty's intention is that you
l etabhss1ez. in the workshop of the arsenal intended for this work and
that you give me the means to do this work with all due diligence
possible and you have to pay 1,000 pounds
pa: month. On the same day, he gives Clairambault the directiYes
~ mv ~~ tts for the wax model expedition: "The Roy having
char, e names him Regnault, master sculptor as s. Mr. sent to
Brest, to bring to this port the relief model of the sculpture of the
Sun-Royal who is 1 to 1 year old, 1. is required that you take
the mother of the child and to have him accommodated in such a way that he
do not miss the path. So you have to examine
by which way it will be able to send it without being able to be gastcr, either
by the messenger _ taking a horse to carry it, if that is possible,
? ~ 1 • P ~ .: the rouhers of Orleans and make it go down by} a rivièrP
J squ a Nantes or in such a way that you consider suitable in
~ s.ervant ~ e take the fastest route of those who would be
. Moreover, it is necessary that this. arrivef model
at least, Brest. that you agree with those who
will take care of this transport of what will be paid to them q ~ ue
you give them in advance what you will learn about
you let me know what should be paved to them
returning to J a Brest in there
good condition so that I can order the Sieur des ~
15
nails (43). Four days later, on November 22, he sent
Berain: "They write to me from Brest. would need some
companions sculptors to finish the works of sculpture that there
has to do to the ships of the King in port. I beg you to seek
up to a dozen and have them go away · sooner than
will. You can assure them that they will not work
; but in case you can not solve them without
that they know what they will have to earn, you will have to agree
with them at best. market that it is possible and that you make me
find out what you promised them (44). "

Hello all,
 
For those interested by this french article (in PDF), just send me a PM.:
Have a nice day.
 

 

The original design of the SR 1669 remains a mystery. No trace of Pierre Puget in Brest but against Toulon for the Royal Louis of the same time. Some speak of Caffieri, others of Charles Le Brun.
The only sure indications are the provisions of the windows of the stern, according to the measurements of the rooms made by Intendant Desclouzeaux during the refit of 1688. It is obvious that Berain took advantage of a quasi reconstruction of this stern, because, as said Desclouzeaux "all the highs are completely rotten". This is confirmed in the refit quote of Louis Hubac.
In Brest, Paris, Toulon, Rochefort, apart from that, no trace to my knowledge.
friendships

The end product looks crisp and clean, Dan, but WOW - what a journey!  I'm glad it all worked out so well.  'Had to laugh about your political commentary.

The end product looks crisp and clean, Dan, but WOW - what a journey!  I'm glad it all worked out so well.  'Had to laugh about your political commentary.

Wow - what a treat to find your build!  A magnificent work and tireless attention to detail.  I'm in!

The end product looks crisp and clean, Dan, but WOW - what a journey!  I'm glad it all worked out so well.  'Had to laugh about your political commentary.

The end product looks crisp and clean, Dan, but WOW - what a journey!  I'm glad it all worked out so well.  'Had to laugh about your political commentary.

Feel better, Dude!

The end product looks crisp and clean, Dan, but WOW - what a journey!  I'm glad it all worked out so well.  'Had to laugh about your political commentary.

An excellent lesson in perseverance, Dan.  It looks great and I was happy to read you got the solution you needed.   Hopefully things get a bit easier from here on out. 

Hi again to everyone looking in -
 
Thanks as always for the likes and compliments, and to all who made suggestions for my boot topping problem.  I believe that it has been solved, but not without lots of backpedaling and redoing.  Here is how it went –
 
When the last segment closed I had the Promenade deck structure done and was working on the upper decks.  The upper hull had several coats of gloss white and the narrow green sheer stripe had been successfully applied using 1/16” green vinyl pinstriping tape which is made for the car detailing market.

The next element was the wide green boot topping.  I sourced 3/16” vinyl striping tape from the same people who made the 1/16” tape so the colors would be identical.  The vinyl is somewhat flexible and here in the midships area and at the bow I did not have any trouble laying it down along the waterline.

There were, however, several problem with the tape.  First, it was too thick, measuring out at .008.  It was not very noticeable, but in glancing light the raised edge could be clearly seen.  A bigger problem was that despite its thickness, it wasn’t really opaque, and the demarcation line where the red and white met was visible through the tape.  Not a lot, but hard to miss once you see it.  But the biggest problem was that it was going to be very difficult to do the area under the counter. 

Due to the curvature of the hull the boot topping has to bend in three dimensions and, to keep the same vertical distance, has to get wider as well.  The vinyl tape could not bend to fit the curves, and the thickness would make it lumpy if it was layered to make up the added width.  I could have tried to cut and piece it in, but with the other problems I decided to scrap this product.  With some care I pulled the tape off the waterline only to find that it left green residue along the edges.  RATS !

Fortunately, it was removable with mineral spirits on a cotton swab.  And while I was at it I cleaned the entire hull, removing all my pencil marks as well.   To replace them I carefully mounted the model upside down so the keel was perfectly parallel with the work table and the stem was perfectly vertical, or as perfectly as I could make them.  Then I used and old waterline marking jig that I made about 25 years ago and kept around ever since.  A sharp point on a soft lead pencil did the actual work.
 
To replace the boot topping I located and ordered some striping tapes that were described as being very thin, and some Tamiya masking tape that is meant especially for curves.   While I was waiting for delivery, I tried Druxey’s suggestion of making thin paper strips.  I used the thinnest paper I have, some art quality tissue paper.  I could, with some care, cut strips with parallel clean edges.  These were misted with water to relax the fibers, then I laid out the strip on the hull without glue.   The water was enough to make a temporary bond.
 
The results for me were uninspired.  I could lay out the tape fairly well, and could move it around with some additional wetting, much like a water-slide decal.  But it never laid down completely on the curves, even some of the smoother ones, much less the tight curves in all three dimensions under the counter.  Maybe it was my paper.  Maybe my technique.  Whatever, it would not work for me.  It would all have to be removed and discarded, along with the work invested.  DRAT !!
 
But as long as I had the paper tape in place on the hull, I tried masking both above and below in preparation for spray painting the green boot topping.   The Tamiya tape had not arrived, so I cut long 1/8” wide strips of painter’s blue tape and laid it above and below the paper strips.   This, too, was not completely successful.  No matter how careful I was, I could see that there were small crinkles in the edge that would let paint bleed underneath, even after painting with a clear finish.   The masking tape would have to be discarded, along with the work invested in laying it down.  BOTHER !!
 
Finally the thin striping tape arrived.  It was Chinese, of course, and I had to buy 5 rolls in 5 different colors of 40’each, none of them green. But it was only .002” thick, which was promising.   I used the white tape and laid out strips about 8 inches longer than the model on a length of waxed paper.  They stuck well, but came up easily enough when tested.  They were spray painted green from a rattle can.  Repeated light coats were laid on till I was satisfied that the tape would be opaque.  
 
After drying overnight I carefully lifted the ends of a strip and pulled it up, only to find that the dried paint was stronger than the bond to the waxed paper.  Attached to both edges of the striping tape were flaps of paint, some large and some small, but more than enough to ruin the tapes and they all had to be discarded.  GRRRRR !!
 
For the next set of tapes I made them a bit longer, but did not paint all the way to either end.  When I was happy with the depth of color the tape was removed while the paint was still wet using the unpainted ends.  It was immediately stuck back down on a clean section of the waxed paper and allowed to dry.
 
The next day the tapes were carefully set along the penciled waterline.    They were lightly pressed against the hull until I was satisfied with their placement, then burnished down.  I finally had a clean, crisp, boot topping in the right color with a tape that was barely thicker than a coat of paint, and - - - next time - - - will be easier to achieve. 
 
 Under the counter there were still some issues.  With the tape so thin I could layer it over itself without major lumps, but it still would not bend, so a good deal of piecing in was required. 

 
The photo looks worse than the actual model because I have already hardened the tape with clear varnish and have started to sand the overlaps smooth, which accounts for a lot of the white areas and lines that you see.  Once the sanding was finished I hand painted over the tape with green paint decanted from the rattle can.  This not only evened out the surface, I could fill in the small angles to make a smooth curving edge. The final result was, I think, more than satisfactory, even under photo magnification.  WHEW !
 

Now that I had the boot topping done I did a final light sanding of the lower hull which had picked up some scratches and blotches while I was working elsewhere.  After sanding and wiping it down, I masked off the boot topping with the Tamiya tape made for curves.  I have to say that I am a fan of the product.  It laid down easily, could be repositioned as needed, and went around the curve under the counter without a problem.  I burnished down the edge, then built up the rest of the masking in layers of widening strips of painter’s tape until the entire upper hull was protected. 
 
I sprayed a clear coat along the edge of the masking, as several of you suggested, then laid the model on its side to spray the red from over and behind the masking so the paint would not be driven against the edge.  I used light coats and only did one side at a time, giving each a full day to dry.   When I removed the tape I had no bleeding under the masking.  But I did have THIS - - -
 

 
The Japanese masking tape had pulled up the American paint from all along the Chinese striping tape.  I wonder if this says anything about global geopolitics?  In any event, all of my hard-won boot topping would have to be removed and discarded. 
 
There was only one thing I could say –
 

 
When I got back to it after a few days to clear my head the repairs went fairly quickly.  I managed to save the boot topping under the counter with minor touchups of paint, and the rest of the tape came off easily and without leaving a residue.  I was now proficient in making up the tapes and applying them, so only two days later I had restored the boot topping satisfactorily.
 

 
So I guess I learned some valuable lessons in perseverance and dealing with frustration.  But I would much rather skip that class next time.  LOL !
 
Be well.
 
Dan
 
 
 

Feel better, Dude!

Haha! Robin, Michael thanks for the encouragement. This is by far the most intensive build I have done to date. I'm someone that learns best by doing and I have learned a great deal so far on this build. Maybe not exactly how to do it right but I'm learning ways not to do things in a hurry! Still, a lot of fun and with plenty more to do, I will get on with the build.
 
Progress update, I have taken some time to clean up the ship yard as it was needing it after months of saw dust flying. I was planning on starting to do some hull sanding this weekend but I've not been in the best of health the past few days so I think that is on hold till I can breath a bit better. I did start painting the planks the ultramarine blue for the upper hull. I'll try to get some pictures up in the next day or so.
 
Thanks for looking in!

Headrails look superb, Michel!  She is rounding into Berain's vision quite nicely.

Headrails look superb, Michel!  She is rounding into Berain's vision quite nicely.

Proue and Lyres

I have read the Vichot letter, and it is just exactly as Michel has explained.  The letter resurrects an older question for me:  the original decor of 1669 was initially designed by Peter Puget, and later refined by Jean Berain in 1668/69 for the refit.  Do Puget's drafts for the original decor still exist in any way shape or form?  At the Louvre, Brest or Toulon, maybe?
 
 

I have read the Vichot letter, and it is just exactly as Michel has explained.  The letter resurrects an older question for me:  the original decor of 1669 was initially designed by Peter Puget, and later refined by Jean Berain in 1668/69 for the refit.  Do Puget's drafts for the original decor still exist in any way shape or form?  At the Louvre, Brest or Toulon, maybe?
 
 

Thanks you Marc and Shipmodel,
 
Well, about that problem, you're probably right; but without any avalaible informations, it will be extremely difficult to locate precisely the forward or aft gunport. Even the VDV drawing is not of great help in this case. So I had to make a choice and simply used the way given by J.C. Lemineur in his book "Les Vaisseaux du Roi Soleil".
 
Have a nice day.
 

And, so, it begins in earnest!  Great start, Cedric!

And, so, it begins in earnest!  Great start, Cedric!

Hi Cedric - 
 
A very nice start.  You are setting yourself a very hard task, kit-bashing to such a great amount.  I am watching with real interest.
 
I do have a bit of confusion about your calculation of the the distance between gunports.  You have divided the hull into 17 equal segments, including the one from the forward port to the stem and from the aft port to the stern.  I am not sure that these two distances were the same as the separation between gunports.  I am no expert and I would not be surprised if I was wrong and they are the same as the gunport separation.  But to me it just doesn't feel right. 
 
Would it make sense to locate your forward and aft ports where they fit, depending on the sizes and locations of the quarter gallery, headrails, etc., then divide the space between the two by 15?  That would give you the distance from center to center, rather than the planking distance between ports, but that is just a technicality.
 
Dan