Captain Slog

Okay here is my Part 4. 
 
I would say based on Richmond’s latest update I have done more or less the same work although I would be trailing behind him overall.  Although I do have additional progress/footage that will get carried over to the next part.
 
Again no stills, just screen grabs from the video.
 
With the hull now glued together the seams were filled with ‘sprue goo’ and left for a few days.
 

 
 
Whilst waiting for the filler to go off I marked up a number of areas on the hull needing attention such as sink marks, mould lines and some rough areas; the bow had some very faint ripples also.
 

 
 
Once the seams were cleaned up with scraping, sanding and buffing, like Richmond, I wet sanded the entire lower hull, in this case with 600 followed by 1200.  The Tamiya tape was to protect the upper hull details from inadvertent slips.
 

 
 
Priming the seams to highlight any gaps, pin holes etc with Pink Mr Surfacer 1500.
 
The black version is my go to primer and sprays beautifully and is mostly fool proof but I only have dregs left and sold out locally but had the choice of Grey and Pink.  I discounted the grey as grey plastic, grey primer and grey top coat didn’t appeal due to visually seeing coverage.
 
I choose the pink...and hate it as the spraying characteristics are so different from the black version and I’m struggling to get decent results.  I will pick up grey 1500 tomorrow!
 

 
 
Bilge keels taped in place and glued with Tamiya Extra Thin.  There were half a dozen or so pin holes on the hull halves seams, which needed filling and small dabs of Mr Surfacer 500 took care of them.
 

 
 
As Richmond noted the bilge keels aren’t a great fit and need filling on both sides.  To minimise clean up I tried applying Mr Surfacer 500 with a syringe and it worked great.  Mostly 2 applications was sufficient to fill (one area required 3 passes) and was quickly cleaned up with cotton buds moistened with Mr Hobby Levelling Thinners.
 

 
 
Installing the prop shafts/housings and checking for consistency.
 

 
 
Good place to stop for Part 4, with the hull glued up, seams taken care of, the prop shafts and bilge keels installed, filled and cleaned up.
 

 
And of course the YouTube video link
 
 
Cheers
Slog

Okay here is my Part 4. 
 
I would say based on Richmond’s latest update I have done more or less the same work although I would be trailing behind him overall.  Although I do have additional progress/footage that will get carried over to the next part.
 
Again no stills, just screen grabs from the video.
 
With the hull now glued together the seams were filled with ‘sprue goo’ and left for a few days.
 

 
 
Whilst waiting for the filler to go off I marked up a number of areas on the hull needing attention such as sink marks, mould lines and some rough areas; the bow had some very faint ripples also.
 

 
 
Once the seams were cleaned up with scraping, sanding and buffing, like Richmond, I wet sanded the entire lower hull, in this case with 600 followed by 1200.  The Tamiya tape was to protect the upper hull details from inadvertent slips.
 

 
 
Priming the seams to highlight any gaps, pin holes etc with Pink Mr Surfacer 1500.
 
The black version is my go to primer and sprays beautifully and is mostly fool proof but I only have dregs left and sold out locally but had the choice of Grey and Pink.  I discounted the grey as grey plastic, grey primer and grey top coat didn’t appeal due to visually seeing coverage.
 
I choose the pink...and hate it as the spraying characteristics are so different from the black version and I’m struggling to get decent results.  I will pick up grey 1500 tomorrow!
 

 
 
Bilge keels taped in place and glued with Tamiya Extra Thin.  There were half a dozen or so pin holes on the hull halves seams, which needed filling and small dabs of Mr Surfacer 500 took care of them.
 

 
 
As Richmond noted the bilge keels aren’t a great fit and need filling on both sides.  To minimise clean up I tried applying Mr Surfacer 500 with a syringe and it worked great.  Mostly 2 applications was sufficient to fill (one area required 3 passes) and was quickly cleaned up with cotton buds moistened with Mr Hobby Levelling Thinners.
 

 
 
Installing the prop shafts/housings and checking for consistency.
 

 
 
Good place to stop for Part 4, with the hull glued up, seams taken care of, the prop shafts and bilge keels installed, filled and cleaned up.
 

 
And of course the YouTube video link
 
 
Cheers
Slog

Nice post such clean work , nice video as well
 
Richmond

Okay here is my Part 4. 
 
I would say based on Richmond’s latest update I have done more or less the same work although I would be trailing behind him overall.  Although I do have additional progress/footage that will get carried over to the next part.
 
Again no stills, just screen grabs from the video.
 
With the hull now glued together the seams were filled with ‘sprue goo’ and left for a few days.
 

 
 
Whilst waiting for the filler to go off I marked up a number of areas on the hull needing attention such as sink marks, mould lines and some rough areas; the bow had some very faint ripples also.
 

 
 
Once the seams were cleaned up with scraping, sanding and buffing, like Richmond, I wet sanded the entire lower hull, in this case with 600 followed by 1200.  The Tamiya tape was to protect the upper hull details from inadvertent slips.
 

 
 
Priming the seams to highlight any gaps, pin holes etc with Pink Mr Surfacer 1500.
 
The black version is my go to primer and sprays beautifully and is mostly fool proof but I only have dregs left and sold out locally but had the choice of Grey and Pink.  I discounted the grey as grey plastic, grey primer and grey top coat didn’t appeal due to visually seeing coverage.
 
I choose the pink...and hate it as the spraying characteristics are so different from the black version and I’m struggling to get decent results.  I will pick up grey 1500 tomorrow!
 

 
 
Bilge keels taped in place and glued with Tamiya Extra Thin.  There were half a dozen or so pin holes on the hull halves seams, which needed filling and small dabs of Mr Surfacer 500 took care of them.
 

 
 
As Richmond noted the bilge keels aren’t a great fit and need filling on both sides.  To minimise clean up I tried applying Mr Surfacer 500 with a syringe and it worked great.  Mostly 2 applications was sufficient to fill (one area required 3 passes) and was quickly cleaned up with cotton buds moistened with Mr Hobby Levelling Thinners.
 

 
 
Installing the prop shafts/housings and checking for consistency.
 

 
 
Good place to stop for Part 4, with the hull glued up, seams taken care of, the prop shafts and bilge keels installed, filled and cleaned up.
 

 
And of course the YouTube video link
 
 
Cheers
Slog

All lower ratlines are done!

All 3 sets of the topmast ratlines should go quicker than the lower ratlines.

Hi Richmond, you are progressing well,  probably a bit a head of where I'm at.
 
I found the bilge keels fiddly to attach also and needed to watch them as I bumped them twice and each time heard a creak but luckily no damage.  My hull seams weren't to bad also but the stern needed plenty of filling as couldn't get it tightly together.  Agree with the prop shafts such bad seams to fill, although your primed ones turned out well.
 
Agree with the lower deck but I'm also going to paint even if just for some airbrush practice as I seem to be out of practice.  Just a note on your styrene strip, I think the lower deck walls provides support to the main deck so you might have to trim the styrene down flush with wall.
 
Good to see you took my advice on the mounting nuts for the pedestals as I secured mine to the hull yesterday and when attached to temporary pedestals/baseboard the hull was rock solid.  I really like the Pontos pedestals in your picture and may have to get them when time to permanently mount.
 
I experimented with masking and Mr Surfacer 500 for reinstating the hull plating lines but wasn't happy with the results so will use stretched sprue like you.  The black card in the folders as a nice touch, makes it clearer what fret you are looking at.
 
Your portholes look really neat, I haven't done any yet so may have to use your method. What's the pen like thing on the right with the blue tip...is that like a pick up pencil? 
 
I'll post part 4 of my progress later today some time.
 
Cheers
Slog

Thanks for commenting Slog
 
Thanks re the styrene to lower deck - I was a bit ashamed to post that photo but glad I did now - like you it was just airbrush practice - I was watching a video last night and they said black prime is good for white  - maybe will try that next time before I blow any white. Apparently the Tamiya LP version is better to work with then either of the Tamiya or Mr Colour flats.
 
Re Pedestals sorry forgot to mention this was your idea - I have since edited my post  - I couldn't get the pedestals as neat and tidy as yours but no one will see them 
 
May need to do some clean up around the portholes but I really like the idea of using clear coat in lieu of glue on these small flat parts. At least I can clean up the clear coat I wouldn't be able to do this with CA
 
Yes the tool is the Vallejo pick up tool I find it easier to use then the wax pencils - I don't get much traction with the pencils it may be the humid climate or perhaps I am not using them properly
 
Looking forward to your update.
 

Hi Richmond, you are progressing well,  probably a bit a head of where I'm at.
 
I found the bilge keels fiddly to attach also and needed to watch them as I bumped them twice and each time heard a creak but luckily no damage.  My hull seams weren't to bad also but the stern needed plenty of filling as couldn't get it tightly together.  Agree with the prop shafts such bad seams to fill, although your primed ones turned out well.
 
Agree with the lower deck but I'm also going to paint even if just for some airbrush practice as I seem to be out of practice.  Just a note on your styrene strip, I think the lower deck walls provides support to the main deck so you might have to trim the styrene down flush with wall.
 
Good to see you took my advice on the mounting nuts for the pedestals as I secured mine to the hull yesterday and when attached to temporary pedestals/baseboard the hull was rock solid.  I really like the Pontos pedestals in your picture and may have to get them when time to permanently mount.
 
I experimented with masking and Mr Surfacer 500 for reinstating the hull plating lines but wasn't happy with the results so will use stretched sprue like you.  The black card in the folders as a nice touch, makes it clearer what fret you are looking at.
 
Your portholes look really neat, I haven't done any yet so may have to use your method. What's the pen like thing on the right with the blue tip...is that like a pick up pencil? 
 
I'll post part 4 of my progress later today some time.
 
Cheers
Slog

Week 3 (01/01/23) - 22 Hours (Total Build Time 38 Hours)
 
Hull & Rudder
Hull halves glued together and seams filled with mixture of Mr Surfacer 500 / Sprue Glue / Plasticard strip - then dry and wet sanded with 400 and 1000 grits - hull seam was primed with Mr Surfacer 1500 black to check for remaining gaps. Still have work to do in this area.

 
Bilge Keels
Both bilge keels fitted and gaps filled with Mr Surfacer 500 /Sprue Glue and sanded - I am struggling to keep these attached as I rest hull in my lap working on other hull 'furniture' perhaps should have reconsidered build sequence.

 



 
 
Propeller Shafts
Propeller shafts assembled and cleaned up - the fit was terrible and needed a lot of fill and sand - I then primed with Mr Surface 1500 black to check for inconsistencies. I will nopt glue to hull unbtil I am 100% happy with hull finishes.


 
Lower Deck
Lower deck prepared and painted - this is probably a total waste of time and little care and attention was taken as you can see from the finishes.
 
Anyway you would need some form of endoscope to see it on the finished model.
 
As always I struggled with white paint application for the walls and in the end covered in white styrene sheet. The green colour of the floor is a weak attempt to match the 'historical' photographs with the greens and yellows I had on my shelf which were mixed 50/50 and blown through airbrush.

6 Inch Guns (Casemates)
 
The original prime of the guns turned out be a disaster probably due to handling of the guns before drying and or laying on the Primer R too thick with a brush. I stripped back the guns and re-primed the barrels with a 50/50 mix of Mr Primer R /Mr CLT blown through airbrush and paid careful attention to its drying state - hopefully this works out better.

Pedestals 
Prepared nuts for pedestal bases  based on a idea given to me by Slog - mine consist of 1.5 mm card (as opposed to Slogs 2 mm)  x 20 30 mm with opening cut out to the shape of the nut - the nut was then epoxied into the card  - these will be glued into the internal based of the hull


Reinstate Seams
Commenced reinstatement of seam lines to various parts of upper hull which were removed during sanding operations - stretched sprue was used for the seams once correct thickness was manufactured
 
Its a case of trial and error any sprue attached which I am not happy with can be scratched off - once I am happy with alignment I will lightly sand to blend in.
 

 
Portholes
Commenced working on  the hull portholes - there are 116 portholes to be installed 48 standard and 68 barred portholes. The barred portholes are bent into shape which is a simple operation. 
 
I selected a clear coat to affix the portholes which will be sealed in with an initial light prime (and later the final paint layers). Pontos make no reference to hull portholes in their instructions however they have supplied 320 portholes for the kit. I will remove any overspill of the clear coat by scratching with a tooth pick being careful not to dislodge the porthole.
 
If I had my time again I may have tried the relieving the portholes as per Slog and Jeff59 they do look much better however I never really had the confidence to do it.
 
Note all my PE Sprues are stored in a A5 booklet with plastic pockets (recommend by Slog) which I then backed with black card which makes the Srues 'pop'. 


 
Richmond
 
 

Now a bit of hand chipping 

So dry fitting the  upper works 

Dazzle done. Weathering next 

Making progress:
Still on the first side of the first mast, lol.

All shrouds are in place:
That means the standing rigging is done except for the ratlines.
 
Ratlines will commence shortly.

This also means that I am mostly done with most of the leftover parts from this model and it is time to straighten up my work area before proceeding and just leave out the yards, gaffs and sails/flags.
 
I will be using blocks originally purchased for the Victory 2 years ago.

The lower shrouds and all backstays are installed:
All broken davits are repaired.
 
 
This definitely went better than the last time I rigged a barque (or any other variation of a square rigged vessel), 7 years ago.
 
This process here took a couple weeks.
 
I still have to install ratlines, but I am going to save that for after I install the top shrouds, and tie all of them at once.

Main Mast Lower Shrouds and half of the Mizzen Mast Lower Shrouds are on:
I have been working in a sort of round robin pattern to give glue time to dry.
 
 
I have been installing a port side main mast line, a port side mizzen mast line, and starboard side mizzen mast line and then finishing a round with a starboard side main mast line.
 
I have 12 lines, out of 44, to go before lower shrouds and backstays are complete.

Foremast lower shrouds and the foremast backstays are in place:
They are going very slowly.
 
I have been having problems getting behind the davits and the vertical supports for a railing type piece of rigging that will go all the way around the ship.

The small size of the deadeyes has been giving me some problems, too.

Many of the shrouds and a couple of the backstays so far have been replaced a couple of times, too.
 
However, as much of a difficulty as these are, real ratlines look infinitely better than ratlines made on a loom with fake deadeyes.
 
This part of the model has been a lesson in Adapt and Overcome.

Shrouds!
Slowly but surely!
 
And, Merry Christmas to all!  Happy New Year!

Forward Stays and Bob Stays are up:

The foremast and main mast are done:
The mizzen mast still needs finished.
 
I still need to attach blocks before I glue down the main or foremasts.
 
The stays will probably be done tomorrow.
 
And then the shrouds.
 
I will be honest, the shrouds are one of the hardest parts of a model for me.

The foremast is made and temp installed:
It still needs paintwork and sealed.
 
I just made my own mast, but I used the kit’s mast tops and fife rail.
 
The mast is made from a dowel rod, a bamboo kitchen skewer and a toothpick.
 
I shaved them down with a scalpel and sanded smooth with 220 grit sandpaper.
 
Mast hoops are made of paper.

Hi Richmond, an alternative to burning is once you have used all the candle top surface is to let the CA harden and then it can be prised up and picked off like a scab…which is oddly satisfying!

Thank you very much!
 
Solferino is ready for masts!

I started on the hammocks, but discovered that they would interfere with the lanyards on the deadeyes.

So, I rolled them and put them in the plastic container that I stored the ship’s boats in.

I have no idea how many I made, I didn’t keep count.
 
I started on Solferino’s masts:

I found out in a test fit of the lower foremast that the kit version of the masts only go to the deck.
 
I had to use the first foremast I made as a depth gauge to figure out what I needed to add to each of the masts.
 
I then annotated said addition by the pieces from the kit.
 
Needless to say, I have to make another foremast.
 
Oh well, live and learn.
 
I’m making each full mast, one at a time to prevent confusion as to what goes where.
 
I will make yards and gaffs after I finish and install the masts.

Hi Richmond, an alternative to burning is once you have used all the candle top surface is to let the CA harden and then it can be prised up and picked off like a scab…which is oddly satisfying!

Thanks Slog - didn't think off that - I would still burn off, but now only once I have removed the old glue,  in case the smooth surface is key to the glue's longevity
 
Richmond