GemmaJF

Let's see how we can develop some skill with deadeyes!! (This may sound a little like I'm venting so feel free to skip this post!)
 
**** Venting starts
 
It looks really easy - four simple steps and the shroud will be rigged!
 


 
So far ok I guess  - took a while to get here.

 
Drat - the chain plate glue broke.

 
Try again

 
Well I don't like the glue,  trying to seize with thread and just how am I supposed to get the lanyard straight!!!! 
 
Venting over ****
 
How to you get the orientation of the deadeyes set so the threading of the lanyard is "organized nicely" - especially when these tiny deadeyes are somewhat randomly drilled.

 
How to deal with the ugly glue bumps?
 
Is sewing thread suitable for seizing a line?
 

You cant use auto trace...its just not accurate.  It also creates too many nodes in your lines.  Unfortunately there are no shortcuts and these "quick-fix" auto functions are just a way to do the job quickly and rather sloppily.  The only way you will be able to really do an accurate job is to import the image and trace over it while making corrections yourself.  Then as Druxey said, use diagonals and waterlines to fair and correct your traced lines.   It is a very time-consuming process but its the only way you will be sure its correct before you start making sawdust.
 

 
I usually import an image and scale it to whatever the scale is I am working on...say 1:48.  But others find it easier to make the drawing full size so they can use the real measurements from Steele or a builders contract.  I use Corel Draw X8.  It works great and once you become proficient with using the dozen or so tools and functions needed it goes well.  You can use small tricks and methods to speed up the process.  I have taught several people over the phone how to use CD and in person.  I can usually get them to the point where they can work on their own with good results in just a few hours.  But they must understand lofting and fairing and ship design before they start using the software or the lack of architectural knowledge usually does them in.  Its easy enough to learn the software....much more difficult and time consuming to learn and understand how draft frames and proof out and fair your lines, along with adding all of those important details not shown on an original draft or simple plan original.
 
In the image posted above for example, you can see the original draft I will begin drafting and tracing over.  Also added to the workspace is an image of a similar contemporary model.  This is also scaled up to the same size as the draft.  Rather than flip back and forth to a photo on a different file or on paper, having the photo right above my work is an excellent and convenient reference.  I can quickly examine the contemporary model for features not shown on the draft or incorporate and design my parts to mimic those on the model.  For example, I can quickly use the model to design the joints between the stem and keel to closely mirror that models construction because its right above my workspace and not shown on the draft.
 
I usually have many more draft copies and photos in my workspace than shown here but this is how I work up a set of plans....once at a pont to fair the frames or correct inaccuracies in the draft I can hide those images while I create my own half-breadth plan or whatever third view I need to prove out my lines.   I use waterlines and diagonals to correct my frames while creating my own Half breadth view from the body plan and sheer plan I traced.  
 
Chuck

Gemma,
 
Will you please post a link?
 
Thanks,
John

Although there is still a lot of work to be done, when you get to the point of actually installing the sails, I feel it's getting near the end. I know that many modellers think that rigging a full set of sails is unnecessary and unrealistic. I can't argue with them, they're right. No sailing ship would ever have her full set sails on at the same time. However, I think from an aesthetic point of view, it looks good on a model ship. As Patrick O'Brian said on a caption showing the HMS Surprise with all sails rigged, "HMS Surprise with all her sails hung to dry on a calm day." Here are close ups of the Spanker and the staysails rigged so far.

Well, I guess the end must be in sight. I've been a year and a half working on the Bounty, and I've enjoyed all of it. Atesania Latina's instructions quickly become useless, and a lot has followed... almost all of the rigging... has been the result of research on this forum, broad interpretation of the drawings provided, and, honestly, making stuff up as I go along. Here is a shot of her with the first three sails installed. (That's a roll of paper towels in the background near the mizzen mast )

So my 'filler' model will by Caldercraft's Bounty. Whilst I redo the plans for my Bounty I wanted a less mentally challenging kit to keep my modelling going. I expect to replace largish sections so will use different outer planks, deck planks and I may also replace the hatches/ladders/guns with my own. I also am unlikely to use the kit thread preferring to use third party choices though this time I might purchase a Rope maker myself and see what I can do on my own.
 
Anyway obligatory box shot....
 

 
All contents
 

 
And bulkheads for the first section well marked with their frame number in ink
 

 
Hopefully this will be better updated than most of my stuff but you never know...

I'm progressing pretty well and I am now faced with the sanding/shaping job at the bow, keel and bulkheads.  I'm looking ahead to the deck planking and I am trying to find what the planking configuration was on the original ship.  The kit comes with lengths of planking long enough to do the job but I think this is a bit of a cop out.  I've read the Deck Planking tutorial and I'm looking to do 120mm planks with an 'every 5' configuration as I think it would look good.  However, does anyone know what the original configuration was or was there a common practice for ships of that era?  Here are some photos of where I'm at.

Cathead, Canute, thx for info on the pastels. I went to the local Dollar Store and picked up some OIL PASTELS to try out. These were similar to wax crayons and they didn't go down on the model very well at all. I had not looked at the pics Ken sent prior to picking these 'crayons' up, or I wouldn't have bothered. I'll go down the model shop tomorrow an get some good soft colors, looks a very effective way of adding detail. I'm looking forward to trying that method out. Thx for the info.
 
I'm close to gluing all the parts down to the deck, I just need to detail the deck, here are a couple of picks of latest status, getting close to sheet 2!!!!
 
I've rubbed the deck paint off at the stair rail to represent heavy ware, I will clean up the scratches soon.
 
Thx for checking out my log.

Hello people! Im kiran, from india.i love making model ships and here to learn the experts advice in making model ships . Thankyou

Guns
As mentioned, Philadelphia and Washington carried a variety of guns from 6pdr to 18pdr.  At 1:144 scale, the maximum diameters of these (excluding the reinforces) vary from 1.7 to 2.8mm, with the intermediate guns scaled proportionally.  Working along the barrels, the differences in reinforce spacing for the different sizes are measured in fractions of a millimetre.
 

 
On my Unimat SL lathe the taper (2 degrees) is easy to achieve by setting the headstock over, but generating the reinforces at the correct intervals rapidly taxed my mental arithmetic.  Accordingly, I modified the lathe with larger graduated hand wheels and, more importantly, a digital readout along the axis.  This greatly eased the problem of spacing the reinforces correctly.  The results are shown here (a UK 5 pence piece is identical in size to a US dime).
 

 

 

 
I spent some time trying to work out how to produce convincing shot to fill the shot garlands, given that at this scale the diameters are between 0.6 and 0.9mm (0.024”-.036”).  In the end, I settled for poppy seeds.
 

 
I haven’t mentioned the swivel guns.  A visitor, peering into the box where the cannon barrels were stored, commented “Oh, you’ve got some bits of swarf here”.  “Er…no…those are the swivels!”.
 
(....to be continued)

Fittings and details
 
Both shells were screwed to separate blocks of chipboard for fitting out and the addition of much of the detail.  Most of this was fairly routine and doesn’t rate a mention here, but there were a few points that may be of interest.
 
Shrouds and ratlines
I used black thread for the heavier standing rigging (shrouds and forestays) and brown or tan polyester cotton for lighter and running rigging.  For the shrouds and ratlines I made a simple jig which is just a strip of plywood a little over twice the length of the shrouds with the surface hollowed to leave a shallow rim, and a series of saw cuts along each edge at the correct spacing for the ratlines (about 2.5mm at this scale).  In the middle, I set a steel pin of the same diameter as the mast, and at each end a series of pins of the same diameter as the deadeyes.  This allows both port and starboard shrouds to be made up at the same time.  With the shrouds and appropriate lashings in place, I wrapped the entire length of the jig with cotton, using the saw cuts to regulate the spacing.
 

 
I then painted each shroud with a diluted solution of PVA.  Once that was dry, all the cotton outside the shroud assemblies was sliced away with a razor blade.  Removing the steel pins leaves a set of shrouds ready to be attached to the mast.
 

 
For deadeyes, I cut slices from a 2mm diameter plastic knitting needle – probably overscale, but I didn’t think I could drill three evenly-spaced holes in anything smaller than that – and then pressed them into the loops at the end of each shroud.  The final result after adding the lanyards is shown here.
 

 
(....to be continued)

Washington
Once the shell of Philadelphia was complete, but before starting to add the details shown in the last shot in the previous post, I put it aside and embarked on making the hull of Washington.  This would be a waterline model, to be set into the water surface.  My approach was similar to that used for Philadelphia, in that the part of the hull below deck level would be solid and incorporated in the finished model.  In this case, however, the upper former was complicated by the fact that Washington had a tumblehome so the plug needed to be modified so that it could be extracted from the shell of planking.  I made it in three pieces, located by steel dowels, in such a way that – once the planking was complete – the centre section could be lifted out and the side pieces collapsed inwards. 
 

 
This photo shows the degree of tumblehome, especially aft.
 

 
With the upper former well coated with release agent (candle wax) and the lower former screwed to it, I was then able to plank the hull.  Again, planking below deck level was glued to the lower former, that above simply edge butted.  However, before removing the upper plug, I tacked a printout of the elevation to each side to enable the gunports and oar ports to be cut out. 
 

 
In this way, the sides – which at this stage are very fragile – are fully supported.  Finally, I was able to remove the plug ready to reinforce the shell with upper frames and caprails, and to add the quarterdeck. 
 

 
Unfortunately, I seem to have let the camera take a holiday for a while and the next picture that I have shows the hull after painting and the addition of quite a bit of the detail. 
 
 

 
 
I will mention some of these items later…….and, yes, the guns really were of different sizes.  Benedict Arnold’s fleet had been thrown together in a hurry, and Washington was armed with one 18pdr, one 12pdr, two 9pdr and six 6pdr cannons, plus numerous swivels.  Keeping track of the ammunition must have been a nightmare.
At this stage, a confession, which bears on the on-going discussion of what constitutes ‘scratch building’.  The deck planking and gratings are computer printouts glued to the deck.  I could probably have laid proper deck planking at this scale, but the gratings would definitely be beyond me.  Is this still a scratch build?
 
(....to be continued)

Doug, see drawings, do not need glue
 

 

 
With regards Peter
 
 

I'm making my 1st tentative steps at the rigging.
 
Part of the challenge with this 1:100 scale kit is the size of the blocks and deadeyes.  My first successful attempts at stropping the blocks:
 

 

 
Working on the foremast required my 1st gaff.  Seemed to go without any major gaffes.
 


 
The throat that that holds the gaff to the spar doesn't have any barrels to hold it on so I've temporarily wired it onto the mast.  I presume at the end of the day (i.e when the model is done) I'll have to glue it to the mast?
 

Update time! Hooray!
 
Planking continues slowly and steadily on the starboard side. The second layer of the wale has been added, my first attempt at top and butt (anchor stock). You can just see the shape of the planks through the black paint. I used castello boxwood for the second layer, which was a pleasure to work with. Having the black strake 0.5mm proud of the surrounding planking gave a nice line for the first strake to butt up against.
 
Below the wales, I've carried on using the kit supplied walnut planking. It is incredibly splintery, Caldercraft must supply some other variety of walnut from that supplied by Amati (go figure). It works after a fashion, and doesn't look too bad. Most of it will be coppered anyway, and I find the the colour contrast to the castello appealing. Also, because the kit supplied planks are also about 1m long, cutting them down to more manageable lengths has made things a lot easier when it comes to bending and tapering, it also makes it easier to get a nice fit and finish where the planks meet the stem and stern counter.
 
Anyway, that's about it for now
 
Andy

This will probably be my last update for a while. I've been called back to work next week, so hobby time is on hold yet again.
 
Planking has been progressing slowly on the starboard side. It's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm still satisfied with the way things have been going, nothing has been sanded yet, so a lot of the apparent unevenness will be remedied later on. I've left the plank at the waist extra wide for the moment. When I get the Quarter Deck/Fo'c'sle/Gangaways installed, I will sand it down to it's proper width.
 
I've been using PVA to glue on the second planking, so that has contributed greatly to the speed (or lack thereof) of construction. I've used modified Micro-Mark planking clamps to secure the planks while the glue dries. The modification of these clamps came about partly by accident and partly by design. When I was doing the first planking, much to my dismay (at the time) the little pieces of soft metal that are used to secure the planks started to fracture, I found that by using drilled out bits of limewood (the first planking material), I could still use the clamps and without marring the wood. Also I found the thumbscrew parts hard on the fingers, so I covered that part with heat shrink tubing for a much more comfortable grip.
 
When I was looking at the CC plans and compared them to the AOTS drawings, I noticed that the aft hanses where too far forward over the 8th gun port. So I scribed the hanses back about 8 or 9 mm with a set of dividers. I only cut back the lower protruding spur, the rest of the bulwark is unmodified. This will eventually allow more space for the ladder and fenders, and show improve the overall appearance of these features.
 
The "sub-wales" and everything below will be done using the kit supplied walnut (most of it will be coppered anyway). Annoyingly splintery and far from first rate quality, but it does have a really nice colour. It's doesn't show in any of the photos, but when given a quick wipe with a damp rag, it turns a nice golden brown hue... I'll have to figure out a good stain/varnish to highlight that in the future.
 
Anyway, that's about it for now.
 
Andy

Time for a small update. Second planking is progressing nicely, albeit slowly on the starboard side. The castello boxwood is really nice (and easy to work with), and so far it looks like only a minimum of fine sanding will be needed to finish the surface (yay!). The walnut below the black strake will be part of the sub-wale, which is only half finished at the moment. 
 
Anyway, not much more to report at the moment.
 
Andy
 
 

thanks John       I'm a mile behind you my friend   ........some of your ideas {and the stuff you make your parts from},  are more innovative than me!  
 
our logs are just a smidgen of what MSW contains...........that's what makes MSW an awesome site!

My condolences on your dad's passing; it is a difficult time to work through such decisions. Have you considered contacting various public entities, such as libraries or government offices, who might want to have something attractive on display? Placed in a nice case, a beautiful model can inspire and engage people passing by every day, even if the office isn't directly related to anything nautical. Perhaps even a retirement home or other care facility might have a corner where patients might enjoy the sight of such a visually interesting piece of artwork. In other words, I'd say cast a wide net for public facilities that might be "spruced up" by one of your dad's models. Even a local restaurant, law office, or other business might be willing to include one in their decor somewhere; it can't hurt to ask, especially as you are not looking to sell them.
 
Best of luck to you. Models are tough, as most of their inherent value is to the builder and their immediate relations. I hope you can find a way to help your dad's work live on and inspire others.

Thanks both of you. I'm discovering lots of things I'll benefit from going forward. Learning a bit about the tools and the material, I'm gaining new respect for wood - previously I mostly burn the stuff to keep warm or fight with 2x4's to try to get some little building hammered together. Also learning about glue - when it holds and when it doesn't and how much of mess it it makes if you use too much! Files and sandpaper solve a bunch of problems. I'm pretty sure that wood filler will be playing a bigger part in my life too!
 
All in all I'm having fun.
 
Doug

Popeye,
 
I am using the original wood from the kit.  I knew when I saw the kit offered that it wouldn't be laser cut or even punched out but I thought if I do one kit like this I'll appreciate the newer kits even more!
 
One difference with my kit and the current Cux version (I downloaded BB instructions for reference) is in the handling of the stern.  The bulkheads stop at #0.  Below deck level the stern is to be formed by shaping a wooden block on each side of the stern post. are no planks that wrap around the stern below deck level.   The top 2 planks (above deck) were supposed to meet at the stern post (my slip up).

 

I'm Currently expecting to cut the stern blocks in slices and laminate them together (this decision came after I had tried to carve the blocks that were supplied with the kit - they were like little bits of concrete - slight exaggeration)
 
I was expecting to make the top 2 stern planks a single piece from the port bulkhead around the stern post to the starboard bulkhead.  Since it is above deck and visible I'll try to share the last bulkhead between the above deck hull planks and the stern planks by 
 
 
 

Hi Pat,
 
I'm not too worried - I was just fishing for alternatives.  
 
I'm still hopeful I'll get good at this modelling stuff.  I'd be really happy to have an experience like you just described!  In the meantime I'm enjoying the journey (even if I do get a bit frustrated with it occasionally).
 
Doug

Hi Steve,
Nice progress, looking really good.
 
The White is White Lead Paint, producing a dirty White finish.
The alternative seems to have been a mixture of Wood-Coal Tar that gave an almost Black finish, Sulphur was often added to the mixture to ward off Toredo.
 
("Historic Ship Models" - Wolfram Zu Mondfeld)

Thank you Nigel for the kind words that makes the log worth while I will follow along with your log it will be interesting to see how different manufactures approach the build
 
Thanks
Steve.

Thank you for following peter and the kind comments I suspected there was more to the white than just paint and your suggestion confirms my own thoughts