Fernando E

While I was waiting for the glue to set , I made up a jig to bend the bulwarks .

Finished the deck. I chose to do the pencil lines , seemed to work ok. After applying the matt varnish turned out ok

Started to plank the deck. This is where I made my first error . I chose the thicker lime wood , as opposed to the veneer that I was supposed to . I had already glued and clamped it all when  I realised the mistake . So I left it as is , I figured it would not affect anything in the grand  scheme of things

Started the build. Dry fitted the hull pieces . All good so glued , pretty simple

Just a quick revisit to make a comment on "thinking ahead".
 
I managed to shape the bow very nicely using my method for creating a template. I was really chuffed with how it turned out.
 
Next bit was using some filler to smooth the hull.
I was being smart, so I put filler in areas, I knew would need to be fixed and being really clever I did that over the whole of the hull.
 
Well. As it turns out - that is not smart. In fact it was really dumb.
Using a sander on large areas of filler also produces large amounts of dust. Fine dust. VERY fine dust.
 
Not only does it spread around the living room, but it also spreads to parts of the model, you don't want covered in fine dust.
Like the fine work just done on the deck. Like the attempt at giving the deck a nice weathering.
 
Ruined. Covered in dust that has discoloured the bits.
 
Oh. Most of it can be fixed, but I wish I had thought ahead and covered the deck with some plastic and painters tape.
 
Ah well.
One learns.
 
My motto have changed. It is now:
It is great to learn from your mistakes, but it doesn't beat learning from other people's mistakes.
 
Just thought I'd help you learn from my mistakes.
helpful hint: Sand. A little filler. Sand. A little more filler. Sand. And so on. Baby steps.
It's going to take a year anyway. What difference will  a week make.
 
So now I am waiting for the frost to go away, so that I can go outside when I continue the sanding.
 
 

I haven't been able to find any stories about the wreck in English yet, but here are a few Dutch sources... wonderful stuff!
 
NorthSeaDivers log for the wreck site, short summary of the location and identification of the ship including a useful outline of the remaining wreck overlaid on Apollo's draught:
https://www.northseadivers.nl/logboek/219-his-majesty-s-ship-apollo-1794.html?fbclid=IwAR2o1jGVn7H0xNFaRuI9Cq3G-JO_7x17ptQlTnCZUTTOpxh6I-J7ztYm1_I
 
There's a short video diving the wreck on this site: 
https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2021/01/06/kanonnen-van-brits-oorlogsschip-hms-apollo-bovengehaald-uit-bode/
Just a guess, but it seems like there's a chain pump visible among the guns.  The remaining wreck appears to be in wonderful condition.
 
Another video on NorthSeaDivers facebook: https://fb.watch/2-tuQA87I9/ almost entirely viewing the ship's guns on the seabed
 
Site outlining a few finds from the wreck (including two remarkable bayonet scabbards & cartridge bags) from last summer(?), which seem to be bound for Kaap Skil, on loan from England:
https://www.texel.nl/mozard/!suite05.scherm1070?mNwb=91756&mNwc=129&fbclid=IwAR2lnlU9SmaEqQYzlA8Xxb9v4SXOpxI7Rb-y7aYCyqNXq0ERbe8I48k_pHc
 
 

Thank you all for your condolences and kind words, dear friends. Life has brought me terrible suffering, and the pain in my heart is unbearable. I know, it is necessary to go on, I try to finish everything I started, and hope that one day it will be better again.
I finished the flags, inspired by Sailmaker's painting of the Royal Katherine:
 

 
 

Hello all,  I'm Tom from Shanghai, China. My English is not very good. I use Google translation software to communicate   I am very grateful to MSW, the communication platform, for letting me see a lot of excellent works, for letting me see a lot of production experience, and for letting me learn and progress from it   Now I have a small studio cafmodel. We mainly develop the kit of the model,   Previously, La salamander, Le Requn, La Belle, La renommee, La jacinthe, HMS enterprise, HMS Bellona have been developed   At the beginning, I didn't pay attention to the copyright, but now I gradually understand that my product has the problem of infringement, and I think I should make changes   I make a statement   CAF models has recently been contacted by Chuck Passaro of the Nautical Research Guild. I am very thankful for his guidance. Chuck has worked with me to address my use of Ancre plans for my kits that all of you are familiar with. He has made it possible for me to meet Mr.Berti of Ancre so we can discuss rectifying the situation. He introduced me to Mr Berti. I apologize to Ancre for copying their plans without permission or compensation and through this introduction I have now come to an agreement with Ancre which now enables me to sell my kits with a legitimate relationship between us. I appreciate the time and professional relationship I now have with Chuck, Didier Berti and the NR G. Chuck has informed me that CAF models and my kits will now be welcomed on Model Ship World and I am very grateful for this. Thank you   I hope to get the understanding of Ancre publishing house that I will stop selling all infringing products before obtaining production authorization   Tom

All that remains is to add anchors and flags.
 

 
 
The crew was originally supposed to be on the model, unfortunately I was struck by a very cruel life event, when my husband died a few months ago and it changed a lot in my life. There will be only two figures on the model that will symbolize me and my husband, it is a remembrance and a tribute to the best person I have ever known and spent with him more than 20 years. He had a wish for me to successfully complete the Royal Katherine, and I want to fulfill his wish as best as possible.
 
Doris

And here are already finished sails (made of cloth), including  other rigging:
 

Preparation of paper templates for making sails:
 

Almost complete running rigging:

 
Here you can see how big the model really is - towards its builder:
 

Hello dear friends, 
First of all, I want to wish you all the best in the new year.
Thank you also for your comments and kind words.

I am currently completing the model, almost all the rigging is already done and the ship also has sails.
Here are several photos from the process of tying the ropes, as well as some examples from the books I followed and used on the model (Andreson and Lees).
 

Phew. A couple of days celebrating Christmas and New Year. Just the wife and I.
Kids have their own lives and left it at that. Not that I grumble, no, no.
They have their own kids and own problems with working and getting stuff done under difficult circumstances.
 
BUT!
I could build on the ship. And I did.
Hull is covered in first layer and I had to tackle the long dreaded problem of shaping the bow. As you guys might know, the kit includes some shapes for the stern to help with the shaping, but the bow is supposed to be shaped from two thick blocks on either side.
Not the best thing for a person that already dreads the process.
 
So I went to work in Blender (free app) and made a template that eventually got 3D printed with some neat slits to help with the shape of the different layers.
It is meant for 5 millimeter thick pieces. I got some Balsa Wood for that bit.
 
Picture is from the process and I feel a lot better now. I am fairly certain that the bow will be the correct shape. At least I can say that I have a significant head start.
 
I've included the two main STL-files. The bow as it should look and the template for the cutting.
 

bow.stl bow_template.stl

Christmas days without family (except the wife of course) and in lockdown. Not very nice, but it gives me plenty of time to sit with my project.
 
Got to a point yesterday where I almost cursed. I hadn't noticed two reinforcements on the aft frames. They weren't mentioned in the text and they weren't referenced in the pictures. Only a careful look at picture 42 (for those of you with access to the manual) revealed their location. Luckily I spotted them while fretting over how to make sure the aft section was formed correctly.
Anyway. Panic over and I got on with the job as you can see in the picture. Some sanding required and of course some filler work, but all in all, I think it looks OK.
 
As for the passengers, they are husband and wife who decided to take a trip on this replica.
"Go on. It'll be fun" he said.
"For you maybe, but being on a ship is hard work" she said.
Guess she was right.
 
And I almost regretted not getting the pin-driver - that is until I remembered that some of my torx-bits have a hole in the tip for those special security screws. Design - 3D print - finished.
And it works. You can see it in the picture foreground.
I have included space in the STL for a tiny magnet (3xø8 millimeter) to be inserted inside the handle during printing. Pause the print at the right spot. Glue in the magnet and continue printing.
 
Just thought I'd publish another picture - because you guys, being really good at model building, will be able to stop me before it is too late, if I am totally going in the wrong direction.
 
YEAH. They have just extended the lockdown until January 17.
More time to build and too cold for garden work.
 

nailer.stl

Hi there - dare I say - fellow model ship builders.
 
I am progressing slowly but surely, and am getting hooked on building models.
My model building experience is from about 50 years ago when I build Airfix model airplanes. My only recollection is something about using too much glue in places (and fingerprints in the paintwork).
 
On Endeavour I have just finished putting on the reinforcements along the false keel and am about to consider the best way to approach the sanding of the frames.
I shall have to construct a specialized sanding block - flat on one side and rounded on the other.
 
My first major problem was that I was supposed to use a .75 millimeter drill bit for some eyebolts for the central hatchway covers.
I couldn't find any smaller than 1 millimeter at my local stores and because of the lockdown I would not be able to get any from anywhere else for a long time.
Invention is the name of the game, and it turns out that my wife has some sewing needles, and one of them was .78 millimeter.
So I clipped the tip off and managed to drill the holes with that. Lucky me.
 
During the build so far, I have devised som helping hands in the form of some 3D printed bits.
I noticed in the manual pictures that a flight of steps would lead into the cargo hold, and because of that I designed a barrel to fit the scale.
Two sizes - a tun and a butt.
Now I shall glue them to the deck below so they can be seen through the open hatch.
 
And because I think that some future builder might like to have these stl-files I include them here.
 
I am also working on a 3D model of the bow. This I shall use to make some 5 millimeter thick templates of diminishing sizes.
It is looking very promising at the moment.
Maybe I'll still finish the model in late 2021.
 
As for the building manual...
A bit weird in places. It is definitely important to look at the pictures very very closely and compare them to pictures a number of pages further in.
The written parts are very brief and the pictures are often "this is what it looks like, now find a way to create that".
 

angle block - inside.stl angle block - narrow.stl angle block - wide.stl barrels - butt.stl barrels - tun.stl

FINALLY!
 
I've started putting it together. The first two frames are in place and the curved one is on the mend.
 
As it turned out, the advice I read on these very forums about heat being the only neccessary remedy for bending wood... was inaccurate.
Or in this case. Perhaps inaccurate because of the thickness of the frame. In any case. Soaking it and then drying it between some newspaper and old shelves fixed with two massive clamps, did the trick. (so far)
 
In the picture I am showcasing the angle-blocks I have printed to assist me in getting the frames squared up while the glue dries. You can also just see the keel_build_support I have designed.
 
While laying the decks I am contemplating the "nailing effect", which I initially thought looked great. On reflection, I have come to the conclusion that none of the tall ships I have been aboard had very visible nails or pegs. Mostly the decks were grotty and weathered with only a hint of planks and pegs.
So that is the way I am going.
I shall make some very faint pencil marks, but they will be all but covered with a wood stain or weathering effect. And since I have a 3D printer with a small nozzle, I intend to make some small figures to make it all a bit more interesting. Some of those figures will be crew on their hands and knees scrubbing the planks.
I must remember to stain the planks in a way that suggests an area already scrubbed.
 
Anyway. I'm rambling. I am simply so happy to be on the long long road to building this model. My brain is brimming with details I'd like to add to make it more "real".
If you ever visited Wunderland in Hamburg, you know what I mean. Have a look. It is truly inspiring.
 

right angle support block.stl

December 19,2020
 
Finishing Touches
 
This build log entry covers the completing the last finishing touches on the H.M.S. Beagle.
 
Anchors
The wooden anchor cross members were, unfortunately, cut with the grain across rather than lenghtwise, so both broke when trying to fit them to the anchors.  They were, however, easily glued back together.  The anchors needed to be filed down (and the holes in the cross members enlarged) to get the pieces to fit.  I added metal strapping to the cross members as was indicated in the drawing, although it was not mentioned in the instructions. 
 
 
The anchors were then mounted on the foremast shroud supports and rigging lines run from the davit and a hole in the bow.
 
 
Aft Lifeboat
The aft lifeboat was hung from the davits and secured to cleats of my own construction (as I thought that the rings provided didn’t look appropriate).  I set the lifeboat part way down so that it would not hide the stern transom moulding, as I really liked the way it had turned out and wanted it visible.  There is even a workmanlike rendition of the British Coat of Arms (at least for that scale).
 
 

 
Model Base
I thought that the model base was pretty inadequate for the ship. 
 
 
SMS recommends a longer base.
 
 
Using the recommendations of SMS, I obtained a piece of birth 1x4 plank, then drilled holes in the hull at the intersections of the keel and frames at the appropriate distance.  I added two wooden beads to raise the ship slightly off the plank.  The end result was a clean and very sturdy base for the ship (the plank weighs about as much as the ship).
Flags
There were four flags provided in the kit.  In order for them to drape more realistically, I mounted them temporarily on wood dowels, sprayed them with starch and then weighed down the bottom corner of the flag until they dried.
 
 
Here is how they look on the ship.
 
 
Rope Coils
Although not mentioned in the instructions, they were recommended in SMS to add detail to the model.  To create the coils for the belay pins, I wrapped the rigging line around a dowel and tied it off adding some fabric glue.
 
 
I then placed the tied loop on a tying jig I made with two brads in balsa wood.  This held the loop in place while I tied the ends and glued. 
 
 
I then trimmed the excess line.
 
 

In addition, I added four deck rope coils for the Topsail halyards for both masts, the mainmast jeer and the mizzenmast boom halyard.  These were coiled on double-sided tape, then coated with varnish.  When dried I applied them on the end of the lanyard on the deck.  This coil was the very last thing added to the ship.
 
 
Total Build time – 607 hrs: 23 hrs for the work in this build log entry.
 
Fun facts: The breakdown of the build time is:
 
Build Segment
Build Time
Percentage Time
Preparatory work
45
7.4%
Hull & Deck
215
35.4%
Deck Fixtures
115
18.9%
Masts & Rigging
209
34.5%
Finishing
23
3.8%
Total
607
100%
 
 
There are 55 rope coils on belay pins, and 20 rope coils on the deck (including the 16 coils I had added for the cannon earlier).
 
SMS – Ship Modeling Simplified by Frank Mastini

Greetings, 
After a long brake the cold weather came to our area which could (I hope) give me some time for ships. 
There is not much missing on AVOS. rope coils on the cleats and flag. Possibly I add some small details. 
I have started with coils. First attempts after the brake. I guess I would need some warm up to get up to speed again. 

Hello Everyone,
 
My name is Mike, and I live in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire.
 
For a number of years I wanted to have a go at wooden ship modelling, but never had the time. Then I retired and lockdown started - so the perfect excuses to have a go! I got 'Pickle' from Caldercraft, and had a happy 4 months or so making it. Now I've got the bug and am halfway through Caldercraft 'Bounty.' Have been getting useful tips from the 'build logs' as I've found the instructions rather sketchy after 'Pickle'.
 
Thanks for having me on board!
 
Mike
 
 

good evening everyone
 
Day 66 fore 1/2 deck
 
thank you for comments and pointers, im loving this build, im in day 60 odd and not thought about any other build, not even the Bluejacket schooner that might be on sale this time next years (not thought about that much at all) (but dont ask the wife, she will lie to you lol)
 
using 5mm lime strips the fore 1/2 deck has now been planked,
 
at present i am sorting out the forward bulkhead, and making up the bulkheads for the sail room, and carpenter store

Good evening everyone
 
day 64 fore 1/2 deck supports
 
having learnt lessons from the pointy end,  today  i manged to do what took two weeks making a level 1/2 deck
 
i traced a deck beam onto a piece of plasticard, and temp glued it to the beam , the beam was then put into position and held with clips whilst a deck support was shaped to fit under it, this support was glued and pinned and the deck beam with card removed, this was repeated twice, then two strips of wood placed between the new supports provided a template to fix another 3 beams in place without any issues
 

Good evening everyone
After 1/2 deck hatches day 63
i am still messing about with this part of the ship, had hoped to have moved on by now, but the hatches are made now, i need to learn how to make ladders soon

perhaps the best photo of her so far, maybe i should get rid of the shiny bits

Good evening everyone
 
Day 62 After 1/2 deck compartments finished
 
i decided not to rip it all out again, seams very pointless for something that wont be seen, otherwise, im never going to progress from here, yes the doors are to thick, and all different, lets see if i can improve when i move to the front, the lower deck beams now fit over the bulkheads, and thats made me happy
 
always happy to post on here things that are not as good as they should be,
 
getting rid of the white edges  is  next