hamilton

Hello there: Over the last couple of evenings I've managed to complete another couple of small things on Bluenose - the chain box and the rudder. The chain box is not featured on the deck plans, but included in a lower corner of a plan sheet that documents the deck fixtures, dorys and mast/spar construction - it could easily be overlooked. What isn't clear is if there was one such box on either side - the plans say to locate the chain box just aft of the engine box, which is located on the port side. I included two boxes on my 1:100 scale Bluenose, since it made sense to have one on each side for each anchor....but what is the consensus on this? Anyway, this feature was constructed out of 5 pieces of 1/32" thick basswood cut to measure. The front and back of the box were installed on top of the base and then the sides added after - the inside faces of each strip were painted black prior to assembly and then the outside and edges finished white after. The rudder was pretty easy - especially since I had already made them man years ago when I cut out the final versions of the keel pieces and bulkheads - this much have been back in 2016 or 2017!! Sheesh!! I was reading another modeller's log today and he was calling himself "lazy" for not treenailing his deck - but I bet he never waited 7 years to install a rudder!! Anyway, the rudder and stern post were made from 3/16" ply and needed only some minor adjustments to fit properly. The pintles and gudgeons were made using 1/64" x 3/64" bras strip gently bent first around a 1/16" brass rod and then again around a scrap 3/16" piece of ply to get the rough shape. The short sections of 1/16" brass rod were glued to the pintles and gudgeons with CA and then attached to the rudder first. I installed the stern post onto the model and then the tiller extension was added - made from a 3/16" dowel and shaped accordingly. I masked off the rudder and painted the pintles and gudgeons before installing the rudder on the model - I felt that this would be far less messy than using the blackening agent I have or trying to paint them on the model. Next I'll probably mount the model on a stand I made about a year and a half ago and then finally move onto the windlass and other works at the bow....this, along with the scrollwork and name plates as well as the chainplates & shroud deadeyes will see the hull more or less complete! Then I think I will return to my Bellona build for a while and let Bluenose rest before moving onto the masting.... In the meanwhile, enjoy the photos and happy modelling hamilton

Wow, Yves! It's been a while since I came by here and you have not been idle! Somewhere above you mentioned that you weren't doing treenails on deck because you're lazy - no offence, but given the results here I have to doubt that self-assessment!! hamilton

Looks great Jason!

Yesterday I had a go at the catheads, which were one of those elements that I was kind of puzzling over. In the end, I decided that my metal working skills and the resources at my current disposal for achieving good results were pretty limited, so I took another route. I used 3/32" square basswood stock for the the "head" and 3/64" brass rod for the shaft. I marked off the basswood to the length of the out portion of the cathead and filed out a notch in the end, first making a gentle cut along the centre of one end of the strip and then using first a triangular and then a round needle file to widen out the end to simulate the sheave. I then drilled a hole behind that and widened/filed it out with files to complete the sheave. I then drilled small holes to receive eyebolts in the bottom and side. Only after that did I cut off the portion of the basswood stock, drill a hole in the square end of it and attach a length of brass rod for the cathead "shaft". I then whittled and sanded down the end of the wooden "head" portion to blend it in with the brass, painting the whole assembly black. They're definitely out of scale (the head portion anyway) but I'm hoping that they won't look so bad once all the other elements are built up around them..... I did have to make some 1/16" thick cap rail extensions, since I forgot to mark out those when I was making the caprails a while back...this was very straightforward. Here are the photos - enjoy and happy modelling hamilton

Continuing with the foredeck....this update covers the forward companionway and engine box. Oh - and I added some ringbolts to the deck.... I ended up making the companionway twice - I probably should have made it a third time, but my patience ran out!! I approached this the same way I did with the skylight. I glued up a couple of 1/16 x 1/4" strips for the sides and used the same material for the panels. I glued a couple of 1/16" square strips on the inside of the sides, set 1/16" back from the aft edge to act as a stop for the panels. The engine box I built up out of 6 pieces of 1/4" x 3/16" basswood (for the larger section) and a tetris style assembly of random wood strips to get the proper dimensions. Once these were filled, sanded and finished, I marked out the two openings on the smaller section, drilled holes to eventually receive the rod for the winch (starboard side) and for the anchor chain (forward). The two sections were glued together, the seam filled and the entire thing painted and lidded. I used, once again, 1/16" pinstripe tape to simulate the hinges. The assembly is not glued to the deck yet, since I want to first construct the jumbo jibboom rest, winch and windlass to make sure all these parts are situated correctly relative to one another....I only have a couple of small jobs to do before moving on to the windlass, winch, etc., which is going to be a challenge for me....I've been spending a bit of time over the last couple of weeks wrapping my head around these items and I have a couple of possible approaches in mind - but that is for the future! Until then - enjoy the photos and happy modelling hamilton

A couple of additions to the Bluenose to report - working on the bowsprit and deck assembly for the samson post & bowsprit bitts. Nothing particularly tricky about these. For the samson post mortice, I drilled through the 3/16" square stock I was using, squared off the hole using needle files and then plugged up the back of it with a 1/8" square bit of basswood. Filed down and painted over it blends in perfectly. The alignment was a bit fiddly, but once the samson post was positioned, things went together more or less easily. Enjoy the photos and happy modelling hamilton

Interesting - you may need to use some push pins or straight pins to set the waterway strip in place, since there are no bulkhead extensions. If you start mid-ships and work fore and aft this should be relatively straightforward. It will also give you a chance to test the fairness of the outside edges of the bulkheads - if you tack the waterway strip in place along the tops of the bulkhead edges and get it running in a nice smooth curve, you will see where the bulkhead edges either stick out from or are set back from the outboard edge of the waterway - this will tell you where you need to shave some of the wood off the bulkhead edges or build them up with thin wood strips to get a smooth run of hull planking. hamilton

I think you have a good start here. At this stage, I would consider building the stand so the model has something to rest in as you're working on it. After a certain point the model won't be too much "in hand" so it's good to have it in a protected spot. Something to consider before starting the hull planking -- the deck planks on the fore deck need a landing spot for their aft ends, where the step up to the quarterdeck is. I've included below a photo from my current 1:64 Bluenose build that shows this. I just used off-cut scrapwood to do this after tracing the deck "camber" (the curve of the deck from the centreline to port and starboard) onto the forward face of the bulkhead that defines the forward edge of the quarterdeck. If your bulkheads are already glued in it might be a bit tricky to get this line traced. But if not, you can just lay the last fore deck bulkhead and the first quartedeck bulkhead together with their bottoms aligned and trace the top edge of the forward bulkhead onto the aft one - then lay some scrap strips these so the deck plank ends have a place to sit when you come to the decking. The hull planking on this model is actually very straightforward compared with others, due to the overall hull shape. The sharp bow means that there is very little bending and only very slight twisting of the hull planks that needs to be done. Some of the planks will need to be tapered at the bows. You'll be able to tell when to start this as you lay the planks since they will start to want to bend upwards and overlap with the previous one installed - when this happens, just note on the plank the point at which it wants to cross over to overlap with the previous one and taper it gently from that point forward. The first hull plank should be laid with its top edge flush with the top of the deck planking. So it might be easiest to first lay a strip of deck planking along the outside edge of the bulkheads - this will serve to simulate the waterways on deck and give you a reference point for the first strip (or "strake" as we say) of hull planking. Below is a picture of this waterway strip laid on my Bluenose prior to beginning the hull planking - hope it helps to clarify what I'm talking about. The strip is laid on top of the bulkheads and flush with the inboard side of the bulkhead extensions. The third photo shows the waterway deck plank and the first outboard hull plank installed - you can't tell really from the photo, but the hull plank's top edge is flush with the top edge of the waterway plank - the rest of the hull planking just flowed from there. Hope you don't mind me posting these photos in your log. Good luck and keep posting the photos and questions - you'll learn quickly that way! hamilton

A unique approach to the stern - looking forward to seeing how it shapes up! The planking looks great so far! hamilton

Thanks Mic - not nearly as nice as your start on L'Egyptienne! hamilton

Another quick update while the ham is in the oven. Working still n deck superstructures and features, specifically, the fore boom sheet buffer, the water pumps, the dory frames and the fore deck skylight. All were pretty straightforward, though you'll see in the photos that I initially mispositioned the water pumps - the later photos show them in their proper spot aft of the fife rail. I'll also admit that, because I was not feeling up to the challenge of making the pumps from scratch, I repurposed a couple of pumps that I had in a little drawer of unused parts from other kits...they are not exactly to scale (on the small side), and they are likely somewhat anachronistic in terms of design, but I don't think they look too awful. Here are the photos - enjoy and happy modelling. hamilton

A quick update featuring the main mast fife rail. When I was looking at this on the plans, I figured I could get it done in a few hours - another case of being totally wrong! It took about 10 hours total over three sessions to finish. I cut the pinrack from 1/16" basswood sheet and used a couple of wooden stanchions left over from the Artesania Latina San Francisco which turned out to be perfectly to scale and matched the general shape as well. 1/8" square stock was used for the bitts, and I used two edge-glued 1/8 x 1/16" strips, filed out to accommodate the bitts and the boom crutch, with a small hole drilled for a belaying pin on the forward edge. These were glued up around the posts. Once this was done, I noticed that the two posts were a little out of alignment, so I glued them at the bottom to some 1/32 and 1/8" strip wood to bring them even and to correct height. I repurposed a couple of knees from another kit for the fife rail support knees, as well - these were larger than scale, but were pretty easily trimmed down to size for the bluenose. They are not to scale thickness - being 1/16" when they should be 3/32"....but I glued them close to the outboard edges, so only the very keenest and most attentive eyes will see - and of course all of you who I just told about it!! I also made the mast coat out of 1/8" basswood, drilled and filed out to 5/16" for the mast. The belaying pins were blackened (looking a little hairy) to complete the little project. I am starting to get really concerned about all the metal work that's coming up with the masting and forward deck details. I have very limited experience working with metal and given that my blackening technique also produces pretty fuzzy results....I will have to do a bit of practice with the soldering gun and see if I can't wrap my head around it....Definitely going to fudge as much with wood as I can get away with, but at a certain point I feel like it's hard to model without picking up some metal working chops..... Until then, though, it'll be more deck superstructures. Enjoy the photos and happy modelling hamilton

Thanks Andy - that is an approach I have never heard of before - something to consider experimenting with on Bellona when I come back to that build later in the spring. And thanks Alistair - that's high praise coming from you - you were there almost at the very beginning of my modelling "career" way back in our AVS days, so you've got a lot of context! Not to wax too nostalgic, but that has been one of the effects of the pandemic on me it seems..... hamilton

Thanks a lot Greg! And thanks even more for pushing this log onto page 7! I think using soft plastic would not work - but you could either grab some acetate transparencies from your local office supply store or use any firmer but thin transparent plastic you have lying around to simulate this. I have used transparencies in the past to simulate glass on ship models, though I also made the mistake of fixing them with crazy glue, which produces a weird crystalising effect on them....I'm not sure what adhesive others would recommend to achieve this effect, but maybe there is some info elsewhere on the forum on how to do this..... Thanks again for stopping by! hamilton

Well it looks like what I thought was going to be a serious work crunch is not going to be as crunchy as I thought!! That's good news in itself, but it also means I've been able to keep at Bluenose over the last few days. I've now completed the cabin and made a start on the fife rail. The last part of the cabin to complete was the skylight, which I had a previously constructed version of from my first go at the cabin - but this was do wretched that I knew I had to at least try to improve on it - I think the new one is a definite improvement, even if it isn't perfect. I am still waffling about adding brass rods to the skylights as shown on the plans, but I feel like this can be done at any time between now and the rigging so I'm going to give some thought to it. I used 1/16" basswood sheeting to craft the triangular ends of the skylight, and connected these with 1/8 x 1/16" strip. These were glued up and another 1/8 x 1/16" strip was used at the peak. The lights themselves were made from 1/32" basswood sheeting, cut to measure and finished black. 1/16" x 1/32" strip wood was finished white and then installed around the edges of 1/32" sheeting for the skylight frames. Once these were added, I used small sanding blocks to refine the edges and added little bits of pinstrip tape to simulate hinges. The photos below show the process and the results, with the old skylight in one shot for comparison. Happy modelling to all and enjoy the photos hamilton

Thanks Jason! The model's progressing, yes! But this log can't seem to get off page 6!! Sorry if this is becoming an unwelcome obsession of mine.... hamilton

Hi Knocklouder - I think your work looks great! - mine was not up to that standard after only 2 years in the hobby - or even after 14!! I think that as long as we're learning (which is always), we should give ourselves some latitude in terms of both the aesthetic qualities of our results and their relative historical accuracy - but tbh I don't think you have anything to worry about on the aesthetic end. As for historical accuracy, if you're not being commissioned by a museum to represent this or that ship at this or that stage of her career, then you're really under no obligation other than what you decide for yourself. Then it's more about the (sometimes masochistic, as in ratlines) pleasures of the process and developing your craft. hamilton

Alright - this is turning into page 6...66!! I haven't done this much scrolling on a web page since 1997! Making me nostalgic for Ask Jeeves, AOL and Netscape Navigator! In any case, though I mentioned taking a break I did manage to squeeze in a bit of time at the bench over the last couple of days to work on the cabin - specifically the roof. I had already cut a base for the roof out of a basswood sheet. I then added some 1/32" x 1/8" strips around the edge as a border (finished grey), before planking the interior surface with the same material, finished white. The cabin is already installed on deck, so once I installed the trim, I just added the roof and planked it in situ (learned a lot of Latin in the 90s, too, because I was thinking of my future, obviously!). I think it turned out pretty ok. Here are the photos. I'm going to actively try to stay away from the bench now for a bit! No promises, though.... Enjoy hamilton

Looking good, Steve I have used Blacken-it, as Knocklouder recommends, but can I ask you, Knocklouder, can you get that in Manitoba? My local hobby store owner here in Vancouver said that it was no longer available for import to Canada - were they just blowing smoke?....clearly you have a line....I like this product way more than what I'm using now, and would love to get my hands on some.... hamilton

Hi Gregg Your Bluenose looks great! I have a more labour intensive, but perhaps also more satisfying solution - at least if I understand your issue correctly. If you can access some 1/16" basswood sheets at a local hobby or craft store I would recommend grabbing one and using that to make the rails. You can make the forward and stern parts by making templates from the plans You can then modify these templates to suit the model as built and then use the modified template to cut out the parts from the basswood sheet. The main parts of the rails can be made by laying the sheet along the bulwarks and tracing the hull curve onto it from below. Cut out this tracing and then use a protractor to mark out the width - don't forget mark out where the pin rail and cathead extensions are before cutting it out. I did this for my scratch Bluenose and it worked fine hamilton

One last update before the end of the weekend. I started working on remaking the main cabin. I managed to salvage some elements from the old one, but will need to remake the cabin itself, including the companionway. I first took a tracing of the cabin dimensions from the plan and transferred this to a sheet of 1/16" basswood. After cutting this out and refining it a bit, I added some 1/16 square stock around the edges as a coaming. The outside edges of these were rounded over slightly and finished grey. The sides were built up out of 1/8 x 1/16" strips. The fore and aft sides were shaped according to the deck camber and all four sides were finished white. I added a couple of grommets, blackened, as portholes and then assembled these on top of the base with the coamings. In the photo that shows the cabin you'll see that the grommet is misaligned on the starboard side - it should be forward instead of aft - but these piece are dry fit only in that photo, so please be assured that the sides are installed correctly as of now. The roof was made in a similar fashion as the base but I did not have time to do much more than cut it out - and that was as far as got today. I'm going to take a short break from Bluenose for the next few weeks as things are stepping up at work and I will have very little time at the bench. So it's a brief farewell for now - hope to be back in April with more progress here. In the meantime, enjoy! hamilton

Thanks Nearshore and Greg! hamilton

Hello there I really hope this post pushed the log over to a new page - this scrolling is painful! In any case a small update documenting stern deck details - the main boom sheet horse, the main boom crutch pad, battens beside the wheelhouse to starboard and the "unidentified object" beside the wheel house to port, as well as two bollards. Not much to say about these bits - hopefully the photos will explain. The cabin you see in the last photo is the one I made a while back and that I will re-do as it turned out slightly asymmetrical the first time - hoping to salvage some of the parts for the rebuild, but..... And now....lunch!! Enjoy hamilton

Wow! Amazing work with the chisels, Ron! hamilton

I would also suggest that, at 1:100 scale the area beneath and immediately aft of the forecastle will get extremely crowded and any extension of the bulkhead will compound that situation - though I'm still a little vague on what you have in mind for the "curve"....in any case, it might pay to make a scale drawing with the deck elements included to see what kind of ramifying effects a structural change will produce. Everything in ship construction relates to something else, so any adjustment is going to affect those relationships - and since the maximization of the efficient and effective use of space is probably one of if not the main construction principle in maritime architecture and design, the smallest change can have a significant effect on the overall arrangements. Regardless - the model is looking good! hamilton