hamilton

Well it's been almost 4 months since I finished the Fair Rosamund, but I obviously haven't put a stopper on the log.....it seems a little weird to be doing it so long after the fact, but I thought I would at least share some photos of the finished model. 
 
Overall, I enjoyed building this kit greatly, though I ended up spending some extra cash replacing most of the kit supplied wood (first and second planking and deck planking in particular). the laser cut pieces were very poor - well, the laser cutting was fine, but the quality of the wood was on the low end from my experience. Very soft and not very nice to work with. Many of the metal parts (the carronade stand and riding bitts, e.g.) I scratch built to much better effect, in my humble opinion, and I think providing wood stock for building these rather than supplying metal parts would have improved the kit. I also made some modifications on the cabin - not the overall design, but the finish and features. Finally, the plans, while for the most part decent, lacked precision in the rigging, and I had to do quite a bit of planning in advance to get things sorted out. I think if I had followed OcCre's rigging and belaying suggestions it would have ended up a tangly mess.
 
Despite these criticisms, I think I would recommend this kit to a modeller who had a few kits under their belt and wanted to have a go a something more or less straightforward but that also provided some challenges in terms of modifications to the kit - nowhere near what I had to do on Corel's Greyhound, but not exactly an out-of-the-box build, as I had initially thought it would be......It does build up into what I think is a very fine looking model. And quite large - over 3 feet from the tip of the bowsprit to the end of the boom and about 24 inches in height from the base of the keel to the top of the main mast.
 
Anyway, here's a photo and I'll put more up in the completed model gallery. Bye for now
hamilton
 
 

Hello there
 
I guess it's been another long delay in updating this log....over a month! But it's been a very busy time at work, as usual in the months of November and December. I've managed to carve out some time during the last weeks and made some progress on the Fair Rosamund. In fact, I've completed the deck fixtures, rigging elements on deck, rails and hull, and finished and rigged the bowsprit and jibboom - this is a large model!! But I find myself being more and more happy with it as it goes - I didn't have high hopes for it when I began, but she has really grown on me....
 
Anyway, here are some photos of the progress
 
1. The carronade
 

 

 

 
2. The pump
 

 
3. The tiller
 

 
4. The anchors
 

 

 

 
5. The cabin
 

 

 
6. Channels and chainplates
 

 
7. The bowsprit, jibboom and standing rigging
 

 

 

 
And one last shot of the port side profile
 

 
That's pretty much it. I'm going to take a break from the build over the holidays (my labours in the kitchen are just beginning - first up: frosted lemon wreaths and mince pies with brandy butter). Bye for now and thanks all for visiting!
 
hamilton

The last few days have seen a start on the first layer of hull planking - specifically the topsides.
 
I'm not sure if I noted this previously, but my plan is not to include any of the half-barrels that Corel includes with the kit and to represent closed gunports on any area of the model where fully rigged guns can't be included - that is, all the gunports on the gun deck, 4 aft and 4 forward on the main deck and 4 aft on the quarterdeck. For these, I took measurements of the ports and made backing strips from a sheet of 1/16" lime. Using the table saw, I ripped a couple of 15mm strips from which I cut the port backings. I did this individually, labelling each according to its location. The backings were cut 3mm long at top and bottom to provide a surface to fix them to the planking strips already installed and that mark the sills and lintels of the gunports.
 
Once the backings were installed, I added short planking strips around them, and longer lengths in those areas where the open gunports will be cut out later. A bit of shaving and sanding cleaned the roughest of the rough edges - though you'll see plenty of rough spots remaining below! I'll clean this up further with filler and more sanding once the first layer is done.
 
Next steps involve lining off and planking the lower hull (one of my least favourite tasks....), and then cutting out the open gunports on the main and upper decks. It's nice to see the ship emerging from its skeleton!
hamilton

Thanks for stopping by Robert! This kit has been pretty fun so far, though admittedly I'm taking it very slowly (partly out of care, partly out of distraction, partly out of the impossibility of avoiding other people's demands!). I got my kit on a deal from Model Expo I think back in 2012 - I knew I wasn't ready for it back then, but the deal was too good to pass up!! In truth, that's how I've got most of my kits! But now I'm being embargoed (by myself) and after buying the CAF Grenado as a Christmas present for myself (sheesh!!! Any excuse will do!!) I am not allowed to buy any more kits until I have finished the 4 that I'm "currently working" on.......and 2 of the unopened kits in the pile.....As the signature suggests, I feel like I have enough models to keep me going for a while.......now if only I can finish one.....
hamilton

Thanks for coming by Bill - not sure how I missed this comment before!! Water is the worst!! But yes - things are more or less back to normal, thankfully!
hamilton

Hello again.
 
It has been a long while since I've updated here or worked on Bellona. We had to move out of our house on April 1 to accommodate some restoration work and were out for 2 months, which also coincided with a very busy time at work. We moved back home on May 31 and then work calmed down a couple of days after that as a colleague and I finished off a major year-long project.
 
The last month we've been trying to catch up on the garden, which we're getting a very late start on this year, and settle back in. But now, at long last, as I settle into a bit of a break from work, I can finally return to the bench! Today was my first day back and I have to say that almost three months is a long time to take off - it took a bit of studying just to remember what threads there were to pick up on the Bellona!
 
Today I did some repairs on and installed the pantry, which also acts as a support for one of the quarterdeck beams later on. Once this was in, I foolishly installed the poop deck - foolishly, because I have now to install a brass bulkhead part under the poopdeck, which I anticipate will be a bit tricky....same thing with the stern balcony bulkhead, which now must be gently wedged into the cove created by the balcony below, the quartergallery frames on the sides and the poop deck above...hopefully this won't be too frustrating when the time comes!
 
I also did a bit of fairing on the starboard side - the first in what undoubtedly will be a number of sessions of sanding and sneezing....The final step today was to finish and install the forward bulkhead on the aft fact of bulkhead 6. I bathed the part quickly in acetone, rinsed it in water, then brushed it lightly with some very fine steel wool. I then very gently brushed on 4 coats of yellow ochre, undiluted - I use Golden acrylic artist paints and a very fine brush for the purpose. The first shot shows only the first coat applied - the final finish looks much better - I use the side of a small round brush to lightly feather the surface - this reduces the more obvious brushstrokes, though it cannot produce the same even finish as an air brush. Regardless, I'm not displeased with the results. I used a toothpick dipped lightly in carbon black acrylic to render the door knobs. 
 
It feels nice to be back at it! Enjoy the photos and happy modelling
hamilton

Thanks for stopping by Robert! This kit has been pretty fun so far, though admittedly I'm taking it very slowly (partly out of care, partly out of distraction, partly out of the impossibility of avoiding other people's demands!). I got my kit on a deal from Model Expo I think back in 2012 - I knew I wasn't ready for it back then, but the deal was too good to pass up!! In truth, that's how I've got most of my kits! But now I'm being embargoed (by myself) and after buying the CAF Grenado as a Christmas present for myself (sheesh!!! Any excuse will do!!) I am not allowed to buy any more kits until I have finished the 4 that I'm "currently working" on.......and 2 of the unopened kits in the pile.....As the signature suggests, I feel like I have enough models to keep me going for a while.......now if only I can finish one.....
hamilton

Hello all:
 
As noted above, I've almost completed the framework to this point, but I'm going to tease the build log out slowly so I can get through a very busy patch at work. I won't be able to return to regular activity on Bellona until later in February. I thought I would begin with a quick overview/review of the kit and some notes on preparation of the centre keel
 
I've built several Corel kits in the past - Toulonnaise, the Flattie and Brittany Sloop, and the Greyhound. I really enjoyed all of them and though Greyhound had serious deficiencies as a kit, it worked up into a pretty decent model. The materials Corel supplies are ok, and this kit - which is at the higher end of their stable - is good quality both in terms of the wood supplied and the other materials and fittings. One needs to set very low expectations for instructions, of course, and the plans sometimes raise more questions than they give answers. But I don't think these are real impediments for people with experience building plank-on-bulkhead kits. The difficulties come when trying to bend a kit into a form designated by the modeller's search for historical accuracy - here it is always a compromise between the structural features of the kit, the information available and the skills (or in my case quirks) of the modeller.
 
The centre keel comes as a single part, including the knee of the head. The part came out with some warping - not severe. A bit of bowing along the length of the keel which was easily corrected by making a building board out of old 3/4" plywood with some 1/4" x 3/4" hemlock strips left over from a cabinetry project (see photo above). The other issue was a bit trickier to resolve - the upper edge of the forecastle section of the centre keel bowed to port by about 1/16". As I'll show later I made a jig out of old 1/4" plywood to correct this during the installation of the bulkheads.
 
I don't have a lot of images of the centre keel preparations, but here is a list:
I made templates for the bearding and rabbet lines and marked them out - you'll see in the images that these are quite rough - I did clean them up! The bow filler pieces helped with this I extended lines for the bulkhead slots down to the bearding line as reference for setting the bulkheads and checking for any corrections that needed to be made on the slots I drilled out the gammoning slot and a hole for the main stay collar I dry fitted the bulkheads and noted where slots on the keel piece/bulkheads needed adjustment (shimming/filing out Here are a few shots to show some of the work - not intrinsically interesting, but.....
hamilton

Hi Hamilton 
 
Pulling a chair up to watch your build on this with a lot of interests I have been  eyeing this kit for over a year and have just recently managed to acquire this kit at a very low price, but one which wont be built for a while as I am working on one kit just now with a possible 2 others after that.
 
All the best 
Robert 👍🤺⚓

Hi Hamilton,
I will definitely be doing a build log on this one. 
 
Nearshore

I have just found your HMS Bellona here.  You are doing a marvelous job! I also suffered flooding in my basement several years ago and had to undergo a hiatus from building. It looks like you have recovered nicely. Your Bellona looks great so far!
 
Bill

Arghhh!! I totally forgot about this, Allan......It's something I've done on other models, but slipped my mind for this one.... I'm not sure how tough it will be to achieve this with the model at its current stage, but I'll see what can be done.....
hamilton

The last few days have seen a start on the first layer of hull planking - specifically the topsides.
 
I'm not sure if I noted this previously, but my plan is not to include any of the half-barrels that Corel includes with the kit and to represent closed gunports on any area of the model where fully rigged guns can't be included - that is, all the gunports on the gun deck, 4 aft and 4 forward on the main deck and 4 aft on the quarterdeck. For these, I took measurements of the ports and made backing strips from a sheet of 1/16" lime. Using the table saw, I ripped a couple of 15mm strips from which I cut the port backings. I did this individually, labelling each according to its location. The backings were cut 3mm long at top and bottom to provide a surface to fix them to the planking strips already installed and that mark the sills and lintels of the gunports.
 
Once the backings were installed, I added short planking strips around them, and longer lengths in those areas where the open gunports will be cut out later. A bit of shaving and sanding cleaned the roughest of the rough edges - though you'll see plenty of rough spots remaining below! I'll clean this up further with filler and more sanding once the first layer is done.
 
Next steps involve lining off and planking the lower hull (one of my least favourite tasks....), and then cutting out the open gunports on the main and upper decks. It's nice to see the ship emerging from its skeleton!
hamilton

The last few days have seen a start on the first layer of hull planking - specifically the topsides.
 
I'm not sure if I noted this previously, but my plan is not to include any of the half-barrels that Corel includes with the kit and to represent closed gunports on any area of the model where fully rigged guns can't be included - that is, all the gunports on the gun deck, 4 aft and 4 forward on the main deck and 4 aft on the quarterdeck. For these, I took measurements of the ports and made backing strips from a sheet of 1/16" lime. Using the table saw, I ripped a couple of 15mm strips from which I cut the port backings. I did this individually, labelling each according to its location. The backings were cut 3mm long at top and bottom to provide a surface to fix them to the planking strips already installed and that mark the sills and lintels of the gunports.
 
Once the backings were installed, I added short planking strips around them, and longer lengths in those areas where the open gunports will be cut out later. A bit of shaving and sanding cleaned the roughest of the rough edges - though you'll see plenty of rough spots remaining below! I'll clean this up further with filler and more sanding once the first layer is done.
 
Next steps involve lining off and planking the lower hull (one of my least favourite tasks....), and then cutting out the open gunports on the main and upper decks. It's nice to see the ship emerging from its skeleton!
hamilton

A very short update. Still on the stern section, preparing for the quarterdeck: 
 

 
I put together six smaller guns (two have already been installed):
 

 

 

 

 
Next, I will be installing the long beams that will be used to hold the rear quarterdeck.
 
Yves

A quick update on the Bellona: I am back working on the rear section of the main deck. This is a mix of Session #3 (Planking of the deck) and Session #4 (building of the ward rooms and officers rooms).
 
The Section "D" is added to the front of Section "E", placing a lid on the six 32 pounders guns recently installed: 
 

 

 
You can see the axle of the rear capstan, protruding out of the deck. Planking is then continued: I am using strip of about 20 cm long (10 meters in real life) and I hope it is not too long for such period ships. I am also trying to replicate the four planks staggered arrangement, traditional of these vessels.
 

 
The Captain's Pantry and Wardroom Pantry is glued to the deck: 
 

 

 
The deck (at least the rear section) is treated with three coats of Wipe-on-Poly to darken the planks and make them more resilient. You can see the difference of colors on the pictures.
 
We are now moving to Session #4 (I am no longer following the order of the CAF instructions). This part is the assembly of the Officers' cabins, also called canvas cabins, as they were divided by removable pieces of canvas.
 

 

 

 

 

 
The walls are strengthened by some strips of wood. The glass panes are made with tracing paper.
 

 

 

 

 
Yves
 
 
 
 
 
 

Time to go back to the Main and Gun decks: 
 

 
I have prepared six 32 pounders guns to install in the gun deck: 
 

 
The process is identical: Drilling the holes for the micro-nails, blackening of the barrels, tedious hand painting of the chassis and final assembly.
The guns are resting on their four casters and a drop of CA glue is placed between the casters and the floor.
 

 
The capstan is fully deployed and will be connected to the main deck Capstan, actually rotating both at the same time.
 

 

 
From the outside, it is looking very ominous....
 

 

 
Now, I can resume the work on the main deck, at least towards the poop.
 
Yves

The last few days have seen a start on the first layer of hull planking - specifically the topsides.
 
I'm not sure if I noted this previously, but my plan is not to include any of the half-barrels that Corel includes with the kit and to represent closed gunports on any area of the model where fully rigged guns can't be included - that is, all the gunports on the gun deck, 4 aft and 4 forward on the main deck and 4 aft on the quarterdeck. For these, I took measurements of the ports and made backing strips from a sheet of 1/16" lime. Using the table saw, I ripped a couple of 15mm strips from which I cut the port backings. I did this individually, labelling each according to its location. The backings were cut 3mm long at top and bottom to provide a surface to fix them to the planking strips already installed and that mark the sills and lintels of the gunports.
 
Once the backings were installed, I added short planking strips around them, and longer lengths in those areas where the open gunports will be cut out later. A bit of shaving and sanding cleaned the roughest of the rough edges - though you'll see plenty of rough spots remaining below! I'll clean this up further with filler and more sanding once the first layer is done.
 
Next steps involve lining off and planking the lower hull (one of my least favourite tasks....), and then cutting out the open gunports on the main and upper decks. It's nice to see the ship emerging from its skeleton!
hamilton

The last few days have seen a start on the first layer of hull planking - specifically the topsides.
 
I'm not sure if I noted this previously, but my plan is not to include any of the half-barrels that Corel includes with the kit and to represent closed gunports on any area of the model where fully rigged guns can't be included - that is, all the gunports on the gun deck, 4 aft and 4 forward on the main deck and 4 aft on the quarterdeck. For these, I took measurements of the ports and made backing strips from a sheet of 1/16" lime. Using the table saw, I ripped a couple of 15mm strips from which I cut the port backings. I did this individually, labelling each according to its location. The backings were cut 3mm long at top and bottom to provide a surface to fix them to the planking strips already installed and that mark the sills and lintels of the gunports.
 
Once the backings were installed, I added short planking strips around them, and longer lengths in those areas where the open gunports will be cut out later. A bit of shaving and sanding cleaned the roughest of the rough edges - though you'll see plenty of rough spots remaining below! I'll clean this up further with filler and more sanding once the first layer is done.
 
Next steps involve lining off and planking the lower hull (one of my least favourite tasks....), and then cutting out the open gunports on the main and upper decks. It's nice to see the ship emerging from its skeleton!
hamilton

The last few days have seen a start on the first layer of hull planking - specifically the topsides.
 
I'm not sure if I noted this previously, but my plan is not to include any of the half-barrels that Corel includes with the kit and to represent closed gunports on any area of the model where fully rigged guns can't be included - that is, all the gunports on the gun deck, 4 aft and 4 forward on the main deck and 4 aft on the quarterdeck. For these, I took measurements of the ports and made backing strips from a sheet of 1/16" lime. Using the table saw, I ripped a couple of 15mm strips from which I cut the port backings. I did this individually, labelling each according to its location. The backings were cut 3mm long at top and bottom to provide a surface to fix them to the planking strips already installed and that mark the sills and lintels of the gunports.
 
Once the backings were installed, I added short planking strips around them, and longer lengths in those areas where the open gunports will be cut out later. A bit of shaving and sanding cleaned the roughest of the rough edges - though you'll see plenty of rough spots remaining below! I'll clean this up further with filler and more sanding once the first layer is done.
 
Next steps involve lining off and planking the lower hull (one of my least favourite tasks....), and then cutting out the open gunports on the main and upper decks. It's nice to see the ship emerging from its skeleton!
hamilton

The last few days have seen a start on the first layer of hull planking - specifically the topsides.
 
I'm not sure if I noted this previously, but my plan is not to include any of the half-barrels that Corel includes with the kit and to represent closed gunports on any area of the model where fully rigged guns can't be included - that is, all the gunports on the gun deck, 4 aft and 4 forward on the main deck and 4 aft on the quarterdeck. For these, I took measurements of the ports and made backing strips from a sheet of 1/16" lime. Using the table saw, I ripped a couple of 15mm strips from which I cut the port backings. I did this individually, labelling each according to its location. The backings were cut 3mm long at top and bottom to provide a surface to fix them to the planking strips already installed and that mark the sills and lintels of the gunports.
 
Once the backings were installed, I added short planking strips around them, and longer lengths in those areas where the open gunports will be cut out later. A bit of shaving and sanding cleaned the roughest of the rough edges - though you'll see plenty of rough spots remaining below! I'll clean this up further with filler and more sanding once the first layer is done.
 
Next steps involve lining off and planking the lower hull (one of my least favourite tasks....), and then cutting out the open gunports on the main and upper decks. It's nice to see the ship emerging from its skeleton!
hamilton

Yes Alan - I will only be doing the upper hull for now and then lining off the hull in preparation for the lower planking. Not my first rodeo! Though admittedly I'm no rodeo champ.....
 
Happy 4th of July to you and all south of 48 (and up north and way out west too)
hamilton

Incredible work on the friezes, Yves! 
hamilton

Incredible work on the friezes, Yves! 
hamilton

While waiting for chapter11 parts, I looked for thing to do that did not require the parts. I decided on two. The first was the hull steps. Rather than using a scraper on a single strip of wood, as shown by Chuck, I opted to use a method I have used in the past, using two wood strips” . I used a 1/32” x 3/32” strip for the top of the step and a 1/16” x 1/16” strip for the bottom. For the frieze covered step, I could not successfully print on tissue paper, so just used printer paper with Titebond to wet the paper enough to fold and bend it over the step. The ends of that step were painted to match the frieze. Overall, I am pleased with the results.
 
The second item I did was to drill out the outer portion of the hull scuppers, a detail Chuck has chosen not to show. The holes were painted a dark gray, using an extra fine microbrush.
 
 
Bob