shipmodel

Eberhard - yes it is water cooled - the water pump is hidden behind the flywheel and the distributor is buried beneath the exhaust manifold. I forgot the oil filter though. 😁
 
Gary / Keith - thank you.
 
Having finished the engine and its base I started to build the engine box in the hull - firstly installing the central bulkhead bench seats.
The forward well deck was installed and the  engine box was then built with the engine temporarily put in place.

The engine was hidden by the box cover which provided a bit of additional seating.
The frames on the actual launch are quite widely spaced and this was repeated on the model launch. The frames were made from mahogany which was steamed, bent to shape and then glued in position.
The seating in the front well was then installed.
The aft well deck was then installed.

 
 
 

Hi all –
 
Here is the finish of this restoration build log.  I begin with the cannon.  Two of the guns were detached when received, with one having a carriage made out of a completely different material than the others.  A third cannon was on a similar carriage of unknown material.  I removed it so I could work on it.
 

 
I cleaned up the old glue from all of the guns, then fashioned two new carriages from ivory.  The barrels were set on the new carriages and secured with cyano.
 

 
The new carriages were aged with coffee grounds.  Actually, they took up the color a bit too well, so the brown was sanded back a bit after the photo was taken.
 

 
When I was happy with the color they were installed on deck with PVA glue.  The originals were pinned through the rear of the carriages and into the deck, but there was no room for such reinforcement, so they will have to rely on the strength of the glue itself.  Judging from other models that I have worked on, I am confident that it will be at least 50+ years before anyone will have to worry about glue failure.
 

 
Finally, I mounted the two British flags.  The large ensign at the stern was set on an ivory staff, although it was shown detached in the client’s original photos.  He failed to bring it with him when he delivered the model, so he dropped it, and a few other detached pieces, into a plain envelope and mailed it to me.  When it came the delivery process in the Postal Service had broken the staff into four pieces.
 

 
I cut a 1/8” square piece of ivory about 2 ½” long and made it octagonal with sanding drums.  Further sanding rounded it to an approximate cylinder.  Finally one end was chucked into a Dremel with a bit of paper towel to protect the ivory from the jaws of the chuck.  On low speed the shaft was held against a large flat sanding block and turned to a cylinder.  The original halyard block and line were used to mount the flag to the new staff, which was slid into two metal fittings on the inside of the taffrail.  I also took a moment to hang the boat from the davits at the stern.
 

 
At the bow the small flag was remounted in its hole in the jib boom.
 

 
With a quick cleaning and oil rubbing of the base the repair was finished.    
 

 

 
To replace the heavy glass cover a new acrylic cover was ordered and set on the base.  Two small brass nails on the short sides were installed by drilling through the plastic and into the wood of the base.  These will prevent the cover from coming loose if anyone picks it up by the cover rather than from underneath.
 

 
The client mounted the model on a pair of heavy brackets in a prominent place in his home.
 

 
He has told me that he and his family are very happy with the restoration, as am I.  I hope you all have enjoyed the journey as well.  I can only hope that the model will last another 200 years and represent a glimpse into a long-gone world of naval history and art.
 

 
Let me know if you have any questions or thoughts.
 
I will be back again with some more of the models that I am building for the Merchant Marine Academy museum.  Until then . . .
 
Stay safe
 
Dan

Hello again to all –
 
Thanks for the likes and compliments, and especially from you, Michael, whose own restoration work is so exceptional.
 
Eric – passing along some of the tips and techniques that I have learned over the years is one of my greatest pleasures in this activity.  There are lots more in my earlier build logs if you go through them.
 
As for the model, it was now time to finish off the rigging repairs.  With the mizzen topmast shrouds done I reattached the topmast stay.  It is a smaller diameter than it should be, but the main t’gallant yard braces are tied to it, so I used it in place.  Then the topmast backstays were created from new line and secured to the final deadeyes on the mizzen channels.  You can see the head of the backstays here and the deadeyes in a later photo.  I strung the t’gallant shrouds through the topmast crosstrees and tied them to the shrouds, then ran the t’gallant stay from the tip of the mizzen mast to the topmast doubling of the main mast.
 

 
I ran the t’gallant backstays from the tip of the mast to eyebolts on the mizzen channels.  Although the eyebolts were new, I found holes in the correct locations on the channels which had originally held eyebolts, confirming that my rigging layout was correct. 
 

 
The mizzen t’gallant yard was lifted and clipped to the mast.  This let me easily string and tension the yard lifts, which was done just after the photo was taken.  The lifts for the mizzen lower yard were also later tensioned by taking the slack through the blocks and down to the belaying pins at the deck.
 

 
Now the rigging to the driver gaff and boom were restrung, including the topmast yard braces, the topping lift, the vangs, and the rest of the lines that had been detached so I could work on the mast.
 

 
After final balancing and tensioning of any slack lines the rigging was done.   At the aft end of the mizzen channel you can see the deadeyes for the mizzen topmast backstay and the eyebolt for the t'gallant backstay.
 

 
From dead ahead this photo reveals that while I was able to reset the masts and yards to a great extent, there is still a bit of unwelcome variation in the angles of the yards relative to each other.  The largest issue is the main topmast yard which was unfortunately glued in place by an earlier restorer and which I could not adjust.  Nonetheless, I think the overall look is acceptable.
 

 
So here are two photos of the fully rigged model, taken from the stern quarter and bow quarter.  I believe the client will be pleased.
 

 

 
The final tasks will be to replace the unsatisfactory rudder, the cannon carriages, and the flags.  I will post that soon.
 
PS – I have been having some issues, as you can tell, with getting the lighting right for taking the photographs.  The bright white of the ivory does not show up well unless the color saturation is turned down so far that the blue background turns grey.  I just bought some additional lights and I am playing around with the flash settings on the camera, so I hope that the balance of the photos will come out better.
 
Stay safe
 
Dan

More dealers choice....swivel stocks
 
On the contemporary model there are two swivel stocks on each side of the fcastle.   On the original draft there is only one.  Only the stock forward of the shrouds is shown.   Its up to you really.  
 
I am going to omit this swivel stock aft of the shrouds because it is not shown on the original draft.   I also think it hurts the graceful flow of the rail into the waist.  But its up to you.   
 

In addition,  the contemporary model does not show the aft-most swivel stock along the qdeck.   But it is shown on the draft making it 3 per side.   
 
I am just pointing out some discrepancies in case any of you notice it.   It would be fine to show all ten swivel stocks that I show on our model plans and the two on the bollard timberheads.  But if you agree that the second pair on the fcastle would be visually problematic,  you can omit them too.
 
And also,  the stocks on Amazon are completely round.  Those on the Winnie Contemporary model are six sided.  BUT...for me it is much easier to take a 5/32" x 5/32" strip and make it 8 sided by sanding the corners.  I follow the 7-10-7 formula for doing so.  Although its easy enough if you are careful to just free hand it.
 
Omitting that one pair of stocks on the fcastle also follows the arrangement shown on the Amazon and some other contemporary models.  Below.  As I have mentioned, the Amazon is one of my inspiration examples while working on the project.  I believe you can see the similarities between it and our project.
 


 
 

Carving is made mainly with a Micromotor, it is a lot easier than knives. no need to use strength, you let the burs work for you. the first part is always the most difficult. Then  you gain trust and it gets easier. An image is applied with rubber glue and each part is shaped at different thickness . This way every element are located. Then you uniform the shapes and clean. 
 
We now have a very good idea of what the use of cherry wood looks like. By carefully select the wood , especially for for planking, I would say that it is perfectly suitable to use for model ship building. I have been using this wood for a few years and to simply classify it , I would say simply do not use the wood when the grain lines run perpendicular. 1 coat of tung oil darkens the wood beautifully.




 

As always, Druxey, you are very welcome.  I appreciate your sticking around through this slow, steady climb.
 
It has been suggested to me, by a friend on the other forum, that my pass-through arches might benefit from a slight re-design.  His point was that the pedestal support, as it rises from the balcony rail, appears to move slightly away from the ship side:
 

I related that part of the reason for this is that I needed a wide-enough seat to accommodate the figures of Africa and the Americas, so that they wouldn’t seem cramped beneath the quarter-piece supports for the side lanterns.
 
When I reduced the sheer by 1/4”, I lowered these quarter-pieces, as well, so that they would be in-line with the sheer railing, as opposed to above the sheer railing.  I even carved away the lower finishing of the quarter pieces and reduced their depth, somewhat, but they still present a challenge to spacing.
 
Nonetheless, the more I studied the problem, I could appreciate that he was right, and I found a path to get ever so marginally closer to what he was suggesting.
 
Now, the differences are slight.  I kept the canopy at the same projection as before, but I redrew the support pillar at a slightly steeper angle toward the ship’s side, while increasing its heft.  I re-drew all of the scrolls and the acanthus brackets and they are better now.
 
Here is the difference:
 

I will minor-tweak some of these panel reveals, as I make the parts, but this is what the new bracket design looks like against the ship:

This is not a dramatic difference, but it is a worthwhile improvement, IMO.
 

Hello,
I discover this beautiful subject.
I would like to show you my interpretation of the figurehead of the SR based on the drawings of Bérain and printed in resin at various scales:

 
The link to the topic on Gérard Delacroix's forum:
 
https://5500.forumactif.org/t4141p75-la-figure-de-proue-du-soleil-royal

These window banks are incredibly labor-intensive, but the process of making them has been very enjoyable for me.  What I am doing, here, essentially mirrors what Tanneron did for the sterns of his models.  The damaged stern of L’Agreable illustrates how his windows are all pierced into one plate, as seen with the lower bank of windows:
 

 
Considering the density of detail in such a small space, this method seems far easier than framing each individual window.  Getting all of the elements (window frames and pilasters to flow harmoniously would, otherwise be quite difficult.
 
As I have done previously, I add window backstops to the bulkheads as added insurance that the windows can’t drop out of their frames, if the CA bonds should ever fail:
 

 
I remain indebted to Druxey for showing me how to make really good acetate windows by simply scribing the mullions into the acetate, and then filling those engravings with medium grey acrylic paint:
 

 
It really is simple and it just looks so much better than anything else, at scale.
 
Of course, I will next plank-in beneath the windows, but I am pleased with how the stern is rising:
 

 
One detail that isn’t so apparent now, but will become so after planking, is the chamfer I filed into the door sides; this chamfer will create a shadow relief that will more clearly delineate the door opening.  For the door handles, I recycled a pair of my frieze scrolls, which had the right shape and were sized closely enough.
 
The round-up really helps to minimize the warped geometry of my stern:
 

 
At this stage, it is becoming more apparent how the increase in hull-width has established a more ship-like impression of a stable gun platform:
 

 
This is quite a difference from the stock kit.
 
So, I will plank and paint beneath the windows, install the balcony bulwark, and create the cap-rail for the balcony bulwarks. I will then take a break from the stern so that I can focus on finishing certain details.
 
I need to paint and install the starboard spirketting on the main deck.  The f’ocsle beam needs re-touching, where I installed the moulding.  The starboard bulwark joint needs to be puttied and painted.  I need to fit, paint and install the quarter deck beam.  Then, I need to retouch the exterior joint for the starboard aft bulwark.  Finally, I need to install the starboard channels and fit all of the buttressing knees.
 
When all of that is ship-shape, I will return to the stern.  One fun thing to make are the pass-through archways that support the figures of Africa and the Americas:
 

 
On the back-burner of my mind, I’ve been thinking about how best to make up this piece so that I can represent the delicate acanthus carvings.  I think I know what to do now.  The most important thing is getting the scale and shape of the opening right.
 
Following that, I’ll tackle the third level of stern lights.
 
Thank you for your interest, your likes and comments, and for looking in!

My method for making the window plates is well-documented, earlier in the log, so I won’t go into great detail.  Some pictures:
 

 
I found it best to fit the rough blanks between the pilasters, first, before relieving the negative space panels.  This way, I could trace on the backside, the top and bottom edges of the top rail, thereby knowing just how thin to make the reliefs.
 

 

 
Once all of the panels were in, and I had also glued-in the central bell-flower ornament, I could begin modeling these reliefs:
 

 
It really doesn’t take much to give them a little shape and dimension.
 
I began framing in the bulkheads:
 

 
I like to glue-in positive stops, top and bottom, so that it is easier to glue-in the bulkheads and get them aligned exactly where they need to be.
 
Keen observers will note that the bulkheads do not align, neatly with the tops of the pilasters beneath them.  Instead, they fan out more towards the sides:
 

 
I considered whether to re-draw the plate, but determined that this would result in less pleasingly shaped and proportioned windows:
 
The discrepancy is a result of my decision to revise the tumblehome of the upper bulwarks.  The lower tier is based upon the more vertical tumblehome of my original drawing, so the pitch of the window stiles is less severe.
 
This middle tier simply follows the more pronounced pitch of the accentuated tumblehome.  In the end, the lower balcony railing will serve as a visual interrupter that minimizes this discrepancy.
 
I point all of this out to highlight just one of many imperfect compromises I have made, where I have deemed one aspect of the construction to carry more visual importance over another.  In this instance, the whole model is more ship-like with a more pinched tumblehome, and the windows have a pleasant shape and arc of camber.
 
Thank you for your likes and comments and continued interest in this project.  More to follow.

Thank you, Mike!
 
Kevin - I am far from quick, but I certainly am committed.  I’m getting back some of my former momentum, now, and am excited to continue climbing the stern.
 
I can also appreciate that certain aspects of the build seem a little exaggerated, like the raking angles of the stern lights, but that is all part of designing within the pre-existing architecture.  For their part, Heller maintained a more or less vertical window framing for the stock stern plate.
 
If I had gone with my original plan to use the stock stern lights, it might have looked something like this photocopied mock-up:
 

 
Instead, I’ve chosen a closer approximation of Berain’s intent.  Here, I’ve corrected the clearance issue for the outer pilasters:
 

 
Comme-ci, comme-ca; my happy medium between what is and what should be.
 

 

Well, guys, it turns out that I ended up having to make those side lights closer in width to the other four.  After fitting of the window plate, I realized that there was not enough room left for the end pilasters.  I made some filling pieces and will re-profile after dinner:
 

 

 

 

 

A small update the third plank on the port side
 

 

 

 
The gluing went well, eventually, I did have to clean it all off the forward half mage a small adjustment to the length then re glue.
 
Michael

Thank you very much friends. I'm just trying to look at someone else's job and deal with it.😎
 
Hooks for goal hinges. Tube 1 / 0.2 and nails 0.5 mm. Very small ..😱
 

 

 
Parts folded and soldered ..
 

 

 

 
The hooks turned out well..
 

 
I have already received yarn for knitting ropes, so the production of ropewalk awaits me, I am already studying instructions on how to knit..🛠️
 

 
I ordered other light shades for the test, which will be the best...
 

I finished the 6mm deadeyes and chainplates on the Starboard side.  Its the same as doing the 5mm deadeyes except these chainlates also get an additional strap on their ends.  It extends over the black strake and onto the wales.   
 
In addition, there are two lengths of center links.  As you work your way aft on the channels you will need to switch to the longer link.  I found that the fore channels needed the longer links for almost all the deadeyes.
 
Here is how the model looks today.  I also added the eyebolts between the chainplates as indicated on the plans.  Two photos of the same thing….one from my cell phone which I am testing.  Trying to adjust values etc.  sorry for redundancy but I need to see them side by side.



 
 

Thank you Pat and thanks to everyone for the likes.
 
I resolved to plank the hull using a professional modeller approach.
 
I used masking tape to measure the hull in 3 positions.
 

 
The measurements were taken from bow to stern at frames 1, 4 and 7 respectively. I was aiming for a plank width of about 0.1" or 3.6" at full scale. The respective half hull measurements were 1.343", 1.619" and 1.407 inch. I decided to use 15 planks which gave the following plank widths:-
 
Frame 1 - Bow = .089"
Frame 4 - Mid = 1.08"
Frame 7 - stern = .094" 
 
The observant of you will be looking at the sketch and thinking - "He was having a bad decimal point day".
 
I decided on a plank thickness of .030" with the expectation that this would give me a sanding margin to smooth the hull.
 
I dutifully shaped the first plank to the required widths and applied it to the hull using PVA wood glue. I tried to keep the glue off those frames that would be removed later.
 
I also dutifully shaped the second plank but decided it didn't look right - "After all, a plank needs to go where a plank wants to go"! So that was the end of the scientific approach and I subsequently shaped the planks just as the hull instructed me.
 

 
Progress was slow and sure - in the main dictated by the drying time for the glue.
 

 
A liberal use of clamps, notice board pins, clothes pegs  and elastic bands eased the process.
 

 

 
Planking got trickier as I approached the keel as the degree of plank twist increased.
 

 

 
Getting glue on to the .030" plank edges without spreading it on the removable frames was somewhat tricky and my guess is i didn't always get it right - a problem waiting for future resolution.
 
Fitting the last plank look a deal of time. I used masking tape over the hole and traced the shape using a flat sided pencil.
 

 
The making tape was then cut and the profile transferred to a plank.
 

 
The plank was then cut out and transferred to hull - job done.
 
A bit of light sanding followed, taking care not to sand through the planks.
 

 
I still need to do more sanding but I am nervous😫.
 
So that it, another week gone and only a partially complete 7' hull to show for it.
 
I have a rather distracting few days ahead so I'm expecting building activity to be a bit curtailed. Hopefully normal service will be resumed thereafter.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Hi Marc - 
 
Thank you for posting photos of your outstanding work.  You are clearly a very accomplished draughtsman and woodworker, and your model is well on its way to being a top notch work.  I will be following along with great interest.
 
It will also be very informative to compare and contrast your work with Hubac Historian's plastic model, and Michel Saulnier's as well.  I may never build one of these massive projects, but I will learn a great deal from all of your efforts.
 
Thanks again.
 
Dan

Received my swivel guns today!
OMG they are tiny.... and so sweet.
(3D resin printed from my CAD model .stl file by a local club member)

With the nomenclature conversation taken care of, the moulded railings needed to be made.
 
I refined my moulding cutter setup to work more efficiently.
 
I cut the moulding profile as before in a Lie-Nielsen tool steel blank. This steel is soft enough to shape with files, but keeps its edge for long enough for a run of one set of mouldings. It is also very thick, and so it does not chatter like thinner metals I tried.  I mounted it in a wooden clamp at what I determined to be the best angle of attack, with the clamp also forming a fence at right angles to the tool steel.

 
In my refined method, I built a jig that could be secured in my tail vise, and then three clamps hold the moulding blank against one side of the jig. I clamped the blank, projecting the exact thickness of the finished moulding above the jig, using a temporary spacer for accuracy. (In the photo below, you can see the profile previously used for a different moulding; I will just keep sliding the tool steel along as I need more profiles in its edge, until I don't have enough left to clamp in the wooden block.)
 
I have read and viewed reports from others using a scratch stock in a more free-hand manner, but my freehand efforts resulted in wavy surfaces up and down. I don't know if it is a lack of skill on my part, or I have unusually stiff wood, but I found that I really need the scratch stock to be guided with this fence arrangement to get satisfactory mouldings.
 
 

 
It was then a simple matter of pulling the cutter along the projected edge, using the fence to keep the cutter parallel to the blank, and cutting until the flat part of the cutter holder hit the top surface of the jig.
 
As before, I then cut off the moulding on the Byrnes saw, using a strip of paper against the fence to avoid discoloring the moulding face while rubbing against the aluminum fence:

 
And now perfect mouldings along the top of the waist, on top of the wider sheer strake: 
 

 
Best wishes,
 
Mark
 
 

Welcome back, Mark! Those fixed blocks are tricky. looks like you've got them beat though.
 
Had you considered painting your friezes on thin paper and then gluing them to the ship's sides? Contemporary models show that this was often done, rather than painting directly on the wood. I found this much easier to accomplish, particularly when the surface was directed downward!

Hi everyone,
Well, it has been a long, long time since I last posted. A number of life-outside-the-shop issues took over, but I am back to the Bellona at last!
 
My plan of work now is to complete the planking and all outboard work, so I can paint the wales and friezes with the hull on its side. Then I can install the lower deck guns and proceed at last with the upper deck. With the lower deck guns installed, I would have no hope of turning the hull on its side for painting.
 
As I got closer to the top with planking, I realized that I would have to install the sheaves (main sheet and tack, fore sheet, sprit topsail sheet) in the sides before the next strake could go on. I thought this would be a fun, short break from planking. It turned out to be over a month of work. They are way more complicated than I ever realized. And I made several mistakes in their fabrication that meant starting over.
 
First the complication. The sheaves on the Bellona are neatly slotted between the sheer and waist rails outboard; and they slope at right angles to the side to arrive inboard just under the clamp. The inboard edge also swings up the fay to the underside of the clamp:

 
And the block in sheer is a symphony of angled lines. The top and bottom of the blocks correspond the sheer line of the hull at their respective locations; the sides are vertical; the sheaves are angled within the blocks to provide a fair lead for the lines:

How to construct these? Since I did not have any router bits that could cut a slot thin enough, I created the slots by laminating blocks, with a groove cut in the side of one with a mill bit. For the double sheaves I laminated a thin sheet in the middle of the block. While the blocks were still square and the slots were parallel to the top and bottom, I drilled the holes for the sheave pins.
 

 
At first, I tried mounting the blocks on my Sherline rotary table on the mill; thinking I could just dial in the appropriate angles in one go. But I simply could not visualize which way angles went relative to each other, and I also stupidly misread the scale on the rotary table, cutting .3 degree rather than 3 degree angles. I ruined several blocks until I discovered this. The sheave hole in the block at the bottom of the previous photo was supposed to be sloped and you can see it is parallel ....
 
To make life easier, I turned instead to using my angle blocks to set up the mill vise at the appropriate angle (see the angles against a square in the photo below). This helped me physically visualize which way things should be aligned. And then I used a mill cutter to cut first the ends and then the sides. the block at the bottom of the photo below is an example of the failed blocks relative to the correct ones with angles:
 

 
And then trimming to get the blocks to their correct sizes. I turned the sheaves in ebony, and used a tiny round file to ease the ends of the slots. Note how the tops of the blocks in the photo below have angled tops to the inner surface; this is to fay to the bottom of the clamp, as seen in the first photo posted above. Also notice how large these puppies are next to my captain. They are tiny in my model, massive on the ship. I can see the laminations on the blocks more than I would have liked; but these are all under the frieze painting and so hopefully this will disappear.
 

 
They are dressed proud where the next strake of planking will come up to them:

 
But the main sheet sheaves had to be cut into finished planking (it did not occur to me to deal with this when I was planking lower down). These were very laboriously cut into finished wood, with much trimming and fitting, trimming and fitting, to do this cleanly. It would have been better to think ahead before the planking was installed here:
 

 
All for now. On to the next strake of planking.
 
Mark
 
 
 
 
 

Hi Marc - 
 
Beautiful work, and I appreciate how committed you are to the precise fit of all your interlocking pieces.
I agree with Kevin that any slight discrepancies will be impossible to notice in the finished model.
That said, I also agree with Druxey that the windows as drawn look a little off.
But I do not think that it is windows 2 and 5, but the outer ones, 1 and 6, which are a bit too wide and the mullions are a bit too upright.
I am sure the finished ones will match perfectly, as usual.
 
Great work.
 
Dan

I continued with the life rings as per the photo.
 

 
It isn't very obvious from the photo but the life rings sit in wire baskets. The leather pouch holds the line and this is tied off to the rail.
 
I started making the basket from .025" wire. I made two formers from scraps of wood and used these to bend the the "hoops" which retain the life ring.
 

 
The free ends of the hoops were connected by micro-bore tubing.
 

 
I then slotted a piece of plywood to create a soldering jig and I bent the wire which joins the hoops. The hoops and joining wire were then soldered together.
 

 
I then tested to life rings in the baskets.
 

 
The baskets were then lashed to the guard rails using black cotton.
 

 

 
The pouch is quite small so I cheated and formed it round a piece of scrap wood cut to size. Sail tape (painted brown) to simulate leather was then stuck to the former with 3 lines added to give 6 ends. 4 lines attach the pouch to the guard rails and the other two attach to the life ring and the rail.
 

 

 
I painted the life rings and added the reflective strips and the grab ropes.
 

 
The rings were then pushed into the baskets and the life line was tied off.
 

 

 

 
I think I am going to make a start on the launch next. 
 

 
 

Good morning.

Thanks, gentlemen, for your continued moral support!
 
**********************************************
 

Quarter-deck – further work
 
Having now satisfactory wooden decking for the quarter-deck, this was permanently cemented into place, allowing to progress with the installation of the various bits and pieces that had been fabricated years ago. These include the anchor capstan, the four patent chain-stoppers, chain-bollards (which are hollow and double as a base for the crew accommodation ventilators), various eye-bolts to which stoppers are shackled, that secure the chains during mooring, and the forward pair of mooring bollards.
 

Populated quarter-deck
 
Probably the only bought-in item will the studded anchor-chain. Recently, some really good 3D-printed chains have become available. My excuse is that that many shipyards did not make the chains themselves either, but bought them from specialised forgeries (apart from the fact that I didn’t want to go insane over making such microscopic studded chains). I choose the smallest size from yxmodels (Product no. YXN700-001). With 8€ plus shipping for a length of 120 mm they are the most expensive (not considering my time) item on board. They are printed in a light brown resin and were given several light dusts with acrylic paint to turn them black without clogging up or cementing the links together. The connecting link with the anchor shackle was bent from 0.2 mm tinned copper wire.
 
The anchors are held in place with chains attached to the release gear that had already been installed. These chains were imitated by twisting together two strands of 0.1 mm blackened copper wire so that each twist is about the length of the assumed link length. The length of twisted wire then was folded over in half and twisted together in the opposite sense. With some imagination this looks quite like a slightly twisted chain. The anchor were secured in place with a couple of dots of shellack and then release chains installed – which not unexpectedly was a really fiddly task.
 
I arranged the chains as they would be kept ready for dropping the anchor or in light weather, without further securing by rope chain-stoppers, as I do not have any pictorial evidence for how that would have been done on the real ship. 
 
The quarter-deck later will receive some light weathering and the chain-rails need to be installed, but as they are extremely fragile, this will be put off to the moment, when the model is installed on its final base-plate.
 

Populated quarter-deck
 
To be continued ....

Roger and Dan, thank you very much!
 
Dan, I see what you are saying about the mullions, and I will adjust for that when I scribe the clear plastic.  The detail concerning windows 1 and 6 being wider - this actually reflects what Berain drew.  Windows 2 through 5 are equally sized, but the outer windows are wider:
 

 
This was also true of the tier below: