shipmodel

Keith - 
 
I double all the compliments and accolades.  
Top of the tree for imagination and execution.
 
As for the final resting place of the model, it certainly deserves to be in a museum.
I hope there is one which would value her.
 
Bravo !
 
Dan

Keith - 
 
I double all the compliments and accolades.  
Top of the tree for imagination and execution.
 
As for the final resting place of the model, it certainly deserves to be in a museum.
I hope there is one which would value her.
 
Bravo !
 
Dan

Keith - 
 
I double all the compliments and accolades.  
Top of the tree for imagination and execution.
 
As for the final resting place of the model, it certainly deserves to be in a museum.
I hope there is one which would value her.
 
Bravo !
 
Dan

Keith - 
 
I double all the compliments and accolades.  
Top of the tree for imagination and execution.
 
As for the final resting place of the model, it certainly deserves to be in a museum.
I hope there is one which would value her.
 
Bravo !
 
Dan

Keith - 
 
I double all the compliments and accolades.  
Top of the tree for imagination and execution.
 
As for the final resting place of the model, it certainly deserves to be in a museum.
I hope there is one which would value her.
 
Bravo !
 
Dan

Keith - I finished my machine training when I was 17 and although i worked in engineering roles throughout my career I was never required to cut metal again in anger throughout my working life. I only started machining again when I retired. It's amazing what you remember over the period of 43 years (between the age of 17 and 60). 

Thank you all for your kind comments.
 
 
I'm not sure they were very interested in my boat building skills Keith.
 
Today I did a bit of assembly - feels more like progress than many tasks.
 
I thought I would start with a photo of the main mast taken several weeks ago - just to give some idea of scale. I think I am going to need to start a negotiation with my better half on Germania's final display location.
 

 
The main mast cross trees started out little bare.
 

 
But soon acquired a pair of deck flood lights.
 

 
Then the various electronic appendages started to appear together with the ships horn.
 

 
I needed 6 aerials - made from wire and bar - a simple bit of turning.
 

 

 
A quick coat of paint and they were then glued into holes previously drilled in the cross trees. I also added the cables which support the top mast. I left the radar off for the time being.
 

 
I then move to the foremast - which was somewhat simpler.
 

 

Some time ago a post prompted a degree of speculation about some electrical boxes at the base of the main and fore masts. The speculation prompted their inclusion.
 

 
 
 

 

 

Hi Marc - 
 
Beautiful work as always.  
Thanks for the mini-tutorial on converting plastic to wood.
I have saved it to my toolbox and will rely on it as needed.
 
Best wishes to you and your father in his circumstances.
 
And Happy Holidays to all.
 
Dan

Thank you, Eric!  Yes, that does seem to work whenever that server error pops up.
 
This is just an alive’n kickin’ post to say that work has continued, albeit at a meager pace.  I am starting, though, to regain some of my former momentum.
 
I made the starboard channels, and I have all of the ground colors painted for the starboard, aft bulwark.  I won’t bother posting pictures of those items until they are installed on the model, as it is nothing new to see.
 
Last night, I made and installed the lam-beams for the forecastle deck:
 

 

 
Tonight, I can sand them fair and then make a cardboard pattern for the forecastle deck.
 
More to follow.  Try not to let COVID overwhelm your thoughts and emotions - despite the grind we are living through now, life won’t always be like this.
 
All the best,
 
Marc

Hi all - 
 
As mentioned during the build of this model of the Queen Anne's Revenge, I have been tasked to do two models of the ship.  One for each of the museum's locations - Raleigh and Beaufort.
 
I have been working steadily on the second edition, but not done a build log, since almost all of the techniques used, and the results obtained, are identical.  Below are some progress photos.  The hull is complete and fitted out.  The masts and all of the standing rigging is done.  I am turning the spars as I listen to the Masters.
 
The only significant technical difference is invisible.  I had a good deal of trouble with the lower hull in the first model.  Despite lots of glue, doweling, and wood hardening, there were some hairline cracks that developed between hull crescents caused by humidity changes that would not go away.  To eliminate the problem, the entire lower hull of this model was fully planked and pegged.  I have not had a repeat of the issue.
 
Sharp eyes will note one or two differences between the two sisters.  I took the waterline and wales up about 10mm to more closely match the profile of the Advice Prize plans, rather than Budriot's Mercure.  It lays out much better for the headrails, hawse holes, and quarter badges.  The museum requested that all of the guns, not just the port broadside, be run out, so they were set and rigged ready for combat.  Finally, the underwater archaeologists have located some of the chain plates for the lower deadeyes.  Rather than the solid straps found with other French ships of the period, they are metal loops and backing plates similar to those generally known on English ships.  Accordingly, they were made up from iron wire and secured with nails into the hull.  
 
I will post some more when I get closer to completion.
 
As always, feel free to comment, question, or critique it.
 
Be well
 
Dan
 
 

Hi all - 
 
Well, the second coming of the Queen Anne's Revenge is done - finally - and will be on its way to North Carolina on Friday.  
 
There are some minor differences between this one and the first (i.e. chains for the lower deadeyes rather than straps were discovered underwater, so they were changed on the model).  But overall, they are very similar in both technique and final appearance.  I did plank the entire lower hull before putting on the white stuff, which eliminated the earlier hairline cracks from the movement in the wood of the framing, but very little else.
 
Here are some of the finished photos.  The blue flags are Post-It paper to warn of where the bowlines for the sails are.  They are well nigh invisible without them.
 
All questions, comments and critiques are welcome.
 
Be well
 
Dan
 
 

I estimate that I am halfway through planking as of January 5 of 2022. (Happy New Year!) I am hoping to be finished planking the hull by the time of an upcoming trip to Maine, during which I will get to do some more research and measuring. I have piled up my available lumber next to the model as a reference point to see how far this number of strips will take me.
 

 

 
As I think I have mentioned, I am leaving a portion of the port side unplanked in order to show the interior structure. The unplanked area will be a relatively oval area centered on the midships.
 

 
Once planking is finished, I plan on removing most of the wood that constitutes the multiple bulkheads, essentially turning them into dimensionally accurate frames. Not quite sure yet what tool I will use to do that, although I think I have seen a relatively small version of an oscillating cutting tool that probably would work well for scoring the wood so that it comes out easily. Suggestions welcome.
 

 
In some areas, my tape strips have come off entirely. In other areas, they have shifted position. I am going to finish the lowest and highest belts, and then I will remark things. The string also needs readjustment.
 

 
Planking band 4 has a low spot that will have to be addressed.
 

 
Very hard getting the planks to twist adequately in order to accommodate the deadwood planking.
 

 
And cutting the ends of some of these planks in order to meet the sternpost and the transom planking will be tricky.
 

 
The higher planks on the deadwood are twisted as they meet the sternpost. That will need to be carved or sanded away to make things flat and smooth.

Thanks !!!
 
*********
 

Door-Knobs
 
I felt like doing some lathe-work, so I tackled the knobs for the various doors in the deckhouse and the back of the fore-castle. That is, I assume there were knobs and not handles. However, it is likely that they used knobs, as handles pose a higher risk of getting caught with some clothing or lines getting caught.
 
I turned these from brass nails. I like to use these as the process of stamping seems to work-harden the brass a bit. Otherwise, it seems to be difficult to get hard brass wires.
 
The target-diameter of the knobs was 0.4 mm, equivalent to 64 mm in real life. It took a number of tries before I had developed a tool-setting and protocol for turning them that allowed me to produce a reasonably uniform set of eight plus a few spares – they do like to jump off the tweezers when you try to insert them into the pre-drilled holes.
 

Turning door-knobs: Step 1 – roughing-out the shape with a square tool
 
The turning proceeded in three steps, namely 1) roughing-out the shape with a square tool, 2) shaping the knob with the ball-turning tool, and 3) thinning out the shaft until it breaks off the stock by itself.
 

Turning door-knobs: Step 2 – shaping the knob with the ball-turning tool
 

Turning door-knobs: Step 2 – shaping the knob with the ball-turning tool (close-up)
 
The tool-bit in the micro-ball turning tool is a broken 0.4 mm drill, the end of which was ground to a cutting angle. It produces nice curling swarf.
 
While turning the knobs was easy, once the right settings had been found, inserting the knobs into the pre-drilled holes precipitated a lot of (mental) bad language …
 
 
Example of door-knob in place (Grrr … this close-up show every speck of dust and all imperfections)
 
 
To be continued ....

Hi Marc - 
 
Beautiful work as always.  
Thanks for the mini-tutorial on converting plastic to wood.
I have saved it to my toolbox and will rely on it as needed.
 
Best wishes to you and your father in his circumstances.
 
And Happy Holidays to all.
 
Dan

Hi Marc - 
 
Beautiful work as always.  
Thanks for the mini-tutorial on converting plastic to wood.
I have saved it to my toolbox and will rely on it as needed.
 
Best wishes to you and your father in his circumstances.
 
And Happy Holidays to all.
 
Dan

Hi Marc - 
 
Beautiful work as always.  
Thanks for the mini-tutorial on converting plastic to wood.
I have saved it to my toolbox and will rely on it as needed.
 
Best wishes to you and your father in his circumstances.
 
And Happy Holidays to all.
 
Dan

Hi Marc - 
 
Beautiful work as always.  
Thanks for the mini-tutorial on converting plastic to wood.
I have saved it to my toolbox and will rely on it as needed.
 
Best wishes to you and your father in his circumstances.
 
And Happy Holidays to all.
 
Dan

Hi Marc - 
 
Beautiful work as always.  
Thanks for the mini-tutorial on converting plastic to wood.
I have saved it to my toolbox and will rely on it as needed.
 
Best wishes to you and your father in his circumstances.
 
And Happy Holidays to all.
 
Dan

We’re literally coming down the home-stretch with Dad.  We moved his furniture and belongings, this past weekend, and we will move him this coming weekend - HUZZAH!
 
Naturally, work on the ship is fairly meager, but I did get the deck sheathing and stove painted, and I did manage to make-up and fit the forecastle beam that will be visible at the break of the forecastle deck.  A montage that shows my paint processes, particularly for my natural “oak” finish:
 

 
For some reason, I can’t load the other two pics of the sheathing because of an “unknown server error”.  Anyway, the process is pretty straightforward; flat black spray primer, followed by Citadel silver (allowing some black to peak through), finished with grey enamel wash.  The enamel wash picks up all the nail heads and sheet seams nicely, while giving an oxidized metal finish.  The white stripes are masks for where the stove glues down.
 
The stove begins with Modelmaster Random Tan as my base coat over white enamel primer:
 

 
Although it will never be seen, I chose to represent the brick work that is sandwiched between iron and wood.
 
Next, I slather the whole thing in Windsor and Newton medium grey oil, and allow it to sit for five minutes, or so, before wiping most of it away.  This paint gives the wood a pleasing silver-ish cast, like newly oxidizing oak, and it gets into all the plank seams and grain structure:
 


 
Next, after allowing it to cure for a few days, I do the same thing again with W&N Van Dyke Brown.  This is what restores a sense of woody warmth to the surface, while enhancing texture and depth:
 

 
The plate mounted to the deck:
 

 
The iron blacked-in:
 

 
I decided to rub some powdered graphite over the black, so that the lattice would pop a little.  Again, this will never be seen, but I wanted to play around with powder effects. It is subtle, but effective:
 

 

 
Lastly, the stove on-board:
 

 

 
The stove gives me a central glue connection for that beam, which will lend some rigidity to the whole deck structure.
 
In other news, I have 2 of 3, aft bulwark gussets fitted and installed.  All the prep work on the last bulwark is done, so I will resume painting soon.
 
I hope all are well, as the holiday approaches.  Thank you all for stopping by.  More to follow!

Hi all - 
 
Well, the second coming of the Queen Anne's Revenge is done - finally - and will be on its way to North Carolina on Friday.  
 
There are some minor differences between this one and the first (i.e. chains for the lower deadeyes rather than straps were discovered underwater, so they were changed on the model).  But overall, they are very similar in both technique and final appearance.  I did plank the entire lower hull before putting on the white stuff, which eliminated the earlier hairline cracks from the movement in the wood of the framing, but very little else.
 
Here are some of the finished photos.  The blue flags are Post-It paper to warn of where the bowlines for the sails are.  They are well nigh invisible without them.
 
All questions, comments and critiques are welcome.
 
Be well
 
Dan
 
 

Hi all - 
 
As mentioned during the build of this model of the Queen Anne's Revenge, I have been tasked to do two models of the ship.  One for each of the museum's locations - Raleigh and Beaufort.
 
I have been working steadily on the second edition, but not done a build log, since almost all of the techniques used, and the results obtained, are identical.  Below are some progress photos.  The hull is complete and fitted out.  The masts and all of the standing rigging is done.  I am turning the spars as I listen to the Masters.
 
The only significant technical difference is invisible.  I had a good deal of trouble with the lower hull in the first model.  Despite lots of glue, doweling, and wood hardening, there were some hairline cracks that developed between hull crescents caused by humidity changes that would not go away.  To eliminate the problem, the entire lower hull of this model was fully planked and pegged.  I have not had a repeat of the issue.
 
Sharp eyes will note one or two differences between the two sisters.  I took the waterline and wales up about 10mm to more closely match the profile of the Advice Prize plans, rather than Budriot's Mercure.  It lays out much better for the headrails, hawse holes, and quarter badges.  The museum requested that all of the guns, not just the port broadside, be run out, so they were set and rigged ready for combat.  Finally, the underwater archaeologists have located some of the chain plates for the lower deadeyes.  Rather than the solid straps found with other French ships of the period, they are metal loops and backing plates similar to those generally known on English ships.  Accordingly, they were made up from iron wire and secured with nails into the hull.  
 
I will post some more when I get closer to completion.
 
As always, feel free to comment, question, or critique it.
 
Be well
 
Dan
 
 

Thank you all for the likes and compliments, especially from those who followed the entire oddessy from the beginning.  I am glad if any of the explanations of my own methods and techniques made another modeler's efforts a little easier.
 
Here is a final photo of the model being crated for shipping.
 

 
I hope to get down to the museum for the installation.  If so, I'll post a photo or two.
 
Be well
 
Dan
 
 

Hello again to all.  
 
Thanks for the likes and comments.  I am glad that I can pass along some of the tips, tricks and techniques from my own teachers and from decades of trials and lots of errors along the way.
 
This will be the final installment of this build log.  The model is done and is waiting to be picked up for crating and delivery.  The final touches include: the stern lantern; mounting the anchors and anchor buoys; fitting the ship's boat and the spare spars.
 
The lantern was done in the round French fashion, rather than the hexagonal English style.  This meant that I had to scratch build it, rather than buying one of the well-designed and detailed ones from Syren Models.  In any event, here is how I went about it:
 
The lantern is not really round so it cannot be simply turned to shape, as you can see from the reproduced sections of the plan it is skewed towards the stern.  The central body was the most difficult to create.  Attempts to carve wood and acrylic were both completely unsatisfactory.  Starting from a cylindrical shape I could not get the proper angle to the lamp body.  Instead, I tried Sculpey, a clay that is hardened by baking in an oven.  After shaping it to the basic form by hand it was hardened according to the package directions.  When cool and hard it was still easily refined and smoothed by sanding.  The brass rod is for convenience in holding and shaping.
 
1
 
Here is a close-up of the body.  Examining the photograph I saw that I still needed to bring down the sharp ridge between the upper and lower portions.
 
2
 
When the body was brought to shape it was given several coats of primer, then a final light grey color coat, with light sanding in between.  The cap was carved from pear wood in a floral design.  I tried to get 16 petals around the circumference, but this proved too fiddly, so I have 12.  The finial on the top is turned from pear.  The mullions to hold the glass are cherry veneer cut to 0.030” x 0.015” strips.  Each was wet bent at the top end then glued in between the petals.  When that was dry and hard the rest of the strip was glued down the body of the lantern.  I put in the first four to quarter the body then marked out thirds in each section for the rest.
 
3
 
Here is a composite photo with two views of the lantern with all the vertical mullions installed.
 
4
 
The cross pieces were cut from the veneer strip and individually installed in three bands around the lantern.
 
5
 
A floral base was carved and a round drop at the bottom were made out of pear.  The finished lantern was sanded to remove any sharp corners then finished with a light stain/neutral carrier mix.  I let the stain pool a bit in the corners, which gave the panes some depth and shadow.  Each section was filled with white glue which dried to create a glossy ‘glass’ pane.
 
6
 
Mounting hardware was fashioned from a 0.062” brass rod with two pieces soldered at right angles.  The mount was bent and trimmed to fit a trio of holes in the stern.  After blackening the mount was installed and the lantern fitted to it at an appropriate height.
 
7
 
And here is how the lantern fits in with the look of the rest of the stern.
 
8
 
Next I turned to the anchors.  In an earlier segment I went through how I constructed them.  Here are the two finished sets of four anchors for each model.
 
9
 
To hang them I needed a triple block for each of the largest ones which would be mounted at the catheads, as well as an anchor buoy for each.  The blocks were made from 7mm triple blocks which were detailed by drilling a second set of line holes and rounding the resulting ‘sheave’ in the middle.  The hook was bent up from 0.035” annealed iron wire with the shank wrapped around the block in a deepened strop groove.
 
The buoy bodies were ¾” long, turned from maple.  Two ropes were seized together forming a small loop and spot glued at either end.  The lines were led down the body and under a cinch line about ¼ of the way from either end.  The vertical lines were doubled back on themselves, glued and trimmed. 
 
10
 
Here are the anchors mounted on the starboard side.  They are the two middle sized ones.  They are hung with strong lines from timberheads at the rail as well as the hooked block at the cathead.  A sense of weight is imparted by hanging a weight from the anchor then stiffening the supporting lines with dilute white glue.
 
11
 
Here is the buoy tied to the shrouds with a loop of line that is ultimately secured to the anchor shank.
 
12
 
And here are the two on the port side similarly secured.  These are the largest and smallest of the set.
 
13
 
The final tasks were to secure the ship’s boat in the waist and add two spare topmasts and large spars.  These sit between the gaps in the rails at the edges of the foredeck and quarterdeck.
 
14
 
Various rope coils were added to each belaying point, the model was cleaned and a few spots of paint were touched up. 
 
So here she is, ready for pickup and shipping. 
 
15
16
 
And one final photo of a future crewman, grandson Eli, who is almost four and already very interested in what his Poppy Dan does with his boats. . .
 
17
 
It was an interesting build, and radically increased my appreciation and respect for those modelers who rig sails.  As always, questions, comments, and critiques are very welcome.
 
Back soon with another project, the SS Andrea Doria in 1:200 scale.
 
Till then, be well,
 
Dan
 
 

Hi all and thanks for the likes and comments.
 
At the end of the last segment I had finished and hung the square sails.  Now I turned to the staysails, most of which will be shown furled.
 
The sails were made up much like the square sails, but as triangles rather than trapezoids.  Here are the two from the first set that were made.  They were discarded because the panel lines are wrong.  The pattern with a central seam and angled panels is much more modern than would have been in use in 1710.  I made a hasty assumption before checking my sources.
 
1
 
So here is the redone main staysail.  It is reduced in size for purposes of furling, but is otherwise appropriately rigged.  As explained by R.C. Anderson, the lines and blocks for the foreyard braces would have interfered with the staysail sliding up the stay.  So a false stay was rigged under the mainstay and the sail is spiral laced to it.
 
2
 
The lower end of the false stay is secured to the foremast by a collar that rides just under the thumb cleat for the forestay (indicated by the arrow on the left).  A small deadeye is turned into the collar and a matching one seized into the lower end of the false stay.  The lanyard between them is tightened and the running end is frapped around it (see the arrow on the right).  Lacing this in, around and through the previously rigged lines was one of the most delicate operations I have ever performed in my years of modeling.  Suffice to say that I will pre-rig this next time.
 
3
 
The upper end of the false stay is comparatively easy.  There is an eye splice turned into the end of the line, which is then seized to the mainstay just above the euphroe lashing.  A single block is seized to the stay between the euphroe and the mouse to run the uphaul line for the staysail.
 
4
 
Once the sail was rigged, the lines were loosened, the sail misted with water and drawn down toward the foremast.  It was furled, twisted, and wrapped with one leg of the sheet line, the other was used to secure the furled sail at the deck to one of the deck cleats.  When I was happy with the look it was painted with matte finish to stiffen it.
 
5
 
Similarly, the main topmast staysail was rigged on its false stay.
 
6
 
The mizzen stays do not have any brace blocks rigged to them, so the staysails do not need a false stay.  Here is the mizzen staysail.
 
7
 
And here is the mizzen topmast staysail.
 
8
 
The fore staysail was done in the same way.
 
8a
 
The fore topmast staysail was set and shown billowed, its shape mirroring and complimenting the mizzen lateen sail.  I first ran it down the t’gallant stay, but this did not seem right.  First, it put it too far forward to look good to my eye.  Maybe more important, rigging it that way would have one of the largest sails being run between one of the smallest diameter masts and the end of the jib boom, also not that large a timber. This is a broken masthead waiting to happen.  Instead, I looked at some contemporary French models and usually saw a line running from the topmast head to the end of the jib boom.  This looked much more likely, and gave the sail a nice angle and shape.
 
8b
 
So here is the model with all sails set and rigged.
 
9
 
Next I turned to the flag.  Although no one truly knows what his flag looked like, the Internet has one that is called the Blackbeard flag.  It is a demon holding a glass in one hand and a spear in the other, aimed at a red heart with three red dots in the lower corner.  This was the one selected by the museum.
 
I took the image and imported it into my computer.  Using Photoshop I resized it, then used the skew function to bring down the lower outer corner of the flag.  This helps it to hang more naturally without a buildup of material.  A copy was saved and reversed, then both were combined into one image.
 
10
 
The double image was printed out on a piece of paper.  A piece of thin fabric large enough to cover the image with some excess all around was stiffened, then taped over the upper image and run through the printer.  This put an image on the first side.  The fabric was cut loose, turned over and positioned over the lower image.  Since the fabric was somewhat transparent it was easy to locate it exactly over the previously printed image.  Again it was taped down on all sides and printed again.
 
11
 
After allowing the ink to dry for 48 hours the flag was stiffened to lock in the ink, then cut out, leaving a bit of excess along the fly edge.  The hauling line was set in and the flap glued over it and ironed down.  The ensign staff was built up with a small block at the top and a cleat mounted at easy reaching height for a man.  With the staff mounted the flag was misted and curled.
 
12
 
So here is the model almost done.
 
14
 
The next segment should be the last.  Only the stern lantern to build and the anchors to mount.
 
Back soon.
 
Dan