dunnock

First Planking The first layer of planking with 5x1mm lime is going steadily. I used tick strips to measure the width of the plank at each bulkhead. Each plank is tapered to 2.5 or 3mm at the bow and gradually runs to full width between bulkheads 6 & 7. The planks are bevelled before glueing and pinning. After five runs down from the gunport patterns I fitted the garboard strake and the one above. With eight runs completed, I’m nearing halfway. Some edge-bending is needed at the bow but I’ve not needed to use any spiled planks yet. Onwards and upwards (and downwards) David

Thanks to all for the likes and comments Preparation for First Planking I spent a happy couple of hours in the sunshine fairing the hull . There was even sufficient breeze to keep the dust down. The inner patterns for prow, stern post and keel are added next. The prow needed some sanding to make it fully seat into the slots between frames. Before glueing in place, I tapered the leading edge of the knee of the head. I don’t have exact measurements of the taper but drawings in Longridge and AoS Diana show a reduction of about 1/3. To achieve this would mean sanding away the leading edge of the pattern completely when the two 1mm thick outer pieces are taken into account. I thought that too extreme for this modeller and reduced it to 1mm; sufficient to see a taper. The stern post and keel also needed a slight touch of sanding to achieve a tight fit. There was a 1mm gap between prow and keel which I filled with a sliver of pear. Sorry, I forgot to take pictures of a lot of this stage. I gave the gunport patterns a short soak to accommodate the curve around the bow. I couldn’t get the two patterns to fit in the slot at the prow so enlarged it to give more space. I also tapered the leading edge of the two support pieces that are glued to the prow. Even so it was a tight fit and I didn’t entirely succeed in getting both parts to meet. The first patten went on easily, glueing along the false deck every three or four bulkheads clamping and pinning the lower edge to each frame. The fit was perfect at the stern and required only a light sand. The starboard side had to be refitted because the forward end slipped out of the slot and there was about a 1.5mm overhang at the stern. A second attempt was a great improvement but still required some sanding to bring it flush with the counter and transom pieces. As a final step before planking, I made a support for the upturned hull from a piece of mdf and scraps of balsa. David

Hi François, I use a Pigma Brush to blacken one edge of each plank. David

Completing The Lower Deck I have made some of the gun deck centre line fittings but I'll save that for a more appropriate point in the log The hinges and handles that I was waiting for have arrived from Syren and I can continue with fitting out the lower deck. The small Syren handles are added to the pear cabin fronts using small dots of CA gel and the paper hinges with PVA. They all slot together easily but the side walls need clamping to stop any risking of warping. Once in place, I gave them a couple of coats of diluted matt varnish. The beams are all sanded to remove the char and dry fitted. There was only one slot that needed a bit of attention but only because of a slight overlap from one of the cabin pieces. Carlings, mast partners and capstan base are added and alignment checked with scraps of dowel. The ship’s stove is 3D printed and nicely detailed. I painted it iron black and dry-brushed it with pale grey to bring out some highlights. It’s quite subtle. I glued it in place on the hearth with CA before the final carling pieces are added. The ply sub-deck clips in place after a bit of fiddling and lies nicely flat. Next up is to complete fairing the hull. The deck is covered in wide masking tape to keep the majority of dust out. Time to make some more dust... David

Completing the Hull Structure The four bow filler pieces are bevelled to the laser etched marks on each piece and glue in place. The final two pieces atop the bow section are also added. At the stern there are two pieces to add which slot either side of the keel section to support transom and counter and to provide a firmer base for the final bulkhead which is glued in place. The last pieces to build are the two cabin structures at the stern on either side of the gun deck. These are also cut so that they can’t be assembled wrongly. I learnt from past stupidity and got it right this time. I felt that they need some fettling and bevelling at the joints to allow for the angles of front and rear walls. I hope that this hasn’t thrown them out when it comes to adding the outer etched pear pieces. Everything looks lined up and good to me so I can brush glue into all the joints and leave it to dry. I'm now waiting for some hinges and handles (among other things) from Syren. They were despatched promptly but are somewhere in the US or UK postal system. In the meantime I'll begin assembling the gundeck centreline fittings. David

Thanks Maurice that's very kind of you. Yes the wood for the planking is from Original Marquetry (two different orders). The scuttle covers are 1mm sheet from Hobbymill. David

In awe... So impressed by your care and attention to detail David

Lower Deck The scuttles are cut from 1mm boxwood using a copy of the deck plan as templates. The centre line is scored and highlighted with pencil. Ring bolts using 2mm Amati and 3mm rings are yet to be added. I added the hatches before planking so some 0.8mm fret was used to maintain their height above the deck. I pondered about the stove hearth: should I place it on top of the planking or plank up to it? I was concerned to maintain the distance between the top of the stove and the gun deck. In the end I decided I would glue the hearth to the sub-deck and plank to it. I found a suitable brick pattern courtesy of Mr Google and printed it off. The hearth is finally edged with 1mm square boxwood. I have marked the position of the stove using a copy of the centre section from the plan. Planking is mostly 3.5 x 0.7mm boxwood. I was surprised by the variation in colour since all the planking comes from the same supplier. The centre section is planked using my latest order but the wider 4.5 and 5mm planks used along the edges of the hatches and scuttles are from a previous batch. Probably not an authentic look but I quite like the added interest and it will not be so obvious in the completed model. Planking the after deck section was straightforward and the block for the capstan is glued in place. The decks easily locate with the frames and the pegs hold them in place. The sail room is complete but awaits hinges and latches from Syren. There are inner wals of mdf and an outer covering of etched pear. The instructions say that the mdf parts are cut so that they can’t be assembled incorrectly – but I know someone who can. 🙄 Once reassembled, I checked it’s position and that the gun deck beams, cabin walls and stove locate properly. Thanks for looking in David

Wish I'd thought of that it would have saved a lot of trial and error.

A nice tweak Richard. Always tricky to get the shape right but yours looks very good David

Basic Hull Structure After a three week break Inter-railing through Europe, I can finally start building Harpy. Much has already been said about the contents of the box and the initial build of the basic framework and by far better builders than I. There is nothing for me to add so I will limit my remarks to once more praising the simplicity of this stage of the build thanks to Chris’s innovations, accurate plans and laser cutting. Everything goes together easily without the need to put excess pressure on parts and apart from making the cradle, there is no gluing required until later on in the construction of the basic framework. The first three frames bevelled back nearly to the laser-etched marks, leaving a bit still to play with. I’ve completed the first stages and am now working on the lower deck. I’m following Maurice’s @Blue Ensign lead here and as with my Speedy, will be planking both fore and aft sections as well as later the gun deck with boxwood. Supplies are on order and expected Monday. Until then there is work to be done on the scuttles and the deck structures. The laser etched decks as supplied The scuttles cut out of 1mm boxwood sheet and temporarily pinned to the deck

Back in Post#91 I said that I couldn't find information on the size of anchor bouys. Yesterday @En-Dan sent me a message with the following drawing, which I thought would be interesting and useful to others so with his permission, I have copied it below. The drawing is presumably from a Dutch publication but unattributed and from a later period than Speedy but hopefully still relevant. The bouys that I made are 16.4 long by 9mm diameter so pretty good for length against Chris's 60mm anchors but a little wide in the girth. Next time I would use 6mm diameter dowel as the starting point for the same anchors. David

Thanks Ron. Yes it is good to see it completed - there were times when I wondered... Thanks Dan, Glad the log will be of some help. Just take the rigging a step at a time and I'm sure you'll be pleased with the result. David

Thank you Bob

Thanks Chris and Thuky David