dunnock

Thanks David that's kind of you but for an exemplar on planking, take a look at at Beef Wellington's log of HMS Jason

I'm just catching up with your log again. Superb work on the planking Jason. I will soon be at the stage of planking the forecastle and I think that I will take your approach rather than joggling the planks into the waterway as depicted in the AotS. I makes a much neater finish to my eye. David

I have now completed planking on the port side of the quarterdeck. I laid planks on each side to maintain some symmetry until the last four strakes. At this point I needed to consider the waterway which I had laid out to be made from 6mm maple strip to allow for any accommodation of variation in planks. The waterway plank was soaked and edge-bent to take up the curve of bulwark and marked up to butt up against the last plank. A bit more fettling than I would have liked was required at the stern but now that the port side is completed I am reasonably happy with the way it looks so I will repeat the exercise on the starboard side. If I were to start again, I would take more measurements along the length than the every 50mms I chose to do. Every 20mms would give better accuracy and result in a better graduation of the curve of the planking. The thickness of the planks are very variable so the deck is going to take a lot of scraping and sanding once laid.

Lovely work David and your 3d printed work around are a vast improvement on the kit. David

Hi Dave, I'm just catching up with your log having been away for the weekend. Your Diana is looking really good and it's nice to see that you are putting your own stamp on the kit. I can't believe this is only your second wooden ship build, I think that you must have picked up a lot of expertise from other fields of model making. I too really liked that ladder jig and although I didn't use Jotika's, wish I could have used something other than kit supplied ladders. For boxwood, I have used two suppliers, the first for stripwood and sheets is Original Marquetry https://www.originalmarquetry.co.uk/product-category/inlays-lines/lines-stringing/ The second is Timberline who supply 6x2mm boxwood that I used for coamings https://shop.exotichardwoods.co.uk/castello-boxwood-guitar-banding-800-x-6-x-2mm.html I will be following your log with great interest. David

Thanks Jason and for all the likes

Thanks again for the discussion on the quaterdeck scuttles and David, it would be great to see a log of your build of Diana. Following on from the discussion on the quaterdeck scuttles, I removed the planking that I had so far laid and then the coamings. I filled in the spaces with scraps of ply (which would have been lot easier if I had done it before fixing the deck) and started the planking process once again. I had completed 6 strakes each side and decided that I wasn’t happy with the way it was turning out. There seemed to be a pronounced convex curve developing towards the stern on the starboard side so it all had to come off again. I decided to start from scratch and check all my measurements across the width. I again took the average of three measurements at each station and found some differences so made up a new jig. I shape 10 strips at a time starting with coarse grit sandpaper and then getting progressively finer. The first four strips either side of the centre line are laid without joins. Before moving on to shaping the next batch of strips, I have rechecked the widths and adjusted where necessary. 9 strakes on each side are now completed and I’m happier with the way it is looking. No doubt more adjustments will need to be made as I go along.

No problem David. Thanks for pointing out those subtle differences that I had completely missed, so I must look more closely at the drawings in future. In the light of previous posts on this subject from Jason and Allen, and now confirmed by your photo of Trincomalee,I have already been in discussion with the Admiral, whose preference was for removing the coamings around the scuttles and your photo of Trincomalee confirms that this is the way to go. Perhaps a bit late in my build of Diana but I have a trip to Hartlepool planned at the end of this month to visit the ship. I hope that the weather is as good to me as it obviously was for you.

Allan and Jason thanks very much for your comments on my dilemma over the quarterdeck scuttles. I have looked again at both the plan of the quarterdeck (ZAZ2363) and the inboard deck plan (ZAZ2359) from the NMM archives and my reading is that the top tackle scuttles do not have coamings. The ledges for the pump scuttles are shown on the deck plan but I can't see openings marked on the inboard sectional view in the same way the tackle scuttles are marked, although I have no doubt that they should be there. The two models said to be of Diana, (SLR0342 and SLR0572) shown in The Sailing Frigate, only show hatches with coamings down the centre line for the gratings and ladderway on the quarterdeck. I'm a relative newcomer to ship models but from the drawings and models, I think that for authenticity, the coamings should not be present for the scuttles. I'm still hesitating over which way to go and although I have started to plank around the top tackle scuttles, it wouldn't be a big problem to go with a plain deck. David

Thanks Ron for your kind comments and for putting me right on the rudder trunk. I may not have left enough slack in it to allow full movement of the rudder in reality but I'm quite happy with the way it looks. You have also confirmed my thoughts on the rudder chains. I am assuming that they would be tied off to the shrouds with a lanyard rather than some separate anchor. David

Thank you everyone for the likes All the deadeyes and chains are in place on channels and stools and the blackened parts touched in with matt black where necessary. I’ve moved on to the quarterdeck and completed some preliminary work prior to beginning planking. Firstly before fixing them in place, I sanded down the hatch coamings to 3mm high because I had made them to the same pattern as the upper deck and then realised that they should be shallower. I debated whether to use the hatches that I had made for the scuttles, which do not appear on the NMM ship model of Diana but are in the AotS drawings. I have decided to use them, even though it makes planking more difficult and adds yet another variation to my intention to build Diana largely as originally built. Finally, again although not shown in the AotS, I added a plank across the stern to tidy up that area and then painted the inner bulwark red ochre. I have placed the first few planks on the quarterdeck, one each side of the centre line and 3 across on the starboard side. The planks are 1mm maple, planed and sanded using a jig to shape 10 planks at a time to achieve a consistent taper from 2.3mm at the stern to 3.8mm amidships. Before fixing, one edge of the plank is painted black with archival ink using a Pigma Brush - easier and I think, a better result than other methods that I've tried. This is the first time that I have tried using tapered planks and cutting them up to the fixed hatches so I will be taking it slowly and regularly rechecking the measurements and adjusting the taper if necessary. David

Thanks to everyone for all the likes. The 5mm deadeye strops arrived from CMB, so rather than start planking the quarter deck, I have been working on the channels chains and links. Quite a fiddly task and I wish that I had followed Jason's lead in completing them before fitting the upper deck guns but I think that I have now got a system that works without incurring too much frustration and loss of little bits and pieces. First all the pins, strops, links and preventers were blackened. The line of the chains was determined by clamping a ruler to a stub mast and then clamping a line to the rule at the appropriate height - 265mm in the case of the fore mast – and running it down through the slot in the channel. This is the set up for the main mast having forgotten to take one for the fore. I made a pencil mark and then measured up 2.5mm from the black strake and marked the position of the hole for drilling. The preventer link was pinned in place and then using the line through the slot in the channel to achieve the correct angle, a second hole was marked and drilled and the preventer and lower link pinned in place. Carefully removing the lower pin, without disturbing the upper pin, this could now be glued with a drop of thin CA. The deadeyes are placed in the channel slots and the upper link connected. I tried using the 0.5mm brass rod that Caldercraft suggest but found that I could achieve a satisfactory result more easily using Gutterman black linen thread which is 0.4mm diameter tied off at the strop. Once the deadeye and links were connected, the top pin on the preventer link could be carefully removed and fixed with a drop of CA. Sorry if all this is a bit obvious but it's as much as a reminder to myself for future builds as for the benefit of any readers. A 2.5mm deadeye was used for the royal backstay on the fore channel and a strop made from the same linen thread as the upper link. I think that this gives a nice differential in size as drawn in the AotS. The channel slots are covered by a strip of 2.5 mm boxwood and finished with 1x1mm boxwood stringing. I think it must be the angle at which the shot was taken that seems to throw out the angles of the first two chains but they are almost vertical in reality. Both port and starboard fore channels are completed and I’m part way through fixing the starboard main channel. There will be quite a bit of touching up to do of the blackened parts when I’ve finished and some tidying up where I drilled a hole in the wrong place.

Always happy to receive constructive criticism, I have followed Jason’s suggestion and after several attempts, have made the hance scrolls larger so that they sit above the line of the gangway. I was moving on to the deadeyes and links but I couldn’t get on with the 5mm deadeye strap so have ordered some replacements from CMB. I also have some doubts about the sizes of deadeyes supplied. In the kit are 5 and 3mm versions but looking at the AOTS and the NMM drawing, there appear to be three different sizes with the royal backstays running down to scale 2.5mm deadeyes. I have some of this size left over from HMS Fly that I can use In the meantime, I have finished off the stern by fixing the rudder coat and chains. The rudder coat was made from some non-woven lens cleaning cloth cut to shape and painted with Tamiya Nato Brown. The chains are kit supplied and blackened with Birchwood Casey Brass Black in the usual way. I believe that there should also be a cable (pendant?) attached to the end of the chains that leads back to the mizzen channels as shown in this photo of the starboard quarter of Victory taken back in 2020 but I want to look into this more before deciding what diameter this should be. The quarterdeck and forecastle decks are now glued in place, covering most of the work that went into the upper deck (much to my wife’s consternation) but before doing so, I filled in the two top-tackle scuttles that don’t appear on the NMM models and plans for Diana. Thanks for looking in. David

Thanks Jason, I'm going to follow your advice and have a go at re-cutting the scrolls to 8mm. The line plan on NMM website does show only a small area above the rail. I'm wishing that I had splashed out on a set of drawings from NMM now which might have saved me a lot of confusion. Thanks to others for all the likes and encouragement so far too David

Hi Jason, Thanks for your comments on the scroll and following your suggestion, I have been taking a closer look at its size and position. I was imagining that the top of the scroll runs level with the top of the gunwale. I have taped a piece of 2mm thick pearwood to check this alignment and it seems about right as in the photo below. But I think that you are saying that it should sit higher than it does. The kit version of the scroll is 8.2mm whereas mine is 6.0 If I use the dimension of the kit piece it would sit like this... If this is more like the correct position, it also seems that I will have to increase the height of the quarterdeck walls.. It would be good to hear your further views on this because I am struggling to interpret the various plans and photographs of versions with and without the built up quarterdeck rails. David

I’ve been making some corrections to the position of the sheer rail and mizzen channels. The scrolls for the drift rails supplied in the kit made from walnut didn’t look right so I scratched them from 1.5mm boxwood sheet but when placing them, they didn’t seem to sit right in relation to the sheer rail and plansheer. This prompted me to look more closely at the original plans for Diana on the NMM website and the photographs in the Sailing Frigate. As I plan to build Diana without the built-up quarter deck bulwarks, I realised that the mizzen channel should be on the same level as the main and forward channels rather than in-line with quarter deck drift rail. I also realised that I had placed the sheer rail slightly too high. All this resulted in a few days’ work removing the rails, filling the holes for the pins of the mizzen channel and some repainting. I have made new mizzen channels because the Diana plans and photographs of ship models showed that originally, in my understanding, the mizzen channel carried only the shrouds and standing backstays and that the mizzen and royal backstays ran to a separate stool. The two additional stools will be made from 1.5mm boxwood sheet as before. The sheer rail and mizzen channel are now in what I believe are their correct positions. I have used 15 brackets each side, three on the mizzen and six each on the main and fore channels. I have assumed that on the fore channel, there are brackets not seen on the plans which are hidden both behind the anchor stock and the anchor lining. Only 22 parts are supplied in the kit so a further 8 have been made from the brass strip that remains when the PE parts are removed. These shots also show the boxwood drift rail scrolls in place. I'm waiting until I have a better idea of the placement of the quarter deck guns before finishing the rail All the channels are now placed with their brackets but I have yet to drill and fix the pins which is the next thing to do.

The quarter deck hatches are now finished, rounding off the profiles of coamings and gratings and giving several of coats of dilute matt varnish. Looking at the scuttles and gratings on the forecastle, the photos of the admiralty models show only one grating forward of the stove chimney. Beef Wellington, in his blog, talks about flush scuttles rather than the raised coamings shown in the kit plan but I’m not sure what this means. There are clearly openings shown in the AotS plans on page 46 but not in the models. Are they just planked coverings? Meanwhile, I have been able to continue with the fittings of the upper deck. The anchor cables are now in place. I made up 3 bitt stoppers aside and then used the deck rings in place for training tackles as deck stoppers. And with all the upper deck fittings now in place, this brings to an end a major stage in the build but before putting the skid beams in place and finally closing the lid on the upper deck, I hope that you won't mind if I indulge in a few photos. And finally with skid beams in place I've had no response from Caldercraft regarding extra channel supports so I will just go ahead and make the extra number required from brass strip David

Hi Ben, Good news, my ropes arrived today and they look great. The anchor cable is very close to what I would expect and the other two items I ordered just to see, I'm also very pleased with. Now I'm thinking about whether to replace all the thread supplied in the kit. David

Thanks for your kind words Dave but looking at your Endeavour, I'm sure that you would make a fine job of Diana. I am using AotS Diana as if it's pretty much spot on. I believe that it is certainly better than the Caldercraft plans and parts, who after all want to sell their kits to a wide range of modellers at an acceptable price. As I understand it, the kit is one of their earliest offerings and although some parts have been changed (the 18 pounder barrels for instance) much of the kit is as it was. I think the only way to check the AotS for accuracy would be to buy whatever plans are available from NMM. Perhaps others better qualified would like to comment too. David

Quarter Deck Hatches The local post is very erratic so I’m still waiting for my delivery from Ropes of Scale even though they shipped my order within 24 hours. In the meantime I’ve started on the quarter deck coamings, which like the upper deck, are made from 6x2mm boxwood, and the gratings. According to AotS Diana the openings for the hatches and ladderway are larger and slightly differ in their positions compared with the ply deck supplied. I have marked up the new openings and made the coamings and gratings accordingly. The main quarter deck hatch, being tapered, took a few attempts to get even close but I am reasonably happy with the final result – I don’t think I could improve upon it anyway. I have rounded the corners and added strips for the gratings to sit on. The other hatch coamings and gratings are made up too but all require shaping. I didn’t have enough pieces to make gratings for the forecastle, probably because I made the aft hatch on the upper deck which isn’t part of the kit, so I am now also waiting for some grating kits from Jotika. If things don’t arrive soon, work on Diana will have to slow down and the shipyard will be going on short time. David UPDATE: The gratings have just arrived so work continues..

Thanks for the likes everyone Deck Beams and Skid Beams While waiting for cable from Ropes of Scale, I have spent some time test fitting the quarter deck and forecastle, checking it for any odd lumps and bumps. The plywood beams have been fixed from aft forwards as far as the capstan. The next will be fixed aft of the bulkhead extensions to keep it clear of the scuttles. I’m wondering in hindsight if I could cut away beam 13a where it crosses the hatch and brace it from beam 12a. I have replaced the walnut skid beams with pearwood. I only have 6x2mm strip so they have been made up with 2 lengths of 6x2 glued together and shaped using one of the walnut pieces as a template. According to the photos in Gardiner, the skid beams sit below the level of the gangways but I like the approach that Beef Wellington has taken to raise their level to be flush with the planked gangways. I have taken up this idea by adding another piece of 6x2 pearwood on top of the skid beam and sanding it back flush with the sides. David

Jason, I've been trying to find the reference that I used but somewhere I read that the circumference of the cable is 0.6 x main mast diameter. and at 27.75" this equates to a scale 2.1mm diameter for the anchor cable. David

Many thanks for all the likes. All the guns on the upper deck have now been firmly fixed in position using epoxy to fix brass posts into the both the gun carriage and deck and aliphatic glue on the flattened trucks. I tried to set the breeching ropes in position by simply wetting them out and holding them in place until dry but the cord being mostly synthetic, didn’t respond well. The only way was to fix them using glue in discrete spots at appropriate points. The port tackles were prepared some time ago with the falls frapped around the tackle which made it a simple matter to hook them onto gun carriage and bulwark and fix with a dab of CA. Unfortunately I have forgotten to take a photo of the upper deck now all the centre, visible guns are rigged with port tackles but they can be seen in the shots around the main mast area. Having fitted the guns, I have moved on to the fittings along the central line. Starting from aft, the partitions for the captain’s quarters have been fixed in place The chain pump housings I have covered previously and these were now fitted using the kit supplied PE brass brakes, which although not great, I decided were acceptable. The provided walnut stanchions were given a bit more shape before being painted, pinned and glued in place. The deck beams are not glued in place yet I couldn’t live with the supplied parts for the elm tree pumps and ordered some from Jotika. Rather than used Jotika's dowel, I made the cylinder from 5mm square section boxwood filed and sanded into an octagon. The brass brake looked too short and flimsy so I added a boxwood extension. The area around the main mast is now complete and looks pretty crowded. The elm tree pumps aren’t glued and I will not fix them until the last moment as they look vulnerable to damage. I want to show the anchor cables feeding into the main hatchway but there is insufficient cable supplied in the kit to do this and anyway it looks a too bright and white. I was prompted by a member of this forum (and I’m sorry but I can’t remember who) to look at Ropes of Scale. The nearest cable they have is 2.1mm, slightly under-size but as close as the 2.5mm supplied is over so I have ordered some of there beige cable and a couple of other items to try with a view to replacing some of the kit rigging thread.. I don’t want to fit the forward bitts and other items until the cable and deck stoppers are in place. While waiting for the cable to arrive, I thought that I would fix the channels and brackets but as others have commented, only 22 brackets are supplied when 26 are shown on the plans. I have emailed Jotika asking for some extra parts and in the meantime have checked the security of the guns and worked on the deck beams and skid beams which will be for the next update. David

Beautiful work Jason and good to see you back. I only hope that I can achieve a result half as good when I reach that stage

I wanted to use slow setting epoxy for fixing the guns to give me time to adjust them. While I was waiting for it to arrive, I decided to have a bash at the wash cants. They are formed from a number of complex curves and I wasn’t sure how to go about it. I decided to take it a step at a time by building them up from layers of 6x2mm pear strip. I built up the first a strip at a time measuring it against the curve of the hull and of the lower cheek. In the end they were three strips deep by two thick. The section along the stem was made up separately to a rough finish and then fixed to the hull section with epoxy to provide enough strength for filling and finishing. Having completed the first, I was able to go a little quicker with the other side and glued and roughly shaped the back three strips as one piece. The front three strips were also roughly shaped before glueing to the other half for final shaping. It took three afternoons of cutting filing, and sanding to complete both pieces. Not easy to photograph an all black subject but here the wash cants are fitted to the hull. While waiting for epoxy and filler to set at various stages, I was able to start fixing the guns. I had already mentioned that I had fixed 1mm brass posts into the carriages and drilled corresponding holes in the upper deck. I also slightly flattened the trucks to give better contact with the deck. The guns were then fitted by applying the slow setting epoxy to the holes in the deck and aliphatic glue to the trucks. The port side fixed and the starboard side in place ready to be glued down The The port side breeching is fixed but the ropes need tidying and setting in position. And that’s all I’ll have time for as my work room has to be dismantled – my table is needed for Christmas lunch. A Merry Christmas to all David