LyleK1

After a bit of a hiatus, I'm back at at it! I reworked the first cannon... slightly smaller loops that are countersunk into the carriage. They look better! Additionally, I used smaller blocks. Overall, I like the look much better. The cannon is shown in a jig I built to hold the cannon while rigging it... needs some work but a good start: Doing a bunch of these must be an exercise in patience! Glad I'm only doing four on this model! More to come in a few days.

I have a scale gauge that I use frequently but a scaled sailor is good idea!

I couldn't figure out their use either... left them off my rendition too.

Jax Pewter Blackening may work better on the eyelets too. I have both and find Jax to be a better option. In addition to the book Keith mentioned, I also have James Lees version. Both are a “must-have” in my opinion.

Pictures help us help you! No one should be doing any criticizing your work except to help you out with constructive comments. No worries!

Both suggestions are good ones! Most definitely do not try to cut in one pass!

Excellent news! And the maker of my current build too. Welcome!

Spring is arriving and I find myself outdoors or on the boat a bit more! A good thing! Managed to do some work... tear it apart and do it again only to discover that it's still not right! Or at least, it doesn't look right to me. Assembly of the cannons looked to be straightforward until I started researching the guns from that time period: Blackened all the parts: In the Anatomy book, the carriage is close in design but the front wheels are larger. I decided to modify the carriage a bit at the front that lifts the carriage off the deck, slightly. The addition to the underside of the carriage and the lift is not noticeable once installed. Final assembly (I thought): Not too bad looking... I HATE THE LOOPS! They look huge on the carriages and to add insult to injury...: The blocks look worse! So, after all the work, I decided to remove the loops and make my own. Additionally, I am using a smaller block on the next version. I've also started building a jig to hold the cannons and the rigging. Hoping to completely rig each one before installing. The Bounty only has 4 cannons... thank God! I'm off on a boat trip tomorrow and won't be in the shop for a week or so! Next up date when I get these cannons sorted out!

Are those for the half pounders? I think there are 10 total. I had to do the same with my kit. Made from 5x5mm stock... the kit ones were pathetic!

Thank you! Good luck. Let me know if I can help!

Today's work: 200 feet down... a lot to go!

If you have a Hobby Town close by, it might have what you need. Otherwise, I use Micro Mark for a lot of supplies. The problem with them is that it may take a week to arrive. Another option is Amazon... quicker delivery.

Direct quote from the Anatomy book.

It came from the Anatomy book. I own a copy of it. As noted in the text, no colors are mentioned. So, it’s left open to interpretation… as is the stern decoration.

Hi Joe, Very true... what you've typed. I don't mind having someone point out an error. After all, I did state that I am looking to do this model as historically accurate as possible! Somethings can be redone or changed... some can't! I certainly will be checking things a bit more closely and I am learning quite a lot! I have not considered colors for the figurehead. Leaning toward a red riding habit similar to the Anatomy book cover... no reason except Bligh stated that the islanders were pleased with the new colors. I think the Tahitians like red! (I have no clue!!)

I certainly wasn't trying to make anyone envious! I'm always learning, just like you! Thanks for the kind comment, though.

Good luck with the build. Although I am not building the Caldercraft version of the Bounty, I am building the another version. Feel free to stop by for a look! I'll be watching along as you go.

Looks great! Nice job. I'm about to do about 1000' of 4 different sizes of rope for my Bounty build! That'll take some time!

One channel done: Thoughts?

Following up:

I kinda sorta made them… I have some really small hinges from another project. I cut them down and used them.

Agreed… disappointing but not surprising. Of course, my own lack of knowledge on period changes and the accepted norms (like the gratings you pointed out earlier) is not helping but I enjoy learning… not necessarily fixing though!! Here is the direction I’m going in: Still working on the slot but it’s close. The veneer will be fine once glued down and stained. Lots of extra work but I think it will work. Thoughts?

After reading your post and a message from another Bounty builder (Tim M.), I decided to rip through some of the plans, the Anatomy book and the kit plans. I also researched your stated dates and found it to be accurate enough (actually, I found the change to have occurred in 1771 but that's splitting hairs!) It is widely thought that Bethia's keel was laid in 1783, well after the above stated date. Obviously, I followed the kits plans without researching this particular part as I was not aware of this change. In the Anatomy book there are several drawings of the channels. Although there is no breakdown of the channel itself, there is clearly some differences: The "slots" appear to be very close to the outer edge of the channel and as you can see, there is no mention of a trim piece or whatever it may be called. I have to think there were slots and a covering piece. I am going to look over the chains and deadeye linkage to see what needs to be done for a proper fit. I really hate to redo these pieces but I might find a way to modify them while still attached to the model. The holes a bit too far back to file into slots... what I am considering is cutting the slots into the outer edge of the existing channels and cover it when the deadeye work is done. That leaves me with the holes...! I may consider a cover of some sort, I have some veneer that I might be able to fashion into a cover that will be virtually unnoticeable or I may just redo the pieces. They were a pain in the butt... I'll post my solution once I figure it out. Thanks for the info.

Agreed... I read somewhere that Bligh had her updated to a more colorful scheme when they were in Tahiti. What that means...? I have no clue! Since my version is depicted with Breadfruit plants, one must assume that the Bounty has been or is, in Tahiti. ... still don't know what I'm gonna do!

Another long week of work on the Bounty! The shroud mount rails were a lot tougher than I anticipated and there was some cussing and getting up and walking away a few times! The problem is the area to mount them is minimal and really no good way to clamp in place to allow for drying. I tried these and they worked on the open side of the hull: But on the other side, I finally figured out that the best way to accomplish a good fit was to glue on the braces, allow them to dry overnight and then install them: Worked well on both sides... just took me a while to figure that out! Made up the steps for boarding the ship. The plans called for 8 of them... But looking at the installation, about half would have been below the waterline! I installed 4 steps, down to the wales: Next, I built the Binnacle and installed it: A simple build, nothing to add. The plans call for several double blocks to be mounted to the deck around each mast. Using the rope I made, I attached a piece to each block and lashed a loop for the hook to attach: Its been a while since I've done rigging work but I got rolling after tying a few. The hooks were cut down and this first batch were installed around the mizzen mast: I am not looking forward to threading those when the time comes! I built the first cannon/carriage using my usual methods for aging the brass: The flash on the camera makes it look brighter than it really is. After all of that I did some painting and aging to catch up with all the installations over the last few weeks. Here is an overview of the Bounty after this weeks work: More cannons to assemble and the launch and jolly boats are on the horizon too.