WalrusGuy

Congrats Desalgu!! She's gorgeous! The flags look realistic as well 🙂

The carronades look great, Will!! 

Looks great! Very crisp!! 🙂 I really like how the red looks!

You may want to consider slightly bending/shaping the ones at the bow to follow the same curvature as the neighboring planks. I did not know that this is what was actually done in practice when I was working on them (and thus its too late for me to try it), but came across this in Chuck's build log of the Winchelsea. Maybe in 1:64 scale this would be difficult to do, but just wanted to throw this idea out there in case you want to try it out.

Here is the link: 

Thank you Captain Hook, much appreciated!! Thank you for all the likes as well 🙂 

Got to admit, I'm really enjoying this part if the build! Next up is the main stay and main preventer stay. Never made a mouse before so this will be a bit interesting 😄

I'm so sorry to hear what happened Justin. I'm sure your next attempt will be much better since you learnt and honed all the skills to come this far. I also read somewhere that Greg Herbert had to restart his Swan class build after a year of progress. From what I recall his second attempt had no errors since he learnt from his mistakes, and also refined the needed skills. 

Spent most of the weekend on the main mast shrouds.. I had no idea how long it takes to make one. I fully served the foremost shroud, and the rest were partially served where they overlapped.. To get the right distance between the deadeyes I used a "claw" as shown below. Even with this there were some slight deviations in the lengths of the lanyards. I guess this makes it more authentic 😁

Here are some pics of the first few shrouds wrapped on the mast:

And here are a bunch of pics to mark this small milestone:

Shining some light to capture the served ropes (may try to retake these in the daylight). 

And of the overall ship:

On 2/25/2021 at 10:16 PM, desalgu said:

I added the anchor buoys such as they are.  They actually look better on model than in photo.  When looking at model actual size, you don't see my mistakes as much as in photo.   Every time I take a closeup photo I see mistakes or things I could have done better.  Next time as they say!

 

I'm thinking starting with a hardwood dowel and tapering it at both ends would have ended up with a better result.  There is still the problem of the web-like rigging and keeping it straight on the buoy.  It takes more skill and patience than I have right now (trying to learn more patience, ha!).  Perhaps using sculpey (sp?) clay is even a better way.  If the resulting buoy had a little texture or something that would grip rigging thread just a little, it would make doing the rigging web much easier.

 

 

Looks great, Desalgu!! 

I have finished with the two lower pendants. Note for future builders (and future Walrus): step the masts after these and the shrouds are installed... To wrap these around the masts were not very easy 

I first served 5.5 cm line. I got this measurement by measuring the distance of the pendant in the plans (3.6 cm) and measured the length of line needed to wrap around the mast (3.2 cm), which was divided by two for the two lines needed (3.2/2=1.6). The remaining length was needed for the eye splice at the end of the line. 

After this was served, the eye splices were made and painted black, then a slant cut was made at the other ends. One of the lines were glued to the other line making sure there was at least 1.6 cm left to wrap around the mast. I made it a bit loose by leaving 0.2 cm additional length on the ends.

Then it was wrapped around the mast, glued and served. This would have been a lot neater if I could make these off the model then slide them to place. 

Next I'll work on the lower shrouds for the main mast. Been waiting for this moment for months now. Really eager to see how I perform in this. Hoping no major mishaps!! 😅 

On 2/25/2021 at 10:40 PM, desalgu said:

Wow!  Love your photos, and I'm still amazed at how nice the copper hull came out.  It looks great.  And every time I see gun ports, hammocks, and netting, it's impressive.  I have no idea how you manage this going to grad school.  Back then I was into model airplanes which are much simpler, but didn't have room or time for anything like that.  

 

I know exactly what you mean about photos showing everything.  When I look at closeups of mine, I see all kinds of little mistakes, and some not so little.  It looks better in person at "normal" size.  The chains look great.  I don't think I filled the gaps in wire on the chains either.  I think I started doing that later when making some of the rings.

 

Also, I can't thank you enough for the references.  I have the last one you mentioned that just has drawings of rigging, and I've referred to it a few times building Syren.  I will look into getting the others.  It helps to have all the information you can get.  I certainly wish I'd started using this forum a lot sooner. 

 

Doing grad studies at home definitely helps!! 😄 Also with most things closed here, this is the only thing keeping me sane. 

Glad I could help out, that's what this forum is all about 🙂. I also didn't know of any of these books before until I read some of the reviews and recommendations here. I don't know where I'd be without this forum, all the members are very friendly and always give great advice and suggestions whenever I'm stuck or need help. 

1 hour ago, Justin P. said:

Looking wonderful!   I bet those chain plate assemblies are bit of a pain!   

Thanks Justin! Glad to be done with them. They were very fiddly and tiny to work with!! 

I finished installing the portside chain plate assemblies! Thought I'd share some more pics before she gets all tangled up with ropes!! 😄

I'll start with all the pendants then work on the lower shrouds 

1 hour ago, desalgu said:

Very nice work as always.  Your's always looks more precise or cleaner than mine.  

 

I've used CA technique for closing gaps in little wire fittings and it works.  I used straight pins to apply small dabs of CA instead of toothpicks, but it's the same idea.  And you are also right, plain flat black doesn't quite match the wire color.  But you can thin it into a wash and I thought it looked fine.  It helps that size is so small, you don't notice that it's not a perfect color match.  Closeup photos make things look worse than they are.

 

I didn't try doing it until further along with my Syren.  I'd struggle with something like this and then later on figure out a better way to do it.  But by then it's too late to go back, so I've got some inconsistencies as I was learning.  

 

Obviously I need to get some reference books.  What is TFFM?  And are there any other books you can recommend.

Thanks for the comment Desalgu! I think I may skip putting CA on the links (for now) since some of them are a bit too wide apart and some are not in line with the partner link, so putting CA in these sections may magnify these flaws. The only way to fix this would be to try to move the individual links to be in line, which would be a bit difficult since all of them are already mounted on the hull, and have a bit of tension on them. I'll for sure keep this in mind for next time where I will make the seamless fitting before mounting them.. Also from the naked eye it is a bit hard to find these gaps, only with the camera with the close ups I can see them as you mentioned.

TFFM stands for The Fully Framed Model series. There are 4 volumes in total which cover everything to do with building a fully framed Swan class model from scratch. They can be found from SeaWatch Books (https://www.seawatchbooks.com/SWBTitles.htm). The plans that the books refer to are available from Admiralty models (http://www.admiraltymodels.com/Plans.html) There are a lot of tips and tricks that can be used on other models as well. Vol 1 and 2 cover the hull construction, Vol 3 is a build log with a lot of photos, and Vol 4 is on rigging. For the rigging I have been following the 4th volume very closely to see which lines would be served, how to lash, make splices, etc. They are a bit costly but are very well worth every penny! I also plan on building a Swan class sloop in the future once I get the space to put power tool and such, which will most probably be after I graduate. These books would be essential for that. Another book I recently got is James Lees 'Masting and Rigging of English Ships of War,' which is another very handy reference for rigging. Rigging Period Ship Models by Lennarth Petersson is also very nice, it breaks down rigging into simpler steps. That book only has images and no text accompanying them. 

Thanks for directing us here from your other build log. I'll follow along with a lot of interest! 

5 hours ago, uncarina said:

Just catching up here. Your work is truly marvelous! I am learning a great deal here, and admire your initiative and ingenuity. For example, the trennels on the deck look much more authentic than I’ve seen using other techniques. If I may offer a humble suggestion, a small drop of medium to high visosity CA applied with a toothpick then painted could be used to seal the gap in those links. In any case, I will be following your work with interest!

 

Cheers,  Tom

Thanks so much for the compliments and advice, Tom! I'll try using that technique on some scrap wire first, not sure if the black paint would appear "too black" on the wire. If it blends well I'll do it on the model. Thanks again!! 

And thanks all for the likes as well 🙂 

1 hour ago, michael mott said:

That's just pretty! I look forward to your catboat build! I hope to be one of the first to follow your log (if you decide to set one up), just can't wait!! 😄

I just searched it up, she looks very beautiful

I finished installing the preventer links on the starboard side. They were really fun to put on once I figured out the process! 😁

I first inserted a pin in the eye of the toe link to mark the position of where the hole is to be drilled. The holes were drilled with a small bit then increased until I could fit a brass nail. I tried blackening the nails but it was very blotchy, so I ended up painting them after they were stuck with some watered down black paint. Also had to cut the nails in half since they were too long.. Here are some pics: 

For future projects I'll try to silver solder the loose ends of the links so they are seamless. 

Next step is to finish installing them on the other side, then I can finally start some rigging!! 

I agree with Keith. Both of your builds are nothing short of amazing. I always look forward to seeing the progress you and Bitao make. 

The handle design looks great btw!! 🙂 

Making some slow but steady progress 😄 

I deviated a bit from the instructions when making the chain plate assemblies. I didn't make a jig to bend them. I instead used a combination of pliers, fingers, pins of different sizes, and a caliper. At first my work was very sloppy, but after making a couple I got the hang of it. Here is a pic of the toe link before being cut off. It's a bit hard to describe the process used in detail, since I just did it based on what I felt was intuitive. It just involved lots of bending and squeezing! 

Some other deviations included bending the bottom part of the toe link to be flush against the hull. I also bent the bottom part of the deadeye strop so as to be pulled by the other links. I am going to use the brass photo etched plate preventer links instead of using wire after reading TFFM vol 2. These should be made of square metal plates and not round. I bent these to accomodate for the spacing for the toe link. 

Overall, this part of the build was very tricky... At first, I didn't enjoy at all since I don't like working with wires and metal... I had to force myself to work through it.. I was very close on settling on the links I finished. Then I took a few days break, read a few logs and the TFFM books on these assemblies, and came back with a freshened mind. 

I decided I needed to correct some items. These being:

1) squeezing the wider part of the toe link thinner, so as to immitate it being stretched under tension from the shrouds;

2) making sure all the toe links look similar to each other (before they were slightly different sizes) ;

3) shortening the middle links by a snudge, so all the preventer links can fit above the wales and are roughly the same height; and

4) increased the respective slot size so they fit nice and flush.

Here are some pics of what they look now with the moulding strip holding the assemblies in place; 

I will next install the preventer links. I increased the working height using some yoga blocks so I don't have to bend to see where to drill the holes 

I also received the 5/32 in single block, and have attached it to the mast. Now the masts have been glued lightly in position. 

Before I was thinking of getting started on the yards, but now since everythings very close to be ready for standing rigging, I want to do that first. I've been looking forward to this part of the build for a long time!! Maybe doing yards later on would be a nice break from all the rope work! 😁 

Looks great Richard!! 

9 minutes ago, desalgu said:

Should remake it, but I'd already spent several days and hate doing something twice.

I'd say try to redo it if the twisted piece with filler looks off.

I know the feeling of redoing work, especially one that wasn't enjoyable to begin with (similar story for me with the chain plate assemblies... I'm close to finishing that stage and I'm not liking it as much as the wood work). But after finishing the model with it looking accurate, I'm sure you'll feel happy that you spent a bit more time. Also ModelExpo has a free replacement policy if you do plan to redo that piece. 

Btw your model so far is looking real nice! I've been referring to your log when I get stuck. 

3 minutes ago, Ekis said:

Looks like the beginning of a fantasy/medieval movie. Just awesome!!! It would be cool if you could build a mini robot with a camera to take us on a tour of the village! Maybe after that you could film a whole movie in it 😁

She's a beauty, Bossman! I am very impressed on the quality and speed you have taken to build her. I have this model on my 'to do list' and will be referring back to your log as I progress. 

That's very nice and clean work! It's very motivating to seeing your progress 

1 hour ago, michael mott said:

I used the jewelers saw to split it down the middle.

 

Did you use any other jigs to cut this straight line? Or was it purely done with the jewellers saw? 

11 hours ago, desalgu said:

I agree, awesome!!  Great research also, figuring out that this is the way they were likely done for real.  For a model, your first ones were also excellent even if a little "classy" for an old sailing brig.  I got a kick out of covering them with tissue.  Reminds me of model airplanes! 

 

We are getting what feels like Canadian cold here in Kansas this week.  I started anchors today.  Looking ahead I'm a little confused by his rigging instructions, and there's nothing shown on the plans.  

You would just love to hear that silkspan, a common material used in model planes, is also used in model ships for sails!

You are so close to the finish line!! Does this help? I found it in the instructions. I tried looking in other sources, but could not find a clear answer. You could also check out some of the finished logs of the Syren to see how they did this (linked here)

Also heard it's getting cold in Texas, it was in the news here a couple days ago. It's actually starting to get a bit warmer here, last week it almost reached a windchill temperature of -50 deg c! 

11 hours ago, michael mott said:

That is very nice, it add a detail that is sometimes overlooked, and now you will be able to explain what the black canvas looking part is for. Well done!

 

Michael

Thank you Michael! I also had a lot of fun building them. 😄 

The frames look really good!!