HardeeHarHar

It is really coming together beautifully.  WELL DONE BROTHA!

Awesome!!!!

I’ve been planning on removing the base, I thought everybody did!!!  Now wondering if you could print some out without the base 🤔

Yes indeed, she is looking good.  Even Captain Marvin must be impressed by now.  We should set up a GoFundMe site with all proceeds going towards your purchase of a Vanguard Model.  😃

Looking good!!!

Will be sending you positive thoughts and prayers my good man.

Nice cannon rigging.  That is awesome!!!  All your work is great!

Nicely done!

That is looking veeeerrrrryyyyyy nice Francois!  Great work on your Granado!!!  Keep up the good work and the updates, it is inspirational to see your work as it progresses.

Cheers,

Brian

I’m still sanding the inner bulwark frames… even with the Proxxon mini-sander it is taking me a long time to get it nice and smooth “/. Laser char is the worst!

Good work there Francois!  See you in the New Year!!

29 minutes ago, Jorez de Saint Nazaire said:

Stern fascia and stern counter doned and also the famous quaterdeck bulkhead.

My friends suggest to paint the bulkhead in red instead of the french blue and to paint the decal in gold.

Nicely done!!!  I really like your approach with the decals too!!!  I wish I had thought of that…

44 minutes ago, John Ruy said:

it was recommended to me (bluejacket instructions) to not glue in your masts and let the standing rigging do its job to hold everything in proper alignment.

Thanks for the response John, I greatly appreciate it.  Now I can worry about rigging a ship with wobbly masts!!!!

Anyone who has read my blogs knows that I tend to worry about the "correct" procedure that should be used in building a model ship.  One of the things I have been worrying about lately was how to step the masts on my Granado in a way where I could guarantee they would be aligned relatively straight (albeit with the required rake), and whether I should use  wood glue (PVA) or the time control CA I have been using a lot of lately.  In the process of worrying over this and other things, I ran across one post where an individual had a laser line system and used that to make sure his mast was glued in place with the correct orientation.   That seemed like a high tech solution, but I don't (yet) have a laser level system....so I just kept worrying, thinking about having my wife help me eyeball it, etc.  (I know, I need mental help).  But it finally occurred to me that a simple *plum bob* might just be the most cost effective solution.  So my questions are: 1) how many individuals have actually used a plum bob to step their masts, or what other techniques might be suggested for me to consider/worry over to get the mast stepped the first time; 2) what glue do you recommend for this endeavor.  PLEASE HELP ME STOP WORRYING ABOUT THIS (so I can worry about something else =).

Best regards, and happy holidays,

Brian

Beautiful work and quite a statement piece to have in a home.  I hope you take lots of time to just admire your excellent work.

On 9/23/2023 at 9:43 PM, toms10 said:

There are a lot of lines hanging from the blocks under the tops and trees  all coiled up and labeled. It is much easier to thread the blocks when the masts are off the model. It gets a bit scary looking now but since each line is labeled it is actually pretty easy. 

Do you just use excess line all coiled up?  I’ve been thinking it should be easier to do the blocks under the tops before installing the masts, but I’ve never done it before…

I agree, the net is an amazing help for communities like model ship builders.  I'd be lost without it, and my boat building efforts would look much more pathetic!  I look forward to seeing your work with the stern fascia, bending it and getting it in the right place, etc.  I am considering whether I want to paint the hull on the Sphinx now that I am making some progress on it, but I have a long way to go before I really need to worry about that part.  I'll be getting back to the HMS Granado in a few weeks, and I will make sure to send some pictures of the modest progress I have made as of late.

Francois,

I am most impressed.  All of that work looks G R E A T!  You are moving right along.  I like how you rigged the bowchasers, etc.  Keep up the good work my good man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Best regards, and yo ho ho,

BT

PS: it is a good kit, I agree!

Chris Watton at Vanguard is so clever he includes safety gates parts whose entire purpose is to reinforce areas that are prone to big thumbs.  However, I must admit, I had a wee bit of an mdf framing part succumb to the brute force of my fingers.  It was going to have to be removed much later, but lets just say I "jumped ahead" =/

Sorry Chris, **it happens, even to the best of designs when I get involved 😃

Happy belated Thanksgiving to all the US MSWers, and greetings and best regards to everyone else in the community.  I had  a couple of presentations to give recently, so my time had been focused primarily on work and slides for the last few months.  I am glad that is done for a while, and am now delighted that I can take just a wee bit of time to focus on making some progress on the Sphinx build while away from HMBV Granado.  I'll reiterate what everyone already knows, the Vanguard Sphinx kit is superb, and makes building a model ship a real pleasure.  The only tricky part I have run into is getting the gun deck settled into place, which took some sanding and swearing, but once it snapped into place I knew I had succeeded.  I've got some sanding to do now.....but I am pleased to have things moving in the right direction.  Here is a quick pic of where things stand at present.  I hope everyone is doing well and want to extend my thanks for stopping by and taking a look.  This community is an awesome positive reinforcer for beginner modelers like me and I appreciate that a lot.  Cheers all.

BT

Beautiful work!!!!  Looking forward to seeing your Granado build, it is a good kit IMHO.

I'm following along with a bowl of popcorn by my side.  As you will certainly pass me by in your building of the Sphinx, I can learn from you along the way.  Muahahaha. =o).  Smooth sailing!

Brian

Looking good Andrew,

We are back in Durham, so I hear my Sphinx calling me.  Vanguard sure does make a great kit!  Your cutter looks SOLID.

On 10/8/2023 at 2:36 PM, Jorez de Saint Nazaire said:

Brian,

 

Glad to see that you're back. I understand that the instructions are not so clear for the rigging. I discover Danish oil. How do you explain these choice ?

Hey Francois @Jorez de Saint Nazaire,

I think the instructions are fairly good for the rigging on the Granado, but I just haven't done much of it, so I don't know how best to accomplish what needs to be done.  I decided to use light or natural Danish Oil for the boxwood I am using on my Granado based on the advice I received from a talented ship modeler named Tomasz Alexsinski.  It is simple, and adds a nice deep satin finish that highlights the details of the wood, and as it dries it hardens and darkens just a little giving the wood a very nice amber tone.  You just apply it evenly and allow it to soak in and dry over 24 to 48 hours.  You don't want to repeat application too much because it will not dry for a long time and will be a sticky mess (trust me =).  I also used a medium Danish Oil on the Secret Vessel and I thought it came out very nice on that model.  It penetrated evenly and gave the wood a very nice appearance with a slight shine/depth to it.  I am horrible with wood stains, and Danish Oil has made me look like I know what I am doing to a limited extent....Hope that helps explain my choice.

Best regards, Francois

On 10/6/2023 at 6:31 PM, AJohnson said:

Hi Brian, lovely to see some progress on your Granado. Good luck with the rigging. Regarding rigging, I think the main thing is to make sure the blocks are “free” for thread to run through. I poke a pin through each block hole first to make sure a thread can follow. 

Heyya Andrew @AJohnson!

Truth be known, I am reaming all of the blocks and deadeyes as much as I think is reasonable using my set of jeweler's broaches (see link below).  Do you have a set of these amazing tools?  I consider them to be one of my best purchases, they are amazing at opening up holes, etc.  I have one set that are tapered and kind of square in shape, and a set that is more oval with a cutting edge running down each broach.  They sure have come in handy for many applications.  Just curious, do you use a needle threading tool when rigging, or do you just use glue to make the line rigid, or a combo?  Ugh, I have so much to learn!

Hope all is well!

https://www.amazon.com/Broach-Set-Piece-BRO-174-00/dp/B005NJ1SYA/ref=asc_df_B005NJ1SYA/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=416712520007&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6552818762143547628&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9009749&hvtargid=pla-869671558750&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=93357453745&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=416712520007&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6552818762143547628&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9009749&hvtargid=pla-869671558750

So, I may have stalled a bit due to overwhelming work and book commitments, and a little bout with Covid (1st timer) thanks to the generosity of my wife.  However, I am still doing some work on the Granado as I can, just at my usual snails pace.  I still need to oil up the mizen mast with some Danish Oil, but I am still struggling with whether I should run rigging lines through the blocks on the main top and mizzen top, and their cross trees, etc. and have them coiled up prior to gluing the masts in place and doing the stays and ratlines.  In the past, I have thought long and hard about rigging (albeit on the Jolly Boat, hah hah hah), and it paid off in the end I believe.  But the rigging on the Granado is at another level, and I don't want to have it be more complicated because I didn't do something in the best order possible.  Oh well, I can only learn by trying, right gang?!?  Thanks for stopping by and having a look.  Drop a comment or suggestion if you have a mind to do so, and good luck in all your endeavors.