HardeeHarHar

Joe, your build is one of the gold standards. The quality of your work and of the others is just beautiful, and the Granado is a nice kit in my humble opinion. I found a high resolution image of Clevely's Launch of a 4th Class, that show's the Granado being pulled to Harwich for final rigging. It put's a lot of perspective on the size, as it shows people on deck. The image is captured in high resolution. And, thanks for the kind words and encouragement. I am hoping to keep a good pace to ensure completion without sacrificing quality. As I recall, you painted your beautiful boxwood hull.... While I am thinking Tung oil/Poly, I have a bottle of Admiralty white lurking as well....

I have mentioned this before in the log, but I need to emphasize that I have no real experience with acrylic paints. For that reason, I am considering not painting the hull to show the boxwood planking (and perhaps really faint treenails). Still soliciting opinions on this decision, and have gotten some good advice on treenailing from several (thank you D.). However, I think I should use the Red Ochre Admiralty paint on the spirketting and inner bullwark as suggested. I put two coats of grey primer on the walnut spirketting strips, lightly, with a spray can. Whether I needed to do this or not, I have no idea, but I thought better safe than sorry. Then three coats of the Admiralty red. It looks like it could use a couple more coats, but should I sand in between with fine 320? Or, just make sure it has good coverage, and give it a final coat or three of poly? What do people think about the Admiralty colors in this build, and are there any alternatives that should be considered? The sweep ports are pretty rough but I can/and will try to clean them up more over time. Sill have more to do on the starboard side, but the port side is complete.

So today is the quintessential day for shipbuilding, and I had sweep ports to hack out of the boxwood that I have just CA'd in place. Stern view: View from the bow across marsh grass and bay and here are the sweep ports in the process of being cleared out. Drilled around the perimeter of the sweep port with a 0.5 mm bit until it broke. Due to torque not bend (sigh). These micro drills bits are so dang fragile. Then cleared out the non-drilled with various files and rasp. I am going to buy some auriou or valorbe rasps if I can find them, unless someone knows of a more available or appropriate substitute. I would love a bunch of fine riffler rasps and just a few course cut ones would be gravy. My fingers and hand hurts a bit. I also dry-fitted (a few tens of times), tapered appropriately, and put a final coat of grey primer on to the walnut spirketting to be painted red ocher before I will be getting around to installaltion. I will put a few very light coats on it, and see how it looks and put a few pics up. Cleveland Browns are crushing the Cowboys, 2020 really is a nightmare.

Holy cow, that is a great video. I love that incredible effort.

YAY, thanks so much for your advice and opinon. I like the needle idea to just make the ring. I will also check out those treenail makers. I really appreciate this feedback and opinion, as I am definitely a beginner and can add more details and use more skills as I build more models, but want to get the best out of the effort as well. THANKS AGAIN.

I have completed the 2nd planking on the HMS Granado hull with Boxwood and a dark walnut wale (please see build log pictures), and have reached a point of no return with regard to treenailing the deck and/or hull and drilling out the sweep ports (egad). Its a little further complicated by the fact that this is only my 2nd build, and I am already considering leaving the hull unpainted to show the nice boxwood/walnut contrast. Opinions and comments on this move would be most appreciated. Then, treenailing the hull would be required (I would probably try and use a 0.3 mm hand bit and a syringe needle to start the hole), and that is a considerable undertaking that if done poorly could make the model look too busy. Yes? Again, opinions and suggestions appreciated. Treenailing just the deck might be a little easier in scope? Finally, the sweep ports look awesome when done right. Given my skills and where I am in the build log, what is the general consensus on the value of cutting them, or heaven forbid, just putting the lids on hull and faking it. Ugh, so many questions, and thats why I am asking for help.... Need more context? Consider this: If I go and treenail the hell out of the hull, and it looks bad then that sucks. Or it could look great, but then as a newbie, I could screw the model up later in the rigging or doing something stupid and have it all end up in the trash.

Vane, did you/are you going to use any treenailing?

This is some beautiful work you are doing. Nice role-modeling (yuck-yuck). I'm here all night.

Holy moly, this work is so well done, and Chuck's kit is frigggggging amazing.

My anniversary was last month, and my lovely wife of many years and considerable tolerance bought me the book "Building Britain's Wooden Walls" as shown in the first post. She also got me the plans that are available for the Granado (which I am considering using as a base as I have seen done before by ....(insert name here):

Having just finished the 2nd planking, my fear level is increasing. Your rigging is stunning, as is the rest of your work.

Hey Ryland, Thanks for the kind words. I lived in Richmond for 10 years, so we were neighbors at one point =). The boxwood from Arkowood is very nice to work with, as it should be.

I recently ordered Boxwood from Germany (Arkowood) for my ongoing build of the Granado, and it also took forever to get here in the US. This was also due to Covid I believe, but at least it was actual Castello Boxwood when it arrived. I purchased some "boxwood" from a different supplier in the US, and it wasn't boxwood, it was putridyellowood or fuglyellowstuff, or at least I think that is its scientific name, so caveat emptor and "buyer beware" etc.....

....and finally, the current state money shots, and I say money shots because the 2nd planking was costly =). Here she is with gunports lined and planked above the wale. From the side: From the top: and somewhere in the middle: It could be lots worse! I'm ecstatic (and frozen with next step questions and concerns).....as I expected. Need to get some work work done, but I plan on keeping up a good pace if at all possible. This has been about at least 3 (?!?) months of time expired I think, somewhere around there. Seems like a long way to go for sure, and I am afraid of paints, right? So this spirketting and stuff is gonna freak me out.

The inner bulwarks went in relatively smoothly. and the view from the top looks fairly acceptable so far, so good.

CCoyle, my South Carolina neighbor, I can feel your pain my friend. My experience is so limited, that when I did the Bounty Launch (Amati's nice little kit), I stained the walnut so dark with a dark minwax stain that it got all layered up into paint like dark. And I have tried to use less, but that stuff is hard to control 😉 So, my keel and wale are deep dark walnut, and while you can see grain, it is of relatively even tone. I was so stunned that I made a Bounty Launch that looked acceptable kept me going to finish it all. The rigging made me learn more, and then I was hooked. It came out recognizable too, which pushed me to go all Granado on myself. I can't imagine if I didn't finish it, but I also thought if I managed to mess up the Bounty, I would stop immediately. It was all a battle not to ruin a half way good model....the whole time =). I have seen a few bare walnut planked Granado's, and I think I would paint a walnut hull the white that is suggested. I am thinking I will not paint (or Treenail) the hull white and just poly the boxwood, and also not paint the wale and keel, and just leave them the dark walnut stain (which I will have to reapply at some time to hide the new scars). Opinions welcome, because I don't want to not do something that I really "should" do per authenticity or some other higher cause I am not aware of. Here is some of the deck planking I have now completed 😃 and some of the boxwood after further sanding with the Proxon sander.....which eats sandpaper.

Second planking with Boxwood finished, and rough sanding underway! Looking pretty 2nd buildish isn't it, but a good 2nd buildish nonetheless (still looks like a boat). When you build with boxwood, it eliminates the ability to blame the wood. Good god these pictures make it look like gigantic fissures in the planking. I've got more sanding to do though (I ordered the Proxon sander =$) and when it gets here I'll have it sanded back down to the lime wood in no time at all. It looks pretty nice, and I am thinking I can shove boxwood dust ($) into the cracks and poly over it, sand it, poly it, sand it, poly it....and be happy for a while?

Here is my final post for today....the tease. The wood provided in the kit was walnut and it was fine in my novice opinion, but I wanted to get the most bang for the buck if possible, and went boxwood. I think that was a good call, as long as it all works out in the end... Don't let Chuck or anybody with skill see how lame I am at planking, but I have always managed to unglue my fingers. =P I like my nasty bare foot in the above photo. No charge. The boxwood looks nice doesn't it, and it is so nice to work with. I really need to make sure I check each plank before using one side or the other. But I think it still looks pretty solid so far.

Did I mention I blackened the cannon's with a liquid blackening agent because I am "afraid" of paints due to being a newbie? Well I did that, and it turned out kinda meh. Takes a long time, toxic, takes a long time....looks good but rubs off? Wtheck is with that stuff anyway, but it does give it a certain depth and cool look, doesn't it?

Ryland, you are encouraging me, and I thank you for that. Here is a little bit more of the build (and some wood talk): Let's start with the fake boxwood a certain somecompany sold me. I placed it between a piece of lime on the right and walnut on the right. It's pretty horrid. So while I was waiting for the boxwood from an honest supplier in Deutschland, I built the mortar housings and the cannon carriages, because that's what you do, right?!? Poorly stained and poly'd by comparison to others, but for me, an amazing feat to make something that looks somewhat functional. Here you get to see that the carriages still need sanding and finishing (as do the mortar housings), but I am glad that I am still making progress and not making too much of a mess of a good kit (thank you Caldercraft). Photo's do make my work look, uhm, like it's my second build.... But, the boxwood finally arrived!!!! Like almost 1.5 months later I am afraid to admit...but it was worth it (we will see if I make it worth it in the end..... 😉 It might not look like much, but it feels substantial, and what a joy it has turned out to work with so far..... (here is a shot with the bundle of boxwood ($) and the yellow piece of "wood" worth ($0.00000000000001). Side by side revelation that the stuff on the left is so not right.... If anyone wants some yellow "wood" strips, no wait, never mind.

I added the walnut wale, and stained dark... Then I tried to find some boxwood (Castello) to use for the 2nd planking instead of the walnut, because I have more money than IQ points.... I ordered some from one well known vendor in the US, and got some horrible yellow sticks of some weird wood that was simply unusable. More details provided if sufficiently encouraged. Then I ordered material from Arkowood in Germany, and got ready to wait for the United States Postal Service (under their new leader Dejoy) to get around to delivering my boxwood strips for about $300.00 US. I was ready for a long wait, but I was certain I was going to receive material that was actually usable.....

First layer of planking done on one side in a relatively acceptable fashion.... The other side is progressing acceptably... Seen from above/below 😉 and from the side, the first layer of planking won't prevent a second layer of planking at least....

Well, a good build log probably needs some building, whether good or bad....So, here goes.... I should also thank ccoyle for changing the title to match convention. Sorry! My previous building experience is limited to the Launch of the HMS Bounty, so you know where I am coming from (way over my head). That was a good sized project to start, as my work space is limited, and my wife is only so tolerant. My two dogs are totally unhelpful. Spoiler alert, I have just finished the 2nd planking, so I have to get the build up to speed: False Keel being glued in place... Alignment, alignment, alignment. The bulkheads were not properly aligned and had to be "fixed" in several locations. Not a strong start, and clearly shows why people use legos, and other items to ensure square and true alignment. After "fixing" it, and repairing the damage =), I proceeded satisfied that this was not going to be the biggest issue I faced as the build progresses.... Gun port templates went in well, and I concluded there was no further "fixing" needed. First layer of lime planking was of no concern at all for this "seasoned builder", particularly after having read the planking material on the forum and watched Chuck's incredible videos, Kevin's series of videos, etc. I think you can see the tapering around the beard line at the stern.... It looks pretty torqued from above, I know, but stay tuned.....

Well, with the continued encouragement of Vane, I have decided to break the ice and start a build log for my efforts on the HMS Granado. I have ordered the AOTS reference and my wife was super kind and found a nice reference book on the builder.... Granado was ordered to be constructed on September 14th, 1741 and the keel was laid on November 18th, 1741. The construction of the ship occurred at St Clements on the River Orwell near Ipswich. The Granado's design was unusual in that she was to be used as either a sloop or a bomb vessel, being constructed with a conventional square stern. Launched on June 22nd, 1742, Granado was initially taken to Harwich, and fitted out and put in commission as a sloop. It was not until 1756 that Granado was fitted for the first time as a bomb vessel from an Admiralty Order on July 26th 1756. However, between the launch of Granado and her fitting as a bomb vessel, a number of changes had been made as compared to the original Admiralty plans, the most noticeable of these were as follows: 1. Two extra 4pdr carriage guns were added (Admiralty order of June 20th 1745) bringing the total 4pdr carriage guns to 10. 2. Two bow chaser gun ports were added allowing accommodation of the extra guns either under the forecastle as bow chasers or at the fifth gunports. 3. The mortars as shown in the Admiralty plans are two 13 inch mortars however when fitted as a bomb vessel this was actually changed to 1 x 13inch and 1 x 10inch mortar. This is confirmed by the provisions list on March 30th 1757 which details 50 large and 50 small shells. It was during its period as a bomb vessel that Granado was involved in her most active role. On January 22nd, 1759, Granado and the squadron under command of Commodore John Moore anchored off Basse Terre. By January 24th troops had occupied the forts of Basse Terre and Fort Royal, and the town had been devastated by fire caused by the carcasses discharged from the bomb vessels. On February 7th, the fleet moved to attack Fort Louis at the entrance to Cul de Sac Bay. The attack began the following day and by February 15 the bombardment ceased with the capture of the Fort. Granado remained as a bomb vessel until the Admiralty Order to fit her as a sloop on March 20th 1760. Granado was again converted to a bomb vessel in August 1761 and she remained as such until she was sold on August 30th 1763 for £575. During this period Granado was involved in the action of capturing Morro Castle and El Morro in the West Indies and the capitulation of Havana on August 13th 1762. .

I was wondering when some new pictures would be showing up.... Keep up the good work, otherwise, how am I supposed to learn from you if I catch up to your build!?!?