AnobiumPunctatum

Looks like you had a good start building your model after the long period of planning - it's exactly the same stage I am in the moment.
I wish you a lot of patience and success for your build.

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year, Mark

Ended up with the pigmented glue again but without the masking tape (it suddenly struck me that the masking tape would prevent the keel from being straight and introduce tiny diagonals).  I found as long as I left enough width to thickness the end result then all appeared well.
 

 
Here you can see the tidied 'top' of the keel and the not so tidied side. I will be thicknessing the sides to size after the false keel is attached mainly because that will also introduce lots of extra staining.
 
My rather unexciting approach is to squidge a small amount of glue into a tam jar lid and then use a chisel to add a small amount of pigment (the chisel is easy to clean). It is then mixed in with some scrap wood until it gets a disgusting texture (and fairly repulsive smell all things considered).
 

 
This is then smeared onto both sides of the joint before attaching. With glue I find the key points are
 
Have a well jointed surfaces Secure the joint so it does not move whilst gluing though this does not mean excessive force Leave well alone for the entire setting period (in this case 24 hours) If surfaces smooth rough them up a bit (for wood less important due to woods structure) Don't glue multiples at once. This last stops the first two breaking as adding another piece risks subtly adjusting the initial glued piece and this weakening the joint.  
So for this I have used two large clamps to secure a metal straight edge to some scrap but smoothed walnut. This provides two flat surfaces. The keel is then pushed against the ruler and secured with lots of little clamps and then left alone.
 
The above all appeared to work well and the next step is the false keel. I hit a marginally quandary here as all my helper books seemed to disagree with various things
 
The Naiad had a depth that matched Steel but used five false keel pieces where Steel states seven
The Euryalus had a depth that matched my plans but also used five keel pieces
The Swan books depth was not relevant as it was a different class and neither was the count for the same reason.
 
The depth was not a major problem as I always take the plans when Steel or the class Progress book disagree so slightly under 7 inches is what I am looking for plus the Euryalus provides reinforcement that other similar ships also used similar false keel sizes (I wonder if they expected extra leeway in these ships due to the finer hull shape so compensated by a slightly larger false keel). The amount of pieces was more problematic. In the end I decided to follow Steel. Most of the design books state that the False Keel is designed to fall off in pieces to protect the main keel from grounding (and the like). It seems sensible to have more pieces than fewer as otherwise larger sections of the keel could be exposed.
 
It does not really matter of course but that is in the end what I have decided on.
 
Joints for the keel were made on the disc sander which coped easily enough with the challenge and I have just started gluing it on using my many little clamps. For this I am ensuring one side is aligned with the keel and the other can poke out. This is because I will be thicknessing the results so need a flat side to keep everything square.
 

 
 
 

It has taken several years!... but I am finally ready to start on my first major scratch build project. For those who have forgotten this will be a 1:64 scale model of HBM Amphion a 36 gun English frigate from the Napoleonic Wars.
 
Plans and general research has existed up to this point in this topic here
 
http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/259-hbms-amphion-1798-32-gun-18pdr-frigate/
 
Which I thought I would leave in place as opposed to copying over. Any historical gumpf can then go there allowing this to be more build orientated.
 
 
Before starting this project I have decided to set myself some ground rules (following the eminently copyable example of   Ed  from whose book  much of the the following list is 'adjusted')
 
Measure twice then cut once - often easier said than done for me this will usually mean thinking closely about what I am trying to do before doing it. Use the correct tool for the job - Thankfully I have built up a wide range of tools that should make this easier. Keep tools sharp including marking pencils - My habit of grabbing any old pencil must be resisted Clean up immediately - Ed refers to glue and if a modeller of his standard needs to react to glue then I shall have extra work on my hands Dry fit pieces first - seems logical. Don't use test pieces as actual pieces. As an addition to this to actually make test pieces as oppose to using the test piece as the completed erm piece. Mark and indent hole locations before drilling - use templates to reduce hole 'movement' as the eye can often lie When fatigue sets in then stop work - Resist the temptation to 'get something done' - it can always wait especially if something else has just been successfully completed. I tend to rush and put myself under time pressure which then lowers quality. Step away from the model if stressed - If I get to a difficult section then don't run myself into the ground but do something else for a few days and then return in a calmer frame of mind Keep quality consistent - If a piece is not good enough then start again. I am no zealot as far as accuracy (or have not been in the past) this model is requiring a considerably larger portion of my life so I want to increase my standards of operation. Reference other modellers when trouble beckons - this might seem a misnomer to most modellers but historically I have preferred to work stuff out myself rather than use MSW or other sites/books to research. AS with the previous point this model deserves better so if something fails to work at first try check the many excellent resources out there. In reality this will usually be ModelShipWorld forums and the recent spate of excellent books including Ed's HMS Naiad, David Antscherl's Swan Class Series and Allan Yedlinsky's HMS Euryalus  
 
That will do for a start. I expect fairly heavy re-work to occur - especially on the plans but we shall cross those bridges when we come to them.
 
This initial post shall be a somewhat boring one as I have only just completed my building board. For this I decided to copy the Swan Class building board (adjusted to my larger ships size) which has the virtue of being the simplest. I used thick melanin board with beech (I think , it was marked beech but who knows..) runners. My initial attempt to draw the center line was horrifically not crowned with success as though straight it was not level to the sides so I redid it and now have an amusing double fanning line at one end so have to make certain I don't utilise the wrong one.
 

 
Next up I had to place my 'fish' plan on it. After some hassles working out how to get turbo cad to print to size and not adjust the size (I added several L shaped lines to the plans with each line measuring exactly 64 inches thus if scales properly in the printer they should be exactly 1 inch when printed. This was very useful) . For attaching the plans I initially followed the 'Swan' advice to use artists spray (it not being water based) but this was not an unalloyed success possibly because my paper was too thin and it looked rather blotchy plus having had reinforced the center line with red ink several blood like blotches also appeared. Now I fully expect the build to draw blood at some point but can do without bad omens before I have started.
 
After reflecting a bit I decided to take a different approach. I re-printed the plans and re-checked the scale before laminating them (and re-checking the scale post lamination). I then sliced the ends of with a hard edge and a scalpel and glued that to the board with standard glue. The lamination is sturdy enough to resist any depredations from the glue and it has the further advantage of being a cleanable surface. The only thing I will have to be aware of going forward is to ensure that any vertical measurements need to take into account the extra thickness whether on or off the lamination.
 

 
 
Next job is to decide which wood to use for the keel and innards. I have some samples which I plan on practicing the keel joints with and will decide on appearance and ease of use once I have practiced. Past experience tells me it may now be months before I am happy with the result so don't expect particularly quick updates...

Well I messed up. 6 of the 10 gunports are wrong!! I think when I measured I did not allow for the thickness of the frame pieces. The red lines show where they are supposed to be. CUT EM OUT.

 
I also cut the tops of the frames too short. I leveled them out and added a piece to the top. When the planking is added they will not be visable.

 
Next it comes out of the build frame and I pull out the large files and sandpaper and get everything faired up.  I hope.

October 30th, 2015
 
Hi all
it’s been a long time since my last update from the 'Brik de 24 dockyard'... I was definitely lazy in this period, but the truth is that I was really bored by this phase!
 
Anyway, second planking layer is now completed. In the end I decided to continue with the spiling technique also on the starboard side. The following is the final result: the planks are barely visible on the stbd side, which I have already roughly sanded with 80 and 120 grit sandpaper. A bit better on port side of the hull, second picture.
 






 
Next jobs will be to prepare the base for the copper sheeting. But before getting to this step, I have some other phases planned:
continue sanding the Tanganyca planks, until I get a smooth finish. apply 2-3 coats of acrylic wood sealer, with other intermediate sanding. before applying the last sealer coat, I will also re-open the water scuppers and the hawse holes, and will line them with the method I’ve shown before (only on the outside, for now). draw the waterline, a task that needs preparing a dedicated jig then I’ll apply the first coat of black paint, from the gunport sills molding downward to the waterline. I’ve not yet decided if use an acrylic paint or a wood stain: I will test the efficacy of the stain on the Yellowheart wood, which has a very closed texture. preparation for coppering will end with opening the housing for the bowsprit mast in the forward bulwark (with the help of the bitts holding the mast foot to get the correct slope) and to fit the gunwale on top of the bulwarks.  
I’ve read all the discussions by my good friend JA about the materials and method to use for copper sheeting. I think I will give a try to this:
 

 
With 9.53mm width it is pretty close to the 9.8mm width of the copper plates I measured on Ancre plans.
The strips are self-adhesive, but I’m not sure whether trusting in the adhesive power characteristics (mainly in the long period) or gluing every plate with some type of glue...   any suggestion from the forum members is really appreciated!
 
Have a nice building day
Fam

November 30th, 2015
 
… Continuation …
 
Gunwales
Next scheduled step was building the gunwales, as they complete the upper edge of the bulwarks, protect them and give also more strength, that is not bad considering the hull will be inverted for some time.
The method is the same already described by my good friend JA, but I will show some more details about the procedure.
First step is to draw the profile of the gunwales: I used a piece of scrap cardboard (Corn Flakes boxes  ), laid it flat above the bulwarks and transferred the bulwarks profile to the underneath of the cardboard with a sharp pencil.
The gunwales total width can be measured on the plans, which also show how they protrude about 1.5mm inside and outside the bulwarks. So I had to add another “parallel” line externally to the one already drawn, spaced 1.5mm away, and a second one internally to the existing line, at the correct distance to obtain the total width.
 

 
The above is the final result, with several red lines also traced: the midship line (to check symmetry) and the lines showing how to split the gunwales in several pieces.
I wanted to simulate the use of wood boards about 7-8m long, joined with scarph joints. So added these lines, drew the joints and cut the resulting pieces:
 

 
Then glued these pieces to a 2mm thick Pearwood board and cut them out with a scroll-saw.
 

 
Starting from the transom, I positioned the gunwale pieces on top of the bulwarks, alternating port and starboard sides to increase the visibility of any asymmetry. The pieces were held in position by pins inserted in the toptimbers and gunport side-lining pieces:
 

 
Piece after piece after piece...I got to the bow optimizing the flow of boards and every joint.
 

 
The gunwale boards have a composite profile on their internal and external edges, so I used the experienced technique of scrapers by cutting the required profile in a steel blade. Then locked every gunwale piece in a vise and scraped the two sides…
 

 
...with this result:
 

 
To avoid any painting problem after the installation, I pre-stained the boards underside with black stain. Here are all the gunwales pieces:
 

 
And finally the installation started. Here the problem was to firmly hold each piece pressed against the top of bulwarks, so to obtain a strong glued joint. The pin holes provided the needed reference for the alignment.
 


 
Above is the final results completed and below the gunwales finished with black acrylic paint: two light coats, a light sanding, a third light coat as final finishing:
 


 
The preparation for coppering was then concluded by painting a black area just few millimeters wide upward of the waterline: I wanted to avoid having the need to paint the hull down to the copper, and also wanted to avoid the need to protect the copper from overpainting, so prepared the base well in advance.
The waterline is still visible below this painted area because it will be the reference for laying the first row of plates.
 
And finally… coppering!!
I protected the gunwales and inverted the hull. After a long exchange of PMs with Archjofo/Johannes (thank you very much, you were very kind!) I obtained several pictures of the hull of his Le Crèole corvette, which is coppered exactly the same way described in the monography of Le Cygnus brig (ref. above posts).
The only difference is a single line of narrow copper plates at the waterline instead of four lines.
 
So I started producing the plates for the waterline: they are as long as the main plates, 33mm corresponding to 1.60m in the real world, but only 5.5mm wide instead of 10mm (0.50m). The simulated nails heads are 0.6mm diameter, corresponding to about 30mm. They obviously have a different (mirrored) layout from port to starboard.
 
Laying of the plates starts at the rudder post timber and proceeds forward, with an overlay of the plates by about 1mm (41mm in the real world).
And I immediately had to face a problem… how to approximate a curved line with straight segments! The solution was probably to use curved plates, prepared ad-hoc by the master blacksmith of the shipyard.
I simply used the prepared plates and cut the upper profile round, following the waterline. The lower profile of the plates waterline row results in a split-line, but it will be covered by the following rows of copper.
 

 
The flow of the row at the bow is much easier:
 

 
And these are the first two rows of standard plates completed yesterday night, with the few plates I had already prepared... unfortunately I had to temporarily close the blacksmith workshop because my relatives loudly protested for the hammering noise
To find its correct shape (natura lcurvature line) I used a 10mm wide plank, placed on the hull and bent to naturally follow the curvature of the hull. The next rows are just following the upper profile of this first:
 

 
Next days will be busy with the coppering. I will have also to prepare a third stamp for the plates covering the thickness of the keel-sternpost-stem timbers.
 
Cheers
Fam

December 24th, 2015
 
Hi all
as I promised, I’m able to show the completely coppered hull.
Firstly a couple of pictures at an earlier stage, when the plates covering the keel thickness are still missing.
 


 
I tried to adjust the color rendering so to match the real color of new copper, which is amazingly bright and shiny.
The following pictures show how I set the copper foil into the narrow and shallow groove that separates the keel from the false-keel... I don’t know if the picture manages to render the effect... well it is not exactly like if the copper continues between the two parts, but is looking almost as I wanted.
 


 
Next picture is how I prepared the stamp for the plates covering the keel width. The holes will house the steel needles used to stamp the simulated nails on the copper tape.
There is no detail about these plates in the Ancre monography, but I needed a greater width to have some margin for bending each plate to the sides of the keel timbers.  The keel is 7mm thick, as I wrote above, and I managed to find a copper tape 12.7mm wide.
The layout of the nails is the same as for the other plates, just extended to the larger width of these plates. But, differently from the hull plates, I added another row of nails to the side edge, so that both left and right edges look correctly.
 

 
I imagined that the curvature of the bow timbers profile would have caused the plates to wrinkle at the sides of keel. To minimize this, I decided to reduce the plates length to about a half of the length of the hull plates: I firstly tried with 20mm length, but the wrinkles were still present and quite difficult to avoid. At 15mm length (instead of the standard 33mm) I managed to avoid the buildup of these wrinkles. So the final size I chose is 12.7mm width and 15mm length.
 
As for the hull plates, I started producing a small batch of plates for testing how they looked. When I laid the new plates on the side of those I’ve used for the first test, my heart almost missed a beat... OMG, the color was very different!!! More pinkish, as you can see in the following picture:
 

 
Probably a different brand of copper, or a different surface finish,  or whatever... I didn’t know what to think!
I stopped working for a couple of days, thinking at what to do to fix this problem. Then just tried: degreased both copper types with acetone (nail polisher), then rubbed them with very fine steel wool ... and the miracle happened!
I don’t know what the reason was, I cannot believe the older plates had already oxidized ... well I didn’t care: now both plates types showed the same color.
 
Ok, let’s go forward: the amount of wide plates was not much, just about 20. So it was a job quickly done.
The next two pictures show the final plates installed on bow timber and stern post... you can see that the colors are still different, I fixed it later.
 


 
The last step of coppering was to try reducing the excessive shining of new copper by applying a weathering patina, so to simulate the natural ageing of copper.
I used the recipe suggested by Dirk (Dubz), a mixture of vinegar and salt, with as much salt as can be added to the solution before it starts to fall to the bottom of the pot. I also heated the vinegar to melt a bit more salt... a super-saturated solution I think it’s called.
Again, I used the tester plates to check the effect:
 

 
What above picture is showing is much more than the real effect, but I wanted to show it because three different areas are visible: to the left is the original copper, in the middle is the copper just covered with some mixture and to the right is the copper after the mixture has dried.
To be honest, I saw this result on the hull before, then I checked on the testers and noticed that a white patina had developed... in other words I was impatient to test the new technique and did not left enough time to the chemicals to complete their effects.
The effect of the mixture was treble: immediately the copper changed color, taking a more brownish tone. Then it lost great part of its shine. And finally the white patina appeared, probably a side effect of the excess of salt in the mixture...
 
Back to the hull: before applying the mixture I thoroughly degreased the entire hull with acetone, then passed all the plates with very fine steel wool... and the copper colors harmonized.
Then applied the mixture in several coats, using a ragged piece of fabric that I dipped into the solution: in this way I tried to avoid leaving any excessive amount of the stuff on the copper.
And this is the final effect:
 

 
I’m now thinking at how to face this patina, even though I admit that I’m not disliking the final look ...
 
A couple more shots of the coppered hull how as it is right now, before the shipyard was closed for Christmas holidays.
 
I used a different camera, with much lower performance, and this is the reason for such different color rendering...
You may see that I also added a third molding strip just below the water scuppers, an addition of the very last minutes. I’ve missed it during all my previous analysis of the plans, but discovered it when checking for the next job.
I’ve used Yellowheart wood strips that I had available in the scrap parts box: don’t be surprised for the strange color matching, because all this area will be painted black.
 
To set these strips I temporarily glued several 4.5mm wide spacers below the main molding (they are visible in the above picture), then used them as a guide for laying the new molding.
 


 
Next job, in the first days of the New Year 2016, will be the cheeks that laterally support the knee-of-the-head ... stay tuned!
 
I wish you Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year 2016
Fam

Christian! Merry Christmas you too!!! Happy New Year for all!!!

Hi Christian
 
I have been following your log. It is good news that you have started the actual build.
We would like to see some photos of your build as well
 
Merry Christmas
 
Deon 

Froliche Weihnachten, also! Best wishes for the coming year as well.

Hi Cristian very nice drawings.

Christian   Drawings look great and you're all set to start.  Wonderful!  I was very impressed with all the pre-build stuff you did; so well thought out.  Like so many others I too will be following this build.  Let the sawdust fly! ..... into a dust filter of course.  Lastly, I would like to wish you and all you love the best Christmas, and may the new year be all you want it to be.
 
Merry Christmas,
Tom

Today I've finished the drawing work for the frames. 55 frames and 26 cant frames are a lot stuff, which I have to build now.
 
The following picture shows frame 10a for example.
 

 
Now I have to clean up my work room and prepare the building board. I hope I've nothing forgotten so that I can make sawdust and start the build of my model

Welcome on bord, Antony
 
The completion of the hull of my control model in the region behind the last frames has attracted much longer than expected.
When planning the last phase of the construction I realized that the body plan of the original drawing and therefore my reconstruction at the top of the last two frames is too narrow. So back to the drawing board and the frames 19 and 20 newly constructed. The hull at frames 20 is now about 1 mm wider in the region of maximum breath than originally. With the help of several buttok lines and the new water lines I have also redesigned the transoms

I haven't add all changes on the test hull, so you can see in the pictures the not entirely harmonious course of the lines.





The first step of my little project -the reconstruction of the lines- is complete.
In between, I have asked myself several times whether the construction of the half-model was even necessary. After the problems in the reconstruction of the transoms and fashion pieces, that define the shape of the stern, have identified, the construction of the test model was more than worth. I am happy to have the mistakes now and not found during the construction of the POF model.

In the next few weeks I'll construct keel, frames and all other components that are needed to build the hull. In autumn I like to start the construction of the POF model. Until then, one last picture which shows the side view of the test hull.
 

The transoms can not be derived directly from my reconstruction of the body plan.In the half breath plan of the orioginal drawing the form of each timber is indeed located, but does not fit properly on the corrected design. Before starting for the next step I have taken these lines and adjust them so that they match up with my design and also with the position of transoms in Sheer plan.
Subsequently the transoms were transferred to 3mm plywood, sawn and glued on the control model. I 've filles the gaps as usual with poplar plywood. After sanding the area looks like in the following pictures:
 

 

 

 
 

Welcome on bord, Antony
 
The completion of the hull of my control model in the region behind the last frames has attracted much longer than expected.
When planning the last phase of the construction I realized that the body plan of the original drawing and therefore my reconstruction at the top of the last two frames is too narrow. So back to the drawing board and the frames 19 and 20 newly constructed. The hull at frames 20 is now about 1 mm wider in the region of maximum breath than originally. With the help of several buttok lines and the new water lines I have also redesigned the transoms

I haven't add all changes on the test hull, so you can see in the pictures the not entirely harmonious course of the lines.





The first step of my little project -the reconstruction of the lines- is complete.
In between, I have asked myself several times whether the construction of the half-model was even necessary. After the problems in the reconstruction of the transoms and fashion pieces, that define the shape of the stern, have identified, the construction of the test model was more than worth. I am happy to have the mistakes now and not found during the construction of the POF model.

In the next few weeks I'll construct keel, frames and all other components that are needed to build the hull. In autumn I like to start the construction of the POF model. Until then, one last picture which shows the side view of the test hull.
 

All frames are drawn and I started to build the keel.
 
Thanks for your interest and

 
and a Happy New Year

I've finished the "Disposition of Frames" drawing.
 

 
I am not quite happy with the position of the timberheads between station line 17 and 19. But this is the position I got from the As Built plan of the Fly.
 
Next I will built my building board and start with the model.

Today it rained all day, so I had enough time to finish the design of the cant frames





The Bollard Timbers and Hawse Pieces are missing to complete the planning of  framework.
The individual components and the frames I'll draw later during the build.

Next, the construction of the two-stage slipway is on the ToDo list, then I can lay down the keel for the model.

Welcome on bord, Antony
 
The completion of the hull of my control model in the region behind the last frames has attracted much longer than expected.
When planning the last phase of the construction I realized that the body plan of the original drawing and therefore my reconstruction at the top of the last two frames is too narrow. So back to the drawing board and the frames 19 and 20 newly constructed. The hull at frames 20 is now about 1 mm wider in the region of maximum breath than originally. With the help of several buttok lines and the new water lines I have also redesigned the transoms

I haven't add all changes on the test hull, so you can see in the pictures the not entirely harmonious course of the lines.





The first step of my little project -the reconstruction of the lines- is complete.
In between, I have asked myself several times whether the construction of the half-model was even necessary. After the problems in the reconstruction of the transoms and fashion pieces, that define the shape of the stern, have identified, the construction of the test model was more than worth. I am happy to have the mistakes now and not found during the construction of the POF model.

In the next few weeks I'll construct keel, frames and all other components that are needed to build the hull. In autumn I like to start the construction of the POF model. Until then, one last picture which shows the side view of the test hull.
 

Then I've started sanding the hull. I've used 60 grid until 120 grid sandpaper for the process. After around one week - I can only work on my model in the evening or at the weekends- I've finished the front half of my control model.
I am very happy with the result
 

 

 

 
To check the curves I use 1mm thick stripes of maple. The found differences are very small. So I think that my reconstruction will work for the checked range.
 

 

 

 

 

With the build of my control model I started at the end of March.

The edges of all frames I've colored black. This will be later a great help by sandig the hull.
The glued surface of the cant frames is very small, so I've glued first plywood stripes on the center board.
To get the correct alignment the colored 5' marks on the frames and the center board are a great help.
 

First half of frame 0
 
Six frames have been installed.
 

 
At this time I've started to glue the filling pieces of polar plywood between the frames. I've used a chess board pattern to avoid the distortion of the frames.


 
Until the mid of April I've installed all frames and filling pieces from the center to the stem on the stem.
The next two pictures show the result of the work. It's looking very horrible
 

 

To check the lines I started to build a half model. For the frames I use 3mm birch plywood, it's for a model in 1/32 perhaps a little small, but I've had a bigger batch at home. All space between the frames I fill with poplar plywood. It's easy to shape but stable enough for the purpose.
I glue the drawngs with rubber cement on the ply woord


 
With a sharp knife I mark every 5' line. The picture shows frame 0:
 

 
All bulkheades and the center are cutted out. The hull has a length of around 1m, which is not as big compared with the new 1/200 model kits of the WWII battle ships.
 

 

Part 1 Reconstruction of the hull lines
 
David Antscherl wrote in his wonderful series about th Swan Class Sloop, that there are a lot of smaller differences between the ships of the class, for example the knee of the head of Fly.
As first decision for my new start I decided not to use the general lines, which David has published. I want to do my own reconstruction. The naval cutter was a first exercise for this project. In January I started with the reconstruction. At the end of February I had a first version of my body plan, which matchs the lines of the historical drawing very well.