Gabek

Mario, this is beautiful. Fantastic details, all those small items I am out of words A+++
 
 
Børge

Lower deck - it will not be visible, but I made test how the deck will look with black paper and treenails. I made about 3500 pieces of treenails (diameter 0.55 mm), so I have a sufficient supply for any remaining deck.

Inner planking is completed now including sweep ports and holes for fixed blocks. Now I am standing before deciding whether to paint inner planking red or left it in its natural state.

Detail shots of the completed model


Long boat with the sheep pens beneath.
 

Activity on the Qtr deck, the crew are converted ‘N’ scale rail figures.
 

Poop deck detail.
 

 

Crew ascending the Main shrouds.
 

Fore deck detail.
 

Crew at the Fore Topmast head.
 

 

Head details.
 


 

 

Stern Qtr details.
 
 
Full shots of the model
 


 

 
 

 

 

 

 

Secure in her protective case.
 
I think this has been the most exacting build I have undertaken due to the small scale and my
less than good eyesight, I am very pleased with the result but I don’t think I
will attempt another at this scale.
 
I am much more comfortable with 1:64 scale, as with my current Pegasus build.

B.E.


 


 


 
 
 
 
 


 



 
 
 


 


 


 
 


 


 
 


 


 


 


 
 


 
 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Ha, I like the new signature, What a great discovery for you right in the middle of this build.
 
Cheers  , To another solved mystery. This has to be VERY exciting for you E&/orT, I can't wait to see how things develop as they research the site further.

She's apparently in only 11 metres (35') of water and standing around 6 metres upright. The high arctic conditions and short working season would make this a very expensive raising. However, they interviewed a decendent of Capt. Crozier who thought that the construction of these ships was so sturdy and because they were further reinforced for arctic exploration that raising might be feasible. And we should mention that our Prime Minister is tickled pink over this...maybe he'll spring some money this way!
 
This is really big news for us Canadians. I think that you and your model might end up playing a part in all this if you want, E&T!
 
Regards,
Gabe

She's apparently in only 11 metres (35') of water and standing around 6 metres upright. The high arctic conditions and short working season would make this a very expensive raising. However, they interviewed a decendent of Capt. Crozier who thought that the construction of these ships was so sturdy and because they were further reinforced for arctic exploration that raising might be feasible. And we should mention that our Prime Minister is tickled pink over this...maybe he'll spring some money this way!
 
This is really big news for us Canadians. I think that you and your model might end up playing a part in all this if you want, E&T!
 
Regards,
Gabe

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/lost-franklin-expedition-ship-found-in-the-arctic-1.2760311
For anyone else interested in the discovery of one of Franklin's ships.
 
Regards,
Gabe

She's apparently in only 11 metres (35') of water and standing around 6 metres upright. The high arctic conditions and short working season would make this a very expensive raising. However, they interviewed a decendent of Capt. Crozier who thought that the construction of these ships was so sturdy and because they were further reinforced for arctic exploration that raising might be feasible. And we should mention that our Prime Minister is tickled pink over this...maybe he'll spring some money this way!
 
This is really big news for us Canadians. I think that you and your model might end up playing a part in all this if you want, E&T!
 
Regards,
Gabe

She's apparently in only 11 metres (35') of water and standing around 6 metres upright. The high arctic conditions and short working season would make this a very expensive raising. However, they interviewed a decendent of Capt. Crozier who thought that the construction of these ships was so sturdy and because they were further reinforced for arctic exploration that raising might be feasible. And we should mention that our Prime Minister is tickled pink over this...maybe he'll spring some money this way!
 
This is really big news for us Canadians. I think that you and your model might end up playing a part in all this if you want, E&T!
 
Regards,
Gabe

She's apparently in only 11 metres (35') of water and standing around 6 metres upright. The high arctic conditions and short working season would make this a very expensive raising. However, they interviewed a decendent of Capt. Crozier who thought that the construction of these ships was so sturdy and because they were further reinforced for arctic exploration that raising might be feasible. And we should mention that our Prime Minister is tickled pink over this...maybe he'll spring some money this way!
 
This is really big news for us Canadians. I think that you and your model might end up playing a part in all this if you want, E&T!
 
Regards,
Gabe

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/lost-franklin-expedition-ship-found-in-the-arctic-1.2760311
For anyone else interested in the discovery of one of Franklin's ships.
 
Regards,
Gabe

Thank you, Nils! I am quite flattered for your acknowledgement and may I bow to you for your museum pieces!
 
Frame Bend 5
I noticed in the Triton plans that forward of the midship frame the floor futtocks face forward, and aft of the midship frame the floor futtock face aft. I decided to reverse frame 5 from the plans so I could show the different futtock arrangement and work on making a cross chock and some scarf joints. (I don't feel bad about this because some references support this arrangement).
 
I had already prepared the third and fifth futtocks according to plan before deciding to add chocks, etc, but to make the scarfs I had to cut out new pieces that were longer to allow the overlap at the joint. I thought that I would cut out a single piece of the two futtocks together, cut the scarf and pick which futtock came out better.
 
The cutting was much easier than I had anticipated, the knife I used sharp and the scarfs came out very clean. And now, my model-making colleagues, I have to confess that I cheated. I just put the two pieces back together in my build!
 
 

 
Glued up

 

 
Cleaned up

Hi Nils and Dave,
thanks for compliment .
I started the inner planking - waterways, spirketting and quickwork are completed.

The Problem:
 
Anyone who has followed my HMS Terror scratch build may remember my issues with blackening brass fittings for the stern assembly. To briefly summarize, I immersed the parts in a standard 8:1 mixture of Blacken-It solution mixed with bottled water, waited until the parts turned the appropriate colour, then rinsed in bottled water to “neutralize” the reaction. I tried this several times on different parts and each time it resulted in a flaky, blotchy appearance that could not be made even despite buffing with a soft cloth.
 
 

Here is an image of my results. Note the blotchy and flaky texture.
 
Inspired by the fine results of other modellers on the boards, I resolved to master the “mysteries of the blue Liquid”.  I began with research; modelers, gunsmiths, jewellers, instrument makers, and mechanics all use various products and processes to chemically blacken metals and a great deal of information is available from forums, blogs, websites, magazines, and books.
 
With this knowledge at hand, I decided to conduct a series of trials to determine the best process for blackening metal using Blacken-it. I chose Blacken-it as it seems to be the most commonly used product on Model Ship World, and, perhaps more importantly, I had a supply available. However, the techniques I use here should be applicable to other metal blackening products.
 
Before I outline my tests I should begin with a note on safety:
 
The chemicals used in the blackening process are dangerous. Rubber gloves, safety goggles, and a well-ventilated room (or fume hood) must be used EVERY time you handle the chemicals.
 
The Process:
 
From my research, I learned that producing consistently good results requires seven steps, in this order:
1)      The surface of the metal should be mechanically prepared. This roughens the surface and removes synthetic coatings that are often used to give stock metal a shiny appearance.
2)      The surface of the metal should be treated with an acid pickle to remove any scale or corrosion.
3)      The metal should be cleaned with a solvent to remove organic contaminants such as oils, fingerprints, and other dirt.
4)      The metal is chemically coloured using a diluted blackening agent.
5)      The reaction should be “fixed” or halted, using a neutralizing solution.
6)      The surface of the metal should be buffed to remove excess blackening products and to polish the new surface.
7)      The metal should be coated in a protective agent to prevent corrosion, soiling, and damage (optional).
 
The Equipment:
 
My research indicates that the following chemicals most often produce consistent results:
1)      Muriatic acid (31.4%). This is commonly used to remove scale and corrosion on the surface of the metal.  Most hobbyists and professionals use 1:1 concentration of water and acid. Remember, you should always pour the acid into water, as it can be dangerous to pour water directly into acid. You can purchase muriatic acid in most hardware or pool supply stores.
 
2)      Deionized water. This tip was given to me by Druxy on these forums. I’m convinced that the blotchy, scaly results on my first use of Blacken-it were the result of my use of mineral-laiden bottled water. Dionized water is treated to remove mineral ions which could react with Blacken-it. Use the deionised water for all stages of the blackening process, including rinsing between baths, diluting chemicals, and for neutralization.
 
3)      Acetone (100%). This is a widely used degreasing agent employed to remove finger prints, oils, or other organic coatings which might contaminate the metal. It can be purchased at any hardware store.
 
4)      Baking soda. The final stage of the blackening process should include proper neutralization. A common solution is two table-spoons of baking soda in a cup (250 ml) of warm deionised water. Often, hobbyists will use running tap water to neutralize the reaction with good results; baking soda seems to be preferred by jewelers and instrument makers.
 

Here is a photo of the equipment I used in my tests.
 
The Tests:
 
My trials involved testing two variables: 1) the concentration of Blacken-It (undiluted, 1:1, 5:1, or 10:1), and 2) water neutralization versus baking soda neutralization.
 

The test parts prior to preparation.
 
Step 1: I thoroughly sanded the surface of my brass test parts with 400 grit sandpaper. This is similar to the preparation of any metal part even if it isn’t going to be painted or chemically coloured.
 
Step 2: I buffed the metal with ultrafine steel wool. Be certain to carefully remove any steel wool filings that remain as they can react with the chemicals used in the next stages.
 

The parts after mechanical preparation. 
 
Step 3: Immerse the part in muriatic acid (diluted 1:1 with deionised) water for 30 minutes. You can immerse the parts for longer, but the acid will eventually etch the surface and soften sharp edges and other details if you leave them in too long. You may notice that the pickle will change the colour of the brass or that some corrosion may appear – this is normal and is caused by impurities or inconsistencies in the metal.
 

 
Step 4: Rinse each part by agitating vigorously in a bath of deionized water for at least 10 seconds. Allow to dry thoroughly on a clean paper towel. Change the water in the bath for the next step.
 

 

Allow the parts to dry thoroughly.
 
Step 5: Immerse the parts in an acetone bath for 30 minutes.
 

 
Step 6: Rinse each part by agitating vigorously in a bath of deionized water for at least 10 seconds. Allow to dry thoroughly on a clean paper towel.
 

 

Allow the parts to dry thoroughly.
 
Step 7: Immerse the parts in the Blacken-it solution. Maximize the surface area of the part exposed to the chemical by placing it on end if you can. Gently, without scratching the surface, turn the part every few minutes to ensure all surfaces are exposed equally to the solution. Carefully monitor colour changes, and remove the part when the desired colour is achieved.
 

Different concentrations of Blacken-it. 
 

The parts after 30 seconds. 
 

After five minutes.
 

After 60 minutes (other parts removed when desired colour achieved). 
 
Step 8: Instantly dunk the part in the warm baking soda bath. Agitate vigorously for ten seconds. You will notice that the part will begin to corrode and a blotchy green or red film will cover the surface. Do not worry.
 

 

After a bath in the baking soda solution, the part will appear green (or sometimes red). 
 

Neutralizing with water leaves a cleaner surface (but caution is warranted, see below). 
 
Step 8: Carefully buff the part with a clean soft cloth (an old t-shirt works perfectly). Do not touch the part with your fingers. You will notice that the corrosion products resulting from the neutralizing bath will scrub away.  Buff until all portions of the part have an even colour; continue to buff if you want a shinier surface.
 

Buffing the parts fixed in the baking soda solution removes the green/red coating. 
 

After buffing, all the parts appear roughly similar in colour and finish from a distance (see below for differences). 
 
Step 9: Wait 24 hours to ensure the reaction was effectively neutralized. If “sweating” or pitting is noticed, the reaction was not properly neutralized, and a further rinse may be required. Usually the part can be salvaged by buffing with a soft cloth. Sometimes, it may need to be blackened again.
 
Step 10 (Optional): Spray the parts with a thin acrylic matte coating to protect the surface.
 

I use Krylon Matte Coat.
 
The Trial Results:
 
Undiluted Blacken-It solution:
 
The undiluted solution produced a very dark, but somewhat uneven black surface in about five minutes. Fixing the reaction with baking soda caused a significant amount of corrosion, but it was mostly removed by buffing. 
 

Undiluted immediately after buffing.
 
However, after 24 hours both parts began to sweat, indicating that the chemical reaction had not been neutralized even with a baking soda bath.  This is not unexpected, as the product guidelines indicate that the product is meant to be diluted.
 

Undiluted after 24 hours. 
 
Recommendation: Do not use undiluted solution.
 
1:1 Blacken-it Solution
 
This is the concentration recommended by the manufacturer. After ca. 10 minutes the part reached a deep black, but after neutralization with baking soda solution the surface appeared to be quite blotchy. After 24 hours the edges of the part began to sweat and corrode and the surface appeared pitted.
 

1:1 immediately after buffing. 
 

1:1 after 24 hours. 
 
The water neutralized part had a slightly more even surface, but unfortunately began to sweat after only 24 hours.
 

1:1 unfixed (water neutralization) after 24 hours.   
Recommendation: Do not use 1:1 solution.
 
5:1 Blacken-it Solution
 
The 5:1 solution required approximately 25 minutes to reach a deep black.  Immersion in the baking soda solution initially produced a green corrosion but buffing resulted in an even black surface. The part remained stable after 24 hours (and is still stable a week later).
 

5:1 immediately after buffing.
 
 
5:1 after 24 hours. 
 
The unfixed, water-neutralized part began to corrode at the edges after 24 hours.
 

5:1 unfixed immediately after buffing. 
 

5:1 unfixed after 24 hours. 
 
Recommendation: Works very well in conjunction with a baking soda rinse.
 
10:1 Blacken-it Solution
The 10:1 solution required approximately 60 minutes to reach a dark even black. Immersion in a baking soda rinse produced a slight corrosion, but buffing resulted in a very even and deep black surface (in my opinion better than the 5:1 concentration). The part has remained stable after a week.
 

10:1 immediately after buffing. 
 

10:1 after 24 hours. 
 
Similar results were achieved with the water-only neutralization, and the part remained stable after 24 hours. However, after ca. four days corrosion began to appear at the edges of the part.
 

10:1 unfixed after four days. 
 
Recommendation: The 10:1 solution performed very well in conjunction with a baking soda rinse, and in my opinion produced the best colour and surface.
 
Final thoughts:
 
1)      Fixing the parts by agitation in a warm baking soda bath appears to be a critical step in blackening brass, at least with Blacken-it. Even at lowest concentrations, and with a water-neutralizing rinse, the acidic reaction appeared to continue for some time, especially around edges and in nooks and crannies.  
 
2)      5:1 and 10:1 solutions appear to produce relatively similar results, even though they both require proper neutralization. The 10:1 solution appears to produce a slightly more even and deeper colour. Using Blacken-it at its recommended concentration is a waste of product and results in corrosion even after proper neutralization.
 
3)      Buffing is a critical step in achieving the proper surface appearance.
 
4)      I was able to rejuvenate “sweating” parts by dunking them in a baking soda solution and then buffing. Regardless, faint hints of the corrosion remained.

I started this AL kit Harvey some 12 years after 2 other kit builds - Mercury and Panart Saint Lucia, a tartan. The build progressed very slowly and I abandoned it about 8 years ago due to work and other interests. Finally in mid last year I was able to get back to it and I finished the hull planking just before Christmas. However, about then I began a lot of research into Baltimore clippers and I realised that the Harvey kit is "not true to form". My version of the kit materials-wise does seem to be quite good compared to those that I have read about so perhaps the kit has deteriorated over the past decade. Anyway, I now see that the deck layout could not be as shown in the kit and I have decided to scratch build my deck fittings to a new layout and I have almost completed a scratch build of the jolly boat for the stern davits.
 
The deck fittings are made but not attached and I am also building new cannon carriages about half the size of the kit parts - this is the correct size as far as I can determine using the same brass cannon in the kit which seem to be 4 pounders. I must admit that I have been a bit distracted by other things and doing some research on the rigging but hope to get going again now on the build.
 
I welcome any comments.

Thanks Gabe
 
I wish I had the room to put a rabbet.  Might be able to on the stern half.  I just hope I get this finished before 27 years.

Hello there, adivedog.  Welcome aboard and greetings from Canada!  
 
As a fellow 'Swiftie', I look forward to following your build log.  
 
And...you've got an excellent mentor in Keith! 
 
Like he said, this model is a great one to start with and it was my first as well - I completed it February of this year.  However, it took me so long to complete (27 years!) that I can't remember a lot of the details of the early steps other than I decided to add the keel and stem before the second planking, whereas the instructions said to add them after the second layer. (I'm assuming that your hull is double planked - I built the old version of the kit).  My method allowed me to cut in a rabbet to hide the edges of the second planks, particularly at the bow.  I will say that you should watch the thickness of your hull at the stern - I left mine too thick and it created problems when I was installing the stern post and rudder.   You will have a chance to fix up some imperfections after you complete the first layer by adding wood filler and sanding...and sanding...and sanding some more.    
 
One thing that I learned from my first build and that Keith absolutely embraces is that you should feel free to change/modify/question/deviate from the instructions as you see fit.  Reading the logs on this site is an inspiration and great education - you'll pick up lots of ideas on what to do and, if you read my log, what NOT to do!
 
Have fun...
 
Regards,
Gabe
 

Indeed. In addition to simply moving I've renovated a bathroom, the hobby room (where work on this will happen) plus a laundry room. Oh yeah, and child #2 is overdue by three days now...so I suspect life will continue getting in the way. But progress! Timber heads have been added using clothespins as clamps...they were the wimpiest clamps I could find to avoid potentially denting the sapelia. Putting these on was an example of having to work in spite of the kit; the kit inventory sheet said there would be 42 pieces to cut and shape to fit. In fact, there were two long pieces, not 42 short. Okay, no problem....except I realized about a third of the way through that I was cutting off too much material to use as each timberhead blank. It was only by carefully measuring for each timberhead position along the gunwale that I ended up having enough material. Whew!

Fairing the frames
I've been thinking about how I was going to manage to fair frames that are as slender as these are. Being so flexible, my worry was that I couldn't keep them in position in a jig. I tried clamping them all together and found that they were quite rigid and could resist being moved around quite well. I decided to fair them bundled together like. At this scale, I didn't think that the shape of the hull would be drastically affected by removing the space between midship square frames at this scale.
 
At first I used popsicle sticks and binder clips as clamping cauls. These were a bit cumbersome to work around and staring at me from my pegboard were my beautiful little brass bar clamps. I taped card stock to the jaws to prevent maring the wood and switch over these.
 
Shaped sanding blocks worked well for the outside surfaces (I chuckle thinking of putting this over my knee like Ray did!) but there wasn't much room to work inside. I was about to make a sanding stick, like Ray did, and then thought of my files. Believe it or not, I ended up using a chainsaw file to fair the inside of my frames!
 
First clamping method

 
Eventual clamping method.

I just finished my first ship model last weekend, I've got another kit on the go, but this Triton project looks really cool and will most definitely be educational. I'm really looking forward to this.
 
Smaller scales appeal to me for some reason. This works out well because our house is so jammed with stuff that I really don't have a lot of room to display models!

HMS DIANA 1794 By Ray– A 38 Gun Heavy Frigate (Caldercraft)
 
I intend to depict her as built in 1794 with open rails on the quarter deck and replace the quarter deck carronades with 9 pounders, I also intend to plank the decks as in Anatomy of the ship “The Frigate Diana” by David White so will replace the supplied wood with Maple.
 
I have had the kit for several months, but only had a quick look inside the box to see if all seemed present and correct, I did not want to start thinking about her too much until Pegasus was completed. Now Pegasus has been completed I delved into the box in earnest, and it is quite a large and heavy one, all the contents seem to be good quality although I would have preferred walnut dowel to the Birch wood dowel supplied this just does not look as good stained as the walnut does varnished, so I will replace any dowel that is not to be painted with walnut.
 
The one thing I would like to replace are the copper tiles, I think they are nowhere as good as the Amati ones, to me the ones supplied are to bright, and the rivet detail is in comparison, nowhere near as good but at a cost of around £100 this may not be possible.
 
I have been in for a bit of stick from family members, as my first wife’s name was, you have guessed It, Diana, so I will have to get used to “ off to your room with Diana again” and “we never thought you and Diana would spend so much time together” a cross I will have to bear.
 
Diana boxed

 
kit opened

 

 
Fittings
 


 
Timber

 
Book

 
 
 
 

The holes for the treenails look very neatly done. I like the stain color you have in the photo.
 
Russ

Thanks to everyone for the positive feedback. It gives me great encouragement for further work.
I decided to make wales from separated parts. It took me about 40 hours to make and stick 4+4 wales nad 1+1 black strake .

Hi Omega1234,
thanks for nice comments.
 
Making of the rudder, hardware - pintles, gudgeons etc. will be added later.