DocBlake

Finally got the cannons rigged.  Placed the bowsprit and it's hardware today.  Ready to start rigging!
 
Dave

I don't have drawings of the skylight, but it was not tough to build.  I started with a 1" X 1-1/2" piece of basswood (or whatever) that was 1/8" thick.  This was the "frame" I built the skylight around.  I added walnut planking to the sides, and made walnut gables for each end.  You now have a house with no roof.  Sand the sides and gables flat so the 2 roof panels can be glued to them.  Paint the upper face of the wood block flat black. Then build the actual skylight panels.  I used 1/16" basswood rectangles, sized to your frame.  Carefully cut out areas on each panel where the "glass" will be.  You now have a pair of window panes with 2 panes of glass each.  I lined the inside and outside  edges of these panes with 1/16" X 1/16" walnut.  The glass itself is just acetate glued to the inside of the window panes.  The trickiest part was building the protecting rod apparatus the guards the windows against accidental breakage.  I fashioned the 6 walnut strips that support the rods.  I then ganged then together using double sided tape so I could drill 3 hole through each that would line up perfectly.  I used my Dremel drill press (a wise investment if you don't own one, and not expensive).  Music wire, which is stiff, was blackened and used as the metal bars.  I found it at my local Ace Hardware store, but you could use pins or needles, or even brass rod painted black.  The bottom of the skylight was sanded to a curve to mach the curve of the poop deck and glued in place.  Hope this helps.  Contact me if you have any questions.
 
Dave

Currently building an AVS.  Here is my progress so far.  The cannons are just sitting on the deck.  I'm working on the rigging right now.  I even added a skylight to the cabin roof!
 
Dave

Finally got the cannons rigged.  Placed the bowsprit and it's hardware today.  Ready to start rigging!
 
Dave

I FINALLY finished rigging and installing the cannons!  Way too much time spent.  I used the frapped line technique I described here,  based on Clay Feldman's "Lexington" rigging.  I did make a big change, though.  I thought the frapped line look straight and unnatural, so what I did was change the solid wooden core of the block assembly to two fake blocks with thin wire threaded through them.  I could then bend the assembly to get a little "sag" in the frapped line.  It looks more natural.  Now, finally on to rigging!
 
Dave

I've searched for an easy way to rig cannons for my Armed Virginia sloop.  I came upon a technique used by Clay Feldman for his "Lexington" practicum.  I made a You Tube video of the process.  Here is the video:
 
 
 
 
Dave

I FINALLY finished rigging and installing the cannons!  Way too much time spent.  I used the frapped line technique I described here,  based on Clay Feldman's "Lexington" rigging.  I did make a big change, though.  I thought the frapped line look straight and unnatural, so what I did was change the solid wooden core of the block assembly to two fake blocks with thin wire threaded through them.  I could then bend the assembly to get a little "sag" in the frapped line.  It looks more natural.  Now, finally on to rigging!
 
Dave

Thanks, Mark.  The problem with using acetone on the deck is that it's likely to loosenadjacent planks. That's why I had to pry the offender out!
 
Take cre, 
 
 
Dave

I'm beginning a build of the battle station posted on the NRG's website.  I plan several modifications to the original, andI have increased the scale to 1/2" = 1".  I started by cutting out the base, as well as some walnut and bloodwood for the bulwark frames
 
I then dframed in the gunport with bloodwood.
 
Next came a mahogany waterway.  The photo shows it shaped, but not yet cut to size or installed.
 
I then planked the outside using rosewood for the wale, black strake and rail and boxwood for the planking.  The inner bulwark was planked in bloodwood.
 
 I'm now working on details.  The photo shows boarding stairs, deadeyes and cannon parts.
 
Dave

I finished up the compasses.  I cut off two lengths of brass tubing and two lengths of wood dowel which were about 1/16 shorter than the brass.  I Zap-A-Gapped the dowel inside the tubing.  I then found some compass rose clipart and reduced it to the appropriate size, printed two copies and cut out the compass faces.  These were glued to the wood dowel with Weldbond.  I then filled the space from the cpompass face to the top of the dowel with Weldbond.  When it dried, it looked like the glass cover on a compass.  I may mount the compasses in shallow holes drilled into pieces of rosewood to simulate a wooden case.

Working on the binnacle.  The compasses and lantern aren't done yet.  They will sit in their compartment which is lined in holly.  There will be an acetate window and a brass chimney with a conical top.  The binnacle is cherry.
 
Dave

I finished up the compasses.  I cut off two lengths of brass tubing and two lengths of wood dowel which were about 1/16 shorter than the brass.  I Zap-A-Gapped the dowel inside the tubing.  I then found some compass rose clipart and reduced it to the appropriate size, printed two copies and cut out the compass faces.  These were glued to the wood dowel with Weldbond.  I then filled the space from the cpompass face to the top of the dowel with Weldbond.  When it dried, it looked like the glass cover on a compass.  I may mount the compasses in shallow holes drilled into pieces of rosewood to simulate a wooden case.

Working on the binnacle.  The compasses and lantern aren't done yet.  They will sit in their compartment which is lined in holly.  There will be an acetate window and a brass chimney with a conical top.  The binnacle is cherry.
 
Dave

I'm beginning a build of the battle station posted on the NRG's website.  I plan several modifications to the original, andI have increased the scale to 1/2" = 1".  I started by cutting out the base, as well as some walnut and bloodwood for the bulwark frames
 
I then dframed in the gunport with bloodwood.
 
Next came a mahogany waterway.  The photo shows it shaped, but not yet cut to size or installed.
 
I then planked the outside using rosewood for the wale, black strake and rail and boxwood for the planking.  The inner bulwark was planked in bloodwood.
 
 I'm now working on details.  The photo shows boarding stairs, deadeyes and cannon parts.
 
Dave

I finished the cannon.  Not rigged and the cap square is not installed.  i turned two barrels.  I'm not sure which one I like better.  I added the boarding steps and the channel.  The deadeyes and chain plates are just lying in place.  final installation after applying finish
 
Dave

Working on the binnacle.  The compasses and lantern aren't done yet.  They will sit in their compartment which is lined in holly.  There will be an acetate window and a brass chimney with a conical top.  The binnacle is cherry.
 
Dave

I finished up the compasses.  I cut off two lengths of brass tubing and two lengths of wood dowel which were about 1/16 shorter than the brass.  I Zap-A-Gapped the dowel inside the tubing.  I then found some compass rose clipart and reduced it to the appropriate size, printed two copies and cut out the compass faces.  These were glued to the wood dowel with Weldbond.  I then filled the space from the cpompass face to the top of the dowel with Weldbond.  When it dried, it looked like the glass cover on a compass.  I may mount the compasses in shallow holes drilled into pieces of rosewood to simulate a wooden case.

Currently building an AVS.  Here is my progress so far.  The cannons are just sitting on the deck.  I'm working on the rigging right now.  I even added a skylight to the cabin roof!
 
Dave

Working on the binnacle.  The compasses and lantern aren't done yet.  They will sit in their compartment which is lined in holly.  There will be an acetate window and a brass chimney with a conical top.  The binnacle is cherry.
 
Dave

Working on the binnacle.  The compasses and lantern aren't done yet.  They will sit in their compartment which is lined in holly.  There will be an acetate window and a brass chimney with a conical top.  The binnacle is cherry.
 
Dave

Working on the binnacle.  The compasses and lantern aren't done yet.  They will sit in their compartment which is lined in holly.  There will be an acetate window and a brass chimney with a conical top.  The binnacle is cherry.
 
Dave

Working on the binnacle.  The compasses and lantern aren't done yet.  They will sit in their compartment which is lined in holly.  There will be an acetate window and a brass chimney with a conical top.  The binnacle is cherry.
 
Dave

I wanted to avoid painting my Britannia metal fittings.  Black paint on the guns just didn't look realistic.  If I used Blacken-It, a dark crust would form, which rubbed off with a paper towel, leaving a barely darkened piece of metal.  What to do?
 
I started by soaking the parts in a 50:50 solution of muriatic acid and water for 10 minutes.  This cleaned and I think etched the surface a bit.  Then into Blacken-it, full strength,  for 10 minutes after rinsing.  I polished the pieces with paper towel and Q tips, and while darker, they weren't where I wanted them.  The last step was to soak the parts for 10 minutes in "Brass Black" Metal Finish by Birchwood Casey.  After cleanup with paper towels and Q tips, almost no finish came off and the parts were a dark gunmetal color.  Perfect!  In certain lighting they almost have a faint bronze cast to them  Here is a photo
 
Dave

I finished the cannon.  Not rigged and the cap square is not installed.  i turned two barrels.  I'm not sure which one I like better.  I added the boarding steps and the channel.  The deadeyes and chain plates are just lying in place.  final installation after applying finish
 
Dave

I finished the cannon.  Not rigged and the cap square is not installed.  i turned two barrels.  I'm not sure which one I like better.  I added the boarding steps and the channel.  The deadeyes and chain plates are just lying in place.  final installation after applying finish
 
Dave