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Thukydides

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  1. Thukydides
    I believe it is pronounced thew-kid-i-days. Though we don't actually know for sure as no-one speaks classical Greek anymore 😃.
  2. Thukydides
    This is an unbelievable build. I can't even begin to imagine ever reaching this level of craftsmanship. Well done
  3. Thukydides
    I appreciate the compliment, and I don't feel that this is a distraction, it is a discussion of an issue I am currently working through and even though in this case it is ultimately too late to change course (unless I want to do all the blocks over again), I consider it all useful information for the next model. I appreciate that both you and @allanyed took the time to stop by and give this some thought. That being said, your thoughts largely mirror mine and I was going to summarize pretty much what you just said on my next log (my internal notes look very much like this post) To be fair in this case I went into this with eyes wide open, I knew the evidence was inconclusive (though if I had to guess I suspect that for something as small as a 6lb gun two singles is more likely) before I started tying any of the blocks. Part of this relates to the fact that when I started this build I had not planned on deviating much from the kit arrangement and so there are already a plethora of minor "inaccuracies" from earlier in the build. I decided that I would continue down this path (which to be honest I am not sure is actually an inaccuracy) as at least a number of people seem to thing that the double plus single could have been a thing. Ultimately the issue is that in all of these cases (Caruna included as far as I can tell, I don't own that book) there is no reference to what primary source was used to inform these specific statements. So we just have to rely on whether we trust that they have indeed the knowledge to back up these things. This doesn't mean we blindly trust them (I have found instances of what I suspect are inaccuracies in another AOTS book I have been looking at for a potential future build), but in some cases if there is not a lot of primary evidence it is hard to know what is the correct answer. Edit: if anyone is interested in the original discussion I referenced that was had a while back you can find it towards the end of this thread:
  4. Thukydides
    Outstanding and very unique build. You have done a great job.
  5. Thukydides
    I was planning to discuss this in my upcoming post when I start rigging the gun tackle. Basically there was a post I made a long time ago asking about this and the results were inconclusive. Goodwin depicts the double blocks in the aots book on alert, but as you pointed out caruna seems to contradict this. Lavery also mentions the blocks, but only makes vague statements. On the balance is suspect single blocks were likely used, but as I had already acquired the double blocks, I decided to go with Goodwin. Also I like the look of the double blocks a bit better and since this build is a bit of a compromise between accuracy and aesthetic (for example the decorations I painted are highly unlikely to have been on the actual ship), I figured it wasn't too big of a sin.
  6. Thukydides
    It is looking really good. You can really see the depth in it which gives it a very realistic feel.
  7. Thukydides
    Yes I have had this problem with resin before. It is particularly problematic when you have a small space and can actually give the impression of the water "rising" in that spot. The more edges the resin has to "grab on to" the higher it will rise. You can mitigate this somewhat by pouring in multiple thin layers, but that has its own set of problems.
  8. Thukydides
    Tying ropes to endless tiny blocks is maybe not my favorite activity, but it is part of the process. I have always enjoyed making the prototype version more than mass production. This is particularly true in that the best way to produce a consistent result once you have your process down is to do each step in sequence to a whole bunch of blocks at once (cut all the gun tackle ropes then cut all the ropes for wrapping round the block, then do the loops for all the gun tackle ropes etc...). This can get a bit boring as you don't actually produce anything until you get the entire batch done. However I find this also keeps me motivated as I don't want to get up from the desk until the whole batch is finished. If I did them each one at a time I am tempted to stop after doing 2 or 3 and I also produce them much more slowly. So I just throw a podcast on in the background and pick away it. I suspect I can probably get the rest of the blocks done in two more sessions (2 sets of 10). Then I can move on to the more interesting part of the gun tackle.
  9. Thukydides
    That is the beaty of painting larger wooden surfaces. You can even go part way and just sand a bit to get it smooth and then add another coat. Lots of thin coats is the way to go. It takes longer, but will look much nicer.
  10. Thukydides
    I have been slowly picking away at the blocks and now have all the single blocks with the gun tackle ropes attached to them done. Now just 20 more double blocks to be done. They should take less time as I am much faster at doing these than when I started and not having to attach the rope does speed things up a bit.
  11. Thukydides
    Do you mean taper the planks? If so i just used an exacto knife. If you look at glenn’s build log he likely detailed the process. If not you can take a look at my build log. Not the same kit, but also a cutter and the process is pretty much the same.
  12. Thukydides
    Welcome to MSW. As for a recommendation, I am enjoying alert (first time builder), it is a great model and there are lots of build logs to follow along with.
  13. Thukydides
    Log #45: Blocks for the Gun Tackle Thanks to everyone who has stopped by. I am beginning to understand why some people hate rigging the guns. Even for a ship as small as Alert I need to prep 48 very tiny blocks :). That being said I really do prefer the look of cannons that have been rigged and so having done a few test version, I have moved into mass production. Step 1 is to get the block, hook and cut off a 30mm piece of 0.25mm rope. I experimented a bit and found that any less than 30mm made life very hard. I then made a small knot in the rope (this picture is an older one, I forgot to take a picture of this step). I found doing the knot and then pulling it tight around the block was easier than trying to do the knot afterwards. I then pulled the knot mostly closed, but left a small gap. Into this I inserted the end of the gun tackle. A small dot of super glue was added with a sewing pin and then I pulled the knot tight. Once this dried I used some matt varnish and secured the end of the gun tackle to itself. I did not attempt to do more than a cursory imitation of a splice as this will all be hidden once the tackle is on the model. Then with the line secure I flipped the block over and slipped the hook onto one of the two ends of the rope running around the block. At this time I also used a small dot of super glue to secure the knot on the top of the block. Then using tweezers I inserted the other end of the rope into the hook from the opposite side. Once it was through the hook I looped it through the gap at the bottom to make another knot. Another small dot of super glue was applied to the inside of the hook and the knot was bulled tight. Once dry I also covered all the knots with varnish both to hide the super glue shine and also to make sure that everything was secure. Then into the bag with the other finished blocks. Half of them have the gun tackle attached and the other half do not. The process for those that don’t is pretty much the same, just the first few steps are a bit easier. I still need to cut off the ends and add a little bit of seizing, but I don’t like doing this until I am sure everything is fully dry so I will wait till I have them all done before doing this step. Seven done, fourty-one to go.
  14. Thukydides
    Looks fantastic. I agree a bit more colour variation may help. Try to make things a bit wavy. Water distorts light. Also consider making the transition less of a straight line. Notice how in your reference photo some of the lighter bits extend deeper into the water. If you want to further break things up you could add a rock or two sticking up just off the shore. Again see your reference photo for inspiration. I like what you did with the rocks. I think they look just right now. Overall great job with the painting.
  15. Thukydides
    Wow this is fantastic, I would have never have guessed this was card from the photos. Fantastic job!
  16. Thukydides
    Time for another minor update. I am making faster progress than I thought and have all the breaching ropes done. I then attached all the deck fittings as the gun tackle will be done on a jig and then just hooked in so I am not as worried about things getting in the way.
  17. Thukydides
    Yes I have found that very small amounts of CA seem to hold it well. Also I am happy to take these problems to avoid the issue of fuzz. I always worry about using thin CA as I have trouble controlling it. Also I would worry it would make the rope too brittle.
  18. Thukydides
    Log #44: Hiding the Super Glue Spots I managed to get a bunch of work done on the model today and so I figured I do another short update expanding on how I went about making the breaching ropes lie properly. The polyester rope has many of advantages, but there are two big disadvantages to it that i have found. It is very stiff and doesn’t like to be shaped unless you want to use heat (which I don’t want to bring near the model itself). It doesn’t adhere very well to white glue. The combination of these two issues mean I need a way of tacking it in place, but with a glue that adheres quickly and well. I have not been able to come up with an alternative to super glue for this. However, as you can see in the picture below, even if i am neat you can see the spots of super glue. The solution to this is to use ultra matt varnish to help cover over these shiny spots and to apply the final shape to the rope. The varnish can’t be used right from the beginning because it doesn’t adhere super well to the deck (where I applied the oil based wipe on poly) and it takes a while to dry. But you can see below the same cannon after I used the varnish to apply the final shaping to the rope and to cover over the spots. It sometimes takes several tries to get it to hide the super glue as you need to apply it in thin layers and you can’t tell if it worked till it dries. I have managed to accomplish this process for half of the guns and will hopefully finish the other half next week.
  19. Thukydides
    It is looking really good. If I may make a small suggestion the rocks probably need some sea scum too. It looks a bit odd them being so clean and the base of the wall so dirty. It is probably fine, but in the future you might want to make sure you treat anything you get from outside before you add it to a model. I have used many outdoor items as basing materials, but I have known people to have mould start growing on their models which is not ideal. I tend to bake outdoor items in the oven for a couple hours to make sure I kill anything that came in with the stones.
  20. Thukydides
    Log #43: Rigging the Guns Continued Thanks for all the comments and likes. I am getting excited to get to the point where everything is in place on the deck. I am glad you found it helpful. I find that one of the benefits of documenting the process is it keeps me motivated to keep moving forward. I have learned so much from all the build logs I have read and I hope others can also learn from me muddling through the process of figuring this stuff out. With the breaching ropes all attached to the cannons, the next step was to attach them to the ship. I found in my experimentation with the first two guns that it was easier to attach the ropes before fixing the cannons in place. There is nothing particularly complicated about this process, just patience, a bit of epoxy and a pair of fine tweezers. Then using a small bit of super glue on the bottom of each wheel I attached the cannons in place. I also at this time decided to add in the deck fittings that did not stick up too much. The rest will have to wait till I have finished the gun tackle so as not to get in the way. The next step is to get all the breaching ropes to lie properly. You can see I have done this with the cannon on the top right, but the others don’t look very natural as the rope is not flexible enough to lie naturally. To fix this I use a combination of small dots of super glue to hold specific parts of the rope in place and ultra matt varnish to help hold it in place as I shape it. This is a fairly time consuming process as you need to use very small amounts of glue and varnish to avoid getting it in places you don’t want it to be.
  21. Thukydides
    Congrats, this really is an amazing model and you should be proud of it. I particularly like the sheer amount of detail you managed to get into the rigging work. Well done!
  22. Thukydides
    Log #42: Mass Production With two of the breaching ropes attached and the problems ironed out, I have moved to simultaneous production of the remaining guns. This is a general principal that I like to follow. Do an initial test, often redoing it until I am happy. Then do a second to get the process down and then move to mass production. The first step was to cut all of the breaching ropes to size (as I have already noted 95mm) Next I attached it at the mid point with a small drop of super glue to the bottom of the cannons. Once this had dried I wrapped the rope around the and secured it in place with another small drop of super glue. I then attached the ring bolts to the end of each breaching rope using a small drop of super glue to hold the folded rope in place. To control the super glue I place it on a plastic lid and apply it using sewing pins. I didn’t take any pictures of this part of the process, but what I did was to set my micrometer to 4.5mm and then would place one end of the breaching rope in the gap. Using the micrometer as a guide I then pinched with a pair of small tweezers at the 4.5mm distance and folded the rope over attaching it in place using the super glue. You can see the result of this below. I had found that the thread I used for the first two cannons was a bit thick so I made it thinner by removing one of the three strands that it was made of. I then used a sewing needle to secure one end of the thread before wrapping it around the breaching rope. After 4 loops, I tied off the 5th to secure the thread in place. Once both seizings were in place I secured them with some ultra matt varnish. In the picture below the varnish is still wet and looks a bit shiny, but it dries to a clear matt finish. And below you can see the final result. I still need to trim the ends and once I have done so I can attach them to the ship. I have also been playing around with the gun tackle and have my first one done. I will discuss my plans for mass producing gun tackle more in a later post.
  23. Thukydides
    Looking good. You might want to put some masking tape on your keel. It looks like you may have caught it a bit when you were sanding near where it meets the stern post. I made the mistake of failing to do this for the stern post and ended up thinning it a bit by accident.
  24. Thukydides
    It really is amazing how much bigger indy is. I am currently working on Alert’s guns and I don’t think it really occurred to me till I saw this picture how much smaller they are.
  25. Thukydides
    Time for another minor update as it might be a little while before I have enough progress to justify a full post. I have most of the breaching lines still to do and since I am planning on fully rigging the guns, a lot of hooks to attach to blocks. See below for a preview. I am using Chuck’s 3mm hooks. I also having done another blackening session managed to get enough eyebolts done to finish off the bulwarks. However for some reason none of the brass worked despite the copper eye bolts coming out perfect. The blackening just came right off, something I have never had happen before. I have had blotchiness and parts that didn’t get fully covered, but never every single piece not working out. I currently have them all soaking in acetone just in case there is some sort of coating stoping the blackening from adhering and then I will give them another dip in the pickering solution and try again.

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