Barbossa

after some time I resumed work on the model by finishing the laying of the deadeyes and chains:
 

Hi All,
 
Small update on the Bellona progress. I taped off and painted the deck where the grating will be with a matt black paint. Before I glued the grating in place I decided  that I should dry fit the Quarter deck and gangways. I made the holes needed for the mast and did a dry fit check of the masts. This is the first time that Bellona has had her mast installed, kind of gives a good impression of the final look. After I was satisfied with the fit of the quarter deck and gangways, I glued the framing in place for the grating. I touched up the black paint that I scratched up during the dry fitting of the quarter deck and then glued the grates in place. I also installed the remaining sheer plank on the forecastle bulwark. Well that’s all I have for now, I will provide another update when I make some more progress. I have been working a little bit on the cannons, but that’s for another post. Thanks for reading and as always, your comments and guidance are always welcome.
 
Cheers
Nearshore

Thankfully the T'Gallant masts are much simpler to outfit than the other masts.  Both the fore and main T'gallants have just a pair of clueline blocks a short distance from the center. The horses do not have stirrups, with just a single on each side overlapping in the center. The blocks are 5" (once again 2.5mm is the smallest I use out of sheer practicality) and the horses are 1.5" (.20mm) lines. 
 

 
There is nothing simple about the parrels however.  A smaller version of the others, these little things have minuscule ribs that are 2.5mm long at scale, and trucks that are under a millimeter. I spent half a morning just scouring my shop looking for things to use to meet these requirements. I tried a few things that just didn't work before settling on a couple things that panned out.  For the trucks, I found brown wire within an old ethernet cable. After pulling the copper out, I was able to slice the insulation into the appropriate sized trucks. At this scale (even measuring out a millimeter guide) I ended up cutting about 20 and then pulling out the ten that were the most consistent.
 
 
 
For the Ribs, I finally settled on a piece of thick, brown construction paper. Everything else I tried was either unmanageable at this scale (fell apart when I tried to cut, or manipulate) or was too think and looked out of scale. I started by cutting 3mm long by 1mm wide strips, cutting off the corners then creating a 'notch' with a scalpel to create the shape. The holes are made with a dental pick. 
 
 
 

 
The parrel is put together on a .10mm line then attached to the t'gallant mast in the same way as the other parrels. First looped around the yard, then mounted to the mast wrapping the line around the 'valley' of the ribs and tying off each end. I took the picture of the parrel over the ruler on my hobby mat just to give some idea of just how small and fiddly this darn thing is. 
 
 
 
The t'gallant yard tyes are 2" line (.25mm) with the fore being about 54' (256mm at scale) long and the main about 57' (270mm) long. The tye is hitched to the yard by looping the line under the back of the yard, bringing it up under the front, around behind itself then under the yard again, finally to be seized against itself. The Fully Framed Model has a very helpful illustration on page 132. 
 

 
The tye runs up the fore side of the mast, through the sheave in the hounds, then down the back to a 5" (2.5mm) single block. Another 2.5mm single block is seized to an eye in the mast top. The falls of the tye run from the upper block, down through the bottom single, back up through the upper single, then down through the mast top to belay on the ever populated rail on the quarterdeck for the main and the bitts for the fore. With the masts lowered, the block on the halliard should be about midway down the length of the mast.
 
 
 
The yard lifts are a simplified version of the other yards. The top of the lifts is either a pair of thimbles or small blocks hitched around the top of the mast - I chose blocks because they are (in my opinion) cleaner and easier at this scale. The lifts are eye spliced to the ends of the yard arms (instead of blocks like the other yards), taken up through the aforementioned blocks. then down through the mast tops to belay on the cleats fixed to the upper shrouds.
 
 
 

 
The yard braces are also a simplified version of the other yards. They too are just eye spliced around the ends of the yard arms. However, the fore and main have different routes along their rigging path. The fore yard braces run aft to a pair of 2.5mm blocks on a span clove hitched around the main topmast stay near the mouse. Each fall is then taken forward to a block seized to an eyebolt on each side of the aft part of the fore top. From there, it descends to belay on the cleats either side of the belfry.
 
  
 
 
 

 
I apologize for the photos above flipping back and forth from the port and starboard perspectives which is a bit confusing, but hopefully you still get the idea. The run of the main t'gallant braces is less complicated. They start as eye splices around the yard arm, run to a similar pair of blocks on a span hitched around the top of the mizzen, then descend to belay on the rail near the aft shrouds. 
 
 
 

 
At this point there is obviously a LOT going on with all the rigging, especially as it travels through the mast tops. So it took (and will probably still take) a lot of rerouting lines so they aren't fouled or bind against one another. I'll continue to take a look as this as I start to secure lines and add coils of rope - which will be my next step.  It's also worth noting that according to Marquardt, T'gallant sheets were not used between 1735 and 1790, and I can't find any solid references to determine how the uppermost clue lines may have been rigged without sails; so those will not be included. With that, this marks the end of the running rigging for the Peg.
 
Here are a couple of overall shots. The white background emphasizes the standing rigging and the black background emphasizes the running rigging.
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

Post 42
Deck Planking Part 2
With the counters in place I concentrate on the aft deck section.
Once the centre planks are in place I begin to taper the planks.

0500

0513
This is done by eye, the objective to get a curve that runs parallel to the outer deck line.
 
At this point I  move to the Bow section.

0503

0505
Apart from the four planks either side of the centre, the other are all tapered and nibbed into the Margin planks.

0509
The area of the sub-deck remains to be planked but the indication is that a fair run of planking will follow.🤞🤞

0511
Looking a bit rough at this stage and very much w-i-p. 
Hopefully this belies the end result once the deck is scrubbed,  or rather scraped up, to a reasonable finish.
 
B.E.
24/02/2025
 

Thanks for the comments and pressing the like button. 
 
Started building the pavilion (hopefully the right name)

This is bigger than the original. And some windows have already been used elsewhere.
So a new batch of windows is being made. The first ones in wood were disappointing. So they are now made in polystyrene.

Pre-painted windows and wood.

Assembled.

And provided with a roof.

I have also started applying the decoration. Not exactly as described but in line with the painting.
Not all ladies fit perfectly in the new arrangement in the place where they will end up.
To attach them more firmly, one lady needed a copper pin through her belly (ouch...)

 
I have also started on a base plate.
Afzelia wood,  left over
A few pieces of brass from a curtain holder.
And 4 pieces of plastic (origin, forgotten...)

Baker,
 
It definitely is : on the left still the same foremast top. On the right the main mast top ( work in progress )
The holes in the main mast top were  all exlusively made with cobalt drills. ( 0,9 mm ) And the difference is just stunning.
On the risk of digressing a bit on this specific topic, I can only recommend anyone who's dealing with the same issue :
 
Go for the decent tools : it's money well spent. 

Baker,
 
It definitely is : on the left still the same foremast top. On the right the main mast top ( work in progress )
The holes in the main mast top were  all exlusively made with cobalt drills. ( 0,9 mm ) And the difference is just stunning.
On the risk of digressing a bit on this specific topic, I can only recommend anyone who's dealing with the same issue :
 
Go for the decent tools : it's money well spent. 

Looks good to me.
Yes?

Let's call it a recovery. The inevitable splinters were dealt with putty.
I connected the flexishaft to my mini lathe ( proxxon db 250 )
A try out on some leftovers seemed the right thing to do.
 
 

HI all, I have had this kit for several years now. I needed a challenge right now to help me cope with mental health issues. I have been following Olha Batchvarovs build of her kit of this model. 
I finally broke it out yesterday and this is the result so far. The basic skeleton glued up. I am leaving it to cure overnight.

Did some 
 

And added pinrails

That's a cracking shot of your 64, Ron, and the copper colour is spot on for what I'm after.
Love the small details - lead sheathing on the stem and Tompions in the Hawse holes. 👍
 
Post 39
Thinking about the deck
As with Indy and Sphinx I want to leave as much of the lower deck open to view as is practical.
The ply sub-deck gives the basic shape to be over-planked but the area will be increased sufficiently to house the carronades.

0384
At the bow around the Fore-Mast I have cut away an area to show more detail of the forward cabins.
This necessitates adding carlings to the deck beam behind the mast to support the mast partners.
Retro fitting carlings  is a little tricky.
 
The centre line of the boat will be planked where necessary between the various fittings.
Hatchways and Companionways will be fitted before planking.
 
Chris has designed these to fit within the etched deck cut-outs, directly on the beams, so I don’t need to  make adjustments to the height of the coamings etc.
 
The first job is to make up and fit the grating sets. 
Quite time consuming the assembly and fettlin’ of these items, there is a lot of heavy char to be removed. It pays to take time, they will be prominent features of the Upper deck.

0435
For the first time on a build, I have not had to add a round-up to the head ledges of the coamings, Chris has included this feature in the parts.👍

0393
Veneers wettened and clamped around a suitable former, in my case a plan tube, are used to cover the  coamings/ head ledges.
The instruction suggest leaving them for 36 hours before use, but I blast them with the hair dryer and leave overnight.
I perceive on the gratings a sort of ribbed effect I have not noticed on previous builds. They benefit from a light sanding to reduce this.

0402
The Instructions suggest that rounding the gratings isn’t necessary; I found it of benefit, and I applied the hairdryer treatment but without dampening the grates.

0404
Main Hatch

0432
The only issue I had with assembly was with the Fore grating and stove chimney cover.
I had to add side pieces to get a good fit.
All these fittings are in their raw state at present.
 
When going off-piste with the decking it is advisable to check out all the fittings to ensure sufficient deck planking is in place.

0423

0424
Here the riding bitts and standards are dry fitted.
I will need to support the standards with decking.

0412
Additional carlings were required to support the small steam grating above the stove grate, which otherwise just sits on the etched deck.

0414
Not sure what the small cut-outs on this grating are for? They almost look like a fault.

0417

0419

0420
All the char will now be removed and the centre line fittings glued into place.
 
B.E.
19/02/2025

Following Bakers and Moonbugs sound advice : here's the latest purchase.
A set of 150 quality drills ( diameters 0,4 till 3,2 mm ) and the Proxxon Flexishaft 110 BF.
 
A try out using some wooden leftovers ( same material frames from the kit ) is perhaps recommendable.
I'll keep you posted.
 
Thanks guys 👍
 
 

Following Bakers and Moonbugs sound advice : here's the latest purchase.
A set of 150 quality drills ( diameters 0,4 till 3,2 mm ) and the Proxxon Flexishaft 110 BF.
 
A try out using some wooden leftovers ( same material frames from the kit ) is perhaps recommendable.
I'll keep you posted.
 
Thanks guys 👍
 
 

I'm heading on vacation for a week, so I wanted to knock out the cluelines & sheets and buntlines for the topsail yards before I left.  While these are all pretty straightforward in terms of path - they do take a fair amount of preplanning to run the lines so they are functional and don't foul other lines. The main topsail clue lines follow the same general pattern as the lower yards. The sheets (.40mm) are crown knotted (mine is simulated) and fed through the strop of the clue block (3.5mm). The clue lines are .30mm with the standing end timber hitched to the yard, run through the clue block, then back up through the clue block on the yard before heading down through the hole in the mast top to the deck. The Sheets run from the crown knot down to the lower shoulder block on the end of the lower yards, behind the yard to the quarter block then down to belay.
 
 
 
 
 
 
The main topsail lines run down to the breastwork at the mast or one of the available eye bolts.  I'll be completely honest here - at this point, I'm finding any available railing, bitt, or eye bolt that allows for belaying without fouling any of the lines. There is VERY little room at the base of the masts at this point and belaying points are at a premium.
 
 
 
The Mizzen clues run in the same fashion, and once again I find real estate to belay lines. I've shifted the lines around at the base of the mizzen several times at this point, and will likely shift them more. 
 
 
 
Once again (as with the lower yards) I'm running bunt lines even though there  are no sails. Following the same policy as the lower yards, the buntlines for the topsail yards will knot at their respective blocks, then run their course. In the case of the topsail yards, the bunt lines are knotted at the two blocks attached to the center of the yard, then run up to two more blocks at the mast top before heading down along the mast to belay.
 
 
 
 
 
Following my policy of running sail lines without sails - I'm also running the mizzen's brail lines. Not something I've seen on very many (if any) models without sails.  But, once again, I don't like seeing "empty" blocks, and the three pair of brail blocks on the gaff would typically hold the sail. The three pair are the throat brails (closest to the mast), the middle brails, and the peak brails. According to Marquardt (pg 214) and Lees (pg 109) the peak would belay at a cleat on the aft spirketting - I'm substituting an eyebolt in that area. The middle would run through a lead block down to a shroud cleat, and the throat brails would belay at the mast. As with the buntlines, I'm knotting the lines at the blocks and then running them along their designated path.
 
 
 
T'gallants are up next after I return from Vacation. In the meantime, here are a couple of gratuitous shots of the intricate spiderweb.
 

 

 
 

Post 33
Coppering cont’d.

0205
Sixth day and the cutwater is reached on the Port side at least.

0208

0211

0212

0213
Seventh day and the second sheet of plates has been used up, around 600. One sheet to go.

0210
The Port side has been completed, bar the cleaning up and  fettlin’ the waterline.
So far, so good, I don't dislike the colour, a sort of sea scoured pink, but my model preference is for flatter and browner, as in old penny.
 
B.E
11/02/2025

Because of where and how they are rigged, I think the clue lines, sheet, and tacks are some of the most prominent rigging on the ship. Like the bunt lines and leech lines, the aforementioned rigging is also a little bit of a challenge in terms of presentation without sails. For instance, the sheets and/or tacks can chafe against the back stays - which likely ins't much of an issue when the ship is in port without sails.  At any rate, I took a long look at how to present these lines before getting started.
 
During that long look - I discovered that I was missing an important sheet block along the railing in the middle of the ship that I'll need for the main course, so I started by adding that.
 
 
 
These lines start with a unique setup with the 9 " (3.5mm) clue block and a 14" (5.5mm) sheet block. Although the FFM describes a special type of clue block, Lees indicates that after 1773 regular single blocks were used. Both blocks are stropped with a loop and the loop of the sheet block goes through the loop of the clue block. They are then held in place by the tack whose end is a crown knot. I simulated by crown knot with a modified timber hitch pulled tightly because a crown knot is essentially impossible at this scale.  
 
 
 
The standing end of the clue line (.30mm) is timber hitched to the yard, runs through the clue block at the clue/sheet combo, then up through the clue block at the yard, then down to belay on the railing at the base of the mast.
 
 
 
It's probably important to note here the I measured and started the rigging of all three lines that juxtaposed so that I could make the adjustments in presentation. Obviously, when all three lines connect this way, any adjustments to each individual line affects the other two - so all three must be adjusted together to get the presentation you're looking for.  For instance, I started by timber hitch pretty far inboard on the yard - however, the standing end ultimately ended up pretty far out on the yard (both main and fore) to allow the sheets to clear the stays.  For both Main and Fore courses, the sheets are 4.5" (.60mm) and the Tacks are a hefty .70mm. The main course tacks go through the chesstree sheaves, the nearby fixed blocks, then belay on the cleats inside the bulwarks - which, btw, took my very longest tweezers, a generous amount of patience, and a few of what my kids call "potty words."
 
 
 

 
 The standing end of the main course sheet is seized to an eyebolt on the quarterdeck plansheer, runs up through the sheet block, then back down to my newly added sheave before belaying to a nearby timberhead.  Here's the problem for me - with this arrangement the line is tight against the gun post and definitely chafes against the stay. 
 

 
It is my general approach that anything that rubs, chafes, or fouls deserves a second look.  So after doing a little more research (and yet another good clue from B.E.'s Peg build), I found an alternative in Lees. He indicates the use of a lead block in the side above the eyebolt. I chose this alternative with one adjustment - I added my lead block on the channel instead, which provides a little more room and felt more functional to me. 
 

 
As I mentioned, I played with the tension of the sheets and tacks as well as the location of the clue timber hitch until I found the position that was most pleasing and functional to me.
 

 
Here' a look at the starboard side.
 
 
 
 The fore course is set up very similar - same clue / sheet / crown knot combination. The clue runs the same path, starting with the timber hitch then running through both clue blocks and down to belay at the base of the mast. The tack runs down through the large block at the end of the boomkin then up to a fore timberhead. The standing end of the Fore Course Sheet is seized to an eyebolt below the aft fixed block, through the sheet block, through the fixed block, and belays to the aft cleat in the bulwark.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Once again, all three lines are adjusted until a layout that avoids chafing and binding is achieved. The spritsail clues and sheets are a simplified version. Spritsail clues are 1.5" (.20mm) and the sheets are 3" (.40mm).  A crown knot is still used, and both the clue line and sheets belay to a cleat at the bow.
 
 
 
An overall look at the sheets & tacks.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Thanks for the info, Patrick.
 
Good news and following your advice : the HBM cobalt set and the Proxxon 110BF 28622 are on their way....
Bad news : along with this purchase, I could not resist the temptation of this amazing bird ....https://www.italeri.com/en/product/3145

The general rule for metal is 5000 divided by the diameter of the drill in mm.
Source: Mechanics lesson in the 2nd year of technical education... (in 1978) 😉
 
Wood may have a higher speed, but the 5000 rule is also quite ok in this case.
 
Nostalgia

Foring holes for the crowsfeet : A (little ?) setback. 😒
 
Drilling holes (close to one another) into walnut : I had already an unpleasant feeling about it but proceeded anyway against better judgement.....
In a effort to avoid the inevitable I reinforced these items with a 0,5 strip but this did not work. (see last pic )
 
A possible explanation : increasing considerably the (rpm) speed with an appropriate drilling machine, which I don't have at my disposal
 
As I'm out of options, I'll stick to the approach related to my previuos build, drilling the holes just behind the edges as you may notice on the second pic in attachment.
Later on : filling up the homes with some  putty and paint.

When researching the braces (even though they are pretty straightforward) - I discovered something interesting about my build that I actually couldn't determine whether or not it was an error. Way back when I rigged the mainstays and preventer stays on both the fore and main masts, there was some conflicting evidence as to whether the main preventer stay was above or below the mainstay. I ended up going with the preventer stay being above because it was more consistent with other builds and reference and the arrangement made more sense at the fore of the ship. That meant when it came to installing the main mast crowsfeet, the euphroe would then attach to the main preventer stay - as it was the highest line. This is clearly illustrated in a picture in the Fully Framed Model on page 67. 
 
Fast forward to the present however, almost all the references for the fore yard braces have the pair of single blocks that attach to the main stay just below the euphroe - which is attached to the main stay.  Hunh. After some mental gymnastics deciding whether I should re-rig the crows feet and maybe even the stays - I decided to leave it well enough alone and that my arrangement of attaching the crowsfeet to the preventer stay was still quite plausible and does not prevent me from running the braces to the main stay as needed.  Mostly I just wanted to document it all here for those following along. I've also gone back to make a note in my main & preventer stay post so that folks look ahead. 
 
On to rigging the braces. As I said, other than the mess above, they're pretty straightforward.  The fore braces start with a very long .30mm line that starts at a clove hitch on the main stay just below the mouse on the main stay. Each side of the line runs out to the block on the end of the brace pendant of the fore yard (outboard to inboard) and back to a pair of single blocks stropped to the main stay just below the euphroe. The line then heads down to the main deck to belay on the rail by the hatch and water pumps.
 
 
 
 
 
The main braces are even more straighfoward. Still a .30mm line in which the standing end is seized to an eye bolt just above the quarter galleries. The line runs up through the blocks at the end of the main yard brace pendants then back aft to run through a sheave at the very aft of the railing. Now, as noted I didn't have room to install that sheave, so I belayed this line to the post that holds that swivel gun.
 

 
The crossjack braces are a little more complicated. There's also a little bonus in that they cross over one another as they are rigged - something to which one should pay a bit of attention. A smaller line at .20mm, the standing end of these braces clove hitches to the end lower shroud on the main mast at approximately the same height as the crossjack. The line crosses to the opposite brace pendant block and then back to a single block seized just below the hitch. From there, the line heads down to belay on the rail near the shroud.  This arrangement is mirrored with the other crossjack brace pendant, however, it's important that the opposing clove hitch and single block are seized one ratline lower (or higher) so that the lines down't foul as they cross.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Good afternoon @RossR - Thanks for looking in and for the questions.  I love the look of sails, but it definitely does hide some stuff.   
 
As for the bunt and leech lines - according to what I've seen, the ends that aren't attached to the sails (because they're not there of course) are just knotted and held up against the block on the yard. For example, in the image below the bunt line goes through the yard block then extends to the bottom of the sail. But without the sail, it's just pulled up tightly to the block - as I've shown in the second image.
 
Does that (hopefully) answer your question?
 

 

 

Always annoying when that happens Christian.  I've found that the quality of the drill bit also makes a pretty big difference. I've taken the plunge and purchased some Carbide drill bits. They're not cheap by any stretch, but they definitely make much, much smoother holes even by hand.
 
The company I used is called McMaster-Carr
 
 

Foring holes for the crowsfeet : A (little ?) setback. 😒
 
Drilling holes (close to one another) into walnut : I had already an unpleasant feeling about it but proceeded anyway against better judgement.....
In a effort to avoid the inevitable I reinforced these items with a 0,5 strip but this did not work. (see last pic )
 
A possible explanation : increasing considerably the (rpm) speed with an appropriate drilling machine, which I don't have at my disposal
 
As I'm out of options, I'll stick to the approach related to my previuos build, drilling the holes just behind the edges as you may notice on the second pic in attachment.
Later on : filling up the homes with some  putty and paint.

Foring holes for the crowsfeet : A (little ?) setback. 😒
 
Drilling holes (close to one another) into walnut : I had already an unpleasant feeling about it but proceeded anyway against better judgement.....
In a effort to avoid the inevitable I reinforced these items with a 0,5 strip but this did not work. (see last pic )
 
A possible explanation : increasing considerably the (rpm) speed with an appropriate drilling machine, which I don't have at my disposal
 
As I'm out of options, I'll stick to the approach related to my previuos build, drilling the holes just behind the edges as you may notice on the second pic in attachment.
Later on : filling up the homes with some  putty and paint.