Captain Poison

Axial carpentry:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I had anticipated, I started a new challenge: the construction of an English frigate, with a carpentry that, until now, I had never approached. Very fascinating architecture, and a model, the Pegasus that struck me immediately, already from the first splendid images seen here on MSW. I am studying a lot, because I would like to be able to come up with a model that is worthy of the great work done by David Antscherl and Greg Herbert and I count a lot on your help and support!
 
Meanwhile, I started setting up the first job:
 

 

 

 

 

Here are the finished gunport lids.
I added one inner ringbolt. 

 

 

 

 
Matthias

Time for another small update. 
 
I'm currently working on the stern and galleries of Sphinx, so I can show you what I've done up to that point.
 
The rudder is built from a 3mm pear core, with 1mm engraved pear facings on either side. This is first glued up and then the rudder pintle straps are fitted. I use cut off pins to insert here so I have the domed head on either side. Laser slots in the timber give the locations for the 'hinges' that hang the rudder to the stern post. The spectacle plate is then added and the upper straps etc. painted in black. 






 
 
The rudder brace straps are then glued to the hull after hanging the rudder. The pins are also then painted white and the upper straps painted black (not shown here).

 
 
Onto the channels. All of these are also engraved with a position which needs to be drilled to locate the support pins. Those pins match up with holes that are laser cut into the hull, in an engraved area which matches the channel. 





 
 
A small break now to work on the bow area. The v-brackets and bow gratings are assembled on the hull without gluing to the hull. The assembly is then removed and finished off before finally gluing onto the hull.




 
 
The various bow rails are now added, including the hawse, bolster etc. All of this will be unified later under a coat of matt poly varnish. Some shaping of these parts will need two be done, but they're designed to have extra timber to allow for any hull variations the modeller may have introduced inadvertently. 

 
 
Back to the stern again now. The acrylic windows are now removed, gently filed and fitted to the stern and galleries using acrylic varnish as a glue to hold them. I didn't want to use CA due to potential fogging. I know there are odourless CA types, but I just didn't have any to hand 🙃


 
 
Once dry, the white window frames were fitted using more acrylic varnish as glue.

 
 
The golden pillars between the windows were now fitted. For these, I prefer CA gel as it gives a moment or so to manipulate stuff.


 
 
The various rails are now fitted...

 
 
Whilst waiting for things to set and cure, I painted the stern decoration. This was first primed in Tamiya fine white primer, and then airbrushed with Humbrol Matt 25 Blue. Vallejo Liquid Gold was then diluted with a few drops of isopropyl alcohol and brushed onto the stern with a size 0000 brush. The whole lot was then varnished to protect it.

 
 
Lastly for this update, I completed the stove. After a coat of primer, Tamiya Flat Black was airbrushed over it, and then steel pigments applied to it before being sealed in matt varnish. The bricks were painted in MRP RAF Roundel Red, sealed, and then a light grey panel line wash applied.

 
until next time...

Good morning.

Thank you Jorge,
 
I know that photography is not very popular but it does not mean that I cannot try some experiences with light.

Small update:
Just taking care of some side projects while waiting for some planking lumber to finish the decks. Chuck, I went way smaller on the nails this time, in time they will brown and darken to where I want them. 
 
Matching the grain and color on the gun ports is fun, I’m currently working on getting the same tone on the stbd side by slowly treating the gunport doors the same way I did the hull. Hoping to get around the bow soon but I’ll probably finish the deck first. Can’t have too many unfinished sub-projects going on.
JJ
 

The eyebolts and split rings for the bulwarks and gun deck are done. Boy! I just love making those🤥 I made them as small as I could. The ID the bolts are around .025" which conforms to the smallest round nose pliar that I have. Just enough to get the 24ga rings through. Be careful not to drill too deep into the bulwarks against the plywood bulkheads. It wouldn't be hard to snap a bit if you did.

 

 
Mike

Oh yes! I already have clear ideas and material for the next model: It will be an English carpentry frigate, the Pegasus, using the four volumes of the Swan class of David Antscherl and Greg Herbert!
1:36 scale
Enough with the tiny things!😃

Now rest in his showcase!

 

 

 

 

Now that most of the dusty work is done I've installed all of the quarter gallery and stern windows. 
I also cut the inboard stern window sills. 
Next up will be the gun port lids and hinges.
 

Hello and thank you for likes and warm words!
 
The work go on, the seats in the corners are done. actually worked on fenders and panels on head frames.
 

 

 

 

 

 
Alex

I started making blocks. Unlike Pandora, where the blocks were made using home-made milling bits, the blocks are now completely made using a CNC milling machine. The remaining photos will be in a few days.

I am honestly not sure.   I think it might throw the run off.  But its hard to say unless I line off the deck to check. 
 
Here is an overall shot of how the fittings are progressing beneath the quarter deck.   I have placed those two forward qdeck beams back on the model temporarily.   Next up will be the two posts on the forward side of the gallows.  These are usually made of metal but I have seen wooden posts on contemporary models.   I prefer the look of the metal ones however.   

 
Here is a good example of what those metal posts for the pump cranks look like.  This first one is what I will try and replicate.   Both actually have really small cotter pins on those cranks for the pump.  How insane is that?   I wont be attempting that.
 
 
 


 

Positioning the chain pumps its finicky.  No silver bullet here.  I positioned and glued the gallows in permanently first.   Then I carefully inserted a 1mm brass rod through the chain pumps.  I guess each length was about 5" give or take.  This will help me position the pumps so the brass rod touches the inside edge of the gallows uprights.   Once I am satisfied, the chain pumps were glued in permanently.   The brass rod was pulled back so I could repeat the process with the jeer bits.   You can slide the brass rod back and forth to help you line things up.  Then I glued the jeer bitts in position.   
 

 
With those elements glued in finally I can make my Rhodings.  You only need four so you might as well make some nice one.  No need to rush these after spending so much time on the other details.  You can use wood or brass.  Brass would be best.  But a hard wood like boxwood works well too.  I used a 1/6" x 1/16" boxwood strip.  Just take your time and file them to shape.  These should be about 5mm long when done.  Make sure the 1mm brass rod fits as is shown on the photo below.  It should slide under the rhoding easily.  Paint them black and glue them on.

 
BUT...when you glue them on...use the brass rod through the pumps to guide you but make sure you can still slide it back and forth freely.  We will need to remove these ultimately to shape proper crank handles soon.   You dont want to glue the rod in permanenetly.   Its just a guide at this point.
 
Rhodings were glued on permanently and then the brass rod was used again to help align those two columns.  A hole is drilled through them as shown.   Use a #59 drill bit.   But by sliding the brass rod up against the column first you can mark the location for the hole before you drill it.  Then glue it in position....keep them straight and vertical and all lined up.  I pulled the rod out of the column so you can see how it was used as a guide first.

Good morning and thank you all, with these photos I finish with the decorations, personally it was a nice challenge, also because it was the first time I faced the decorations.
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Un saluto.

Making the Chain Pumps...
 
As mentioned all of the wood parts are laser cut from boxwood.  You will get all the parts for the port side on one sheet and the starboard on another.  So just build one at a time.  The first part that needs our attention is the 7/32" thick core.
 
Step one-
 
Sand the laser char from all of the edges.   Take your time and keep the edges straight.   Dont bother sanding the front or back face as these will be covered up.  They will remain nice and flat if you dont touch them.  In addition....dont clean the char from the bottom of the piece.  Keep that flat as well.  But all of the edges including those two pump tubes at the bottom should be clean of char.  You can see one core that has not been cleaned of char yet.  Note the arrow...this will be important.
 

 
REALLY IMPORTANT:  For this mini kit you will see me call only for certain areas to be sanded free of laser char.  This is important for many reasons.   It has to do with the build sequence and keeping the parts properly sized and shaped.   Keep that in mind when you read through this and dont jump ahead and clean off all the char on every piece.  I will let you know when you can do so.  The results will be much better.
 
STEP 2 - 
 
Glue the bottom base of the pump into position.  Note that the extended, curved side is on the end of the pump where the arrow points.  Also note that I have NOT cleaned the char off of any of the edges yet.  That will come later.  But if you want...you can sand the top surface clean before gluing it in position.  
 

STEP 3 ...Glue the larger side panels onto the core.  Sit the bottom edge of these side pieces right down on the base.  Dont sand the char from the edges yet.  Make sure the arrows are pointing in the right direction.   They follow the arrow on the core.  The important thing with this step is to line up the center hole for the crank shaft.  That is crucial.
 
Because these layers are so thin they will bend and warp with titebond.   I used titebond so I can slide these pieces into position.  One side layer at a time.  Use clamps to prevent the layer warping....trust me it will lift up if you dont clamp it.  It is slightly over-sized all around except the bottom edge.  Just line up that hole!!
 

After both first layers are in position you can sand the char from certain edges.  Allow me to explain.  The photo below shows the sides sanded FLUSH with the core and clean from char.   But leave the rounded edges of the top and dont sand that at all.   But the little edges on either side should be sanded flush with the top of the core.  Note the back edge of the floor or base is now sanded as well as the back side is all flush with the core.
 
In that same photo you can see the next layer added to the back face of the pump.  This is there to show you why you must sand the ends flush with that first layer in position.  This next outer layer wont be flush and you will never get clean and neat otherwise.
 

The same is true for the other side....Note  how the first layer you put on is sanded flush with the edge of the core.  AND the top is also sanded flush but the rounded section is left alone.  Dont remove the char on that.  You want the rounded hood to be perfectly shaped.  Leave the char on it.  This is important again because the next layer will extend forward.  You can see it also added in the photo below.
 
You can also see that the floor or base is still not cleaned of char except for that one side which is all flush with the core.

STEP 4...
 
That next layer you saw in the previous photos can now be glued on the model.  But you should absolutely clean the char from edges of these before you do so.  Clean the edges before gluing.
 
  But as you can see....only clean the side edges and the top edge.   But leave the clamp in the center with the shaft hole alone.  Dont bother cleaning the char from the edges.  It is fragile and leaving it as is will look great.  Dont sand the bottom edge either because then the hole wont line up with the other layers. It will sit too low.   You can see how the back end of the pump is all flush....but this last layer will extend forward on the other side.   Start with the layer showing the cut-out for the plug first.  That should help you get alignment correct.
 
You can see the other sides layer ready for gluing.....all the edges you need to clean are sanded nicely.
 
STEP 5...I think...
 

As the photo above shows....now you can sand the edges of the base all around to clean up the char.   The front and back edges are sanded flush....nice and clean.
 
The extended side of the floor is also finally sanded clean.  Its starting to look like a chain pump now.  Now the fun parts...just a few little details to add.
 
STEP 6...
 
In this step you will be adding the two legs.  The fancy legs are cleaned of char and glued to the bottom side of the base.  Just remember to put it on the correct side.  One side is longer because of the mast partners.   The fancy legs go on the side shown.  Then do the other side which is sanded flush all around.  You can also glue the drain plug into position.  I left the char in place as it looks good that way.  It will stand proud of the chain pump box.
 
Then there are two long skinny pieces that are glued on the inside where the outside layers extend beyond the core.  You can see them on the chain pump plans.   Just clean them up and glue them on.  
 


 
Step 7...in that same photo you can see that the round hood for the chain pump has many thin boards that need to be glued in position.   This isnt difficult but they are small pieces.   You should bevel the edges slightly so they fit tightly.  If you dont bevel the edges the seams between each plank will be too wide.  I just lightly sanded a bevel by eye.  No need to measure and obsess about the angles.
 
Now if you are afraid the math wont work out and when you get to the other side you will be left with a space....fear not.  I also included two wider planks just for this occasion.  When you get close to planking the whole top of the hood....test a few dry fit planks to see how much space needs to be filled.  I did this when I had four remaining planks to add.   Turns out I only needed to adjust and use one wider plank.  You cant even notice it.  Sand the sides of the hood flush so its nice and neat when they are all added.  They are initially just a hair longer than needed.
 
To finish up the chain pumps....add a tiny length of 28 gauge black wire for the drain plug handle.   The add the tongue.  Thats the long metal piece on the front end of the pump.  I used a small length of 1/32" x 1/64" brass strip.  Just bend the end and round them off.  I blackened it and glued it in position.
 
Apply a coat of Wipe on Poly to bring out the nail patterns and you are good to go!!!!

Thanks
 
I am going to add the handle for the plug and the tongue.  The tongue is the iron flat strap thing on the plan that sticks up on the one side.
 
I imagine the next big piece will be the stove....that is in chapter 8.
 

 
 

Chapter 3 has officially begun.  It took awhile to get the transom lined up properly and marked out, and then about 3 tries to glue it up so everything is aligned.  They aren't very visible, but I drew some key marks in the outside, lower corners of the outermost windows that were my primary marks when I went to glue it up.  

 
I also put a tiny mark on each side of the transom where it touched the hull, plus (not visible) one underneath the transom at the center and each edge.  I made sure to glue sparingly as I (correctly) anticipated that it was probably going to take a couple tries to get all the mark lined up and clamped.

 
One thing that I'm trying to sort out is that I have a small gap between where the transom ends and the upper counter begins.  I realize there's going to be a bit of fancy molding covering this, so the least invasive fix would be to put a small filler piece in here. but not sure if that would affect the molding placement or if the best solution is to smooth out the knuckles/counter to meet the transom.  
 

 
On the subject of molding, I've never scraped fancy molding before, but it seems fairly straightforward.  Is there a particular pattern that would have been used or is this a creative moment?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Getting back to the Winnie....I have been designing and tweaking the mini-kit for the chain pumps.   I think I have it where I want it now.
 
This mini-kit is all boxwood.  Every part of the this pump is laser cut.  The nail details are laser etched.  These were a challenge because they are the smallest nails I have simulated with the laser.   It took plenty of attempts before I got it right.  This is the Starboard side chain pump.   When I make the other I will take pictures at every step.  But I thought I would share my efforts.  This is actually the very first time I have built one of these as no models I have ever made showed them.   So it was a treat.  Greg Herbert's chain pumps were the inspiration for these.  There are still some details that could be added if you wanted to....I think you will like making these.  I still have to add the handle for the plug.  Compare the detail with any other chain pump made for a kit.   I really tried hard to make it look as detailed as any scratch effort but with everything laser cut.
 
I will also be making these in 3/16" scale and offering them as stand alone mini-kits in both scales.    But these will come as part of chapter 7 so no need to buy the mini-kit when you see it posted..
 
Chuck
 

The gallows are now completed....they are basically the same as the main jeer bitts.  The uprights are a little shorter to accommodate the top of the gallows which has that shape you are all familiar with.  The height of the gallows is equal to the top of the breast beam.  It is also  only temporarily in position.   I will be starting to build the chain pumps next which will allow me the ability to tweak all of their positions to align the crank handles and permanently install them.  You can see I removed that second beam as it will only make tweaking all their positions trickier.   That was just resting on the deck clamp as well.  Any questions.
 

Thanks guys.
 
This is where you will start to notice a difference between the contemporary model.  The bitts and gallows for example are very different.  This is done to accommodate the chain pumps.  They will both have their uprights farther apart in order to place the crank handles for the chain pumps.  The orientation for the jeer bitts is also changed to make more room for the pumps.  
 
It will really start looking interesting once I
finish the gallows and chain pumps.

I have finally finished. A long learning process, new techniques, mistakes and new friends. I thank my teacher Hugo Lizama infinitely for all his advice and unconditional support. Thank you my friends, we will see you in the HMS Winchelsea project and yes, the HMS Triton deserved to be finished.
 

Update
 
Karl