Captain Poison

Thats gonna be a while.  I want to concentrate on getting Chapter 5 out first.   Chapter 5 will be a shorter chapter so it shouldnt be too bad...
 
Next, It will include finishing the port lids,  adding the bulwark details,  the cheeks at the bow, the stairs,  possibly getting all the deck beams made and temporarily positioned.   Then of course all the cannon on the gundeck.  
 
I remember what was involved when I made the guns for Cheerful......There are so many more on the Winnie (24 on the gundeck).   Thats gonna take a while.   There will be so many carriages to build, LOL.    So I will prob offer them as a stand alone so as to not hold up getting Chapter 5 parts ready for delivery.  Having flashbacks to when I did them on Cheerful.
 

 
 
Chuck

Hi Everyone,
 
I know...slow as molasses I am! Finally finished the upper sills and now onto the verticals. One can really see the shape of the hull taking form and I can't wait to catch up to you guys! I'm just happy my Winnie is resembling Chuck's prototype and you guy's builds so far. The piece of black hornbeam I ordered
finally arrived from just outside of Moscow. What a journey! Moscow, Poland, Canada, back to Poland and finally to me. I am hoping to use this stuff for my wales. Gonna learn how to use my bandsaw and thickness sander to get some nice planks. It's a pretty small piece at 14 x 1.6 x 1.6 inches but weighs quite a bit. I'm guessing it's from the resin it's been impregnated with. Any advice cutting this stuff will be welcome
 
 

New test of main sheave"s blocks, the bottom one will be inclined along the mast :
 

 

With the benches all done, its finally time to permanently glue those stern windows in position.   This includes the acetate for the simulated glass.   Just a tiny drop of glue was used to glue the wooden window frames in permanently.   Then the acetate...
 
For these as you might know, you cant use CA glue.  It will fog up the acetate awful and look pretty bad.  You want to use as little glue as possible or even no glue at all.  We will be positioning window sills inboard to finish off the look.  They will also hold your acetate in position.
 
With the acetate in position I proceeded to cut lengths of 1/4" x 1/32" strips to fit between each window as a sill.  This is tricky slow work but well worth the effort.  It gives the whole stern bench area a clean look.  You will cut these to shape just like we did for the transom cap.  Just notch them out and leave a slight over hang.  You can see my final piece yet to be positioned below.

To complete this area sand the forward edge after all of these pieces are glued in place to even out the overhang.  Then apply some wipe on poly.  I am quite happy with the results even though most of this detail will be hard to see at all once the quarter deck is framed and planked.

I also thought I would mention that the way I like to work is from the stern forward with all the deck details etc.  Next I will start adding the ringbolts, cleats and other features to the bulwarks and get the cannon in position.
 
But first there is something else that can be done and you guys dont even have to wait until chapter 5 comes out.  You should be able to gather up all the materials you need.  I am referring to the gun port lids.  You will need five per side.  There are many ways to make these of course.  In this case I will be using brass strips blackened.  But its easy metalwork.   No soldering!!!   I made one port lid today just to go through the process.  I will detail how I am going to make these so you guys who are waiting, can do these ahead of receiving Chapter 5.  They are working port lids.  I will show the aft lid closed on my finished model but you guys can do otherwise.   I will keep them all closed while I am working on other stuff to protect them.
 
So the port lids are next to be made before I start the bulwark details.


 
 

The plastic bellows of the scroll saw needed to be replace. It would have cost about $100 to replace it. I did not like that price, so I replaced it with an aquarium air pump.

The second deck has few wall. Here they are:

Presentation of the build, I would say, is as much important as the construction of the build. One of the things to do is to take sometimes to take photos. There are some basics rules to follow by examples when taking photos inside the model the photo must be well horizontally.  When taking photos, I try to take photos at the height of the human eye at the scale, this provide a more natural photos look. By contrast, photos taken too high do not look as well. This morning, I tried another series of photos.

Thanks
 
The rudder trunk is pretty straight forward.  Parts are all laser cut but will probably require minor tweaking to fit everyone's model perfectly.  There is a laser cut rectangular build jig marked with an X.  This is to help you build it squared up.  The two sides are glued to this first as shown below.  But before you do....test fit each side panel at the stern to make sure it fits.  Make adjustments to get it snug against the inboard side of the counter.  Then glue them to the side of the base jig.....keep the sides at right angles.
 

Then add the front panel....easy - peasy.
 

Then add the top.  Keep in mind that the aft edge of the top is beveled so it fits snug against the counter planking.   The top also has the slightest overhang and the edges were softened a bit.   No hard edges.   Its not glued on yet.   There will be two benches on each side of the trunk which I will make next.
 

To the learner - The basis is a wooden plate into which depressions are milled and holes for nails are drilled. A cotton pad (a make-up cotton pad that I borrowed from my wife) is glued to the plate prepared in this way. Push the cotton into the recess with the end of the brush nozzle. Glue any suitable cloth and push the material into the recess again. Finally, thread the nails with small heads through the cloth and cotton into the holes in the wooden board, glue and cut. Glue the ends of the fabric over the edges of the wooden board and you're done.
Inner bulkheads - continuation part two.
 

those mini-chisels are handcrafted. I got them, through a dear friend, from an acquaintance of his. I only know that they come from Russia, that they are expensive, I paid for them in advance and they arrived after about six months. But they are excellent !!!
 

 

 

I managed to build the grand scale:
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, Santa is on its way and the days are getting darker so lots of time for fun. (Althoug its getting colder to work in the shed)
 
After finishing the galjoen which took quite some puzzzling I started working on some ornaments, I am now the proud owner of a CNC machine for that.
I tried handcarving (followed even some lessons from a friend) but that's simply not my  'thing'.
 
And I started painting her.
 


 

 

 

 
 
As the deck will be closed soon I have to foresee some ropes as I cant reach the knight afterwards.

 
Captains quarters doors with selfmade ornaments by CNC


 

Update:
finished stern paddle-wheel, gearmotor and connector switch
 
Nils
 

 
 

 
 

 

Good morning and thanks to everyone, more photos...
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Un Saluto.

Hello,
the mortices for the carlings are ready and the first already installed. 
 

 

Thanks friends for your likes!
I have finished the structure of the decks:

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to everyone for the kind comments.
 
Update:
Belfry and parabet of the upper deck mounted.
 
Karl
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello Alan.
 
French naval cannons in the 18th century were so rigged.
 
The thick (red marked) rope in picture 1 caught the recoil of the cannon with the mount.
 
Mark commented that correctly. Thanks a lot for this.
 
regards
 
Karl

 

 

 

 

Installed partition wall of the storage room.
 
Karl
 

 

 

Inner bulkheads - continuation part one.

This post is unrelated to my Stonington dragger build and is just something I wanted to share.  I hope this isn’t bending forum rules too far.
 

I’m in the process of building a series of small shadow box dioramas in 1:87 scale.  Each diorama is 2.25” x 4.75” with a maximum depth of 2.5”.  The exterior dimensions of the shadow box is 8” x 5.25” x 3” deep.  It is made from poplar and assembled with biscuits.  This is the second diorama I’ve completed and depicts the interior of a small fictitious boat building shop.  It is completely scratch built with the exception of the following items:
 

The brick wall material is from New England Brownstone Co. in Massachusetts.  It is made in white Hyrocal slabs that you cut and color as needed.
 

The window frames, truss rod queen posts, turnbuckles and the 55 gallon drum are unpainted injection molded styrene from Tichy Train Group in North Carolina.
 

And the two human figures are from Preiser in Germany.
 

I apologize for the quality of these images as they were shot through the glass using a polarizer and only diorama LEDs for lighting.
 
The exterior photographs visible through the windows were scaled and affixed to the inside of a PVC pipe that was split lengthwise creating a concave image plane.  This means there is no upper or lower edge of the photo that can be observed.  And because the photo sits back away from the window, the image shifts as the observer moves and their visual perspective changes.
 
I installed two pushbuttons into the bottom of the case that control interior and “exterior” LED lighting.  Being able to control them separately allows for day/night display scenarios and changes the mood - much more than I expected.  Compare the “nighttime” shot below to the “daytime” (with interior lights on) shot above.
 
And then exterior lights only.

Interior lights only.

Exterior lights only.
 

And a couple of other shots.




Thanks for taking a look – now back to the fishing dragger.
 

Gary

Thanks to all for the comments and the likes – it is always greatly appreciated.
 
 
Hello Ron.  I'm glad you found my log and thank you for the kind words.  Thanks also for the comments regarding the dory, but I'm going to respectfully disagree on the dory's purpose for the following reasons.  First, as I researched these small western-rig boats, I found references to the roof mounted dories as indeed being lifeboats.  I agree with you that present day F/Vs mostly do not carry lifeboats, only inflatables.  But even as late as the 1970s they did. In Peter Prybot's book, White-Tipped Orange Masts: (Gloucester's fishing draggers in the 1970s), the author states that the eastern-rig boats carried two life boats atop the pilothouse and smaller boats carried one.  Here is an image of eastern-rig boats in Boston in the 1960s/70s all carrying dories painted in the same high visibility color.
 

 
The image above doesn't prove anything by itself, but it shows that the boats were common in an earlier time.  As the decades passed and the dories became increasingly rare, it must have been due to the movement toward CO2 canister inflatables.  If the dories were part of the fishing gear, they would not have vanished because the basic method of trawl fishing during this period didn't change.
 
A second reason I believe the dories on these small draggers were not part of the fishing gear is that I have never read where auxiliary boats have ever been used in conjunction with otter trawl gear.  I don't see how the dory would assist in that process or what it could do that the winch or boom hoists could not, especially considering the weight of the gear (wire rope, otter boards, roller gear, etc).  And my final thought is that without a davit, getting the dory down off the roof and back up routinely seems impractical.
 
Of course I could be totally wrong about all of this, but certainly without some way out of the frigid New England water, a person would quickly suffer from cold incapacitation followed by hypothermia in short order.
 
Thanks again Ron.
 
 
Finished
 
This simple diorama base has been a painfully slow slog.  I re-did it several times with each version being tossed into the trash.  But I have surrendered and it is done.
 
I began with a framed platform that measures 7.5” x 13.5”. Like the model, it shows signs of wear.
 

 
 
I then made a landscape foundation of Hyrocal.  This is great stuff – mix with water and it cures hard as a rock, doesn't shrink, crack or flake apart.  I poured this mix onto a piece of waxed paper so I could work the stuff away from the base in anticipation of do-overs.  The rock out-crop is also Hydrocal that I formed in a flexible mold manufactured by Woodland Scenics.  Trailer tire tracks are laid in.
 

 
 
I glued the slab onto the base with crazy amounts of PVA and filled in around the perimeter with a fresh batch of the Hydrocal. There is an interval of time before it has cured (hours) where the stuff is “green” - hard, but very workable with carving tools. I then cut and glued down the wood blocks that will support the boat.
 

 
 
Slide switches and a battery holder for the LED lighting are mounted to the underside.
 

 
 
The Hydrocal was painted with a brown gouache and then landscaping materials are added on top.  The rock out-crops are also colored with gouache.  The “dirt” is pulverized cat box absorbent (unused mind you).  It's placed into a plastic zip bag, smashed with a hammer and then sifted into piles - powder, fine and course.  The scant vegetation is dry bits of things from the flower garden that were then painted with acrylics.  And the scattered rocks are, well - small stones.
 
Once things were arranged to my liking, I sprayed wet water (more like a heavy mist) over everything until good and wet.  This helps the adhesive to flow.  Before it had a chance to dry, I used a craft style syringe/eye dropper and applied a 50/50 PVA/wet water mix over the entire diorama.  A lot of this mixture was applied- everything soaked but no puddles.  Below is how it looks when dry.  I can shake it vigorously upside down and nothing falls off, but that's not a recommended practice.
 

 
 
I make up a few details. An extension ladder colored with acrylics and pigment powder.
 

 

 
 
And a step ladder.
 

 
 
A 55 gallon drum filled with scraps.  The drum is injection molded plastic from Tichy Train Group.  It is based painted rust enamel then over-painted with acrylic, chipped and pigments applied.
 

 
So I grab the boat and bring it over to the base for final mounting.  Before I make it to the base, I sneeze violently and the boat jumps from my hands like it was possessed.  I watched in slow motion horror as the model pitchpoled end over end and landed on the floor like a cat, right side up and flat on its keel.  I could barely believe my careless stupidity or my undeserved good fortune.  The model remained in completely undamaged condition with only the engine stack having been slightly loosened.  Sometimes the gods smile upon you.
 
The LED wiring is run down through holes in the wood blocks and the boat is attached to the base.  Details are glued on and boat stands are added.
 

 

 

 
 
A worker in a pensive moment contemplates the world and his place in it.  The figure is by Arttista.  And at the last minute I decided the scene needed saw horses and a couple of planks.
 

 
And some other direct lighting shots.
 

 

 

 

 
Some indirect lighting photos.
 

 

 

 

 

 
Well, this model is finished and it has been a pleasure sharing it with you.  I thank everyone who looked in on the build and all the folks that clicked the “like” button.  And to all of you who have generously given comments of support, suggestions, information and expertise – I thank you so very much.
 

 
Be safe and stay well.
 
Gary