Captain Poison

Addendum: garnet tackle - Palan d'etai
I almost forgot something. Because to secure the garnet tackle, eyebolts still have to be attached to the deck. I also found out that according to the Paris model, the hauling part for the garnet tackle, which is attached directly to the mainstay, has to be led over a single block. 

So for this purpose some parts had to be made, which can be seen on the following picture (double block with swivel hook only for size comparison):

 
See you soon ...

 

After a long pause, I decided to build the capstan to get back on the horse.
it was a lot of fun.  Thank you Chuck for the extra pieces.

 

 

 

 

 
I gave it a finish with water based wood conditioner.
 

 
I will go back to the model now that i got some practice.
G
 
 
 

A few details

Continuation: Garnet tackle - Palan d'etai
In the meantime I have finished all the components for the garnet tackles.
The pendants were hung up on a specially made mast collar with a thimble. I made these hooks with thimbles using my own method. For this purpose, an 18 mm long brass rod with a diameter of 1.2 mm was turned off with a needle file on the Proxxon fine grinder so that the thickened areas were created at the corresponding points on the hooks. I made the thimbles in the tried and tested manner from brass tubes.

 
The next picture shows the finished hooks with thimbles, not yet blackened.

 
The other two pictures show all components of the 3 garnet tackles:
- 6 double blocks, 3 of which have swivel hooks for the tackles
- 4 single blocks for the guides, 2 of them with hooks
- 2 guide elements
- 2 mast collars (one tackle was lashed directly to the stay with an eye)
- ropes ø 0.46 mm and ø 0.67 mm (original ø 32 mm or ø 22 mm)
- 3 pendants ø 0.90 mm (original ø 43 mm)

 

 
Sequel follows …

Thank you very much Bob. 
Thanks very much friends for the nice comments and likes.
I added the crow's feet to the tops.

The lower ratlines are now completed.

Good morning.

NO CHAR FOR YOU!!!!

Seriously though....knowing that some of you are now referring to me as the "Laser char nazi".   There is a very valid reason.  But its not all bad.  There are times when removing the char isnt as necessary.  BUT...I cant understand why it is left on items to remain bright...or painted red which shows.  More on this later.  LOL
 
Time for the Fcastle rail and timberheads.
 
There are twelve timberheads per side.  Thats quite a few.  And then let us not forget the many along the qdeck.   These have been laser cut for you and yes there is a lot of char.   Now I know that some of you will start to see these wonderful details being added which make the whole project special.  And the more details like this the easier it is to lose your will to slow it down and you you start cutting corners.  Because lets face it, getting these details on the model makes a huge difference and you want to see them on the model as quickly as possible.  I suffer the same affliction, trust me.
 
BUT...lucky for us, we do not have to go crazy here removing the char from these timberheads which are quite small, with lots of inside corners for the char to hide.  You will still need to give them a good cleaning to smooth out the surface for painting.  I use sanding sticks and 420 grit sandpaper.  The surface must be prepared but dont try and remove it all.  You will distort the shape and also make the timberheads too small to fit snug in each hole of the rail.  You can see how clean I made those timberheads.  They are still pretty clean with just a light swipe of the sandpaper.  
 

So you will save some time here which is good news because....
 
Because, I strongly urge you not to cut corners on the next step.   You should certainly take the time to shape the timberheads on all four sides.  Many of you will be tempted to just use them as is.  That might be quick…but it would be a mistake.
 
The reason why this is so important is because they will appear much too heavy otherwise.  Too many kits have ridiculously heavy and thick timberheads.  It looks too kit-like.  By chamfering all four sides at the top of the timberheads they will appear slimmed down and in scale.  In addition,  the angled front and back sides… You will need to slice down towards a "stop cut" to create the proper shape.  See the photo above.  This will make a huuuuge difference. So yes its ok to cut corners on the char here.  But please do shape each timberhead carefully.  
 
I also sanded the rail itself smooth and softened the four corners along its length.  As I finished each
timberhead, I slid them from the bottom into position along the rail.  I have created a small "stop" ledge on one side of each timberhead.  If you didnt over sand them and remove this detail, it will keep the rail level and The rookie at the same height across all of the timberheads.  Hope that makes sense. In addition,  this “stop ledge” detail should always face forward when you slide the timberheads onto the rail.  This is important.
 
When all the timberheads are cleaned and shaped, test the rail in position.  The laser cut tenons on the bottom of each timberhead are not as wide as the holes in the caprail.  So you should have wiggle room to adjust the timberheads and rail.  Dont glue the timberheads into the rail yet.  And dont glue the rail onto the model.   While test-fitting in position, you need to add the fancy end piece.   See below.  Just glue it onto the end of the rail and let dry.
 
When dry, remove the entire rail from the model.  Remove all the timberheads from the rail.  I numbered the timberheads but that probably isnt necessary.  Then do your best to fill the seam between that fancy end piece and sand it so you can not see any trace of the seam before painting the rail black.

Here is a picture of the forward end being tested below. Everything fits great.   Nothing is glued together yet.  Once that seam is acceptable to me, I will paint all of the timberheads black individually and also the rail.  Then I will reassemble it for the last time and glue it on the model.  This will take some considerable time....then I have to do it all over again on the starboard side.
 
Any questions???
 

 
 
 

Well I'd like to say it's a simple process, but it's not. 
I am using 4 different software programs, and an Anycubic Photon Mono X printer. 
You have to create the various poses to fit the scene you want the figures in. So you have to 3d model the ships parts. I use Sketchup Pro to do this. 
Then you have to export that as a 3d Model and import that into your poser program. Then you get into the whole scale problem, all of these programs have to be adjusted so that the scale is accurate across the transfer of the files. So that is all well and good, but now you need to have the actual models of the figures along with the clothing. Then you use the imported ship scenes and pose the characters. Now you export the figures after you are happy with them to yet another program, this one repairs and make the models solid so you can print them. Then you export that as an STL file to a slicer program that cuts the model into .02mm slices and prepares it for printing. Then you add supports so that the character will print correctly, wait about 2 hrs for the printer to finish, remove it from the printer, wash with alcohol, rinse with water. Prime white with an airbrush and them put on Magnifiers and paint the little guys, if you have the shakes, you'll never get them painted. I sometimes have to strip and repaint as many as three times to get it right. 
 
I have been doing this for awhile so it's not so bad for me. You need to be well grounded in the digital world, I have a lot of the software from other ventures and I purchased the 3d printers for fun. As you might guess the learning curve is steep and if you had to purchase all the programs, etc. etc. you would most likely throw in the towel. I am self taught on this. I use the crash bang method of learning which results in a lot of failures before you finally get it right. 
 
 
 
this is the deck hand with barrel on the ladder. The ladder was molded in Sketchup 2021 Pro and imported in. Same with the barrel. Ladder makes sure you are posing the Deck hand to the model correctly, this is why scale is so important. 
                              
Here is the  figure ready to be sliced and printed, the vertical white poles are the supports, without those the print would not work.   
 
 
 
and the figure printed and primed, but not yet finished. they are so small that it is maddening to work with them                                                        

Hello,
The monograph of the Mahonesa is already announced on the site of ANCRE,
Already the reservation can be made, the mono will be available on 30-11-2021(in French, Italian and Spanish)
Available in English in February 2022.
This is the direct link to the English monograph:
 
https://ancre.fr/en/monograph/123-la-mahonesa-fregates-espagnoles-1789-9782382820131.html#/langue-anglais
 
 
Adrián Sorolla

Hello, everyone. Moving on...
 
 

 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 

I’ve made some progress on chapter 5, starting with the rudder.  It’s a beautiful set, but I broke several parts in the pintle and grudgeon sheet.  Fortunately, they were easy to glue back together while I was gluing them on.  My mistake was that I painted them before removing them from the sheet.  This made them hard to cut free and i made a mess of it.  But you can’t tell now because they went back together seamlessly.  
 
the ladders went together so nicely.  I really enjoyed the process.  The double ladder rungs fit perfectly.  It was really nice to work on.
 
I used annealed steal wire to pin the staghorn and cleats.  This made it easy to paint them.  I used the magnet of my torpedo level to hold them while the paint dried.  Pinning them also let me test fit them to make sure I was happy with it before gluing.

I've been trudging along with the gun ports on the starboard side. They are set in place but the
hinges have not been attached yet. I will remove the three port lids that will be open and attach
them later. Until I make the stand I'll be knocking them off every other day!
 
On to the port side now.
 

Thank You
 
Moving on to the belfry rail.  This is pretty straight forward.  All of the parts are laser cut for you.  I carefully removed the laser char from each piece and then glued each rail together.  One thing worth noting is that the tops of the rail uprights are shaped like the typical  timberheads you have all seen.  But they can only have the shape laser cut on two sides.  You will need to sand or file the shape on the front end of each.  I just used a sharp #11 blade actually to cut in the angle for the top.  There is a laser etched line already on the piece to act as a stop-cut.   So I just sliced the angle back towards the etched line.  You can see one that has been shaped before painting below.
 

Another detail to mention is the fact that the fcastle deck has a roundup or camber to it.   In order to ensure these uprights for the rail are actually vertical, the bottom of each of them is laser cut at the appropriate angle for you.   Just make sure you face them all the correct way when you insert the uprights into the rail.   Insert them top-end first as I also laser cut a small stop into the bottom half of the uprights so you can keep the height of the rail consistent along all three pieces.   
 
There is also a small "L" shaped piece that is glued to the inboard end of each rail port and starboard.  Make sure you glue it to the correct side....otherwise the rail will not sit properly and will lean to one side because of the angled bottoms.
 

These "L" shaped pieces once glued to each rail also help position it on the fcastle.  It makes it impossible not to center them on the fcastle edge properly.   The one side of the "L" actually sits against the belfry.  It butts up against the belfry sides.
 
Oh and I almost forgot...you can round off the sheaves on the rail just like on the other fittings you made from parts like this.  Paint them black.
 

Slowly but surely the fcastle is filling up with details.   Next up will be the large knee at the bow followed by the catheads.
 
Any questions or comments?  Feedback...
 
 

Thank you guys.
I continue with some details on the forecastle deck. As the first ones - scuttles and the galley´s hatchway.

I have collected them over the years and also know where to find them and yes many I have taken myself.   But there is a treasure trove closer than you might think.  Just look in our gallery.  The gallery of "contemporary" models is an absolute treasure.   Many of these photos are taken right from there.  I wish that folks would use that resource more and post more in there.   Every chance you get to see a contemporary model...just pick one or two and take about 50 photos of each.  Get close up detail shots of everything.  Then post them in the gallery.   No other forum in the world has such a valuable source of wealth.  
 
Take some time and go through some of them.....some I took but others have contributed a great deal.   If you are close to any museum...help add more.
 
For example....check out one of my favorite albums in the gallery.
 
 

The QD guns are smaller.
 
I started working on the forecastle area of the ship. The first four beams are in along with lodging knees, hanging knees, carlings, cat tails and the manger. To my count there were 32 individual pieces needed for the work so far.
 
The manger which consists of 12 pieces was assembled as one. A card stock template along with layered blue masking tape was used to establish the location for the boards which will sit on the deck. Btw, those char lines on the bowsprit step are no longer visible. They were blocked out with some boxwood color mix that was applied before painting the manger red. Also, those arrows show where I drilled for the next gun carriage.
 

 

 

 

 
Mike

There's been several builds using the Hahn method.  As for the scantlings... I don't think so.  For the most part, those of us who did a  Hahn build used his plans with minor mods as needed. 
 
I really don't see a problem doing one using the scantlings and the Hahn method.    His method was introduced to help make things "easier" for model builders, not to dictate style.

It took me a day to get the whole thing polished and corrected. The construction of the inner parts can begin later. Thank you for your support and attention.
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

Hello Everybody,
here is just a brief comment about my attempt of building the bulkheads around the cabins. I started with the centerpiece of the aft bulkhead. It is more difficult than the panelling of the surrounding cabin walls, because it has to look good from both sides. So it is like building them in 1:1 scale, just without "slit and cone". 
 

 

 

 

 

 
Next thing will be the doors.
 
Matthias

Its all done for you….i have created templates with all of the individual planks drawn out.  All of the scarf joints drawn and butt joints.  Cut the template apart into i ndividual planks to test them on your model.  Tweak them if they need it.  When they fit….either rubber cement them onto a wood sheet or trace them.  You really cant get any simpler.  Its all done for you. 
 

I've got a dilemma.  The outboard planking on Granado will be boxwood, and the 3 strakes of the wales will be ebony.  The question is, how do I handle the "black strake", directly above the wale.  The name suggests it should be ebony also, but the AOTS cover illustration clearly shows it to be ochre colored.  Modelers have gone both ways.  What do you all think?  Ebony or boxwood for the "black strake"?