Captain Poison

Welcome to MSW!
 

Had the guys over to the shop.  Tale of two Winnies.  One is mine and the other is Mikes (stuntflyer).
 

Almost 5 years to the day....she is finally finished.   Always a bit anti climactic.   Thank you all for following along all these many years.  For those of you building her,  I hope you are having as much fun with it as I did.
 
Well here goes the final pics.  The top picture is of course of the Winnie contemporary model which inspired me as well as the Amazon.   I hope I did them justice.   Everyone should build a Georgian style model of an English frigate at least once in their lifetime.
 


 












 
 

That's an excellent work!

Good morning, the forward section is finished.

Volage figurehead.

Thank you Chuck..

As you might remember I paused chapter 7 and finished chapter 8 while waiting for my 1mm brass rod order. Also my grandsons volleyball team was very busy the last 10 days as were we driving many miles to all the games. They won the league, sectional and regional championships finishing the season undefeated.
 
Well the rod is here and onward I go, finally back to the workshop and finishing chapter 7.
 
First off I made the rhodings out of brass. I formed them over a piece of brass rod and blackened them.
 

 
After that is was just a matter of bending the rod to the correct lengths, fit the forward stanchions and shape the wooden connectors. No super secret to assembling the handles. Just careful measurements, test and tweek as needed. Then reproduce a duplicate for the opposite side. Also the elm tree pumps were finished.
 

 

 
After that the last two deck beams were placed as well as the last of the knees. I really enjoyed these two sections. A lot of fun!
 

 

 
Now that chapters 7 & 8 are finished it's time for a deep cleaning of the workshop! Tools everywhere except where they belong. 😂
 
 
 
 
 

So here’s a few shots in very dim light. I need to start using a real camera, this iPhone just doesn’t capture what it really looks like, they are much warmer and not nearly as bright as the camera shows. Very happy with the LED’s that I went with, this will display very well and lifelike when complete.

Been slowly plugging away at chapter 7. I’ve got my first set of lamps in, now I can begin working my way forward to complete chapter 7. I’ve been building some fittings, including the pumps and the stove and I started on the forward guns in anticipation of chapter 8. I’ve also got the first bulkhead installed and after I complete a few more sets of lamps I can move on to the next bulkhead. Lots of care has been taken to make the electrical element as discrete as possible,
I have been thinking of how to accomplish this for months and I decided on a simple system of carving a small channel into the underside of the beam and gently running the wire with some pva to secure it. The natural beams will be the hardest, as soon as I hit the red ones I can begin to fill the channel and smooth it out and simply paint it again. Big thank you to Gabe @Gabek for his assistance with the lamp printing, the resin printer captured the 3D model wonderfully. These are very small pieces and require some assembly work as well as an opaque glazing. I’m happy with the results. 
JJ

I snuck some time in to work on my Winnie the last few days, pulled a few late nights but I finally made some headway on chapter 7. I still Need to fine tune the aft deck beam and permanently set my lantern wiring before I can complete the transom. All the beams went together relatively easily, just lots of test fitting. I added some fluted columns to the transom frames, I’ve seen this before on some models and I’ve always liked it but I mainly did it to cover up my lantern wire run up the inner stbd frame and it worked out well. I stole Bens idea and used the laser etched mouldings that I had leftover for the tops and  bottoms of the columns....still wish I did that on the outside... oh well.
 It was really fun to get back to work on Winnie again, I decided to build most of the stove for fun while I waited for beams to dry. Hopefully I can get some more completed in a couple weeks.
JJ

And finally 12! Easter brought the gift of time to rig guns! So now I will begin chapter 7 and then continue with the rest of the guns when I finish. Looking forward to getting some beams in place and completing my lantern project.
JJ

Thanks,  Yes this is very complex to prototype and design so its a little easier to assemble.  I have been designing a jig to help position the head timbers (uprights).  While doing so I have probably made dozens of prototype head timbers and rails which needed to be tweaked.
 
Each element of the head timbers is drafted,  tweaked and laser cut….then tested in position.  Then deconstructed and tossed so I can repeat the process until satisfied.  
 
Here is a quick photo of the testing as of yesterday.  Nothing is glued yet…just an assembly test fit.  
 
Its almost there but the lower rail need another tweak…sadly it was perfect except for being about 1/32” too short on the aft end.  
 
I am working hard and putting lots of hours in to make these look “not like a kit”.  Everything is laser cut but does require shaping.  But all the decorative beading profiles like those on the lower and main rail are laser etched.  But I still ran some sandpaper or a file down each laser etched groove to clean them up and make them look better.  This will all be explained in ridiculous detail like I did for the main rail.
 
There will be a lot of paint touch up on my model but hopefully all this testing will mean that your model wont need as much.  This will take a while but next week I will start cutting chapter 11 parts while I keep working on the head.
 
Time to take this all apart again…i need to design the cover boards for the face of each head timber and make the friezes for them next.
 

Bill, i'd say almost impossible without damaging lines. Save the furled sails for the next model. 

Well, I think this project is complete, although I will build a permanent display stand and clear case to display Orca eventually. 

I think this could be the first ‘public’ Orca model to be built true to the traditional method for Novi lobster boat construction using frames; ribbands; ribs and planks, with a keel close to the original, and modelling the engine, and other below decks parts; pilot house as well as the lower trunk deck details, and all the film props. If I was to do this again there are still a few mistakes I would correct, as some dimensions and proportions had to be ‘guestimated’.

It’s been an interesting project, and I have learnt a lot, with help from many members, of course. Including the research and plan drawing there are hundreds of hours in the build. If there had to be a pandemic lockdown, it was not a bad way to pass the time.
 
Thanks for the 14K+ views and many thumbs up and comments, and the helpful information and advice - it is appreciated and has significantly improved the final model.

So, here’s some final pictures of the complete boat including one showing the decks removed to reveal the interior. 
 
 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
I have an idea for a fun follow-up build, which may appear in 2022. Watch this space.
Until then, I’ve taken the actors back to their barge, filming is wrapped, and I’d better take this old girl back to Amity before she sinks.
Farewell and adieu!
 

 

Hull Planking Complete!
 
It’s a big day, after more than four months of doing nothing but planking the enormous Winchelsea I’ve completed planking her hull, yay! A little story on how I got there:

It begins with my once again championing Chuck’s planking technique. No way I’d gotten anywhere as good a result without heat bending planks. The one shown here is next up on the bow and, like its cousins, will fit perfectly without forcing flowing with the curves. It does take time and patience, there are planks that took me 10 minutes to shape (midships), others that took two hours, and more than a few that took almost an entire day. Many took multiple attempts to finally get one to fit right, more than a few were cracked in half and flung across the room - patience yes, but come-on man, fit already.

RIP. I’m sad to say, after hours and hours of use on Cheerful, Flirt, and 96% of Winchelsea my travel iron gave up and died. No matter, off to Target and $12.95 later it’s identical replacement is now in service of my shipyard. Maybe I shouldn’t leave it plugged in all day.

I spent over a week fairing the frames months ago, that doesn’t mean I did it completely right. With my limited abilities I sometimes needed the plank dry-fitted in place to see how it flowed. I am not reluctant to use a shim on occasion (never more than 1/64th needed fortunately) to make an adjustment where needed. In this case the rabbet slot wasn’t as deep as I’d like, a Swan Morton mini-chisel with two very sharp blade sizes (thanks @Blue Ensign) was perfect for making it a tad deeper.

In the vein of not always doing it right, the tick strips Chuck provides were a gift, saving hours of work lining the hull. However, as faithful as I tried to be I wasn’t always near faithful enough. Occasionally I got out my planking fan (also provided by Chuck, but with the Cheerful monograph) to check and often re-mark. Were I really good at cutting and adding planks maybe I wouldn’t have needed it, but this extra step payed dividends.


I followed a butt shift pattern that I extrapolated from the plans (which show only above the wales) then marked it out on the frames with my red pencil. Not being a total masochist I didn’t actually cut the planks at the first line of joints nearest the bow and last line nearest the stern, it was much easier and crisper to run those planks to the next joint, fitting the resulting longer plank. I then used this flat sharp blade to notch the joint into plank at the proper location before laying the next plank. So that secret’s out.
 
You can see in the upper right corner I’ve hand drilled one of three #4 machine screw size holes in the keel.  I don’t know yet what the final display board will be or if these holes are even needed, but it’s much easier drill them now than with the model finished.
 

So finally I came to the last plank - I had to sit for a while to appreciate how far I and this wonderful, but very large, model had come since I started it last November. With my zen moment over - it then it took me several hours to get it to fit, as for the last time broken rejects were flung across the room, and all was peaceful at last.

It may be hard to believe, or wonder why, but everyone of these sanding tools were used during the course of the planking. A bit extreme I’m sure but these Soft Sanders are perfect for the job. Last two times I ordered adhesive sandpaper the manufacturer included a number of half width sanders, so naturally I had to put sandpaper on them. I used 150, 180, 220, 320, 400, 600. and 800 grit at various times, again an excessive range I’m sure. I even used 1200 on the wales after they were painted to remove a few scratches without removing the paint. In addition to the soft sanders I frequently used my little wood blocks with the same adhesive sandpaper attached (every plank was beveled using those). The flexible sticks of 400, 600, and 800 grit shown in the photo are new additions from Amazon that were also helpful.
 
I realize that last paragraph was way more information than anyone cares about, but I feel an obligation to thank not only the plank bending process, but the tools that helped me get to this point.

Speaking of people to thank I absolutely have to thank Jim Byrnes for his amazing machines. The angle of every plank at the bow and every plank joint was shaped or squared by the Byrnes Sander. Every plank used was first run through the Thickness Sander (shown with my vacuum attachment still on top. It flings a lot of dust, I’d rather than was into my shop vac and not the air. It also fits the saw and the sander. (Also note the tape on the bottom with Up and Down direction marked for those of us easily confused, though maybe it should say More and Less). Every plank was milled on the Byrnes Saw, the most essential, and likely the best tool in my shop. I shared the story in the tool forum of the saw starting to make an atypical noise. I called Jim, after troubleshooting with me he sent a replacement part and guided me on installing it. It then worked fine, but was the blade was rubbing the blade cover, so he cut a replacement with the slot moved over a milimeter or two and sent me that. There is no better example of superb workmanship coupled with incredible customer care than Byrnes Model Machines.

Next up was the stern post. More complicated than you’d think but for good reason, it took several hours to fit. The laser cut post is cut large on purpose, because every hull ends up slightly different. The challenge is to both cut it to the proper length and shape the curve to fit at the counter, and of course to have a flat, squared, and leveled surface there where I’d terminated all those planks. I used practice pieces to sort out both the length and the curve. I could shorten the post, but of course I couldn’t un-shorten it, so several scraps were used to get it close with final sanding from there.

It was then marked, centered, clamped (including my handy large rubber bands doubled for the length required) and attached with Titebond III.


And it was done. While I didn't need wood filler in the planking itself I did use it along the seam of the stem, sternpost, and keel. I like the look. That look was made better by the use of the Winsor and Newton Pro Markers markers Chuck mentioned in his log. In my case Almond was the preferred color to add over the wood filler, I think it blended well.


 


In these photos and the ones above the WOP is freshly applied, hence the sheen bounced by the work lights. It drys to a nice satin finish, that in turn will age and even out nicely with time.
 
So, Chapter 2 is complete. I have my finished hull, after another coat or two of WOP on the port side I’ll finally turn her over right side up and begin the next phase. I’d like to say I’ve enjoyed planking (well, I kinda have) and wish there were more to do (I definitely don’t). Chapter 3 is about as different as it can be from Chapter 2, I’m looking forward to it as the next challenge.
 
Thank you all for your support with your likes and comments - its nice to hear from you and is very appreciated.
 

Update
 
beginning with the sails, thin cotton cloth preparation. With the first misfortuned contemt to print on the inc-jet transferpaper (Number on the sail), I probably wrecked my HP-printer. I does`nt take any sort of paper anymore from the paper infeed shaft. I shall now consult a professional shop for printing on cotton-fibres. Shall get the results not before wednesday this week.
Meantime made the compass colum, hinges for the skylight covers, bulleyes for the companionways sides (light to the stairways ), and a grating for the helmsman ....
 
Nils

misfortuned attempt with the number and mirrored lettering in the sail and the Hamburg-flag
 

using my last piece of cotton cloth
 

Am planing to rig 6 sails to the schooner
 

hinges for the skylight covers and compass colum, also grating for the helmsman
 

bulleyes for the companionway sides

Thanks!!!
 
Chapter eleven starts with my completing the six channels. .
 
Before gluing each channel to the hull I set the straps. Each strap was angled according to the plan sheet. A tiny drop of medium CA underneath is all that was needed. I did find that there where a few slots which needed some angling on the bottom of the channel in order to get the desired strap angle. I was careful not to file away the shape of the slot as seen from above. During the gluing process, the IGAGING Digital Height Gauge was used to set the channels parallel to the build board. Once the channels where set, I used blackened brass nails, leftover from my Mayflower kit, to attach the bottom of each strap to the hull. A tiny smear of CA on the nail was more than enough to hold it securely in place.




Mike

That's an excellent work!

I have completed the prototype for the cathead support knee.  This knee is directly under the cathead and is quite complex.  It twists and turns while tapering thinner as it gracefully extends down and connects with the lower rail.  The frieze follows the same look and feel as the contemporary model.   This piece is kind of assembled like you guys did for the cheeks and hair brackets...if you are wondering.
 
This will be built in two lengths.   Each length is of course made up of many pieces.  I will detail the assembly process soon when I make it for the other side.  There will be templates laser cut to help you and assist in the shaping and positioning.   Once the other side is finished I will make the fourth "half" head timber that is positioned between this and the main rail.
 
Here are a couple of pics of the cathead support knee on the port side.  I am happy with the results considering that the pieces were all laser cut.   I have made these from scratch before and these seemed to come out just as good.   Its the first time I tried out this concept and laser cut approach.   I believe you can now start to see how the finished headwork will look.  Hopefully you will agree that it doesnt look like any kit you have ever seen before.
 



 
 

The Main Rail...please excuse what is probably an overly long and detailed explanation.  But why not...hopefully I wont forget to mention anything.
 
I have examined a lot of headrails on kits and I havent found one that I liked.  So I am trying hard with the headrails on the Winnie to do them justice.  It is however impossible to replicate what you see on contemporary models without a lot of carving and hand work.  Trying to avoid as much of that as possible I have made some simplifications but I think it will pass mustard as they say.  
 
The main rails are boxwood.  Like the hair brackets and cheeks they will be made in layers with several components.  Do not sand any of the char off these parts unless mentioned in the steps for their assembly.  The parts fit rather precisely. 
 
Step one:  The first two parts of each rail are glued together.  These are 1/8" thick.  Get a nice clean tight joint but dont sand the surfaces of the joint.  Try flipping one of the pieces...try both for a best fit before gluing.  The other sheet below is for step 2.
 

STEP 2: These parts are 3/64" thick.  Take the timberhead piece first and glue it onto the main rail.  Make sure its positioned nicely on top.
 

Then take the long thin strip shown above and glue it into position next  This piece will have the top edge flush with the bottom layer.  But you will notice this is true only on the ends with a space for another piece we will add later.  It is delicate so be careful.  That top edge is flush.
 

Step 3:  Take the next piece which is 1/32" thick and has a laser etched center which is hollowed out.  Glue this into position as shown below.
 

Step 4:  Remember the hair brackets???  There is a 1/64" thin delicate strip which will be inserted into that laser etched area.  Just like we did for the hair brackets.  Now this next step needs to be done carefully and delicately.  You can and should gently round off (or bevel) the top and bottom edge of this thin veneer strip.  Once inserted it will accentuate the beaded look we are shooting for.  Use a lite touch and very fine sandpaper.  400 grit.

Step 5: The final piece of the assembly.  A 3/64" thick piece that will be positioned on top of the rail.  It is laser cut with notches to accept the grating strips for the head...much later.   The angles have been predetermined for you.  This piece will bend nicely to conform to the curved shape of the main rail.  Just apply glue in the slot first and gently push it down so it starts to bend.  It should just fit into place.  Make sure you orient it correctly with the correct end facing the correct way.  Examine the photo below.  Now so far it doesnt look pretty because its a laser char mess.  
 
But now we can finally sand the heck out of the top and bottom edges of the head rail.   You can do that now.  And dont be shy.  I left a lot of meat on those top and bottom beads of the fancy profile.  Go ahead and remove that char....fill any gaps in the seams etc.  Just the top and bottom edges for now....and the timberhead.   
 

Step 6:  In this photo you can see the top edge all cleaned up nice and tidy.  No Char.   The bottom edge is clean as well.  But you will notice that one of the main rails is noticeably thinner than the other.   In this step we will gradually taper the main rail.  It should be 5/32" thick at the timberhead end.....and gradually taper to 5/64" thick at the forward end.  Maybe even a bit thinner.  Most of this will be removed from the inboard side of course.  But you can and should sand the outside edge (the fancy part towards the forward end) just a bit.  The beaded profile is a bit heavy at this point.  So you can gently sand mostly the forward end a bit to reduce the thickness just a hair....it makes the beaded profile look more delicate and to scale.
 
Then sand the inboard edge to remove most of the material.  You will notice that the nice notches in that strip for the grating strips will starts to get smaller and smaller as you reduce the thickness of the main rail.  That is fine.  You only need the smallest notch for the job when we get to it.  Get a nice even taper as shown on the completed main rail.
 
Once you finish creating the taper....go ahead and sand/file/carve that timberhead on the inboard and outboard edges to match the other two sides.  Like you would do for any other timberhead in this project.  You can see that it is done on the completed main rail below.
 

 
Step 7:  In the photo the rails are only temporarily in position.  But do notice the paint job.  The top and bottom edges are painted black along with the inboard edge.  But this painted area only goes up to the seam on the parts.  In fact, the black paint should cover all the seams for the various parts we used to assemble the main rails.  
 
Important other notes:  to get the main rail to sit nicely against the hull you will need to notch out the inboard side of the rail near the back corner.  You will understand what I mean when you get to this step.   You can also notch away the fancy molding on the hull if needed or do a combination of both.
 
In addition...the forward end of the main rail needs to be sanded to fit tightly against the stem and the hair bracket.  This is a very complex joint.  Basically you need to sand a "V" on the front edge.   Before you do this just place it in position and study the angles.  Study the photos below as well.  You are really only sanding these angles into the top bead of the main rail.   The part that sticks out on top.  You will know what I mean.   Do this with some fine grit sandpaper.  
 
Also note that I sanded the stem down flush with the tops of the main rail now that I know where they will go.  I had left it taller so it can be tweaked at this time.  I left it unpainted so you can see it in the photos.   This area .....with all of these crazy angles...will have a small flat piece glued on top.  A thin flat protective piece I believe is called a "bolster".  So it will cover these joints.  But do your best to keep them clean and neat.
 
One last note....everyone's hull will be different.  Depending on where you placed your catheads,  how you shaped the bow, how you placed your hair brackets on the stem....your model will be slightly different.  If to need to shorten the main rail that is easy enough.  Do it from the forward end of course.  But if you need to make it longer, it will be time to get creative.   Or make another set of main rails from scratch slightly longer.   
 
On a positive note I think the fancy beaded profile of the main rails came out very good.   Not over done or too large.   Sanding them down a bit really made them scale beautifully.  Dont be afraid to sand the outboard face of the main rail to make those beaded profiles  shallower.  Basically you will be reducing the top and bottom beads of the profile.

Well uh yupp!!!  I decided to make an entirely new lantern.  I tweaked it yet again.  There were two things bugging me.  Not that I wasnt happy with the old one but I know I would see those two issues for eternity.
 
SO first I reduced the overall diameter.  The heght was fine.  But it was a bit to fat for my tastes.  I reduced it to 95% of what it was.  Just a wee bit.  In addition I reworked the design to move the vent on the roof aft slightly.  Previously it was in the center of the hex.  That is incorrect and kept bugging me.  The vent should be on the same diagonal as the aft edge or main axis of the lantern.
 
That was challenging to design but building it is no different.
 
Here are some photos of the revises lantern which to my eye looks more to scale and better.  I hope you agree although it may difficult to see such small changes.   I am my own worst enemy with this stuff.  Its also higher on the transom as we spoke about.  I used the contemporary models of Amazon and the princess Royal to get a good sense of the height.  The door can easily swing open to service the lantern and its easily accessible. It takes a good full day to make this lantern and mount it.  Although much quicker this last time around.  I have made six in all.  There are a lot of failures you guys dont see.
 



 
 

Thanks you all!
 
I've been catching up on areas of the ship that were not completed earlier. The Q-gallery windows where on hold to avoid damage or dust collection. The remaining large guns due to my just being lazy. Anyway, here are some photos along with a few updates to chapter ten. After I drill the holes for the pinned QD guns I will finish up the upper rail on the QD.






Mike