allanyed

I am sorry I don't have much of an answer other than to run your ringers down the line to be sure there is no twist before belaying. Can you share what vessel this is? You mention these are shrouds, thus standing rigging. Having the two blocks so close to the belaying pins is a new one for me as is having any standing rigging secured to a belaying pin. I would love to learn more about this so thanks in advance. Allan

Welcome to MSW Chestcutter!! With that screen name can we bet you have a lot of excellent tools from the OR?😀 Allan

There are a quite a number of contemporary plans and models of Bellona on the RMG Collections site. If you study them carefully as you build the Corel version, it should help you. Allan

Hi James, Hope all is great in Anderton! Yes, it was bought up before, but when I saw the newest drawings it appeared the conversation was forgotten and I thought the point might still be of interest to Vanguard. Mea culpa for my post if it offended anyone. Allan

Looks like a home run Chris!! I understand there were exceptions, not to mention that many folks don't even care about such details, so I hope you don't mind me bringing this up. One thing that struck me as unusual is the name on the counter. Names on the counter were a no-no per Admiralty edict except between 1780 and 1790 most of which time they were to be no more than 12 inches high. The Sheppard colored engraving from 1797 shows her with no name. https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-109649 Do you know if she was perhaps exempt from the Admiralty's rule? Regardless, I am sure she will be a lovely kit. Allan

Ironhand I know it is a difficult book to navigate as it is a compilation of notes with no useful index, but Chapelle's The American Fishing Schooner is a must, IMHO, for anyone building a fishing or similar schooner from the mid19th through early 20th centuries. Regarding your question, these are boom guys (or sometimes called boom tackle) which "were carried on main booms, and sometimes on foreboom also. Their purpose was to hold the booms outboard when running before the wind..........": The American Fishing Schooner. page 357. This is a full page that has a very detailed drawing to go with text that explains this tackle and how it is rigged. Allan

I have no idea, but look at the build logs, they may shed some light on this. https://modelshipworld.com/forum/92-member-build-logs-for-the-hms-winchelsea/ We all have budget constraints, but the old adage that you get what you pay for holds true. There are some really good kits and there is a lot of junk available which yield something more akin to a toy than a real ship. As the Grail Knight said to Walter Donvan, choose wisely........ Allan

This is great news. If you have not already done so also study the primer on planking in the Articles data base. You may find this preferable. I have found both methods work admirably MOST of the time but there are a few tight bends where I find a spiled plank is sometimes easier to make and does not stress the wood. If scale matters to you maybe consider setting aside the walnut top layer of planking material and replace it with a tight grain species of wood. Looking at photos in other build logs, the walnut kit material is very porous and looks terrible IF scale matters. I totally understand that some builders do not care if parts of the kit are not to scale. Allan

Good call on the rigging Juhu. Based on the strings versus ropes found in many kits it seems that very few kit makers do much study of the circumference of the rigging lines even though there is a lot of contemporary based information available. Thank goodness there are after market rope suppliers that offer pretty good ranges of circumferences for standing and running rigging and it is rope, not string, so the junk in the kit can be thrown out or used to darn holes in socks..

https://syrenshipmodelcompany.com/hms-winchelsea-1764.php Chuck has closed the store for a few weeks or so, but will be open again long before you are ready so no worries. This MAY be the answer for you. The quality is top shelf. I don't think anyone else does installments, but if they do, I am sure some member will let you know. Allan

Hi Starkiller Do they make a flat sided handle? All I could find for their handles are round ones. Round tool with razor sharp blade = roll, fall, stab, bleed and stitches. That was the main reason I got rid of Xacto handles for anything other than hole saw blades which tend not to stick in your leg when it rolls off the bench. Allan

The Vanguard models are far better than the others but look to be limited in scope with only eight sizes from what looks to be one era, and in one scale, 1:64. Maybe I am missing something. My thoughts were to have information to be able to build at least 25 or more different types/sizes of boats at any scale. Obviously scratch builds rather than kits, but with a minimum of materials and tools needed thus suited for both kit and scratch builders. Allan

Hi Keith Look like you have a full plate!!! Continued success to you. Allan

Thanks for your response Clementine, it is very much appreciated. I respectfully disagree though with your statement. The boats in question and in most kits are totally out of scale from the frames to the width of the planks. There are very detailed contemporary plans in high resolution of several dozen boats on the Wiki Commons site and hundreds more in low res on the RMG site. There are detailed scantlings for early 18th century boats and early 19th century boats in W.E. Mays book on boats. With all this detailed information it is not difficult to build an accurate rendition of most any type of ship's boat, even with hand tools. Couple photos of a long boat at 1:64 circa 1700 that was made with materials mostly from my scrap bin. I know it is hard to see, but the coin is a US penny. Allan

Hi Keith, Given the great build you have shared with us, especially considering the improvements you have made to what the kit provided, have you decided on your next project? Thanks Allan

I realize this is absolutely not your doing and you are pretty much stuck with what OcCre provides, but this raises the question, do any kit makers provide plans and parts for realistic ships' boats to go with the ship in the kit? Allan

Thank you very much for the detailed explanation Gregory, it is appreciated. Another good day, living and learning!! Allan

It is nice to see someone else speak out. Hopefully your post will not be taken down for trashing a sponsor. Allan

Gregory Your gratings look great, but I wish you had not shown the laser cut pieces. It is really a great idea but I hate the thought of having to buy one and then learn how to use it!! 😀 Do you know what the kerf of the laser cut itself is? Is it something easy to set up as well as the depth of the cut? I am fooling around with a fully framed 1:196 project and making the gratings will be a challenge to make to scale the old fashioned way as done by Lloyd McCaffery. The cut I need is anywhere from 0.013" to 0.015" and McMaster Carr has blades, but the set up will be a challenge. Allan

Hi Dave, You bring up an interesting point regarding scratch building ships' boats. I have W. E. May's book, The Boats of Men of War, Lavery has good information on boats in The Arming and Fitting, and there are great contemporary plans from RMG for British boats, but there is no book with plans on actually building model ships' boats. I have been discussing a project like this with Michael at SeaWatch and if it comes to pass, it would likely be more of a monograph with plans and scantlings on an array of boat types, sizes and eras as well as some "how-to" text and photos. Whatcha think of the idea? Allan

Hi Richard, Just the second layer, if only to get the practice of planking as described above. Regarding the wood, look at the grain. It is huge so way out of scale. For the scales we use, most builders find that a tight grain wood looks better and is easier to spile or hot edge bend. Alaskan cedar, castello (my favorite), steamed pear, maple, or even basswood or poplar (you may find the last two to be too soft). Holly for decks is a great choice. If this has your head spinning, not to worry, there is time before making your next choice of model. I will take the route that if one has nothing positive to say, say nothing. Before you buy another kit, do look at the kit build logs and the photos in each build. You will pretty quickly see which kit brands are growing in popularity due to good quality and which brands have been declining or pretty much disappearing over the past few years due to a lack of quality. No matter the brands you consider, research and study contemporary models (and plans) that match or are similar in size and era to your next vessel choice, if available. As has been discussed here at MSW there are thousands of photos of contemporary models and plans, many of which are easily found on the RMG site. https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections There are about 3000 plans at the Wiki Commons site as well, including 800 or so high res plans. These might help you make a decision on which ship is next. Allan

Hi Richard, I realize you are probably going to paint the planking to hide it, but to learn proper planking techniques, maybe consider removing the planking below the wales and start over after studying the primer on planking here at MSW and the four part video YouTube series by Chuck Passaro. It will serve you well down the road. We all fully realize what you have now is a kit thing as OcCre has never had a clue (or worse, does note care) on how a ship was actually planked and they stick you with what is possibly the worst wood available for the task, but it can be fixed. If not this go round, hopefully the next time.😀 Allan

Mysock Do take Mark's advice on the three vessel series designed by David Antscherl. You will learn proper techniques while honing your skills. The complete set is not too expensive and you do not need a shop full of power tools. Also consider starting a small library of books as you move along. There are hundreds, but probably a half dozen that will serve you well. If you ask you will get lots of feedback on these based on years of experience from the members here. Study the build logs here at MSW before spending your money and wasting your time on poor quality offerings. There are several good kit makers, and a lot that are not. Look at the photos in the logs of the vessel you choose then do some research on it including comparing them to contemporary plans and photos of contemporary models which are often available at no cost. If you have not already done so, read the forum here on Piracy so you do not unwittingly spend your money on stolen property which unfortunately is abundant and readily available. Allan

Costas Welcome to MSW. Take Bruce's advice, it is good. FYI, you have 5 IMG attachments on your post. I could not get any to open. Take a few minutes to study the How to Use forum at the top of the page to learn how to attach pictures, etc. Allan

Gets some really good reviews for those that like CA. You are testing so should find out if it is for you. I would give your test pieces a few days or even longer before committing to something that you want to last many years without failure. Gets some not so good ones as well. Here is one of the less than 5 star reviews. I bought this product in hopes that it would be a good alternative to conventional CA glue. Granted, it has its place, but its more of a "white" glue, than a fast curing modeling glue. I loved the applicator that came with it, it really puts the glue right where you want it. Would have easily given it 4-4.5 stars except for one thing, drying. In an environment where I had perfect temps, and low humidity, even after 36 hours, even the slightest excess glue around joints remained gummy. Areas that needed sanding, quickly clogged sandpaper. I will continue to use it in areas that will be practical just to use it up, but I doubt that I will be buying it again. Instead, I might experiment with some of the more popular wood glues, diluting them a bit for extra penetration.