allanyed

Chuck,
 
If you are going to fully rig those guns, I know a place to get really fine small blocks.    Beautiful workmanship throughout! 
 
Allan

Chuck,
 
If you are going to fully rig those guns, I know a place to get really fine small blocks.    Beautiful workmanship throughout! 
 
Allan

Thanks Patrick, fire away with any questions.
 
Scale of the build is 1/4" to the foot.  I inserted the L.O.C. drawings in TIFF format into Turbo Cad as they had the best resolution.  It was then easy to take the drawings up to full size with the CAD program using the scale on the drawings and then scale down to 1/48.
 
More photos from earlier on in the build follow.  The first is framed with keelson and deck clamps in place.  The second shows the hull planking partially sanded with a "window" to show the framing.   Planking is poplar.  The color of poplar can vary but as it was later painted, it was of no concern.  Some Plastic Wood filler was used before final sanding and painting, mainly at where the planks were not a perfect fit at the rabbet.  With painting, I did not feel the need to be quite as careful as I would normally be when I am not painting the hull. 
 
Allan

I wanted to build a schooner fully framed and found as detailed a set of plans as possible for a Gloucester schooner on the US Library of Congress website.  I started building the Effie M. Morrissey (renamed in 1948 the Ernestina) about 3 years ago and have been back and forth on her as a couple other projects intervened.
 
The building sequence is nothing unusual, starting with the keel, stem, and stern post, which are made of Costello Boxwood.  Note the angled piece under the keel.  This was temporarily glued to the bottom of the keel so it would stand at the proper angle during the framing process.  The frames were hung at ninety degrees to the building board, not the keel.  This was shown clearly on the drawings although hard to see in the photos. 
 
Next up, framing.
 
Allan

The frames are doubles and the framing plan is quite detailed on where they lie on the keel.   The isometric drawings were a big help in framing the stern area and the bow area.   I used poplar for the frames.  After planing to the proper thickness I glued two sheets of wood together with the grains running at 90 degrees to each other.  The frame drawings were printed on label paper then adhered on the laminated wood sheet and cut out on my scroll saw.   I am no draftsmen compared to Wayne K, Druxey, and so many others here.  I downloaded the plans from the L.O.C. in TIFF so was able to insert them into my Turbo Cad drawing with very high resolution.   I then used the body plan to make the frame drawings, including the frames between the stations.  It was just a matter of dividing the space between the body plan lines at 5 or 6 points along the curve then using arcs to draw the frames.  Not necessarily the way they did them in real practice, but it worked out well with minimal fairing needed.
 
The keel was marked for each frame location.  The square assured the frames were set at 90 degrees verically in relation to the building board  and 90 degrees to the keel horizontally.  Spacers were used between each frame to maintain spacing and to give some rigidity.
 
 
 
Allan

Thanks guys.  I have actually switched to Grumbacher paints for this model.  Just to try them out.  They are from a tube and acrylic.  I am using Mars Black and Crimson.  Thats it.

Thanks Patrick, fire away with any questions.
 
Scale of the build is 1/4" to the foot.  I inserted the L.O.C. drawings in TIFF format into Turbo Cad as they had the best resolution.  It was then easy to take the drawings up to full size with the CAD program using the scale on the drawings and then scale down to 1/48.
 
More photos from earlier on in the build follow.  The first is framed with keelson and deck clamps in place.  The second shows the hull planking partially sanded with a "window" to show the framing.   Planking is poplar.  The color of poplar can vary but as it was later painted, it was of no concern.  Some Plastic Wood filler was used before final sanding and painting, mainly at where the planks were not a perfect fit at the rabbet.  With painting, I did not feel the need to be quite as careful as I would normally be when I am not painting the hull. 
 
Allan

Slow progress but I did finish sanding the deck. I started with 120 grit emery cloth and removed all the plank thickness irregularities. I then used 400 grit wet and dry paper (used dry) to give a silky smooth finish. I used a damp cloth wiped over the deck to raise the nap and when dry I again used the 400 grit wet and dry. I repeated this twice.
 



 
I also sorted out the stern planking detail.
 

 
Time is drawing near when I will need to address the bulwarks so I decided to mount the plank required for inverted handling of the hull. To protect the deck rubber pads are attached to the bearers where they bolt to the hull. The plank is mounted parallel to the waterline so that the setting out of hull details (portholes etc) will be easier later on.
 


 
Having completed the deck sanding I wanted to protect the deck from workshop grime. I decided to give it a few coats of satin finish varnish. I need to glue ribs etc to the deck edge once the bulwarks are in place so I masked the deck edge mahogany planks so that gluing would not be a problem at a later stage. The photos were taken with the 1st coat of varnish still wet.
 

More deck planking:-
 
I made a start on the planking which follows the contour of the deck edge. As explained previously these planks are much narrower. I made the planks .108 inch wide x 10 inch long which is 3.5 inch by 26 foot at full size.
 
It's probably worth posting a few images of the real thing at this point:-
 



 
I wanted the deck to be representative of the real thing but accepted that absolute accuracy wasn't quite achievable.
 
So here are a few images of progress to date:-
 






 
I was progressing well until my helper arrived and demanded some exercise!
 

 
 
 

Having completed and finish sanded 1st planking I had a few things to sort out about future stages. After some thought I decided on the following sequence:-
 

 
1 Drill the hole to take the prop shaft.
2 Mark the waterline.
 
I wanted to compete items 1 and 2 while the hull was still attached to the building board - so that I had a reference datum for the 2 operations.
 
The sequence continues with:-
 
3 Remove the hull from the building board.
4 Trim the frames to size at deck level.
5 Mount the 1/16th inch ply sub deck, with cut outs for the deck house, skylights and hatches.
6 Plank and finish sand the deck.
7 Mount the 3 layers of 1/32 inch ply which form the bulwarks and the sculpturing of the hull sides.
8 2nd plank the hull. (Having manufactured the planks from mahogany).
 
This lot should take care of the next few months.
 
Staring with the prop shaft which is asymmetric - sitting on the port side of the hull.
 
The prop tube is 3/8 inch diameter, angles downwards at an angle of 6 deg and outward from the centre line  at an angle of 8.5 degrees. See Photo.
 

 
I didn't feel comfortable trying to drill this by eye, so I manufactured a simple jig consisting of 2 parallel MDF boards, separated by 3 inch, drilled with offset holes the alignment of which gave the compound angle necessary for drilling. I did have to revert to a bit of school room trigonometry which taxed the brain cells more than I expected (a bit worrying). See Photo.
 

 
Having positioned the jig so that the drill intersected the hull at the correct point I then clamped it in place and drilled the hull with a 3/8 inch by 18 inch long auger drill. To keep things under control I took my time and hand drilled using a woodworking brace. The photographs illustrate the procedure.
 



 
 
 

The frames are doubles and the framing plan is quite detailed on where they lie on the keel.   The isometric drawings were a big help in framing the stern area and the bow area.   I used poplar for the frames.  After planing to the proper thickness I glued two sheets of wood together with the grains running at 90 degrees to each other.  The frame drawings were printed on label paper then adhered on the laminated wood sheet and cut out on my scroll saw.   I am no draftsmen compared to Wayne K, Druxey, and so many others here.  I downloaded the plans from the L.O.C. in TIFF so was able to insert them into my Turbo Cad drawing with very high resolution.   I then used the body plan to make the frame drawings, including the frames between the stations.  It was just a matter of dividing the space between the body plan lines at 5 or 6 points along the curve then using arcs to draw the frames.  Not necessarily the way they did them in real practice, but it worked out well with minimal fairing needed.
 
The keel was marked for each frame location.  The square assured the frames were set at 90 degrees verically in relation to the building board  and 90 degrees to the keel horizontally.  Spacers were used between each frame to maintain spacing and to give some rigidity.
 
 
 
Allan

The next step was to add the carriage bed and on top of that add the quoin.  I didnt add the quoin handle yet because I always break those.  So they will be the last bits to be completed.
 

 
In that same photo you will also see the metal work is completed.  The brackets (sides) were actually made in two pieces and held together with long bolts through both top to bottom.   Even though these are one piece the two bolts visible were simulated.   I used 28 gauge wire.  After inserting them into the holes I cut them so they stood proud of the surface.  There are the eyebolts on the aft side for the tackle.  These were made from 28 gauge wire as well.
 
On the sides of each bracket there is also a bolt through to the transom.  For this I used 24 gauge black wire.  Finally one more eyebolt was added to the side for the tackle.  I will not add the eyebolt and ring for the breech rope yet because its easier to do that while rigging the breech rope.  But I did drill the holes for them.  That is an absolute must.
 

 
Finally some images of the cannon placed on each carriage.  The trunnion cap was just made with some heavy paper painted to match th emetal.  Then I added a small length of 28 gauge wire to simulate the hinge for the trunnion cap.  I wont be adding any chains or other small details.  I dont think they look very good at this scale unless they are done perfectly.  Rather than try and become a "kitchen sink" modeler,  I prefer to simplify and concentrate on neatness and execution.  I know I wouldnt do it justice. 
 

 

 

 
Now to begin the other five carronades for the other side....YIKES 

About time!!!!!   I am very happy to see this log, and,  using methods I had not seen in your past work.
 
Allan

Hi Mark,
 
Why does it need reblackening?   If it needs this after a few years I would be worried about what happens once the parts are on board the model? 
Have you tried a pickeling solution?  I don't know that it would work on the blackened pieces, but I find it the best method of cleaning brass before blackening as it takes off any protective coating, finger oils, flux from silver soldering, etc,  and leaves a microscopically etched clean surface that blackens better than any other method.   Might be worth a try.
 
Allan

That's what I do, if I want to have brass parts look like steel, but rather use a 'self-tinning' solution. This are solutions that precipitate a very thin layer of tin onto the brass. Some model-suppliers sell such solutions. The surface has to be chemically clean, so degreasing (e.g. with acetone) and possibly pickling in acid are needed.
 
In fact, if a brass part does not have to look like brass and forms a component of something that is going to be soldered together, I always tin the part before - it makes soldering a lot easier.

Alan,
 
The sharpening jig is a must IMHO.  I would never attempt to sharpen my chisels without using it again.   I did not see a mention of stropping above.  I know many feel stropping is also something to consider, but honestly I am hard pressed to see a difference between going right from my 6000 grit water stone to the wood, versus stropping first after using the stone.  Maybe I am not doing the stropping correctly.  I use the dressing that came with the strop, but don't see much difference, if any.
 
Regarding the tissue, I use it between planks more than any other method, but for the scarf joints on the keel I add a dot of black water base paint to a little puddle of carpenter's glue, mix it thoroughly and it shows the same as the paper on the finished joints.  Plus, the paper can be a weak point, straight blackened glue won't be.  Just another route to get to the same destination.
 
Allan

Alan,
 
The sharpening jig is a must IMHO.  I would never attempt to sharpen my chisels without using it again.   I did not see a mention of stropping above.  I know many feel stropping is also something to consider, but honestly I am hard pressed to see a difference between going right from my 6000 grit water stone to the wood, versus stropping first after using the stone.  Maybe I am not doing the stropping correctly.  I use the dressing that came with the strop, but don't see much difference, if any.
 
Regarding the tissue, I use it between planks more than any other method, but for the scarf joints on the keel I add a dot of black water base paint to a little puddle of carpenter's glue, mix it thoroughly and it shows the same as the paper on the finished joints.  Plus, the paper can be a weak point, straight blackened glue won't be.  Just another route to get to the same destination.
 
Allan

Alan,
 
The sharpening jig is a must IMHO.  I would never attempt to sharpen my chisels without using it again.   I did not see a mention of stropping above.  I know many feel stropping is also something to consider, but honestly I am hard pressed to see a difference between going right from my 6000 grit water stone to the wood, versus stropping first after using the stone.  Maybe I am not doing the stropping correctly.  I use the dressing that came with the strop, but don't see much difference, if any.
 
Regarding the tissue, I use it between planks more than any other method, but for the scarf joints on the keel I add a dot of black water base paint to a little puddle of carpenter's glue, mix it thoroughly and it shows the same as the paper on the finished joints.  Plus, the paper can be a weak point, straight blackened glue won't be.  Just another route to get to the same destination.
 
Allan

Alan,
 
The sharpening jig is a must IMHO.  I would never attempt to sharpen my chisels without using it again.   I did not see a mention of stropping above.  I know many feel stropping is also something to consider, but honestly I am hard pressed to see a difference between going right from my 6000 grit water stone to the wood, versus stropping first after using the stone.  Maybe I am not doing the stropping correctly.  I use the dressing that came with the strop, but don't see much difference, if any.
 
Regarding the tissue, I use it between planks more than any other method, but for the scarf joints on the keel I add a dot of black water base paint to a little puddle of carpenter's glue, mix it thoroughly and it shows the same as the paper on the finished joints.  Plus, the paper can be a weak point, straight blackened glue won't be.  Just another route to get to the same destination.
 
Allan

https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/ship-models
 
This looks amazing...  as a conservator, I only wish I was in the right discipline to apply.   I am a paper and book conservator, this would be geared towards 3-D or objects people.  
 
In either case, somebody around here might be interested in attending.

Alan,
 
I like how you clamped the keel to a steel rule to make sure the entire length winds up dead straight from the start.  I will remember this technique in the future.
 
Allan

A mill offers vertical and horizontal accuracy along with being better suited to handle the lateral stress, than a drill presses' bearings will.  

Here's my answer to my inquiry about brass belaying pins:

 

So, once I decided to have belaying pins, my next dilemma was what to use for belaying pins.  The kit came with 8mm wood ones, and the picture below shows an example of one on them on the far left.  You can see that it doesn't look much like  a belaying pin should look.  While I've seen larger wood belaying pins that looked decent, the 8mm ones just don't cut it.  I tried modifying the wood ones, but couldn't get them consistent for such a small size.  So, it seemed like I would have to go with brass ones.  I had previously seen some 8mm brass pins from Model Shipways, and Billings boats, but I didn't like the shapes of them, so decided not to use them either. 

 

The second pin in the picture is a 5/16" one that I purchased from Bluejacket.  You can see that the top looks like it has been chopped off.  While the overall shape looks pretty good, I decided not to use these.

 

The third pin in the picture is an 8mm one from Amati.  While the shape of these aren't perfect either, I thought they looked the best, so that's what I've decided to use.

 

The fourth pin in the picture is an Amati pin that has been colored to hopefully look more like wood than brass and metal.

And we start (again)
 

 
Saturday 27 Feb 2016
Ripped a couple pieces of castello boxwood to about 20" (1:64) on the table saw then milled down to 18"
Sliced of strips from it to about 20" and then milled them to 18" square.
 
This is the stock material for the 4 keel pieces
The foremost section of the keel with the boxing scarph joint for the lower stem post needed to have the strip cut made wider, about 40", as it stands taller forward than aft.
 
Using a longer piece than necessary, using a sharp soft (HB) pencil lead, I marked of the length, depth and angle of the scarph on the top side of the stern most keel section.  The depth of the scarph joint was carefully cut on the scroll saw and using a freshly sharpened chisel I attempted to cut it out in very small slices.  I seem to have a huge problem keeping my chisel perpendicular to the stock to get a clean square cut.
 
To remedy this... until I master my chiselling skills... I cut off the bad scarph joint (scrap) and remarked the stock.  I clamped it on the line on my flat faced woodworking vise.  Using a fine toothed saw I cut the depth perpendicular to the stock.  Using the same saw I cut the length somewhat parallel to the surface of the vise.  Using my chisel I cleaned it up and then sanded.  I repeated this on the mating piece and this resulted in a good joint.  I did not invent this method... I saw it somewhere in a build log on the forum. Thank you!
 

 
Sunday 28 Feb 2016
I used this same method to cut down the 40" height of the foremost keel section aft of the boxing scarph joint to 18".  The scarph joint shape was transfer to the stock using carbon paper.  The carbon paper was place on top of transparent (see through) graph paper.  The carbon side faced up to the graph paper.  My template was placed over top of the graph paper.  I traced the outlined of the scarph joint shape with my pencil which transferred it to the underside of the graph paper.   The transparent paper was placed on the stock and the carbon line (on the underside against the stock) was traced once again with my pencil resulting in the line being transferred to the stock.  This is much more work than cutting and gluing but I am trying to preserve my templates (and eliminate any need to spend more money on another copy)
 
This shape was roughly cut out on the scroll saw and then cleaned up with a drum sander attached to the drill press.  The boxing scarph joint has yet to be cut.
 

 

 
The stern post mortise hole was drilled out and cleaned up as best as I can manage for now.
 

 
Black crepe paper (representing the waterproofing tar soaked felt) was cut oversize and glued to one outer set of joints (toe/heel).  When this dried the two pieces were glued and clamped.  This paper has yet to be trimmed back to the keel surface.
 

 

 

Just as there are no two faces that are exactly the same across the 7.4 billion of people on this earth, (even in identical twins), no two people have the same amount of patience for a given task.   Even as one person, I have varying amounts of patience, attention to detail, and different attitudes as to what is good enough.  I did not realize this until the Admiral asked how I have the patience to spend years on a model yet have less than 10 seconds of patience with the guy driving too slowly in the passing lane on the highway.  
 
Allan