rtropp

Hi Daniel, the blue color is acrylic paint from czech producer (http://obchod.agama-model.cz/cz-detail-235034-r29-p-tmava-sedomodra.html).
 
Aft cabin bulkheads are finished and installed on the deck.

I'm finally close to the end of the Inboard Bulwarks section of Chapter Eleven.Making the belaying pins and the ring bolts took some time.
 
I tried to add the ring bolts as follows:


 
This did not work out, the ring kept slipping.
 
So I altered my method.  I drilled a hole in a small flat sheet and with the eye of the bolt just at the level of the surface it was easier to manipulate the ring and close it.  

 
These pictures show some of the work on the inboard bulwarks.  Except for the belaying pin rails, none of it is permanently glued.  I may glue most of it but not the rings for the carronades. Given my inexperience when starting the build, I may need to move things around to better fit the carronades.  Also, not sure of my skill at tying off the gun ropes so may need to tie them off, then glue to bulwark.  
 

 
I painted the rails and the cleats before attaching.  I also inserted a small pin in each to strengthen it when glued.  When cutting previous eye bolts to size I saved the cut off and that's what I used.
The will have to be retouched but I figure that will be easier than trying to paint them after attaching.
 


 
I have mounted some of the belaying pins to see how they would look.  Not too terrible for home made.  There is some inconsistency in size but I will try to match similar ones on the same rail so they don't look too out of place.  I made enough for the bulwark pin rails so I will need to make more anyway.  I can always replace the ones that look really our of place and I would really rather use the ones I made even if those supplied are "prettier" or more consistent.
 


 
I am now working on the block that ties to the traveler.  Boy are those tiny.  I had this device from model expo to round out the edges.  It works pretty well but I think it needs finer sandpaper.

 
I also reamed the holes a bit to clean it up.  I used a satin poly to finish it up. now I have to rig it.
 

 
I had a couple of questions:
Did anyone finish these differently?
Which supplied threads did you use to strop... did you serve or just tie it off?
What type of glue did you use to attach the eye bolts, etc to the bulwark?
 
Thanks
Richard

great job Sal, Congratulations
Richard

great job Sal, Congratulations
Richard

great job Sal, Congratulations
Richard

I'm finally close to the end of the Inboard Bulwarks section of Chapter Eleven.Making the belaying pins and the ring bolts took some time.
 
I tried to add the ring bolts as follows:


 
This did not work out, the ring kept slipping.
 
So I altered my method.  I drilled a hole in a small flat sheet and with the eye of the bolt just at the level of the surface it was easier to manipulate the ring and close it.  

 
These pictures show some of the work on the inboard bulwarks.  Except for the belaying pin rails, none of it is permanently glued.  I may glue most of it but not the rings for the carronades. Given my inexperience when starting the build, I may need to move things around to better fit the carronades.  Also, not sure of my skill at tying off the gun ropes so may need to tie them off, then glue to bulwark.  
 

 
I painted the rails and the cleats before attaching.  I also inserted a small pin in each to strengthen it when glued.  When cutting previous eye bolts to size I saved the cut off and that's what I used.
The will have to be retouched but I figure that will be easier than trying to paint them after attaching.
 


 
I have mounted some of the belaying pins to see how they would look.  Not too terrible for home made.  There is some inconsistency in size but I will try to match similar ones on the same rail so they don't look too out of place.  I made enough for the bulwark pin rails so I will need to make more anyway.  I can always replace the ones that look really our of place and I would really rather use the ones I made even if those supplied are "prettier" or more consistent.
 


 
I am now working on the block that ties to the traveler.  Boy are those tiny.  I had this device from model expo to round out the edges.  It works pretty well but I think it needs finer sandpaper.

 
I also reamed the holes a bit to clean it up.  I used a satin poly to finish it up. now I have to rig it.
 

 
I had a couple of questions:
Did anyone finish these differently?
Which supplied threads did you use to strop... did you serve or just tie it off?
What type of glue did you use to attach the eye bolts, etc to the bulwark?
 
Thanks
Richard

Hi Jesse,
I follow your build log and saw the post about using the hand drill.  Before I had the Proxxon lathe I also used the hand drill. I had a rest similar to yours but added a tool rest which is necessary for lathe cutting.  Also I made sure that the block holding the end of the piece is fairly tight around the wood to prevent vibration.  It is near impossible to use gouges if the piece is vibrating too much.
 
The cutting tools need to be very sharp.  That's key. I have an inexpensive sharpening block that is made by Flexcut.  It has a number of shapes that  fit the various gouges and angles.
 
Before trying to lathe I did a lot of reading and U Tubing (U Tubing??? not really a verb but...oh well). It is important to use the gouges as you would in a full size lathe. That means a support / tool rest to hold the tool while working it.  The angle of the tool and position in relation the work piece is also important. U-Tube is a great source for learning how to use the lathe.  Any of them, full size or small, will have the same basic operating principles.
 
That said, I make extensive use of Files for the final shaping and smoothing.  I also take a final pass with very fine sanding twigs.
My process  to use the gouge to bring the piece to its maximum diameter.  Then I move to the smaller gouge to get things to final shape.  Finally, I go to work with files. I have sets in a number of grades and sizes, all small for modeling.  The sanding twigs do a great job of smoothing when the area is really narrow, like in the belaying pins.
 
It became a lot faster to use the micro gouges as lathe tool rather than rely on files alone.  
 
Richard

Thomas,
I understand.  I think I am getting closer to investing in a Sherline.  I will probably go with the DRO (digital readout). I am trying to decide which accessory package to get with it.  At this point, I dont want to overbuy, but might as well get what will be needed for the build.
 
Richard

I'm finally close to the end of the Inboard Bulwarks section of Chapter Eleven.Making the belaying pins and the ring bolts took some time.
 
I tried to add the ring bolts as follows:


 
This did not work out, the ring kept slipping.
 
So I altered my method.  I drilled a hole in a small flat sheet and with the eye of the bolt just at the level of the surface it was easier to manipulate the ring and close it.  

 
These pictures show some of the work on the inboard bulwarks.  Except for the belaying pin rails, none of it is permanently glued.  I may glue most of it but not the rings for the carronades. Given my inexperience when starting the build, I may need to move things around to better fit the carronades.  Also, not sure of my skill at tying off the gun ropes so may need to tie them off, then glue to bulwark.  
 

 
I painted the rails and the cleats before attaching.  I also inserted a small pin in each to strengthen it when glued.  When cutting previous eye bolts to size I saved the cut off and that's what I used.
The will have to be retouched but I figure that will be easier than trying to paint them after attaching.
 


 
I have mounted some of the belaying pins to see how they would look.  Not too terrible for home made.  There is some inconsistency in size but I will try to match similar ones on the same rail so they don't look too out of place.  I made enough for the bulwark pin rails so I will need to make more anyway.  I can always replace the ones that look really our of place and I would really rather use the ones I made even if those supplied are "prettier" or more consistent.
 


 
I am now working on the block that ties to the traveler.  Boy are those tiny.  I had this device from model expo to round out the edges.  It works pretty well but I think it needs finer sandpaper.

 
I also reamed the holes a bit to clean it up.  I used a satin poly to finish it up. now I have to rig it.
 

 
I had a couple of questions:
Did anyone finish these differently?
Which supplied threads did you use to strop... did you serve or just tie it off?
What type of glue did you use to attach the eye bolts, etc to the bulwark?
 
Thanks
Richard

I'm finally close to the end of the Inboard Bulwarks section of Chapter Eleven.Making the belaying pins and the ring bolts took some time.
 
I tried to add the ring bolts as follows:


 
This did not work out, the ring kept slipping.
 
So I altered my method.  I drilled a hole in a small flat sheet and with the eye of the bolt just at the level of the surface it was easier to manipulate the ring and close it.  

 
These pictures show some of the work on the inboard bulwarks.  Except for the belaying pin rails, none of it is permanently glued.  I may glue most of it but not the rings for the carronades. Given my inexperience when starting the build, I may need to move things around to better fit the carronades.  Also, not sure of my skill at tying off the gun ropes so may need to tie them off, then glue to bulwark.  
 

 
I painted the rails and the cleats before attaching.  I also inserted a small pin in each to strengthen it when glued.  When cutting previous eye bolts to size I saved the cut off and that's what I used.
The will have to be retouched but I figure that will be easier than trying to paint them after attaching.
 


 
I have mounted some of the belaying pins to see how they would look.  Not too terrible for home made.  There is some inconsistency in size but I will try to match similar ones on the same rail so they don't look too out of place.  I made enough for the bulwark pin rails so I will need to make more anyway.  I can always replace the ones that look really our of place and I would really rather use the ones I made even if those supplied are "prettier" or more consistent.
 


 
I am now working on the block that ties to the traveler.  Boy are those tiny.  I had this device from model expo to round out the edges.  It works pretty well but I think it needs finer sandpaper.

 
I also reamed the holes a bit to clean it up.  I used a satin poly to finish it up. now I have to rig it.
 

 
I had a couple of questions:
Did anyone finish these differently?
Which supplied threads did you use to strop... did you serve or just tie it off?
What type of glue did you use to attach the eye bolts, etc to the bulwark?
 
Thanks
Richard

I think this pretty close...   
 
Here's the jig I've been using along with a pattern.

 
I've cut out the coat from thin cloth that has a light brown stain to emulate the Stockholm Tar and have started the installaton.

 
It's been folded down for trimming and gluing.

 
And the final gluedown.  It bulges nicely but still needs a bit trimming after the glue sets.  The rudder is a slight angle to port and puts just bit twist to the coat.

 
I think I'm onto the quarter galleries....
 

Hmm....  Here's the area that needs the rudder coat... between the two red areas.  It's fairly long.  There's two "slots" on each side of the stern post.  Maybe if I fill those in.....   ????    In fact, I think that will do the trick.  
 
It was a very bad decision on my part to plank the counter before installing the stern post.   Lesson learned.
 
  

Trying to duplicate  this material is difficult because the softness of the scale.
A different approach would be to use wood where you can use a knife to add as many folds as you want.

I think I got it.  Or are at least darn close.  If not, I'll do another one.  
 

After much thought, reading, Googling, staring at the ship, fiddling with paper and cardboard, I'm starting the galleries.
 
First, here's the drawings of the Licorne as built in 1755 with the same style galleries as Renommee and others of that era.  Ornate and distinctively French.
 

 
 
After the rebuild, the wales changed to more like Belle Poule and other frigates of that era.   There is one problem though, the galleries are NOT like anything I've able to find.  I trust the NMM drawings as the lines, etc. were taken off after she was captured.
 
The big "whoa" moment is that the galleries extend beyond the transom taffrail.  Newer ships fell under the edict of galleries, when viewed from the stern were to be "hidden" by the transom taffrail.  See drawings... these are from the Hahn plans but match the NMM plans.  There are no plan views (top down) that show the galleries shape.
 

 
What I ended up doing was using cardboard, paper, cellophane tape, blue tape, lots of invectives, and finally some rationalization.  Hahn built them as semi circles and I think he's pretty spot on.  The mockup was pretty much destroyed fit the bits and pieces into the scanner for converting to parts drawings. So, sorry there's no pictures.  It wasn't very pretty to look at but it filled the need.
 
Here's the first parts I've cut.  Basically the upper matches the bottom as to size but with some reshaping as to the outside for the trim strip.   If you'll look carefully, they are not a true semi-circle.   When I viewed the mockups from the side and the rear, this curve is the only one that matched the views and this didn't match the other ship plans I looked at.   Part of the reason, I believe, is that Licorne's stern is a bit narrower than the normal of the time and the sweep of the top rail has more arc than other French frigates I looked at.
 

 
I'm starting to fit them now.  I'm starting with the bottom piece on one side and then make the other side a mirror image. 
 
One other note.... On the old style galleries, only the center pane of the window (or of the center window for larger ships) was glazed.  I'm in a quanadry about glazing all the panes in all the windows and all the models of frigates of that period that I've seen haven't had glazing.  Even Frolich's... just black or blue paint in the panes.   Hmm...  my decision at this moment is to glaze the center window entirely and deadlight the other two.  However, that's open to discussion.
 

Dirk,Jesse, Al, Ian, thank you all for the nice words and I'm glad to share my experiences with you all as I build this model.  I've learned so much on this website that it seems only right to give something back when I can.
 
And thanks for all the likes also.

Lovely work Sal. So much for me to learn from your build. Thanks for sharing.
 
Best, Ian

Love the anchor stocks and buoys. Thanks for showing me how to do it when I get to them on mine
 
Jesse

Anchors aweigh...
 
For the anchors I decided not to use the provided metal stocks and tried making my own.  Four pieces of wood, 5/32” square, were notched with a file for the anchor and then glued together.  After the pieces were dry  they were tapered per the detail shown on the drawings.
 

The anchor buoys were also made a the same time.  These were made out of a 5/16” diameter dowel, chucked into my ‘poor man's lathe’ and shaped per the plans using a small file.
 

 
After the stocks were tapered they were stained, then faux treenails were added, and then the iron bands put on.  The treenails were simulated by drilling holes into the stocks and then filled with a Minwax blend stick, the iron bands were made using the copper foil tape, blackened and cut into 1/16” strips.  The anchors were paint black and the buoys were stained.  The harnesses were made and tied around the buoys as described in the manual.  The iron rings were made from 22 gauge wire and wrapped (puddened) with .021 rigging line (hard to see in the picture). I kind of cheated when doing this because I found that I could serve the wire while it was straight and then bend it around a 3/16” diameter dowel to make the ring. The ends of the pudden need to be cut back a little so the ring can fit into the anchor hole.  All the anchor pieces were assembled and the lines were then tied to the anchors and buoys
 
 

 
 
Lashing the anchors to the cap rails and the buoys to the shrouds was pretty straight forward. The hard part (and now I know why Dirk ran his anchor cable ahead of time) was threading the anchor rope along the deck with all the rigging in the way.  That was tough especially wrapping it around the riding bits.  One thing that would have made it a bit easier would have been to drill a deeper hole in the hull where the cable does down through the hatch openings.  I only had about a ¼” deep hole and had a difficult time bending and holding the rope in place while the glue dried.  With a deeper hole, say  ¾” to 1” deep, the thick rope would have been easier to bend into the hole and keep in place.
 
 

 
 
All I have left to do are the rope coils for the buoys and the flags and some last minute tweaking.  I don’t want to rush but I’m hoping to finish everything for the Northeast Ship Model Conference this Saturday in New London, CT.  Finished or not I will still be bring her.

I have some more detail on fabricating the belaying pins.  Also a couple of changes.
 
The first change was to drill a hole in the center of a wood dowel to use in the tail stock instead of the foam piece.  It holds the work piece better.  I was concerned that the wood against wood rotation might cause some burning but had no problem. I could have worked without the tail stock support, but then I would only have been able to do one pin at a time.  With the support from the tail stock I could do three at a time.  Four was too much and the piece would bend interfering with the turning.
 

 
I used the foam to prevent the work piece from whipping around in the feed shaft.

 
I used the following diagram to work out the proportions.  I do not remember where I found it.  The fractions were part of the diagram showing the relationship between the various measures.  The  millimeters are my entries showing the actual measures for the Syren's belaying pins.  Since I was sure of the 1mm diameter of the lower pin (it came from the practicum and was indicated for the pin rail), I used it as the base measure and worked back to figure the remaining measurements. (taking measurements from the tiny brass pin was difficult.

 
As the diagram shows, the length can be divided into three equal parts.  I used a compass set at the one third to mark the segments on the work piece.  The first segment was the handle of the pin, the next two thirds were the lower section. I was able to work nine segments (3 pins) while keeping a stable work piece. I kept two small dividers at the required diameters to be able to constantly measure as I worked.  These three inch tools were a real help.  If anyone knows a source for more, especially if there are any that are smaller, please let me know.

 
I was having difficulty finding lathe chisels small enough to work the pins so I tried some of Flexcraft's smaller chisels. These worked very well.
 
I first rounded out the wood and brought it down to size using a gouge.
 


 
to shape the pin, I used their smallest gouge.

 
To bring the belaying pin to final shape and size I then used various files and sandpaper. Here is my tool layout.

 
The entire work area did not take up a lot of space.  I used a large piece of basswood as a base for the lathe to bring it closer to eye level. My back really started to ache after doing one or two :-)

 
One problem with this process and using the Proxxon wood lathe is the difficulty in maintaining consistency between pins.  Your pretty much free handing the cuts (even with the tool rest) and at that size it quite a task. I focused on the top part since it would be the most visible, and will try bring the length of the lower pin to size as I install them.
 
They are not as good as the supplied pins, but I have a sense of accomplishment having been able to make them. So, like the figure head, I will use them.
 
This experience has me getting closer to a purchase decision on the Sherline lathe which seems to be the lathe of choice by most of the folks at MSW. I would be curious to hear if, for this type of work, digital readouts would be worthwhile to get uniformity between pieces. 
 
thanks for all your comments and likes
Richard
 

Time for another update and on to the next chapter (finally)
 
After marking off the deck, I started work on the swivel brackets.  I am a little nervous because when I did the decks I had a few mistakes that might now rear their heads. We'll see.
 
the swivel brackets from a distance. (I really don't want to look at them close :-) )
 

 
Next came the pin rails. I am going to wait until later to install these.
 
I started by cutting out the rails.  The straight rails were pretty easy to cut and shape.  For the curved rails near the bow, i first shaped the outboard edge that would be glued.  I then used a compass opened to 1/8 inch to trace the curve on the opposite side.
 
this picture gives the idea only this first one was done backwards, first the inboard side than the outboard. When I figured out the mistake I changed the sequence for the remaining ones to shape the outboard side first to make sure it fit the curve than the inside one to match.

 
These are the pin rails cut and shaped. I will do any fine tuning during installation.

 
Then using the mill, I created two holes in each to install wires to support the glue up. 
 

 
 
Now comes the fun (insanity??)
 
I decided to try to make the belaying pins myself.  As with the figure head, while it might not be as sharp as the supplied one it would be home made and a skill that I could use for scratch building.  I figured what the heck, if it doesn't work out I could always use the brass ones supplied.
 
First my setup

 
I used a short strip of boxwood, first rounding then shaping.  I used files rather than chisels. 

 
the piece was big enough to shape three pins. Any more and there would be too much flex on the work piece.  That means some repetition waste for the ends but it shouldn't be too bad and I am milling the wood myself so the costs stay low..  
 

 
I cut them after removing it from the lathe, I didn't want tiny pieces flying around the work area.

 
As you can see there is still variation and more attention to size and detail is needed.  But, for the first three practice pieces I believe it is worth continuing.
 

 
I do have a concern as to whether the wood ( its really thin) would support the lines without breaking.  I'll have to test that.  If they don't I will try again with a stronger wood such as beech or hickory.
 
Sorry for the blurry pictures.  not my best.
 
Richard
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

almost a month has gone by but I have finally finished this section of the practicum.
 
I decided to try and salvage the cat heads which had their top pieces too short. I took them apart, glued a piece to lengthen them and then installed.  It was only a tiny extension so I needed to be careful when cutting and sanding after they were attached.
 


 
Next I worked on the middle rail, again building it from scratch using boxwood.  I used the laser cut pieces as template first gluing the stock in layers then gluing the template.  
 



 
Then added the rest of the structure. 

 
Next I went to work on the bumpkins.  I am holding off on installing them until later as advised by Chuck in his build log.
 
I decided to use my proxxon wood lathe to reduce a strip of 1/8 boxwood to 1/16.
 

I was having some difficulty stabilizing the back end.  I had seen several suggestions but noticed some foam packing near the work table.  I cut out a round piece and pierced it so I could push it around the end of the work piece. I then stuffed that into the tail stock.

Using sandpaper and files I reduced the bumpkin width to
1/16. (the thinning operation was too fragile for me to use a chisel.)

 
I did use a chisel for the end cuts.
,
 
then added the wire extension but will not cut them to size until installation.

 
While things on the bow were uncluttered, I drilled the holes to receive the bumpkins' wire inserts.
 
Finally I added the remaining structure sans bumpkins which I will hold until later. 
 

The figure head is not permanently attached.  Her face is a little flat so I wanted to look at it some more before deciding to keep or re-sculpt.  
 
It came out reasonably well but I can work that looks "off" or "clumsy" in workmanship. After spending a lot of time fabricating the pieces, I seem to still have an unsteady hand when attaching them. I decided to try using a solid base for my hand while I am attaching or drilling.  I have a piece of 8" by 8" by 17" bass wood and sanded the sides smooth.  I is a little heavy but is a really solid hand rest when needed.
 
Now, on to the next section
 
Richard

I've given up on finding sanding sealer (not paying $60 a quart on Amazon) and moved on to my deck.
 

 
I made this jig so my trenail holes would be uniform at the butts.
 

First two in place!

Gaetan,
Do I understand correctly that when making the grates, you stacked multiple blades on a Byrnes Saw?
 
Richard

Thanks Druxey.  
Now, I probably have hijacked Chuck's site. 
Apologies....
Richard