Nearshore

Hi Mark, Look forward to following your progress. Good luck on your journey. Nearshore

Hi Steve, Welcome aboard. Nearshore

Hi Yves, Absolutely stunning so far. You are doing an amazing job! Thank you for the fantastic description on your process. Nearshore

Hi Mark, Thanks for the complement. If you make it down this way, maybe we can meet for a pint or two. Cheers Nearshore

Hi All, Small update on the Bellona progress. I taped off and painted the deck where the grating will be with a matt black paint. Before I glued the grating in place I decided that I should dry fit the Quarter deck and gangways. I made the holes needed for the mast and did a dry fit check of the masts. This is the first time that Bellona has had her mast installed, kind of gives a good impression of the final look. After I was satisfied with the fit of the quarter deck and gangways, I glued the framing in place for the grating. I touched up the black paint that I scratched up during the dry fitting of the quarter deck and then glued the grates in place. I also installed the remaining sheer plank on the forecastle bulwark. Well that’s all I have for now, I will provide another update when I make some more progress. I have been working a little bit on the cannons, but that’s for another post. Thanks for reading and as always, your comments and guidance are always welcome. Cheers Nearshore

Hi Valeriy, I look forward to following your progress. You are truly a master of your craft. Thank you for sharing your progress and technics with us. Nearshore

Hi John, Welcome aboard. MSW is a fantastic site with an abundance of information. Good luck on your journey!! Nearshore

Hi Saltyscot, Thank you for the compliment. Nearshore

Hi Fritz, The diminishing of the wales at the stem was brought to my attention early on in my build. There is a forum dedicated to the subject on MSW. It is very informative. Thanks for the compliment!! Nearshore

Hi Harlequin, I have studied your build log, and your log has helped me a great deal with the challenges that come with building this model. You did a great job building this ship. I still go back quite often and study the pictures you provided during your build. Nearshore

Hi Javelin, Thank you for the compliment. Nearshore

Thank you. Nearshore

Thank you Chris. Your compliment means a lot. I hope to be able to build one of your quality kits in the future. Nearshore

Hello All, I have a small update on Bellona. I know that I am a long way off before Bellona is ready to be placed on her display stand, but I couldn’t resist putting together the stand that I plan to use when the Bellona is completed. The stand that was supplied with the kit is somewhat boring and after all this time and effort I am putting into this model, I wanted something that was going to be subtle but also stand out. I was able to locate a plank of Black Walnut with a live edge for the base. I purchased 4 figures of Hercules that I will use to support the ship. I sanded and applied a finish to the Black Walnut plank and blackened the figurines using rub-n-buff black wax. The grains of the plank and the antiquing of the figurines flow nicely with the walnut hull of the ship. She is a long way off before she is placed in the stand for the last time, but for now, it will be a nice berth for her to be placed on in between sessions of assembly. Well, that’s all I have for now. Enjoy the pictures and as always, your comments and guidance are always welcome. Cheers Nearshore

Hello All, I have another small update on Bellona progress. The upper canon ports have been looking pretty rough up to this point. The 3 layers of planking have different color contrasts, and they really have not flowed with the rest of the ports. I decided that I would go ahead and paint them red to match the port post on the false gun ports. This was a fairly easy task to complete, and the results are very satisfying and pleasing to the eye. There are a few of the ports that are going to require some filler to smooth them out. The camera has a way of enhancing the flaws that otherwise look ok in person. I will circle back on this later. Well, I think it’s time to start working on some of the armament. I am planning on preparing the 18 pound shot canons that will be on the upper gun deck. The rigging supply that came with the kit is not of the highest quality in my humble opinion. I have researched quite a bit on making scaled rope over the past couple years and decided that I was going to give it a go and try and make my own rope for the Bellona. I purchased an infinite rope walk a year or so ago and have been practicing for a bit now. I do not have much room in my workshop, so this tool seemed to make sense to me if I were to make my own rope. I am starting with making the breeching and gun tackle for the canons. I have included some pictures of the kit supplied rope and the rope that I made with the rope walk. I think the rope walk did a pretty good job, but it did take quite a bit of trial and error, mostly error, before I started getting good results. I have included some pictures, and a short video of the rope walk in action in case anyone has an interest. Well, I don’t have anything else to add for this post and will provide another update when I make some progress on the armament. As always, your comments and guidance are always welcome. Cheers Nearshore 20250201_071511.mp4