Nearshore

Welcome!! Nearshore

Your build looks amazing. Congratulations on the Sphinx and on your new family member.

Very nicely done so far. She is really starting to take shape.

Nicely done. Looks fantastic!

Hi Jeff, I think the stain color came out good. I have been looking at this kit as my next build but am intimidated by its complexity. you are doing a great job, i will be following your build with interest. Cheers Nearshore

Hello All, Small update on Bellona. I completed the installation of the stern cannons and port hatches. I used the jig I made when I built the port post some time ago. I used the extra frame I had and fitted the inner planks to fit inside the framing. I drilled the hatch hinge and soldered a 1mm eye bolt to the hinge. I made 1mm split rings and installed them on the eye bolts that were soldered to the hinge. I used brass nails and bent them at a 90-degree angle and inserted them into the hinge. I blackened the hinges and applied a clear acrylic finish. I glued the hinges to the port lids and installed the ropes used to raise the hatch. I drilled the holes for the hatch hinges and ropes and dry fitted them so I could align the cannons properly. I used a bit of brass buff and rub on the cannons to give them a bit of color before glueing them in place. After I was satisfied with how everything lined up, I glued the pieces in place. I will document the process better when I do the remaining 38 hatch covers that I have to make for the remaining cannon ports. I installed the scuppers on the port side. They were made from PE so I blackened them and applied clear acrylic before installing them. Well, that’s all I have for now, and as always, your comments and guidance are always welcome. Cheers Nearshore

She is coming along vevy nicely. I like the natual tone of the wood. You do very nice work. Nearshore

Hello All, I have a small update on the Bellona. I have moved on to installing the skid beams and stairs on both port and starboard sides of the ship. I notched the beams to fit around the Wales and shaped them to match the contour of the hull. I notched the molding on the ship to allow them to fit snug against the hull. This was a rather easy task, but I ran into a problem that I did not anticipate. When cutting out the false gun ports some time ago, I somehow was off on my measurements by about 1mm. This really tripped me up and I had to adjust the width of the stairs from 6mm on the port side to 5mm on the starboard side. It also messed up the location of the skid beams in relation to the gun ports. Well, I guess I won’t be displaying her with a mirrored back drop so you can see both sides of the ship at the same time. 😊 After the installation of the skid beams and stairs, I decided that it was time to put the name on the ship. I blackened the PE name plate and applied a clear coat of acrylic. After the acrylic dried, I polished the lettering and then applied another coat of acrylic. I glued the name to the ship, its official, she has a name. I have started putting together the stern gun port hatches and will provide another update as I progress. Well, that’s all I have for now, thanks for reading and as always, your comments and guidance are always welcome. Cheers 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

Hello All, I have a few updates on Bellona which I will put in a few posts for clarity. Well, I shaped the bulwark stanchions from the kit supplied beechwood. This is part # 97a if you are building this model. I first started with sanding the bottom of the stanchion so that the angle from the deck and bulwark was 63 degrees. After I was satisfied with how the stanchions matched up with the bulwarks, I filed the notches on them to clear the waterway plank and bulwark planks. I still have a bit of polishing to do on them before I set them in place. I am going to also stain them with walnut stain to match the other stanchions that will be below the quarter deck. After I completed shaping the stanchions, I drilled the holes for the ring bolts for the canon breeching and gun tackle. I was concerned that I was not going to be able to be consistent in their placement, so I made a jig out of some extra boxwood that I had. I drilled the 2 holes that I needed in the boxwood and glued a guide that would butt up against the gun ports. I fabricated a makeshift drill by using a piece of 4mm dowel and drilling the center to fit the drill bit and glueing the drill bit I would be using in the hole that I drilled. I used the jig to mark the locations and then very carefully drilled each hole trying not to drill through the hull. The dowel was long enough to allow me to drill the holes from the opposite gun port. I only messed up once, but I got lucky as the hole I drilled will be covered up by the sea ladder. I used the same jig to drill both the forward and aft side of the gun ports only having to flip the jig around to mark each hole. Well, that’s all I have for now and as always, your comments and guidance are always welcome. Cheers Nearshore

Good luck on your journey. Look forward watching your progress. Nearshore