LCdr Dave

Kirill, that is a wealth of information, thank you. I like the idea of having a few sizes of rope. I went with rope size provided in the kit and then sourced a dark brown version of it. I should have realized that, like everything else in the kit, it would be inaccurate. 
Back to the drawing board, I guess. 
thanks for checking in,

Dave

Patrick, I do have the model shipways instructions (I had forgotten I had them -doh). They are very helpful, but only if one reads them….

thanks for looking in,

Dave

Kirill, thank you. I should have looked at that first. I may have to pull it out and put in a longer piece of rope so I can double it up. 
cheers,

Dave

Patrick, thanks for the links to your builds - very informative. If I may inquire, what metal wire did you use to make the chains for the Pelican deadeyes?

Your work is, by the way, awe-inspiring.

Cheers,

Dave

Hey Patrick, I agree with the chains but that’s not what I got in the kit. Not having a hobby shop near by picking up small amounts of such thing as chain is difficult. Ordering small amounts on line is not feasible due to shipping costs. I am sure I am not alone in this. 
As far as the rope going around the sprit, since the knee is to the left it made sense to keep it on one side. I have also seen it be doubled up and seized to a block on the aft side of the foremast. 
thanks for checking in. 
Dave

Progress is being made albeit slow. Sprit has been gammoned (not sure if that is a verb). 

I managed to tie a loop and seize it to start the gammoning. I then realized that the holes in the grate and the stem didn’t line up well so I had to extend the holes. I also had to remove the chocks and replace them after the gammoning was done. Oh, the challenges of tying small knots!

I did have the help of my “third hand” to hold the rope taut while I seized it. 
I also made the “chain plates” for the shrouds. This model calls for brass wire to be bent around the deadeyes and through the channels and into the hull.  That’s a lot of bends, not all of which can be done before inserting through the channels. 
Once I bent them to fit around the deadeyes, I blackened them. For some reason some didn’t take despite all of them getting stripped with acetone and rinsed prior to blackening. Not worried, I can paint the ones that stayed brass-coloured after installing. 
I used a jig to wrap the wire by inserting three pins into a slab of wood to represent the corners of the deadeye. 
 

Thanks for looking. 
Cheers,

Dave

I got my copy of R.C. Anderson’s book today and read through it. It certainly cleared up some questions. 
Thanks Kirill. 
Cheers, 

Dave

That is a great idea! I will be doing that as well. 
Cheers,

Dave

Kirill, that is a lot of info! Thank you!

Cheers,

Dave

Kirill, thanks for the info. I will see if I can get a copy at a reasonable cost and timeframe. I am struggling to figure out which eyebolts are on the sides and which are in the middle since they don’t show up on the plan view - only the cross section. 
🤯🤪

cheers, 

Dave

So I removed the cracking paint with some alcohol and gun wash (not mixed - one after the other) and painted the hill with a brush and my Mk I eyeball. I am happy. It isn’t perfect but will do. 

as I contemplate the rigging, I keep perusing the line diagrams to try to understand what is going on. Maybe one of you will know. I have 2 lines (that I know of) that have no where to tie off. If I knew there names I might be able to figure it out but, unlikely, and nor do I want to become a master rigger. 
in the diagram I highlighted line 24 which seems to go from a block that is tied off on two rings on the deck (25). The line goes up and through a block that is tied onto line 23 attached to the top mast. Now the line 24 comes back down towards the deck and (according to the second drawing) goes somewhere below deck. Am I missing something? There is certainly no way to tie off anything below, especially if there is a lifeboat sitting there. 

any help would be appreciated. 
Thanks for looking

Dave

Congratulations! Quite an achievement!

Dave

Tom, thanks for that. As you will see, I launched ahead before I saw this. 
Dave

It seems the Vallejo paint had a reaction to the shellac. It isn’t hardening as well as it has cracked. I am in the process of stripping it - I am using rubbing alcohol which seems to work fairly well. I also have some gun wash I got from a friend that will take any stubborn spots out. Then I will hand paint it. I tested it on the rudder and the paint seems to be holding.

Thanks for looking.

Dave

It seemed I was making little progress until o realized that I have actually come a long way from this last post. 
I brushed on hobby acrylics (P3 is the manufacturer) for the upper parts. I sprayed Vallejo model air on the hull and, to my chagrin, it crackled.  Not sure why but it looks like I will need to take it off and try again. Perhaps it needs to have a primer first or I just brush it on instead of spraying. ☹️

What to do….?

thanks for looking 

Dave

Bob, you did a fantastic job and in a short period of time! 
onwards and upwards. I look forward to following your next build. 
Dave

Well done! 

Just found this despite trying to search for someone else building a Mayflower back in 2022. But it’s never too late. Your build is looking awesome.

Cheers,

Dave

Progress is slow and not very exciting to talk about but I have given the hull some stain (3 coats of mini wax Golden Oak) and a coat of Bull’s Eye Shellac. I will give it a second coat tonight and a light sand and see where to go from there. 
I noticed that the stain is splotchy due to the different woods and wood filler. It looks worse in the picture but I may just give it a wash of something to even out the colour. 

Thanks for looking. 
Cheers,

Dave

Been thinking ahead to the rigging and such. Realized that I need to get the lifeboats made. I opened up the package that also has the anchors to find that there is only one and not two! Grrr.  
Not sure what to do there. 
Dave

Looks great! Nice and clean! It sounds as though you painted, rather than stained the brown. I may do the same as I am finding (no surprise) that the wood filler and different woods are taking the stain differently. 
Keep up the inspiring work. 
Dave

Thank you for all your help and input. I got it figured. 
 

Cheers,

Dave

Bob, I think your ship looks great. 
Cheers,

Dave

21 hours ago, kirill4 said:

Download this book, written by author of MF replica...a lot of information !

all the best !!!

Kirill

Didn’t see where I could download it but found a used copy on Amazon for $15. Thanks for the recommendation. 
cheers,

Dave

13 hours ago, Knocklouder said:

Dave I would show you how I did my stren spar, but I broke it off again. But mine just comes in at deck level  and glued in to place. Yours looks like you can drill a hole in a little, then pin it on.  Your ship is looking good. 

Thanks for the encouragement. 
Dave