Wxchsr

2 hours ago, glbarlow said:

Nice start.  I can’t overemphasize enough how important getting the skeleton infrastructure exact to the plans. So much later from port location, quarter galleries and stern depend on it being solid and accurate. You’ll see on many build logs, including mine cutting out elements from the plans and using them as guides. 

 

Thanks Glen!  That's exactly what I did/am doing too.  I glued everything directly to the plywood, cut close to the lines, then went the rest of the way with my bench sander to get it as exact as possible.  A couple of the stem pieces I think I cut out and remanded about 5 times after sanding just a little too much : ).  Those printouts are fantastic guides!

A couple to get started.  The bulkhead former has a little rougher edges than the actual bulkheads.  Same plywood, but The former was cut with a standard jigsaw with a fine blade, but still splintered.  The bulkheads (and everything after) was done with a scrolls, much finer (didn't have it when I started).  

Knee assembly attached to the bulkhead former.  This was made from scratch.  Not perfect by any means but I'm pretty happy with the results.  The knee and keel is made from a "mystery" hardwood.  It's parts from an old "maple" table that I had, but I'm not convinced it's actual maple.  The strips I cut (not yet sanded) were from a known source, and are actually maple.  

51 minutes ago, James G said:

Great to see your build log starting! I’m about at the same place you are. Just finished cutting out my bulkheads. Good luck!

 To you as well!

Getting this started for documenting my Winchelsea build.  Thank you to Chuck for creating these fantastic plans and kits.  It's been 25-30 years since I've last done a build and I'm looking forward to starting this one, which will be my third.  I'm still in the beginning phases of the build and will post some photos soon.  I plan to fully rig the ship in the end, and will probably have to tweak a few things as part of that, but I suppose that happens on most builds anyways!

6 hours ago, glbarlow said:

I agree. Having a build log gives you both the chance to share and ask the inevitable questions that will come up and to get encouragement for others.  There is every level of experience and expertise, there is no judgement, only help and and camaraderie. Join the fun and enjoy your build. 

 Thanks to all three of your responses!  I will do that!  This is my third build, but haven't done one in probably 25-30 years.  First was a plank on carved hull (loosely based on the HMS Challenger).  Second was a plank on frame.  I don't have either anymore (one was destroyed in a fall and the other was a gift).  I'm not looking for perfect, rather just to have fun with the build and maybe show some things to the kids and have them help to their level of comfort.  So far I have the bulkheads, knee and keel done or in progress, so I'll have to grab some pictures before any next steps!

30 minutes ago, Chuck said:

The contemporary model is the original primary source for the carvings.   It was a very important model and made at the time the original ship existed.  So there is absolutely no reason to believe they are an accurate representation of what actually appeared.  You cant get better than that.  To use anything else would be far more speculative and unlikely.  I would absolutely encourage you to start your own build log so any questions you might have would be asked there.   It would also be better for the group to see your progress.  Join the group....dont be shy.

 

Chuck

 Thank you Chuck, and will do on the log!

On 4/22/2019 at 4:23 PM, Chuck said:

Thanks for saying...

 

For those who asked, here is a non blurry photo of the figurehead.  It was getting dirty do to handling with dirty fingers.  So I cleaned it up and applied a coat of sanding sealer.  It looks really good in person but is surprisingly hard to photograph in focus.  The color matches the stem quite well and its still hard to believe this was carved by machine. I didnt use wipe on poly because I dont want it to darken too much.  The stem where it sits will be painted black eventually.   Compare with the contemporary model.  You can see how crude it was carved,  I dare say that Jack did an excellent job improving its appearance.

 

Actually the knee is painted blue and black below it.  I am not sure if I will do the same.  I may just go with black.  Note the headrails.  They are not carved.  Instead there are friezes painted on them.  That will be an interesting detail to replicate.

 

Thrilled to be starting this project!  I may start a build log as well.  So far so good.  Trying to do a lot of the construction on my own but will probably order some of the really intricate parts along the way, which leads me to a figurehead question. Sorry if it's a little off topic or has already been asked (I've looked as best as I can!), I just love the historical backstories.   This figurehead (beautiful by the way) looks to be based off of the original model.  Do you know, for this ship or any of the sister ships, if there are any historical references to the original figureheads?  Even the model in the museum for example, was the figurehead based on a known piece of information, or just a creative addition.  I wasn't able to find anything about them for any of the ships, other than lions were commonly used in the 1700's, but not always (very vague).  Really exciting project, thank you so much for putting this together!