g8rfan

So, the catheads are all nice and painted and got their faces. Once in place, I checked the distance from the tip of the bowhead knee to the outside edge of each and they were within 1mm of each other. Good enough for me. I was ready to move on to the bow heads and immediately ran into a problem. I started to attach the trailboards, but when I first positioned them I realized that the tip of the knee was much larger than the billethead. Not trusting myself, I went back and checked other buillds, photos and the plans and the "core" of the billethead definitely should not be sticking out I thought perhaps I had just made a mistake cutting the knee out in the first place, but when I went back and checked the template, it was perfect. and when I laid the trailboard on the template, it also seemed oversized.: Finally, I thought that perhaps it was the size of the trailboard, since this was a copy made from the Revell model, but when I compared it to the cast metal one from the BJ kit, they were essentially identical. It is interesting that the template in the BJ instructions has an internal outline (dotted line) that basically fits the profile of the billethead. They make no mention of this or trimming to fit, so before I just went ahead and removed the excess wood, I thought I would ask for some opinions. Kurt, since you also had the BJ kit, did you run into this same issue?

Hi guys, Yes, the kit does come with the carving. I was going to attach this after painting. I'll probably have to trim it a little to get it to fit properly, but hopefully not too much

Thanks Jon, I decided to skip the top cleat and the free standing sheave as well. I had been waiting on some #24 fish hooks to arrive to use as eyebolts. They finally got here and they are perfect. These things are tiny. The wire is .014" which makes the "eye" just slightly smaller than 1/64th. For comparison, here's a photo next to the 1/32 eyebolts provided by BJ With fish hooks in hand, I went about assembling everything. As I did, I got a little crazy. If you look at the photos above, you will see that the copper I used to make the "shackles" on the double blocks was a little thicker than the wire on the hearts. I decided to at least give a try at putting a hole through these and using a pin to attach them. I was successful on three out of four, so three of my blocks actually move freely. Everything else is glued fast with CA glue. I made up the cleat for the side using flattened copper wire. I bent a piece to make a little "J" shape and soldered this on to a flat piece. After snipping it down to size and using a very fine file to tidy up the solder, here is what I ended up with before attaching it, I actually thinned out the bottom edge a little more with a file. Finally, for the aft side, I used copper foil tape to make the square nut. I layered the foil to four thicknesses to give it some depth. I tried to make the little round nub that sticks out, but that was simply too small. The eye bolt on this side is a bit larger than the ones that connect the hearts and blocks on the other side, so instead of the fish hooks, I used one of my home made eyebolts, which are smaller than the 1/32 ones but bigger than the fish hooks. After getting everything on the catheads, this is what I got I just dry fitted one to get the photo, and for those paying attention, it is on the wrong side, but of course I will be sure to correct that when I permanently install them, which I will do once I get a coat of paint on them. All in all I was pretty pleased with the outcome. I'm ready to move on to the bowhead now.

Thanks Jon, that's perfect. Not sure I will bother with the free standing sheave on top. At my scale, it won't be much more than a pin head

At least it looks like a cleat, I'm not real sure.

Actually, now that I look a little closer, there is a cleat that is perpendicular to the top of the cat head just in from of the "hump"

r Thanks Jon As far as I can tell, there is just an eyebolt and the nuts for the bolts from the other side unless I'm missing something? Is there something in the shadow there close to the hull? I did forget to include the stop cleat on the other side, what you called an "H" bracket

Just so everyone can see what I'm working toward, I thought I would share the photo I got from Jon. It shows the hearts and the double blocks

I've been working on the hardware that goes on the catheads. Many folks seem happy to just put the eyebolts on, but these are there to attach three hearts and two double blocks. Tiny little additions, but one of those details that I felt worth adding. Using some photos received from our resident photo guru @JSGerson (thanks Jon) I estimated the size of the hearts needed were 1/16 and the double blocks were 3/32. Thankfully, he kit includes some 3/32 double blocks, but the hearts needed to be fabricated. I already had some tiny little jewelry crimp couplings, which are basically short little pieces of brass tubing - alot easier than trying to cut them myself. For the stropping around the heart, I used 28 gauge wire. These are attached to eyebolts on the cathead by means of a shackle, not a ring. I thought about a few ways to simulate that and finally came up with what I thought was a decent solution. After figuring out roughly how much wire was needed for the circumference of the heart, I then flattened out the wire on both ends. After wrapping the heart, this left the two flat ends sticking up to go on either side of the eyebolt. For a moment, I actually thought about trying to drill a hole through the "shackle" in which to put a pin but then came to my senses and decided to just glue these to either side of the eyebolt. I could have probably left the center open, since at this scale, it is hardly noticeable, but then decided to fill in the center with epoxy putty and using a very fine drill bit, opened up the top half to give it more of the look of an actual heart. The double blocks were also stropped with 28 gauge wire, but since these weren't round, I could never get the flat ends to come together properly and look like they should. After trying a few different things, I finally ended up stropping the block as tightly as possible and cutting the top of flush. Then, using a flattened piece of wire that was shaped in a "U", I VERY carefully soldered it to the top. Since the blocks supplied in the kit are made of cast Brittania metal, you can imagine how careful this operation needs to be. Too much heat and the top half of the part will just melt. At first, i used the same stainless wire used for the stropping to make the "U", but I found that this became very brittle after being pounded flat and did not take the solder that well. I changed to copper and found it to be much better to work with. It is far more malleable and solders easily. Also, it conducts heat much better and so I could touch the soldering iron to the copper instead of having to get so close to the actual part. that made it easier to keep from melting the part. Although great care had to be taken, the solder does have the advantage of being much stronger than glue. Here is the final result. They look a little crude, but once they get a coat of paint, i think they will look pretty good: Of course, the eyebolts here are going to be pretty tiny as well. I had talked before about making some very small eyebolts, and what I came up with was pretty decent, but someone else on this site had suggested fish hooks. Sure enough, these come in unbeleivably small sizes and are perfect. I've ordered some #24 fly hooks and waiting for those to arrive. Once they do, Ill be able to put everything together and paint it all at once

Progress is being made, slow but sure. As with all the other challenges of this model, the catheads were no different. I wanted to fabricate these with the triple sheaves in the end. The idea was to use a laminate method like that used by @JSGerson (post#661). The problem is, at my scale, it meant the layers to make the holes were going to be very thin. There was also a problem with the dimensions. The catheads are meant to be 15 inches thick, which at scale would be 5/32 (10/64). There was no easy way to divide that up so that the spacing was even. My solution to the latter problem was to make them just slightly smaller than they were supposed be. With 9/64ths, I could make the outside edges 1/32 each and the internal spacing evenly split into 5x1/64 For most of the pieces I used 1/32 basswood sheet and used a laser engraver (one of my favorite toys) to cut out the shapes. Since I didn't have 1/64 wood sheet, I used poster board, which conveniently is exactly 1/64th of an inch thick. To make the holes for the sheaves, I used a file to thin two of the sections down to 1/64, thus leaving a 1/64th opening. These thinned out gaps were filed at a 60 degree angle to match the end of the cathead. Once installed, this gives a vertical hole. The third hole was made using the 1/64 poster beard, which was cut to match the filed down sections of 1//32 wood. Of course filing the 1/32 wood down to give uniform depth and size was tricky, however, I came up with a pretty good solution. I used the holes left behind in the posterboard from where I had cut out the 1/64 pieces. By placing the wood pieces in the matching holes, I could simply file down until the file was flush with the poster board, and marked the poster board for reference so I could keep the file properly angled. Since I'm making the bow as she appeared in 1812, the lower rail will not curve up into the cathead as she does now. Instead it fairs into the hull and the catheads are supported by independent knees. These were also cut out and assembled in the same manner to give an overall thickness of 9/64. Once all the pieces were cut and filed, they were glued together using wood glue. Here's how they turned out: Next, I'll drill a hole through the sheaves and install a piece of dowel to act as the internal pulley. lastly they'll get some light sanding to remove the burn marks from the laser and to polish up the shape and a coat of paint before putting on all the hardware.

Sorry Jon, How's this

Hey Jim, sorry I haven't chimed in sooner. You have definitely had your share of fun with the solid hull. I think any of us who have worked on one has had some or all of the issues you have had. Good job with all the fixes. Good luck with the coppering. I hope my little template works well for you. Let me know if you have any trouble or questions. Enjoy the journey, it's just begun

And then there were two. Before attaching these, I plan to get the cat heads done and installed. Thanks Jim, glad you like my approach.

Congrats Jon! I'm sure you're glad to get that behind you. As always, you are an inspiration, showing that with a little perseverance, anything can be accomplished. Keep up the great work

Thanks Clipper, appreciate you stopping by. Here's the first finished trailboard

Hello all, back again. So since the decision was made to stick with the Hull/Revell model, at least for the most part, I took the leap and opened up the bulwarks from where the catheads protrude, back to the first gun port. The cast metal tailboards supplied in the kit didn't have as fine a detail as the ones on the Revell model, so once again, I set about making a mold and casting new pieces. I thought I would show a little more of the process this time. First, the trailboards had to be enclosed to give a cavity to make the mold. I used modelling clay to build this up. I planned to tilt the hull so that the end of the stem was at nearly the same height as the end of the trailboard, that way, I didn't have to make such a deep mold care has to be taken to make sure every little hole is sealed up from the back. Then, the two part silicone is mixed and poured in. The silicone sets up in about 45 minutes, but I let it sit overnight to make sure it is fully cured. Once cured, the mold peels away easily and cleanly. Then I once again used automotive Bondo to make the new piece. Although the Bondo is fairly fluid initially, you still have to work it into all the little details to make sure there are no air bubbles. The Bondo sets up in about 5 minutes, so you have to work quicckly, and then again, I let it cure overnight before removing. Finally, the piece was thinned down so that it could be fit properly against the stem and hull. Next up, painting the trailboards and fabricating the catheads

Makes sense. Thanks Kurt

Thanks guys, as usual, both of you have been a huge help. Jon, once again impressed with your library of photos. Of course, all of this has given me a lot to ponder. Although I really like the look of the current bowhead rails, I did start this project with the intention of building her as she was in 1812 against Guerriere. I have to assume that the men who made the Hull model knew what their ship looked like. With that in mind, i think I will proceed with this simplified version. Of note to me, the bowhead timbers are all black without the white trim they have now. The second rail (Lower rail) is completely absent. The upper half of the bulwarks is open all the way back to the first carronades. The boomkins protruding from the bowhead is non-existent today. i assume these were replaced by some of the hardware attached to the sides of the catheads now? Lastly, the top of the false rail is black, and not white as it is now. I'm sure there are a few other details, but those are the ones that stand out most to me

Hi Kurt, Thanks for the heads up and all the very useful info and photos. I have already been a bit perplexed by the position of the catheads. The "simplified" version definitely looks like it would be easier to do, and I am trying to be true to her appearance in 1812, but esthetically, I feel compelled to stay with the current configuration. The way the second rail fairs into the cathead, although complex (and intimidating) looks so much more elegant. I'm curious if this version was actually a quick fix after the damage suffered in the collision with USS President that didn't get changed until a later restoration? Jon, you are the man with the photos. Do you have any that show a pretty good view of the bowhwead on the Hull model?

Thanks guys. Really appreciate (and need) the encouragement. This ship is more than a challenge, but so far, still having fun.

After getting the roof in place, I had planned to actually frame out the windows with wood, but first thought I would check the dimensions by placing the kit supplied windows in the space to see how they fit. Much to my disappointment, there was a huge gap along the bottom sill. Since the top seemed to fit OK, I knew that the curve was correct. After studying it a bit, I came to the conclusion that the scroll piece below the windows was tilted outward too much and needed to have a little less angle to it. not sure how this could be since I used the Navy plans to create the frame piece that the scroll leaned up against. I decided the best thing to do would be to rip everything off and start over again. not an easy task since I had used extra CA glue to reinforce everything. After soaking everything with debonder, I managed to pull off the scroll piece and the frame without too much damage. I redid the frame piece with a little less outward curve to it, so the scroll piece would fit tighter and not have as much outward angle. Meanwhile, I decided that it was going to be easier to use the kit supplied windows than trying to frame this out myself. I wanted to have the windows open, so that meant thinning out the piece and carving out the individual windows. I thinned out the backside as much as possible with the Dremel and a sanding wheel. After that, I drilled a hole in the middle of each window andd then moving outward, I used a #11 X-acto blade to slowly carve out the metal. The Brittania metal is surprisingly soft and can be carved easily if you just take a little at a time. Once the windows were more or less carved out, the edges and corners were finished off with files. Before attaching them, I painted them and then glued on the cellophane for window panes I filed in the gaps with epoxy putty, got everything smoothed out, and then painted, including some touch up to the windows. Once painted, they didn't look too bad, at least not to me. Considering how much I lamented over this little portion of the project, I was satisfied Now onto the bow, which I have decided to tackle before moving on to the gun deck

Satisfied with the bottom half of the gallery, I moved on to the roof. I attached to ceiling (part C in the plans) and used this as a guide to attach the shingled portion of the roof. Of course, with such a fine toilet, I just had to add the sconce light to the wall. This was fabricated from a piece of brass wire, and some clear styrene sprue that I had heated up and stretched to give the glass on top. it's just a little out of scale, but I thought it gave a decent look

Thanks Jon, I will admit, I didn't get it perfect on the first try (thus the six week lapse) but the silicone is pretty easy to use. The main thing one has to think about are the edges, and how to build up the putty or clay to hold the silicone while it sets. Flat pieces aren't too bad. Making a 3D part would be a bit more of a challenge. As for the paint, I did use a pretty fine tip brush. The biggest secret is cleaning the brush frequently to keep the paint from drying out on the brush - and using 5X readers to see what you're doing Thanks for the compliment

On to the quarter galleries. As I mentioned before, this is the one part of the ship that i find the most intimidating. Trying to put together the 5 part puzzle of cast metal pieces supplied in the kit was for me like trying to play 3D chess without looking at the board. After playing with my little mock up of the stern, I thought I could frame out the galleries using the Navy plans and just fit the pieces onto the frames. This didn't quite work out, and probably has something to do with the kit being based on the 1812 ship and the plans being based on a later restoration. In any event, a little tweaking of the dimensions of the framing and a little trimming of the metal parts and i had something I thought would come together nicely. My original plan was to get the counter in place, attach the side scroll piece, then get the roof attached and finally be able to frame up the windows in the space remaining. That was the plan anyway. So, I started off getting the floor and the side frame attached. I used some left over pieces of the scribed decking that I had to "plank" the floor and the entranceway. This was stained with a mix of minwax golden pecan and gunstock. Of course I had to include the seat, complete with toilet for the captain. Once all that was in place, I attached the scroll piece for the bottom counter. That piece was back filled with epoxy putty (KwikWood by JB Weld) that was shaped to fit snugly against the hull. All of this was attached using CA glue. once all was firmly in place, any gaps, etc were filled in using the same epoxy putty.

It's been a month and a half, but I'm back. I'm sure some of you out there thought "well, another newbie bites the dust", but I'm still hangin' in there. After mocking up the transom and getting a good idea of how I was going to tackle the whole stern, I realized that before getting started on the quarter galleries, I needed to have the transom in place so I could get everything properly aligned. Using two part silicone, I made a mold of the Revell transom This part was fairly easy and the detail is amazingly sharp. I tried several different materials to then make the actual part starting with something called Resincrete. This plastic-like material is a dry powder that is mixed with water to produce a hard resin. It pours very easily and produced very nice details with no bubbles, but the part was very brittle and difficult to work with. A thicker piece would probably hold up much better. I then turned to two-part epoxy. This made a very nice part that was surprisingly flexible after hardening and was easy to sand down. However, great care had to be taken to insure that the epoxy flowed into the deeper details like the crowns on the window pillars. No matter what I did, there were always bubbles. Since I went to great lengths to allow the epoxy to slowly flow into the deeper parts of the mold, I believe the problem was actually being generated as the epoxy cured. It does heat up a bit during the process and was likely forming bubbles. Here is a photo of the part being made with two-part epoxy that had been reinforced by the addition of carbon powder: I finally tried using good old automotive Bondo. The down side to this is that it tends to harden fairly quickly and so I had to be quick about filling the mold and making sure the material flowed into all the little crevices. The upside was it did not produce bubbles like the standard epoxy did. it took a couple of tries to get a piece that I was satisfied with. The transom of course is slightly convex, so the finished part is thick in the middle. Using the Dremel with a combination of engraving and sanding bits, I thinned out the middle until the windows were clear and the part was fairly uniform in thickness. Once thinned, the piece was fairly flexible and it was easy enough to get it to conform to the contour of the stern. I planked across the stern, leaving enough hanging over the edges to allow for the transom. Before doing this though, I had to do a little adjusting to the window openings. I had originally used the PE transom as a guide for the framing, and the Revell widows are spaced just slightly different. After painting the transom, i glued on some thin cellophane for the window panes and then attached the transom using E-6000 adhesive. Here's the final result: As you can see, I went with the same color scheme seen on the Hull model. In the photo, you can make out the nameplate lettering. I didn't bother removing this from the part, as it is not accurate to the time period, but I did leave it black. From about a foot away it is not really visible. I had to add some additional planking to the stern counter to even everything out after adding the transom, which I hadn't painted yet when I took the photo. All this will get taken care of when I finish the quarter galleries