SiriusVoyager

Footings added around the capstan. The instructions called for using 1.5 x 1.5 mm strip. I either couldn't find the strip or there wasn't quite enough supplied as I had already used 3 in making crate frames. I used some planking scrap and cut out my own strips. The aforementioned crates seemed like they would be relatively straight forward to make. In theory they were, but in reality making so many sides exactly the same size was tricky. It seemed that no two pieces could be cut the same size, no matter how many times I measured, measured against each other, and made sure the blade was just in the right spot. Every piece was a different size. At this size, half a millimeter is a large error. I found the simplest thing to do was to cut every piece slightly oversize then sand until everything fit more precisely.

Welcome to MSW!

Welcome to MSW!

I am a big fan of the city of Leiden as I had a great visit there. I will also be visiting Finland in a few months and am really looking forward to that trip. Welcome to MSW!

I blackened what should the last of the brass parts. Mostly eyelets and nails. To do it quickly and efficiently, I used an old film canister with holes drilled into it. I then lowered it into a jar of a very unscientifically measured 1:3 Brass Black and distilled water. Swirled for a few seconds until blackened to my liking, then dipped in distilled water to stop the reaction. There is also a coat of shellac on the nails and eyelets as well. Next was blackening the chains for the dead eyes. The model kit uses a pieces of brass wire to make the chains. I didn't want to blacken the wire first because of concerns with ruining the finish while working. I was also concerned about blackening after the wire was installed due to possible staining of the dead eyes. I decided to try out blackening the installed chains with the dilute solution of Brass Black with a cotton swab. It worked ok, and solution was dilute enough that there is no noticeable staining of the dead eyes. One side of the chains installed into the channels. I will have to make sure that the dead eye and lanyard aren't blocking the gun port once rigged.

Looks like a cool build. I look forward to seeing it!

Welcome to MSW!

Welcome to MSW!

Welcome to MSW! Look forward to seeing the build log

The upper capstan attached to the deck. 8 guns half way made. The guns just need the rigging and installation. A couple of the axles look like they need to be trimmed. If needed, I will touch them up with a dab of black paint.

Looks like quite the build! Looking forward to following this one.

That looks pretty good. I will have to see if I can arrange the wire in a similar way. I should be able to.

Good to know. Thanks! I was assuming the wire would be too tight to get the deadeye in or out, but I can give that a try. Thanks!

I can’t think of another way of doing it. The closest I can think of would be gluing the deadeye to the chainwale and making it look like the deadeyes are anchored to the hull. I’m not sure I could do it in a way that looks good. That may be the simplest solution. Thanks! Yes, with a torch. I will look into the Plum Brown.

On the kit I am working on, the brass wire needs a bit of bending and twisting. I want to blacken it, but I am concerned about working it after being blackened. My plan is to anneal the brass, blacken it, then shape it. My worry is that I will ruin the black finish by bending and twisting the metal. If I blackened the brass after working with it, the Brass Black will stain the deadeyes. Any suggestions on how to approach this is much appreciated.

Thanks!

I have been jumping around the instructions at this point. The capstan in the instructions didn't resemble any capstan I had ever seen. I am pretty sure they didn't use metal handles at the time either, so I modified it a bit. I cut out two circles and 4 wedges, glued them together and sanded them into shape. I also made 4 wooden handles. The caps were scrap pieces of laser cut sheets. The wedges and the handles are two pieces of scrap planking glued together and cut, carved and sanded into shape. I used "special" walnut stain to color it. I think I am slowly getting better at this. The capstan is simple and may not be totally accurate, but I think it looks better than how the kit designed it. I also started working on the hatch grating. I was hoping the piece would all simply fit together, but they do not. The space between the teeth is just a bit too narrow. I used a piece of 150 grit sand paper folded four times to floss between the teeth. It seemed to make the spacing just wide enough. I also attempted to blacken brass for the first time. I was a bit intimidated at first because I was worried about messing it up. First I cleaned the brass parts with a wire brush attachment on a dremel. I then soaked the pieces in isopropyl alcohol for a few minutes to clean off any contaminates. Next I used cotton swabs to apply Brass Black to the cannons. After about 20-40 seconds when they started to look black I dipped them in distilled water then let them dry on paper towels. For the wheels I placed them all in diluted Brass Black and then rinsed. I was pleasantly surprised that the blackening worked out pretty well, and was pretty easy.

Nice work on that tug! Looks great!

The tug look wonderful! Great job!

Great looking ship you made there Olli! I would never guess that was a first model.

The instructions call this the main yard support. I am pretty sure there is a better term, but I couldn't find it. I made this the same way as the stanchions for the fife rail. I enjoyed carving these out. Belaying pin rails made and installed.

Four gun port frames glued in. There were also some wales attached which were stained with a walnut stain. The gunwale was also put in place as well as the chainwales. The mast fife pin rail also needed to be made. There was no laser cut puts here. They had to be carved and drilled. They came out better than I expected.

Welcome to MSW!

I believe you have to have a minimum number of posts (not sure on the number) before you are allowed to add a signature. Before you reach that number, the option will not even appear in your profile to edit.

Very nice carrack you have there. Welcome to MSW!