Sjors

Been a bit since that last update... I stripped off 5 strakes of planking at the stern and reworked it with some help in the form of advice and mentoring from Dan and Druxey.  They set me straight and on the right path.   I'll do a bit more sanding (still rough only for now) and then turn the hull around and to the other side.  I did some templates and the shapes look pretty close so I think that side will go a bit quicker.  I shouldn't have to plank, rip off the planks, sand and then replank several times... 
 
I have a dummy fashion piece held in with the blue pin to get the plank ends correct and I'll be fitting the real thing later. I'm not too worried about the plank ends being 100% squared up as there's a reasonably wide covering trim plank that will go over them.  Besides, isn't it supposed to be deal with one headache at a time.
 
I just noticed....my work area is beyond messy... sorry.
 
Thanks for the comments, the help, and the support.  Back to motoring on and making sawdust.
 

I'm hoping for opinions..  and fear not, I can take critique... 
 
I've sanded and shaped quite a bit on the last cant frame and the transoms.   Is this better?  Does it need more work?
I removed 5 planks, the 3 now installed are only tacked into place and will need beveling, etc.   But I wanted to get an opinion.  I'm thinking they look 100% better, but not sure how "accurate" it is.  Do I need more work on this area?
 
I managed to sort out what my references show (unfortunately, no planking expansion but that's to be expected) for plank that's now wrapped around a bit.  Which what the references seem to show.
 
Thanks in advance.  
 

To quote Shakespeare's King Henry V: "Once more unto the breach, dear friends,"
Or maybe Daniel (Dafi):   "Mass Destruction!!!! hihihihi!!!!"
 
Bottom photo is the mod to be made... I need to arc more.   Planks are stripped, power sander and sanding sticks at the ready... 
 


 
 

Here are a few shots of the lanterns and other areas fore and aft, showing the fiber optics and yellow LEDs.
For now I have the wires attached to a 9 volt battery, but will be installing a proper switch box later.
 

 

 

 

Finally, a long overdue update! I started out well with photos of each step and then as life got busy the photos fell by the way. The last few pictures are of each completed piece without process pictures. 
 
I experimented with a few different materials for the stern lanterns, but finally settled on card. The lanterns could not be solid because of the fiber-optics that I had to feed up through the tiny brass tubing and into the lanterns. This was a very tricky process due to the tight fit and bends. I'll try to add some pictures in the next day or so with the lanterns "lit".
 

 

 

 

 
Some more items completed.
 

 

 

 
And placed on deck. I also completed the first of three sets of spiral staircases.
 

 
I also managed to make and place some of the decorative pieces and dolphins.
 

 
Last, but not least, a shot of the stern so far and profile. 
 

Please enjoy the pics.
Best regards
Doris

And here are some pics from the room, where I keep all my models:
 

I wasn't going to post this photo of the QD main rail but it keeps 'calling' me.
 
Note the simulated sheaves in the lower stanchions.  The lower rail is doubled to produce a nice beaded effect whereas the upper is a single so as not to make it too massive.  I left it in natural finish (rather than the suggested black) as I'm going with black for all the belaying pins and, against the swiss pear deck, we see a nice contrast.
 

 
Onward to the long forgotten bow!

struggling taking decent photo.s in the man cave - will try better tomorrow,
 
Im making hard work out of this - but thorougly enjoying it
 
i am finding following the kits plans absolutely useless, most of the lines are tied off which means they served no purpose, tomorrow i will also label up the photo's 

Bowspit rigging -

did some rigging today, 
 
today feeding lines from the knight-head through single blocks to the dolphin striker, not much achieved but enjoyable
 
the spiritsail lower yard is temporary pinned to ensure i don't do anything stupid in the months ahead
 
getting a little confused though how the spirit top saill is going to be fitted, imo the cloth would be snagged by the lines passing through the dolphin striker towards the top of the Jib 
anyway - i am sure i will find an answer

still finding my feet again as i well and truly get back into the build
 
made the spiritsail yard and placed my first line onto the build, hopefully it will still be there tomorrow unless i am told the error of my ways and do it all over again
 

 
going by the plans (well that was a stooooopid mistake I drilled the holes but the line fouls the lower cheek so a few holes to patch up - i dont see any other way around it

]Good evening everyone - briiliant day, but as i have friends who are Australian i will not mention the test match
 
spent most of the day experimenting - on fitting blocks and doing strops - so although not much progress done - it is getting me into a routine of procedures 




 
tomorrow hope to progress the rest of the foremast - but tonight she looks like this - sorry about the phots
 

Not much of an update, but decided to try and replicate the way the blocks are secured onto the lower top, these will be painted - depending on wether i change my mind and try some other way over night

Good evening everyone
 
Thank-you for the replies 
 
well after a good hours dusting her off - i have reminded my self of all the bits that need to be done/ to be finished or re worked - lol the gun-port lids are not on any of them - im sure they were part of the reason for her being put to one side
 
the three masts continue to be worked on - i have still to properly define which parts are black, or yellow - 

After eight months away - the cobwebs have been blown off the Vic and new sits back on the WIP bench - progressed a few other plastic model projects but nothing was finished (my life story), but this this project was always at the back of my mind, just lost the mojo 
 
anyway back to the masting - and placing the deadeyes in their representative strops on the fore mast lower top
 
hope now to catch up on some of the fantastic build logs here
 
 

I held the tooth picks in my Dremel & sanded them sharp on some sanding sticks- first coarse then fine. Just a dab of glue & stick it in the hole. I snipped them off with fingernail clippers. After sanding them down I am satisfied how they look. I just hope they wont look darker when stained because they show their end grain.
 

Decided not to have the fake sheaves as the kit instructs. I don't have a lot to work with so I made mine by layering pieces of wood. Glued & shaped them. I didn't have an easy way to make pulleys this small so I just put a toothpick through without the pulley. I figure it's so small once the rope is pulled through you wont see the difference anyway. Cut out the spaces for them in the planks & glued them in place. They still look rough- need sanding down & the openings shaped up more even. Will work on this as the planking is done.
 

Had to pull up some planking where it didn't line up with the gun ports the same on each side.  When I got to the stern I found the same problem. The pencil marks on each side shows I had it half a plank off. Pulled this up & got it right. Added the counter planking. Cut out the gun port holes in the transom  & glued it into place.
 

Now starts the planking. Cutting & filing out around the gun & sweep ports. Glued on some of the first few planks. Here is where you find out if you got the spacing on both sides right on the previous steps. Looking at the sliver of planking under the gun port on each side looks like I am very slightly off by a millimeter or less. Think I can live with that!
 

I finally got the other pictures out of the camera.   when the camera was ready to go,  the clamps had been removed from the two decks.  I was doing some dry fitting,  as well as painting some of the part with flat white.
 

 
I had looked through Doris's complete build log......for those who haven't seen it,  it is a work of art.  she reveals another botch in the kit's design...........I may follow suit with her solution.
 

 
these countersunk structures look good from the sides.......but what of the ends?   to be honest,  I saw a glimpse of this earlier,  but didn't think much of it until I read her log.   both raised decks are like this.
 

 
I had mentioned that I botched up the forward skylight......tried to mask the windows,  since it was made from clear plastic.   it didn't go as planned.
 

 
the only solution was to clean off the paint and try redoing it.........I was going paint the windows with the window maker, to see if that would fix the scratches I had put into them.   but my luck went downhill fast........the part simply crumbled and broke in my hands!
 

 
if you recall what I had mentioned earlier,  clear plastic is pure styrene..........harder,  unforgiving,  and apparently a bit more brittle,  that plastics that have had color additives added to them.   the only recourse here,  is to make another one. 
   I was talking to the admiral about getting some thinner plastic sheet to make it from.........and then I realized that I had those decks from the United states kit.........I could use that      so I've trimmed all the raised stuff off of one of the pieces,  and I now have plenty of sheet plastic ti make it......as well as fix the problems with the raised decks.   we'll see where I go from here 

I just looked in my pictures folder,  and I found these two that I had imported before recharging my camera.   rigging the decks needed to be done at this stage.    the stern section was rigged with back stays.......then the funnel lines were added to the boat deck.
 

 
then the A deck and the boat deck was cemented together
 

 
I have other pictures,   but they are still in the camera   I'll post them later 

This side now planked between wales,gunports roughed out and given a rough sanding.Final finish sanding a little later when the other side is complete.I am kind of liking the 'clean' look,I may rethink the treenailing
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

OK a little bit of an update
Planking work is progressing extremely slowly.All boxwood planks have been glued with aliphatic resin but I have reverted to epoxy for the Ebony 'Black strake'.Slow going as it works out at four parallel planks from lower chainwale down to the black strake.These planks have to conform to the sheer and many compound curves of the hull.Some severe clamping techniques have been employed to allow this.Various 'dogs' have been spot glued to the hull allowing the use of wedges and 'stops' have been spot glued to get the planks to follow the sheer.These are only obechi so are easy to break off and sand flush.The pencil line represents the waterline,which is in abeyance yet as to whether I will splice the ebony/boxwood along this line.
Received my Brynes drawplate this week ,fixings will be boxwood on boxwood and copper on the ebony.
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel