Willi

Hello everyone Some progress... The gammoning with it's cleats, iron hoops of the bowsprit and the bumpkins are installed. Herzliche Grüße Willi

Hello everyone For the bouquet, I stripped a low-voltage stranded wire, twisted one end together, unraveled the other, and bent the ends over, then glued pieces of tissue paper over them. Maybe I'll come up with something better, but for now, I'll leave it as it is. I'm not entirely happy with the lady's eye area yet, but that's the case with almost all my figures of this type and size: they're too deeply hollowed out. This creates very dark shadows, which, if you look closely, create a zombie-like expression. This happens when I try too often to correct the facial expression, because this can only be done by removing material. If the light falls correctly, i.e., without casting shadows, the result is quite okay. Besides, these strong shadows make the eyes recognizable at normal viewing distances, so they're okay. Herzliche Grüße Willi

Hi Frank @g8rfan Thank you for your kind words. Regarding your question: I work with a Proxxon drill with a flexible shaft, but also with small chisels and knives. Herzliche Grüße Willi

I felt like I was looking into the face of a dead person. So I reworked the figure, just a few tiny cuts....

Hello everyone The figurehead: First, I tried to draw the figure to fit its size and shape. Here, it fits quite well, but it's looking too downward. The direction of view is now correct, but a piece is missing at the bottom. This is ok. Carving: still a bit too strong, the lady, too many workouts I guess I'm still missing a few pieces of cloth that will extend the figure aft, and of course, the little flower it's supposed to hold in its right hand. I'm not sure how to do that yet. Herzliche Grüße Willi

Small progress: The bumpkins have been made. Part of the length has an octagonal cross-section. Because these things are very small and curved, and taper towards the end, I couldn't think of a sensible way to machine them precisely and with sharp edges. The first attempt resulted in the area being perceived as more round. I then used a visual trick by giving the beveled surfaces a slightly concave shape with a ball-end milling cutter. We'll see if I leave it at that or if I can think of something else to improve them. I can't install them yet; they would get in the way when lashing down the bowsprit and adjusting the figurehead. Herzliche Grüße Willi

Hello everyone There's been a little progress, as small as its parts. There are probably around 60 eyebolts with rings that had to be made and installed. In the first photo, you can see four thimbles at the top. I didn't use them, though; they were too big. A lot of work for a barely visible result. Herzliche Grüße Willi

Hello everyone The channels an their chains: That brings me to the current status of the work. I'm not satisfied with everything. There's a gap between my expectations of myself and my abilities. Even though I hope you enjoyed the little journey so far. to be continued... Herzliche Grüße Willi

Hello everyone A few details: to be continued... Herzliche Grüße Willi

Hello Keith, thank you for the kind words. Let's move on to the capstan. The descent to the cabin The galley to be continued... Herzliche Grüße Willi

Hello everyone The head... As mentioned elsewhere, it's difficult (for me) to create a profile on a curved strip. Here, I worked with several layers. to be continued... Herzliche Grüße Willi

Hello everyone Furniture... to be continued... Herzliche Grüße Willi

Hello everyone the belfry to be continued... Herzliche Grüße Willi

Hello everyone different doors... to be continued... Herzliche Grüße Willi

Hello everyone Internal Affairs... to be continued... Herzliche Grüße Willi

Hello everyone Let's continue with the carvings. to be continued... Herzliche Grüße Willi

Hello everyone Progress on the planking. Carvings on the stern. to be continued... Herzliche Grüße Willi

Hello everyone Planks usually look somewhat straight on the hull. But in reality, they aren't. Here is the comparison of a plank with a ruler. Here I'll show you my method for finding the right plank shape. Starting material. Here, a strip of ebony. The bottom edge of the new plank is measured from the top edge of the adjacent plank using parchment paper or paper tape. The template thus created is glued to the ebony strip... ...and sawn out. It is moistened and bent over a camping stove. Once again, the plank-ruler comparison. Fits to be continued Herzliche Grüße Willi

Hello everyone A special and unique feature of the l'Anémone is the upper end strip of the transom. To stabilize the stern structure, it had to be manufactured and installed now. Due to its curved shape, I couldn't use a scraper. Therefore, the strip was hand-cut using a small milling tool. to be continued... Herzliche Grüße Willi

Hello everyone All frames in place. The finishing touches are still missing. Jig for installing the stern timbers. First plank (the one between the wales) For greater strength, the plank was lashed vertically. Installation of the waist rails (?) planking goes on to be continued... Herzliche Grüße Willi

Hello everyone Hello everyone The rear (hopefully these are the correct terms or are translated correctly) How I made the frames: Copy the plan, cut out the paper frame. Disassemble the paper frame into its individual parts. Glue the segments onto a boxwood strip. Consider the grain as much as possible. Cut out. Clean, sand. Reassemble the individual parts to form the two frame halves (almost like a puzzle). Assemble the frame halves (left before, right after pre-shaping). Installation to be continued Herzliche Grüße Willi

Hello everyone I've been asked several times to post a construction report. So I'm trying to fulfill this request with my current project. I'll start with a summary of the construction progress so far. This will be done in several steps and will probably take some time. I started in June 2024. the hawse timbers (compared with those of la Vénus on the same scale): The pictures show what happened next. At this stage, a decision had to be made. The first carvings on the bow had to be created now, as this area will be difficult to access later. This meant I had to decide on one of the three sister ships. They differ almost only in their decoration. For his plan, Gérard Delacroix chose L'Amarante. Its figurehead was an ornate coat of arms. La Palme and L'Anémone had female figures as figureheads instead of coats of arms. My decision...well, what can I say...I prefer a pretty woman.😉 In conjunction with the decorations on the stern, I chose the l'Anémone. The carvings on the bow were interpreted by Giampierro Ricci and Vladimir (marsalv) as open, or free-floating. However, this seemed too delicate to me for such an exposed element subject to heavy seas. My interpretation is therefore as follows: to be continued...

Hello everyone I'm overwhelmed by the warm welcome here in the forum, thank you very much. It is amazing how much expertise and craftsmanship I have already discovered here, although my journey through the forum has only just begun. Please excuse the delay in getting back to you, but although it's hard to believe, there is life beyond model building. A number of people have expressed the wish that I start a build log here. As an example, Mike is quoting: This question isn't so easy to answer. Currently, as mentioned, I'm busy building the 1:48 scale L'Anémone. The construction is already well advanced. All that's missing are a few eyebolts and rings, the bumpkins, and the figurehead. If you'd like, I could try to post a summary of the construction so far and then finish it here. If you'd like to see the full construction report, you can do so in the German forum for ship modeling and history. https://www.segelschiffsmodellbau.com/t9743f2748-quot-L-An-eacute-mone-quot-franzoesische-Korvette.html Herzliche Grüße Willi

Hello Mike It's been a while since I built these RC models, but I'll try to answer your questions as best I can. I have a preference for boats with square sails. This presents a problem. If the braces are shortened on one side, the constantly changing angles cause the brace on the other side to hang loose. To prevent wooling, I use a system developed by a member of the mini-sail group. The principle is a wraparound sheet to which the braces are tied. This circulating sheet can be installed below deck, but there are other options, as the drawing shows. The drawing shows the steering of the sails on the foremast of the Chapman frigate. How exactly the technology is installed depends very much on the options offered by the model. Some examples: This picture shows the technology in the Chapman yacht. The following pictures show the technology installation on the cutter "Le Cerf." The sail winch is installed in the companionway, and the circulating sheet is led forward and over the deck through small holes (not yet installed on this photo). All braces are led from the bowsprit onto the circulating sheet. The foresails and mainsail have their own winches. Different models, different solutions. There are a few things to keep in mind with everything. The circulating sheet has a winch with a double spool. When one spool is wound, the other is unwound. Since the circulating sheet is wound onto the spools in multiple layers, the length pulled out changes with each revolution. To compensate for this, it is important to equip a block with a spring at the turn point to keep the sheet taut at all times. This could look something like this: Not all systems always work flawlessly. It has proven advantageous to run the circulating sheet above the deck. This provides easy access and makes repairs easier. I can't remember how many times I have rebuilt or completely replaced the entire technology in my models. Over the course of several decades, it has continued to evolve, and the development continues. Time and again, problems have to be dealt with, such as winches that are too weak, brass angles that are too small, too little travel, or lines that wrap around a cannon or a beting. Nowadays, I actually spend more time sailing than on repairs. It used to be the other way around. The Chapman schooner, in particular, sails quite reliably. Perhaps I'll figure out how to upload a video of it soon. Here's the link to a video of the Chapman schooner: Herzliche Grüße Willi

Hello Thomas Thanks for your interest. Regarding your question: After some experimentation with different varnishes, I achieved very satisfactory results with a polyurethane resin, which can be purchased in Germany under the trade name G4 from Voss Chemie. When applied in several coats with decreasing dilution, it provides good protection against water. It's transparent, so you can still clearly see the wood structure. The only drawback is that it has a very high shine. This can be remedied by applying a coat of matte stair varnish after the actual varnish has cured. This should also be based on polyurethane resin. A fiberglass mat was laminated on the inside with epoxy resin.