gieb8688

And finally, after the hull was painted I finished the interior details in the wheel house and added the glazing. I chose clear polystyrene because it was available in a thin enough sheet to work as scale thickness glass. What I hadn't bargained for was how easily it scratched and marked. I ended up replacing a lot of it several times due to inadvertent dings and scratches.
 
On to the fixtures and fittings. Pretty much all were scratch built from wood. I had hoped I could get at least some aftermarket parts like anchors or cleats and other deck fittings but almost everything on the boat was unique and converting a commercially available part would have been more trouble than it was worth. I did manage to find a pair of left and right propellers that were a perfect match and the stern flag. That was it, the rest were scratch built.
 
I asked the client to have a  good look at all the photos I'd taken to see if there was anything I'd missed or something else he wanted added before I finished it. He asked for his personal pennant to be added to the top mast and the New York Yacht Club pennant added to flag post forward. Also he had a tiny NYYC pennant pained on a storage locker on deck and he wanted that painted on. That was one of the most awkward parts of the entire project..! Finally he wanted a fender shown on the deck to indicate the boat was still a working vessel. So I obliged, and then packed it into it's large case. I set off for Greenwich Conn. to hand it over, not wanting to see another 'Dollhouse' project for a long time only to be handed the drawings of a Gar Wood speedboat to be built in 1/12 scale and told to "get to work"
 
Thanks for your kind comments everyone. I'm glad you like it.
 
Dan.
 

Part 3.
 
As the superstructure grew it was time to paint the hull before anything was fixed permanently. Several rub downs with wet and dry, a wipe over with a tack cloth, and then I painted the waterline area satin black. I marked out the waterline with the usual 'block at the right hight with a pencil stuck to the top of it' method and then masked off the waterline with masking tape of the correct thickness.  I sprayed below the waterline the same shade of blue as the anti fouling paint on the original vessel matched from a paint catalog. The topside hull was then sprayed white in several coats using Valspar acrylic spray cans. 
 
When the hull was dry, I peeled off the waterline tape leaving a nice neat black waterline. (Much later in the build when all the superstructure was on, I got a call from the client telling me they had repainted below the waterline with a green anti fouling paint and would I mind repainting the model to match.?   
I almost fainted at the news, but it actually went pretty smoothly and I was a lot more worried than I needed to be. Things that seem impossible often go smoothly. It's the simplest things that can sometimes give the most trouble!
I moved on to the stern which was varnished teak on the original and had a set of name decals for the various areas of the boat made up. Josh Mumia at Bedlam creations is the guy I use and he is amazing.
I just have to give him a photo of what I want and the sizes, and he can match any kind of lettering in any color.
 
After that, I added some more details to the wheel house and built the roof and the prop shafts and rudders. Finally I built the Dinghy.  As this was going to have a canvas cover over it like the original, there was no point in building an interior. I carved the hull from a laminated block of Basswood and shaped it by hand. I added the keel and then marked out the positions of the clinkered planks. The planking went smoothly and started on the rear deck and roof structure.
(continued) 

Part 2.
After I got the decks fitted, I installed the port holes in the sides of the boat. I drilled the openings with progressively larger drill bits and finally lined the hole with brass tube of the correct diameter. I did this because the glass on the boat is recessed and not flush to the hull sides. As the lower deck interior wouldn't be visible, I used acrylic rods about an inch long for the porthole glass and painted the ends black. This allowed a certain amount of light to bleed into the porthole through the sides of the rod but the black paint on the end didn't allow the viewer to see into the cabin.  Finally, I sprayed the hull with primer
 
Next, I started work on the deck  structures. The wheel house windows are very large and every detail of the interior is visible. There are a couple of fold-up bunks, chests of drawers, chart table instrument panel and throttles etc. even some 1920's light fittings that had to be copied from photographs. This came as a welcome break from all the planking and sanding and I soon had all four sides laid out and framed then joined together at the corners. The superstructure wood was Basswood, carefully selected for grain that looked like scale Teak. I spent quite a long time mixing oil paint and penetrating wood dyes together to get a good match for the existing teak on the actual vessel. Then I stained all the basswood sheets in one session before I cut them so I could mix the sheets together as I used them ensuring the different grain patterns were evenly distributed and I didn't wind up with one wall of the deckhouse darker than all the other three.
I built all the furniture separately and added it to the interior walls of the wheel house bit by bit. The drawer handles being particularly difficult to turn due to their tiny size. I built the rear deck house and then began dry fitting all the pieces in order to see if I was at least somewhere near the mark..! It all seemed to fit so I began building the instrument panel the throttles and planked the interior deck of the wheel house.
 
At this point I was nearly ready to fit the wheel house permanently and I decided to include my customary greeting card to any model maker in the future that finds himself below decks in the forward cabin! I usually write a little about myself and family, what day it is, what's happening in the world and a wish for them to have as pleasant a time fixing it as I had building it..!

A neighbour asked me if I wanted his sons old models as he was clearing his shed out. They just need tidying up.Theirs 4 in total,the three Iv got are the Scotish Maid, the Bounty and one I cant place yet. the fouth is big and has a box of magazines and stuff.

Hi Guys,
 
Well I have finally taken some pics of the case and will post them now.
 
Thank you one and all very much for your much appreciated support, comments, suggestion, remarks and help, not forgetting all those who hit the "like" button.
 
As you will see I had to pull the sideboard away from the wall by 5 inches, thinking that would be enough the said case was positioned by two burley friends of mine and guess what, it stuck out by a further 2 inches.
 
 
 
 
 
So there we are, these last few pics really do wrap this story up, hope you enjoyed the journey, hopefully I'll see you on the dark side, Popcorn is kindly supplied Sjors but you will need to bring your own torch.
 
Be Good
 
mobbsie

Final update !!!!!
 
She's finished......
A long journey but a wonderful one.
Thank you all for the comments and likes, helpful tips, pointing out the mistakes to me and more of that funny stuf   
It was a pleasure for me to build her  and to share it with you all !
The time has come to dust off the Agamemnon and go on with her.
 
Thank you all again 
 
Sjors
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Here is our own private fleet.
San Ildefonso, Corsair and the Albatros

You make progress when you can.  I have affixed the futtock templates for ten half frames using around one and a third  boards (3 inch by 24 inch, 1/8 inch thick).  For comparison sake, using the expedited method created two half frames per board length if memory serves correct.
 

 
Many different techniques that probably vary with wood type, but for basswood I evenly apply a coat of rubber cement to the wood and allow to dry, usually around 5 minutes.  Then I apply a second coat and apply the paper templates to the wet surface.  You have around 5 seconds of maneuver time to slide them around before I apply pressure from the center and rub outwards to insure flat and totally affixed.
 
After getting the other ten halves affixed I will rough cut out using the scroll saw and cut the mating joints using the Byrnes saw with my sled.
 
Mark

Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007
 
As promised I'm back to show more details on the work done .....
 
Here I will show the results of my work in the stem area. During these activities I accidentally broke a piece of the stemson, just near the figurehead should be installed.
 
The reason of this accident was due to the wrong direction of the wood fibres, that made the piece fragile. To repair the mistake I had to:
- glue the broken piece
- plank in the right direction some strips of mahogany (1x5mm.)
- level the three strips in ramin (the quasi-white wood) and install three new strips over them.
After that the piece is fully repaired and strong enough. The only problem is that now it is two millimeters wider.
 
In the last photo it is possible to see also the now finished lateral reinforcements of the wales in the middle of the hull.
 

 

 

This model represents my return to active shipmodeling after 40 years of inactivity . .
 
Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007
 
These three images are showing the model as it was yesterday, June 23.
 
They show the overall model. With respect of my previous messages I have done some new activities that I will show and explain better in the next messages, that will follow soon.
 

 

 

Lawrence, David, Bill and Jerry,  Many thanks.  I was out of town for the past several days and just returned.
David, the acrylic case with wood strips sounds like a great idea.
Bill, I can't imagine the Victory without a case. I think it would be a dust catcher, and little hands (grandchildren and great grandchildren) would eventually find their way into the rigging.  I'll likely follow what I did for the Constitution.
 
I made a case for the "USS Constitution" of glass (tempered, so that the glass would break into tiny bits if shattered).  Brass trim was added and when the top front is lifted, the front glass sheet can be lifted out for easy access.  And finally a table was made to fit the case.  The Constitution however, was somewhat smaller than the Victory.  It's a museum.
 
The model of the Constitution without a case.
 

 
Completion of the case.
 

 
And finally the supporting table.
 

 
Cheers, Gil

Posted: Mon May 21, 2007
 
May 2007.
 
And this is the Santisima Trinidad after I have terminated the second planking.
 
I had to spend three hours with sandpaper, and in very few places with some colored filler ... before to achieve this result but I think it is satisfactory.
 
The photos have been taken before the application of the oil. For this reason the color of the wood is not fully enjoyable. With the oil it looks much better. Now I have to wait two or three days to allow the oil to dry and the next activity will be the istallation of the whales ....
 
But to do this I need to think a way to curve properly the strips for the whales (mm. 2 x 4).
 
I'm thinking to adopt the following method: build some woodden blocks of the right shape of the curves and lock the strips (kept in water and ammonium for sometime) in the between.
But I need also time to do some other tests with steamers and/or a candle. There are also special pliers. After I will decide.
 
Bye to the next time .....
 

 

 

 

 

The second planking is completed sanded, filled, and sanded again and lastly finished off with wire wool, I have also lined the gun ports with lids, all the gun ports have been painted. One thing I did do was to add a 1mm strip to the bottom of the keel as to my eyes the distance between the planking and the keel bottom looked to narrow.
 
Bow planking

 
Stern post and stealers

 
second planking completed


 
First sanding

 
Filler aplied

 
Lined gun ports

 
Extra wood added to allow easier lining of bow gun port

 
After final sanding


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Ray,
 
Good Luck with your Diana. I just completed mine this past December. This is the oldest but one of the best Caldercraft kits. Overlook the poor instructions, toss 'em. The plans are quite good however, the materials are excellent. I loved upgrading this kit.
 
I have some photos in the completed ship gallery here you may want to look at - you know, inspiration! As you'll see, I decided to not copper her. I agree that the Victory Models copper plates are considerably better (I used them on the VM/Amati Mercury brig kit, same scale). YOu may want to think about this approach. Diana's lower hull lines are beautiful and the walnut planking does finish-up quite nicely.
 
Cheers!
Ron
 
 

Hi Guys thanks for the ticks
 
Jason I did not make the futtock strops as per the instructions I bought Amati 3mm deadeye futtock strops and hooks much better and very cheap. Some photos below.
 

Painted matt black

 

 

As promised gents here is my latest update.
 
SHE IS FINISHED, well to be truthful she has been for the last two weeks but I have been waiting for the display case to arrive, no luck yet so I'll post without the case and base.
 
I want to thank everybody who has followed this build and those who pressed the like button, to get 75,500+ hits has really taken me back and I thank you all for the support, help comments and advice, there has been plenty along the way and it's all been good.
 
This will be last big build for a couple of reasons, the first being space, I don't have enough space at home to display them properly, the museum has taken the smaller ships but it still leaves me with a problem, secondly is the repetitive work that these big ships require, there's a huge amount of planking, plating, gun making and gun rigging and so it goes on, so from now on it's only small stuff.
 
Hopefully this will be a one time only event, but I have a few shots of my first build, HM Brig Badger alongside Agamemnon, both are 1/64 scale and the difference is really surprising. Badger took me 4 months from start to finish and the Aggy has taken 19 1/2 months.
 
Anyway enough talk, lets see the pics, first up the two together.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I'm going to close this post and I'll open another with just the Agamemnon, I hope you enjoy these shots.
 
mobbsie
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Just a few more pictures of where i'm at, at the moment.
Struggled a bit rigging the gun tackle, seemed to take an age.
Then you cover most of it up with the top deck.
 

 
 
 
 Finishing of the head rail assembly now, can never seem to get that quite right.

sorry I haven't posted for a while but here's where I'm up to
at the moment. just started fixing the yards. recon ive got
a couple of months left before launch,
 
George 

Final steps in stowing the anchor.
 
An eye splice for lashing the anchor ring to the cat head.
 

 
Anchor ring lashed to the cathead.
 

 
Cathead tackle shifted to a sling on the anchor shaft.
 

 
Anchor in the stowed position.
 

 
Next up.  Fastening the cable to the anchor.
 
Gil

Anchor tackle at the cathead with the anchor ring in the hook. The line seized to the hook is the messenger to bring the block to the haus hole for retrieving the anchor.
 

 
Anchor ring hooked with the messenger line seized to hook.
 

 
Stowing the anchor.  Chain supporting the shaft.  Anchor ring still supported by the cathead tackle hook.
 

 
Another post follows

Well folks, one of the last parts have been made and installed on the O19, it's the Low Frequency transmit antenna.  That was a lot of fun to do.  As I was making the parts I changed a few things in the process.  In the end though it looks exactly the same as on the drawings and photos, which makes me very happy.
 
I immagine that this antenna can be removed and stowed when not in use and for submerged sailing.  I tried to do the same but the parts on the antenna mast keep falling off when handling the model so I just made it permanent.  We'll just have to imagine they can be unhooked.  
 
The cradle cables at the bow and stern can be removed though.  I made a few hooks that hook into the eyelets for that purpose.  
 
I'm very happy with how she looks and for all practical purposes she's finished, except for the dingy, the crew and a few spare parts.  I'll keep this log open till the dingy is done and the display board and case are completed and she's on display in my studio.
 
Here are a few pics of today's the work I did on the antenna over the last few days.  I could only devote a few hours a day, too many chores to do.
 

This drawing shows the general layout of the O19.  The Low Frequency antenna is shown at the top of the profile picture.  As I have mentioned before there were a few changes the builder had to make by request of the KM (Royal Navy), which I incorporated in my model.  
 

One of the changes I made was by removing the bracket I soldered to the mast top.  In its place I soldered a small piece of tubing to the mast top.  I attempted to make this thing move up and down via a simulated pulley system and then also with removable hooks that hold the antenna wires.  Thinking about it some more I slapped my forehead and called myself domkop.  This mast can be lowered and raised by the crew unhooking it would be an easy task.   Yeah, I could have made the guides as hooks and drilled holes in that small cross piece but just soldered them in.  Who knows, I may redo this at some other time. 
 

This shows the bridle cable assembly.  I made two, one for the bow and for for the stern (duh  )  The cable is made from two 0.08 pieces of copper wire from a telephone wire and then twisted.  The "trapeze" looking thingy is just a piece of 0.2 mm brass rod with a 0.1 mm brass wire soldered to it, then a small 0.5 brass tube where I soldered everting in.  A few small hooks from 0.2 brass rod.  
 

The bridle cable is hooked into the bow antenna and cable cutter frame.  The bridle is kinda blending in with the low frequency sensing antenna but it runs above it.  The stern picture shows it better.
 

The bow hookup seen from a different angle.
 

This shows the details of the antenna mast.
 

This is a better picture showing the antenna bridle and cable hooked into an eyebolt fastened to the aft deck. The crew escape hatch just misses it.
 

Starboard profile from the stern with the completed antenna installation.  We can also clearly see Remco's decals and flags.  They kept poor Remco from doing much work on his King Fisher   As you can see there is a nice stiff breeze blowing.
 

Starboard profile from the bow with the completed antenna installation.
 
Cheers,

Adding more details.
 
Making the Davits
 
Styrene used for foot steps.
 

 
Holes shaped by the drill to simulate line passing over a sheeve.
 

 
Guys and jackstay added.
 

Davit attached to hull.
 

 
Line weighted to create curve in jackstay. (Fast C/A between clamps, Clamps moved and second application of C/A)
 

 
Forward hinge at hull
 

 
Topping lift
 

 
Tackle for cutter
 

 
Aft block and hook
 
Haven't built the boats yet, but I'll have to study Grant's lovely cutters, pinnace, etc.  Cheers, Gil
 

 
Topping lift
 

 
Lines left to right, guy, topping lift and jackstay
 

 
Termination of topping lift from block on mizzen mast through block on deck ring
 

 
 
 
 

Hi all,
 
Years ago I read "Sailing Alone Around the World" by Joshua Slocum, and in January 2012 I decided that I would build his boat, the "SPRAY", in 1/48 scale POF with bent framing. The way Slocum built it.  I started asking questions on this forum, and I want to thank all those who answerd with help.  The information on this forum is invaluable.
 
Then the research began.  In the first chapter of his book, Slocum said he was given an old "fishing smack".  So I looked for fishing smacks of 1800.  About when his was built.  Someone suggested the "Emma C Berry" for framing, so I hunted for information on that boat.  I also gathered as many plan drawings of the "Spray" as I could find.  About five.
 
Now it was time to check and redraw the plans.  The first thing I discovered was that ALL the plans had errors.  Things like, the shear and section views would agree and the shear and the plan views would agree, but the width of the plan was no where near the same as the width of the sections.  Of the drawings I had, the drawing from the appendix in the book was the closest.  So I traced that into an old copy of AutoCad and worked out the errors.
 
Checking the fishing smacks plans had shown a frame spacing of from 15" to 22" I chose 18" for framing the Spray.  I drew a section at each frame.  I offset a line .031" inside to subtract the 1.5" planking Slocum used.  The frames will be 3" X 5" so again I offset another line .062 inside the planking for the frames.  This gave me the section lines for the plug I will carve to shape the frames.
 
I am going to plank only half the deck and deck houses so I can show the insides, taken from the sketches in Slocum's book. (See below)
 
Bob
 

Hi to all out there,
 
Just to let you all know a little of my history, I'm a widower (having lost my wife to cancer 4 years ago), am 66 years young and disabled, served in military uniform for over 36 years and am now retired, hence the start of this hobby, I used to be one of the directors at the Heugh Battery Museum, until I resigned to look after my wife in her last days, so I am now a volunteer there, and the Heugh Battery is where the first person in England to be killed duringf World War One, and we have been restoring it from a run down car park and 'vagrant' area since the year 2000, we are now open to the public, and have lots of artifacts (that you would expect from both World Wars) 'plug for the Museum', see us on www.heughbatterymuseum.com.
 
One of the artifacts we have acquired is the model of the HMS Warspite  (Queen Elizabeth Class Battleship), she was built in 1912, launched in 1915, the over the years went through a lot of refits. The model we got from the Imperial War Museum was in a terrible state when we received it, (lots of parts missing and broken) it turns out that she was originally (the model) built by some shipyard apprentices to a very good state, but when some of the refits took place, the model was also updated, only not always by the same apprentices and this shows.
 
We received the model in a massive wooden box (where she had been stored during the Second World War, (for safe keeping), evidently this box had not been opened since about 1940/42, so a decision was taken to restore her to her refit of 1942, so the hunt was now on to find both plans and help to  put her right again, we received her in July 2013, we then asked around the volunteers as to who would like to take on this mammoth project, after a lot of 'head scratching etc'., it was decided that three of us would do it, Glenn (myself) who would do the most of the metal work (as I have a full workshop including a Lathe and Milling machine along with other machines) and the repair and replacement of some of the parts (which we have to source), along with painting and all the other 'mundane' work, Ken who took on the job of project leader, and works very closely with me, and Allan, who only wanted to do the ' deck planking' and a really good job he is doing of it, including putting cotton between the planks to give the nice black line between them.
 
I am going to copy all this onto another page when I post some of the photos that we have taken, (as I'm not sure that I'm doing this right.
 
So folks, that's all for now, if anyone wants more information, please don't hesitate to contact me and I'll try my best to answer you, thank you for reading all this, I hope I have't 'bored' you all to tears,
 
Sargofagus
 
Thought I'd add some photos of the progress, we have taken loads of the parts we have been able to strip down, but there is lots of 'bits' that we are going to have to source, the plans we are using is a book produced in Poland and is in Polish (also in English) and this has helped us immensely, we have to work out the scale as the full size, then reduce it to 1/48th scale, (but it is working), if anyone out there has any 'better' plans that you would let us have this would be fantastic, we are restoring it to around the 1942 period. Thanks again for your interest,
 
Sargofagus 
 
OOps forgot to add the photos, (you can tell I'm new to this) lol
 
I'm the one on photos 11, and 12, Allan is the other person on the photos,
Thanks
 
 

Time to continue