Mike Y

Matle, thanks for the info! Beckholmen is a bit tricky to stroll, it is mostly docks and just a little bit is open to the public. Or you know the right hole in the fence?

Gaetan, what are your planking plans this time? In such scale, might look great if not planked at all, bare frames and fully see-through from all angles Ok, sorry, it is your model, just dreaming Would be interesting to hear your thoughts on that!

Bob: got it, will photo. However, seems like we need to wait a bit. Here is the official schedule of SS Mariefred for 2017: So the first time it would be available to public is on 27th May. So before that it is probably in some dock somewhere. I checked the facebook group, no clear info there. But there are some interesting photos and videos! https://sv-se.facebook.com/steamshipmariefred/ While waiting - please check if there are some other areas that you want to check. Especially if there is something that you need that could be only observed onboard - in this case I will need to pay the entrance fee, which is ok, but then I better be a good spy and make all the photos you need!

Hi Bob, What part exactly? There are many windows on that ship To avoid confusion, it would be nice if you can highlight the relevant part using some other photo. Is it something on a side or a front of the ship? It is typically moored diagonally, so can't make a photo of the rear part without paying for the entrance ticket. It is moored in the morning next to the city hall, so should be easy to photo!

To illustrate, photos of the random pages in that books: Ancre monograph of Le Fleuron: Ancre's 74 gun ship. Note that there is nothing about modelling it, it is only about "how it was constructed". TFFM, detailed guide on building a model:

The monograph assume that you already know the way the ships were built at that period, and they only cover specifics and nuances of a particular vessel. Also, it assumes you are already familiar with the terminology. They are very condensed and detailed descriptions of a very specific ship, basically a set of plans with a very detailed comments. That would be impossible to understand without reading some more fundamental book first. For a better background, one probably need to start with the 74 gun ship books, that are fairly costly: https://ancre.fr/en/ouvrages-de-base-en/9-vaisseau-de-74-canons-1780-traite-pratique-d-art-naval-1780-en-quatre-volumes-base-de-la-collection.html#/tome-the_74_gun_ship_1_english Also, they only talk about the construction practice and history, no useful advices or hints for modellers. It simply describes how the real ships were built, and does not cover "how to build it with the tools we have in a small scale". For the better "entry" into the historically accurate construction it would be probably better to start with TFFM or Naiad books - they cover it step-by-step, with a lot of tricks and great illustrations. They also cover the nuances of modelling such ships in a great detail. Of course, there were quite some differences between the way French and British ships were built, so for the first fully framed model it would be better to start with that books and a British ship. Simply because these books are more friendly than the French ones. TFFM: vol1: https://www.seawatchbooks.com/ItemDisplay.php?sku=109004 vol2: https://www.seawatchbooks.com/ItemDisplay.php?sku=109001 Naiad: vol1: https://www.seawatchbooks.com/ItemDisplay.php?sku=112002 vol2: https://www.seawatchbooks.com/ItemDisplay.php?sku=113006 So far TFFM is my main point of reference and the first book I open if I have some question. I read that you already ordered one - you will not be disappointed

Eric, I actually never used the instruction text (it is written in a very formal way, hard to translate). But the pictures in the instructions are quite detailed, so text is not really needed. There is a longitudinal filler block that looks enough. They are all spiled. Seems to hold fairly well, there is enough surface for a proper glue adhesion.

Found a very good video review - for the ones who have a number of questions about the internals of the saw and how various accessories actually work.

Thanks for comments! The planking is slowly progressing. Daria is taking some boring tasks, like marking the planks according to the manual (to avoid mixing them), sanding the plank edges, etc. And she even nailed that planks in place! Typically, I was holding the nail with pliers, and she was carefully hammering it. Hard to do it alone, so this time her help was really crucial. We are going the easy route and not steaming the planks, just nail them to the hull and remove most of the nails later on. This is the way the manual recommends it as well. As a result, it looks quite ugly in some places, but it is a first layer of planking - so would not be a problem after fairing

Or you can simply take that decision later, after the hull fairing. Chances are that in a year or so, when the framing is finished and the hull is smooth and fair - you will fall in love with it and refuse to put any planks on it One warning with the Hahn method - it mentally tricks you into focusing on the alignment of the bottom part of the frames (where the keel is), but when you flip the model - it is the top of the frames that are important. Be really careful with their alignment, and leave more meat on the thin parts of the frames when cutting them (marked red here): As soon as you flip the hull into the normal position - these areas will become the center of attention. Do not get tricked! Re-check the frame alignment with a wood strip while you go, to avoid big problems when fairing it later on. Especially with the scale you selected - it would be fairly easy to sand away extra material on the outside of the hull than to end up with not enough material.

Your timbering set already had pre-cut frame blanks? That is something new! you might want to consider using some glass / acrylic plates when laminating the frame blanks - that will help to keep them flat, distribute the clamping pressure evenly and prevent warping due to the moisture in the glue. P.S.: there is something magical in a fully framed builds of small scale, hope it will end up a beauty!

Indeed! Stopping on the exact right moment to avoid scratching the wood - that is quite a skill. Will practice more, thanks for the inspiration

Not much happened, we were out of town for three weeks Using chisel for first time! Starting the first layer of planking. Clamping is quite tricky, I should have prepared better

This may be a stupid question, but... How do you make a brass nails flush with the wood? The only way I know is sanding, and it is hard to do on convex surfaces or in any confined place. But on your photos I see brass nails perfectly flush, and in places where I can't imagine getting with a sanding block. What is the trick?

I doubt anybody romanticizes the life on board. It is basically a floating prison with an extremely high mortality rate and inhumane conditions. Lots of people on board were there not on their own will. The ships are lovely, but trying not to think about how they were used daily... In a similar way, we can admire a nice castle or a cathedral - but both were most probably built with a slave-like labour and a whole lot of people died during construction.

Looks very cozy! It looks so much better without a glass... How do you deal with the dust?

She is still in service, working daily during the summer. Definitely has its charm! I was surprised how quick it is for being an old coal-powered ship. Easily keeping up with modern vessels. I do not remember 100% if the one on the photo is Mariefred or not, because Mariefred typically sails over lake Mälaren to Gripsholm, but this photo is from Stockholm archipelago of the Baltic sea. However, when being on board of Mariefred, it is much faster than expected. Of course, let me know if you will need to get some photos of it - during the summer it should be easily possible.

Now there are two fresh logs of 74! Quite a thing to follow! Thanks for sharing the details, experience and methods. Your build logs are very educating, I learned a lot from them. Planning to learn even more from this one! Also, considering the size of your models, I am really curious how they look in the interior. They are as big as a table, how do you manage to find a place for the display?

Yes, the IKEA table BEKANT is great, I still love it as on the first day I bought it Note that IKEA sells the electrical frame separately as well, so you can put any solid tabletop on it, and not being limited to the default office-style top. Just a few corrections: 1) The one with cranking mechanism have a much cheaper frame and wobbles too much for our purposes, I think. Could be good enough for drawings or tools, or if you do not mind the wobble. The electrical (bekant) is very stable and the wobble is close to non-existing, so it can be used as a main workbench. 2) The electrical one (BEKANT) has a continuous adjustment, not just 2 or 3 positions. There are two buttons - up and down - that allow to adjust it to any position between min and max. Just hold the button, table moves, release it when you are in the desired position. It is roughly 5-7sec from the lowest to the highest position.

I was also planning to make a boat of this style (one side fully planked, one in bare frames), following the similar style of the model. But now I see it implemented in your model - and it indeed looks great! Thanks for confirmation!

Looking forward for the photoshoot of the finished model! It is a true marvel, accuracy and colours are incredible.

Looks great!

Your speed is impressive! How many hours per week do you spend on the model?

That was too quick! What are the plans for the next project? Or you would take the display case build first?

Chuck, this is such a shame! I truly feel sorry for what happened with your designs. Quite some russians are stuck in the anti-american soviet mindset, where screwing up a westerner is not a problem, maybe even a good thing. Just give it 25-35 years, the problem will disappear naturally.. Not sure if it was an optimistic statement or not