bhermann

The transom is very close to the picture of the Bluenose II. I’m thrill I got it to look like this. 
 
I’ve stopped and studied the plans the instructions, pictures everything I could find. 
 
I think I even understand where the fashion piece fits in. 
 
Soon to learn how to cove. Then figure out the scuppers, and fake stanchions. 
 
Soon I’ll be past the point I got stuck years ago. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

A few dollars in Dremel tools bits and sanders and the transom looks good! 
 
Much of the fairing of the hull is done. Taking my time. I’m in no rush. 
 

 

 

 

Thanks @Rick310 and @Jared. We are going to have a bunch of finished Flying Fish on the site relatively soon I expect. 
 
Well, the main mast is done (minus the braces) - more anon. Nothing major to describe, but here is a couple of photos:
 

 

 

 

 
Interestingly, it appears I may have spoken too soon about the chain. I've been building mostly from the plans, and was looking at the instructions the other day, and it appears that I (a) misread the plans to think that all the halyards are chain, and (b) shouldn't have over-interpreted for the fore and mizzen off the drawing of the main. At a minimum, the fore and main skysail halyards should have been rope. Since I made the fore skysail halyard from chain, I decided to make the main match. For the mizzen I will follow the instructions and make the royal and topgallant halyards from rope, although I have enough chain. They are the lightest of the yards, so it makes sense. I probably should have either RTFM first, or ignored it completely, allowing for bliss in ignorance. One more error that I will be aware of and no one else will be.
 
With all that said, I think that I can actually put a list of what remains to be done that won't make me depressed; a list I can mark things off as we go. At this point, I believe I have:
 
mizzen yards: 5
     lifts: 10
     sheets: 10
     clews: 8
Spencer yards: 2
     topping lifts: 2
     vangs: 4
Spanker boom: 1
Spanker gaff: 1
     throat halyard: 2
     peak halyards: 1
     topping lifts: 2
     outhaul sheets: 2
     vangs: 2
     ensign halyard: 1
Staysail halyards: 6
Staysail downhauls: 6
Braces: 30
Stun'sl booms on hull: 2
Stun'sl booms on yards: 12
Davits: 4
     Boat tackle:4
Decals: 3
Gilded balls on mast trucks: 3
 
Not a zero list, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. I didn't mention the other two ship's boats. I may model the ship with them on a task away. If I do include them, I'm probably going to make a cover so that I don't have to detail the interiors of what are a rather meh Brittania casting.
 
Finally, just a couple of fun photos from a work day I did over the weekend at the Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Point_Shoal_Light) in the Chesapeake Bay. The light was built in 1875, and is a wooden structure on top of an iron screwpile. As with any wooden and iron structure exposed to salt water and time, it requires more or less constant maintenance, so that's what we were doing - mostly painting on Saturday, but also replacing a window, and some hardware. I can't imagine what it was like to actually live there - it's only accessible by boat (we came in the Chesapeake Bay deadrise shown in the photo). The light has about the same amount of space as my younger daughter's not particularly wonderful Boston apartment and you couldn't go down the street if you go annoyed at the other people there. Even the lightships must have been better - they certainly had more spaces. Anyway, some photos. The light from the boat as we approached: 
 

 
The boat we came in on "Audacious"
 

 
Ice was a a constant danger for these screw pile lights, so rip rap and an iron ice breaker. Chesapeake Bay bridges in the background.
 

 
The bay from one of the doors:
 

 
And the restored parlor.
 

 
One of the other rooms is set up for a different historical period - 1986 - when the light was fully automated and the last Coast Guard crew left. This is worrisome, as there should not be 'historical displays' from when I was an adult.
 
As always, thanks for looking in and the likes. 
 
Regards,
George K.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

This transom wood is hard for soft wood. 
I’ve broken the bonds in the N and O formers. I completely broke off the rear keel at the weakest point. I’ve spent some good money on Dremel toys. I remember this being a bugger the first time.
 
I’m trying to not make a mess of this transom. 
 

I've got this one in the works too, still my first attempt even if I am 16 years into it.  I'll be following along with interest!  Looks like a nice solid start for you.
 
Bob

I am still making progress on the Bluenose, although opportunities to work on the model have been scarce the last several months.  I managed to complete a good portion of the deck furniture and shaped the bowsprit and added some detail.  Still more work to be done on the bowsprit and I have been putting off getting to the detail on the windlass and winch.  Lots going on there!!

I have also been working on sanding the hull and prepping it for painting.  I filled in several low planks to even things out.  I really wanted to avoid wood filler as much as possible but, as this is my first attempt at planking a full hull, it had some areas that needed to be addressed.  Got everything pretty smooth and added one coat of wipe-on poly.  I sanded again and then taped off for the red on the lower half.  I have one coat on with a light sanding once that was dry.  Will be slow going until we get through the summer.

Tim

Bluenose fairing brought to you by  Knob Creek. 



 
I can’t be the only one. 
 
 

I started a Bluenose in the mid 2000s and was way over my head. Attempt number two began today. 
 

 

 

 
 
Bulkhead K will have some internal character. 
 

 

 

 
 
 

By the way, all those references came from a book you should get if you're going to continue rigging ships.   Excellent reference.   here's the cover 
 

Anchors and anchor chain…
 

Update: found the chain box on the detail sheet. 🧐 
 
Cheers 🍻

Well, finally making some progress on the main mast. First step, blocks, stirrups, foot ropes, flemish horses, and the clews and some of the lifts. And after careful review of the plans, adding a bunch of additional blocks and eyes on the main mast for braces.
 

 
So, here are the lower three yards test fitted on the ship. Lines hanging everywhere, nothing permanently atached:
 

 

 
Finally, the course yard attached, and with the live lifts attached, the ends secured to the tackle, and the ends of the tackle secured to the fife rail. I can add the top yard with lifts, but after that I need to attach the (not yet attached) trucks to the shrouds to act as fairleads. In an ideal universe I would have added the trucks before putting the course yard on, but I was so sick of doing work that didn't really change the appearance of the ship that I did this first (and will probably add the top yard as well), while I work on those frustrating things.
 

 
As always, thanks for looking in!
 
Regards,
George
 
 
 
 

Windlass…


Photos of the original Bluenose from Nova Scotia Archives. Very helpful resource. 




Many more details coming…

These archives photos are great. Notice the chain box just aft of the engine box. Not on the MS plan…

Cheers 🍻 

Thanks Ken,
 
Yes, that is the plan, and if I can pull it off, the figures will contain concealed servos….. (an idea I picked up from someone else). That said, this will be an evolving build and some of my current plans may change as we go, either by necessity or to be replaced by another TGI (Thundering Good Idea)!

Introduction
I have long had a hankering to build a small launch with live steam propulsion. The African Queen seemed to be an ideal choice of subject, however finding a kit to modify proved somewhat elusive. In the end, I settled on the Billings offering in 1:12 scale as it claims to be suitable for Radio Control (albeit using an electric motor). Here is a picture of the box art.
 

 
 
The next challenge was finding a steam plant suitable for inclusion in the model. After an exhaustive search, I settled on a complete steam plant from Miniature Steam Models (MSM) in Melbourne, Australia. It is a 2” boiler with the “Avon” twin cylinder double acting oscillating steam engine. The steam plant comes complete with a boiler certificate and the engine is matched to the size of the boiler. For the tech heads, it has an 8mm bore and an 11mm stroke (and it is reversing). Overall, it is very similar in size to the “fake” boiler/engine plant provided in the Billings kit.
 
Here are a couple of pictures of the steam plant as provided from MSM.
 

 

 
 
 
What’s in the box?
The Billings kit is fairly typical of the Billings offerings. The hull is provided as a single-piece vacuum formed ABS mould. The rest of the kit includes a variety of laser cut plywood parts, some strip wood (not particularly high quality), some brass components and some plastic components. As I will not be using the provided boiler/engine parts, a lot of these will be redundant.
 
I was concerned by the apparent flimsiness of the hull, and my plan is to sheath the hull in timber, and then fibreglass over the top of that. To this end, I have obtained some 1mm thick Alaskan Yellow Cedar from Hobby Mill EU to be cut into planks as appropriate.
 
I will also be adding some aftermarket timber for the deck planking, as the kit would have you simple draw planking lines onto the provided plywood. I’m currently in the process of placing an order for this with Hobby Mill EU.
 
Instructions are, I believe, typical of Billings – which is to say, next to useless. This is not a kit for a beginner, although it is marketed as “Advanced Beginner”. We shall have to see whether I have sufficient skills to pull this off – otherwise, there is considerable investment “down the tube”.
 
The Hull
Here are a couple of pictures of the ABS hull. 
 

 

 
As can be seen in the pictures, there is a considerable excess lip around the upper edge. I will need to remove the vertical component of this before I can do anything else. My current plan is to do that, and then fit the internal frames to provide some stiffening before attempting the outer planking.
 
Welcome aboard for what might prove to be an "interesting" journey!
 

hey gang it's been a while. I have been kind of busy lately, so I haven't had much time to do any work on the model. however, in the last week I've had a little time.
here are some photos of the deck buildings finished and installed. 
I made a few mistakes in building but there not noticeable. on the other hand, I did accidentally use a mast dowel for the stand, luckily, I had some long dowels laying around that I sanded down to the right size.
the mast is not glued in yet it's just there for show. 
 
 
 
 

Thanks Bruma, Rob, and Jared! Brief update. I've built the two iron blocks, attached them, and painted the main yards.
 

 
Now to add all of the items that go on after the body of the yards are complete. They include (clockwise from 3:00 o'clock): stirrups (way too long at the moment, will be trimmed so that the foot ropes are about 1/2 inch (4 scale feet below the top of the yard), blocks for the buntlines (attach to the jackstay, so stopped with thread), double blocks for clew lines and some of the sheets ("iron" stropped), and single blocks for the working ends of the sheets and also the clew on the skysail. I think that will be enough. I'm not putting in the reefing tackle and the blocks for the live lifts on the main course are already mounted on the mast. Similarly, the halyards for the top 4 masts either use blocks already on the mast or a sheave, so nothing more to do there.
 

 
Next are attaching the stirrups, foot ropes, and all the blocks that I've stropped, and installing the trucks that are used as fairleads. I'm going to also take a quick check to make sure that I don't need to mount some blocks for the braces (although it looks like they mostly attach to various stays and shrouds) and put the hardware for the topping lifts and outhauls on the Spencers.
 
As always, thanks for looking in!
 
George
 
 
 
 

So this will be my final post on this build as this is as far as I'm taking this model. If I had to start this hobby again I wouldn't have chosen this particular kit. This build was far more complex than I anticipated. Because of its complexity, it was truly a baptism by fire. I always viewed this one as a "learning build" so many of the finishes aren't uniform. Some bright brass and some blackened, some painted parts and some stained with different finishes, and some left natural. But I did learn a lot about many different facets of this hobby; woodworking, metal working, painting, staining and so on. It also forced me to invest in the various "tools of the trade".
 
All and all I'm fairly satisfied considering this is my first build. I expect to improve on my skills and believe that what I learned during this adventure will only make future builds that much more enjoyable.
 
My next endeavor will be to complete the NRG Half Hull Planking kit. Ill leave this current build with some picture............










 
 
 

Bowsprit, Samson Post, Bowsprit Bitts, & Platform…

Cheers 🍻 

Details continued…
 

Anchor Lashing Ring and Random Ringbolts for tie downs, etc…
 
Cheers… 🍻

Details Bulwarks inboard…

Fair Leads for Balloon Jib and Jib Downhauls. 

Fair leads P/S for Jib Sheet. 

Snatch Blocks P/S for Balloon Jib Sheet
 
 Cheers 🍻 
 

Building the main boom.
Started off by using the cordless drill and sandpaper method to taper the main boom.

First step in making the yoke was to cut out the printed plan and glue it to a piece of 1/8th inch stock. I used white glue for this.


Then drilled out the slot that will fit around the mast.

After cutting the piece in half with a fine cut pull saw, I used the disk sander to remove the excess material.

Then used files and sand paper to finish off the pieces, gave them 2 coats of amber shellac and, using white glue again, stuck the bolt pattern onto the 2 pieces

Used the mill to drill the bolt holes on each piece. These didn’t come out as well as I wanted as they aren’t in an exact line, but they are acceptable. I shouldn’t have trusted the pattern on the plans.

Cut some small brass nails down to the proper length and inserted them into the drilled holes.

Had to use the pin vice and a slightly larger bit to make the holes larger to accept the rope. But the smaller holes acted as a guide to keep things straight. Used CA on the tip of the rope and white glue on the rest to stiffen it and threaded it into holes. Tied off one side.

Made the clapper and glued it to the end of the boom.

Then glued the 2 yoke halves onto the boom. I used Titebond Quick and Thick for this so it was necessary to sand a flat onto each side of the boom and to prep the side of the yoke halves that would come into contact with the boom. Since the clapper was already in place it was easy to flatten the sides of the boom 180 degrees apart, using the clapper as a guide. Will do some clean up and touch up the amber shellac when the glue completely dries.

 
While I have cut the masts short and won’t be doing the rigging, I will add 5 metal bands to the main boom per the plans. But these will be for decorative purpose only. Now to move on to the bowsprit rigging, which is a far as I will be taking this model.

Well, it's been a couple of weeks, so I thought it was time for an update. A little early, but Happy Father's Day to all, and thanks for the well wishes on progress. I mentioned in my last post that I was off to Chicago for the ASCO Annual Meeting, so, I've had more like 9 days rather than 16, but progress is still a bit slow as I find yard making a slow task. However, I've taken a bunch of pics that show the progress of the main yards, including the previously made main course, which I accidentally made with the fore yards. So first, we have a photo of the four dowels that will be the top, topgallant, royal, and sky yards. I've drawn in the locations of the trusses (center) and the yardarms on either side, and then marked where I need to drill the holes for the jackstay eyebolts. Extra wood so they have someplace to attach when I put them in my mini wood lathe.
 

 
Second photo. Holes drilled and lathed down to shape, with the extra wood cut off.
 

 
Next step is to put in all of the eyebolts.
 

 
Photo 4, I've made most of the bands on the yards out of the Venture tape I used to make the copper plating, just cut down to the proper size.
 

 
Next, I need to make the trusses that connect three of the yards to the masts and are the halyard attachment point on the top yard. I made a former out of a block of wood. I use 1/32 by 1/16 brass strip that I've cut a hole in to make the truss. The hole is the diameter of a belaying pin, so I use that to place the brass onto a forming model I made from a chunk of wood. I bend it with the end of a pair of heavy wire cutters, and then cut the ends to length, and bend them to form the attachment points. If the truss is going to connect the yard to the mast, I take the belaying pin out, remove the 'ball' top, and reinsert it in the other direction, and CA glue it in place. That pin will eventually be mounted in a hole in the mast to allow me to sturdily set the yard in place. It won't allow me to change the orientation (straight on or nothing), but it's very solid, which I appreciate.
 

 
Finally, the last steps up to where I am now. CA glue the trusses in place, and the wrap with trimmed copper tape. Slide steel wire in the jackstay eyebolts as the jackstay itself. I still need to add a bunch of eyebolts as mounting points for various lines, make and add 2 iron blocks for the course and top yards that handle the top and topgallant sheets, and add the stuns'l irons to the top and topgallant, add the wood parrels to royal and sky, and of course paint them all black, but progress.
 

 
The jackstays are not perfectly straight, even using my drill press I find that the bit tends to wander a bit, especially on the smaller yards, but once they are painted, it really isn't very noticeable. 
 
In any case, thanks for looking in!
 
Regards,
George 
 
 
 

Main Rail…

Monkey Rail…

Buffalo Rail…

Deadeyes…

Shoutout to @David Lester for your research and build logs. 

Stern…

Bow…

Finishing up deadeyes…

Painting out to top Rails…

Placing eyelets and belaying pins 

She is getting there… All this fiddley stuff is tedious. Time to take a break and scan over the drawings. I don’t want to miss any of the hardware on the inside of the bulwark, before I start on the deck furnishings.  I know I still have some eyelets, rings and things to do. 

Cheers 🍻 

I added the framing for the forecastle decking and I began more work on the main forward cabin, and off bench I’m working on the 6 capstans and deck vents. 
 
Rob

Spent some time working the McKay today.  I finished adding the pin rail and pins and I flipped her and added the blue waterways to her port side. 
 
Rob