bhermann

Thanks for the words of thought Alan. I think what got me discouraged in the first place was trying for perfection and realizing I could never achieve it.  I even figured that all I needed was better tools and equipment.  That really didn't work however,,,,, well there really is nothing bad or negative to say about that. 
 
Thanks also David for the information.  It will definitely be helpful.  I am putting off painting for a while as I want to sand and fill the hull more plus I want to install the rudder. 
 
I am working on the cap rail.  I haven't included any progress pictures of that yet.  I have started the rough work and hope to be sanding shortly.  I will post progress pictures soon.  My idea above didn't work with the precision I had hoped so I'm in the process of waiting for copious amounts of wood filler to harden.
 
In the meantime I've been working on all the deck furniture.  Once completed these will all either get painted or have a coat or two of Polyurethane applied.
 
The main cabin was roughly completed.  I will do some finish sanding before painting.
 

 
I plan to add a base molding but will do that after installation to hide the natural curve of the deck.
 
For the bitts, I used a bit of thick metal wire I had on hand.
 

 
For the hatch, I cut the shape from some scrap wood I had laying around.  The thickness was correct and it gave a textured appearance.  I wrapped the edges for a finished look and sanded it all smooth.  I once debated the merits of keeping off cuts and bits and pieces of leftover wood but I can honestly say for the deck furniture I haven't had to use my kit wood very much.
 

 
There is also a piece on the drawings that refer to an "unidentified object".  Although not true to scale as it should be 1/2" diameter, I had a length of 3/8" dowel in my shop which I used.  I simply cut it to length.  I will paint it to suit later.
 
For the base of the boom crutch I used the same technique I used to cut in the scuppers.  I had a 1/8" wide file which I used to remove the material.
 

 
I see I need to change my depth of field on my camera.  I am in the process of setting up lighting and my DSLR in my shop in order to take better pictures of my progress.  In the meantime I have been using my cell phone.
 
I've started to work on the wheel box and have completed the base.  I've also started on the fife rail.
 
 

While waiting for the cap rail repairs to set up I decided to work on some of the deck furniture.
 

 
I was giving thought as to how detailed I wanted to make the Bluenose.  I figured at this point in my ship building career I would keep things relatively basic.  I've seen some work by true artists on this forum and I will never try to be like them, but I figure I can build up to greater detail as my skills improve.  I need to keep my work within my means.
 
 
 
 

Well, a brief note. We were at Mystic Seaport and the Charles W. Morgan was out of the water on blocks getting some restoration work, including, it appears, its copper. Here are a couple of pictures of the ship on blocks and her copper. 
 
First, the whole ship.
 

 
Her copper, fore and aft. I note that in contrast to the way it was described in the Fish instructions, the lower layers seem to overlay the upper belts.
 

 
I also note that the copper is cut around the gudgeon, rather than being mounted on top of the copper. This makes sense, but I hadn't thought about it looking at models.
 
Other observations. The foremast chain plates have backing links, the main and mizzenmast do not. The mizzen is smaller, so that makes sense, but why is the fore different? Extra strain from the jibs? The man at the museum didn't know.
 


 
If you want to look at the Morgan's spars, now us the time. They are out for all to examine in forensic detail.
 

 
And, I got a copy of this book!
 

 
George K

Dealing with the bow cap rail, I had to lengthen it and narrow it.  I cut it in half and sanded each half.  I also made filler pieces to lengthen the cap rail.
 

 
I've done the one side and clamped it.  Once dried, I will do the other side.  Then it's off to sanding
 

Finished the skipper, ok figure painting skills still needs some work on my part, however you only get there by making the effort

Completed the bow .50 Cal plus some ammo boxes , work is getting there slow but steady

Have not posted for a while as most of the work has been on the repetitive side. Update: the105 boat is 99% complete. All the major work is complete, has been for about a month.  the remaining work being added is dependent on the on finishing the water on the base. The base is very much a work in progress, many hours to go. The palm trees, have one fully completed mainly to make sure my technique would yield the look I wanted, if I did them one at a time its 5 days start to finish, building in bulk steps I have completed the trunks for 19 trees, the palm fronds , made from feathers takes the most time. 10 days to finish the water, 1 day drying time between coats, and maybe a month to finish the background. So much work ahead, but it’s getting there

Just a brief update, as we are about to go on vacation and then I need to return one of my children to college, so no updates for a couple of weeks. 
 
Coppering is proceeding apace, but even at 6 tiles per segment, I still have a way to go. The yellow Tamiya tape represents the first line of plates in the second belt (i.e. the bottom of the tape - or rather the top of the tape in these pictures) represents the gore line.
 

 
Stay safe out there, and thanks for looking in and the well wishes.
 
George K

Very brief progress update. I decided to use the 1/4 inch copper tape to cover the keel. The picture below shows the jig I made to mark the plates for cutting. The individual plates are 9/32 long, are scored with a pizza cutter.

 
The individual plates were cut out and applied in 1/4 inch segments to the keel as below. I allowed the plates to flow onto the hull since they would be covered up by the regular plates later.
 

 
Once that was complete, I made another jig that feeds two 3/16 rolls of copper tape and has two guides for the pizza cutter so that I can make 4 plates at a time, pull it through, make two more plates, etc. as seen below. The 'plates' are 3/16 by 1/2, or at 1:96 they are 18 by 48 inches. That makes them a little taller than the 14 by 48 inch plates that are called for in the plans, but I question my ability to manipulate anything smaller.
 

 
Finally I cut 6 plate segments and start laying out the regular plate segments, starting at the stern and aligning against the keel. The picture below shows two incomplete rows on the starboard side, but you get the basic idea. I am using the self-adhesive, rather than using Rob's method of gluing the paper backed tape. It seems to be working okay, although I definitely get more 'scrunching' than Rob's method produces. 
 

 
Once I get a little further, I'll mark the gore line with Tamiya tape so that I know where to stop. I expect that this is going to take a while, but it's more about perseverance at this point - kinda like making ratlines. As you can see, I've gone for the simple look, with the plate divisions marked by using the pizza cutter on the visible, rather than the paper backing side. This produces plate separators that are lowered rather than raised, and is a bit less obvious, but still definitely there. I am also going to suggest that the imperfections in the plate laying are giving it the surface interest that is usually formed as a result of the nailing. In any case, that is my story and I'm sticking with it.
 
Thanks for looking in!
 
George K

Bit by bit.  A little more progress.  I do like working with these smaller planks (don't even need a bender so far) but it will be a slow process.

George K this is a beautiful vessel you're crafting. First rate work. I'm constantly in awe of the woodworking abilities you and others display in these build logs. It's artisan craftsmanship at it's best!
 
Here's some fascinating trivia that you might not know. Captain Simeon Jones, who was the Captain of "Flying Fish" had a Greek Revival Home he named "Longacre" built for himself in 1860, at 490 Main Street, Centerville, MA suburb of Barnstable near Hyannis. It's still standing there today.
Why I mention it, is because the front fence is supposed to be made up of turned rails which originally came from the Clipper "Flying Fish" herself.

Very nice model!  I like the contrast the veneer makes below the waterline.  Thanks for sharing the build.
 
Bob

Thank you all for the compliments. I've added the topgallant rail. I added in a couple of extra ribs by where the entry ports sit to stabilize the bulwarks, and then cut open the entry ports. 
 
I then added the side boards on the entry ports and added started putting the topgallant rail on. The aft section was carved out of a section from a 1/16 by 4 by 24 inch basswood, the rest were made directly from 1/16 by 1/8 basswood strips, The section from the stern to the entry ports required no pre-bending, but I soaked and pre-bent the sections from the entry ports to the forecastle and the sections over the forecastle. After they dried, I stained and attached them in place. Some photos below:
 


 
Incidentally, the piece of wood behind the aft most coaming is one of the side boards that I dropped, and could not find and had to remake. After taking these pictures and noticing it, I removed it.
 
Next, one more coaming for the after deckhouse on the main deck and then it is time to start putting on copper/muntz plates.
 
Thanks again for looking in.
 
George K.

She is a beauty and belongs where she is, proudly displayed as the center of attention.  Looking forward to your next journey with America!
 
Bob

The first five photos are the final assembly steps. Atlantics' motor launch and owner's gig aft of the main mast on their davits and her jolly boats the fore of it. The second photo is the anchor tackle and davit. The third, masthead pennants and the  US yachting ensign off the mizzen gaff. The stern and bow decals; the fourth and fifth photo. The final ten shots are of  Atlantic finished, the last two photos in her display case and moored snug in the living room.
               Atlantic was the challenge I needed while sheltered in during the pandemic and proved to be that and more. Even with all the inconsistencies that made me quite aware of my skill level, I couldn't be any prouder to display her as the centerpiece in the main salon. Most of all my acknowledgements to the Admiral for her provision of time, working space, and listening to my frustrations and profanities during the build, her critiques exceeded only by her encouragement, patience and graciousness. Also In the encouragement department my appreciation to Bob G on his supportive comments to my own doubts and the contributions from his build of PenDuick.  Nic of Bluejacket Shipcrafters whose advise and remedial input were indispensable, and everyone else who reacted and commented on Atlantics' build. Finally to modelshipworld which made it possible to acquire new modeling skills through their extensive data base. My next Build will be the schooner America in the same scale as Atlantic starting around late fall. Ciao Everyone!
 

Meet Buster!

Things were delayed on Atlantic with the holiday, out of town family and a new puppy (Buster) around the household. Rope coils have all been made fast upon the belaying pins and flemish hand coils to the deck. One note on making the coils with the polyester line is that every cut and trim required CA glue which slowed the process down. Surprisingly though the 50/50 mix of white glue & water kept every coil from unraveling yet pliable when hanging them from pins. The one problem I had with the hanging coils was tying off the line around the waist and binding the coil loops. I was only able to manage a few and the rest have to hang on the pins in an un-seaman like manner but I can live with this.

First off I have to thank Richard (AKA retiredguy) for his help and guidance in fashioning these bilge pumps. He has been more than generous in answering my question and providing assistance. As long as these took to build, it would have taken much longer and a lot more *#!?**#! without his help.
 
Here is a pic of the pumps that came with the kit.
 

 
And here is the plan drawing of the pumps
 

 
Starting with a 3/8 round brass stock on the lathe I turned it down to .306 inches. Painted the surface with a black marker and scribed the different areas that needed to be fashioned.
 

 
Still on the lathe I made the first cut .081 inches from the face of the piece and turned the stock down to .205 for .148 inches. Then moved .136 inches from the face and turned down to .171 inches for .093 inches. This fashioned the body of the pump. I used a #5 drill bit to create the “bowl” and a #29 drill bit to make the hole for the plunger.
 

 
Then moved to the mill. I used a 3/64 inch end mill to cut the space between the 2 “ears” and then removed the unwanted material to form all 4 “ears”.
 

 
Putting the chuck on a right angle bracket, I used a #76 drill bit to make the holes through the “ears”. This should be the right size for the .6 mm bolts I plan to use.
 

 
This is the piece after turning and milling.
 

 
I used a 5/32 end mill to create a half circle cut for the spout and used .010 thick brass to fashion the spout. I soldered the spout in place and did some filing to shape it.
 

 
So here are the 2 bilge pumps with the spouts. And while they aren’t perfect, I believe they are a big improvement of the white metal ones that came with the kit.
 
 
 
Now I will attempt to build the plungers and linkage, don’t hold your breath for the next update as this may take me awhile.

The pedestals ebonized--
 

 
 
And installed--
 

 
 
Now I can retire my not-so-pretty temporary (10 years or so) stand--
 

 

 

 
 
Ron
 
 
 
 
 

A very brief update. I've completed the poop deck, and added the doubler for the capstan on forecastle. Next up, the coamings for the extension of the after deckhouse and the vents. The deckhouse extension coamings are the only ones that are sitting on the deck, rather than having the decks butt up against them. I didn't want to have to deal with maintaining the camber of the deck given where the coamings would be sitting on the bulkheads, but I think that I could have probably done it in retrospect. Something for the next build I suppose. A couple of pics, and as always, thanks for looking in.
 

George

I decided that the pedestals are indeed too chunky.  So I sanded them a bit thinner, and also reduced the thickness of the cradle arms.  Satisfied with this, I drilled holes for the bolts.  The aft bolt needed to be trimmed about a quarter of an inch.  The front bolt was fine as is--
 

 
 
And located them on the keel--
 

 
 
Tightened them down--
 

 
 
I discovered that unfortunately, I needed to reshape the cradle arms.  Due to various inaccuracies (the bolt not being precisely in the center of the keel, the hole not being drilled precisely in the center of the pedestal, the holes not being drilled precisely plumb, etc.) I needed to readjust the cradle arms, and the flatness of the bottom of the pedestals.  I had to attach and detach the pedestals numerous times, sanding and adjusting them.    If I improved one characteristic, another suffered.   I got to the point where they were much better, though not perfect.  But enough is enough.  Here they are as I will leave them--
 

 
 
The aft pedestal is very good.  The gap between the pedestal and planking on the forward one bothers me (it is better on the port side), but as I said, enough is enough, and I risk having to start over on them.   With the pedestals blackened , that gap will not be as noticeable (I think).  Now I wait for my blackening solution to "ripen".
 
Ron
 
  
 
 
 
 

Some progress made in the past week.
 
While waiting for the chain to arrive from BlueJacket, I started working on the poop, making and painting the coamings for the after deck house and the stores locker.
 

 
However, it occurred to me that I had a way of finishing the forecastle without waiting for the chain and without making it impossible to access the chain stoppers and the like. I had a bit of wire that I purchased from BlueJacket that I used on my Niagara - it is nice and flexible and very fine, fine enough to act as the link in a chain. So I fed a stretch of wire through the hawse pipes from the outside, ran it through the chain stopper and then anchored it on the windlass. I connected the outside end to a block of wood to keep it from getting accidentally sucked up the hawse pipe.
 

 
When I'm ready for the chain, I will disconnect the block of wood, run the fine wire into the chain, close the end off with a tiny drop of CA glue and then pull the chain to where I want it.
 
With this out of the way, I decked the forecastle, and installed the remaining 2 bits (which pass through the deck and terminate on the ceiling planks under planking). The last thing to do there before putting the topgallant rail in place is to cut the sections for the catheads.
 

 
One question to anyone who has completed the Fish. My understanding of the after deck house is that it extends beyond the edge of the poop, but that there are ceiling planks along the edge of poop that closes off the main deck from the beginning of the poop. Which is to say that there needs to be a coaming (or set of coamings) that look like the blue lines in the figure below (or a single coaming that follows the outer edge of the blue below). Is that how you all interpret the plans?
 

 
As always, thanks for looking in!
 
George K
 
 

Continuing with the pedestals--
 
I now cut two new paper templates using my card mock-ups as a guide, folding the paper in half and cutting them out so they were true mirrors.  Using the new paper templates, I then cut some scrap wood templates-
 

 
 
After cutting the keel slots, I could put these on the hull, and refine the cradle arms--
 

 
 
And importantly, check the keel drag--
 

 
 
Using the wood templates, I could support the hull right side up, and check the drag again, and the general look--
 

 
 
I checked for vertical plumbness.   I needed a shim under the port foot, and adjusted both the cradle arms, and sanded the pedestal bottom to correct this.  The clothes pins are just for some additional stability so the hull doesn't topple forward or aft--
 

 
 
Once satisfied with the scrap wood templates, I used these to cut out the final pedestals.   In adjusting the drag, and the vertical plumbness, the bottoms of the scrap wood no longer were exact matches to each other, and I tried to account for this in cutting out the final pedestals.  It may not be obvious, but looking at the scrap templates you can see the difference in the cradle arms to account for the port side of the hull being unplanked (the right side as we are looking at the templates)--
 

 
 
Any remaining differences I could easily sand away after clamping them together--
 

 
 
After sawing, chiseling, and filing the keel slots, I could then I set the hull on the pedestals, and refine the cradle arms--
 

 
 
Check the drag again--
 

 
 
These are now getting close to the final shape--
 

 
 
Some fine tuning of the cradle arms is still needed, and the pedestals themselves look just a bit chunky to me--not sure whether it's the sided thickness of the pedestals, or the thickness (molded dimension) of the cradle arms.   I will live with them for a while before making any changes, as I don't want to take too much off now and regret it.   Once I'm satisfied, or after another round of adjustments, I'll drill the holes for the mounting bolts, and ebonize the pedestals.
 
Ron 

As I was doing a cleaning and organizing of my workbench in preparation for the next phase.  I discovered the keel pedestal bolts and NUTS (which had been filed thinner to fit within the width of the keel).  I thought I had epoxied the nuts into the keel years ago!    
 
I felt underneath, and the holes were there, but no nuts.
 
Getting near the point of no return for being able to turn the hull upside down, it was clear this needed to be done now.
 
So--
 

 
 
Here are the bolts and their nuts--
 

 
 
I epoxied the nuts in place, taking care to keep epoxy out of the threads.   The bolts are in place, because the holes drilled into the frames and keelson keep the bolts (so also the nuts) in the proper alignment--
 

 

 
 
Since I have the hull upside down, this is also the perfect time to finally make a decision, and start making the base pedestals.  I've been undecided on this for the entire build!    What finally swung my decision was the worry for lateral stability, especially as the bolts are only in the false keel (though the screws do go deeper).   I've opted for some shaped cradle pieces, and started making templates for those--
 
 
 

 
 
These are VERY rough.  The fore pedestal needs to be just a bit taller (but not this much!) than the aft, due to the keel drag.   Many snips and iterations followed, sometimes lengthening the cradle 'arms', sometimes shortening them, adjusting the base curve, and making the two pedestals more consistent--
 

 
 
 

 

 
 
I ended up here, for now--
 

 

 
 
These will be made out of pear, probably about 3/8" wide, and ebonized-- 
 

 
 
Still a good deal of fine tuning to do, but I think these will do to start.
 
Ron
 
 
 
 
 

Attached torpedo tubes , training gear, TP Tube locks, and tube wiring plugs