bhermann

Getting Close to the END!!!
 
All of the sails have been 'raised'.

 

 

 

Next thing is attaching the lines to the yards and sails

Sorry for the delay.  I was tied up trying to find a new job.  Also it has been too cold to build!
 
Here are some photos of the yards for the foremast.  They didn't turn out too well. I'll try getting some better shots.
The yards are painted and I have the blocks attached per Campbell.
 
Cheers,
marc

Here are some photos of the masts.
 
I started putting in the eyes under the trees and the tops based on Campbell's plans.
 

Ok so here is a progress report and a couple of questions. Just so you don't think I am not working on her.

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 50 – Port side ceiling continued
 
In the first picture some of the 8” thick bilge ceiling members between the forward and midship view ports have been installed and one of the lower members is being glued into place.
 

 
The next picture shows this area a bit later, unobscured by clamping.
 

 
Strapping installation has been proceeding in parallel and keeping ahead of the ceiling members and deck clamps.  The next picture shows the extent of the midship view port – left free of strapping.  The members marked “X” will be removed later up to the middle deck clamp.
 

 
In addition to exposing the inside of the lower hull, the view ports will also show the cross sections of the ceiling and other inboard planking and structural members.  A part of the ceiling cross section can be seen below.
 

 
Below is another view of the port side inboard area aft of midship.
 

 
Bolting of the bilge ceiling and deck clamps is keeping pace with the other work.  The next picture shows the area between the view ports drilled and partially bolted.
 

 
The bilge ceiling ends are easier to fit after the lower deck clamp is in place.  The next picture shows the aftermost section of the lower deck clamp being installed.
 

 
The strapping is nearing completion in this picture.  The next picture shows most of the strapping work completed.  A few lower pieces near midship have not yet been installed.
 

 
The outline of the aft view port can be seen in this picture.
 
 
Ed

With the latest round of exams out of the way and a full weekend without chores, it was time again to return to the model shipyard with the goal of finishing off the bunks.
 
I laid the floor beams and then planked the floor area of the rear bunk house. With some rubber bands and “test sticks” I fiddled with the layout until it looked about right. 

 
The bunks are not a straight line, and the aftermost part of the bunk has a weird little dip in, so I tried just laying some sticks out to get an idea of how that would look as well.  I will also mention that the height of the bunks was set up such that two plank-widths on the edges would provide a nice little lip around the bunk.

 
The fore and after ends of the bunk beams were done in one shot, with the goal of being to saw out the middle part after everything was built up.  This would add rigidity when cutting and sawing on it, as well as assure the larboard and starboard bunks were aligned with each other.  Then the weird dip-section was end-glued.

 
It was cut short, a tiny support post fitted in place at the joint, then the length of the bunk beam  siderail was fitted and glued in place. You can see little posts holding the whole thing up.  There should be a little support post at every rib, and also support beams for the bunk planking, but that stuff will all be covered up, and without some serious destruction, would never be visible on the finished model.  Thus, I elected to omit. 

 
Here is a shot of the completed bunk framing, sans extra bunk beams and support posts.

 
The middle section of the end beams was then sawed out.  This building method was definitely beneficial; I highly recommend it.  I admit I got the idea from Chuck’s modeling of full plank-on-frame longboats and such where all the ribs have a beam that later gets broken out.
 
 
I then dry-fit the bunk planking, and settled on leaving a small gap on the outboard edge.  In real life, this would provide a nice place to drop your keys into the bilge.  Real boats are full of this kind of stuff . Someone remind me to model a small keyring in the bilge. 

 
All the planking was glued in.  I usually use just a tiny dot of glue on the ends, and nothing on the butt-edges of the neighboring plank.  This provides a very clean “joint” between adjacent deck planks.  The ends were then carefully shaved with a sharp hobby knife to the edge of the framing.

 
Here is a closeup of the jointery. I liked how it looked just like this a lot, and in real life such a setup would allow you to shove stuff under the bunk.  But I really wanted the edge lip around the bunks, so I settled on taking these photos and moving on.

 
Here is what the aft part with the weird cut out looks like.

 
At this point I was interrupted by a marathon in my front yard.  Undeterred, I continued working on the boat but did yell out the window from time to time. 

 
Edge planking was fit up, the ends scored, cut, and shaved to final dimension.

 
The starboard side is done, the larboard in progress.

 
Here is a photo of the lip on the bunk I worked so hard on.  The wetwell is in the background.

 
Finally, I took some of my wife’s makeup remover cotton pads and cut them to simulate mattresses. 

 
A parting shot with all the deck beams replaced, and the model as it currently sits. 

 
Happy building!
-craig
 

Hi everyone.
slow progress on the Emma C... 
I put tracing paper over frame 17 layout on sheet 1, then laminated strips of wood together to form the rough shape of the bulkhead. When this dried, I sanded down both sides to even out and remove what paper stuck. Now i can use the card template i made to fit the bulk head up to frame 17.

Thanks for asking Tex.
Indeed my Conny is in waiting, needs attention, but I have been busy, nevertheless.
 
I had another big birthday and we decided to spend a few days in the sun of Hawaii. Did a lot of hiking, climbing, whale watching, snorkeling and drinking mai-tais around the pool. The admiral is still complaining about her sun-burnt feet (who ever puts suntan lotion on those things down there?)
Then there was the mini-mill I just got from Little Machine Shop. After careful practicing with this new toy, I am getting the hang of things again. It has been many moons since I had a crack at running a milling machine.
I will post more details about my current project with that toy shortly.
 
At least the Conny gets some visual attention since I had to move it to our dining room table to make room for other stuff.

While glue is drying on the gunwales, i thought i might start on some of the deck hardware, but was instantly halted.
first on the list was the windlass.
the materials provided in the kit were ok but i wanted to get it a bit more realistic.
 
this is what would have been if i followed the plans.
The toothed wheel, brakes and spacers were alright, just the drums were off as shown in the pictures

from the rebuild

and from Lou's Onedrive page

 
to start i took a piece of spare dowel and attached strips of 2x1 evenly around it.

then cut to length and just a small square was glued to the ends which would later be carved to shape.

here is the comparison to the original drum

last of all everything got a coat of primer and matt black, then everything was assembled on a Ø2mm axle


 

Ok.  Stanchions have been done.  All holes for deadeye strops and davits are drilled.  Most of my pinrails have been drilled and roughed out, so I'll start installing pinrails on the main deck moving from aft forward, adding inner bulwark details as I progress.
 
First (low quality, sorry..) photo shows the pinrail section from the poop front bulkhead moving forward.  I've built these in sections, and these were the easiest to rough out.  (One deadeye hole, three belaying pin holes, and two davit holes apiece). plus two perpindicular eylet holes...
 
One side shows belaying pins in place for scale, the other shows the drill bit I will use to align the pieces with the pre-drilled davit hole in the waterway.
 
Second and third photos show my latest, small, pathetic, progress. The aft mooring pipes.  As I mentioned before, I am using round brass pieces as opposed to oval ports, which I cannot find. (Or fabricate!)
 
I can live with this...  (I hope)  Outside rims will be painted black, inside rims painted white. (one inside already painted)

Hello,
 
last week I have been working on the beakheads - adding ornaments to them.
 
Best regards,
Jan

Well, I am still working on the contract in Houston each week so my build is slipping. Once I am in a routine I should be able to get some time in on weekends.
Meanwhile, thought I would update on my battle with tree nailing. I just about decided that, after trying to follow the suggestions of half a dozen members, it was just not going to work for me. I was about to put the drawplate up on EBay and go back to using filler when I thought... one more time.
So, here's what I did... and darned if it didn't work.
 
I used 4" bamboo skewers. they are round and pointed on both sides. I had tried smaller toothpicks but they kept breaking... too weak. I took the skewers and cut them in half leaving about 2" per pointed end.
 
I then clamped the drawplate to my worktable
 

 
 
I gently... very gently hammered the pointed end of the skewer into the drawplate. When I reached the final hole size on the drawplate, I used so soft a touch that it almost felt as if nothing was happening. On that final hole I tapped from 15 - 25 times just to go that mm or two. Just a whisper...
 

 
First, I was sure to use the correct side of the draw plate (which goes against all logic). I needed a thickness(... er thinness??) that was created on the smallest hole on the drawplate (MM's). After a lot of experimentation with going from the hole that was the size of the toothpick and working my way down, I found that I just needed to start at a hole about three sizes up from the final one I would use since I was not doing a complete draw, just the end and pull out the way it went in. Saved a lot of wasted time.
On the first couple of passes I found it best to only go a tiny bit. If the end you thin is too long, it will break when you tap it in subsequent holes. In fact, if you tap and the pull out you will see a little ridge where the wood builds up. This seems to strengthen the toothpick for the next reductions. Remember, you are pushing (tapping) not pulling in creating the treenail so the dynamics are different in how the wood handles.
 
You can see in the following picture how I stopped part way and left a "bulge" of wood at each reduction before continuing. And, that I only thinned a very small amount of the tooth pick.
Note: if the thinned end starts to bend while tapping, just get rid of it and start another, once it starts to bend it will be a pain to finish and a bear to push in the predrilled tree nail hole.
 
 

 
I continued on this way until I had a bunch. the picture below has about 10 minutes worth of work.

 
Pushing them into the predrilled holes in the planks was fairly easy as long as you went straight down into the hole. I could actually feel it snap into place for most of them. I watered down the white glue just a little to get it to slide in better. Then let the glue dry and trim.
 

 
I found this was a pretty quick and painless process. Of course 95% of the toothpick was waste, but they are cheap enough at the market that I didn't spend time re-sharpening and reusing them.
 
My first try came out looking decent.

 
I had prefabricated the deck as a way to get around some earlier construction mishaps. I think the ideas was good but the execution was bad. Should have measured a heck of a lot more before putting glue to wood. So I am doing it all over again. (the picture doesn't show the aft part of the deck where I screwed up...to painful to admit.)
 
This is, in fact, where motion stopped about a month ago when I got talked into taking another assignment. I really forgot how work interferes with your personal time
 
Anyway, since I have to do this again anyway, I am going to experiment using other types of wood, both darker and lighter than the planks, to see how they look once finished. It should be easy enough to use this method with almost any small diameter wood as long as it has a point. Even small square strips should work. I like using the natural color of wood but could stain the tree nails before gluing if that works out for a better look.
 
Well, that's it for now. Monday I am back to the airport.
 
Richard

So, to part two of the sea trial storey.
 
Sorry the camera was not level but you get that in the bush with only rocks for tripods.
 
Generally this is at fairly low speed which is more than adequate but she has much more go than that which means she will be able to drive against the wind if I need to. At the end I was heading in and gave her full power but she didn't speed up properly and sounded odd. Keep an eye on it right to the end.
 
Pay attention to the upper left quadrant at 1:30, that is a platypus, not that you can really see it.
 
http://youtu.be/IIeqyICrH-4

Hi all,
 
I've managed to get a little bit done - the following would normally have taken me about half a day, instead I've spent nearly three days on these pieces. At least I can still do SOMETHING .
 
Fore Jeer Bitts
 
The Fore Jeer Bitts on Vulture are similar to the Fore Topsail Sheet Bitts, except they don't continue down to the upper deck. There is no room for Standards on them either as the hatch behind them is wider than most other Swan Class ships :
 

 
I've also made and fitted 22 Eyebolts - 10 around the Foremast, 8 in the bulwarks adjacent to the mast, and 4 in the Breast Beam :
 

 

 

 
  Danny

I spent some time on the various eyelets tonight. I installed the 14 deck eyebolts and two that go on the stern knees. You can also see in the picture that the pump and fire hydrant are more bronze than the other pictures show.
 

 
I then started on the eyelets and rings that hold the cannon in place. I found some 0.011" brass wire from another kit. I wound it around a #70 drill bit but that turned out to be far too small for me to work with.
 
So i switched to a #61 and that seemed to be OK. I wound tight coils and then split them off with some small side cutters. I then flattened them in a set of smooth jaw pliers. I made 22 of them even though 20 were needed. Turns out that they go shooting off very easily and I needed all 22 of them!
 

 
After that I held the eyelet in a set of small hemostats and used tweezers to bend the eyelet. I inserted the ring and then flattened it back out. The result is passable at this scale I think. It doesn't match the plans exactly (they're about 30% too big) but there is no way I could work with a 0.025" I.D.
 
It took me as long to figure out how to make the first four as the remaining 16.
 

 
Next step is to blacken them and glue them in. I may make a jig and rig up the cannon to them before gluing.

Hi.
This is a fun build to get my lad introduced into ship modeling.
The model is info :- Length 80 cm , Height 69.5 cm , Width 31.5 cm.
In the Model guide it states :- "This large model is easy to assemble by following the step by step instructions given with each issue,
The instructions are suitable for younger model makers and they do not require any experience of model making.
Simply follow the clear guide to complete this magnificent pirate ship."
The parts in issue one are two sheets go fibre board (MDF) 6mm and 4mm thick.plus a flag and string.
The packaging was very good.
The laser cutting was also excellent and not over cooked
More information can be found at www.hachettepartworks.com/blackpearl
Will photograph the first parts to show the quality and ease of instructions later in the next post.
My lad will be building this with a lot of help from me. Photos will show this as we progress with the build.
He is very excited to build this model and we will continue the subscription as long as he has a interest in continuing the build.
That's about it for now.
 
Regards Antony.

Hi.
 
Well we made a start with the Black Pearl.
 
The Board as supplied.
 

 
And the other board.
 

 
Instructions page 1.
 

 
And Page 2.
 

 
Assembly finished for this week.
 

 
Alex doing the gluing.
 

 
 
 
We managed to complete this with no issues.
 
But I would of had a couple of spacers made out of the scrap MDF to jig the frames square.
 
It’s only a very small detail but for anyone completely new to ship building it would help the build.
 
 
 
Regards Alex and Antony.
 

Thanks for stopping by, dear Sjors.
Today I took some better pics at daylight and now I am continuing with deadeyes on starboard.





 
Enjoy the pics, soon I will add new ones.
 
Best regards
Doris

This set of photos shows the crutch and thick stuff being installed.

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 49 – Hull cleanup, Port side ceiling
 
Before moving to the interior of the port side, I wanted to remove the protruding bilge ceiling bolts on the starboard side of the hull.  There will be many more of these to be added but the installed wires are a hazard.  The first picture shows the epoxied through-bolts being clipped off.
 

 
The remaining bolt stubs and epoxy were then filed off as shown below.  A fine cut file works best for this because it doesn’t “grab” on the wire.
 

 
The next picture shows the lower hull sanded after removal of the bolt heads.
 

 
The next picture is a close up showing how the iron strapping will appear between the frames.  Most of the strapping on the inside will be covered with planking.
 

 
The copper wire bolts are bright in this picture and will be blackened later, just before applying finish to the hull.
 
The next picture shows the start of work on the port side with the installation of the first strip of bilge ceiling near midship.
 

 
This first strip is installed just below the heads of the first futtocks.  This sets the line of the bilge ceiling that the other strakes will follow.  There are four more thick strakes below this.  Above it, thick members extend up to the lower deck clamp as on the starboard side.  It may seem odd to install this before the strapping, but I did it for two reasons.  First, I wanted a very secure joint with the frames, especially on this side where a number of frames will be removed above this joint and below the middle deck clamp – to provide view ports into the hull.  Secondly, the pins shown in this picture were used to correct any irregular spacing between the frames.  This had to be done before strapping.  After gluing and before removing the clamps, most of these pins were replaced by copper bolts.
 
The next picture shows the first section of lower deck clamp being installed.
 

 
In this picture and the one that follows, the frames marked “X” will be cut out between the lower futtock heads and the middle deck clamp to provide the view ports.
 
The next picture shows the strapping covering all but the forward view port area.  There will be three of these view ports, one at each mast.
 

 
Sections of the deck clamps have also been added.  The lower deck clamp is not glued or bolted to the “X” frames, but the frames are securely bolted to the clamps above.  Note from the “X’s” that there are three groups of three frames to be cut out. This will be done much later when the structure has been well reinforced by additional members.
 
The last picture shows the strake of bilge ceiling extended forward along the lower futtock heads to intersect with the lower deck clamp.
 

 
All of these members are being epoxy bolted through the frames as they are installed to provide the primary strength to the joints with the frames.  Glue alone is not enough, especially where there is strapping.
 
 
Ed

And so, as the sun slowly settles in the west, we bid adieu to our daring pin rail innovator and wonder, what the heck has his devious mind conjured up?  Will he make his thingy in 2 halves?  Will he make it out of pine or ebony?  What does cast brass really look like on the mast?  Will the fair maiden escape the rail road tracks?  And who DID put the bop in the bop sh-bop sh-bop?
 
Tune in tomorrow for the exciting continuation!
 
Now, then, with that out of the way - look forward to seeing how you tackle this wee conundrum, Grant!  Good Luck!

Work continues. Anchor chains from windlass to chain pipes. Also got the capstan bars in their rack.

Cutting the bitts...
Starting with 1/4" square stock, I sanded to 10 1/4" square.   I cut the tenons at the tops of the bitts by running all four sides over the saw blade set to a proper  blade depth and fence setting.   I think I need to cut the tenons down a bit still. 
The jeer bitts do not have a tenon on the bottom and the brace bitts need special attention.  Because of the taper on the brace bitt, the tenon is not centered on the 10 - 1/4" stock, but centered after the taper.  I ran the pieces over the blade for the sides, but the fore and aft sides were done by reducing the depth of cut on the aft-side  and increasing it on the fore-side.  (I love the flexibility I get with the Byrnes table saw and I'm using Thurston slitting blades for the first time!).  I then cut the notch at the bottom of the jeer bit, and put them on the model so I could measurre from the lower deck beams to the uppers and mark the notches over the beams.  They were cut, then I made cuts at various depths to mark the ends of the several tapers.  Planning ahead really helps here.  Next step is to cut the tapers.  I made one mistake in cutting the ends of the tapers and had to re-do two of the brace bits...more experience.
Maury
 

LOL - if you do order the tap and die set make sure to get both RH and LH threads - so you can make those working turnbuckles!
 
I am not at a complete standstill - in fact my mind is going 200 mph, even though the build itself is crawling.  I did manage to finish making and cutting out the templates for the sail set.  Don't know if I'll use the fisherman sail, but I have it if needed.  I may add a third reef band to the mainsail - it seems too large not to have the option.
 
The sails laid out:
 

 
and where they are going to:
 

 
A closer look at the destination.  I see the mast hoops are too thick, but I have to remember I have a few extras on the mast in case of breakage.
 

 
Still working out the details of sail construction in my mind.  I am pretty clear on drawing the hem lines, not stitching them.  I am debating on whether to fold the hems over and glue them, or to get an iron-on edge and trim that to the actual sail size.  Anyway, here are a couple of shots of where I am at the moment.
 
Bob

The waterway.......