augie

Capstan
 
The kit-provided capstan was made of plywood, and since I’m not using paint on any parts of the ship, it was time for a scratch-built replacement.  (I also wasn’t crazy about the shape of the kit capstan.  Plus, I really just want to scratch build the rest of this ship anyway!)

Unlike the companionway – which was improvised – there is a drawing of the capstan on the NMM plans which I could use.  I couldn’t however, resist taking a bit of “artistic license” with some aspects of the piece.                                                                                                                         
 
Kit-Provided Capstan vs. NMM Plans
 

 
 

 
 
The spindle was made from Swiss pear, and to fabricate it, I got some practice using the technique for making masts that should come in handy later:   I planed down some square stock to 8 sides, then 16 sides, and then sanded it round.              

The welps are made of cherry – shown here temporarily glued together side-to-side, for uniform shaping with a file.  (I would ultimately use only six of them, but I made a few extra just in case.  And yes, they came in handy!)
 

 
Next, slots for the chocks were cut, and the welps were tapered and glued around the spindle.  The chocks were then fabricated in cherry and added – which took about five times more effort and time than the rest of the capstan components combined!
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
To make the drumhead, I used a compass to draw circles on cherry sheet, and roughly cut out the discs using my new scroll saw for the first time (Very roughly!  I definitely need practice scrolling!)
 
I trimmed them a little closer with an Exacto knife, drilled a hole through the compass point in their centers, and screwed them into a Dremel mandrel.  Using a Dremel drill press and sand paper held against an angle iron, I sanded them round. (see the many “just in case” extra discs in the background!)
 
 

 
 

 
 
I cut out the slots for the capstan bars using a micro chisel blade – destroying several of those "extra" discs before getting it right -- and assembled the drumhead.
 

 
 

 

Thank you all for your comments I really appreciate the compliments.  Augie - Are you kidding me?  The hull's not nearly done yet, still got a ton of work to get the channels and bulwarks on.   Thanks for following I enjoyed your feedback on the Bounty.
 
Hyposhagman- I laid the bottle down because the back ground was a bit messy.  I do most my modeling on the kitchen table and decided to use the counter for photos this time.  Trouble is I just bought a ton of baby food for the little one and didn't want to show it all off.  
 
I got the hull stained and the planking scribed.  It turned out well I think.  I guess it could be better but trying to draw invisible lines with an exacto knife isn't easy.
 

 

 

 
 
 

The standing rigging on the mainmast has basically been completed.  This included the main topgallant shrouds, stay and backstays as well as the main royal stay and backstays.  I never realized that some standing rigging was actually adjustable as is the case with the royal backstays which run through blocks down to belaying pins on the rail. The tackles actually WORK!  (Sorry about the lack of focus on the first 2 pics).
 

 

 
Seeing as we're tying off to the pin rack, I decided to try my hand at making some loose rope coils for the belaying pins.  Toward that end, I constructed this highly sophisticated jig.  About 5 coils of line, a dab of CA and voila!  I'm not sure if this qualifies me as a neophyte 'darksider'
 

 
Time for a long distance shot.  Note that what appears to be a fore royal stay running to the bowsprit is just a temporary brace set to help tensioning to lines on the stays from the mainmast.  As nothing went 'boing' I think we're OK.
 
Which reminds me of something I forgot to post in the re-post of this abbreviated log.  All of the belaying pin rails and channels were pinned with 28 guage wire during construction (thanks Chuck).
 
 

 
Concerning the rake of the mainmast, I had previously determined from the plans that it was approximately 5 degrees aft.  Well, as they say, the proof is in the pudding.  So at this point measuring from ball truck to ball truck I get 9  1/8" which precisely matches the plans.  So assuming the mast holes in the deck were drilled in the right place, I finally got something right.  I believe this is a FIRST.
 
At any rate, this rigging thing is an absolute blast!  Haven't had so much fun since coppering.  Or maybe planking.  Or maybe........
 
Now we move on to a total repeat on the standing rigging for the foremast.  Hopefully, we will already have improved a bit.
Be back when the cursed ratlines are completed on the upper fore shrouds.
 
Everyone stay well.  And build straight  

The Spanish monitor Puigcerda (named for the city in Catalan and the only monitor ever to serve in the Spanish navy) was commissioned in 1875.  She displaced 553 tons and carried three bronze muzzle-loaders, one of 12 cm and two of 10 cm.  After brief service during the Third Carlist War, she was laid up until the Spanish-American War in 1898.  Re-armed with two 16 cm guns and two 12 cm guns, she patrolled the Vigo River during that conflict.  She was sold out of the service in 1900 and converted to a civilian steamer.
 
Puigcerda is another of the excellent offerings from Paper Shipwright.  Designer David Hathaway's models are well regarded for their fit and detail.  Despite their small size and relatively low parts count, builders should have some experience working with card due to the number of very small parts.
 
My kit was a laser reprint sold by Paper Models International; their website is still up, but hasn't been updated in ages.  The kit includes several pages of parts, instructions, diagrams, and railing jigs.



 
 

POPEYE   ------You're back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
I can't tell you how glad I am.  This place would NEVER be the same without you.  I don't know if you're going to rebuild every log but even if you just pick them up where you left off it will be GREAT.
 
Welcome home, mate!

Welcome aboard the Syren team, Prodas.  We're starting to rebuild the fleet!
 
I look forward very much to your build.  Syren is a wonderful kit.
 
Do not worry about your English.  You're doing fine.
 
Best oif luck on your voyage.

Larry,  Patrick is exactly correct.  The stern filler blocks must be level with the horn timbers.  getting the shape of these filler blocks was one of the most difficult activities of the build.  Take your time and shape slowly.  I will add some photos of that pert of my build on my build log.  Also feel free to ask me any questions and I will help as much as I can.

The standing rigging on the mainmast has basically been completed.  This included the main topgallant shrouds, stay and backstays as well as the main royal stay and backstays.  I never realized that some standing rigging was actually adjustable as is the case with the royal backstays which run through blocks down to belaying pins on the rail. The tackles actually WORK!  (Sorry about the lack of focus on the first 2 pics).
 

 

 
Seeing as we're tying off to the pin rack, I decided to try my hand at making some loose rope coils for the belaying pins.  Toward that end, I constructed this highly sophisticated jig.  About 5 coils of line, a dab of CA and voila!  I'm not sure if this qualifies me as a neophyte 'darksider'
 

 
Time for a long distance shot.  Note that what appears to be a fore royal stay running to the bowsprit is just a temporary brace set to help tensioning to lines on the stays from the mainmast.  As nothing went 'boing' I think we're OK.
 
Which reminds me of something I forgot to post in the re-post of this abbreviated log.  All of the belaying pin rails and channels were pinned with 28 guage wire during construction (thanks Chuck).
 
 

 
Concerning the rake of the mainmast, I had previously determined from the plans that it was approximately 5 degrees aft.  Well, as they say, the proof is in the pudding.  So at this point measuring from ball truck to ball truck I get 9  1/8" which precisely matches the plans.  So assuming the mast holes in the deck were drilled in the right place, I finally got something right.  I believe this is a FIRST.
 
At any rate, this rigging thing is an absolute blast!  Haven't had so much fun since coppering.  Or maybe planking.  Or maybe........
 
Now we move on to a total repeat on the standing rigging for the foremast.  Hopefully, we will already have improved a bit.
Be back when the cursed ratlines are completed on the upper fore shrouds.
 
Everyone stay well.  And build straight  

1 - 23 - 2013
 
This session was more of a fabrication session........the fore cabin roofs,  grab rails,  and helm roofs were fleshed out and assembled.   I also needed some sanding sticks,  so I made some of different grits.

I did repair some of the imperfections in the hull.......after all, it does need to be water tight.



















The windows were framed,  so they couid be installed from the outside,  unlike his counterpart. the build continues..............
 

Well done guys for getting the site going again,i would have hated to be in the room when everything dissapeared into the Burmuda triangle.Ron.

12 - 30 - 2012
 
New years was coming,  and the build was moving right along.   I couldn't wait for the day when both of these builds will be in sync with one another.   then I could work on them together.   the open areas under the sheers are to have a floor,  in order to close them off from seeing the gaps left by the decking.   I had used 7mm planking as borders along the side,  to better gauge the deck planking.   it works out well,  because they will become the sills for these compartments.  I also wanted to paint the inner areas with primer.   if I didn't get paint under the sheers now,  I wouldn't be able to do it later,  with the hull completely closed in.   I will make up the floor pieces,  and then prime.  the bad part was that I was almost out of white primer.......very little was left and certainly not enough.













The floor were installed over the openings.   they were later primed to get some on them as well

you took the words right out of my mouth.....LOL!

Another example of our newly developed 'speed building' technique here on MSW.
 
Looks great, Paul.

Wow, thanks for the encouragement Elia!  I'm a big fan of your work --  ever since I first saw your Oneida on the old Dry Dock Models forum!
 
All treenails throughout were made with my trusty Jim Byrnes draw plate and the holes were drilled with my Dremel.  I know there were 6,500 in the hull, but I stopped counting when I moved inside to the bulwarks and deck, so I'm not sure what my total is now.
 
I hope you'll be posting pictures of your Oneida in the Gallery of completed ships here.  And hopefully you can recreate your Goddess build log too.
 
Cheers,
Robert

OK, I don't know about you folks, but I'm all worn out on re-posting and looking at photos from the 18th Century.  So I finally got out of this chair in front of the PC and did some (minor) work.
 
Here's the latest.  The main topmast stays, backstays and preventer stays have been added.  Finally converting 'rope' into lines that actually GO somewhere is a blast!  I will be using Morope on everything with a diameter of .018" or larger, black for the standing rigging and beige for the running rigging.  I picked up on the idea from Frank (riverboat) and really like the beige.  The black, in my opinion, is not nearly as spectaclular.  It does handle well though, provided you remember to apply some thin CA before you cut it.  Otherwise it will unravel instantly.
 
Special note to Sjors------ No, I did not forget there are  shrouds and ratlines on the upper foremast.  All in good time, my friend
 

Main mast upper shrouds and ratlines.
 

 

 

 
 
 
 

With the re-starting of the MSW site on 2/15/2013, it has become necessary to re-construct this build log.  I have most of the photos but, of course, lack the narrative.
 
I plan to post the past progress in sections that make sense.  It will take a while but I'll do my best.

Sherry-  So you're going to go for the 'dark side'.  OK, we'll be watching!!!!!

Here we go again with the sabre rattling.  I am not going to be a party to starting 'The War' again.
 
But, if necessary, I shall be a part of finishing it! 

Glad to see the twins coming back to life!

I was hoping that you folks who know what they're doing would stay off here for a while and make the rest of us look better.  Oh well

Hi, my name is Thomas Gahm. My build log disappeared as so
many others during the recent crash, and I just try to reconstruct as much as I
can.
 

Bulkheads and filler blocks are being glued in place.
 

Gun ports are framed and the fairing of bulkheads is finished.
 

Planking of the upper part of the hull with bass wood
strips. The strips were selected for homogeneous color and texture.
 

Treenailing using the wood filler based method described by
Chuck in the instruction book. During my last ship model build (Anfora kit
Ictineo II) the combination of the applied wood stain and the slight fuzziness
of the treenail hole edges led to a larger treenail appearance than initially
intended. To avoid this effect I drilled holes which were slightly smaller than
the intended treenail size of 0.5mm and I opened them up with a needle of a
slightly larger diameter (0.53mm). This led to well defined, round holes with
sharp edges, which once filled with wood filler gave me the intended
treenailing effect.
 

Planking of the lower hull with bass wood strips. As this
part of the hull will be covered later by copper sheaths I did not particularly
select the wood strips for texture or color.
 

Finished hull planking.
 

Lower part of hull planking. Two brass pipes were buried in
the keel to allow for the possibility to mount the model later via two brass
carriers inserted in these pipes. If these mounts should not be needed the
holes can be covered up via the false keel.
 

Stern view of the Syren. Mounting the Syren name turned out
to be a bit tricky due to the small size of the photo etched letters. The
following method worked for me: I painted the letters (white) while they were
still attached to the photo etch grid. After separating them from the brass
grid I arranged them to form the name “SYREN” on a sticky tape mounted on a
flat piece of wood with the sticky side up. Once I was satisfied with the
arrangement of the letters I covered them with a second piece of transparent
tape with the sticky side towards the letters. After turning the whole
arrangement upside down so that the first tape was on top and the second tape
underneath the letters I removed the first tape while carefully making sure
that the letters did not come loose from the second tape. Now all that remained
to do was to apply some superglue to the uncovered letter backs and transfer
the name as a whole in its final arrangement to its destination on the stern.
The use of a transparent tape allowed for precise positioning. Once the letters
were glued to the hull the tape could be removed. 
 

Building of the stern transom. To form the stern transom I
modeled it first with a piece of paper which I then used to cut out the wooden
(bass wood) counterpart. This was then soaked in hot water and bent to its
final shape in a jig. 
 

The formed transom is glued in place.
 

Finished transom.
 

Front view of the Syren. The planks are stained with a
mixture of 1 part Minwax Golden Oak and 2 parts Minwax Natural wood stain. 
 

Stern view of the Syren.
 

Planking of the deck using selected basswood strips. The
planks were tapered towards the stern.
 

Finished deck planking with waterways. I painted the
locations of the future gratings black to prevent the possibility of the deck
planking to be seen through the openings of the gratings. The deck was stained
with Minwax Natural wood stain.
 

Stern view of the deck with treenailing.
 

Plank nibbing.
 

Deck view.
 

Sounds like you did the right thing trusting the canon 'mockup'.  I think your red color looks good.  The camera is VERY picky on reds.
 
Looks like you're having fun ---- and that makes ME happy

Part 2. Bulkheads and Bulkhead fillers...
 
I took eack of the bulkeads gave them an initial sand to remove a good amount of the laser burns around the edges. At this point I also beveled the fore and aft bulkheads using the dotted lines as a guide, making sure not to bevel completely to the line in order to have some wiggle room for fine tuning later.
 
Once the bulkhead were given their initial bevel it was time to glued them in place.  This was done one bulkhead at a time using a square to ensure the bulkheads were true to the former. 
 
Once this was complete the bulkhead fillers were cut from balsa scrap and glue into place, it was important to make sure the bulkhead former remained straight during this process.  I repeatedly checked using a straght edge and my eyes sighting down the length of the hull.
 
Once this was complete it was time to put the lower deck in place.  That meant is was time to choose a finish for the ship.  I purchased the following products for this project.
 
Minwax Natural Stain 209, Minwax Golden Oak 210B and Minwax Weathered Oak 270. 
 
I also purchased Minwax Pre-Stain Conditioner (Oil Based), Winwax Polyurethane (Satin) and Watco Wipe on Poly (Satin)
 
I tested diffrent stain combinations and finish techniques on some deckinging mockups until I came up with a finish I liked.
 
After reading build logs and discussion on this forum as well a some woodworking forums this is the process that worked best 
for me: .
 
1.  Sand deck till smooth, wipe clean.
2. Apply quick coat of Wipe on Poly, let dry.
3. Apply two coats of Pre-Staind conditioner. Let Dry and sand with 320 grit in between coats.
4. No more that two hours after second coat of Pre-Stain, apply first coat of 50/50 Natural/Golden Oak mix, let sit for 30 mins and wipe.
5. Let dry for at least 2 more hours and sand with 320 Grit.  Wipe clean and apply second coat of stain. Let sit for 30 mins and wipe. Let Dry overnight.
6. Apply two coats of Minwax polyurethane. Let dry and sand with 320 grit in between coats.
 
Lastly I faired the hull, sanding as if it was a solid hull.  This was more difficult on the inner bulwark area than on the outside of the hull.  I used a planking strip to check for good contact with the bulkhead edges and a no bulges or dips the length of the strip.

Hello everybody
 
Well, it’s too sad that all earlier postings are lost! Now, let’s start again with filling this wonderful forum.
 
I started my Victory in autumn 2011, was very busy until spring when I had to busy myself with other tasks (paper modelling). In last autumn I restarted with wood modelling while still being busy with card too.
 
First I will show you the coppering. I decided to use copper tape instead of the delivered plates. This was mainly because I don’t want to work with CA (which ends in strong problems with my broncheas). I also decided to do the coppering according to the original, meaning to have 12 copperbands on top and the rest
of them leading to them from the bottom. In addition the copper plates should overlap as usually in the Royal Navy, the upper band goes under the lower one and not the other way round as in merchand ships. So I had to start along the waterline and moving downwards. First I draw the lines with pencil and then I cut the foil into plates and then sticking them to the hull.
 
So much for the moment.
 
Cheers,
Rosmarie