Craigie65

Hello Pierre,
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Strange I have “Signature” below Content view Behavior
 
maybe one of the moderators can chime in here?

Hello Pierre,
Click on your avatar to go to your account.  At the top of the background banner you should see account settings. 
Click on that.
On the left hand side you should see a list - at the bottom is signature.
You can add the info there

Work on the Quarter Gallery Area
As much as I would have liked to replicate the quarter gallery area to the same standard as produced by Jim on his prototype build my efforts have sadly fallen someway short as the following set of photo's will demonstrate.  Once the poop deck has been installed much of this area is only visible through some cut-outs thankfully.
 
Before fitting the screens the gun ports were coated with a diluted wood filler solution and then painted red.

The cabin screens require some door handles. My first check was to make sure that I could feed the handles through the holes from both sides.

Once that was done the eyebolts were trimmed to sized and glued in place. I did like the natural finish of the eyebolts so decided not to paint them black. The next photo shows just how badly I finished of the screen. Although the spray mount did prevent the curling when the two screen parts were clued together I had some problems with curly during the painting phase.

The screens were then added to the deck. I used the relevant poop deck beams to make sure the screens were correctly aligned. The poop deck beams are only dry fitted at this stage of the build.

The captain, after a brief inspection, was not very impressed with his cabin. I fear I may be flogged as a result.

There are 4 off 42-pounder carronades to build for the two cabin areas. There is a t-piece which allows the the carronade carriage to slide over the top of the carronade skead. In the build manual the top of the t-piece , when fitted, is shown to be proud of the carriage. This is only possible if the bottom of the t-piece (yellow arrow) is rotated through 90 degrees so it fits in the slot but would be an incorrect assembly. The top of the t-piece, when correctly fitted, actually sits flush with the top of the carriage (blue arrow).

The basic assembly of the carronades is complete, noting the carriage is only dry fitted as the parts need to be painted flat red before the assembly phase.

Fitting out Grecian’s hull is nearing completion. A few remaining bits and pieces such as rudder chains and companionway stanchions. Also anything that requires rigging such as the wheel and binnacle (not glued yet) and the cannons / carronades. This is one of my favourite stages in building a model and true to form Vanguard’s fittings are high quality and go together perfectly. 


I hate applying decals but these went on very cleanly. I sanded the stern with 1000 grade sandpaper and applied gloss varnish first to reduce the risk of silvering. Then Matt varnish over the top to seal them once dry. 

I need to decide what armament this Grecian will have. I prefer the look of full gunports but as an American privateer she had 4 guns and in RN service was a ‘ten gun schooner’. Both leave a lot of empty gunports. The kit plan of 16 guns looks good, but I’m tempted to fill all 18 gunports, using the little four pounders in the two forward ports. I don’t for a moment doubt Chris’s research and suggestion that these ports weren’t used and don’t leave room to work the guns - but aesthetically I prefer it and as any more than ten guns is departing from historical accuracy (or really four guns as I have her registered in Baltimore and she’ll fly the Stars and Stripes) - so why not? 

My current plan for each side is as follows:
 
4 pounder
carronade
6 pounder
6 pounder
6 pounder
carronade
carronade
carronade
carronade

As a pilot thinking in terms of weight and balance - is that just too heavy forward especially given the shape of her hull with most buoyancy aft.

I have painted the AK Matt varnish on the forward starboard 4 pounder but not the other guns (photo below). It does make that cannon a little shiny in bright light. On Alert I didn’t varnish the guns and they stayed properly matt. Not sure which is better? Looking at photos of HMS Victory’s cannon suggests that they should have a bit of a shine on them? 
The only warning I have for other builders of Grecian is that Vanguard supply ~200 PE-8 pieces which are the ubiquitous pin-loops (not sure what the right term is for these). Examining the plans and instructions I counted ~195 of these needed if 16 guns are included. They are used everywhere including the masts, decks, gunports, channels, rudder chains, binnacle, etc. The instructions do warn you not to make all the cannons and carronades as there won’t be enough PE-8. But by my reckoning even making 18 guns (4 loops per cannon or carronades carriage) makes you short and that’s before the carpet monster takes its share. I’m so used to Vanguard kits oversupplying small PE parts in particular that I’ve not searched the floor for every loop that escaped me - I will be crawling around the floor later this evening to see if I can recover any… I’ve plenty of spare quite similar pin-loops from the Vanguard fishing boats and Alert that I can use on Grecian. They’re not identical in size and shape but no one except I will ever know or notice. Vanguard do supply enough PE-8 to complete the kit - but on this build if one escapes, it’s certainly worth tracking it down. 
 
I won’t have any time to work on Grecian for the next fortnight. My next job will be attempting to add a breach rope to each of the guns and rigging the wheel. 

Post Sixty-two
Looking at the Guns -part two
The barrels
The Main armament consists of 24 pounder long guns, 9½ ft Armstrong pattern versions, reproduced in resin which is the way to go in my opinion. Saves all that brass blackening and includes details such as the touch vent and monogram.

1654
24 pounder Indy gun in the raw.
The barrels contain the monogram which can be seen to be there, but difficult to see in detail, except for the cartouche which surrounds it.
This surprised me a little as the monogram on the much smaller 9 pounder guns (Sphinx) seemed much better defined, and to my eye look better without a cartouche. Was there ever a cartouche?

5849
Nine pounder Sphinx guns.
 
A small issue maybe for the 24 pounder guns on Indy where this detail will be mostly hidden from close view, but the two 12 pounder Foc’sle guns will be fully on show.
 
There is an alternative should I be motivated to use it.
Syren produce delightful little George 111 fibre board monograms in two sizes.
 

1719
Here is one attached to a damaged 24 pounder, I do prefer the look, but I’ve spent enough time on the guns, and I’ll live with the 24 pounders as is. I will use the alternative Syren monogram detail for the two fully visible 12 pounders.
 
Finishing the barrels

5934(2)
With the Sphinx guns (above) I simply washed, dried, and sprayed with fixative before treatment with weathering powders, I used Revell rust, dark brown, and deep black.
 
Buffed up and the gun was good to go.
 

1659
Not sure that will work with the Indy guns, using this treatment the finish is not satisfactory, and I am concerned about the visible  striations  running along the barrel.
 
Plan B

1675
The gun is gently cleaned up using 600 grade paper between the reinforcing rings, and painted with Vallejo Black, much improved I think.

1677

1680

1683

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So paint and weathering powder it is.
 
B.E.
14/08/2023
 

Pulling up a chair.
looking forward to the build Andrew

Wiki was in your face - big section saying they needed donations.
 
TBH I didn’t see the green strap line, too easy to overlook.

Wiki was in your face - big section saying they needed donations.
 
TBH I didn’t see the green strap line, too easy to overlook.

Getting there, last post for the week as I am going to enjoy the beach and lovely city of Charleston SC.

Rudder Housing Jig
The assembly of the rudder housing comprises 6 parts. Each of the 5 side parts requires bevelling of the edges to get the required shaping of the rudder housing. As I think this could be a tricky little assembly to get right I decided I should make a simple jig to assist with the bevelling. I thought this small side project might be of interest to some of the Indy builders.
 
Step 1 - Mark out the required pattern
Using a scrap bit of MDF I used the top rudder housing pattern to draw the required outer edge shape. Once that was done I was able to add the inner edges.

 
Step 2 - Making the Jig
Using some spare planking material I glued support pieces to either side of the guide lines. I started with adding the support pieces to the outer edges and used the top pattern to double check the were correctly positioned. Once I was happy with the outer supports I cut and glued the inner support pieces. This time I used the side patters to ensure the correct gap was set.

Step 3 - Bevelling the edges
The bevelling of the edges was a relatively simple task. As each part was bevelled it was tested in the jig. I used to the top part to double check the alignment. Fingers crossed this means when it time to fit the parts to the quarter gallery deck there should not be any problems.



 
 

Pulling up a chair.
looking forward to the build Andrew

Pulling up a chair.
looking forward to the build Andrew

Pulling up a chair.
looking forward to the build Andrew

Post Sixty-one
Looking at the guns - Part One
 
The carriages are laser cut from 2mm pear and are nicely detailed, incorporating the bracket lines.
 Part of the design includes a tab at the front end to slot into a mortise in the deck to hold the carriage in place. (The guns are added later)
The system should go a long way towards preventing the rattle of loose guns rolling around the lower decks in places they can’t be retrieved.
The drawback of this system is that cap squares are of necessity omitted as the guns are fed thro’ the ports to be glued into place.
Not much of a loss where the decks are to be closed in, and better than loose cannon.

1687
My first job is to make a simple jig to hold the parts that make up the carriages which consist of four separate pieces for the main structure.

1688

1689
A jig speeds up assembly, and there are a lot to assemble.
There is the usual issue of square axles fitting round holes on the trucks. The merest pass with a sanding stick is required to knock the corners off the axles to allow fitment of the trucks. It is a fine line between fit and the square peg in a round hole image.

1691
It is impossible to get a proper fit to the truck with undersized square axles, as the above photo shows.
Ideally the axles should be slightly over size to allow for accurate rounding. I suppose they could be shimmed, but that’s a lot of extra work.
On a practical note, this deficiency will not stand out once the guns are fitted.
 
The trucks are a miniature delight complete with engraved bolt holes and section joints. There is enough room on the axles for the addition of truck keys for über detailers.
 
As with previous kits I am not generally keen on the supplied eyebolts that represent the hoops on the carriages sides that take the tackle hooks, but with this chunky 24 pdr carriage, they don’t look too bad.
 
I did feel it necessary to modify the one fitting to a ring bolt to take the breeching rope.

1697
In this shot the yet to be blackened ringbolt has replaced one of the supplied eyebolts.
 
The sharp eyed may also notice the handle added to the Quoin.
This is simply a short length of wire with a blob of pva on the end.
 
I won’t be using the peg and slot system for gun securing as access to all decks will be available on my build.
The tab did prove useful to hold the carriages during painting, and scored each side it snaps cleanly away when finished.
 
In part two I will be looking at the Resin gun barrels.
 
B.E.
10/08/2023

Nine more tile lengths forward, looks lie 1/2 way. Waterline still pretty straight.

Upper Deck Trial Fitting - Left Hand Side
As with the right hand side I did have to trim a bit of back edge in order to line up the upper deck pattern with the bulkhead ears. 
 
After cleaning the laser char from the edges a trial fit was undertaken.
 
As can be seen in the first photo below the quarterdeck section is a perfect fit.

The gangway section also was a great fit, with the pattern sitting in the slots provided.

However the forecastle section requires a bit more work as the pattern will sit flush with the right hand pattern.

The alignment problem was due to pattern not locating fully in to one of the bulkhead ear slots. After a little bit of sanding of the slot opening the deck pattern was refitted and this time it became fully engaged. It will require a little bit more fettling to ensure the central sections of both patterns are aligned.

I have been progressing with a small/medium kit before plunging into another long term development.
 
All designs/laser cut files are done, including three PE sheets, and now I am working on drawings. Once all drawings are complete, I shall start building the model for the manual, and may do a build log.
 
This is the gun brig Adder, of the Acute Class of 1797. My two main sources state it is a 14 gun brig, 12 x 18 pounder carronades and 2 x 24 pounders in the bow - but they may have been 12 gun brigs, as the only way to get the extra two carronades in position is to fill the stern chaser ports.

Lovely vessel.  Never thought I would say that of a ship without cannon.  I have a feeling that this kit may seduce you into building quickly.  Need to take a deep breath and just enjoy a leisurely build.

Upper Decks Deck Beams - Part 3
The final quarterdeck deck beam (QB08) was released from the jig and a trial fit was undertaken. As can be seen in the photo below there were no installation problems. The slots at the bottom of QD08 aligned perfectly with the top of the bitts. The various interlock patterns also were a good fit, noting the left and right edges still need to be painted.

After a few minutes work with my rotary sanding tool the laser char was removed.

I had not noticed when taking the next photo but one of the patterns had fallen to the gundeck.

The left and right edges of the interlocking patterns were, after a coating of WOP, were painted red. Once the paint had dried the quarterdeck deck beams, interlocking patterns and pillars were glued in place.

It was more of the same as the forecastle and gangway deck beams had the laser char removed and then were painted and test fitted. As expected there were no installation issues. Before these items are glued in place there are 6 pillars to be fitted. The pillars will need to be checked for length and trimmed as necessary and then painted. I have added a couple of photos of the forecastle and gangway deck beams in place.

And a final photo of all the deck beam to finish of this build log post.

Busy day at work but was able to get in some coppering today. Took more than 1/2 hr yesterday separating all the plate.
 

Adding The Quarterdeck Deck Beams - Part 2
With the second quarterdeck deck beam in place the first pillar was test fitted. It did require a little bit of trimming to reduce the length so it was a good snug fit.

A few minutes later the next pillar was trimmed and test fitted.

In total there are 5 pillars to fit, 2 x long type and 3 x short type. Once they were all trimmed to size they were painted flat red. All looks good.

With the tape removed the remaining quarterdeck deck beams were slotted in place.

Next the interlocking parts were added.

The final photo shows three of the painted pillars.

The next task will be to clean up, test fit and paint the final deck beam (QD08), which was the deck beam which assembled from 4 separate patterns and bent to shape using a kit supplied jig. Once that has been completed everything can be glued in place.
 
Slow and steady in my mantra for this build.
 

Good evening everyone
Thank you for comments and likes
day 157-2 main channels in place
 
the main and mizzen channels were the easiest to get into position due the to way the kit was designed, the fore however took a few attempts to get right as i lost the lines due to painting and sanding, as a result i went back to the wood and it made it a simple task to get the alignment 
 
 
 

Quarterdeck Deck Beam QD08
The quarterdeck deck beam QD08 comprises 4 separate patterns which have to be glued together, whilst clamped to a jig which applies a bend. In the following pictures I have just added the final QD08 pattern to the jig. The completed gundeck beam QD08 assembly will now be left clamped for the time being.

Completion of Gun Deck
I have reached another major milestone as I have now completed the Indy build up to and including adding all the gun deck items. It was a case of taking my time adding the various gun deck items today. In the attached pictures the deck beam pillars (located on the various hatches) are only dry fitted as they will need to be checked (and trimmed) for length as the deck beams are added. I had a senior moment when setting up the Indy for the following set of photos as I forgot to add the hatch comings although I did remember to add some dowels for the fore, main and mizzen masts.

Post Fifty-eight
Ensure everything fits.
A few hours spent fettlin’ the mortises.

1616
I used my deck template to ensure the locations particularly of the deck pillars.

1619
The Swann-Morton micro chisels proved very useful for clearing the pillar mortises on the modified head ledges.

1631
I’m thinking that the wooden pillars fore and aft of the Capstan step might be better represented by hinged iron stanchions.

1622

1623

1628

1626
The masts and Bowsprit are cut to full kit size and tested for fit.
 
Fully rigged she is going to take up a lot of room, but will no doubt look magnificent.
I hasten to add I will not be going down that road.
 
B.E.
03/08/2023