egkb

Drydock preparation complete and initial repairs underway. Let's get that ship back in the war....!

Thank you, Keith.
 
Well, here are some impressions of the sanded hull:
 

 

 

 

 

 
 
And here is the start of the second planking:
 

Thanks again everyone (especially you lurkers who have been tempted into the open....!)
 
It's my own damn fault all of this.
 
I dont have a large house currently, so the lean-to conservatory is a hobby room/store room at the moment, but it also the only way in and out of the house for the cats and their thoroughfare takes them right next and above the build area(they have a small cat sized window left ajar for them). I have known there might be an issue but got away with it for so long, assuming the counterweight wouldn't shift.
 
Tonights task is a simple 'swap the room from one side to the other'. The storage area will then be next to the window and the build area will be opposite. This will instantly make the whole thing far more secure. And also next to the radiator...... Bonus this winter....!
 
Re-rigging has gone from a complete reset to cutting and retying the shroud lanyards. Just a minor difference....!
 
As for the Ballahoo, I will be starting a build log. It will be a nice distraction from the rigging (once I catch up....) and I am hoping to do a little side project with the ballahoo, which I will either unveil once it is complete or I might release some teasers along the way. Watch this space....

Lower Deck Modification

The kit's original plan on the lower deck has only gratings. Feeling that it's too 'plain', I've decided to add a stair to a level lower... the orlop.
I planned to locate the stair at the very front of the gratings in the original plan, something like this:



To make it, I'll need to add a false deck beneath it, and that again need to modify the false keel and some affected bulkheads. 



The yellow line shows the location of the stair and gratings on the deck which will be cut off; while the red shaded area shows the area to be removed to fit the orlop deck. That will be total of 4 bulkheads (5, 6, 7, and 8) affected.

Some procedures...
First, I cut off a 'hole' on the false deck. Here is where the stair and gratings will lay.



Then the bulkheads..
I made the height of the lower deck to orlop 25mm, which is the same as the height from upper deck to lower.



And the keel's part...



Finally, after all the cutting and sanding jobs, the orlop can now fit between the bulkheads. 



I started planking on the same night, and chalked edge of planks for better detail.



Actually, it doesn't need to be fully planked.. I mean, I could just plank the center part of the board.. I planked them full to treat it as a good warm up for the higher deck planking.

Then, I added treenails to the planks. I done it using pencil, not really satisfy with the result.. might use drilling and filling method on higher level.
 


On the rest of the weekends, I started the lower deck planking. Anyway, before I begun I've changed my mind to add a space between the stair and gratings (which design I referred from the HMS Pandora). So, it's how it turns out now.
 


Just a quick sharing on how I make my planks.
Since I'm planning to stagger my planks by 1/3, so I made their lengths 105mm so that they can be easily divided by 3. 


After a whole long night of planking...

 
the remaining parts will be planked after the hull planking is done, because I still need those frames to guide the hull planks.
 
OK, after all... the stair hasn't made  
I was thinking of making the stair first, but then worrying of doing the hull planking might damage it, so I will move it together with other deck fittings
Next, I'll work on the stern modification.

Thanks for viewing!! 

Laying Keel and Fitting Bulkheads

Just one week before this, I've already made my DIY keel clamp for this build. The previous one which I used for my Race Horse is no longer strong enough to hold a ship size like this. So, this is how it looks like:
 

 
First problem... the bulkheads don't fit to the keel.
Didn't happen on my previous build..
 

 
Argh~~ so close...   
Fortunately, I've also made myself a DIY drill press last week.. just that it's not completed yet, I'll still need to add compound table to it. Anyway, it helps a lot on sanding the bulkheads' slots wider.
 
Here it is:


 
There's actually a screw at the right which it to stop the drill at desirable position. To fix the slots, I used a HSS square router bit. It works well so far
 

 
So, after like 45 minutes I've done them all, and I thought the bulkheads can now all fit...
I was wrong...
Now comes the problem that the slots on the keel are not wide enough too to fit the bulkheads... oh Corel...
 


And then some issues commonly seen...
 

 
So, after a whole long night of fixing and sanding.. I can finally put my decks and bulkheads on. This is how she looks like now.
 


Anyway, they are not glued yet. Just sitting in place so that I can plan on my modification to be made.
 
Cheers!!
 

Thanks, Jay, Kester and Tony for the kind words, and good health to you all.
I'm really enjoying how every Sherbourne builder makes his or her own choice of how far he or she will go to get nearer to the no longer existing and somewhat elusive original (Jay's decision to build a Sherbourne from scratch is the ultimate consequence of this quest).
For me the kit provides a solid beginners platform which can be altered or improved individually to an astonishing degree, as you and other builders here demonstrate.
With the best wishes,
Gregor

Well I was going to do the spraying today but we went for a Christmas dinner round the local pub
Result, I am stuffed beyond stuffing

MOSQUITO MESH AND CLEAR ACETATE: To make windows.

DemonBorger,
 
I actually used some pieces of fly-mesh, cut into long strips and then rolled-up to simulate the netting on my Apostol Felipe a few years back. Check it out, if you like, from the link in my tag-line. You'll see it hanging from the main flybridge.

BEADS - another use for beads is as parrel beads for all those gaff rigged schooners out there - or other applications where there are single parrels in use.
 
Steve - great thread - may I suggest you change the title to something that might help people realize what you are trying to do with it?  It will help get more responses, I suspect.
 
Thanks,
Bob
 

WATCH PARTS - Search E-Bay for this phrase: "steam punk". A 30g packet containing hundreds of miniscule cogs, gear-wheels, coils and springs cost me less than A$20.00 (including shipping). Watch-spring coils will, I imagine, make excellent mast-bands!!
 

BEADS - There are thousands of different beads available. I strongly recommend spending a few hours browsing through the shelves of a good bead store, if you can find one. Otherwise, settle for a raid on the Admiral's sewing table. Try imagining each bead cut in half/sanded/sliced.
 
This pic shows a whale-boat (1/76th scale) I am currently working on. The central drum is a bead, with the wooden ends being former chopsticks.
 

CHOPSTICKS - To create winches for my whale-boats (1/76 scale), I cut the tips from a pair of take-away chopsticks. Minor sanding and shaping produced the final result. Some holes were drilled through the tips (0.2mm bit). Paint inside of holes black.

Right!
 
Ordered some materials from CMB and I will await their arrival. Makes a huge difference a night of sleep and surveying the damage with a clear head. All I could see was having to cut all the rigging out and start from scratch. However the lower masts are undamaged and this is a massive bonus. If I can get the channels replaced and reattach the deadeyes I am laughing (well not crying anyway...).
 
I hope that the reattaching the half of the stem wont be too bad but might have to be a little brutal and then liberal with woodfiller. I need to replace a fair few copper tiles though. I will get a fair difference between my old tiles and the new ones. Will a liberal scrubbing with metal polish o the rest of the hull help even out the finish?

Thank you Ferit
The one good thing is this log won't be out of place in this section when it goes on for a few years  
Kind Regards Nigel

Thanks once again to John, Brian, Jeff, Pat, Tony and Sailor1234567890 .
 
Gangways and Gangboards
 
There is a Fixed Gangway either side of the break for the Quarterdeck to provide access to the quarterdeck from the upper deck and also to allow for boarding, and a Gangboard either side in the Waist to provide a walkway between the forecastle and quarterdeck.
 
The easiest solution to making the framing for the fixed gangway I could think of was to first edge glue the planking together, shape it correctly, and then build the framing onto it. I used Pear for the edging plank for a decorative contrast.
 

 

 

 
The second framing for the unplanked starboard side was copied from the resulting pieces :
 

 
The Gangboards are a simpler affair, consisting of two 9" boards which are affixed to the knees :
 

 
The installed assemblies :
 

 

 
  Danny

Thanks for the support guys.
 
Ironically it was the very weight of the object that I thought would prevent it being moved by the local creatures. There was even a small sill on the shelf, so the weight was not pushed over but tipped over.
 
The damage is not game ending but I can't face it at the mo. As I see it, the two stem pieces need tidying and pinning back together. The keel needs replacing and fixing in place.
After that get the two channels in place and re-rig the fore and main mast. Think I can get away with removing lanyards and re rigging those only.
I need to scratch replace one of the channels and the cross trees.
 
It's achievable but need to step back a while.

Cannons – Blackening
 
Using the process outlined in many places on MSW, I chemically blackened the guns.
 
Maybe some minor variations from what others use for mixture ratios or the duration of each step in the process, but pretty much the same drill:
Silver solder trunnions in place Acetone bath for grease removal (15 – 20 Minutes) Muriatic acid bath for surface etching (15 – 20 Minutes) Thorough rinsing with cold water Blackening bath, 5 parts Birchwood Casey Brass Black, 1 part distilled water (approx. 2 – 4 minutes) Thorough rinsing in cold water Following a few minutes of air drying, buff with a soft cloth The end result, depending on the lighting, looks like a pretty attractive deep, gun metal gray.
 
While I think they look kind of nice as is, the shine is a bit overwhelming for 1:64 scale.  Therefore, the final step will be to seal them with a coat of clear, matte lacquer.
 
The result of the matte finish treatment can be seen on the gun at the far right.  With the reduced light reflection, it now looks more black.
 
Onward to making some carriage bolts, eyebolts, and ringbolts...
 
Robert

Thank you Jim.
 
I've additionaly fixed (and secured, I think) the stropped deadeyes into the channels slots using epoxy glue....
Finally the slots are closed using custom made walnut 1,5X1,5 strips, next step black-painting of the channles using my favourite Vallejo's matt black..  

Quiet as far as the forum goes. I've been very busy with supporting a music festival run by my son as well after having returned from a long trip abroad, but I've also been re-thinking how to make blocks as I discovered that my method of attaching hooks to the blocks made the whole unit (block + hook) so large that there was no room for the ropes between blocks! All the same, it's lovely to see your bowsprit, Gregor. Now that you're ahead of me in construction I can learn from you -- so that's a real bonus!
 
Tony
(hoping to have something to show by the end of the year!)

Thank you very much Michael It has come as a great surprise being 'relocated'Toying with changing the title of my link.It seems inappropriate now.What to,haven't got a clue .I have looked backed through my log myself and realise what a rollercoaster it has been.If I was to start all over again,the build would start in this section as that is what I should have done in the first place,scratchbuilt.That would have avoided the few compromises I have had to make regarding my only true source of reference,the Van de Velde engraving.
I thank you again for your kind comments
Kind Regards Nigel

Gregor,
 
Really good work on your Sherbourne, she looks magnificent. Nice job on the research front too, and I especially like your windlass. I went with the original idea, but made my own better-shaped one.
 
Yes, you're right, it is rather quiet on the Sherbourne yards at the moment. I'm afraid work on mine has come to a temporary halt, as I'm just getting over a rather bad cold. I'm feeling better now, and hope to be making another post soon.
 
Looking forward to seeing more.

I would just like to say a big thank you to the moderators for moving my log It has come as a very pleasant surprise.I do feel like a very little fish in a very big pond now though    
I would like to say 'Hello' to everyone in this section,the 'darkside' and I shall no doubt enjoy corresponding with you all.I haven't made many posts on this side mainly because it is nearly a full time job to follow all your great works.When I have popped my head in I find myself sat reading one of the logs for several hours.
They are all fascinating and a very enjoyable read
Kind Regards Nigel

Hi all,
In my last post I was ready for the cap rail.
So I started with the cap rail and broke the cap rail, started and broke it... bought more wood, started and, ... you guessed it, broke it. This degree of bending has been tough and I tried a lot of different methods including soaking, then steaming, then soaking and steaming. I just could not get to the bend without something snapping. I tried doing it in two parts but was still unhappy with the bends.
 
So I tried to make a jig that would help. my first attempt below did not work. While the rubber band around the posts helped a little but the plank still broke.

 
What finally helped was using the jig pictured below. I put a fairly wide rubber band around the forming screws. It is hard to see, but I backed the plank to be bent with another plank that I had bent but previously broken. That backing plank seemed to give it the strength to bend without breaking.
 


 
I Painted the cap rail before mounting. Good tip Larry. I use an airbrush so it makes life a lot easier to pre-paint.

 
Then added the fashion pieces and painted those

 
and voila...
 


 
Now onto the section 7.

It’s rather quiet in the Sherbourne yards at the moment, certainly it was in mine. Over the last few weeks I took tiny steps towards the bowsprit. A lot of small things hat to be finished (the rail, catheads, stairs) first. 
 

 
I used the dowel provided in the kit, but added a piece of square wood at the rear end (a cheap thing I found in a local hardware store – too soft and too easy to bend to use as bowsprit) with a small round dowel glued inside for stability. The tapering was made by hand. Adding a piece of wood was no problem because I wanted to paint masts and spars anyway, so several layers of yellow ochre cover up nicely.
 

 
The bowsprit support was made with the parts provided in the kit. I cut away the “connecting pieces” and added two holes for the iron strongback and the retaining fid (1mm square brass rod).
 

 
To complete the bowsprit assembly I finally had to learn soldering. The iron hoop, the cranes iron and traveller were made with copper strips and eyelets. I had to remove a lot of molten pieces before shooting these pictures…
 
Cheers to all,
Gregor