egkb

Time for a small diversion from planking. I did the false deck and the cut-out areas under the gun deck hatches. Actually, I had to do a little planking because I found that the amount of planking that I had previously done under the hatches was insufficient.
 
There will be three open hatches on the gun deck. Two will be ladder ways. The third displays the upper portion of a stored anchor. I made the lower deck hatches using the laser cut gratings from the kit with coamings made from boxwood. The gratings were stained Golden Oak and the whole assemblies were finished with Wipe-on Poly. The ladders will be added when the gun deck is fitted out. The anchor is a casting that I found in my parts collection.
 
The false deck, in keeping with everything else, didn't  fit quite right. There was also a problem because the measurements for the hatch locations on the plans didn't line up properly with the lower deck cut-outs. Neither of these was any real trouble, however, and I was able to get things lined up and glued the deck down. Any problem with the deck sizing should be covered up by the deck planking. Before gluing it down, I added some boxwood strip under the false deck to simulate the gun deck beams and carlings around the hatch openings.
 
I'm sure that most of the work on the lower deck areas will be virtually invisible later, but I'm glad that I did it. Now, I will get started on the inner bulwark planking.
 
Bob
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Channels "fittings" in place, in need of a next final touch up of the painting.

Thanks John.
 
 
Yes and no - it's a lot better than some and has nice coloring, but it also has a fairly chunky grain, depending on the piece you select. This makes scraping a molding into it rather difficult at times.
 
Hances
 
I've started with the port forecastle hance. First I milled the underside to shape and finessed it to fit the planking, then I used the disc sander and a needle file to get the upper side to follow in a parallel curve. I cut the molding in with a shaped scraper and an Xacto blade.
 

 

 
I'm not sure yet whether I'll continue with the Cherry Ballart or rip the lot out and use dark Swiss Pear. I'm not all that happy with the definition of the molding.
 
  Danny

Ahoy Mates
 
Thank you all for your comments and compliments. You guys "rock"
 
Martin: I don't work slowly. It is the fact I spend so much time in reverse that it just seems that way.
 
Ben: I did not find that with the Winsor & Newton acrylic. I actually did the Black in under an hour. Put a coat on, hit it with the heat gun, repeat. I did find this when I used enamel and as I stated it took 4 days to do it the first time. The water based Oils also take more time but the acrylic is surprising fast. I also find their colors much richer then the plastic model paints.  It would be hard to convince me to use something else right now.
 
Russ: Well I guess I should publicly thank you for that. The scheme I chose came directly from the image you sent me. I added a little "JPett" to it of course. There were some aspects like the colored border that I felt best if I attempted on future builds.
 
Michael: We both know the idea for the treenails came from your log. Thank you.
 
Jason: one word "beer" and lots of it. As for making sure there is symmetry on both sides I agree. Why I feel it is bad practice. I needed to make sure I was happy with my plan. I am sure I will pay for this decision. I thought it was the best of the bad choices I had.
 
Wes: Welcome to my log. You need to read it from the beginning and I am sorry you missed the 1.0 version. This is merely a bump in the road. There have and I am sure will be many more Whoppers. Stay tuned. For me it is all part of the fun.
 
Eric: Yea you do. You passed me on your build. What the hell, And I liked you too. "lol" Actually I like following your build now. It is so much easier to see how it is done. Please "lead the way" and never take me seriously   Thx for the compliment and keep up the good work on your Ratt. It really has become a place of inspiration for me.
 
Blue: Your compliments are "gold" to me. You are truly a inspiration to all of us here at MSW. Not only in your skill as a builder, researcher, friend to all but the effort you make to share your knowledge is not wasted by this humble shipwreck, I mean shipwright.
 
Kenneth: Thank you. I love your log. Again more inspiration and someone else to show me how its done, warn me of the pitfalls and share the solutions
 
Popeye: I will share this with you and only you. I have a dream, no not that dream, another "lol". it is to cut a model in half. Right down the keel, finish the kit and mount it in a shadow box like frame. I think it would be so cool. So in a word "I'm covered. Yea I know it was two words
 
Mark: We both know I am far from that. But is was a nice try, love love
 
Augie: There you go again, Using that "P" word again. I know what your up to and your not fooling anyone. Thanks Augie, as usual you are great. "Sir"
 
 
Back to the build
 
I thought I would use this post to clarify the rumors that I am slow. I am not slow. I just spend a lot of time in reverse. I am new and have no idea what I am doing. I make so many mistakes it is not funny. Well really it is and I have no problem laughing at myself when it comes to shipbuilding.
 
Take this simple part. I spent about over 6 hours to get here. There were a quite a few failed attempts. It needed to be curved to matched the hull, stepped and have a hole centered in the upper section. it took me three attempts just to figure out the right order which BTW is Mill first, and more then just  the needed amount,  then soak it. It needs to be long enough so it can be bent and make more then one. They need to be at least  three times as long with the milled part about 2/3rds or it won't bend right.  Carving the round part doesn't always go as planned either. Use a razor blade and following the milled part make the horizontal cuts first. Then use a chisel to cut down to the first cut to get the rounded edge. Glue sand paper to only one side of a piece of wood to finish the curve. And don't get this far just to drill the hole in the wrong place. That really stinks. The starboard side should be much easier now. Yea I had planned on making them both but used up my extras.
 
I really do not know what I am doing but I know this. I am having fun and that is all that matters to me. Maybe I will spent years on this kit but they will be years I can look back on and remember all the fun I had here on MSW.
 
Thank you all :)  You guys truly "ROCK"

I've decided to install the rudder at this point in the build.It fit like a hand in a glove I have no glue holding this thing on I wish everything would fit like that. My method was to insert a pin near the bottom of the rudder.The hard part is creating and mounting the gudgeons and pintles. that was a test of my patience that I'm glade is done.

Hello Shipmates.
Thanks Rusty and Bob for you comments.
 
Orlop is now complete and ready for final adjustments before fixing into place in the void.
Gratings and planks that adjoin the Headers are not glued as they will be cut to fit after fixing the deck.
 
View from top.

 
Another angle of the Deck.

 
A different angle.

 
 
View of the underside of the Orlop deck.

 
Another angle

 
From the other side.

 
 
That’s it for now. Will take a few photos when deck is fixed into place.
 
Regards Antony.
 

Hello Shipmates.
Thanks for your comments... Na ..  I just make things look good .
 
Another update :-
 Filling in all the planking on the Orlop deck at the moment and built the enclosure on the Orlop deck.
Not yet cleaned up to remove the dust and lose fibers.
 
Not sure that the walls are ventilated but they look nice.

 
Door is built up with planks and the lock is a bolt through. No idea what’s on the real one

 
The plank's are rounded as they are removable.
The row at the back are as yet not stained or fixed. Need to stain before fixing.

 
Three rows done.

 
Progress is good and the Grating is made. But not cut to size yet.

 
First row of the Planking.

 
That’s it for Now.
Thanks for looking in
 
Regards Antony.
 

work continues on the forward island, non of the platform level have been glued into position so may seam slightly squiffy, and it is all work in progress 
the reason for the black banding on the bridge is an error, i pained the inside, during which the front masking fell off, oh hum

good evening everyone
 
one of the platforms required the lugs to be removed so that it could be replaced by PE, i did not remove 100% but kept a little so that i had something to use as a level then i slightly shortened the support bars so that it fitted into place

Hi Guys,
 
Thanks for the kind comments, very much appreciated.
 
Lawrence to answer your questions, there are two types of banding on the masts, the first is the Wooldings, these are made up from 0.5mm black thread and wrapped around the mast 7 times, the other are the iron bands which are made from black cartridge paper wrapped just once.
 
No we didn't buy the clogs on this trip, the Admiral bought some porcelain clogs on a previous trip when we first met with Anja and Sjors, she has since planted them up.
 
George, Sorry for the delay in answering your question mate but I've had a few other things on my mind these last few days, I haven't worked it out but you should be able to tie 75-80% of the blocks off the ship, certainly all the gun tackles, half the shroud deadeyes and most of the blocks which are fixed to eyebolts. I knocked up a mock gun port to give me the distances for the gun carriage's, all the block are fitted to the carriage's and bulwarks by hooks so no need for tying, I did have to buy an extra 120 hooks to do it.
 
I have included a picture of the mock gun port I knocked up.

 
Hope that helps guys, if you have any more questions I'd be pleased to answer them if I can.
 
Be Good
 
mobbsie

It is looking good.   Just as the others mentioned you should shorten the length of the garboard quite a bit.   Otherwise the remaining planks will need to be tapered too much along the stem.   I show in red the approximate amount.  I would suggest after the garboard plank is in place that you divide up the remaining space at each bulkhead so you can see just how the remaining planks will run and how much they need to taper.  Use a tick strip at the widest point of the opening midship to determine how many planks you will need.  Once you know how many planks will fit at that widest point you can mark the width of that number of planks at every bulkhead in the opening.   This will show you exactly how the planks will run and how much they need to be tapered.
 
Im guessing you will probably need six more plank strakes to complete that side of the hull once the garboard is in position.
 
Chuck
 

Oh Jeez Im not sure Tom.. I hadn't even thought about that, but i know I do want to really take my time on the second planking... Any suggestions welcome on the planking..
 
So spent about 6 hours since last mention.. I soaked my supplied 3 ply bulwarks and bent in jig last week, they didn't really come up that well after their 24 hr drying time.. They sprung back a lot so i gave them a second round with a bit more curvature at bow....
 
I wanted to get my bulkwarks on after doing a few planking runs so I could make sure everything was tidy in interior and not have epoxy dripping down into finished work.. Jeez that stuff is hard to get off. Getting the bulwarks to sit right was no easy task and keeping the epoxy from going everywhere was the main worry.. I was also concerned about keeping the bulwarks standing plumb and square consistently with deck and hull. So i made the three supports which kept it all straight whilst also giving something to prevent clamps over squeezing hull... I am happy with the way it cured and it seems really strong... 
 
Thanks for looking.. Ollie

Am in envy of your planking Bob, and you are about to cover it up with copper I'd hate to see the job you'd have done if it were to be left 'visible'.. I love where this build is taking us followers!
 
I can sympathise with the wish to get away from planking though, can't wait to see what you have in store for us with the interior work.
 
Eamonn

Am in envy of your planking Bob, and you are about to cover it up with copper I'd hate to see the job you'd have done if it were to be left 'visible'.. I love where this build is taking us followers!
 
I can sympathise with the wish to get away from planking though, can't wait to see what you have in store for us with the interior work.
 
Eamonn

Holy Moley that's a nice electric ... tell herself that there are no bad photos just bad photographers!
 
Eamonn
 
Edit.. Endeavour looks sweet too by the way

I've finally finished coppering the hull. I've learned a few good lessons that will carry over to a future project.

Lower hull planking is now completed. If anything, the planking pattern on the starboard side is even stranger than that on the port. Again, though, with the objective being merely to get it on fair and smooth, I'm quite satisfied with the end result. It should provide a suitable surface for the painting and coppering to follow.
 
There are a number of options as to how to proceed from here. Coppering would be one choice, but I'm going to leave that until interior planking and deck planking have been done to minimize risks from handling the hull. My current plan is to do the false deck and the hatches for the lower deck cutouts first, then move on to the gun deck bulwark planking and then to the deck planking for the gun deck. Even though the lower deck details will likely be invisible, or nearly so, it should be fun to do something other than plank for a while.
 
With the completion of the hull planking, I think that the challenges posed by the kit's problems have been largely overcome. I expect to be able to move forward now in the fashion that I originally expected. We'll see.
 
Bob

Hi all. I have made a milestone and started planking.. I added bow filler blocks of balsa to aid in bending and some shims were needed on ply deck at bow..
 
I am happy with my progress and i think i am doing it right with the tempory plank.. Measurements for the  first side showing.. I am guessing you want to try make the other side suit as much as possible ? (in regards to measurements.. esp at bow and stern)
 
I am also wondering about false keel and if its best to fit it over first layer planking or do you scribe it in and fit to ply frame?  (I will be scratch building my false keel)  Thanks all.. Ollie
 
 

Kevin;  I've been watching your log for awhile now, and also your incredible work with your Victory;  So now I have to ask your opinion...  Do you think the Bismark could be scratch built effectively in mostly wood at 1:76.8 scale?  I've never scratch-built anything in plastic... I am currently working on the Cutty Sark in that scale, and plan to buy Model Shipway's Constitution in that scale, and am planning on scratchbuilding the Victory, also in the same scale.  You Bismarck guys have now made me add that build to my list, and at 44 years of age, I just might be able to finish all these...
 
Great work!
 
Bob

Thanks everyone.  I wasn't going to even mention it until Robbyn let the cat out.  Had to remove 14-15 rows of planks to port, all notched for sweep and gun ports.  Set to the task immediately so there was no time to think of photo documentation.  Actually, it will be fine....just a lot of do-over.  I'm getting really good at notches as the result.  The new ones are ''Buenos Notches" (sorry, couldn't resist).

Thanks John and Popeye.
 
Planksheers in the Waist
 
I've started on the Planksheers, sometimes called Cap Rails or Covering Boards. I made these from Australian Cherry Ballart, which is not related to Cherry but rather refers to the red coloring.
 
It's not visible in the pics, and is almost invisible to the eye, but the outer edges of them have a slight molding scraped into them.
 

 

 

 
  Danny

Gun Carriages (scratch-built) - continued
 
Assembly of the carriages is underway.  Placement of the brackets on the axles is aided by a typical jig on a copy of the plans.
 

 
 

 
 
Though not really visible, I used copper wire blackened with liver of sulphur instead of brass (taking a cue from Ed Tosti), for the rods that support the carriage beds.  I also plan to use copper and LOS for the carriage bolts, eyebolts, and rings.
 
 

 
 
Trucks are being added.  Axle pins are Swiss pear drawn through the smallest hole on the Byrnes draw plate.
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
These are proving to be very time consuming items to make – fortunately there are only eighteen!  The process continues …
 
Robert

22 November
 
 
1718
Lt. Robert Maynard RN, commanding Jane and Ranger (shallow draft sloops on loan from Virginia merchants with crews drawn from Pearl and Lyme), battles the pirate Blackbeard (Edward Teach) in Adventure off Ocracoke Island, North Carolina. Blackbeard is killed. Correction for 22 November.
1780
HMS Racehorse (16) blew up.
1798
 Medusa, Store-ship, lost drifting on shore in Rosier Bay, Gibraltar.
1799
HMS Courier (12),  Lt. Thomas Searle, captured French privateer cutter Guerriere (14), Felix Lallermand, off Lowerstoft.
1811
HMS Volontaire (38), Cptn. Hon. G. G. Waldegrave, and HMS Perlen (38), Cptn. J. S. Tetley, engaged French squadron of 3 ships of the line, including Trident (74) and frigate Amelie, off Cape Sicie

Hi Guys,
 
Here are a few pics of the progress so far, not that much to see but at least you will know where I am.
 
Thanks Grant for the positive remarks on the alignment of the masts, I was a bit worried.
 
Masts dry fitted

 

 
Underside of the main fighting top, I extended the length to reduce clutter, I hope. Also the mast cap with sister or long blocks

 
Topside of main fighting top

 
Underside of partly blocked fore mast also mast cap with sister or long blocks

 
Topside of fore mast fighting tops

 
So that's it guys, now you know exactly where I am.
 
Be Good
 
mobbsie
 

Sjors, Alistair and the 'likers' appreciate your continued interest and support.
 
Small progress update, finished rigging the bobstays and the bowsprit shrouds.  Boomkins made up but not glued yet as there was the potential to interfere with the bowsprit shroud.  These will be left off until later as they just seem too much of an accident waiting to happen.  Instructions indicate these should be made with 4mm dowel but even with tapering it looked far to thick so made up a set using 2mm dowel tapered slightly at the end which seems more consistent with pictures I've seen.