egkb

Hi all, 
The second cabin bulkhead has been tested, tweaked and finally fitted. The door knobs caused me the biggest headache, as the ones Chuck supplies, I managed to break or lose most of them, so fashioned new ones from the offcuts of the cannon trunnions.

There are still only two beams glued in, as I daren't glue the others till I'm absolutely sure I can!!
It certainly gives Winnie a better look with these bulkheads fitted.thanks for your support.
I still have some little niggles to sort out, but work progresses slowly.
Cheers

Hi all
 
Back from our lovely holiday and straight back onto Le Rochefort
 
I'm now working on the crews quarters below the quarter deck and have started with the bulkhead which has a double entry door.  This is quite a feature on this ship so I want to get it as good as possible.  I started by making the shiplap planks that form the walls which I then glued together to make the actual walls.


Next was to look at the doors themselves - I usually just get a solid piece of wood and then mill out the features to make them look like doors.  In this instance I thought that I would try a new exercise for me and make them from individual parts and include all of the relevant joints as they possibly would have been made originally.    Each frame is made of 5 pieces which then require 4 inserts in each door.

Milling out the rebates to fit the 0.7mm inserts

Sorry I should have taken more pictures but here are how the doors turned out.  Assembling the parts actually proved to be one of the hardest parts.

Next I needed to make the door frame uprights which have 2 rebates cut into them and also the base rebate that the walls slot into.


It all took a little bit of fettling to get all of the parts to fit correctly but I'm just about there now.



I did have one issue and that was with the door frame uprights which stopped the whole assembly from sitting flush with the beam.  This maybe because I miss read the drawings but to get around this issue I cut some rebates into the beam which actually makes the whole thing stronger and more stable
 

It's all still a work in progress but I'm getting there with this particular part of the build.
 
Mark

Print a few more stock figures, but only 7 came out. 

In the meantime I altered a couple of others; I put straw hats on two, and changed a rammer to a sponger.
 
I apparently made the brims too thin, and they didn't print well, so I made new brims from paper, and painted them in resin from the printer, then zapped them with UV to plasticize them.

 
Painting then commenced on this batch of 15 crew who will all be in white jumpers.
 
 
I got to fiddling with the davits again by mocking up a brace with chipboard; thinking that would work, applied it to the 3D model, as well as putting a proper double-block on the end, with a ring.

I printed a pair to test, and 6 hours later, I'm pretty happy with the results.
 

While I figure out how to deal with installing the metal braces the support the pin-rails on the bulwarks, I got my brain into something else; painting the crew figures
I'm using acrylics, but while I have half-a-dozen "flesh tones," I didn't have any white, black, or blue, so I ordered some and set about painting hands and faces.  That wasn't much, but it did make a big change from the shadows they used to be. 

Sunday the paint arrived and I got right to it, based mostly on these images, only one is actually IDed as American.
 
I painted about half the figures I have, including Ivan*, who's gonna remain "clean shaven" from here on.
  
I ordered more paint for a few hair colors, and things like casks, and buckets.
 
* Ivan's explained back in post #49

The port-side screen is in, laced-up, and both got painted inside-and-out.  I have to put in the seats, and some gratings to be "done."
 
But the sheer runs the full length of the boat now.

I didn't know you could post videos here too? Here's a little reel I posted on Instagram
 
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DLXAOkSTzxy/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
 

Side view Shpinx.mp4    

Update:
 
Finally all rails attached and also the top of the hull given a few layers of WOP. Now that the top and bottom are finally in the oil it looks like a nice whole.
Long awaited to put the top in the oil, so happy to reached this stage. Also filled all the holes that were in the rails, so that it looks nice and uniform.
 
Next job seems to be the rudder  
 
I replaced the Chess tree patterns with my own, probably sanded the originals down a bit too much when removing the char. This made them a bit too narrow
 

 
This is how the Sphinx looks now:
 




 
 
 

Update:
 
Just an update of what I'm working on now. I finished the door to the quarter galleries. Placed some planks between the bulkheads and boxwood as small steps on the floor. All very basic, it's more about the idea than it being a representation of the original. Then painted it white.
 

 
 
The next step was to continue planking the deck. First comes the installation of the margin plank. Now 1 side done and busy with the other side. I really notice the advantage of using boxwood. You can work really sharp and that comes in handy with these hook scarf joints. I first sand away the bulk and then finish the joint with a knife. With this you can shave off very fine bits to get nice sharp corners. I wonder if this would work with e.g. tangayika wood which is normally supplied with kits for the deck.
The first few times it went wrong quite often and I had to redo quite a few. But then I got the hang of it and it went quite easily. I am quite proud of the result, because this seemed quite difficult to me in advance.
 


 
By the way, you can edge bend wood quite far...this is 5mm wide boxwood and that works fine if you do it bit by bit. I was amazed myself that this could be done without breaking. As you can see I use the lasered deck as a template for the last piece of margin plank at the bow.
 

Update:
 
The wales are now finished, painted as well as the thick strake above the wales. I cut the thick strake into pieces with a knife to make mounting easier. It consisted of 2 long pieces and that seemed quite difficult to get on properly in one go. So I cut these on the lasered planks and glued them on with PVA and CA. This went a lot easier (less stressful). Also painted the sides before mounting so that I didn't have to do this on the model anymore. The paint I used is "Gun metal black" from Admiralty paints. I first mixed some white and yellow through it to make it a bit grayer and duller, but when I had the first layer on I noticed that it looked a bit patchy. I think the Admiralty paints don't mix well with each other. But it didn't matter, I just painted it over with the standard color in the end. I think it looks good and you can still see the lasered planks shining through nicely.
 
The wales are a few tenths too high at the front and there is a small difference in symmetry at the stern. Too bad, but I can't worry about it too much haha
Glad I have these tricky things finished!  
 
It makes the model a lot more finished and neater.
 



 
 

First wale installed. As suspected needed tons of nails 😁. First I painted the bottom black so I don't have to mask the hull when painting the rest of the wales.
I used some diluted PVA and glued 1/3...nail the wale down, then another 1/3 and so on. This gave me some time to attach everything. But still the glue dried pretty quick so it will be a test when the nails will be removed if everything stick well to each other... I hope so  
 

 

 
 
So here the nail pusher slipped from his spot and damaged the lasered gunport patterns a bit, that's a bit sad...so this needs some cosmetic work afterwards.
 

 

Update:
 
Finished with the WOP, so here are the final pictures of the result.
Used 4 layers of WOP with sanding after the first two coates. I used 400 grid sanding paper, but would advise other people 
to use some finer grit. 400 felt a bit to coarse for the job.
 
I'm quite happy how my planking turned out, also the color has a nice warm tone. Now onto the wales  
 
Btw...glad MSW is back online!💫
 
 





 
 

Update:
 
Done with sanding...first grid 120 then 240 and finished with 400. Happy with the overall result, less happy with the planking at the bow. Somehow I didn't took
enough time with that and as a result I've ended up with a small seam there. 
 
When I was almost done with the planks I did get ideas how the planks would fit well in the rabbet, but it was actually too late. A bit disappointing, but I think that is also part of model boat building...learning to deal with your own mistakes. And that can be hard for a perfectionist like me, but a valuable lesson.  
I used some diluted PVA and sanding dust to fill this gap, not super pretty, but okay. (also other small gaps at the keel etc.)
 
I have to check the entire hull again for glue residue, because I plan to use wipe-on poly and you don't want any glue residue. I've already been quite busy on the keel, because I was a bit messy there with the glue  . And if unexpectedly some light spots appear after the first layer of WOP, then it can still be sanded away, but ideal would be no glue residue in the first place  . And the sternpost need some sanding too as you can see, there is some filler on there.
My plan was to mount the wales after this, but when I saw in Blue Ensign's log that he had first oiled the hull and then mounted the wales, that seemed like a better order to me. Otherwise you might have problems with glue residue on the bottom of the wales and now that will be better sealed with the WOP.
 
Tip: With wiping white spirit over the hull you can see the glue spots lighting up, because the liquid won't penetrate the wood due to the glue. Then with some alcohol and sanding paper remove the glue...that's the theory, the real test is with the WOP ofcourse. 😬
 

 

 

 

Update:
 
Starboard side closed! Just 7 strakes left on port side  
 

Update:
 
Closed the second band on both sides, so now i'm about the halfway point of the hull. Progress feels really slow, but I thought I needed about a half year for the hull planking, but i'm nearly 2 months underway, so that's a faster then I expected.  
 
I think I have the more difficult strakes behind me, apart from the garboard strake. But who knows...maybe there are some difficult planks here and there...we will see.
I'm still having fun with planking!  
 
By the way...it needs to see a piece of sanding paper yet.

 

 

Last update this year I suppose  
 
The hull is now sanded smooth and the little cracks/deeper lying planks etc. are filled. Ready for the next step I guess.
I will test fit the prow/keel and sternpost patterns to see if it fits right, and maybe there are spots that need a little extra sanding (places around the tabs that are connected to the prow and keel). Also need to test fit the lower counter ofcourse. I think I also need to check if the upper hull side patterns are flush with the gunports inside. I haven't done that yet, but also didn't see it mentioned in the manual. Would be a good moment for that.
 

 

Finally closed!   Took a bit longer then expected because I was quite sick last week with a flu and fever, but feeling good now so I could do the last planks.
I used some 1mm pear that I had lying around, because I had run out of the lime wood. Not because Chris didn't supply enough, but because I redid such large areas.
This gave me the change to get a bit familiar with pear wood and how it behaves, so maybe that gives me a bit of an advantage for the final layer.
I couldn't get the first layer exactly as I wanted, without mistakes and knowing exactly what I did, but I have learned a lot!
So hoping that I learned enough to get a decent second layer that I could be happy about and leave it unpainted. Otherwise there is always the option to paint 
it white if it's not too great  
 
Now first some sanding and filling here and there to get a nice smooth base for the second layer.
 
 

First band at starboard side filled...gave it a light sand with a coarse grit paper...nothing close to finishing, but only the rough spots cleaned up.
Now further with port side.  
 

Combination of heat and a plank bender from Amati. You can use ofcourse also water and soak the plank first. 
Most important is that you use a plank that is longer then the finisht one. So overextending with a few centimeters/inch will make the bending process
much easier. (same as for edge bending)
And patience....so take your time to get the curve you need....it doesn't have to be in one bend, but a bit further everytime. Otherwise it will just split.
And a bit of CA glue at the tip will hold the plank down. Rest of the plank just PVA.
 
Thanks everyone for the likes! Much appreciated  

Nice to see you back Mugje.  I hear you on losing interest in models and wanting to jump to something else.  I've got a lot of models on the shelf.  To keep myself building, I'll pick up a new one or go back to one I had started earlier when the mood and motivation hit me.  For me, it's always been about the building, not finishing a model.  
 
By the way, that kit looks fantastic!  The way the framing locks in like that is amazing.  A lot different from older kits for sure.  Looks like the fit of the parts is very precise. 

I think I reached the point that the hull has her final shape after fairing. It's for me a bit of a uncertain point...because you always think...is this enough, is this her shape?
Did I sanded too much or too little...and reading through other build logs, I'm not the only one experiencing these thought in his building process. But there comes a point
in which you say....I think this is it   I found it a enjoyable process to see her lines slowly emerge out of the rough shape.
 
So after a lot of sanding, producing a big heap of sanding paper this is the result, and i'm looking forward to the next stage  
 

 

 

 

 
 

Thanks Chuck! And everybody else for the likes!
 
First glue attempt of the main gun deck failed 😂. It's really a tight fit and with the diluted PVA....lot's of warping etcetera...I couldn't get it flat on the false deck. So took it quickly off. Tried to clean as much glue off the parts with some acetone. After that I made the lasered gun deck a bit moist with some water and put something heavy on it so I hope it's getting a bit flat again. Maybe need to do that several times before it's flat. We'll see...

Update:
 
first the montage of the gundeck bulwark patterns. Went really well. The tin pieces bent nice, so no soaking. (pictures are a bit dark because of the sunblinders are down)
 

 
 
Next step was to test fit the gundeck and chequer pattern. I found the gundeck quite a difficult part to get right. First I tried a bit intuïtif, but that to unclear where to sand the edges a bit off. Then I saw in Glenn-UK his Sphinx log that he used a card pattern for this. This was a good solution and gave me more steering about how much to trim the edges. The Chequer pattern looked a good fit so no trimming there. The gundeck pattern just lays at a very small angle on the false deck. Personally I don't think it will matter much and i'm not daring to sand anymore of the edges because then there would appear gaps between the deck and bullwark that are to big to hide with the spirketting strips. You can see the gap here in the lower picture. Don't know if other people noticed it too that the outlining of the lasered gundeck lays in a slight angle in comparison with the deck planks. Because I measured everything from the middle plank of the gundeck and with a triangle I saw the lines at the back of the deck and the little notches at the front were a bit in angle.
Not a problem I think because the cabin bulkheads will cover this gap or I fill it up a bit with a scrap piece. 
 

 
 
 
 
I read in Glenn-UK his Indefatigable log about 3M spray mount so that thin pieces of wood wouldn't curl when you use PVA. At first I didn't really understand it why and how, until I smeared some PVA on the chequer pattern....wow that curled immediately! That was quite a panic situation right there  . But with a lot of clamps I got the thing flat on the false deck. So after learning the hard way haha...need to have that 3M spray mount asap! Just for my information...will this curling happen with all the thin pieces of wood? Or is it with specific pieces? And has this glue a strong bond on wood? Some reviews on the internet say that it comes off after a week or so. (not sure if they use it on wood, because it's normally for paper?) I see that "Pattex" and "Bison" also have a glue spray. Most important quality is that it's not PVA I asume.
 

 
 
 
 
Also painted the inner bulwarks with red ochre Admiralty paint. Thinned it down with some extra water so the details wouldn't get lost.
 

 
 
 
 
So this is the state she is in now...I haven't glued the main deck yet, so that will be the next step. ( Big step!)
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

All the figures I have are now painted.  Not my best work, but I'm not my best self anymore either  😕
I think I got a decent shade for the Black fella,and the rest are the darkest "fleshtone" I have without darken it more.
I need to modify several poses to get men climbing the rig, standing on foot-ropes. sitting, squatting, and so on.  Also, I want to put straw hats on a few  I also have one officer to try to work into 3 or 4 poses.
Then there's the Marines, I want 6 or 8 in different poses standing and sitting on the main hatch cleaning their gear.
  

HI everyone,
A long time since my last post. I realized that I was getting to far ahead of myself, building up the stern with everything just pinned. I needed first to paint the lower and upper counters before I could actually start assembling things.
 
And learning how to paint the friezes was a major learning curve!
 
I greatly followed David Antscherl's advice on painting in the Fully Frame Model, vol. II section 7.26. It was exceptionally helpful for everything from paint and brushes to technique.
 
Alas, I discovered after a great deal of experimentation that hand painting alone did not work well for me. Particularly for the background Prussian blue and the letters "Bellona" on the stern, I needed a way to get things sharper and more even in tone. So, I turned to my airbrush. I masked everything but the counter and sprayed away.
 
 

I glued artist's frisk onto a print of the upper counter letters and frieze elements (a woman riding a sea monster, a man riding a galloping horse). I could then turn the frisk/print every which way on my light table, and very carefully cut the frisk with a scalpel. I then attached the frisk and sprayed everything that would be the yellow ochre base for all of the frieze work:
 

I then used white graphite transfer paper to trace the rest of the pattern onto the surfaces:
 

Then following David's advice of painting highlights and shadows on the basic forms, I eventually got to an imperfect copy of the original Bellona model:
 

I learned to admire those original model builders for their painting skill. Try as I might, I just could not get to the same level of skill. But as good as I can do! So, moving on to actually gluing together the stern!
 
I did learn a few good things that I will pass on for anyone else attempting these kinds of friezes.
 
First, after trying a number of airbrush and hand paint brands, I settled on Golden. They have the same colors in different densities, for airbrushing and hand painting; the colors match the historic colors I was looking for; they come in plastic bottles with ball bearing inside, for mixing. They spray without problems through my airbrush. And they are highly regarded in the artist community.
 
Second, I struggled with the acrylic paint drying too quickly on the palette when I was trying to mix colors. My son introduced me to the model gamers' favorite tool, the Army Painter Wet Palette. This tray holds a water saturated pad, upon which is placed a parchment sheet. Paint mixed on top of the parchment can stay wet and mixable for as long as 48 hours. A huge help!
 
A glass of wine tonight in celebration, and on to assembling the stern!
 
Mark
 
 

 
 
 

I bent and soldered some 1/16" brass rod in a jig made of scraps to make frames for the spray-screens.  The jig didn't fair well, but the frames came out fine.

I flattened the legs to give a better glue surface, and bent them to the needed angle.  They got installed in the head with CA, and then I a coat of 5-minute epoxy over them.

I cut some gray Supplex from the 2 yards I have for Macedonian's sails; glued and hemmed in strips of wood for the bottom, and the aft end, using the 3D printed version to get the angle and length right.  The bottom was CAed to the head-rail and the aft end to the hull.  The loose portion was pulled over the frame and CAed in place.
  
Once I get the other side to this point, I'll lace them to the frame with Dacron sail thread and brush on another coat of paint.
 
In the painting I'm basing the model on, of the ship in Naples in 1856 by Tamoso de Simone, the ship's at anchor with her boats away, so this is how her quarter-boat davits are show.

I have yet to find a painting, a photo, or a model that depicts this style of davit.  My previous try was nothing like this, so I tried again and wound up with this:
 
These didn't print well, two of them actually failed completely, but there's enough here to see if they look right.  I'm satisfied they look like the silhouettes in the painting, and that's about it.  There's no tackle going into the rig for raising or lowering them.  I assume they rotate in sockets on their bases and probably have some sort of brace attached to the bulwark, cause just sitting on the channel isn't going to hold them up; also I can't see in the painting that they extend below the channel to be supported by the hull.  Fortunately, davits will be about the last thing that gets installed, so I have time to ponder this some more before then.