Wintergreen

Many thanks to all!
 
Things move on slowly. Although planning the planking was easier than the launch, getting the shape of the planks particularly at the bow is a bit tricky as the planks follow a large curve but also twist along the axis a lot. Also, the planks absolutely need to be steamed (or boiled for 30 sec in the kettle as I ve ended up doing) to be convinced to bend into position. Then, they also need to stay clamped overnight to retain the shape but also to dry and return to the original dimensions. Beech swells up a lot when boiled!
 
My fore and aft frames are wrong and material needs to be taken off. This is surprising as I really thought my CAD plans were very accurate. I think however I know the reason. I believe the transom for some reason was made a bit more narrow in its bottom half. Not sure about the bow but then again I was never happy with the shape of the first two frames.
 
It does not matter though, the planks very nicely show the natural curve so that that material can be chiselled away from these temporary frames. The steam bend ribs will just follow the curve of the hull later on.
 
Enough talking, a few pictures:











Till next time
 
Vaddoc

First thanks for all nice comments and and likes. It is encouraging. Last weekend there was not much modelling. My wife ordered me to build IKEA furniture instead ☹️. Anyhow, this weekend I did some work on the stern. She now has a name.

 
Best regards
 
Henrik

19. Rudder and tiller.
To make the rudder I start by drawing a saw template on paper. The drawing is drawn on both sides using carbon paper.

I glue mahogany planks on top of the drawing.

 

When the glue is dry, I saw out the rudder.

 

Presenting it into position.
The rudder stock is a brass tube of Ø 3mm.
I draw a paper template to saw the upper pintle. I draw first the one upper side of the rudder...

... and then the other side.

 

Sawing out the pintle:

 

 

 

Fitting the two pintles.

I solder nails through the pintles ...

... cut them off and file the inside of the pintles flat.

The rudder skeleton.

Gluing the pintles on the rudder.

The rudder rests on a sole piece that is incorporated in the keel. To neatly saw out the recess, I attach two metal guides to the keel.

 

 

Fitting the rudder:

The rudder stock passes through a kind of massive wooden 'deck passage'. Making that deck passage:

 

Sawing the groove which has to fit in the deck opening

The deck passage;

The deck passage on the deck with the rudder stock:

 
Thank you very much for reading this log and for your likes and for your comments.
 
Till soon!
 
 
 

Thaks, Patrick.
 
 
 
Hakan and Eberhard,
You are absolutely right. The planks were undoubtedly fastened with countersunk screws capped with a wooden plug, in the same wood as the decking. My dark tree nails are probably a bit overdone. On the real boats, the deck probably wasn't even varnished. I was guided by the example of Bruno d'Orsel, he also used dark tree nails, maybe they are a bit thinner than mine. It is not so much about giving an accurate picture of reality, but also about reproducing the atmosphere of a yacht model from the Belle Epoque. I purposely did not use tree nails in the waterways so as not to visually overload the whole.
I suspect that the mahogany decking will darken a bit over time and that the wood stain on the tree nails will fade a bit.

That sounds reasonable wefalck. Countersunk and plugged, off course for a varnished surface.

What Patrick said above.
 
I notice that you haven't treenailed the coverboards and assume that that is intentional. Is it to keep details to an accurate but not overwhelming experience? I mean, treenailing the coverboards will detract interest from the nice deck. As it is now, both the coverboard and the deck stands out on its own.
Keep it up!
 

What Patrick said above.
 
I notice that you haven't treenailed the coverboards and assume that that is intentional. Is it to keep details to an accurate but not overwhelming experience? I mean, treenailing the coverboards will detract interest from the nice deck. As it is now, both the coverboard and the deck stands out on its own.
Keep it up!
 

That sounds reasonable wefalck. Countersunk and plugged, off course for a varnished surface.

Looks good Vaddoc!
One plank at a time... getting there 🙂
 

Looking good Vaddoc!
And I feel your pain when you realized exactly what piece you maimed. Ouch.
 
Keep it up!

What Patrick said above.
 
I notice that you haven't treenailed the coverboards and assume that that is intentional. Is it to keep details to an accurate but not overwhelming experience? I mean, treenailing the coverboards will detract interest from the nice deck. As it is now, both the coverboard and the deck stands out on its own.
Keep it up!
 

God Lördag morgon Håkan,
I hope all of your treatments are coming along well, as a Swede I know you should be in good hands.
Those are very nice updates...... medical and modeling wise.

 

Hakan ---- They are called "hook and eye"  sometimes life can be simple.

Thanks for all the likes! They keep me going 🙂 
 
 @G.L. a sincere Thank You! for your boost. I'm glad you won the battle! My radiation is done and next appointment is already next week.
But I don't know about clean workshop... my shop is fairly clean in the open areas. But the corners and behind stuff is another matter altogether. 
 
Over to the wee update. But I thought that a tiny update is still an update, right?
The dark art of soldering... after a couple of tries it came out rather decent. It is of brass wire and painted to simulate galvanization. 
Don't mind the rigging thread. My block of wax is elsewhere and I just wanted to see the hook and ring in position. The real deal in the background.
Second picture. Another miniature update. A ring in the stem head for the forestay. Laying beside is the stock material, bought at any sewing chandlery. I have no idea what they'r called in english though.

 

 
That'll be all for now. 🙂
 

Well er about that.....The prospect another huge undertaking is a worry of mine.  BUT, I may be taking the plunge into a Fully-Framed design for my next subject, whatever it will be.  I think there needs to be some more choices for model builders rather than just those POF kits from the east that are emerging.  If anybody wants to build a POF kit they are forced to only buy the stuff that comes out of China.  So I may be the first to develop a full kit done in a style that is different from those being made in China at the moment. I think I can do better.  We shall see how it goes over the next few months. 
 
I can tell you that tests are already underway.  But its still 50-50 which way I will end up going.  Not just a cross section either...but a full hull.  You have seen my other tests into this type of POF development by now.  There are more on the drawing table at the moment.  I think I should do this only because I am not getting any younger, LOL.  So I may as well get this out of my system before I get too old to consider it.
 

 

 
 

The 1 1/4" ship's wheel already exists as a mini kit as I mentioned.  So I wont bother going through those instructions again.  They are on my website as a download.
 
But the other parts of the wheels assembly will be in the chapter parts.  You can see the wheel and the other parts below.
 

Note How the discs for the drum have two layers.  You can glue the smaller disc to the larger ones as shown.  The other parts had their char removed.  The forward wheel support is longer than the aft support.  This is done because of the camber of the deck forward to aft.  So after cleaning the char dont glue the feet onto them yet.  Those are the flat pieces or strips shown in the photo above.  Once you test assemble all the parts on the 1/16" brass bar, you should position it on deck to see how it fits.  Adjust the bottom of the two supports (probably the forward longer support) so the wheel is nice and vertical.  You dont want it to lean forward because of the slope of the deck.
 
Once you get those adjusted you can glue the feet into position.
 
To complete the drum...take the 1/4" brass tube and it will fit onto the two layer disc.  Then add the other side to finish it up.  Paint it red.
 
 

I also painted the supports red and the rim of the wheel. You can see in the photo below that the feet have been glued onto the bottom of the supports before painting them.
 

Treat every fitting like it is a model all its own   Treat every fitting as if it is the only project you have to work on….just smaller.  As if it will be displayed on its own.  Dont rush these. 

Cut the brass rod to length and glue the elements in position.  Remember to face those supports in the right direction.  The longer one on the forward end.  Then you can glue it on the model.
 


And the obligatory overall shot of the progress below.
 

 
 
Next up will be the binnacle...
 
Any questions?  Or comments.

Fairing the Frame
 
As all modelers know the most enjoyable and favorite part of every wooden ship model is fairing the frame. In fact many buy models, fair the frame, then throw the rest of the kit away so they can fair another one …Not!
 

 
The step before fairing is building the frame by gluing on the bulkhead, in this case 28 of them just about an inch apart (great for planking, fairing not so much), and keeping everything squared up. Everyone has their own way and I’ve tried a lot of them. I found these mini-squares perfect for the job, clamping one to each side of the bulkhead and both to the frame ensures a square bulkhead. I used Titebond II for its fast set up time. Even still it was a day of gluing four at a time starting from opposing ends and the middle out, go away for an hour, come back and do it again.
 

 
I recently bought a new iMac, Apple in their wisdom sent me two “trade-in kits” (large box with packing included) to send back my old one for a credit. The hard foam packing in the second one came in handy. With the help of my scroll saw I now have a handy and sturdy holder for Winnie to rest upside down.
 

 
I forget who here on the forum first told me about Soft Sanders, they are the perfect tool for fairing along with multiple grits, 80, 100, 120, 180, 220, (I also have 320 and 400 for later in the build) of their adhesive sandpaper attached. The multiple shapes makes it easy…or easier, nothing about fairing is easy… to flow with the various curves as the fairing process began.
 
As a photographer I often use gaffer tape from Amazon. It’s great because it has the thickness and holding power of duct tape but it leaves no residue when removed as long as I don’t leave it on too long. So that’s what I use to protect the AYC stem and keel as I sand as it’s more durable than blue painter tape. I’ll remove and replace it after the fairing is done. It isn’t cheap, but worth it for me.
 

 
After almost two days it was time to flip her over and fair the fragile extensions. Chucks binder clip and L-bracket recommendations worked great. Ironically the only extension I broke, one near the stern, was when I was adding the L-bracket and the binder clip snapped off cracking the extension as it did. I changed to small clamps after that, the width of the L-bracket and bulkhead is a bit much for my clips. A little Titebond in the crack, a splint on the sides and L-bracket to hold it straight while it dried and I was back in business, not my first broken extension.
 

 

 

 
After three days I was nearly there with the basic fairing, lots of sanding and running of the batten, I didn’t want to sand too much at the extension level until after the port framing is done, it is now fairly faired according to my eye and my handy batten.
 

 
Then the first of the many mistakes in my future: In my zeal to get a smooth run I faired too much at the port side bow. Winchelsea has more of a blunt bow than my Cheerful, it being a frigate not a cutter. I must note though it was faired really well, just not faired correctly per the design.
 

 
I learned this - fortunately early enough to do something about it - by test fitting the laser cut bow port curve provided in the chapter 1 parts. The easier thing to do was just sand it to fit, it was really off by just a millimeter or two at the filler and at the first frame, but it wouldn’t be right. The hardest thing would be to throw it all out and start over, but of course it’s wood and that wasn’t necessary. I know how these small errors at the beginning can compound and lead to more problems later. So I had to make it right now, no matter how small it might seem.
 

 
As we all know if it’s made of wood it can be fixed with patience and creativity. So after first taking precise measurements up and down the filler and first bulkhead and with encouragement from Chuck I firmly glued wood strip (Titebond becomes integrated and stronger than the wood itself) to both. This photo is after adding the wood, before final shaping it to fit.
 

 
(An earlier photo before wood added and shaped.) Using the measurements, matching those to the same location measurements starboard, and frequently test fitting the bow port lining pieces, I got it back to right. I haven’t fully sanded the addition to the first bulkhead, I’ll wait and to that once the port linings are installed and I do final fairing on the extensions. This took a full days work just on this, slowly sanding, checking, sanding, checking. 
 
Also in the photo, I made a sanding stick with Soft Sander adhesive paper of different grits on both sides and cutting a strip from the bulkhead ply scrap to match the width of the bow fillers. As others have pointed out and all Winchelsea builders know, the bow has a tricky curve going from near flat to an almost ninety degree turn, this sanding stick along with the soft sanders help me slowly create it. A lot of wood has to be removed from the fillers. I’m still not sure I have it right and will be checking it again and again before the first plank.
 

 
Next up is the port linings, I lot of little pieces of wood to cut and fit (here I come Byrnes saw and Byrnes sander). The first step of that is using the engraved laser lines to mark a smooth running flow for the port sills. As Chuck notes in the monograph the reference lines are a good starting point and for the most part a perfect fit, but there are a few frames that for whatever reason are off a bit. I found this 1/16th black crepe chart tape on Amazon. It has enough adhesion to hold on wood for a while, provided the dust is wiped off first he said knowingly, to allow me to find and get a good look at the flow before marking the bulkheads at the top of the tape.
 
So now it’s off to saw port linings. Thanks for stopping by. I realize you have a choice in the many outstanding Winchelsea build logs to read, I appreciate your taking the time to read mine.

That sounds reasonable wefalck. Countersunk and plugged, off course for a varnished surface.

What Patrick said above.
 
I notice that you haven't treenailed the coverboards and assume that that is intentional. Is it to keep details to an accurate but not overwhelming experience? I mean, treenailing the coverboards will detract interest from the nice deck. As it is now, both the coverboard and the deck stands out on its own.
Keep it up!
 

Actually, neither of them would have been 'tree-nailed' on the prototype. On the real thing, the planks would have been screwed down with sunk screws and the borehole would be plugged to make it as invisible as possible. The plugs were not tarred, but perhaps covered in some marine glue before driven in. The plugs were cut from the same materials as the planks and with the same grain direction. In this way the deck could be planed absolutely flush before varnishing it.
 
I am watching this nice progress with interest !

Thanks for all the kind comments Patrick, Hakan and Keith. Thanks also all who liked.
This week I laid the deck.
 
18. Laying the deck
The deck is made of mahogany, the caulking between the deck planks are ebony strips.
I make first the waterways. To determine the shape I turn the model upside down and draw the contours of the wale on a mahogany plank.

Then I draw the shape of the water way with a pencil with the help of French curves.

Fitting the sawn water way on the model.

Gradually the complete waterway takes shape.

 

 

I glue a strip of ebony on the inside of the water ways.

Gluing the waterways into position.

 

Preparing the deck planks with a strip of ebony, a bit thinner than those on the waterways

I scrape the ebony strip to almost equal thickness as the planks and plane the whole then to 1.5 mm thickness.

 

I start to lay the deck at midship on the after deck where I have the longest straight uninterrupted line.

Then it is just gluing plank after plank.

 

 

 

Drilling holes for the tree nails.

The three nail are toothpicks saturated with black stain.

 

 

 

The deck is laid, scraped and sanded.

 

 

After being varnished.
 
Thank you very much for reading this log and for your likes and for your comments.
 
Till soon!
 

Good to see you back at the work bench GL!
I like the way you pre-attach stuff together and then "just" glue them into place. Smartly done 🙂
 

Good to see you back at the work bench GL!
I like the way you pre-attach stuff together and then "just" glue them into place. Smartly done 🙂
 

Wow, what a lovely build!
And the detailing is quite extrordinary I must say. Years ago I saw HMS Mars from Caldercraft and really liked the hull shape. This Swallow is very similar in both shape and size I think (RW dimensions).
Thanks for sharing 🙂 

I have managed to get a little more work done on Swallow.  The rest of the fittings for the gun carriages have been made and the cannon have been installed on to the carriages.  The swivel guns have been installed onto their mounts.



I discovered that I did not fit the latches on the bitts, so they were removed and the latches were installed.  The hooks are made from sheet brass which was shaped with an A/O thin disc.


The tackle for the cannon was installed, as well as miscellaneous ring bolts on the deck.  The swivel guns and cannon were temporarily installed and the paint has been touched up.