clloyd

Finally got a chance to get out the camera and get some photos for an update.
 
I've made a chunk of progress, and after being static for so long it really feels good to be moving forward again.
 
I work on different aspects of the ship depending on location and how much noise I can make after the kids are asleep.
 
Hull:
 
Starboard side finished planking.  I marked out for trenails, but on rereading McKay I've tossed the idea of trenailing the whole hull, since the historical records show she had painted sides.  Since you can't see real trenails under paint, I've decided against that headache (hence the filler on much of the rest of the hull).   There is one plank sitting low, and for the moment it is filled.  If I'm unhappy after sanding I can still replace that one.  I've reworked the gunports and am much happier with the line they take.
 
Sanding awaits nicer weather.
 
Gunport lids are shaped and just dry fitted in place at the moment.  Sheaves done, and are temporarily in place until the inboard works are complete.
 


 
I got out my holly and have gotten on with the job of planking the gundeck.  Looking at top and but planking and a curved layout had put me off doing it for a while, but it's turning out to be an ok job.  Mckay shows straight planking, so I've had to redraw myself.  It's probably wrong in how butts lay in respect to hatches, but my head was hurting even trying to figure this out, so I'm just happy that it's probably a slightly more historically accurate rendition.
 
Caulking is paper.  I like the effect but may go with a grey for the upper deck.
 



 
My late night quiet task has been to shape more masts.
 
Jib - fairly straightforward.

 
Main topmast - still WIP, awaiting sheaves, ironwork blocks etc, but the basic shape is there.  What was nice was to take the topmast and be able to run it up through the lower trestletrees and mast cap the way it was supposed to work.
 

 
Colin

Finally got a chance to get out the camera and get some photos for an update.
 
I've made a chunk of progress, and after being static for so long it really feels good to be moving forward again.
 
I work on different aspects of the ship depending on location and how much noise I can make after the kids are asleep.
 
Hull:
 
Starboard side finished planking.  I marked out for trenails, but on rereading McKay I've tossed the idea of trenailing the whole hull, since the historical records show she had painted sides.  Since you can't see real trenails under paint, I've decided against that headache (hence the filler on much of the rest of the hull).   There is one plank sitting low, and for the moment it is filled.  If I'm unhappy after sanding I can still replace that one.  I've reworked the gunports and am much happier with the line they take.
 
Sanding awaits nicer weather.
 
Gunport lids are shaped and just dry fitted in place at the moment.  Sheaves done, and are temporarily in place until the inboard works are complete.
 


 
I got out my holly and have gotten on with the job of planking the gundeck.  Looking at top and but planking and a curved layout had put me off doing it for a while, but it's turning out to be an ok job.  Mckay shows straight planking, so I've had to redraw myself.  It's probably wrong in how butts lay in respect to hatches, but my head was hurting even trying to figure this out, so I'm just happy that it's probably a slightly more historically accurate rendition.
 
Caulking is paper.  I like the effect but may go with a grey for the upper deck.
 



 
My late night quiet task has been to shape more masts.
 
Jib - fairly straightforward.

 
Main topmast - still WIP, awaiting sheaves, ironwork blocks etc, but the basic shape is there.  What was nice was to take the topmast and be able to run it up through the lower trestletrees and mast cap the way it was supposed to work.
 

 
Colin

Finally got the main deck planking finished.  Crappy mobile camera shots - sorry.
Sanding is about half way through - it's mostly smooth, but I can still see and feel a few irregularities in the deck.
 
Not being able to see into the guts of the ship also gives it a much more finished feel straight away.
 


 
 
Short term to do list:
Finish sanding exterior hull.
finish interior planking. 
install main deck fittings.  I have a few things built, but just need to get down now and install ringbolts and cleats and work my way down the deck.  I'll probably leave guns until the very last minute before installing upper deck beams.
 
Colin

Further work!
 
I got a calm sunny day - so got the chance to take her out and sand the upper hull - that job is 90% complete.  I can still see a couple of places that need smoothing down a little more.
 
I've been working on the interior (most of this is not glued or varnished - just placed for assessment).
  Shot racks mostly done.  I ran out of 6lb shot, so need to get some more
  Jeer bits are well under way - the decorative bar at the top cost blood to make.
 



 
after redoing the gunport height it's nice to see the trial gun sitting nicely in the port.
 

 
Which gives us my latest full hull picture!
 

 
Colin

This will mark the end of the historical photos - I've pretty much exhausted the supply of what is sitting around on my computer, and brings us mostly up to date.
 
First a couple of quick catchup photos:
 
Trial cannon - allowing me to test fit everything.
 

 
Current state of the rudder.
 

 
Lower Masts:
 
As mentioned before I chose to make the lower masts at this stage - to ensure that they fit and were straight while I could still get into the bowels of the ship if needed.
 
The construction process is essentially similar to what is outlined in TFFM:IV, with some allowances for building at 2/3 the scale.
 
Central spindle
 
Lemonwood Blanks were cut to length (not the full length on the masts, since mine terminate in the middle of the false keel), and maximum diameter of each mast.  On opposing sides, the centreline, cardinal points along the length (deck, quarters, head) and diameters were marked.
 

 
These references were used to chisel/plane a taper into the mast...
 

 
Then the process was repeated to taper the other two sides.  Once all four sides were tapered, then the sides were marked out for octagonals and the mast shaped into an octagonal.
 


 
This was then Clamped in a vice (baswood in the jaws to protect and sanded round.
 

 
resulting in this....
 

 
Cheeks
 
After all that work we then cut a chunk of it away...  In full size practice the mast cheeks were shaped around the mast, Hard to do at scale so we cheat by cutting the mast and attaching the cheek to a flat surface.
 
Marking out the angles through the head and the end point of the cheeks on the mast spindle...
 

 
These define the line that we run the mast through the tablesaw (triple check and deep breath time...)
 
The cheeks themselves are rectangular stock, rounded in the same way as the mast, with trangular notches ready to accept the bibs.
 

 
Here is a mast, slimmed down with it's cheeks with bibs attached (with their slight outflare)
 

 
When you glue that all together you get this...  The bands on the head are paper.
 

 
 
 

Interior Fit:
 
While also working on the exterior some of the main deck components have been assembled.
 
Capstan Step,
I think this was Holly - It's been oiled so looks different in the last photos to the deck planking.  It's 3 individual pieces slotted together.

 
Gratings and Coamings:
 
Gratings were manufactured from Boxwood, one side notched, with straight pieces glued across the notches.  I made larger then cut them down to size.  The coamings are of jarrah, beveled, rounded off, cambered, and I used a camber on the inner face to force the gratings to bend a little to reduce the sanding involved in shaping them.
 


 
Ladders:
jarrah and holly, coamings made the same way.
 

 
Mainmast partners:
Made from Holly.  This was one of the interesting components to build, as the plans disagree on different views.  Some views they are notched to allow for the outboard leg of the chainpump to pass by, in other views it clears the partners and no notch is needed.  Building the chainpumps showed the latter was correct.

 
When you put them all together...



 
You can see also in this the riding bitts have been completed and are in place as well.  Deck planking between the structures has started there as well.
 
Colin

In the above you can see the planning for the diminishing strakes.  They were top and butt, and decreasing thickness from nearly wale thickness to the thickness of the bottom planking.
 
The rest of the planking was planned out with thread.  (pics are brutal but.....)
 

 

 
 
Here's a side profile about halfway through planking.  I've planked up the side of the hull as well as down.  Planks vary in thickness according to which planks they are and where on the hull they fall.
 
Masts are there to make sure (while I can still get inside that the chocks and partners are in line and straight.  there will be a separate post for making these later)
 


 

The Head:
 
Unlike a kit I decided to construct the head and keel from individual parts.  All 6mm Tulip, and the usual jigsaw of parts to put together!
 



 

Further work!
 
I got a calm sunny day - so got the chance to take her out and sand the upper hull - that job is 90% complete.  I can still see a couple of places that need smoothing down a little more.
 
I've been working on the interior (most of this is not glued or varnished - just placed for assessment).
  Shot racks mostly done.  I ran out of 6lb shot, so need to get some more
  Jeer bits are well under way - the decorative bar at the top cost blood to make.
 



 
after redoing the gunport height it's nice to see the trial gun sitting nicely in the port.
 

 
Which gives us my latest full hull picture!
 

 
Colin

Further work!
 
I got a calm sunny day - so got the chance to take her out and sand the upper hull - that job is 90% complete.  I can still see a couple of places that need smoothing down a little more.
 
I've been working on the interior (most of this is not glued or varnished - just placed for assessment).
  Shot racks mostly done.  I ran out of 6lb shot, so need to get some more
  Jeer bits are well under way - the decorative bar at the top cost blood to make.
 



 
after redoing the gunport height it's nice to see the trial gun sitting nicely in the port.
 

 
Which gives us my latest full hull picture!
 

 
Colin

In the above you can see the planning for the diminishing strakes.  They were top and butt, and decreasing thickness from nearly wale thickness to the thickness of the bottom planking.
 
The rest of the planking was planned out with thread.  (pics are brutal but.....)
 

 

 
 
Here's a side profile about halfway through planking.  I've planked up the side of the hull as well as down.  Planks vary in thickness according to which planks they are and where on the hull they fall.
 
Masts are there to make sure (while I can still get inside that the chocks and partners are in line and straight.  there will be a separate post for making these later)
 


 

Plans:
John McKay in his introduction to AotS Pandora lists the plans he used - a selection of the original plans from through the Pelican class.  Since he has done most of the work I wansn't interested in re-inventing the wheel.
 
He offers full scale versions of the plans that are in his books, and while these aren't cheap, they are useful.  I ordered sheer plans, deck plans, a couple of the rigging plans that are hard to read in the book in my 1/64 (3/16" scale for the Americans).
 

 
Pandora Plans - Information Sheet.pdf This is the information that McKay sent.  Note that this is 2008 details, but it'll be useful for anyone looking to get plans from Mr McKay.  He's a decent guy and all my contacts with him have been useful.
 
As was pointed out to me - there are some errors in the plans.  Some are editorial (wrong scale on the drawing of an anchor iirc), but a couple of drawings don't match (around mast partners) for example.  Close attention usually catches these.  It was also suggested that the straight run deck planking was probably incorrect (with which I am in agreement), and there was also a comment about something in the guns that would be wrong for 1779, but ok for 1790.
 
Wood:
Centre keel and bulkheads: 6mm ply. 
Hull: I got some tulipwood planks and blanks made up.  These have the dual blessing of being easy to work and cheap (I didn't want to throw expensive wood at a first scratch build.  Tulip can be a bit green, which turns brown with exposure to light.  But given the hull is almost all painted or coppered the visuals there aren't an issue.
Deck: I changed wood options there to holly, not the beautiful pure white expensive wood that Hobbymill does, but a very light grey that looks like weathered deck.
Interior planking and fittings: Jarrah.  sigh.  done for reasons of the heart rather than the head.  Beautiful red wood, but dense and hard, and doesn't bend well.  If you think you might want to use it - do a table, not a ship.
Masts: Lemonwood.  I love lemonwood - works beautifully, but it aint cheap.

That's pretty much what Lees illustrates.  Good job.
 
Colin

Hi Jason,
 
looking good.
 
in response to your questions:
1: if a knot is out of the question then seizing is the way to go.  If you are unsure about the strength, then two tricks I use are to pass the seizing through the line with a needle first - essentially sewing the line together before wrapping it tight, then flood the sieze with diluted white glue.  Just out of interest which block to which deadeye?
 
2: though shalt not use dowels for masting     This will also go to something I wanted to say about your yard.  My experience is that CC tends to over dimension their masts and yards - probably to protect against people breaking things too much.  When I look at the yard my eye screams that it needs more taper.  You've done so much in the rest of the build that I wanted to encourage you to look at the dimensions in steel and compare.  (my mainyard starts at 6.5mm and tapers to about 2.4mm)
 
3: if you want to specify which stays I can double check in Lees.  Peterson doesn't neccessarily cover all ship types.
 
Colin

Depending on how subtle you want to be, you can also take a hypodermic needle of appropriate gauge, grind the angle off it, and "stamp" a circle on the end of the planks.  The indent on the wood will be visible, but the effect is a lot more subtle than the drill and fill method.
 
Colin

Acetone should do the job. Don't soak it too much, or the cement will be touched. Too much rubbing may also affect the patina.
 
wefalck

I'd agree with your assessment.  
Colin

Yes - the size of the block was proportional to the line going through it.  Larger lines took more stress, so the strop holding the blocks needed to be as strong.
 
You had me confused there too - you do mean eyebolt not deadeye? On the cap?
 
 
 
Turning - who needs turning?! Sharp pencil, sharp chisel, some maths and sandpaper is all you need.   
 
The taper on the lower yard was to 3/7 it's width (before battens).
 
 
 
per Lees: prior to 1773 deadeyes were used for the mizzen topmast stay.  "About 1773 the deadeyes were replaced by thimbles...."  so the CC diagrams would seem to be correct.  The line is probably small enough that a fall lashed between two thimbles would be sufficient for tensioning.
 
Colin

Hi Jason,
 
looking good.
 
in response to your questions:
1: if a knot is out of the question then seizing is the way to go.  If you are unsure about the strength, then two tricks I use are to pass the seizing through the line with a needle first - essentially sewing the line together before wrapping it tight, then flood the sieze with diluted white glue.  Just out of interest which block to which deadeye?
 
2: though shalt not use dowels for masting     This will also go to something I wanted to say about your yard.  My experience is that CC tends to over dimension their masts and yards - probably to protect against people breaking things too much.  When I look at the yard my eye screams that it needs more taper.  You've done so much in the rest of the build that I wanted to encourage you to look at the dimensions in steel and compare.  (my mainyard starts at 6.5mm and tapers to about 2.4mm)
 
3: if you want to specify which stays I can double check in Lees.  Peterson doesn't neccessarily cover all ship types.
 
Colin

Hi Jason,
 
looking good.
 
in response to your questions:
1: if a knot is out of the question then seizing is the way to go.  If you are unsure about the strength, then two tricks I use are to pass the seizing through the line with a needle first - essentially sewing the line together before wrapping it tight, then flood the sieze with diluted white glue.  Just out of interest which block to which deadeye?
 
2: though shalt not use dowels for masting     This will also go to something I wanted to say about your yard.  My experience is that CC tends to over dimension their masts and yards - probably to protect against people breaking things too much.  When I look at the yard my eye screams that it needs more taper.  You've done so much in the rest of the build that I wanted to encourage you to look at the dimensions in steel and compare.  (my mainyard starts at 6.5mm and tapers to about 2.4mm)
 
3: if you want to specify which stays I can double check in Lees.  Peterson doesn't neccessarily cover all ship types.
 
Colin

Further work!
 
I got a calm sunny day - so got the chance to take her out and sand the upper hull - that job is 90% complete.  I can still see a couple of places that need smoothing down a little more.
 
I've been working on the interior (most of this is not glued or varnished - just placed for assessment).
  Shot racks mostly done.  I ran out of 6lb shot, so need to get some more
  Jeer bits are well under way - the decorative bar at the top cost blood to make.
 



 
after redoing the gunport height it's nice to see the trial gun sitting nicely in the port.
 

 
Which gives us my latest full hull picture!
 

 
Colin

Further work!
 
I got a calm sunny day - so got the chance to take her out and sand the upper hull - that job is 90% complete.  I can still see a couple of places that need smoothing down a little more.
 
I've been working on the interior (most of this is not glued or varnished - just placed for assessment).
  Shot racks mostly done.  I ran out of 6lb shot, so need to get some more
  Jeer bits are well under way - the decorative bar at the top cost blood to make.
 



 
after redoing the gunport height it's nice to see the trial gun sitting nicely in the port.
 

 
Which gives us my latest full hull picture!
 

 
Colin

Further work!
 
I got a calm sunny day - so got the chance to take her out and sand the upper hull - that job is 90% complete.  I can still see a couple of places that need smoothing down a little more.
 
I've been working on the interior (most of this is not glued or varnished - just placed for assessment).
  Shot racks mostly done.  I ran out of 6lb shot, so need to get some more
  Jeer bits are well under way - the decorative bar at the top cost blood to make.
 



 
after redoing the gunport height it's nice to see the trial gun sitting nicely in the port.
 

 
Which gives us my latest full hull picture!
 

 
Colin

Further work!
 
I got a calm sunny day - so got the chance to take her out and sand the upper hull - that job is 90% complete.  I can still see a couple of places that need smoothing down a little more.
 
I've been working on the interior (most of this is not glued or varnished - just placed for assessment).
  Shot racks mostly done.  I ran out of 6lb shot, so need to get some more
  Jeer bits are well under way - the decorative bar at the top cost blood to make.
 



 
after redoing the gunport height it's nice to see the trial gun sitting nicely in the port.
 

 
Which gives us my latest full hull picture!
 

 
Colin

Further work!
 
I got a calm sunny day - so got the chance to take her out and sand the upper hull - that job is 90% complete.  I can still see a couple of places that need smoothing down a little more.
 
I've been working on the interior (most of this is not glued or varnished - just placed for assessment).
  Shot racks mostly done.  I ran out of 6lb shot, so need to get some more
  Jeer bits are well under way - the decorative bar at the top cost blood to make.
 



 
after redoing the gunport height it's nice to see the trial gun sitting nicely in the port.
 

 
Which gives us my latest full hull picture!
 

 
Colin