kruginmi

Keith - words never so true.   Well, time has flown and things done (health and other LOL).  Jylland is a priority - especially with the VIC rigging done and delivered.
 
Finally put to bed the tale of the stern windows.  No arguments now, they are fitted.

Much better than the provided decals.  Still a lot of refinement to do but they are in place.
As also can be seen the planking of the hull (above the waterline) is in full swing.  I wanted a better looking hull (with character) after it is sealed and painted.  I am using maple veneer.

The starboard side is still in progress but am hopefull by this weekend.
My lesson learned (LOL).  As you get older your nerve endings seem to become less ..... active.  Well, I managed to perforate myself on one of my fingers - which was used to hold the hull when inverted.  Finally figured this out when I set the hull back on the stand saw the blood bath.

Blood is not the easiest to get out of wood - believe me.  However, a decking will go on top so all is good.  Bandaids have become an important part of my kit.  I can always prove this model is mine with the affixed DNA.
Mark

My decking conundrum.  I was gifted a deck sheet (with adhesive on back) which actually is in the right proportions.

The problem is the deck is less than veneer width in depth.  I had allocated a 1/32" deck depth when building.  If I use this I need to add a second false deck over the first to allow for that depth.  Very doable but the joints will need to be very smooth with this stuff.
In the meantime also going to 'improve' the aesthetics of the raised bow area.  The kit supplied ink stamped gratings are less than desirable.  Picked up some basic gratings of the right size which will be put into this area.  I have removed part of the false deck for this and will custom fit/size the gratings to the model shape.  A lot of this model is a compromise between accuracy, looks, and the what I have to work with.

This is also contingent on the deck decision described above.  The 1/32" can really be detected here as it defines how the bulwark caprail merges into this area.
Mark
Mark

Things have been popping behind the scenes for both this and other projects I have been pursuing.  Letting people know I am still alive and kicking and hope to put this ship in the done column sometime this year.  This is the state of the ship as she now sits

Planking finished up pretty straight forward.  Given it is a single plank hull I was a bit more careful in how I progressed.  Still not sure of her final color scheme (paint or other) so anything could show.

And finally the long awaited whiskey plank:

Yes, I still have some sanding to smooth out a few things but I consider that a win.
Cheers, Mark

More progress on the bow.  Lots of continuing issues with the non-symmetrical pieces and non-supports.  Taking some hints from the new kit instructions and just trying things out I went through a lot of prototyping today, a big reason I like wood over plastic.  The biggest challenge is that there is a hole in the fore deck over the bowsprit so the ability to just throw in supports is compromised.

 
In the end I got something I like.  The actual fore false deck will be replaced but the rest of the structure will remain.  I also do not show I used 1/32" planking for the fitting of the bow components.  The actual planking is 1/16".  1/32" is much more pliable and easier to work with when you are working to fit supports in.  In the coming days the final upper planks will be added along with the final fore false deck.

A good start to 2023.   -Mark

I went and cut 1/2 of the cannon ports out.  These ports essentially line up with one plank width (done on purpose) so for strength I need to add the plank on top prior to cutting them completely out.  Again, these will have a wood blank supporting all sides behind them - for the 1/2 gun provided in the kit.
 
I then measured the plank strip required to get from the top of the cannon port to the top of the bulwark (not including the top cap).  I cut a custom piece of 1/16th basswood to this size using my Byrnes Saw (love that thing).

My intention had been to create bulwark supports  prior to installing this plank but on consideration, it really seemed like it didn't need them to get the right shape.  I still will install supports, just not anchored to the bulkhead sides.  So I went ahead and glued a section on.
I used 2 sections per side, split at the port of call opening.  The brads are temporary until everything dries.  Almost went together too easy.  Clean up should be a snap.  I got both rear sections in.  The fore sections will be glued in two stages - there is quite a sweep up front so I will lock in the aft part solid, then work on the forward.
 
A lot of unexpected progress.  Here is to finishing this thing in 2023.
Mark

Lower cannon port locations transferred to hull.  Made sure they mirrored port and starboard.  Having the top of the ports along the rim of the planks installed means I can easily remove half of the opening then finish the planking.
 
The cannons on the lower tier are represented in the kit by just the forward half.  The port lids themselves have circular openings in them.  Each port cut out will have a wood backing that will support the total opening, lids and the rear mounting pin on each cannon.  Where a bulkhead is in the way, this backing board just needs to abut the bulkhead.  No need to cut the bulkhead away for clearance.

Went onto an auction site and found this poster for a very reasonable price.  It is 33" x 24" (large) but.....I am thinking of using the top part as the back drop for the eventual case.  Parts of the bottom will be on the base. 
 
Something different.
Mark

This was a huge issue for me which ended up being a trifle.  The provided rear bulwark decoration (yes, plastic) did not conform to the deck angle.  I spent a lot of time (too much) pondering how to compensate.  Finally (maybe after the whiskey plank haha) I tore off the false deck and modified the underlying frames to set it right.  We are talking less than 20 minutes to a solution.

It was a very minimal correction but reset my mood for this project.  
Onto the decking.  The provided plank separators were at a different depth size than the planks themselves but with some careful prep in gluing went down pretty straight forward.

Still need to do the stern deck but need to define the caprail / waterway first.  Plenty of wood left to accomplish this so that is nice.
Caprail is next (along with the remaining flooring).  I do need to sanding seal the hull so that will wait for warmer weather.  Lots of things to do in the meantime.
Mark

Things have been popping behind the scenes for both this and other projects I have been pursuing.  Letting people know I am still alive and kicking and hope to put this ship in the done column sometime this year.  This is the state of the ship as she now sits

Planking finished up pretty straight forward.  Given it is a single plank hull I was a bit more careful in how I progressed.  Still not sure of her final color scheme (paint or other) so anything could show.

And finally the long awaited whiskey plank:

Yes, I still have some sanding to smooth out a few things but I consider that a win.
Cheers, Mark

My decking conundrum.  I was gifted a deck sheet (with adhesive on back) which actually is in the right proportions.

The problem is the deck is less than veneer width in depth.  I had allocated a 1/32" deck depth when building.  If I use this I need to add a second false deck over the first to allow for that depth.  Very doable but the joints will need to be very smooth with this stuff.
In the meantime also going to 'improve' the aesthetics of the raised bow area.  The kit supplied ink stamped gratings are less than desirable.  Picked up some basic gratings of the right size which will be put into this area.  I have removed part of the false deck for this and will custom fit/size the gratings to the model shape.  A lot of this model is a compromise between accuracy, looks, and the what I have to work with.

This is also contingent on the deck decision described above.  The 1/32" can really be detected here as it defines how the bulwark caprail merges into this area.
Mark
Mark

This is the day I bid her adieu.  I found a friend that was willing to host the ship.  I really don't have room so worked out for the best for both of us.  It was a 40 min drive to his place.

Ready for transport
I
In the back of my CRV I found Nestling in my winter coat was pretty solid.  I was going to avoid the 90 MPH curves and turns haha.

In it's new home.  I told him I never wanted to see it again and any tales of woe have no need to be sent my way LOL.  It will never look this good again and that is how I wish to remember her.  As for a case or improved stand - that is for him to worry about.
Cheers, Mark

This is the day I bid her adieu.  I found a friend that was willing to host the ship.  I really don't have room so worked out for the best for both of us.  It was a 40 min drive to his place.

Ready for transport
I
In the back of my CRV I found Nestling in my winter coat was pretty solid.  I was going to avoid the 90 MPH curves and turns haha.

In it's new home.  I told him I never wanted to see it again and any tales of woe have no need to be sent my way LOL.  It will never look this good again and that is how I wish to remember her.  As for a case or improved stand - that is for him to worry about.
Cheers, Mark

This is the day I bid her adieu.  I found a friend that was willing to host the ship.  I really don't have room so worked out for the best for both of us.  It was a 40 min drive to his place.

Ready for transport
I
In the back of my CRV I found Nestling in my winter coat was pretty solid.  I was going to avoid the 90 MPH curves and turns haha.

In it's new home.  I told him I never wanted to see it again and any tales of woe have no need to be sent my way LOL.  It will never look this good again and that is how I wish to remember her.  As for a case or improved stand - that is for him to worry about.
Cheers, Mark

Wow! She looks great -- a fine testament to what can be accomplished with this fantastic kit!

Well, let's jump forward a few months (haha).  Boy how time flies.  Lots of things going on so for 2024 I just knuckled down and worked on the Vic when possible.  Following Nepean's guidance I added a TON of added blocks and lines.  I also used the provided sails and was quite happy with the result I achieved with a little paint and my airbrush.

She is now done and in the rear view mirror.  I had a lot of fun working through the rigging.  I did get a little creative in some of the tie down points but balanced practicality, visual appeal and accurateness.

 
I used a backdrop to emphasize the lines but found out even that had issues.  Use a black one and remove all the standing rigging, use a tan one and remove the standing.  This did work out very well when actually rigging to keep your eyes from going bat crazy.
Mark

After some very focused effort I have reached a good conclusion (until I start seeing all the errors LOL).  Still have some annotation to do (copper wraps and such) but pretty happy right now.
 
The GAFF and Main Boom:

The Yards:

Finally a look at the whole thing:

And yes, Eamonn, will be looking for making some copies and probably hang one at work at least.  After putting in a title block.
 
Mark

Working through the data.  I have the original ship plans but a number of things have been replaced / upgraded and/or changed.  So you use the original data as a start, then figure out everything else.  I still discover things seemingly every time I look at a photo I have taken.
 
Biggest a-ha for me is the amount of wrap (copper and leather) used to keep chaffing and wear to a minimum.  Never had thought about it in depth before.  Makes a lot of sense, but most buried under rigging and never seen.
 
The masting will definitely fit on a 18 x 24 inch piece of paper. This will make duplication pretty straightforward.  Still need further work on the main mast, main boom and gaff.  And now that I look at them, probably need titles for each component (for people not as sophisticated as us - haha).

Well, if I didn't know better I would think I know what I am doing LOL.   I finally have a sheet of bulkhead plans that I am confident with for posterity.  I cleaned up my drafting table prior and filed quite a stack of previous designs getting to this point.

Pretty happy with that.  Also uncovered my early on profile shot.  The masting is all drawn out and triple checked on a separate drawing.  What is seen here is pretty close.

A pretty good day on my day 'off'.  Found out my supply of 3/16" wood is only good for a couple of full bulkheads and currently have no way to get more easily.  I might work on consolidating the masting designs onto a similar sized sheet for copying in the future.  I also need to create a good Title Block for each page. 
 
Stay Safe, Mark

With planks of limited width the process sure takes some time:
1.  Grab a length of wood (1 piece spans entire hull)
2.  Cut/Sand forward edge to match stem inset
3.  Locate on hull adding using all clamps and or other hold downs
4.  Mark where to cut after stern.
5.  Remove from hull and cut off extra at stern
6.  Soak with hot water for a minute
7.  Affix to hull using all clamps and leave to dry (3 hours)
8.  Remove, sand any edge angles required
9.  Glue to frames and plank edges
10.  Clamp.  Leave to dry 2-3 hours
 
The below picture shows me doing this for the waterways as well as the keel.  There is a lot of going down and up to the basement workroom but progress is being made.

I do need to think of the mast step before too much longer.  I need a solid (flat landing for that which restricts movement.  Easy now, not so easy with the hull closed up.
Mark
 

With planks of limited width the process sure takes some time:
1.  Grab a length of wood (1 piece spans entire hull)
2.  Cut/Sand forward edge to match stem inset
3.  Locate on hull adding using all clamps and or other hold downs
4.  Mark where to cut after stern.
5.  Remove from hull and cut off extra at stern
6.  Soak with hot water for a minute
7.  Affix to hull using all clamps and leave to dry (3 hours)
8.  Remove, sand any edge angles required
9.  Glue to frames and plank edges
10.  Clamp.  Leave to dry 2-3 hours
 
The below picture shows me doing this for the waterways as well as the keel.  There is a lot of going down and up to the basement workroom but progress is being made.

I do need to think of the mast step before too much longer.  I need a solid (flat landing for that which restricts movement.  Easy now, not so easy with the hull closed up.
Mark
 

Now that the Regina has 6 planks on each side (now below the deck level) this ship is rock solid.  The last issue I had in the hull from so many years ago was the wonkiness of the frame installs.  It was not textbook (LOL).  Running a test plank up and down the hull it actually wasn't too bad - EXCEPT for one frame.  This frame for whatever reason was riding too high, almost a 1/16" too high.  There were gaps on both sides over this frame at mid deck level and below.  I thought about adding shims and that was certainly possible but then another idea came to mind......

It actually was easier to just remove the frame just above where the issue became apparent, remove a 1/16" at the bottom (with some reshaping) then add spacers to push the frame down.

I am not going to say it fits perfect, but there is meat on the bones to allow some minimal shaping and all will be well.
 
I also wanted to show that soaking certain types of planks for just 30 seconds in hot water (I use the tap) and letting them dry in position prior to gluing does work very well.  The following plank had dried for 2 hours and was ready to be glued in.  Very minimal clamping.

Having too much fun.   Stay Building My Friends, Mark

This model has been perfect for working on my rigging capabilities.  I have spent a bit of time off line working on learning / remembering / identifying what is the Mark Krug way of doing things.  Also the ship needed a lot of clean up and various bits and bobs put to right.
 
My midterm (freshman year) was to get those main stays configured and put into place.  All this was scratch - the Heller kit does not include any heart blocks.  I also reconfigured the marine walk a bit for the preventer stay.  Things seem to be coalescing well.
 

I rigged up everything off ship - just required the last seizing once installed.

Both main stays installed.  I am happy with the length to blocks and the look.  Unfortunately the loop seized to was a tad bit too low and got mostly lost in the grating.

Everything checks out.  I will be adding the stay to stay weave.
 
Now onto the fore stays.  These also will have open and closed hearts added.
Mark

Well, the process worked out and it was pretty easy also.  First shot shows the mouse and at the desired distance laid in an eyelet in the thread.

I then looped around the mainmast head and fed the lower end of the stay through the eyelet and fed it up until it was stopped by the mouse.  It had the look and seemed right at home.

Second line was a repeat of the first.  I offset the eyelet a little farther in to provide some separation.  No glue required here, that join will not loosen up under just minimal tension.

Finally the money shot of the two stays.  Next up is the heart block at the lower end of the stays.  I am also in the process of modifying the walk to allow the two lines for the preventer stay to pass through better.  I am actually going to interweave the two stays since I believe that look is also pretty iconic when you view pics of the Victory.

So many things I want to do, just need to focus on one at a time (maybe two haha - that foremast breast backstay add is pretty easy and straightforward).
Stay building my friends, Mark

A quick discussion of my aims and direction:
The following are my goals for this build:
       Get better in MODELING rigging o   Sometimes not the same as actual ship rigging
          Learn the nomenclature better          Don’t sweat the details (vague – I know) o   Not an exact replication of the Victory, but close as practical (in Krug terms)
o   Don’t turn the Heller model into a scratch build – stay out of the box for most.
         Have some fun o   This will not be a multi-year project
To repeat the first post, this kit was started (very well I might add) by someone who has since passed.  I am using this as a learning tool and to honor that person.  As such, there will not be a gut job.  The deck is not painted – so be it.  The fore and main lower shrouds are affixed so the rest will be installed in the same manner (using the Heller tool and the ratlines glued in place).
As a person born in the 60’s I remember the warped pieces of plastic that passed off as kits back then and loved building them.  I now have a few wooden ships under my belt (the HMS Druid sits just across the room) and enjoy the process of building and stretching skills.  I am lucky to have 1.5 more kits of this for experimentation, repair and adding on where needed.
The excel spreadsheet attached was my go through of the Heller plans to render into English the names of all the lines and deck tie down locations (eg A7 is the Flying Jib Staysail Downhaul).  Once you have the name and know the function, tracing the line across multiple diagrams is greatly simplified.  I have Identified 9 lines not in the plans (boomkin stays, leech lines, etc) that I will add as well as 12 lines that I believe are duplicative or unkown (see end of first tab).  I will NOT declare it without error.  As I build I will methodically go through what is written and verify so it will get better.  If it helps you, great, but use your own knowledge to see if it is helpful to you.  There is a cross reference to the Anatomy of the Ship Line # as well as Rigging Period Ship model page numbers.
The references I am using (items sitting on the build table) are:
Heller 1:100 Plastic Kit HMS Victory Instructions Krug’s Rigging ID Guide to Heller 1:100 Kit   Line and deck tie down translation to English – Excel Sheets  (Attached below) Full size Plans Used in Longridge’s Book  Percival Marshall & CO Ltd HMS Victory:  Her Construction, Career and Restoration     Alan McGowan The Anatomy of Nelson’s Ships   C Nepean Longridge Others on the bookshelf:
Rigging Period Ship Models    Lennarth Petersson Anatomy of the Ship:  The 100-Gun Ship Victory     John McKay I was VERY fortunate to get the full size plans from my Uncle.  So much more readable and usable then the fold outs.  Beautiful detail.
I look forward to advancing this build forward.  Lots of things still to do on the main deck but that will wait.  My focus now is to get the standing rigging up and in place to kick this off. 
Mark
Krug Victory Rigging Lines.xlsx

This model has been perfect for working on my rigging capabilities.  I have spent a bit of time off line working on learning / remembering / identifying what is the Mark Krug way of doing things.  Also the ship needed a lot of clean up and various bits and bobs put to right.
 
My midterm (freshman year) was to get those main stays configured and put into place.  All this was scratch - the Heller kit does not include any heart blocks.  I also reconfigured the marine walk a bit for the preventer stay.  Things seem to be coalescing well.
 

I rigged up everything off ship - just required the last seizing once installed.

Both main stays installed.  I am happy with the length to blocks and the look.  Unfortunately the loop seized to was a tad bit too low and got mostly lost in the grating.

Everything checks out.  I will be adding the stay to stay weave.
 
Now onto the fore stays.  These also will have open and closed hearts added.
Mark