glbarlow

It’s a good message and accomplished exactly that.

This was fun. I’ve scratch built a few things here and there in my modeling but Cheerful’s winch is the first ‘complex’ thing I’ve made from nothing but some wood and a set of plans. As I’m prone to do I thought I’d share how I made it - once again acknowledging there are many ways to do things, this is just mine…and it was my first. The mini-kits available for Cheerful are great little projects in and of themselves, however in the case of the winch Chuck elected to leave us to fend for ourselves. So I gathered up the material I’d need, two thicknesses of wood strip, one of wood sheet and two basswood dowels I had in stock along with some brass rod and brass micro-tubing and off I went. First I cut square pillars from 7/32 stock and the crossbar from 3/16, thanks Byrnes saw. I cut out the pillar supports from a copy of the plans, rubber cemented them to 1/8 sheet wood, then cut them out using my scroll saw - cutting right along the line through the paper while keeping my fingers. Then it was to the mill. I learn a little more each day about how valuable and useful the Proxxon MF 70 can be. I’m still fumbling a bit maintaining consistency with the X,Y.Z axis control, while they can be very precise the knobs are be a bit tight. Stating the obvious, t’s important and a bit of a challenge to get zero set. I used a piece of paper between the bit and the wood. When I could barely pull the paper between them, literally scratching the paper and not the wood, I set the knob for that axis at zero. I used the mill to cut the notches in the cross bar and a more shallow notch in the two pillars, so that the cross bar sits out from the pillars when connected. I also used the mill as a drill press, drilling a hole through both pillars together for mounting the winch drum. Again the obvious, it’s critical for the milled parts to be level and square top and back. The Proxxon vice accessory makes this easier, I cut various spacers from scrap MDF to help with the alignment. I now had the easy part done. The winch drum, a small thing, was more problematic. It consists of the drum, raised spacers, and sprockets. I thought about using the lathe, I mean I have it and all, but the crown, the raised portion of the drum (like a spool of thread) had to be equal to the sprockets which I had no clue how to make. So I used a larger basswood dowel, sliced off two pieces, then used my chisel to cut notches around the dowel, painted that bit Ironwood Black, dusted it with Rusty Brown weathering powder, and sliced off two sprockets. I glued all 5 together for a completed drum. With this done I had all the major components. Time for a little dry-fit test. Following the plans proved important, as it always does, since the overall width of the winch supports have to fit between the deck ring bolts and stove pipe hatch. Then it’s back to the mill to shape the pillars. I went through a lot of practice attempts, and despite great advice from others I just wasn’t happy with my attempts to cut the angled top consistently on eight sides (two pillars). I know how now, I just need more practice - it’s a surprising small angle as it turns out. So I opted for an alternate approach, I cut in the top 1mm from the top and 1mm in with a 1 mm bit, yes you can be that precise, creating the cap. I moved in 5 mm and cut a .5mm slice to form the base of the cut in. That was it for the mill. I thought about going ‘fancy’ on the crossbar but it’s not shown that way on the plans so I just rounded off the edges by sanding. I used my freshly sharpened (I know how to do that now too) Veritas Chisel to slice in the angle using the .5mm cut as a stop and finished it up with needle files and sanding sticks. I was able to create the eight consistent sides this way, something a proper use of the mill could have done faster (well, maybe not by me), but I venture to say not better. After painting the assembly and adding in the drum using brass rod inserted into both sides the last step was the handles. There are of course numerous ways to go about this. I chose to create the handles using small boxwood strip shaped and sanded, drilled holes into both ends, make the handles from brass rod with small micro tubing glued over it, the other end added to the brass rod on the drum then the rods cut flush. Of course it being ‘metal’ I first painted them Ironwood Black and added the weathering powder, it makes a difference even on these small handles. And I now have a completely scratch made winch, it goes on the shelf with other deck items until later. I’m kinda proud of it, obviously since I devoted a post just to it. I offer this to those considering building Cheerful: It has presented me with the opportunity to try so many new things I’d not done before despite having built nine kits. I’m treading new ground with each step. At first I was kinda wishing for another mini-kit for the winch but now am quite happy with the opportunity to build it on by own. I also once again thank others for their help and inspiration and can only hope I can provide a little inspiration myself for others take on this great model.

Congratulations, welcome to the Cheerful club. Looking forward to following your progress. I wish we had a ‘Wood project source’ on this side of the Atlantic.

I think my Lady Nelson log and I know my Cheerful log explains Chuck’s method for lining the hull for planking and bending planks to fit. Getting the taper and curves right is important and whatever plan you have needs to be adjusted as you go. I don’t think I’ve seen the method you’re using, I hope it works out well

I never put them in glass cases, that would spoil the affect for me on the shelf ) too bulky in my humble opinion. I just turn them on the shelf every 6 months (like they do with the real Constitution :-D) so it fades evenly and (gently)use compressed air and a soft brush to (gently) dust them off. Some of them have been on the shelf over a decade and still look fine. You can always buy a bigger house 😄

Very nicely done, congratulations! The AVS is a great model, I learned a lot from building her, those skills will transfer nicely to your next model. I’m looking forward to following your Cheerful build. It’s a wonderful challenge and I’m sure you’ll enjoy building her.

Wow... I’d be so confused trying to keep track of what I was doing with that many active builds, I can barely keep track of one 🤣. They all look great though. Granado was one of my favorite builds and stands proudly on my shelf.

Looking great, more and more interesting as you go.

Thanks for the comment. Chuck states that’s the case in his monograph, and reminds us it’s a model. I’ll look forward to see how your approach comes out. The mast cap was fun to make, historically I bet they didn’t have a Proxxon mill to spin it on 😂

Great work on that detailed painting, that takes a really steady hand!

I appreciate the video but I barely know how to use it as it is and I don’t speak that language...😂🤣

Thanks for the comment. I actually have three prior logs here, Vanguard, Fair American, and Pegasus. Unfortunately Pegasus and Fair American were lost in the great 2013 systems crash and I wasn’t smart enough to keep a backup. Vanguard is still here though. The links in my signature line carry you to either gallery photos or those logs.

The low spot may be problematic as your gun ports will then out uneven, my suggested method might have helped. I recommend you remove itshape it, and do it again. You can bevel the garboard plank (one closest to the keel) to fit tight against the keel, You don’t need a rabit. Be sure to also taper, cut the right angle, and bevel the leading edge at the bow. Don’t put on the stern post until 2nd planking is son but sand and thin at the stern so both planking equal the width of the stern post. it doesn’t look you faired the hull before putting on the patterns, that will make fairing harder. I also broke that stem piece, more than once as I recall. You’re painting it black eventually just ensure you have it straight and it will be fine. Rigging lines go through those holes so it has to be strong enough to support that. All of this is described in other logs, I always read every thing I can find about the next step in whatever log I can find, beats reading the fact. The instructions in the model are thin, you need all the help you can get. That still applies to me and I’ve built 9 models.

I was reluctant at first but I'm now a big fan, I got them from MicroMark here. There are other brands I'm sure, the doc o’brien seem to be a micro mark exclusive. The key is a light touch - a dedicated set of soft brushes are also essential, I have these. I brush it on with one brush (a little goes a long way) then use two other brushes to burnish to a finish I like. Even if you over do it it can be wiped off with a soft cloth. Only caution is do the weathered pieces separate from any other painted piece (I took my windlass apart to do the black "metal" pieces and did the pawls before adding them to the bowsprit step. You saw the cannon barrels, that's an essential step for me going forward. Definitely try it out, you'll be pleased with the result.

Thank you, I'm glad it's helpful.

Are you still building your Lady Nelson?

Welcome to the forum and the Lady Nelson. As John mentioned I built the Lady Nelson after a long layoff from modeling. I’d encourage you to check out my log from the link John provided or from my signature line below. I wrote it on. A different, very quiet, forum then copy and pasted it after I came back here to MSW to stay. I also posted photos in the galleria section of the finished model that might prove helpful. One thing you’ll see there is how I use the plans to trace the outline of the hull, cut a board from that, then use the board to shape the gun port patterns. You’ll also see I struggled with the transom too and, among other things, where I elected to scratch build the bowsprit step because it was so out of scale preventing a good fit of the bowsprit. Be sure to fair the hull properly before adding the first plank and add some balsa filler at the bow. You do want all the bulkheads to be square as well. The whole basis of the ship starts with the frame, obviously, you want that frame to be as near perfect as you can get it so take the time to get this seemingly boring part right. I’ll follow your log and see if I can be of help from time to time. The LN is a great first model, it’s the same as any large kit, just less and small. The techniques you learn and use will serve you well. Have fun!

Thank you Chuck! The winch is up next and will yet be a new challenge. It’s a superb model, I do really enjoy the work!

I’m very glad to hear that, it’s my goal to help others as I’ve been helped on this forum Thank you, you’re still on my go to list when want to check how to do something. Thank you Bob, I appreciate the kind comments. Just so you know both CA and PVA were involved in the production 🤣😁 I appreciate the comment, I enjoy posting the updates in the hopes they are helpful. Also, thanks everyone for dropping by and the Likes!

I’m sure I did miss a zero, it’s a turn of the wheel, but I probably meant my accuracy with it 🤣😂🤪 It’s a great tool, I’m looking forward to learning and more coaching.

I'm not sure I was factoring a log cabin into first world homes - the variance in most HVAC systems keeps the humidity within a range that it would not affect CA glue. I was not intending to get into a home construction dialog, but I'll withdraw the general point and just say specifically that the humidity range in my home does not affect the models I've build using CA glue and let it go at that.

The deck build out. Happy New Year! With the holidays and family work is going slow on Cheerful. I’m off book from Chuck’s monograph, choosing to do some random small projects that I could do independently as I found workshop time. I don’t plan to glue stuff to the deck until I have most of it built and ensure everything fits together. So nothing shown below is mounted, just temporarily sitting in their future homes. Having first built the stove and mounted it below decks I then added the galley stove pipe (ok, so I didn’t build a stove:-D). The stove pipe is straightforward, I took the dimensions from the plan and cut the four sides from 1/64 yellow cedar sheet then painted with Admiralty Ironwork Black. Though not on the plans I also added a .025 piece to the bottom to simulate the lead sheet that would have sealed the pipe between the deck and the stove below. I rounded all the edges quite a bit and also applied Doc O’Brien Rusty Brown weathering powder to the outside and Smoky Black powder to the inside to help simulate it being metal. I had acquired some thin lead sheeting for this galley pipe but it just looked clunky, so out it went. The weathering powder looks great in combination with the Ironwork paint. Next up was the extension of the stern post into the deck. I like how Chuck accounts for historical accuracy but remembers it’s a model and not the real thing. This small post starts as an overly large laser cut piece from the starter kit that I shaped to fit. Though small, it took quite a bit of time to shape and fit properly, there are more angles than you’d think. The photo shows the starting point (from the included extras) and the final result which now looks like the stern post was cut through the deck as a single piece - no way to know the difference. A small thing but kinda cool. Part of getting the stern post to fit is matching it up with the rudder. It requires some shaping to taper it from top to bottom on the trailing edge and a different taper on the leading edge. The plans are very clear so I used my various sanding tools to get what I liked, painted red the portion that goes through the deck, and applied multiple coats of WOP to the rest (probably a few more coats yet to go). Its’ a nice and proper look I think. Since I was working on the stern I also cut and shaped the tiller from some scrap boxwood. I was mindful of the shape necessary to peg into the rudder and curve it to "hand height" above the deck at its end, mini-me verified the height and length were ok. Nothing is glued, the tiller is just sitting temporarily pegged into the rudder, it will be better aligned once glued. I used the lathe (really I was looking for an excuse to use it) to shape from a square straight piece then my plank-bending station to create the curve. I cut some subtle grooves in the “handle,” I wouldn’t want a hand to slip off the tiller during a storm. I don’t know that my method to build the tiller is one I’d repeat - I put dry heat wood bending to the test with the thickness of this tiller, it took multiple times to slowly get the wood to bend to the needed curve. It may have been smarter to rough cut it the curved piece with a scroll saw and shape it from there. But hey, I got to use my new lathe so… It’s possible I may make this again, I’m not completely sure I like it. The mast cap was next, along with the chance to use my mill (Cheerful has been my excuse for a workshop upgrade or two). I have left the inside edge intentionally a bit small and the bottom not sanded, I’ll sand it out to fit the mast and the deck once I make it up later on. Here’s the final version (maybe) with WOP added. As Chuck points out a real cutter would probably just have tarred wrap at the base of the mast, but where is the fun in that. This technique comes from @DelF who was kind enough to explain to me how to go about making it. I’ve made about seven or eight “practice caps,” improving a little with each one. One thing I’ve learned is how fine the measurement on the mill X,Y, and Z axis handles are, it’s easy to set measurements at .1mm difference once you get the hang of it, and not so easy if you haven’t. I started with a square boxwood blank glued to a wood dowel then tightened the dowel into the Proton dividing attachment with the mill bit above and centered. I moved it out 10mm then cut the outside and back in 4.5mm to cut out the center. It’s key to have the piece fully glued to the dowel (I learned). I used my recently acquired Proxxon router bits (not shown) to shape the outer edge and then a small bit to cut the top ring. To be clear the attempts in the mill photos are not the one shown as the final product. I kept learning how to apply the various bits and managing the three axis of the mill, rejecting copies until I finally got one I liked. It’s pretty incredible what the mill with the dividing attachment and various bits can accomplish. Back to the mill for the ladders combining techniques learned from Derek and @Rustyj. I cut the 5 rungs in a single sheet of yellow cedar, used the plans to determine the angle, cut the struts, shaped and sanded it all and added the steps. Since I’m at it, aside from @Chuck obviously, I also give credit to @Blue Ensign for the help I get from his Cheerful log. Paint it red and I have my bulwark ladders. Making one wasn’t as difficult as making two exactly alike and adjusting the angles to the ships bulwarks. There are lots of ways to scratch build ladders, this was yet again my first attempt having only had to assemble kit ladders before so it’s the way I did mine. It was kind of fun. And then it was building the Bowsprit Step using one of @Chuck mini-kits. The design of these kits are amazing. In this case the uprights are composed of three layers, by doing so the notch for the pawls is created when the three are glued together. I shaped the tops with needle files and sanding sticks. I simulated the bolts by cutting the stem off an eyelet and gluing it over the wire that passes through the post holding the pawls (fun fishing that wire through) then snipping the wire flush with the eyelet and painting it Ironwood Black. The pawls, like all metal simulating wood, were also painted Ironwood Black and dusted with Rusty Brown weathering powder. The pass through strips are left long and loose, they will be cut to fit once assembled with the bowsprit. I had build the windlass from Chuck’s mini-kit a long while ago, it was finally time to match it up with the bowsprit step, at least temporarily, on the deck. I won’t glue any of this until I have the bowsprit made, all three have to be in alignment and fit together - so its off to my storage shelf for both items. I’m off to other deck projects, I’m thinking the winch next, but we’ll see. There are bowl games to watch today.

Fascinating...

Floor polish? Very curious, how does that work?

Really Great planking! From what I’ve seen the painting on this ship really makes it pop. Rusty’s white hull against the pear looks really good. If it were mine I’d paint it, there is still plenty of pear to be seen