glbarlow

Thank you, it was a trip, every centerline and port side plank is unique, as you know, only to have to be mirrored on the starboard side. Fun stuff.

Been a little, or a lot, out of the loop but wow you are really creating a wonderful work of art here - love it! Really great job!

Glenn, I just finished reading through your entire log (took a while) and I must say that your Winnie is a work of art!  I will definitely use your log along with Chuck's and a few others as I start my journey down the path of the HMS Winchelsea Group Build.

Just Beautiful  Glenn, the harsh eye of the macro is testament to the quality of the your work.
 
B.E.

Reading through Glenn's log as I begin my journey on my own build of the Winnie; I have been saying the same thing as I sit on Amazon adding things to cart and checking out.

Very Nice Glenn! Your planking  on the bow and QD is perfectly done! Beautiful. 

Making some progress these past few days. More detailed post later but just one photo for a quick update on forecastle work. 

Margin and outboard Planking
 
Time for the margin planks, waterway, and outboard planking.

I started with the quarter deck. The margin planks are heat bent with my trusty travel iron (I had a brief flash back to those long months planking the hull). I elected to use one long strip and then once shaped I use the template as a pattern to cut a scarf joint midway.

I did the same with the four planks, all ¼ widths I’d ripped and run through the thickness planer, tapering the planks towards the stern per the template and using a razor saw to simulate the planking end cuts and then adding #2 pencil along the long edge for caulking. Running a single long plank with the simulated break made for a cleaner run and easier fit. (the angle of the iPhone photo makes it seam the port side planning seem wider than starboard, it isn’t).
 
I half-rounded a strip for the waterways to finish up the outboard work. This small strip adds a lot, it won’t wash away any water but it does a nice job of bridging the deck and bulwarks.
 
After sanding and 4 coats of WOP it’s done. I may WOP the beam tops late,r for now I haven’t. The q-deck was easy enough and done fairly quickly, the forecastle not so much.

The forecastle margin planks are too curved to bend a plank so they are cut from 3/64 sheet. I started with the template (template beams and actual beams were lined up for measuring, just not for this photo) then added Tamiya tape to make up any differences (really not much, but some) with my hull and transferred the outer edge to the sheet. The outer edges were then cut roughly with a #11 blade.
 
Using dividers, and a technique learned from Rusty, I drew the proper width for the inboard side. This step is done after the cut and completing sanding of the outer edge.
Once again I again did the full length and cut the scarf joint after the fitting, amazing how nice they match up that way.

My Byrnes sander does a nice job of rough sanding the outer curve smooth. The new version with the reversible direction makes it even easier. I converted my mill into a sanding table for rough sanding of the margin and forecastle planks inner curves.

The same process of starting with template, modified by tape, transferred to sheet with double sided tape, rough sanded and finally the time consuming part, final sanding by hand with sanding sticks to a tight fit.

While there are only 6 planks plus the margin plank they are all cut from sheet and sanded to custom fit, a slow process but a rewarding one with the final result.  Once again the waterway and 4 coats of WOP are added (four because that’s how many I used on the main deck so the finish and tone match up). The WOP is wiped on and off and lightly sanded between the second and third coat.

A lot of cut up templates and Tamiya tape were used to make it all work. My blue canary tape is also shown - it serves as an early warning before an elbow snags a cannon barrel. Kinda dumb, but it works.

There is a pronounced curve to these planks, while they were cut with that curve, clamping while gluing keep them that way.


The completed quarterdeck.

 

The completed forecastle.
 
On to the center planking and deck furniture. As always thank you for your comments and the likes and for stopping by.

Making some progress these past few days. More detailed post later but just one photo for a quick update on forecastle work. 

After 5 months of work I’ve completed my Cheerful’s hull. I thought I’d pause a minute and share a few photos (sitting temporarily on its future base) before moving on to the deck.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
I’ve written in this log about the many things I’ve learned from this semi-scratch build, so many things I’d never done before. I have many more such challenges ahead, I’m looking forward to what's next.  Thank you for all the likes, follows, and comments, I appreciate them all. The fun continues.

Making some progress these past few days. More detailed post later but just one photo for a quick update on forecastle work. 

Margin and outboard Planking
 
Time for the margin planks, waterway, and outboard planking.

I started with the quarter deck. The margin planks are heat bent with my trusty travel iron (I had a brief flash back to those long months planking the hull). I elected to use one long strip and then once shaped I use the template as a pattern to cut a scarf joint midway.

I did the same with the four planks, all ¼ widths I’d ripped and run through the thickness planer, tapering the planks towards the stern per the template and using a razor saw to simulate the planking end cuts and then adding #2 pencil along the long edge for caulking. Running a single long plank with the simulated break made for a cleaner run and easier fit. (the angle of the iPhone photo makes it seam the port side planning seem wider than starboard, it isn’t).
 
I half-rounded a strip for the waterways to finish up the outboard work. This small strip adds a lot, it won’t wash away any water but it does a nice job of bridging the deck and bulwarks.
 
After sanding and 4 coats of WOP it’s done. I may WOP the beam tops late,r for now I haven’t. The q-deck was easy enough and done fairly quickly, the forecastle not so much.

The forecastle margin planks are too curved to bend a plank so they are cut from 3/64 sheet. I started with the template (template beams and actual beams were lined up for measuring, just not for this photo) then added Tamiya tape to make up any differences (really not much, but some) with my hull and transferred the outer edge to the sheet. The outer edges were then cut roughly with a #11 blade.
 
Using dividers, and a technique learned from Rusty, I drew the proper width for the inboard side. This step is done after the cut and completing sanding of the outer edge.
Once again I again did the full length and cut the scarf joint after the fitting, amazing how nice they match up that way.

My Byrnes sander does a nice job of rough sanding the outer curve smooth. The new version with the reversible direction makes it even easier. I converted my mill into a sanding table for rough sanding of the margin and forecastle planks inner curves.

The same process of starting with template, modified by tape, transferred to sheet with double sided tape, rough sanded and finally the time consuming part, final sanding by hand with sanding sticks to a tight fit.

While there are only 6 planks plus the margin plank they are all cut from sheet and sanded to custom fit, a slow process but a rewarding one with the final result.  Once again the waterway and 4 coats of WOP are added (four because that’s how many I used on the main deck so the finish and tone match up). The WOP is wiped on and off and lightly sanded between the second and third coat.

A lot of cut up templates and Tamiya tape were used to make it all work. My blue canary tape is also shown - it serves as an early warning before an elbow snags a cannon barrel. Kinda dumb, but it works.

There is a pronounced curve to these planks, while they were cut with that curve, clamping while gluing keep them that way.


The completed quarterdeck.

 

The completed forecastle.
 
On to the center planking and deck furniture. As always thank you for your comments and the likes and for stopping by.

Making some progress these past few days. More detailed post later but just one photo for a quick update on forecastle work. 

Margin and outboard Planking
 
Time for the margin planks, waterway, and outboard planking.

I started with the quarter deck. The margin planks are heat bent with my trusty travel iron (I had a brief flash back to those long months planking the hull). I elected to use one long strip and then once shaped I use the template as a pattern to cut a scarf joint midway.

I did the same with the four planks, all ¼ widths I’d ripped and run through the thickness planer, tapering the planks towards the stern per the template and using a razor saw to simulate the planking end cuts and then adding #2 pencil along the long edge for caulking. Running a single long plank with the simulated break made for a cleaner run and easier fit. (the angle of the iPhone photo makes it seam the port side planning seem wider than starboard, it isn’t).
 
I half-rounded a strip for the waterways to finish up the outboard work. This small strip adds a lot, it won’t wash away any water but it does a nice job of bridging the deck and bulwarks.
 
After sanding and 4 coats of WOP it’s done. I may WOP the beam tops late,r for now I haven’t. The q-deck was easy enough and done fairly quickly, the forecastle not so much.

The forecastle margin planks are too curved to bend a plank so they are cut from 3/64 sheet. I started with the template (template beams and actual beams were lined up for measuring, just not for this photo) then added Tamiya tape to make up any differences (really not much, but some) with my hull and transferred the outer edge to the sheet. The outer edges were then cut roughly with a #11 blade.
 
Using dividers, and a technique learned from Rusty, I drew the proper width for the inboard side. This step is done after the cut and completing sanding of the outer edge.
Once again I again did the full length and cut the scarf joint after the fitting, amazing how nice they match up that way.

My Byrnes sander does a nice job of rough sanding the outer curve smooth. The new version with the reversible direction makes it even easier. I converted my mill into a sanding table for rough sanding of the margin and forecastle planks inner curves.

The same process of starting with template, modified by tape, transferred to sheet with double sided tape, rough sanded and finally the time consuming part, final sanding by hand with sanding sticks to a tight fit.

While there are only 6 planks plus the margin plank they are all cut from sheet and sanded to custom fit, a slow process but a rewarding one with the final result.  Once again the waterway and 4 coats of WOP are added (four because that’s how many I used on the main deck so the finish and tone match up). The WOP is wiped on and off and lightly sanded between the second and third coat.

A lot of cut up templates and Tamiya tape were used to make it all work. My blue canary tape is also shown - it serves as an early warning before an elbow snags a cannon barrel. Kinda dumb, but it works.

There is a pronounced curve to these planks, while they were cut with that curve, clamping while gluing keep them that way.


The completed quarterdeck.

 

The completed forecastle.
 
On to the center planking and deck furniture. As always thank you for your comments and the likes and for stopping by.

Belfry
 
I spent a long time on the belfry, lots of char removal on small pieces and tiny mitre cuts. 
As you can see I went a different way using black masking tape and a blackened rope pull I fashioned from brass strip. These were planned. 

After spending hours unsuccessfully trying to remove char from the roof and with assurance from Chuck these were often painted black on contemporary models I went that route. However I weathered my Ironwork Black paint to give it, in my char-addled mind, the look of the lead sheet the captain ordered to prevent wood rot.
 
That’s my story anyway. 
 
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all. 

Caprails
 
Maybe not the most exciting thing, still installing the caprail is a test determining how well I did at the very beginning building the ship's infrastructure. That work and the pre-testing and fitting I did back then (nearly two years ago now) turned out to be ok for the most part. The laser cut caprail fit the top curves of the hull, finally finishing off the last of the exposed hull.

First up was the waist, a 5/16 plank fit the bill. Seemingly simple, this was a first example of early testing making it so. Originally my run of planking did not leave the flat surface between the scrolls required. It was so much easier to correct that back then than it would have been now.


Way back before I started building I admired how the caprail fitted with the two scrolls and wondered how I’d manage to make that happen. Naturally Chuck has a great design starting with those hance pieces from chapter one on to the scroll moulding and friezes, finally arriving at the curves of the caprail up from the main deck to the quarterdeck, it all works together.
 
The curved portions of the caprail are two pieces pieces glued together extra wide for good reason. First the rail narrows from 5/16 on the main deck to ¾ on the qdeck, plus there is an inward angle as the hull narrows going towards the stern. There was a lot of sanding and fine tuning to create a proper transition up and back. Also I appreciate the extra sets of this curved piece Chuck provides, I’ll just call the first attempt a prototype.

Next up was the quarter deck, first closing up the bulwarks having first painted them red then adding the cap rails. I switched to Admiralty Paints Dull Black for the rails, not sure why the name, it is the very opposite of dull. Though I had to make a few adjustments, for the most part I had a good fit matching the laser cut rail with gentle inward curve from mid-ship to stern.

I always look ahead to determine what I can do now that might be easier than doing it later, the two gangway platforms are an example. They aren’t a simple fit given the angles and placement required, including the tricky fitting of a knee below. It was much easier to build and install them now than later in chapter 11 when I’d have to work around, and likely knock off knowing me, the qdeck rail. The decking for both is fitted, but not glued on, it can wait as can the rest of the gangway.

Staying with the look ahead concept I elected to build the catheads and use them as guides to cut the opening in the hull to the deck called for later. A small laser cut template is provided which of course would work, I just wanted to have as tight a fit as possible and match the angle to the rest of the simulated cat tail below the beams. More importantly I wanted to get this cut made before I’d risk damaging any deck planking. The cat heads are just laying there, this is not how later they'll be mounted further out and at a much higher angle. It’s kinda cool how they make up from seven parts (including sheaves inserted in the slots) to look as one, they will stand out nicely in the final fit.

The bow section of the cat-rails are added, with the catheads laying in the slots confirming a tight fit. It took me a minute to recognize the grain in the wood wasn't more char.

That was followed by the remainder of the forecastle caprails. It’s worth mentioning again as I did in a much earlier post, and as suggested by Chuck and others, to use the paper caprail templates way early as the bow is being framed. Matching them up then makes installing the laser cut caprail easy now. I wouldn’t want to get to this point and find out they didn't not follow the curve of the bow.
 

The final result of the forecastle caprail installed, again with catheads just laying in the slots. You might notice there is no windscreen behind the stove. I did fit it but decided I’d rather have a peek of the stove visible from the main deck. It's such a cool stove and much of it will be hidden by the partial forecastle decking.
 
Note in this photo I’ve also pre-fit the breasthook though I won’t paint it until I can make a final fit after the planking is installed. An over-sized laser cut piece is provided, it took a lot of sanding to get a decent fit for my hull, including a little work on the back side of the bollard timbers.
 
With that I’ll move onward with the balance of chapter nine. Can’t wait to remove more char, if anyone comes up with a char removing formula I’ll be first in line. Wouldn’t it be nice to dip a piece of laser cut material in a little vat and it came out free of char…
 
By the way, while RED, my paint isn't as red as these photographs always make it out to be.  Apparently my workshop lighting and iPhone combine to make everything more vibrant.
 
As always thanks for stopping by with your likes and comments, I appreciate you’re doing so.
 

Chapter 8 Complete
 
It took me a lot less time to complete chapter 8 than it did chapter 7. It would have been done sooner except for two things: I split my available time between Winchelsea and creating a book from our Kenyan adventure, it’s now done and being printed. The second, for some now inexplicable reason we got a puppy - what were we thinking. It’s a nice Beagle but it takes a ton of time…anyway.


Picking up where I left off with the forecastle I created a few jigs to square up and assemble the two sets of bitts, the table with movable clamps comes in handy. The spacers were helpful in establishing proper distances as well as aligning both. I pinned as well as glued them to the deck after scratching through the coats of WOP on the deck beneath the runners.

MDF left over from prior models repeatedly comes in handy for creating jigs. In this case I milled a carefully measured grove on the bottom of three pieces to square up the stove I’d made so very long ago. It has a small not visible rectangle of wood on the bottom planed the height of the stove legs so I didn’t have to depend on the thin legs. More importantly these spacers set the proper location of the chimney per the templates so it sits the proper distance from beams fore and aft of it. This is a bit tricking to establish so I spent a good amount of time dry-fitting and measuring, then first gluing in the drip tray followed by the stove.

With that done I could then measure, place, pin, and glue the aft set of bitts. Again a MDF spacer between it and the cargo hatch was important. I had to interpret the plans a bit and judge the distance of the bitts from the aft most beam to properly place it. The MDF risers for the weight don’t sit on the cargo hatch, but instead a more narrow ones below it. The weights were needed as well as using a #11 blade to again scratch up the deck and its 3 coats of WOP below the runners.

I mentioned this last time, it was very important to work slowly from bow to aft, it would have been near impossible to place the stove and the bits had I been premature in gluing beams, not to mention how the covered cannon would have been placed. Also had I mounted the cannon too early it would have complicated fitting and attaching the knees. Speaking of which, I’ve spent a long time on scraping, painting, and fitting all these knees. I will have to keep these photos for my memories as they’ll soon all be completely covered by decking. I’m sill considering alternative decking to keep some of them exposed. Anyway…
 
You’ll notice blue tape running down the sides of the hull. I call those my canaries(as in the coal mine). I hit the tape (I hope) before I hit a cannon barrel or port lid in my clumsy fashion of moving too fast from tool tray to deck. It’s dumb, but so far it seems to work. I could just slow down and not hit them...


With that the final two beams are glued in and the carlings added. The carlings too are a bit tricky. They will be covered by decking but are needed to support coaming. They have to fit snugly, neither too small or too tight and have the pairs be identical for that to happen. Measuring carefully of course is important, however my Byrnes disc sander makes fine tuning these possible. Thank you Jim Byrnes.

I also added carlings to the quarterdeck per the templates. I used a laser gauge to re-establish the center line then transferred measurements from the templates to the beams.



And with that Chapter 8 is complete (the waist cannons and elm tree pumps are just placed for the photos). Please excuse the low quality photos and pitiful backdrop. I need to create a separate photo studio someplace someday.
 
Thank you as always for stopping by, your likes and comments are appreciated. Now the puppy needs attention.
 

Making some progress these past few days. More detailed post later but just one photo for a quick update on forecastle work. 

Thanks for explaining. I had no idea, I just glue stuff on😁

Chapter 7 Complete!
 
A long post as it’s a big moment for me, completing Chapter 7. And oh what a chapter it was.  I started my Winchelsea build November 2021, two years to reach this point, three months of it on this chapter. Being retired I normally spent half a day most every day on the build in my never ending search, and failure to achieve, perfection. This summer though was a lot less build time, lots of travel including Kenya and our youngest son’s Colorado wedding plus every moment I could get spending time with my two grandchildren. Fortunately my older son and my grandkids live only 15 minutes away.
 
There is a lot going on in chapter 7. Beginning with the quarterdeck beams (I built the foredeck beams while I was at it) along with the lodging and hanging knees. I really like the look, unfortunately as I’ve noted and Winnie builders know, they’ll eventually be covered with deck planking….maybe.
 
There are also the cabin walls and doors. Each consists of three panels plus 4 doors, knobs, and hinges that are sanded to fit beneath beam and matched up to the bulwarks- fun stuff that was.
 
The four pillars are nice, matching four of them with the laser cut head start was fun. Even more was the posts and rails for the companionway, can’t wait to do that again on the quarterdeck. The capstan went in (the lower half), it was made long ago. All this I addressed on earlier posts, so pardon my trip down memory lane. That brought me to the next steps, the jeer bitts, gallows and pumps.

I am adding cannon row by row as I move forward. Before I got into the pumps I decided, at some peril, to add the port lids I’d stashed on my ‘built but waiting’ shelf a while back. My concern was well founded - it wasn’t long before I managed to knock one off reaching for a tool - I really need to stop doing that. Fortunately I got it back on ok. I’ve added “warning tape” to the sides to remind my hand not to hit anything.
 
I elected to run a single strand of 25pd black monofilament fishing line through both hinges. I made a simple little jig to keep the openings consistent. With that inserted I touched a little CA on the line just to the left of both hinges, pulled that into the hinge and once the CA set clipped the line on both sides of each hinge. It worked well with no shiny cut wire to deal with.  I’m a big fan of various sizes of black monofilament for this reason.

There are so many signature looks with Chuck’s excellent design - this one with the quarter galley, hull decoration, cannon, and now lids brings one of these nearer to completion.

After adding a single center post a few beams back the first step toward the pump configuration is two pillars set atop this coaming. Aside from being reduced in height, shaped, sanded, and painted they require the correct angles both top and bottom as well as being identical to its partner. I fitted these but didn’t glue them yet (as guided by Chuck’s instructions ) They will need to line up with the jeers, pumps and gallows and a hole drilled at the right spot through the near center.  A piece of scrap was handy in getting the right length and angles. I use a lot of purpose cut scrap MDF for various, non-scratching, jigs to check levels and pre-fit things.

The last two beams were fitted then set aside to allow working room. Next up was the gallows and jeer bitts. I love the laser cut components for Winchelsea, they are always so precise and interesting. In the case of the gallows I thought the top piece could use a little more interest. I used my mill to cut a single groove through both sides. It seemed to add a lot by adding a little in my view.

Once again my compliments to Chuck for the detail and accuracy this model provides. The pumps require around 30 separate parts each to assemble - each panel of the wheel beveled and aligned to fit among other detail. One panel, bevel, fit, check, glue, and repeat, from one side to the other…

The completed pumps (but not yet WOPed, which really defines the look) are temporarily set in place. Laser cut parts are a great starting point and assemble into nice completed components. Taken all together they make for a very realistic and fine looking model. This particular section from the forward posts through the back pillars involve a lot of those layered parts. However, though the end result is worth it - there is a lot, a lot, of char to remove. Red paint won’t cover it so it all has to come off. I use a single edge razor blade to scrape what I can and follow with very light touches using 320, 400, and 600 grit purpose made sanding sticks, I go very slowly, always in fear of removing too much, so it takes time. Wouldn’t it be nice to live in a char free world…I digress.

Though small, it was no small feat to make the four rhodings. I chose to do these from brass, bent, shaped, blacked, and weathered to attach to the gallows and jeer bitts. Not only to make them but installed in line through all of the above back to those earlier made columns. I  must have pushed in and pulled out those brass rods so many times in measuring, marking, adjusting, and confirming this very critical fit before gluing anything down. It’s a long straight, level path through five components, times two. The height is fixed by the pumps, everything else must follow.

I wasn’t done though, the rods (and eventually crank handles) extend to the forward stanchions. I made these from wood and between my Ironwood Black paint and weathering powder did my best to make them appear to be metal (doesn't show well in these photos).

Brass, blacked bent into a gentle curve and “bolted” (those ubiquitous little nails did the job) to the coaming completed the look.

I mention weathering a lot. I did this, learning from others, the first time for Cheerful.  It makes such a difference, one that probably doesn’t show in photos. I start with Admiralty Paints Ironwood Black, perhaps meant to paint metal I use it on wood all the time - it’s basically a matte black but has 'metalistic' character of its own. The Doc O’Brien weathering powder is great, for reasons beyond me Rusty Brown on the Ironwood black paint seems to make the best Iron Gray look. It’s the same combination I used on all the cannon barrels. While it may seem excessive, this brush set makes it all work for me - I use four for a single application - one for powdering, one for removing excess, one to lightly even it out, and finally the larger very soft brush to buff out and complete the look. Anyway…that’s just me.

With posts, bitts, pumps, rhodings, gallows, and stanchions all lined up and glued in - after many many repeats of measure, mark, check, confirm with long rods - it was time to make and add the cranks. I used the mill to make these “iron plugs” and purpose made smooth pliers and flush cutters to shape and bend to rods into cranks. The challenge of making one isn’t hard, making an identical partner isn’t hard either…he said being the guy who frets over ½ mm differences.

Once the rods blackened, the plugs painted and both weathered I glued them in (only at the end points) and flush cut the ends. And I’m done with another signature element - it all stands out so nicely. It takes a lot to get it this way. Every step is challenging, fun, and worth the end result. There is no reason or purpose to speed through this. It will remain one of the most visible elements of the completed model.



The final step for chapter 7 is the elm tree pumps. I cut the groove for the handle and drill out the pump itself about half through on the mill, Measured then planed/sanded the octagonal shape following the 7-10-7 ratio. With that, some painting, a small dowel drilled out in the center as the spout (I used my .7mm pencil lead the cover the inside of the spout, just enough contrast), and some black masking tape for the band the two pumps were added to the model. I drilled a hole and added a pin to the bottom of the pumps. Now that they are done and located for mounting off they go to the shelf until later so I don’t snag the handles doing something else. I’m good at that.

The final two beams and lodging knees are added and chapter 7 is complete.
 
 
Chapter 7 Photos: To make a long post longer here are some photos of the stern quarter where I’ve spent the last three months (interrupted as it were with other things).









Thanks for stopping by, your likes and especially your comments are always appreciated. Before I move to Chapter 8 I’ll take a pause and sort out my Africa photos for a book I’ll publish as Christmas gifts for the family. It gives me purpose to get through the 10,000 I and my wife took while there. It’s hard work having two hobbies, good thing I’m retired. Until next time.
 

Until the past few days it had been over a month since I last worked on my Winchelsea. My wife and I took a two week trip to Kenya on safari to the Amboseli and Masa Mare Reserves. It was an amazing trip. Photography is my other hobby, while there we took over 10,000 photos. If you’re interested I’ve published a small set on my web site GlennBarlow Photography  Here’s a sample from each location (yes we got that close):


That was followed by a fabulous weekend in Colorado for my youngest son’s outdoor wedding with perfect weather. Now I’m back home sorting through photos and getting back to ship building.


So not much progress. I’ve been installing quarterdeck beams from stern forward and reached the point of installing the capstan I’d made a while before. The paws were a fun little, and I mean little, project. It doesn’t really show in the photo, they are thinned down on the back half. After painting with Ironwood Black and weathered I pinned them by drilling a hole using 25lb black monofilament as the pivot. The key with the capstan is for it to be centered front and back between beams and more importantly port to starboard. I guess it more challenging as my the dowel on the capstan bottom was smaller and shallower than the platform. I got there eventually, thankfully the PVA had enough drying time.


I’m enjoying installing the lodging and hanging knees, though I’m already a bit disappointed knowing none of it will show after the q-deck is partially planked.  ’m going to have to think about that some but will defer it until much later.

Kind of a cool view down the deck, forgive the iPhone created distortion. I’m now at at the point for the pumps, main jeer, and gallows, So something new to do besides beams. I plan to first go back now and install the port lids - I decided I’d rather knock them loose than a cannon - and repair my quarterdeck roof…again.
 
So it’s back to work on Chapter 7 while I also work on photos and a book I want to have ready before Christmas. Thanks for stopping by.

Still here. Not much workshop time, I have completed the stove and now the capstan. The instructions are clear and the mini-kit is, as always with Chuck, well designed and detailed.

I did add Dullcoat to the stove. I like the look but rattle cans scare me, uncontrolled volume, I had to practice a little, first time I’ve used it. 

So I have nothing to add other than it was a wonderful opportunity for practicing char removal on many small parts. Good stuff. 

Now on to chapter 7. Hope everyone is enjoying your summer. 

The Stove
It is nice to finally move on from my cannon production line and work on something there is only one of.

So instead of that I started on two things there are only one of, the stove and the capstan, thereby creating a complete mess on my work bench - fun.

I cut some correctly sized blocks from scrap MDF to help keep things square. There are other ways, but this one was easy, in fact one of them is still inside the stove.
 

Not as silly as it looks, there is an indention on the bottom of the weight that perfectly fit the chimney top. Nice tight glue seal, and yes it is a bit silly. I was constantly checking levels, there aren’t a lot of main parts to the stove but the ones there are need to be kept both square and level.

I sent this photo to my two sons explaining it was the ship's stove - one questioned the wisdom of cooking with a wooden stove. 
 
The instructions are clear, not hard to assemble, attention to detail is important though, and this little jewel has a lot of detail to pay attention to. Those little racks on the front are very very fragile. Getting the pulley installed correctly required a little planning and dexterity, but really fun stuff.
 
One addition I did make was to plane a small rectangle of wood matching the height of the six tiny little legs and glued it to the bottom center.  It can’t be seen and I’m a lot more comfortable with it there than completely relying on my not breaking a leg and something more substantial to ultimately to be glued to the deck.

While following the instructions for this beautifully designed mini-kit I became so absorbed with the work I failed to take any more photos until it was done, so here it is. The pulley system is so realistic I might think its actually metal fly wheels and a fan belt rather than laser cut assembly of 5 separate tiny little pieces. I'm not really clear how it would work though, what caused the meat to be turned on that spit and why does the upper pulley go into the vent....

I first painted it with my Admiralty Ironworks Black, finally using this paint on actual ironworks. Then as Chuck suggests I heavily coated it with Grimy Black weathering powder from the O’Brien set. I almost left it at that but went back with a light application of Rusty Red. I opted to brush and buff it in to an even appearance and will likely use the buff brush further.
 
It’s a bit of a shame very little of this will be visible one the forecastle deck is installed, but I know its there.
 
And now for the capstan. Thanks for stopping by, your likes and comments are always appreciated.

Main Deck Arsenal Complete

I’ve finally completed the 24 (plus a spare) main deck cannon (with just 8 more in my future for the quarterdeck).

 
I’m glad to have them done. Just sitting there for now. There will NOT be rigging involved as I’m embracing the admiralty model concept - no ropes anywhere including these guns. I wish I had cleaner wheels, but it was not to be, at least for me, without sanding more than I wanted to sand. Oh well.

 
I’m going to build the ship stove and capstan before starting chapter 7. They should be fun and will allow me to put off painting deck beams a while longer.  Good stuff
 
Thanks for stopping by to see a few more cannon.

Phase 2 - Cannon
 
I’m still here, I haven’t a lot of ship time lately due tog lots of summer activities and travel.

I have managed to complete another group of nine cannon bringing my total to 17 with eight more to go on the main deck. This is how I’m thinking of mounting them 😄

A coat of Admiralty Ironworks Black, followed by Doc O'Briens Rusty Red weathering powder.

Completed carriages airbrushed red.  I was surprised how much fine red dust ended up in my air filtration system - it even gave me a clean filters warning. I of course wore a mask and saw first hand the reason why.
  
Adding WOP to wheels and hanging them out to dry. One thing I can’t seem to sort out is how to get completely clean wheels without removing too much wood, at this point thought it’s more important to me to be consist with my dirty wheels.

I won’t bore you further with my process again, I covered it in detail back in post 361 if you’re interested. I just did it all again for nine more (one is for my 6 year old grandson, he asked me to make him one) and will again for the remaining eight, and once again later for the eight q-deck and forecastle guns. Perhaps of passing interest, each cannon consists of 28 separate parts. No shortcuts here, just gotta get in and do it.
 
One thing I brushed over in the earlier post was the capsquares. Doing them with the hinge, latch, and pin is a bit of a fun getting the four pieces consisting of 30 pound black monofilament, 24 gauge wire, and black paper to come together to fit there properly on top of the carriage. I can’t say enough about the power of powder in the form of Doc O’Briens Weathering Powders. Somehow Rusty Red combines with the plastic cannon and Ironworks Black paint to create an nice gun metal finish. I took it one step further and also added it to the capsquares after first also painting them with the Ironworks Black. Once buffed up it brings all the plastic, wire, and paper into a uniform appearance creating a nice looking brushed metal appearance (at least mini-me thinks so). A lot of time spent making these in addition to assembling the cannon - well worth it.

It’s starting to look like a warship (they’re just sitting there temporarily).  I was going to take a break from them and build the capstan or the stove, but now I think I’ll go ahead and make the remaining main deck guns while the steps are fresh.
 
Thanks for stopping by, hope you’re all enjoying the summer. I’m having eggs for breakfast these days since I can just cook them out on my Texas driveway.