glbarlow

Can’t wait. Beefing up the bow is a great idea, it will save me fittings balsa there. 

Can’t wait. Beefing up the bow is a great idea, it will save me fittings balsa there. 

Can’t wait. Beefing up the bow is a great idea, it will save me fittings balsa there. 

Can’t wait. Beefing up the bow is a great idea, it will save me fittings balsa there. 

Can’t wait. Beefing up the bow is a great idea, it will save me fittings balsa there. 

Can’t wait. Beefing up the bow is a great idea, it will save me fittings balsa there. 

Can’t wait. Beefing up the bow is a great idea, it will save me fittings balsa there. 

Can’t wait. Beefing up the bow is a great idea, it will save me fittings balsa there. 

Just a very small update to show what I'm working on. Installing the quarter galleries, or at least one of them. Took me quite a few days to really figure out how it should look exactly (my head is a bit messy at the moment, so a bit difficult to concentrate). But I'm starting to get the hang of it. Also with the help of the other Sphinx build logs.
It looks like I've added just a millimeter to the length of the quarter galleries compared to the original that James built, but that doesn't seem to have any real implications going forward. Will do a more extensive report from the other side so it's clearer how I'm approaching it. (spoiler alert...pretty much the same as Blue Ensign did it)  
 

 
 

And back to Surprise. These pics show the checking of the inner bulwark template (no gun port cut outs yet), and how it aligns with the upper deck beams. Once I know the fit is as good as it's going to be, I shall do the next version with gun ports and then check again.
 
(Ply gun deck is not part of the final kit)
 
For this design, I beefed up the bow structure a lot more than usual, as I know this can be a weak point when planking..

Definitely wouldn’t leave it as is, it would always bother you.  I’d either up removing it and repairing any damage, something I’ve done more than I like. The sanding, heavily taping above and below the wale, seems like a good option as well. 

Post 61
Carronades (Part 3)

3692a
As with Indy I added Syren Monograms which were applied before priming and painting.
They were then treated with dark brown weathering powder after painting.

3755a
When it comes to the ironwork placement on the carronade base, my go to references is the AotS  books The Frigate Diana which also carried 32 pounders and  was contemporary with Harpy.
In accordance with the 1:24 scale drawings  I have placed the bracket for the Breeching ring angled forwards on the carriage.

3758a
I added a ‘metal’ plate beneath the elevation screw.

3756a
The pe elements require blackening before use
This part of the assembly is by far the most fiddly and tiresome of the assembly process. Several of the brackets pinged off into the ether during fitting, lost forever, but fortunately there are a few spares.
There is also a lot of re-touching of paintwork.

3765a
I replaced the kit breeching rings with Amati 2mm rings.
I decided to replace the elevation screws with blackened pins, I will look to add the turn handles if I can find the right makings.
 
I have decided with Harpy that I will add at least the breeching ropes.
It is not clear from the kit blurb the actual line sizes, but my sources indicate lines of 8” circ equating to 1mm ø at scale.
However, true scale is not everything with scale models.
1mm line looks far too heavy with the provided carronades, and there is also the issue of damaging the breeching ring in drilling it out to suit.

3769a

3773a
I found that 0.8mm line ( in this case polyester line)  gave a look I was happy with.
For the side tackles 2” circ lines are indicated for the side tackles. these equate  to 0.25mm ø line.
With side tackle lines I have found that a smaller line is often a better fit and more visually appealing.

3771a
Still a way to go before I’m happy with the guns, but meanwhile…
 
More random thoughts about Harpy
Those two large stern ports, what is their purpose?
They are rigged for guns, but the absence of carronade slide fixings looks problematical. Apart from that the barrels wouldn’t extend beyond the counter.

3674a
Moving the the 12 pounder bow chasers aft is a possibility but clearance of the counter issues would still apply.
This design as seen on other vessels has always puzzled me, why not fit port lids to keep out some of the weather in a following sea?
 
Onwards..
 
B.E
06/04/2025
 

Back to work on Portland prototype 2.0. The framing continues on  the port side. Sand char, glue and repeat. Should have all the perpendicular frames done this evening. More updates to come soon!
 
JJ

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I hit what I consider a major milestone.  I finished all the woodwork on my Cheerful today!  A big accomplishment considering I started work on this model over 9 years ago!  Admittedly with a 6 1/2 year hiatus . . .  After my years long break, I started working on Cheerful daily again in August 2023. 
 
The last wooden bits to finish were the entryway stanchions and the anchors.  The stanchions were turned on my Dremel from 1/16" square stock.  These were straight forward, and very similar to turning the belaying pins in the Dremel.  All 4 are close to identical, but later on when I mount them I'll use pairs on each side that match one another the most closely.  The anchors were made from Chuck's mini kit.  These were pretty straight forward as well.  Since wood is representing the iron of the anchors, I used 1000 grit sand paper to finish the surface to remove any trace of wood grain before painting.  I carefully sanded any sharp edges slightly to give a realistic cast iron look.  I thinned the paint more than I usually do to avoid any hint of brush strokes.  The pudenning on the rings at the top of the anchors was a real pain in the rear to do!   I didn't have any .008" brown rope on hand (since it's not listed on the Cheerful rope list, I hadn't bought any).  I did have some brown thread I had bought at a craft store for seizings way back when I built my Longboat, that turned out to be too big for that use.  It measures in at around .007" diameter, so it's the right size.  Once the pudenning was done the thread was a bit fuzzy so I wet it with thinned white glue and pressed it tight with my fingers.  That did the trick.  The pudenning isn't my best work, but the anchor rings turned out acceptable, all things considered.   Lastly I lightly applied dark rust weathering powders to the stanchions and painted parts of the anchors to enhance the iron look.
 
The last photo below shows all the woodwork completed.  I realize it's not the norm to complete all the woodwork before starting any of the rigging.  One of the main reasons I did this is the ship is still compact in size at this point, before adding the bowsprit, mast, etc.  My space is very limited, so rather than start the rigging now, my next steps are actually to figure out what I'm going to do for a shelf.  I know the location in my house of where the Cheerful will live.  I just need to actually get the shelf acquired/built first, so I have somewhere off my desk to put a partially rigged ship if need be.  While I'm at it, I also want to figure out what I'm going to do for a permanent display base, and get that built too.  The ship is already fragile enough, so I don't want to be trying to fit a base to the ship when it's fully rigged.
 
Erik
 
 

FWIW You can download the instructions for Cheerful at the Syren site which will provide a lot of rigging detail.
 
Glenn's Cheerful logs is a great go-to for rigging also. 

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Place my order 😎

Place my order 😎

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