glbarlow

Glad you were able find the Uni-thread. 

more....

Glad you were able find the Uni-thread. 

I did a variety of things over the last week.  I built the jib outhaul block (shown in the painfully enlarged photo below . . . warts and all, haha).  Mike (stuntflyer) has an excellent tutorial for that on his Cheerful build, so I followed that.  I then made a card stock mock up of the starboard side seat.  I used the card stock templates as a pattern to cut out the parts.  As others have said this is a bit finicky.  I have a feeling the second one will be more of a challenge as I try to get it to match the first.
 
I spent some time this week reading ahead in Chuck's monograph chapters to get a list of the last little bits I need to finish the build.  I ordered some Albion Alloys brass tube.  I also messaged Chuck, Mike, and Glenn (glbarlow) with questions about the thread type/size/color they used with Chuck's scale rope for seizing and serving.  Today I went on a region wide road trip to fly fishing shops and fabric stores.  Most of my dark brown rope is Chuck's old style rope, other than the .012" new Ultra for rat lines (so I don't need thread for seizing or serving the brown Ultra rope).  My tan rope is a mix of his old rope and the new Ultra rope.  These tan colors are close enough in shade to mix on the model, but I wanted thread for seizing that matched each shade.  The photos below are color corrected to be as close to accurate as I could possibly get the images.  The Gutermann thread is for most serving and seizing.  The smaller diameter UNI-Thread fly tying thread is for tiny serving and seizing.
 
Here's what I came up with based on what I could find locally.
Using with Syren old brown rope - Gutermann 50wt CA02776 Polyester thread Color 593 - UNI-Thread 72D 8/0W Dark Brown
Using with Syren old tan rope - Gutermann 50wt CA02776 Polyester thread Color 512 - UNI-Thread 72D 8/0W Tan
Using with Syren new Ultra tan rope - Gutermann 50wt CA02776 Polyester thread Color 509 - also UNI-Thread 72D 8/0W Tan
 
Also, as Chuck had answered, the thread he uses for seizing and serving his new Ultra rope is as follows (I researched what actual size/diameter it is in wt and tex).
Ultra Brown rope - Gutermann Mara 150 50wt/20Tex  Color 682 or for smaller uses Mara 220 77wt/13Tex
Ultra Tan rope - Gutermann Mara 150 50wt/20Tex  Color 263 or for smaller uses Mara 220 77wt/13Tex
This is hard to find in the US, so Chuck recommended this place: https://www.williamgee.co.uk/product-tag/mara/
 
Erik
 

I always glue them firmly in place using guides and jigs. It’s important to me to have straight and level masts and bowsprit withe the proper angles as needed, using lines to achieve that is an exercise in futility for the perfectionist I am. 
 
Hardly cheating, it’s a model not an actual sailing craft. It’s more impressive and interesting to get it right. You don’t have the same ability to step and tension lines on a small 23” model nor the hundred or more sailors it took to do it pulling from multiple lines at the same time. 

I always glue them firmly in place using guides and jigs. It’s important to me to have straight and level masts and bowsprit withe the proper angles as needed, using lines to achieve that is an exercise in futility for the perfectionist I am. 
 
Hardly cheating, it’s a model not an actual sailing craft. It’s more impressive and interesting to get it right. You don’t have the same ability to step and tension lines on a small 23” model nor the hundred or more sailors it took to do it pulling from multiple lines at the same time. 

I always glue them firmly in place using guides and jigs. It’s important to me to have straight and level masts and bowsprit withe the proper angles as needed, using lines to achieve that is an exercise in futility for the perfectionist I am. 
 
Hardly cheating, it’s a model not an actual sailing craft. It’s more impressive and interesting to get it right. You don’t have the same ability to step and tension lines on a small 23” model nor the hundred or more sailors it took to do it pulling from multiple lines at the same time. 

I always glue them firmly in place using guides and jigs. It’s important to me to have straight and level masts and bowsprit withe the proper angles as needed, using lines to achieve that is an exercise in futility for the perfectionist I am. 
 
Hardly cheating, it’s a model not an actual sailing craft. It’s more impressive and interesting to get it right. You don’t have the same ability to step and tension lines on a small 23” model nor the hundred or more sailors it took to do it pulling from multiple lines at the same time. 

I always glue them firmly in place using guides and jigs. It’s important to me to have straight and level masts and bowsprit withe the proper angles as needed, using lines to achieve that is an exercise in futility for the perfectionist I am. 
 
Hardly cheating, it’s a model not an actual sailing craft. It’s more impressive and interesting to get it right. You don’t have the same ability to step and tension lines on a small 23” model nor the hundred or more sailors it took to do it pulling from multiple lines at the same time. 

I always glue them firmly in place using guides and jigs. It’s important to me to have straight and level masts and bowsprit withe the proper angles as needed, using lines to achieve that is an exercise in futility for the perfectionist I am. 
 
Hardly cheating, it’s a model not an actual sailing craft. It’s more impressive and interesting to get it right. You don’t have the same ability to step and tension lines on a small 23” model nor the hundred or more sailors it took to do it pulling from multiple lines at the same time. 

Post One Hundred and Seventy-two
Sphinx and ‘Indy’
I thought members may be interested to see the comparison between Chris’s two premier kits, Sphinx and Indefatigable.
They sort of represent the alpha to omega of British frigates.
Sphinx, the bijou 9 pounder vessel, and ‘Indy’, the pocket battleship of her day, carrying 24 pounders supplemented with 42 pounder carronades.
I recall that when I built Sphinx I thought she was quite large, when ‘Indy’ arrived I thought I’m going to need a bigger bench!

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If a large statement model is required ‘Indy’ is a good choice, but if masted and fully rigged she will take up a lot of room.
Built Navy Board style she is still a heavy model and a glass case even with reduced height and width adds considerably to the weight.
Sphinx is certainly of a size more amenable to a domestic setting; a pretty little frigate that appeals to my deeper affection for the more decorative vessels of the 18thc. before austerity took over as the expensive Napoleonic wars ground on.
 
Indefatigable sort of spans this period, all black and yellow, no decorative topsides, but the stern gallery still looks good to my eye. She is modelled with an open Fo’csle before her bulwarks were built up, and she does have a magnificent Figure at her head.
 
I am more than happy to have both in my collection.
 
 
Thank you, Chris, for providing me with an engrossing thirteen months of work. It is a tribute to your designs, to be able to build a model of this quality and detail in such a short time.
 
Thanks are also due to James, for producing the prototype ‘Indy’ build which provided a very useful reference guide.
 
B.E.
02/05/2024

This is really quite amazing. As both a photographer and a modeler I really appreciate both aspects of your work in bringing this to life. I also enjoyed the narrative describing the different boats. Having published a few photo books I understand the significant cost involved and so appreciate your making it available to a wide audience via .pdf. 
 
Aside from stunning models and graphic work the best part of it all for me is the collaborative work of father and son. Well done!

Thank you gentlemen for your likes and comments.
 
Here is a small update on the hair brackets and cheeks. I thought I would paint them blue with a yellow facing. It seemed like a good idea but it didn't work out - and sanding the paint off was a bit of a disaster. Chuck very kindly sent me replacements.
 
I didn't entirely follow the building order set out in the instructions. After ages of fiddling about trying to line things up I settled on starting with the upper hair bracket and using that as a datum point as it were.
 



I painted the friezes off the model.

 
And this is how they came out. I painted my initials (JFH) on the starboard hair bracket - just behind the figurehead's upper arm - for a bit of fun. 
 


And here is the port side. Some tidying up of the scruffy paint work required but otherwise I'm happy with the outcome.
 
 


All the best 
Fred
 
 
 
 
 
 

Well done as always BE. Another great model and another learning guide in the form of your log for those that follow. 
 
Always a joy to follow your logs!

Well done as always BE. Another great model and another learning guide in the form of your log for those that follow. 
 
Always a joy to follow your logs!

As always, thanks for the likes.  I do appreciate you all following along.  After all the metal work of making the chain plates, backstay plates, eye bolts, and deadeye strops, I decided I'd work on a relatively straight forward sub assembly.  I went ahead and installed the rudder, and gudgeons and pintels (I had shaped the rudder itself a couple of months ago).  I used Chuck's mini kit for those.  You have a choice in the mini kit of .010" thick paperboard material or .028" thick plywood.  I opted for the thicker plywood and sanded it down to .018" thick.  By my eye that's a good compromise.  I used .020" diameter styrene rod for the bolts.  Yes, yes, I know it's probably sacrilege among purists to use plastic on a wooden ship build.  Haha.  But since the bolt heads are covered in paint I chose the easier to cut and work with styrene rather than metal wire.  Everything was painted with black paint and then once mounted I taped the simulated metal straps off and applied rust brown weathering powder. I haven't glued the rudder on yet.  I'll do that at a later date after I drill the final hole to mount the tiller (I did drill a small pilot/locator hole though).  That said, the rudder sits correctly straight and true with the pintels snugged down into the gudgeons.
 
On a related note, I received the last few packages of blocks I'll need for the build, and a serving machine, from Chuck this week.  If I'm inventorying correctly, I think that may be the last stuff I need to complete the build.
 
Erik

Thanks, lining them up is a sticky challenge but worked out ok.

Fenders and Chesstrees
 
Keeping with shorter posts: Added the fenders and chesstrees to the hull.

Each consist of a center and two outer layers glued together providing a nice dimensional look. After removing char the center piece is tapered from top to bottom and the outer edge slightly rounded before the two very thin are added (amazing to have layered wood on this thin a sheet of wood). With great trepidation I removed the center moulding. Then came a lot of careful shaping to conform these to my particular hull - both patience and time are required following the firm rule of  while you can remove wood, you can’t put it back.

I tried printing the frieze on tissue paper, really I tried. While successful the color and texture just weren’t a good match for me, probably the wrong tissue paper or I need more practice doing it. I was however successful using the original paper printed frieze. Ample use of the same glue stick used for the hull softens the paper and allowed me to get a match. With Chuck’s suggested tooth pick approach I was able to guide the paper into the groove created by the three pieces.
 
I also rounded out the sheave on the chess tree before applying the outer pieces along with a little 7mm lead pencil.

I’ve still not mounted the waist cannon, but set them for the photo. The addition of the fenders, chess tree, and ladder really bring the hull alive.  My one regret is while the boxwood for the ladder match, the AYC for the fenders are way whiter than the hull despited several coats of WOP. I kinda wish they had been boxwood as well to match the moulding.
 
I note however, at this point the hull planking is near three years old. I am confident in time the fenders and chess tree, like the hull, will mellow and blend in.
 
I’m moving onto the waists platforms and will finish chapter 11 with the channels. Thanks for stopping by.

Thank you JJ, as long as we’re having fun right.
 
Thanks Rusty. Accurate description, and I have so many upcoming opportunities to get freaked out. 

Thank you. At least that piece got a fresh coat of paint. 

Boarding Ladder
 
I have a friend making me a display stand, he’s an artist with “big wood.” I can’t wait to set Winchelsea on her final home.

I had to turn her over to get the final fitting on the three cradles she’ll sit on - something I should have done much sooner. So of course something broke. Fun it was clearing, cleaning, repainting, 18/0 and 10/0 spotter and shader brushes, and reinstalling this piece, or pieces as they became, (especially the tiny metal braces on the inner edges) with everything around it complete and completely in the way. A lot of patience and slow going, In the end all is ok again.

I made some decisions installing the boarding ladder. First was to remove the complete molding rather than try and cut into it.
 

I also elected to scrape a pattern similar to the moulding. Then by sanding a 67.5 angle on each side and a reverse 67.5 on the re-cut to fit separated molding I could create an integrated look for the anchor step. Anchor step because I would space the rest based on the fit of this step within the moulding.  I used a round file and 400 grit to round the pattern into the side of each step after scraping them from a length of boxwood strip. I kinda like the result.

I printed the frieze pattern on tissue paper, a first for me. I just didn’t like the outcome of wrapping the top step, partially because I couldn’t get a clean look on the sides, admittedly I didn’t try very hard. While the wrapped step looks great I preferred a natural look atop the frieze. I split the distance between the top and second step for spacing. I lined all the steps up with the right edge of the port, it being perpendicular to the actual water line (the photo isn’t straight on so the perspective is off).

Mini-me had a new view of the ship standing here on the ladder. He's to scale so I like the perspective he provides to size and space. The plans show 6 steps with the last one on the black strake. I measured out how that would work on my particular hull, the spacing would have looked awkward with the top two steps fitted as they needed to be. So I reduced the spacing for the remaining four steps for a consistent look.

But I worked it out.  After measuring, cutting and re-cutting multiple test spacers (2.23mm wound up to be the right gap) to allow a seventh step sitting in the middle of the black strake. 

Ahh symmetry … and some drama. Determining the jigs by measuring and remeasuring and making the steps was fun. Removing the moulding without taking the frieze with it, and with  a #11 blade scratching into the multiple coats of WOP to create a bondable surface for the glue provided a few deep breath moments. I used CA, applied with a straight pin onto the step with just enough to adhere without spillover onto the hull.
 
It all turned out ok. Thanks for stopping by.

Fenders and Chesstrees
 
Keeping with shorter posts: Added the fenders and chesstrees to the hull.

Each consist of a center and two outer layers glued together providing a nice dimensional look. After removing char the center piece is tapered from top to bottom and the outer edge slightly rounded before the two very thin are added (amazing to have layered wood on this thin a sheet of wood). With great trepidation I removed the center moulding. Then came a lot of careful shaping to conform these to my particular hull - both patience and time are required following the firm rule of  while you can remove wood, you can’t put it back.

I tried printing the frieze on tissue paper, really I tried. While successful the color and texture just weren’t a good match for me, probably the wrong tissue paper or I need more practice doing it. I was however successful using the original paper printed frieze. Ample use of the same glue stick used for the hull softens the paper and allowed me to get a match. With Chuck’s suggested tooth pick approach I was able to guide the paper into the groove created by the three pieces.
 
I also rounded out the sheave on the chess tree before applying the outer pieces along with a little 7mm lead pencil.

I’ve still not mounted the waist cannon, but set them for the photo. The addition of the fenders, chess tree, and ladder really bring the hull alive.  My one regret is while the boxwood for the ladder match, the AYC for the fenders are way whiter than the hull despited several coats of WOP. I kinda wish they had been boxwood as well to match the moulding.
 
I note however, at this point the hull planking is near three years old. I am confident in time the fenders and chess tree, like the hull, will mellow and blend in.
 
I’m moving onto the waists platforms and will finish chapter 11 with the channels. Thanks for stopping by.

On this forum I am confident reporting a negative comment using the report function (in the upper right corner of a post) will get that comment deleted by our moderators, and if it continues that person removed from MSW. If it’s in some other place I’m still confident our moderators will deal with it, just bring it to their attention via a direct message.  I often say if I want negativity I can go to any Facebook political post, not here on MSW. 
 
Your work is excellent, your model of a type one seldom seen here. I enjoy reading how and with what tools others accomplish tasks, especially when it result in such nice results.  Thanks for coming back to share it with us.

It will do that if you try to upload a large number of photos at once, like 20 or more though it may be size dependent also. Try a smaller number. Slow speed must be local, not so here. 

Perhaps for you, not my guidance at all.