Charter33

Thanks for dropping by Marc, here is yet another jig! Decision made – I’m going to stick with the approach given in the manual and work up from the keel – thanks Steve for the ‘nudge’ that finally swayed me. After several sessions I have now fitted about 10% of the copper plates. It was always going to be a long haul, but so far it’s been fairly straight forward and surprisingly therapeutic! One aspect that has been giving me food for thought was how to deal with the keel. I wanted to cover the bottom of it with plates folded evenly over the edges. With the keel 5 mm thick and the plates 6 mm wide this means a ‘return’ of 0.5 mm on the side of each plate. Early attempts with flat pliers and then brass soft jaws in a bench vice failed miserably …… With approximately 60 plates needing to be shaped some kind of simple former was going to be required. This is what I came up with: The main body consists of two 60 mm lengths of 5 mm square mild steel bar. The lower part has a shallow recess equal to the length of a copper plate filed into it while the upper bar has two grooves filed in with a ‘three square’ needle file to provide clearance for the raised rivet heads that run across the ends of the plates. I couldn’t find any small diameter socket headed machine screws to apply the clamping pressure in the workshop so resorted to cutting M3 x .5 threads on the pins of a couple of plated brass ‘push buttons’ from old 1970’s telephones that were rattling around at the back of a cupboard – knew they’d come in useful one day ….. Clearance holes in the top bar and suitably threaded holes in the lower bar finish the former. The plate is put in place, but first checked to ensure that the rows of ‘rivets’ on the side are equally spaced from the edges – this sometimes varies considerably. After clamping the protruding edges are pushed by thumb in the right direction and then a piece of softwood dowel is rolled along the edge to complete the bend. ... and the job's a goodun... I hope this will be of some use to other builders. Cheers, Graham.

Hi, Thanks once again for the generous comments and ‘likes’ – much appreciated as always. Michael - the Gloucester Javelin has a special significance. My dad worked on their electronic systems when he was in the RAF and I have clear memories of being taken to watch pilots practicing circuits and landings in them - this is probably responsible in no small way for sparking a lifetimes interest in aviation. Meanwhile back in the marine world ,,,,, I need to start this post with an apology! Throughout my career in teaching I have always been an advocate and proponent of the old adages ‘measure twice, cut once’ and ‘never assume …’ In my previous post I referred to the spigots on the dummy cannons being under size. I have since found that this applied only to the 32 pdr cannons. Spigots on the 24 pdr cannons were bang on 2 mm. Consequently the holes in their deck have had to be re-drilled (No. series 44). At least they were under and not oversize. Progress with my Victory has been a bit slow over the last couple of weeks. I have just returned to work after an absence of over a year, all be it now on a part time basis, and to be frank I have returned home most days well and truly knackered. It’s been a long and at times difficult journey but the end is at last in sight. Modelling activity recently has inevitably been a case of quietly browsing this site (always time well spent). I have now started to add the copper plates to the hull. A strip of micro-ply as wide as the plates and marked with divisions equal to their length was pinned to the hull to help gauge the fall of the ‘part’ plates at the ends of the initial runs and to mark the width of the first line. The plates are being attached with a couple of drops of c.a. glue applied before being pressed into place. I am still thinking about whether to follow the method described in the manual ie. working up from the keel, or to plate some straight runs from the water line down as well. Thirty one plates now in place, so just 2569 to go ….. Onward and upwards! Cheers for now, Graham.

Thanks WackoWolf and mort stoll for the 'likes'. A bit of progress made this week ….. With the aid of a couple of card templates, plan sheet 2, google images and several build logs the location for the dummy gun ports was found and marked onto the hull. One of the most helpful logs was JJacobi’s – thank you! I made a comment on his build log back at the beginning of March about how his build was a few pages further on in the instruction manual compared to mine only to discover that he was still in the process of uploading pictures. In truth it transpires that he is way, way ahead! If my Victory gets anywhere close to his in terms of quality I will be well satisfied. The outlines of the ports were incised with a sharp chisel as was the division between the double doors on the middle deck. The ports were then painted. I’ll add the hinges etc. later on. To drill the holes for the spigots of the dummy cannons some simple guides were made. These were produced from some hardwood offcuts trimmed to size to fit the ports and then mounted in a four jaw chuck on a lathe for boring. The manual suggests that the drill to use should be slightly larger than 2 mm. Checking the spigots showed that they were well under this size coming out at about dia. 1.77 mm. Trial holes drilled in a spare piece of ply from the kit resulted in my selection of a Number 49 drill bit (1.85 mm). Although they still need painting I couldn’t resist pushing them temporarily into place. I’ll be spraying the cannons at the same time as the upper gun deck barrels but first I have plans to modify these. More details will follow once I’ve worked out how to achieve the results I am hoping for. As for progress with my other project - I finally found a couple of UK based suppliers of T Track. Neither have them I stock at present but at least they have been ordered. I now have the base board ready and waiting for them, the parts for the gantry prepared and the set of 1:48 scales printed. About time to start shaping some wood, I think, and another build log to begin ….. With the Victory build the next challenge is the copper plating – lots and lots of copper plating ….! Cheers for now, Graham

Hi, It’s been a little while since my last post – life can get a bit complicated at times! Thanks’ for all the ‘likes’, they are much appreciated and a source of motivation when tackling those more challenging tasks. Before starting to apply the paint I did a bit of improvising with the tools to hand and marked on the waterline. Two coats of yellow ocher where brushed on and once dry, after several attempts to get the lines right, the edges of the black strips were masked off using Tamiya’s fine masking tape. Two coats of black paint later the tape was removed and the gun port linings were then neatened up with red ocher and a very fine brush. My concerns that I might lose the definition of the different plank patterns on the wales proved unfounded. Finally I masked along the waterline and applied some copper paint. Next task is to mark out the additional gun ports on the bow and come up with some kind of drilling guide for the dummy guns on the lower and middle decks. Cheers, Graham.

Yes - it was the 'stage 4' drawing that made me think that there had been an error in the top side view. With reference to the sanding - glue the bulkhead in place, adjusting the central slot length might reduce the discrepancy at the top a little, and then once the stern extensions have been fitted wrap glass paper around a sanding block to keep it flat and carefully rub all the top edges until they are all the same height. Hope this helps:

Hi Michael, Great work on the bow bulkhead fillers! Yes, the top of the last bulkhead does need to be flush with the middle support as there is a deck that sits on top. I would wait, however, until you have also fitted the stern extension pieces 105 and 106 as the whole lot can then be sorted out, ie. sanded down level, together. Just one point to watch out for in the future - the piece that sits on top of this area is shown as part 443 on plan sheet 1. I can't find this in the parts manual which skips from part 432 to 445. I think, from having a very quick look, that '443' is actually 447, the poop deck.. I'll check this again later. If any other builders have come across this they might be able to advise us. Cheers, Graham.

Hi Steve, Among her many talents the Boss (Admiral) is an accomplished stained glass worker. In my role of 'Chief Sharpener of tools' I've had to renew the cutting edge of a similar knife ....... Cheers, Graham

Amazing work, Steve. Your rate of progress is also impressive. Like your use of the lead putty knife - very appropriate for constructing galley windows! Cheers, Graham

Hi, With the gun ports now lined the construction manual recommends painting the hull before undertaking the copper plating and decking out the upper gun deck. With such a large area to deal with I had already made the decision that the way forward was to use an airbrush. Problem – never used one! Always up for a challenge, and able to access the equipment, the sensible decision was to have a go on something else first. My model ‘stash’ included two plastic kits - a Seafire bought primarily as a research source for detailing an electric motor powered R/C version I was building, and a Gloster Javelin given to me by my department colleagues to keep me occupied while on extended sick leave. Haven’t built a plastic kit literally for decades and they have certainly come on in terms of complexity! These photos show the results. Both kits had the feature of two colours meeting in a similar way to the black and yellow ocher strips on the Victory. To cut a long story short using an airbrush, like any new tool, requires plenty of practice. I got the hang of applying paint to broad areas but struggled a bit with achieving crisp lines where two colours meet. I resorted to having to touch these up with a paint brush. Rather than risk this on the hull I decided to modify my plans and use the airbrush to apply primer to provide a good base surface and then to brush on the final colours. The first step was to blank off the open gun ports to stop the spray going into the hull. This was done with pieces of soft balsa sheet cut to size and pressed into place. The heal of a Swan – Morton scalpel handle proved idea for this task. The stern fascia, the quarter gallery windows and the linings of the gun ports with lids were additionally protected with masking film. Finally the top was sealed off with scraps of card and masking tape giving the hull the appearance of a prison hulk rather than a first rate ship of the line …… The Admiral objects to me spraying paint in the house for some reason, although the same rules don’t count apparently when brushing or rolling emulsion, gloss etc. to walls, doors and ceilings ….mmmmm! So, as I had to earlier with the plastic kits, a trip to the school workshops, currently empty of ‘clients’ due to the Easter holidays, was called for. The first coat of primer revealed a few gaps and blemishes that needed a little filler and a light sand before the second and final primer coat was applied. Job done! Next task – applying the colour …. HMS Triton update. Made the journey over to the timber supplier I had found on-line and picked up a piece of cherry and some maple at a good price. A genuine Aladdin’s cave with some fantastic exotic hardwoods and as a bonus they have a range of wood turning blanks. Could have spent hours there! I’ll put details of the company in ‘Wood Discussion’ section. Now to try and source aluminium T track for the building board. Cheers for now, Graham.

Some photographic detail …….. Driving past the old work place the other day I decided to drop in to catch up with colleagues and pick up a few more of my own bits and pieces – tools etc. Sitting at the back of a shelf in a workshop cupboard was a jar of the vinegar/ rusty iron ‘brew’ so I thought I’d produce a test piece to show the effect of the ebonising stain on wood. The vinegar and rusty iron mix ready for use. The oak sample was divided into three, the first left natural, the third area was pre-soaked with cold tea to increase the tannin content, and once this had dried the second and third areas were both coated with the ebonising fluid. Initially nothing seems to be happening but over the next hour or so the effect became more pronounced. Once the wood had dried half the sample was coated with matt varnish which further enhances the effect. As oak is not often an ideal wood for modelling purposes, this is what happened when the fluid was applied to a walnut off-cut from my Caldercraft Victory. As walnut has a lower tannin content than oak pre-soaking in tea is beneficial. I hope this is of some interest, any task that begins with brewing tea has a lot going for it, almost as good as a cold beer once a task is completed! Cheers, Graham.

Hi David, I'm no ICT expert but ...... I'm sure it's possible - try moving the 'flashing' cursor to the bottom right hand corner of a picture and then tap the 'return' key a couple of times to add a few line spaces. You should then be able to type in your comments there. Hope I'm not guilty of teaching you to 'suck eggs' (!) but I tend to write my text first as a word document leaving gaps for the pictures , cut and paste this into the 'reply' box and then upload the pictures into these spaces. I still struggle with the frustrations these clever tech tools throw up at me at times - and I take my hat off to those clever devils who manage to annotate their pictures with arrows, coloured text etc. Hope this helps. Cheers, Graham

Hi, I've been using this on the bowls and platters that I turn on a lathe for many years. Wire wool is not essential, any rusty iron will do. I personally use white vinegar. Like Captainbob explained, wiping the surface of the wood with tea (soggy teabags work too!) will make the end result darker as does applying several coats of the iron/ vinegar mix. I find this process most effective when used on oak because of it's natural tannin content. I believe that the 'ebonising' effect is due to the chemical reaction between the tannin and the acid in the vinegar. Once dry any wood finish can be applied. I like this technique because of the penetration that can be achieved compared with paints etc. that just sit on the surface. Cheers, Graham.

Impressive work! - especially your method of applying second planking, the sharpness of the paint finish and the quality of the copper plating. You're a couple of pages of the instruction manual ahead of me. I shall be following your progress with considerable interest. Cheers, Graham.

Hi, Some advice needed, please. I'm close to completing the lining of the port side gun ports but am thinking about how to deal with the upper gun ports 'with lids'. At the moment the linings that have been completed are set back the required 1 mm on the outside but are slightly proud inside and await their final trimming. Are these linings finished flush with the inside planking or should they also be slightly recessed? Secondly, and irrespective of the answer to the first question, should the edges of these linings on the inner side be finished with red ocher or yellow? Looking at the instructions, images online and exploring other Victory build logs has proved inconclusive. ....... A quick update on the Triton project (Complete) I alluded to a couple of posts ago - the local printers charge very reasonable rates and the resulting plan printed 'true' to scale, I've located a source of cherry timber just over 40 minutes away and I hope to make the trip in a couple of days if I can escape from decorating the bathroom! Just one fly in the ointment - seems the project is temporarily closed to new members .... or maybe this only applies to the cross section? In the mean time there's still plenty to be getting on with. Cheers, Graham.

You take model ship building to a whole new level Ed. I am totally in awe of the skills and detail your work shows - quite simply inspirational. Thank you. Graham

Hi, The lining of the gun ports was one task where it really paid to do some homework and invest time reviewing the excellent build logs available through this site. I would never have thought of adding balsa strips behind the edges of the ports to increase the gluing area. I went for 2 x 2 mm strips and produced this simple aid to help get them in position. It’s based on Gil’s example (thank you!) but rather than using a spirit level to ensure that horizontal pieces were correctly positioned I added a simple ‘clinometer’. With the hull leveled, when the plumb line matched the vertical line on the plastic disc the strips were correctly aligned. This device was flipped 180 degrees to deal with the strips at the top of each port. Made from whatever I could find in the workshop it’s a bit ‘Heath Robinson’ but it does the job. The lower and middle rows of gun ports were now straight forward to line with pre-painted strips. The gap between the ‘holding pins’ and the wooden strip was just right to enable this tool to be used grip and tweek the angle of the horizontal strips of walnut to their final position. A second simple and very effective tool I made was this one: Its purpose is to help manouvre the cut strips onto place and ensure that the front edge of the lining is set back the required 1 mm. Basically a 5” length of 4 mm dia. brass tube, flattened both ends. For the depth gauge a scrap of wood was glued the appropriate distance back from the end, and the 90 degree return at the other end was useful for pulling strips that were too far in back into place. Balsa strips in place. The ports on the upper gun deck were the most challenging. For the side pieces I resorted to making individual templates to the correct size and then using these to mark out the required shape onto the wood. Starboard side is now complete ….. ........ but I think a bit of tidying up of the workbench would be a good idea before tackling the other side!…. Cheers for now, Graham.

Hi, Tackling the wales proved to be fairly straight forward. After taking measurements from the plan and transferring them onto the hull, a strip of wood was pinned on these marks and, after a little ‘fine adjustment’, the curved lines were marked on. The majority of the prepared pieces fitted straight on and CA glue was used for bonding. At the bow and stern some additional shaping was required together with gentle bending with plank ‘nippers’. These photographs show the work in progress and the final results. Drifting randomly through the wide ranging posts on this site the other evening I came across many superb examples of the model makers art that reminded me of a time, back in the mid-1960s, when the ‘Birthday treat’ of choice was a trip across London to visit the Cutty Sark followed by the model ship galleries at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich. It was these amazing models, mostly ‘plank on frame’, that sparked a lifetime’s interest. Sadly these wonderfully detailed models are no longer on display although they can be examined to some extent on-line. Why am I rambling on about this? Well – one of the sections I was exploring that started this reminiscing was the HMS Triton project. WOW! My head is telling me to keep focused, the ‘Victory’ journey has a long way still to go, my heart is saying – what a challenge! The build logs, both completed models and works in progress, are very impressive. It costs nothing to start planning… the keel plans are easily down loaded,…. and there just happens to be a very helpful and friendly print shop less than a mile away ……mmmm Meanwhile, it time to start lining the gun ports.

Hi Folks, I’ve finally finished planking the inner bulwarks and added the additional details I alluded to in my last post. The waterways were made from 2 x 2 mm stock walnut strip with the top corner sanded to a radius, on top of that a strip of 3 x 1mm was used for the stringer , and the beam shelf was made from 2 x 2mm stock sanded down to 2 x 1mm. All three strips were pre-painted prior to fitting and the whole lot given a second coat of yellow ochre once the glue had dried. I also did a little shaping of the deck supports with a ½” drum sander in Dremel drill before painting them white. The next challenge, and one I’ve been looking forward to, is tackling the wales. The first job was to see if the jigs I made to shape the various plank profiles would work. One length of walnut strip cuts into eleven blanks. These were stacked together and sandwiched between the sides of the jig and clamped with a hand vice. The first step was to sand one edge flat and smooth. The blanks were the flipped over and sanded to length. The hand vice was then mounted in a bench vice and a chisel was used to shave the blanks down to the final profile with a final sanding to complete the process. The three profiles, anchor stock, top and butt and simple scarf fit together well on a flat surface. I just hope they will do the same when fitted to the curved surface of the hull – time will tell!

Thank you for your kind and encouraging comments, Michael and Pat. Just been reading and enjoying your 'Wasa' build log, Michael - no way is a Victory Model beyond your skill set! Superb work and detail. I'll be a regular follower of your build log now that I have found it. Cheers, Graham.

Hi, A quick up-date. Having completed the planking and varnishing of the upper gun deck the mast coats have been made, shaped and added to deck. Sounds easy but those rings are so fragile and great care was needed, especially when adjusting the internal hole on the main mast coat to allow for the angle. Lining the ‘gun ports without lids’ was fairly straight forward. To cut the lining back level with the hull I used the saber saw, the Kugihiki flush saw I used for the entry ports being; a bit too big to get into some of the more awkward internal areas, and it’s currently locked up in a secure cabinet at school awaiting my return to work, hopefully in a couple of months’ time. The saber saw blade needed to have the kerf removed from either side to prevent damaging the areas surrounding the cut, and this was quickly achieved with an oil stone. Supporting the back edge of each lining element was essential to prevent splitting or tearing the wood. I achieved this with a length of ply inserted and wedged inside the gun port for the top piece, and double wedges inserted to tackle the sides. I’m a bit of a hoarder fortunately. These MDF wedges were originally used to build ‘washout’ into the wings of an electric powered glider and came close to being binned! Masking tape around the external side of the gun ports had two purposes – firstly to further protect the surfaces from damage from the saw, and secondly to ensure the edges were sawn just proud of the hull allowing these edges to be finished flush with glass paper. After a light sanding of the inside surfaces a coat of red ocher has been applied and the next task is to plank the inside bulwark patterns. Here I hope to attempt to emulate the additional details of beam shelves, stringers and waterways as shown on ‘Maestro’ Gil Middleton’s superb build log. I’ll need to stock up on some additional walnut strip but an excuse to get out of the house and drive over to the model shop in Windsor is always welcome! Cheers, Graham.

Hi Folks, To continue the story with the miss-aligned inner gun ports ……. The first step was to work out how much needed to be removed from each port. To do this a length of square bar was threaded through a pair of gun ports. The gap between the bottom of the bar and the bottom of the outer gun port was then measured. It ranged from 0.5mm to 3mm, averaging around 2mm for the majority. This measurement was then marked onto the pattern and the ply sliced with a scalpel. A ‘sabre’ saw with a reverse toothed blade (cutting on the pull stroke) was used to cut the ends. The final step was to cut and glue a strip of scrap ply into place. Not pretty, but job done and work can now progress with the lining. Cheers, Graham.

Hi folks, I set myself two short term goals a couple of weeks ago; to get this build log up to date by editing and uploading previous material, and to finish planking the upper gun deck including tree nailing. It was a close thing but both of these objectives were achieved. The planking and tree nails have now been refined to a smooth finish with a scraper and given the first of several coats of mat varnish. These photographs show the second planking of the hull. Unfortunately I omitted to photograph this work as it progressed. I decided to go the route of using short planks (127mm / 5”) as opposed to longer lengths and found this easier, gluing them in place (CA glue) and shaping the profile of any planks as required. Any minor gaps and imperfections were dealt with using a little wood filler. The hull has now been sanded to a good finish although I am expecting to have to give it a final going over once it’s been primed with grey primer once the wales have been completed. There’s plenty to do in between adding coats of varnish on the deck. Cannon barrels and carriages need assembling, plus preparing the various different styles of plank for each of the wales ( jigs made but not yet tested). This will keep me busy until the final coat of deck varnish has dried. Not until this is done can I tackle the problem of the miss-aligned inner gun port patterns. Note to self – read the excellent build logs produced by others more carefully! When I fitted the inner patterns they were carefully aligned horizontally. The patterns slipped so nicely into the spaces in the bulkheads, with the top edge level with the outer pattern that I assumed all was well ……WRONG! As these photos show, the inner patterns need to be dropped by almost 3mm before they can be lined. My plan is to cut out the excess from the bottom edge and then graft a new piece into the top. This will be easier than pulling the whole pattern out and re-fitting it, and the final planking will hide the evidence! Cheers for now, Graham.

Hi Folks, The last of the three ’Victory material’ challenges is the construction of three ‘pedestals’ on which the finished model will be mounted. Final completion of the model is still a considerable way off – but retirement is probably going to strike before this and it makes sense to tackle the task while access to the workshop equipment is still possible. (well, that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it…) There are a number of unknown factors that could affect this mini project: Will it be possible to turn the metal in the first place? – I’ve come across some metals in the past that have a skin so hard it knackers the cutting tool in seconds, and what kind of finish will it be possible to achieve? Only one way to find out. The rod as supplied…..pretty uninspiring, about four inches long and a little less than an inch in diameter. First job is to face off the ends of the bar. …..then skim the bar to remove the corrosion. First question answered – oh yes, it will machine. It cuts in a similar way to mild steel and is relatively soft …. The finished billet is then cut into three blanks… I’ve made the decision to turn the base of each column down and thread them M10 x 1.5 initially to enable each piece to be mounted on a mandrel for further machining, meaning I won’t have to hold the blank directly in the lathe’s chuck, and eventually to fix the pedestals to the wooden base. Mounted between the mandrel and a revolving centre, each blank is machined to profile with a round nosed tool. The final finish is achieved using emery cloth followed by 600 grade ‘wet and dry’, and finally the same grade of abrasive paper lubricated with a light oil. Just like turning legs for Windsor chairs, the first one is quite straight forward – its’ getting the others to match that provides the challenge! Last task is machining the slot for the keel to fit into, using a universal milling machine fitted with a 4mm slotting bit. The final slot was 6mm wide. The pedestals have been previously been drilled on the lathe to take the 1/8th” silver steel rods that will extend up into the tubes set into the hull structure (see my first ‘post’). Done and dusted…. Cheers for now, Graham

Hi Folks, The second challenge, the copper plates….. The scrap of copper I received was from the edge of a plate complete with fixing holes punched through. A small section was cut off making the remnant a bit more symmetrical. This will eventually be mounted on the display base. The off-cut was far too thick so I resorted to beating it by hand, hammering it to a closer match to the thickness of the kit’s plates. This required frequent annealing of the metal. The process resulted in a significant increase in surface area to the extent that instead of producing just a couple of plates I ended up with eight. The next step is to try and work out how to produce the simulated rivet pattern. First task was to cut the piece of copper into strips. ……this was achieved with a cutting guide and a sharp craft knife. Another guide, together with an engineers’ square, helped trim these strips to length. A jig was made to replicate the rivet pattern. Each indentation was produced by taping a short steel pin in through the top of the jig. The resulting plate is shown on the right, a blank in the centre, and an original kit’s plate on the left. The bottom plate was the first attempt where too much wellie with the hammer pushed the pin right through the copper! Cheers, Graham.

It all makes sense now - thank's David. I'm currently away from home, but your suggested modification will be the first thing I'll do when I get back to the 'shipyard'. Cheers Graham