Charter33

Work continues with the upper gun deck cannons ........
 
I've decided to replace the breech rope eyelets on the carriages with larger ones as I hope to increase the diameter of this rope to 1 mm rather than the recommended size that seems a bit small when compared with images I found on the web. These are Mantua Models eyelets but while the rings are okay, the second piece of each fitting needed to have the 'loop' tightened up a bit. This was achieved by pulling them part way through an improvised draw plate.

 

 

 
After fitting the breech rope and it's eyelets to the barrel it was mounted on the carriage.  A short length of brass rod with a small dimple added to one end was used as a simple drift to push the round headed pins into their pre-drilled holes.

 

 
Trying to get the breech ropes to hang appropriately..........

 
Rigging hooks attached to 2mm blocks ...

 
...strung ....
 

 
.... and attached

 
And finally my first attempt to install one ......

 
One down, 29 to go ......
 
Cheers,
 
Graham.

Work continues with the upper gun deck cannons ........
 
I've decided to replace the breech rope eyelets on the carriages with larger ones as I hope to increase the diameter of this rope to 1 mm rather than the recommended size that seems a bit small when compared with images I found on the web. These are Mantua Models eyelets but while the rings are okay, the second piece of each fitting needed to have the 'loop' tightened up a bit. This was achieved by pulling them part way through an improvised draw plate.

 

 

 
After fitting the breech rope and it's eyelets to the barrel it was mounted on the carriage.  A short length of brass rod with a small dimple added to one end was used as a simple drift to push the round headed pins into their pre-drilled holes.

 

 
Trying to get the breech ropes to hang appropriately..........

 
Rigging hooks attached to 2mm blocks ...

 
...strung ....
 

 
.... and attached

 
And finally my first attempt to install one ......

 
One down, 29 to go ......
 
Cheers,
 
Graham.

Work continues with the upper gun deck cannons ........
 
I've decided to replace the breech rope eyelets on the carriages with larger ones as I hope to increase the diameter of this rope to 1 mm rather than the recommended size that seems a bit small when compared with images I found on the web. These are Mantua Models eyelets but while the rings are okay, the second piece of each fitting needed to have the 'loop' tightened up a bit. This was achieved by pulling them part way through an improvised draw plate.

 

 

 
After fitting the breech rope and it's eyelets to the barrel it was mounted on the carriage.  A short length of brass rod with a small dimple added to one end was used as a simple drift to push the round headed pins into their pre-drilled holes.

 

 
Trying to get the breech ropes to hang appropriately..........

 
Rigging hooks attached to 2mm blocks ...

 
...strung ....
 

 
.... and attached

 
And finally my first attempt to install one ......

 
One down, 29 to go ......
 
Cheers,
 
Graham.

Work continues with the upper gun deck cannons ........
 
I've decided to replace the breech rope eyelets on the carriages with larger ones as I hope to increase the diameter of this rope to 1 mm rather than the recommended size that seems a bit small when compared with images I found on the web. These are Mantua Models eyelets but while the rings are okay, the second piece of each fitting needed to have the 'loop' tightened up a bit. This was achieved by pulling them part way through an improvised draw plate.

 

 

 
After fitting the breech rope and it's eyelets to the barrel it was mounted on the carriage.  A short length of brass rod with a small dimple added to one end was used as a simple drift to push the round headed pins into their pre-drilled holes.

 

 
Trying to get the breech ropes to hang appropriately..........

 
Rigging hooks attached to 2mm blocks ...

 
...strung ....
 

 
.... and attached

 
And finally my first attempt to install one ......

 
One down, 29 to go ......
 
Cheers,
 
Graham.

Work continues with the upper gun deck cannons ........
 
I've decided to replace the breech rope eyelets on the carriages with larger ones as I hope to increase the diameter of this rope to 1 mm rather than the recommended size that seems a bit small when compared with images I found on the web. These are Mantua Models eyelets but while the rings are okay, the second piece of each fitting needed to have the 'loop' tightened up a bit. This was achieved by pulling them part way through an improvised draw plate.

 

 

 
After fitting the breech rope and it's eyelets to the barrel it was mounted on the carriage.  A short length of brass rod with a small dimple added to one end was used as a simple drift to push the round headed pins into their pre-drilled holes.

 

 
Trying to get the breech ropes to hang appropriately..........

 
Rigging hooks attached to 2mm blocks ...

 
...strung ....
 

 
.... and attached

 
And finally my first attempt to install one ......

 
One down, 29 to go ......
 
Cheers,
 
Graham.

Work continues with the upper gun deck cannons ........
 
I've decided to replace the breech rope eyelets on the carriages with larger ones as I hope to increase the diameter of this rope to 1 mm rather than the recommended size that seems a bit small when compared with images I found on the web. These are Mantua Models eyelets but while the rings are okay, the second piece of each fitting needed to have the 'loop' tightened up a bit. This was achieved by pulling them part way through an improvised draw plate.

 

 

 
After fitting the breech rope and it's eyelets to the barrel it was mounted on the carriage.  A short length of brass rod with a small dimple added to one end was used as a simple drift to push the round headed pins into their pre-drilled holes.

 

 
Trying to get the breech ropes to hang appropriately..........

 
Rigging hooks attached to 2mm blocks ...

 
...strung ....
 

 
.... and attached

 
And finally my first attempt to install one ......

 
One down, 29 to go ......
 
Cheers,
 
Graham.

Today she quietly slipped down the ramp and into the water, she drew a few onlookers and thankfully didn't let me down. She's light and easy to handle although the centre board was handy when the wind picked up. She looks right in the water and more importantly she didn't leak even so much as a drop!
 

I have been working on a little project lately, something I've wanted to do for years, making my own boat.
It's an Iain Oughtred design, Tammie Norrie, a 4.5mtr (15 foot) clinker sailing dinghy.
 
I'm really enjoying using full sized hand tools, especially the planes but the lessons learned in ship modelling have been a huge help.

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.

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!

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,
 
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.


 

Hi Folks,
 
The first of the challenges I chose to undertake was the
rudder – to replicate the kit’s original piece, on the left, using the Victory
oak.
 

 
One side was cleaned up, the thickness then cut narrowly
oversize with a band saw, and then the timber was sanded down to its final
thickness of 5mm using the jig. The aroma of old oak (with a hint of tar?)
added to the pleasure of the task.
 

 

It was going to be a tight fit!
 

After transferring the outline the shaping was done using a
powered fretsaw and needle files.
 

Job done! The finished rudder is mostly copper clad with the
top section painted black – I’ll probably leave some of this upper area
unpainted and just apply matt varnish; but that’s way off in the future….

Next – the copper plates.
 
Cheers,
 
Graham

Hi,
 
Mort - the saw I went for is listed as a Zona sabre saw. I need it to sort out a gun port problem so looked for a saw with a blade that was slim, thin, had no 'back' rib and had fine teeth that will not cause the micro ply to splinter. I went for the version that is supplied with three blades, one of which has reversed teeth so cuts on the back stroke and this will probably be the one I'll use. Not an expensive option either which is always a bonus for a self confessed tool addict. I hope this does not break any site rules - if it does could someone let me know?  
 
David - thanks for your kind evaluation of my work. I'm certainly taking my time! I tried to reply to your p.m but somehow managed to delete it and lose the 'reply' button when I tried to send it. Even the link received on my phone chastised me for having the audacity for trying to use the link! (don't you just love technology!). Just to check - we're referring to parts 276? It's easy enough to remove. I'm a regular reader of Robert's build log but missed this. I fitted it as I am constructing the Trafalgar version. Looking forward to hearing the reasons as to why it's best fitted later.
 
Cheers,
 
Graham

Hi,
 
Construction of the Quarter Galleries went as per the instructions, which proved to be very accurate:
‘Time and care will be required…..’
Oh yes, and as many arms as an octopus wouldn’t go amiss! However, the effort was rewarded by the results and I must admit that that there’s much satisfaction, and a sense of relief, once the juggling of components is finished.
 

 


The upper stern counter pattern fitted easily, and to achieve the slight concave curve on the lower stern counter pattern I decided to increase its pliability by wetting it and then zapping it briefly in the microwave. I then left it, suitably supported, under a cylindrical weight to cool down and fully dry out. The photos show the result.
 

 


The next task was the middle gun deck planking. I wanted to simulate the treenails and the caulking between the planks. I’ve followed the various debates relating to how appropriate it is to have them on model of this scale but I like them and feel they are worth the effort.  Little of this work will be visible once the hull is finished but it seemed like an ideal opportunity to try out different techniques in preparation for later in the build. For the caulking I went down the black thread route, running a line down each edge of the plank runs and also gluing a short length of thread to one end of each plank where it would butt up to the next.
 


One minor problem was the side edges of the planks which were often slightly beveled, a bit rough or marginally wider than 4mm. Fine ‘wet and dry’ glued to a piece of MDF and a sanding aid sorted this out.
 


The most successful method of simulating the treenails started with the marking of their positions on the ends of each plank. Another jig and a small watchmaker’s screwdriver ground to a point enabled the positions to be impressed, and these marks acted as the equivalent of centre punch marks on a piece of metal – enabling a 0.5mm PCB drill bit in a mini-drill to line up and make the hole without slipping. This drilling was done after all the planks had been glued down.
 

 

 
The treenails themselves were made from slithers of teak veneer. These were dipped into PVA glue, then pushed into place and cut almost flush with a pair of side cutters. The adjacent photo shows the last one going in.
 


Once the glue had had a chance to fully set any remaining protruding material was sliced off with a sharp chisel.
 


Sanding the decking risked catching the caulking thread so a smooth surface was achieved by careful use of some scrappers. After any dust had been brushed or vacuumed the surface was sealed with a coat of matt varnish after which it proved safe enough to resort to fine glass paper between each of the subsequent two coats of varnish.
 

 


The mast sleeve was fitted after the varnishing was done to make sanding the deck easier. To get the sleeve to bond to the varnished surface I resorted to rapid drying epoxy resin.
 
These photos show the lining of the entry ports.
 

 

 


The next stage, and one I’ve been looking forward to, is the second planking. Following the advice of other builds on this site (thanks to all!) I’m going to replicate the 30’ plank lengths. If my maths is right this makes a full plank 127mm long, with an overlap that works out at 2 inches. (apologies for mixing units of measurement – that’s just how my old brain works these days!)
 
Cheers for now,
 
Graham.
 

First Planking

With the bulkheads set and the ply gunport patterns all glued in place the chamfering of the bulkheads were given a final ‘tweak’ prior to starting the planking. To help with this, and with the earlier shaping of the bulkheads, I put together a jig that held the model securely on its side. I found this helped with resisting the forces exerted when pushing the temporary pins in and could be used for the majority of the hull.
 

 

 


Following the advice given on this site concerning tools I invested in a pair of plank nippers. A bit of practice quickly proved what a useful piece of equipment these are, although I wouldn’t use them on the ships boats as the inside of the first planking of these is visible and the small groves the nippers leave would show. I have to date finished the first planking of the launch and some of the second planking.
The first couple of planks are laid without any need for tapering but to avoid forcing the initial planks into place I started by putting ‘stealers’ at both the bow and stern.
 

 

 
For the most of the planking the procedure was:
• Trim the plank end to match the stem
• Taper the top edges (with a slight undercut as well) for the first and last four or so bulkheads by anything from 1/3rd to 2/3rds of the plank’s width as determined by offering the plank up to its position. Leave plenty of overlap at the stern for later trimming
• Holding the plank in place pre-drill or bradawl (I used a map pin for this) pin holes through the plank and into a manageable number of bulkheads. (4 – 5 usually)
• Apply glue to four or five bulkheads at a time where there will be contact with the plank
• Apply glue to the matching length of the edge of plank
• Pin plank to bulkheads, and use clips between bulkheads to ensure good edge to edge contact.

Off-cuts of planking make great glue applicators!

Keep telling yourself – it’ll be fine when its sanded……..it’ll be fine when it’s sanded….
 

 

 


A few ‘stealers’ where required, especially at the stern, but these were no problem to cut to fit the gaps.
 


Sanding the hull to shape turned out to be more straight-forward than I anticipated but as it is a messy job the hull had to be transported to work for the task – you get some funny looks walking across the car park with one of these tucked under your arm! My only regret was filling blemishes with filler that was a bit darker than it could have been which tended to emphasize defects but as the whole lot gets covered with the second planking and subsequent painting it does not matter too much.

Next installment - juggling the components that make the Quarter Galleries.
 
 
Cheers for now,
 
Graham

Hi,
 
The first step is often the hardest ….
 
I hope to undertake this challenge of building my first POF ship in order to develop my practical skills and learn new techniques - as well as ending up with a (hopefully) impressive final model.  I’ve been preparing for a month or so – downloading the plans for the keel, getting them printed and sourcing the wood.
My choice of timber is cherry for the keel and frames, maple for the false keel and other components further down the line and I also have some black walnut in store.
The timber as purchased:
 

 
A strip of each cut off, split and planed down to 8 mm.
 

 
Ready to start ….
 

 
The first component I decided to make was the aft deadwood.
Patterns cut out and glued onto the cherry with ‘Spray Mount’. I’ve found that this holds the paper in place well enough without leaving any residue on the surface once removed. A couple of times the paper lifted while a piece was being worked but this was spotted and dealt with before errors occurred.
 

 
After initial cutting out with a band saw edges were refined with a combination of a band facer and drum sander.
 


 
I have read about, and liked, the technique of enhancing wood joints with permanent marker pens and decided to experiment with black and brown pens on some off-cuts. To say the difference is subtle would be a wild exaggeration!  Blowed if I could tell the difference….
 

 
The pieces were glued together, cleaned up and the ‘steps’ marked prior to the waste wood being removed with chisels.
 


 
My first attempt. I’m leaving the final shaping to the sides until much more of the keel has been completed in order to try and get my head around how much wood needs to be removed.
 


 
I have also been working on making a building board.
 


Before I work on progressing further could someone confirm whether or not this project has been opened to new members again, please? I’m a bit confused by the message saying that it is on the ‘Forum’ front page and the one at the top of the ‘Cross section’ thread saying it’s temporarily closed.
 
In no way is the fact that this project has no big glossy box to smuggle through the back door while the Admiral isn’t looking, thus avoiding the inevitable questions of ‘how much?’ or ‘and where is it going to go when it’s finished’ has absolutely no bearing on my decision to get actively involved ….. honest…
 
Cheers,
 
Graham.

Thanks for the comments guys the cub is an absolute buety to fly but only after a lot and I mean a lot of experience I started by flying a foamie orientation was my first hurtle (what way up was it ) after concurring that I soon discovered I'm short sighted (others seemed to fly far away and I thought how can they even see that) after a trip the opiction I purchased some glasses solely for flying later I purchased some ready made almost ready to fly balsa planes the acro wot being one of them people from the uk will be familiar with this plane such a buetifull flyer I later purchased the acro wot xl and hey that thing is the best flyer I have then it was time to maiden the cub ,what a relaxing flight and lands like a dream everyone in my flying club adores seeing the big bird which has a good number of successful flight under her belt such a joy to fly

Hello all ive been away for a while from ship building as rc plane building has sparked my interest i thought i would show you all what to expect from a balsa plane kit 
and how i got on with my first build ,the build itself was quite quick built over the course of a couple of months and very satisfying to see a large airframe come together over the first few weeks ,at about half way into the build i joined a local flying club and knowing what i know now i 100 percent would not have succesfully flown her without there help ,over the course of the past year i have scaled her out a bit and now enjoy flying on a regular basis

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Ian and Darrell thank you for your nice comments.
 
 
Cannons, cannons, cannons ...... never ending.
 
I had tried blackening some small pieces and nearly gave up as it did not go so well but after looking into Graham's build and seeing the result I decided to give it another go with a different solution 'Birchwood Brass Black', same Graham (Charter33) used.  I tried it on the small brass items for the cannons, trunnion brackets, eyelets and pins, and it worked like a charm.  I cleaned them in acetone , dipped them in the Birchwood Brass Black and in 30 seconds they were ready.

 
 
Wanting to add the rings on the side of the carriages I ordered the rings from CBM, part no. 36750, which included the ring and the eyelet for the ring.
The actual rings were ok but the eyelets for the ring (on the left) in my opinion were too bulky.  I used just the ring and inserted them in the eyelets (480) supplied with the kit. Finished item on the right.

 
 
The hooks supplied with the kit were too large for the cannon tackles, so I decided to make smaller hooks myself.

 
 
To make the hooks I used the same eyelets which I got from CMB and did not use.



 
 
Robert
 
 

Graham,
 
I used the Birchwood Casey Brass Black on some small items and it worked like a charm.  I still have to do the cannons.  Thanks for your help.
 
Robert

A week later............ where does the time disappear to when you're retired?!!
I took these pics earlier today - please excuse the model makers nightmare, DUST. During the course of construction I did keep the model covered as much as possible but, I forgot to cover it over completely when the heating engineer installed new heating pipes. It wasn't noticeable at the time but a layer of dust was everywhere!!







Can anyone spot the deliberate mistake on the stern ?! 





 
 
 

Evening everyone,   here are the pics as requested  - 
 
The spraying went quite well  I think.
 
OC.

Another sunning piece of work. Love the detail and the atmosphere your work conveys. I was starting to get withdrawal symptoms - keep up the good work.
 
Graham.

Started work on the tackles for the gun carriages.
 
Eyelets have been bent....
 

 
.... twisted.......
 

 
.... and blackened (after chemically cleaning approximately 15 seconds  in Birchwoood Casey Brass Black)
 

 
Joining a rigging hook to a 2mm single block,
 

 
and a first attempt at bringing it all together .....
 

 
Cheers,
Graham.