DelF

Great work so far Vane - I don't think I'll catch up with you at the rate you're progressing! Like you, I'm in two minds about using the laser engraved deck. On the one hand the detail and precision is great; on the other hand, I'm worried that the laser char stands out a little too much. I might risk a light sanding to tone it down a little. If that doesn't work, I'll use it as a template and lay my own deck. I quite enjoy decking, and I've got a reasonable supply of fairly uniform boxwood, so it'll be no hardship. And I like Gregory's suggestion about tissue paper, which sounds like a good way to go. Derek

I used a saw blade on a Swann-Morton scalpel holder to cut the frames out on my pinnace build (18th Century Pinnace). It was quite rigid and worked fine, albeit on soft basswood. Derek

The planking begins! It's a long time since I've done a double-planked hull, and I'd forgotten how (comparatively) easy the first planking is, when you don't have to worry too much about historical inaccuracies such as triangular stealers. However I did try to lay the planks as well as I could to minimise sanding and filling later on. The supplied limewood (aka basswood?) 1.5mm timber worked well. Chris recommends soaking in warm water for 30 minutes before tapering with a craft knife and steel rule, in order to ensure that the knife follows the rule and not the grain. However I found that wasn't necessary if I used a sharp scalpel and I did all my tapering without any problems. However I DID soak the ends of each strip by dipping them in recently boiled water for a couple of minutes, so that I could pre-bend them. I clamped the soaked strips to the hull and blasted them dry with my hot air gun. This got them close to their final shape and made final fitting with glue and pins much easier. The first four strakes on the starboard side: Progressing nicely: Finished and ready to sand: The 1st planking requires exactly 30 full strips, and the kit supplies exactly thirty. Unfortunately I'd snapped one strip in an early and unnecessary edge-bending experiment. However this wasn't a problem, as I was able to complete the last garboard strake with two shorter planks. In summary, the kit design makes planking comparatively straightforward. For example the larger than usual number of frames and the ease with which they can be properly faired, and the use of strategically positioned filler pieces that help to support planks in the bow and stern areas. I found the small pins supplied particularly good at holding planks to the frames whilst the glue dried. I had been a bit worried the pins wouldn't hold in the MDF frames but they were fine. They were so sharp I stabbed my fingers several times trying to pick them up - yes, the red patches on the hull are blood! A couple of spare planks would have been nice, but certainly not essential. Next job, sanding. Derek

I've continued to use boxwood for the internal timbers (apart from the frames, which are the kit-supplied basswood). However I decided to use basswood for painted components such as the risers, seat back and the front platform. For the risers, I found it difficult to get the supplied strip of 1/32" X 3/16" basswood to follow the curve of the sheer, especially up in to the bow area. I ended up cheating by using two narrower planks on each side, which were much easier to bend. Chuck recommends following the line of the third external plank to ensure that the risers are the correct distance down each frame, and level on both sides, because so much else depends on this measurement. For example to ensure the seats sit level, and that there is sufficient space for the decorative frames fitted later on. However I had used my own, narrower boxwood strip for the external planking so rather than follow the third plank down, I had to measure the equivalent distance on the inside of the pinnace and put a pencil mark on the frames. However I decided to keep the rowers' benches unpainted, as I'd done with the 1:48 pinnace for the Caroline, and when I dry fitted these they just didn't look right against the red front platform... ...so it had to go. I used Chuck's method in the pinnace instructions to scribe a shallow groove near the edges of the bench seats, using a blunt-pointed scriber just to give a bit of added definition. I'll get the stern seats shaped and in place before I fix the rowers' benches, to make sure I get the spacing right. Meanwhile, my Speedy build has reached an interesting stage - I've just finished the first planking (it's great not having to worry too much about super-accuracy and triangular stealers!) - so the pinnace might have to take a back seat for a day or two. Derek

Your explanations are why your logs are so useful to those of us with less experience. I usually pick up something new - most recently your use of microporous tape to simulate mast coats in Post 55. Keep up the good work! Derek

Many thanks for the recommendation. I looked the book up on Amazon - they had several sample pages via their "Look Inside" facility and the first picture I saw was my little Chester lathe (a Sieg clone) which virtualy sold it for me! I bought the kindle edition, which means I can have it readily available to refer to on my tablet whether I'm in the house or the workshop. I haven't read it all yet but what I've seen so far looks very useful. Derek

This picture from NMM shows workers at Woolwich Arsenal in the 18th century. Difficult to tell, but it looks like they're either cleaning/finishing very large shot, or possibly breaking shot out of their clay moulds. Derek

Brian Lavery, in The Arming and Fitting of English Ships of War 1600-1815, states that iron cannon balls were cast in clay. He also reports that by the 1780s a 74-gun ship had 2,800 rounds of ball shot, plus 166 grape, 84 double headed, 115 langridge and 173 canister. 2,800 rounds of ball equates to around 38 per gun. Sounds a lot, but I would imagine it would soon get used up in an extended action or on a long and active cruise. Lavery also believes that the practice of chipping rust off shot stopped with the introduction of the carronade which required tightly fitting, accurate balls. Instead, balls were painted black to protect them from rust. Thanks to tmj for raising an interesting topic. Derek

I thought shot towers were just used for producing shotgun pellets. The height of the tower determines the diameter of the pellets, so if it required an 80 metre tower to produce 3.8mm pellets then I guess a tower producing 32lb cannon balls would need to be several miles high🥴. I suspect they were cast in moulds, but it would be interesting to know more. Derek

I agree. I did a lot of bulkhead shaping off the model (as recommended by Chris) and found it much easier than when everything is glued together. Derek P.S. Good luck with the house move. I look forward to your Speedy log when you get settled in

I’m sure you’re right. I think part of the problem is that I’ve recently been planking the MS English Pinnace, which is 1/24 scale and single planked, so errors are more visible and you can’t fix them with filler and paint. Derek

Thanks Vane, that's reassuring. Derek

Digging the garden to shed the extra Christmas pounds didn't go so well as my knee is now in a brace, so it's back to the model! Actually, I've also started work on HMS Speedy from Vanguard Models (Speedy log), and have really enjoyed swapping between the two projects as glue dries and so forth. I eventually got the frames down to what I hope are reasonable dimensions - any thinner and I'm worried they'll break. They're still waiting for final sanding in this photo. Next step, fitting the floor boards... ...and the rear platform. Both went relatively smoothly, although I'm not satisfied with the spacing of the floorboards in the bow area. I found it awkward to twist the planks to match the changing levels in the bottom of the model, and if this are isn't hidden later on I'll redo them. Derek

I struggled with the gunport patterns. I suspect it was me, as the instructions are quite clear and Vane managed to fit them with little difficulty as described in his log. Bending them lengthways was no problem - they're only 0.8mm thick and soaking them in warm water as recommended works fine. I clamped them wet to the frames and used a hot air gun to set the curve. My difficulty came because I also had to bend the strips edgewise. I should stress that I'm not talking about edge bending as recommended by Chuck in his planking videos - this is unnecessary for the Speedy gunport patterns as they are already curved to follow the sheer. Rather, I'm referring to the bend needed across the width of the strip in order to follow the tumblehome. This is particularly pronounced near the bow. I followed Chris's recommendation in the instructions to clamp the tops of the patterns to the tops of the frames and to pin the patterns at the bottom to hold them against the frames. To hold them tight against the frames I found I had to drive the pins right in - the heads are really small so I should be able to plank over them without causing bumps. Either that or I'll file them flat. This shows the port patterns clamped and glued in place (I must buy more clamps!). The real difficulty came because bending these thin sheets in two dimensions caused them to buckle. The next pictures show the top and bottom views of the front starboard pattern: I was reluctant to resort to sanding and filling on such a scale, so I resorted to my trusty travel iron, wetting the offending areas and trying to flatten them on maximum heat. The result was acceptable, I think. Not perfect, but should be sortable during planking. I'm probably making more of this than it deserves. I suspect that's because the kit so far has fitted together so neatly and easily that I'd forgotten that model ships inevitably require a degree of skill - they're not made of Lego bricks that snap together perfectly. I'll be interested to see what other Speedy builders make of this part of the construction. Roll on planking! Derek

Thanks Bob. I suspect we’re at cross purposes - my fault for mentioning edge bending. You’re right when you say the gun port patterns don’t require lateral bending. What I struggled with was bending the pattern across it’s width to follow the tumblehome. This was quite pronounced near the bows. Rather than hijack Vane’s I’ll cover my experience in my own log. Derek

Your planking looks pretty neat, especially for a beginner (better than mine was, certainly). Should look great when she’s sanded and painted. Derek

Vane: Ok, that’s helpful. I guess I was over-thinking it. Bob: thanks. I’ve used Chuck’s edge bending techniques on other builds but I don’t think it would work on the gun port pattern as it’s too wide (see Vane’s picture above). However Vane’s advice is that it shouldn’t be an issue so I’ll get on with it tomorrow. Derek

Hi Vane, I hope you are still enjoying your holiday in the sun. I've been following your Speedy log with interest, and have just started my own. I have got to the stage where I need to fit the gun port patterns, and want to make sure I get it right. Like you, I use a hot air gun to bend wood, and I don't think I'll have a problem bending the patterns round the curves from bow to stern. However it looks like the strips will also have to bend widthwise (ie top to bottom) in order to follow the curves of the bulkhead frames, especially around the bow area. In the instructions Chris advises clamping the strips to the top of the frames and using pins to keep the bottom edges tight. Did you find that this was sufficient to keep the patterns in close contact with the frames? When I tried a dry fit I found it very difficult to keep the bottom edges of the patterns flat against the front few bow frames. I'd be grateful for your thoughts before committing any glue - the last thing I want is an ugly 'step' that would throw the subsequent planking. Derek

The upper deck went in fine. The fit was very precise, as it should be, but of course that means there is no wiggle room so to get it in place you need to gently bend it edgewise to squeeze it between the bulwarks. This picture shows the deck when I'd got it about half way down towards it's final position. A bit of final wiggling and the slots in the deck fit neatly into those in the bulkhead frames. The trickiest part of the job is trying to avoid catching the four delicate stern frames. These are just asking to be snapped off if you're not careful, so the next task is to fit the stern counter and the stern board. The next shot shows how these components protect the frames from accidental damage. I tried clamping a round dowel to the stern counter as it dried to try to encourage it to follow the slight concave curve in the underside of the frames. On reflection I should probably have tried to introduce the bend in the counter off the model, with perhaps with heat and steam, as I'm not sure the glue will hold it long term. Next task is fixing the four gun port patterns. I'm not looking forward to this as these thin but wide strips of wood need to bend in at least two dimensions to fit tightly against the frames. Derek

I couldn't resist the temptation after receiving the Speedy kit for Christmas. Despite promising myself that I wouldn't start the new model until I'd finished at least one of my other two current projects, I soon gave up pretending I could keep my hands off it and plunged into the build. I've started a log here Derek's Speedy Log. Early days yet and I don't want to repeat what I've already said in the log, but I'm already struck by just how much I'm enjoying constructing a kit that seems to require little or no bashing. For years I've been moving away from pure kits towards scratch building and for a long time I thought one of my next projects would be a complete scratch build (with Chuck's Winchelsea Group as a significant step along that route). However I think a lot of my dissatisfaction with kits is that so many are poorly designed and constructed, historically inaccurate and with poor quality materials and woeful instructions, that you have to make up for their deficiencies with a great deal of scratch building and research. The end result is very satisfying, but while you're actually turning boxwood rulers into hundreds of blocks (for example) it can get tedious, to say the least. Although it's early days I've found Chris's kit to be the opposite of the ones I've described above. So far it's been a joy to build, everything fitting together perfectly with clear instructions and photographs. I've actually found working on Speedy for the last couple of days very relaxing, to the extent that has motivated me to crack on with my other projects as I wait for glue to dry on the new model. It remains to be seen if I still feel so positive when I start on the planking! Derek

After receiving the new HMS Speedy kit from Vanguard Models as a Christmas present I was determined to leave it in its box until I’d finished off at least one of the other two model projects currently on the stocks. However as soon as I opened the box I knew I was going to have a hard time resisting the temptation. Chris Watton has done a great job in producing this, the second ship in his new range. I went for the limited edition Model Shipwright version, with boxwood second planking and a host of other goodies. There’s a wealth of information on the kit and its development elsewhere on the forum (Vanguard Models news), and in the first Speedy build log Vane has summarised information about Thomas Cochrane and his famous ship (Vane's Speedy log) so I won’t repeat all that here. Suffice to say, everything about the kit oozes quality. Everything was well packaged and labelled, and supported by ten sheets of plans and a full colour build manual. The sheer number of parts was eye-opening, especially for such a comparatively small vessel. The parts list itemises nearly 1,000 individual photo-etch components - 1,433 if you include the copper plates. Plus of course hundreds of other metal, wood and resin items. The first sign that my determination to be patient was crumbling was when I decided to knock up a building board just to be ready when I needed it. Needless to say, the sight of the building board sitting there on my workbench asking to be used quickly eroded further resistance, and I started construction yesterday. I quickly realised that the building board was more or less redundant. The frames were all a good fit on the false keel with zero sanding, and once the lower deck and the various longitudinal beams were added, the whole structure was perfectly straight, square and rigid. Once the lower deck is fitted, the next task is to attach the last few frames at the bow and stern. At first I was a bit dubious about Chris's advice on these, which is to do the initial bevelling off the model. However in practice this seems to work well, particularly on the half dozen filler pieces which would have been difficult to fair in situ. Today I’m going to crack on with the upper deck and various tricky timbers in the stern. Derek

Thanks Steve. The drum works quite well on the midships area but is more awkward nearer the bow and stern. I’ll try a disc in those areas. Derek

Happy New Year everyone! Thanks Meddo. Here's a picture of the flexible shaft attached to my Proxxon drill, which I use to get into tight places. The sanding drum shown here is the largest I'm using on this job - there's a range of smaller ones you can get for different tasks. A handy tool. The only downside is the shaft which tends to get in the way - ideally I'd like a cordless tool of a similar size. Does such a thing exist? I don't think I'll be getting much time in the dockyard for a few days. I stepped on the scales today and I think I'll be spending the next week or so in the gym, digging in the garden, walking the dog, and every other thing I can think of to get the excess pounds off. Derek

I agree with No Idea. I’ve used Exotic Hardwoods several times and been very pleased with their boxwood. Derek

I just wanted to thank you for this recommendation. As a fan of maritime fiction (and non-fiction) and sci-fi/alternative histories I thought this series would be right up my street and I was not disappointed. I've nearly finished the first volume and if Taylor Anderson keeps up the same standard I'm looking forward to the rest of the set. I agree it's not high literature, but I like his style and he delivers good plot lines, characters and descriptions. What more can you ask of a good escapist page-turner? Derek