druxey

Congratulations for arriving at this point in the build, Ed. She looks terrific.

Yes, I checked that Lee melting pot out on line. As it will achieve a temperature that melts lead-free pewter, that's a great solution if one is doing a quantity of casting work which, for a 74, is certainly the case! Of course, you will now be deluged with requests from others to cast cannon for them....

Well done, Mark. That melting set-up you have looks interesting. Much more sophisticated than mine: I use rubber bands rather than clamps, and just an iron ladle!

Usual measurement quoted was 3' 0" - whatever that converts to in metric!

Those are the Rolls Royce of ducks, Michael! No plain cast lead for you.

I seem to recall that there was a book on British fishing boats and coastal craft with plans and photos. Is that a source of information for you?

F.H. Chapman, The First Naval Architect and his Work, by Daniel G. Harris Conway Maritime Press, 1989, ISBN0-87021-052-1 This book, published some years ago, is an appreciation of the life and work of the famed designer Frederick Chapman. Most well-known for his book Architectura Navalis Mercatoria, published in facsimile (various editions), what is not so well-known is his other many achievements over a very long and productive life. Although British, he spent most of his professional career in Sweden and designed many successful vessels for the Swedish Navy. He was one of the first naval architects to use scientific methods to produce his designs, rather than the older empirical or trial-and-error methods. Some of these designs, such as Vasa, were disastrous. He calculated metacenters and centers of gravity, as well as conducted water tank experiments with different shaped bodies. His decorative work designs show that he was not only of a scientific but also artistic turn of mind. His was also a very inquiring mind. The book is profusely illustrated with draughts designed by Chapman. It covers the years 1760 to 1808 in detail and shows Chapman’s hand not only in design but shipyard management, dockyard building design and dealing with the politics and personalities of the day. There are numerous appendices, one of which may be of particular interest to 18th century British ship model-makers. It is a facsimile copy of Chapman’s extensive notes and diagrams on the building and launching of a British 50-gun ship. Most, if not all of the scantlings are given. Although undated, it was probably written in around 1760. All in all, a very readable account of a remarkable and very capable man. Highly recommended.

Brilliant idea: old hex keys for hex stock! The manifold looks great, Michael.

Nice model: those are beautifully made blocks. It must have been kept in poor conditions if those sails are only 30 years old. Have fun working on her.

Re-scaling plans always involves risk of distortion. If you plan on a 1:48 model, you are better off getting the larger plan set. Besides, there will be the additional cost of scanning and printing at the new size. What scale are you considering, anyway?

This is fascinating reading. I wish I were qualified to comment! Best wishes as you pursue this topic, Helmut, and three cheers for brain plasticity, which I know a little more about!

I agree with Greg: I used to sand down to 400 grit, but decided that it was a bit excessive.

I can only speculate, but perhaps some builders delay the external planking is because they are scared of its complexity.

Looking terrific, Michael.

Tony: it's not the mast, but the yard (or yards) that can be a'cockbill. This means that one yard arm is tipped lower than the other, which is raised, of course. At one time, ships' yards were tilted alternately (with the sails furled) as a mark of respect when a ranking officer had died.

As a general rule, serving was only applied (over worming and parcelling) where there was the possibility of chafing. The foremost shroud could get rubbed by the sail and the shrouds, where they pass around the mast head, would also be served. Apparently, on some ships, the captain or commander disliked served strops because it would hide signs of deterioration of the line or its splice. So, it's really model makers' choice!

Sure beats a miniature plunger for lapping in the valve seats! Good stuff.

In real rigging there is a splice to make the loop of rope. This loop is called a strop. Its splice sits over the end of the block. For modelmaking, these strops are not too easy to make in small scales. Some modellers substitute soldered wire loops and paint them. If the loop is not too small, one could slightly unravel the ends of the line and glue them together. Another method might be to knot the line, then hide this under the lashing beneath the block. In a real splice, this area is slightly thicker than the line itself, so a slight bulge would actually look realistic.

Ha! It's a well-known syndrome called Modeller's Biceps.

Oh, yes. The lapping compound and jewellers' rouge routine... I remember it well.

Good advice. Note the stress on the word 'sharp'.

Looking at the photos, it took me back some 50 years to replacing the side valves in a four-cylinder 'sit-up-and-beg' Ford engine after re-grinding the valve seats. Getting those split retainers back in place against spring pressure was a miserable task! Thanks for the memory, Michael.

It's perfectly possible. Cut sheet stock to thickness first, then add the tilting table and cut strips off the sheet. Ta da!

"Huh? What did you say? That first shot deafened me." "I said, WE FORGOT TO COVER OUR EARS, MATE!"

The famous naval architect, F.H. Chapman, designed two sizes of horse transport with special loading ramps and doors in the bows specifically for this purpose.