Elmer Cornish

Thank you Tom, Frame 1 is visible when the companion way hatch is open . I actually strengthened aft of frame 4 (it was a weak spot on the previous builds) after fairing the frames. I also had cut off the stern and re attached it , to allow for the working rudder  As far as CDA Freinds and family understand 
 
Best Regards,
Pete

Today on Keel 3, I got all the frames squared up and the rib bands installed, Now she's ready for fairing the frames. Here are the results

I started to build the James Craig about 3 years ago and lost interest, so packed it away and forgot all about it. That is until I discovered it in a big cardboard box in my shed. So out it came and back into building it. The model is a BIG one 2 metres in length.  I plated the hull with sheets of copper to make it look like a steel plated hull, each strip was made to look as if it was riveted.
James Craig was built in Sunderland England 1874. By the name of Clan Macleod. as a 3 masted steel hulled Barque.
In 1900 was renamed the James Craig.

I flew some Sailors in to square away the lubberly rigging.  Here is where I am as of now.
 

 
The swabbies thought the ladder rungs, in lieu of ratlines, were cute, so they left them on.  Once I get the starboard gun installed, the rigging will go very fast.  Once that is done, the forward railings and awning structure...as well as cats and dogs like anchors, rope coils, sweeps, etc. 
 
I had taken several pics during our Guild meeting Wednesday, but all except this ended up being out of focus.  More pics this weekend...if I can see thru the smoke and ash.

Behold!  A Masterpiece!

NOT!!!!! 
    Here is what Philly will kinda look like when complete.  As mentioned before, I am trying to get her ready for entry into the County Fair in June.  Entry (with pics) were due today.  Hopefully the guys that build tables and guitars won't look too closely.  The goal was to get it to where it looked reasonably like a completed model.
 
    I got to the shrouds and found that I had made them too short.  They did not stretch as much as I had anticipated.  Good news is that I get to redo the seizings on the shrouds, which I did not like.  I also got to get a better look at the lay of the lines  I determined that I WILL have to glue on the yards, but will be able to remove them at some future date if need be. 
 
    Philly is already stripped back down to basic infrastructure and construction will begin again in earnest on the morrow.
 

Captain Benjamin Rue inspects the rigging job.  "I have morons on my team!!!!"

Bow gun and fore stay spreader mounted.

Progress continues.
 

The catheads (more like cat whiskers) installed.  The bow area s very busy, and it all has to be resolved before the mast is installed.
 
The first thing that has to be done is the installation of the shroud spreader.  This attaches to the eyebolt at the base of the stempiece, at the forward end of the gunslide.  I will pull the eyebolt, attach the spreader and re-install.  The purpose of the spreader is to allow the mainstay to be mounted to the stem piece without blocking the forward gun.
 
Next, the forward 12 pounder has to be installed.  This includes a number of blocks and eyebolts.
 

The after deck railing is installed.  Whose bright idea is this?  Any wagers as to how long before I snap this thing off? 
 

Mast support bracket.  I was concerned that I would have problems twisting the brass the 90 degrees on each side in order to secure it to the mast support beam.  No trouble.  I annealed the snot out of it (certified snot free brass) and it twisted very easily.  A side benefit seems to be that snot free brass is also blackened, so I don't have to use blacken-it.
 
   The mast goes up tomorrow.  Huzzah!!!

Mast and yards stained and ready to assemble.
 
 

Cross tree.  Nothing fancy...gets the job done.
 

Now I show you what the holes are for.  I put a peg in the yard and attach it to the mast. (see arrow).  No need for glue.  This holds it in place while the rope bridle is more for show. 
 

I was taking pics outside on the patio.  It was a bit overcast, but lighting as good.  As I was ready to shoot this, the sun broke thru and put a kibosh on the lighting.
 
Mast assembled.  Except for the crosstree, nothing will be glued and can be disassembled in the future.

Progress continues.  I need to post n order to avoid slipping to page 3.
 
This weekend I am working on cats and dogs details, such as mounting eyebolts, bolting in the swivel gun brackets...and stuff.  I am also working on the mast and yards.
 

Last week I got most of the wood work finished for the mast and yards.  I am holding off on the knotty look for now.  Mainmast, topmast and both yards started off as square stock and were turned down in my highly sophisticated lathe...the main was chucked on the ol' Craftsman drill, while everything else went into the Dremel. 
 
The main was roughly octogonalized.  This allowed me to drill the holes for the cleats before I rounded it off.
 

Similarly, I drilled holes into the center of the yards.  This helped me keep symmetry and I will be using the holes later.

Egad!!!!!   I need to get a-postin' before I slip to page 3.
 

Here are some shots of last week's work.  We don't need no stinkin' fancy-pants gudgeons!!!!  Just slap on some robust eyebolts....honest.  As indicated in previous posts, they could get away with a lot of things that could not if they planned on the ship being around awhile.
 
 

The rudder (AKA the bard door) is hung.  The tiller has not been added yet.  It will eventually stained the same color as the exterior hull.  The two 1"thickbattens were only on the starboard side.  They were nailed on to the rudder boards and helped hold it together.  The nail were supposed to be less obvious, but the stain enhanced them.
 
You will be hearing more about the hole in the top later.

Here is how my experimentation with the swivel gun yoke turned out.  Not bad for a prototype, but still needs some work.
 
    "Barn door" with lower pintol in the background. 

A post to get me back on page 1. 
 
    I didn't get as much 'ironwork' done last week as I would have liked.  This weekend I want to focus on a couple ironwork projects to get key areas done:  Pintols for the rudder, swivel gun straps and a prototype swivel gun yoke. 
 

    Here is what I have ben working on this week.  The gun carriages you have seen.  Left rear is the rudder (AKA The Barn Door).  In the foreground are brass strips cut for the swivel gun straps.
 

    Unlike many ships that have the gun mounted on a stock, PHILADELPHIA uses a strap wrapped around the caprail (with some of the caprail cut away).  I assume they were easier to make, but it is harder for me...so experiment I will go.
 
    I got a lot of work done today, but no fully completed projects.  More tomorrow.

More on the cook stove.  I checked the reference book I spoke of.  I stated that when found, the cook stove was located on the center deck, just forward of the port 9 pounder, as indicated here.  (Along with cooking gear and at least 1 bone) 

    This is where it is located on the PHILADELPHIA in the Smithsonian
 
    It went on to say that due to the scorching on the underside of the mast partner, it was routinely used in the forward cockpit.

So, there is evidence it was used in both locations.
 
    If you have been following Mike41's build log of his 1775 Row Galley WASHINGTON, you will see a discussion on stoves.  See below (I hope this link works)
 
   http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/5902-uss-washington-by-mike-41-1776-row-galley-scale-148/page-4#entry175102
 
   The 'inside story' on that thread is that both PHILADELPHIA and WASHINGTON were part of the Continental fleet at Valcour Island.  As the PHILADELPHIA was sinking, the WASHINGTON came alongside and offloaded the crew.  Believe you me, they were quire disappointed to learn that, while they were eating hot dogs on a stick, the WASHINGTONians were getting donuts and baked Alaska
 

Carriage sides cleaned up.
 

9 pounder carriage in its jig (right).  I stained the jig a little darker so you can differentiate jig from carriage.  I'm not sure it helps.   12 pounder slide carriage in its jig (left) with gun mounted for size.

As promised.
 

Here is a picture of the building jig.  I have subsequently made some changes and will show them in a future post.
 
1.  I want to color the jig so the carriage wood is more discernible.
 
2.  The sides come right up to the hole for the rear carriage bolt.  When the hole is enlarged to accommodate the bolt, it is lower than the side.  I had to put a crease in the jig along that access.

I cut the carriage templates to size and rubber cemented them to the stock I was using for the carriages.  I decided to use a double wide piece of stock in order to facilitate using the table saw.  It will be more obvious once you see it.
 
 
    I rubber cemented two pieces of stock together so that when I made the cuts, I would have two exact pieces.  I actually made the stock slightly oversized, then milled it to the correct size...again, so the pieces would be exactly the same.
 
    In Modeler12's post, he is making a bunch of pieces at the same time.  I could do the same by adding more pieces of stock, in multiples of 2.  The other option (in retrospect) would be to use a thicker piece of stock and slicing it off later.  Thickness is restricted by how long my drill bit used for drilling holes in the side (for bolts and eyebolts).
 

    This shows the basic milling method.  I sense a bunch of folks with REAL mills are shuddering right now.
 
    The first cut is to make the trunnion "hole"...or half hole.  I am sure there is a term, but I cannot recall.  This is a starter cut.  It will be rounded out with a file later.
 
 
  
  Here I am cutting the indent for the front axle.  Now it is the safety guys that are shuddering.
 

    I decided to change operations a little in order to cut the rear axle indent.  There was not enough stock to do it safely or accurately.  It turned out pretty well.
 

    Next step was to cut the steps.  This went well until I got almost to the end, then part of the stock snapped off.  No damage, but I would have preferred it not happen.  When I cut the other side, I made a initial cut at the back end of the carriage.  This worked...it did not snap off this time.
 
   These look pretty crappy, but that is due to the paper residue, not the cut.  If you looked from the other side you would see that it is very crisp.  I don't know why I didn't take any pics of the reverse, but you will see them later.
 
   
 

Here is some miscellaneous work I have been doing.  I need to get a bunch of ringbolts, eyebolts and blocks ready for the next couple of phases. 
 
    I generally have two problems with commercially bought eye bolts: (1) They are never quite the size (eye size) that I need/want...either too big or too small.  Some of the eyebolts I have purchased or snagged from other kits I have (languishing on the back shelf) are the right size and some are not.  (2) The brass is too pliable...too much stress or strain on the bolt will cause it to deform or open up.  To solve this, I take 'too large' eyebolts and resize them.  #1 solved.  I also silver solder the eye and part of the shaft.  This hardens and strengthens the bolt.  Sometimes I will solder the eye closed so that there is no split in the eye and sometimes I will not, depending on whether or not I plan to put a ring in it later (or if I screw up the solder job...still learning).  At any rate, it is hard enough that even if the gap is not shut, it will not pull open under strain.
 
    Hooks made from eyebolts.  They will be soldered and blackened later.
 
   Two blocks have been completed, attached to eyebolts and mounted to the bulkhead for the port side 9 pounder gun.  These blocks appear large, but that is what the plan calls for.  Blocks are from Chuck Passaro.
 
    Brass is blackened using "Blacken-it".

It has been a slow weekend.  Big decisions....should I work on the model or go to the beach? Build model-go to the beach? Model-beach?  beach-model?   Hmmmmmmm
 
    Here are some more shots of previous work.
 

    Here you can see the lower deadeyes better than in previous shots.  Yes, Virginia, the deadeyes are inboard.  More proof that it was designed by army guys.
 

    The lower deadeyes are "stropped" with rope, with the two ends run through holes in the hull and knotted on the outside.  Mine are simple overhand knots.  I suspect the real ones are a bit more complicated.
 
    I had some problems with this.  At first, I ran the lines through the holes and attempted to knot the lines.  Once the lines were knotted, I could cut off the excess.  <NOT>  The locations of the knots had to be precise in order to ensure the deadeyes lines up properly.  Given that one of my nicknames is "Nine Thumbs Charlie" I found this undo-able.  I decided to knot the lines first, THEN pull the know through the holes.  In order to do this, I had to enlarge the holes; large enough to get the knot through but not so large as to let the knot pass back through.
 
    You see some of my ironwork in the background.

This photo encompasses almost al the work I got done since last post.
 
--Cook stove complete and mounted.
--Lower deadeyes rigged and installed.
--Mast support beam completed and installed.
 

Close up of cook stove.

MacGyver was unable to find matchsticks, so we used these. I was unable to find suitable bricks, so I made them from wood. (Having said that, 250 people will direct me to the bricks I needed.)
 
I remember having small scale individual bricks many years ago. I tried hobby stores, train scores and Google to find them. I was able to find adequate brickage from a fine company in UK at a reasonable price, but the shipping/associated cost were just too much.
 
I used padauk wood and stained holly.
 
Mr. Jefferson looks on, wondering if Mr. Franklin has that stove thing patented yet.
 

The hearth and first couple courses completed. This is where the cook stove sits on the PHILDELPHIA in the Smithsonian.
 

Here is where it sits on the plans.
 

The athwartship mast support is in place. What could POSSIBLY go wrong here???? Don't let the safety guys see this!!!!
 
I'm not sure why the PHILLY didn't burn to the waterline or explode long before the battle. This does not look like a very good place for a cook stove, but my readings indicate this IS where it was. They are able to see the charring on the underside of the mast support.
 

Maybe this thing will work on the 18th Century Longboat (same scale). What do you think????? Maybe I can sub-contract to Chuck P so he can provide an after market add on to the longboat kit.

Here is a close-up pic of PHILLY's bow and the corroded nails. By tracing the nails you can also see where the frames are.

I forgot to mention in the previous pic that while the interior planking is stained with GOLDEN PECAN, the exterior is PECAN. It provides a dirtier brown finish, giving the rustic color I am working for. I will endeavor to get a good exterior shot.
 

Another lengthwise shot of the completed hull. Thole pins bitts and cleats are mounted.
 

A close up shot of the bow section. Shot rack with 12lb shot is mounted. Note nail heads in the deck planking. Iron nails were a lot easier than traditional tree-nails to make and use. They were not too concerned about them rusting away since they didn't anticipate the ship being around long. Ironically (IRON-ically...get it) the nails still exist..a bit corroded...in the actual ship. (See early picture) A lot of nails were used to keep the thing from coming apart every time they fired the guns.
 

Close up shot of the stern. The arms locker hold spare shot and a few drill bits. Holes in the caprail are for awning stations.
 
Next step....the cook stove.

Fast forward to 22 FEB 2014
 

Not a whole lot got done between July and December. I took some pics in December and they came out blurry. They are the only ones I have, so.....
 

Forward gundeck in the process of planking. The 'slide' for the 12 pounder is in place. Note the large 2 foot wide planks here as well as the center deck.
 

A lengthwise shot showing all decks. Support stanchions for the center gundeck (heretofore called the POOP!!!!! deck) are taking shape. After most deck planking is narrower than other two decks...a mere foot and a half. Weapons lockers are marked out aft.

It is almost at the end of the Fair....1 day to go. I have the interior planking done and stained. I did not go all the way down to the bottom with the interior planking because I wanted space to be able to work the exterior planking. The interior is stained with Minwax "Golden Pecan"
 
You see work on the middle deck planking progressing. On this model, this is the poop deck. I had the planking completed and I placed a prototype of the 9lb gun on it... "Poop" <I sez>. The muzzle did not clear the caprail. I had to add another layer of planking to make it work.
 
On the actual ship, the forward deck is the poop deck. When they loaded the 12 lb gun forward, "POOP!!!!!" it failed to clear the stem and caprail. They ended up having to cut away that portion of the caprail and a piece of the stem. Unless I tell you, you would never know I had an extra layer of planking. It is hard to miss the cut out stem.
 

Exterior planking takes shape. Planks are same size (scale wise) with the same buttjoints as the real ship. The upper three strakes are slightly different widths, but approximately 1/8" (6 scale inches). The lower 4 strakes are all 1 foots. except here narrowed. Interior planking is all 1/8 inch (6 inches).