Pygothian

Everyone seems to take a few new kit pictures- so here I go.
 So, one of the first things I noticed was that, after pawing through the absolutely fantastic instruction manual for a few days, I became aware that  I was messing it up pretty badly. I wanted to make sure I could keep it fine shape for future use so I took it to the Admiral and she put together the –new and improved- version. What can I say, that girl is always looking out for me.
 
 
 

Floyd-  Technically, you could probably get by without it so long as you account for the narrowing of the space available at the bow by using drop planks?  But my feeling is you should try to do the best looking planking job possible anyway even if you're going to either copper or paint the lower hull.  It's just good policy.  Plus, the lower hull might look so nice when you're done you have the opportunity to change your mind instead of the old 'woulda, coulda, shoulda'.  Just my 2 cents.

Sorry for the delay in starting the build, I've been struck down with a virulent case of man-flu and I'm sure a bit of scurvy too.
 
My other half has said she will call the undertaker if I don't get out of bed soon.
 
With some luck I'll have the strength to mount my shiny new No 11 scapel blade and start slicing some laser burnt remnants!
 
Happy building all, and I'll be back on board soon.
 
 
Cheers
Rowan

Well I was hoping to get a start today to chapter one, but feeling really under the weather, so waiting for my paracetamol and ibuprofen to kick in, moved so e spare monitors out of office 1 to office 2 and setup a tri screen computer, and ordered an ipad nano that apparently will be here Tuesday to take photos of the build and update / research my progress, That was a hard justify to the wife so she bought some 1500 thread Egyptian linen to spite me..
 
Anyway, hopefully I'll be in my office, kids free at grandma and sharp scalpel in hand popping some bulkheads
 
See you soon!
 
Rowan

As one approaches the smaller lines such as bunt lines and leach lines, things get congested and a bit confusing, requiring muliple sources to put things in perspective.  Even smaller lines such as reef lines and stuns'l rigging will likely be omitted to avoid clutter, however that decision can be made later.
Included in this post are: the Foremast lower yard bunt lines and leach lines, Mainmast lower yard bunt lines and leach lines, Main topmast yard bunt lines, Spritsail yard lifts and Spritsail yard braces.  Left to the next post are: the Spritsail bunt lines, Spritsail top sail yard braces, Spritsail yard lifts, Spritsail top sail yard lifts, Spritsail yard sheets and clew lines, Spritsail top sail Yard sheets and clew lines, Netting at the bees and Knotted rope walk. So many lines, so little time.
 
The port Foremast yard bunt lines and leach line can be seen.  While making the mast top, I had a senior moment and placed two single blocks where there should have been double blocks (for the bunt lines).  I can attest that it's more frustrating placing bocks under the mast top at this stage than when one could pick up the mast and turn it over. (Mistake number one).  The bunt lines pass behind the stuns'l boom, through two blocks under the top and terminate at the forecastle breast beam supports.
The mainmast yard buntlines are similar to the foremast yard buntlines but terminate at the main top bowline bitts (aft of the foremast).
The leach lines leave the blocks at the top, pass through the shrouds and catharpins to the forebrace bitts (aft of the mainmast).
The Main topmast yard bunt line passes through the yard block to a block attached to the lift block. The plans specified that the bunt line blocks were to be attached to the top of the lift blocks.  Having missed that, I attached them to the strop at the base of the lift block. However, I suspect they might have been rigged this way at some time during her career. (mistake #2). 
The Spritsail yard lift originates at the jib boom cap, passes through the lift block on the yard, returns to the block at the cap and terminates at the timberheads at the beakhead.
Finally, the braces for the spritsail yard are seen in the first two photos.The spritsail yard braces originate at the forestay collar. The brace was seized to the collar as a typical splice, and then the splice itself seized to the forestay collar. The brace then passed through the brace block from the yard, through two blocks under the top and terminates at the forecastle breast beam supports.
Ah, I see the eyes glazing over. Enough rigging for one post.  Cheers, Gil

Thank you so much for your advice. I've already ordered a full set of rigging and blocks from Chuck for the Syren. Brian C has put me onto Jeff to mill me some Swiss pear and holly planks.
 
It makes total sense starting smaller, and since I got the AVS plus paint for $80 is a bargain.
 
I'm learning towards getting the one under my belt as you say, so I think when the AVS arrives, she will be the one I learn my new skills on.
 
Thanks for all your help.
 
Cheers
Rowan

'Close up of things I don't even know what they are!'
 
I personally guarantee that you will be able to identify each part, in the pitch black darkness of night, by the time you are finished    
 

Great to see it finally arrived...remember .....have fun with the project.      
 
Chuck

Frames all Fitted
 
Work continues on fitting the rest of the Square Frames. I fit about 8 frames from each end at a time and Fair the insides to make access easier :
 

 

 

 
The Deadflat Frames - Station 0 - are made by joining three frames together with spacers :
 

 
An overall view of all the frames fitted to the keel. The Gunport Sills were all cut in and fitted as I did each section of framing :
 

HMS Vulture - some History of the ship
 
HMS Vulture was a 16 gun sloop of the Swan class, launched on 18 March 1776. She served during both the American Revolutionary War and the French Revolutionary War before being sold for disposal in 1802. The Vulture is perhaps best known for being the warship to which Benedict Arnold fled on the Hudson River in 1780 after unsuccessfully trying to betray the Continental Army's fortress at West Point, New York to the British.
 
HMS Vulture had several areas of difference to previous ships of the class - she may have been used as an "experimental platform" for a few innovations. Whether these changes were later implemented on other ships is unknown.
 
Length of Upper Deck : 96’7”
Breadth : 26’ 4”
Depth of Hold : 12’ 10”
Burthen : 300 Tons
Armament : 16 x 6 Pound Guns , 16 x ½ Pound Swivel Guns
 
 
There were 24 ships of the Swan Class built between 1767 and 1780. Here is the complete list :
 
Swan (1767)    Kingfisher (1770)    Cygnet (1776)    Atalanta (1775)    Pegasus (1776)    Fly (1776)    Swift (1777)
Dispatch (1777)   Fortune (1777)  Hound (1776)    Hornet (1776)    Vulture (1776)    Spy (1776)    Cormorant (1776)
Zebra (1777)    Chameleon (1777)    Fairy (1778)    Nymph (1778)    Savage (1778)    Fury (1779)    Delight (1778)
Thorn (1779)    Bonetta (1779)    Shark (1779)    Alligator (1780)
 
Some of these ships are being built by other members on MSW. Here are the Links to them :
 
HMS Kingfisher :   Remco      Erik    Bob    Jeff
 
HMS Atalanta :   Toni
 
HMS Pegasus :   Ray     Andy     flyer     Bummer!    Maurice     Aldo     Spyglass     Caroline    daveor   Nils
 
HMS Fly :   Christian     Chris     DiKri     Vitus    Adeline
 
More Build Logs will be added to this list as they are submitted.

12.     STERN
 
When the stern details were added, my wife said  "It's beginning to look like a real ship."  A rewarding comment after four years. But on with the build.
 
The inner layer of the stern fascia.  Outboard windows are the quarter galleries.  Inner openings were painted white to try to achieve an appearance of depth, while the central white board was then painted black.
 
Back side of outer fascia. Experimenting.  Placing the windows from behind (opposite from instructions) gave much better definition to windows.
 
Initial painting.
 
Deep fascia painted around the windows
 
Black painted using fine line masking, then touch up with reverse masking.
 
Ballisters painted yellow ochre before glueing in place.Horizontal black above and below windows is styrene strip painted black before glueing.  Spacers between windows ; styrene, painted black.
 
Painting stern decoration (was not on Victory at Trafalgar)
 
Glueing stern fascia in place.
 
Tying the fascia (transome) to the counter of the hull required cross planking.
 
Details added. Camera angle made appearance of stern look square. See next photos.
 
Real ship, quarter view
 
Natural light photo
 
Rudder.  Small addition to trailing edge to raise chain attachment above the waterline.
 
Preparing for copper plates
 
"Nails" placed by ponce wheel
 
Pintles and gudgeons.
 
Pintles and gudgeons. "Bolts" are small rivets (0.035") placed in drill holes.
 

9.    GUN PORT LIDS, SIDE ENTRANCE,  DETAILS,  CHANNELS AND CHAIN PLATES
 
Side entry.  A poor start with the wrong position of the canopy.  Thank goodness for "Un-Cur."  With patience,
C/A can be disolved.  Repairs were underway and preparations taken for the components including steps and fenders.
 
Exterior trim.  In this close up of the supplied wood scroll, sanding and painting did not produce a satisfying result. Brass wire was bent into a scroll and glued on a base of styrene, giving a much better result.
 
A rubber band was rigged to align the exterior trim before and after the gun ports
 
Horizontal trim fit to fenders and gun ports.
 
Channels and chain plates.
 
Placing the channel with a min-level for glueing
 
Channel and chain plates.  Chain were aligned with furture shrouds.
 
Gun port lids.  Wood strips were added to match the wales at each gun port lid, hence individual numbering.  When closed, the contour of the wales is passed through each gun port lid.
 
Wood strips trimmed.
 
Interior, red ochre.  Exterior, black.  Contours to match the wales.
 
Adding ring bolts, hinges and central hatch.
 
Attaching lanyards by eye splice to ring bolts. Not original but simple.  Passing the thread back through itself a couple times, pulling on the working end of the thread to close the bight and a touch of C/A. A simulated eye splice.
 
Two lanyards attached.
 
Small angled stick to align gun port lids
 
Rigging lanyards
 
Another splice
 
Real ship gun port lid
 
Model
 
 

INTRODUCTION
 
 
My choice of ship models comes from a lifetime of sailing and having been aboard each of the three vessels.  My brother, sister and I bought our first sailboat around 1944 with money earned from paper routes.  I was 11.  Later, I served in the Royal Canadian Navy (Reserve) for eleven years, and then the United States Navy (Medical Corps) for two years, directing the Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand  Surgery unit at the Balboa Naval Hospital, San Diego. After retiring from private practice, my wife and I took our boat offshore for three years and 30,000 miles.  Hence the Cutty Sark (Billing) 2002-2004, the USS Constitution (Model Shipway) 2004-2008 and the HMS Victory (JoTika) 2008 to the present.
 
1.     BULKHEADS THROUGH ROUGH PLANKING
 
Not much original material here.  We've all been there.  While I started the model in 2008, I didn't take many photos until discovering the Model Ship World web site in 2010.  Posting photograghs to that date, I was astounded by over 1,000 views in the first week and even more so by over 300,000 when our web site crashed.  However, we all started with the basics.
 
 
At this stage, holes were drilled for the future pedestal supports, adding wood on each side of the center piece for extra support. I apologize but I can't remember who suggested epoxying a nut into the framework to receive a long bolt for mounting, a much better idea.
 
Rough first planking of double planked hull.  Planks were bent by first soaking in water, then using a soldering iron and wood base to form to the desired shape.  This worked much better than my previous method of boiling the planks and then bending and tacking to a planned shape.
 
Aligning panels.
 
Fairing before coppering
 
Used grey primer which showed depressions and irregularities, and allowed drawing individual rows of copper plating and belts of 5 or 6 rows.
 
For the Constitution, I made a jig to work on the model inverted by using dowels sized and angled to fit the mast holes.  For the Victory, I simply changed the dowels.

Continuation

Well another 3 hrs went by on the companionway. Time flys when your having fun that is for certain..   Working in 0.5 of mm or less tolerences is testing at times, i usually work within 1mm tolerences only... not fractions of mm
 
So I built the doors in one part first, to aid with getting everything flat straight and square.. The grid is excellent for this.. I used pins and cut them at desired length plus some, so can be sanded flat and even as required.. .. Cut bigger then work smaller and mark off the actual job are some of my tips,..
 
I added a "lug" you may call it, to prevent hatch being hable to come off whilst model is in transit or being fondled. The hatch can slide off once right hand door is open but will not come off otherwise ( in open position or closed with doors closed.).
 
I have chosen an off-white for interior ceilengs etc.. There is lots more tidying to do, but very happy..
------------------------------------
0.5mm drill bit in the drill press. I suggest using a pin to indent wood first to aid in drill not bending and vibrating.
 
I also found some of dads really old timber and cut some down, its hard as nails, i think it's maple or mahogany. will find out. I have lots of tools but they are not designed to work this fine, i cut the strips on a home made bench ripping saw, i like to make do with what i have.. I do have a nice dremel that will come in handy. no micro mills or lathes in this shed..
 
Regards Ollie
 
 

Thanks again, i have one more question. I am customising the main gangway door to be open, just wondering would it most likely oprn outwrads or inwards?
 
I am getting closer to getting the below deck work sorted and back to the plan.. More work to be done on barrels, including filing down bands thinner and painting them darker..
 
Many thanks and regards Ollie

Thanks so much Jeff and ZyXuz.  I appreciate it...  I only use basic tools and a keen eye.
 
I am well into scratch building the barrels for under floor.. It s been 3 hours at least over 2 evenings..
 
I cut strips at angles and made them all in one tube.. because the lengths are wedges, when i sand the curve at ends of barrel it gives the appearance of planks narrowing and in fact they do, just not as they really woud, but working at this size you cant build like you would a fulll size item, so one has to improvise a little.
 
I used "sika" super glue. it is good quality, then i filled tube with an expanding glue that helped hold the small bits together.. These are not going to be seen from alll angles so i thought better not get too carried away,, i tend to do that..
 
The bands i'm not 100% sure on yet, i made prototypes out of hammered soldering wire but think i need a thinner guage,, the effect is great.. and very nice to bend around two angles
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Good to see you underway Rowan. I remember you were tossing up a while back on which ship to tackle. The Syren is a great choice - a very fine ship with lots of detail from what I've seen. Looks like you are very organised too with tools etc. One good starting mission is to sort and separate the planks by their size, label them and then check they match the parts list. Wish I'd done this on my AVS as the planks provided didn't match the parts list at all - many sizes provided that weren't needed and many needed sizes not provided - and I didn't discover this until well into the build!
 
I look forward to your progress.
 
Cheers
Alsitair

unboxing is always the happiest moment
all the best on your build! 

I next removed the hefty booklet, some rather massive plans that I haven't attempted to open as yet until I work out a way to iron them flat. The item list was there, and is dared quite recently, so I am hoping this is an updated model Chuck had mentioned in a post I read somewhere.
 
A high quality semi gloss ~80-90gm paper spiral bound colour manual which is 132 pages.
 
Some coloured templates I think in A4 and some open larger stapled. I haven't looked closely at them as yet.
 

 
 

 

 
I opened up the smallest plan and pinned it down with some objects to get a picture. There are many massive plans, that I'll need to work out a way of flattening and hanging them.
 
 

Well, after lurking here for just over a month, reading, studying and absorbing as much information, my first kit The US Brig Syren arrived from the US model expo after over a month delay.
 
I must admit customer service from outside the US at Model Expo has been poor, and shipping was extremely slow and extortionate. Packaging was substandard, and I just hope nothing had been damaged in the crushed, non-padded box.
 
1st step is to clear some clutter from my work spaces. They are not really usable for anything at the moment.
 
I've taken a few quick snaps of the box, the contents, and other items I've ordered.
 
I will wait until I clear a nice spot, and distract the 3 yr old before opening the box, and getting the obligatory shots and item stocktake.
 
 
 
 
This is where I do my office work, and occasional gaming. It needs a major sort
 
 
 
 
 
My spare office is currently set up building a carbon fibre RC 6 turn brushless 1:10 buggy. I will maybe pack this away and use this zone.
 
 
 
A very excited 3 yr old wanting to build a ship
 
 
 
Substandard packing, with crushed box, tape not sealing all over and some random fish and chip paper. No bubble rap to cover to precious contents
 
 
 
Out of focus picture showing the Syren box, a plank bender, some spare boxwood planks, a hull vice, micrometer, and draw plate.
 
 
 
And here she is. The Syren in her box.
 
I'll clear a work space, organise my tools, get some sandpaper, blocks, glue in the next few days.
 
Unfortunately I'm Oncall for Obstetric emergencies tomorrow, and trauma Thursday, so I may be stuck at work for the next 48 hrs, but fingers crossed I get to open the box!

Thanks guys, it's not only a 3 year old but a 22 month old too. I'm considering putting a key code lock on my office to keep little fingers out. Make it my man cave.
 
Tonight I'll open the box, stock take, and then likely place some orders for some upgrades from Chuck!
 
No one in labour currently so I might get a quiet night without an epidural or Caesarean section

Well, after lurking here for just over a month, reading, studying and absorbing as much information, my first kit The US Brig Syren arrived from the US model expo after over a month delay.
 
I must admit customer service from outside the US at Model Expo has been poor, and shipping was extremely slow and extortionate. Packaging was substandard, and I just hope nothing had been damaged in the crushed, non-padded box.
 
1st step is to clear some clutter from my work spaces. They are not really usable for anything at the moment.
 
I've taken a few quick snaps of the box, the contents, and other items I've ordered.
 
I will wait until I clear a nice spot, and distract the 3 yr old before opening the box, and getting the obligatory shots and item stocktake.
 
 
 
 
This is where I do my office work, and occasional gaming. It needs a major sort
 
 
 
 
 
My spare office is currently set up building a carbon fibre RC 6 turn brushless 1:10 buggy. I will maybe pack this away and use this zone.
 
 
 
A very excited 3 yr old wanting to build a ship
 
 
 
Substandard packing, with crushed box, tape not sealing all over and some random fish and chip paper. No bubble rap to cover to precious contents
 
 
 
Out of focus picture showing the Syren box, a plank bender, some spare boxwood planks, a hull vice, micrometer, and draw plate.
 
 
 
And here she is. The Syren in her box.
 
I'll clear a work space, organise my tools, get some sandpaper, blocks, glue in the next few days.
 
Unfortunately I'm Oncall for Obstetric emergencies tomorrow, and trauma Thursday, so I may be stuck at work for the next 48 hrs, but fingers crossed I get to open the box!

I vote for the Man cave idea. Great to see you get started.

Well, after lurking here for just over a month, reading, studying and absorbing as much information, my first kit The US Brig Syren arrived from the US model expo after over a month delay.
 
I must admit customer service from outside the US at Model Expo has been poor, and shipping was extremely slow and extortionate. Packaging was substandard, and I just hope nothing had been damaged in the crushed, non-padded box.
 
1st step is to clear some clutter from my work spaces. They are not really usable for anything at the moment.
 
I've taken a few quick snaps of the box, the contents, and other items I've ordered.
 
I will wait until I clear a nice spot, and distract the 3 yr old before opening the box, and getting the obligatory shots and item stocktake.
 
 
 
 
This is where I do my office work, and occasional gaming. It needs a major sort
 
 
 
 
 
My spare office is currently set up building a carbon fibre RC 6 turn brushless 1:10 buggy. I will maybe pack this away and use this zone.
 
 
 
A very excited 3 yr old wanting to build a ship
 
 
 
Substandard packing, with crushed box, tape not sealing all over and some random fish and chip paper. No bubble rap to cover to precious contents
 
 
 
Out of focus picture showing the Syren box, a plank bender, some spare boxwood planks, a hull vice, micrometer, and draw plate.
 
 
 
And here she is. The Syren in her box.
 
I'll clear a work space, organise my tools, get some sandpaper, blocks, glue in the next few days.
 
Unfortunately I'm Oncall for Obstetric emergencies tomorrow, and trauma Thursday, so I may be stuck at work for the next 48 hrs, but fingers crossed I get to open the box!