BLACK VIKING

The second pump is in progress

I got all the mahogany strips for the keel glued in place and smoothed.  It turned out okay. 
 
Then came the lacquer, mostly to protect the bare wood from contaminants.
 
I took the hull outside to spray the lacquer.  With the house closed up, the lacquer smell permeates every room, even with the shop door closed.  So the hull got a little sun today.  

After I get the deck glued down, I'll trim the planks flush.
 
On a sad note, when I was gluing the keel strips in place, I used rubber bands around the hull.  At one point I placed the stern on the floor to put some rubber bands on at the bow.  The bow was leaning on my knee with the keep in the air.  The weight of the keel spun it around and I heard a sickening CRUNCH!  I looked at the stern and about half of the planks on the transom broke off below the rail line.  Two steps forward, one step back...

Today I gave myself a big list of things to do including dentist, grocery shopping, 5 acres of grass to cut then finish with completing and installing the rudder. If successful I promised myself a bbq steak and a trip to the liqueur cabinet( trying to follow EJ's footsteps) Well steak is still the fridge yet but there have been a couple of trips to the infamous cabinet, all jobs completed!!!!! 
 I realise there is a little overkill with pictures on this post, I feel there is never too many pictures when it comes to the rigging aspect of a build so please bear with me.
 


 
 This what the task was for today. Top picture showing the rudder and the next picture showing the rigging for the tiller.

Pieces for the rudder, straps made from 3 mm copper strip
 

 
Still needs painting, this is showing the bottom bracket and bar mounted on hull the top bracket and bar is then mounted on the rudder. Receiving bracket is then mounted on hull at top and on rudder at the bottom. A much easier process, I love it!!
 
 The tiller being rigged with 4 mm double blocks. Seizing is done using Gutermann thread readily available, wide assortment of colours and measures approximately .18 mm
 
 
Blocks and rope for rudder, 4mm blocks .5 mm rope and eyebolts all kit supplied, used approx 50 mm of rope for each. It is the same set up for the tiller with the exception of the eyebolt, a hook is used instead.
 


 
Showing rigging of the tiller, the use of hooks helps so much. Here I am showing running the rope through the blocks before attaching the hook to eyebolt in bulwark.
 

 

 
I will adjust that block after I'm done here. The plans do not show any sort of belaying point so I am assuming  coils of rope will be needed below the tiller later on. I have read the rope was wrapped around the tiller first to allow the helmsman to make adjustments??????
 

 
This is what the ship's cat might see. 
 
You all Take Care,  
Thanks for stopping in. 
 
 
 

Thank you friends for visiting my build log and for nice comments and for likes.
The pump has been stained  and i think it looks realistic.

All I can say is what a stunner superb build EJ 
 
Rgd Martyn 

All I can say is what a stunner superb build EJ 
 
Rgd Martyn 

Thanks for the comments EJ I will certainly keep an eye out for the planks starting to climb up as I might have to put in some droppers . The wood is very supple and bends easily so hopefully not but we will see
 
Thanks again for the likes and comments 
Rgd Martyn 

All I can say is what a stunner superb build EJ 
 
Rgd Martyn 

Stunning work on the rigging  Michael just wondered if you know that there are a set of sails for the Vasa . If you look on the Cornwall model ship site they sell them. I have fitted them to mine and they don't look to bad .
 
BV

Hi Mates,
 
Minor update–working on finishing up the first sail (lower main)
 
Then noticed (first pic of 1/10th) that a shoe block is used where I had already laced two deadeyes with a single block in-between.
PS: I know that you know where that is, just having fun adding red circles here and there……
 
Looked at Syren, and elsewhere could not find this type of block – so trying to make some. Prob. too much time spent here – may just use the single block instead. A work in progress ----======================
PS2: Joachim thanks for the post. I remember that extra extension. I saw it when I bought the lathe, but passed on it. I looked again at Proxxon and elsewhere no longer seems to be available (even eBay did not have one)
 
Cheers,

 

hi Michael and Peter, Thanks for the input.
 
 
Here is the problem:
The line drawn is the curve that the planks should follow.
 

 
 
And this happens when I try to bend the thin strips "upwards"

 
 
With the thicker planks (2mm) this was no problem since I could use the heatbender across the plank and get that minimal curve. But not on the 0,5mm. 

Hi Jan, Well, I don't know. But it might be the only way. I don't have any clamps that's big enough to go over the hull and if I use the planking screws the hull will be perforated. 
maybe just use CA to pin them down?
Or ease up the curve a little and hope that it won't show after the hulls painted. 
But the curve has to line up with the upper 7 planks aft wards that should be klinker laid.
 

 
 
 
 

I've returned to La Couronne's ship yard and work has progressed nicely with the rigging of the spritsail topmast yard. I also finished the last crows foot and am ready to rig the spritsail yard next. That will be the last yard to go on the build! I'm fairly certain that unless something derails the plans, I am on the final push to the end of this build and am planning on staying on this one with out breaks till she is done. That means lots of updates for you all to enjoy! I still have several things to do but the end is close at hand and I am ready to reach it. Exciting times ahead! For now, here are the latest updates.

 

 

 

Good start on you lower planking. Just be careful at the bow that the planks don't start climbing on you. It happens very easily and can throw off the entire layout. Best of luck and I'm looking forward to the next update! 

Thank you for all the likes 
A very small update on the SR . I have finished planking the upper hull and have now started on the lower planking.
 The garboard plank has been fitted and left to dry over night. The second one was butted up and glued to the first one, it's a bit of a slow process as that nasty four letter word gets in the way ie work so the time for building is limited at the moment. Can't wait for next week as I am on the early shift and get all the afternoon to build. As you can see there are gaps between the planks that end in a sharp point at the stern , not to worried about them as this is the first planking and will be filled with steelers. The second planking will be layed differently and hopefully no steelers or very few 
 
Thanks for following rgd Martyn 

Thanks for the likes and comments 
Hi Antony the kit is very well made and the carvings are brilliant and well cast .
As promised a few pictures of what I have been up to. The first planking is going on and to break it up I have built the ships boats. The largest launch I have included some carvings on the stern , not quite sure if they had them but I like them .
More to come so thanks for looking 
 
Rgd Martyn 
 

Hi Sjors I will post some pics tomorrow but I have noticed you are building the Sovereign of the seas from Deag I built it as my first ship about four years ago 
 
rgd Martyn 

Thank you for all the likes 
A very small update on the SR . I have finished planking the upper hull and have now started on the lower planking.
 The garboard plank has been fitted and left to dry over night. The second one was butted up and glued to the first one, it's a bit of a slow process as that nasty four letter word gets in the way ie work so the time for building is limited at the moment. Can't wait for next week as I am on the early shift and get all the afternoon to build. As you can see there are gaps between the planks that end in a sharp point at the stern , not to worried about them as this is the first planking and will be filled with steelers. The second planking will be layed differently and hopefully no steelers or very few 
 
Thanks for following rgd Martyn 

Thanks harry ive noticed there seems to be a few ex rc guys around here that have now turned to ship building hopefully the skill sets will be similar and I wont be to lost ,as for the flying I don't anticipate that happening for at least a year and hope to have joined a club and flown some smaller models first seems crazy spending a year building something and sending it in the air but I think if I can pull it off id be real happy just to fly it a few times per year who knows we will see.
 
Back to the Bounty
 
after completion of all the chain links both port and starboard im onto placing the foremast
 

 
using my jig shown previous to set the angle first fitted was the forestay

then came the shrouds

followed by the backstays

and finally more forestays
forgive me if im not using the correct names of lines here

tomorrow evening I will complete the foremast by adding the lower rat lines then its onto the main mast using this little jig
 

thanks again for the views and comments guys

 

Thank you for all the likes 
A very small update on the SR . I have finished planking the upper hull and have now started on the lower planking.
 The garboard plank has been fitted and left to dry over night. The second one was butted up and glued to the first one, it's a bit of a slow process as that nasty four letter word gets in the way ie work so the time for building is limited at the moment. Can't wait for next week as I am on the early shift and get all the afternoon to build. As you can see there are gaps between the planks that end in a sharp point at the stern , not to worried about them as this is the first planking and will be filled with steelers. The second planking will be layed differently and hopefully no steelers or very few 
 
Thanks for following rgd Martyn 

Hi Sjors I will post some pics tomorrow but I have noticed you are building the Sovereign of the seas from Deag I built it as my first ship about four years ago 
 
rgd Martyn 

Deadeye blocks are in progress

Port side gun ports are in place, hull is sanded and ready for the second planking! 
 
Started working on the stern below the cabin balconies. Framed up the stern ports and planked up to the balconies with the finish layer.
 
Going to take a break on her for a little while now before I really dive into the second planking. There is a lot of it but the second layer tends to go faster than the first and once I get going on it, I like to see it to the end. So before that I want to work some more on La Couronne as she is nearing completion. I may push to finish her up before I return to this log so it may be awhile before there are any new progress pics on here.
 

 

 

I suppose everyone has met them at some point: these commercial model parts or accessories which for me are a pain to look at.  I would really like other modelers to tell me what they think about them.
Ship wheel: it seems pretty impossible to find a wheel of the right thickness: I just saw in the build logs an absolutely beautiful model built with extreme care and attention to detail, but with a thick, clumsy white wooden(?) wheel.  Then you have the metal wheels in the Caldercraft kits: beauiful kits of course, with a wheel in the right size, but much too thin.
 
Barrels:  their metal bands are molded in relief but could better be replaced with black paper strips (at least three each side of the barrel.  And yes, this is fairly easy to correct
 
"Bubble" pins: Caldercraft seem to have delivered thinner items as from their Victory kit, but it seems to me that all commercial items are way too thick not only to look good, but also allow lines to pass between them easily.  OK, it is possible to sand them a little, but it would be damn difficult to make a full row of them exactly the same size, I think.
 
Gun carriages: I will not comment on the metal items that are almost impossible to rig, but rather on the wooden items one finds in most kits, the sides of which are parallel, which is a gross and quite visible mistake.  It seems to me that this would be quite easy to correct, but I have never seen a build log description of, it, and never have done it  myself.  I suppose one could cut the bottom of the carriage lengthwise, and reglue it after inserting a (very) thin triangular strip.
 
Anchors:  while most manufacturers have excellent anchor parts in their kits, some still deliver items which are either out of scale (ex.: Sergal's Dutch Whaler) or very clumsy (ex.: Euromodel's Renommée, an otherwise superb model.
 
Red lights and blue windows:  these definitely should look transparent (ship lights) and gloss black (windows)
 
Has anyone comments?
 
JP
 
 

First i agree with juhu
 
For me about sailing ships
Plastic model sailingships or wood model sailingships are a world of difference.
The (current) plastic kits are relatively "cheap" and well-detailed.
And yes, (again) many of these kits come from China or other low cost countries.

To me, some makers of wooden model ships still seem to be somewhere in the 70s or 80s (NOT all of theme).
But these models are still being built by companies that have to make a profit.
Building a wooden model of a ship. Is for many builders a dream that takes too long and never reaches the end.
 
A combination of wood and plastic or resine would be ideal.
 
Comment on your question :
Nobody says you can not do a combination of the 2 yourself.
Plastic model builders sometimes mix models from different manufacturers. And then use only the best pieces.
Expensive
But those choices are to be made.
 
To start, building a wooden model ship is expensive in purchase.
But considering the amount of hours spent on building a wooden model. It is relatively cheap hobby.