BLACK VIKING

Martyn,
 
Yes looking awesome indeed. Really enjoying following along. Your work is super precise and well articulated.
 
Cheers,

Absolutely brilliant work the sails are stunning 
 
Martyn

Wow thanks for the brilliant comments Anthony and EJ  
Butting up the strakes just wouldn't cut it oops sorry about the pun   but seriously I am really pleased with how it's gone, once there finished a light sand and a coat of varnish and that's it 

Thanks you all for the comments and the support guys.
 
A bit more work done on the SR .
 
 I have planked the beak and the keel as I didn't like the dark brown stain . Next job fitting the rudder. The pintails and hinges were gold plated but I didn't like the colour so have painted them a iron colour with a wash of brown then on to fitting the strakes down the side. I am really pleased on how this is turning out and have decided not too paint further down the hull as I think it looks ok 
 
Thanks for following 
Martyn
 
 

After completing planking of the stern. I had the problem of how do I now continue
No good plans or drawings and no remains of a shipwreck to look at.
Only some ideas in my head that I could not transfer on my model.
 
So, why do not make drawings on the model.
How? Using Post-it , magic tape, pencil and paper.
very easy. If it turns out that the dimensions are not correct. A new post-it on the model and I just start drawing again.
I have never seen this method . But for me this way is very helpful.

 
Gun ports are made.
 
 
The front frame is first reinforced before further planking. This is to avoid warping.
And planking is started.
The wales on this part of the hull are narrower then the one on the lower hull.

 
 
 
The lowest frames are made to the proper hight.
 
 
Don’t now the proper name for this part. But the idea was that is has to look if the wale is
going from front to back in one line.
 
Further planking.
 
Scraping and sanding.
 
 
The planking of the hull is almost done. But first I have to saw more planks  and wales

 
Thanks for following
 
Index in post 1

Wow she is turning into a beast Greyhawk great update 
 
Martyn

Thanks you all for the comments and the support guys.
 
A bit more work done on the SR .
 
 I have planked the beak and the keel as I didn't like the dark brown stain . Next job fitting the rudder. The pintails and hinges were gold plated but I didn't like the colour so have painted them a iron colour with a wash of brown then on to fitting the strakes down the side. I am really pleased on how this is turning out and have decided not too paint further down the hull as I think it looks ok 
 
Thanks for following 
Martyn
 
 

Thanks you all for the comments and the support guys.
 
A bit more work done on the SR .
 
 I have planked the beak and the keel as I didn't like the dark brown stain . Next job fitting the rudder. The pintails and hinges were gold plated but I didn't like the colour so have painted them a iron colour with a wash of brown then on to fitting the strakes down the side. I am really pleased on how this is turning out and have decided not too paint further down the hull as I think it looks ok 
 
Thanks for following 
Martyn
 
 

Welcome to the Winnie project.   
 
Yes I am starting over again.  Many of you might wonder why I would do such a thing.  There are several good reasons actually.  Let me explain.
 
- About 3 years ago during a flood in my workshop,  the 1st Winnie was severely damaged.  Although not submerged the humidty and moisture cause the planking at the bow to open up like a banana being peeled back.   I did fix it as best I could but I will never be as happy with it now.
 
- It has been a long time since I first designed the project and I have learned a great deal since then.    In fact,  I have already made numerous adjustments to the design which will make this model easier to build this time around.  After watching so many folks build the Confederacy kit, the Syren and yes even watching Rusty build the Winnie alongside me....I was able to identify several key areas as trouble spots.   I have since developed new design concepts to make constructing these areas less troublesome and easier all around.
 
- Over the past several years...5 or 6 actually, I have discovered more info and facts about the Winnies appearance appearance.  This includes finding the original draft of the Winnie herself.  I originally used the drafts of her sisters to make the design.  Although very very close,  there are differences and I have made all of the required updates.  I found this plan in Sweden of all places.  I probably could have just continued and nobody would have noticed....but I would have known what the differences were.  Better to do it right!!!

- Lastly,  as all of you know,  this will be a commercial project of some sort.  Probably like Cheerful with a starter package and many mini-kits.   This project is so much larger than Cheerful and a frigate of this size would be very expensive to model.  I wanted to ensure that as many folks who want to build her can give it a try.   To use Boxwood or Pear for a project of this size would run into the thousands possibly and be very costly to manufacture as laser cut parts.   I still do really want to.   But some close friends talked me out of it for good reason.  Anyway....the new version will NOT be made of Boxwood or Swiss pear.  Instead it will be made out of less expensive materials where I could write about the techniques to finish the wood etc.  I think it would benefit others to see a scratch model built from something other than costly boxwood and with some care it can look wonderful.
 

 
 

Thanks you all for the comments and the support guys.
 
A bit more work done on the SR .
 
 I have planked the beak and the keel as I didn't like the dark brown stain . Next job fitting the rudder. The pintails and hinges were gold plated but I didn't like the colour so have painted them a iron colour with a wash of brown then on to fitting the strakes down the side. I am really pleased on how this is turning out and have decided not too paint further down the hull as I think it looks ok 
 
Thanks for following 
Martyn
 
 

Superb job of planking and well done on not using any droppers or stealers  looking forward to seeing your next update 
 
Martyn

Superb job of planking and well done on not using any droppers or stealers  looking forward to seeing your next update 
 
Martyn

Absolutely brilliant work the sails are stunning 
 
Martyn

Superb job of planking and well done on not using any droppers or stealers  looking forward to seeing your next update 
 
Martyn

Absolutely brilliant work the sails are stunning 
 
Martyn

E.J,.
 
Yes sails do add a nice finishing touch. That said get ready to spend a lot, lot of extra time with your build. They (sails) are filled with added work – much more than I had anticipated. Making the sails is easy compared with mounting and rigging them.
 
Not regretting this by any means. But I can work for hours and seem to get nothing done beyond preparing blocks, ropes and knots for one sail (;-) then trying to mount them to their respective masts along with all of the lines and ropes hanging limp to be secured later; so far so good. If I might suggest for your next build find a kit that comes with sail/rigging plans as part of the kit (mine did not). You will be glad that you took the challenge. I’m glad that I am. Thanks for your nice post 
 
In the aggregate it will be so worth the effort. My Santa Maria from so long ago was a walk in the park compared  to this build.
 
Cheers,

Finished the lower hull planking on the starboard side today! Wow that feels good to say that. Better yet but I did it without drops or stealers. Bow, stern and everywhere in between contain 22 strakes from the lowest wale to the keel. Of course now I have to do it again on the other side but I always feel better with the second half after I know my plan has worked on the first. Hopefully have less waste too as I should have fewer do-overs. More to follow!
 

Hi Mates,
 
Here are a couple of full view rigging update views. The sail on the table is a reduced size lower fore. It will be furled - full size furls would have looked too thick
(thanks Frank for that tip)
 
Cheers,

Very nice! After seeing your build I'm going to have a hard time arguing reasons why I can't do sails on mine. Guess I better put sewing lessons on my to do list.   Loving the results and looking forward to seeing more! 

A few hours into today's building session and the first four planks have reached the stem. 

This paper back supplement to volume IV of the The Fully Framed Model Swan series is a little gem.  For those who may not see themselves building the Swan ship, but are looking for a well thought out approach to scale sails which can be displayed deployed or furled, you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy of this booklet.  David presents his approach, including a multi-part jig, in clear and logical steps.  The example sail he presents is square rigged sail for Swan, though one can easily employ his approach for triangular or other configurations.  I plan on using this approach on my schooner's sails - none of which are square.
 
David uses what I will refer to as mixed media as a means of achieving his scale sails, with the basic sail material being silk span.  His results are impressive, and his process appears to me that one, with a little practice, can achieve a surprisingly realistic set of scale sails.  My experience with silk span sails in the past was mixed - owing to the materials and process I had read of and employed on my Oneida brig.  While my sails would furl, I couldn't keep bolt ropes attached, I had difficulty with cringes, etc.  I had used a PVA glue/water/acrylic paint applied to the sail, and PVA glue for all of the attached strips and ropes.  [writer's note - do not follow my aforementioned materials - they will lead you to frustrating times].  David's set of materials and approach allows for clear panel lines, tablings, grommets, cringles, and reefing points.  He shows how sails present light as both front and back lit, and his approach yields a very realistic semi-transparent panels and overlaps.  At the end of the supplement he provides guidance on bending the sail to a yard, reeving details, and then how to furl the sails.  
 
Highly recommended!
 
Elia Gianopulos

Wow I have only been away for a few days and boy have you made some progress. Superb work on the planking EJ as they say round here lovely jubbly  
 
Martyn

Tuesday 29 August 2017
 
The display case setup continues . . Still a few days again . .
 
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DROMON UNPLUGGED!
 
After two years and 5 months since I started planning it, and a year and seven months since I began building, the dromon has finally come off its plug. It was with heart in mouth that I undid the screws that held it in place and carefully jiggled it back and forth to free it up. I was concerned that the cling wrap might not have done its job properly, that glue might have seeped through and stuck the hull to the plug, with possibly disastrous results. But no ominous cracking or splintering sounds, and with a minimum of manoeuvring, the hull came away cleanly!
 

 

 

 

 

 
I had already completed the stand so the newly free hull had something to support it safely. I'd hoped that putting gold paint on the stand would make it look like it was made of gold, but it didn't. What it did look like was gilded wood, which in my opinion is just as good and just as typical of Byzantium.
 

 

 The plug formed a support and and helped protect her from damage. Now she's off it, I have to be a lot more careful to keep her safe from cats and small children (both are risks where we live!). 
 
It was interesting to find that many of the frames had fragments of a thin skin of glue adhering to them, where it had been pressed up against the inner face of the clingwrap and dried, and I needed to crack them off to tidy the inside up. I'm not going to bother with being too thorough getting rid of them, as they'll be hidden by the deck planking anyway.
 
Turning the ship right way up for the first time without the plug and its supporting substructure makes evident for the first time the slim elegant shape of what is effectively a bloody great 90 foot rowing boat.
 

 

 
Removing the clutter at the top by trimming the frames that were sticking up above the gunwales made the shape more elegant still.
 

 

 
And to give some idea of just how thin the planking is, here is the ship with the light behind it - you can see right through the planks! (Note; this also made evident some gaps I hadn't seen when it was on the plug, so I have some more filling to do. But it's really not as bad as it looks in the photo - the light shining behind makes even the tiniest gaps look enormous). And she's so light!  - 70 grams, or 2.4 ounces. I know that there's more to add to her before she's complete, which will make her somewhat heavier, but she will still be very lightweight, as is appropriate for a vessel powered only by human muscle.
 
My temporary (or perhaps I should say one-time) clamps work a treat counteracting the springy frames' tendency to push the sides outwards. The clamps are just held there by friction so I can take them off and put them back on as I work on the rest of the ship. 

 
I won't be able to take them off permanently till I have glued at least a reasonable number of deck beams in place to hold the sides of the hull in, but first I have to do a fair bit of mucking around within the hull, as otherwise the deck beams will get in the way of what I want to do.
 
My next task is to put in a new frame between every pair that are currently in place - due to lack of space I'd only been able to put in every second frame while she was on the plug, so now she needs the rest of them installed. (I've got the new frames already made and bent roughly to the correct curve. But if as I plan to, I soak them before gluing and clamping them in place, I think they'll lose whatever shape they previously had, and will take on the shape of the vessel itself as they dry. So I suppose I might as well not have bothered to bend them in the first place. But that's all part of the learning experience.)
 
Then I have to put in the mast steps, plus the frames to hold the lower oars in position (and I'm still not certain how I'm going to do that). And on and on after that. There's a lot in the sequencing, to avoid painting myself into a corner. 
 
But I'm very pleased with how she's turned out. She's just beautiful!
 
Steven
 
 

Wow I have only been away for a few days and boy have you made some progress. Superb work on the planking EJ as they say round here lovely jubbly  
 
Martyn