BLACK VIKING

hi there Piet.......I'm glad you like it     stanchions.........you know I did think of that.   I went down to the local Home Depot and bought a roll of wire.......a bit late,  but I did.  don't know if the wire will fit in the Billing's stanchions......gotta check to see if I have any first.   If I don't,  I guess I'll be ordering some........need some for the syborn,  my trawler.   there's always the Christmas tree boat  
 
anyway,   I did a bit more refinement on the upper deck.   figured I'd better get a front bulwark up and done  
 

 
I even set up the stair well.   I didn't even give these post time to become loose.........on went the planking.
 

 
it didn't take long...........all that's left now,  is to build up one of the inner stairwell walls
 

 
I finally took care of that short crack line on the floor.
 

 
...and then the cutout for the stairwell.
 

 
flipping it over,  the opening was beefed up and the front cap was laid down across the underside......all this does is prevent it from sliding back and fourth on the structure.   the borders around the sides and this cap are the locator  'bracketing'.
 

 
at the moment,  the front wall is getting shingled up..........it's late though and I'm beginning to poop out

I spend the weekend in the shipyard doing some initial repairs, then some new work.  Because Augie hadn't been able to work on the Confederacy for quite some time, it had collected a little bit of dust and had a small amount of disrepair, including some deck planks that had separated a bit and seemed uneven. So I cleared off some of the cannons and fittings, resurfaced the deck, filled in gaps with sawdust from sanded down Swiss Pear,  then applied some tung oil and a light coat of satin poly.  I also ended up touching up some of the black and red paint that had been negatively affected by dust, etc.
 

 
    During the course of that - I noticed that the steering wheels that had come with the ship, well - just weren't that awesome.  After doing some searching for bits and pieces, it turns out it's actually pretty difficult to find good wheels that are not metal and painted.  So I set about creating new ones. 
 
Attempt #1
 

 
I cut off part of a dowel that was 15mm in diameter - the same diameter as the existing wheels.  I mounted it onto my Dremel vertically, using a small screw attachment to create a version of a lathe.  Then I used dental tools to notch and carve the piece giving it texture.
 

 
However, because the kind of wood I used was hard, but a little too porous and brittle, it crumbled when I attempted to cut it off the end of the dowel with it's new shape.
 

 
Drat.
 
Attempt #2
 
During the second attempt, I used a softer, but more dense piece of wood for the framing of the wheel.  This wood is actually from an old pen case that I had from somewhere.    You never know what you're going to dig up in the extra supply bin.
 

 
I cut it square, rounded the edges, then mounted it on the Dremel as before.  I smoothed out the top and bottom and used my mini level to make sure it was even.
 

 
I used miniature files to care out the edges and give the wheel some shape. 
 

 
For the spokes, I used a strip of boxwood, split it to 2mm, then rounded it with sand paper.  Once again mounting it into my Dremel Lathe, I used a miniature file to shape the spokes. 
 

 
I then mounted them around a center piece, and sanded my frame out to fit, notching the edges slightly to give room to the spokes.
 

 
For the outer handles, I used the same process, and notched the frame out to fit the pieces.
 

 
Finally, I lightly sanded and added a cherry mini-wax stain.  When it's dry, I'll sand it out with 1000 grit sand paper.
 
Now I just have to do another one!  heh

I first took a small drill bill and did the work by hand then used a larger bit to widen the hole.  This way keeping the angle of the rudder was easy. Lastly using the right needle file to widen the hole to more or less where it needs to be 

Hi all
 
Just a small update.
 
Decks are fitted and steps to gun deck.
 
Denis.

so I thought I would make a silly little gun to check the gunports
 

sorry I didn't get to post all the pictures..........walking dead was due to come on.   for those who watch it.......it was a treat, wasn't it?!?!?!? Holy cow!!!  
 
when the admiral finally saw what the improved roof was for,  she was quite relieved.   she thought it was to be attached to the stern in some weird way,  elongating the boat.   I was indecisive concerning stairways........1 or 2.......but I think 1 will be sufficient.  it won't be an ordinary flight of stairs....just something I want to try.   the posts were little buggers......I even used CA........but every time I went to plank,  1 or 2 would come loose.  fix 'em....let'em set.....then try again.   once the ground work {the first row of planking}  was done,  the rest was easy.  in regards to that short 1 inch section of bulwark in the front, well,  I should have waited......or at least left provision for butt joints there.........but no matter,  I can work it into the deck.
 
thanks Piet.......there's more to the evolvement...... I'm sure you'll like that as well  
 
that would be cool George.......best I can do at this time though is a couple of 50 cals.......will that do ?  remember,  it's deer season      Bubba gotta eat........right!?!?!?!
 
I love war movies.......I have the original  'Hamburger Hill' {it's not the movie the clip comes from}      I also have  'Good Morning Vietnam'   not sure where you were going with it,  but I thank you none the less  
 
thanks for all the likes as well  
 
so........I think the minds have been made up.  whether it becomes a heli-pad,  or a rooftop cafe'.........I think the flat roof is the better idea.    the boat is no longer out of proportions,  and the build ebbs back to a more nautical theme.   the comparison is as follows........those for the pitched roof....
 

 
....or is the flat bulwarked roof better.......
 

 
I took a few other shots of the new roof......    the tops of the bulwarks have all been sanded flush to the posts,  and the sides have been sanded as well.   I even did inside between the posts,  to knock down the juts and edges from the planking.  I should do more 'cuz the planking  'lines' can still be felt in places....I may not fuss to heavily on it though...after all,  it is a family owned charter fishing boat during the off season.
 

 
as you may recall,  the model does have a warp at the stern.......I did the 'ole college try to thwart it or at least hide most of it.   I think I did a reasonable job of it........the starboard side looks to be the most visible.   you'll see it when I do the starboard side windows.
 

 

 
I hope to get more done today  

Keep teasing me Dirk, keep teasing me ;-)
 
And now we come to the topics, that the dafi most enjoys!
  If someone gets pissed by this sh*tty topic - no worry, that is life ;-)   First the press gang was send out.     Then I realised, that a quarter drop of superglue can replace some tweezers ...     ... and as usual, there was some serious cutting, bending and reassembling of limbs and wings ...     ... and out came some characters that were a highest delight to create - including some bare bums :-)   And here the gents are already doing their business, tight fit starboard ...     ... everybody just one hole, the stressed faces are easing off ...     ... as everybody eases off, at port a space is free ...     ... but the gent in the red head already comes rushing in with urgent business ...      ... while those sailors in  the corners ...     ... can ease off in peace and quiet ...     ... while the double stools in the front ...     ... are more cosy :-)     The inside of the starboard roundhouse was for the lower officers that could follow the rush outside by the small window ...     ... while as far as I know the one on port was also used by the sickbay.     So that is the way that they are busily sailing towards victory ...     ... but still have to check if the loo paper was used that way hanging into the water to give it always an appearance of clean fresh spring  ;-)     XXXDan

I've been busy over the last couple of weeks. Fairing up the ship and installing "dummy" blocks for the canon barrels that are on decks that do not get built. Also I have had to add extra filler blocks at the bow to help with the planking. None of this was unexpected as I've done it on all my past ships but it does make for a lot of work. I also went ahead and planked the upper gun deck first. Getting it installed helped with aligning the lower gun decks canon blocks as well as helping to square up all the ribs. I also figured it would be easier to plank before the hull closes it in.
 
On the stern, I have been in a debate on what it looks like. I have seen two different images of it repeatedly. One shows it completely flat from the keel up with only the balcony extending over the rudder and the other, which is also the way the instructions with this kit shows, as having the cabins jut out over the rudder and the balcony come out further still. I think I am going to build it the second way mostly because I think I like the way it looks better and that is the way my stern is shaping up. However, if anyone knows the correct design please let me know and I will be glad to make the necessary changes.
 
With regards to the planking. I intend to make this a double planked hull mostly because I know my planking skills are not where I would like them to be for a single planking. Also, since the second plank layer is really just a veneer, I like having the 1st layer to help support the second. One day I hope to become good enough to only plank the hull once but until then this is good practice.
 
So without further ado, here are some pictures to show how the build is going.
 

Mike,
Thanks for the link to the green stain I will have to look into getting some. I think the white may just have to be paint with a little thinning to reduce the build up.
 
Here is a sequence on making the individual plates. I believe in the KISS principle in building processes so you will see a simple but effective fixturing to get three plates at a time. I started using a 4" steel block for these reasons; it is movable, provides finger clearance from the work table, allows a hard surface for the wheels to work against resulting in consistent crisp rivet indentations; and allows firm grip of 6" rule as the guides for the wheels to run against.
 

 
One thing to keep in mind that the copper foil tape may have one crimped edge for the production process and this edge should be positioned along the bottom edge and will be covered by the over lapping plate.

 
This shows how the steel block is taped with both wide blue and regular 1/4" tapes. Make sure the top blue tape is aligned to the top edge of the block so a square can be used to mark the vertical reference lines. Then both the verticals and the top edge marks are added with the small wheel.
 
 
Then the square can be turned to add reference dots for the center area lines. Locate the center dot first and then the additional two spacing them evenly. I did all by eye.

 
Now align the edge of the 6" thin rule to the top dot and parallel to the row of small dots and using the larger wheel add the three rows aligning each to the previous row and to it's reference dot. Take care not to press the wheel too hard and move the tape out of position. Practice a couple to get the feel of both wheels. Also check the wheel head for wheel wobble side to side. If needed carefully tap the center pivot rivet with a small hammer and sneak up on the tightening, don't hit too hard or you can lock up the wheel. I had to do this with the large wheel.

 
This is what the tape should look like with all rows in place.

 
Now with sharp scissors and working under a desk light to highlight the dots cut the plates apart. Note keep the small dot top row up and cut just right of the small dot vertical line.

 
Here are the plates cut apart. Note save the longer left end for keel and bow work.

 
Here they are in place brick work style. I use the #11 Xacto blade to separate the tape backing from the foil with the foil face down with backing up along the edge of the steel block (this will require a little getting use to to do) I hold the foil flat on the tape with the blade and slowly remove the backing. The foil on the end of the blade can carefully be straightened out and I position the lower right corner on the existing plate on the hull and align the edges parallel with the ones above and press into position with my finger from right to left. If re-positioning is needed now is the time to do it; otherwise I firmly press the plate in place using the edge of my thumb nail or finger whichever works best based on location. Once in place repeat for all adding from stern to bow and down from the keel to waterline.

 
Now back to more plating. 
 
 
 
 

Man, this masking business is hard work!
 

 
But the results is very satisfactory, a bit of a touch up here and there, but i'm happy with it.
 

 
 

HI ALL
TIME FOR A VERY QUICK UPDATE.
ALL FRAMES ARE NOW MADE!!!!
SHOULD SEE SOMETHING THAT LOOKS LIKE A SHIP EMERGE IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS.
PHOTOS ENCLOSED.
CHEERS.....MICK

Finally I have finished the standing rigging. It was not so complicated than I first thought. I used Morope`s dark brown threads all around. 1 mm for headstays, 0,6 mm for shrouds, 0,25 mm for lanyards and finally 0,1 mm for ratlines.
All others went well, but I almost lost my nerves again when trying to tye the knots for ratlines. Finally I found solution which was described elsewhere at MSW (Ratlines).
 

 

 

 

 
And now to running rigging & sails....

Masts and booms were made using birch dowel. They were first tapered using small Veritas plane, and finally sanded in the lathe. Boom hinges were made of styrene and brass parts.
Forestays were made of Morope`s dark brown 1 mm rope. I almost lost my nerves trying to make the lashings at the ends of stays. Hopefully my methods improve when work continues, otherwise this will be my first and last wooden ship model.
 
Masts, booms and boom hinges. "Scaleguy" is watching the progress.

 
This picture doesn`t show much. Only that the project is going on.

Guess who's back on my workbench ?  My old friend the Wappen Von Hamburg.  My three year old twins are fascinated by her (they think she looks like a pirate ship).  I managed to sand off the wipe on poly on the lower hull - seal the cracks in the planking with epoxy on my so so planking job (she will be painted off white anyway below the wales) and seal up the deck (from my sorry attempt to show simulated Hahn style deck openings back in 2002).  Ive attached some paint pigment guides from my earlier research - unlike my Confederacy - I want paint her to look as realistic for the period she existed in the 17th Century.  
 
The LGV in 1/36th is still waiting in the wings as is my Confederacy - Im getting back to into the hobby.   I'm finding working on a kit after a long breaks from modeling is relaxing and fun ! 

Good Afternoon all
35c outside here this afternoon, so that's it for the outside work.
So I thought might as well do a little update, any excuse to think ship modelling, will do.



 
The bottom photo is of the first 2 hooked planks for the bow. it
took 4 goes to make the first one. The Jarrah is brittle and breaks little bits off.
 
I will be only posting a limited number photos until I finish planking below the wales.
Its too hard to take a good photo to show the details without doing a proper sanding
and putting a finish on the planks. Specially of the bow.
 
Any way planking is proceeding at usual pace, so won't take too long.
For those that haven't seen this pic I am trying to plank the bow
as per scan 38 on this page
 
http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/1207-endeavour-replica-construction-pics-moved-by-moderator/
 
On a different note I just noticed that I have followers, very flattering, thanks to all.
BUT, Being a follower here doesn't mean that you sit back for an easy ride.
You will need to put in at some stage, I will need it later.
Some have already offered advice and I always say "the more the better"
So chip in especially, if you see me about to do something wrong.
 
Hooroo Chris

The first big decision to make was whether to rig sails or not.  I decided not to, for a number of reasons.  First, I have no sewing skills and no access to a sewing machine.  Second, I wasn't sure even if I could get my hands on a machine and learn to sew that I could find sailcloth that would look realistic at scale.  Finally, I thought sails would obscure a lot of the rigging detail which I wanted to be able to display. 
 
Initially I was going to rig ties, halliards, lifts, and braces only.  This initial set of bowsprit yard photos shows those elements.  Later I decided to rig clewlines, sheets, and tacks as well, and I have some photos of how that turned out too.
 
First step was taking the kit-provided dowel stock and tapering it at each end.  I don't have a lathe, so I accomplished this by putting the dowel in a drill and running sandpaper over it while it spun.  I cleaned up the details with some final hand sanding.  
 
The kit rigging plans are missing two details present on the 1:10 model, Clayton's model, and in period literature.  First are standing stays - deadeyes on the bowsprit and yard connected by lanyards.  Second are garnets - additional bracing rigging via fiddle blocks on the forestay and the bowsprit yard.
 
Here is the result, with blocks and brace pendants.  Note there are no clewline blocks yet - I went back and added those later, once the rest of the yard had been rigged.
 

 
Here's a photo of the completed rigging.  The tie and halliard run under the bowsprit and then attach to a cleat near the base of the bowsprit.  The lifts, braces, and garnets all lead back to pin racks on the beakhead.  At this point I just routed them to someplace reasonable.  Once I finished the bowsprit running rigging, I went back, looked at various sources to see where the lines should end up, and made sure nothing was crossing.
 
The kit plans again diverge from all the other sources in the matter of the sprit yard lifts.  The kit plans show separate sprit topsail sheets, where apparently the bowsprit yard lifts actually did double duty as sprit topsail sheets, and were tied off to ring bolts at the tip of the bowsprit when the sprit topsail wasn't deployed. 
 

 
Some detail on the tie and halliard...
 

 
The garnets, braces, and standing stays.
 

 
I ended up changing the routing of the braces when I discovered they were supposed to have leader blocks on the bowsprit.  Those changes, plus the clewlines and sheets, will be in the next post.
 
 

I noticed this afternoon that there was a strip of molding missing from the bow of the ship. Not sure if it dropped off somewhere, or if Augie was waiting to put it on after the  timber heads were installed, but it was nowhere to be found.
 

 
  Now, I didn't inherit the handy little scoring tool from Chuck and the fine folks at Model Shipways, so I had to take a couple cracks at it old-school style. I laid my metal ruler along the wood, and first scored it with my X-acto knife to ensure a straight line.  Now, when I say "ensure" - I mean took me a couple of tries and a couple of wasted little strips of wood.
 

 
Then, I gouged out the score a little wider with these handy tweezers.  And finally, I folded a piece of 400 grit sandpaper in half, and sanded the groove.
 

 
After mounting the strip, it was time to dig back through the log and find out how to match the coloring.  Turns out, Augie favored a coat of Miniwax prestain, followed by Miniwax "Natural" color, and finally an acrylic coat.  As luck would have it - I have a pretty extensive "Mini-wax" collection, so I think I got her pretty close match to the upper strip.
 

as mentioned......the shingles are going to be a slow mover.   I did complete the stern wall though,  and made it half way up the port side wall.  here is the stern wall.
 

 
and with the window...haven't done anything with them yet.
 

 
I hope to get the port side done tonight.......and maybe get a start on the front wall.

Started changing the bulkheads
First i wanted to block up one of the doors that came out into the stairs and get rid of the middle window.

 
Cut a piece of wood to fit the gap leaving the same size space as the other windows

 
then glued it into the gap

 
Then i planked all the bulkheads



Just need to decide where to place a new door in the bulkhead in the last picture so that it doesn't open into the bilge pipes.
Cant move it to the middle because then it will open into the mainmast so as far as possible to the right is most likely.
Once done just a sanding and a coat of varnish on the planks before i fit the rest of the beams etc to the bulkheads

Thank you Dirk and Mark, yes very happy - still :-)
 
Thank you Frank, I will do so!
  I still was asked how the slots in the timberheads were done:   Opened the hole by twisting the drill carefully up and down. Then I used the file that I already used for the glazing bars of the stern for the sides of the holes and made a even more pointed one for the top and bottom surfaces. Then I used a toothpick to smoothen the edges.       And here still the comparison to the original part :-)   Replaced the gunports, added a threshold, added the outer timberheads, guides for the ropes.     XXXDAn

More pics. I'm happy with the progress so far. It has been very eye opening playing this game of chess- always thinking a few moves ahead.

As you might have guess I had the same issues on the other side as well
 

 
Not so bad from the inside:
 

 
Hopefully all this stuffs will be covered good after the final planking/lining
 
Of course as with all parts until now, the fitment remains a problem...


 
Same for the stern:

 
For which I also had a bending problem
 

 
P.S.: Can you recommend me a tool (even with link) that is used to bend such parts or all parts? Because I start to get the feeling that without such tool it's pretty much impossible not to break them

Hello my friends
 
now this is the last update for my Endeavour
 
I finished the model and created a Gallery in the Gallery section with 22 pics
 
Thank you all for your attention, your comments and all the kind words.
 
I will take a break now, but I will be back with my next project. This will be the Fregatte Berlin by Corel, but sure not before April.
 
Cheerio
 
Max

Finally

I have decided to hang one or two of the ships boats from the Quarter Davits. That then leaves more space in the waist to allow a better view down into the Gun Deck. Also I like the way a boat on the Davits looks. So before I get into the next round of rigging I assembled and loose rigged both Quarter Davits. I had predrilled for the bracket pins a long time ago and they went on with no real problem by using a pin punch between the deadeyes. I have left some of the rigging adjustable so I can set up the boats later.

And so onto the Braces. Because they are outboard of the hull and might get snagged I am rigging they loose at the moment. First the Fore Yard all run but then loosened off.

Then the same for the Main Yard.

 tightened down the Main Yard Braces to allow me to make up and rig the lizards on each side, then slackened off again.

That’s me up to date with photos, it’s getting a bit busy in there now. I really love the way a model starts to come to life as the rigging goes on.
I have also rigged the Crossjack Yard with Braces now.
And I’m starting to make up blocks and lines for hanging the Driver Gaff which is the next task.
 
Thanks for dropping by
 
Nick
 
 
 

Thanks to all .
I continue with instalation of windows.