BLACK VIKING

Hi Lucien,
Many of us scrap first and second attempts so you are not alone by any means.   One small suggestion, the plug looks to be grooved similar to the method Frolich details in his book The Art of Ship Modeling.  I found this to be troublesome with the frames getting stuck in them at times.  An alternate is to leave the plug smooth and glue tiny spacers where the frames go.  Just need to be sure they are shallower than the frames.   For scantlings of every part of many types of English boats, W.E. May's book Boats of Men of War is a great help.
 
The below is 1:128 scale 31 foot long boat using the plug method so it can be used at least down to that scale.  The last photo is a larger plug (1:48) that shows the spacers. 
 
Allan

I have the second in my new line up of alternative printed resin boats almost ready. This is a 24 and 26 foot launch, complete with windlass and davit.

I can’t escape the fact that I continue to fail at this chain-making exercise.  As the old maxim goes, though, every failure is one step closer to success.
 
I’ve now thrown away two whole batches of chain preventer plates.  While I was quite right to follow Andre Kudin’s example, for the process of their manufacture, I eventually discovered that that process is not entirely transferable from 1:48 to 1:96 scale.
 
After forming his basic links, Andre solders them closed at one end, and then places the closed link back onto the two pins so that he can crimp an eye on each end with his round pliers.
 
Well, the 28 gauge brass wire I’m using does not provide enough surface area for a strong enough bond to survive the crimping.  My success to failure ratio was pretty poor:

So, my lesson from that exercise was that I needed to do the crimping before soldering one end closed:

These soldered loops will be the lowest end of the chains, bolted into the wales.  That way, I could induce a series of bends into the upper half of each preventer plate, so that they could overlay the next small link:

Above I’m just using another preventer plate to check that the bends I’m making are sufficient.
 
So, I spent a good chunk of time cleaning up the solder and inducing bends into the remainder of the preventer plates.  The solder joint will be re-enforced with the CA glue that fixes the pin-bolt in place:

With that out of the way, I could make a new, slightly closer-spaced pin jig for the next small link, which is only crimped on one end, where it seats beneath the preventer plate.
 
Now that I have a process that I know will work, and now that I’ve had all of this practice, these next links should go fairly quickly:


I have a lot of these to make, solder and bend - about 70 to ensure I can use the best.  This has all been a colossal PITA, but it was really important to me that all of this look very clean and uniformly shaped.  In the process, I have acquired some very valuable metal skills that will only enhance this and future projects.
 
That said, I am going to experiment with using black nylon thread of an appropriate diameter to connect the deadeye strop loops to the small links.  This would essentially be a variation on the way that the stock kit represents these links, but I will do individual chain loops that draw tight with some form of slip-knot that I can pull up and hide behind the deadeye strop.
 
Andre had a great method for producing these variances, but it is all just that much more tedious in the smaller scale.
 
The advantages of doing this are several.  So long as there is not a jarring difference in appearance between the black thread and the blackened metal, it will save me tremendous amounts of time.  It also simplifies the difficulty of accurately measuring and keeping track of a series of increasingly longer links as the shroud angle increases from fore to aft.  Lastly, it greatly simplifies the placement of the deadeyes because I can add the retaining strip, in advance, and it also makes it much easier to locate and properly secure the bottom two links.  Hopefully, that will work out.  
 
Well, I keep saying that I’m going to get back in the swing of the project, and then I get sucked into coaching another basketball team - now my son’s Spring rec team.  Meanwhile, the Rangers and Knicks are just too compelling to ignore this post-season.  At least for now, I can see the end of the tunnel for these chains, which is tremendously motivating, and then I can return to the more immediately gratifying work of outfitting and arming the main deck.
 
Thank you all for taking the time to look back in on This Old Build.  More to come!
 

I am happy to remove the word "dead". The rest I leave to the moderator. This is an open forum and disagreement is allowed as long as it is polite so maybe dead wrong is a poor choice of words.
Woodrat
 

One of the things I really enjoy about Steven’s builds is the sheer amount of historical research from primary sources that is done, and the debates that interpreting those sources creates.
 
I have learned a lot from them and it is incredible to see the models take shape that embodies that research.

Before Steven builds something, a lot of research is done in advance.
There is always a lot to learn in his build logs.
And they are great to follow. 

More rigging 🙂
Still a lot to do, also cleaning up and some ropes I want to redo, but here she is, close to seaworthyness 😉
And I really will do some proper photos soon, but you know how it goes, no time cause stays to attach
 
 

Many innocent sheets of material died to bring you these pictures...
 
This is the fifth hull I have made up, with incremental changes with each new version. I usually just remove and replace the parts I change, but there are many interlocking parts with this one, that I felt more comfortable restarting the whole hull assembly with all updated designs, so that I know all fits as they should. This will not be the final form, however, but am comfortable continuing using the hull form (which is final) to get more information for parts that fit onto it.
 
Hull has been sanded, ready to take gunport bulwark template (which are next to design)
 
(This will be thrown away once all info has been garnered from it...)
 

Iron work on the hanging knees in the orlop is done ,I ended up just painting them! , and the 1st gunport is in - the tolerances with this kit are so fine you could fit the gunport's in place without glue and they wouldn't move.
 
Richard
 

Most of the rope coils have been installed.  I have 11 coils to make ,10 for the Bowlines and one for the flag.




Looks like I might have past inspection. Captain Marvin says it'll do. But he was quick to point out I was missing  3 coils on the starboard side.  Lol  😆. 
Captain  Marvin  also says that the corners of the sails needs  to be sized with black rope they look to shabby.  He being  picky because he got his two week notice, he is being transferred. 

After all we been through, your replacing ME with Pilgrams !!!!! .
   Also today I made my frist Bowline , one down 9 to go.  First I made up the double blocks, then attaching them to the ship I made a Bowline  Looks not to bad. I can't get an opinion about it from Captain Marvin  lol he's  such a moddy little  fellow.  😂 


The rock is in site , really  lol. I made this for the display case, I will see if I keep it, I like it, the first Mate says find a nicer rock. Beauty  is in the Eye of the beholder. I think it fits the ship .
 So 9 Bowlines 2 flags to go. Oh yes and 11 coils lol. 
Thank you very much everyone 😊 😀. 
Bob M.
 
 

I worked page 28 into it but it doesn't quite line up with the rest yet.
 
 

I think you're right in removing the occy, Dick. It did seem out of place.
 
Steven

The octopus gave it the look of a sea going food truck. Not very piratical.
 
Regards,
Grant

I am really not happy with the octopus. There is no iconographic evidence for its use on galleys or any other ship, so it is gone. I have gone instead for a more austere look. I am happy with the figurehead. Prof Wachsmann has published his thesis that these figureheads reprsent birds' heads and that may be so in most cases but in the case of the Tragana ship the backward curved protuberances on the "beak" resemble no bird I know but would be consistent with a crocodile.

Dick

better and better!  amazing job

Hi all sorry for the long delay but life has got in the way.  I've been working on the yards and sails. These have been made from a old shirt that has been cut and distressed by rubbing them with rough sandpaper and then painted with different greens and browns. 
Next job more sails 
Thanks for looking 
Martyn 

Left planking of the forward and aft platforms until after varnishing the main hull unit, in order to improve access (it was already difficult enough underneath the fixed quarterdeck structure...)
Plan 21, an estract of which is shown below (© Estate of John F. Coates, reproduced with permission) shows the planking of the forecastle planking stopping short of the port and starboard extremities (I guess, because there is no beam for the forward edge of any plank to rest on...). As you can see in the image below, ive gone along with this despite the obvious hazard involved with getting a foot caught up in the gap if the ship rolls at the wrong moment...

The aft moogin platform is shown in Plan 23 , an estract of which is shown below (© Estate of John F. Coates, reproduced with permission) together with my interpretation, which has ended up a bit wider at the aft end...

 

Thanks...The hinges are now in stock..
 
I will have a lot of bulkhead doors to make.  Another feature I absolutely hate is making the door knobs.  No matter how hard I try they never look good to me.  So my preference is to make handles.  These are not easy to make from scratch.  But the laser cutter makes it pretty easy.
 
My Speedwell bulkhead door mock up is pictured.
 
So I will be using old fashioned 18th century door handles instead of knobs.  I think they look much more interesting.  I have made 3 sizes again for my own personal use.  They are made from the black plastic I have been using.   If there is any interest in these I can also make them available.  Just let me know.   Once they are glued onto the doors, I like to use a sharp #11 blade and thin down the bottom of the handle itself to make it curved.  This is more in keeping with the 18th century style I have seen used.  They take forever to laser cut and are so crazy tiny.  But its just a matter of popping them out of the sheet and gluing them on.  That is if I dont drop them on the floor and they are lost forever.
 
Let me know if you guys would like these made available.
 
 


And some real ones I used but I cant get them this delicate looking...but it will do.
 

 
 

Continued from previous post...
 
The Loading Dock
 

 

 

 
The Main Dock
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
That completes the series of "glam" shots and brings this project to a close. I'd like to thank all of you who have followed along and offered support, encouragement and advice along the way. This has been a most enjoyable diversion into this style of modelling and I've learned a lot along the way. i do have another of these kits in my stash (Foss's Landing), but I've got a ship or two to build first.
 
Stay tuned for the next exciting adventure!
 

Well, that's where we are at the moment.

I think the books have some errors...
Standard 81T0833

This arrangement is therefore not correct at all.

And is shamelessly copied in the next book.

And this is what it actually looks like in the drawing.
A channel or rigging rail a little bit lower.
The Calderkraft model also follows this arrangement. Thanks @Mr Pleasant 
 
 
And so does our Russian colleague.
https://www.shipmodeling.ru/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=71379  thanks @firdajan

next
horizontal planking or curved straight
Most from this period seem to go for horizontal.
The curved straight ones are starting to become a bit old-fashioned in this period, it seems to me

Thanks for following

Excellent work Greg  -  those  should  weather  really  well.
 
OC.

I’ve made a start on hand painting the figures. Being civilians I wanted to mix up some colours. One I get my base coat down I’ll give it a clear coat before weathering 

Garnet Tackle work. 

Evening all,   work  has started on the  porch,  I  transferred  the paper  to  my  MDF  then using my sharp  knife  I cut them  out, then  after making  the Two  sides and front  and also  the  door  - I glued them together  using  Super Glue  for a  faster stronger bond  -  this  is  where  I am  with it.
 
OC.