Auvergne

Very nice Ollie, very professional....time well spent I'd say!! I would be interested in knowing how you are going to cut glass though and at what thickness? You are doing very well!
 
Keep up the grand work mate!!

Seems like all I am doing is making too many mistakes folks....is there any rule that says we can make this what we want it to be besides what its supposed to be....anyway, I'll post some pics after putting them on my HD ....thanks for following all.
 
I thought i would add something to this since she is not turning out too well...Mmmmm, just don't know. Constructed a detailed railing around the upper deck (only have one side complete, but not painted), wondered if there were any thoughts...since I am having trouble figuring the bow out.
 
I think I goofed some where....
 
John

Hi guys and gals. I wanted to show my progress on this Bireme Greek Warship the past few days.
 
First, I had to do some painting on the topside merely to show a progressive schedule I hold myself accountable for. I need to see a progressive advancement to feel as if I am actually accomplishing something. Not sure why, but that’s how I work.
 
Secondly, I have caught some mistakes; i.e. using too much glue (so instead of the glue applicator I now use a paintbrush), slow but it looks better; I don’t know how I did this but my calculations for the bow was like way off. Don’t know what I was thinking…
 
So for the bow I have had to cut away some planking and replace @ the CL of the bulkhead, where now I do not have 1 continuous piece of planking all the way through the hull from stem to stern in some areas as shown in the pictures.
 
I am learning though. Actually, I have discovered with a mixture of water & wood filler at very thin doses works well on the inside of the hull as a filling agent to cover minor and small defects. Not sure if that is actually legal or not but I did not want this baby to go to the scrap pile just yet.
 
I then sand the hull down with 400# sand paper (again, hope that’s OK), then with a #0000 steel wool to give it a flat shine and reduce any grit caused by the wood filling agent I created.
 
Once complete with the hull’s bow I will do minor aesthetics throughout the hull and then…tackle the beast, the stern, or prow…wish me luck…
 
BTW, the instructions on this thing are quite minimal…a good kit for the most part, but one must know some woodworking skills as well as a small bit of Marine Engineering, but truly, nothing major. I just like to sound as if I know what I am talking about…(DOH?!).
 
See ya’ll next time! Have a great night! I am learning folks.
 
John E (Auvergne).

Good morning friends,
 
I wanted to give you an update on my Bireme Greek Warship. It is coming along good (I am thinking), but as we all know it is not complete until the painting is complete. That is why I am making this post at this time.
 
Even though she is not complete and I have much work still yet to do I decided to paint her upper deck. I have decided to make her my own paint design. This is the only difference I will make and try to keep her anatomically correct in her historical value. (Though I have not done much research with the exception of what I have learned from Arthur and others.
 
I hope this meets with everyone and your satisfaction.
 
Have a happy day of modeling.
 
John E

Here following is the better photo of my progress.

Very nice Ollie, very professional....time well spent I'd say!! I would be interested in knowing how you are going to cut glass though and at what thickness? You are doing very well!
 
Keep up the grand work mate!!

Ok hi again all.  Must have spent about 6 hours since last pictures.. Finished Companionway besides final touches and handles.. Built a new stairway out of hard wood. was much trickier but much happier with the finish..  Still waiting on mini plane to do first planking so will move onto skylight now I think. of course  I want to make it much more realistic and with real glass or perspex perhaps.. I can cut glass no worries..Its just going to be small pieces..

You are receiving superb advice Kim, keep on keeping on....

Kimberley,
 
You are doing an awsome job! Keep up with this beautiful work and you will be into the contest or gallery scene. Nice job!
 
John

Kimberley,
 
Your Santa Maria looks fantastic! You did a beautiful job painting her. You have a realism and antique look about her. I like very much!! Keep up the beautiful work you are doing. My goodness you have learned so much!
 
John

I got the hull painted today.  I really do like the acrylic paint.  I think I did a pretty good job.  I need to do a few touch ups, but otherwise I think it looks pretty good.  I am feeling more comfortable with the paint now.  It is not as intimidating as I thought it would be.
 

more work on the steering hut
 
unfortunately i broke the wave catcher so i had to remake one out of boxwood and stained it. pretty close to the right colour. the photo enhances the difference wiht normal eye unless pointed out yo uwoudlnt notice it
 
 

more work on the steering hut
 
by now i had decided to light her up and i bought al lthe neccessary leds, resistors and wiring
 
trying out the light in the engine room and it looks good

finshied the rubbing strakes
 
assembled the paddlewheel
 
started building the steering house

to lay the fishbone pattern i drew some lines on the deck to make sure i kept it straight.
to cut all the planks to the same length (50mm) i made a liitle gig
third error the holes for the big smoke stacks dont line up
 
the last picture is the little jig i used to caulk the edges of the planks with a black pencil

pictures of the assmebly and planking of the hull
 
at this time i had found out i didnt have enough to plank the whole hull due to the fact that the planks are only 5 mm wide and not 6 mm . the first of the errors i encountered
 
also the assembly of the boiler and engine room on the first deck. second error here is that the slots to fit the boiler room in the first deck or not positioned correctly. soem people made the room a bit longer i chose to just cut the front bit off and cover that hole as moaking th eroom longer meant the top wouldnt line up with the second deck
 
was also working on the stateroom of the second deck. i have undone all things i have done to it as i have decided to add led lights to it so i wil need to scratch build windows and doors

Seems like all I am doing is making too many mistakes folks....is there any rule that says we can make this what we want it to be besides what its supposed to be....anyway, I'll post some pics after putting them on my HD ....thanks for following all.
 
I thought i would add something to this since she is not turning out too well...Mmmmm, just don't know. Constructed a detailed railing around the upper deck (only have one side complete, but not painted), wondered if there were any thoughts...since I am having trouble figuring the bow out.
 
I think I goofed some where....
 
John

A lot of thought went into that. Very nicely done. Light will shure get down into the hull to show off your inside work.

Ah no its not red cedar at all, i think the veneer i have is QLD cedar.
 
Auvergne. if you have a build log i will comment there, if you read my first post i am new to model ship building , this is my first. I have very little knowledge of boats and even less on your ship..,I'm just handy and have been building things for as long as i can remember.. looks good though.. look forward to finding your log.. Regards. Ollie

Wow Mark! I, at this stage in my modelling career may only hope to be as skillful as yourself. Excellent job you are doing. I am presently studying for a scratchbuild but so far have only gotten as far as the Ship Model Builders Assistant....reading now about your first scratchbuild and how to plan before you do any cutting.
 
Thanks for sharing your build as I will be following, too. Good luck friend.

Well there goes another 2 hrs on the companionway, tidying interior paint, fixed doors in place and made a door sill at bottom to prevent water getting in and stop doors at a specific point when closed.. basically just have to decorate sides and front now..
 
Can anyone advise any ideas to add to interior of companionway, i figure there would have been a light, considering it is built in 1917, what sort of lighting would this ship have? Lanterns i figure..
 
Another thing i have to work out now is handles for doors an hatch, any ideas for making them or where to source them easily on internet?
 
Im considering rebuilding another set of stairs as the set i have made are cut a bit short from prior fiddling. (they fall just below deck height.  It would be nice to make them out of a genuine hard wood like the black bean that i made the door sill out of. Very hard.. I don't really like to stain timber. Love the natural finish and color..
 
Regards Ollie

I asked Dad about the wood but havnt seen him in person to look, he said there was originally.
-Western red Cedar (Oregon)
-Queensland (Qld) maple
-Black Bean
-Qld Ash
 
The three bottom timbers are Australian
I think what i have is Red cedar 1.9mm veneer (what i have used on roof and doors)   ... and then the larger pieces are Black Bean (door sill)
 
What this ship was actually built out of was teak. Looking at some teak and the western red is kind of similar. Would be nice to get hold of some teak.. We will see.

Seems like all I am doing is making too many mistakes folks....is there any rule that says we can make this what we want it to be besides what its supposed to be....anyway, I'll post some pics after putting them on my HD ....thanks for following all.
 
I thought i would add something to this since she is not turning out too well...Mmmmm, just don't know. Constructed a detailed railing around the upper deck (only have one side complete, but not painted), wondered if there were any thoughts...since I am having trouble figuring the bow out.
 
I think I goofed some where....
 
John

I have been getting some inspiration from this lovely photo of inside the Endeavour replica.. I am not sure what colour to do walls in interior but im thinking of planking them horizontally and painting white or raw timber perhaps, any suggestions welcome.. Thanks so much everyone.. Ollie

Now im finishing the interior and the plan i have is hard to read at best... Could anyone guess what the fixture i have circled would be most likely..
 
I have thought a lot, it seems like its next to the stores and perhaps the galley. Maybe a sink or wash area or perhaps some sort of closet.. I will just adlib it if its too hard to judge..
 
 
 
Here is the link, on this PDF you can zoom in, but quailty of original image is still poor..   http://www.anmm.gov....s86_Mermaid.pdf