Auvergne

Photos

Some more photos

Hello all. I will start posting photos of my Vasa build again. Please be patient. I have about 600 photos of my build already and I will select the most significant ones.
General impression of the kit

 

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This error had to be corrected. Slot too small for main mast. 
 

 

 

 

 

 
I used two glues here. Regular wood glue in the inner joints and then I ran a string of hot glue over the outside joints. Seems to have worked pretty well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Rig this piece BEFORE attaching the deck
 

 

 

 

 
Building wooden doors: Spread glue on a business card or similar cardboard
 

 

 
Cover it with round toothpicks, put some weight over them and wait to dry
 

 
When dry, paint with black paint or ink, taking care to let paint go thoroughly between the toothpicks
 

 
When the paint is dry, sand flat the toothpicks, which will leave a dark line between them
 

 

Oh my God! Look at the size of this skeleton. It fills my table! And without bowsprit!!
Where am I going to do the actual work??? 

You will never ever see my workspace this neat and clean again. (I must confess it wasn't me, but my cleaning lady.) 
Now I feel more motivated to start building.
And yes, this is all the room I have to build my ships. 

Hello all.
Couldn't wait and I'm posting these photos with the sole purpose of starting my Royal Louis build log.

 
I'm under the impression this will be a real challenge.
 
Box and contents shown. I know before hand I won't be using some of the stuff in this kit. Like those metal boats: Plan to purchase wooden kits for those parts. Blocks: I'm planning to purchase blocks from an external source. Rigging thread: I will make my own. Too many metal parts. Still don't know which I will use or won't. Will decide in due time.
 
Actual build photos will come later.
 
All you see in the photos is all the room I have to build. That is a blanket closet. 
I dream of a really big and spacious shop. 

I'm still sorting things out and testing.  I made a batch of colored glue using EdT's instructions but with black pigment instead of the raw umber he used.  I've tested it and may have to add a touch more pigment.
 
Here's a photo of a wood sample I worked up.  
 
Bottom section is cherry, boxwood, and swiss pear with three coats of wipe on poly, sanded with 600 grit paper between coats. I'm happy with the poly and will (hopefully) use boxwood for the keel, stem, and stern (including rudder).  Cherry is framing and Swiss Pear is the external planking.
 
Top half was with the colored glue.  Boxwood, Swiss Pear, and Silver Maple.   I like the effect though I need a tad more practice with it.  Maybe a bit darker but I'll hold until I can see it under something other than a gray, overcast sky and indoor lighting.  Testing will continue.
 

Hi,
 
I used a smooth (?) pencil on the edges of the Planks. I think it works quite good. It is not too thick but thick enough to give the Imagination of caulking...
 
 

I personally wouldn't go that route. Even if that's the closest possible to the real thing, I don't think it would be feasible on a scale model. What scale is your Xebec? My opinion is the inking of the sides of the planks is enough.

Consider the scale ,i sometimes wonder if anything above 1:75 needs anything  .My experience is limited but have used the pencil method a couple otf times with reasonable success , Have never tried thread as most reports i read it,s not always satisfactory .Good luck in your choise !!!

If I were you I would choose another option. One less messy and easier to do
David B

John,
I've seen it done.  Use the thinnest thread you can find, even thinner than the kit rope.  Sanding and/scraping does become issue however as it tends to fuzz the thread. 

Here's my deck that I used a straight edge to cut the cross cuts and then a number two pencil to simulate caulk and nails. I made sure the pencil point was always sharp to set the graphite deep so it will never smear.

I once used bristles (sp?) from a broom to simulate treenails for my Endeavour

Ollie, you are doing a wonderful job! It is evident you are quite passionate about your craft! Best wishes and keep us posted...your work is phenomenal.
 
 
John E

I see both of you men as true craftsmen! I hope you two do not mind I have followed both and learned a great deal. Thank you kindly for the valuable lessons!
 
John E

The cabin looks great Ollie! I could not give you advice though since I am just beginning again but I follow your work and I can only hope to have the skill level you have here. I am sending some photos of my build...perhapps some advice from you would be very helpful.
 
Kind Regards Ollie.
 
John

You have accomplished a great job Ollie! Great looking work. You taught me some good pointers tonight and I thank you. I need to paint my interior work.Thanks Ollie!
 
John E.

Hi Ollie...Love the Rum barrels!! You are doing a great job and I will be following your beautiful build. Best luck to you. You know what you are doing for sure. Thanks for sharing your photos.
 
John

Beautiful! Such a gift you have. I have always desired to design and build my own yacht, and I have some who are my favorites by John Alden, S&S as yourself, many others...
 
I did not realize how miniature you were building till I saw her in your hand. Superb craftsmanship and patience. I wish I could grasp drawing the lines a little better than I do but you have delighted me with great tips.
 
Please keep posting as I enjoy your work!
 
Thanks.
 
John E.

Zeus Cat,
 
This was a very nice post you made and wonderful advice. My hat is off to you and I thank you, kindly. I have since moved on but the holidays have made me lazy. It is back off to school for me so the model making will be much slower. I have the Bireme in the paint facility in my shop and will not give her up...every project I have done does seem to have a way to resurrect itself so letting her sit for a while is surely a great idea.
 
Thanks Zeus!
 
John

Zeus Cat,
 
This was a very nice post you made and wonderful advice. My hat is off to you and I thank you, kindly. I have since moved on but the holidays have made me lazy. It is back off to school for me so the model making will be much slower. I have the Bireme in the paint facility in my shop and will not give her up...every project I have done does seem to have a way to resurrect itself so letting her sit for a while is surely a great idea.
 
Thanks Zeus!
 
John

Zeus Cat,
 
This was a very nice post you made and wonderful advice. My hat is off to you and I thank you, kindly. I have since moved on but the holidays have made me lazy. It is back off to school for me so the model making will be much slower. I have the Bireme in the paint facility in my shop and will not give her up...every project I have done does seem to have a way to resurrect itself so letting her sit for a while is surely a great idea.
 
Thanks Zeus!
 
John

Zeus Cat,
 
This was a very nice post you made and wonderful advice. My hat is off to you and I thank you, kindly. I have since moved on but the holidays have made me lazy. It is back off to school for me so the model making will be much slower. I have the Bireme in the paint facility in my shop and will not give her up...every project I have done does seem to have a way to resurrect itself so letting her sit for a while is surely a great idea.
 
Thanks Zeus!
 
John

John E.
 
I am new to this forum, but I agree with the others here; you are being too hard on yourself.  There are two critical lessons one must learn when doing something artistic.  First, nothing will be perfect and second, when it is time to stop and move on to the next part of the project.  Most people pick up on the first one quickly, but the second one is a lot tougher to learn.   
 
Over the years I have done model and high power rocketry, oil painting, watercolor, scale modeling, wooden ship models, photography, stained glass, woodworking and even some writing.  I am a mathematician/engineer by profession so I can be a little obsessed with getting stuff right, but most of my hobbies have taught me to learn to put the paint brush, pen or glue down at a certain point and declare a project is done.  The same thing applies to individual steps in a project.  I could keep pouring time and effort into a particular part, but I really won't improve it significantly for the time spent.  I have learned to accept that it won't be perfect, but it will be good enough.
 
I have a stained glass project that amazes everyone who sees it.  Most of the mistakes I made in that project I have long since forgotten, but some I notice every time I look at it.  I don't let it bother me; I appreciate it for what it is. 
 
Even if you decide your ship isn't great I urge you to keep it around.  We all learn from our mistakes and keeping your bireme around will help you remember things that didn't go quite as you planned and maybe try something different the next time.  And it will give you a great reference point when you complete your next project.  You can look at your bireme and see how much you have improved.