UdoK

Hi folks, I am about to head off on some holidays so I thought I had better post an update of my latest additions to my Endeavour.  the rigging is proving to be a challenge in determining what goes where as this is my first rigged model.
cheers
 
Pat
 
 
 

Update on the Planking below the wales:
Slowly going bow to stern adding the planks on.
 
Planks mid ship are easy(straight), just need a bit of the upper edge for the round and glue on.
 
Planks fore and aft ! each is planned, cut to shape, edges bevelled and placed under steam(kettle) and bent as close to the hull shape as possible > pic below. Makes it so easy to then glue in place. But each is a lot of work.
 
Bow: I am continuing to drop planks(5 now) to let each lower one to run up to the wales just back from the bow. These dropped planks just don't sit flat(naturally) when I tried to run them to the bow, so have dropped them. Maybe the bow in this area should be more rounded "bluffed" ?
 
I've spent a long time planning the next 4 to 5 planks, have decided to drop 2 more(pic # 3 below shows a small arrow for these 2 planks) then the rest will go all the way to the bow. Probably be adding in a couple of "steelers" as the planks work there way to the keel. 
 
When all the planks on and with a light sanding, hopefully come up a treat. ?
 
 
Dave

Progressing on the bottom planking.
I'm cutting the planks about 125mm long, and staggering the joints, every 4th set of planks match.
 
The bow: I am dropping the top few planks - the covering plank I make wider by adding a short piece to make a half "arrow" head. Slow going but hopefully not only look good, but the lower planks end up lying naturally on the hull to the bow.
 
The stern: slightly getting thinner over to the stem 4.2mm, from there plan to thin the planks down to 2.5mm for the concave bend towards the keel. That will be challenging.
 
Each Plank:
Managing to glue each plank with a drop of fast drying glue at each end, and between with the 2 part epoxy. Tried a couple of different ways, but this is process is working fine.
All epoxy glue on the hull first(leave gaps at ends, and sometimes a spot in between if the plank is not sitting flat enough). Drop of fast glue on one end only, push the plank on(let it dry within seconds) then drop of fast glue on the other end, push plank on - let it dry. Then work the plank between the ends flat squeezing out excess glue, clean up and plank done.
 
My biggest issue is, not all the planks are same thickness and even the width varies slightly. Talk about life wasn't meant to be easy.
 
Rowan - thanks for your kind words, started following your build with interest.
 
Dave R.

Thanks Frank and Alistair,i know what you mean now,i'll just put a photo on.Rope on the tiller step re-done.Channel caps to go on later.

Binnacle,chimney,steering wheel,rudder step done,pumps next.Probably re-do the rudder step rope again with beeswax it's a bit fuzzy.

To Nenad, if i build any ship in my earlier life, it i dont know, but in this life is it my first ship made in that way, I mean, if was a small kid i made some ships with i played on lake.
 
Thank you kees de mol.
 
here are other pics from my progress. Sommer was long and i traveled a lot, so i didnt have time for building, but do you know, long winters evenings are comming and im looking forward for that

Next progress, it was not so hard, just painting the figurehead and fit her to the ship and work on post. I chossed this color for everything on the deck,

Added the "iron " bands to the anchor stock and undercoated in preparation for painting and "puddening" the anchor rings.
I took the photo on my plans from AOTS...

Did a bit more of the anchor today, added the ring and making the stock

OK I've been continuing my work on the wales and black strake. The first picture you
will see one coat of black paint applied.
 

 
I then went over the wales sanding some and taking care of a couple of joints that weren't
as tight as I thought they were. Just put a dab of glue on the crack and sanded it.
 

 
And here you see it with a second "wafer thin" coat of paint. So far that is it!
 

 
I'll be spending the next few days trying to lay out the run of the planks and not bugging
Chuck to much while doing it.   

Port and Starboard Wales finally on.
Took me while to decide how to make up the width with the timbers from the kit.
The upper hull planking is 1.0mm thick.
The wales: decided on a 1.5mm top plank, then 5 planks 2mm thick. So the wales ended up with 2 x 0.5mm steps over the top edges.
 
I decided to blacken the edges of the top and bottom planks with the aim to give a sharp edge(hopefully not to cut in later on) to the change in colour/clear.
 
Might do some planks across the stern next, before talking the lower hull planking.
 
Slow going 
 
Cheers shipmates
 
Dave

The final bits on the main and fore yard, the braces, clue lines and tacks. the clue lines are somewhat difficult, as Parkin says it has three blocks, but AOTS says it is two blocks and a knotted rope.

It is possible to press cosmetic rivets using a centre punch and small hammer. The challenge is to consistently hit the punch with the same force or else the rivets come out in different sizes.
 
Many of the railway modelers use a press that is simply a sharp point on the end of a rod. The rod has a weight that will freely slide up and down it. The rod also has adjustable stops. The idea is you position the point where you want the rivet to be, with the rod perfectly vertical. Then raise the weight up to the top stop, let go, it then falls hitting the bottom stop, pushing the point in to the material. The fact that the weight drops the same height each time means the impact will be the same each time (according to Newton and his gravity    ).
 
When I was in Telford at the convention I saw one of these for sale at £12. It was based on a piece of studding. So on my return I bought a length of M5 threaded studding (cost £1 a yard), plus I had some M5 nuts and a piece of half inch round steel.
 

 
I filed the end of the studding to a 60 degree included angle point (as on the die of my press). I cut the lump of steel to 3/4 inch long then drilled a 5mm hole through the centre. (You notice like all railway modelers I gaily switch between metric and imperial measurements - 7mm to the foot anyone!  )
 

 
I assembled the pieces using M5 nuts in pairs to lock them in position.
 
The next photo is the MK I assembly. The two nuts to the right, at the pointed end, are the fixed stop. The other two nuts to the left make the adjustable top stop.
 

 
So I put some 1mm wide brass strip on a piece of pine wood. The wood acting as an anvil - there needs to be a little give. The point was positioned on the material with the rod held vertically and the steel block released from the top stop. I produced two rivets this way, then used my press to produce another two for comparison.
 
The new tool did not produce well defined rivet heads.
 
MK II was called for. I had a hardened steel point from an old pair of compasses. I end drilled the threaded rod and glued the point in to it. (A old darning needle could be an alternative). 
 
A also had to countersink the ends of the steel block to stop it catching on the thread when released.
 
The next photo shows the MK II version.
 

 
This was tried and produced much better results. The next photo shows a comparison. 
 
To the left, under the red arrow, the two poorly defined rivets produced by the MK I tool.
 
In the middle, under the blue arrow, the two produced by my press. The edges are crisply shaped by the hole in the anvil.
 
On the right, under the green arrow, the two produced with the MK II tool. With slight adjustment and possibly using something other than pinewood as an anvil even better results could probably be achieved.
 
The narrower point of the MK II tool made it easier to line up the position of the rivet. 
 
Not too bad for a tool costing less than £2.
 

Covers done the instructions were saying to mount them on 2mm wood but I think they look better flush as the replica is.Maybe leave the hinges etc brass or paint them black not sure yet.

Progress on the beakhead planking - i decided on the more defined,darker trenail simulation

The inboard wall of the beakhead - no trenailing on the planking. I did a test piece with trenails, but these vanished once the red colour was applied.

A batten to align the gunport sills and lintels

Spacers keep the gunport height constant

Looks like a good,pleasing to the eye, line of gun ports

Top rail

Nice curve

Yeah for me...after 11 days and 3 tries, the hawse timbers are cut, assembled, shaped, and installed.  They still need lots of sanding but it's best (from my point of view) to blend into the framing plus there's an inside curve down down low that becomes the outside curve as it rises.  I'm thinking it's best to try it this way.
 
There's also still a ton of fairing to do and I want that done and out of the way before attacking the stern.   So the next update my be awhile. 
 
I'm debating whether to drill out the hawse ports or put in the plugs and leave the anchors unrigged.  My reasoning is that I'm considering full rigging and sails for this one.
 

It's slowly taking shape!
 
Upper Bulwark planking completed and sanded.
 
Stern fascia fitted and the area below planked.
 
For the planking I have used the kit supplied strips, I think it's Manzonia Wood, horrible stuff, very hard and brittle, starts splittering soon after touching.
I will definetly not use this for hull planking.
 
 
 
 
 

First planking completed!
 
It looks (it is) a bit rough on the Bow and Stern but filler and sanding will do the Job. The missing fore bulwarks will be added after sanding to prevent damage on it.
Will start sanding pretty soon
 

A Update on the first planking, slowly but steady.

I was able to spend a bit of time on the ship this weekend.
I made the cat blocks and I was a bit disappointed that I couldn't figure out a way to simulate the wider centre of the iron band around the block where the sheave pin goes through.
I started making the second anchor as well.

Fore Cants up to #10 have been installed, now to make #11 with the 2" cast top timber for the forward gunport.

Ben

Next was to press some simulated bolt heads/clamps whatever. I have riveting tool which I use in my model railway activities which came in handy here.
 
The individual caps were then sliced off.
 

 
One problem with the Corel carriages is that the trunnions sit well down in the holes so that a line along the top of the carriage touches the circumference of the trunnion. This is shown by the left hand cannon of the next photo. A normal shaped cap would curve well above the trunnion. I decided to file the top edges down between 0.5 to 1.0mm so the carriage top line would pass through the centre of the trunnion - as in the right hand carriage.
 

 
A final photo of a cannon with the new thin breeching tackle partially fitted along with (as yet) unblackened caps.
 
The cannon is standing on a jig I made to do the rigging. Yet again a case of my SIFD (Stealing Ideas From Dafi).
 

 
There will be no ship building for a few days. Tomorrow (Friday) I will be spending the day with the Manchester Chapter of the GOGs (Grumpy Old Gits). We will be sampling the delights of various Mancunian ale houses and having lengthy intellectual(?) discourses.
 
Saturday I will probably spend feeling sorry for myself.
 
Sunday I will be off to Telford to a different set of GOGs. This time it is the Gauge 0 Guild, of which I am a member - so I will be playing trains. It is also where I restock my materials and get any tools. I have decided I need some more good quality long tweezers to help with the rigging.

Never let it be said that I kept Popeye waiting------
 
The installation of the gun deck has been completed
 
Just to review (since it's taken so long), the deck is Swiss Pear supplied by Jeff at HobbyMill.  Fantastically uniform material  -- BIG thanks to him.
The planks are all scale length of about 25 feet.  The meeting of the deck planks to the margin planks was carried out using hooked scarph joints.  I received some queries on these:
 

 
As I came to discover, Swiss Pear is pretty tough stuff but it holds an edge very well.  After going through several Social Security checks worth of Exacto blades, I came up with the following procedure:
 
A card stock template was carefully fitted into the spot to be filled and, using double-sided tape, attached to the plank.  The outline was then cut using a fine belt on a belt sander.  Takes a steady hand.  Given my aversion to power tools, I was surprised how well it worked.
 
So here are a series of photos showing the deck from different perspectives:
 

 
The treenailing was created using the 'drill and fill' method using #75 pin vise drills.  There are about 1200 holes (but who's counting).  The fill material is Hobbylite that I dyed with some acrylic paint to get just a tiny bit of contrast with the deck itself.  The entire deck was finished using the sequence of Minwax Pre-Stain followed by Natural stain, 2 coats of WOP and 2 coats of Testor's Clear Flat Acrylic:
 
 

 
 

 

 

 
A lot of this deck will be obscured by the partial upper decks and deck beams.
 
I need to do some touching up here and there on the ship and install some ladders in the hatchways.  At that point the shop will be closed for about a month as the Admiral and I are off to do some globetrotting  After that it will be on to the cannons.
 
Thanks to all for stopping by.  Enjoy the upcoming change of the Seasons !
 
 
 
 

Slowly trucking right along.... fore cant frames are in and need fairing.  A lot of fairing but that's what I planned.  I'm working on cutting out and fitting the hawse timbers as this is being written.
 
Much research still going in in the background.  Probably more research than work right now...     I fully believe that Mr. Delacroix is spot on about using the Belle Poule monograph for details and rigging which is not what Hahn used.  Hahn used Le Venus which is too late in the period and things were done differently in the planking, rigging, and details area.  Le Renommee is too early with the wales, quarter galleries and stern areas as well some minor details.
 
I fully suspect that Licorne was built originally along the lines of Le Renommee per the bow, stern, wales and gallery drawings I've seen but that there was a major rebuild somewhere before she was captured as she has much of the Belle Poule features.  I'm still sorting out the odd yard dimensions which match Le Venus but not Belle Poule.  Again, this may have been part the transition period so the rigging will probably be the spar and yard dimensions per the NMM (as captured) but use the Belle Poule rigging plan as that seems more appropriate for the time frame.  I still have a long way to go before I even think about rigging, but its something that needs to be sorted out for the hull sheave placement.
 
My plan, subject to change,  is to carry on and once the hull is framed and faired, plank the exterior per the NMM/Hahn drawings with mods from Belle Poule. 
 
By all means, feel free to click the pic for a larger view.  Critiques (negative, corrective, etc.) are always welcome as I'm still trying to get a handle on this beast.
 

Hi people, been away for a few weeks (holiday in Thailand) hoping to get back into the build this week. Here's a broadside view of how she is at the moment