Glenn-UK

I need a new palm sander also. I have noticed that you have not removed the upper and lower gunport strips from the quarterdeck doorway. Is there any reason for this? The fairing looks good, so the planking should not be a problem for you.

Sanding Inner Bulwark Frames I have started to sand the inner framework ready for the inner bulwark patterns. This needs to be done correctly so there is a good smooth contact surface for the patterns. This task will not be rushed and I know it is going to take me quite a bit of time and effort to complete. With reference to the first photo there are some areas that will require quite a bit of sanding to get a smooth transition between the bulkhead and gunport pattern. The first photo shows the work in progress where the first starboard bulwark pattern will be located. There is still a little bit more sanding required. As can be seen in the next photo there is still more sanding required on the bulkhead where the top longitudinal gunport pattern is connected. I am using a mixture of sanding sticks and sandpaper and my progress is slow but steady. I need to replenish my stock of sandpaper, so I heading off to my local DIY store. I am also checking the fit of the bulwark patterns, so far so good.

Thanks Gary Dalby is very scenic, but I do enjoy the weekly parkruns, well not so much the run but the after run refreshments.These days my running is much slower so I can take in the vista as I gasp for gulps of air.

Not a good start to the day. My usual parkrun (Dalby Forest) had already been cancelled yesterday due to the icy conditions. Not to worry, having checked before setting off this morning, the North Yorkshire Water Park parkrun was still on. As I entered the car park I was informed, that due to the icy conditions, they had just decided to cancel for safety reasons. Rather than having my normal Saturday morning 5k parkrun and post run refreshments with some friends I was at a loose end. With a heavy heart I headed home. I eventually found solace in the shipyard. Fitting Aft Patterns There are several aft patterns to fit, which are identified as: Quarterdeck gun port strips (lower and upper) Quarterdeck bulwark strip (lower and upper) Quarterdeck door frame Poop deck beam ledge Quarterdeck gun port frames After a dry fit I used a cocktail stick to apply some titebond 3 to all the slots in the lower quarterdeck gun port and bulwark strips before they were added to the hull framework. This was followed with adding the upper quarterdeck gun port and bulwark strips. Once the glue had some time to grab and cure the quarterdeck door frame patterns were added. The two quarterdeck gun port sections, indicated by the blue arrow, which pass through the door frame will be removed once the glue has had time to dry. The poop deck beam ledge patterns were dry fitted. After making a few minor adjustments glue was added to the slots and the patterns added. The next photo shows the upper and lower quarterdeck bulwark strips in place. Before the quarterdeck gun port frames can be fitted it is necessary to remove a small section of bulkhead 18. I used a small razor saw to make the cuts. Once the small section has been removed the edges were sanded smooth with a small needle file. As indicated earlier in this post the quarterdeck gun port strips that pass through the quarterdeck door way also needs to be removed. This was easily done with a small razer saw and then I used a file to smooth the cut edges. Next the quarterdeck gun port frames were added, as indicated by the blue arrow. Before starting to sand the inner bulwark frames so they are smooth and ready for the inner bulwark patterns to be added I did a test fit of the temporary beams for bulkheads 15 to 18 which, when in place, will create a rigid structure for fairing. I know I will have to be careful with protecting the bulkhead ears during the sanding process therefore I will follow the excellent advise given in Jim’s prototype build log: “you're best rolling the hull onto its side on a towel, and applying pressure downwards when sanding. This is done until everything is nice and even.”

I'm really looking forward to seeing plenty of photos of the sanded hull. I trust all goes well with the hull fairing.

This post will detail the work I undertook to install the gundeck plywood patterns and stern counter frame patterns. There a a lot of photos to look at. Gun Deck Plywood Pattern – Installation After another dry run I went ahead and glued the plywood gundeck patterns in place. Once the gundeck was in place I could feel there was full contact between the gundeck beams and the deck along the outer edges. A series of clamps were used to hold the central section in place as the glue cures. Although not shown in the photo below I did also place some weighted objects on the deck. As can be seen in the next photo the cut-outs between the two gundeck pattern are nicely aligned. The only area where the deck did not seem to sit flat was at the bow end. I tried a heavy weight and then a simple clamping arrangement as shown below. I was not totally happy that the decks were totally flat so ended up using a modified version, as shown below, which was successful. Once the glue had cured it was time, once again, to test fit some of the deck items, particularly those items which locate in slots on the lower deck. Fitting Stern Counter Frame Patterns There are 3 stern counter frame patterns per side, inner, middle and outer. Before fitting I removed the laser char from the stern frame pattern slots which locate over bulkheads 18 and 17. Once the laser char had been removed each pattern was fitted with out any problem. Next the stern frame connecting beam was added. Before the stern frame filler pattern (deck level) can be fitted the top edge requires bevelling. It is not a great photo of the bevel edge. After bevelling the stern frame filler pattern (deck level) it was glued in place. I used a couple of clamps to hold the pattern in place. Three additional stern filler patterns were then added. To finish off today’s work I dry fitted the aft quarter strips and door frame patterns. These were all a good fit.

Gun Deck Plywood Pattern – Preparation Work With our youngest grandson having his afternoon nap I was able to grab 90 minutes in the shipyard. I decided to have a look at fitting the gundeck. The plywood gundeck base comprises 2 plywood patterns, a left-hand and a right-hand side. To ensure the two patterns are correctly aligned the manual does detail taping the two sections together before installation which will act as a hinge to aid the installation. The build manual also recommends doing a couple of dry runs before the gundeck is glued to the gun beams. It is important to make sure the deck assembly slots fully into the bulkhead notches thus holding the outer edges of the gun deck in place. For my first dry run I tried to fit the left-hand side pattern. I was unable to get the pattern to engage with some of the notches, between bulkheads 5 to 15. After a close visual inspection of each bulkhead notch with a high intensity light I could see no apparent reason for this. I then used a piece of scrap material taken from the gundeck’s plywood sheet and checked it would locate in the bulkhead notches. No problems were detected. Being a little perplexed I decided to see if I could fit the right-hand gundeck pattern. With the Indy turned around on my workbench I was able to fit the right-hand side pattern without any problems. With the right-hand deck still in place I tried once again to fit the left-hand pattern and eventually it slotted into place. With a slight bit of adjustment of the gundeck patterns, the central gundeck cut-outs were almost aligned. With both gundeck patterns removed, using a 400-grit sanding stick, I removed the laser char from the sides of the bulkhead alignment slots on both patterns. The gundeck patterns were then refitted, the cut-outs were nicely aligned. With some heavy object to hold the deck sections in place I did a test fit of some of the deck items to ensure would pass though and locate in the slots provided on the lower deck. I am pleased to report the various bitts and mast dowels were perfectly aligned with the lower deck. With the two gundeck sections removed tape was applied to the underside and then refitted. Everything is now looking good. I might be able to get a little bit of time in the shipyard in the morning before more babysitting duties with a couple of our grandsons. I am planning one more gundeck test fit and then, assuming there are no problems, the gundeck patterns can then be glued in place. My progress is slow but I happy taking my time and double / triple check things before committing to gluing.

Nicely done.

Gun Port Patterns – Installation Following on from my last post where I detailed the preparation work with regards to the upper and lower gun port longitudinal frame patterns I have now glued patterns in place. I brushed glue in both the pattern and bulkhead slots. After each pattern had been glued in place a wetted paint brush was used to remove the excess glue, with some of the excess diluted glue being brushed into the joints. The pencil lines do match up so I know the patterns are fully engaged in the bulkhead slots. The patterns, when glued, stayed in place without the need to use clamps for the most part. There were a couple of bulkheads where it was necessary to hold them in place. Before removing the vertical gun port patterns from the MDF sheet, I did add a part reference in pencil. I then dry fitted all these vertical gun port patterns all to make sure there was no installation issues. Next each vertical gun port pattern was removed in turn and the pencil marks were removed with an eraser. Glue was added to both the pattern and bulkhead slots and the pattern was then refitted. The excess glue brushed away with a wetted paint brush, with some of the excess diluted glue being brushed into the joints. It did not take too long to glue all the patterns in place. Next task should be the fitting of the gun deck sections and stern counter frame patterns. I will have limited time in the shipyard over the next few days due to grandparent duties so not sure when this will be done.

It makes more work with the planking, otherwise you will need to modify the cannons to remove the locating tab. Have fun deciding. Your planking does look good.

Gun Port Patterns – Preparation Work There are 4 off gun port longitudinal frame patterns per side to fit, 2 for the lower framework (front and rear) and 2 for the upper framework (front and rear). Care must be taken with handling these patterns as they are fragile. I did very gently remove some laser char from the frame pattern bulkhead slots on these patterns using a 600-grit sanding stick. I have dry fitted the front lower and upper patterns to the right-hand side. Some of the excess material will be removed when sanding the inner framework smooth for the bulwark patterns and when fairing the hull ready for the first planking. I have already noted (as shown in the build manual picture with build step 144 for example) that some bulkhead material around the gun port 1 was not removed during the fairing process with the prototype build. The big guns from the IJN Yamato are slowing turning towards the Indy. The forward edge of the fore bulwark patterns terminates next to the rear edge of bulkhead 2, as shown by the blue arrow. There is a small bulwark pattern option which can be fitted between bulkheads 1 and 2. I have now added some pencil marks on all the bulkheads and patterns joints. These marks will match when the gun port longitudinal frame patterns are fully engaged in their respective bulkhead slots. It is a belt and braces approach but, given the some of the edges are not flush when the patterns are fitted, I know the patterns will be correctly installed when they are glued in place. The next picture shows the Indy with all the gun port longitudinal frame patterns dry fitted. Before gluing the longitudinal frame patterns to the bulkheads, I decided to dry fit a random selection of the main deck gun port vertical frame patterns. I am using pencil marks to ensure the patterns are fully engaged. The dry fit check has already paid dividends as in the photo below the first vertical frame pattern is upside down. Thankfully, with my enhanced checking procedures, I soon realised my mistake. With the vertical gun port frame fitted the right way up it can be seen that the pencil marks match up indicating the pattern is fully engaged.

Fitting Bulkhead 1 The various bow filler parts were dry fitted to the bulkhead and a test hull fit was undertaken. Next some guidelines were drawn on the bulkhead in readiness for the pre-fairing, as can seen in the first photo below, using the photo in the build manual as a reference. Fairing guidelines were also drawn on the filler patterns. Using a combination of a Ginour rotary tool, sanding sticks and sanding blocks the pre-fairing of the bulkhead was completed. The completed bulkhead assembly was then added to the keel. Fitting Bulkhead 18 The various stern filler parts were dry fitted to bulkhead and I started to add some guidelines. After the filler patterns had been glued in place the pre-fairing of the bulkhead assembly was completed. I generally find the pre-fair of this type of bulkhead assembly much tricker than the bow assembly. I took my time and stopped to check the progress at regular intervals, and also compared with the photos in the build manual. The final task was to take the 2 off stern patterns, shape and fit. There is quite of bit of sanding required to shape these patterns, I have left of bit of excess material on these patterns which can be removed during the final hull fairing later in the build process. The pattern has not, as yet, been glued to the keel in the photo below.

When I started my last Indy build log I realised that I should have included some earlier build photos. Rather than post them out of sequence (OCD or what) I decided to delete and start again, sorry for the confusion. You will also note I have changed my user name to Glenn–UK. Please find attached my first set of photos which represents what I achieved during week 1 of the build process. Photo 1 - The temporary build cradle Photow 2 & 3- Fitting bulkheads to keel Photos 4 and 5 - Taken to check the bulkheads are correctly fitted You will note there are 2 x bulkhead 9's which will aid the planking process later on in the build process. Photo 6 & 7 - Fitting side keel patterns These keel side patterns are held in place with locating keys. This ensures these parts are correctly positioned when fitted. Photo 8 - Orlop Deck Photo 9 & 10 - Lower deck hatches and ladder. The ladder photo was taken before the ladder side decorative patterns were fitted. Laser char was removed from the visible edges. Photo 11 - Test fit of lower deck There are two sections fore and aft. Locating keys will be pushed through some of the bulkheads to ensure the lower deck sections are held in position. Photo 12 & 13 - Lower deck hatches and ladder fitted after deck pattern fitted Photo 14 - Gun deck beams installed

Looking good, great progress

Stunning workmanship, you must be very proud of your achievement

Continuing my quest to replicate some of the block rigging I noticed following a visit to HMS Trincomalee the next block I tried to replicate is a fairly common type of arrangement. Typically rigging from a mast or yard is brought down to deck level via a two block configuration. A double block is seized to the yard / mast rigging line and is then linked to a single block which is then hooked or secured to an eyebolt on the deck or side of hull. I used 0.25mm natural thread for the mast / yard rigging line and 0.1mm natural thread for the inter-block rigging. I used black Semperfli Spyder 18/0 Black Fly Tying thread for the seizing. I have ordered some different threads and colours to try. I am more inclined toward a brown or beige thread for the seizing at the moment. I am reasonably happy with the replicated block arrangement, as shown in the next two photos. It needs to be a bit tidier around the base of the single block. The next area I wanted to look at was the seizing of a deadeye to a shroud line. As can be seen in the next two photo's the seizing is quite elaborate. @DelF provided an excellent example / tutorial of this type of seizing in his Speedy build log post. Another example of this arrangement is shown on the following web site: San Diego Ship Modelers Guild. I used a length of 0.75mm black thread for the simulated shroud line which was seized to a 5mm deadeye. I then attempted to replicate the shroud seizing, using 0.1 mm natural thread. On my first attempt I was not totally happy with how they looked. I also think I need to use a slightly thinner thread so I have ordered some fine Gutterman sewing thread which I will try when it arrives in a few days time. On my second attempt I was much happier with how the seizing looked and I also seized the top of the free shroud end, using grey fly tying thread. However I didn't get the spacing between the two seizing's right as I added downward loops instead of upward loops on the second seizing. I think I now have a workable method for replicating the seizing's. Each seizing currently comprises 5 loops but I may need to add one or two more when using thinner thread. It does take more time and effort to implement but I think the end result is much more pleasing to the eye. I will try a few more times once the Gutterman fine thread arrives to try and perfect the method and spacing. Of course this could become a nightmare to implement when I try to replicate this method on an actual model.

Thanks Dan I am gearing up for the Indy which will be an interesting build.

She looks great, well done.

Hello Richard. The Trincomalee is located in Hartlepool and I live in Scarborough which is only 70 miles away. Portsmouth is the other of the country about 300 miles. My wife and I will plan to take a short holiday later this year as there are few places we would like to visit.

Following on from my earlier post I have now attempted to replicate another Trincomalee block. This time the block I am replicating is a very simple one, as shown in the following photo. The next photo is my replicated effort. I have detailed all the steps I followed to achieve this in this post. I started with holding a 5mm single block in my quad hands and I then wrapped a length 0.5mm black thread around the block. For the seizing I used black Semperfli Spyder 18/0 Black Fly Tying Thread. I started with half hitch which is positioned on the underside. I then placed another half hitch, but this time it was place on the upper side, as can be seen in the next photo. I then repeated this process until I added 15 half hitches on the bottom and 15 half hitches on the top. Next seizing is pushed right up to the block and the short free end is trimmed. I then continued to add more top and bottom half-hitch knots (20 in total on top and 20 on the bottom). A touch of ca gel is applied to the seizing and the excess thread is trimmed. I have ordered some Floo Gloo which is fly tying cement which I am going to try. To complete the process I added a small length of black thread through the block hole and then held it in position with the quads hands for the final photo which is reasonable copy of the Trincomalee block.

Hello Andrew It only a 70 mile drive from where I live so I should go more often as it was a few years ago since my last visit. I found it very informative. I would like to go back to Portsmouth to look around HMS Victory.

I visited The National Museum of the Royal Navy Hartlepool to have a look around HMS Trincomalee which is a Royal Navy Leda Class sailing frigate built shortly before the end of the Napoleonic wars. It is well worth a visit. Part of the reason for the visit was to look at the rigging to see if I could improve my methods in readiness for my next project which will be the HMS Indefatigable. I am fully aware that the Indy is a different class of ship to the Trincomalee. Also the Trincomalee, being a museum exhibit, has undergone a lot of restoration work. . I took plenty of photo's of various aspects of the rigging (and belaying) and it quickly became apparent that there were plenty of things I could do which would yield better results. With that in mind, and knowing it will be a couple of weeks before the Indy kit is released, I thought I would experiment to see what I could do better. When looking at the following photo I noted that the rope used to seize around the block had been served. I also noted that just have much more the rope was seized compared with what I would normally do. I decided that using a served rope around a block was not something I was going to replicate. I did however try extend the amount of thread seized and I also ensured the seizing extended past the cut ends of the thread. In the two pictures below I used 0.25mm natural thread which was seized using unwaxed Semperfli Spyder thread. I used grey spyder thread at one end and black spyder thread at the other. I think the grey looks better with the natural thread. I am going to order and try some differ spyder thread colours as there is a nice looking brown spyder thread which I think will be a mch better option. In the following two photos the seizing consisted of alternate half hitch knots 16 on the bottom and 16 on the top. I probably could have added a few more to extend the seizing even further which is something I will experiment with over the next couple of weeks. I have also attached some more photos of blocks which I will try to replicate over the next few days. In the next photo the bottom block required a thimble adding to the bottom of the block. In this photo the bottom block is secured to the hull via an eyebolt arrangement,

A stunning build, well done

The fishing boats from Vanguard Models are a great starting point.

Many thanks Gus. I have enjoyed building the 3 small fishing boats, makes a nice break from the more complex builds. Next up for me will be HMS Indefatigable (Indy) which is due to be released in a couple of weeks. I think this will be a 2 to 3 year labour of love.