Glenn-UK

It looks very good.

37 minutes ago, myxyzptlyk2003 said:

The only thing about James' pictures, they clearly show the slots for the timberheads.     That wasn't just sanded smooth.

 

 

I think bit I you are on about is different to the bit I thought it was.

2 hours ago, myxyzptlyk2003 said:

I have just gone through James's prototype build log again, and for that issue with the gunwales that I am having, again, I don't see any mention of a piece going there but there are numerous later pictures showing something there.

 

Not a huge issue since I think my solution will work well.  

From what I can see from the build log and manual photos I think it was just sanded  smooth, blended and painted black with the gunwales. Your solution looks good also.

HULL WORK

HULL PLATES

BUILD MANUAL STEPS 262 - 264

 

 

LINK TO MY BUILD LOG INDEX

 

Tools Used

Craft knife

Super phatic glue

Acetone & soapy water

Brass pins

Clamps

Varnish

 

Gathering the materials required

PE-27 (x2), PE-28 (x2)

 

Assembly Process

I am currently working on the rudder assembly, which is currently in the painting phase and should be ready to be installed tomorrow. I will post details of my rudder assembly once complete.

 

The two prow horseshoe plates and two stern fishplates were cleaned, first in a solution of acetone and then in some soapy water. For this prototype build I opted not to paint the plates copper, but I might paint them later on if I feel so inclined to do so.

 

Each plate was fitted in the same way, which was to apply a thin coat of super phatic glue to the hull area and to then position the plate, using brass pins to ensure then were correctly aligned. With the plate in place two clamps were used to hold the plate in the place and the brass pins were then removed to avoid them being glued in place.

 

Once the glue had cured the clamps were removed. 30 x brass pins were then trimmed to approx. 2 to 3mm in length. Using my round nose pliers the brass pin were carefully inserted into the holes in the plates. I did not use any glue when pushing the pins in as they were all a nice tight fit and would be held in place once a coat of varnish had been added to finish task.

 

The stern fishplate. You can see the hull is not totally smooth, but it is ok for this prototype build.

 

The bow horseshow plate. Not a great joint between stem post and keel.

HULL WORK

ADDING RAILS

BUILD MANUAL STEPS 233 - 249

 

 

LINK TO MY BUILD LOG INDEX

 

Tools Used

Craft knife

Waterline marker

Wood filler

Titebond original

Red, blue, and black paints

Varnish

Tape

 

Gathering the materials required

140, 141,142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148 (x4), 383 (x2)

 

Assembly Process

The two sheer and waist patterns had been soaked in hot water and then clamped to the hull and left to dry overnight.

 

I then moved on to painting the upper patterns red, blue and black as required. The various rail patterns were clamped in place to check the painting for the red and blue sections. In hindsight, and certainly when I get around to this stage on the next build, I will use some tape to get better lines as it looks a tad messy now. It can be tidied.

 

I brushed some glue on the back of the various rail patterns and fixed them to the hull, using clamps. Take great care with these patterns as they are very fragile.

 

The final task was to add the 4 side fender patterns and 2 chess tree patterns to the rails.

 

This picture show the rails dry fitted after the painting phase

 

A close up of the messy stern area

 

This dry fit of the rails photo shows my bad line painting, without tape.

 

The rails have  been glued and clamped in the photo below

 

The completed rails, noting I have not cut away the rails from the gun ports

 

Bow area

 

The stern area

 

Midships with fenders and cross tree patterns fitted to the rails. Gun ports still need to be cleared of rail

 

Another stern picture

3 minutes ago, James H said:

 

I'm sure someone already did the heavy lifting before the kit was released 😉😝

I did try to make you a manual that showed everything in the smallest detail. 

James indeed did the heavy lifting and producing a stunning model and brilliant manual

HULL WORK

PAINTING HULL

BUILD MANUAL STEPS 229 - 232

 

 

LINK TO MY BUILD LOG INDEX

 

Tools Used

Craft knife

Waterline marker

Wood filler

Sandpaper (110 and 400 grit)

Titebond original

Varnish

Tape

 

Gathering the materials required

No parts required

 

Assembly Process

After I had added the waterline I applied plenty of tape to the hull, replicating the picture shown on step 230 of the build manual.

 

Using the same Matt Super white paint as shown in the picture for step 231 in the build manual I sprayed a thin coat on the exposed hull. I then spent a lot of time sanding, then applying filler (diluted with water and titebond) to fill any dips and then sanding the filled area smooth. This process was repeated several times.

 

Once I was happy with how the hull was looking I removed the tape from the stem, keel and stern posts below the waterline. A thin coat of varnish was applied to the bare wood areas and the hull was then sprayed a couple more times with the matt super white paint. Due to the dust cloud in the shipyard during the process I did not risk taking pictures. OK I simply forgot to take some pictures😇.

 

As can be seen in the photo below I have actually done a bit more work which will be covered in my next post.

 

Looking good, great progress 

It is important to get the position of the lower counter pattern correct. I set mine a bit too low, your looks well positioned which is good.

 

When I do this stage again I will dry fit the parts of the quarter gallery so I know where the quarter gallery berthing pattern will be positioned. I will then dry fit the upper counter pattern and stern fascia patterns as the berthing pattern needs to be aligned with the upper counter pattern and the stern fascial pattern needs to be 2mm above the transom. When this has been checked the correct position of the lower counter pattern will be known.

3 minutes ago, Patrick Haw said:

Hello Glenn,

 

I just found your Sphinx build log and really enjoyed looking through it. I'm so sorry that it went a bit pear-shaped on you, but I'm sure you'll recover and end up with a beautiful model.

 

Patrick

I will continue with this build log as my prototype build. I am currently waiting for some blue paint as my current supply had dried out. 

Great job, always good to complete the 1st planking

10 hours ago, Blue Ensign said:

Once the planks are formed I test fit them using clamps and pins before gluing, applying a blast of heat with the strips in place.

 

Nice planking, I am a bit unsure what you mean. With the preformed plank is pinned / clamped in place are you then applying a blast of hot air to reinforce the bend?

10 minutes ago, mtaylor said:

Is there a reason not to remove the char from wheels?  To my eye, it gives the appearance of a cast iron band which wasn't used on ships.  

No reason at all and is more realistic, especially when looking at HMS Victory's cannons. I removed the char on my previous DOK build but thought some wheels become a bit less round after sanding. I noted James had left the char on his prototype build and thought it looked Ok. 

It is looking very good, great progress.

 

I have built one cannon, click on the link to see my cannon assembly. I have also started work on the 28 foot pinnace.

 

 

DECK ITEMS

CANNON ASSEMBLY

BUILD MANUAL STEPS 479 - 491

 

 

LINK TO MY BUILD LOG INDEX

 

Tools Used

Craft knife

Titebond original

Red Paint

Varnish

Tape

 

Gathering the materials required

366-372, PE-107, F-5 (Cannon), PE-81 (x7)

 

Assembly Process

There are 20 cannons to make. I have built one to make sure I can follow the build instructions correctly.

 

The wooden parts were removed from the sheet. I sanded a very slight chamfer to the wheel axles to make the fitting of the wheels a tad easier.

 

The wooden parts were then placed on tape to ensure they did not move when I applied a thin coat of varnish to seal the wood prior to painting.

 

 

 

Once all the parts had been varnished the following items were paint red, with three very light coats:

 

a)    Carriage sides left and right

b)    Carriage front and rear axles

c)     Carriage quoin

 

The PE parts were cleaned in acetone and soapy water and then chemically blackened.

 

The carriage sides incorporate the cap squares, which is an innovative design idea and much very appreciated by me. The cap square section of the carriage sides have to be painted black. I taped the carriage sides prior to brushing on the black paint to get a clean finish.

 

 

 

The front and rear axle was then glued to the left-hand carriage side and the cannon was inserted in the into the locating hole. Once I was happy with the alignment the right-hand carriage side was added.

 

 

Next up was fitting the PE parts, starting with the cross bar and then the 7 x eyebolts. And this was followed by adding the quoin.

 

The final assembly task was to add the 4 wheels. The wheels were rotated as they were pushed on the axles, so that the connecting tabs were at the bottom. I then applied a thin coat of varnish to the completed assembly, one down nineteen to go

 

The varnish has just been applied in the photo below, hence the wet shiny look

Looks good

7 minutes ago, VTHokiEE said:

That sounds quite disheartening but I'm glad that to see that you're using it as a learning experience (quite inspirational actually - I don't want to think of how I would deal with it 🙂).

I am not disheartened, veey happy to continue the first kit to iron out my building bugs, and then to build better one.

11 minutes ago, glbarlow said:

I wouldn’t be so discouraged Glenn, it looks like all you need to do is remove and replace the roof of the quarter galleries. There’s not that many pieces to the quarter gallery eve if you had to replace them all. I’m confident you can sort it out. 

Hi Glenn (USA) I wish it was that simple, the two quarter gallery berthing patterns are misaligned with the upper counter pattern, the outer bulwarks are misaligned with the lower counter pattern. To fix the problem I would need to remove and reposition the lower and upper counter patterns and the stern fascia pattern. This then affects the planking which would need to be extended once the lower counter pattern is repositioned.

After much debate, soul searching and reviewing the alternatives I have realised I have made really made a mess of my current Sphinx build, and have been left with no alterative but to buy another kit as I do not think I can realistically recover the situation and build this wonderful model to the standard it merits or I desire.

 

This came to light as work progressed on the quarter galleries. I have seriously considered seeing if I remove all the parts incorrectly fitted, ordering some replacement parts where necessary and then fix the problem. This, in my opinion, is a none starter as I think there is too many parts to remove to fix the problems.

 

I must stress the problems with my Sphinx are purely down to my building skills and not with the quality of design of the kit which is outstanding. I think the Vanguard Models are the best kits on the market and I have enjoyed all my previous builds.

 

My plan on moving forward is to continue with this current build (and build log) and to treat it as a prototype build and to learn from the mistakes I have made, and I will probably make many more mistakes as my prototype build progresses.

 

Once the new Sphinx kit arrives I will start the build in parallel, taking greater care and more time with the build to avoid the mistakes made with my current build. My mantra will be "check, check again and to then check again"

 

 

Coming along nicely

13 minutes ago, glbarlow said:

Really nice to see the designer and prototype builder taking an active interest in addressing mistakes by builders. Thanks Chris and James. 

I'm glad to be the builder making all the mistakes, it is my trademark.🤣

3 minutes ago, James H said:

Hi Glenn,

 

You needed to shape/bevel those roof sections before fitting, to allow the upper decorative trim to fit, plus you have that PE shingle to fit too. Test the fit of those parts before proceeding further. 

 

Thanks James

The top roof pattern leading edge was shaped before I glued in place. I made the mistake of shaping the leading edge before the outer window pattern which meant the window pattern was sitting proud. of the top pattern.

 

This picture shows the marking I made before I sanded the bevel.

HULL ASSEMBLY

QUARTER GALLERIES

BUILD MANUAL STEP 211 - 228

 

 

LINK TO MY BUILD LOG INDEX

 

Tools Used

Craft knife

Titebond original

Clamps

Black paint

 

Gathering the materials required

29 (x2) 45b (x2), 45c (x2), 46 (x4), 59 (x2), 89 (x2), 158 (x2) 481 & 482

 

Assembly Process

Continuing on with the quarter galleries the two inner window patterns were glued and clamped in place.

 

Next I looked at shaping the top patterns (29). I started with the stern patter edge before shaping the front edge. I made a bit of a boo boo when shaping the front edge as I did not account for the outer window pattern, which should have been fitted prior to the top pattern. Thankfully (once again) I have been able to fudge it so no real harm done.

 

After I had fitted the top pattern the outer window pattern was shaped, glued and clamped in place.

 

Moving forward the next gallery pattern (43c) was shaped and glued in position. I used a small packing piece to ensure it stayed in the right position as the glue cured. Once the glue had cured the berthing patterns were glued and clamped in place.

 

The final task was to make and fit the lower finishing patterns. I started the process by drying parts 29 and 45b and once I was happy with there relative positions they were glued together. I also glued the two parts 46 together. Once all the parts had been glued together the lower finishing pattern was shaped. This took some time before I was happy with the shaped assembly. It was then glued in place. I also painted this assembly black.

 

Next task will be to complete the sanding and filling of the hull and then to paint it white.

 

Photo of the inner window pattern clamped after fitting

 

Marking the top pattern before shaping

 

Stern edge after shaping

 

Top pattern fitted. I should have fitted the outer window pattern and shaped the top pattern accordingly

 

Outer window pattern clamped in place after gluing

 

Stern pattern 45c is glued in place, with space to keep in position s the glue cures

 

Berthing pattern clamped

 

Quarter gallery, just needs lower finishing pattern

 

Lower finishing pattern has now been added and painted black

 

A view from the rear

52 minutes ago, Malcolm Greig said:

Tricky part of the build. Looks like you have solved the problems. I'm sure the stern will turn out great. 

 

regards

 

Malcolm 

Fingers crossed, work is progressing well on the quarter galleries at the moment.

HULL ASSEMBLY

QUARTER GALLERY AND PAINTING THE WALES

BUILD MANUAL STEP 194 - 210

 

 

LINK TO MY BUILD LOG INDEX

 

Tools Used

Craft knife

Titebond original

Clamps

Varnish

Black paint

 

Gathering the materials required

45 (x4), 45a (x2), 51 (x2), 75, 88, 156, 157, 196,

 

Assembly Process

Due to the problem highlighted in my last post I changed tact a little bit. I started by positioning the stern fascia – inner (part 88), ensuring the top sat proud of the transom by approx. 2mm, reference step 202. Once I worked out the correct position I applied some titebond to the stern area and added the fascia to the stern.

 

Once I was happy the glue had cured enough to hold to the pattern in place I moved on and added the upper counter pattern (75), again using titebond.

 

The gapping between the patterns was nowhere near as bad as I was expecting and I am confident the rails, when fitted will hide the gaps (as stated in step 208). The gapping is more noticeable on the left hand side, so when complete the model will be displayed from the right side.

 

I then moved on to starting work on the quarter galleries. Parts 45 and 45a were shaped as per the instructions and then glued in position, using part 51 to set the angle between the middle and upper gallery patterns. Overall everything was a good fit.

 

Tape was applied above and below the wales. I ensured the tape edges were firmly pressed in position. The pin holes on the wales were filled. The wales were then coated with a thin coat of polyurethane varnish. Once the varnish had dried I hand painted the wales, using a water based black paint. Three thin coats were applied. Once the final coat had dried the paint was sealed using another thin coat of polyurethane varnish.

 

The upper stern counter pattern and outer stern fascia patterns were glued in place, clamps were used to hold them in place while the glue cured.

 

This picture shows how I positioned the fascia pattern, sitting proud of the transom. There is a slight gap on the left had side with the upper counter pattern

 

Quarter gallery patterns fitted

 

I used a clamp to hold the upper pattern in position as the glue cured

 

The hull is taped ready for painting the wales, the varnish has been added

 

Painting of the wales in progress

 

The quarter gallery required some black paint (as this area could be seen through the windows)

 

This picture shows the gapping between the stern patterns

 

A blurry photo showing the outer fascia pattern clamped

 

The upper stern counter pattern is clamped

 

The painted wales and stern area, nowhere bad looking as I first feared but it is not great work on my part.

 

The painted wales

 

Quarter galleries

 

This shows the stern area, not very good building on my part, but the rails (when fitted) should cover up the gaps.

 

When looking forward I was confused with build step 220 with regard to the position of part 45c. Thankfully @James H was able to send me a modified picture, which I have added to this post.